Kyrisse

Where hearts lie

@MarshiestMallow

Caius wrapped his arms around Callie, enveloping her in his warmth. "Of course you're not gonna lose me. I don't plan on going anywhere," he reassured. "Do you honestly believe what Darric was saying in there? If you ask me, that's all just fairy tales passed down. Something to lull children to sleep." Half of him believed in what he was saying but the other half wonders if there's truth in the old legend. "Had we known our real parents, Claudia and I would have known of this story too," he added.

Two orphans left alone in the cold. Where did they come from? Who were their parents? Caius remembered trying to find their biological parents when he was younger but without any leads, he didn't go far and ended up giving it up all together.

The "Goings On" at Upper Lake Institute

Sasha Mikhailovna

[STUDENT APPLICATION SHEET]

𝓐𝓵𝓮𝓴𝓼𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓪 𝓜𝓲𝓴𝓱𝓪𝓲𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓷𝓪

NickName
Sasha

Age
18

Gender
Female

Sexuality
Heterosexual

Hometown
Moscow, Russia

Style
No particular style. She likes putting on whatever feels comfortable but has a preference for pinks, purples and browns. Occasionally thinks of herself as artistic when it comes to music.

Disposition
Sasha sees new situations as something to learn from and reacts calmly to them.

Major
Performing Arts, major in Music

Dorm Room
(This will be assigned)

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ᗩᗪᗪITIOᑎᗩᒪ IᑎᖴOᖇᗰᗩTIOᑎ

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Likes & Dislikes
: Music and dancing
: Meeting potential friends
: Coffee and tea

: Rude and obnoxious people
: Being interrupted when she's in the middle of something she's engrossed in
: Clowns

Interest/Hobbies
> Ice skating - Sasha used to compete in figure skating when she was younger. She used to dream of competing in the Olympics but due to personal reasons, she let go of the ambition. She still skates but for recreational purposes only.

> Listening to Music - She loves listening to all types of music and finds it relaxing. More often than not, you can see her wearing earphones and bobbing her head to the beat.

> Playing the violin - While not a maestro, she is proficient with playing the violin and enjoys it, usually playing it to relax herself. Anyone paying attention to how she plays can also tell what mood she's in.

> Dancing - Parallels her love of music which makes sense because music is almost always paired with dancing. She adores ballet and dabbles a bit on the other styles of dancing.

> Taking long walks - Enjoys spending her free time walking in parks, in beaches and basically anywhere. She likes exploring.

> Reading - She loves to read especially romance and adventure novels. If she's not dancing or playing the violin, you can almost always see her with her nose buried in a book (or her tablet).

Belief
"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything."

Drive
Imagination

Fear
She fears disappointing the people that matters to her.

Regret
Her greatest regret is not being able to say goodbye to her grandmother when she passed away.

Secret
She had a fling with her best friend's older brother while he was away for a year for an exchange student program. It wasn't anything serious for the guy but she fell hard for him, only to find out that he was already secretly married a week before he broke it off with her.

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SᖶᗩᖶS

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Intellect
[2] Sasha is average when it comes to intelligence. She may not be a rocket scientist but she's smart enough to catch on.

Social
[2] She is not a overly friendly person in the sense that she doesn't dive into a crowd trying to be friends with everyone. Oftentimes, she prefers to pick who she wants to be friends with, basing her choices on first impressions. However, she's aware that first impressions can be wrong and adjusts accordingly.

Nerve
[2] Not particularly brave and would only rise to the challenge if there's a dire need for it or if there's no one else to do the task.

Endurance
[4] Her endurance is outstanding being accustomed to hours of rigorous training when she used to compete in figure skating when she was younger. She can withstand hours of dancing and actually allots time for gym training.

Awareness
[1] Sasha can be so ignorant about her surroundings, often having her nose buried in a book of her head in the clouds.

Resources
[2] Classified as middle class, her parents having just enough money to send their only child to a good school and at the same time provide her with a comfortable life.

Where hearts lie

@MarshiestMallow

As Claudia berated Darric about not telling them everything he knew, Caius stood up. It was certainly strange for him to have lived through a spell that should have killed him. Was it luck? It was stranger that he knew exactly what the spell was and what it meant to do. Did he somehow learned about it in his travels? He paused for a moment, trying to remember if he ever came across some old manuscripts or maybe some arcane books. After a few seconds, he shook his head. He had a pretty good memory, he would remember reading something about it if he ever did.

Was what Darric said possible? A god? He looked down on himself. He wasn't exactly god material. Neither was Claudia. Though I'm sure she'd be thrilled that she's possibly some sort of goddess once her temper blows over. Caius chuckled to himself.

He took a step forward, testing his body, trying to see if the spell had some residual effect. When everything seemed to feel right, he headed out, towards where Callie had disappeared to.

"Callie? he called out.

🇹🇭🇪 "🇬🇴🇮🇳🇬🇸 🇴🇳" 🇦🇹 🇺🇵🇵🇪🇷 🇱🇦🇰🇪 🇮🇳🇸🇹🇮🇹🇺🇹🇪

Looks interesting. Count me in. ^_^

Where hearts lie

@Caits

"Lupo Dio... Wolf God... that's how you see it, don't you?" Darric's gray eyes seemed to bore holes through Callie. He stared at her for a long moment before he began pacing the floor. Two similar looking eyes followed his movements. Claudia made a move to demand some answers but the pack leader spoke again even before she could. "To us, he is called Fenrir. Humans made a grandiose story about how this 'mythological wolf' would put an end to the gods at the end of days. Too much imagination maybe? Or they warped their souls too much that all they see is violence. To us, to the wolves, he is the father, the source, the reason why we all walk the earth as we do. This story was passed down from generation to generation..." he paused. "Perhaps not to you two," he gestured towards Caius and Claudia. "Because you were raised by human parents. They would not know our history unless they dabbled in the 'supernatural' as they call us." He glanced towards Callie again. "Our records tell of how Fenrir put himself into a deep slumber so that he may impart his power to his brood, to give them awareness and give them the will to choose and decide for themselves. It tells of how he will again wake up when he has regained what he has given away and protect us from those who would harm us. And when he has accomplished what he had promised, he will ascend to the heavens, to his rightful place with the gods."

"I can't argue with the history passed down to the wolves. I've heard of it from the other wolves I've encountered in my travels, I really have no extensive knowledge on it but..." Claudia shot Darric an incredulous look. "Are you telling us that Caius is Fenrir?"

The pack leader's attention was again on the female wolf, matching her intense glare with one of his own. "No. I'm not saying that Caius is Fenrir. I'm saying that you two are."

His statement made Claudia gawk at him. "What!?"

"A god too weak to wake up and contain his power within himself fragmented his soul into two," Caius said thoughtfully.

Two... Darric remained silent.

Claudia turned to her twin, an incredulous look on her face. "You actually believe that you're... we're this god?"

Caius chuckled. "I'm just following his line of thought, Claudia. Sorta far fetched that two orphans would be this legendary wolf, don't you think? It's a nice thought though. Maybe even a good explanation why I didn't die from that spell. But I think I was just lucky."

The Threads of Humanity (Kyrisse and Wick)

Chloe Cooper

_@Wick

"What the...?" Chloe looked around her and found that she was standing in a wide field filled with threads. Her spinning wheel was at her side and in the distance, she can see two female figures, one was unfurling a spool while the other one was strumming a taut thread with a pair of scissors. The two women looked vaguely familiar but they were too far away for her to really discern their faces. Wanting to see who they were and why they were familiar, she took a step forward and tripped on one of the threads. Panicking, she reached out and grabbed a couple to steady herself, accidentally intertwining lives.

When she regained her footing, she looked around frustratedly. How do you get across a field that looked like spiderman had a field day with? Shaking her head, she carefully stepped between threads, her hand still seeking support from the threads that were suspended higher. As her hand closed in on another thread, Adam's face flashed through her head.

Chloe stopped and stood still. "Adam...?"

"Chloe what is it about you-?"

Was she imagining things? She could see Adam clearly but he was obviously not in the same place as she was. She furrowed her brow.
"Am I hallucinating now?" She looked around again, desperately trying to look for the way out. As her eyes swept across the vast field, the two women who she had initially wanted to approach, both raised a hand and gestured for her to come to them.

—(••[ 𝕎𝕀𝕊ℍ𝔼𝔸𝕋𝔼ℝ ]••)—

Lilianna Brandt

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𝕊𝕦𝕟: 𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟚𝟘, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝕎𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕠𝕟, 𝔻.ℂ. / / 𝔼𝕧𝕒𝕔𝕦𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ℙ𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕥 / / ~𝟙𝟛𝟘𝟘

---

Everything seemed to pass Lily by like a blur. Her mind, fragmented as it is, stood at a standstill. A defense mechanism of sort. The faces of the people she killed as well as the people she had healed loomed in and out of her fractured thoughts. Drowning out the voices of the people who were clammoring for her to heal them, she tried to fight off the dizziness from the amount of blood she had been losing throughout the day. Need to heal... to stop them from being so noisy... Her thoughts lacked conviction and she soon felt herself being lifted up, the movement making her head reel.

A harsh voice ordered her to transfer her injuries and like a clockwork doll, without really wanting to argue or think, she did as she was told. The black thread's appearance on her wrist brought about instant relief to the battered Aberration followed by Emma's tulpa's demise.

Still so many injuries... Even though she closed her eyes tightly, she can still see them... feel them. They called to her just as the people demanded for her power. Would she be enough to take it all? Would Emma keep on calling her shadowy creations? Would she be forgiven for what she had done? Would she be casted out and hated? There were so many questions.

While the teenager knew that her powers could and should be used to help, her stigma sang a different song.

NO. Hurt. Maim. Kill.

No... Lily closed her eyes tightly and tried to fight off that overwhelming need to follow what the voices in her head wanted her to do. She focused on the faces of the people she killed and that need to atone for her sins.

The small teenager managed to take and transfer a little more before she found herself completely spent and unable to. With dizziness threatening to pull her under, she slumped against Kusari and allowed herself to be taken away like a limp rag doll. She didn't even bother transferring the minor injuries to Emma's shadowy companion in her exhaustion.

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𝕊𝕦𝕟: 𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟚𝟘, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / 𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕕 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕕 / / ℤ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘'𝕤 𝔼𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕖 / / ~𝟚𝟘𝟜𝟘

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Seeming as though she was in a trance, Lily remained silent throughout the trip, her eyes downcast and she avoided looking at any of her classmates. Though the small teenager was dead tired and wanted nothing but to lean back, close her eyes and sleep, she couldn't quite do it. Not because she was curious about where they were being brought to but because her mind was in continuous turmoil, replaying the events that had transpired merely hours ago. The voices in her head, both familiar and unfamiliar argued about the rights and wrongs of what she did and didn't do. Killing, healing... everything seemed to blur together. The line between good and evil melted together, the delineation becoming hazy.

