Once Mitchell was done with his lunch, he emptied his trash in the nearby trash can and proceeded to walk out of the cafeteria. Mitch went to turn outside but his phone buzzed with the text he was waiting for. Of course, Gia was even a smart aleck through text message. With a slight eye roll, Mitch went up to her room and saw that she had left her door open, which he took it upon himself to walk right on in without a second thought.

With her bottom planted on the ground and her legs widespread, Gianna reached for her feet as she looked down toward the floor. Mitch came strolling in and she kept to her stretch, not wanting to waste any of her dance class with warm ups. She needed an escape to clear her mind. Dancing was the one thing that brought her more happiness than anyone alive ever could. She listened carefully and silently.

She was stretching and he raised a brow up. "Who are you about to fight?" Mitch asked while waving his hand towards her and taking it upon himself to sit on her bed. "So, you know Samantha is sort of hell bent on getting you back right?" He offered the information to Gia then didn't even give her time to reply as he continued. "I know, it sounds silly but you didn't see her like I did."

When he offered information to her, she slowly brought her body up to look at him sitting on her bed. Sighing to herself, Gia picked herself up and leaned against her desk. Her stare was warm and serene, but her expression was stoic.

While looking at her, Mitch stated, "Look, I just want you to be careful." He said while getting up from the bed, standing in front of her and placing his hands upon her shoulders, looking into her eyes now. He truly wanted Gia to be careful because she hasn't seen the look in Sam's eyes that he saw this morning.

In other words, Gia was truly fucked.

"Your heart will get you killed one day, Mitch." Her arms were crossed as she looked into his eyes and shook her head in apology from her instant retort, "Thank you for telling me, but I kind of figured last night would lead to this." Tilting her head, her gaze never leaving his, she whispered, "And other things."

Pulling away from his grasp, she shrugged, "I'm prime target now, sweetheart. You might want to be careful yourself. You and I are viewed as the leading figures of our school and now the majority of the student body fear me or want to end me." Her brown orbs grew distant and fear that should be written on her face was nowhere to be found, "I'm sure there are even villains that don't trust me anymore. I'm more worried about those quiet players in this unconventional chess game than Sam. Of course, I do look forward to her breaking me, don't you?"

Mitch listened to Gia's words and eyed her with a brow raised. Mitch was still standing when she had managed to pull herself from his grasp as he continued to look at her. "So wait, you wanted this to happen or something? I think it's a bad idea, Gia. As you just said, we're leading figures of our school and yeah, maybe we're villains but don't you think that we can solve this without an all out war?" Mitch asked while looking at her again, his eyes were fixated on every action she did.

Stepping back to get her water bottle, she took a moment to give herself a drink. Taking a deep breath in, obviously showing she did have a lot on her mind and that she was only human, Gia suggested, "We're in a dog eat dog world, I don't think we have a choice. It's either we eat or get eaten. Here's your chance to make a difference. No, I don't mean saving me - I have enough people wanting to do that already." She rolled her eyes at the incident with Elijah last night before continuing, "But you have power beyond any of us. You are more law than you think, you just need to gain the respect you deserve." Thinking about her cruel words to him the previous night, she decided to compliment him in her weird Gia way, "Your heart is good, Mitch."

Placing her water bottle back down, her phone beeped a few times but she ignored it because this conversation was far more important than responding to whomever, "I'm saying this because I care, don't choose a side. Be your own force. Become a player. Being a player doesn't mean to stoop at mine, or Sam's level. I have my reasons, but that's as far as I will go with explaining myself."

Mitch knew Gia all to well, or at least well enough. Hearing her words, Mitch stood there with a thought for a moment. She really had a way with words and it made him think even more than ever now. Mitch was really his own person but usually played both sides of the coin often. Though this time, he really did want Gia and Sam to settle matters that didn't end with the two schools hating each other, again. Mitch knew that if he could somehow manage to get Gia and Sam to sit down and talk things out, without using compulsion, everything would be perfect but that was easier said that done. Plus, he didn't have the strength to deal with all of that right now.

"Be a player? This isn't a game, Gia!" His voice raised as anyone that would be within distance of Gia's room would've heard him. "My heart is good, which is why I really want to make this right between you two. Don't you get it?" Mitch muttered while standing a little bit closer to her and penetrating her with his stare.

Grabbing her loose midriff tank hanging off her desk chair, she threw it over her until it covered her sport's bra, "This would happen regardless of what I did or not. I just sped up the process. No one is a bystander anymore. We will get used, abused, back-stabbed, and betrayed. That's just what happens when you throw individuals that are believed to be black and white under the same roof." Approaching him once more, she mirrored his kindness and placed her hands gently on his shoudlers, "You have things worth protecting, don't you? Don't cut yourself short. You are an ant, but so is everyone else, including me."

After she felt satisfied for all the food for thought she gave someone she didn't necessarily consider as an ally or an enemy, Gia pulled away once more and chuckled at a silly notion that popped in her hand, "Don't you love how everyone forgot about the fire? The one incident that made the dominoes fall in the first place." Reaching for her gym bag, her water bottle, and her phone, she muttered, "People are... something."

Mitch looked at Gia as she got dressed right before his very eyes - not surprising, since her actions were to display her 'I don't care' attitude. Her words made it seemed like she wanted everything to happen, like this entire time she was planning this, and he couldn't believe it. Well, he could but chose not to within this moment. His eyes watched as she came up to him, returning his gesture from earlier with her own. She was right. There were some things and even some people that were worth protecting, Gia being one of them but she was clearly missing the big picture.

"You're right. I do have some things worth protecting and I see you as one of those things. Well, not a thing but you know what I mean. Your heart is good too, Gia. Somewhere very deep, deep down inside I know there is good within you and not some mean girl bitch that you're portraying." Mitch spoke honestly towards her before she gathered her belongings and mentioned the fire. Gia had a way to find that certain spark, or switch within a person and turn it on or off whenever she pleased, but Mitch was about to counteract with a little method of his own.

Why did everyone want to protect her or save her? Gia growled internally. She was damned the moment she came into this sorry ass world and now everyone actually cares because she's bringing hell to the school grounds.

"It's funny that you should mention the fire." Mitch said while going over to stand beside her. Calmly turning his head toward her, he muttered, "Because what would Late say about your recent actions? Think he'll be pleased?" In this instant, Mitch was done holding back his words with Gia. "Is his death the reason you've became so black and cold? I want you to think about that before you respond. You use to be so bubbly, a little too friendly and kind to everyone. But now, I don't even know this person that stands before me today. Thought I did but clearly, I do not." Mitch let his words ring throughout her head for a lingering moment while waiting for her to respond.

Her mouth went slightly ajar and her gaze met the floor. The emotional wound was still vulnerable from her encounter last night. Her hands clenched. This intervention thing was getting old. People talk about Vince like they knew him like she did. People bring up a dead man yet don't think about why he died. What the fuck was wrong with people?! All she could let out was a light mutter behind gritted teeth, "Don't start this right now..." Mitch didn't understand. He would never understand. Nor would Elijah or any goddamn person who thought they cared about her. If they cared about her... why wouldn't they just shut the fuck up and leave her alone?

Mitch knew this was a dangerous can of worms but it just had to be said. His gaze narrowed away from Gia. He took the next seconds to walk, close the door, and return to her side. "No, Gia. Little Miss World Domination, let's address this now. You know what Late would say and you know how he'd react but you just won't admit it out loud. Am I right or wrong?"

Trying to calm her nerves, her breathing unsteadily stabilizing, Gia lowly continued in her red wine voice, "Out of everyone, you should be the most angry. They destroyed your dad's legacy and took innocent people with it." Glancing up at him, she glared, "This isn't a fucking joke, Mitch."

His eyes rolled when Gia mentioned how he should feel. Pointing to himself, he retorted, "Don't try to turn this onto me. This is about you. You always do that." Mitch said as he faced her and made sure he was inches away. If Gia thought she was the only person that could get underneath someone's skin, she was sadly mistaken. Mitch had his own way with words but kept his cool and remained quiet most of the time. Not anymore.

"My dad's legacy has not been destroyed. His legacy remains intact and yeah, we lost some innocent people but they were weak if they couldn't make out. Yeah, Late was weak too." Mitch knew he had taken it too far with that last comment but this was Gia so she kind of deserved it. "I know this isn't a joke! That's what I am trying to get you to understand. You seem to walk around here with your head held high but you know the truth as it's burning inside of you every second, isn't it?" Inhaling in and exhaling out, Mitch calmed his breathing at the time that he turned his body away and rested his hands upon his hips.

Something clicked into Mitch's head that Gia had said earlier. He could've sworn he heard her say something about 'they'. Who the hell were 'they'? Panting from all the screaming words that had just seeped from his mouth, Mitch darted his gaze back at her. Before asking about 'they', he was willing to give Gia a chance to respond.

"Saving people means Vince is fucking weak? So you agree all heroes are weak then right? You bastard." The bitterness was seeping out of her lips and her body was shaking uncontrollably. "You know what, why are you even trying? If I wasn't a big deal, you wouldn't be here." She went up to him, anger, fire, torn emotions, and pain, pain beyond belief, in her eyes. She felt sick, sick of everyone trying to change her course of actions, sick of these damn schools, sick of people not knowing what it meant to be a goddamn villain and a goddamn hero. If they wanted a monster, they were creating one. That's for sure. "If you don't know what's good for you, you better leave. I'm not going to explain myself to someone who thinks peace is easily attained by holding hands and acting like we all care about one another. Get out or you will regret it." Gia wasn't going to hold back if Mitch continued. Two people that could effect the mind only meant a disaster. As if she was holding a gun, she was ready to pull the trigger. Her pheromones were dancing in the entire room, encircling him like a hungry animal ready to attack and her ghostly wings shot out of her back much larger than last night. She would tear Mitch apart if he didn't back the fuck up. Her pheromones left a path to the door but if he made any sudden movement to enter her mind, that was the end of their friendship. Actually, no, their friendship ended when he tried to change her.

Mitch eyed Gia as she went back to speaking. In his mind, he wanted to tell her to shut the fuck up as he had already destroyed her but it's likely that she'd want to get the last word out. Mitch wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. He let her ramble on and on as she tried to take herself out of the equation. Folding his arms over his chest, a smirk formed among his facial features, basking in his glory moment. "You know what, Gia, you are truly something. You just can't stop avoiding the matter and making this all about you. Stop trying to change the subject every fucking time!" Mitch yelled, fed up with her unyielding stupidity. When she threatened him to leave or else, he simply gave her an eye roll.

Gia didn't really need to use her ability for him to leave as her comment was enough to do just that. Mitch nonchalantly walked over towards the door and turned to see Gia sprouting her wings much larger than before as he knew that he had indeed gotten underneath her skin. With a smirk, Mitch turned his head to look at Gia. "I believe this is Mitch one, Gia zero." He muttered while doing the one motion in the air for emphasis as he finally left her room, allowing the door to close behind him.

However, Mitch immediately pushed it open again and peeked his head in. "Oh, did you want me to close the door so that you can sit here and sulk now?" Mitch snickered while waving his hand towards her. "Never mind, I'll close it anyways. Toodles." Mitch taunted as he closed Gia's door. Once the door was completely shut, he did a little victory dance, making sure no one was watching before he straightened up and walked away.

Oh sweetie. The war isn't over. It just begun. Not caring about calming herself down anymore, she simply let her wings go back in her body and opened her phone. Her brown orbs quickly read over all her texts. With no hesitation, she replied to Minako, but also sent a message to the two people she trusted the most.

To: My Pup, The Gorg Apprentice
Woods. Now.

Both Lucas and Brenna would know where to find her. They had a couple of spots around campus where they met up. There was an abandoned shack a mile or so away from the hiking trail in the woods that people forgotten about. There she would wait for them. Whenever she requested her close peers to go into the woods, it usually was big news that may or may not be good. In this case, she would like to think it was both.

To: Fresh Meat
Cancelled. Busy.

She didn't even bother telling her if Lucas was fine or not because it was none of her concern. With that, she dropped her bag on her bed and went for a 'jog'.

First gather and concentrate energy, what type of energy is up to the user’s choice, though psi is recommended for beginners. Move the energy around your mind and form it into a barrier around the brain, imagine as if the energy is reinforcing your skull. Imagine the energy as molten steel as it pours into the mold, forming a hard metal barrier. This spell is designed to protect against mental penetration and attacks, to make the shield stronger, concentrate the energy consistently and devote a portion of your natural energy to it. This is not recommended to beginners as the constant energy can be quite draining to the user.

Not recommended for beginners...what kind of novice do they take me for? Elijah thought. The spellbook he brought was indeed basic, yet he was more than skilled enough to form and devote his energy towards what he needed to. That being said, he was about to go on his date with Eliana and would rather not waste his energy towards such mental protection. His head turned towards the sky as he looked for the sun, while the orb was blinding to most, it was a rather small flowing sphere in his mind, its aura far away from the earth. Judging by its position, it was nearing noon, close to his meeting time with the Mayweather girl. Closing his book and tucking it away into his cloak he sat back and recollected the last couple of hours. Nothing of interest had come up in regards to last night, the usual gossip and banter about it, the usual threats of I’m going to kill so and so, but nothing important, at least around him. Gianna had created a storm, and even though he didn’t hear anything, he felt that something big was going to come of this.

Eliana spent her morning rushing around New York City to find an outfit that wouldn’t embarrass her during her lunch date. Her sister would get in after Ellie and Elijah met at the fountain. Today was a day she would use her money she rarely spent and splurge a little. Okay, maybe a lot. She may have called her personal maid from home to take her to Manhattan so that she could buy an impressionable dress with help from another woman (that wasn’t her mother). Ellie knew the man she was going on a date with was blind, but people would see them together - so perhaps she could make them look like a couple? Other people’s opinions did not matter, she was a (romantic) girl and this would make her feel good about herself.

Nora Lemoine, her darling maid and friend, has been with her for as long as she could remember. Occasionally, Ellie calls and updates her on school and personal business. With Ellie attending college, Nora is now taking care of Jen at home, while keeping the eldest of the Lovelace fortune in the loop of family affairs. One can say Nora is also her assistant. Getting back to the shopping adventure, the young and excited 18 year old purchased a Chanel grey jacket dress, black Jimmy Choo heels, and soft nylon stockings. Once she felt fully satisfied, they returned back to her dorm. Complimenting her ensemble with her heart locket given to her by her late grandmother on her father’s side, she glanced at her friend, who stared at her appreciatively. Nora took the time to curl her darling Eliana’s hair and make sure the girl’s face wasn’t caked with makeup. The results were splendid - Ellie was a lovely woman, it was about time a guy took a chance and asked her out. Before Ellie left her room, she was given a quick pep talk to calm her nerves (you better believe she was nervous).

This was her first, true date with someone outside of her family and friend loop. Of course she had butterflies! Her heels resounded on the stoned sidewalk that led to one of the most known places at Mayweather, the fountain. Gathering herself, she took a deep breath in and tightly held onto her yellow clutch purse. As she exhaled, her chartreuse green orbs fell on the man sitting and waiting for her in his go-to outfit, looking up at the sun. Appearing in front of him, she gave a soft and warm smile, “Where shall we eat? I’m partial to Balthazar in Soho. It would give us options and it’s pretty popular here. Of course, I’m always up for trying something new.”

