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[Revelation]

The cries softened as Juliet began to stand up. She could hear the voices turn into gurgling hatred. They spat venomous words that could make even the devils of Hell shake with fear. Juliet felt their pain and anger, almost soaking it up. She wiped away the sullen look on her face and turned. She took a look at her son and back at the remaining artwork before she turned to leave. She had no intentions of listening to the voices threaten and whine, nor did she have any intentions of explaining anything to her son at the moment, who called out to her.

“Mother! Is everything alright?”

Juliet didn’t look back to her son. She only hurried down the hallway and into the main corridors. Her mind was flooded with vile thoughts of maiming, tearing, shredding, anything that had to do with pouring blood. She knew her old ways were creeping back into her fingertips but she gripped them tight. She shook her head and exhaled sharply, suddenly realizing someone else was in the building. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated on the presence and felt a chill run over her body.

Instead of racing through the hallways and down the stairs, the Asian woman put a hand to the wall and let the shadows began to pull her in. She appeared underneath the glittering light that fell from the windows on the first floor. Without a glance behind her, she felt Nam’s presence as he panted behind her.

“It seems we have an intruder in our building, my son.”

Nam cleared his throat and replied, “That’s impossible. The doors are locked and the security in this building is state-of-the-art. How could anyone get in here without us knowing?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Juliet muttered as she began to walk.

She cracked her neck as she walked through the cased arts and bulletins until she came to two wooden double doors with the word ‘Library’ written at the top. She pulled open one of the doors and walked in with her son following behind. She looked around with caution, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. She took a step forward but her son pulled her back. He began to walk in front of his mother until they heard the sounds of shoes tapping against the carpet.

Feeling tired and annoyed Juliet stood with her son near the front desk and shouted, “Show yourself and I may be kind enough to leave you unharmed!”

[Anakoni Stark]

As the two drove home, many thoughts entered Felix's head, most of them concerning what would happen if his parents, and his friends found out about his "power", as Victor put it. What worried him more was how he'd be treated at school; he'd most likely be placed into an alternative education program... Even the sound of it made him cringe, especially since it's his senior year, plus he couldn't leave his deaf brother, out there susceptible to harassment and attack.

He pulled into the driveway of their house, nothing too out of the ordinary, six rooms, office space, balcony, spacious, the typical upscale suburban home. No one would care to give it a second glance; it was painted in the same tannish vein as everyone else's home. A step into the house would flip most people out though, the walls have no paintings or obscurities hanging from them. The television, was small, but had no sort of cabinets to hold it up, the rest of the living area was two couches and a bar, lot of empty space, the motif of stark and empty, followed the rest of the home.

To the average outsider, it would have been called minimalism, or "they just moved in...", but for Felix he had found peace, from the sheer ocean of noise from the rest of the world. The only words spoken here were either signed or written down, and the television was always muted, the only kind of noise made from the home was from his music database on his hard drive, and that within itself was rare.

As Felix and Victor settled down, their sister, Tigan, came up to them with two notes, she can speak liker her older brother, but likes the sheer silence kept in their home. The first one read: someone left this for me to show to you when you came home, he flipped the page over, and he read to himself what was left presumably on the door this morning:

Hello, Felix Freeman.
We know of your problem... We know you are troubled.
We can help you.

After the small introduction there was an address typed in abnormally small print, from there he walked upstairs into the office, and his two siblings followed him. He fished for the magnifying glass their father kept, but he couldn’t find it till Victor held it up for him. He pried a sticky note off the pad, pulled out the pen from his pocket and wrote down the address. A good five minutes passed after he wrote down the address, the chirping of his watch notified him that he was late for some sort of school function, and for the first time in a very long time, he rushed out of the house and spoke.

"Tigan, I'll be late for dinner, if poppa asks where I'm at... Um, tell him I'm with Steph... ok?” he spoke rapidly as he charged out of the house into his car. She nodded and closed the door behind her, the noise faded as quickly as it came. The car started up, and he threw the car into gear and drove to the location scribbled onto the note which stuck to the dash.

While cruising on the freeway, his '67 Ford Mustang was T-boned by drunk driver behind the wheel of an SUV, which caused the Mustang to flip five times, he blacked out on impact. When he roused he found himself, with no signs of abuse, inside of a darkened library. He got up and took stock of his physical state, to make sure he wasn’t tripping out on the morphine the medics gave him. After walking around the lobby a couple of times and wondering why he had ended up here instead of the local hospital, he asked aloud...

"Hello? Is anyone home?"

[4815162342]

Anakoni pulled the front door closed behind himself as he quietly patted down his pockets for his keys. A memory glared in the back of his mind – keys flying into the bushes – and he jumped off the porch. The dirt was soft and wet and smelled of the earlier rain. Ana’s shoes left heel prints in it as he searched for his keys under he nearest bush.

It would seem that he was having better luck than he had during the rain shower – it only took him five minutes to find the keys, half hidden under windblown leaves. Triumphant he locked the front door and dropped the keys into his pocket. He glanced only briefly over his shoulder at the house before he headed down the dirt path that branched off the road.

Gravel crunching underneath his feet he debated the safety of what he was going to do. Typically he ignored the beach; the sea; the water. Now…now he was headed right towards it.

He was on a mission.

Soon the gravel of the path gave way to soft sand. Anakoni stopped and dropped down to sit in the sand, tugging off his boots, then his socks. Standing once more he left them behind in the sand where the beach met trees and sand and headed for the waves barefoot. The nearer Anakoni moved to the se, the more instinct told him to turn back; to go back to the house and find a way to find Dani for Charles; a different way. A way that wasn’t like…

…wasn’t like this…

Ana stepped into the water, shivering as the first waved lapped at and broke on his shins. Closing his eyes he turned back, stepping up onto the beach again. Even as all instinct told him to run, he just shrugged out of his jacket, leaving it in the damp sand as he stepped into an oncoming wave once more. Eyes closed Anakoni found his way further into the water, bare feet inching across the seafloor, careful of rocks. The water rose to his knees; his hips; his ribs.

When the salty water was lapping at his collarbones and waves were hitting his face at regular intervals, Anakoni opened his eyes. At first there was nothing; then… A familiar feeling grew in his belly, almost akin to the dull throbbing pain that sets in after being punched in the gut. Anakoni fought himself, forcing his feet to stay firmly in the watery, shifting sand.

Soon images were playing out like video on the big screen at a cinema. Ana concentrated, thinking only of the man who felt like ink: Dani. Daniel Anderson… The water seemed – to him anyhow – to roil; the waves to hiss; the temperature dropping. Twenty minutes later, teeth chattering and lips blue, Anakoni staggered for shore, eyes closed again. The sea returned to its normal state – to the way it always felt to him if his eyes were closed.

Anakoni stumbled a couple times, feet numb, and he went down and under a few times; more times than he liked; finally, though, he hit sand that bordered on dry and he flopped their, forehead resting against the sand. When the chill in his bones became too much he staggered to his feet, fingers snagging his jacket and pulling it close, draping it over his arm. His shoes and socks were retrieved as well on the edge of the beach, and sand turned back to gravel as he retraced his earlier steps.

Cold, tired, sand covered and distressed Anakoni leaned against the door and dropped the clothing he had removed at the beach and fumbled for his keys. Charles…he needed to tell Charles what he had seen. Well, at least some of what he had seen. He fitted the key into the lock and let himself in. He left the keys hanging in the door as he padded down the hallway leaving sandy footprints behind him. The footprints went all the way to Charles’s door.

At Charles’s door, Anakoni was stopped. He reached out a cold fingered hand and tried the door only to find that it was locked. Sighing he raised his hand and knocked loudly; firmly.

“Charles. I found Dani.” His teeth began to knock together again and he cursed softly under his breath, almost whining. “An’ I’m cold. Lemme in.” Quieter and to himself he repeated what he had said as he waited for the door to be pulled open for him.

