Erjykove

Jennora laughed at what Mikuo had to say about leaving early. "Glad we agree. Two is a charm, but we should go in a group of three to be safe." She told him, standing up to stretch, then turning back to the couch to pick up her purse. She gave Reyna a concerning look when she said "Yeah, whatever."

"Don't 'Yeah, whatever' me. You and I both know it's for the best. I don't want to sound like your mother but when you have learned to control everything I'll take you wherever you want to go. I promise, but until then I don't want to risk your safety." Jennora shrugged, she really hated feeling like she was the mother of the house or that she was the bad guy. She'd love for Reyna to go places with her. Jennora was the one that saved her, and she put it upon herself to take care of Reyna, and she would. "I'll buy you some stuff while I'm out. And we can hang out later. For now, can you please try to cheer Dyson up?" She asked Reyna, giving her an even more concerning look.

"I'm going to go talk to Chris." Jennora told everyone, waving as she left to go back into the kitchen. When she spotted Chris her heart practically jumped out of her chest as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind. She held on for a few seconds before letting go to stretch her arms behind her back, trying to pop her back as she spoke to him. "Will you please go into town with Mikuo and I? Jason doesn't want too." She asked Chris with a frown. "I want to go on a small shopping spree. Not only for myself. Oh I think Clarie is coming as well. Not sure.." She looked away thinking about if the girl had answered her. If so, Jennora didn't hear her. That would be so mean of Jennora, though she had a lot of other stuff to deal with.




Jason sighed as his sister left, looking over at Reyna. "Just to piss her off, I'll take you into town after she leaves, if you'd like." He smiled at her, loving to mess with his sister at times. He didn't think it was fair to keep Reyna locked up in here. Then again, Jason never really thought of anyone's safety. Yet even now, it didn't cross his mind at all. "Unless you enjoy hanging around a depressed kid all day." Jason shrugged.

He looked at everyone in the room, before stopping at Sapphire. "What're you doing today?" He asked her. "Would you want to help me with whatever is on Chris's list for things to do around here?"

Her breathing stopped for a moment when Jason spoke, "What're you doing today?" He asked her. "Would you want to help me with whatever is on Chris's list for things to do around here?" That had certainly scared her. She had just been thinking about Jason and here he was offering her a chance to join him. She should answer right? Of course she should answer. Saphire really wasn't all that well with others.

Nervously she pulled on her head phones as she tried and made a fairly decent attempt and sounding indifferent. "Sure, why not? I'm not exactly busy today." Saphire was glad Jason had approached her first instead of the other way around.

Saphire thought back to a few seconds before Jason had walked in. Reyna had asked if she wanted to talk about her nightmare. While it would be comforting, Saphire decided against it. She didn't need to push her problems onto others. "About what you said earlier, the thing about my nightmare. I'm fine, really. It's no big deal." She flashed a small smile and then turned to Mikuo.

A sly smile lit up her face as she looked at him. "You'd better bring me back a souvenir!" Saphire lightly punched him on the arm. She didn't know why but her spirits had lifted when Jason had invited her to help him, although the tasks were but tedious chores. It filled up at least part of her schedule today, which was usually a good thing.

((Sorry it's so short but I am currently without access to a computer with only a mobile to write on. I really prefer the former over the ladder but you take what you can get, right? Love you! ;3))

Reyna


"Don't 'Yeah, whatever' me. You and I both know it's for the best. I don't want to sound like your mother but when you have learned to control everything I'll take you wherever you want to go. I promise, but until then I don't want to risk your safety." It was too early for a lecture, Reyna wasn't in the mood for it, and this woman was not her mother. "I'll buy you some stuff while I'm out. And we can hang out later. For now, can you please try to cheer Dyson up?"

"Fine," Reyna sighed and rubbed her temples, a headache was already making its way through her skull. If only she could drink coffee, but that only made the shape shifting "spasms" intensify. "Just to piss her off, I'll take you into town after she leaves, if you'd like." He paused, then; "Unless you enjoy hanging around a depressed kid all day."

"Thanks, but I think I'd like to stay home anyways." The sudden headache and the random shifting earlier were enough for one day. If Chris hadn't assigned her any chores then she would go and take a long nap. Her attention turned to Sapphire when the girl's soft, wispy voice sounded. "About what you said earlier, the thing about my nightmare. I'm fine, really. It's no big deal." Reyna nodded her head in understanding and smiled, "alright, but if you change your mind you know where to find me."