It was right to kill because she wanted to protect. It was wrong to kill because they were innocent people. They were not innocent and they wanted to hurt her friends, therefore her actions were justified. Her friends can easily protect themselves and she just wanted destruction making her evil and in the wrong.

Was she evil? Was she wrong? Or was she a hero and in the right?

Somewhere in the middle, Lily was left confused with no clear answers. What did she do? Why did she do it? Did she want to do it? What would happen now? Would she be casted out? Prosecuted? Isolated? Punished?

Hated...

Definitely hated...

They won't cast you out. You're too valuable to be casted out.

But the people around me would never accept me as one of them.

Monsters will never be accepted in the society.

I'm a monster...

The words were repeating on a loop in her mind as she let herself be herded out of the truck and into a ferry with no complaints. Lackluster eyes surveyed the surroundings as they alighted the ferry. She didn't seem to take notice of how strange the small village was and merely walked in the direction she was led to.

Even when they were led to a large three-story house, the blonde Aberration still didn't seem to show interest. Normally, she would have marveled at the sight but an uninterested look was on her face. As instructed, she followed the maid as she was led to a room with her name on it. She didn't ask questions and she didn't look at the surroundings. She just removed the miraculously intact cellphone with its big crack in the screen out of her pocket, laid it gently onto the table and then unceremoniously crashed onto the bed. She was asleep even before the door behind her closed.

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A Long Stay at The Estate: The First Week

September 21st: Lunch with Sophia

Lily | Sophia

Collaboration with: @VampireOracle

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Whether she liked it or not, Sophia needed to eat. She needed to get out of her room, to stop thinking about all that death and about those "good" videos of her and her teammates. This estate seemed like a place that she would have liked to stay in under different circumstances, but now she didn't feel like even exploring. She made her way straight to the dining room without really seeing what was around her, and got her food.

She stood there at the edge of the room for a good minute, spacing out before she mentally shook herself. Pay attention to what you're doing. Go sit down. Yes, sit down. Blinking a few times, she scanned the room for a place. A empty table at the side would be good... Sophia spotted a vacant table without issue, but as she did she also caught sight of a head of blonde hair. Lily. Lily was there. Should she... should she go over? She wasn't sure if she really wanted to be with people right now, but surely Lily was different? Anyway, she should see how Lily was doing after all that had happened in D.C.

Walking over to the table that Lily was at, she hovered a few feet away. "Hi, Lily. Mind if I...?"

Lily was staring into space and surprisingly being successful in keeping her mind blank and free from what had happened and what she did just a few days ago. No voices seemed to bother her carefully empty thoughts, a feat she would definitely marvel at on a later time despite the nightmares she had the night before about people screaming and clawing for her. Seeming on autopilot, her hand slowly kept on spooning porridge into her mouth. If anyone would look closely, her food had no flavor in it whatsoever. It just seemed like she was eating for the sake of eating. When Sophia came up to her, dull golden eyes looked up. She made an effort to give her friend a small smile before she nodded and muttered a soft "Sure."

Her friend didn't seem so good. Understandably. Sophia surveyed the dull eyes, the smile that wasn't very wide, and listened to how Lily's voice was more muted than it usually was. Lily was a cheerful, supportive girl, not this. But after yesterday, she would be surprised if any of their team was happy. That slaughter. Both Lily and herself had watched Kusari kill as she tried to defend them. Been there as Angélique and who knew who else shed blood while fighting their way through the mass of panicked people.

Lily had also taken on injuries. Had taken on her own injuries, as well as those of countless people. And then been surrounded by many regulars who had been demanding to be healed. Sophia had had her own share of issues yesterday, but now she needed to stop being tired and horrified and be a friend. She started slowly. "Did you... sleep much last night?"

Another spoonful of tasteless porridge and a slow shake of Lily's head. "I don't sleep much on any night," she said in the same soft voice. "I hope you did though," she added after a few seconds of pause.

"Oh." What was she supposed to say to that? But then, what had she expected? "I think that-- that it'll be a bit until we-- I am going to be able to sleep well," she answered truthfully. Her dreams, when she had been able to sleep, had not been happy ones. In addition to Savannah, more dead people now plauged them. Faceless ones.

"Well, uh..." Sophia cleared her throat before continuing louder. "Thanks for fixing me... and the rest up... back there." She shouldn't have had to.

Sophia's gratitude brought back a little light into Lily's eyes. "It was a good thing I can help out even a little." Another small smile. "I heard you helped out with the trapped people," she deliberately steered the conversation away from herself.

"More than a little," Sophia whispered, before looking down at her hands at Lily's comment. "I... I tried." But only because Angélique had pushed her to do so. And still, it had not been enough. She didn't want to think about it, but that was all that came to mind. I didn't have the initiative to at least try, like you seem to, she wanted to say. She wanted to admit how the person who deserved the credit was Angélique, but it wouldn't come out. "I... it wasn't enough, was it? All those people..."

She regretted the words once she said them. Sophia was supposed to be making Lily feel better, not heap her troubles upon the small girl's shoulders. "B-but nevermind," she added hurriedly, "I'm glad you're alright." At least on the outside. "Will be alright."

But even when Sophia hurriedly steered the topic from herself, Lily still focused on her friend. "I'm sure you did the best you could do. In situations like the one we were in, you can't really expect to save everyone..." her voice trailed off as her mind screeched to a stop, refusing to think of the reason why some people who shouldn't have died did.

Can't really expect to save everyone... Of course Lily was right, but that wasn't really how people's minds worked, was it? At least not hers. I hope Lily listens to her own advice. If Sophia would have started earlier, not waited to be pushed... more people would have been unearthed before the soldiers had come. All that death and injury... "I got stronger, but only after it mattered most." Too busy with her thoughts, Sophia didn't even realize she had said those words aloud.

Lily's spoon paused half way to her mouth. "Do you think they... USARILN East... puts us in these life or death situation to push us to grow stronger? I mean... I'm not any stronger than I was before but like you said... you got stronger."

Huh? Sophia was confused when Lily began to speak about just what she had been thinking about, before then realizing what she had done. Did Lily really know what Sophia had been saying out loud, or did Lily think that Sophia meant it in the more literal way? Like, getting more experienced and knowing how to respond better? She looked at the Aberration curiously. "I don't... know?" She huffed out a sigh, rubbing a hand over the side of her face. "Do you know what I mean... by uh, strong? Like..."

"I'm talking about strong like our powers growing... and at the same time, I think I mean being able to handle situations like the one they threw us in..." Lily answered. "Not like I handled myself well..." she mumbled as an after thought.

So Lily did understand, it had happened to her too. That made Sophia want to discuss it immediately, to talk to someone who she could actually sort of communicate with, and someone who would listen. It was something else to discuss that didn't entirely bring them back to blood and death. But Sophia caught Lily's mumble, and changed focus. Sophia hadn't been with Lily all the time, but from an outsider's point of view, she thought that the blonde haired girl had done okay. Considering the circumstances. "No... I thought you did fine?"

"No, I didn't," Lily answered. The refusal to remember the catastrophic events was stronger than ever. Sophia will hate me if she finds out... but... I owe it to her to let her know what a monster I am... so that she can keep herself safe from me... She tried to pull herself together, to try to come to terms to what she was and what she needed to do--to say. But it was difficult. She wanted to belong and to be needed. And telling her now would no doubt destroy the friendship they had. She finished her tasteless porridge, using that time to prepare herself to talk. "I'm... I shouldn't be..." she sighed and then gave up. "Tell me about you first," she said instead.

Sophia opened her mouth to budge in and insist that Lily had done alright, but in the end she closed it, seeing as Lily looked like she had more to say. Except she didn't way anything, and only continued eating. Still, Sophia waited for a while. She was not unfamiliar with the feeling of wanting to say something but being unable to, and a worried look crossed over her face when Lily seemed to struggle with words. Shouldn't be what? And now her friend was changing the subject, something that Sophia reluctantly let her do.

She didn't like talking about herself much. Sophia considered herself a very... private person. Even Lily didn't really know much about her, did she? Stalling a bit, she asked, "What-- what exactly do you want to know?"

"Nothing you don't want to share. I was just wondering how you're doing after all that's... happened," Lily said as she finally put her spoon down.

After all that had happened. Right. Sophia wasn't sure how to start, wasn't sure how much she wanted to share. "I'm... okay. I'll be okay." The conversation that she and Lily had had back after Wisford came to mind. "It's... I think all these changes are going to take a while to-- to get used to, knowing what is now expected... but..." Sophia trailed off and shrugged, "I don't know." She couldn't say anymore. Didn't want to go too closely to what had happened at the truck. Around the truck.

Lily nodded, understanding Sophia despite a lack of content to her statement. The golden haired Aberration's mind turned back to the matter at hand. Telling her friend--no, warning her friend of the danger she brings with her power. "I...need to tell you something... that... that would possibly make you hate me," she started.

That... that seemed familiar. Something about Lily insisting that Sophia would hate her. Because of her powers. Thinking back to that day when Lily had come to her room, she pressed her lips together for a moment. What was it now? Inside, worry flooded Sophia's thoughts... and apprehension. She hadn't forgotten that Lily was an Aberration, despite the girl's cheerful demeanor, Sophia still found herself thinking about it sometimes.

Hadn't they already sorted out the hating part back then? Was there something new? What had happened during the D.C attack that Sophia had not seen? Did she wanted to know?

But yes, she wanted to know. She should listen, because if she could lend some support to a friend, she should do so. Especially since Lily had also helped Sophia in the past. Making sure to look her friend in the eye, she said, "It's okay. Go ahead."

Looking into her friend's eyes, Lily finally remembered that it wasn't really Ernie who she first confided in but it was, in fact, Sophia. The horrible things she did to the fake people in Ground Zero, the awful feeling that came after, the panic, the desperation. Hope bloomed in her chest that Sophia wouldn't hate her after all but it was dashed away by the knowledge that this time, she had used her powers on real people. But the dark haired Arbiter was giving her her full attention now, she was willing to listen. There was no turning back.

Lowering her voice, she spilled everything in a statement that said it all. Short, straightforward and harsh. "I killed people in D.C," she said, bracing herself for the hatred and the repulsion she expected.