“I found Dani…”

[Vicky]

A glass bottle shattered against the wall, jagged shards scattering across the apartment floor. They glittered like gems, but were the colour of poison. Dani spun on his heel, pacing, back and forth, back and forth. The buckles on his high leather boots glint in the overhead lights. His arms gesture wildly, and he shouted at her, “I hate you! I 'ate you! You should just disappear! Crawl in a 'ole an' die! Plunge a knife into your gut! Fall off a cliff! Go swimmin' in a pool of ravenous sharks! Just die!”

He clawed at his hair; his long nails snag in his tight, dark locks. His fangs bared, sensuous lips pulled back in a snarl. “I hate you! Die!”



Dani had realised he was motionless. Dani hadn't realised anything at all. He replayed the scene in his head, though not the one he was presently in mind you, and remembered why he really didn't like to have any 'complications' with another Zodiac. He felt his mind go blank for a moment, and when everything came back to him - though vague and scattered - he did nothing else but reach for the vase he had by the side of his bed.

Before he knew it Dani had slammed the vase across Eiyaga's head, all too familiar when the shards scattered across the room and one implanted itself into her temple. Dani removed his bloodied hand and pushed her off him as hard as he could. He was fully aware she could recover easily lay amidst the glass on the floor, and Dani was fully aware he was not in the mood for this any more. He pulled on his trousers and quickly as he could, standing on the other side of the bed.

Eiyaga squirmed on the floor with her hand held against her head, and Dani narrowed his eyes at her. **** people for bringing silly things up. His eyes darkened considerably, the pupils expending and the iris turning black. Any light in the room seemed dimmer now, shadowed, concealing.

Dani had sprung forward when Eiyaga stood up and recovered quickly, running into her shoulders and pushing her against the window. She was startled, for a moment, and possibly mistook Dani's attack.

He raised his hand to the side of her face and implanted a fingertip on her injured temple, forcing her eyes to look into his. She stopped struggling at that moment, going limp and only held up by Dani's shadowed figure, his mind now in hers, searching, destroying if he must.

Dani's own head was in a mess of confusion and images and shattered glass. He projected that into her - the feeling of nothing, really - and much more. While in the first days of his powers this would leave an enemy on the floor struggling to make sense of the new images, feelings and disturbed brainwaves, Dani's experience made her choke on her own breath, perhaps because she couldn't breathe properly at this moment.

When Dani removed his hand, unsure of what he had actually done, the room around him was blackened with shadows. He released her near the window, where she fell limply against it, unclothed. Without another thought, Dani knocked her out down five stories with his ice cold fingers, and an ice cold gaze.

He hadn't looked at her falling to the ground in an almost coma-state. He hadn't bothered to check on her at all. He hadn't bothered to tidy up his apartment. He hadn't bother to collect anything he took with him on a normal occasion. He hadn't bother to relax himself, with still black eyes and pale skin in a darkened room. He simply dressed himself, trench coat and all, and walked along the corridor outside.

Wherever he walked, in his state of confusion and anger at the moment, the shadows seemed to follow closely behind his slumped figure. He disappeared throughout the city, not planning on going home in awhile.

[Raiha]

Eiyaga lay sprawled in the abandoned street, the water pelting down around her body, bones cracked and protruding through flesh. Her ribcage had suffered serious damage, her right shoulder was completely wrenched around, and her left knee was shattered. Her breath rattled in her mangled throat and she struggled to remember what was happening to her. And aloud, in the physical, her breath caught and began to force itself through her throat. Panting, gasping for air, her moans barely heard against the sound of rain on pavement.

In her mind, she muttered and whispered to herself, utterly confused. She couldn't even begin to sort through the layers of thought and subconscious feeling he'd pulled down over her. Instead, she couldn't even blink, couldn't reason, the blood fluttering from her skin, down across her body. And there she stayed, curled up halfway, barely breathing, naked and cold. The parts of her flesh that weren't ripped or torn were marked over with gooseflesh. And she whimpered in the back of her throat, lost in her mind. Her lips moved silently.

"That didn't go well..... .....but did it?"

"There's no time. There's no thought to it. I'm empty and mindless in the void. But I think...

...I can't be mindless. But where am I? It's cold. And I'm so alone. There's no warmth anywhere. And I can't stop this flow."

What flow? What was this? She should be healing. She shouldn't be lying half dead on the road like an animal. He wouldn't make her die. Her cheek pressed up against the cold asphalt, with the blood and tears and rain streaking down her face. Why was she sad? What was so wrong after all? This was how all her relationships always turned out. Only the others hadn't been able to hurt her this well.

"He should get a medal for this one."

Only her lips moved. Her eyes were still wide open and staring. And the cold seeped into her body, slowing the bleeding, numbing the pain, even as it seared across her as if she'd been laid on a grill. And she breathed easier, and easier. And slowly, almost agonizingly, her flesh began to sew itself together. Moving as slowly as anything, her shoulder pushed itself back, even without Eiyaga's conscious orders.

"I am Eiyaga. Not Dani. I'm not made of darkness and empty void in thought. I'm made of pain and new pain on top of old wounds."

Her one eye began to blink. The other empty space remained empty and inert. In the back of her mind, Eiyaga Meya remembered who she was, and began to drift upwards through the thoughts Dani had left inside her. Turns out, her mind could heal like her body. It just took forever. Still unmoving on the ground, still lying in her own blood, the Zodiac waited for her mind to completely return.

[Allamorph]

There hadn’t been any particular reason for Adrienne to have ended up in Bruce’s. She’d meandered around the town for about two hours or without noticing where she was or where she was going, and she’d almost passed right by the dive. She’d seen it out of the corner of her eye, though; her mind told her that she hadn’t been there in a while at around the same time her stomach had told her it wanted food, and so she’d interrupted her pointless wandering and gone inside out of the rain.

She’d chosen a side booth to commandeer so she could dry out her hastily-grabbed coat and umbrella on the opposite seat while she ate, and when the waitress had come by she’d ordered a chicken sandwich and a Sprite, since it was getting close to dinner. From her seat she could also see the bar’s entrance and most of its interior—an unconscious habit she’d picked up in the junior high cafeteria, because having an entire room full of people behind her while she . . . well, while she did anything, made her nervous for whatever reason.

Adie had been about halfway through her sandwich when she’d started to feel very strange. Her appetite vanished, and she sat brooding in her seat, picking at the chips that had come with her food. Even the heavy metal that a recent arrival had turned on couldn’t distract her from the nasty sense of foreboding that had fallen over her. It was a shame, too, because it was good music, if a little on the old side.

The feeling had intensified when a small group of people had emerged from the back of the restaurant. Adrienne had only to watch them move from table to table towards her to decide that she did not want to know what or who they were looking for—since they were obviously searching for something.

Tossing down a quick tip, she snatched up her things and headed for the counter to take care of her bill. The process was excruciatingly drawn out, and she felt one of the men in the group eyeing her for almost the entire time, which did nothing to alleviate her now nearly unquenchable desire to take off running. Her distraction caused her to fumble her change on the counter, undoubtedly drawing even more attention to herself, and when at last she got her possessions under control she dared not even look in their direction.

Once outside, she risked a quick, furtive glance under the edge of her umbrella, hoping against unreasonable hope that they wouldn’t think her actions suspicious and follow. Her heart sank when she saw them moving closer to the door; she barely avoided eye contact with three of the men, and when she stepped forward her panic got the better of her and she almost ran down the sidewalk in the direction of her apartment.

--------------------------
Right. Tag Andrew =D

[Andrew]

The furious riffs, blistering solo’s, beastly bass and blinding drums that descended on Bruce’s that night were of the greatest variety. Even if no-one else in the establishment cared for them, Andras was in a state of bliss as he usually was when music was playing. His feet tapped drums beats to match the song of their own will, while his fingers tapped the table in a way to match the strings being played by the guitars while he mouthed the words, rocked his head subtly to the beat.

