Cory had apathetically cringed to the side as smoke was blown into his face, 'Perhaps this was a mistake' he thought to himself, gauging this group as part of the school's "weird crowd". Despite the bizarre introduction, he decided against turning back now, given how long the cold walk home would be. Waving away the cloud of stinging fumes, Cory moved to the fourth row of desks, taking a seat on one, crossing one leg over the other in a nonchalant pose, eyes fixated on Kanoa who had begun a small speech of sorts. The preppy looking girl went on about that kid who'd blinked from existence a little while back, a disturbing event that had shaken most of the student body when it was first reported. As Kanoa droned on, adopting a leading tone as she began to rally the population of the classroom, Cory's mind pondered on the disappearance of the kid she'd mentioned. Disappearing without a trace was something out of a bad episode of CSI, but in lieu of Cory's new power, it seemed less impossible. 'Perhaps he had something similar to me..' Cory thought to himself, tapping his finger on the desk once. As his fingertip drummed against the wood, a hole suddenly appeared, about 3 inches across. Cory's eyes widened as he quickly removed his hand from the table, cursing himself quietly for being so absent minded.

Maxwell had heard that someone at the school had gone missing a little while back. He had thought little of it at the time, having just been released from the hospital. Now he found himself wondering if it was related in any way to what had happened to him. Then again if what Kanoa was saying was legitimate then it seemed to be unlikely. Maxwell had stepped off of a bridge in broad day light. There had been no attempt to make him disappear, plenty of people would have seen him die. But this kid had disappeared without a trace. “Shit,” he said aloud without meaning to. He could just walk away now and forget about all of this. He could have but that was not the way the world worked. At least not for him. Not any more. Hearing about this kid brought back memories of his parents worried faces when they had thought that he had tried to kill himself. No parent deserved that. Even if this kid was dead they deserved to know. Right? “I'll help,” he said to Kanoa, making sure that he made eye contact with her so that she would know that he was sincere, though in the end he just looked as though he was glaring at her. Aware of this he looked away and instead stared away to the side, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Raven kept piqued doe eyes on Corey for a brief moment as he entered in a mellow manner. She would have spoken yet another much less easy going burst through the door. Raven squinted eyes at the loud noise and crossed her arms in ire. Sudden deafening noises were gravely unwarranted; being startled was something she did not like and this would be the second time today it had happened. Oddly enough the petite girl was easily prone to jumping but this was the only thing that seemed to cause her panic—as of yet. Cloudy eyes watched as the note slid across the floor before coming to a halt. A brow then arched toward the male with an eye patch covering a golden orb. From first glance he seemed intimidating but Raven could care less about imposing appearances, usually these beings were the opposite of what they tried to portray. This room certainly held a neat little package of personalities so far, what fun would the days ahead hold? She could only imagine and smirk lightly at the prospects of it all. With that aside everyone continued to speak but her attention was drawn back to the ruggedly handsome newcomer. Ever since he entered all the talk of sacrifice and blood went in one ear and out the other. Usually she would have thrown two cents in but from his square jawline, broad shoulders, and intense hazel hues one could not bypass such allure and not stare. Of course she had seen him passing before and was instantly taken by his characteristics--though his first impression was a little lackadaisical. Pixie most likely hindered that as well, breathing in a lung full of smoke would cause anyone to lash out yet he remained calm. Hmm. Raven listened as Kanoa spoke about a vanished boy she had never met, eyes dancing from the president to that man who caused a circular void in the desk. Pearly front teeth bit down upon the bottom of her peach colored lip, restraining a giggle. At first she thought he purposely removed the structure but he seemed utterly distraught afterward, which she found inconveniently cute. It was a cuss word that made Raven glance up to Maxwell who agreed to lend his assistance. Raven really had nothing else to do beside stay inside and study anatomy. A real life mystery may be fun, and no one had ever asked for her help before least of all sought her out. “Fascinating.” Raven said candidly. “When do we begin?” Not finding questions necessary at this moment her words were brief and she was more than willing to tag along.

"We should begin now!" Jackson said, his voice filled, not with fear, but vengeful anger. . . as well as desperation. His hand, curled around his wounded arm, his mind thinking back to the night of horror, but instead of him, it was someone else. He couldn't. he wouldn't let that happen, not if he could help it. "We all ready might be to late, but we have to try anyway. If we don't, the missing student could die, if he isn't already. . . or worse." Turning to Kanoa, he continued talking. "Do you have any idea what we're going up against, anything at all, even the smallest of myths or rumors would be nice?" 'Why do you care for so much for a dead boy?' Aphosis whispered, 'You do now that he's probably dead by now,it's been a week. And even if he's not, chances are he'll wish he was. Just like you do. I now that you're afraid of that August girl, afraid of what her abilities might tell her about your lovely little collection.' Jackson went rigid, much to Aphosis' delight. Jackson collection of knives was always a constant temptation, and like any good guardian would do, Aphosis made sure to stop Jackson from indulging in such a fatal addiction. Jackson had finally stopped trying, but the emotions he felt on those nights would stain those knives forever. 'Every knife tells a story of sorrow, weakness, and instability, and each time, I stopped you from pushing the blade into deep. Not because I care, not because I need you, no, I save you from yourself because I want you to suffer. You death must be painful, must ge unexpected, and it must be slow. Your in this for life, Jacky-boy, and there isn't going to be an easy way out.' Jackson said nothing, making as if he hadn't heard a word of what the spirit had said. But he'c heard everything, and he couldn't help but fearfully glance at the short red head, hoping he'd never have tomget anywhere near here in the near future. One of his instinctively reach down into his pocket, grabbing his swithblade knife in an effort to calm himself. His knives always gave him a sense of empowerment, a feeling that he was in control of his life. Now, however, while still comforting, they held no such power. He wasn't able to take charge of his life anymore. Aohosis' had taken from him, like everything else, that one comfort. That one thing he'd been wishng for over a month. Peace, everlasting peace of mind, one way or the other.

