It watched from the shadows, stalking those that wandered the streets without any worry. It waited in silence for the perfect moment, before a young girl sat on a bench without anyone nearby. It wandered over to the bench and sat beside the girl, not saying a word.

"Oh, umm....Hi."

The girl said to try and break the silence. She had seen this person around town but they always seemed to avoid people except for a few people.

Suddenly It stood up and walked away, leaving an eerie atmosphere in the air. The girl tried to leave but couldn't move, something had grabbed on to her. Before any noise could be made, she was gone. No trace of her was left, not a single sign that she was even here in the first place.

Then, the lights came on revealing a lab with tons of chemicals and machinery. The girl was strapped to a table and could see It walking around the lab.

"What's going on? What are you going to do to me?"

Nothing. Only silence as It started at her, weird pieces of equipment in Its hands.

"Let me go! You can't keep me here! Say Something!"

More nothingness. No response on any terms. Then the room went black, the only thing that remained were screams and the scent of blood.

---

Eyes gazed up at the pale blue sky, fluffy white clouds slowly drifting by on this perfect sunny day and the soft lush grass below tempting the person laying there to drift to sleep. A gentle breeze swept through the meadow, gently swaying the long grass and wild flowers that grew in scattered patches throughout the clearing. The sun felt so warm on their skin, the place giving them a sense of complete peace as if nothing horrible could ever happen here and that the world was good. They tried to grasp at the straws of their memory, wondering why they should be worried in a place like this but they couldn't seem to remember no matter how hard they tried. The person slowly pushed off the ground to sit up, shoving some strands of their hair behind the ear as the tresses drifted on the air and they carefully took notice of their surroundings. The area was enclosed with forest, animals scurrying about the trees, others passing on through the meadow as butterflies fluttered about from flower to flower. What could possibly nagging the mind? A butterfly flickered past their vision, catching the attention quickly with its bright blue coloring and followed its movement as it drifted into the distance, only to land on a person to far for the viewer to tell who. They shoved themselves into a standing position, curiously moving forward as the clouds became thicker and signaled a storm approaching in fast. The wind was no longer soft, harsh as it went whipping past and its cold air making their skin sting but they pressed on, a deep need to see the stranger that had invaded the meadow.

Each step brought them no closer to their destination as they walked onward, their feet becoming heavier and heavier as if turned to lead. The rain began pouring long ago, chilling to the bone and clothes sticking like a second skin at how soaked they had become. It was at the point that they were ready to give up all hope, hoping to pass out into the blissful darkness that a house came into view. It seemed an odd place to build a house but why the person thought that, even they could not say...

The wooden panels of the house steps creaked, this place eerie and filling them with dread even more as they came up to the door. A hand raised to knock but instead drew back, placing it on the knob instead and quietly opening the door. It was so dark, inky blackness stuck to this place as if it grew there and only one source of light was to be shown in the form of a crack under a door opposite to them. They slowly stepped in, passing the stairs and going for the glow of the door. They stood outside it...hesitant as if they knew they couldn't un-see whatever lay beyond this door and shakily they opened it, journeying down into the basement. The door slammed behind them, the sound echoing a bit as their own heartbeat pounded in their ears, a hitch of fear striking up. A soft blue glow appeared, tempting them deeper in and they continued downward only to find what was giving the peaceful light. The same blue butterfly from before but something was wrong, it wasn't fluttering free anymore but trapped in a glass jar as it batted against the clear prison and was so desperate to be free once more. It wasn't the only one on the shelf though it was the only one of color. The other butterflies ebony, sitting so still that the person wasn't sure if they were even alive anymore or even real and something in them snapped. Not waiting for a second, they sprinted to the jar and felt a panicked need to get the butterfly to freedom and get out of this place but no matter how much they attempted to open it, all it lead to was failure. If they thought it wouldn't harm the butterfly than they would have just smashed the glass but that wasn't an option. Suddenly, eyes widened in horror, the blue butterfly twitched and cracking slowly before it didn't move... a dark ebony butterfly forming from the blue ones remains.

Startled, mortified, the jar slipped and smashed to the floor but instead of a butterfly was now a girl, her face out of view with her dark locks creating a curtain as she laid in the surrounding shards of glass. It was like lightening struck them and suddenly everything clicked in their mind, a scream ripping through the air and a hand grabbing the intruder from behind and snaring the person in their trap. A sickening smile on their features as they dragged the person away from the woman not minding the tears falling freely as the person in their grasp went to scream the name of the victim laying there...

"SARAH!", Nova cried out in full blown panic and jolted up in bed, wetness still staining her cheeks. She looked around quickly, her heart about to race out of her chest as she slowly got her bearings and remembering where she was. She fell back onto the bed, arm covering her cerulean eyes as she let a few deep breaths past through her lips. The thought of her only true friend being out there alone, stuck with some stranger or worse was taking its toll on her and now she couldn't even find solace in her dreams. How long had she been gone? It felt like forever but then again, a week to two weeks was a long time to be missing and even longer if that person was Sarah. The police had made statements, that they were doing everything in their power to find her and such but it was nothing Nova hadn't heard before. The hope of finding her was dwindling and worse yet, there was no evidence or sign of her as if she disappeared which made it all even more sickening her. What kind of person did this to another? They had to have stalked Sarah and even if they didn't than it was too good not to have happened before right? Or maybe it was a cop or someone that knew how to clean up after themselves? To many questions and not enough answers.

