Willow Harmony Phoenix's Story

Ezra agreed to go with Delaney and she smiled. She saw Nathan out of the corner of her eyes and she smile faltered slightly. She didn’t want to deal with him right now, in front of all these people. She turned her attention back to Ezra and saw him approach her with a large bowl. She shrugged. She didn’t know how much fruit they wanted or who liked what or exactly what fruit was in the backyard right now. She was too far to tell just yet. Ezra met her at the doorway and he added that they would try to find Eva too. Delaney grinned a little. She had barely seen Eva last night since she was with Eric. The two could head off to school together and talk about everything going on. Neither were terribly close to Talia, so it could be easily to relate to each other on the topic.

Delaney and Ezra walked down the halls. “The backyard's three halls over and straight back.” Delaney hadn’t really talked to Ezra alone much. She had been over the Newman’s when he was there and she’s comfortable around him at least. She volunteered to help him find fruit because she knew if she hadn’t he would have gotten lost. Many of them probably would have. As they kept walking and getting closer, Delaney could tell more and more what fruit was in the backyard. She smiled to herself and hoped the bowl was big enough.

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Ophelia explained the other voice he had heard this morning and he laughed. The woman that had appeared to them last night, Celeste, he thought her name was, had mentioned something about them getting muses. He thought it was cool. The muses could be their personal little buddies, or something like that. Of course Ophelia would shake her muse off and tell it to leave her alone for now. It didn’t surprise him. They got to the bathroom door and she leaned up and kissed him before sending him off to get her usual breakfast. ”Make sure they have bagels in the kitchen.” Nathan smiled at her. “Okay, your highness.” She entered the bathroom and he followed the mouthwatering scent that was drifting through the halls.

He reached the kitchen a few minutes later and was surprised how many of them were already gathered. He knew many of them had school, but if he didn’t have school he wouldn’t be up right now. He wondered why Greyson, Remi, Ezra, and Eric were up. He could guess, but that wasn’t really any of his business. Remi, Willow, Lucas, and Greyson were by the doorway. He slipped by them quietly and continued into the huge kitchen. He saw his cousin alone and glared at her before walking around her. His eyes next landed on Cami looking for something in the cabinets. He smiled at Cami. He hoped she was feeling better. She still looked worn out, but not nearly as bad as last night. He went over to Eric and stole a piece of bacon off the plate. ”Hey man. Are you the next Julia Child or something?” He teased with a short laugh and Eric asked about Eva. Nathan shook his head slightly. He hadn’t seen her. Ezra went off with Delaney and Nathan went over to the cabinets, He looked for the bread, and then when he found the bagels he plucked one out of the bag. He popped it in the toaster and went to the fridge. He took looked around for the strawberry cream cheese and then took it out and made his girlfriend’s breakfast. He looked at the piles of food around him and laughed quietly. All this food Ophelia could pick from and she wanted her bagel and cream cheese.

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Willow watched as Lucas did all the talking with Remi and even caused Remi to laugh. She was glad her son was able to do such a thing, even though it was short and weak. Willow wasn’t the best at comforting people, so she usually tried to make up for it but directing their attention away from the matter at hand. Lucas was stealing the spotlight right now with Remi, and she wasn’t about to stop him. Just then, Greyson approached Willow, Lucas, and Remi and high fived her son. Lucas smiled and greeted Greyson happily. Greyson greeted Remi the same way he greeted Lucas and Willow laughed softly when Remi proceeded to flirt with Greyson. She couldn’t believe him sometimes, but it was good what he was doing. Willow turned her head to Greyson and smiled at him, answering his prior comment. “Why, of course. it really helps a girl sleep at night.”

Kelsey was brought up in the conversation and Willow looked around. Kelsey wasn’t in the kitchen with her father. Maybe she was sleeping. There was no way Greyson would leave her alone. At the mention of Kelsey, Lucas squirmed in Remi’s arms to look at Willow. “Mommy, can I play with her after I eat?” Willow raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t thought he had seen her, but maybe he had last night at some point. Willow looked at Greyson. She figured it would be fine, but if they did Lucas could play with Kelsey while Willow did her school work. “It’s fine by me, if it is with you.”

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Eva finally exited the bathroom, but when she saw him she kept walking. Damian chuckled and followed quickly behind her. He had just waited for her, the least she could do is acknowledge him. However, he could have sworn he saw her smile at him. It fell a few seconds later, but it still happened. Lovely, he thought.

”Hello, Evangeline.” She seemed to be scared like yesterday, but maybe she was just always like that around him. He just wanted to talk to her for a few seconds, how terrifying could that be? He would be out of her hair soon enough. He quickened his pace so he passed her by a foot or so, and then turned around to face her. “If it’s alright, I would just like a few minutes of your time.” He smiled and stepped closer to her. He knew how she froze when he was close. He saw it yesterday. That’s what he needed. There was more than enough room for her to turn around a run. They were the only two in this large hallway in the large mansion. if she ran, he wouldn’t chase her. That would be that. He would just close in on her in a more secluded area. The little space between them right now was helping him. He just needed her answer. “I apologize if this visit is unpleasant for you, but I just need something from you.” He smiled and took another step towards her. “I need your answer.”

Ophelia saw that she had clothes and things in the bathroom already. Her muse must be looking out for her. Stripping down to her birthday suit, she turned on the shower water. It needs to be scolding hot for her to be able to feel it. A side effect to her element being fire. She sat there waiting for the steam to clog up the room. Once she could no longer see herself in the mirror, she took a long necessary shower. She took the time to think about her best friend. And then think about her boyfriend. And then she thought about whether or not she take the extra time to wash her hair as well. That decision was made rather quickly. By the end her hair smelled like strawberries. Miss Landers turned off the water and stepped out of the tub. She wiped the steam off the mirror and saw the reflection of a tiny blue wisp. Rolling her eyes, she moved it so that it was in front of her. "By later I meant, when I was dressed." "You were taking too long." The pyromaniac went back to drying her hair. "Well you have until I get dressed to explain what and who you are." Ophelia walked away from the mirror to grab her undergarments. The wisps just stayed by the mirror annoyed by the time limit. "I am your muse. Fire. We are named by your ability. I wish you had a nice ability though. Like Nathan. Having the name Time is better than Fire." Ophelia glared at the wisp.

"Is that it?" Ophelia slipped on a skirt and brushed her hair out. She didn't want water dripping down the back of shirt. The wisp did not appreciate the attitude. "That's no way to talk to your muse." The tiny, helpless looking blue flame claimed. Ophelia giggled. "You are not intimidating. Damian doesn't scare me. You definitely don't scare me." The wisp knew Damian and just backed off. "Well fine. You are free I guess." Ophelia put the shirt on and smiled. Without another word she left the bathroom in search of her boyfriend and her bagel. It wasn't long before she strolled into the kitchen which was surprisingly full of people.

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Greyson chuckled and winked at Remi. At least he was trying to flirt, which was a semi good sign. Luckily, they didn't have to go to school. The last thing they needed was to have class. Willow seemed to be doing alright too. She was in a semi-dangerous state the last time he saw her. Lucas clearly had no idea what was going. All three of them were curious to know about Kelsey. "I didn't know my princess was so popular. She is with my muse. But I am about to go get her so that she can eat breakfast." He said so nonchalantly. He trusted Celeste so he trusted the muse. "And as soon as she comes down of course you can play with her Lucas." Kelsey would like having someone to color and stuff with. Then he looked at Remi. "But does my other princess want breakfast? Eric made eggs and bacon. And I made waffles and pancakes." He would get Willow food too if she really wanted some, but he was just really concerned for his best friend.

Eric wash his hands and slightly glared at Ezra when he nudged him. Way to be subtle. The two also agreed to look for his younger sibling and he was quite grateful for that. He was going to force her to go to school whether she wanted to go or not. Not that he really cared if she didn't want to go. School would be good for her and her dyslexia. Delaney and Ezra left for fruit. Nathan appeared and complimented his cooking. Eric just laughed. "I'm more Rachel Ray." They were only messing around of course. Eric doesn't really cook. He usually just buys food. Evie doesn't seem to mind.

Matthew smiled softly at Cami as she went to set the table. He was just trying to be polite. But he was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of Remi. He wanted to go up and talk to him, but he was frozen to his seat. It didn't help that Remi was openly flirting with Greyson. There was some jealousy of curse, but he wasn't going to give Remi the satisfaction. He was waiting for the two people on the mission for fruits to come back. He was hoping they would return with apples. That was all he ever ate for breakfast. Especially before school. The quicker he ate, the faster his muse would take him to Talia.

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Evangeline just wanted Damian to leave her alone. He seemed to always want to ambush her when she was alone. God forbid another person showed up it would be like Damian and her didn't even know each other. He ended up catching up with her and blocking her path. She took a few steps backward thinking about bolting in the other direction. But when he spoke, she froze up. Like always. Any thought of running fled her mind. It was annoying what power he held over her. Now she was wondering her Damian look alike was at a time like this. Of all the times she could ask for a muse he wasn't around. Damian seemed to be waiting for an answer. The answer to the question that he asked her before they fell through the floor. She just stared at her, searching for the words. But it seemed that her vocabulary that she learned in elementary school left her. 'Say something!' she scolded herself. "N-no. M-my muse will train me." Evie managed to choke up while taking a few steps backward.

Delaney led them to the backyard and Ezra commented on being homesick. Delaney looked at him and frowned slightly. She couldn’t imagine what it was like coming from another part of the world and then whisked away after arriving. She didn’t know how long he had been back, but it couldn’t have been long if she barely saw him. She eyed all the plants and couldn’t help control the smile that overtook her face. It was like she had a connection with each of them. She could tell which were ripe without seeing them, or which already had been touched by insects. She eyed the bowl around the same time Ezra did. Definitely not enough room. She scanned the trees and bushes and bundles of fruit and vegetables around her. Where to start? Ezra came back with two large, woven baskets with handles and she laughed. There was no way this was a coincidence.

She walked over to the apple tree first and looked up, then at Ezra. “Do you want to get the bushes while I get the trees? Or vice versa, or does it not matter?” She didn’t really plan on getting the bushes. She could easily lift herself into the tree and pick the fruit while he picked the berries. If he wanted to get the trees, she could bend the branches for him. Either way, they were being productive.