August's eyes flitted about, marking down her final observations of the group mentally. Only Kanoa, Jackson, Maxwell, and herself had really revealed anything about themselves and their abilities. No one was much of a surprise to the red head. Nothing she hadn't seen a thousand times before in high school. Mary was sarcastic, but not uncaring, else she'd have just ignored everyone. Jackson was...melodramatic and afraid of something. Kanoa was studying them, but Kanoa studied everything as August recalled. Raven was a liar, judging by the emotions she was constructing. A damn good one at that. Orion was calmly strained, as usual. The one with the eye-patch was trying too hard to play Alpha Wolf. Cory was focusing on something internally. Max was awkwardly avoiding anyone's eyes, another liar? No, self conscious. That explained it. She wished her abilities let her read people that were around her, it would have made it much easier than just going off prior knowledge and experience. It'd be a few hours before she could read this room for what the others had left behind. And it'd be diluted, probably wouldn't be able to pinpoint anything to one specific person. Combine it with her current observations though, she could probably nail it down a bit better. That freaking light! August tilted her head back to look at it again. Variable voltage sucked, but since it was the only flickering one, August had already pinpointed where the wiring was wrong. Couldn't reach the roof though. She tuned back into the conversation as Jackson gave her a look. She smiled and waved, then looked at Kanoa. No reason to be hostile to anyone yet, no one had done anything wrong and everyone was probably weighing in whether or not they should stay involved. The redhead held up her hands, as if weighing her options. "Spooky ghosties, missing people, and bathing in the blood of the beast..." A quirked brow at Mary. "Or geometry homework. Gee, let me thinkI'm in!" August grinned, leaning back on the desk. Her hand slipped, and with a sharp yelp she fell backwards onto the ground with a heavy thud as the air was forced out of her lungs. "Ow ow ow...don't worry, I'm -oof- cool!" She got up, dusting herself off before holding up a finger. "And besides, we can use this as a little bonding trip so the folks who decided to avoid answering anything about themselves can open up or choose to leave." A quirked grin at the assembled students as August put her hands on her hips, head cocked to one side. No reason to be hostile. But a little prod never hurt. "So, on top of all the other questions, where exactly is the spot he went missing from?"

"Mary, please." Mary felt as Kanoa's hand lightly brushed against her own, her hands were soft, similar to the fleeting purple haze that hung in the air. Perhaps it was the unexpected touch that slowed her down, that mundane sensation of a slight connection made with another human being that filled Mary's numbed senses to a climax they hadn't reached in what, in that instant, felt like eons, lifetimes. Like it was an organic pleasure that had been denied her by forces unseen, but in that microsecond, that permanent quantum point in space-time, they had fucked up. A bunch of high schoolers getting together to talk about ghosts hadn't been part of their plans. That was silly. Still. The cool tingling phantom touch of Kanoa's hand remained. Had it really been that long since she had touched someone else? That couldn't be it-- she touched plenty of people! She hugged her mother all the time! She was a groupie, she went to concerts! She might not have actively sought out the touch of others as her peers might had, but it was certainly present. What was it then, that made this human contact fill her with the oddest sense of ecstasy? It wasn't planned. It wasn't something she had accounted for. In a life, filled with miraculously random events that felt completely planned and numbing, leading only to an unsatisfying early grave. This was the first event in recent memory that had reminded her that she was... alive. In the violet fogged darkness of her mind, voices, masculine and feminine, seemed to whisper something she couldn't make out; 'You are impure.' Alright. It was pleasant. Incredibly so. The moment hung, her brain had to fire off so many chemical impulses at once that time dilated to feel like an entire existence could pass it through. Why? Did Mary just had a thing for Asian women? Smoke was clearing, much faster than usual-- a shrieking laugh, she could almost feel his horns as he spoke; 'An impure whore, you should make her yours.' Nah. It didn't matter. She desperately wanted to feel it again, so much so she almost wanted to reach out and grab Kanoa's hand as time seemed to resume, just to feel the firing of the thousands of neurons again. It was something so very painfully overlooked and normal and completely new to her. As her other senses caught up with reality, however, Mary was able to stop herself. She was back home, Mom was cooking something, she seemed to breath a sigh of relief as the stove hissed with a stir-fry; 'That's Mommy's good little girl, save yourself for mother.' Shit, dude. That was new. Time was back! Or, Mary's perception had returned to the same rate of temporal perception as it had been moments before the Touch. Kanoa had already gently confiscated the blunt for Mary's vicegrip when she checked back in. Cory, in a display of courage that the Hero of Time himself would envy, slid past Mary. She recognized him, he was one of the hot guys in one or two of her classes-- and the other guy, the one with the eye patch, she recognized him. Because eye patch. Mary couldn't help but laugh a little inside, 'Your mom.' Ha. His expression was priceless. She deprived them of her focus, though, instead investing all in Kanoa. Mary allowed her expression to become neutral as she observed Kanoa; she moved fluidly, as if rehearsed, and she spoke with a similar practiced elocution, if not slightly unsure. She had put out her blunt. Mary practically hung on each word she said, internalizing the more serious implications, beyond being hexed by a mere brush of hands. "M-my herbs..." She still allowed herself to mourn the loss of her herbal perfection. It had just the right combination of... everything... and it was rolled so pro era. RIP in pieces, joint-01. "You didn't even give it a chance to become a roach..." She muttered, mere seconds after Kanoa had finished. She became downcast in mourning, lamenting the fact that she didn't have a 40 to pour out for the loss of her kingdom plantae homies. She shook her head, "Gone too soon..." For the first time since Big Boss had barged in, her eyes rested upon the crumpled up note. Quickly crouching down, she retrieved it. Huh. It was odd. It was the same note she had gotten, but different, in a way. It hadn't been doctored. This raised many questions for Mary, this whole experience was beginning to do that. It was curious... "Spooky ghosties, missing people, and bathing in the blood of the beast..." Mary caught August's looked and returned it with a weak smirk of her own. She returned her attention to the note while August continued to speak. For Mary, it seemed her 'Maybe' had become a lazy 'Sure' her interest was piqued, for one reason or another. She listened to Azalea Banks and Witch House, smoked herbs for their Voodoo traits, and hung out in graveyards. This type of creepy shit was right up her alley. Mary could swear she felt some... energy? Curiouser and curiouser... also fucking silly. "And besides, we can use this as a little bonding trip so the folks who decided to avoid answering anything about themselves can open up or choose to leave." #shotsfired "So, on top of all the other questions, where exactly is the spot he went missing from?" "I think..." Mary spoke up, in a not quite deadpan voice, "...I think remember seeing something about it in last week's paper? Like, if that doesn't work we could also just talk to his parents?" Mary shrugged, pulling off her headphones in the process, "I'm not..." she pulled out another blunt, now known as joint-02, "I'm not exactly sure what I am? In regards to seeing the ghosts I visit at the graveyard..." She lit the blunt, "I know I don't have any special ability. But like..." Her glare went from August and the newly formed club to Kanoa, "I've always felt this darkness, like this really intense presence-- it's been eating away at me for as long as I can remember, just present, growing inside and outside around me, and..." "And..." Mary's voice began to crack, her eyes held glimmers of genuine fear, and for the first time since she had entered the room, her voice carried a sincerity with it, "It wants control. Absolute control. Of me and the direction my life goes in. And I'm so scared of it, it wants me. It wants me and it wants to kill me. And I am so scared of death by this thing." She allowed herself to be completely vulnerable to this group of strangers, "They... It... I don't know, but it's always just out of my view, just enough to stay hidden in my smoke. My Mom gets mad if I talk about it, and I can't talk to anyone else about it..." Mary sighed in closing. She felt a relief at getting that all out. She felt a certain catharsis. Mary took advantage of the silence to begin puffing out more purple smoke. "Anyway," She started again, "This does seem like the pilot episode of some 90's sitcom about a ragtag group of kids who solve fringe crimes. Or something. I'm in. Unless you guys are racists. I don't fuck with racists." She had already begun pacing around the room again, as she stopped, she blew a stream of smoke on Jackson. "What? It's laced with lavender. It helps purify the body and remove bad spirits from the air! You're welcome!"