Nova didn't care what others said, rumors going around that it was the happy ones that always had secrets but it wasn't like that with Sarah. She was...is an honest person and open with her feelings. There was no way she would run away and her parents had let her see Sarah's room and she got to see first hand why Sarah's parents kept telling everyone their daughter had not run away. Nothing was missing. Not a thing. Sarah wasn't stupid, she would have prepared and took the important things such as her money stash with her. It left her with a rock in her stomach and drew her to...no...she would stay positive. She forced herself out of bed, getting ready for the day before heading out of the dorms. It was still early so she would sit in the quad and maybe do a bit of drawing to relax her plus it might help get that awful dream out of her head. She moved through the crowd, students passing and going about their day and hoping to get some time in with friends before classes.

It couldn't be soon enough when she plopped down onto the bench, her hands digging through her bag for the sketch pad when she heard a light coughing sound. She glanced up from her leaned over position, blowing some of her blonde locks out of her face so she could see the person in front of her. The girl had dazzling pink hair, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement and a large grin on her face as she stood there, showing that it really was Nova that she intended to talk to. Nova was tempted to give the girl a smile but instead she was frozen, a camera looking at her and causing her to freeze on the spot. She tried to keep calm and control her shaking as Nova slowly straightened herself up."Um...may I help you?", she asked, her voice soft and gentle but her nervousness easily slipping through.

"Hello, I am Abigail Connelly! I am reporter for the Chronos News Feed and daily blogger. I am doing a report on the disappearance of Sarah Reed and asking around for people's opinions on the matter. I am hoping to hear their views, theories, thoughts, and any information they wish to share on her. I especially wanted to hear your thought, I mean, you are Nova Hale right? It took awhile to find out your name but everyone has said you two were close friends and would love an insiders view. What do you say? Can I interview you?

Nova on the other hand was speechless. She hated video cameras and this subject just was hitting to close to home with the dream and memories of the past being dragged up, looping through her mind. Her fingers curled, slowly opening her mouth to speak before closing it, not trusting her voice as she gave a light nod. "Wonderful! Let me just get you li...Oomph...", Abigail started before bumping into another student. Abigail quickly turned around to apologize but never got the chance as the other woman spoke up,What the hell?! Why don't you watch where you are walking?! Don't you know who I am?! I am Tiffany Blake, and just look at what you have done!? You damn riff raff! You and your kind are such a problem! A hassle! If I had it my way, people like you wouldn't be here!" A dark glare being sent in Abigail's direction as girl tried to wipe and shake off the coffee that had been dumped on her thanks to Abby walking backwards. Nova swiftly stood, glaring at Tiffany and ready to defend Abigail since this rich twit had no right to speak to anyone like that.

Tiffany flipped her hair, pouting as she shoved past Abby and making sure to knock down the video camera as she did. It was a small piece of satisfaction but not even close to the one she would feel later when Tiffany got her real pay back. No one messed with her and it was time that noise reporter girl learned that little lesson.

Abigail gasped, dropping down and picking up her camera carefully, checking it over with a sigh of relief as nothing seemed to be damaged thank goodness since these were expensive to fix.
"Is it alright? You aren't hurt, are you?"
"It takes more than that to get me down but thanks."Abby answered, turning it on to have a look. Oh good, the screen seems to be fine so far. Ready to give this a go?

"What is it that you wish to know? I'll try my best to answer but I am not really good at these kinds of things."Nova rubbed her arm, looking around as if hoping someone would come to her aid and save her from having to stay on camera or even get on camera in the first place.

"You know that we would have just taken my car."

"Sorry sir, but your car is a dump. A Frankensteined Jalopy."

A soft chuckle could he heard from the passenger's seat. He wasn't even aware that the young folk still used 'Jalopy' as an insult. Another chuckle emerged. Was he not part of those young folk? Since when was he getting so old?

He couldn't complain too much, however. Cassie did indeed have what could be considered a hollywood spy car. Her 2016 ferrari f12 berlinetta was her everything, aside from her collection of signed Nic Cage movies. Despite being as new as can be and top of the line, she put in a request and a large sum of money to have the vehicle retrofitted to suit all of her dreams. Internal comm system, computer, siriusXM radio all the time, hooks, oil, boosters, ejector seats. If it was in any movie, it was in her car.

Nic's car did not do those things. He smiled at the girl with his wicked smile. "But is gets the job done, my dear Cassie." His words bordered on insanity, as he was prone to doing at times.

A smile appeared on Cassie's face. She did enjoy working with the former movie star. She sometimes wondered how she got to be his partner, but them remembered that this was also the man who bought two castles, a yacht, and an emu on a whim.

