IPAD: The Institute for Powers and Advanced Development (the remake ^^~)

When Cross had seen what was behind the panel the look on his face signed that this was nothing new to him,he was used to things such as this though the way this one died was slightly disturbing. After looked over the room and child he looked back to the rest of the group and his eyes stopped on Talin who had started heading over,Cross watched Talin and the words that Talin spoke surprised him more then the event before them.“Cross, with . . . me?” Cross stared at Talin wondering if he knew what he was saying,but none the less Cross nodded and did as he was told. Watching Talin he heard him speak once more,“The items might know something . . . right? . . . Something important in this ‘place of secrets’ as you were told it was earlier?”Cross stared at Talin for a moment with a smile and again nodded,waiting for Talin to go in then followed.


Cross looked around at what was in the room with the child,though the book interested him more then anything. Cross just seemed to have a thing for books and stuff that could have information,books were some of the most wisest things he's met so far.He said nothing though as he just watched Talin, “I’m sorry you were left for the cold to claim . . .” Cross heard slightly and sat on the ground once again grabbing his side as the pain continued to grow,and Cross was reacting his limit of tolerance. It started to get hard to breath as the pain grew and Cross knew he couldn't do anything but wait,hoping it would fade off soon.“Try asking the blanket . . . it was here when everything happened . . . even if it couldn’t help this one then, perhaps it will be willing to make certain that his or her reason for being here . . . the reason he died . . . won’t be forgotten?....When all this is done . . . we’ll rescue this one from its frozen prison . . .” He heard Talin and slightly chuckled which made his side tighten,he hasn't been able to hear anything for a while now why would it start now. Even so he turned to the blanket and then to the rest of the ideas,and though his masked his said,"You heard him right?....Would any of you know what happened?.."He said as if straining.
 
Talins word cut into Effy hard but not without reason. Of course she could have wasted their supplies but she knew what she was doing. Eliana knew that if she wanted to save the girl she had to act fast and with the way her body seemed so...There was no way just ONE use would be able to save her. Rather safe then sorry some would say but...What if she acted late, checking the pulse which surely must have been weak..


Thoughts were rushing through her mind; possibilities and situations but she wasn´t ready for the words spit out of Luke. Her eyes wide, she slowly turned her body to him. Eyes hard and body shaking, her jaw tight together she stopped herself from doing something she´d regret. With a small soft smile which radiated of hostility she couldn´t help but glare at his back while he walked away. They were never going to understand....They are simply trying to survive...


"I´m sorry for not checking for a pulse..." She spoke clear, soft and without any malice or hatred as she stood up from her spot. Though her words were all but cruel there was a cold aura surrounding her. A thick internal tension building up as she stared ahead. Following the others to see what was behind the panel.


A dead body...Dead...Rotting.


But Eliana didn´t even flinch, her eyes cold and emotionless. "IF you´d allow me, I´d love to take a look inside that book. The child wouldn´t mind?" Taking her sweet time waiting for an answer, the small yet mature child stared solely on the book, ignoring the rotting body in front of her.


-


Jason ignored Talins subtle actions for him to turn to Ruth. Turning around as fast as Talin had made him face Ruth,staring at the dead body as if a trance, it was the same...Like Mommy.


With one big breath he fell on his knees, mindlessly keeping his eyes on the rotting body. His lips shivering, only two words circling his mind to then be blurted out. "Not again...Please not again..." He whispered to himself so softly that he doubted anyone but himself heard. Body shaking, pulse rising, eyes blurring; It´s starting again. The endless pain of remembering. A single tear fell before a million followed; His tears were silent, not a single sound but his gaze at the dead body.
 
Institute for Powers and Advanced Development. Is this real? Becca wondered to herself, staring blankly at Ritsa, the woman she had come to distrust. Perhaps it was just the way that she reminded her of her mother when she was younger. Becca looked around, not believing that a place like this actually existed. She examined the faces surrounding her: all of these children had powers as well. What could they do? Then something Ritsa had said registered with Becca: they'll attack anything without a watch. "I don't have a watch," Becca said quietly, mostly to herself. This place could have been somewhere she could finally feel at home, but it seemed even here wasn't safe. Getting out of that truck had given her a false sense of security. When was the danger going to stop?


Abbie took Becca's hand and she couldn't help but smile. She looked down, examining the girl's watch. What did it do, anyway? Surely it couldn't just be a regular watch. Becca pushed it to the back of her mind, still painfully aware of her own bare wrist.


Becca's head snapped up as the boy who had attacked the man in the truck with some sort of electricity. He said that he could send a shock through the system to, perhaps, shut the security down. Ritsa seemed to consider the idea, but dismissed it as too dangerous and unlikely to work. She directed them to a room that Becca hadn't noticed before. Becca, walking hand-in-hand with Abbie, made her way to the room.


"Abbie, what is this place?" she asked, still confused. "You have... powers, don't you?" she added, looking at the younger girl.
 
Ruth gasp stepping back from the sight at once. Way was there a room like that behind a panel that went no where anyways? That made no sense, and what they found inside . . . was it caged inside in away? She more than willingly took Jason into her arms kneeling to do so, clinging and hugging him tight for warm and comfort. “It doesn’t make sense.” She said softly as she stroke the boy’s hair with one hand.


She had noted the Teddy, but to her taken such a thing seemed cruel. It would be like taken the dead kid’s only friend. It was at Talin’s words that she glanced up to him concern. “We don’t even know if we’re getting out of here.” She stated softly glancing to the kid’s face again. “Or why it would seem to be hiding in a spot like that and not near the door where it may have been saved easier.”


Then she would pale her eyes glancing quickly to those nearby. Counting off, trying to figure what was off in the situation. Luke seemed gone . . . the child was hiding from something after all right? “Luke? Luke if you hear me maybe we should stick together while we explore instead . . . If only for warmth at least.” She called out loud but not so loud that she figured it would go through the freezer’s wall.
 
Grav was stuck in his own world, all of his fears seemed to have rushed straight to his brain, he stood still for a moment unsure how to respond to the unfolding events that surrounded him. Despite his inaction the world moved on and if he did not follow he would be left in its wake, the consequences of which he did not want to know. He shook himself from his reverie and once more scanned the room filled with students, the group who had just arrived had been crowded about a prone body "Probably dead" The white haired boy thought to himself. Soon enough, others began to gravitate towards the group thought tentatively at first, however several members of the group glanced towards the door behind him and made to move for it.