As usual, staying still was something that was lost on Andras, and although he didn’t notice the mob marching upon him, he would eventually and he would never be caught off guard. Ever. His reflexes and agility were far too refined and quick for anyone to catch him in a state of weakness.

As he continued obliviously waiting for his food to arrive, the group surrounded his little booth in a very military fashion, apparently blocking his escape. Andras continued to drum, tap and sway even as his head lazily turned to the side, a welcoming smile masking his annoyance at being interrupted while listening to Metallica.

“Somethin’ I can help ya with there sweetheart?” He arrogantly asked the woman who apparently led these men around like they didn’t have a pair between them.

She didn’t even bat an eye-lash at his obvious baiting, and instead gave a slight flick of her luscious brown locks before narrowing her small eyes on him like a predator.

“You’re the one who put this horrendous racket on I presume?” She spoke through perfect teeth, like honey soaked with acid.

For a brief moment Andras froze completely still as if time had stopped before he quickly got to his feet and was right in the woman’s face before any of them blinked.

“Let’s get one thing clear here right? Nobody disses the ‘Tallica in my presence! Got it?!” His reaction to such a thing shocked and confused them all he could tell from their sudden shifting of stances before they become all cautious and military-like again.

“Well, whatever. But we’ve heard reports of a man fitting your description causing trouble everywhere he goes. Also you happen to have something of a bounty on your head I do believe.”

Andras relaxed slightly, already knowing where this would go and that he definitely wouldn’t be eating that sweet smelling mixed grill tonight.

“Maybe ya should just call me ‘The Stampede’ then eh?” he said arrogantly, smirking again as his body swayed, constantly moved.

It was, yet again, obvious that they were confused by his reference as they laxed for the tiniest of seconds. Then again, when you usually moved as fast as Andras did, you generally noticed things like that.

“Not big anime fans are ya?” he said, shaking his head in a disillusioned manner.

It appeared that they’d had enough and at the pretty, crazy ladies gesture they all drew guns and pointed them on Andras. In response, Andras slipped quickly over them by stepping on one man’s shoulders and dropping down behind the woman with his Single-Action Army drawn, barrel touching her head.

They all switched their position to keep their guns trained on him but faltered when they saw the position their leader was in. Andras became immediately pissed when his eyes wondered to his gun but he quickly got over it and pushed the woman into the two of the men before quickly holstering his prized weapon and dashing for the door.

Naturally they recovered quickly and took pursuit. Definitely some military experience here. Mercenaries if not bounty hunters.

Andras always did enjoy the thrill of a chase (despite the lost chance at a sweet meal) but his smirk quickly faded when he saw what appeared to be a woman walking not very far from the bar’s entrance. He made his decision in a split-second to get her out of the bullets path but the means to do it had yet to be decided.

He figured that calling out to her would only make her turn round, get her scared and she’d probably get hit anyways. So, without wasting any time dashed up behind her and picked her up very gracefully without losing speed as the first wave of semi-automatic fire broke the silence of the night. She yelped a little but automatically wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself from falling and some childish way of protecting herself.

Andras could have sworn he’d seen some kind of brilliant light as he’d grabbed her but dismissed it as he rounded a corner and leapt up the nearest fire escape like a true wall-crawler. Deciding not to stop just yet, he used his acrobatic prowess and superior speed to jump the gap between several buildings before eventually stopping and placing her carefully down.

Andras quickly stepped back and held up his hands as a gesture that he meant no harm as she was quite obviously terrified. He quickly turned on his charm and put on his best smile before speaking.

“Sorry about that love, I don’t usually pick up ladies this literally but didn’t want ya getting shot or anythin’.”

She laughed a little at his odd comment but still didn’t appear at ease. In fact, she looked a little teary-eyed and as if she were about to throw up.

“I’m Andras by the way and I must apologise for those goons with the guns aimed in your general direction.” He said, this time offering a goofy smile.

“H- How can you be so calm?” She squeaked out but Andras heard it clearly enough. So, she DOES speak.

He chuckled slightly to himself before continuing.

“Would ya believe me if I told ya that happens on a weekly basis?”

She still looked very unnerved, although he couldn’t very well blame her based on the situation she’d just been through. He didn’t exactly remember his first similar confrontation but he remembered being scared as hell.

“So, do ya have a name love?” He said as he took off his coat to drape over her as she began to shiver, despite the humid air.

“Yes; No; I guess…” Came rushing out in quick succession and then she blushed and hung her head a little before looking back at him, “Hi… I’m Adie- Adrienne.” she finished, blushing again.

“Ahh, Adie! Very sweet if I do say so.” He said, smile blazing, coat draped over her.

“Obviously I can’t very well leave ya on a random rooftop in the middle of nowhere, but my Gentleman-ly pride would have it no other way than I accompany you home to make sure ya’re safe and sound.”

Adrienne looked a little nervous at his sudden forwardness, but saw no way around it, especially the way she was feeling right now.

Although Andras was still smiling and being nice, he was absolutely pissed off inside about his gun. Apparently it was no longer made by Colt.

[Ozymandius Jones]

Charles was dreaming – Charles was drowning. One of the two. He just wasn’t sure which, exactly, as he struggled to surface.

There was water, thick as tar, black as night; it surrounded him, filled his lungs, pressed in on all sides. It was wet, frigid, icy coldcoldcold on his face, his chest, his feet, forcing its way into his lungs, his stomach, drawing him further towards what might have been the bottom of the ocean– might well have been the sky.

He hated water. He’d hated it before he’d been made fire – he hated it all the more now. Conniving, sneaky – liquid when it wished, but as soon as you were too far in to get out it was as hard and strong as rock, and half as forgiving. At least rock would end it fast.

He twisted in the water, let out a wordless shriek as it closed in –

And then, through the roaring in his ears, he heard a voice.

He wasn’t sure how, where seconds before he’d only heard his own heart and his own scream in his ears, he’d heard it. But there had definitely been a voice there. He strained towards it, against the water trying so hard to pull him down. Either way – whether water or air, whether life or death – his head broke a surface; he rasped in a breath –

And was awake, keyboard keys imprinted on his cheek, the smell of scorching paper beneath his nose. He sat up, hurriedly swatting at the phonebook he’d fallen asleep on – the fruit of his nght of labor glowing on the screen in front of him.

Three pages on Dani – not a bleedin’ word on where he was now. He’d been locked up for everything. Drugs, guns, accidents, assaults – if it could be punished, Dani had apparently done it.

And there wasn’t a thing he could do to find the ponce.

Perfect.

He snarled as his back cracked, standing and shuffling his hand through his hair.

Bleeding perfect, how and I supposed to find the bleeder… He was jolted out of his thoughts – they were growing redundant, anyways – by the words that had woken him from the dream, repeated over and over at his door.

I found Dani…

Charles crossed the messy room in two steps, unbolting the door and jerking it open.

He was looking up at a pale-as-death Anakoni for all of a second before the scarecrow grinned at him, lopsided, sand-covered, smelling of saltwater, and puppy-dog-eyed, and collapsed into the room, narrowly missing the doorjamb as he fell.

“Found Dani for ya, Charles,” He slurred, shivering. One thin-fingered hand reached to clasp his bare foot – cold as ice, cold as the water in his dream. Anakoni closed his hand, almost purring until Charles jerked his foot free.

“Oy! What the bloody – what did you do?!”

Ana flipped over on his back, pouting, and Charles tried to drive away the feeling flickering behind the -paternal!, he snarled to himself, frantically – worry in his gut.

“Jus’ what I’m supposed tooooo, an’ now I’m cold.”

Charles glared down at him.

“I’ll bet you are, y’idiot! You don’t go in the ocean! We've been through this before!”