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Nathan finished spreading the cream cheese on the bagel and laughed at Eric’s comment. “Not bad, but I’d love to see you on dessert.” Eric barely cooked in the first place, so doing something like desserts must be a spectacle and a half. He would definitely have to see that some day. His friend bought food and that was about it. At least he could make non-burnt bacon.

When Nathan finished with his girlfriend’s breakfast, he looked around at all the food options. There were waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon, and fruit was on the way. He turned to Eric. “So who’s going to be the first to dig in?’ Nathan turned his attention back to the food in front of him. There was so much and looking at it made his stomach grumble. He never really liked being the first for things, unless it was something important. That was about the only time he took the lead. He really wanted some fruit to go with the eggs and bacon he would eat, but he hated having to wait on Delaney to bring back his food. Luckily it was for everyone, so at least nothing could happen to it on the way to him. He turned his head to look at the door way. he wondered how long it would be for his girlfriend to reappear. A few seconds later, the redhead appeared and he smiled at her. He stole a plate off the table and put her breakfast on it, walking it over to her after. Cami had set the table, so he knew there were enough plates for them all. “A bagel with strawberry cream cheese, just how you like it.” He kept his voice low. He didn’t want to be disturbed by others right now.

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Greyson explained how Kelsey was with his muse and Willow just looked at him. She wondered when she would get hers. She hadn’t received hers yet and she couldn’t even begin to imagine what her muse would be like. Remi voiced what she had been thinking, about not getting one, and Willow nodded in agreement. “Yeah, neither have I.” Greyson and Remi continued to talk, and Lucas was handed back over to her. She took him in her arms and he clapped when Greyson said he could play with Kelsey when she came down. Willow was glad Greyson was as up to it as she was. They were the only two kids in the house, so it made sense for them to play together. She just hoped they played well together. Nothing was worse than two children who didn’t get along with one another.

Lucas turned to his mother and puffed his lips out. “Mommy, is breakfast ready?” Willow looked at him and then around the kitchen. She could see the pile of food on the counters and she nodded her head. There was the food Greyson had mentioned: eggs, bacon, waffles, and pancakes. Remi parted from them, and Willow followed him into the kitchen. She turned to her son. “What does my little man want to eat this morning?” Lucas put a finger up to his lips as he thought and looked around at the food. He pointed at the waffles with his finger. “Again?!” It seemed waffles were the only food Lucas ever ate. Willow grabbed two plates that Cami had put on the table, one for her, and a smaller one for Lucas, and began putting food onto the plates. She wasn’t going to wait around to see who would eat first. Lucas was hungry, and so was she.

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Eva stuttered through her words, and Damian almost smiled. Almost. She declined his offer and explained that her muse would be the one to train her. Damian stared down at her disapprovingly. If she was going to run, she would have done it by now. He was free to speak to her as much as he liked, until someone came and interrupted them. He didn’t enjoy the questions that often followed when he was seen conversing or interacting with people. Many people needed to mind their own business, and it really set him off. He never did anything openly. He enjoyed to act with as little witnesses as possible around, that way there was less of an opportunity to be disturbed. Damian continued to stare at Eva. “Your muse? What a shame.” He shook his head slightly and paused. The thought that she would train with someone else was amusing, but slightly annoying. He needed someone to be his new experiment, and who better than a young, lively, gifted individual? Out of everyone in the house, Talia, Eva, and Delaney were the youngest known users. Delaney was an obvious choice, but her particular gifts didn’t appeal to Damian. Plants were fragile and didn’t take much to be destroyed. Delaney was out. After last night, Talia had been brutally beaten and left for dead. She would have been an option prior to the incident, as her abilities were fascinating, but she was too...strong willed for his taste. He could have dealt with her, but why put in more effort than necessary to control a person? Talia was out. That left Eva. Her gift was lethal, she was strong physically, but she was so terrified of him which left an edge, a weaknesses so obvious that he could easily manipulate it. She was perfect. He needed to have her. He wouldn’t accept anyone else.

“If you really believe your muse will train you properly, better than I could, then by all means. However, I ask just one more thing of you. God forbid, if what happened to Talia were to happen again, but to someone else, someone you love, do you believe you would be ready for it? If it were Delaney or Ezra dying, would you be strong enough? If it was Willow bleeding out in front of you and about to leave poor little Lucas, could you bare it? If it was Eric, his body tattered and torn, would you be ready to lose him? He paused and leaned his head in slightly, lowering his voice to a low, rough whisper. “If you were the one in Talia’s position, are you positive your muse would have prepared you to fight?” He pulled his head back and smiled sweetly at her. “Oh, how I hope no harm comes to you or your friends.” His smiled disappeared and his face returned to its normal, emotionless state. It was an empty threat, but still a threat. He took a small step back. Enough to leave some more space between them, but enough to hopefully keep her still paralyzed with fear. Just one more comment in his little speech. Just one more. “Evangeline, you should know I do not come as a second option.”

Currently, half of the people that she could see in the room did not have anywhere to be this early in the morning. Those people just happen to be the ones making breakfast for the people in the house. That was awfully kind of them. Ophelia could never cook for other people. Because of two reasons. One. People cook for her all the time whenever she needs food. Two. The effort to make food for others was a waste of energy unless she really cared about them. Cami, Talia, and Nathan could get food anytime they wanted. But everyone else would need to beg, plead, and be completely malnourished before she even thought about it. She ran her hands through her hair and saw Nathan approach her with a smile. Adjusting her skirt, she smiled back. Ophelia saw that he had her bagel with strawberry cream cheese. She kissed his cheek and then took her plate. "You are the best." But he already knew that. She picked up one of the halves of the bagel and took a bite from it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of her close friends sitting alone. Cami clearly needed Ophelia to cheer her up. Her attention went back to her boyfriend as she swallowed the food in her mouth. "I'm going to go talk to Cami." She saw that he didn't have food in his hands for himself. "And you are going to get yourself breakfast." It sounded like a command, but Ophelia could never really tell Nathan what to do. She never could. He was almost immune. With that she walked around him and semi skipped over to Cami. She took another giant bite from her bagel. "What's up buttercup? Not hungry?" She sat in the stool next to her. "You know if your man candy made the food, it has to taste good." Her voice was low. She didn't want to let the whole world know that Cami had a crush on Greyson.

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Remi politely turned down Greyson's offer to get him food, which was completely fine with Grey. He just want to let his best friend that he would be here for him whenever he called. For a moment he lingered with his two friends before deciding it was time to go and get his daughter for breakfast. Willow took her son further into the kitchen to get food. Remi just sat down. Greyson just hoped that Talia was okay to get him out of this funk he was in. It was surely depressing to see Remi less than himself. A sigh escaped him and he started jogging back to his room. Nearing the room he could hear his little girl counting. He raised an eyebrow. "Ready or not here I come!" Her and the muse must have been playing hide and seek. A low chuckle escaped him and he opened the door. "Daddy!" He heard the moment he opened the door. The little girl took her attention away from the door and jumped on her father. Greyson picked up and kissed all over her face. She started giggling and squirming in his arms. "Hey baby girl. Were you having fun?" She nodded her head enthusiastically. Then she turned too see her babysitter smiling wide, while sitting on the bed. "Just shout Water, whenever you need me Grey." With that she faded. Kelsey gasped with admiration. "Daddy! Is she magic!" Greyson laughed and nodded his head. "Yes she is. Now come on. I made breakfast." She clapped her hands in approval and he walked with his baby girl back down to the kitchen to feed her breakfast.

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Eric leaned up against the kitchen counter, waiting for Delaney to come back. He just wanted to talk to her. Or just look at her. Which ever he thought would be a bit less awkward. But right now he was waiting. Looking around no one was really eating anything. Willow and Lucas were the first to grab food. Nathan grabbed bagels for Ophelia no less. Everyone else was either too scared to eat first or waiting on the fruit. Eric heard his stomach growl and he decided that he wasn't going to wait for a dinner bell. He grabbed a fresh clean plate and started at the pancakes. He grabbed three of those. Then he threw two big helpings of eggs and five pieces of bacon on the plate as well. He walked over to the table that Camila had set and settled down. Hesitating for a moment, he thought he should at least wait for Eva. But she was taking way to long. Drenching his pancakes in syrup, he grabbed his fork and dug in.

Matthew just watched Camila set the table. There wasn't much else to look at. Well besides Remi. But Remi was too busy flirting with Greyson and chatting with Willow. Matty was trying so hard not to jealous. All the two did last night was sleep in the same room. But when Remi and him made eye contact for a brief second it was like Matthew was invisible. It just made his regret ever having a crush on the man. But Matt couldn't stop his heart from doing what it wanted. He sighed a bit and smiled softly at Camila when she took a seat all by her lonesome. He thought that maybe she was also waiting on the fruit. People were starting to eat the food that had just been made. Matt stayed in his seat and watched Remi join the table. They were sitting close to each other, but Remi didn't say a word. That slightly irritated Matthew, but he pushed that away. He decided that he should at least talk to Remi. Or just say hi. They were supposed to be at least friends. "Hi Remi." Matthew got a genuine smile on his face as he ran his fingers through his own bleach blonde hair.

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Damian did not look pleased with her answer. But Evangeline could never really read his emotions on a good day. All she knew is that he was out to get her about one hundred percent of the time. Willow didn't believe her and Eric thought she just needed to be indoors more often. But Evie knew that being inside didn't make her safe. It just gave the tall, dark, and mysterious boy a challenge. For a moment they were silent and Evangeline thought that she was going to be freed. But instead she was given a lecture. The scariest and most thought provoking lecture she had ever heard. And unfortunately Eva was right about her muse. Air never said that he was hear to train her. Celeste never mentioned the muses being helpful in the elemental department. The people that were in charge might have been just as confused as she was with her powers. Damian seemed to have the most control and power in the group. At least from what she could tell. And he was practically offering her power. To actually be able to protect herself and those she cares about. Kickboxing could only take her so far. If she was confronted by Kain she would be absolutely hopeless. “Evangeline, you should know I do not come as a second option.” Her eyes grew a bit wider. Her decision needed to be made now and this would be it. No going back. A shaky sigh escaped her. Eric would not be pleased with what she was about to say. "O-okay." Her voice barely above a whisper. She was practically ashamed that she had said yes.