Grav steeled his nerves and gulped down his built up saliva as he made to follow them, he knew none of them by name but barely recognised a few faces, he would keep his distance but intended to help if it was needed of him. His heart fluttered nervously within his chest but he maintained some semblance of composure and rubbed the sweat from his palms. "Ritsa" He memorised the girl's name and made sure to make note of her face, he checked the watch at his wrist and walked forward, hoping at every step he took that he was making the right choice.
 
He glanced up quickly with his jaw set in a stubbornly boyish way as he turned to scold Ruth for allowing the possibility of doubt to enter her mind. His expression softened considerably when he saw her cradling the child in the frigged cold of the freezer. She looked positively frozen now that she’d given up her jacket. Slipping quickly out of his sweatshirt and trying to ignore the fact that it was covered in soot and trace amounts of the injured girl’s blood, he tossed it over to her. “Your beloved Captain Frost is here and you dare to fear the cold?” he joked, pretending to misunderstand why she thought they wouldn’t make it out of this.


Cross looked to be in no small amount of pain, but he couldn’t seem to recall the boy being injured at any point. ‘You OK?’ he mouthed at the older boy as discretely as he could manage. Trusting the other to speak up if he required help or had some major issue, he turned his attention to the room he was in. Bending down, he picked up the lighter and clicked the button. In a rather unexpected turn of events, the little thing actually lit.


“So it would appear that the child was hidden here by someone else,” he mused, more to himself than to the group. “Someone who was still functioning highly enough to realize that the panel had to be cracked a bit to allow for airflow with a candle wouldn’t have forgotten to buy his or herself time by using the last of the lighter’s fuel . . .” Crouching in front of the corpse, he followed its dead-eyed gaze to the doorway and frowned.


“Forgive me . . .” he whispered to the body as he slid the blanket down to reveal the frozen fingers which still clutched at the book. Removing it with a calm and careful gentleness, he turned and handed it to their technopath with all of the due respect that this person’s belongings demanded of them. Having satisfied her cold and rather sardonic request, he made his way to the Teddy and gingerly picked it up.


With its beady button eyes staring at him, he started to slowly prod at it for any sign of a hiding place or poorly stitched area. Realizing that he didn’t really have time to do this thoroughly, he held the bear out for Cross to take. “Whoever hid the child here seems to have been smart. The book, although hidden, would have been the obvious thing to take if what was attacking them was looking for something in this ‘place of secrets’ . . . a child’s teddy would be less conspicuous . . . although, I must say, if I were running for my life . . . I wouldn’t have remembered to grab a teddy,” he explained before making his way over to the door.


Considering that the child had been hidden here by someone else, the chances were better than not that any relevant clues would have been placed by that person as well. As such the door and walls would probably offer very little by way of clues. For the sake of thoroughness, however, he had to check to make certain. “You know . . . considering that this locker is filled with meat . . . and I could heat the meat to temperatures that would make it edible . . . and keep you lot warm as well . . .” he muttered as he tried to lift the panel enough to peak underneath, “we could actually get away with hiding in this room for days if it came to that . . . We could stay here more than long enough for the soldiers to vacate the school . . . Although the smell might get pretty bad if we heated up the room enough, and you would still have to deal with huddling together while I slept . . .” Having finally managed to tilt the fallen panel up a ways, the boy peaked underneath it to check for clues.
 
Skyler stumbled back in a hurry as a man suddenly appeared in front of him, holding his finger up to him to represent what he guessed was some kind of weapon that he uses. “Show me you watch if you’ve got it kid, else I’m fryin’ ya on the spot” was the first thing he heard as a colorless ball appeared on the hand gesture from seemingly nowhere. "Watch, what watch" he thought as a wave of fear began to wash over him causing him to feel desperately for something where he knew his wrist was. "But I never" was all he expected to get out as them man made another move, though to his surprise it was nothing but him collapsing to the floor. Skyler circled around the man quickly his blank eyes somehow giving out an expression of fear of what else would be around to jump out and possibly kill him.


He forgot for a second that he wasn't the only person present as he noticed the girl Abbie missing with the door at the end of the hall. “There’s somebody on the other side!" Skyler heard Abbie exclaim as he turned his head to see her missing with her wrist while looking at the door. "What is she doing" he thought watching her swipe something across her wrist "So she has a watch" he thought carefully as the door opened up revealing a whole new set of people, causing him to duck behind the nearest corner in hopes of cover. Alan peeked his head out to check for any oncoming enemies to see nothing but another group of students. “Would it be fine if I were to make some tea"was the first thing Skyler heard as he noticed one of the people in the group. "Tea?" he repeated confused by the question, but it succeeded in taking his mind of the horrific truth to their entire situation.


Skyler wasn't too sure of what to do next until he noticed Ms.Ritsa appear again and this time she seemed to be nice and bright again. He slowly got out of cover to join the brim of the main group like always when she began speaking suddenly "Welcome to the Institute for Advanced Powers and Development" was the first thing he heard as he was surprised that such a nice person was associated with kidnapping him for all he knew. "The alarms going off mean that the school’s security systems have activated. They’ll attack anything without a watch . . ." was all he could stand to listen to as he rushed further into the door even more. "But I don't have one" he mumbled rubbing his wrist in a terrified motion. He looked over to Abbie who clung to the older girl as if she was a source of protection. Skyler felt himself feel even more out of place as he found himself feel even more alone with no way of confronting himself. "Just me" he thought depressingly as a small squeaky sounds came from the distance, but Alan found himself unable to make it out. "Whats that noise" he asked in a panicked tone remembering what Ms.Ritsa just mentioned about security. Skyler unknowingly returned from his panicked state to realize he was grabbing on to the sleeve of one of the people he saw when he first opened the door to this room. Alan looked up at him with the same dull expression he always did before forcing himself to release himself from the since of relief that came from having a source of protection. "I'm sorry" he said quietly rubbing the spot on his wrist where he noticed other students watches seemed to be located as he settled with suffering by himself, like he was used too.





(To avoid confusion the boy Skyler latched onto was Calvar)





 
Cross hardly moved at the moment as he just watched and listened like before,he found out that the less he moved the less his side and chested hurt.“Your beloved Captain Frost is here and you dare to fear the cold?” He heard Talin say and turned to him,seeing him mouth ‘You OK?’ to him he took a moment to think. He wasn't okay but he knew if he said that they'd try and help which was pointless,but the fact that when he was hiding things he got in trouble made him think twice about his answer. Sighing as he leaned his head back against the wall behind him he closed his eyes and shook his head no before Talin turned to look around the room,hoping he'd think of it as no big deal Cross hoped Talin would just keep his attention on the problem at hand.