Ana just kept blinking up, silently. It was a long, long awkward silence. He broke it first, as Charles was turning away, rubbing his eyes.

“Charles?”

“…what?”

“Can I have your foot back?”

[Allamorph]

Adrienne’s mind was a scrambled mess. The men hadn’t been after her after all, but they’d been after him, and now she was with him....

And now she was on a roof....

“You do got someplace to stay—don’tcha, love?”

She jerked sharply back to the stranger who’d just rescued her, or done . . . something. “Yes, yes,” she said quickly, “I have an apartment. Do — do you thing we should go there?”

Andras gave her a funny look. “Well, I sure don’t know of anywhere else to take ya.”

Adrienne laughed nervously. “Right.” She looked away. “I’m sorry; I’m being stupid.”

“Nonsense,” the man chuckled. “You just got stuck in the wrong situation.” He looked off to his left, his leg starting to fidget almost of its own accord. “So umm, where is your place?”

Adrienne blushed. “Heh, sorry. I’m . . . not really sure where we are.”

The man smacked his forehead. “Oh, of course!” he ejaculated. “All that building-hopping has got you all mixed up.” He smiled. “I suppose we could try street level again. Right, then; come on!”

She shrank away from his reach.

“Easy now, love,” cajoled Andras. “Faster with me than if we take the stairs. Come on,” he added, sensing her trepidation, “I don’t bite.”

Adie hesitated for a second, but acquiesced, and Andras scooped her up easily and whisked her away.

------------

“So this is your place,” Andras remarked appreciatively, five minutes worth of Adie’s directing later. He stood in the center of the living/dining room with his hands on his hips, taking in the scene, his left heel tapping rapidly. “Very nice; I like it. You an artist?” he added, looking at the easel and the mess of paint supplies covering the coffee table.

“Yes,” she answered, just coming back from storing her things. “Graphic artist, professionally. Painting is my hobby, something I do for fun.”

“Really?” he said, taking a closer look at the canvas. “You’re quite good.”

“Thank you,” said Adrienne, blushing. She started gathering up the strewn materials and placing them neatly in the cabinet of the bar where the kitchen started. Andras stood silently by, watching the scattered mess turn into careful organization.

She was almost finished, and had begun crumpling up the stained newspapers, when she’d apparently realized Andras was still present. She stopped and looked up sharply, a small amount of confusion evident on her face.

“Umm, thank you for getting me home,” she started, “but I’m all right now. You, umm . . . you don’t have to stick around.”

“What, and leave you lookin’ like a bad hostess?” exclaimed Andras. “Never. Wouldn’t dream of it. Besides,” he went on, “I . . . don’t actually have a place ta stay, so I was kind of hopin’ I could stay here.” He scratched the back of his head. “If ya don’t mind havin’ a man around the place, that is.”

“Oh!” Adrienne straightened. “Umm. Well, I don’t exactly have a guest room, but the couch is really comfortable, so you could—”

“Aw, that’s fine, love. I won’t be sleepin’ anyway.”

“What?” Adrienne looked even more confused.

“It’s this lovely power of mine,” he explained, “the one that makes people want to kill me and all. It’s like I got this generator churnin’ inside me all the time, keepin’ me going and lettin’ me do all this crazy stuff!” His voice began to rise in excitement. “Like, like, movin’ real fast and jumpin’ up buildings and makin’ lightning and ****.” He snapped his fingers in demonstration and a spark leapt from their tips. Adrienne’s eyes got wider.

“But it makes me move a lot,” he continued. “In fact, too much sittin’ still kinda hurts after a while. So I’m always tappin’ something, or dancin’, or somethin’ like that. It just feels natural.”

He gave her a curious look. “You haven’t got any special abilities of your own, now do ya?” he asked.

OOC: Ain't much, I know, but as of yesterday I couldn't even see past the dotted line, so what have you.

And if I get any crap about a certain word, I'm-a kill people. I was bloody raised on Conan Doyle. I know what the thing means. (^_^)

[Ikillion]

Within moments of walking into the room Nam could tell something was wrong, be it a kind of bond that family members share with one another or a mystical spirit string that connected them, but he could tell that she was in pain, an ungodly amount of pain. Almost instantly he rushed to her side only to be ignored as if he weren’t even there and instead moved away from him. For someone who was in pain up until a few moments ago, she moved through the dark halls as if she were an athlete. It wasn’t surprising though, she was his mother after all.

And that’s when it began to get weird, rather than race down the hall like any normal person would, she did something else. It sounds almost unbelievable but she…melted into the wall itself. Maybe melted isn’t the right word to describe what had transpired by the point is she disappeared into the wall and was gone leaving Nam alone in the dark hallway.

“Just where did she disappear off to now?” His head snapped from side to side, maybe he was seeing things, maybe he was mistaken and she had instead turned the corner? Yet he was met with disappointment to not find her there. “Just how can you expect me to watch you if you just go and disappear like that? Honestly.” With no other leads to go on Nam decided on returning to the main hall was the best decision on where to go next.

With a dash he was off, every passing second was another second that his mother could have been in danger. Nam didn’t have a clue as to just what it was that seemed to cause her such mental anguish. For all he knew it could have been a person or some kind of spiritual disturbance. However even he knew that if she was alone she was vulnerable in her current state.

After turning around a corner he found her. She wasn’t where he had though he’d find her but he found her none the less. He took the chance to look around and found that they were not too far away from the library. An odd place to end her search but what about this day hadn’t been odd anyway? He quickly caught up to her in front of the library doors and took a quick break, running all that way did take a lot out of you.

He didn’t see what happened next, Nam was still hunched over trying in an attempt to regain his breath from his sprinting, but apparently someone else was here, someone else had entered their “home away from home” without either of them knowing. Unforgivable. Were they thieves looking for a nearly priceless item to steal only to sell to some unsuspecting customer? It would explain their ability to enter the building without either of them knowing, but why enter the library? The two of them entered the room searching around for the intruder only to see no one at first. The two of them made it to the front desk until they finally heard it.

Tap.

The unmistakable sound of footsteps on a carpet. To be more precise it sounded like a shoe tapping on the carpet. Either this was about to get very interesting or whoever the person doing this was a master of taunting. And it was working.

Tap

With every tap Nam could see it in her eyes; Juliet’s rage was slowly building. It was building up to the point where her eyes seemed to have the power of a thousand volcanoes, and she was about to erupt. And erupt she did. “Show yourself and I may be kind enough to leave you unharmed!” She shouted, throwing her head back in an almost blind rage. Surprised, Nam quickly stepped forward again. His hand slid into his pocket tightly gripping his knife while still holding off on using his gift. If it were just a common thief it would be a waste to use them.

“Don’t trouble yourself Mother,” The man said taking a stance in front of his parent, “just leave this situation to me.”

[Revelation]

“Don’t trouble yourself Mother, just leave this situation to me” was all her son had said as he stepped in front of her. From the corner of her eye, she saw him wielding a knife. She narrowed her eyes in fury and cleared her throat. Nam turned his head to look down at his mother’s narrowed eyes.

“Mother?” He asked confused.

She exhaled sharply. “As if I taught you nothing, Nam Han.” She reached up and smacked him on the back of his head and took the knife from his hand. “Playing with knives. In my library, no less. What are you, a yangachi*?”

Juliet shook her head at her son’s irresponsible action. If he had spilled blood, even a tiny drop, it would have been his head on a platter and not the trespasser's. She breathed deeply as she regained her composure. Slowly the anger shrunk back into the box she’d unconsciously unlocked within her mind. Once she felt the last of her anger gone, she closed her eyes and listened for the faint tapping that seemed to bounce around the room. With a smirk, the shadows beneath her feet raced towards the source of the tapping. They flew in a straight line, searching. It hadn’t taken long until they had caught its prey.

