Riven Wight

MONSTORY

Izzy watched him closely, raising her hands defensively in front of her when Trevor’s posture tensed, ready to go for the sword. But then he shivered. When at last he looked back to her, she met his gaze, the gaze of neither the Wolf, nor the Trevor she knew.
His next words made her blood run cold. Her face paled as it all sunk in; the Wolf had simply touched him. Trevor had done the rest of his own free will.
She inhaled a tremulous breath, and shook her head in denial. “You don’t mean that,” she whispered. “You’re better than this, Trevor. I’ve seen that. I’m so sorry I let you get involved in all this. If I hadn’t…” She exhaled heavily, and scrunched her eyes shut for a short second before looking back to him. Guilt and blame would get her nowhere right now.
“I get that you’ve been through a lot of crap. More than your fair share. But if you don’t stop, you’re no better than the people who have abused you. You'll be the monster. Whatever’s going on that makes you think you want to hurt people, you can work through it another way.” She risked taking half a step closer to him. “And I’ll be here to help you however I can. Just stop this. I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt. Especially not you.”

MONSTORY

Every second that ticked by only made Izzy’s concern grow. What if he did not show? What if he did, but only the White Wolf was in control, Trevor too far gone? What if she failed him?
She shook her head, doing her best to force her mind to remain blank, or to focus only on the task at hand, not the emotions involved. Alas, she only succeeded in keeping her thoughts at bay for mere seconds at a time.
But she did not have as long as she expected to worry about drowning in her fears and “What ifs.”
Her eyes snapped open at the whistle of a body sailing through the sky. She had barely begun to jump to her feet from the cross-legged position she had shifted into and spin around before the squealing crunch of the Wolf colliding into the monkey bars filled the night. She gasped and staggered back as the Wolf easily untangled itself from the mass of metal that had become the monkey bars. She spared a quick glance to where she had tied her wire, hoping that one rod had not bent far enough to effect it or make it more visible, but did not dare let her gaze linger.
Every muscle tense and ready for action as adrenaline rushed through her, she watched with bated breath as the wolf slid to a stop not far from her. But it was not the Wolf’s cold stare that looked up at her. A small sliver of relief settled in her; Trevor really was still there.
She felt her heart quicken from nerves as he glanced around the playground, then spoke again. Could he see everything she had hidden?
“I-I’m sorry, Trevor.” She forced her hands to relax at her side, her eyes pleading for him to understand, to maintain control over his own mind and body. “It was the only thing I thought would reach you now. I need to talk to you.” She shook her head, her eyes on his, hoping against hope it would not come down to a fight between her and the Wolf. “It wasn’t entirely a lie. I do need you. Not the White Wolf, but you, Trevor. I don’t know how it’s doing what it’s doing, but you need to fight it! Sever the link it’s made. Something! It’s hurting people through you.” She subconsciously rubbed the arm the Wolf had torn off. “People have ended up in the hospital because of what it's done. Please, Trevor. I don’t know if it’s possible, but you need to try!”

They Live Among Us (Vampiricchild x Siaya)

Victoria’s gaze flitted between the sidewalk and the few people who passed by on foot. Everyone suddenly looked suspicious, as if they hid some dark secret, and every car that sped by seemed an ominous omen, part of her expecting one to come to a screeching halt any moment and Luc or Nyaira to jump out from inside.
At Alex’s reminder about campus, she groaned and ran a hand through her long hair, the sun glinting on it and making a blue-ish hue shine in the dark strands.
College. In light of everything that had happened, she had all but forgotten about the reason she was in the city in the first place. She had not even made it through a single full day of classes.
“Fan-freakin’-tastic,” she muttered. She took a deep breath, her gaze turning to follow a man with a cellphone pressed to his ear as he passed by. “How can they even do that? It’s not like I left a scent or something for them to follow here.”