“So it would appear that the child was hidden here by someone else,” Cross heard Talin speak. “Someone who was still functioning highly enough to realize that the panel had to be cracked a bit to allow for airflow with a candle wouldn’t have forgotten to buy his or herself time by using the last of the lighter’s fuel . . .”And he heard movement after,he peeked his eyes open to see Talin giving the book to Effy which Cross frowned at since he had wanted to see it. But he gave no sign in wanting it and just left it be,figuring he'd ask for it later.About to close his eyes again Cross was stopped by the sight of Talin holding out a teddy in front of him,releasing his side he grabbed the bear as slight pain built up again from the movement. He looked at it curiously once again hearing Talin speak,“Whoever hid the child here seems to have been smart. The book, although hidden, would have been the obvious thing to take if what was attacking them was looking for something in this ‘place of secrets’ . . . a child’s teddy would be less conspicuous . . . although, I must say, if I were running for my life . . . I wouldn’t have remembered to grab a teddy,” he said and did have a very good point,studying the teddy he continued to listen.“You know . . . considering that this locker is filled with meat . . . and I could heat the meat to temperatures that would make it edible . . . and keep you lot warm as well . . .” Talin muttered as he seemed to lift the panel enough to peak underneath, “we could actually get away with hiding in this room for days if it came to that . . . We could stay here more than long enough for the soldiers to vacate the school . . . Although the smell might get pretty bad if we heated up the room enough, and you would still have to deal with huddling together while I slept . . .”


Cross couldn't help but chuckle as he listened,what a idea...Staying here and waiting until this is all over while the others outside,if there were any,struggled with what was going on. He really didn't like the fact that he'd be sitting here doing nothing,but with the way his body is now he couldn't ague.





 
Ignoring Talins joke and his sickening kindness Eliana snorted slightly. Her eyes concentrated on the book which was being taken. Soon enough it was carried to her by Talin with a respecting mannerism to the dead owner. At that point she couldn´t blame him entirely; Respect to a dead corpse found behind a panel in a freezing room wasn´t on her wish-list but the respect given to the book made a very small, gentle smile appear on her lips. Her fingers followed the outlines of the book; eyes softly observing it. What would she come to understand this time; would it be worth a look or a waste of time?


While Eliana had dazed of in thoughts she soon enough heard of Talins idea . "Yeah, why not Talin? Leave every other student while cuddling together in a big freezer!" She spoke harshly even though she knew it was rather cruel. "Lets live here happily ever after! Get your mind clear would you?!" Effy´s cold words echoed in the small room. Muttering to herself while she noticed Jason and his stiff body when she walked over to him. Sitting down next to the small boy she stared at the book. "Now if you´d rather not disturb me while I read, please don´t bother ´waking´ me up if I seem dazed.." Her words seemed softer but the cold harsh tone was still there. Lingering in the air.


Staring at the book, her eyes soft. Feeling a small sensation when her fingers clutched the book and soon enough she closed her eyes as it came to her naturally.


Eliana sat there for awhile, eyes closed till a small noticeable shiver went through her body. Her eyes flew open but they seemed empty as if she was staring at something invisible. That something was words and paragraphs circling her mind.
 
His eyes flashed dangerously and his body tensed as the temperature in the freezer dropped dangerously low. Keeping his eyes fixated on the task at hand, he scanned the underside of the panel for any sign or clue as to what had happened to the small corpse. “Perhaps . . .” he muttered calmly as he stared coldly at it, “perhaps you should actually pay attention to your surroundings, Miss Eliana. Wasn’t it me who refused to accept any plan other than to take a suicidal action so as to block the hallway which students had escaped down? Wasn’t it me who caught Luke’s shirt to kill the flames before they would harm him even knowing he could be a threat? Wasn’t it me who suggested we take guerilla tactics and take on the soldiers even though it received coldness from you all? Wasn’t it me who wanted to help a terrified and unstable girl while you shouted at me to stop?”


Closing his eyes and sighing heavily, he started to lift the panel farther while gesturing for the others to get out quickly. He did so before the technopath could even begin to get engrossed in her book. “Since those actions merit being judged as abandoning everyone . . . Perhaps you should note that we have a child whose mental state is rapidly deteriorating. Perhaps you should recall that we are carrying with us the broken body of a girl who currently can’t defend or move herself . . .” as he spoke he propped the panel against the wall so that he could slide it into place later. “Perhaps you should notice that Cross seems to be in too much pain to stand and that Luke has gone missing . . .” At this point it was obvious that she wasn’t listening to him at all.


With that thought he walked over to where Cross lay propped against the wall and gently pulled on the older boy’s arm as he tried to help him up. His skin as it made contact with the boy was ice cold, but the fact that he felt so threatened by this group was very much causing his body’s innate reactions with his power to flare up. Taking a calming breath, he tried to give the person he was attempting to help a somewhat more encouraging smile. “Ruth was right,” he shrugged as he sent a wave of warmth through the air around him and started to make the temperature slowly rise. “We need to stick together . . . Luke said he was headed off to check on ‘what in god’s name that red light is.’ We should head that way and meet up before deciding what to do . . . Who knows . . . perhaps he found another supercomputer hidden away here . . .”


Glancing back at the small corpse of the child, Talin offered it a sad smile that radiated the same reassuring confidence he was struggling so hard to portray for the others. “I promise that I’ll come back for you so long as I survive,” he nodded to it warmly. “You won’t be forgotten here forever.” Looking back at Cross, the younger boy grimaced slightly. “I’m sorry but I am going to need for you to try to be strong and walk through whatever it is that’s happening . . . Ruth, if you could maneuver our technopath along while she zones out it would be appreciated. If we don’t intend to stay here here then pausing for any reason would be absolute suicide. Cross, if you could try helping Jason along in spite of everything that would be great . . . I’ll manage the girl . . . K? Joe! If you are here . . . Fall in!”
 
It wasn't long before Luke had reached the source of red light. He gazed upon the light and soon his jaw dropped when he soon realized it was a door, he had no idea why the red light was there, but this could be a way out. But what was inside, it could be booby trapped or it might be a dead end and they'd still be trapped. He could tell the others....or he could leave them, he might have better chances on his own rather than more kids. He was quiet and fast enough to get past people usually. But he wasn't that far away if he did try ditch them he'd have to find a way to shut the door way behind him and it seemed way too heavy to use his power on it. Nah, he'd stay with the group it was probably safer that way. He'd best check it before letting the others enter though as he'd thought before, there could always be traps. He turned around and looked at the wall "Hey guys, theres a possible way out over here, Im going to check it out just in case its trapped!" He shouted to the group even though they weren't very far away. He could hear some of their conversation but didn't bother to pick any of it up. He turned around to face the doorway again. "Here goes nothing!" He boldly stepped through the door way and hoped for the best nothing would happen. (Sorry its shorter than usual )
 
Ruth glanced up as a sweatshirt hit her looking confused at first only to smile softly at Talin. “Aren’t you going to get cold though?” She asked not about to turn it away though if he insisted. Placing it on after awhile as she kept pace with looking after the child. “Even you have to get tired sometimes, you do heat to . . . so Captain Frost isn’t so fitting, maybe FrostFire or Captain FrostFire if you prefer.” She smiled and nodded liking the less stressed and worried filled convo better after all.