Nam stood with crossed arms, a clear sign of his pouting, but loosened his arms as he saw the dragged body. He hmphed as the shadows dropped the body in front of him and his mother. The two looked at the trespasser with interest, letting their eyes adjust to this dark figure.

It was a boy. When Juliet scoffed, the boy stood up quickly, nearly tripping over his own feet. He tightened his body as he looked from Juliet’s face to Nam’s face a few times. He was clearly surprised and frightened. Juliet raised a brow and exhaled sharply. She snapped her fingers and the library came to life with light. With a slight nod, Nam took this as his cue as he took a step forward. He examined the boy, as if he was sizing him up for a job. He chuckled without humor and stared at the boy with almost scolding eyes.

“How’d you get in?” Nam demanded. His tone was frustrated yet collected. The boy didn’t answer; he merely let his eyes fall to the ground. This frustrated Nam even more. “I won’t ask again, kid.” This time, he spoke a little harsher.

“I don’t know,” the boy muttered.

Both pairs of brows were raised- his own and his mother’s. They exchanged a quick glance of confusion and interest. The Harlem Academy was littered with state-of-the-art-all-that-money-could-buy surveillance- sensors, lasers, cameras, detectors. Even the most skilled thief would only dream of breaking in to the Harlem Academy. Yet the boy who stood before Juliet and her son had no recollection of how he’d entered the building. Somehow the thought peaked a curiosity in Juliet.

Her mind raced with the possibilities and theories. The corners of her lip slightly pulled into a smile as she looked at this boy. She had to know what he was about and how he was able to enter the Harlem Academy. She had to quench two mouthwatering questions that burned in her mind: did he possess a gift and was he a Zodiac?

* Yangachi – derogative term for common street thug

[Vicky]

---

Chapter Two – The Hunter

---

Maybe it was going to start all over again. Maybe he didn't get a break, afterall, because he simply didn't deserve one. Maybe he shouldn't have thrown the Zodiac, as she clearly was, out of his window. Maybe he shouldn't have done anything at all - he should have sat there from day one of his powers and decayed into his chair turning into a grotesque carapace that traps whatever it is inside that wills for freedom. Maybe he should have brought some money with him before he stormed outside...

He slept too little, this creature, and thus a chilly morning wasn't something refreshing to him as he was often out here on his own. He was sat on a rail some distance away from a long, dark river, a set of abandoned industrial estates and factories behind him. Ever since the new policies being introduced by new leadership, old ideas of regenerating an area or even keeping such factories alive were lost; the riverside now was dead.

Dani took a long, long drag on his cigarette and flicked it out of his fingers even though it was only half smoked. He hoped it ignited the long grass on the riverside and set fire to the dead factories, to give it at least a tiny glimpse of life. He toyed with using his powers to force such a result, but he wasn't that desperate.

There was at least one thing he could look forward to: parades. It was a known fact that, all the way on the otherside of the city, a large parade was held travelling down the coast. Dani himself found the brightly lit spectacle annoying and pointless, but the amount of people who turned up to it was astonishing. If anything, he was sure to find some more of... 'them'. In all this knowledge, the Zodiac were never far from each other. If he was going to go through this again, he wasn't going to be the last one to all the action.

He propelled himself off the railings and took a walk down the stone path under a graffiti bridge, shady and lonely, but he definitely didn't look out of place in the dark. He kept his hands in his pockets and his head lowered slightly, his jaw tense as he thought about what he was going to do now. The very idea of actually settling down by himself - no stupid powers and no stupid kids behind him - was an absolutely alien concept now. They never got a rest, really, they either died or kept on living. Dani supposed some of them had a fun childhood without the curse of their marvelous powers, but he certainly didn't. What a cheat.

Walking out of the otherside of the bridge onto an almost matching path and matching riverside he had failed to notice a daunting shadow belonging to a man who rested his back on the bridge's entrance. Dani was startled to catch him in the corner of his eyes, stopping momentarily. Dani breathed in a sharp breath, this huge hulking man leaning against tiled concrete with drastically long dreadlocks and a blank look in his eyes. Dani, a strange creature himself, found this guy ever weirder - weird that he didn't see his shadow, weird that he couldn't figure anything out about him. Dani began to walk backwards, just in case this was a threat, and as stood as he did the hulking individual turned his body under the bridge and stalked away, a slight limp on the left side of his body.

"Fuckin' dealers..." he mumbled under his breath. At least, that's what he was going to assume this man was. There wasn't any kind of description Dani could stick to him, so he just assumed he was a dodgy sort of feller, who minded his own business and made a lot of money scamming kids and deprived teenagers.

Which Dani would not complain of, since he frequently did that himself.

He rubbed his nose and eyes tiredly at the edge of a road waiting for the cars to sail by and allow him across. It took longer than usual so he walked into the middle of the road in front of a slower car, who did indeed stop and even beep angrily at him, Dani responding with a causual two-finger salute and a slurring insult under his breath. The coast was far away, and by the time he got there the deathly cold morning would have turned into the afternoon for him, amidst the celebrations and sunshine.

He wasn't really looking forward to it that much, hence the sulk he possesed while carrying himself down the streets, darkly.

And all that time, his mind seemed to dwell oddly on the silly dealer he had came across at the river...

[Andrew]

“You haven’t got any special abilities of your own, now have ya?” Andras questioned, smirking as if he already knew Adie’s secret.

In Andras humble opinion her wide-eyed face looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights, so he decided to help her out a little, perhaps coax it out of her rather than interrogate her as his question made it seem.

To start the distraction he moved over to her latest work in progress. Apparently some kind of landscape.

“That’s a happy little tree you have there.” He said, rather nonchalantly.

She seemed to find this somewhat amusing for whatever reason and blew out the breath she’d been holding with a little giggle. Andras didn’t pay any attention to it, instead he continued to observe the piece like it was the very centre and meaning of the universe. He absently began to speak again, still focusing on the art in front of him.

“I noticed a little light-show when I picked ya up. I have a degree of control over light but I know that wasn’t my power. So unless I’m totally off the mark here, that was you, correct?” He finished by finally turning to her, his arms crossed across his chest but fingers tapping at his biceps and feet tapping their own tune.

Adrienne looked a little distracted at first, something at her feet seeming a lot more interesting than the present conversation. Her brow furrowed with deep thought and she reasoned that this man had just saved her from certain doom and he was being immensely forward about his own gift-like curse.

“Well, I…uh, it’s something like this. I can manipulate… ummm…” her initial resolve to describe her power cut short when her brain decided to remove its ability to use her broad vocabulary, so rather than look like a blithering idiot who’s tongue was trying to roll over itself, she elected for a more elaborate description in the form of a physical display.

Andras’ eyes brightened as she unleashed a volley of beautiful lights in all shapes and sizes. Starting at first with simple prisms, spheres and cubes hovering above her hands, gradually progressing into more intricate and well thought shapes. What really made him giddy and brought a goofy smile to his handsome features was a full body image of him in blazing white light.

All the while, it wasn’t really the light that impressed him, more the determination on her face and the precision of Adie’s movements as she directed the dazzling light show before his very eyes with elaborate hand movements.

“Oooooo…Shiny!” For a moment he almost sounded retarded and she cracked up laughing, lost her concentration and the light shapes were no more.

“That is some awesome light you’ve got there! Only wish my light powers were as breath-taking as that! Man!” His genuine astonishment and shock at the degree of control over her power seemed to bring her out of her laughing fit and she just looked at him blankly.

“Well… I could possibly teach you a little of what I know? Although I have been practicing for years…” She said, slowly trailing off and blushing, something at her feet once again more interesting.

“Naturally, that kinda control and precision ain’t learned in minutes! You’ve got some awesome power there. For once I’m glad that people decided t’turn their weapons on me!” He said with a big beaming smile.

For the next few hours they chatted mindlessly about the difficulties living with having special powers, the perks, the problems and other assorted nonsense. Andras felt they were establishing a weird connection, even more so when she began to teach him the basics of controlling his light-manipulating powers.