"So, what did the police give us? Other than our current destination, I mean." Cass inquired. Nic normally did the driving, and she held the files, but for the first time, the roles were switched. She enjoyed that more than Nic could understand. She was a fresh agent, and needed a little murder or suicide case to start spreading her wings.

Nic flipped through the file the police chief had given them. Of course he was a little suspicious when he and Cassie arrived and showed their badge of a smaller known, but immensely large in budget organization, but everything had been sorted out since then.

"Her name was Sarah Reed. Student at Ouranos Academy. Police are calling it just a disappearance, but I don't think any high school kid would be this good at just up and leaving. Didn't seem to show any signs of depression or mental illness." He listed off the notable parts of the file and watched as Cassie nodded along.

"I think it was an abduction. Or murder. Maybe both."

Cassie went wide-eyed and looked at him incredulously as the reached a red light. "You can't be serious. Not only is that heinous, but there hace been no signs of human trafficking in the area."

"I'm just throwing ideas in the air. You remember Sao Paulo."

Cassie shuddered at the memory, looking away and driving once more.

"To die: to suffer the native hue of resolution devoutly to be wish'd. To be, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and enterprises of death, the proud man's contumely, there's the respect that flesh is heir currents turn awry, and scorns of great pith and their currents turn awry, and arrows of dispriz'd love, the thought, and scorns of office, and arrows of dispriz'd love, than fly to be: that patient merit of time, the heart-ache and sweat under a weary life, but that patient merit of the will,"

A mad, high pitched laugh echoed throughout the closed attic as the old man, Pierre stared from the circular window, towards all of Chronos View, the glass pane opened, and the sight of the town obscured by the darkness of night. He looked towards one particular house, and he continued rambling,

"Everythis brewing, andle is brewing, andle is good reason there is town of this good reason these days. Trouble the young'uns can hand I hope these days. Trouble thing is gone. It has flown. It has town of there is town of these days. Trouble is gone. It handle is good reason the fate, but the young'uns can hand that comes flying, andle is gone. I hope thing is good reason there is time would. Everythis town off, just as flown. I fear for us all. My power is good reason these days. Trouble the youn-"

He stopped suddenly, and wandered out of the attic and meandered into his bedroom. He soon collapsed into his own bed, and loud snoring could be heard throughout the entire house. And thus ended yet another night of ramblings that could be heard echoing from his house throughout the entire town.

---

Penny groaned as she blinked her eyes open to the rays of sunshine that shined through the window. She sat up and wandered downstairs. Her body still felt sore from yesterday, when they traveled to Chronos View and finally moved into this house. It was a long truck ride, and she had helped her parents move all of the heavy furniture and everything else into the house. She walked downstairs to the kitchen, where she was greeted by her parents and the sound of the news on the television. After greeting each other with a "Good Morning", Penny placed two pieces of bread into the toaster and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"In Entertainment News today, Popular Singer and Songwriter Daniel 'Rocket' Jay has finally arrived to Chronos View this morning for his concert series in Chronos View just this morning! Now, Janet, I believe you're a big fan of him and his music as well?"
"That's right, John! There is hardly anyone in this nation who hasn't heard any of his songs. His songs of love and of space have captured many hearts, and I'm sure he is bound to capture more with this concert series..."

Penny rolled her eyes as the news casters blabbered on about the singer, and after taking her toast out of the toaster, she ate her breakfast. Sure, Rocket's music were enjoyable and she could dance to them, but she didn't really pay attention to the singer as everyone else seemed to. As she continued eating her breakfast, her mind wandered to the town. She wondered if she was actually going to make some friends here, or if she was just going to be the odd girl out. She was a bit nervous to go outside today, but she tried to shake it off.

As though her father had read her mind, he suggested "So, Penny! Why don't you explore Chronos View today? Your mother and I have to go for our first days on our new jobs. Hopefully you'll make some new friends," Penny nodded and answered quietly "Yeah, I'll do that," She finished her breakfast, and threw on a shirt, jeans, sweatshirt, and sneakers, with headphones around her neck. After she was ready, she headed and out and called to her parents "See you at dinner!"
"See you later, honey!"
"Have fun, and remember to make friends!"

Penny walked down the sidewalk from her house and headed for where she thought the park may be. She also thought of maybe heading for the shopping center and see if she could see what kind of music stores, or book stores, they had. She looked around, soaking in the sights, sounds, and smells of Chronos View...her new hometown of sorts.

---

During that same morning, Daniel, who had slept in his seat within the private jet, woke up to find that he was now in the small town he had never heard of: Chronos View. His jet landed in the small airport, and after ruffling his hair and waking himself up. He stood up, grabbed his bags, and after placing on his sunglasses, he stepped out of the door to his jet, and was greeted with...a smaller crowd of screaming fans than normal. There was a woman wearing a yellow dress, with a microphone in hand talking the camera...she was obviously a newscaster.

Daniel flashed his pearly whites in a great big happy smile as he waved to the screaming fangirls of the crowd, and he called out happily "HELLOOO CHRONOS VIEW!!!" earning him more happy screams from the girls. He walked down the path set up by the metal bars that separated the fans from him. As he walked past, he greeted as many as he could and autographed some posters and CD cases. He continued this as he kept on walking to the limo that waited for him.
"Hey there! How ya doing? Looking good! Keep on reaching for the stars! See you at the concert!"