Christopher


Chris was finishing his breakfast when Jennora entered, proving a theory he had come up with a moment before that breakfast could not be eaten in peace. "Will you please go into town with Mikuo and I? Jason doesn't want too." She frowned at him from where she was standing before opening her mouth once more. "I want to go on a small shopping spree. Not only for myself. Oh I think Clarie is coming as well. Not sure.." Chris pretended to contemplate this proposition for a moment or two, checking his list and then finally, nodding his head with a sigh. "I suppose I can make time for it."

Chris winked to show he was only teasing and stood up, pushing the wooden chair back and going to the living room. "Alright Jason, here's the list of things to do." He handed the man sitting criss cross on the floor the long list of stuff to complete. "Reyna I have you down for sweeping the floors and making dinner." She gave a mock salute and an, "aye, aye Captain!"

He rolled his eyes before turning to Sapphire. "I hope you don't mind Sapphire, but I put you down for a guard shift." They had a rotation to keep an eye out, just in case someone tried to approach the house or there was an attack. They had a system for such occasions and thankfully have only had to use it once.

Jennora smiled at Chris's response, thankful that he agreed to go into town with her. She gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Well I'm glad to hear that." She took his hands in hers, interlocking their fingers. "Now who shall we play as today?" She said as her hair started to turn random colors, first purple, then blue, red, yellow, silver, orange, green. She was having fun, not feeling one sign of pain. Though with little things like this she never felt pain. When she had to change her entire appearance, well that's when the pain really started to come.

Jennora bit her lip in excitement as she waited for an answer, knowing that they had to leave soon. If she wanted to go on a shopping spree as well as get a few more things. She also needed to stop by an ATM and get the normal $2000 that she got out every month. It was something her parents had told her to keep up with, and that if she didn't do it by a certain day then they would have to take it out for her.

Jason nodded at Reyna's response, maybe staying around here wasn't always a bad idea. But when you had control over your strengths why not go out every once in a while. And when you could take care of yourself and not be followed like Jason, then why stay inside ALL the time?

Though Jason could understand why Reyna would want to stay here. "Then I wish you luck trying to cheer up Dyson. He went through hell.. " Jason trailed off into thought, staring at a picture on the wall, then wondering who painted the picture. Jason did not like doing arts and crafty stuff, though it was amusing to look at others work.

Jason looked up at Sapphire as she spoke, he licked his lips as he found himself checking her out, up to down. He quickly looked away hoping she nor Mikuo noticed and then turned back to her a few seconds later, making sure to look her in the eyes as he spoke. "Great! I have a new partner in crime!" He said, showing a little more emotion then he normally did.

Soon, Chris came out into the living room and handed him the list of things they had to do... Jason bit his bottom lip as he looked them over before nodding his head as he looked up at Chris, then behind him and noticing Jennora was not there. He knew she was planning something and he was determined to find out what, without letting others know that she was up to no good.

She felt eyes on her. They gave Saphire a chill but when she looked up no one rested their eyes upon her, though Jason was acting rather oddly and looking in the complete opposite direction. She couldn’t decide whether the shiver had been one of pleasure or apprehensiveness, as the gaze from the mysterious person had not felt unfriendly. It was very particular that she should feel that way about a feeling that probably wasn’t quite accurate and so Saphire shook it off and turned her mind to other, more important things… Like Jason.

Her face went up in flames and she quickly ducked her head, hoping no one had noticed. Where had that come from? She barely knew the man. God, she needed to calm down.

Her face, the red receding to a pale pink, came out from behind the aqua blue curtain of silky hair and was quickly met with the eyes of the very man who had recently occupied her thoughts. Her blush appeared again, this time only slightly, and she concealed it quickly before putting on a neutral façade.

"Great! I have a new partner in crime!" Saphire gave a small smirk at the faux glee in his expression. Perhaps things wouldn’t work out to be as awkward as she had initially anticipated.

She watched as Chris came in and first addressed Jason, Reyna, and then Saphire herself. "I hope you don't mind Saphire, but I put you down for a guard shift." An uneasy sensation knotted itself in her stomach but she remained emotionless as ever and nodded her head. She was probably not the best choice for such a job but there was no questioning orders from Chris.