Ezra told her it didn’t matter and he suggested that they both picked them off the trees together. Delaney nodded and walked closer to the apple tree, running her hand against the rough bark. That was a good idea. They could both work on the trees and have them picked twice as fast rather than having one work on the trees and one work on the bushes. There were so many trees and so many bushes. It reminded her of a fruit orchard.

”How did you find this place so fast? If you don’t mind me asking I mean. ” Delaney smiled at him and then turned her back on the tree so she could face him. ”Watch.” She looked at the ground and then at the branches above her. The lowest ones were maybe five or ten feet above her head, but they were long. She held her hands above her head so each hand was under a branch. She moved her hands slowly out to the sides of her. The branches moved down around her and bended behind her like a swing. She sat on the two branches and slowly retracted them to their original position. As she did this, she moved from the two branches onto the thicker branch entirely and wrapped her legs around the wood. When the branches were back and she was sturdy, she moved the leaves of the tree so a small opening was made. She peered down at Ezra and smiled. ”I have a feeling you can guess, but I can manipulate, and form of plant life. I can sense and locate any type of plant when it’s nearby. So, like Eva can manipulate air, I can manipulate plants. Exciting, isn’t it?” She let sarcasm touch in her question, but she really did like her gift. It suited her and she liked being able to communicate with plants. Maybe it bored others, but not her. She looked at Ezra and wondered what he could do.“I told you mine, now tell me yours.” She smiled at him and swung her legs leisurely. He was easy to talk too. She was glad he was Eric’s friend. Maybe they could become close.

She gestured to the tree closest to him. ”Do you need a lift?” She could do what she had done to herself to him, or she could bend the branches down towards him so he didn’t have to go up into the trees. He could be scared of heights for all she knew. Fortunately, bringing herself up into the tree didn’t take as much energy as she had thought. The branches were lighter and more malleable than she imagined. She was glad. It took less concentration and energy out of her. She still hadn’t eaten yet.

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Nathan watched as Ophelia took a bite of the bagel and then announced she was going over to Cami. She then turned to him and ordered him to get food. He laughed and kissed her on the cheek before letting her go. ”Yes, ma’am.” As if on cue, his stomach grumbled again and he let her walk off. He wasn’t going to get food bcause she told him to, but because he was starving, plain and simple. He hadn’t eaten since dinner the previous day so his stomach felt like it was about to start eating itself if it didn’t get anything soon. He walked back over to where the food was, stopping at the table first to pick up a plate. Willow had just helped herself and Lucas, Eric was finishing serving his food and heading towards the table Cami had set, and the others that he could see were on stools. He went to the food and helped himself to a large portion of eggs and bacon, skipping on the waffles and pancakes. He had never been a big fan of them, plus he liked his protein. He didn’t doubt Greyson had made them well, he just didn’t want any. He would definitely have to wait for fruit. He needed his daily fruit salad. Hopefully there was enough fruit for him to make it and everyone else to help themselves. He got himself a glass of water after his food and made his way back to the table. He sat in the spot he had taken his plate from and started eating.

Willow sat at the table, eating her eggs, bacon, and waffles. She cut up Lucas’ waffles and gave them to him, putting a little bit of syrup on them. He grabbed his fork and then looked at her.
“Mommy, can I have some strawberries? Please?” Willow looked at his plate and nodded her head. He usually always had strawberries with his breakfast, unless it was blueberries, grapes, or apple slices. At least one type of fruit to eat in the morning. He asked for them on his own after a while. She hadn’t known how much he liked them until he started bugging her about them. ”Yeah, we just have to wait for a little bit. Delaney and Ezra are getting them right now.” At the mention of Ezra’s name, Lucas looked at her excitedly. ”Is he still going to play with me today?” Willow laughed and assured him he was. She didn’t know why he wanted to play with Ezra so badly. Maybe Ezra just had that special touch with kids.

Lucas started eating and Eric sat down at the table. She smiled at him politely and then Nathan soon followed him in taking a place at the table. Lucas saw Nathan and immediately jumped up from his seat and ran over to him. Willow moved to retrieve her son and tell him to keep eating his food, but Lucas was already in Nathan’s lap and laughing. Lucas threw his arms around Nathan and hugged him tightly. ”Uncle Nate!” Willow shook her head and slid her son’s plate across the table towards Nathan. She knew her son well enough that he wouldn’t return to her if Nathan was nearby. He was his godfather after all and Lucas loved him. Nathan took it and nudged Lucas lightly after hugging him back. ”What’s up, buddy? Come on, eat your waffles. You need to get big and strong if you want to be like me.” Willow rolled her eyes but kept eating, and Lucas pouted before picking up his fork again. ”I am strong, I just need to get big.” Nathan laughed and returned to his food. When he had had enough to silence his stomach somewhat, he looked at his best friend across the table. ”I need to talk to you.” Willow paused and looked at him curiously. For as long as she had known Nathan, he never used that line on her. It was odd to hear it coming from him. ”About what?” It hadn’t been long since they both talked, so what did he possibly have to say to her? ”It’s not life or death, we just need to catch up.” Catch up?They had just talked the night before then ended up in this place with all these people. The only thing that had happened since they had last seen each other was what happened to Talia, and pretty much everyone knew the same information on that. Willow just shrugged and returned to her food. They could talk when he got back from school.

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It was easier than Damian had expected. All he had to do was talk and she caved in. Maybe it was the threat, maybe it was the image of her loved ones being hurt, or maybe it was the fact that she did need his help that made her accept his offer. All he knew was she had accepted and she was now his to play with. Just him and her. He grinned at her, obviously pleased, and refolded his hands in front of him. "Excellent.” It really was excellent. Everything was going smoothly so far. He hoped it would stay that way.

“I've already found a room for us to use. We start tonight. Meet me here at 8:30 and I will lead you to the room. Do not be late and do not forget." He turned his back on her and started walking away from her. He got about 5 feet when he turned his head to the side and called over his shoulder to her. "I trust that you will lie in the event anyone asks where you're going or why you're missing around 8:30 for a few nights. Perhaps to practice your dancing?" He knew enough about Eva to know she took kickboxing and dance lessons. She might not even be good at them. He just knew she did them. He also knew that the training wouldn’t only be a few nights. They would be often, but he would go into detail with her later in the day. He had to prepare her so she knew what she was really getting into, but he wouldn’t let her go back on her word, not easily. If she left at any point, he would have wasted his time. He would have to start all over. She was the one.

Ophelia giggled when Camila's face turned a bright red color. It was amusing to see how embarrassed she could get just from mentioning anything about Greyson. As much as it would please Ophelia, to continue to make her friend it would eventually get annoying. Cami was already embarrassed enough. She took another bite of her bagel and watched Nathan get his food. She never understood his breakfast choices. Bagel and strawberry cream cheese was the way to go. Had everything she needed for a 'healthy' breakfast. Turning back to her friend Cami, she tried to remember what she was really wanted to talk about. She quickly remembered about needing to go to school. "So. I was wondering. Do I have to be at school today?" The pyromaniac was asking as if, Cami was her mother. That wasn't the case at all. But she just wanted to know that if her best friend didn't need or want support at school, Ophelia would then have to convince Nathan to skip school as well. Ophelia finished her bagel and sat the plate down. She needed something to drink, but she was too lazy to get up and get it herself. Maybe when Greyson walked by, she would ask him. She would ask Nathan, but he already sat down to eat. She was not going to bother him again. Also, Willow was with him. Ophelia tried to avoid her at all cost.

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Greyson waltzed into the kitchen with his daughter in his arms. She smelled the food and smiled the Cheshire cat. "Are there pancakes, daddy?" The father nodded and she squealed, wiggling around in his arms. She insisted on being put down so that she could run to get the food. Grey laughed and set his daughter onto the floor. She grabbed a small plate and attempted to reach for everything. Once she realized that she was two short, Greyson prepared the plate for her. "Thanks daddy." She said taking her plate in hand. He nodded and held his own plate of food in his hand. Kelsey ran straight to where the other child was sitting. Willow and Nathan were there as well enjoying breakfast. Greyson helped Kelsey into her chair and then sat next to her. "Hope you all don't mind, Kelsey and I joining you." Not that they really had a choice, the duo had already sat down. Greyson looked over to his best friend to see that he was talking with Matthew. Then he saw Camila was clearly red faced, but busy with Ophelia. He thought the seating choice he made was a rather good one. "Dig in princess." Kelsey didn't have to be told twice. She started to eat her food as well as her father.

---

---

Matthew didn't think Remi would say anything to him. Not only did he respond, he was being a bit playful. That lifted up his spirits. There was nothing better than having your crush want to be around you. But it made him feel even more guilty for leaving the older blonde before he had woken up. Matt didn't know whether or not to be sorry for that or brush off the comment. "Sorry. I uh need a moment to myself." He stated, running his fingers through his hair. "But next time we sleep together I will be sure to be there for you in the morning." Matt said, in attempt to be flirtatious. It was just for the sake of Remi. Anyone else and he would have just stopped at the sorry. He saw that Remi didn't have any food and that concerned him a little. "Not hungry?"

---

---

Evangeline knew that she shouldn't have accepted his offer. She knew that she should have high tailed it the moment he caught her in the hallway. But she sat there and listened to him like she always did. She always let him do whatever he wanted. She just let him get into her head and she couldn't do anything about it. Evangeline never told anyone about the times she has seen Damian. She was too afraid to say anything. She would rather just forget that they ever met. But she had walked right into the lions den with no escape. Damian's idea of training could mean anything. She would find out exactly what he meant at eight thirty tonight. Evie would show up on time for fear of what would happen if she showed up late. She just nodded, still not being able to use her words. Finally, some space was put between them when he walked away. He didn't fail to look back and prompt Eva on lying about the training. Evangeline thought she would be allowed to tell someone, but she could. The dancer nodded and then took some steps back. She couldn't tell anyone about her dangerous meet ups. If something bad happened no one would know where to look. Before he could say anything else or come up with more terms, Eva turn and ran. She ran down the hall as far away as she could. She was trying to find the kitchen. That is where everyone should be. And it would be her temporary safe haven.