He hopped into the limo and it drove off to the hotel. He sighed as he looked out the window, while his manager nagged him about his behavior, and talked about the statistics and what Daniel should be writing his song about next. Daniel ignored his manager and just kept on staring out of the window, giving the occasional affirmative answer.

The train rattled and clanked as it passed through the echoing tunnel, making a noise that wouldn't be unfamiliar in a pinball arcade. Yet despite the racket, the morning commuters within each well-aged carriage of the train struggled to stay awake. Many tried as they could to hold onto their senses, lest they get thrown off their feet by the twisting tracks of the train. Others had given up hope of consciousness, and resigned themselves to a disturbed nap on the metal benches. And a select few decided that their current position on the train was not good enough for their morning commute and emigrated to another packed carriage, barging through the half-awake crowd in hopes of finding a silver chair to sit on.

Jack, on the other hand, was wide awake, but he kept his head down and his posture slouched so nobody looked twice as he scanned the carriage for signs of wallets, phones, keys and valuables. He waited for the right moment, then he moved. A foot here, a sidestep there, around this person, if you had watched him, you would think he practiced ballet. Then as he finished his set, the train lurched to the right and Jack fell face-first into a person's back. He got up and slipped away before the man realized what had happened. In the next carriage, Jack looked behind him and didn't see the man. Inside his jacket, he felt the presence of a new wallet hanging limply from one of his many hidden pockets.

The train stopped and Jack followed the swarm of white-noise footsteps onto the platform before ducking into a toilet. He locked himself into a filthy stall and checked his earnings for the day. A watch, a phone, a Bluetooth headset, a coil of headphones, two train tickets, four wallets, and a total $185 cash. He smiled as he felt the warmth of a job well done.

Popular Singer and Songwriter Daniel 'Rocket' Jay has finally arrived to Chronos View this morning for his concert series in Chronos View just this morning! Now, Janet, I believe you... At the word "concert", Jack's head perked up. Concerts meant crowds, and that meant hundreds of people are all going to be in one place, surrounded by distracting lights and blaring sounds, which meant nobody would notice if a certain lanky guy picked up a few things while walking through the crowd.

Jack searched the terminal for a poster for that concert, found it, and started making plans.

Quill

Quill wandered around town, sure school would start an about 2 hours but he knew how to handle that. He was in the middle of window shopping when he got sight of someone's reflection. Oh hey, another ditcher. I haven't seen her around before. Quill watched as she went back and forth from one shop to another. He decided to follow her and suddenly ended up directly behind her as she looked into a window. "Hey, you looking for something." Noticing her reaction to his appearance, he put his hands up in defense. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you, I just thought I could help you find whatever it is you need. If you happen to be new around here, I could show you around." Quill extended his hand and smiled, "Name's Daven, but everyone calls me Quill."

Eswin

Eswin sat on one of the benches outside Ouranos, the private academy that has both high school and college classes, and drew the people around him in his notepad. He had graduated from high school here but had decided not to go to college and instead became an artist. Eswin was currently working on a picture of a beautiful blond girl that was being pressured by a pink-haired reporter. He drew her almost perfectly before staring to draw something behind her, a blue butterfly whose left wing had parts of it turning gray and dead. As for the reporter, he drew her with sparkles around her as if she was covered in the flashes of a camera. Eswin enjoyed drawing what he felt was the truth behind people.

Marshall

Marshall walked onto campus, bat in hand and a stride in his steps as he marched through the courtyard. Then he noticed his girl Tiffany, who seemed upset. Oh hell no, nobody fucks with my girl Marshall walked up to her and wrapped his hand around here, "Hey Tiff, everything okay? You seem as though someone took away your credit card again. Do I need to smash someone's skull in with my bat? I wouldn't mind, my record couldn't get any worse if you know what I mean." Marshall chuckled a bit hoping to cheer her up, it's never good when Tiffany gets really upset.

Elysia

Elysia had already went to her first class, Chemistry, before most would have even been awake. She had been working on a formula to demonstrate in front of the class. She had already passed Chemistry but was in fact, a student teacher for this class. It was her first day to be given a chance to teach and she wanted to impress. This has to be perfect. Elysia stayed there, mixing chemicals, waiting for students to arrive.

Tiffany

"Marshall! Oh thank god you are here.", Tiffany sighed in relief about to hug him when she pulled back quickly as she remembered her coffee soaked front. "If you call having your favorite coffee scald you down the front and now having to be stuck in soaked clothes for the rest of the day as okay then I am just fabulous. Luckily, I think I can handle this one on my own but thanks for the offer of roughing someone up for me. Tiffany chuckled, feeling a bit better than before but she was still planning to get even with that nosy woman. She didn't like being made a fool of but for now that wasn't what she would worry about it.