Lowering his head, broken from his thoughts, he saw the aura of Eliana Lovelace. Absolutely bright and beaming, she was truly excited for their outing, good start. He smiled, a simple gesture meant to instill comfort and a sign of a gratified greeting to reciprocate her own. He stood up as she asked where to go, listing off a restaurant to him. ”I’ve never been before, but if you’re partial to it, I’ll take you up on your recommendation.” Elijah lifted the hood off his head, letting it fall back, he was already an odd character in a pretty bustling place and to the normal humans of the world, he looked even stranger. It was better to expose his face and look at least somewhat normal than to rouse suspicions of a hooded and cloaked man walking the streets of New York City. ”Shall we be off then?” he extended out his arm for her to take, another gentlemanly gesture.

Appreciating his etiquette, Ellie looked up at him and teasingly grinned, “We shall, good sir.” Not afraid to point out her obvious amusement, she gently grabbed onto his arm like a lady would.


The walk was simple. They chatted about small things like how breakfast was her favorite meal of the day and finding a book in her hand was not an unusual sight. Anything that could have led to her personal life was directed elsewhere since Ellie wasn’t one to talk about such topics near immediately. As for him, Elijah spoke of how he acquired his rather unusual attire, addressing his father in the process, and spoke of the little bit of magic he himself dabbled in, just the simple spells like creating a light or a knock on the wall.

Once they were seated in a booth by the back mirror, since Ellie was quite particular with where she wanted to be seated and even had an ideal table, she asked for a water with lemon. Ideally, she liked sitting at a booth, an area where she could see the lady’s room, and in a private area so if she were to make a fool of herself, only the person or people she was with would see it.

Looking down at the menu, she glanced at the luxury french cuisine and realized she may have picked a pricey place but based on what he told her already, he could afford it. Not one to have a friend pay for her on the first date (or ever, really), unless he literally tried to race her with his card, she asked while leaving her eyes on the list of food, “Mind if I pay for myself? I would prefer it, if you don’t mind.” Her stomach made a loud growl. Sighing (oddly enough not embarrassed), Ellie pushed a curl strand behind her ear, “I didn’t eat anything because today is Sunday brunch. I love brunch.”

Elijah had removed his cloak, folding it neatly and laying it on the seat beside him. His clothing looked formal, collared, but just as intricate and unusual as his cloak did. He waited patiently for the waitress, asking for a list of teas that were available and requested a Jasmine tea as it was listed. Ellie on the other hand simply order water with lemon while she deeply stared at the menu. His hands folded together he simply stared at the concentrating young woman, who then asked him if she could pay for her own meal. He didn’t mind going dutch, he actually preferred it, not that chivalry was dead, but he knew Eliana could pay for her own meal. It was only the first date anyway, he wouldn’t go out of his way to pay for someone on the first date and judging from the sounds and smell, this place seemed of a higher quality than most restaurants.

”No, I don’t mind at all, I was about to ask the same question myself,” he smirked subtly. ”That being said, I might need your help with the menu, it’d be greatly appreciated if you could recommend me something.”

The next moments were spent with Eliana asking if he had allergies and Elijah telling her anything she recommended he would be glad to try. A gentleman through and through. She ended up ordering Mixed Field Greens in a sherry vinaigrette as an Hors D’Oeuvres for the both of them, she would put it on her check, Apple cinnamon pancakes for herself because yum breakfast, and Steak Frites with maitre d’butter for her lovely date. Money was obviously not an issue. The red haired, freckle faced waitress that served them, whose name was Maybelle, knew Ellie’s face quite well and made sure to say her usual phrase when Ellie had entered earlier, “Ms. Lovelace, we are so delighted you could come today.”

As they waited for their food (their drinks already delivered), the petite brunette grabbed her napkin and gently laid it on her lap. The air around them was silent while everywhere else in the restaurant was filled with chatter. She brushed the wrinkles out of her napkin to make it drape nicely on her dress. Bringing her attention to her date, she gave him a serene smile, her nerves having calmed down the moment he was in her presence (was it weird she felt this comfortable around him?).

“Thank you again for helping me last night.” The incident from the previous night was still a bit surreal for her. She couldn’t fully register the fact that she helped her nemesis out and even took off his pants to wrap his wounds up. But she did it and it was all thanks to Elijah.

”It wasn’t a problem, though I was honestly curious as to why you had decided to help him. Elijah leaned back into the booth, folding his hands over the table, sometimes raising one up as if it was part of his dialogue. ”The gossip that spreads around this school is like wildfire and I always keep an ear to the ground, your relationship with Farweight is of no secret to me, and considering the events that transpired last eve, I believe things only to grow worse.”

Her relationship with Lucas was complicated, she wanted to brush him off like the damn insect he was, but he just somehow kept reminding her of his existence. She wanted to bring him hell but at the same time, she didn’t want to go too overboard. Why did she help him last night? Oh - was it the guilt of seeing him battered and bruised after they had just argued? Did she blame herself for what had happened to him? But why? Why should she care about what he did to himself? Well, he was a person.

Sighing to herself, Ellie reached for her glass of water and absentmindedly twirled it, “Without a doubt things will only escalate and I--” She hesitated for a moment, trying to think of the right words but not really knowing how to explain her feelings, “I don’t know why I helped him. I just did. Our feud is one of the most popular ones on campus. I suppose I’m conflicted, I guess.” Woah. She was being extremely honest with Elijah. Was it because she liked him or was there something more about their relationship?

Slowly he leaned forward as she spoke, his hands risting to rest his chin on the back of them. Her emotions certainly seemed conflicted, yet she was speaking with honesty. ”That certainly sounds like something a hero would do.” He resumed his original position in the booth, ”I don’t believe there is any shame in what you did, most would have left him in his position, both Mayweather and Delphina. Yet you took the time to not only bring your enemy to the infirmary, but care for him too. Even if you may not know the reason why, most heroes simply do good for the sake of good, even if they haven’t the tiniest inkling of why they do what they do. Not every origin story is so black and white after all.”

“Well that’s assuring…” Eliana quietly muttered to herself. She did not know if she was completely heroic but if he thought she was good, then her actions weren’t a complete waste. Her brow furrowed when she realized Lucas was the topic of discussion on her date. Changing the subject, she first brought her glass to her lips, took a sip, and then sighed, “I kind of feel sorry for Gianna.” Letting go of her glass, she wrapped a curl around her pointer finger and allowed the two to dance together, “Weird coming from me since my mom adores Gia and I, not so much, but… the rumors say that Sam attacked her first. Why is this conflict so convoluted yet everyone is pointing the blame at just her?” Leaning back in her seat, her green orbs gazed at the mirror to the side of them, “Don’t get me wrong, Gianna can be… much. Still, even people like her should be forgiven, right?”

Inhaling and letting out a small breath he replied, ”You’re not wrong and I couldn’t agree with you more, it's true that the gossip spreading does point to Samantha being the first to strike, though I’m hearing words about something else maybe causing that…” he couldn’t really go pointing that someone else was the cause of it, but from how Samantha normally seemed to act, her’s were unwarranted and uncalled for, and there were plenty of mind benders around the campus, even Mitch had affected him at one point. ”Still, most of the blame points to Gianna simply because her retaliation was...inexcusable...though not unforgivable, given time and perhaps if there was less tension between both sides. Regardless, Samantha’s actions are also inexcusable, she certainly proved that with her ‘No Villains Allowed’ Party.” He chuckled a little, “For a hero who’s supposedly as smart as she is, she’s quite dense to the outcome her own actions caused. There is certainly a lot of malice flowing within her, for as cheerful as she might appear to others.”

Ellie opened her mouth but nothing came out. Closing it, she decided to choose her words carefully. She was truly curious about this, but it may come off as prying. Staring at Elijah’s face, she brought her hands down and clasped them together on her lap. “Um. This may be a personal inquiry and you do not have to answer but… Gianna’s lover died in the fire, right? I’m not totally oblivious with school gossip.” Playing with her fingers, her eyes trailed to the ceiling, “I’m sure you all lost something or someone of importance that day. It seems like Gia was hurt the most… I may have never lost someone that close to me before but don’t you think people are being a bit careless? Everyone is acting like the fire never happened…” She didn’t know if she was making sense but from what she’s heard, saw, and being a girl who tries to mask her emotions herself, she wondered whether or not people realized how mindless they were being. Surely Gia wasn’t the only one emotionally wounded by the fire, was she?

Eliana had a point and Elijah considered her words carefully, inhaling deeply before responding, ”Vincent...he was a good friend...a valuable ally, and yes, he was Gia’s lover, more than even.” As to the fire...a realization had dawned on him, ”Do you believe they are being careless? Or intentional? I’d like to ask you something,” he leaned forward with intent, ”When was the last time you heard about the fire from anyone? How frequently?” he let her think a moment before continuing, ”Now when was the last time you heard about the school’s feud? How frequently?”

Biting her lip gently, she thought about what he was asking and then replied, “Student body-wise… the night my feud started with Lucas, a month ago. I did a terrible thing to him… I would say he deserved it, but no one deserves what I did to him.” They were interrupted by the waitress who brought their food and asked if they needed anything else. Ellie shook her head ‘no’ and stared at her pancakes before continuing, “Prior to him… offending me, I was in the library and I heard a group of girls talking quietly about the fire, one sobbing.” Grabbing her fork and knife, she slowly carved her pancake to pieces. “Staff wise, I overheard my mom talking to Ms. Petrescue about it a week ago. Little things, I guess.”

Reaching for the syrup she made a puddle on the edge of her plate, since she was one to dip her pancake not drown it. Grumbling when she thought about the school feud, she added, “Feels like everyday kids are talking about their differences with the ‘other’ school.”

”Exactly,” he leaned back into the booth again, grabbing his utensils as he began to delicately cut into the meat. Though he could still see things, he generally tried to be careful with what he was eating. ”Though fresh in our minds, the fire is more of a distant memory than the battles the students wish to wage against one another, and I fear it may only become more distant with what’s happened. Whether we’d like to admit it or not, a war is coming.” he pulled a piece of the steak to his mouth, chewing it and swallowing before resuming, ”We really should be sharing in our similarities, after all, we’re all fucking broken, one way or another.” His voice spoke more emotion than he intended to, but could anyone blame him? He was getting really sick of all this.

Her eyes perked up with the last comment of Elijah’s. More emotion than she was use to hearing from him since he came off as someone mysterious and monotone most of the time. Contemplating on taking a bite, but not wanting to talk with food in her mouth, she simply held her fork and countered, “The fire may be distant but it is still prevalent in Gianna.” Placing her fork down, she shook her head trying to understand the thoughts coursing in her head. Her voice went down an octave, “I’m still trying to get over the fact that Lucas joked about my sister getting roofied. Why do people assume someone like Gianna, who seems like a person who understands love more than anyone else… I mean, come on. She’s called ‘Cupid’s Psyche’ for a reason... Can get over Vincent’s death just like this?” She snapped her finger to emphasize that people expected others to get over their demons a lot faster than they were capable of doing. Her mind was heated with this conversation and her daring questions went loose, “Have you ever lost someone, Elijah?” she let the question settle in before continuing, “Don’t answer that. But take a moment to think about the feud and the fire. The feud has always been there but the fire gave people a reason to act on it. Now let’s look at Gia.”

Her leg moved up and down as she analyzed the situation, “She is the most prominent face of Delphina. She is one of the obvious sides of the feud. But she is also the one who continues to let the fire live on.” Bringing her thumb to her lip, she bit it gently, before continuing, “I don’t know where I’m going with this but… if I was in the same situation as her, I would surely be fighting demons beyond my understanding. I’m sure people like Milo would want me to look at the brightside of things and just get over it, but how is that possible? When everyone is acting like it isn’t a big deal? Like what she’s going through isn’t a big deal? ‘Oh Ellie, just get over it. Your sister had it coming’...” Her voice trailed off to allow him to speak, she just felt like she was rambling now.

He deeply considered her words, ”No..I wouldn’t expect anyone to get over such...feelings or loss so easily. Even now Vincent’s words still haunt me…” he shook his head, attempting to banish the thought, ”That doesn’t excuse the fact that she’s using those negative emotions to lash out at others, she’s being foolish and her actions will only cause more despair to fall on us, ‘my people’.” he emphasized that last point. ”It does make one wonder what that says about ‘your people’ after Samantha’s actions, and I don’t believe she’s lost anyone so dearly in that fire.” He realized the words he was speaking and bowed his head, ”Forgive me, it is easy for the actions of one to cause fingers to point in the actions of the many.” He raised his head up, ”That being said, Gianna is...a difficult individual to deal with in those regards, it’s impossible to make her see the error of her ways...”

Shrugging, Ellie picked up her fork again, obeying her stomach’s yells for food, while saying, “You can talk about Sam however you like, I could careless about her.” She brought a piece of pancake to her lips and chomped on it gleefully. Smiling happily, her mood briefly changing with glee, she covered her mouth while chewing, “This is so good!” Ellie did love breakfast food. Once she finished a couple of pieces of pancake, hoping Elijah didn’t mind the brief pause in conversation, Ellie tilted her head, “Lashing out usually happens if the person feels antagonized or threatened. I’m not trying to excuse Gia, like how I shouldn’t be excused for some of my past actions, but people have a tendency to bring out the worst in us, wouldn’t you agree?”

Elijah’s hand went up to the bruise on his face, rubbing it gently, ”I suppose...I can’t argue with that…” he put his hand back down and went back to his own food, eating it somewhat slowly before speaking again, ”It becomes even more antagonizing when both sides believe they are right in what they believe…”

“Right, wrong, black, white, your people, my people. Humans are quite foolish.” She reached for her water and lifted it in the air, her eyes looking through the glass and to Elijah’s face, “I suppose it’s all about perspective. Sometimes I feel right, but I could be wrong. Sometimes I may do wrong, but it feels right.” Placing her glass back down, she thought outloud, “I guess we all just need to learn to listen to each other.”

Once again Elijah leaned forward with intent, her words were interesting and her aura fell under many shades...he wondered. ”Where do you stand Eliana? I’m not asking about the feud, I’m asking where you feel you personally stand. Your morals seem...conflicted with one another.” He leaned back, taking another bite of his food with him, ”I suppose what I’m really asking is, do you feel you are a hero? Or not?”

A puzzled look fell on Ellie’s face. Not expecting a question like that to come to surface at a date that turned into an intellectual discussion with someone she was growing to respect as a friend. She stood silent. What should she say? Did she feel like a hero? Or was she simply doing it because she was in a family of heroes? Her father wasn’t even fully heroic since his hotel chain was a safe haven for hero and villain alike -- or does that make him more heroic because he wasn’t as bitter toward villains as people like Samantha and Avalon were? Millennium was the one place where supers could push their differences aside and hideout under highly surveillanced protection and enjoy the many amenities it had to offer - the casino and cabaret attachment being the guest favorite. There were more evils out in the world than the obvious villains seeking world domination or some other cliché. Her mother had a rather tough upbringing and it didn’t help that her emotions manifested her into monsters. It always seemed that her family was treading the lines of good and evil. Now her mother demands her daughter to truly test herself and grow into her full capability (for the sake of Eliana carrying out the Lovelace legacy). The way Ellie interpreted her mother’s lessons were control was key. Her family may be labeled as heroes but were they really? Her head was spinning with all these questions she didn’t know how to answer.

Finally, after a long silence, Ellie hesitantly answered, “I stand for…” What do you stand for? “I can’t say entirely myself. Nor can I say entirely for others. All I know is… I want to get better. No, I need to get better. I can’t let--” She cut her words short, and shook her head, “I don’t know, Elijah.”