Delaney couldn’t help but smile as Ezra clapped for her. She bowed her head politely as he did so, and then he soon made a comment about him being around plant life a lot and her eyes widened in surprise and delight. Not many willingly went out of their way to go outside and garden or take care of plants. In her eyes, the only time people, mainly teens, were around trees was when they were lounging around or making out under them. She was glad some appreciated nature and it’s fruit like her. She was glad one of those people was Ezra. They could definitely be friends now.

He went on to explain about his gifts and mentioned being shy about them. She wondered why, but he quickly followed his statement with Willow insulting him with Twilight. Delaney rolled her eyes. Leave it to Willow to insult someone about the coolest and best thing about them. Delaney didn’t understand her pink haired friend sometimes, but she always had a laugh with her. He closed his eyes and she stared at him. Before she could really guess what he was going to do, Ezra started glowing and Delaney covered her hand with her mouth. She certainly knew what Willow meant with her reference. He continued to glow and then the sky started changing. She watched the colors changed through the leaves in awe. A soft light blue, a deeper blue, a reddish purple, and a deep navy blue flashed across the sky before her eyes within seconds. Stars twinkled and Delaney glanced quickly to check that Ezra was doing this and the sky wasn’t actually going to collapse on them. He made it look effortless. She shook her head slightly as the sky returned to its original state and just smiled. She didn’t even know what to say. She was glad he spoke first. “Cosmic bodies send cosmic energy.” Delaney laughed slightly, remembering the Twilight comment. “That was amazing! Willow’s right, you are the real life Edward Cullen. How did you discover you could do that?” She tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. She looked at him for a few seconds before standing up on the branch and then starting to pick the ripest apples and placing them gently in her basket.

---

Nathan and Willow conversed and joked quietly until they heard someone approaching them. Nathan was just about finished his food when Greyson and Kelsey joined them. “Hope you all don’t mind, Kelsey and I joining you.” Nathan shook his head. “The more the merrier!” Nathan’s eyes flickered to Kelsey and he grinned. She was very cute. He had never seen her before, but he guessed that was something Greyson preferred to keep quiet. Lucas shifted himself in Nathan’s lap so he was closer to Kelsey. Nathan let him do so and adjusted himself so he was now sharing the seat with his godchild. The three year old smiled at the other child politely when she ran over. She started eating and he stopped shortly to watch her, then greeted her enthusiastically, “Hi, Kelsey!” Willow could tell he was happy to be around Kelsey, especially since she was the only other child in the house. Willow finished chewing the food in her mouth and swallowed before greeting Greyson. “Not at all. It seems we didn’t have a choice in the matter, though.” She smirked at him and took a sip of her drink. It was easy to joke around with Greyson. She didn’t have any reason to not like him, and he and Remi were close so it made it easier for her to become comfortable around him. Just then, the light through the window started to become brighter, the sky a deeper blue, and then that faded, becoming a light purple, only to fade into a deep black color. Willow and Nathan watched as the stars shone in the sky through the window and Nathan looked around slightly. Lucas was staring out the window, happily chewing some pancakes, but staring wide eyed. Willow had a blank face as she watched the sky. Nathan turned his head to look at his girlfriend. Ophelia was still with Cami and not too far away. If something was coming and about to hurt all of them, he hoped he would be able to get to the two on time to protect them both. Willow stared as the sky changed. When the stars came out she couldn’t help but smile. The nighttime was her favorite time of day. Whatever was happening with the sky, she liked it and was grateful. It was a beautiful thing, to go to bed at night with the stars and wake up and eat with the stars.

---

He heard the frantic footsteps as he turned the corner of the hall. Damian stopped and listened as they faded and eventually ended. Eva had run out of there and he just grinned. He had a feeling the running would never end. Her fear would never stop, even if weakened, but that may not even happen. He couldn’t go to the kitchen, not yet. He could smell the food coming from there, and where there was food this early in the morning, there was people. Frankly, he didn’t want to. Being in a roomful of people he didn’t like wasn’t ideal to him. If Evangeline had gone there to be protected or calm herself down with the distance, he wouldn’t follow her. He wanted to watch her, see what she does and assure nothing happened to her. He was feeling famished, but he would make himself wait. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t done before. He walked throughout the maze of a mansion, finding his way around fairly well. Some halls blended together and it was easy to lose track of oneself, but he was managing. He let his feet carry him where they wanted, only allowing him to stop when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to see his muse, Gravity. She obviously did not care much about his prior warning and restrictions with her. He turned to face her, giving her a rather irritated look. She brushed it off quickly and stared him in the eyes, taking her hand off him. What exactly do you plan to do with that girl? Damian couldn’t resist the small smile and dark chuckle that escaped him. “I’m going to do exactly as I told her I would, train her. I will test her and see if she can handle it, but of course I’m going to be getting something out of it as well.” Gravity angrily furrowed her eyebrows at him. She opened her mouth to say something about him hurting her, but he raised a hand and cut her off. “When you teach a child how to ride a bike, they will get a few injuries, will they not? When you train someone, they will also get a few injuries.” He grinned and turned his back on her, leaving her in the middle of the hallway. He already knew his muse was going to be a nuisance. If she didn’t like him having a conversation with Evangeline, Damian knew Gravity would never approve of the training sessions. He didn’t care, though. He would try to deal with her if the time came to do so.

Ophelia never meant to embarrass Camila as much as she clearly has. The pyromaniac would not mention Greyson Latier for the next couple hours. Just to keep her best friend sane. But after school, Ophelia was probably going to ring it up several different times around other people that weren't Grey. Just to bother her. It would be great. Nathan would probably help. Or he would ceased the teasing. Moving on from Cami's crush, she allowed Ophelia to skip school. She would have jumped for joy if Camila didn't suggest that she skipped school. Ophelia almost looked dumbfounded. Camila? Missing school? Granted their best friend was severely injured, but Camila never missed school. And Ophelia may tease her about it, but in the triangle one of them must get a decent education. "No. You are going to school." And Ophelia cringed at her next words. "And I am going with you. Only I am skipping all my classes and following you around." That way she technically wasn't going to school. She was just going to trail her best friend to make sure that she is okay. Just then the sun that was once high in the sky, dipped low. The moon and stars were out. Ophelia was ready to attack, as usual. Whoever did that could be a threat. Her eyes ventured over to Nathan. She couldn't lose him either. And she was close enough to Cami to protect her. Just then it was like someone turned the lights back on. Ophelia didn't address what was happening. "Deal?"

---

---

Greyson and his daughter ate their breakfast quite peacefully. Well Greyson ate, and Kelsey destroyed. It's like she hasn't eaten in days. His food was good, but now that good. Willow teased about him and his daughter sitting here and he glared playfully. Messing with Willow was pretty easy considering she was close with Remi. Anyone close with Remi was good for teasing. Since Remi either teases or flirts. That pretty much how he gets by in life. Kelsey to a break from stuffing her face to sip some of the water. “Hi, Kelsey!” She looked over at Lucas with a smile. Greyson leaned down and whispered his name to her daughter. Setting her water down she waved. "Hi Lucas." Now Kelsey was going to have a friend to play with. That was good. The father can't entertain his daughter 24/7. He sipped his orange juice as the lights dimmed and it became night time. He held his daughter close to him, concerned for the change. It soon returned to day and he looked less worried. Elemental glitch? He didn't want to address it really. "Daddy who turned off the lights?" Greyson chuckled. "I don't know sweet heart."

---

---

Evangeline kept running. Getting lost a couple times as she was trying to find the kitchen. After a while she stopped running to catch her breath. Looking behind her, she didn't see a single trace of Damian. It made her feel better. Just a little. He was still in the house. The young girl held her hands out and saw that she was shaking. She was still terrified. Running her shakey hands through her hair, she started actually looking for the kitchen. Walking in, she saw almost the entire house gathered. Well all except Ezzie and Delaney. She spotted her brother quite easily. Jogging over to him, she slid in the chair next to him and rested against him. Eric could feel her shaking and he looked at her with great concern. "What's wrong?" He whispered. Evie just shook her head. She wasn't allowed to say anything. Something bad could happen to Eric. He stared at his baby sister for a moment and then just decided not to push it.

---

---

Matthew for some reason was expecting a small flirty comment back like Remi had done with Greyson, but instead he just got a confused look. That kind of hurt so he was glad that the conversation was dropped. Remi said that he couldn't eat because his stomach was in knots. Matty could understand the feeling. That was why he was only eating fruits. Remi asked about him and his eating. Matthew shrugged a little. "I was waiting for the fruits, but I am losing my appetite again." He said.

Ezra looked at Delaney like a confused little animal after she mentioned Edward Cullen and she brushed him not knowing who he was off. It was her favorite books series but she wouldn’t let it get to her. Most guys didn’t know Twilight anyways. Ezra went on to tell her about him watching the stars with his sisters. ”They were so upset that they couldn’t see them that I told them to imagine they were simply turned off, to cheer them up, and we were going to turn them on. Delaney turned her attention from the fruit she was putting in her basket to look at him. He had turned his own attention to his basket and she imagined Ezra outside stargazing with a few siblings, lighting up the sky when it was dim for his siblings. She grinned and started picking apples again, then when she had enough apples swung herself from the apple to tree to the banana tree not far by and continued picking. Ezra finished his story and she laughed along with him. His experience reminded her of her own, even though they weren’t too similar. She didn’t have siblings or anyone to share her experiences with. She used to have Nathan, but that was a thing of the past. Her attention was turned from her thoughts back to Ezra turned the original question back to her. They locked eyes briefly and she swung from the banana tree to the orange tree. Her mind immediately went back to one of the darker days of her past but she smiled. She didn’t want to raise any suspicion. “I was 14 going on 15, and I used to go to this meadow a few miles from my house. I always went alone. I would spend hours just laying in the tall grass and staring at the sky. I always waited until the sunset to head back home, so I would be there for hours each day. One day after it rained, the ground was still a little damp so instead of laying down I started running.” She ran her thumb over the plump, bright orange in her hand and examined it closely. ”I just kept running but I felt like I was flying over the grass, and I didn’t know it then, at least right away, but I actually was. I was just casually grass surfing, like every normal person.” She looked at him and smiled, and then dropped down from the orange tree. She was glad she could share her story with someone else who understood. She had with others but it was still nice to think back to her days in the meadow. It was her only means of escape back then. She glanced down at the basket in Ezra’s hand, and then at her own. Their baskets were practically overflowing, and she was glad they still had the big plastic bowl left for berries.