MONSTORY

Panic still tightening her chest, Izzy watched the child sulk back to his corner. She stood and glanced around the room, glad the ill effects of losing blood did not apply to her in this instance. But the question then became, by how much had her abilities increased?
She looked to her hand and flexed her fingers as if it would offer a simple answer.
“Okay,” she breathed heavily. Tugging the hem of her shirt down, she went to the desk with the flashlight. She grabbed it and clicked it off. She blinked in the darkness that flooded around her, taking advantage of the absence of their adversary.
Though she could see better in the dark room, it was by no means enough to be very encouraging. With her mouth pursed in uncertainty, she clicked the light back on. Sparing the sword a quick glance as if to reassure herself it had not disappeared in the couple moments of darkness, she left the room to search for anything that could be of potential use. Even if whatever she found would be good for only a single strike against the White Wolf, if she was lucky, at least it would be something.
Testing her speed, she ran through the halls. As far Izzy could tell, she was moving a bit faster, but by how much, she could not say for sure. She could only hope it would be fast enough.
As quickly as she could, she began gathering a few things she hoped could be of use to her should the sword fail. Tying and weaving a few lengthy wires together, she created what she hoped could potentially be used to trip the Wolf up if she concealed it well enough. And if it did not just snap.
She stopped near the front doors with their broken chain and lock, grabbing the longest strand of intact chain. She pulled it taut, trying to pry the links apart to test the chain’s strength, as well as her own. She felt them bend slightly, but they did not break. Not sure if that worried or satisfied her, she coiled it over her arm alongside the length of electrical wire, then collected bits of desk legs and broken pipes that had rusted away, leaving a sharp point on at least one end.
Once she had her arms full, juggling various items while keeping hold of her flashlight, Izzy went out to the playground.
Located behind the school, it was in just as bad disrepair as she remembered it, if not worse. Ivy strangled the rusting monkey bars. The dilapidated equipment that had been forgotten by the city sat as dark, forlorn shapes in the night. Weeds and grass overdo to be cut burst from between the cracked cement and licked at the base of what equipment remained like the earth’s version of flames.
She dumped her load onto the ground, then clicked her light off. Though the moon was scarcely a sliver, she could see fairly well by the light radiating from the nearby town. At least sufficient lighting would not be a problem she would have to tackle when going against the White Wolf.
She set to strategically placing her pickings about the area, hiding them where she could while keeping them easily accessible. She dropped the chain on the ground near the skeleton of a swing set, the rusted links fitting in with the rest of the rotting playground, then tied her strand of wire as high as she dared between the monkey bars and what remained of a dome climber. As far as she could tell, the tall grass sprouting between them hid the wires well.
Trying to not think about what these poor excuses of weapons could potentially do to Trevor, she tried to focus instead on how she could bring down the Wolf. If Trevor was still in there somewhere, perhaps she could appeal to him. Perhaps he could fight against the Wolf’s influence, if she could only get through to him.
The uncertainty of it all made her stomach churn.
She headed back to the school and hurried into the vampire child’s current classroom. She went to the sword, and gripped its handle with an unsteady hand.
This’ll work, she tried to reassure herself. This will work.
Taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment, she picked up the sword then stepped to the doorway, her legs moving slower from the weight of her worries and fear. She tried to push aside the doubts hanging thick around her. She had to do this. At last, she had found something she could do to help Trevor, something to return the sacrifices her friend had made for her, no matter what had driven him to it.
With her flashlight still in hand, she paused in the doorway, hanging her head. She closed her eyes for a moment as she took another breath, then tilted her head toward the vampire child’s corner.
“Thank you,” she began, her voice stiff. Her tone loosened, growing sincerer as she continued. “I know how much this sword must mean to you.” She turned to better face him. “I’ll take care of it, and make sure I bring it back. Safe and sound.”
Not expecting any kind of answer, Izzy disappeared into the shadows of the hallways.
She returned to the playground. Scanning it, she went to a spot almost at the center of her layout of hidden makeshift weapons, then carefully concealed the sword beneath a pile of rocks and weeds. She practiced drawing it from the hiding place a few times, then knelt down within arm’s reach of it. She licked her lips then bit the bottom one as she pulled her phone from her pocket.
This was it. It was time to try to draw Trevor and the Wolf to her. Her shaking thumbs making it difficult to type, she went to his contact and started a new message:

It’s wearing off. Cerasus. He’s getting his powers back.
I don’t know what to do. What *he’ll* do. Can’t find Riley anywhere.
At the playground at the old school.
Please, Trevor! If you're still in there, I need you.

Swallowing hard, Izzy hit the send button. She watched the message until her phone got a moment of service, and it sent. Replacing the phone in her pocket with a quaking hand, she wrapped her arms tightly around her torso and closed her eyes, listening to the night, waiting for any unusual sound, any sign that the Wolf and Trevor had taken the bait.