He could tell his question may have riled her up a little, but he further pressed the question only because he felt...no he knew what she had wanted to say, ”You struggle with something deep within you don’t you? That’s what you don’t just want to get better, you need to.” he paused briefly before commenting, ”Perhaps it is all just speculation on my part, but it goes back to something you said earlier, we all have our demons to struggle with, some, more than others.” He leans back his expression rather serious, ”I can relate, literally.” He felt the surge of power that flowed within him, that spirit that was imprisoned in his own body, the one that gave him his power.

“Do you ever feel like you may forget who you are if you allow yourself to be… careless?” She asked, seeking some sort of comfort. Ellie didn’t know if she was wording her question properly but if Elijah truly understood, she would love to hear how he dealt with it.

Elijah breathed in deeply, looking at his hand, clenching and unclenching it, ”All the time…” he spoke softly. ”There is a reason why I don’t show emotion, why I keep myself collected and calm all the time, why even the slightest slip up, could result in something like Delphina’s destruction happening again. You said you were privy to the campus and its wonderful tales, I’m sure you’ve heard the stories rumors about me.” He lowered his head, taking another bite of his steak before sipping the tea, ”To me, control over my powers is everything, I train, I meditate, I study, and most importantly I don’t let my emotions take control over me, otherwise...I fear for what might come out.”

Nodding to his mention of people pointing the blame on him, she kept quiet and listened to everything he had to say. Once he concluded his statement, she frowned, “It looks like we found another thing in common. Fear of unleashing our full potential.” Eating one more piece of pancake before feeling satisfied, she sighed, “You’re innocent until proven guilty. I do not believe the pyromancer burnt down the entire Delphina campus, killing off someone I can tell both you and Gianna deeply cared about. Yet, that is one easy scapegoat.” The waitress came by to check up on them, Ellie requested boxes and the two checks, though she didn’t necessarily want to leave now. She simply wanted to have everything ready so when they were ready to leave - they could leave without having to wait.

A small smile graced his lips and nodded in appreciation, ”A rather mature statement, one much appreciated. Most of the students would rather burn me at the stake…” Realizing what he just said he frowned slightly and shrugged, ”I don’t actually believe that would be possible though.” He thought for a moment, ”You know, I’ve heard some rather interesting rumors about you, though from the conversation we’re having, I don’t believe the young woman to be sitting before me lives up to the reputation she’s acquired. As you’ve said though, innocent until proven guilty, though I don’t believe the guilty to be possible.”

“Rumors about me?” She inquired, wondering if Lucas leaked information about her diary already.

”Eliana the deviant...those kind of rumors don’t just stay in high school after all. Alas, I believe them to be rather...false, after all deviants don’t tend to show quite the charm you do.”

Her face beamed red. Why was her past catching up with her like this? The feeling of bitterness toward Brenna flooded her but also the torture she went through because of high school. The words. Everyone’s words, rushed through her mind. With a faux smile, she acted like this didn’t hold any importance to her, “Oh that old stuff. That wasn’t a big deal. Nothing for you to be too concerned about. You’re the first guy I’ve ever been on a date with!” Her face dropped. Did she just fucking say that out loud?! Shooting up, she grabbed the checks and quickly murmured, “I’m just going to pay for this at the counter!” Eliana tried to retreat from Elijah, feeling utterly stupid.

The more he watched her flush, the more a smile crept up on his lips, as she attempted to retreat towards the counter, he firmly but gently grabbed her arm. ”I hope you’re not going to pay for everything, like we agreed on, wait a moment...will you?” He reached into his cloak, pulling out a small leather wallet, one of the few modern items he carried and pulled out his portion of the bill, tip included. ”Don’t worry, I was never worried,” he opened her hand, placing the money in it before gently closing it, ”You’re my first date too.” he allowed himself to give her a comforting smile and leaned back in his seat, ”I’ll be waiting.”

As much as his words did comfort her, it also made her blush even more. I’M HIS FIRST?! Holding the money tight in her hand, she walked to the counter, her heart literally dying. She was dying. Oh dear lord. Someone call an ambulance because her heart was racing.



Just as enjoyable as the walk from campus to restaurant was, the walk back was just as enjoyable. It was...an interesting feeling, to speak with this girl, she didn’t seem nearly as reserved as some of the rumor let on, in fact she seemed like a perfectly normal girl, aside from her powers. More small talk ensued, just minor babbling between the two, and yet for as normal as it sounded, he thoroughly listened to her words, commenting where he felt it necessary or reacting to it as needed. Their journey once again brought them back to the fountain, he simply stood before her, quiet and contemplative.

”I think brunch was...enjoyable, I appreciated your company.” He smiled softly before asking, ”Will I get to see you again?”

Her heart fluttered when he wanted to see her again. The wind blew her curls slightly to the side, as she nodded with a serene smile, “I’d like that.”

Despite having missed the party, Lucas was incredibly up to date with the events that transpired. His outburst didn’t seem to have hit the radar, which was good. Though he figured it was because Gianna had become the biggest bad-ass in Delphina. And now everyone knew it. The Delphina Times was the miracle child of the wonders of technology. With camera’s everywhere and 3G internet, gossips and talks travelled faster than the speed of light. An innocent kiss behind a corner to a Mayweather? Spotted. Getting bullied by Delphina? Seen. Hanging out in a bar with a real villain? Juicy.

But now the front page was conquered with one name. Gianna. Delphina’s Diva. The story was scandalous enough to force the admin to write a story her/himself. Aptly named: Delphina’s Diva vs Mayweather’s Mother. The article was short, but spoke with the prose of a Shakespearean play. With minimal words it described in great detail the events that transpired. Nicely joined with pictures proving what happened. Behind the front page the forums had exploded with both videos and pictures of Avalon and Will kissing. With plenty of comments stating “I knew it.” Or any variation of that.

No way Lucas would let this fly over his head. Avalon and Will kissing, eternalized in a picture and now immortalized on the internet. First the diary, then Brenna’s talk and now this. Well, it must be Lucas’ lucky day. No way it could get any better. Well, maybe it would. Should Delphina host a “villains only party” and actually succeed at keeping the other faction out. But he decided not to tempt fate, or half the school’s hangover. Then Gianna’s text arrived. Surely some divine being must have been smiling at him. The shortness, combined with location they were supposed to be meeting made his heart beat just a little harder. Was it really going to start? Have the cogs finally started to move? Yes. Lucas fully believed that both sides were now pushed far enough. War was inevitable, it had always just been a question about when.

He opened his closet, which he managed to get back somewhat in one part and picked out his leather jacket. For years he thought he wouldn't need it. At least not until he graduated. But all that changed after the fire. He never took it with him to Delphina, but this year was an exception. The jacket still fitted him nicely. With a confident look he walked out of the dorm building. Sending a few texts to his mates. Telling them to get ready for some real fun.

Brenna was in the Control Room, taking her conflicted emotions out on a very worn out punching bag, when she'd gotten the text. Hair drenched with sweat, lungs gasping for a reprieve from the rigourous excercise she'd just been giving them, she walked over to the bench where her phone lay and read the text. Despite everything that had happened, her outburst at James and the rather confusing gesture from Lucas at the end of their most recent conversation, she grinned.

The woods had always been reserved for Gia's more important conversations, and she could pretty easily guess what had brought this one about. Gia's actions last night, while deliciously amazing, wouldn't be without repercussions. They were gearing up for war, and Gia was calling her council. She let Gia know that she'd be there, not that it needed saying. Brenna always answered the villainess' call, no matter the time or the place.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Brenna walked calmly across campus, towards the woods. Her shoes crunched the dead leaves to powder as she trekked towards the shack, a wicked grin plastered across her face. She reached the shack, seemingly before the others, and stood outside waiting for someone else to arrive. As much as she hated to admit it, the place gave her the creeps. She stood there, looking for Lucas and Gia, secretly hoping it was Gia who arrived first. She didn't know if she was ready to face Lucas on her own, not after the moment that they'd shared back in her dorm. God damn it Luke, why'd you have to mess with my head like that?

The wait, as much as Gianna needed time alone, was nettlesome. The jog hardly calmed her nerves down and on her way to her destination, her pheromones had caused an emotional break up between two long term sweethearts, a cat fight between three best friends, and the animalistic act of a group of squirrels mauling each other’s faces off. Releasing that much power but using her will to hold it back from striking the pathetic excuse of a villain wasn’t an easy feat. If she was an underclassman, Mitch would not be the happiest person for quite a while. If anything, he would have succumbed to depression and be useless for a long, long time. There’s a reason Gianna uses her ability to affect the entire field rather than one person. An extreme of any emotion could get someone killed if they didn’t have a saving grace to lessen the blow.

While she waited for the only people she felt worth trusting, she entered the shack and explored it. Surrounded by darkness, with light gleaming in through the cracks and the window, Gia walked to the back and ran her hand on the wall where there were small carved words that said: I love you…

Her eyes trailed down the wall and to a wooden plank on the ground: … like crazy. Her face stood stoic, her heart chose not to feel. With the amount of encounters she had, with people trying to fix her, Gia couldn’t feel. Vincent was long gone and everyone’s words constantly reminded her of that. Bending down, she searched for the hole in the ground and used that to lift the plank. There was a small tin hidden away. Her ears perked with the sound of crunching leaves. Putting the plank back in its place, she stood up and quietly made her way back to the open archway without a door. Staying within the darkness of the shack, she observed Brenna waiting in anticipation. Now all she needed was Lucas.

With music blaring in his ears, Lucas cut through the woods. The war horns have been sounded, and he was sounding them too now. The moment he had put on the jacket, his mind filled with memories of his 18th year. Back then, there was a war going too. Well, it was more of a slaughter. Everyone against Lucas ended up bruised and grazed. Getting kicked off your bike never feels particular good. Accompanied with the memories came the feelings. The feeling of utter power coursing through your vein. The might he held in his hand as, with one name, he could destroy a person. It made him feel nostalgic, and nostalgia is best accompanied by music. It had been years since Lucas last listened to his electronic metal. The synthetic sounds pulled him back, clawed at his feelings and dragged them back into the abyss. With long, powerful strides he was nearing the shack. But he stopped moving when he saw Brenna. He shouldn’t be surprised, of course Gianna would call her too. Yet still, he was. And it was easy to see as he stopped dead in his tracks, with the music in ear fighting against the pull that was the Ice Queen.

Oh hell Brenna thought as Lucas strolled up and stopped dead in his tracks. As nervous as she was about seeing him, she couldn't help but grin. He was clearly surprised to see her. "You didn't think I'd miss out on this little meeting, did you? she asked, tucking a loose strand of her raven hair behind her ear.

She mentally scolded herself. Here she was, so nervous after that moment in her dorm, and now she was only encouraging such behavior, flirting with Lucas like some seventeen year old high schooler who couldn't control herself. Did she need to have people wanting her that bad? Based on her actions, everything from the hair tuck to the way she looked at the Delphina like he was her next adventure, the answer seemed to be yes. Brenna Lancaster, you're playing a very dangerous game

Lucas was pulling out his earpieces out of his ears as Brenna gave the comment. Two very different thoughts flashed through his mind. The way she acted, the way she looked. He wanted her! The other thought was much stronger, though. She got too much influence over him already. She made him feel things he knew would be a weakness in the coming weeks. He could grow soft. For an instant, he jammed his left earpiece back in. The sudden loud bass triggering his fight-or-flight reaction. Pushing adrenaline through his veins. This was who he was. No emotions, no deeper feelings. He pulled it back out and paused the music. His startled vision turned cold and neutral. “Should have known.” A short answer, but his heart did yelp a little because of it. He hoped it wouldn’t fight him the entire time they were here. “Gianna here yet?” He tried to change the subject from anything awkward.

After getting her allies a moment to acknowledge each other, Gianna crept out of the shack with steps of an inbred assassin, “Of course I’m here.” Her aura was nothing they knew Gia to be. The power emanating from her body could be felt from where they were standing, a lurking darkness followed her every step, and her brown orbs held a heavy gravity that would push all jokes aside. Lifting her hand to prevent them from moving anywhere but where they standing, she muttered, “Stay.” It was obvious Gianna’s mood wasn’t the best and that she was still gathering her pheromones from ruining everyone’s day. She didn’t need to hurt two of the closest people to her. Her hair which was held up by a band flew with the passing breeze. The whistle of the wind, the critters in the trees and the ground, and the silence of the morning surrounded them.

Crossing her arms, she locked eyes first with Brenna – letting it linger for an unsettling second that felt like a minute – and then Lucas, allowing her lips to pull up in a malicious smirk, that would bring chills to the back of their spines, “Before I tell you both anything. I’d like to ask you something.”

Taking a step closer, but making sure she was enough distance away from them so they wouldn’t feel a sudden desire to kill or be killed, she lowly inquired, her tone making anyone, who wasn’t use to this woman that stood before them, tremble in fear, “How far would you go? Not just for me, but for yourself. Are you willing to risk your heart? Your life?” She let the question settle in – they truly needed to consider where they stood in this moment. Things were no longer safe and Gia wanted to know if they were prepared for the worst.

Lucas took a deep breath, examining the woman that stood before him. He knew Gianna for a long time, yet part of him couldn’t recognize the person that stood before him. She was so serious, so dangerous. He could smell it in the air, the fresh smell of a storm approaching. Yet, it felt strangely invigorating. As if the smell danced with his monsters inside. No way would the end results of whatever Gianna had planned for either of them be healthy. But Lucas was never one for health. The many scars, and now the bandages he still hid under his long sleeves, were a testament to that. How far would he go? He wasn’t really sure. He never walked all the way to his line. He never went out to find it. But he had wandered far and wide before. He had hurt people until they bled and even now he was willing to tear a girl’s heart to shreds just to achieve his goal. Yet, how much was he willing to sacrifice of himself.

Dying for her seemed such a distance thought. It was the question of heart, which really made him think. He wished he couldn’t remember, but the truth was that memories were starting to catch up with him. Even the jacket was a relic from long ago. And long ago, his heart was ripped out of his chest and laid bare for his old school to witness. If only for a moment. He knew how much it hurt. Worse, he knew that nothing had ever hurt him more than that. Would he go that far again, for Gianna? In doubt, his head hand wandered to look down at his jacket. Seeing the stains on his left side. The spots were distinctly different. Long and runny. For a moment, he was doubting. He looked back up at Gianna, and then his mind was flooded by the memories of the past 2 years. How Vince and her had taken him in. A mere boy. How she raised him up, becoming what he was now. What he was supposed to be and forever remain. “I’m in.” he said, clear and serious. “All the way. Ask me to go down, and I will. But not before I tore down Avalon and Sam.” And Eliana, he mentally added. But from all he heard, it seemed like the girl wasn't involved in anything. Yet.

Brenna's eyes scanned her mentor, the girl who'd taught her everything she knew about being a villain. The power emanating from her was frightening, and it was all the Ice Queen could to stay calm. She couldn't lose her cool. She knew this was just Gia's pheromones, a residual effect. But Gia's question caused her heart to beat faster, and that she knew wasn't the pheromones.

Was she ready to sacrifice her heart or her life for this fight? She'd long since come to believe that she was without a heart, at least metaphorically. But her life? Well, she didn't think it would ever come to that. But even if it did, she knew that she would. Gia had turned her from a small, weakling of a freshman, into her right hand woman, someone who others feared. Brenna owed everything to Gia. She met Gia's brown eyes, and nodded. "Of course I'm in. I don't have a whole lot to lose, if you think about it," she said, her heart beat speeding up in anticipation for whatever Gia said next.