Oh shit. Some of those people that had been lying on the ground when the truck had pulled away from the place where the people had panicked and attacked... that had been Lily's work? The blood, the death. Lily. Sophia's face portrayed shock, something she couldn't hide as her mind whirled. Last time Lily had done it, the victims had been those in Ground Zero. Not real people. But now...

It was only now that Sophia really realized to what extent being an Aberration meant. Not being able to control that to such an extent... The blood, the death. Lily couldn't have really wanted to do such things, that was why she was so worked up, right? Sophia could see that her... her friend didn't bask in what she had done. A thought occured to her. In USARILN there was Ground Zero. But once we left the school, did she have anywhere to channel whatever forces her to do such things? There was La Plata, then D.C, and we were there for... how long? Her mind clung onto that thought, now having somewhere else to channel those swirling feelings. At the people who were herding them around. USARILN. Zhang.

It wasn't Lily's fault. It wasn't her friend's fault. It was the fault of those people who knew that Aberrations needed a Ground Zero, but had not made any effort to provide a place for them. Sophia suddenly looked angry. Not the exploding angry, but the quiet, cold kind of anger. Her dark eyes, which had dropped from Lily's once the girl had admitted what she had done, looked to her again. "It's not your fault." Conviction. Determination. Lily was not going to walk away thinking that all the fault was hers. "They-- they knew what could happen if the Aberrations in our group didn't have a Ground Zero. But they didn't do anything to help. They just brought us here and there, not bothering to say for how long or where or why."

"It's not your fault."

Lily really didn't expect Sophia to insist the it wasn't her fault. Because it really was hers. Not because she couldn't control her stigma, not because she couldn't find anything to channel it to but because she chose to be an Aberration. Mages were supposed to have dreams where they choose to be Arbiters or Aberrations. She couldn't remember hers. She coudn't remember why she chose the path she was walking now. But no matter how much she couldn't remember, the fact remained that she chose this path. She took a deep breath. "It is my fault, Sophia. No matter how much I want to blame someone else, I can't. At the end of the day, it just boils down to what I am and what powers I have and how I lose control," she explained. It was strange to be fearing to be rejected and hated one moment and then end up trying to convince her friend that she's a monster.

Sophia shook her head. It wasn't Lily's fault. Yes, Lily had... had done it, but that was only because measures hadn't been taken to prevent it. She wouldn't let herself think it was her friend's fault. But what was she to say to continue trying to convince Lily, when Lily had already rejected her previous words? "You are a cheerful, supportive friend. You have the power to heal people. You might have 'lost control' in your view, but that wasn't you. That was..." Whatever it was that pushed Lily. "It wasn't your fault, you didn't want to. And you're trying your best to keep it from happening. You're going to get better. Right?" Was it a rhetorical question, or was Sophia really asking for confirmation?

Lily stared at Sophia for a long moment, marveling at how good her friend think she was. It didn't feel right to tell her that she was mistaken, to disappoint her and tell her that she was rotten to the core. Her words, so full of hope, made the small Aberration feel like she needed to get better, needed to control herself more, needed to make sure that she no longer hurt people just because her stigma urged her to. Slowly, she nodded her head, realizing that she was with one of the best people she could ever wish to meet. "I will. Thank you."

A soft sigh of relief. Mission: accomplished. It wasn't Lily's fault. "You don't need to... thank me," Sophia mumbled, "It's nothing."

The blonde mage reached out and squeezed Sophia's hand. "No, I have a lot to thank you for. Just for believing in me. That's already too much," she smiled. "I thought that people would hate me for being this way... I was scared of telling you. I forgot that I already did and even now when I've done something beyond horrible, you still think I'm good. It's amazing. Thank you."

It wasn't too much. That was what Sophia was supposed to do, what she wanted to do for Lily. But she didn't protest. She let herself, for a bit, belive that she could be helpful. I... I helped. Lily confides in me now. I might need her sometimes, but she needs me too. And there it was. She smiled. "You're welcome."

September 22 - Finding Gifts Outside The Door

Lily

---

Lily's talk the day before with Sophia had lifted her mood quite a bit but not entirely. With her constant nightmares plaguing her sleep and waking her up several times during the night, she sluggishly got out of the bed feeling exhausted. Rubbing her eyes, the first thing they fell on was the phone that was laying silently on the table, drained of all its battery. She wondered if she should talk to the person that kept calling. Maybe actually hearing him out would give her a clue to figuring out who really owned the phone.

But I'd need to charge it first. she thought as she pulled out the single drawer on the table. I don't think they'd have--- her thoughts came to a complete stop.

"Oh," the small teenager stared in amazement at what appeared to be a brand new charger tucked neatly beside some blank papers and pens, its cord secured by a twist tie. She reached for it, released the cord and examined the tip. "It'd be so strange if this thing's actually compatible with the phone I have..." she connected the charger to the phone, fully expecting it not to fit. "Oh," she said again when she found that it was actually perfect fit. She furrowed her brows and looked around. "What a strange place..." she murmured as she plugged the charger into the wall socket. The phone's LCD instantaneously lit up and an image of a battery filling up flashed across it. She stared at it for a moment before wandering back to the bed and laying atop the rumpled bedsheet.

With her mind idle, horrified faces invaded her thoughts and her mood plummeted back down. Why this power? What made her choose to have a twisted version of what's supposed to be purely good? Why did she choose to have this incessant need to hurt plague her every single moment? Did she know and willingly chose it? Was she a violent person before she lost her memories? Was that why she had that gash on her head that should have claimed her life? Why did she survive it? Was it because she was meant to do good? But what does doing good mean if she'll eventually bring death and destruction?

Too many questions.

Sighing, she decided to get up and go out. Maybe some fresh air would do her good... Her stomach grumbled and she realized she hadn't eaten anything yet for the day. Maybe something to eat would be good too. Trying to keep her mind blank just like she did the day before, she crossed the small distance from the bed to the door and opened it.

She would have tripped on them if she hadn't been looking down.

Outside her door were three boxes and a medium sized tub. "Hmmm?" Her nose immediately picked up what was inside the boxes when she leaned down to pick them up. Donuts. A delighted grin lifted the edges of her lips up.

She brought the boxes into the room and returned for the tub. Her smile widened when she felt the cold and realized that it was ice cream. She peered up and down the hallway, wondering who could have left the goodies at her door. When she didn't see anyone, she shrugged and went back into her room. Kicking the door closed behind her, she brought the cold tub to the table and laid it down beside the boxes. The ice cream tub even came with a spoon. Thoughtful. She stared at them for a few minutes, again marveling at how the place seemed to know just what she wanted and needed.

As soon as she got over her initial surprise, she peeked into the boxes, not really noticing the taped note on top. It fell off the box and landed onto the table--meant to be discovered at a later time. Her eyes zoned in on the chocolate glazed pastry ring in one of the boxes and immediately picked it up. Chocolate was always the way to go. Without hesitation she bit on it, giggling as she did. When she was half way done, she turned her attention to the ice cream. Placing the half eaten donut between her teeth, she pried the tub lid off.

"Chocolate!" she exclaimed, almost dropping the donut in between her teeth and laughing at herself for it.

Everything wasn't as bad as it seem after all.

September 23: Doubts, Misgivings and Text Messages

Lily

---

The talk with Sophia, the donuts and the ice cream... although they were all good at pulling the small girl's mood up, it still managed to sink low. She ended up wandering around early in the morning, taking in the sight and surrounding without really enjoying it. She saw some of her classmates but she didn't really bother saying hi and made it a point to avoid them. Sophia might think that she was good but none of the others probably think the same way. Why would they when she herself didn't think she was in any way good?

Lunch time found the X-marked blonde seemingly on autopilot again, feeding herself two pieces of toast without anything on it. As soon as she was done, she cleaned after herself and escaped back into her own world, wandering the grounds and even falling asleep under a tree.

But as always, Lily's sleep was short lived and she woke up both tired and disoriented.

When she managed to drag her depressed and tired self back to her room, the LCD of her phone lit exactly when she stepped through the door.

10 missed calls and 15 messages. All from Sebastian.

Depressive thoughts and anxiety pushed aside, curiosity won over and Lily pored over the messages sent to the phone everyone in USARILN claimed to be hers. She scrolled over several messages that kept repeating the same name Hailey.

Come on, Hailey. Just pick up please.

Who is Hailey? Was she someone in USARILN with them? An older student? A deceased one maybe?

I know you're angry at me. But please. At least let me know that you're okay.

Why would Hailey be angry at him? Did he do something?

I keep hearing things reported in the radio about students from USARILN. Where are you?

So Hailey is part of USARILN too.

Please. Just pick up the phone. I just need to hear that you're alive and well. If you don't wanna talk to me... it's okay. Just... talk to me once... please.

I should really tell him that I got Hailey's phone... but it'll be so sad to tell him that the Hailey might actually be dead...

Hail...

You're the only family I have left.

That last message made Lily pause and stare at the LCD. The only family he had left... that made everything worse. How do you tell someone that the only family they have left might actually be already dead? Was she ready to deliver that message to this unknown person? She stared at the words until they blurred and then hurriedly put the phone aside.

September 24: Two X's and An Apology

Lily | Angélique

Collaboration with: @Riffus Maximus

---

Angélique looked quite lonesome as she sat at the table in the dining hall in front of a good homemade meal. She had come back early from her road trip with Zoe, given her red-haired friend wasn’t comfortable sitting for long. As such, Angel had time to cook something for herself for dinner. Even though she had a good talk with her fellow Aberration, the less reputable singer still felt somewhat down. Her first birthday dinner without anyone around to celebrate it. No cakes, no presents, no wishes, no one to have fun with…

Her thoughts drifted to the people she had spoken with recently. Most thought of her as a horrible human being for having done what she did in Washington, while some were willing to give her second chances, prove that she wasn’t a monster, but someone who did a mistake. It was hard, deciding what she was, who she should be.

Beside Siena, Angélique hadn’t spoken to anyone from her evacuation group. She had tried to avoid them so far this week. It was an unhealthy thing to do, letting this hate and animosity fester, but Angel had not found her resolve to face the others and admit that she had lost control. Because, in the end, as much as she may tell the others and even try to believe herself in saying that she did it to protect the others, it remained that she had lost control over herself and let loose her Stigma. If she had been more in control, it would’ve been likely that no one would’ve died by the hands of her group that day.

She might not want to admit her loss of control, but there was something Angel shortly realized. She owed apologies, much like she had already apologized to Siena for having involved her in this mess, and apologized to Allison for having betrayed her trust and her love.