"Christ, I feel like that took forever," a blonde boy chimed out. He shut the door to the teacher faculty lounge behind him. He rubbed his head, yawning in the process. "Relax, you only feel that way because you're so tired," said a girl from behind. "Not only that, you were up for most of last night going about town." The girl was Ennis Bowers. Her cousin, the sleep depraved boy, was Morgan Bowers. Both of them are cousins who recently just moved to Oakenheim. The reason for their visit to the faculty office after school was just to see if they were getting accustomed to everything. The teachers here were kind to them, more than likely because they were in unfamiliar territory with nothing but each other. Now that that business was finished, it was on to the next. The two received an invitation to join a club. A club that would deal with the occult and supernatural. Whoever made the invitation knew that the two cousins were aware of supernatural dealing. Morgan pulled his invitation out of his back pocket to double check the room number, and the pair promptly made their way there, following the sings. "So, did you manage to actually find something last night? Or was it another bust?" Ennis had asked. "Afraid not. Since we're still unfamiliar with this town, I decided not to go to far anyway. Now that it's the weekend, we could probably get more searching done," Morgan replied. "As long as I don't end up sleeping late tomorrow like you did. I'd hate to be woken up by having ice cold water dumped on my head." "Sometimes, I seriously hate you." Morgan shivered, thinking back to early this morning. He had slept through his alarm, and Ennis, getting impatient and wanting breakfast, thought it would be a terrific idea to dump a bucket of water on him. His bed, soaked. The floor beneath the bed, soaked. The clothes he was wearing, soaked. Of course, Ennis found the entire thing comical, and acted like she didn't leave a giant mess for him to have to clean up. With how much water she used, it wouldn't be a surprise if he had to buy a new mattress. All while thinking about it, he sneezed. Now he swore he was going to catch a cold. "On a more serious note, do you think that boy who disappeared is linked to the occurrences?" Ennis asked, bringing Morgan back to reality. "Yeah, I believe so," he answered. "Normally when someone disappears like that, you think professional kidnapping, or maybe they just ran away from home and told no one about it. But with what's going on in this town, there definitely has to be a connection to the two." "Perhaps you're right," Ennis sighed. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to be optimistic and hope he just ran away for a bit." She had a point. People up and disappearing when the paranormal was involved never ended well. At least, from what the two were told by their family. The reasons as to why he was taken, the endless possibilities worried the two, and they hoped soon they would be able to find some clue as to his whereabouts. Morgan yawned once more. After their conversation, the duo arrived at room 12C. The door was wide open, with several students inside from a glance, it seemed like whatever this was had already started. Ennis walked into the room ahead of Morgan, and he paused for a few more seconds to yawn once more. After all this was over, he just wanted to go home and nap. Perhaps that would be the last time he would walk around an unfamiliar town late at night. The blonde then made his way into the room, scanning everyone that was currently present. The two knew not a single soul inside this room. Sometimes it sucked being the new people. "Hello there," spoke Ennis. "We are here about the invitation that we both received. This is the correct room, I assume?"