Despite the fact that Andras could have gone on for an indefinite period of time, Adrienne didn’t share his energy source and eventually felt the need for sleep. He couldn’t blame her and instead sent her off to bed with a warm smile as she climbed the stairs.

Adie caught a glimpse of him dropping to the floor to do press-ups before she reached the top of the stairs, shrugging her shoulders at the random-ness of her newest house guest but with a smile no less.

Much to her surprise, he was still in the exact same position as she left him some nine hours previous, doing press-ups and singing to himself as he listened to some form of music playing device that was connected to his ears via headphones.

[Raiha]

Eiyaga Meya panted for air, her ribcage in the process of knitting itself back together. Bone fusing perfectly with bone, no scars or spurs on the actual skeleton. But it was a slow process, and she didn't heal quickly. Normally, with a simple cut, her flesh sewed itself back together almost as fast as the cut was inflicted.

But this was the new ****.

And it was taking so long. So very long. She rolled over onto her side, the rain water had been choking her as it pooled in her throat. But choking was the least of her problems. Stress fractures up and down her body had appeared. She looked like she'd been split in half and slapped back together. Lines of red up and down her body, scored lines. And her eye blinked once more. Blood slowly dispersed itself from the white of her eyes, slipping back into their own veins. The single hazel orb flashed once, as she shuddered and shivered in the self induced cold.

The pool of blood and water had frosted across the edges. Beautiful patterns of pink crystals. There was blood in the water, blood all over, blood covering everything. Her fingers twitched slowly, one after the other, wiggling twice, spasmodically, then pausing. Driven by an inner fire, she slowly pushed herself upwards, water sheeting down her face, hair sticking to her cheeks.

"****...******* ****."

Her elbows buckled underneath her and crashed back down, half on her side, half face forward in the water. The repairs were still incomplete. Eiyaga's chin rested on a hollow in the asphalt, and she found herself with just enough energy to wonder what was taking so long. Already she was forgetting what Dani had done to her, the memory layering itself silently in the back of her mind, to save her from the blinding fear. She knew she'd fallen from a window, hit her head, but she couldn't understand what was wrong now.

"I should be better now. It's been so long."

With just enough strength, she rolled over onto her back again, keeping her head tilted to one side to keep the rainwater out of it. The stress lines were beginning to slowly heal, the internal damage had come first. And her new ribcage was almost complete, the fusion an almost total success. But the scar on the side of her head was fresh, and raw, and lymphing fluid. Again she blinked, and her fingers twitched once more. It was so hard. So cold. But a twinge in her lower back told her that her curse was just starting to build up speed.

Pity the first poor soul to get close enough to her when it began to bloom. She'd beg them to help her. Maybe this time there would be help. But the last one had been stopped before it had finished. She'd never make it this time. She'd never tried to suppress the curse. Already she could feel twinges of pleasure digging sharp fingers inside to her thighs.

[Allamorph]

She’d slept later than she’d meant to—not that she was surprised, after exercising her ability so thoroughly the previous evening. Her chatty nature was probably partially inspired by the mild lightheadedness she’d felt after finishing, and she’d crashed as soon as she’d hit the pillow, sleep enveloping her in a dark, warm blanket of dreamless rest.

This morning she felt amazing, and before she had even stood up she’d almost decided on two or three new additions to her landscape. She also wanted another walk, but not in the same sense as she had yesterday. That had been to clear her head, and let out some frustration; today, she wanted something more brisk and refreshing.

Glancing out the window told her the rain hadn’t stopped yet, which dampened her spirits a little. It was Saturday; she had hoped it’d been sunny, or at least overcast, but she had umbrellas, so her plans wouldn’t be altering. She dressed herself in a simple buttoned blouse and loose jeans, slipped on her sneakers, and went downstairs.

Her guest noticed her when she was almost at the bottom.

“Mornin’, love!” he greeted her exuberantly, leaping to his feet. He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. “Have a good sleep?”

“Yes...,” she started, giving him a curious look. “Have ... have you been–”

“Doing this all night?” Andras shrugged. “No, I did a few laps about three this morning.” He grinned broadly. “Had to scare off the burglars and all.” His quip was rewarded with a small giggle.

“So,” he continued, clapping his hands together, “what now? It’s a beautiful day outside—well, mostly,” he corrected himself, grimacing at the view outside. “Shame; I was about to suggest a walk.”

Adrienne smiled and glanced down, brushing a bit of stray hair behind her ear. “Actually, that’s exactly what I was planning on doing.”

“You don’t say!” said Andras, eyes brightening. “Well then, what are we waiting for?”

“I was going to have breakfast first....”

“Aww, nuts,” he dismissed happily, making for the door. “We can grab it on the way!” He snagged her coat from the day before—a long dark-green sweater shrug—and caught up his own in his other hand. “Come on,” he entreated, crossing the room to deliver her garment, “humor me.”

---------------------------

They’d stopped at a small diner Adrienne knew of, conveniently in the opposite direction from Bruce’s, and continued rambling while enjoying the other’s company. Adie’s umbrella was just big enough for the both of them to crowd under, but it was a gentle rain, so neither minded a small bit of wet.

They passed a few other people on the streets, including a dour-looking goth with his hands thrust furiously in his pockets; Andras had sniggered after they’d gone a bit past him, making an irreverent comment involving wrists and razors. Adrienne had laughed, despite voicing her disapproval.

Andras had been in the middle of regaling her with what she’d assumed was an exaggerated recount of one of his past exploits, when he’d faltered mid-sentence and pulled up short, staring oddly into the entrance of an alley they were passing. Confused, Adrienne stopped and followed his gaze.

Halfway down the alley, a woman lay naked in scattered frozen pools of water and blood, her head lolling to the side, oozing from what seemed to be a fresh wound. Ugly red stress lines ran up and down her body, marring her otherwise attractive skin, and the odd bone stuck out from her limbs. Her hair was matted with blood and clung to her face in tangled strands, and where her left eye should have been was instead a gruesome blotch of scarred flesh.

Adie gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my gosh!” She darted forward.

“...umm,” Andras agreed intelligently. He followed a few paces behind, watching cautiously as his charge knelt over the prone figure.

“She’s hurt!” Adrienne called. Remembering her CPR classes, she leaned forward, stretching a hand down to feel for a pulse.

The woman’s head jerked around, her chest heaving a great lungful of air, her eye snapping into focus on Adrienne’s face. She lunged upward, grasping at Adie’s neck.

The artist recoiled with a dismayed cry, dropping the umbrella as she tumbled backward.

“Hey!” Andras shouted as the startled Adie crawled backwards, trying to keep distance between herself and the clumsily advancing woman. “What the hell’s going on?” He strode forwards to intervene.

The woman sensed his approach and, struggling to her feet, she changed directions, intercepting Andras and grabbing his head in both hands, almost assaulting him with a violent kiss. Surprised, he shook himself free and jumped backwards nearly fifteen feet. “Easy there, love,” he said, confused.

The woman stumbled, but retained her balance and returned her attention to the now standing and very nervous Adrienne. “Please,” she panted, her breath thick and heady. “Have to....” She took a tentative step forward.

Adrienne’s flinched, her eyes clenching shut, her arms coming up defensively; light exploded in front of the woman’s face, and she reeled, her legs tangling underneath her, sending her crashing back to the asphalt. She lay there for a few seconds, obviously disoriented, only her left hand supporting her, her eye glazed. Adie collapsed against the alley wall, sinking to the ground in relief.

“Okay,” said Andras slowly. “Now what?”

“I don’t know,” Adrienne replied, sounding almost on the verge of tears. “I mean, she’s hurt. I – I don’t feel right just leaving her here.” She sighed a ragged breath. “But the only place we could take her is....”