Listening to her companions, Gia gave them a nod of appreciation, “Good, because if you hesitate, you will fall.” Leaning against the ruined shack, she sighed, “Let’s get straight down to business, shall we?” And without further ado, the woman of many thoughts unleashed an abundance of information to them, “I’m sure you two are caught up with the potential consequences of last night. I don’t think I need to say that people are aiming a gun at me, but they are.” She rolled her eyes at the childish antics of her enemies, “Samantha has officially declared war and Mitch is her bitch boy. I won’t go into the incident this morning, but I do suggest you two to keep an eye on those you ‘trust’. Every move you make from now on, needs to have a reason. One wrong play and everything you hold dear is gone.”

For the first time in Brenna’s and Lucas’ lives, Gianna was laying out most, if not all, her cards, “We’re not going to cause bloodshed, not yet.” Her gaze immediately went to Lucas when she said that before continuing, “We can save that for the tournament, but I do want you to look at this beyond a war between two schools. This is no longer that simple, it never was.” Pushing off the shack, she prowled around them, every word holding tremendous power and meaning, “Part of Sam’s weakness is she sees this as black and white. Lucky for her, people do not see her as a threat. I have no doubt there are factions around the school. One that Klaus is most definitely leading, and one of those who want nothing to do with this feud but will get swindled in no matter what.”

Stopping in her tracks, still a distance away from them but in a position where both Lucas and Brenna could look at her from the same reach, Gianna expressed the main task at hand, “I want you to help me paint a map of this war, whose standing where, whose looking where, what each and every side is capable of.” She knew what she was saying was a job that would take more than just a day and potentially with more people’s assistance who chose to be on Gia’s side, may it be for temporary or for the long run, but this had to be done if they were to succeed. “Even those who have chosen a side could never be truly dedicated. That includes you two.” She paused, her face expressing that she was okay if they ever chose to step down, “At the end of the day, we are all out for ourselves but if we could find people who share some mutual understanding, we can achieve goals beyond compare.” Her way with words were truly something. There was a reason why she was respected and feared. There was a reason why people couldn’t help but either love her or hate her. Gianna was someone who thought about things most people wouldn’t even consider thinking about and now she was handing her racing thoughts to two people that without a doubt, she trusted. Trust was not easily attained by someone like her.

“People are fragile things but together, we can be unstoppable. I doubt Sam treats ‘her people’ with the amount of respect I do. The threads that connect us with each other can easily be severed if you do not know how to maintain the friendships you have. This has turned into a game of wits and wagers. Before I continue, I would like you to tell me where you think some people you’re connected to stand. I’d say we could write this all down but at this point, I do not think it’s worth leaving such information lying about for someone to take as their own. I trust you can remember everything from this point on.”

Gia's words hit Brenna hard. They were heavy, intense, and they further clued her in to the fact that this was no longer a game. They weren't going to be pranking each other. Both sides were out for blood. If Brenna had doubted that even slightly, she no longer did. Gia had convinced her, and she'd done it well.

As Gia proposed that they figure out who was looking which way, Brenna's brain went to work, gears spinning, mapping out each and every one of her relationships. It took her a moment, but once Gia was finished with her speech, she began rattling off the list of people she knew, and which side they were most likely on.

"Kayla is on our side, at least I think. You may need to do some damage control there, but I'm confident she'll help us, as long as we keep her on the edge of our plans. Our favorite kissing couple is obviously going to side with Samantha, anyone could tell you that. Since you mentioned Klaus, I wouldn't count on him. That creep is only out for himself. And James...he'll be with us. I promise,"

Up until then, she'd nearly forgotten about James. She hadn't spoken to him since last night, and now the battle lines were being drawn. She'd need to speak to him, get him on her side. Otherwise...well, if he was on the other side, she'd have to drop him. That would really be the only option. She couldn't be torn between two sides, that wouldn't do. Not in this war.

Mitch under Sam’s rule. The thought filled Lucas with fear. Mitch was one of the strongest mind controllers on campus. Lucas himself fully knew just how much Mitch could do. If he wanted it, he could set up their entire gang against each other. Having him not on Delphina’s side felt nearly impossible. He knew he would have to talk to him. After all, Mitch was his friend. The idea that they were now, officially, at war exhilarated him. So it had begun. Mayweather loaded a gun, cocked the hammer and put the barrel against the peace, and expected Delphina not to pull the trigger. Naïve and stupid and above all else: dangerous.

No blood until the tournament. Gianna had to know what that means to Lucas. She should know what that did to him. She gave him the promise of blood. The date he could look forward to. For a week now his beasts inside would be howling like wolves at a full moon. She just unchained them, with calling it a war. Yet kept them in the cage still. Starving them from the violence they so much desired. The tournament would be bloody and violent and absolutely without mercy. Worse, from then on the nights would no longer be safe. Their bullying would get worse, and much more physical. Wounds would be common, as would pain. Nasty gossips would be spread, some made up, some reaped from discovered secrets.

“I’ll handle Keats.” Lucas chimed in after Brenna. To his knowledge, Keats wasn’t 100% behind Gianna yet. But the guy was excellent material. Willing to go far and he was still loyal to Lucas. He still kept silent about Eliana. The project was far too vital. He wasn’t sure if Gianna had shared with Brenna, but he very much doubted it. Mentally he made a note to talk to Gianna about that. If Eliana ever turned around, Brenna would have to be ready. Informed. But if she knew about Lucas’ plan now, she might stand against it.

Staying silent, Gianna listened to them carefully. All those they brought up, she already knew. But Brenna and Lucas must not take their time. Everything they needed to do would need to be done in half the time it would usually take. First, she directed her words to Brenna, “Samantha, and most of the Mayweathers for that matter, do not give Kayla enough credit. She is the daughter of Dr. Brennan Styles, whose intelligence in robotics and cybernetics is rather imbecciable. The fact that she jumped in front of me when Samantha was going to strike with lightning, even with only knowing me for a day, makes me respect her far more than any hero. She would jump in front of a bullet for her friends. Would the other heroes do the same?" She let the question linger in the air before adding, “Kayla might be more hero than her entire school put together, but like you said, we have the upperhand. Since I have no doubt she wants to hear an explanation from me, I will see what's on her mind and where she stands. As long as her classmates continue to make her feel insecure, she'll run to us."

Brenna nodded in understanding at Gia's words. She was right, of course she was. Still, Brenna didn't truly trust Kayla, not as much as Gia seemed to. She had no doubt that the girl would help them, at least for a while, but how quickly would she turn over to the Mayweathers once they decided they wanted her for their own? Kayla could end up being one of the most important players in the game, and Brenna knew, they'd have to make sure they held on to her.

Gia's eyes trailed to Lucas, her too thinking bringing Eliana's name up would not be the smartest since the Lovelace girl wasn't someone people would think could be converted like Gia did, so instead she mentioned her friends, “Lucas, investigate Milo Ushkowitz, Jessica Sterling, and Allen Hops. The first two I have no doubt will fight against us, regardless who their leader is. Benny, on the otherhand, might be convinced... since you both carry a common interest." Gianna hoped she didn't need to be literal with saying all three of these individuals have been around his 'project'. Lucas wasn't that simpleminded. She had eyes and ears nearly everywhere, but this was her own skill of observation. Eliana's favorites spots on campus was by the large cherry blossom tree, in the control room letting out some steam, and her top, the grand library. All where Gianna had seen her chat with these three a couple of times.

Lucas put up a grin. Investigating Milo. Well, that was something he was actively looking forward to. The little boy was nothing but an insect. For a time Lucas would have thought the bug would try to retaliate. First out of courage, later maybe out of fear and after a month he was expecting Milo to strike out with real force with the misguided idea that when you stand up against a bully just once, they'll stop. When he found the kid in the hallway yesterday, he was ready for a confrontation, though Milo seemed to have different plans. The kid really was as weak as he looked. Jessica, on the other hand, he did not know. Which meant she was a potential danger. Even more so now when Gianna told him to investigate her. Lucas had seen her glaring from time to time. But she never moved against him. Why? That, combined with what her powers were, he had to find out. Benny was a boy he would have brought in regardless. At least, before the war. He wasn't entirely sure if the trickster was up for the challenge now. Never the less, at the mention of their common interest, Lucas mentally put Benny back on his list. What surprises would the freshman pull out of his hat this time? "Will do." he dutifully answered.

Now it was her turn to mention the names she was connected to. Her dangerous edge was coming to a calm but her cogs were still very much turning, as she went back to circling around them, “Both you and I, Lucas, will keep Jackson in the dark and if we can, on our side. He thinks he slept with me. Did he? No, not at all. But, he likes me, and we will both use that to keep him away from siding with Sam. Sideless is better than nothing. Using that means he will follow his own moral code, which could very well lead to him standing next to me." She wanted them to use people's emotions against them. There was no expectations of converting the entire school but if each and every one of them manipulated the moral code of certain individuals: made them question themselves, made them care about them, and made them see things more for themselves rather than for someone like Samantha, the ball would be in their park. For now, the ball was flying in the air and heading downward toward her nemesis. She wanted to catch it before it got to her.

"I'm not sure how long he'll stay in the dark though." Lucas had to comment. If memory served, and it did now, then whatever was following wouldn't be pretty. Worse, it would be very hard to miss. "Keeping him confused, though, that's a safer path. He lusts for you or he loves you. I'm not sure he knows the difference yet. Top that up that he very well knows that siding with Sam will mean constant torment with the safest place, our room. Keeping him undecided won't be too hard if he uses his common sense."

"Sam plays on the emotions of Mayweather. But that won't last forever. We, on the other hand, offer protection." Lucas smiled at that. Plotting ideas already for retaliation. Sam or Avalon would be stupid enough to go after one of his friends, that much he knew. He just had to wait. Once they gave him an excuse, the night would turn really dark. "And other... advantages." he grinned at Gianna. Certainly there were practical plusses to Delphina. Colouring outside the lines, while not publicly allowed, was silently very much encouraged. And how to do it better than in group? But the real advantage would be Gianna's beauty, and the feeling of want she instilled in mens' hearts.

Gia winked at Lucas, getting his drift, before bringing up her next topic, “I do want us to find someone who can get close to Avalon and Will. After what I did last night, their relationship has to be rocky - especially with their darling Sam. I can believe Avalon was already forgiven by Samantha but that doesn't change the fact that her two close friends knew each other longer and made delicious love on the dancefloor. Kayla could potentially be someone we use to infiltrate that... but I do not know if she is emotionally strong enough to handle such a task unknowingly. Perhaps the new transfer, Minako Slater. I'll see what I can do there." A lot of her plans would take thorough thought. Trial and error was not an option. The last thing she wanted was the girl that brought the worst emotions out of her to be siding with the bitch that wanted to kill her. That was one person Gianna would not let out of her sight.

Everything was coming together so well. It was clear Gia had thought this through, which made Brenna feel much better about being on this side. Not that she wouldn't have been on it anyways. She'd follow Gia to hell and back, that much was clear to everyone that knew her. Whether she had a plan or not was irrelevant. "Will, will be the easiest to separate from Sam. She just needs to move against us, and be a bit too ruthless. Avalon's a zealot, she'll be in this fight to the bitter end, if only to see us lose. But Will, he can at least be persuaded to go neutral," she said, offering up any knowledge she had about her fellow sophomores.

“Good, let's all sway Will, by any means possible." Gia nodded to herself, happy that everything was coming together, “Elijah won't side with anyone but he will protect me up until he's forced to make an attack against us. We have time until then. Do not worry, so long as he continues to care about Vincent..." Gia said her dead boyfriend's name without it affecting her like it use to, the name that use to make her quiver and cry, she said it with no emotion. “...He'll care about me."

Brenna raised her eyebrows in surprise at the mention of Vince. Well, not so much that Gia said his name, more that she wasn't a mess now. Vince had always been a sore subject, and now suddenly, she could say his name without bursting into tears? The only conclusion Brenna could come to, was that Gia was stronger now, that the previous night had built a shell around her. She'd conquered her demons, in the form of Vince's death. What would stop the three of them from conquering Mayweather?

This was not okay. Not by far. She barely ever said the name 'Vince'. Even when she did, it was often loaded with emotions. Now, she felt cold. Distant. Did she manage to take a step away from the painful memory? No, it went too far. there were no emotions in her voice. No trembling. Not even a little. Had she gone cold over the memory? Lucas had feared it, in his deepest nightmares. The ones only Eliana could induce. It wasn't the first of the night but never the less it felt nightmarish and horrible. His eyes that burned with fire just a moment ago now looked like a worried dog. Looking at his keeper, trying to understand what happened. There was genuine concern in his eyes. Something now only Gianna could awaken within him.

“Brenna, I'd like you to focus your eyes on the ones we haven't mentioned, the ones in the shadows. Keep close to Klaus' operations because I do believe he's cooking something up. Let my Little Birdies know that their watch is most imperative now than ever. You will be my main eyes." Her plotting was coming near a close.

Stopping once more, Gia looked at both of them with geniune care in her stare, “Do whatever you see fit to whomever and whatever. Just because I gave you tasks doesn't mean you need to solely focus on them and do exactly as I say." Gia briefly locked eyes with Lucas. She knew he begged for violence. He was violence incarnate. That being said, she wanted him to put thought behind his actions before he smashed someone's face in. “Take care of your connections first, but do not put your guard down, not for a second. The moment you show weakness is the moment they will trample over you."

Stepping backwards, Gianna Daniels, Cupid's Psyche, and Queen of her own, crossed her arms, and warned, “Look out for each other. All eyes are on us." Many were planning to make an attack against her and she knew that meant Lucas and Brenna were being aimed at. “I'd like us to meet at least twice a week, keep your phones close." Gia ended her scheming with a short, “Are we clear?"

"Clear as water." Lucas said, ready as ever. His heart fluttered in a wicked sense. It felt so ready, so energized. Yet Lucas had his orders, and he wouldn't stray from them. Yet, for a week, he'd have to entertain his violent side. Targets, he would start picking his targets. No random raids. That worked a long time ago but now he had to work more refined. Back in high school he knew he was the biggest, the strongest and the baddest. But now he wasn't the best anymore. He'd have to go about it smart. Like Gianna said yesterday morning. She wanted him to think back then, so no doubt she wanted him to think even more now.

Show no weakness It dropped a brick in Lucas' stomach. He was weak, no 24 hours ago. And worse, someone must have seen him. He, she or they had seen him weak. Wounded. His fingers twitched for a second, reminding him he was injured. Nobody should know, and nothing had been made public. Maybe someone waited for it. The perfect blackmail material against a top lieutenant of Gianna. That would be a mistake, Lucas did not take blackmail very well. Still, should he tell Gianna he might be compromised on that front? His eyes lingered in hers as she was looking at Brenna. No, she had far too much on her mind right now.

"Crystal," Brenna said, a wicked grin on her face. She already knew where she'd have to go first. James. She couldn't let him end up on the wrong side of this fight. Maybe she cared about him, maybe she liked to have him as a pet, whatever it was, she knew what she had to do.

After James, she could infiltrate Klaus, though that would take a bit of work. Most likely she'd need to get someone else to do it for her, seeing as how anyone working against Gia, wouldn't dare let her into their ranks. That would be suicide. She'd have someone else infiltrate Klaus' little band of racists, and then she could focus on getting info from the rest of Gia's little spys. Her work would have to be done in the shadows, she knew that much. Lucas would be far better at recruitment than she, and no one would ever trust her enough for her to make a viable spy. No, she'd have to be sneaky, and make it impossible for anyone to trace anything back to them. The Ice Queen couldn't wait.