Maxwell was lost in thought as he listened to what everyone had to say. The sound of August hitting the ground snapping him back to attention with a loud thud. He made to help her up but she was already back on her feet in short order so he relaxed back into his chair. He agreed in principle with what she said, though there was a hint of passive aggressiveness to her words that bugged him. But she raised a valid point as well. Trust could only exist on equal terms. Maxwell had more or less revealed everything that he currently knew about the nature of his situation. He had told them of his doubt in regard to his own power. Secrets could only create distance and with distance came mistrust. Could he trust anyone here to watch his back? Maybe. Certainly some more than others. Mary's speech came as something of a surprise. She revealed herself on a deeply emotional level. That could make a person feel vulnerable. He certainly couldn't do that in front of strangers. Did that mean she trusted everyone here, or was it something else? He started to feel sorry for her. He might have even made a conscious effort to like her had she not blown a smoke plume at Jackson. “It's also a disgusting habit, keep it to yourself,” he said in genuine annoyance. He sighed heavily and shook his head. Together Mary and August had raised an interesting point. Where had the boy disappeared? When exactly had he disappeared? What about the leafs?“The leafs, you said they come from deeper into the forest right? Leafs are pretty distinctive right, their shape and patterns? What I mean is it might be a good place to start looking.” Maxwell got to his feet and walked past the group toward the opening through which the light shone weakly into the room. He was not a leader and had no intention of becoming one, that was clearly Kanoa's role. For that reason he turned his head and addressed her directly. “The leafs may be important. Either the culprit, if there is one, left them there when the kid went missing or the kid left them there himself. Either situation implies something a little different. Did the culprit come from the woods looking for him or was he followed? Mary's right, we should ask the parents if he had been camping recently or anything like that. Could be they have nothing to do with this at all.” He paused and stared at Kanoa for a moment. “You're the boss, what do you think we should do?” he asked stoically.

Cory's eyes changed their focus from one speaker to the next. Each time a new student piped up, his face sunk further into his hand for support. 'This was a mistake' he thought to himself, sighing and sitting back up straight again, this time carefully resting his hands on behind him, focusing on not deleting any more of the table. Thankfully, both hands rested on the varnished wood without issue, letting Cory relax a little bit in his posture. Once more Cory is lost in the conversation, not paying particular attention to the words of his comrades, but rather their appearances. Maintaining a look of barely masked confusion and regret, Cory's gaze lulls from one person to the next. 'Jesus, this ain't my crowd..' he thought again, continuing to judge the classroom's population as those kids who sat in the back of the class, ate lunch in the hallway, and generally didn't get out much. However with a quick clearing of the throat, Cory forces his mind from such thoughts, 'Maybe they're nice people, what do I know, they could be uh.. I mean, she's alright looking' he thought to himself once more, his eyes focusing briefly on Raven for a moment before deciding to himself that her paleness was a bit much for his tastes. In the end, Cory decides to pay attention once more, catching Maxwell's final judgement. Following the boy's gaze, he redirects his attention to Kanoa, ready to hear her plan of action.

Jackson was slightly surprised by Mary's confession, she seemed rather chill and worry free. Though that might be due to her smoking habit. When she blew the lavender scented smoke into his face, he didn't really mind. It reminded him of happier times, like when he went hiking in Yosemite a couple years back. It had been one of, if not the best days of his life, even if he almost broke his leg about 5 times that trip. "Um, Mary right? Is this weed, or something else, and could I try some?" His voice was still rather quiet, and he was still feeling rather nervous, but having Mary reveal that about herself made Jackson feel less at odds with her. Jackson then turned to Maxwell, chuckling slightly at his reprimand. "Don't worry about me, Maxwell, I'm from California, so I'm used to a little smoke now and then. Have never done it myself because I never felt the need. Now I do, so it's no big deal to me." He was used to a whole lot more than 'just a little' due to Jackson's sister being one of the biggest stoners he'd ever known. Thing was, she was also a published author of a series of semi-popular mystery novels, so maybe she had a reason to be. Jackson turned to look at the new arrivals, recognizing them as the newer kids. They had shown up a week after he had enrolled and that's all he knew about them. He gave them both a small wave, wondering what thebfuture had in store for this group. . . and ignored Aphosis' claims that they would all die horribly. Aphosis was always easier to ignore when Jackson was either in some natural setting, or when he was surrounded by the smell of nature. In fact, he always felt better in the great outdoors, and only recently did he think it was more than just a simple love of the outdoors.

Maxwell was the first to speak up and volunteer to help fight the good fight. He looked right as her as he said it, with what she could swear was a glare digging into her like daggers shot out of a cannon. He must have noticed how intense his glare was, for he looked away quickly. She couldn't help but chuckle, he seemed to be pretty bad at hiding his emotions, or perhaps expressing them. She flipped out her notebook once more, though this time she jotted things down with a red pencil. The next person to accept her proposal was Raven, Kanoa nodded and scribbled. Raven didn't seem to have what she could call a fierce determination, if she were to venture a guess, it would be pure curiosity that drove the doll-faced girl to join. "Sooner than you think, though not as soon as you're likely hoping, Raven." Kanoa answered with a cheeky grin. Kanoa's over-sized bow quaked as Jackson yelled, she slowly turned her head to him as he shot questions at her. Another member added to the party. Her already lazy eyes seemed to slouch even lower at him. "I appreciate that you're so willing to help, Jackson, but you need to remain calm. I have a plan of action, and it doesn't involve going into this rashly, alright?" She said, speaking with a soft tone. She hoped he would keep his cool in the future, she didn't want to deal with any... rouge variables in her plans. Her eyes shifted to August, who couldn't have been pantomiming an inner conundrum more accurately if she tried. She swiftly decided to join, somehow slipping off the table and falling to the floor. Kanoa scribbled Autumn down in her notebook along with the other team names, she almost hoped the red head would display more clumsiness in order to justify the nickname. Before Kanoa could answer August's question, Mary spoke. This was the first time she had ever heard Mary speak without her signature sarcastic tone, and because of this Kanoa was inclined to listen intently. She was telling them all something quite close to her, something that apparently had been literally eating away at her. And she had never told anyone else about this, just what kind of weight had she been carrying alone? Now that she thought about it, many of them here were dealing with problems of their own. Mary in particular seemed to have developed her own ways of coping, as evident by her attitude and penchant for mysterious drugs. Maxwell spoke again, this time giving his own insight into the investigation. Kanoa smiled and tapped him on the shoulder with her notebook. "Why look at you, thinking all logically." She shoved the notebook in her skirt pocket. "He vanished from his home, his room, I believe. And as for the leaf..." She pulled out a long, oval leaf, and held it up for all to see. "It's from a rare tree, however they are common deep in the forest..." Kanoa tilted her head past Maxwell to see two people enter. "Ah, the Bowers twins... um, cousins, nice of you to arrive unfashionably late." She walked over to them and introduced herself, and took the liberty of introducing them to everyone in the room as well. "Ennis, Morgan, I have a feeling you're here for the same reason I decided to send out those invitations. Two Naturals showing up right when the town starts to become off the wall? I don't believe in coincidences. So, you'll be joining us, got it? Excellent." Kanoa nodded and turned to the rest of her 'club.' "I think I've covered enough for today..." She murmured, ruffling her curly hair. "Any questions before we adjourn? We'll be meeting at the children's park by the old abandoned fire-station tomorrow. It's the weekend, so getting there a little after daybreak shouldn't be a problem."