---

Willow glanced at Greyson to see him pulling his daughter closer to him. Willow glanced at Lucas, who was still next to Nathan and chomping on his waffles. Lucas and his mother made eye contact and he swallowed the food in his mouth. “Mommy, why doesn’t that happen every morning? I like the stars.” Willow tried to help the smile spreading on her face but ended up laughing, which caused Lucas to giggle and Nathan to ruffle the three year old’s hair. Something could have just happened to the sky and killed them all and her son was enthralled the stars were out. She didn’t know she had made such an impression on her son with her own fascination. Nathan was about to answer the question when the sky returned to its normal morning blue. Lucas seemed saddened by the returning and went back to his food, which was almost gone.

Some time passed and Eva finally showed up at the table. Willow watched as she walked over to her brother and sat down, immediately leaning on him. She could see the younger girls hand tremble slightly. Eric asked his sister what was wrong and Eva didn’t answer. Willow waited for Eric to follow up with another question, but it never came. She guessed he didn’t want to push it, and it didn’t surprise her. Eric was like that, she knew him well enough to understand that. He was respecting her space and privacy. Willow didn’t really respect personal space too much, or especially privacy. There was no such thing as privacy with her. Willow was pretty relaxed right now, so it was easier than usual for her to open up her mind and find Eva’s thoughts. She tried to ignore them as she opened up a line to communicate to her with, but they were hard. Once she was in her mind, she could feel every emotion running through her body and every thought seemed to surface at once. That was the one part of dipping into people’s minds she hated. She had almost full access to their brain and everything jumped out at her. Luckily, it was getting easier for her to access what part she wanted quickly and try to avoid the unnecessary information. Willow shook her hand under the table lightly as if to shake off the emotions from Eva. It was mainly fear, but she didn’t know why. She finally pushed a message through her friends head a few seconds after entering. “I’d apologize for not respecting your privacy, but something’s wrong and I want to know if you’re actually okay. What happened? I can basically hear your knees knocking from over here.” If Willow had said this outloud, she would have smirked at her friend to lighten the mood, but she tried to be as discreet as possible when communicating with others mentally. She hoped Eva heard the joking tone in her comment. She was trying to get to the bottom of what happened without making her friend worse.

---

Ophelia did not mind following Camila around school if it meant that she would be okay. Sacrificing her strong desire to stay home to be with her other best friend was not a problem. But Cami insisted that she went to school and that Ophelia stayed home. She said that she would be fine, but Ophelia semi didn't believe her. But Cami was strong. "Alright. But if you need someone to break you out of prison I will go and get you." Ezra would probably have a better time getting his cousin, but Ophelia bends tons of rules at school anyway. Breaking Cami out of school was just another rule that she knows how to break. But now that she could stay home from school, she pulled out her phone to text Nathan. Although he was close by he was with Willow. Ophelia and Willow aren't friends. And possibly never will be. So it was safer just to text him.
[TO] Nate ♥
[MSG] Can we stay home from school today?

When the message sent she rested her head on Camila's shoulder. She wanted to make her friend feel better. Ophelia had Nathan to make her feel better and Ezra wasn't here to help. She would mention Greyson again, but the point wasn't to make her red. "Hey, did you get your muse?" Nathan said he didn't get his and she was curious about Camila's.

---

---

When the sky returned to normal, so did Kelsey's eating. No more than a minute later her plate was empty. She drank the water that was in front of her and then watched her father eat. Greyson looked at his little girl and put another forkful of waffle into his mouth. Kelsey groaned as he chewed slowly. "Daddy you eat slow!" she said with a giggle. Greyson chuckled and handed her a fork. "Then help me eat it." Kelsey smiled and started eating the rest of the waffles with her father. Then there was a mini showdown for the bacon. Greyson took it and shoved it into his mouth. Kelsey laughed and so did he. Greyson got up, leaving his daughter at the table to put the dishes in the sink. Kelsey watched Lucas, Nathan, and Willow. She didn't really know any of them so she got up from the table and ran over to where her dad was.

---

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Eric tried offering Evangeline some food, but she wasn't hungry. She just wanted comfort even if he doesn't know what he comforting her about. "Fruit?" Eric shook his head. "Ezra and Delaney went to get some, but they are taking their sweet time getting back." Eric shoveled some more eggs into his mouth and Evangeline just rested and waited. Just then a familiar voice rang into her head. She knew right away that it was Willow. She was the only person that could get into her head and be no where in site. It was best not to turn and look at Willow. Having people figure out they were communicating like this just caused unnecessary attention. Now Evangeline was never one to lie to Willow since she could really figure it out if she wanted, but Damian said not to tell anyone. It's nothing big. I met my muse and he kind of freaked me out That was semi true, but her muse was completely harmless. How are you and Lucas doing?

---

---

Matthew rested his head in his hand as Remi spoke to him about being too skinny not to eat. Although him and Remi were about the same size, Remi was taller. The smaller blonde was trying to actually listen to Remi as he told him that he needed to eat something. It was as if he was his parents. Then a deal was made. Remi would eat if Matt ate. Running his fingers through his blonde hair, he nodded in agreement. "Deal." He said, adjusting so that he was resting his chin in both hands.

Ezra claimed Delaney’s story was better and she shook her head. There was no way her story was better. She would have loved to share her experience with siblings or any loved ones, but she was alone like usual back then. But whose story was better was just a matter of opinion. They picked the berry bushes together for a few minutes, and when the plastic bowl was full, Ezra took it and carried it along with his basket. They both examined their work and Delaney nodded her head in satisfaction. They definitely had gathered a lot of fruit, enough for weeks, according to Ezra. If only that were the case. “I don’t know. There are like 20 of us in the house. We’ll see how long it lasts.” Delaney adjusted the basket on her arm so it was more comfortable and easy to carry, and she looked at Ezra, and then around the backyard. She saw vegetables hidden on the opposite side of where they were and she smirked. They would probably be out here again later for dinner, but she wouldn’t mention that to him, not yet. They had just finished with the fruit. Delaney headed towards the door they had come out through, and wondered how long they had been out there for. They must have been gone for a decent amount of time. She hoped the others weren’t annoyed with them. Mostly, she hoped Eric wouldn’t be annoyed. Thinking of Eric, she thought back to the night before when she was trapped in a room with him. She thought about how they couldn’t move the walls, so they just ended up sitting down next to each other. Then, her mind traveled to when Eric spoke a few moments before they fell, and how he wanted to tell her something. She still hadn’t figured out what it was, and she thought briefly about asking Ezra, but she didn’t know if he would know. He was friends with her crush, but how could he know? She chewed on her bottom lip softly. She would just have to get Eric alone and ask him. After school maybe.

---

Nathan finished his food off and chugged the rest of his water. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh and stretched his arms above his head. Greyson got up from the table, followed soon by Kelsey, and Lucas frowned watching the other child run away. Nathan saw him frown and he picked the boy up, putting him in his lap and wrapping an arm around him. ”Come on, finish your food little man.” Lucas finished his food off with that and then Nathan felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He glanced at Willow briefly, who was absent mindedly pushing her food around with her fork with very little effort. He went to tap her hand, but then she moved and took a sip of her water so he left her be. She didn’t like being touched very much, and he knew that from growing up with her. She liked her space. He dug his phone out of his pocket and read the name that popped up. He immediately smiled and unlocked his phone, typing out a quick response.

To: Ophelia
I’d love to, but don’t you think we should go to keep Cami company? She might get lonely at lunch.

He hit ‘send’ and put his chin in his hand. He didn’t want to leave Cami or Ophelia alone, but Cami was still shaken up over Talia. He knew Cami never missed school, and Ophelia must have talked to her about the whole school situation, but he still didn’t want to leave her. What if she broke down at school? Who would be there for her then? Ezra didn’t go to school with them and if Ophelia and Nathan stayed back, then what happened? He wasn’t sure he was ready to leave one for the other.

---

Willow played with her food as she waited for Eva to answer. She glanced up and saw Nathan hesitating around her, so she quickly took a sip of water to wave him off. It worked. She wasn’t hiding anything from him, she just didn’t want to share a story while in the middle of it. Communicating with Eva wasn't much of a story, but if questioned, it was still something to share. Nathan was easy to fool at times, especially by those he loved. E was a sucker and Willow loved it. He was the little brother to push around. She watched as he was occupied by his phone and then Eva's voice rang in her head. She brought up her muse scaring her, and Willow shoved her last bite of food in her mouth to keep from raising her eyebrows. She hadn't gotten her muse yet. She wondered how bad Eva's muse really was. She could just be soft around guys, then she turned the conversation around to Willow and Lucas. Lucas and I are fine, but don't make this about us. Tell me about your muse. What's he like and do I have to teach him a lesson? Of course she was joking, but she was partially serious. If the muse was really posing a problem to her friend, Willow might have to have a word or two with him. If that was even possible.

---

Ophelia was thinking about her muse when Camila cooed about hers. ”His name is Sound, and he’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!” She raised an eyebrow at her best friend. The only person she thought Camila found cute was Mr. Latier. Now she really wanted to meet this muse. Of course Ophelia only had eyes for Nathan, but just to see who she was talking about would have been interesting. "He’s a bunny” That made way more sense. Ophelia smiled. "Aww! I wish mine was a bunny." Ophelia had a thing for small cuddly animals. Before her adorable kitten she has had bunnies, gerbils, hamsters, and a chinchilla. They have all either died, ran away, or given away by her dictators. They were reluctant enough to allow her the cat. Her phone buzzed and she checked it before responding to Cami's other question.
[TO] Nate ♥
[MSG]Yeah that's what I tried to tell her. But she insisted I stay here. Do you want to go to school?
Ophelia would go if Nathan went. But if he was staying home, so would she. Placing the phone on the table she directed her attention back to her best friend. "My muse is like this blue little flame. Not as cute as the bunny." She added.

---

---

Greyson washed his dishes and his daughters dishes before he felt a tug on his pants. He looked down to see his daughter smiling at him. She was missing a tooth so it just added to the cuteness. "Need anything, Princess?" He asked, leaning against the counter. "Strawberries!" Ezra and Delaney still weren't back with fruit. "Soon." Just as he said that Remi showed up and tickled Kelsey. She started laughing and then hugged Remi. "Hi Uncle Remi!" She said. Pulling away she looked at him with concern. "Are you better now?" She asked, referring to how she saw him the other day. Greyson crossed his arms. "Go ahead and reassure the lady." Kelsey was extremely worried about Remi and wouldn't stop talking about him before she went to asleep.