Ruth stepped forward in a bit of protest when Talin reached for the bear though. Almost tempted to ask him to leave it thankful that the boy explained why he did check it though. “I would have grabbed a figure or toy to come . . . just so I wouldn’t be lonely.” She confessed feeling foolish though knowing she was too old for such things. At that she glanced down to Jason given him a weak smile. “I could . . . animate it after you check it if you want. Maybe . . . maybe it will talk or help us then.”


At Effy’s words though Ruth seemed totally shocked, surprised even “We’re no good to them dead. We may as well be more bodies for the body count. If you want to risk it do it at least wisely. Use camera’s our powers, at least a decent plan. Also think about the children . . . you’re still young yourself. If you stay still in the cold as well it’s a quicker way to die, you need to keep moving for blood to circulate.” It was at Talin’s words that she got such a hurt look though, and she found herself backing away from the group a bit. It wasn’t really Effy who was stopping him with the dangerous stuff though . . . it was her. Was she really just in the way . . . should she just let them do what she wanted and go her own path for once? Leave them to it in ways.


“Don’t blame Talin, and Talin please don’t fight with her.” Ruth finally spoke up after awhile after Talin rambled on about stuff Effy should take note of. “It was me . . . “ She glanced to Talin a bit shameful at that. “Effy wasn’t stopping you, it was me. I just . . . I just wanted to do things safely.” She sighed holding up her hands as if to surrender her head lowered. “If . . . if you guys want to risk yourself though . . . I won’t try to stop you anymore. Just . . . just make sure those who you take with you are also as willing for the task.”


When he said she was right about something though sticking together she managed nothing more than a weak smile. Glancing to Effy wondering if she should drag the girl or something looking around for anything cloth or plastic even she could wrap around the party members. Plastic would help keep what heat they had in after all right?


It was then when she heard Luke call back to them. A door? Traps? Her eyes widen and she moved forward a bit just in case. Was the guy nuts? Trying to head over there just in case the kid needed saving or there was anything she could do. “Wait! I’m sure there are better ways to test for traps sides one of us just . . . Luke???”
 
As he sat there listening to the others talk it all sounded so familiar but Cross couldn't think of where he had heard this before,it wasn't the words he had heard but more of the tone and the way the others as if trying to get there points in. To him this little group seemed to be crumbling away and would soon break apart if all this continued,though he figured if he tried to add something it'd only add to the mess going on.So he continued listening until he heard Talin mention him which he could feel his body sink as he heard,'too much pain to stand'? Nonsense. Though it would make his pain grow he would stand if needed and not think twice about it,sitting here like this was helping but he knew they needed to move if they could and this pain wasn't going to stop him. He was lucky it didn't end up being his legs or back or he'd be in real trouble,and thanks to his long sleeves,gloves,and mask most of his body was covered and he didn't feel all that cold.


As Cross was thinking he suddenly felt his arm being pulled and looked up to see Talin,“Ruth was right,” he listened as he felt warmth starting to build. “We need to stick together . . . Luke said he was headed off to check on ‘what in god’s name that red light is.’ We should head that way and meet up before deciding what to do . . . Who knows . . . perhaps he found another supercomputer hidden away here . . .” Cross watched as Talin turned his attention to the small child “I promise that I’ll come back for you so long as I survive,...You won’t be forgotten here forever.” Cross smiled as he turned his attention back to him, “I’m sorry but I am going to need for you to try to be strong and walk through whatever it is that’s happening . . . Ruth, if you could maneuver our technopath along while she zones out it would be appreciated. If we don’t intend to stay here here then pausing for any reason would be absolute suicide. Cross, if you could try helping Jason along in spite of everything that would be great . . . I’ll manage the girl . . . K? Joe! If you are here . . . Fall in!”Cross looked over to Jason and nodded,holding his side he got up to his feet as he spoke through his mask."Understood..."It still seemed like he was struggling but that didn't stop him,as he went over to Jason he heard Luke's voice coming from the direction of the light."Hey guys, there's a possible way out over here, Im going to check it out just in case its trapped!"Cross didn't know what Luke was talking about but traps didn't sound good,"Be careful."He called to Luke hoping he heard.


Getting to Jason Cross kneeled down in front of him as he pulled his mask down to reveal a smile,he patted the boys head and sighed. He seemed to out of it now and Cross never dealt with something like this before,the only thing he'd handled was hurt animals back at home. So instead of trying to comfort the poor boy Cross simply got his arms around him and lifted him up in his arms,multiplying the pain in his side and chest but he didn't let it get to him now.
 
“What is it captain?” Gary asked as he turned to look back at Eliza Holley with a questioning glance. No matter how he looked at her, he could tell something was off. She had suddenly stopped in mid-sprint and now seemed to be ‘throwing’ herself back towards the window. The look upon her face was even stranger. It was like she had some odd combination of confusion, confidence and fear.


The strangeness of everything and the reputation the hunches she and Grey had always shared was normally more than enough reason to stop whatever the hell you were doing at the moment. Today however was just…different. Today they had lost more men than all the rest of their gig’s combined; today, they had to watch as their ‘brothers’ were literally ripped apart. Gary loved the captain to death, but sometimes she was just too careful. He’d be damned if he was going to let a bunch of punk cultist Houdini’s get away with all this.


“Don’t!” Eliza shouted loudly even as her body edged dangerously close to falling through the shattered window. Gary intended to shout at her to get away from there, maybe step forward to pull her to safety. Just as he started forward however, the loud clanging of metal called his attention back towards the door.