August bit her lip as she listened to Mary, watching her carefully. The emotions weren't fake. Mary had opened up something very deep and personal about herself. Looks like August's jab had hit something. Maybe she had been a little mean, none of them seemed particularly bad. Still, joining this little group without knowing SOMETHING about the others would have been downright stupid. The redhead quirked a brow, eyes flicking up to the light again. Her initial assumption was right, Mary was far more than just a simple druggy. Interesting. August could imagine the emotions this group would leave behind in the classroom. Then Mary blew smoke into Jackson's face. Though, the boy seemed to like it. Masochist? She could already imagine some form of BDSM between the uncaring Mistress Mary and the begging Slave Jackson. She quirked her mouth at the thought, then flushed slightly at the thought of Mary in leather. Then Kanoa...then Orion. Better tuck those visuals away for a rainy day. Quickly tuning into Maxwell's conversation at the last minute, the logic side of her brain reared up, smothering the lustful romantic within. "Not to punch holes into the plan or anything, but you're suggesting asking some very emotionally fragile people to put some faith in a group of kids they've never met. We'd need to be extremely careful about approaching his parents, especially if all we have to go on is 'We think a ghost did it.' I mean, their kid is missing, has been for awhile. Most missing persons cases are dropped after...what was it, three days? They've probably been told by several people that he'll never be found, and then we just come out of nowhere asking about their kid and talking about ghosts? They could think we're making fun of them. But I'll go with what the rest of you guys think is a good idea." The redhead looked at the leaf. Several thoughts went through her head. Maybe the leaf had some residual emotions left on it? The room most likely would, though getting in without breaking and entering would be a...unique...task. Her logical side had kicked in. A supernatural entity was quite a leap of logic. And how did Kanoa get the leaf in the first place? How could cousins be twins? August blinked at the Bowers for a moment before her train of thought barreled back into full gear. Kanoa was wrapping things up. August tugged slightly at the collar of her sweater, chewing her lower lip in thought for a moment. "Can I see the leaf? I mean, I may be able to get some kind of read off it. Fear, happiness, sorrow. Maybe he left to kill himself, maybe he ran off with some secret lover from a rival family. Maybe he was kidnapped, but if it was a powerful emotion, I might be able to sense something off the leaf." How Kanoa had gotten the leaf could remain a mystery, August wasn't too interested in that. At the moment, she was thinking of this like an electrical problem. Look at the symptoms, start simple, then get complex. If the boy left of his own free will, there would be an emotion that suggested that. Relief, apprehension, even acceptance. If he was taken forcefully, fear, sorrow, or anger would be present. August adjusted her glasses. Trying to read the leaf here would be silly. She'd need to try it in her room, where she'd notice the emotional change. "I can bring it back tomorrow, unless you'd rather hold onto it. Either way, meeting up tomorrow is fine by me."

“It's also a disgusting habit, keep it to yourself,” "Lil Ugly Mane was disgusting, no one gave him shit about it." was Mary's reflexive reply. Maxwell went on to raise a good point however-- a point Mary would have thought good had she not been preoccupied. With Jackson, specifically. Her face almost showed an emotion other than soul draining disinterest at Jackson asking about her burning botanical cocktail. It appeared she'd only expose her authentic self when discussing something heavy, like otherworldly, trans-spacetime-dimensional horrordark nightmare emptiness beings preying on her plump virgin soul. Although the slight smug smirk that appeared on her face did have a hint of genuine feeling behind it, she was surprised Jackson was being this bold, he seemed kinda mousy. She sat next to him, preparing her speech; "Weed is for scrubs, Jackson." She held the still burning spliff between them, as if observing the perfect avenue of art and science, "Twice ground damiana flowers and wild lettuce, naturally grown and cultivated, of course; they work together to make a way calmer high, you'll feel the electric relaxation, but it doesn't make you a fucking idiot like with cannabis. It's also technically legal." She took a deep breath, exhaling with force. "I throw in some tea for flavor, you know, usually just some spare Earl Grey, or whatever I have lying around. The caffeine helps keep it from making you too sleepy, so that's cool." She looked to the front to see if she had missed anything from the rest of the group, before continuing her righteous delivery of knowledge, "Damiana's sweet and spicey, so it makes for a good aromatic blaze, but it can easily overpower the palate without something besides the lettuce and tea to temper it." "That's where the the lavender comes in. It's the perfect counterbalance to the tea's flavor and the damiana's incense spice, it doesn't really contribute to the actual physical high, it's more just an aesthetic change to the smoke, and flavor balancing... and, I still don't know if this is true, like, I got it from American Horror Story, but like I said, apparently burning lavender helps to clear the air and body of bad spirits, or at least shut them up while. I think it works, I lace all my blunts with it, and I soak the rolling paper in a lavender extract." She regarded her creation fondly for a second, "This is kinda my jam-- and I guess also my ghost repellant?" She shrugged, passing it off to the now boy, now educated on real dank purp. She savored the slight brush against his hand as she stood up. 2nd time she had touched a person today-- that was a new record. Try it-- might help you out with whatever weird shit it is you got going on." It appeared the meeting was more or less over? Mary had missed a bit in her rant to Jackson, but at least she managed to peer pressure a classmate into smoking! Instilling smoke fetishes was an important Janicot family tradition. Mary prided herself on her priorities. "Yep!" She spoke immediately after August, already halfway out the door, "Meeting at park, talking to parents about their murdered kid, leaves or whatever-- see you tomorrow."