Of Science and Magic

*Shrugs.* I know how that goes. I've had to making myself sit down and write before, just so I would actually write something. As someone once said, the water doesn't start flowing unless you turn on the faucet first!

Don't feel bad. Life and a lack of inspiration, even if just in one particular area and not others, happens. I know that well. Haven't gotten any replies in the last couple days, but ended up fixating on a different sort of writing project. Anyway, if it becomes more of a lack of interest than inspiration, please, let me know. Hopefully it won't come to that, but I wouldn't be upset or anything. Sad, but not upset!

Yes, yes I am. On that note, we're brought back to another happy Sunday!

Schooled in Magic

Ugh. I'm sorry you're dealing with that. Being burned out is no picnic, to be sure. Yeash. But congratulations on graduating! GO YOU!


Anyway, as always, take your time. I know what being burnt-out from school for me felt like, so I understand to some kind of extent. I should be here, and if that changes for some reason, I'll let you know. Just let me know if it becomes a matter of a lack of interest instead of motivation, please!

Of Science and Magic

Don't worry about it. I understand the fickle nature of inspiration all too well.

Happy Tuesday! (Uh oh. Did I just start a trend?)

Schooled in Magic

Hey! It has been a while. Thought I would drop by and see how you are doing!

Of Science and Magic

Yeah, what, only eleven now? xD

Sorry, thought I had responded, but apparently I only thought about it...

On a random note, happy Sunday!

A Land of Wonder and Nightmare

Elayra could not help but give a disbelieving, snorted laugh at Ghent’s comment of seeing battles and blood. She shifted her eyes to Ghent, making note that he had lowered the gun, but returned her full attention to Miles at the sound of his voice. Her gaze flitted to his finger as it twitched, almost as if it wished it was still placed on the gun.
The uneasiness she picked up from him made a content feeling settle in her. Now he might at least take one of them seriously.
Her eyes narrowed at his answer to her first question. “You know what I mean,” she growled, shifting the tip of the dagger carefully upward toward his chin. “So don’t try my patience.”
Her brows twitched downward when he gave his answer. “In this world?” she repeated. She listened as he continued in his irritatingly vague way, searching for any reason to doubt him. But the bitterness and hatred in his response was something she knew all too well. It was not, as far as she could tell, an act to save his skin. Noticing the fight waging in his eyes against his anger at the situation, her grip on the dagger tightened, ready to act in case he snapped.
“For years, I've been searching... waiting...trying to find one blasted portal.”
She raised her chin slightly. All he wanted was the portal, a rabid dog searching for the bone another had stolen from him.
He couldn’t be… could he? She stared at him long and hard until he spoke again. A couple stray beads of water dripped down her face from her still damp bangs, but she did not dare move to wipe them away.
“Would you rather I had just killed you for what you did,” she began mockingly. Her head turned to follow another car that drove by, and she ducked down, just in case, the blade never moving from its mark, “no questions asked? Because that can still be arranged, if you’d like.”
The moment the car had gone by, Elayra straightened as well as the horribly cramped car allowed. She tried to suppress the antsy, almost anxious feeling that had begun to sneak its way through her at the confined space. The sooner they could get out of there, the better.
Again, she cast his hand a glance when it formed a fist. She inhaled through her nose when he confirmed her suspicions.
A World Jumper. Miles was a Jumper.
She glanced away, scowling. He was just as much a victim of the Red Sorceress as the denizens of Wonderland, stranded in this world for over a decade, condemned to a descent into madness.
She took a heated breath. “They closed,” she began stiffly, answering Miles’ single question to her handful, “to protect the other worlds from the Curse she cast. Wonderland… isn’t what you once knew it to be.” Loathing saturated her voice and glistened in her eyes at the wrong done to Wonderland and its people.
Her people, whether she wanted them to be or not. “And if you ever want that to change, want the portals to open again, permanently, we,” she jerked her head toward Ghent, “need to get back before they wear out and close again.” Though she had relieved some of the pressure from the blade as she spoke, she kept it firmly in place. “But apparently, the area is being guarded, thanks to… an incident last night.”
She tilted her head slightly, and turned it toward her captive as an idea formed. “Tell you what. You want to know where the portal is. We need to get to the portal. You help us, and we’ll help you. What do you say?”