Nova felt herself freeze up again as the video camera came to Abigail's facial range, pointed on her directly and making her feel like a rock had just sunk into her stomach. She felt panicked and sick just by having one of those things pointed at her but tried to keep herself calm to the best of her abilities because she wasn't sure she could get out of this one if she tried. She might not have known Abigail personally but everyone knew that the pink haired woman would stop at nothing till all her questions were satisfied or she got down to the bottom of what was happening. Abigail didn't mean anything by it and she wasn't a bad person but that didn't stop her curiosity from bothering others or making them extremely uncomfortable while she was left oblivious.

She tried to keep herself from physically shaking and in doing so probably looked like a deer in headlights, awkwardly standing with her arms hugging her frame. Abigail on the other hand was ecstatic that they would hear more about Sarah from someone that was close to the missing person and that she would actually get to speak to Nova which they all knew was very different from Sarah and kind of illusive most of the time. "Tell me Nova, how is Sarah's disappearance affecting you? What do you believe actually happened to Sarah Reed? Many rumors are flying around as you have heard but we want to hear it from your opinion. Do you really believe that she ran away? If she was kidnapped, what would you want to say to the abductor?" Abigail asked in one big hall of questions, one always connected to the other.

Nova couldn't think, all those questions at once but when she asked about the kidnapper...she couldn't do this. She didn't want to think about a kidnapper. She didn't want to believe that is what happened to Sarah even though all the evidence pointed at that. She didn't want to think about what to say to someone who would take another human being and for a reason she didn't even know about. It made her fearful for her friend and what was going on that she didn't even know about. Instead of answering Abigail's question, she swiftly turned and grabbed her open backpack, not even minding as her sketch book and some pencils fell out as she sprinted away as fast as possible.

Abigail was surprised for the sudden reaction, she went to go help Nova pick up her things as she thought the woman wanted to show her something instead of talk as she grabbed her bag but some of the contents spilled out. Instead, Nova ran like a bat out of hell which had Abigail forgetting the contents and chasing after Nova for a little bit trying to tell her to wait up and see what was wrong.

Nova had no idea where she was going but anywhere was better than here. She didn't know for how long she ran but the school was no longer and sight. Carefully, she dropped onto a nearby bench, panting slightly as she looked to her backpack and zipping it up since she didn't know what she had lost and not wanting to lost anything more if she had. She leaned back on the bench, trying to shake Abigail's questions out of her head and looked around for something to do. She couldn't focus on school right now even if she went back. That in mind, she just pushed herself up and just let her feet wander as they pleased. It wasn't like she hadn't ditched school in the past or gotten into trouble before she had moved to Chronos View so guilt wouldn't come easy by doing so right now since she wouldn't be any good at school for anyone.

Penny

Penny looked around at the different shops, curious as to what they had. When she finally found a bookstore. She looked at the books that were set up by the display window and saw that they were classics. She kept looking until she noticed somebody's reflection in the window glass. Startled, she yelped and turned to face the man behind her. She let out a breath after he raised his hands in defense and apologized for startling her. She placed a hand over her heart, and answered "Th-Thanks, that would be great," She then accepted his hand and shook his hand, her breathing normal now, and she introduced herself "I'm Penny Raybrandt. It's nice to meet you, Quill. And yes, I'm new to Chronos View. Just moved here yesterday," She rubbed the back of her head at the mention that she was new to town.

---

Daniel

"Daniel! Are you even listening to me?"
Daniel blinked out of his daydream and he asked his agent "Huh? What?" His agent sighed and he commented "You really need to listen when I'm talking to you! It's really important to discuss bodyguard matters and where you should be, and that you shouldn't be flirting while you're here! There has been a report of a kidnapping here after all!" The limo slowed as Daniel dismissively answered his agent "Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Gene," As soon as the limo stopped, he stepped out with his agent calling out to him "Wait! I'm not done with you yet!" He was about to enter the hotel until he felt someone bump into him. He looked to see who it was and saw that it was a girl with long blonde hair. She seemed distressed.
He asked, putting on his best face, and with a kind, dulcet tone, he asked "Hey there, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

They had reached their destination, Ouranos Academy. Wasting little time, the Federal Duo left the car to survey the area. It was just a school, yes, but they needed to find out what the students knew about Miss Reed, and if there was anything about her that could indicate going off the map or even leaving the town and committing suicide. Nic lived for the outlandish and dangerous, and Cassie had her fair share of danger years ago. When he got word that she'd be his new partner, He recognized her through her notoriety.

She was a witty and fiery cannon with quite the track record in the Academy. Only Nic would be able to handle her.

Cassie chuckled to herself, getting the attention of her CO. "Good thing her last name is Connor." She tossed the idea around, smiling and laughing it all up.

Nic couldn't help but to smile as well at his partner. Sure, the movie series had a few bad eggs, but the newest installment wasn't that bad. "The last thing we need is future robots coming back in time and killing everyone with the same name."