Much dialogue from fellow Supernaturals followed after accepting Kanoa’s request but the Lolita paid little mind, gradually slinking into a daydream gloom world of hers she visited often. Only eyes casually flickered to Red’s tumble, the only reaction the pony tailed student had to offer— conclusively the student had not hurt herself so all was well, except for the bonding comment which felt like a partial jab toward her direction. Briefly she stuck out her pierced tongue at Red when she was not looking. 'Take that' she proudly thought though it was Pixie who caused Raven to pull away from her daydreams further. Pixie's facial expression and the intonation of her voice had changed to a more relatable one. As she spoke of darkness and her mother Raven mildly eyed the room for reactions. Interesting how the rebellious one bowed so swiftly. Perceiving a look of pity in some of the student’s eyes she wondered if they would begin to interlock hands and sing kumbaya. To be able to divulge inner demons so easily…was there something wrong with Raven not to do so? She began to question herself and felt unsettled. Already some of the members were beginning to relate to one another, open up, and connect. She felt just as out of place here as she did in the ‘real world’. Was it, no…could it be--envy? ‘Ew, what a disgusting emotion’ she internally thought in repulsion. Nothing wrong with being alone, secretly wallowing in despair but did she really want to? No… Whether he liked it or not Raven was unable to avoid throwing Corey another curious look. It was such a curse to be beautiful, and stares were the price he had to pay. She had received gawks for a different reason, looking like a living doll did draw some unwarranted gazes. Perhaps if she had blond hair and blue eyes she would already have a boyfriend by now or maybe if she just tried a wee bit harder. There were little advantages to being an introvert. She knew nothing about wooing a potential mate but ‘the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach’ quote did come to mind…even though it was anatomically correct to go center bypassing the sternum and costal cartilages. Would he like red velvet cupcakes or maybe a steak? Grilling was not a strong suit of hers so cupcakes would have to suffice, she would bring some tomorrow and find out. Check. Two more students suddenly entered the room and by this time Raven’s excitement for the evening had reached its peak. She nodded in their direction offering a welcoming smile but was weary from all the back and forth conversations nay bickering. Fingers began creating braids among her pony tails as two different discussions were exchanged. One on the subject of weed, which was perfectly acceptable in Ravens eyes. It was natural when not laced and held healing properties for cancer patients and people dealing with chronic pain. It helped people but Pixie referred to its users as scrubs. Raven quirked a brow toward the master herbalists direction but remained silent, letting her carry on with her expertise to the innocent Jackson. With all that aside Kanoa revealed the mysterious leaf and set a date for tomorrow to meet up. The meeting was adjourned and tomorrow would start another interesting day. While watching Red and Pixie retreat Raven decided to head home too but stopped before reaching the door. A thumb was placed against her bottom lip in thought for a moment before she daintily turned to face the president of the occult club. She wished for the others to have already left before speaking her mind but they were doddeling, and time was of the essence. "Kanoa..." Raven began speaking in a soft-spoken tone, a sincerity she had not yet shared to the group before. “It isn’t my place to say but--I think the student’s parents would be overwhelmed if we all decided to ask them questions at once.” She did not want to blatantly suggest splitting up but hopefully the violet eyed beauty would get the hint. “I would not mind speaking to them. It’s the least I can do.” It was the only thing she could do in hindsight though it could cause some controversy among the others--but what else was she good for here? Should the government find out about her little trick they would surely use her to retrieve information from insurgents and the like. She was a torture device on steroids and making people talk was her specialty, well, besides creating pretty yet bland baked goods. Torturing these parents was not on the agenda, exactly. She could sense their pain and if they did not feel any for their missing child—perhaps they were involved? She could also subtly twist what pain was there enough so they would share something. There were many ways to gain information besides bringing pain to them physically. Venerable minds were the easiest to bend. “Just, think about it and tell me your answer tomorrow. Kay?” Raven lightly smiled before exiting the room. If one were observant enough they could depict a tinge of true sadness behind those full eyes of hers. Whatever ounce was there she made vanish in an instant because she was quite good at concealing her emotions and fibbing after all. Red would most likely be the one to oust her first but Raven had a feeling the flame hued girl would pay little mind, as she was more invested in other things it seemed—luckily.

Jackson accepted the blunt appreciatively, giving a small chuckle at Mary's closing comment before taking a drag himself, keeping the smoke in for a while before,he let it out a stream in front of him. He could already feel ittaking affectnas all the anxiety and stress he has felt for a month seemed to just disappear. He could hear Aphosis shouting something at him from inside his mind, but it was as faint and indecipherable as the whispering of the wind. Taking another drag, Jackson leaned back in his chair, his hoid falling down as he blew another stream into the air. "Wow, you know your stuff, this. . . this feels even better than I thought it would. I haven't felt this calm and worry free in over a month. Thank you Mary, but I think I'm going to need learn how to make these myself. Think you could teach me, oh wise master of dank." Jackson's voice was a bit louder and a lot more confident then it had been before, and his body language was a lot looser and more relaxed than before. "Actually, if you'll excuse me a second." Jackson reached behind him and into his backpack, quickly pulling out an orange pill bottle, and a rather large one at that. He then got up and walked over to the trash can, unscrewing the lid and dumping all of the pills, soon followed by him throwing down the bottle itself. "Good-bye, ineffective depression meds, your side-effects and uselessness will not be missed." Jackson chuckled a bit before walking back to Mary, taking his seat as he took an especially long drag, holding the smoke in for probably a minute and a half before he let it out, coughing and gagging a bit as he did so. "Okay, that wasn't smart." He looked up as Raven was starting to leave, and gave a wave good-bye, "Later Raven, and thanks for the cupcakes, they wr-ere delicious. Maybe we can talk more tomortow, okay?" Jackson decided he liked Raven, as well as Mary, August, and the rest of the people here. Except for the guy with an eyepatch. He was a dick, an arrogant asshole who needed ti be taken down a peg. . . or maybe 3. 'I wonder if he'd freak out if I used Aphosis' arm on him. . . nah, too risky, but it'd probably be funny.' Jackson let out another chuckle, this one sounding a bit more sinister than the rest, however. "Oh, and I promise to keep calm from now on Kanoa, scout's honor." Jackson made a quick salute to their leader, before taking his last drag before passing it back to Mary, in case she wanted it back, letting the smoke come out the sides of his mouth this time.