And it just so happened that, on her way to her room, Angélique found herself stopping short from bumping into a small Lilianna, whose presence seemed to have gone almost unnoticed not only from her size but from how quiet she was. It was unusual for the usually spirited blonde Aberration to look so down, at least according to the few moments the ex-rockstar had spent with the younger girl.

”Oh! I’m sorry Lily, I didn’t see you there. My mind was… elsewhere.”

Lily was wandering around aimlessly when Angel bumped into her. While she had been successful in keeping her mind quiet and blank the first few days since they arrived, now her mind was cluttered with the events that had happened in Washington. The horrified looks on people's faces, how they crumpled to the gound clutching at their bleeding ears, how they had screamed in pain before collapsing... There was no excuse to what she had done. And walking around freely like what she was doing was unfair. She should be locked up and tied down like Hazel.

I'm not a healer. I'm a murderer. I shouldn't stay here. I'll just endanger people's lives... The words in her head kept repeating in a loop, punctuated by the voices of her stigma agreeing to every word.

Sluggishly, she looked up when Angel spoke up. "It's okay," she replied and automatically stepping aside to create space. "I hope I wasn't much of a bother," she added in a soft, dejected voice.

Lily probably had all the reasons to feel depressed, Angélique figured as her friend’s state of mind leaked profusely from her voice alone. Shit, she must’ve spent the last few days locked up on herself to look like that.

She deserved an apology, and like Angel herself had found an ear to speak her mind to in Zoe, the black-haired Aberration felt like she should be there for Lily too. It wasn’t her fault, partly. It was this goddamn X on her neck.

“What, no! No you’re not. I just spaced out. It’s my fault really.” Angélique quickly replied to Lilianna’s statement, feeling as if she had just insulted the depressed small Aberration.

I took some time for Angel to muster the courage to speak, but she managed to open her mouth, tentative words finally breaking the silence “Lily… do you… want to have a talk?”

Tired looking golden eyes continued staring at Angel. What was there to talk about? Did her friend wanted to know just how much of a monster she was? Lily sighed. She was just about to say no when a realization occurred to her. Oh...maybe she has problems of her own that she wants to vent out.

"Okay... Do you... uh... wanna go back to my room? Someone left donuts in my doorstep the other day. Maybe you'd want some?" she offered.

“O-oh! I mean, if you don’t mind, sure? It’s been a while. Kinda miss those actually, now that you bring it up?” Angel tried to gather her spirits up, but only managed to come up with half-a-smile. “Someone just... left them there? Have any idea who it is?"

Lily shrugged. "I have no idea. There wasn't any note attached to it. I guess the person who left it there didn't want me to know who he or she is. It was a nice gesture though. I'll rememer to thank the person if I ever find out," she said as an amused look came over her face. "So many donuts... it was sorta fun looking at them," she gave out a small half hearted chuckled as she led the way to her room.

“Sounds like whoever gave them to you knew you loved them.” Angélique replied with a faint giggle of her own.

And ignored the fact she is a mass murderer just like you…

Falling back behind Lily, the raven-haired Siren followed Lilianna to her room, her heart starting to beat faster as she was trying to come up with words of apologies to Lily. It wasn’t something she felt comfortable with right now, but it had to be done. And if it could help Lily empty her mind, then she would’ve at least done something good today as well.

"I suppose almost everyone knows that I love them since I used to walk around USARILN East's campus eating them," Lily said as she walked into her room. Once inside, she grabbed one of the boxes of donuts and laid in onto the table. "Here, help yourself," she said and stood there staring thoughtfully at her fellow Aberration.

Her curious perceptiveness kicked in. "You want to talk about what happened," was her straightforward statement.

Settling next to the table, Angel reached for one of the pastries inside a box. They looked handmade, that was for sure. Whoever did it used the equipment here to do them. However, she did not get to fully taste the bit she took as Lilianna shot the question at Angel in the most straightforward manner that could have been told.

Nearly choking in surprise, the now-turned two decades old young woman swallowed her bite hard, looking at the blonde Aberration at the other end of the table. “Y-yeah. Actually.”

Too quick, not enough time.

“I wanted to apologize… for what I did. None of this would have happened if I haven’t started screaming at those people. You surely wouldn’t have been tempted if I didn’t cause ear injuries to these people. I thought I would’ve protected you guys… but I fucked up big time. “

It was clear that Angel was remorseful about what she did, and felt overly responsible for what happened. The day had been loaded in emotions for the older Aberration, and words sometimes stuck in her throat as she spoke. “I.. I’m sorry for everything.”

Lily shook her head despite the barrage of angry images in her head. "No, there's nothing to be sorry about. You and me both know how difficult it is to control it up here," she placed a finger on her temple. "I've been...trying so hard to control mine but..." her voice trailed off.

Trying to confide in another murderer?

Her face fell as Kusari's words echoed in her head after the voice of her stigma. "I'm not pretending to be good but...but... I'm really not good...at all," she sighed, sank down onto a chair and hung her head. "I cause more harm than good."

Angel watched as Lily fell deeper into darkness, speechless. No… this wasn’t what she had been coming for. She wanted to make Lily feel better, not the other way around.

“Lily… please, don’t say that.” The older Aberration approached Lily hesitantly, sitting right next to her. “You are right, it is difficult to deal with. But I don’t think you are inherently a bad person. If you were, you wouldn’t be so down about it all. You wouldn’t dive into that mass of injured people and bleed yourself to unconsciousness if you were such a bad person. I think… as long as you can feel regret or sympathy, that makes you just as human as any one of us, or them.”

Angélique fell silent, trying to come up with something more encouraging. “Even if we lose it, then that means we’ve just got to find alternatives. Find some means to prevent us from harming others until the day we can manage to contain it.”

Lily blinked at Angel's words. What makes me human... She didn't expect kind words or reassuring ones. She expected disgust and mistrust. She expected anger and hate. Just like what Ernie said before. If the others find out what she could do, then they'd stop trusting her. "Aren't you going to yell at me? Tell me I shouldn't be coming near you or anybody else?" she asked, paused and then plunged forward. "I killed all those people and while I feel horrible about it now... when I was doing it, it felt like it was the most wonderful thing to do," she finished. It was really the first time she admitted it out loud. What was the use in keeping it a secret now that she showcased how horrific her powers were for the world to see. That and she wanted to see if Angel would turn and leave her like she expected her to.

The raven-haired Aberration quietly listened to her friend’s lament, finding her words oh so familiar. They really were the same, deep down. Two good-natured musicans having made the wrong choice and now paying for it in mistakes and lamentations. Just how cruel it was to have taken the path of an X-marked.

“It’s sick, isn’t it? Maybe it’s something that has always been there, or maybe it’s something that was forced on us. But trust me, Lily, you are not alone in this. Zoe feels the same way when she rots people from the inside out. I feel ecstatic when my screams pierces the air and make all those people drop. I feel… superior to others, when I just see them kneeling in pain and I stand above them. The worst part in this? I love it, just like Zoe loves spreading death and you love making people suffer.”

Angel felt disgusted by this admittance, her face clearly showing is. “And I hate it all. It’s disgusting. It’s revolting. I cannot accept it.” She spat these venomous words in such hatred that it was unsightly.

“But what can I do about it? I could yell at you for taking the injuries I caused and turning them into mortal wounds. I could scream at you that everyone believes I killed these people. I cried over my lost friends and the betrayal they felt. I could tell you about all the deaths we caused, about all the families we’ve ruined, about all the people we’ve let down. About how undeserving we are to be seen as heroes and how much of monsters we are.”

Just as if Angel seemed she would burst from anger, she stopped, her wrath slowly fading away in sorrow. “But even if I would yell at you for having done that, that won’t bring those people back. We regret it now, but it’s in the past now. Personally, I sure as hell won’t accept what I did back there, and that’s exactly why I’m going to right my wrongs. I’m fucked up, I admit it. But I’ll cling to whatever good I have left and make sure I never forget what I did, even if the world doesn’t know and gave us a second chance.”

“I won’t abandon you, Lily. Allison still loves me despite what I did. Zoe knows of my struggle and wants to support me through my choices, just like I want to be there when she has no one to talk to. So even if I know what you are going through, I want to help you, because you are a classmate, my friend, and you are not alone on this fucked up boat. I don't want you to become the monsters we see in the news or on TV. We’ll help each other out through this, alright?”

"Oh," was all Lily could say. She stared at Angel for the longest moment, a little unbelieving that someone would actually stick with her despite knowing what she can do and how she can lose control. "Thank you, Angel," the blonde Aberration's voice was both thankful and amazed. And then finally, her lips curved up into a genuine smile. She might not have broken through her depressed mood yet but she was really grateful. "I didn't think anyone would welcome me after all I did... E-- err... Someone said I should keep it a secret cause if people found out then I'd lose all the trust given to me..." she admitted, carefully omitting Ernie's name.

“What?”

Angélique was dumbfounded to have heard that. Who the hell suggested Lilianna such a stupid idea? It was irresponsible, if not downright counterproductive. Had people known about this, it would’ve made the girl the best combat medic there was on their team, ten times that considering she was able to turn simple wounds into life-threatening injuries. Not only that, but had she known before hand…

“Lily, who the fuck told you that? It’s the goddamn opposite! If you tell people about your power, then we can come up with plans to find you a better role. If we had known before, we could’ve probably taken our precautions even. We wouldn’t cast you aside for that. For fuck’s sake, it’s your power, you can’t do anything about this. It’s how you use it that makes you trustworthy or not.”

That made sense. But... During that time Lily was speaking with Ernie, it made sense too. Maybe because she thought she was safe staring into his eyes? Or maybe because it looked like he honestly cared for her well being. "I guess it's my fault not thinking about it before I decided to take the advice. And I was... scared that nobody would want to be friends with me anymore," she reached out for a chocolate glazed donut and bit on it worriedly.

Angel’s face softened as Lily seemed to be taking it personally. “It’s okay Lily, I can understand that but…”

She couldn’t be blamed. The fallen idol herself desperately tried to mend the broken pieces of her friendships and tried so hard to keep or making new friendships. Loneliness is a suffering that no one should experience, especially in these dark times. Especially for Mages.

“I need to know who goes around telling people those kinds of things. Whoever it is, they make it sound like we should be ashamed of our powers and hide them. It just creates more discord among us. I need to set things straight. Nothing good can come out of this if that kind of advice is given to everyone in our class.”

Lily frowned. She really didn't want to get Ernie into trouble. But admittedly, his advice did do more harm than good. What Angel made sense. Had she been open about what she can do, then maybe she would have had help dealing with her demons. "I-I'm sure Ernie didn't mean to cause harm..." her brows furrowed as she said the name out loud.