She hadn't realized just how frazzled Abigail had made her, her mind still wandering more than it should have causing her to zone out on her surrounds and just let her feet do the moving. This sadly would never continue to work because anyone popping in front of her suddenly wouldn't give her feet enough time to register since she would completely checked out on anything other than the thoughts bouncing in her head. It wasn't until she bumped into someone that everything clicked back into place, joining the real world and having no idea exactly where she was for a moment. Nova pushed her hair out of face, looking up at the stranger she had bumped into and ready to shrug them of as they asked her if she was alright and what was wrong with her. She didn't get why a stranger would want to know what was wrong with her but the other question was kind of valid and would have felt sincere if not for the face that he looked as though he were putting on a show or at least that is how it came off to her. I'm fine." Nova answered while looking away from him to straighten out her shirt and adjust her backpack that was threatening to fall off her shoulder since she had been carrying it on just the one. Didn't mind to bump into anyone.", she stated, not even looking at him again as she gracefully stepped around him and continued on her way, this time not letting herself indulge in her thoughts so she wouldn't bump into another person again. It wasn't the first time she had shrugged off a stranger and it wouldn't be the last since she didn't trust others easily though if it weren't for that feeling of his concern being fake or at least the face he made than she would have at least threw in a sorry.

Jack walked down the road. Under his jacket was the morning's earnings, hidden within a multitude of pockets. He knew the way back to his apartment by the landmarks; the subway exit, the bus terminal, the nut vendor (breakfast), the parking lot, the alley with the peeling pa- oof!

Jack turned the corner of the alley onto the street when he walked straight into a dazed looking girl. His mind instantly ran into panic mode, laying out his options: Run? Walk? Go back? and somehow, what he ended up blurting out was "Oh crap, are you alright?" to the girl.

The girl looked like she snapped out of it, but was confused. Jack looked around; there were people looking at them. 'Fuck, can't look suspicious' he thought. Nervous, he tried to look concerned for the girl he bumped into. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine" she replied as she did her best to ignore Jack. Jack, internally, was relieved. 'Good. She walked off. I'll just be on my way then.' He walked off in the opposite direction of the girl and had turned the block when he noticed he had something new hidden in his hand. He must have stolen it out of habit. He took another look around the street before opening his hand to reveal...a safety pin? Jack was surprised, but dropped it in a pocket quickly, and hurried off to the shelter of his apartment, lest he walk into someone else.

Quill

Quill was glad that he didn't get the usual reaction of a slap to the face and a girl storming off. He decided that since he was given the chance, he would have a little fun with it. "Ah, so you're very new then. Well, I can help you find anything around this town from books to music to movies, whether you want them new or classical. Or perhaps you'd like to know the good restaurants or the way around the nature trails. Anything you need, but I'm going to need to know what is your wanting to find first though." Quill trotted back and forth, making a big show as though he was advertising the town. Finally he stopped and started walking down the street. "This way to the best cafe in town where we can discuss the battle plan of your tour."

Penny watched as Quill seemed to trot back and forth, practically advertising the town. She let out a small smile at how he seemed to have fun with advertising, before he started leading her to the cafe. She followed him as he led her to the cafe, and she said to him "Thank you. I really appreciate the help," She couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved that he seemed like a nice guy thus far.



Everything in Daniel's mind came to a screeching halt as soon as the girl looked at him, with no light of recognition or excitement/disbelief in her eyes, and just shrugged him off saying that she was fine. Didn't this girl know who she had just bumped into? Didn't this one girl even listen to his music? He was left staring and gaping at the same spot that the girl who bumped into him and been in, until he realized that she had just walked off. He shook his head and he turned and he started to follow calling "He-Hey! Wait!" He rounded the corner, but found that she was gone already, and instead a scraggly man had passed him.

Before he could even think of looking for the girl, his agent caught up to him and he asked the pop star "What are you doing, Daniel? Come on, let's get you into the hotel! Before some lunatic comes!" He was ushered into the hotel before Daniel could even protest, and he couldn't help but keep thinking about that girl who bumped into him while his agent checked him in. He only answered the receptionist when she spoke to him, in a confused daze.

Twice, twice she had bumped into strangers and she was not going to let it happen again because she didn't like the fake concerns and having to answer to them. Nova sighed, leaning up against the brick wall of the building near her and looking up at the sky for a second as she just relaxed. It looked as though it might rain soon and actually, she didn't mind and even welcomed it since she was one of those rare people that didn't mind being out without an umbrella or dancing in the rain when no one was watching. She needed something to distract herself desperately that was for sure but the question remained on where to go since letting her feet do the walking for her was obviously a mistake if bumping into people was a hint. Usually, Nova would have gone to the park or something and played a bit of violin music but since her violin was sitting in her dorm room at school that was impossible. Nova slowly took her eyes off the sky, glancing around to see where she was at and where it wouldn't be crowded since been alone was kind of appealing at the moment. Her eyes came to rest on a little book store and shrugged, deciding that at least it would be quiet plus she could get lost in a world not her own if she read. That was her last thought before she glaced up and down the road for cars, only sprinting cross once it was safe and entered the store. She grabbing a random book from the shelf, sitting down in the little sitting area near the front window of the store and opening up the present book in her hand.