---

---

Evangeline was happy to hear that her and Lucas were okay. Willow was the one she was really worried about. She had pretty much gotten angry, but then covered up how she was feeling. Lucas luckily had no idea what was really going on. Then her friend turned the question back to her. Eva wanted this to end so that she wouldn't have to lie about her confrontation with Damian. [color=20D4D4]His name is Air. And he just shows up out of no where freaking me out. He like appeared while I was taking a shower. I almost had a heart attack.[/color] She rested her head in her hand, in attempt to look like she was just waiting for the fruit and not having a mental conversation. Eric was done his food and he was bit worried that Ezra and Delaney hadn't shown up yet. He was just hoping that nothing awful happened to them. Because the last time people were separated, Talia got injured.

---

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Remi and Matthew were silent for a moment. He was finally getting time with his crush, but Matt couldn't say anything. Today was just not his day. He had attempted to flirt earlier, but was shut down. Matty eventually shrugged that off. But the quiet was slowly killing him. He was hoping that Remi would say something. Anything. ”Ah, look there’s Kelsey. I’m going to- I’ll… be back in a minute” Except that. Matthew just watched him get up and leave. A sigh escaped him and he pulled out his phone. Scrolling through the contacts he called for his mother. "Hi Mom. Is Maddie awake?" Once his sister got on the phone he just started talking to her.

Almost nothing was said on the way back, besides Ezra saying they eat what they had picked wisely. Delaney almost rolled her eyes, but she suppressed the urge to. She didn’t want to seem rude, but she knew people would go for what they wanted, some without consideration for others. Hopefully the two of them had picked enough for everyone. They could find out what went and what didn’t soon enough. They arrived at the kitchen and people almost ran at them for the food. A few went right up to them and took what they wanted and some continued to make their ways over. Ezra helped her lift her basket onto the counter, and she thanked him. It wasn’t too heavy, but it was a good deal of weight and the help was appreciated. Before too many people started taking fruit, she grabbed a handful of strawberries, walked over to the sink, rinsed them off, and made her way towards Willow and Lucas. When she got to the two, she noticed Lucas on Nathan’s lap and Willow was staring down at her now empty plate. Delaney placed two strawberries on Willow’s plate to save the rest for Lucas, and then leaned over the table to place them on the child’s plate. Lucas squealed in delight and happily took a strawberry, taking a bite out of it. ”Thank you, Laney!” Delaney smiled at the child and sat next to her pink haired friend, who still seemed to be out of it.

---

Ophelia responded shortly after Nathan had sent his text and he pulled his phone out again. He was going to wash his and Lucas’s plates off while he waited for his girlfriend to answer, but that wasn’t necessary. He would wash them off after he figured the school situation or he felt he really needed to wash the dishes. He pulled out his phone to check the message he had just received.

To: Ophelia
”When do I ever want to go to school? I, personally, think we should go to school for her. It’s the first day of school so it will be easy and not much will be happening. If she insisted you stay here though, I’m not sure. Did it seem like she really wanted you to stay behind, or was there any look that she wanted you with her?”

He was conflicted on the matter. He loved both girls, in similar and different ways with different intensities, but the two were both suffering from Talia’s near death experience in different ways. While Ophelia had raged, Cami had sobbed. He knew Ophelia would at least be honest with him. However Cami acted towards her would decide what they did. He could use the extra hours of sleep and relaxation, but if he didn’t go to school now, he would have gotten up for no reason. He wasn’t fond of waking up to eat and then going back to sleep, but at least if he stayed at the mansion with Ophelia, they wouldn’t actually be sleeping. The thought made him grin slightly, but he still didn’t know what to do. He would love to stay home for school, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving Cami behind. Whichever Ophelia really wanted to do, he would do. Then, Lucas was biting into a strawberry and Nathan looked up to see his cousin. He bore his eyes into her as she sat next to Willow and Delaney stared back at him. So Delaney and Ezra really had gone out to look for fruit, and they brought back which appeared to be more way than enough. Nathan continued looking at Delaney and wanted to say something, but he couldn’t think of anything to say to her. Each time he saw her, he felt nothing but emotions run through him. It was mainly anger, hurt, and yearning. He wanted to reach across the table and shake her until she was delirious. He wanted to wrap a handle around her throat and scream at her until she broke down. He curled his top lip over his teeth. He hated feeling the way he did towards her, but he had no other choice. He was hurt, and this was his way of coping.

---

His name is Air. And he just shows up out of nowhere freaking me out. He like appeared while I was taking a shower. I almost had a heart attack. Willow stared at her now empty food plate in front of her. Eva’s muse, Air, seemed to be either some sort of pervert or douchebag. Willow didn’t like the sound of him. He was popping up on Eva in the middle of shower. Why would he do that? He seemed out of line to Willow, but as much as she didn’t approve of it, Willow didn’t think she would do anything, or try to do anything about it. Eva was making no reason for her friend to freak out and spring to her side. Eva would just have to bear it. Hopefully he won’t appear in the middle of showers anymore. Willow couldn’t decide if it was more rude or weird, or both. Why would he do that? Did you kick him? I wouldn’t let anyone who appeared in the middle of my shower go without at least the old one, two. Delaney and Ezra returned with the fruit and Willow didn’t turn her head to look at them. She could see them from the corner of her eye, and Delaney appeared at her side soon enough. The blonde handed strawberries over to her son, and Willow nodded at her appreciatively. Lucas thanked her, and Delaney took a seat by her. The sixteen year old didn’t say anything to her right away, so Willow looked over at her, to see Delaney and Nathan in the middle of a staring contest. She could feel the tension between the two across the table. It was rather obvious, and very annoying, considering she knew what the situation was. Willow pursed her lips, staring at Nathan, who was still holding Lucas. She knew Nathan wouldn’t try anything with Lucas in his lap, but if Delaney said anything to him, there was no telling what could happen between the two. Willow kept her mind mainly focused on her conversation with Eva, but she squinted her eyes and focused, locating Nathan’s thoughts. They were close and very violent, easy to spot. She quickly tapped into his brain, playing around with his emotions. She just needed to relieve him of a little of the hostility and tension between him and his cousin. There was a lot of rage and sadness among the emotions he was feeling now, so she worked quickly in his head. She could immediately see his shoulders relax a bit. That made her feel somewhat better, but not completely. If she called Lucas over to her, that could give Nathan the idea to do something. She pushed her plate slightly away from her and disconnected the link she had with Nathan and focused back on the link she had with Eva. She glanced at Nathan to study him.

---

Ophelia watched her best friend get up and declare that she was going to grab a fruit. Ezra and Delaney brought back an eclectic variety of fruits. "Bring be back an apple!" She called out to Cami before checking her phone. Reading Nathan's message she thought for a moment. Camila was a different kind of upset than Ophelia was. Ophelia can usual mask pain enough to make it through her day. Cami, not so much. Then she had to think about her two options. Support her best friend at school. Stay in the mansion and mess around with Nathan. Once choice was good and the other was better. The brunette groaned knowing what the right thing to do was. Even if Camila said she didn't need Ophelia there, she was going to be there. She texted her boyfriend with an answer.
[TO] Nate ♥
[MSG] You are like a moral compass. Looks like we are going to school.
Ophelia was going to hate her school day. But if it was for Cami, then it would be alright. Especially cause Nathan was going to be there.

---

---

Kelsey smiled wide when Remi said that he was fine. She cared about her father and godfather very much. She wrapped an arm around his neck when he had picked her up. She giggled a little when he had kissed her cheek. Greyson just watched with a smiall smile. Finally, Ezra and Delaney returned with tons of fruit. All he really wanted was strawberries for Kelsey. But Remi seemed to have that covered. But Remi grabbed an apple instead and said he would be back. Kelsey nodded and then went back to her father. [b]"Can I have strawberries now daddy?"[/color] Greyson nodded and grabbed a bowl and threw some strawberries in them. After washing them, he used a knife to cute off the green parts and slice the strawberries in half. Kelsey took her bowl and Greyson lifted her up and placed her on the counter so she could eat.

---

---

Eric saw Delaney and Ezra come back with the fruits finally. He waved for his best friend to come and sit with him. He would have waved for Delaney, but she went to sit with her other friends. Which was fine with him. Eventually he would get to talk to her later. He still had to tell her that he liked her. Ezra had been teasing him about taking it slow, but Eric didn't want to scare her. He then looked at his sister realizing that she didn't eat. So he called to Ezra. "Ez! Can you bring Eva some fruit?" He asked. Evangeline wasn't really listening. She was too busy having her mental conversation with Willow. It took everything she had not to laugh at her friend. She was always putting a smile on her face. No I didn't kick him. I just got him to leave. But I will remember this conversation the next time he just shows up out of no where.

---

---

Matthew saw there and answered a billion questions from his worried parents and even more worried little sister. He said that he forgot about a getaway trip for the school and everything. They practically grounded him over the phone, but they were happy he had called. Once the interrogation was over, he talked his little sister Maddie. She was doing most of the talking. Starting with her dream from last night about him singing to her. Then she talked about her day yesterday and how she thinks here day will go well today. Matt smiled and then frowned slightly. He missed Maddie. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Remi walking over here with fruit. That was when Madeline said she had to go. "Okay maddie. Have fun today....Love you too.." Then he hung up and looked at Remi. Then he looked at the apple. Then back at Remi. "That for me?" Matthew asked, pointing to the apple.

Delaney felt her stomach grumble and realized she hadn’t gotten anything for herself. She quickly got up from the table and grabbed an apple, trying to get as fast away from her cousin as possible. She knew she would be returning to the same spot she had been because she wanted to talk to Willow. She walked over to the fruit basket, grabbed an apple and a handful of raspberries. She squeezed by Greyson, speaking a quick “excuse me,” and rinsed off her raspberries and apple once he was finished rinsing off the strawberries for Kelsey. Delaney didn’t want to get in his way, but she was starving and raspberries were her favorite. As soon as she pulled her hand from the water, she plopped the raspberries in her mouth, dripping water and all. She sighed in pleasure and wiped off her apple, heading back to the table. She took a seat by Willow again and kept her eyes on the table as she started to eat her apple rather quickly. She was starving and the fruit she had picked was certainly refreshing after all her work.

