Round-Robin ‘Riting, v. 2006.1, part 2

The story of the afareet, continued from Round-Robin 'Riting, v. 2006.1, part 1.

The story of the afareet, continued from Round-Robin ‘Riting, v. 2006.1, part 1.

(By the way, in Arabic afareet is plural. The singular is afreet. I’m an afreet, but you all are afareet–in case you want to be technically correct about it.)

MuseBlog historical note: This story started in the blog’s original group-writing experiment, “Round-Robin ‘Riting,” and was revived on “Out with the Old…”

Date: February 28, 2006

Author: Robert Coontz (Administrator)

Categories: Fiction, poetry, and fanfiction

Comments RSS TrackBack 173 comments

1

Lane the Orange Raisin

in February 28th, 2006 @ 06:52

FIRST COMMENT!!!! Now what’s Round Robin Riting?

0
0
2

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in February 28th, 2006 @ 08:58

People take turns writing parts of a long story. Would someone please post a plot-summary-so-far for the benefit of new readers?

0
0
3

Jadestone

in February 28th, 2006 @ 15:23

YESSS!!!!! Please do!!! Is this the third post?

0
0
4

Jadestone

in February 28th, 2006 @ 15:32

*Third post dance*

0
0
5

Zallie

in February 28th, 2006 @ 19:00

Better yet, here’s the story so far:

Adela looked across the algebra classroom at Archell, who was whispering to the girl in front of her. Adela could just make out the words, “In five minutes, it’s going to start snowing.”
Archell always seemed to be so confident about this stuff, much more so than any weatherman on TV. Most of the school asked her if they wanted to know whether to bring their umbrellas to school tomorrow or if it would be warm enough to go to the beach. She was rarely wrong.
“Adela?” asked Ms. Carman. “Can you show us on the board how you did number seven?”
Adela looked at her notes and found an incomprehensible mess of quadratics. This had all made so much sense last night. Now it looked like a bunch of spaghetti, which was what Adela’s mind felt like. Why do I have to do quadratics anyway? wondered Adela. Stiff-legged, she walked up to the chalkboard. She picked up her notebook and copied the problem out, hoping she wouldn’t have to explain it.
“Adela, would you please tell us howâ€“” Ms. Carman was cut off by someone’s shout of “Snow!” from the back of the classroom.
Sure enough, it was snowing. Even though it was only October, something bordering on a blizzard was raging outside. Archell wore a smirk, and the girl in front of her an awed expression. Adela took the opportunity to sneak back into her seat.
But Archell’s display had set Adela to wondering. Blizzards just didn’t happen in October, even in Michigan. Perhaps Archell had caused it? It seemed possible. At this school, there were a few people who Adela thought were a littleâ€¦different. Powerful, even.
There was Leah, the one who had accidentally set the dance room on fire and then put it out without any water. The whole school knew about that one, even if they didn’t see it in the same light that Adela did. There was Ruby, the loner in Adela’s homeroom whose necklace sometimes glowed through her shirt. And there was Adela herself, and maybe Archell.
Adela wondered why nobody else seemed to pick up on the little signs that nearly screamed, “Magic!”
Because Adela was pretty sure that’s what it was. Magic.

“Show off,” sniffed someone behind Adela. She turned. It was Leah. She was glowering and twisting a strand of unpredictable reddish hair around her finger. Her math paper was covered with untidy scribbles that slightly resembled numbers in varying shapes and sizes, entertwined with random pencilly sketches. One of them was a surprisingly accurate drawing of the long, straight haired back of her head. Adela smiled slightly. Leah always seemed to have a very short attention span.
Ms. Carman appeared to have heard Leah say something, because she looked up. “Leah,” she said, “Perhaps you would like to explain the concept of problem ten to us.” As Leah launched off into a long, surprisingly accurate considering the shape of her paper, explanation of the math problem, Adela glanced around the classroom at the other students.