The morning to afternoon of their jam sesh had been pretty lax. They played many a song, acquired a few listeners, even got the priveledge of playing to the young Lovelace, who Hugo gave a wink to as she passed on by. But now, he and his brutha were sittin' in a tree smokin some of that fine kush, spliff style. That was the plan, until Hugo caught a glimpse of Gianna Daniels jogging across campus and some rather strange phenomena happening in her wake. It wasn't long until he saw the two individuals she stayed the closest with follow her path, minutes apart sure, but they looked just as determined as she. Curiousity got the best of Hugo Moreau, and boy, did curiousity really trip the cat's balls.

Leaving Kymani behind, Hugo hopped from tree to tree, a quiet puff as he teleported from branch to branch, following Lucas who's mind was too focused on the music playing in his head to notice the French Rasta keeping a close pace on him from above. When Lucas finally began to slow, so did Hugo and he found that his trail had lead him to Brenna as well as Gianna. Maybe it was just the trees talking, but there was a look in Gianna's eyes that spelt death, and it had Hugo scared, an emotion he didn't normally feel. He listened closely to their conversings, Samantha, Avalon, Gianna, Brenna, Lucas, others, Mayweather and Delphina....war. Maybe things weren't as they appeared to be, but if everything he just heard and was hastily writing down in his journal were true, then war was coming, not just hapless and harmless pranks, but blood would be spilt.

....'I have to go tell Sam'... And without a second thought, he promptly turned and hopped once again from tree to tree, a quiet puff of smoke without a trace.

Lucas’ knuckles couldn’t stop tingling as he walked out of the woods. Following his usual path. Staying away from Brenna and Gianna. The three of them leaving would surely rouse suspicion. Well, each going and coming out of the woods itself was already ground for investigation probably. Gianna would probably setup the next meeting somewhere else. Right when he got out of the forest, Lucas got a text. He expected one of his little birdies. Giving him something sweet and juicy that would make him smile mischievously. What he got made his blood boil. Lovelace and Masterson. The filthy traitor! Lucas had to keep himself in check so he didn’t throw his phone against a nearby tree. How could the pyromancer betray Delphina!? With Lovelace no less! The girl had no right such thing. She had no right for that kind of happiness.

He got Eliana’s number a long time ago. After she brought him low the first time. It was surprisingly harder to get than most other numbers he had of his victims. The girl was definitely more closed off. Still, sometimes people needed your number. And those people were always so keen on giving it away what it could save them from certain torment.



Lucas very much doubted that Eliana had his number, so she wouldn’t see who sent it to her. Masterson would have to see reason. Or he was playing a particular devious game. Still, Lucas doubted that. For as long as he could remember, Elijah strayed away from people. Even when he first arrived at the school. Lucas very much wanted him in his band, but never succeeded. Say what you will, but the guy was powerful. He then looked at the caller-ID of whoever sent him that pic. James. Well thanks James. Lucas thought. You’ve provided me a great service. But I need you for one thing more.

To: James
Thanks mate! I owe you one.

Owing Lucas Farweight one. Could the little Freshman fully grasp what that meant? Lucas guessed not.

How can one describe Eliana's little sister, Jenivieve or Jenna for short? Someone who doesn't give a damn and knows very well she's a wealthy socialite whose father is the current CEO President of Millennium Hotels, which may be one of the largest hotel brands in the world, aside from Hilton. Unlike her sister, who is more a subtle beauty that many people overlook, Jenna was blessed with a BIG personality and knew her 'talents' were exquiste. She has yet to discover her powers but that's okay, she can get her way simply by being herself. Standing at 5'2", Jenna is a walking fashion statment and will let you know she's a force to be reckoned with the moment you lay eyes on her.

Currently walking the school grounds of Mayweather beside her rather intimidating mother, Jenna wore a silver dress that shimmered under the day light, thin black nylons, and summer velvet heels. Her look would contrast Ellie completely because she was not afraid to stand out, and boy did she. The reason why she wore this dress in particular was because she had a birthday party to attend to in the evening, but knew she wouldn't have time to get ready after this little school adventure.

Mrs. Lovelace was in professional wear, something her students were use to seeing her in. A white blouse, a black pencil skirt, nylons, and booted heels (minus her suit jacket, which she left in her 2016 Rolls-Royce Phantom). The way these two women held themselves with such power, confidence, and influence could make anyone that glanced over shake. There was no doubt that these two, that strided down the pavement with precison and purpose, came from wealth and were related. They were nothing like how Eliana carried herself, who preferred avoiding the limelight and people in general.

Jenna held a large leather duffle bag, which was surely designer brand. Her mother had to attend a staff meeting in the teacher's lounge and finish a couple of errands in her office (within the Control Room). It was out of convenience for Jenna to come along and drop off her sister's clothes.

Well, the 16 year old, baby-faced blonde, with curls for days, also wanted to hear the juicy gossip, like who her sister's eye candy was! With a kittenish grin plastered on her face, Jenna's green orbs surveyed her surroundings, especially at the many college students walking around. One thing this young teenager was known for was for her damn sensual voice (worse than Gianna), which was currently singing along to Black Sheep, the Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World version of that Metric song. She only had one earbud on (her right, since her mother was on her left), while her ipod rested in her cleavage. With a high, honey-coated, silvery, you-should-be-a-stripper kind of voice, she swayed her hips from side to side and sang to the song regardless of who was around her. There was no shame in her game. Yes, she did have bubblegum in her mouth, and would occassionally blow a bubble after saying a phrase or two. Jenivieve Lovelace was vanity incarnated. This was a good display of her attention seeking personality. Her mother had been talking on the phone with some big shot, caught up with business or something, for the past five minutes.

Lucas caught Mrs. Lovelace passing in the corner of his eye. The last two days he had been endlessly plotting to tear down the daughter. The journal was very insightful but he had to turn plot and knowledge into action. Seeing the mother right now, was once more a gift from whatever gods must smile down on him. He carefully approached the older woman. Despite the fact that she was a hero and Mayweather through and through she did command respect from the Delphina. Not an easy feat. Only when he was close did he notice what he could only describe as a Gianna look-alike. There was a time in Delphina that many girls tried their hands on the Gia-look. And boy, so many had failed so hard. It quite often ended in tears. This girl was one of the better imitations. But she went just a little too far. She screamed daddy issues with her high heels and bubblegum. Clearly, the girl wanted to be the center of attention by simply walking in a room filled with people. Well, it wouldn’t snare Lucas. The girl tried too hard. He just passed her and stopped in front of the teacher. “Mrs. Lovelace! Hi, so sorry to bother you. But I was wondering if I could loan some of your time to oversee me in the Simulation Room.” That wouldn’t do. Politeness was one thing but Mrs. Lovelace was a busy woman. He needed something that would catch her attention. Something that would truly persuade the woman to give in to his request. “I want to beat the Red Level.”

The dreaded Red level. The highest grade of simulation that wasn't off limits (Purple and Black were rarely used in class). It was far from safe. Not even all Seniors passed it, and that wasn’t such a shame. The room pulled from the memories of the person. Using their greatest fears against them. Topped with throwing some of the most brutal enemies there were at you. Lucas wasn’t one-hundred percent sure he’d be able to beat it. But he needed to both blow off some steam and prepare for some real fighting in a week. However, he also had to impress Mrs. Lovelace. And for that, losing would not do.

Staring at this fairly tall man, Jenna tilted her head in curiousity as her mother looked over to the boy and gestured for him to give her a moment. He had a sharp chin, stubbly beard, and looked a bit older than most college students. Blowing a bigger bubble, she listened to her mother end her conversation on the phone, check the time, and then bring her attention to her student, "Even on vacation you want to practice? You should teach Eliana that. Admirable, really." Jenna's bubble popped loudly, making her mother's blue eyes, with a tint of green, glance over, with her resting bitch face, obviously annoyed at her other daughter. They looked at each other for a long moment before Jenna huffed, took out a napkin from her purse, and spat her gum out in it, handing to her mother the crumpled napkin. Balling the napkin in her fist, Mrs. Lovelace gaze softened when her attention was brought back to Lucas, "Meet me in the Control Room in Twenty. I have a meeting to go to, but it shouldn't take terribly long."

“I’d bother you during summer, but my parents kept me quite occupied themselves.” He said with a small laugh, keeping the urge to smile cocky. “Eliana… And me… I suppose we don’t really talk that much. I guess we should. She seems like a formidable opponent. I’d love to spar with her someday.” Two years of lying straight into a principles face, back in high school, gave him something that sometimes resembled a poker face. Right now he truly looked genuine. Though he hoped she wouldn’t observe him for too long. To his luck, the little girl who must be the little sister immediately demanded back attention from her mother. When she told him to meet her in the control room in twenty his heart skipped a beat. Red level. He immediately sent the news to the Delphina Times. In fifteen minutes the post would up. 45 minutes after that the results would be out. If Lucas had beaten the Red Level, especially on an off day, he'd raise even high in notoriety among Delphina. In answer, he simply gave her a confident nod.

Mrs. Lovelace saw a fellow teacher walk by, so she quickly said her last words before dismissing herself, "Jenivieve, take that to her room. I don't know why she needs more clothes, but I suppose that isn't important. No wasting time, we still need to go shopping for this friend of your's. Turning her head back toward Lucas, her stare as intimidating as ever, she nodded, "It's good to see you.' And the teacher walked off to meet up with her coworker.

The smaller blonde looked at the boy that was left with her and finally her sweet voice was released for him to hear, "What grade are you? You're kinda old-looking."

“Junior. And you’re kind of young looking. Freshmen?” Of course not. He knew exactly who he was talking to. Jenivieve Isabel Lovelace. Youngest daughter of the Lovelaces. Loves to drink and party. Got roofied. And must be here now to deliver new clothes to Eliana. He mentally made a note to start praying to whatever god was looking out for him. Cause he was clearly favored. He also reminded himself to hit Jef on the head. The girl wasn't that hot, nor looked so hard to get that it required roofies. “You here for Eliana’s wardrobe?” he asked. Making clear that he knew about the incident. Yet not giving away that he was the reason she was here. He also tried to look as disinterested as possible. To see just how far she’d go for his attention.

Flipping her blonde curls, Jenna led the way while he talked, “Junior in high school.” There was no telling if she was interested in Lucas or not, because she simply carried herself like she was the most important person on campus. It was a small world that he shared the same first name as her father, which gave her a little chuckle. He looked nothing like her daddy. “Obviously. My mother did mention it.” Jenna sassed.

Grabbing her Ipod out of her chest, she turned it off (putting it away in her purse), while explaining, “Some guy sounds really into her so he left a present in her room.” Her blue orbs looked straight ahead as she talked with impressionable nerve that Eliana only showed when she became heated with Lucas, “Pissed her off, but I think it’s kinda amusing. Ellie would need to get hit by a train before she realizes she’s a target of interest, for better or for worse.” She turned onto the sidewalk that led to Old East, “I mean come on! Whoever it was went all out.”

Lucas had to contain a chuckle. Him? Into Eliana? Not for a thousand years. The sun would sooner set in the east than he'd fall for that nightmare of a girl. Still, Lucas noticed the passion in her voice. Heat that he rarely ever saw in Eliana. If her older sister would be anything like this little one, then his job would be far easier. The girl herself began to look a little cocky, though. She was just a sixteen old girl walking around. But she carried herself as if she was princess Diana reborn. No longer able to contain the chuckle, he said: "You really believe the person who did it likes her? Hmmm, guess Elijah ain't the gentleman he appears he is." Lucas never looked at Jenna. It was a probe, to see how much Jen knew. Did she know Eliana was going out with a guy today? She did arrive right when they left, so maybe not. Then again, they were sisters and Eliana seemed to trust Jen enough to deliver her clothes.

While they walked, Lucas' phone suddenly started buzzing and rarely stopped. After he dropped the probe about Elijah, he grabbed his phone and checked his notifications. Seems like the Red Level news spread like wildfire. He couldn't help but grin now.

Approaching the door, Jenna's ears perked with the mention of her sister’s date, and her eyes brightened with intrigue, “I thought you said you don’t talk to my sister much, how did you hear about her date so quickly?” She turned the conversation around before feeding him anymore information. What was this man’s game?

Entering the door, Jenna growled seeing that the elevator was closed for maintenance, “Of course today of all days.” It didn’t help that Eliana’s room was on the third floor. Leading the way after letting out a huff, her heels resounding in the stairway, she waited for the mysterious man to answer her inquiry. Sure this was a school, but would news about who her sister was going on a date with go around that fast? Or was he intentionally trying to get information on Ellie? Jenna wanted to believe the former, but something about him made her think there was more behind his words than a simple man escorting a young girl to her sister’s room.

Hooked. Lucas stifled a grin. Time to reel her in. Slowly though. It was the first time in his life he actually worked on delicacy. “I got ways.” Did she really expect him to answer her question straight away? Foolish little girl. Clearly she didn’t know he was Delphina. He kept somewhat silent on the stairs, mostly because Jenna seems to not have anticipated the broken elevator. Still, right before they climbed the stairs Lucas noted: “Hmmm. Would that be because of yesterday’s party?” He wondered how Jen would receive the idea that there had been a party. More important, would she ask about her sister being there? More probes from Lucas.

There was a party?! And her sister didn’t invite her!? A college party! Jenna could have surely made her mark at Mayweather prior to her acceptance letter (which won’t be given to her until a year or so from now)! Her eyebrows furrowed. She would need to contact Ellie more to find out deats of big college parties. There was no doubt her older sister probably caused social suicide or ended up retreating before the party dropped the bass. Eliana needed to know how to let loose. Next party, the highschooler would surely make it her obligation to attend. The young blonde was not going to show she had no idea about the party so she simply put a smile on, “I do know Ellie had nightly engagements.” Mostly that her room was in shambles and she was going to give the culprit her respects. Her phone buzzed in her purse. A sister date emergency!? While Lucas continued to talk or walk or whatever, she pulled out her phone and glanced over the text.



Jenna did believe her sister when she said this man was ‘talking’ to Milo rather than bullying. It seems that Eliana didn’t want Jenna to know everything about her feud, but would feed her sister some information to stay safe. Staring deeply into the picture, she looked at the man, and then the man that was walking beside her and then back at the picture. Closing her phone, Jenna let her lips rise. He's a Farweight, huh?

“Still. Your sister is an enigmatic one. Are all Lovelaces like that?” He inquired. This time it was an honest question. Though one still filled with a hidden thirst for more knowledge about Eliana. More importantly, more about the people around her. The mother would like him well enough if he beat the Red level. The father didn’t seem to be much around, according to Gianna. Lucas figured that much, the man was busy. The sister was next, but he need to know just a little more about her.

This guy was inquiring about her sister and even knew about her date. Jenna was now fully convinced Lucas liked her sister but was upset that his darling Ellie had romantic feelings for another man named Elijah. Oh this was too juicy! Too good! She would surely write this on her gossip blog (more like fan fiction meets real events) when she got home. The great love triangle! A bad boy falls for a timid, wealthy bookworm! But there’s another. A scholarly man that woos the nerd with his words. Who will win the girl’s heart?! Stay tuned. Her heart was leaping in excitement as the third floor was approaching them. “I don’t know, what do you think about us, Mr. Farweight?” She glanced at him with her wicked green orbs and a devilish grin plastered on her face.