---

Nathan continued to stare at the blond across from him, his anger rising by the second. When he thought he was about to explode, he felt like he was being dragged down from another world. Delaney got up from the table and walked away. Suddenly, the more he stared, the more relaxed he felt. He couldn’t place the overwhelming feeling that was surrounding him and making him break into a smile. His shoulders started to slump and he felt at peace. Lucas shifted in his lap and Nathan broke eye contact with his cousin to look down at the boy. There was strawberry juice on his face and Nathan laughed. Lucas frowned as he stared at his sticky fingers and held them out to Nathan. Nathan felt his phone buzz in his pocket and pulled it out, quickly typing back so he could wash Lucas off.

To: Ophelia
That’s my girl. (-; We can make up for missed time tonight.

He put his phone back into his pocket and picked Lucas up, holding him close to his chest and carrying him with one arm. He gathered the plates he and Lucas had used with his other hand and went to the sink. He saw Greyson with Kelsey and smiled politely at the two and saw Kelsey happily, neatly eating her strawberries. ”It seems Lucas has a thing or two to learn from your daughter.” He placed the dishes in the sink, making sure he wasn’t getting in Greyson’s way. Then he grabbed a towel near by, wet it, and wiped Lucas’ face off. Lucas held out his hand for Nathan and he cleaned the child’s hands off. ”Can i go back to mommy now?” Nathan set Lucas down and pat him on the head as a signal it was okay. Lucas ran off and Nathan washed the dishes.

---

Willow picked up one of the strawberries Delaney had given her up and took a bite out of it. Delaney got up, Nathan was smiling, Lucas was sticky, and Willow smirked. It seemed everything was fixing itself, with a little help from her, and getting along alright. She finished off the one strawberry, and then the other, and glanced to Lucas. Nathan was texting and then before she knew it, Nathan happily walked off with her son to clean him up, and Willow wiped her hands and mouth off with a napkin. As Nathan went to the sink to wash Lucas off, Willow could tell her tampering with his emotions had been enough to set him back to his usual self. He seemed to be talking to Greyson, so that was proof enough. She blew a stray piece of hair in her face out of the way and then Eva popped into her head. Even if you don’t remember, I’ll be here to pop into your head and remind you. So it works out for everyone. Just make sure you hit him where it hurts. She turned to Delaney after her comment to Eva and watched her showdown with the table. ”If you’re in the middle of a staring contest, pleasure let me know if the table blinks because I would be amazed if it did.” Delaney lifted her eyes to the older girl and Willow smirked at her. Delaney bit off a large chunk of apple and swallowed it with a few chews. “I really don’t know what his problem is. It’s like I killed his family.” Willow bit her tongue to stop herself. She knew what Delaney had done, and she knew she had crossed the line by going through her friend’s mind to see if what Nathan had thought was true. So Willow just shook her head slightly and lowered her voice. ”Well considering he barely has family right now, you guys need to work out his differences. Just confront him about it, even if he looks like he’s going to jump across the table and strangle you. Just make sure at least I’m there.” Delaney sighed and bit her apple again. The older girl turned her head to see Lucas running towards her again, but instead of going straight for her, he turned and kept running. Willow jumped to her feet to chase her son down, but stopped running when she saw Lucas plop himself in Ezra’s lap. Willow ran a hand through her hair and walked over to Ezra and Lucas, taking a set next to them. ”Sorry. He’s never been around this many people before this early in the morning.” Lucas looked at Ezra and smiled. ”Are we still playing today? Because I have to play with Kelsey first.” The three year old had not stopped thinking about his upcoming play date with the man he had met yesterday. Willow smiled apologetically at Ezra. Lucas had never been so excited around people before, mostly strangers for that matter.

---

Damian sighed in relief when Gravity disappeared after making a deal with him. If he would not endanger Eva’s life and go on with his day normally, she would leave him alone until tomorrow. It was not much of a deal, but any time to himself was better than anything he could think of. He didn’t know how a muse could be so demanding. His muse had been somewhat bearable when she had first appeared to him, and then she had just progressively gotten worse. He inhaled deeply to calm himself and went into the nearest bathroom, where he used the facilities and fixed himself up, specifically his hair. When it was decent enough, he exited the room and continued to walk around the halls of the mansion. He stumbled upon one hallway, which heavily carried the aroma of breakfast food and he followed the scent slowly. He was starving, but there was no rush to get to the food. He had a feeling Eva, along with everyone else in the house besides the injured girl would be there. He would rather have waited for everyone else to leave for school before going and getting as food, but he had a feeling now was the best time to go and get something for himself. The food might all be gone if he didn’t get any now.

Ophelia did not get an apple, but she was just as happy sharing the strawberries with Camila. She popped it into her mouth and held the green leafy part in her hand. Without permission, she took another one. She knew the strawberries were Camila's favorite so she wasn't going to eat them all. But she did want some kind of fruit this morning. Her phone had buzzed again and she knew it was Nathan. Reading it, she smirked. The idea of being alone with Nathan made going to school worth it. They were going to make up for lost time. She could already imagine the things they were going to do and she eagerly responded back to his message.
[TO] Nate ♥
[MSG] We better. I need our fun time.

Turning she looked at Nathan and gave a quick wink. Her attention went back to her best friend and the strawberries. That was when Celeste decided to grace the group with her presence. There was a lot of power coming from her. Secretly, the pyromaniac was jealous of the power. Ophelia was not power hungry, but she just liked the idea of having power. But she would never do anything stupid to get it.

She was focusing on the words and Celeste was not wrong about questions. Where was Talia? Was she getting better? When could they all kill Kain? But she held her tongue. Disrupting her with questions wasn't going to get any of the questions answered. Finally, the powerful being finished and Ophelia was going to ask a question. But she was no longer in the kitchen. She was in the garage that she had been talking about. She mumbled a few curses. Upset with not being able to ask questions. Her eyes widened at the sight of all the cars sitting in the garage. There were so many kinds. There were even bikes, skateboards, and scooters hanging on the walls. Celeste kind of thought of everything.

---

---

Greyson watched Kelsey eat her strawberries. She was managing to keep the juices off her clothes, which was great. Less clothes for the father to wash. Considering he did not even know where he could wash the clothes. He only knew where his room was and where the kitchen was. That was it. He needed to explore the mansion just a bit more. Camila came over for strawberries and he shifted so she could wash them. He offered her a polite smile and Kelsey waved her at. She went back to her friend and went back to his spot against the sink. His daughter had finished her strawberries and handed her father the bowl. He was turning to wash it, but Nathan and Lucas were making their way to the sink. He decided to let them have it first. ”It seems Lucas has a thing or two to learn from your daughter.” Greyson chuckled. "If only you knew how long it took to teach her how to eat like that." He teased. When they were done with the sink, he washed the bowl his daughter had used.

Then Celeste showed up. Kelsey eyes widened and she pushed herself off the counter and closer towards her dad. She was just stunned by the sudden appearance and beauty coming from her. The father picked up his daughter and listened to what Celeste had to say. It was rather a relief to hear that they were still close to home. That means he had somewhere to take Kelsey too for safety. If they were to train for Kain, he would rather his daughter not be around for that. But until training started she could say. Then at the blink of an eye, many of the people in the kitchen disappeared. All he saw was Ezra, Remi, Eric, and Willow. Everyone else was gone. Probably to get to school. Greyson wasn't that worried. Celeste has yet to do anything that had made him lose her trust.

---

---

Evangeline was feeling a thousand times better talking to Willow. Just to know that she had his back was more than enough for her. Especially since she felt completely alone at the moment. When it comes to Damien, Eva always felt alone. Telling someone wasn't going to make anything better. It would actually make it a thousand times worse. So she was going to continue to keep her mouth shut. She felt the connection with Willow break and she knew that their conversation had ended. Which was fine since it seemed Ezra had come back with some fruit. She smiled at him. "Thanks Ezzie." She said picking up on the berries and putting it in her mouth. When Celeste showed up, it had gotten rather quiet. It was like they were all waiting for something important to leave her mouth. Specifically anything about Talia. But nothing. She didn't say anything like that. Instead she just told them exactly where they were. Evangeline reached back in the bowl to pick up another fruit, but it wasn't there. She wasn't even in the kitchen. "Ugh. I didn't even get to eat." It didn't matter now.

Looking around the garage she was impressed by what was there. She wasn't able to drive the cars, but there was a bike. But there was also a skateboard. She kind of wanted to ride the skateboard. It had been a while since the last time she had ridden one and now she had and opportunity to do so. She would wait for Delaney before making her choice. That is who she was heading to school with.

---

---

Eric wanted to shake his sister from whatever funk she was in so that she could eat. But when Ezra came with the food she started to eat it. Then Willow and her child ran over to Ezra. He just rested his head in his hand. Looking over he saw Delaney. He was hoping that she was okay. He was going to get up and go over to her, but Celeste appeared. He didn't say anything nor did he move. He just sat and listened. To everything she had to say. And when she was done, his sister was no longer beside him. Her food looked untouched. He turned and saw Delaney was missing as well. A sigh escaped him and he started to eat the fruit, Ezra had brought for Evie.

---

---

”Well who else would it be for? I distinctively remember you liking apples” The blonde smiled, shocked that Remi remembered a simple small detail like that. Matthew took the apple from Remi's hand and slowly bit down onto it. It was really good. He watched as his crush was about to return to Greyson, but then he came back. The older blonde took a seat close to Matt and watched him. He swallowed the apple that was in his mouth and smirked at Remi. "Are you trying to make sure I actually eat this apple?" He teased slightly. He took another bite before chewing and swallowing. "You are supposed to be eating with me." Matthew reminded. Remi did not have any food in his hand. That was when Celeste showed up. Matthew had forgotten about the apple he was supposed to be eating. He was listening to Celeste. He was hoping she had some news about Talia.

She didn't even address his best friend. Nothing about her was said. Nor did she give directions to the infirmary. And then everyone was gone. Well only for a moment. He was in the garage with everyone else that was going to school. A sigh escaped him. The apple was still in his hand. He took another bite and looked over in the corner. There were backpacks with everyone's name on it. He sifted through and saw the bag labeled 'Matthew'. Picking it up, he threw it on.