Andras nodded. “Yeah.” He thought for a moment. “Maybe she just needs some time to get her head back together,” he offered, rubbing his lips. “I mean, at the very least....” Adie returned the nod, and Andras stepped forward, starting to slip out of his coat.

“Wait,” Adrienne started, “what are you doing?”

Andras paused. “Well, we can’t have her running around undressed like that,” he replied. “Lady’s gotta have a small bit of decency, you know.”

Adie jumped to her feet. “Oh, but then we should use mine!” she exclaimed, whipping her arm out of a sleeve.

“Hunh?”

“Well, it’s longer and warmer, and–” she gestured to him “–and, well, yours barely goes past your waist!”

“Oh. Right.” He watched as she draped her shrug over the woman, who appeared to be attempting to regain her footing again. “Then at th’ very least,” he went on, “you should take mine.”

“But—”

Andras shook his head. “I have to insist,” he said kindly, grinning. “It’s the gentleman in me, remember?”

“Oh ... okay.” Adrienne acquiesced and took the proffered coat, and Andras bent down and picked up the dazed woman. Evidently she understood part of what was going on, for she clung to his neck immediately, though her eye remained unfocused.

“All right, then,” he declared, “let’s get going. Don’t forget your umbrella.”

“Oh, and we should probably make this quick,” he added, wincing as teeth sunk into his shoulder. He sent a quick jolt through his burden, and she relaxed her grip. “I think she might be a feisty one.”

[Andrew]

”Oh and we should probably make this quick… I think she might be a feisty one.” Andras murmured through gritted teeth with a look on his face that spoke volumes.

The girl’s occasional jerky movements gave Andras the impression she was stirring quickly, and based on the severe bite wound now pulling itself back together (though nowhere as quick as the girl in his arms), Andras decided it best to give her another little shock. This one more controlled, rather than the knee-jerk reaction of the last one. He carefully selected the energy’s path through her body to best keep her relatively docile but to also give her some sense of pleasure and relaxation.

Adrienne walked quickly in front, occasionally turning to give Andras and the one-eyed girl glances. The furrowing of her brow made it clear she had something on her mind but for the most part, her face made her thoughts unreadable to him.

“Somethin’ botherin’ ya love? You really think it’s a good idea to bring her back to yours?” Andras pried, trying to get an idea of what was bothering his newest friend. All the while, the unconscious girl in his arms seemed to be driving her hips at him curiously.

“Sure… I’m not really concerned about where we take her, just more worried about her condition in general. Besides, I know first hand that you could easily protect me from anything a little girl could throw out…” She said, teasing him with a wry smirk on her face.

The whole affair reminded Andras of a similar incident the year previous, but he pushed the thoughts aside quickly with a dark grin and increased his pace as the rain picked up.

Now walking in front of Adie and hurrying her along a little he had to send the charge through the unconscious girl a little more frequently to keep her sedated. The girl had been mouthing something that Andras was trying to identity since he’d picked her up. Now it was starting to become clear. With shallow, uneven breaths, she seemed to be begging him for “help”. For someone dazed, her speaking seemed pretty fine.

“I think this chick is looking to wake up pretty soon… I’ve been doin’ my best to keep her relaxed and calm but it’s not exactly having much impact anymore!”

“Umm… Ok… What can we do?” She asked as she jogged at his side.

In response Andras abruptly stopped and turned to face her.

“It’ll be quicker if I’m the only one using legs here. Hop on me back and hold tight love.” He said quickly, bending down and leaning forward some to let her hop on.

Adrienne’s face was a mixture of confusion and a goofy grin, but after only a moment of hesitation she obliged him and gripped him tightly. Although the other girls arms were also firmly placed around Andras’ neck, there was still plenty of room for Adie.

“Watch she doesn’t bite you now!” Andras chuckled jovially as he took off quickly, knowing full well that he wouldn’t let either of them come to any harm.

Under half a minute later and Adrienne was scrambling through her keys for her door key. She burst through the door and moved the cushions on the settee into a suitable position to ideally support the girls head and Andras lay her down.

“I’ll get some blankets, this coat is soaked through, not going to do her much good.”

Andras nodded and kept one arm the forehead of the girl to measure her temperature and further jolt her if need be. Adrienne returned from her journey upstairs, stopped and looked at Andras expectantly.

“Well…” She started as he looked back at her with obvious confusion on his face, “Turn around so I can rearrange this mess around her!”

Andras chuckled again but turned his back regardless.

“And what’s so funny?” She asked as he listened to the sound of wet clothes dropping and clean, warm blankets being placed behind him.

“I’ve got an amazing sense of spatial awareness love and I’ve had that girl in my arms long enough. I could accurately tell you her bra size if need be…” Came his reply, followed quickly by another hearty chuckle.

“Oh yeah? She asked wryly as she eyed the girls chest as she moved the blankets with a slight blush on her face.

“I’d say, 34… maybe 36B.” He nodded with a goofy, self assured grin.

Adie simply hmphed at the “Gentleman” behind her, knowing enough to see he was probably dead on the mark and then wandered off into the kitchen to look for something. Andras took his place at her side again. She seemed to be settled enough in the blankets for the time being without any special shock therapy so he let her lie peacefully.

“I’m going to head out I think… There’s a few things I don’t have that we could use to treat her and I need to pick up some things anyway.” She said as she walked back into the room, Andras only now taking the time to look at her and realise that she’d changed out of her wet clothes.

“Yeah, sure thing love, I’ll take care of Sleeping Beauty ‘ere for now then. She’s healing up well, so take your time.”

She nodded with a slight look of worry plastered across her pretty features before turning on her heel and heading for the door.

[4815162342]

He’d gotten Charles’s foot back. Or, rather, he’d gotten Charles to share his heat – which was better. Charles had taken Ana’s laptop from his room, claiming it worked better than his own, ancient dinosaur of a computer, and moved back into his bedroom with it, and Ana had followed. Just recently out of the shower and cleaned of all the sand and saltwater, not to mention clad in dry clothes, he’d slid into the room just as Charles shut the door.

When the blond had settled himself on the bed, Ana had sat down close by…then moved himself closer and closer, until eventually he had curled around Charles’s back, belly against the broad, flat warmth. His roommate had looked down at him with one raised brow and Ana had only smiled beatifically up at him and curled closer. Now he was watching short, strong fingers tapping away at the keyboard, lulled into a calm feeling by the repetitive sound and the heat that was seeping through his bones.

This was nice, he mused, resting his head back against the bedspread and blinking up at the ceiling slowly. It was nice to be warm, and nice to have an excuse for his actions; his desperate pressing up against Charles’s back. He was cold and he was still distressed over his trip into the ocean despite his findings. Maybe because of his findings.

Ana could still feel the waves slapping against him and then retreating, could feel the inky-black of Dani, but neither feeling ever grew to be too much. He never felt like the water was going to fill up his mouth and slide down – creep down…claw down… – his throat and cut off his air. Never felt like the inky black would spread like a poisonous gas and cloud the air of the room. It was like the man he was curled around was keeping those feelings at bay.

If that was so, he didn’t want to move ever and loose the feeling of security. Technically that was already the case, but for another reason – the warmth was too nice. It was like sitting by a fire close enough to feel the true heat of it, but without getting burned – that was it, yeah. It was nice.…

The ceiling disappeared then reappeared slower than before as he blinked his eyes back open. He was so tired…

--

“Ana!”

Ana woke up with a start, his hair flattened on one side as he blinked wide, sleep muzzy eyes at the figure standing beside the bed, body registering that the heat had disappeared. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the cobwebs and sand of sleep as he pressed his hand down against the blankets and pushed himself up to sit against the headboard behind him.

“…yeh?” He asked, even as he leaned forward, head spinning as he sneezed.