"Ernie!? That motherf-… "

Angel cut herself short from swearing in Lily’s presence. This asshole was the one who told her that? Not surprising, being the sniveling coward he was. Was he really Lilianna’s friend? Or was she being used by him, just like Ernest pretended to be Angel’s friend only to get close to an idol?

“Sorry… I… had a fall out with Ernest when we came here. He… just wasn’t the person I thought he was. Feels like… I’ve been deceived by how he usually acted around me.”

The young woman in her twenties fell silent, looking bitter as she remember her would-be ‘friends’ tag-teaming up on her for insulting her. “Just… mind yourself around him, alright? I don’t like gossiping and certainly don’t want to be telling you who to be friends with, but be careful. Some things are not what they seem to be. I think we both know that better, huh?”

Angel finished by eating into a donut, finally allowing her to taste how fresh and delicious these homemade donuts were.

"Not the person you thought he was..." Lily took another bite on her donut and looked thoughtful. And you fell into his trap. The voice in Lily's head cackled.

"But he's..." she started. What did she want to say? That he was nice? That she thought she was safe with him? And that she thought his advices made sense? But in reality, she didn't really know him. Maybe she was just glad that he was willing enough to hear her out and give her advice like a friend would. Now that she was talking with Angel, everything seemed to make more sense and doubts about Ernie began creeping in. You just want it to be him when there's so much more better people to turn to, the voice in her head voiced out.

Seeing Lily being so hesitant about Ernest, Angélique figured they might have had a good relationship going. But then again, just how true it all was? And how would he react if he actually discovered the little blonde Arbiter had been the one doing the killing?

"It's your choice, Lily. Personally, I don't like him, but you make your own friends and try to keep them, right?" Angel added, feeling a bit frustrated Lily was so attached to that asshole.

Reaching up for a vanilla-iced donut, Angel took a most serious face "I know I'm going to sound hypocrite from what I told you earlier. But please, don't EVER tell anyone about what happened back there. If you have to, especially to Ernest, make sure to have someone around. Anyone but Brent. Those two... have a hard time accepting what happened."

Lily still looked thoughtful but it was obvious that she was listening to each word Angel was saying. "I'll...keep that in mind. And..." she tilted her head, her golden eyes wide and curious as she looked at the dark haired singer. "I'm really glad that you're here and that you didn't turn me away like I thought everyone would. I'm also... sorry that I gave in to the voices in my head. I think maybe the deaths I caused are adding more to your guilt. I'll be better." She crammed the rest of the donut into her mouth.

"I-It's okay. I'll be there for you. I know what it is like to have voices whispering in your head all day long. It's not easy." Angel replied, not cramming her donut like her friend did, but she was eating it quite fast.

The forest green-eyed Aberration paused. She made Lily feel better about herself. At least she succeeded in making something good today. But this talk really was depressive, so...

"Had any progress on this memory loss of yours?"

Lily felt her mood lighten up a bit and she nodded. It was nice to have someone who understood and cared. "No, no big progress yet... but I was thinking that maybe I should talk to that Sebastian guy who keeps calling the cellphone that I have. Maybe he's the Sebastian you helped me remember," she said.

"That would make sense. I mean, you remembered this name specifically, he is in your phone contacts and he keeps calling you. Chances are it really is your brother trying to reach you."

Angel leaned on the table to grab another donut, honey-glazed this time. "I think you might want to talk to him. He could help you a lot to remember."

"If you want to remember, that is."

"I really should, shouldn't I?" Lily asked, nodding her head slowly. "I mean if it ends up to be someone else, then no harm done, right?" she added, sounding as though she was convincing herself.

"You've got nothing to lose from trying, girl." Angel confirmed as she finished another donut, her hand tentatively reaching for another one, but decided not to. "Damn, I should stop myself, but they are so good. I'm going to end up fat, and you won't have any left by the time I leave." Angelique chuckled lightly.

Lily shook her head. "Oh, you can have more if you want. My benefactor left three boxes full of donuts," she giggled. "And I've just eaten two since it was left outside my door. There was also ice cream... but I kinda finished that already," she admitted a little sheepishly. "Besides, today is a good day to share donuts with a good friend so have as much as you want," the golden haired girl smiled.

"Awww you're so sweet! How can I resist if you say it like that?" The Voice Mage stood a bit away from her chair and reached Lilianna for a hug. "You have to tell me how you remain so lithe after eating like that." She added with a way more light-hearted laugh.

Lily hugged the singer back gladly. She liked hugs and realized that it's been a while since she was last given one. "Genetics maybe? No matter what I eat, I still stay small," she chuckled.

"Some people are just born that lucky."

Ironic, given their current circumstances. Angel had her fair share of good genetics as well, having the body of a lascivious model and a golden voice despite her very poor eyesight.

Accepting Lily's offer, Angel reached her hand out for a plain donut, her mood having considerably going up for the better as she smiled to the blonde Mage "Yeah, eating donuts with a good friend does make it a better birthday now."

"Oh!" Lily's eyes grew wide. She reached out and took the plain donut out of Angel's hand and replaced it with a darker pastry. "This isn't much of a gift but this is my most favorite flavor. You can have it. It's dark chocolate. Happy Birthday!"

"O-oh, Lily. That's..."

Hearing that, Angel felt herself consumed by happiness. Really, this probably had been way more than what she asked of today. An emotional tear ran up in her eye as her face let a nostalgic smile drawing on her lips. Without hesitation, she shot up from her chair and threw herself onto Lilianna into a warm hug. One that she wanted to last as long as it could. One that felt like warming her soul.

"Thank you."

Lily grinned and returned the hug, for a moment forgetting all her worries and snapping out of her depressed mood. There were no monsters, no dead people, no Regulars clammoring for their heads. It was just a normal day spent with a good friend on her special day. "Oh, no need to thank me. That's what friends are for, right?"

"Yeah!"

Angel took the impromptu cake donut and split it in half, handing one half to her blonde Aberration friend. "Cheers then, for having a good friend on this 20th year."

The grin on Lily's face widened more as she took half of the donut. "Cheers!" she giggled. Just a normal teenager having fun.

September 25: Sebastian

Lily | Sebastian

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Chances are it really is your brother trying to reach you... Angel's words echoed in Lily's head as she stared at the newest message Sebastian sent.

Were you in D.C? Norn? Is that what you're called now?

Norn. The name people were calling her... Why would this unknown person single out that name. Was he really the brother she can barely remember? Her finger trembled as it poised over the call button. It was easy to just press that button, ask and finally find out. But why was she hesitating?

Fear maybe? Fear of being rejected or disappointment? Somewhere inside her, she had started to hope that he was her brother, that he was the inkling to her lost past. Ever since Angel brought it up, the idea never really left her mind.

Just an inch more. Just a quick swipe to call...

Guitar chords blared from the phone and the healing mage jumped, almost dropping the phone in surprise. Gripping it tighter, she looked at the screen and saw that Sebastian was actually calling again.

Hesitation.

And then that sudden burst of courage.

"Hello?"

There was a sigh of relief on the other line, followed by a male baritone. "Hailey, thank God!"

"I-I'm not Hailey. My name is Lilianna Brandt," Lily felt that tug of uncertainty.

There was a pause. "What? Lilianna. Why do you have Hailey's phone? Where is she?"

The creases on Lily's forehead deepened. "I'm sorry. I don't know where she is. They... the people in school gave me this phone and told me that it belonged to me... that it was in my pocket when they found me."

There was a sharp intake of breath. "You... Were you found outside USARILN East with a head wound? Do you have healing powers? Black threads that appears on your wrist every time you take on other people's injuries?"

How did he--- "Y-yes."

Another sigh of relief. "Hailey! It's me. It's Sebastian. Don't you know who I am? Don't you recognize my voice?"

"N-no..."

"Y-you... lost your memory?"

"I don't remember anything. But... I dream of people... people I don't know. A blonde boy with the name of Sebastian. I-is that you?" Lily asked.

"Yes! I'm that Sebastian. I'm your brother. Look at the photos in your phone."

The blonde mage remembered trying to look through the contents of the phone. The contacts were full of names she didn't really recognize. The inbox was full of messages from only one person...Sebastian. And the photos. She couldn't access it because it was protected by a pass code.

"Of course you won't be able to open it. The night before we got separated you set a pass code so that no one else would be able to access the photos there. I don't know why you did that but the pass code is 8-1-2-2. It's your initials. H. A. V. Hailey Anne Villes. Look through the photos, Hail. And then call me after."

"Hailey Anne Villes..." Lily said slowly as she removed the phone from against her ear. She accessed the photos and keyed in the numbers Sebastian told her, half her mind convinced that it wouldn't unlock anything but half hoping that it would. Unlocking what she was supposed to have set was proof enough that the boy on the other end of the line was indeed her brother.

"Oh,"

There were so many pictures saved. Pictures of herself, pictures of a blonde boy she assumed to be Sebastian, pictures of them together, a single photo of a dark haired boy with sad looking eyes and a picture of her with people she didn't recognize. The teenager took a deep breath and dialed her brother's number.

"Why did you leave me here?" she asked as soon as he picked up.

"I had to. They were looking for us. They wanted us dead. I had to lead them away and I knew the people in USARILN would find you and take care of you." A straightforward explanation. But an explanation that made Lily lapse into silence. "I'm sorry I had to," Sebastian continued.

It was Lily's turn to sigh. "Where are you? Are you okay?" she finally asked.

Sebastian chuckled. "You always were a worrywart. I'm okay. I'm in Maryland now. What about you? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm okay... I don't know exactly where I am but I'm okay..."

"It's good to hear your voice again. I miss you."

Lily paused. How do you tell your brother that you've forgotten all about him? "I... think I miss you too... but I can't really remember anything." The straightforward answer was always the best choice.

Sebastian chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll help you remember."

---

A Long Stay at The Estate: Snips of Lily's Second Week

September 28: Dishes and a Fight

Lily | Ernest

Collaboration with: @banjoanjo

---

Lily was in a better mood while she ate late lunch. It had helped being able to talk with Sophia and Angel. And finding out that the cellphone was really hers and that the guy on the other end of the line--Sebastian--was really her brother was what pulled her out of her slump. As soon as she shoveled the last of the food into her mouth, she stood up, grabbed her empty plate and glass and headed towards the kitchen. "Hailey. What a strange name. I think I like Lily better..." she mumbled to herself as she headed in. She heard the alert tone and felt the phone vibrate in her pocket. Must be Sebastian again. Ever since they had talked last week, he had been sending her messages asking her to tell him about what she's up to each day. But she was still holding her used plate and glass. He'll have to wait. "Maybe I should ask him to just call me Lily. I wonder if that will bother him...?" she mused out aloud and then stopped when she saw a familiar boy washing the dishes. Despite knowing that he gave her a not so good advice, memory of his brown eyes flashed through her mind and a small smile played on her lips.