Eva immediately started eating the fruit once Ezra handed them over to her and he was relieved. She seemed to be distracted by something. Something big for that matter. He wanted to ask, but maybe it was something she didn't want to talk about in front of Eric. Evangeline often came to Ezra when she didn't know how to talk to her actual brother about something. Or because she trusted Ezra more, mainly because Eric was ten times more protective and he often only thought about what was safest for Eva, not that it was a bad thing, but it often kept him from listening to her. After deciding to ask her later, Ezra turned to Lucas who had greeted him excitedly. He chuckled softly at the toddler's question and was going to reply when a new voice came into the kitchen. Ezra looked up to see Celeste and he immediately glanced at Cami. Perhaps the woman had some news about Talia. Maybe she had woken up. Unfortunately she didn't even address the matter. She simply stated that those who had school had to go and just like that, a good percent of the people were gone. The only ones left beside himself were Remi, Grayson, Eric, Willow and the kids. That was one way to get everyone to leave. Then just as she had appeared she dissapeared. What were they supposed to do now? Laze around until the others came back. Ezra turned to Lucas, who looked puzzled, and smiled. "Don't worry, my schedule is free. We can play whenever you have time"


Cami happily sheared her small red fruits with her friend, but she ate in a hurry. She needed to get to school and who knows how long that would take. She also didn't know how she'd get there. Her car was still back at Ophelia's house, which she also didn't know how far it was. The entire situation was confusing. As Cami finished her last strawberry and went to wash her hands, the same woman from rhe night before walled into the kitchen and greeted them. Celeste was her name if she remembered correctly. Camila's eyes brightened immediately. If she was here it meant she had news about Talia. Cami quickly went back to her seat and listened attentively to Celeste's every word, staring in disbelief when she had finished. She didn't even bring up the subject. She assumed no news was better than bad news, but she could have at least given them a heads up on what was happening, or at the very least where they could find her. But nothing of the sort happened. Camila wanted to ask, but her train if thought was interrupted when she blinked and was suddenly in some sort of garage. There were vehicles of all types and sizes. She looked around at everyone. It seemed that all of the ones there were the ones that needed to go to school. She looked behind her, quickly locating Ophelia and Nathan and smiled apologetically. "I guess you're going to school after all" she said softly, looming around at the cars. Maybe they could all ride together in one, it would make things much simpler. That and Cami wasn't sure if she could handle driving alone just yet. She was still shaken up, even though it wasn't as obvious as the night before. Concentrating at school was going to be hard.


Mathew seemed surprised that Remi remebered his favorite fruit and this made the older blonde smile. For once, he had been the one to surprise Mathew. It was usually the other way around. The smaller boy somehow always managed to either surprise or disorient Remi in some way, but this time it was Remi's turn. The boy asked if Remi was actually going to make sure he ate and Remi nodded, as if it should have been obvious. "Of course" he said matter of factly. Mathew didn't waste time before reminding Remi that he was supposed to be eating too. He had made a deal with him after all so it seemed like he had no choice. The taller of the two lifted his hands up in defeat and go to his feet to get himself some fruit but was quickly interrupted by a new presence. It was that woman from the night before. The same one who had taken Talia away without so much of an explanation or a clue as to where she could be. The woman began talking and Remi listened closely, hoping she'd say something about Talia, but nothing came. He stared at her in annoyance as she spoke about the others having to go to school. He didn't care about that, he cared about his sister and getting to see her. Maybe Mathew would stay home from school and they could sneak off to find the emfermary. Two heads would be better ran one. Deciding it was a good idea, Remi turned to Mathew. "Hey I have a-" he stopped talking as soon as he realized Mathew was vanashing into thin air. He blinked in confusion after the boy was completely gone and sighed. So much for that plan. As he looked around, there didn't seem to be many people left. He was relieved to see that Grayson was still there, as well as Willow. And though they weren't close, he got along with Eric and Ezra just fine. Celeste had dissapeared again,eaving Remi with more questions than the ones he had before. With a sigh he stood up and walked over to his best friend. Perhaps he would accompany him in his mission to find Talia.

Willow ran off after Lucas and left Delaney alone, not that the blond minded much. She turned her attention from her friend back to her apple and continued eating, completely getting lost in the colors and flavor of the fruit. She had just about finished when the woman from the night before appeared before the group. Celeste, if she remembered her name correctly. Delaney watched the woman as she spoke, she seemed sad or a bit shaken up still from the night before. She was hiding it well though. Soon enough the woman stopped speaking and when Delaney went to take the final bite of her apple, she found herself looking at multiple cars instead of the fruit. She sighed slightly and looked around, observing the room. It seemed most of them had all been transported to the garage, with the except of the leaders and Willow.

Delaney spotted Matthew and watched as he picked up a backpack with his name on it. She walked over to the backpacks, waiting until he finished, and then scanned the names until she found hers and Eva’s. She found it odd that supposedly everyone who could drive have a car and all those going to school had backpacks with their names on it. How long had Celeste and the muses known they would be here? Would they be here for the whole school year? The thought made her slightly uneasy but she would try not to dwell on it much. She picked the two bags up, swinging her onto her back, and carrying Eva’s in her hand. Delaney quickly spotted Eva and walked over to her quickly, offering her the bag. ”Might as well get going since we have no other choice.” The blond offered her friend a smile before scanning the means of transportation. There were bikes and skateboards they could use, since they couldn’t drive. Delaney quickly ruled out using a skateboard, considering the only times she did was when Nathan had his skater phase and made her learn with him. Delaney spotted a white vintage bicycle among the other bikes and smiled excitedly. It was like a dream come true. Eva would understand her excitement if anyone could.

---

Nathan finished cleaning the dishes and dried them off, putting them back in cupboards and drawers. He let Greyson use the sink and then he felt this phone go off. He walked back over to the table and halfway there, he pulled out the phone. He read it and glanced at Ophelia to catch her winking at him. He smirked and winked back, slipping his phone into his pocket unanswered. They would get their alone time. He wouldn’t back out on her. Just then, a woman appeared in the room and Nathan looked at her. She talked mainly about going back to school and such, but didn’t mention anything about Talia. He frowned slightly, knowing Ophelia and Cami would most likely be disappointed.

Then he was in the garage. He raised an eyebrow as he looked around, quickly spotting all the different cars and the overall size of the immense garage. It was impressive, and he would have never thought he would be so happy to see that many cars, even though he had never taken much interest in them. He wondered which car was his, but he spotted a familiar hair color out of the corner of his eye. The cars could wait. He carried himself over to his girlfriend, wrapping an arm around her waist. Cami soon joined them and Nathan smiled at her. ”I guess you’re going to school after all.” He nodded his head at her, relieve that she didn’t seem to be in such a bad mood. ”It looks like we don’t really have a choice.” He chose to keep out the fact that he had convinced his girlfriend to go after all. It seemed it wasn’t really necessary, but she still agreed and they would still get their alone time. It was all working out so far. He spotted a key rack on the wall not too far from them and squinted his eyes. They seemed to have the names of each person on them and he raised an eyebrow, finding it pretty cool. He had his own personal car. maybe the mansion wouldn’t be too bad after all.

---

Celeste appeared Willow took a step closer to Lucas, placing a hand on his head lightly. She glanced at her son, who seemed to be very confused and the appearance at the woman. She had tried to keep her soon as distracted from last night’s events as possible, and she could not have done so without the help of Eva. Celeste talked to them about everything except Talia. She hadn’t not even mentioned her, which concerned Willow. The least the woman could have said was “she’s in stable condition” or where she was. Saying nothing, in her opinion, was way worse than saying the truth. Even if it brought the worst outcome, there was no need to hide something, especially regarding someone’s health.

One minute everyone was in the kitchen, and the next minute there was only a small percentage of them. “And then there were seven,” she mumbled to herself as Celeste left them too. Willow slightly rolled her eyes when the woman disappeared. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her, she just wanted to make sure Talia was okay. She knew Remi must be worried terribly about his sister, and she glanced at him, the emotions she tasted from him the night before coming back for a moment. She crossed her arms to keep from shivering, and scanned the scene. Remi and Greyson were together, Ezra and Lucas were talking more about their play date, and Eric was sadly eating fruit. She didn’t know why he seemed so moody, but maybe it was because his sister had just disappeared into thin air. Willow turned her attention to Greyson. She knew Remi well enough to guess he would try to go find Talia himself since Celeste had been of no help, and he would probably drag the father along with him. He would go to the ends of the earth to find his sister, and Willow loved that about her friend. “I don’t know about you, but I think this would be a decent time for Kelsey and Lucas to play. I can watch over them while you and Remi go look.”

---

Damian had just reached the doorway when he heard a familiar voice. He saw the back of the figure and identified the woman as Celeste. Yes, he remembered her. He liked the amount of power radiating off her. He wanted that amount of power, but his own self built power. If he was going to become powerful, he wouldn’t deprive others of their own power. He loved a challenge after all. Just seeing her made him power hungry. What she was saying didn’t matter to him. What she could do and who she was did. It made him think back to the first time he had seen her and the conversation regarding Lord Kain. If the man was so powerful, then why was the job up to them? Why couldn’t Celeste take care of it herself? He lost his train of thoughts when he noticed his surroundings change from the kitchen to a garage. He stared at the others, his eyes immediately finding Eva. He knew she wouldn’t be driving, but he wasn’t going to offer her a ride. She would most likely not get in the car to begin with, plus that would raise questions. He drug his eyes off her and felt his stomach twist in hunger. No breakfast for him. It seemed as though he wouldn’t be eating until dinner tonight.

He glanced at the bookbags on the floor and found one with his name on it. He stared at it for what seemed to be forever. There was no way he was going to school. He didn’t do things because others think he should. He only did something he didn’t want to if it would benefit him. Just then, a familiar voice rang in his head reminding him of a deal he had made. ...carry on with your normal, daily activities.. Damian mentally scowled at his muse, Going to school is not a part of my daily routine. However, his muse was persistent, and he didn’t care to deal with the nagging. He heard every threat and calmly walked over to the key rack, slipping off the pair of keys that was his. If going to school would make her shut up, then so be it. He hit the unlock button on his car key and watched as a pitch black car in the far back of the garage flashed its lights.