“Found where we’re going. Get up, come on…” A warm hand slid under his arm and helped him up until he was standing, the backs of his legs against the edge of the bed. He reached out, grabbing Charles’s other arm, both to keep himself from stumbling and to feel that warmth and strength under his hand again.

“Where…” His eyes blinked shut, but he forced them open again. “Where’s that?” He couldn’t stop the small, happy noise he made as Charles slid an arm – a really warm arm – around his waist, guiding him towards the bedroom door.

“City on England’s coast…” The arm around his waist disappeared and he had a hard time keeping a pouting look from creeping over his face as he was pushed towards his bedroom. “Go on, get dressed in warmer clothes. I’ll be packing.”

Ana nodded at Charles once to show he understood before he wandered into the cold house, avoiding as always that one bathroom.

…warm clothing, check.

[Raiha]

Andras watched her sleep, tapping his foot against the floor in what would've been impatience in anyone else, but merely a commonplace occurrence in him. The jacket removed, covered in a light towel, he watched the stress fractures on her body seal over. Literally, within seconds, almost every visible wound healed onto itself completely, with only her head wound remaining. And even that didn't look as bad as it had before. Even as he though it, a trickle of blood slipped from her temples down her cheek. Andras picked up the gauze Adrienne had left for the girl and gently dabbed at the wound. The girl didn't stir, her one eye still peacefully shut, no flickering of the eye behind it.

He stood and walked back down the hall to toss the gauze, when he felt movement behind him. The sound of strained breathing, the panting he'd heard before, and a hands reaching for him. He turned around in a split second, his arms almost raised up defensively, when Eiyaga stumbled forward onto him and virtually tripped into his arms.

"Oy, what's your game love?"

"Can't...stop it."

He could hear her harsh breathing, ragged and messy, and her hazel eye was wide open, staring at him, pupil dilated well beyond normal. She shoved herself up against him in one movement, a moan tearing itself from her throat. Andras sighed almost with resignation, while she clumsily dragged at his clothes, her towel abandoned on the couch. Eiyaga whimpered, her body writhing completely out of control, her lips inches from his. His breath on hers drove the Zodiac insane, desperate, as if he'd been whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Instead of calming her, his hands on her hips made her movements all the more harried. With a shove, Andras had her up against the wall, her legs around his hips. Instinctive, all passion and fury, she dug her nails into his back so hard he knew he was bleeding.

"Little *****. Stop that."

Eiyaga's eye flickered once, even as she gasped for air while he shoved her against the wall, fulfilling her need, assuaging her curse. She withdrew her fingers quickly, every movement slowly drawing her sanity back. Hands flat against the wounds she'd inflicted, they healed for her, even as the blood smeared from the identical wounds on her back. Blood on her back, from wounds that had already gone away, and Andras let her sink down on top of him, riding herself into the oblivion that would be her temporary fix. And she screamed and tossed her head back, and scraped his chest with her fingers, while he gripped her hips, lifting her up with every thrust, and slamming her back down.

Within moments, she'd come back, jerked her head around, and collapsed forward onto his chest, the wound in her head now just a scar. And she could breathe again, sounding normal even. Slowly, she pushed herself up off of him, skin glistening under a sheen of sweat, her hair tossed around her face. Gently, she pulled herself up off of him, and rose on almost steady feet. Andras blinked a few times, as she turned and picked up the towel that she'd abandoned earlier, and with totally sane steps walked towards the bathroom, turned on the water, and slipped into the shower without another word.

"Eh, aren't you going to tell me your name? Given that you were just screwing my brains out and all that."

"It's Eiyaga. And thanks."

Her voice was muffled from the water pouring over her lips, but she didn't mind so much. Andras stood, rubbing himself over with a towel, while Eiyaga scrubbed away the dried blood on her cheeks, and on her back. He blinked a few times when she held out her hand from behind the shower curtain.

"Yeah?"

"Towel please."

With a slightly bemused expression on his face, Andras handed the towel through and she rubbed herself dry without letting him catch a glimpse more of her flesh. Wrapped around her breasts, covering up every part of her that could be remotely considered indecent, she sat down across from him, as he leaned against the counter and watched him with her one good eye.

"So now you've gone all coy on me eh?"

"It's my curse. After I heal back myself or someone else from a death, I have to do it. Can't go back to normal until it's done."

"...Best. Curse. Ever."

[Malkav]

"Look," Harvey said, realizing clearly that he didn't belong, "Apparently I'm not supposed to be here, so I think I'm just gonna go..."

He stood up to leave, only to be stopped by the male.

"Not until you answer my question. How did you get in?"

"Probably through an open window. ****, I don't know."

"Nam," said the female, a twisted smile on her face. "allow me. Young man, if you could remember how you got in, is there any special way you would have did it.” she looked at Harvey.

Harvey was confused now, but had a creeping suspicion of what she was getting at. "Um... I don't know maybe?"

Juliet, in her old wisdom, knew what to do. She tossed the knife in the air, catching it on its hilt as it came back down and immediately threw it toward the boy. Harvey, in a fit of nervousness, stopped the blade in mid air. The two Asians's eyes perked in surprise.

"Some kind of telekinesis?" asked the male again. Reaching out to grab the knife. As he put his hands around it, Harvey released his grip on it. The male felt it jerk back to life. "Now that is interesting."

Harvey didn't know whether to be relieved or scared by their reaction. He didn't say anything. Noticing the obvious look of confusion on his face, the woman spoke again. "Don't be so dense. You're not the only one with... unnatural abilites."

Harvey's ears perked up as he heard this. He supposed it was naive of him to think he was the only one. "So who are you?"

"My name is Juliet, and this is my son Nam."

The tension in the room eased. "I'd suggest you pull up a chair, I'm sure this will take all night to explain."

Harvey eased himself up off the floor, and dug in for a story.

[Revelation]

As everyone relaxed into their seats, Juliet’s eyes dashed from the boy to her son. A faint glimmer of joy flashed in her eyes. There was something about what she saw that reminded her of a time long lost. Within that moment, she couldn’t help but smile. Though it was short and quick, she had no doubt that her son would have caught it. Even so, she was still pleased at what she saw and hoped nothing would come to interrupt it.

When Juliet prepared to tell her story, something stirred in the back of her mind. She had remembered that she had heard a voice a few moments after they’d entered the library. In less than a second, Juliet’s eyes no longer held a friendly glint, but rather a cold glare. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. The shadows beneath her feet began to shake and shimmer as Juliet tried to regain regular breathing. It seemed like hours before she finally felt her son’s hand on her shoulder. His eyes were filled with worry but her cold glare told him otherwise, as did the direction they were in.

Nam looked behind him and found yet another teenage boy. He sighed as he stood to his feet, crossing his arms.

“So who are you and how’d you get in?” Before the other boy could say anything, Nam added agitated, “And don’t make me repeat myself.”

Everyone looked at the other boy; Juliet with ice, her son with fire, and the sitting boy with curiosity. The new intruder didn’t seem to be off-set by their staring eyes. He merely stood tall and, with what seemed like confidence, answered Nam’s question.

“Name’s Felix. I sort of woke up here.”

“What the hell do you mean you sort of woke up here?” Nam raised a brow. Something seemed out of place with the boy named Felix. “Look kid, I think it’s best that you leave.”

Nam walked up to Felix and reached to grab him by the shoulder to lead him out. Out of reflex, Felix grabbed Nam’s wrist with intense strength. If Nam had not been Juliet’s son, the pain that throbbed in his wrist would have made him wince. Instead, Nam smirked at Felix. The boy looked at Nam with confused and cautious eyes. Unbeknownst to Felix, Nam had found a lingering black line that would cause his imminent destruction. With his free hand, Nam reached for the line but was abruptly stopped by his mother’s voice.

“Let the boy go, son. I’m sure he’s just as confused as the other.” Juliet smiled a fake smile towards Felix and turned to the other boy that was sitting. “Come, I’ve much to tell you both.”