Without wanting to bother him, the small blonde teenager placed her dirty dishes on the kitchen counter and waited patiently for her turn in the sink.

Another day in the kitchen. Routine was good. Gave him something to hold onto. Clear goals put in place, skills he wanted to perfect. Dishes were only a small part of that process. A shorter presence shuffled up beside him, one he greeted with a polite smile before he registered who it was.

She was there.

Careful now.

"Afternoon, Lil. Do you need me to do those for you?"

Lily pulled out the phone from her pocket and grinned when she saw messages from her older brother. It was really nice having someone looking out for her even though he was far away. Washing the dishes in a few minutes. What are you doing? she typed into her phone. She pressed the send button just in time for Ernie to say something.

"Oh, no, it's okay. I'll just wait my turn," she said. "Thank you for the treats you and Brent left for me, by the way. Took me a while to realize who left them cause I...sorta overlooked that small note," she admitted sheepishly.

"Hey, it's no trouble if you feel like avoiding some housework. Trust me I'm a pro at this stuff," he smiled proudly, putting on a bit of a show for his own sake, "Heh, maybe I should spell out names out in jam or something next time. It'd be harder to miss then."

He… just wasn’t the person I thought he was. Feels like… I’ve been deceived by how he usually acted around me.” Angel's words echoed in Lily's head. The small teenager pushed the thought aside for the moment, tucked her phone back into her pocket and gave the boy in front of her a small smile. "Okay then," she took up her used dishes, stepped forward and placed them beside the sink. "I don't really mind washing them but thanks. And...yeah, your names in strawberry jam would definitely be hard to miss," she chuckled. "But I was just in a gloomy mood then so that's probably the reason I missed it," she explained. Strange that she could still talk comfortably with him despite the doubts that were in her head now. Was his smile genuine or just a facade? What did he really think of her and of her terrible power?

Ernie accepted the dishes with a nod. "Hm? Did something upset you? Our donuts weren't that bad, were they?"

The X maked blonde shook her head. "Nah, they were really good. Can't find any fault in them whatsoever," she grinned and then raised an eyebrow. "Wait, did you make them?"

"It was a team effort," he admitted, depositing a fresh rack into the dish machine, "We worked together for the dough. I did the jam while Brent did the frying. Then we both did the ice cream." Hazel eyes shone with excitement at the memory. "He used his Overclock for the ice cream machine. How cool is that?"

Lily's eyes grew wide with both excitement and wonder. "Wow. It must have been so cool. I hope I can come and watch you guys make stuff next time," she said. "I finished the ice cream without sharing with anyone," she giggled. "I shared the donuts with Angel though..." her voice trailed off as she remembered their conversation. But again, she pushed the memories aside and focused on the person she was warned to watch herself with. "What else can you guys make?"

The boy's expression took an immediate turn for the worse at the mention of the singer's name. An ugly amalgamation of fury and suspicion. "...Angel?"

But the moment passed quickly. No reason to dwell on it. His easy-going smile returned as he began loading another rack. "Hey, more hands in the kitchen just means more fun. We'll make double the ice cream next time since you like it so much. Besides, I think that between me and Brent, the better question would be what can't we make?"

"Wow, that's so cool! I wonder if I can make stuff too. I'll have to ask my brother. He should know about stuff I can't remember," the girl replied. Maybe she could make pastries and ice cream too. It would be nice if she could. Then maybe when she joins the boys, she can be of some help to them. She watched Ernie continue working on the dishes. "You...like washing the dishes huh?" She remembered that bloody mess with Zoe. "And cleaning..." she voiced out her thoughts.

"That's the best thing about cooking, right? Even if you haven't done it before, it's super easy to pick up," he encouraged, "And yeah, I clean. A lot."

It was something he had to elaborate for a lot of people. It didn't annoy him like it used to but...man, couldn't a guy just put everything in its place in peace? Ah well, it wasn't gonna stop any time soon.

"You didn't tell me you had a brother. Are your memories getting better?"

"I think you're probably the neatest person I know...which is a good thing. I'm not neat at all," Lily commented. At the mention of her brother, she perked up. "Oh, I didn't know too. But they gave me this phone back in USARILN East. They said it was mine and then someone kept on calling it. Someone named Sebastian. At first I thought they mixed up phones in school but Angel helped me remember my brother's name and I thought maybe it's the same person calling. Turns out it was him," she beamed happily. "Found out my real name too," she added.

"Hah, thanks! If you ever need me to clean your room, I can do that too," he grinned, taking out a rack from the machine to replace on the dish shelf. He ignored the second mention of Angel for now, "Your real name? Should I stop calling you 'Lily'?"

Lily sat on a stool and wrinkled her nose. "No, no, I like Lily better than Hailey actually," she said, wresting her chin on her arms. "I'll have to convince Sebastian to start calling me Lily but it's still nice to know my real name and that I have family."

Family, huh? Ernie covered the tug in his heart with a vigorous scrub of another dish.

"Yeah, I'm real happy for you. Maybe you can FaceTime him sometime and introduce him to me."

But back to the more serious matter.

"So, uh, you hang out with Angel a lot?"

Lily dangled her feet happily, completely unaware of any discomfort she might be causing the hazel eyed boy. "Sure. It'd be nice to introduce a friend to him. I'm sure he'd appreciate meeting people I hang out with," She was about to say that she'd want to introduce other friends like Angel too when the singer's words echoed in her head again. “Sorry… I… had a fall out with Ernest when we came here.

Chastising herself for not being sensitive enough, she still answered his question. "Once in a while. She helped me remember stuff and we play music together," was her simple reply but it was obvious that she was fond of the dark haired Aberration.

"I mean, you shared donuts with her," Ernie prodded a bit harder, slightly miffed by the image of the punk whore pigging into his hard work. Lily could share her gift with people, just not...her. "So you must have talked recently, right?"

At his prodding, Lily wondered exactly what happened between the two of them. While Ernie kept up a pleasant face, her perceptiveness told her that he was in no way fond of the singer. But as always, she didn't ask but answered the question directed at her. "Yeah, we did," she didn't want to elaborate more. Suddenly she felt trapped between two warring countries. She can still remember the look on Angel's face when she told her about Ernie.

"Did she know that it was me and Brent that made the donuts?"

Lily laughed at the question. "No, she doesn't. I actually just found out they were from you two when she left," she admitted, feeling silly.

"Hah! Yeah," Ernie barked out a sharp laugh, "I bet she would've spat them out if she knew we two made those. Probably wouldn't have even appreciated it."

"Oh," Lily said, not really expecting that kind of reaction from Ernie. Golden eyes narrowed. The girl was more curious now than ever. Too much curiosity usually made her ask. And when she wants to know something, she asks straightforwardly. "Do you hate her?"

He hesitated, his expression shifting through waves of hurt, confusion and anger.

"I...think I do," he started unsuredly but grew in resolve as he went on, "Nah, yeah. Sometimes I wish I didn't, that we could go back to being friends but like..."

His brow furrowed. No. She had made it very clear how she felt about her actions.

"She made her choice. Brent and I made ours. What she did--what she believes--it's not something I can just overlook. So yeah, I hate her. Because she was wrong and she refuses to even acknowledge it. But it's fine. She hates me too."

Yet he stayed friends with Marcus. Yet he tutored Siena in her driving skills. Someone had to take the fall for the others in his life, huh? A sacrifice for his greater good. Angel was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Easier to just shift all the hatred to one target, blame her for a group's misgivings.

He fell silent, wiping at the dishes more sullenly now.

Lily listened silently. To her it seemed like the friendship between her two friends can still be saved. Especially when one actually wishes for them to go back to being in good terms with each other. But of course, she could still be wrong and voicing out her thoughts might not be a good idea. "Why not try to patch things up with her?" she asked anyway.

Ernie considered it for only a brief second. "Because I don't want to."

"Oh." Lily stopped dangling her legs. There really was nothing more to say to that. "I hope you won't hate me like that," she mumbled, not really realizing that she said it out loud.

She was there.

The notion looped in Ernie's head as he stared at the sink. Of course. There were still people who were on the truck he hadn't interrogated yet.

"Why...would I hate you?" he asked, his voice taking on a peculiar tone as he tried to sound clueless about her comment.

There were so many reasons. Because I'm a monster and I kill. Because I think maybe you're just pretending to be nice to me when you probably hate my guts already. Because Aberrations like me should be locked up so that I don't hurt anyone again. Because I told Angel that it was you who gave me that advice. Because I'm doubting you despite wanting to like you... Lily's mood plummeted a little. "Because..." She sat up straight and pointed to the X mark at the base of her throat.

Was that it? Ernie chuckled in relief.

"I'm not gonna hate you because you have a Stigma. You...seem like a good person to me, someone who's trying their best." Unlike some people who could name. "You've been working on it, right? I saw you with Emma's tulpa in D.C."

But he saw nothing that came after. He tried to hold out some hope for her, for now at least.

Lily wanted to tell him what happened and what she did. But Angel's words kept on repeating over and over in her head. And she was sure that he'd hate her when he finds out. Wasn't he the one who said that people would lose trust in her if they found out? Did what he said apply to him? "I'm...gonna do better," she said, opting not to say anything else. She really didn't want to see hate in those brown eyes.

"Heh, better than me at least," Ernie shrugged cluelessly, wrapping up his dishcleaning efforts by washing his hands, "It's good to see you aiming high. Makes me want to work hard too."

"Let's do our best, then," Lily said in a small voice, feeling guilt tug at her for not being honest.

After all the dishes were done, the pair departed the kitchen with more light conversation. But there was still something troubling Ernie.

She was there.

He needed to know. He couldn't let her go until he did.

As the kitchen doors closed behind them, Ernie turned to Lily, stopping in his tracks.

"I have one more thing to ask you."

No going back.

"In D.C., back on the evac team, did Angel...really murder those people?"

While she thought she could keep it among herself and the people who actually witnessed it, he just had to ask. Again she felt that two opposing forces pull at her. One urged her to come clean with the guy who knew exactly what she was capable of doing and the other pushing her to keep her mouth close the way Angel told her to. The answer to his question was really simple. It was already in her mind, just waiting for her to say it out loud. No, she didn't. I did. But can she really trust him? Did she know him enough to say that he'd still remain her friend even when he knew the terrible thing she did? Golden eyes met hazel brown ones and she felt that familar comforting feeling. Strange. What was it about his eyes?