((Again, no Mikuo but there was really nothing for him to respond to so I simply decided against his POV. It feels so good to have internet access again. Seriously, that was horrible… *Sigh* I know; my first world problems are so hard. :3))

Chris


"Oh my, it seems like three of our beloved members have unexpectedly disappeared." Chris said to no one in particular, he had figured this would happen sooner or later, that the siblings would up and leave when they grew bored with what was going on. Oh well, Chris didn't need that type of attitude in the household, he had enough problems trying to keep Lottie in the house and getting Claire to speak up.

"Well since we're all obviously so anxious to leave, how about we all go into the town?" He suddenly decided. It was a risk, Chris knew. Such a big group going into town, but they could pretend to go to the local boarding school. No one really ever questioned those kid's presences; plus there were a ton of spare uniforms in the closet that they had collected over the past few years. So unless the boarding school had updated its uniforms, they would hopefully blend in.

"If everyone could please gather in the kitchen so we can talk about our outing!" Chris called up the stairs and poked his head into the living room. "Would you guys mind coming to the kitchen for a minute?" He went to sit at the table and waited for everyone to gather around. They would have to come up with an alibi in case something happened or they ran into someone that actually attended the boarding school (which would be unlikely considering that those kids considered themselves too classy to go to the town).

Claire was so quiet Chris had hardly noticed her until he looked up from the table. "Oh have you been here the whole time?" He asked her, hoping he didn't somehow offend the girl by implying he hadn't seen her.

Reyna

Reyna stood up and held her hand out to Sapphire, leading the girl into the kitchen. Going into town? Her heart rate began to pick up at the prospect that she would actually get to see the humans! Reyna tried to calm herself down, if she grew too excited she would unwillingly shift and blow it before she could step onto real pavement. "Aren't you excited?" She asked Sapphire, hoping the answer was yes. Had Sapphire ever left the house before? Reyna wondered, trying to think back. She couldn't remember, really.

"Reyna will you go get Katherina for me?" Chris asked and Reyna nodded her head, dropping Sapphire's hand and going outside to the shed where she hoped Katherina would be. Reyna pushed the door open and stopped, the smell of blood and dead animal brought back bad memories. She felt dizzy as she stepped inside, her bare feet feeling cold on the hard floor of the shed. "Katherina?" She looked around, spotting the girl who sported an arm full of meat. "Um," Reyna stated nervously as she caught site of the sharp knives. "We're uh-having a meat-meeting about our alibi for going into town. Chris wants you to join us in the kitchen when you can."

She stepped back outside into the grass that was still slick with dew and gasped in the chilly mountain air. It was all she could not to vomit as she made her way back to the house. Reyna stepped inside and wiped her dirty feet on the mat before stepping onto the tiled floor of the kitchen. The smell of blood was still thick in her memory as she sat down next to Claire at the table.

It is an odd feeling when someone has been trapped for so long to know that they are finally free. He knew it and yet, Zak still felt as though he were a prisoner. Every second was filled with terror, wondering if they were following him; if he was truly free. He didn't linger on the subject too long because for every feeling he felt there was also pain. It shot through his body whenever he took a step, the aches in his muscles made him feel weak and his lungs burned, starved of the oxygen they needed.

How long had he been running? Zak wasn't sure. He had run day and night, stopping only when he came across a puddle that was clean enough to drink from or a stream where he could bathe. He tried to count the nights that had passed since the armored vehicle had turned over on the side of the road and found that he could not recall a single moment. The only thing Zak could recall was the fleeting horror he felt with every step and when the boy found that he could not run any longer; he collapsed.

Pain filled every cell in his body, his lungs felt as if they were going to burst at any second and he rolled onto his side, curling into a ball beside the road. Zak closed his eyes, it felt as if he were going insane. Maybe it was a trick? Maybe he was still there, in that place in some sort of coma?

Fog touched the ground, the stars giving way to the sun. It was early morning and the chill bit through Zak's thin clothes. Two red eyes poked through the fog rolling on the ground, the pair blinked, the body they belonged to sitting up and looking around. With the arrival of the sun, Zak could see that he had gone from abandoned city to forest. There was large metal sign with an inscription in it, but from where he sat Zak could not see what it said. The boy stood on shaky feet, pushing forward to read what the sign said. "Welcome to Erjykove," he mumbled once he was close enough. Zak straightened and ran a hand through his white hair, "Erjykove?" It sounded imaginary, as if he had somehow stumbled upon a fantasy kingdom in the middle of America. Maybe he had died and had come upon Heaven?

Zak continued to trek forward, hoping to stumble upon a secluded cabin he could break into and take a shower in. Zak couldn't take the chance of going to the hospital, where they could possibly alert the government of his presence.