Poker face! Keep the poker face! Lucas’ face managed to not move an inch in surprise. Though internally he was very much taken off guard. His mind pulled itself back together fast enough. Had he underestimated the little girl? The Lovelaces knew the Farweights well enough. But he was rarely in the picture. To his mom’s credit, she never forced publicity on him. And to his blessing, his sister knew very well how to handle the cameras. Still, right now he had to be cautious. Whatever he told now could be used against him. “You didn’t know I was a Farweight until now. Did you?” that much he knew. She didn’t recognize him at all when she asked for his grade. And the only thing that happened between then and now was them walking the stairs. And her checking her phone. Ah, there it was. The source. Only two people could have told Jenna he was Lucas Farweight. Her mother and her sister. Still, he wasn’t about to take a risk on guessing who texted it.

“Did I? or did I not? Now that is a great question. But does it matter whether I didn’t because I do now?” The highschooler was obviously a playful minx who wanted to toy with this man. He wasn’t half bad looking either. Perhaps a bad boy was exactly what Eliana needed to break out of her shell.

“Your mother is a stern teacher. But a just one. Your sister, though… she needs to relax a little. I wonder if the sister is the same..” Another probe. How would she react to the comments about her mother and sister? Hostile? Affirmative? He required a feeler into their relationship. He let the end of his last sentence hang. Making it sound as if he was asking it to someone completely unaffiliated. Still, he needed more on the sister. Her clothes made already clear that she was nothing like Eliana. But he needed to know just how far the differences went.

With a shrug, she sauntered onto the third floor, “Ma’s a bitch. Sis got a stick up her ass. And dad’s a workaholic. Does that give you a dynamic of my family?” Sticking out her tongue, she dropped the duffel bag in front of Ellie’s door and went to the fire extinguisher. Not one to take precautions, nor caring that Lucas witnessed this, she traced her hand on the box and went under it, where a card key was taped. Pulling it off, she showcased it to Lucas, it was Eliana’s spare key, “For only her close friends, like Milo.” Going to the door, she unlocked it and sighed, “Damn kid relies on Ellie too damn much. Did you know my sister can help clear someone’s mind filled with nightmares but not her own? Takes a lot out of her.”

After pushing the door open with her heeled foot, she grabbed the bag and went to Ellie’s side. Once she was done tossing the bag somewhere with little to no care, Jenna went to her sister’s desk and started going through it, searching for something. The youngest Lovelace was definitely entitled for someone with no backing besides her family name. “Ah-ah!” In the bottom drawer, where there was binders and books galore, hid Ellie’s pills. Taking them out, she slapped them on the desk and wrote a letter on computer paper: TAKE YOUR DAMN PILLS. The pills were soporific drugs, which would help her stubborn ass sister sleep. How many days has it been since Ellie got a decent amount of sleep? She was running on a low battery!

“You know.” Lucas began, as he strode towards the far too familiar desk. How did he miss the pills!? “The saying goes: you don’t know what you’ll miss until you no longer have it.” He casually took the pills off the desk. “How about we make her realize what she misses?” with a mischievous grin he swiftly snagged the pen from Jenna’s hand. With a hand motion well trained back from his high school days. Back then it was such a simple, innocent provocation. He scratched what Jen wrote with one long stripe and then wrote under it: ‘You can come and get them. You know where to find me ;)’ Playful and innocent to those who don’t know Lucas and Eliana’s relation. And clearly, Jen didn’t. Or she would have never shown the location of the spare key. He turned around and began to walk back outside. Very satisfied with his discoveries. But then he realized that Jen might not know the entire story of why she was here. He turned around on his heels and faced Jen with his a small grin. With a precise motion grabbed his phone and pulled up the picture of the underwear exhibition from the very same room they were standing, showing it to Jenna. “I just wanted to ask you, did you know your sister had a kinky side?” he said, referring to the more revealing undergarments. One thing he knew about siblings, they loved knowing this kind of stuff about each other. Even if they loved each other. “Maybe Eliana doesn’t have that much of a stick up her ass.” Lucas grinned wildly now. He considered it a ‘thank you’. The girl’s revelations so far have been invaluable.

---

Sitting in a large room that resembled something you would see on shows like Law & Order, a police interrogation room with a one-way mirror, Mrs. Lovelace and her youngest child sat on the more luxurious side (which wasn't visible to Lucas). Their side was a small, darkly lit office, with an intercom system so that her students could hear her voice when she gave them instructions. On the other side of the mirror was a completely white box. Blinding white. One could not see where the entrance door was unless Mrs. Lovelace unlocked it from the control sytems room. Each level had a similar layout where one side was a completely empty room surrounded by nothing but white and its own office that had full control of the objects and visual imagery that goes in this room. Objects like AIs and other robotic drones were hidden away in nooks and crannies within the white box. There were also means of releasing fire, water, and poisonous gases. The room had the ability to change a room from day to night, from winter to spring, and your body would fully believe the experience it was going through. Mrs. Lovelace had the potential of drowning her students, or causing all gravity to cease. She can cut off oxygen or she can fill the room with hallucinogenics. Stimulation rooms, especially of this level, were not something to take lightly. When it came to the Control Room, Cecilia Lovelace was god and she had complete rule of your fate.

Lucas stood ready in the middle of the White Room. He heard that for freshmen it could be quite intimidating, if not flat out disorientating. But Delphina had rooms much like these, and the Power Usage teacher had seen great potential in Lucas. So by the time he turned 19 he was very familiar with these kind of rooms. Even the black jumpsuit, with padding on his knees, elbows and other delicate places felt very familiar. The hexagonal pattern was to enhance visibility of muscle movement. A super-computer would calculate heaps upon heaps of variables, to turn out a technical report of Lucas’ performance. Or at least, that was how Delphina went about things. Lucas had completely forgotten about Jenna in the room next to his. Instead he was now stretching his muscles a little. Which has the pleasant side effect of clearly showing his muscles, especially the full six-pack he was sporting.

"Mommy! Can I give him the greenlight?!" Jenna looked up at her powerful mother with sadistic intrigue. Not saying a word, her mother simply nodded and typed something on a massive sized keyboard. Perhaps preparing something for Lucas?

With a childish grin, Jenna brought her lips to the tabletop microphone and pressed the red button, "Ten seconds and counting~!" A robotic voice started to countdown while Jen continued to squeal on, "Remember, if you're DYING press the button on your belt. Good luck, Mr. Farweight." She said teasingly beforing adding, "Show us why you should be with my sister!"

When Jenna announced the counter had begun, Lucas began to focus on his breathing. The computer generated voice helped him enter his calm trance. The calm before a storm. Lucas knew that the following seconds were vital. So many people couldn’t handle an adrenaline rush. It hit them like a mule. The sudden massive increase in force often left people burned out within seconds. Though with training, Lucas had learned to lengthen the rush. To take the kick and push it back. Above all else, he had learned to keep his mind as clear as possible. Lucas had no intention to press the button on his belt. Everything was ready. He was one-hundred percent prepared for the challenge.

And then Jenna finished her speech. Show her why he should be with her sister!? What the hell was this foolish little high schooler thinking!? A wave of confusion went through him. Destroying the focus he built up so carefully in the past five seconds. “What!?” he managed to say, right before he realized that he had to do it all over again if he was to take the Red level. Or not. Red level was notorious. Not even Seniors passed and there was no shame in that. Maybe some unconventional tactic would do him good? So instead of trying to calm his suddenly surprised heart he just turned to the mirror of the room and flashed a quick wink. “Let it flow.” He whispered to himself.

Cecilia Lovelace looked down at her daughter with a perplexed and annoyed expression, "Don't toy with him. This is not a game." Jenna's hand was still on the mic button, while Mrs. Lovelace brought her attention back to the knobs, switches, and keys, "Your sister doesn't have time to date and I'm sure Mr. Farweight is fairly busy himself."

"Mom! We're young--" Her hand went off the button and there was no doubt that mother and daughter were probably having a small bickerment. Without anymore warnings, the room went completely black.


Oh Mrs. Lovelace. If only you knew what your daughter was doing right now. Lucas grinned a little as he heard that his teacher said to her daughter, clearly forgetting to pull her hand from the intercom. Maybe I’ll enlighten you a little after all this. Despite all Lucas’ cocky, self-confident thoughts, a sliver of fear crept in him. The fact that they gave him an emergency button was proof enough that something really could go wrong. Still, he had no time to worry, nor think about the Lovelaces. The room went dark, and for a second Lucas' eyes tried to get used to the total darkness. Immediately he crouched, making himself a smaller target. Mrs. Lovelace could take away the light from him. But she also betrayed her first challenge. Robots, of course. But not just normal robots. Flying ones, with infra-red target painters. They could easily see in the dark, but that would be their weakness.

Lucas breathe slow, and closed his eyes. Trying to hear the rotors of the drones. When they were clear enough, he knew it was show time. He lifted up his right fist high above him, and called for the Solar force. It engulfed his fist. Like a falling star it shone brightly, with its falling tail engulfing Lucas’ lifted arm. The massive amount of sudden light blinded the robots’ sensors, leaving them temporary blinded, but Lucas knew he just bought himself time. Unconventional. That was what he had to be. Which meant he needed something new. Something he hadn’t done before. Something… instinctive. He made a fist with his left hand, and slammed it hard on the ground. He had called forth for the Blackstar. And it answered. A wave of gravity negating energy engulfed the room for a second. The drone’s rotors primarily served to fight gravity’s constant pull. Take that away, even for but a second, and the drones shot themselves up against the ceiling. A few flashes erupted left and right from breaking batteries. But mostly the drones broke their shells on the hard surface above and came crashing down as darkness dominated the room once more.

Midway in his battle, the scenario changed: The Second Challenge. The Darkness he was trapped in was shifting. Complete and utter darkness. The only sound that could be heard was his heartbeat now. ‘You’re alone, Lucas. No one is around you.’ What was that? Whose voice was that? The robots he had just fought vanished in thin air.

Was what he just went through a teaser? There was a chill that swiftly crawled up his spine. His hands started to freeze, his cheeks began to flush, if he made a move he would surely sink into – ah. It was winter. The sun calmly rose, bringing a different eerie atmosphere to his mind. What is around the dear boy? There he stood in a graveyard surrounded by the gorgeous lush of snow. A graveyard, but why? There were footsteps that lead somewhere.

Do you follow it, Lucas?

A mental aspect. It had to be. Lucas wasn’t dumb. He had read about it. Then again, it felt so real. His mind felt so eager, so ready to slip into this new, strange reality. With whispers in his head. He closed his eyes firm. “This isn’t real. This isn’t real. This isn’t real.” He kept repeating to himself. But it felt so real. As if he was truly surrounded by freezing cold. When he opened his eyes, the sun shone bright on the horizon. Down on the white snow bed. Reflecting the already bright light a thousand fold. He was in a graveyard. A place he was spared to visit so far. Though, during a dark period in his life he sometimes wondered how it felt at night. Walking as living among the dead.

When the footsteps echoed through, his body just moved. Following the sound.

Following the steps that resemble that of a woman, the subject would be led to a tombstone but with no flowers. Not even dying ones. The worn and torn of stone gives the subject a glimpse of how long he’s been gone from this world: too long. There was a voice that slipped into his mind. A voice of someone that meant the world to him.

Completely influenced by his psyche, Lucas can hear: Amandine’s voice. But how? She was nowhere to be seen. Her voice was faint, far, and out of reach.

She whispered as if she was right beside him, leaning into his ear, “Isn’t it sad you’ve been forgotten? No one besides your sister came to your funeral. Not even your so-called friends. Sadly, your late parents couldn’t make it either. Do you want to know how you died?”

He arrived at the tombstone, unsure what he’d find. With red, freezing, thick fingers he brushed away the snow. Revealing a name: Farweight. “No…” he whispered to himself. For a second he wasn’t sure if he wanted to brush away the rest of the snow. But that was a foolish, though. With a violent scoop he threw it all off the stone. Revealing his full name. It hit him like a ram. Suddenly feeling so very beaten he collapsed on his knees in the snow, looking at his own tombstone. He died!?

The voice of Amandine, the words she spoke, cut straight through his last mental defenses. He collapsed with his head against the frozen ground. Tears steaming from his cheeks. “No! No no no no no!” he yelled at himself. He couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t. His body began to fight him, though. Logic was not on the side of the voice. He dragged his emotionally battered body back up to a sitting position. The tears stopped flowing as he started to feel the painful burn on his cheek. His thick fingers began to throb and swell with his heartbeat. A white cloud of vapor floated upwards to the clear heavens as he exhaled. He was alive, no matter what the voice or the tombstone said. He was still alive. "Between my ears." he realized. "It's all between my ears." He closed his eyes. Trying to find and expel all thoughts that shouldn't be there. He found none. "I'll have to weather this." he murmured to himself. "I just have... survive." He looked up now, straight at the tombstone. His voice was strong, yet now loud: "Tell me how I died." He wasn't sure he could take the news. It was all between his ears, or was it?

The female voice released a sadistic giggle and completely vanished. Lucas would no longer hear her voice. The third challenge. The snow gracefully melted away, even for how unsettling everything was, things were still magnificently beautiful. Fireflies appeared and lit a path outside of the graveyard as the stars adorned the night sky. The best time of day for you, right, Lucas?

However, along with the beauty there was terror. From a distant, he could hear screaming, crying, yelling, gunshots... There was one distinct voice that stood out the most in the far away chaos, Lana, Lucas’ sister. Rushing out of the graveyard, the world shifted into the hustle and bustle of New York City. Halting, the ground suddenly cut open, almost making him fall deep into the Earth. Everyone resembled that of animals (metaphorically speaking), some were running in fear, some were attacking each other, while others hid away, and then there were the… dead. It was as if the inner beast was set on fire within everyone, but from what?

“Lana?” he said in surprise. He liked to think that even among thousands of people he’d recognize the voice of his sister. But the terror in her voice was wrong. Lana never felt terror! Lana was the strongest person he knew! “Lana!” he yelled, trying to find her as he sprinted out of the graveyard straight into Times Square. The big neon lights flashed hard and bright. Some were broken, generating sparks all over the square. All around him was carnage, death and destruction. It felt so very wrong. “Lana!” he yelled once more. Until he saw her. Laying on the street with her throat covered in blood. Her hand outstretched to him. “Lana.” He sped towards her. But not in time. A pack of suits jumped her. Like feral wolves they tore her apart beneath them. Lucas, suddenly blind with fury rushed forward and sent two of them flying with a single punch. The solar force was now burning stronger on his arm than any reading ever showed. The sheer force behind each punch would utterly shatter entire bodies. With savagery near equal to the wolf-suits he pulled them off her, throwing them through the sky. One turned around but Lucas caught him at the throat. Still the man clawed at Lucas like a beast. But Lucas didn’t let go. Quite the opposite, he started squeezing his grip. Choking the man until he was blue, then purple and eventually bloodless white. The suit collapsed lifeless on the ground. Lucas would just turn towards his sister on the ground, but the mauled body wasn’t his sister’s.

And then he saw one of the monsters, but something told him, this was only a small portion of the madness.
Gianna. She was wearing a black leather jacket, half-finger gloves, and well-fitted pants that matched her top. Her wings were massively large and all humanity had disappeared on her face. Did she truly meet her breaking point?

Close by her was Brenna, dressed like the true snow Queen she was, in black fur and a glowing, frost blue pendant, she looked like a walking corpse that was mindlessly attacking innocent people. The amount of snow and ice she could produce was beyond anything Lucas has ever bare witnessed to.

Gianna didn’t look like Gianna. She didn’t have the playful smile on her. She looked broken and in pain. Lots of pain. Her wings had extended far beyond anything Lucas ever saw of her. And the way she looked at him. It’s a gaze he’d seen a thousand times. The pure hatred. She was no longer the Gianna to whom he was a puppy. He was her enemy now.