“They’re escaping!” he shouted as his visor revealed the group of students standing in front of some sort of tunnel, of which one had already entered and was curled up. Acting on instinct and spinning around, Gary ripped open the door and was greeted with a brilliant flash.





~~~





Page after page flitted before Effy’s eyes as the frames of a movie might rush by the lens of their projector. The handwritten words of the personal journal raced along their binds like waves crashing upon a craggy shore before suddenly rushing up and enveloping the entirety of her her world.





For a moment, everything was wrapped in what seemed to be an ever pervasive black. As the world was slowly rilled in however, that darkness slowly replaced itself with the main foyer.


While it was clearly the same foyer you had entered, its decor was entirely different. Instead of nervous gaggling students, there were fleets of people in lab jackets. Instead of plaques featuring student room assignments, there was a portrait of Ritsa P Castle, chief medical doctor of this pediatrics hospital. Instead of Darian’s name ornately written upon the door overlooking the foyer, there was the name of esteemed hospital owner, Lance Wright.





That owner was currently walking through those very doors with a large scowl along his face, followed quickly by his three children; his daughter Abigail, and his two sons, Alexander and Rion. Leaning against the top of her husbands desk, Ritsa also wore a scowl as she stared down to the two cowed boys.





“Mom…” Alexander started to let out, stopped short as her glare deepened.


“This is the fifth time you two… the fifth time this month!” Rista shouted once the doors had closed behind them. “You two can’t keep doing this… Do you have any idea how hard it was for us to get you into that school? What do I have to do to get you two to stop fighting all the time? What do you have to say for yourselves?”


“Sorry… but… he started it” Alex said weakly, drawing his angry mother’s attention towards his brother.


“What about you? What do—” Ritsa started.


“You only care because we’re taking ‘time out of your busy day’.” Rion shouted curtly, interrupting her. “Sorry we weren’t so quiet so you could go along and continue ignoring us for some other parent’s kids!” He continued before rushing out the door faster than his father could stop him.





Ritsa stood with a stupefied look upon her face for a long moment before rushing out after him. It had always been her dream to be in pediatrics; to save the lives of children. That her own child felt as if she was ignoring him…


“Had I really been so horrible a mother over the last eight months? Months…? I meant years right? Rion is eight years old… God, I have to remind myself of his age? I really am a horrible mother…” she thought to herself as she raced down the halls of the hospital, eventually stopping in front of the kitchen.





“Rion…?” Ritsa called out as she entered the dimly lit kitchen. “Rion… I know you’re here… somewh—”.


~~~


The entirety of the room rattled with enough force to knock a few of the slabs of meat hanging in the locker free of their hooks and crashing to the floor.





[Effy is jarred free of the book due to vigorous motion]





After the explosion and subsequent falls, the room returns to its deathly silence, none the worse for the wear. Finally moving again, Talin rotated the plate and was presented with the message ‘After the boom, the giant woman will collapse the room. My mom is not my mom. I’m not crazy. The journal is hers, the body is not mine. Run away and you die, ASE’ written in dried blood.


The child itself is wearing clothes no older than a couple of years as well as a mortuary tag on its right arm. The tag states clearly that he perished at 21:14 June 10th 2764, last year.





[no response from the toy soldier, nor any trace of the monkeys]


~~~


As Ritsa funneled students into the maintenance hallway, her head swarmed with conflicted emotion. The words ‘It’s okay… Ritsa’ continued to play through her head over and over, each time demanding a different conclusion. “Were those his final words to me? Some message to left behind to keep me calm? Or was he just sleeping again and that was just used to let me know he was alright? Did he even say it…the girl is obviously some form of sonic psychic… For all I know she could look at him and just know his voice… Does that mean that he’s dead then…?”


She couldn’t help but let out a frustrated sigh as she tried to solace herself with the fact that at least these kids would survive. No matter what, they’d live, she’d see to it. If she kept thinking of it as a fact, perhaps her own personal reality would extend in some small way to this one; perhaps it would make all the difference. Ever since she was a child she had wanted to be a teacher…and a teacher protects their students.


~~~





“Out of my way peon.” Python said in a dull and unimpressed tone as she continued her sure stride forward, still pulling the headmaster along by one arm.


Her gothic dress seemed to react to the morning sunlight, creating hues ranging from a deep green to a deep purple. Regardless of how one looked at her, it simply didn’t make sense for a child so thin and slight to be able to drag a full grown man along by a single leg, especially not so effortlessly. These unasked questions were answered rather quickly at the sight of the watch that rested around her neck almost as if it were a makeshift collar.





Without waiting for him to actually move aside, she stepped forward and placed a gloved palm gently upon his shoulder. Despite the gentleness of the motion, Benji was sent sliding in excess of ten feet in the opposite direction, creating thick tracks in the now loose dirt lining the front of the school.
 
‘After the boom, the giant woman will collapse the room. My mom is not my mom. I’m not crazy. The journal is hers, the body is not mine. Run away and you die, ASE’


Talin stumbled as though someone had struck him when the explosion had rocked the room. Expressions to numerous and varied to number crossed his young face, but the most prominent of these was a look of pure self-loathing. In desperation he glanced to Ruth’s back as she walked off towards the runaway telekinetic. As her back was currently to him, she was hardly in a position to offer him any help. Walking over to the fallen body of the horribly shaken teleporter, he picked her up and cradled her gently against his now bare chest before glancing off towards the red light with dead eyes.


“We need to move . . .” he barked loudly enough that his voice echoed strangely in the abnormally large freezer. “The explosion won’t delay them more than a few minutes and something is coming for this room . . . Someone knew we were going to be here . . . Somehow . . .” his voice trailed off, losing conviction as he shuddered slightly in revulsion at the unknown number of deaths he had just caused. “But walk don’t run . . . and be ready to stand and fight . . .” The boy tried hard to push on with his commands and to hide the internal turmoil that was making him nauseous.


“Ruth . . . help Effy if she needs it,” he barked a bit more sharply than he’d intended, but as he walked towards the red light his glance towards her was soft. “And for the record . . . you’re quite mistaken about yourself . . . although it took me a while to figure that out . . . just keep at it, puppeteer, they need you to do keep at it . . .”


With that much needed sentiment out of the way, he held the frail form of the katana wielding girl tighter to his chest and walked off quickly. After rounding a few pieces of fallen meat and boxes, the boy paused for a split second as he looked at the ominous gaping doorway awaiting him. The door was a lovely and dangerous looking sight. The red light ran over its opening and left him feeling a tad uneasy, but he didn’t really have time to pause and consider other options right now.


This had to be the way out. Running away would get them killed according to the note on the door, and the building itself had said that salvation awaited them in the cooler. Since he was new here and the building had no idea as to his powers, he knew that it hadn’t been referring to the hidden room . . . so this had to be the way forward. Salvation for the students was all he could hope for now. Perhaps that would allot him some small right to forgiveness eventually for the murders he had just committed . . . perhaps saving them would offer him salvation as well . . .


Killing such self-pitying thoughts as he hugged the girl he carried protectively against his chest, the boy walked forward. “I’ll find a way to get us through this,” he whispered to her before glancing over his shoulder and raising his voice. “I’m going ahead to find our deserter . . . catch up before you run out of time to do so!” Body shaking uncontrollably, the boy who would be leader waded through the flickering red light of the gorgeously ominous doorway and into whatever fate awaited him on the far side.
 