Abigail frowned, pouting at the fact that Nova had gotten away and that she hadn't understood why the other woman had bolted. She plopped down to lean against a tree and panted a bit from the running she had done. Nova would have to wait but maybe she could get the opinions of other while she waited for the other to return but for now she would catch her breath. She thought over everything that just happened, trying to think where she went wrong when suddenly she slammed her hand against her face and remembered that Nova's stuff was still on the ground from earlier. She stood up, slowly making her way back to where the benches were and hoped that they were still there and that no one picked them up or she would be looking in the lost in found...that or she would try to replace them. Abigail had kind of been the cause...somehow...she just didn't get it. Did she ask too many questions? That had to be it right? The overload was too much? She would ask them one at a time the next time and all would be well.

Quill

Quill walked into the cafe and took a seat by the window. "Order whatever you want, it's on me." He waited around for a waitress to come by and then waved her over, "I'll have a double chocolate latte with extra cream, you know, my usual."

"And for you ma'am?"

After receiving Penny's order, the waitress walked off. Quill leaned on the table and looked out the window, taking in the view of the town. He was lost in thought for a bit before he remembered that he had company. "Oh yeah, I have to figure you out. So what kind of things do you like?" Quill was practically out of his chair as he leaned over the table. He isn't very good with this personal space thing.

Marshall

"Ah, I have just the thing for these kind of emergencies." Marshall pulled out a large black shirt with a purple skull and red decals on it. "My sleep shirt, but I wear it if I ruin my uniform shirt. Here, you use it." Marshall handed Tiffany his shirt and smiled. He was always glad whenever he could help his girl out. "Don't forget, the bat is always an option," Marshall gave an evil smile while lightly smacking his bat on his other hand, "Always."

Jack ran-walked up the flights of stairs to his apartment, jammed the keys into the hole, and slammed the door shut as soon as he slipped in. Leaning on the door, he breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God. Each day out there is another day of hell, and one of his only places of peace is the safety of his apartment. Unfortunately, Jack never bothered to clean up except for the odd occasion, so the place was filthy. There were cans and food wrappers everywhere that he never picked up; the floor had dirt stains trailing away from the door to the rest of the house; and a distinct odor was in the air that smelled something like pizza and sweat. Hey. It's home.

He made his way across the living room, to a desk in the corner of the room. From his pockets, he pulled out all the items he had taken that morning on the subway, and placed them on the desk like a forensic scientist would place evidence on a table. Jack inspected the items. The watch was cheaply made and the paint was wearing down on the edges. The phone had a password, and the owner seemed to be a animal fan, judging by the fox background. The headset and headphones were, well, Jack had no idea what to look for, so he just set them aside. The train tickets probably ruined two people's morning. The wallets were all fairly high quality. Jack almost always hits the mark when it came to wallets. The cash was just cash, enough to get by and a tiny bit more.

And then there was the pin. Jack looked at it quizzically. This isn't the type of thing he would normally pickpocket. He held the tiny thing in front of his face, as if there was some detail he was trying to focus on. No, it was just an average safety pin. It opens and closes and pierces clothes easily, like it should. It was so unnatural for him to steal something so inane. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to throw it away, partially due to the lack of bins around the house, but mainly that there was something off about it that Jack couldn't quite understand. It must have something to do with that girl he bumped into just now.

For now though, Jack opened one of the drawers and pulled out a false bottom on the drawer to reveal a stash of things he had stolen over the years, where he deposited all his new things. Then he thought again and pulled the pin out of the stash and slipped it into his most hidden pocket. There's something up with that girl, and Jack's not going to forget her anytime soon.

Penny walked into the cafe and sat down with him at the table near the window. After he made his comment, she blinked at his generosity and she answered "Oh! OK, thank you!" After the waitress asked her what she would like, she answered, going for something cheap, "I'll have a Cappuccino, thanks," She looked to Quill, who seemed to be in his own thoughts until he remembered that she was there. She leaned back a bit as he leaned in and invaded her personal space. She answered somewhat awkwardly "Well, I like to dance and reading mystery novels..."



For once, the old man left his house, and he wandered through the town, seeming almost lost and confused, and everyone just avoiding him. Soon he came to the cafe and he spotted Quill with a new girl. He ran across the street and shouted suddenly

"YAROO!"

Penny shouted, startled by the shout and banging on the glass. She looked to the old man holding her hand over her heart again. Two near heart attacks in one day...That was a new record, she thought to herself. The old man waved to Quill and Penny with a wide open grin on his face. Penny looked to Quill and she asked "Uh...D-Do you know him, Quill?"

Nic was prepared to exit the car and start asking around. They had oh so little in terms of intel, and the only way they could learn more was to ask around the town. Social places, Schools, Hotels, cafes, any place would suffice. The town was only so large, and eventually they could set up their web and get cracking on what happened.

Just as he began to reach for the handle of the door, Cassie engaged the lock and cast a glance at her CO. Of course he would look back at her to see what was on her mind, but it didn't take any sort of conversation to figure out where she was thinking. She loved her spy movies and spy toys. It was no secret that she just wanted to sit around and look imposing until someone talked to them. However, that could take a while. Who knows how long it would be until someone finally decided to walk up to the ultra fancy, cherry red supercar with black tinted windows with a former hollywood actor and a young, wet behind the ears agent at side. Neither said anything, and the volume of the radio was increased only slightly. Maybe they could take a look around other places in the town if the school lacked leads.