Kanoa glanced at the leaf in her hand. "You want to see if you can sense anything from it, huh..." She twirled the leaf around by the stem, turning it into a green blur. Before she responded to her request, she thought about what she said about the boy's parents. "We won't mention anything about this being a supernatural occurrence, people only believe what they can see, after all..." Her eyes softened at the sight of the spinning leaf, it made a slight sound as it spun through the air, a sound that appeared a mystical orange to her eyes. She wished people could see what she saw. Raven suddenly spoke, surprising her. She had expected the girl to leave by now, instead she was volunteering to speak to the missing boy's parents on her own. There was an overwhelming amount of probity to her tone of voice, so much so that Kanoa almost felt as if she were begging. Raven didn't want an answer now, apparently she believed Kanoa would need to think about it. After Raven left, she stopped spinning the leaf and handed it to August. Only a second after August took the leaf, it ignited in an orange flame and vanished. "Fascinating, I had a feeling this was the case." Kanoa mused to herself. "We won't get much out of the parents, if we're dealing with what I think we are, speaking to them may lead us in the wrong direction, if anything." She said, taking a deep breath. She wasn't sure how this would all work out, being a leader was new to her, and while she's dealt with a few oddities in her life, she had never been in danger. Jackson, who had apparently given into peer pressure in record time, called out to her and promised to be on his best behavior. "Are you sure that's a promise you're capable of keeping? You may be fine, but what about what's inside of you? Try to understand that first." She said, hoping he wouldn't feel as though she were lecturing to him. "I'll see you all tomorrow, I have some preparations to make." It was still early in the morning, around 8:12 to be precise. Kanoa was seated on a swing, gently rocking herself forward and backwards. Her attire was both fitting and nonsensical. She wore black boots, and a black and blue school uniform. Her skirt was reasonably lengthy, though she also had on a pair of shorts underneath it. Her shirt had long sleeves, and was lined with black fur. Her 'Hiking Gear' she called it. She looked at the forest in front of her, it was dense, full of tall trees that made the forest floor shady and dim. Her boots skidded on the gravel and she stopped. She rested her elbows on her knees, and interlocked her fingers beneath her nose. She gazed at the treetops, waiting for her club to arrive.

A figure clad in black from head to toe emerged, hands tenderly holding a white cupcake container like the one from yesterday. This petite figure wore a knee length Lolita coat with the hood lined in faux fur covering curled shoulder length tresses. Raven’s skin was sensitive to sunlight and she would rather wear a hood than stand with a parasol, though that wouldn’t look so bad--just peculiar. The back of this charming coat was corseted with the bottom flared like a dress, which hid her baby doll style dress. Feet wore matching Lolita styled boots that came up to her calves, and laced to the top with a cute bow. Her head rose, bold hues not watching the ground any long as she saw Kanoa on the swing and smiled since they both wore fur today. She chose the other swing beside the violet eyed one but first placed the cupcake container on the panic table. Inside today’s goody canister held red velvet cupcakes especially made with care for Corey. She had taste tested these ones and they were not too bad much better than yesterday’s batch but were still missing that--oomph. “Good morning President.” She said pleasantly before fidgeting with long fingernails. “Did you…Did you think about my proposition yesterday?” Feeling hesitant to ask she took in the scenery, admiring the beauty nature naturally contained. If only she could spend more time outdoors in the quiet she would not have to worry about accidentally hurting people. There were many thoughts that plagued her mind last night, the majority of time had been spent curled up on the built in reading nook her bedroom had facing a similar forest.

Leaving the house with a short brown scarf and a bulky aviator jacket, effort to keep warm in the frigid morning, Cory yawned in tiredness, leaving his house for the forest fifteen minutes away. As he walked, his phone played Jethro Tull through his earbuds, encouraging to bob his head to the beat as he travelled. Despite being unfamiliar with the artist, Cory found it catchy enough to let his mind wander as he made the journey. His mind dwelled on yesterday, imagining the fantastical powers that his classmates might possess. He thought of the golden age superheroes, but soon dismissed these ideas, convincing himself that his new friends would more likely have powers as unremarkable as his. Almost in time with thinking about his ability, a long line of nothingness had drawn across the chain link fence which he'd been touching while walking. Cory removed his hand quickly, squeezing it with his other as he stopped to look at the damage done. A long line, about 8 feet long and one foot wide, was made across the tall fence that separated the sidewalk from the parking lot on the other side of the chain. Sighing, Cory picked up the pace, hoping no one witnessed his destruction of public property. After a few more minutes of walking, Cory finally reached the designated meeting spot, immediately spotting the girl from yesterday, the darkness of her outfit contrasting not only with her alabaster skin, but also the blanket of snow (Not sure what the weather is like, void this bit if it's not snowy) that coated the area. Approaching, Cory gave the gothic cupcake girl a nod 'hello' before looking to Kanoa and reenacting his previous gesture, this time speaking. "Am I early?" he asks, typically not one of the first to arrive to these occasions.