Malcolm's suspicion was ratcheted up a notch when the girl didn't immediately respond. It could be nothing,but when someone dragging an unconscious man doesn't reply to offers of assistance and questioning,it generally does not bode well. Malcolm was about to continue questioning when the girl finally spoke and launched Benji away with a simple push. Malcolm immediately stepped back,out of the girls reach,and noted the watch serving as a makeshift choker. He whipped his own device up to his mouth and accessed the voice amplifier application,and shouted, "FIRE FOR EFFECT ON THE GIRL DRAGGING THE HEADMASTER!" With that,Malcolm rushed past the girl to Benji,quickly accelerating to Olympian speeds. Skidding to a stop beside Benji,Malcolm began to pick him up. "You bend light,right? Lasers are light. See if you can't focus it into a pencil-thin beam. Aim for the brainpan." Malcolm looked up at the tiny girl,somehow managing to drag a dead weight in excess of two hundred pounds. "You! Strong girl! Stop where you are and release the Headmaster,or you're dead. Who did you pull that device off of? Who did you kill,b****!? What was their 'crime' to warrant it!?" He had no idea if his talking would have any effect. He really just wanted to distract her,and maybe get some answers.
 
People pushed and prodded their way by trying to get out with all their limbs intact but they were a little panicked. To be honest had it not been for the boy who had grabbed his hand Calvar would have simply followed suit and rushed out the door. For a moment he looked at the boy who took hold of his arm earlier and saw that he was also scared. Calvar took a deep breath and spared a thought for his erstwhile best friend, he took the other boy's hand and dragged him along into the steady stream of people trying to leave. "I'm Calvar but you can call me Grav!!" He yelled out over the rush of people whimpering or whispering to each other. The maintenance hallway was claustrophobic but they all pressed forward like some frightened mindless beast escaping a particularly determined predator.His entire day had turned out to be a total bomb, Calvar had at least hoped for a warmer welcoming party than this but he couldn't whine too much, at least he was still alive to worry about it.
 
A shaky breath passed Eliana´s lips as she tried to skim through all the information she just absorbed. Noticing the fact that she wouldn´t be able to read the book for now she stood up; her mind in a haze as she followed Talin. Should she tell them about Miss Ritsa? Or should she stand by and act ignorant of the fact about this school. The fact that this place which they called a school was practically a former research facility! Sighing she decided to keep it to herself. For now.


Eliana let her eyes connect with Jason, a frown permanently attached to her face. Making a soft smile blend into her frown though it became a rather weird grimace. She was still skimming through the scene over and over again, glancing back at the dead body. Was that maybe him? Rion....


She couldn´t help notice the small writing and at that moment her eyes wide she took another shaky breath. She needed more information. She needed to read the back; satisfy this undying, tormenting curiosity. Effy´s eyes were harden, a soft sparkle of utterly need in them was raging. It burned her mind while she kept thinking the same words. My Mom Is Not My Mom.


-


Having his mind filled with the same torturing scene all over again, Jason held on to the older girl for comfort. His eyes were constantly blurring, tears staining his shirt. Taking one deep breath after another he tried to calm down his erratic heart which kept beating against his rib cage. A small coldness biting his cheek were the tears had dried.


"You bastard! I´ll come for you! I´ll kill you!" A black-haired lady screamed. Her eyes were burning with tears and her left cheek marked by a palm. In her arms were a small boy; barely six his blue electric eyes watched as his mother struggled to save him. Save him from his own father. The drunk man wiggled his finger, as amusement crossed his eyes. "Now dear...Don´t use that tone or maybe this time the trash you hold in your arms may get hurt!" Spit flew out his mouth as he took her by the elbow. Dragging her across the room to the freezer. Throwing her inside with a deadly sparkle in his eyes. The child had run upstairs; locking himself in his room while the man passed out in the couch.


The next day the child slowly tip-toed downstairs to not find his mother out from the freezer yet. A small v forming on his forehead as he walked to the freezer with a small frightened thought. Opening the door silently; his eyes wide as his mothers lifeless eyes stared back.
 
Cross was actually doing good on holding Jason but the rattling got him off balance,holding Jason tight he tried to stay on his feet.He was relieved when it stopped and got his footing back,as he did he heard Talin.“We need to move . . .” he said loudly,“The explosion won’t delay them more than a few minutes and something is coming for this room . . . Someone knew we were going to be here . . . Somehow . . .” Cross then noticed Talin's voice trailing off and barely heard the rest he said. “But walk don’t run . . . and be ready to stand and fight . . .” Cross was definitely not ready to fight,he wouldn't make it like he is now. He hoped there wouldn't be a fight up ahead,not now. He followed right behind Talin with Jason in his arms,now walking his pain was obviously showing as he limped on his left side. Even so,he kept up good but he wasn't going to be able to keep this up forever.


Keeping Jason close he could feel Jason hold on to him and his racing heart,Cross could understand it was normal to be un-eased after seeing the dead child but Jason was beyond just un-eased. Cross wondered what could be bothering him so much,he couldn't think of anything that he knew of so it must be something from his past? He really didn't know or really care for that matter,he just thought that Jason being in this state would be more of a burden and that had to be fixed. Then out of habit Cross had began to softly hum,a tone loud enough for Jason to hear clearly and the others barely. It had been a song his mother had sung to him long ago when he was scared or upset,Cross usually hummed it still when he or an animal was upset or scared. So he just continued on as he hummed the tune softly,not knowing anything else that could help or even if this would.


(Song,just 0:00-0:50 of it and it's sung over and over in Cross' tone not a girl xD ~



)
 
The shake of the room and she barely stayed standing, feeling suddenly sick as she realized what it may have been. It was Talin’s words that pulled her back from the dreadful thoughts. That’s right . . . they were after them, now wasn’t the time to think on all the horrors outside but try to stay clear and free of them. When Talin spoke of something coming for the room though her eyes widen confused. Taken out the dagger in one hand and the barrel of monkey’s in the other. Only to pocket the knife as soon as Talin spoke of her helping Effy again, frowning at his harsh words but knowing he was right.


She was heading over to the girl when she caught a faint whisper from the boy, confusion filling her face not sure what he meant fully but smiling never the less. She glanced to the others and was grateful when Effy seemed to get up and follow on her own. The tears falling from the child started to make her worry and she wished she was closer to comfort him more. Never the less she stayed silent making sure she was the last so she could in away make sure they all went through. Doing a head count with their names. Also knowing she was probably being an idiot risking herself like a shield in such a fashion but . . . no one else seemed up to the task, at least she had a small something she could throw out in hope.
 
