[IC] Midnighters: The Blue World [Two Spots Open]

[Ryuzaki]

Vess - 6:48 AM

Vess was sitting in her room, reluctant to leave. Here, in the slums of Klintin, all the drunks were hung-over, the only Mind Noise that leaked off of them was of their drunken wet dreams, where as in the center of town, where Klintin High sat, the Mind Noise would threaten to drive her insane. It was still 6:48 A.M. but before long, she would need to drive to the center of town to attend her first class at 7:40. Aerii was lucky that the College was down by the river, where only the live-ins' minds dwelled. Then again the Seer would never have to deal with Mind Noise.

Vess reluctantly stood from her bed and went to her Jeep where her phone sat. On the dashboard were a pair of headphones, attached to an old model of LG phone with a cracked screen. Vess lifted the weathered device and placed the headphones snugly over her head. The sides of the earmuff-style phones were decorated with faded black roses and thorny stems that went up the bridge to intertwine with the stem from the opposite side. The loud singing and guitar riffs from Skillet's album "Rise" filled her ears as she hit the slightly discolored play button. Turning the key to her old 2006 Jeep Wrangler, she listened to the mix of purring engine and Skillet before beginning the drive to school.

~~~~~

The brick walls of Klintin High towered over Vess like a prison. The tastes of both anxiety and ecstasy filled her mouth with a foul mixture, like sugar and vinegar. This place always rubbed her the wrong way. And not just the lack of Tridecagrams, but also the overwhelming Mind Noise that she could hear from her house on days she was home. She couldn't wait for the day to be over. Vess took a gulp of her own spit before mashing the volume key on her LG and walking into the school, head down, hat on, and sunglasses in place.

[Ayla]

7:00 AM

The feeling of a cold wet nose and raspy warm tongue licking her face made Aerii groan in grumpy displeasure, but those high pitched whimpers that was quickly followed by Jurisprudence’s one hundred and ten pound body jumping onto her bed and flopping down onto her stomach to force her awake.

“Okay okay I get it you want to go for a damn walk.” Aerii grumbled to her always happy dog. Whose tail wagged a thousand miles a second. Sitting up she shoved the dog off her so she could get dressed. Her black hair in messy tangles and her bed was covered with text books and her notes. Scattered within all that was pages upon pages of Lore. She had fallen asleep with her glasses on again but that didn’t matter. As long as she could see. Juri jumped up and down with a low “ruff” in his inside voice. Barely even two the dog had more energy than a toddler on a sugar rush. The chill of the hardwood floor made her shiver as she changed out one pair of sleep mussed jeans for a clean pair taking of her plain purple T-shirt in exchange for a black “Invader Zim” long sleeve instead. This early in the day; the morning was always chilly. The sun had barely woken up itself, it’s light still cold. But, Aerii pulled her tangled hair into a bun for now and slipped on a well worn black pair of converse.

“Come on, Juri!” She said to her happy dog who gladly followed her down the stairs and right outside. No leash needed with her boy. He barely left her side, something she wanted. Aerii had trained him well and she gave him a pat on the head as they walked down the long drive of her family’s victorian estate. It had been in the family for generations and as it turned out after finding some secret passage in the library, Seer’s had run through the family. And there was a small Lore collection. But, having read through it all already she had started looking for more.

Thankfully, she practically lived alone, her parents always working. Her father was an American Ambassador in Spain while her mother was a NASA Scientist. Doing what was confidential but that didn’t mean Aerii didn’t try to hack in every now and again.

The silent street was tucked into the forest surrounding the base of the mountains that she liked to hike so often with Juri. The dark lonely road was so different to where Vess lived and the older Midnighter always extends an invitation to one the free spare bedrooms the housekeeper Maria maintained. Knowing that being so far away from Daylighters would be a vacation for her brain every so often. Aerii thought for a second that maybe she should check to see if she was doing okay today, but if she was in school she didn’t want to be a bother. The sun rose slower beneath the trees as Aerii turned off to a focus filled deer trail off the paved road. Taking her glasses off for now and letting Juri run around to their secret large clearing where they spent a lot of time together. The green grass slowly turning brown with the coming winter much like the leaves of the trees.

Flopping down to the lush but dying grass she let the dim rays of sun hit her face and closed her eyes. Thankful that she was on vacation this week. No work no school it was glorious, just a week of doing nothing and looking for more Lore.

Sweet baby jesus, it was nice.

[DJAtomika]

5:45 AM
Rob

With a yawn, Rob slapped his alarm clock to stop it from screaming at him. Yesterday night had been rough. Nothing to do in the Secret Hour, but even before that he'd had been rushing another late assignment on his laptop.

Stupid physics. Why did it have to involve so many numbers?!

He threw the covers off of himself and rose, shuffling to the kitchen to make himself a drink. A few minutes later, a mug of coffee in his hands, he dressed in shorts and a plain shirt, pulling on his running shoes as he gazed out of his room window. The sun wasn't even up, but it was getting there. Twilight lit the streets even as the lamps tore through the dark with their bright, orange glow.

This was his secret hour. No Blue Time, nothing else stupid and fantastical. Just him, his music, and the road.

He finished his coffee and strapped his iPod to his arm, plugging himself in as he got out of the door for his morning run, a routine he'd gotten himself into for two years and counting. The exercise had kept his legs toned and his body lean, a good counter against the absolutely horrid school lunches that he had to eat every day. With a few stretches, he left the house and began his run.

---

6:40 AM

Rob toweled the water from his hair as he sat on his bed. Fresh from the shower, he had fifteen minutes to get to school before the morning bell rang. Fifteen friggin' minutes and he had to change and pack and rush and oh god why was he still sitting around.

A weary sigh escaped his lips as he scrambled around the room, grabbing his laptop, lecture pad, pencil case, stuff and more school stuff and shoved them haphazardly into his messenger bag. He dressed in his jeans, the knees tattered but intact, a black shirt and sneakers, and left the house at a brisk walk.

His pace got him to school just before the bell rang. A smile grew on his face as he jogged up the steps and moved to his first class, a smile that stayed until he remembered what that class was.

Physics.

Ah crap.