Tiffany

She happily took the shirt offered to her, smiling brightly before leaning up and kissing Marshall's cheek."Thank you Marsh, you're a life saver!", she said completely relieved that she would not have to wear a stained shirt all day or even wait for it to dry before even getting to feel a bit comfortable. Marshall may seem scary to a lot of people but in her eyes, he was a sweetheart and someone she could always depend. "I'll keep your batting skills in mind should the need for it ever arise."Tiffany chuckled, before looking at the shirt in her hand."Guess I should head and get changed, catch ya later?"

Abigail

A sigh of complete relief came from her lips as she noticed the spilled pencils and sketch book were still scattered in front of the bench Nova had bolted from. She couldn't know if it was all there but at least some of it was and that would me she could return it to its rightful owner. Nova would let her know if anything extra was missing, well if she ever found the blonde woman since she was good at keeping away from people if need be from what Abigail had gathered. Abigail picked up everything,plopping down on the bench and taking a look around only to spot something she certainly didn't see everyday. She popped up, moving over to the beauty of twisted metal and style that formed this dazzling sports car. "Now that is my kind of ride." Abigail spoke softly to herself, knowing better than to touch it since she didn't need some spoiled brat ripping her a new one.

Nova

Here blue eyes scanned over the words in front of her, her ears tuning out all sound around her as she focused in on the Greek Mythology book she had happened to grab. It was a nice surprise that choosing at random had yielded her with one of her favorite types of legends. The stories were always just so interesting and she wondered what the real story behind their making was. She let herself drift into the pages, the words making a movie in her head as she imagined the details of each part in the tales but suddenly, the story was interrupted, changed in her mind as a sound from the outside world pulled at her and caused her to look up. Rain pattered softly against the window, just a sprinkle at the moment but she prayed that it went into full swing for the rain had always been her favorite weather. Nova closed the book softly, watching the people pass by on the window and hurrying along in cast the rain really started and they were stuck out of it not prepared.

Quill

Quill thought to himself. Dancing and mystery hmm. He wondered about all the places he could take her. Plenty of bookstores and dance halls. So, where to take her first. What would she like the best?

Quill's thoughts were interrupted by a shout and a bang. He looked over and saw an odd old man staring at them.

"Uh...D-Do you know him, Quill?"

"Can't say that I do. I've never seen this man before in my life. I wonder what he wants."

Marshall

Marshall gave a slight grin, glad to know he had been the superhero today. But then she kissed him on the cheek. Marshall just stood there, lost in cuckoo land, not even blinking. I mean, sure, he called Tiff his girl but they weren't dating or anything. This left Marshall completely blank, at a loss for words.

"Catch ya later?"

This had brought Marshall back to Earth but he still stood there, saying nothing for a little while. Come on Marshall. Say something already. "Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah... right. I'll definitely catch you later. I should be going too.... don't need to be late and give another reason for the principal to bitch at me."

Eswin

Eswin had wandered off from the schoolyard and was wandering around town. As he was walking, he couldn't help but quick-draw the people around him. Right in the middle of one drawing, a raindrop came down and ruined the ink. A disgruntled look came across his face and he closed his notebook to save the others. Wanting to stay dry himself, Eswin retreated into the nearest building, a small bookstore. He looked around and saw the blonde beauty he had painted earlier. He decided to walk up to her but noticed she was caught up in a book. Eswin walked behind her and read over her shoulder before she got interrupted by the rain and went to the window. She must have been out of it to not have noticed Eswin yet but he continued to try and get her attention. He brought out his notebook and wrote, I love the rain too. before holding it out in front of her face.

Tiffany

Tiffany watched him anxiously, waiting for some kind of answer or even an acknowledgement that she had spoken and was starting to wonder if something was wrong or that she shouldn't have kissed his cheek. She had kind of been in the moment and for all Marsh joked about her being his girl, nothing had ever happened nor did she expect it too. She let out a breath she hadn't even known she had been holding as Marshall started to speak, a smile lighting up her face quickly."Probably a good idea, I'll see you at lunch." Tiff replied with a short wave before jogging off to the bathroom to quickly change her shirt before getting to class. She didn't need her father riding her or lecturing on the importance of grades and the family business which meant at least doing as well as she could.

Nova

Startled, she leaned back a bit as a single notepad blocked her view of the outside world and also seemed to make her a bit more aware of her surroundings and the person who was trying to get her attention. Her gaze slowly moved from the message, eyes locking with the man next to her before giving a soft rare smile. "It really is something, isn't it?" Nova stated, feeling so very calmed by the sounds the rain was making on the window. She usually wasn't used to interaction and tried to avoid people but it seemed rude to ignore someone that had tried so hard to speak with her even if it was through a note book. Maybe they were shy or maybe didn't really talk much to people? What ever the case, it was kind of nice... well as long as it didn't turn out like it had talking to Abigail. "I am Nova by the way. What is your name?"