"No, she didn't," she said.

Ernie's heart plummeted. No...

"What," he said lowly, "do you mean?"

Lily held Ernie's gaze and she wondered if he could read the truth in her eyes. She wanted to admit it but at the same time she didn't. She didn't want to say it out loud. She didn't need to remember how much of a monster she is after her mood had significantly lightened up from her earlier conversations with Sophia, Angel, Sebastian and Lawrence. And then there's that persistent doubt that Angel had successfully seeded in her mind. "It means she didn't kill those people."

But he saw the bleeding ears, the bodies so callously tossed aside by a forceful shout. The cause of death was the kind of head trauma that only Angel's powers could provoke.

"If she didn't do it," his voice was trembling. He already knew the answer, "then who did?"

He knew. Lily could see it in his eyes. She didn't want him to hate her or see fear or mistrust in his eyes so she remained silent and just as silently turned and walked away.

"No," he grasped her shoulder firmly, talking to her back, "You don't get to walk away. I ruined everything because of this."

Lily would have shrugged his hand off her shoulder but his words made her stop. Reluctantly, she stayed but kept her back to Ernie. She didn't wanna see his eyes. She didn't say anything but waited for him to explain what he just said.

"She lied to us!" he snarled, "For you, for everyone on that fucking truck, and you don't even have the decency to own up to it properly?!"

His words were confusing to the blonde Mage and despite not wanting to face the boy, Lily turned around, her eyes flashing with exasperation mixed with confusion and weariness. "What are you talking about? Do you want me to just go around announcing to people that I killed people just because I thought it was the right thing to do?" she demanded in a voice that matched his.

"You could have been honest with me at least. What do you mean 'the right thing to do'? Don't tell me you're just like her, with your 'it was the only option, I needed to protect my friends' bullshit."

The small girl fought to keep her temper in check. She might shift from being manic to depressed easily but she didn't lose her temper much. But with how the current conversation--or fight--was going, the frustration was tipping the scale dangerously. Her hands balled into a fist in an effort not to shout. She took a deep breath and when she began speaking again, her voice was calm and cold. "I'm not making excuses for what I did. I didn't do it to protect anyone. I might have thought I did but I did it because I wanted to." There really was no sense in hiding it. That was exactly what being an X meant. No matter how hard she tried to justify her actions, at the end of the road, it really was just that need to kill. "How can I be honest with you when you were the one who told me that people would lose their trust in me if they knew what I can do. Tell me now, do you still trust me? Did you ever trust me?" she challenged.

Ernie grit his teeth. More and more lying, murderous bastards in this class. He'd never see the end of it.

"I didn't. And I don't. The only difference between then and now is that now, I've finally got good reason for it."

His hands started to ball into fists. Of course he knew how the fucking Stigma worked but he still just couldn't believe it.

"How could you have possibly thought that it was the right thing to do?"

Angel was right all along. Ernest really wasn't the person he appears to be. How could she have taken advice from a person who didn't trust her in the first place? All traces of anger or emotion left Lily's face as she looked into the boy's eyes. "I don't have to explain myself to someone who doesn't trust me, now do I?" she said before turning and walking away. There was no need to stay this time.

Well. He had all the answers. What the fuck was he meant to do now?

Are you satisfied?

His eyes narrowed. There were still pieces missing, information that he would've obtained if he'd just swung his trap the way he always did. Of course he didn't trust her! He acted based on the evidence he'd seen. It was different from him and Brent. The Arbiter had bared everything to him. It was only fair to trust him back in the same way. But this? This blindness that he needed to throw himself into to repair these relationships? The insane leap of faith required to salvage what he still had with the people he hoped he still cared about? That basic human empathy needed to move on and forgive someone?

Ernie had never been so incapable, so lacking of anything in his life.

Well, he supposed it was only fair. Trust was a two-way street. If he couldn't extend the effort then why should she?

"I suppose you don't," he chuckled bitterly and walked off himself.

September 29: Troubles and Music

Lily | Angélique

Collaboration with: @Riffus Maximus

---

Lily made her way to the music room, not really paying attention to where she was goinf because her nose was buried in her cellphone. Having a brother to communicate with was a welcome change, one that she made sure to do every day.

Hey Seb. What's for lunch?

Morning little sis. Potato and some sort of soup. Yours? What are you up to today?

Nothing. Not hungry. I wanna play music.

Frustrated? What's wrong?

Friends and not friends. How do you know I'm frustrated?

You used to play music when you're frustrated, angry or happy. I just guessed which.

Oh. I don't even know what to play.

Violin. Start with C# minor and take it from there. It'll come to you.

Lily stared at her phone for a few minutes, texted an okay to Sebastian and then pocketed her phone. Once inside the music room (which was thankfully empty), she made a beeline for the violin and wasted no time placing it against her chin. "C# minor..." she muttered and began playing Nocturne, the melody bouncing on the walls of the small room.

One day truly never goes the same as the others before…

After Angélique has messed around long enough with Marcus and Kusari on the shooting range, her shoulder felt sore from the repeated backlash of the rifle against her naked shoulder bone. She really ought to buy a pad or wear thicker clothing when she goes for a shooting session.

Wandering the halls after a well-deserved and simply lunch, Angel found herself drawn to something that was faintly coming out from one of the rooms. Music from… a violin? Was it who she was thinking it was?

Hurried steps brought the raven-haired musician to the estate’s music room. And, as she expected, she found the small form of a blonde Aberration playing the violin. The scene was breathtaking, just as the music that came out from the instrument.

Unwilling to disturb Lilianna in her play, Angel stood at the door’s frame, leaning on it with crossed arms as she listened to the song and waited for Lily to be done with her piece.

Lily willed her mind to go blank as she closed her eyes. There was no Lily, no USARILN East, no monsters, no Subnaturals, no Regulars, no deaths, no brown eyed boys who spoke of trust when he himself couldn't trust. There was only music and the music both relaxed and brought her peace. She had no idea how she was playing it without any memory of a piece but the movements of her hands translated to music on the instrument. When she was done, she stood there with her eyes still closed and her back turned from Angel. "C# minor..." she muttered again, wondering if what she had played was something she was fond of playing before. She had no idea that she had an audience.

When Lilianna was done playing, Angel pushed herself away from the door frame. It was enthralling, and especially enjoying to see she wasn’t the only musician in her class. Really, such an oddly grouping of gifted individuals everyone had been.

“Mind if I join in?” Angélique asked as she walked into the room, going for the guitar she had left on display after finding one behind a bookshelf on the day before, when she was playing with Hazel. “It was… beautiful. Really, you must’ve been a professional back then.”

Compared to last week, on her birthday, when Angel had spoken with Lily, it was noticeable how the raven-haired singer was in higher spirits these days. From her bearings to her voice, it was clear time had started to heal a few wounds. Or at least she managed to cope with her feelings a bit better.

Lily turned around and smiled when she saw Angel walking in. "Oh, I didn't know you were there, Angel. Feel free to join in," She made a welcoming gesture with her bow. "No, Seb said I was just really fond of playing music. Last week I tried playing the flute. That turned out really well. Seb also said that I've dabbled with playing the piano before too," she said as she watched her tall friend go for a guitar. "Looks like you're in a good mood today," she observed.

Angel nodded quite enthusiastically as she opened the guitar case and took the acoustic instrument from it, setting it up on her knees as she took a nearby seat and looked up to Lily with a smile. “Yes. I’ve… tried to settle some things down with some of the others. It mostly went well and…” the young woman paused, reflecting on her eight-hour trips she was making every day. “I’ve had a lot of time to think on the road. Sate my Stigma, think of the second chances we’ve been give and especially getting to drive such a fantastic car all day long.” Angélique mentioned the last part with a wide grin.

Strumming the chords of the guitar a few times to verify it was still tuned up like yesterday, the sunglasses-wearing Aberration rewinded their discussion a bit back.

“So you’ve been talking to your brother? Everything went well, I hope?”

Sebastian will always be a favorite topic now that she had found him again. Lily nodded. "It's nice to finally put a voice and face to a name. And he's been helping me remember some stuff. My name for example. It's actually Hailey... though I like Lily better,"she narrated. "Also nice to have someone to complain to when I get frustrated," she frowned a bit.

While Lilianna was narrating her happening with her brother, Angel was mindlessly striking the strings of her instrument in a just low enough melody to be able to hear the blonde Mage as she spoke. It was good to see her friend uncovering fragments of her past and being joyful about it. There was still hope for Lily yet.

“Hailey, huh? That’s… quite different from Lilianna. Do you want me to start calling you by your previous name? Whichever you feel more comfortable with, I guess.”

While Angel would usually laugh at complaining to a sibling about anything, Angel’s expression slightly took on a more concerned note. Lily was frowning. Did something happened that made her bitter?

“Is there something bothering you, Hail-… Lily?” Angélique inquired softly, unsure which name she should use for her friend now.

"Lily is fine," The X marked girl watched Angel's fingers on the string of the guitar, contemplating on why she was frustrated in the first place.

I didn't. And I don't. The only difference between then and now is that now, I've finally got good reason for it.

Yes. That was it exactly. It was infuriating that the one person who she thought had her back was just pretending. Exactly as Angel said. It was also annoying that she can't seem to figure out why his eyes mattered to her. It's not as if he's the only one with brown eyes in the group. "You were right about Ernie. I shouldn't have put my trust in him," she said before raising her bow and playing a quick random riff to puntuate her irritation.

Angel's eyes widened at "Ernie" being mentionned. Oh no... what had she done?

"Lily... what... happened?"

Lily blew her breath out and frowned. She didn't really wanna recount the whole story and decided to just give a short summarized version of it. "He asked about the people that died in D.C. He asked if you killed them. I told him no. He figured out it was me and then he had this..." she paused and then exaggerrated the next description. "...big angry meltdown about me not being honest with him." the small teenager shook her head and sighed again. "Oh, and he said he didn't trust me then, he doesn't trust me now." She paused again and stared at the bow in her hand as though it was suddenly offending her. 'Wow," she finished sarcastically.

Fucking bastard. He did it again

Angel grew the angrier about the Aberration that deceived both of the girls in this room. Truly a despicable guy. Why were people drawn to such a person? Was it because his web of lies made it so easy to manipulate everyone in liking him? Really, what an asshole. Then again, Angélique was a lying bitch too, but it pained her to do so, and she did it mostly to protect the others. At least that's what she was believing.