Brenna looked equally bad in the way that she was not truly the Ice Queen so many people claimed she was. Looking at him with dead eyes, empty of even the slightest form of compassion. Her spikes of ice were covered with hot, red blood. And the snow had already half-covered her fresh kills. It was not the Brenna that quickened his heart.

But it wasn’t just his closest companions, it was the entire Mayweather and Delphina students unhinged and unleashing their full potential. No one was holding back. Elijah brought buildings down to the ground with a wrathful inferno, along with anyone and everyone in them. Klaus had built a massive army that marched the streets. He led a massacre, killing everyone, not just the powerless, but those that were against him. He was heading straight toward Gianna and Brenna.

Flashing back to the graveyard, beside Lucas’ tombstone was not only his parents, but also his friends…

“No.” he whispered once more. Seeing the graves of his parents, his friends. Even the graves of his enemies struck him like no other. He rushed forward to the twin grave of his parents. A simple stone for the both of them. It was so very much like them. He collapsed in between it, hugging the tombstones while crying: “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” A bit further was the grave of his sister. The name was weathered and nearly vanished. But he could read it well enough Lana Farweight. Stumbling he tried to walk forward, falling back into the snow before the grave of his sister. Beaten and ugly he hugged the stone, incapable of even saying words. His mind had slipped. He could no longer imagine that this was not reality.

And then he saw… her. Floating in the air, there was this bewitching sight of a woman. Behind the phantom-like creature, standing on top of a building, were four individuals masked and veiled in black as if they were attending a funeral. One had long, blonde curls like the picture he saw earlier that Gianna showed him: the Oracle. The woman that floated in the air had no warmth in her skin. The only color that blared out to him was her blood red lips. Her hair was as white as the moon in the sky and her gaze that he knew to be green was completely fogged. She wore a draping veil that matched the black ones of the four mysterious figures that stood behind her. Her creations. Her lace dress danced with the unnervingly calm wind and her expression was detached. Black tears fell down her cheeks, like she had endured enough and was no longer the Eliana he knew. Not only was she capable of entering the minds of others, but she was capable of manifesting their nightmares into the world, visibly... and without a doubt, physically real.

A thought popped into Lucas’ mind, Cecilia Lovelace would most definitely stop all of this if she could see her own daughter at the pinnacle of power, was he creating his own challenge? What was the teacher seeing compared to you?

The Oracle, joined by three others. Three more? Three more of… The White Maiden? Lucas, in his near shattered mind could not bring himself to name whatever being floated before him. He’d start fearing the name. And that he could not allow. Never the less the figures stood high above, watching him. Still broken from seeing the graves he pulled himself up. Trying to stand but his legs were rattling. His mind had gone through too much already. His psyche was breaking. Yet still he tried to get up and fight. He tried to get up and beat back whatever was coming for him. Exhausted he raised his fists. The idea that the mother of the girl standing before him now would have ended the simulation fell deep inside the trench that was becoming his memory.

Back in the office, Mrs. Lovelace and Jenna watched carefully as Lucas was confined in position, his mouth ajar, and his eyes refusing to blink. He was surrounded by shadow creatures that were capable of absorbing his very essence. They were walking illusions. One could see their heart out of their chest, glowing a remarkable green. They were capable of playing mind tricks – whether what they did was reality or fiction was purely based on what the subject believed. They would use whatever they could against him. Like sirens luring sailors to their shipwreck, they trapped their prey in the darkest area of their mind.

Somehow, they captured the teacher’s own fears and manifested a scene in Lucas’ head. They were physical nightmares that required precise attacks, which went straight to their vulnerable spot. Their heart. Attacking them wouldn’t be easy because they were not simply one, they were all. These creatures strongly relied on each other, like an army of clones. They would use darkness to obscure the target. And as a last resort they would join forces creating a smoke and ink monster, ready to devour him.

The room was still very much the white box. Everything that Lucas was seeing in his mind was purely created because somehow these creatures used his knowledge and his teacher’s fears, ultimately creating an apocalypse.

Back in his mind, all his friends and colleagues were slowly making their way toward him, ready to kill him. Everyone he ever knew wanted him dead. He was no longer loved. He was an enemy to all.

Eliana or what the Oracle had called her earlier, Night Terror, locked her ghostly gaze onto her nemesis. Her soft, feminine and vulnerable voice whispered into his ear without moving her lips, “Wake up...”

What? What did she mean…

“Wake up…”

Lucas faintly heard the voice. “Wha-“ he managed to murmur confused. But that was too much. Hearing her voice had pushed him on the edge. One small push, and he would be gone forever. And certain forces still required Lucas. Whole.

A voice echoed through both the Control Room and Lucas’ nightmare. “Enough.” The voice spoke loud, clear and with pure authority. Suddenly a black orb completely enveloped Lucas’ real body, standing in the middle of the White Room and then vanished. For three seconds the entire room was only filled by the strange, shadowy creatures. Until a new black orb, the size of a human appeared. But what came forth was nothing human. A blazing fire, pure plasma harvested from a sun, filled in the room in a flash. The black orb had turned golden like a miniature sun. Filling the room with waves of ionized gas. Scorching the whole room until it was black. The shadows screamed as they were all evaporated in a flash. As fast as the sun-orb had appeared, it collapsed again into the black orb. Sucking up all the gold, hot glowing plasma and then disappeared as a whole. Silence dominated the now blackened room. Until once more a black orb appeared, and vanished. Delivering Lucas back. Unharmed. He flickered for a second with his eyes. As if he woke up from a bad dream, but then his whole body gave in and collapsed down onto the ground. Suddenly feeling the overwhelming feeling of nausea he crawled towards one of the walls. Hoping it would be the door. It wasn’t, but Lucas’ stomach couldn’t hold it anymore. His entire lunch came forth. While the man tried to take big gasps of the scorched air. His face and body was drowned in sweat, and his eyes made it very clear he was in shock.

With widen eyes and a now shattered one-sided mirror window, Mrs. Lovelace shot up and told Jenna to wait for her outside the building. She pressed onto an emergency button which opened vents to clear out any of the contaminated air. The room began to sprinkle water to wash Lucas off of whatever just happened. As much as she was impressed with his power, she was also concerned and worried for her student. What brought him to explode like that? Not knowing if the air was safe to breathe in, she put on a gas mask and hurriedly made her way to her student (with a bag in her hand). Giving him the bag to puke in, Cecilia picked him up and exited out the Red Level room.

The moment they walked into the main room there were two men in white suits ready to examine the scene, the school nurse and a couple of her aids were there to take care of Lucas, and the headmaster and mistress looked confused and in shock. The alarms were able to signal for people rather fast, which meant this wasn't something they would take lightly. They would spend the next week until classes began inspecting each and every stimulation room to make sure this would not happen again. The Control Room would be off limits until vacation was over.

The nurse grabbed onto Lucas while Mrs. Lovelace asked, "Mr. Farweight... what did you see?" She couldn't believe that the stimulation room, something built and provided by the Government, had the capability to effect her student that much, as if the room itself had a mind of its own. She glanced over at her bosses, who looked at her with demanding impatience, wanting an explanation.

Lucas, with trembling hands, managed to grab a hold of the bag right before the second wave of nausea hit him. His stomach tried to empty itself some more. But now only stomach acid and bile came up. The rancid smell barely covered the smell of burn in the entire room. The only relief he could feel was the soft touch of the cold water. He was barely conscious as Mrs. Lovelace dragged him from the damaged room. Lucas felt himself getting loaded on a gurney once they reached the main room, while a lot of high ranking spectators looked at him, the room or Mrs. Lovelace. He wanted to say he was sorry. He wanted to say it wasn’t his fault. But the truth was that he didn’t know if it wasn’t. He didn’t know what happened. One point he heard a voice telling him it was enough, the other he was standing back in the blackened White Room.

When Mrs. Lovelace asked him what he saw he could only answer: “V-Veils.” Before the nurse pushed a respiratory aid over his face. Physically it would seem as if he was fine. But the nurses were thorough, and soon discovered that his heartbeat and neural activity were at an all-time low. The nurse pushed away Mrs. Lovelace and tore open his body suit. Getting ready to hook him up on a heart monitor. Without uttering a word Lucas was carried away from the site.

Amelia never thought she’d be so sleepless at the very start of the year. Never the less the head nurse commanded that she kept first watch over her regular customer. At first Amelia thought he'd need a lot of blood. But when she saw him he looked fine. But there was something off. He writhed and moved, as if trapped in an endless nightmare. She kept her silent vigil over him, feeling particulary weak. Unable to help him, sometimes she wished she had mental powers like many others. She'd sap away the sadness and replaced it with her own happiness if she could. But she couldn't. When the nurse had come to relieve her, Amelia was rather tired of feeling so useless in the face of such clear pain.

Restless. The calmest place for Eliana was outside. The moment she returned from her date not only did she find out that Lucas was in her room once again, having taken her pills, and met her little sister, but also he was recently sent to the infirmary due to a stimulation room incident. Her mother had sent Jenna home, believing this unsettling occurrence was far more important than a party her youngest daughter wanted to go to. When Ellie pranced happily on campus to her dorm, feeling massive butterflies from her date with Elijah, her mother stood outside the building waiting for her. Her mother was on the edge, more so than ever. This incident not only tainted her reputation as a teacher but it also required officials to inspect the Control Room this entire week.

Mrs. Lovelace would not share everything with her eldest daughter, but she did ask Eliana her relationship with the Farweights, one Farweight specifically. The dominant presence also demanded to know her whereabouts this fine morning. Her mother's cold and disappointed stare striked the very core of Eliana's being, but the young girl would not tell her mother about her hatred toward Lucas, she would not tell her about the feud, and she would not tell her about the battles within her. Ellie knew she had to tell her mother something, but what? Not one to lie to her, Eliana gathered herself before telling her mother that she was on a date, with Elijah Masterson. She also expressed that her and Lucas weren't given many opportunities to get to know each other, which wasn't entirely a lie. Every incident she has had with Lucas usually had to do with them arguing, fighting, and testing each other's patiences... and her breaking the rules and using her abilities outside of the Control Room. They never gave each other a chance to get to know one another. They didn't want to.

Long story short, her mother said words that would keep her up for the rest of the week. Along with her words, Lucas stole her pills, her mother would be pissed if she 'lost' them, and she's been feeling this eerie presence, like somebody was watching her, wherever she went - especially when she was indoors. Ellie would surely pass out soon enough. Her senses were heightened, due to paranoria, her world was slightly disoriented, due to sleep deprivation, and her mind was restless, filled with questions of her own life and the events transpiring on campus, due to her nature. Pacing back and forth in front of her go-to cherry blossom tree by the library, Eliana thought to herself. If mom catches me dating, I'm dead. If I don't get sleep soon, I'm going to die. Lucas getting hurt wasn't your fault, don't blame yourself. There was a problem in the Control Room. Yes, technical error...

Amelia nearly passed the girl. If anything, she would have passed her if Eliana didn’t constantly move. She heard of the freshman. But never really recognized her, nor spoke with her. Right now she looked distraught and a little mental. Amelia recognized it. Too much had happened too recently. Sometimes the bad piled up so much that it feels like you’re carrying granite in your heart and you can’t look past the harm in your own world. She couldn’t help but walk up to Eliana: “Hey euhm… are you okay?” obviously she wasn’t. But it often opened a door towards hearing what just happened. Amelia herself probably didn’t look too nice either. She pulled off her sunglasses, revealing the big bags under her eyes. Her hair was a mess and her face a little pale. Her clothes were simple, just a jeans and a top. Over her shoulder, she carried a simple black bag in which a book was the biggest and heaviest object. On her left arm hung her leather jacket with soft lining.

The Lovelace girl’s outfit was more casual than most people usually saw her in. A gray sweater, a long, flowing, thin black shirt, jeans, gray sneaker-boots, and her brown hair in an untamed bun. Her chartreuse green orbs were wide, but her expression was cold as winter. Even with her mind running rampant, Ellie was still capable of having a resting bitch face as she looked at the girl she only knew by pasting. “Oh, don’t mind me. This isn’t the first night I haven’t been able to sleep.” Not wanting to be rude, she introduced herself but kept to herself, keeping a fair amount of distance between her and the stranger, “Eliana Lovelace, you?”

“Amelia. Carstein.” She kept the von away. Not wanting to sound like some German royalty or something. She eyed the now rather bitchy girl. Still, Amelia wasn’t someone who believed most people were bitchy by nature. Oh sure, there were assholes and bitches. Who acted like kings and queens among peasants. But more often than not people just acted bitchy because they lash out at people. She just had to understand what people were going through, and she’d understand why they were acting so bitchy. “Got a hint of sarcasm there, very subtle.” The vampyre noted, with a slight but friendly smile. “Maybe you should sit down for a second?” Amelia offered while getting a little closer. The girl looked like she might just collapse on her own.

Like a cautious animal, Eliana watched the woman approach her slowly, causing her to take a step back into the tree. “Sorry.” Tonight wasn’t a night she could handle a long interaction. Her enemy still had her journal and even if he was disabled temporarily, he’d come back for her. He even got Jenna involved. The blonde’s stare felt like scrutiny and the trust Ellie had in people was little to none, especially after hearing about Samantha and Gianna officially declaring war. Yeah, she wasn’t that in the dark anymore. Leaning against the bark, she slid down until her bottom was planted on the ground. Hugging her knees, Ellie muttered honestly, “Please don’t come too close to me. Not right now.”

Carefully Amelia sort of circled around the collapsed Eliana until she reached a tree herself. Slowly she descended on the ground, sitting with her face towards Eliana. Who looked as if she was about to break. She had assumed that certain people’s power were linked to their emotions. So when they broke down, so did their powers. She just looked at Eliana for a moment, in silence. “You’re not doing too well. Are you? I don’t mean like, right now. Or since last week.” She meant for a long time. Months, maybe even years. Such people had a certain weariness about them. When too much went wrong and too little went right. From her bag, she pulled a sugar waffle, held it up and asked Eliana: “Want one?”

“I’ve been better…” Ellie lowly said, not knowing how much Amelia was aiming to know. Life was complete and utter shit. Nothing was going to change. She just needed to take the hits as they came, grow stronger. There was no choice in the matter. Her train of thought was interrupted when Amelia offered sugar waffles. Instantaneously, Ellie’s eyebrow perked and there was a sign of her paranoia slightly going down. With a light blush on her cheeks, the brunette extended her hand, scooting a pinch closer to where the other woman was sitting, “Yes, please.” After her colleague handed her the treat, Ellie felt inclined to tell her more, it was the least she could do for getting a waffle, “A lifetime.” Showing a faint smile on her face, she opened the wrapper elegantly, leaving half of the waffle still in it, and took a polite bite into the cooked dough. Obviously, one with manners. Once she finished swallowing, Ellie sighed, “Just know, I have a lot… to live up to.”

Amelia herself took out another waffle and undid the wrapper too. Slowly eating it as Eliana talked a little. Again, she let calm and quite fall before she asked: “Pushy parents?” Sometimes parents didn’t know how much influence they had over their children. Even the rebellious ones. Sometimes their expectations put a horrendous amount of stress on people who should not be expected to hold it. Of course, they wanted the best for their child. What parent wouldn’t? But they didn’t always realize what that was. In Amelia’s case, they thought that a successful job would ensure her a comfortable life. But that was not what Amelia wanted. After she asked her very short question, she took another bite from the waffle. Chewing it slowly. Indicating that she wasn’t planning on talking anytime soon. This was what she did. Small questions that could lead to big answers, so the other person kept talking. Because no matter what people told her, she believed that talking helped.