Despite Benji almost blocking her pathway the girl continues to walk at first, but he refuses to budge, knowing the waiting game too well. This girl wasn’t playing any game though, as the direct bark to get out of her way actually made him take a step back. It seemed to be too late as a gloved hand pats his shoulder, the force behind it hitting and knocking him back. Pain shoots through his sternum and ribs and he falls flat on his tailbone which reacts rather meanly to its position.


Whoever this girl was, she was strong…he probably should have noticed it in the way she so easily dragged the headmaster behind her. There was a watch around her neck too…did she go here? Where was she taking the headmaster if she went here? Malcolm seemed to be on top of the situation, yelling to the others to fire on her as he rushed for him.


When Benji was picked up, he couldn’t exactly say he was happy, he felt like a child…he was already 12! Still, it was so fast that he had no time to complain before Malcolm was asking him to do something with his powers. The redhead struggled slightly in his arms, “Are you crazy!? I can’t fire any lasers!” he notes, shaking his head vehemently. “We need to wake the headmaster up!” he tries before the man is once again yelling, but this time at the girl who is carrying off said person.


When the curse passes the older man’s lips, Benji can’t help but gasp, his eyes shining slightly… “You just…you just said the B- word!” he admits, amazed. No punishment! Maybe he could get away with it here... maybe they wouldn’t wash his mouth out every time.


Snapping back to the problem at hand, he realizes the girl is getting away and struggles once again in Malcolm’s arms. “I can’t focus my light enough to fire a laser!” although the topic is probably long dropped, he mentions this with a whine anyways.


--


There is a long pause after Abbie had copied the man’s voice, one in which another of the captured asks about the security system. This was the one who had so blatantly approached Ms. Ritsa at the back of the van with his questions. Even now he was wondering how to destroy something with his electricity….Abbie didn’t like him much. It turned out his plan didn’t pan out anyways, as the teacher alerted him to its many foils.


They would have to go another way, and that meant a back exit in the room that had her a little weary. Becca asked her a question then, and Abbie dwelled on it a little…what was this place? The second question she answered much more easily “I have powers”. The young girl swallowed as she tried to think, “My mom…My mom says that this place can fix that. That I’m going to get cured…” green eyes met with the taller figure next to the person that owned them. Hope.


“Ms. Ritsa told me there were lots of us though… so I don’t know how she’s going to do it” a momentary frown as she continues to pad along. The others were following them from a pace behind, and she saw that the blind boy originally in their folly had found a walking partner. At least he wasn’t alone anymore… “Do you have powers?” she asks the girl next to her. If Becca had powers…they certainly couldn’t be as bad as her parents made them sound all the time.


It seemed her words were having more of an effect on the teacher than she hoped, and for a moment she tried to rectify this. Or, she would have if the right words would come to her head…but she couldn’t think of an apology that fit.
 
Becca looked away from Abbie for a moment, knowing it was unlikely the girl could be "cured". She felt something unusual flare up in her: anger. Becca rarely got angry but the fact that the younger girl next to her thought there was something so wrong with her that she had to be sent away to be cured was abhorrent. Taking a deep breath, Becca looked back to her, a small smile on her face, trying to keep her frustrations to herself. "I do," she admitted. She had spent the last few months denying it herself and here she was, admitting it to someone she had just met. "I can sort of... feel other people's emotions. And I can see the past of things when I touch them," she explained, the words feeling odd as they left her mouth. Admitting she had these powers was so foreign to her.


Becca pulled on the locket around her neck and bit her lip. "Not much use in a fight I suppose," she muttered with a small smile, feeling an odd sense of accomplishment at the fact that she was finally able to admit her powers. They had just appeared a few months ago but Becca had gotten accustomed to the constant nagging of emotions in her head. It was easier to ignore now. It was like blinking: if she didn't think about it, she barely noticed it.


So, was this place really for "curing" them? Becca was unsure. If this place was really for curing them, why were they under attack by these government people? The fact that her death was still highly likely jumped to the front of her mind. She had forgotten, in all the activity, that they were still in a lot of danger. Her especially since she was without a watch.
 
Students slowly made their way down the old looking metal stairs beyond the doors that had read ‘Maintenance Only’. Huge walkways of stained and partially rusted metal stretched out in a complicated tangle for as far as the eyes could see into the bleak darkness, broken only by a slowly flashing dim red light in the distance. Large forms made their way silently through the darkness, floating too far from the walkways for normal eyes to detect.


In bold faded white paint along the room read ‘Catacombs’, illuminated by a single amber light built into the roof beneath it. The air was especially dry, with a slight metallic scent and cold enough for one to notice their fogged breath for a split second.


Ritsa stumbled her way through the mass of students to the front of the walkway with a surprised expression upon her face. “Towards the light.” Ritsa said firmly, trying to give the impression that she was perfectly in control even while her thoughts raced.





“This is impossible… It’s like it goes on forever!” she thought frantically for a moment. “How could this be under a residential mansion? Well whatever, there must be an exit somewhere.”


The sudden sound of beeping raced through the ‘maintenance hall’ from where they had all entered. The drones had arrived and had set themselves staring into the darkness the students now made their exodus through. Like it was with Ritsa, the halls were an unknown place to them; an anomaly in the maps provided to them by their creator. Each sent their digital queries towards what served as their central hub, the TCAS computer system; each was greeted with the same digital prompt ‘please wait’. ‘Wait’ is exactly what they did, lining the edge of the door in silent vigil to ensure no trespassers could threaten the safety of their charge, though in the process they barred the path of many that truly needed their protection in the first place.





“You realize Ritsa, you could just walk right through them…? Hole up in some fortified corner with an entourage of metallic bodyguards to protect us.” Trist asked mentally, somehow breaking the mental protections Ritsa had so laboriously created without so much as a warning.





Not wanting to allow Trist the satisfaction of her frightened reaction, Ritsa suppressed away her worry at the skilled intrusion into her thoughts. “That doesn’t even make sense, they wouldn’t protect the children… They’re programmed to shoot anyone that enters without a watch.”





“Foolish girl, I meant the two of us. WE could escape this place for safety…I know you sense it too, I can see your thoughts remember!” Trist responded quickly.





Ritsa grimaced slightly as she continued to walk, each step bringing her closer to an odd, almost palpable aura of malice ahead. She quickly turned about to look out at the students, easily determining that the vast majority of them had not yet noticed anything.