Arriving at the meeting place more or less on time Maxwell found that he had not been the first person to arrive, as he would have preferred. In fact he would rather it had just been Kanoa. He had questions that he had wanted to ask and would have been far more comfortable asking them without others in earshot. As it was two others had already arrived by the time he did. For a moment he considered asking regardless but ultimately decided against it. As for Kanoa he was still not entirely sure what to make of her. Clearly she was idealistic to some extent, curious as well and clearly eccentric. But beyond that she was still something of an unknown to Maxwell. As of yesterday she knew more about them than they knew about her. Which brought his attention to her two current companions. Their names were Cory and Raven. In truth he had offered these two little thought since yesterday. It was that not neither stood out as it were, in fact the Raven girl seemed to be something of a Gothic Lolita with a doll complex. She was not harsh on the eyes either if he was honest. Though with that said there was something about her that put him a little on edge. Cory by contrast was dressed somewhat plainly in an aviator style jacket and a brown scarf. Not that Maxwell was one to comment in that regard, wearing more or less the same style of clothing that he always did, a hooded jacket, a shirt and cargo pants. The only real difference was the addition of decent hiking boots suitable for the days activities. As was almost customary for him his hood was up and his hands buried deeply into his jacket pockets. Unwillingly to interrupt the flow of their conversation Maxwell simply nodded in greeting and found a wall to lean against as he waited for the rest to start arriving, staring into the forest with his trademark look of constant irritation.

"Swervin’, swervin’, gettin’ all them dimes," Mary bobbed her head as she flowed the bars on the sidewalk, "Tell her I be doin’, I be swaggin’ to my prime," Her voice was flat, the darkness under her eyes was fresh, "This ain’t all the time, it happens all the time," She hadn't slept much, the blasting music coming from her headphones helped her stay up, "That’s a big contradiction, get your money on your mind--" At least, that's what she told herself-- "What, what-- tell her I be on a chase." The rapping along just came naturally. "Chasin’ for that paper and you see me on that race--What, what," Mary took a sip from the still steaming Starbucks cup in her hands at the lyrical break, "tell her I be goin’ first," This was her third cup this morning. She'd needed to walk to this obscure sketchy playground from her house several miles away, and she'd passed several coffeehouses on the journey, "I be gon’ first and they put me in a hearse, oh," She hadn't been given much choice, when Mary had asked her mother for a ride, the elder Miss Janicot had just kind of hissed at her, it was weird. "One big room, full of bad bitches, no," the morning streets of Oakenheim were empty, "One big room and it’s full of mad bitches," the air was gray, not with fog, but with... the residual heat leaving things, due to the coolness of the atmosphere, "Lana, Lana, tell them what it is," Mary's eyes observed her surroundings, she took in cracked asphalt streets, the buildings and businesses that hadn't yet woken were to her right, vines covered the fence to the playground, "Tell ‘em that you doin’ it, you mean to do it big," she traced her hands along the cold dark green kudzu, it was amazing how resilient arrowroot could be in the cold... "I said, one big room, full of bad bitches, no it’s," with each word, the white wisps of breathing left her mouth, like she was losing part of her soul, "One big room and it’s full of mad bitches, I said," Mary took another sip of the coffee, "Lana, Lana, tell them what it is," She wondered if Kanoa was right, was there some inherent evil involving the unseen here? "Tell ‘em when you do it that you only do it big," Did it even matter? Has anything ever? "Uh, uh, catch me ridin’ like a bitch," Mary's mind wandered as she walked, speaking the words in a deadpan trance, "Got the six forty-five, catch me ridin’ with my bitch," She supposed it DIDN'T matter if there were spooky spirits about or anything, "Uh, long hair, Lana, that’s my bitch," But it was something of a dick move of them to be actively fucking with people on the level of kidnapping or murder, "Uh, You can tell by the swagger and the lips, uh," Yeah. She slowly shook her head, taking another sip of the coffee. Kidnapping wasn't cool, Mary didn't abide. "Uh, uh, catch me ridin’ like a bitch," Mary shrugged, she increased her pace, she was close to some of the others, "Got the six forty-five, catch me ridin’ with my bitch," She could feel something in her body telling her to turn around an go home, was it just her being shy? "Uh, long hair, Lana, that’s my bitch," Nah. It was that... thing. She'd told everyone about it... for some reason. Mostly just a personal relief, it was nice to talk about it-- and she'd wanted to, she really hadn't needed much prodding. "Uh, You can tell by the swagger and the lips, uh," Mary had emotions! Now no one would respect her as the stoic badass that she knew she could be. Mary sighed internally. Mary pulled down her headphones as the song came to an end, as much as she'd have loved to A$AP and Del Rey drone on about whatever it was that song was about, she had other matters to attend to. Mary turned the corner at a gap in the foliage covered fence to make her way to where a few of the others had gathered. Kanoa, Maxwell, Raven, and what's-his-face. The pretty guy. Yeah, that was probably it. Did... did Kanoa dress exclusively in school uniforms? Mary had never paid much attention to it, as she'd never found herself looking this closely at her before, but now that she actually thought of it, she really couldn't recall an instance where Kanoa didn't resemble some quirky Asian schoolgirl. Maybe that's what she was going for. Raven and What's-his-face were close to Kanoa, Maxwell was nearby, observing things, probably scowling at them, too. Everyone seemed to be dressed to impress-- to contrast Mary was practically the same as they have seen her yesterday. She wasn't even sure if she'd changed out of her black jeans... fresh was the gray tank top with it's faded logo-- different from the black one she'd worn yesterday-- and a post ironic leather jacket that, she felt, was fitting for her joining the High school junior X-files team. It protected her arms from the cold. Although, honestly, the low temperature didn't bother her. Mary yawned as she made her way over to the three, the flawless Raven, the... intelligent Kanoa and uhh... What's-his-face. What bothered Mary most was how damn early in the morning all of this was. She took another sip of her coffee as she approached, just in time to hear What's-his-pretty-face say something predictable. Mary glared, "No. You're late. We already solved the crime without your help. You should scoot off back to bed."