Was Amelia generally concerned about her? But why? She hardly knew her. Ellie was simply an acquaintance. Bringing her waffle down, the brunette glanced at the other woman, contemplating her expression. Rather bluntly, but not meaning to come off as rude, she asked, “Why do you want to know?” However, Amelia was too busy chewing, as if subtly demanding Ellie to release her thoughts and emotions. Eliana deeply stared at the girl, who looked just as bad as she did in terms of lack of sleep.

Bringing her attention back to the sugar waffle, Ellie peered down at it and stood silent for a second or two before replying, “Mother. She wants what's best for me, but at the price of…” she didn’t finish her sentence, instead she added, “She’s strict. But I know there’s more than just that. I don't think she's being completely honest with me...” Looking up at the night sky, her tone shifting to a hidden sadness, Ellie muttered, “I hardly ever see father, but I want to assure him… I can handle taking over the family business.” Her green orbs wanted to fill up with tears, but she held them in, as she turned to Amelia, her lips fighting to go into a frown, “I’m not a complete mess, am I? Why can’t I make anyone happy? Why does everyone…” A tear trailed down her cheek and she turned to look ahead at the silent campus, “I’m sorry, Amelia. You shouldn’t hear any of this.”

Not an entirely unexpected question. Still, Amelia had to take her time to formulate the right kind of answer. Why did she want to know? Did she care about Eliana? Not really, not yet. She wasn’t a friend but quickly started to become one. Still, why did she want to know? “I guess it’s not so much me knowing than it is you saying it. I reckon you don’t get to vent quite often..” Amelia said, but rather uncertain. She could be entirely wrong about the girl.

No, the girl didn’t vent quite often. Amelia realized that much when Eliana started talking about her problems. Breaking off one sentence to start another. Going from her mother and then to her father. As if she wasn’t entirely sure about what she was supposed to talk about. Was there so much happening to her? Amelia couldn’t help but feel pity for the girl. “You’re a bit of mess.” Amelia said with a slight comforting smile. There was no reason to lie. “But then again. Most are at our age.” As if raging hormones and a generation of demanding parents weren’t enough, many had to walk themselves through grasping and controlling their powers. But when the tear dropped, Amelia realized that the poor girl was far deeper down the rabbit hole than she first thought. She stood up, letting her bag near the tree and approached Eliana. Carefully, to show she didn’t mean harm. She kneeled next to the poor girl and put her own leather jacket over Eliana’s shoulder. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m not going to force you to talk but… I really think you should. If not to me, maybe to some other friend. Because you look like you’re about to burst.”

The jacket was warm, this stranger's comfort was gentle. There was a deep-seated desire to share everything with her, but... Ellie couldn't. She just couldn't. Not to her. Not to Jess. Not to Jenna. Not to anyone. Opening one's heart was not easy, but if she were to do it, her weight would become the other person's problems - and that wasn't right. No one deserved to carry her issues like it was their own burden.

Wrapping her treat back into the plastic neatly, Ellie decided to save it for later, placing it in her small backpack. Holding onto the coat close and leaning her head back on the tree, the young girl closed her eyes, “You're kind, Amelia, but some things are better left unsaid. After breathing in the calm of the air, not letting her inner battles rule her, she gently patted the ground giving the other woman the 'ok' she can sit next to her - it didn't seem like Amelia wanted to use or abuse her (well for now). Gingerly opening her eyes once more, she turned to her acquaintance, her gaze soft and welcoming, “I love to read. My favorite genre is Gothic Fiction. If I could, I would read in my garden back at home." A light smile fell on her face, as Ellie decided to chat about the little things, "Yeah, I like to garden as well, but this particular garden was a gift from my dad. A garden of Moonflowers. Perfect flowers for night owls, late night strollers, and people like me, who suffer from insomnia." Small facts that Ellie didn't mind Amelia knowing. She didn't think anyone could use these things against her, or at least, she was too tired to care, “Your turn. Eliana had an odd way of socializing, but at least she was slowly, but surely, sharing a bit of herself.

Amelia smiled at the invitation of sitting next to Eliana, and did take the seat. The jacket, along with the waffle and so much more was simply a part of her belief. That every tiny thing, every small act of kindness, helped a person further than people could imagine. Attentively she listened to Eliana’s story about her garden. A pang of jealousy went through her. Her father would never change a part of their massive garden just for her. The von Carstein garden, much like the castle and the lands surrounding it, had but a singular purpose. To intimidate and impress. With Buxus hedge statues so massive that they could pass for trees. Large marble fountains that spat water high into the sky, defying gravity itself. It even contained a gazebo, though when a party was hosted there, Amelia was sent out of the house. But the entire garden felt cold. Despite the plants. It was conformed and confined. Every edge trimmed to perfection with no freedom what so ever. The plants were specifically grown for a singular purpose: to impress. It sounded so much unlike the garden of Eliana. Her cheery smile vanished a little, as she looked at the ground. But soon the blonde caught up with her own feelings and hid them again behind a smile.

“I’m… not much of a reader, honestly.” She chuckled at that. “I’m more of a drawer. Well, no, I’m not. I suck at it.” This was followed by a full laugh. “But you know what they say. Sucking at something is the first to getting kind of good at it. I also like to cook. I’d offer you to come over when I cook something but… well. I don’t want to give you food poisoning.” She kept it all light, though. Realizing very much that that was how Eliana wanted it for now. Even just a light conversation could be a flicker of a candle light in a sad person’s life. “Your dad seems nice, though. Planting an entire garden for you.” She realized rather quickly she was trailing down the wrong path again. Feeling the envy creeping out of her own heart. She quickly pushed it back. “Your turn again!” she exclaimed gleefully.

There was something about Amelia's smile that Eliana felt like she could relate to. A smile's worth a thousand words and was capable of masking burdensome problems. Ellie carefully listened as her finger traced the grass around her. There was optimism in the other woman's voice but there was also subtle self esteem issues. They were of the age where their battles were more prevalent now than ever. "I'm a mediocre cook at best. I'd be like my father and read a newspaper at sunrise, while I ate a bowl of coco pops. Coco pops, the breakfast of champions." she let a little chuckle out. The amount that Eliana could talk about her father was her way of keeping his presence alive. She couldn't wait until Family Day, where he would come home. She missed him so much. Resting her head on her knees, she gazed at the other woman and let a tendar smile grace her face.

When she didn't have her guard terribly up, Ellie was truly a beautiful woman, with great ambition, an affectionate heart, and wisdom like honey. "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. I do appreciate all of this, Amelia. I have a hard time expressing myself to most... that being said--" Ellie made sure her eyes were locked with her acquaintance's stare, "I cannot be entirely selfish."

Without any rhyme or reason, the Lovelace girl mused a poem outloud, "Thought my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." She took the next silent moment to gaze at the stars before adding, "Sarah Williams, Twilight Hours: A Legacy of Verse." This train of thought led her to ask, breaching into the personal domain of her hopefully soon-to-be companion, "Are you okay? You look just as bad as me. No offense."

Amelia chuckled along with the coco pops part of Eliana. Mr. Lovelace seemed so much unlike her own father. Whose breakfast consisted of a protein shake and a croissant while the secretary was already up, briefing him about what transpired in the world the past 6 hours he was asleep. That all happened at 5:20 a.m. and if he was in a foul mood, bad news would wake up all his children. She didn’t expect him or any of her brothers to show up at Family Day. Maybe her mother, if her father let her. Which was doubtful at best. All these feelings went through her like firework. Still, she did her best to keep up the mask.

Hopeful plebs keeping the small fires inside their hearts burning with dull words and bad grammar. That’s what her father called poems. He read some, and could cite some. But mostly he did that to impress potential business partners. Appearances were everything, and Alexander von Carstein would make sure that he was the greatest, most impressive person in any room he entered. “I don’t know much about poems. Sorry.”

Amelia knew that the question of why she looked so bad should come sooner rather than later. Still, she was battling inside with what she should say. She didn’t want to lie to her new friend. But then again, she knew that she’d turn hostile the second she broke the name: Lucas. She took a deep breath, trying to muster the courage. But she could bare to look at Eliana. So she just looked down. “I was up all night looking after Lucas.” And then she closed her eyes, afraid of what Eliana might say. But in fact, she feared silence more than getting yelled on.

“Why… are you ashamed for taking care of someone?” Eliana’s words were considerate. Her feud had nothing to do with anyone else. Grabbing a piece of hair, she absentmindedly braided it, while comforting Amelia, “Lucas and I… have a bit of history, as the entire campus already knows, but that is between us. You have every right to aid someone, if your heart truly desires. Shame on me if I were to get upset with you for being a good person.” Remembering her night at the infirmary with him, Ellie nervously laughed as she finished a braid on her right side, “Eh-heh… at least it was you this time.” Her fingers dived into her brown hair, undoing the braid she had just did. The interaction was long and she didn’t mind it, but that wouldn’t stop her nervous tic from unleashing.

Amelia looked up when Eliana’s tone wasn’t one of anger. “Wait… You don’t mind?” It came as a total surprise to her. Many people, even some of her friends, though the idea of helping a Delphina alone was ground for treason. If they ever knew that she helped Lucas, she’d probably be cast out of the group. But here she was talking, with the girl that had the most reasons (if rumors were true) to hate him. And she didn’t mind. “That’s… a surprising view.” She wanted to add mature. But she was a child herself, how could she know what mature was? “Many people think that you should only help your friends… I mean I do help my friends. But not just them exclusively. How can we grow to become one school if we don’t ever try to sit down and just… you know? Try to get along? I mean, look at Mayweather.” She turned her gaze to the building near her. “Even before Delphina came here we hated them. When they did get here, we hated them more. We, the students, never stretched out a hand towards them. We never tried to understand them. We never imagined us in their shoes.” Then she realized what Lucas did to Eliana, and she realized that Lucas has been just as horrible. “I’m sorry… That’s probably the last thing you wanted to hear. Me telling you that we should understand our enemies.” She mocked the word understand now. But only in the hope that she wouldn’t get on Eliana’s bad side.

“Hey but wait!” she then realized the bandaged knuckles. “How did you know he was in the infirmary before?” She never told anyone, and Lucas didn’t seem like the person to tell his enemies that either. “No-one knows but me, him and… Did you… bandage him up?”

Fiddling with her hands anxiously, Ellie listened to the girl talk about the animosity each school had for each other for as long as anyone could remember. She waited in nerve-wrecking anticipation for the subject to turn into the inquiry about the infirmary incident, after the party. Biting her bottom lip, her cheeks beamed red, as she whispered, “Don’t tell anyone, okay?” She didn’t want Lucas, or anyone on campus, to look at her differently. This would just make people want to know what goes on in her head and ask so many goddamn questions. Bringing her voice back up an octave, Ellie explained, “I hate him. I hate him so much, Amelia. He reminds me of everything that is bad in this world. All my past comes crashing into me when he verbally attacks me. I just get so caught up in the heat of the moment that—I don’t want to hold back.”

Breathing in the night air, she sighed, “That night. We clashed at the party. I kinda got really… depressed, so I do what I always do when I get that low. I go to my cello. After I was done, feeling somewhat better, I found him unconscious. It was good that two others helped me bring him to the infirmary and then... I took care of the man I hate the most in this godforsaken world.” Covering her face, Ellie muffled, “I don’t know why I did it. I just felt guilty. I hate him yet I still felt inclined to take care of him!” The heated emotion in the brunette was seething out. “This feud is incredibly stupid. I know, I know already.” She brought her hands down and balled them into fists, “I can’t let him win! I don’t care about what happens to the schools. He has so much against me, and I won’t allow him the satisfaction of having his way!”

Don’t tell anyone… Don’t tell anyone!? Girl, this is exactly the outstretched hand our schools need! In her thoughts, she was screaming as the girl told her story. But then she calmed down, trying to put herself in Eliana’s shoes. The girl must have it hard. The hatred just flowed out of her, and Amelia couldn’t help herself. She hugged the poor girl, wrapped in her leather jacket. “Shhhh. It’s okay. It’s okay.” She tried to calm her down a little. But in her heart, she couldn’t stop thinking how perfect that would be to get both schools together. “You’re just a good person, Eliana. You’re just a good person who helped a person in need.” Then the feud came up. Just when Amelia released the girl, feeling the aggressiveness oozing from her. “Hey, hey! Listen. Sorry to tell you but that feud of yours… You don’t really believe it’s stupid.” She tried to look in Eliana’s eyes, putting seriousness behind her words. “Look whatever you’re saying is not what you’re feeling. I don’t know why but look at yourself! You’re so caught up with it! You care about it! More than you want to admit.”

After that, Amelia tried to let silence settle. Only then did she realize how worked up she got. She could feel her own blood pumping, but worse, she heard Eliana’s heartbeat. Her pupils’ dilated quite a bit, and suddenly she looked with an intense hunger at Eliana. She started smelling fresh wheat, and the most exquisitely cooked vegetables. Her first reaction was to lick her own lips, as she felt her fangs spring into attention. Luckily her mouth was closed. The intense hunger and delicious smell lasted only for a second. She then realized what she was feeling and immediately pushed it away, while she pushed herself away from Eliana. Not sure if the other girl noticed anything, she still decided to say sorry, while she looked shamefully down at the ground. She came to Mayweather trying to control her hunger. She would not give into the primal lust of vampyrism. “This… This all got far too real. We need some distraction.” Amelia said as she tried to act cheerful again. The big girl jumped up and stretched out her arm. “C’mon! If we can’t sleep tonight we may at least fill it with ice cream, Disney movies and singing along with whatever movie we choose to watch!”

Having been too caught up in her rage, Ellie didn't notice the lascivious hunger in Amelia's gaze, even if it was brief. Her companion called her a 'good' person. Ellie didn't think she was. Everything she did was entirely selfish. It was the truth that she could careless about both schools. If Mayweather were to burn to the ground, taking everyone with them, the only losses she would care about were of the people she loved. Lucky for her, there weren't many. Yet, Amelia was right that her feud with Lucas was important to her.

He underestimated her. He thought her to be weak. Perhaps this was her ego talking, but she wanted to shut him up once and for all. Show him that she could withstand anything, and she meant anything, he threw at her. Yes. Her life was not rainbows and butterflies, but when it came to Lucas, none of that mattered. What mattered was she was capable of being more than this weak girl that everyone stepped on. She would take him down by storm and that elated her.

Grabbing Amelia's hand, Ellie was brought up to a standing position. Meeting the woman's gaze once more, Dream Catcher freely grinned, "I'd like that. I don't watch movies often. If I do, it usually has to do with murder. I'm weird, I know." Letting her anger shift to a playful side of her, the brunette teased, "BUT, I'd love to hear you sing~" After gesturing for her new friend to lead the way, Ellie frankly asked, "I'd also love a 'terrible' drawing from you at some point." Running her hand through her hair, she gave an unintentional, inviting smirk, "I'll be the judge of that."

To: Will Blake, Amelia Carstein, Lucas Farweight, Tristram Cringe, Samuel Keats, Brenna Lancaster, Eliana Lovelace, Elijah Masterson, Avalon Middleton, Virgil Hart, Hugo Moreau, Ananya Sharma, Amy Stevenson, Kayla Styles, and Sylvia Vargas (The 16th player will get disqualified prior to the tournament day, while Virgil gets thrown into the tournament literally the day of)

To: Tristram Cringe, Mitch Danford, Gianna Daniels, Hugo Moreau, Samantha Youngblood
^{(and anyone else who didn't get chosen for the tournament)}