“I’m not abandoning them… I’ll never abandon anyone again!” Ritsa shouted back mentally at Trist before another confused feeling washed over her. “When had I ever abandoned anyone…?”


~~~





“Pathetically fragile…” Python thought to herself as the boy seemed to double over in pain from what was intended to be a gentle push. “Or maybe these TCI abominations actually work… In either case, I don’t have time for the woefully under informed…”





“Fire for effect on the girl dragging the headmaster!”





“FFE? A military brat…? How bothersome…” Python thought just before a round crashed into the back of her head, ricocheting up at the roof as if her skin were made of solid steel, wrapped in a exceedingly faint glow.





Turning slowly, Python barely managed to stifle her rage behind a mask of apathy. She looked up with doll like eyes at the previously cocky teen, enjoying the growing confusion and fear on his face. He stood no more than thirty feet away with a pistol in his outstretched hand, trembling slightly.





“Forgive them Python…they’re little more than infants; blind morons stumbling around in darkness, using technology as a substitute for wisdom they should be gaining from their mother. Pitiful creatures… only slightly better than the normals.”





“How the hell…?” the cocky teen began slowly before trying to shirk away his confusion and squeezing the trigger again.





He watched in horror as the bullet simply stopped in midair, spinning gently while emitting the same dull like as before. With her patience finally expired, she hurled the headmaster out the front door with little more than a flick of her wrist; his body landing in a thick patch of neatly trimmed grass.





“If you all want to die so badly, so be it. I’ll send you to whatever afterlife you heathens believe in.





~~~





One after another, the students made their way into the unknown of the glowing doorway. The cold metal and hanging meats of the locker seemed to rush away into nothing more than a pin prick behind them as the world was replaced by a long, twisting, mirrored tunnel. Wispy strands of light extended from the walls in all directions, gently playing along the skin of each member in the group as they hurtled forward at mind boggling speeds for what seemed an eternity.





In a brilliant flash, the students burst free of the tunnel, crashing into one another during the short fall to the ground. Trees seemingly made of frosted glass stretch out for as far as the eye can see in all directions, each of which glowed lightly in it’s own right. Towering above the highest of their branches, a slab of stone can be seen, not too far in the distance. Replacing the aura of maliciousness that previously engulfed everything is a simple beckoning, as if someone were calling out.





[All wounds currently received by the party members are healed; all abilities currently effecting the party members are removed (Cross is no longer suppressed); Ohara’s wounds are quickly recovering. It is very obvious that you are no longer on planet Burd, the sky appears crystal clear…not a single cloud. The child jason is not present on appearance. ]


I apologize for the relative low quality of this post compared to my others, but as I’ve been working on it literally for days and seem incapable of coming out the way I desire…I’ve been asked to simply post as is. I will try to make it more 'engaging' in my next post....which hopefully wont suffer from the same issue I had with this one.
 
What he was seeing couldn't be possible . . . Could it? The impossible tunnel into which he had stumbled shot him forward at speeds nearly incomprehensible to him. As it did so, small wisps of light extended from the reflective walls of this ethereal passageway to play lightly over his skin. Suprisingly he found a great deal of comfort in these abbarent strands of light. They reminded him of the will-o'-the-wisps from the bits of mythology that his rather obsessive sister had shared with him. These will-o'-the-wisps were said to guide the pure of heart and the lost to their destinies. While he wasn't entirely certain that the heart of a worthless murderer such as himself could ever be pure, it was undeniable that he and the figure in his arms were both very lost.


Finally reaching the end of the tunnel which he had started to fear may have been endless, Talin found himself falling towards the ground. As he fell, however, he twisted his body as quickly as he could so as to make himself serve as a buffer and shield for the unconscious teleporter. He quickly glanced around and took inventory of this strange, alien landscape into which they had been thrust after the falling forms of his friends had finally stopped bumping against one another, wary of some incoming attack. The plantlife here seemed to be composed of a somehow supple organic crystal and extended outward for as far as the eye could see. Above this breathtaking variation of foilage rose a giant stone slab that seemed to beacon the small group of students forward. This summoned feeling was in stark contrast to the foreboding feeling of malice which he had been doing his damnedest to ignore just seconds earlier. It brought to mind a rather vivid image of a very alluring flytrap tricking its prey to itself.


"Trapped . . ." The cautious contemplation took a verbal form before he could think to stop it. He just shook his head at the thought, however, as he forced himself back to his feet and gathered up the girl again before glancing quickly back at the party. They were all here except for the child which he was almost certain that Cross had been carrying. A knot of aprehension forming in his chest, the boy looked around wildly for the youngest of their group.


"Jason?" he called worriedly, hoping that the little one had just landed a bit off from the group in their rather rocky arrival in this land. "Jason, can you hear me?" he tried again almost without pausing to allow the child a chance to answer. Turning to Cross with worry creasing his young brow, he frowned pensively. "You did still have him when you stepped through, right?" asked Talin as he tried to keep himself from being accusatory until the boy had at least a few minutes to show up. "With how . . . fragile his mental state was getting . . . could he have run back to the body? You didn't set him down right?"


DAMN IT!! Had he really failed that little boy and missed some small fact that could have lead to his disappearance. He already had the blood of an untold amount of innocent soldiers who were defending against what seemed to be a real and present threat to them on his young hands . . . Could he survive having somehow failed a member of his group as well? Expression creeping quickly towards one of a crushed and self-loathing nature, the boy blinked back the urge to break down completely and cry as he tried to force his calm and confident mask back over his features. Succeeding only slightly at disguising his turmoil, he forced himself to wait for the older boy's explanation and desperately hoped that it would offer an easy to solve explanation to the younger child's disappearance.
 
Ruth stumbled along in the dark with them, keeping her eyes going back off and on in case anyone followed. Then suddenly from dark to bright it seemed almost blinding and she ended up crashing to the ground. Worried more for those she may have fell on then herself she tried to get her site adjusted as she stumbled to her feet. “Is everyone o . . . kay?” Her eyes of course would catch the site of the beauty her face paling with it alone.


“You don’t think . . . this is Heaven do you?” She asked softly in a whisper not meaning the place or anyone disrespect. Would it make since that the soldiers caught up with them, taken their lives and if there was a Heaven they were saved the painful end?


It was when Talin started to call out for one of the group that she paled and started to search, worry filling her. She didn’t know much about religions, but wasn’t Heaven suppose to be a happy place? She was filled with dread for a boy, now would be the time an angel or something mattering being here to say its okay.


At Talin’s words, panic she stepped forward to place a hand on his shoulder shaken her head. “I didn’t feel anyone go by me. I did my best to watch both ends when walking. In case we were followed.” She couldn’t give anything else sides that herself. “Maybe . . . he went to check out . . . the beauty?” She offered, glancing to Cross hoping he stated he kept a good hand on the boy the whole time. “If so he has to be here somewhere right?”
 
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