"I'm sorry it happened, Lilianna. That's... why I didn't want you to tell him. Perhaps it was for the best that you came out honest, but still..." she worked so hard to keep that façade of a murdere in front of Brent and Ernest so that they won't go around and harass everyone about what happened. It felt so hollow now, to see it ended up being only the more painful to everyone in the end.

"He... didn't do anything to you, right?

"No, he didn't," Lily answered with another shake of her head. "I can do a lot more damage to him than he can do to me, you know," she punctuated the statement with a sarcastic chuckle. She began soflty playing the violin again, matching its tune to the melody Angel was playing on the guitar. The creases on her forehead smoothened down. "He was nice to me though so I probably won't stay angry at him for long. I'll probably stay away from him though," she watched Angel's fingers and changed tempo in time with her.

"You're soft, Lily..." Angélique commented as she heard her resolve about not completely hating Ernest after what he told her.

"I don't know how you do it... but I suppose we need more people like you, thinking that way."

Perhaps this world would be a better place if people stopped being so vindicative towards each other. Maybe they wouldn't be stuck living like hated prisonners destined for the death penalty if this circle of hatred would be broken.

Hearing the blonde Aberration's will, Angel unconsciously began to change tempo, playing something that was a little more upbeat, more hopeful.

Lily grinned when she heard Angel crank up her tempo and wondered what it would be to play with her own brother. She made a mental note to ask the higher ups about it. "No use in holding grudges on people you're gonna be spending a lot of time with, right? And who knows? Maybe I can even change his opinion of me in time...no matter how bad he probably thinks I am now," she shrugged. The small movement of her shoulders made her go off tune for a bit, making her giggle at her mistake. "If he doesn't then oh well. It's not as if I don't have other friends. I'd be perfectly happy having you and Sophia to hang out with."

The Voice Mage only smiled as Lily joined her in on the music, feeling nostalgic to be playing with someone else again. Brought her back to the days when she was had a band, not so long ago. Who knew a guitar and a violen could accompagny each other so well? Maybe it was the magic only two musical souls in perfect synchronisation could come up with.

"That's... a very optimisitc way of seeing things for what they are. I can respect that." it however felt a bit beyond Angélique for the moment, to actually forgive Ernest for what he said to her, for the punch and the kick he tried to inflict on her. The subject of Sophia was, however, something that got Angel very intrigued.

"I've tried speaking with Sophia, but I'm not sure if I'm intimidating her, scaring her or if she just doesn't like me. She seems like a nice girl, if you try getting under her layer of sarcasm and stubborness, but she doesn't seem to want to talk to me all that much. I... just hope I haven't offended her back in Washington when I tried to push her into using her powers, or when I discussed with her last week. I think I was actually creeping her out by revealing how I felt about her."

It was beautiful how two different sounds blended together in harmony. Lily closed her eyes and swayed slightly to the music but at the same time still listened to what her friend was saying. "Oh, I think she just have some trouble expressing herself. I think she's the sort of person that would appreciate just hanging out without really talking. That's what I see, at least. I don't know her all that much yet but it's nice hanging out with her. It's... relaxing. Kinda like hanging out with you."

"I see..." Angélique pondered, feeling that explication coincided well with how Sophia had been around her for the few times they spoke. Except that first time she was being a bit too mouthy. Sort of like Angélique herself, to be honest.

The fallen idol smiled warmly at the violonist's comment "I like hanging out with you too. You are actually the only person, beside Hazel, who would play music with me." Angélique chuckled slightly at the mention of the clueless and yet so feared Aberration, who had a natural talent for music but needed guidance, else the sounds produced by the mysterious young woman seemed as if hell had befallen on earth.

"You know if Sophia loves music? Maybe we could have her hang out with us, or even have her play with us? Who knows, she might open up more if she got used to being with more people? I don't see her talking often to the others, but even then, I'm not around enough all day to see what everyone are up to."

"Oh, Hazel plays music too? I've always been curious about her... but never got to talk to her yet... I should try to. It'll be nice to have more friends." Lily bobbed her head slightly at the thought. "And that's a good suggestion. Maybe I should try bringing her here! I wonder if she plays any instrument?"

"Well, she is still learning, but she seems to be deeply interested in playing, and I noticed she seems to have a natural talent for it too. Maybe we could get a quatuor going if we get that many people involved." Angélique suggested with a sheming grin.

"But yeah... Hazel is one of those who easily lose control in battle. She's quite odd outside of the battlefield though, and I think she's a genuinely good person. It's just... she is an entirely different person when she fights." the guitarist looked toughtful as she spoke, reminiscing of the past events. "I just wish I could find a way to safely stop her when she goes berserk, before anything tragic happens. To her, or to us."

"That'sa good idea. Sometime soon maybe," Lily ended the riff they were playing with an upbeat allegretto and a giggle. Playing music does lift her spirits a lot. "Hazel is an interesting person. I haven't tried talking to her yet. I wonder if she'd like me," she wondered out aloud in response to Angel's comment about the destructive mage.

Angel paused, thinking what else they could play as she heard Lily's musings. "She... is complex, but simple at the same time? I don't know if that makes sense, but I get the feeling that she's the kind of girl to like you if you show her even just a bit of kindness."

Lily nodded, making another mental note to at least say hello to the girl they were talking about. Might do her good to have more friends within the group too. "I'll make sure to say hi," she said. "It'd be nice if we can become friends. I think I'd like that."

"Yeah... it would be nice if everyone would be friends..." there was a small hint of melancholy on Angélique's face as she spoke, finding an upbeat rhythm akin to what could be played for country music. "Well, if you want a makesure way to befriend her, just invite her to listen to you playing. She likes that. Maybe even teach her how to play? I tried showing her how to play the violin, since she was trying to, but I only ever know how to position myself and play a few notes."

"Everyone being friends..." Lily echoed, her thoughts going back to Ernie and how he said that he hated Angel. He probably hated her now too. Now that the music has melted the frustration aways, she couldn't decide whether to be sad or angry about it. Sophia said it wasn't her fault. Angel said it was okay. Ernie said he didn't trust her. "I'll try to teach her to play then... if I can even teach what I don't really remember..." she said a little distractedly.

"I wouldn't worry about that. You're a natural, even without your memories. I'm sure it will come to you without even thinking about it." Angélique reassure her blonde fellow Aberration with a smile.

Angel's reassurance appeared unheard as Lily focused on something she had wanted to ask about. It probably won't be a topic Angel would be happy to talk about but she wanted to ask anyway. And what she wanted to know about, she asked straightforwardly. "Why does Ernie hate you?"

The raven-haired musician made a wrong note that clearly shown on the masterfully crafted jam that she was playing. This question... should she be answering it without reserves? She didn't want to sound so spiteful in front of her fellow musician. She didn't deserve to be caught in her war with Ernest, even if she had already been involved the moment she stood as a shared friend of both Angel and Ernest's.

"There's... plenty of reasons." Angélique decided to answer vaguely, the rhythm of her guitar steadily dropping to something quieter.

"He must have been really...unpleasant to you," Lily said slowly, her eyes studying her friend's fingers as they moved across the strings of the guitar. A question that wasn't willingly answered should just be left alone. She lifted her bow again and began playing an accomplaniment tune.

Angel only nodded in reply. His punch aimed at her jaw; that kick to her leg; all these insults being thrown. She probably deserved a lot of them, but it still hurt nonetheless.. Her hands continued working their magic on the stringed instrument, providing more melody for the both of them to play solemnly.

However, that sad turn in their conversation emancipated no song to be sung from the former Aberration singer.

The Threads of Humanity (Kyrisse and Wick)

@Wick

no problem. ^_^

The Threads of Humanity (Kyrisse and Wick)

Chloe Cooper

_@Wick

Chloe found herself drifting in a dark empty space when she opened her eyes. She gasped, trying to feel for something to hold onto but found nothing. She struggled for a few minutes, reaching with both her feet and her hands. But all she really managed to do was move herself in a full 360 degrees turn. When she finally gave up, she just let herself float and wondered where she was and why she was there in the first place. The last thing she could remember was being in a car crash...

Chloe's eyes widened when she realized that she must have died. But before she could really mull on the idea, something gleaming caught her eye. She turned her head to see a familiar looking thread stetched out in front of her. In the darkness it was stark white and strangely luminescent. She could have sworn it was the same thread she made just the other day. Without really thinking about it, she reached out and grabbed it. As her hand touched the thread, an image of a baby boy wearing the small sweater she had knitted using the thread she made flashed through her head. She blinked and let go. As soon as she did, the image disappeared.

Chloe blinked again. What was that?

And then her jaw fell open as one by one, threads began appearing all around her. She reached out and touched another one and an image of a young woman wearing a scarf she made invaded her mind.

---

The nurse that Adam asked looked up and gave him an appreciative look before answering his question. "She suffered a concussion, Mr. Kaos, but scans showed no signs of internal bleeding. She also has a dislocated shoulder and a sprained wrist, nothing serious. The doctors have already set it back in place but she won't be able to move that arm around for a few days. She also hasn't gained consciousness so we're still monitoring her."

Where hearts lie

@Caits

The pack leader looked at Callie, his gray eyes cool and calculating. He didn't look threatening or hostile but it also didn't look like he would be giving the witch a straightforward answer. "Then what you know may help us piece together an interesting mystery." He gestured towards a chair. "Take a seat. I promise you are in a safe place. I have no desire to attack witches, especially not Caius' mate." He turned his head towards the twins and addressed his right hand man directly. "Caius, can you remember your childhood? On how you two were adopted?" he asked slowly.

Caius shifted himself so that he was leaning back onto a pillow on the bed, his movements still a little slower than usual. He looked towards the pack leader and shrugged. "You already know the story, Darric. What's the use in repeating it?"

"Humor me."

Claudia looked at the gray eyed man and arched an eyebrow but it was her that answered the question. "We were left behind in the woods when we were still babies. Mama found us when she went out with papa to gather firewood."

"Was it winter? Did your adoptive parents tell you about anything strange that happened that day when they found you?"

"It was the middle of winter and mama said we were already half buried in the snow when they found us. Papa was scared that we'd die of the cold but strangely enough, we didn't look or feel cold at all. Aside from that I don't think there was anything strange--"

"There was," Caius cut off his sister's words. Claudia turned towards her brother and two similar set of eyes stared at each other. Recall came over Claudia's face and she nodded her head slowly.

"The moment they found us and took us in, Papa said that for a second, he thought he noticed the snow falling upwards."

For the first time, Darric's eyes flashed with what looked like surprise and disbelief. "Snow falling upwards..." he repeated.

Claudia caught the look in Darric's eyes. "Now would be a good time to tell us what you know, Darric," She gave Callie a quick glance. "You too," she said.