Ruby just satâ€¦and watched. Her desk at the back of the classroom was absolutely bare, devoid of any apparent school supplies or adornments, carved into the soft wood or otherwise, except for a single sheet of paper which bore the partially-finished homework from the night before. Ruby only did as much homework as she needed to understand the subject, and all her teachers knew it. Some accepted it, knowing that the system worked for her; some fought outwardly against her refusal to follow the accepted rules of the school, and some simply ignored her, dismissing Ruby as an oddball. She didn’t care. She did well in classes anyway, and in subjects she needed extra practice in she voluntarily did more work than assigned.
Aside from the paper, the upper left corner of her desk bore a mark. It wasn’t carved or penciled in, or, in fact, put there in any recognizable way. It seemed to just haveâ€¦melted into the surface. Even the false manufactured grain of the wood followed it, swirling around the symbol. A five-pointed star surrounded by a circle. The same one as was stenciled on every one of her few possesions. As her eyes scanned the mark her hand went involuntarily to her throat, then moved down to press at something under her shirt. Her father’s pendant, her mother’s chain. It was all she had left, and she treasured it more that anything.
Ruby looked away from the board and to the person standing in front of it, demonstrating a problem, as she felt eyes on her. It was that girl, what was her name, Adela. Seeing that Ruby had detected her gaze, the slightly-built, brown haired girl gave her a quick, sweet tempered smile and gestured out the window at the softly falling snow, which was distracting everyone, including the teacher. It was light, but the flakes were small and sticking to the panes of glass where they touched them, a sure sign of a long, deep fall every Michigan dweller knew, even those as naturally inept as Ruby. It was perfect for a snow day. And blatently out of season. A thought took hold of Ruby, suddenly. Did Adela do that? but she dismissed the idea. Adela just wasn’t the type to delibrately cause trouble.
The notion that something possibly kinetic was going on didn’t bother Ruby in the slightest. Magic was just the word for what people didn’t understand. Light bulbs were magic to people who didn’t have electricity.
She looked back at Adela and gave her a thin, neutral smile in return. Ruby was reclusive, it was well known, but she didn’t mind making contact with other people. And no matter how differant thier personalities, Ruby liked Adela. There were several people in this room, in fact, that Ruby liked or at least accepted, including Adela’s rather touchy friend Leah, the brash Archell, and even Ehmer, who sat two seats to the left and three ahead of Ruby. She felt sort of connected with them, somehow, but still seperate.
Suddenly, an announcement blared in on the loudspeaker, heavy with static. A power line was probably down somewhere, Ruby reflected. Already the snow was deep enough to reach half way up her calves, and her height was pretty average for a ninth grader. She tuned back in and listened.
“We apologize for the interruption,” the voice of the vice principle said fuzzily, “But we have recived several calls from parents asking that school be ended early due to road conditions. Unfortuanately, some parents are unable to reach the school due to the snow. All students who live more than ten miles away from the school please come to the main office. All other students will report to the multi-purpose room to wait for thier parents. Thank you.”
The loudspeaker fuzzed off. Immediately an excited babble broke out amoung the class, who all jumped up as one, ignoring the teacher’s desperate attempts to assign homework, and milled around in confusion, packing their books inside thier desks and grabbing their coats and scarves. Ruby got up too, but didn’t take her coat, merely opened her desk and put her homework paper inside it. The orphanage where she lived was too far away to come and get her; she would be staying at the school that night along with the other students who were long distance commuters. She saw Lana and Adela doing the same, and Ehmer muttered a curse before unwinding himself from his seat, bumping his shin against the connected desk. Two other students, Jason Berk and Emily Gozlan, also prepared for a long night stay at the school, which was a familar event for all kids who lived more than ten miles away. The principle kept sleeping bags and pillows in a closet in his office; the cafeteria would supply leftovers and the kids would sleep in thier (hopefully clean) gym clothes in the dance hall, which was big and carpeted.
Ruby got up from her chair and wove carefully through the crowd of eager, chattering students, who ignored her as she slid past, touching nothing. She was very good with crowds. Reaching the front of the classroom in a suprisingly short time considering the chaos and her position in the back of the room, Ruby fell into step a little ways behind Ehmer, who was muttering and rubbing his leg, and Leah, who was, as usual, walking with Adela. Archell was several paces down the hallway already, but through the open door Ruby could see that she looked very pleased with herself for some reason. Suspicion surfaced, but she pushed it out of her head. She had enough to worry about. She followed the group of fellow school-stayers out the door towards the office, where they would doubtless be doled supplies, but she was still careful not to be obvious in her interest in these students. Call it intuition, but she had a feeling about them. Even so, her Ruby instincts told her to stay awayâ€¦but watchful all the same.

Archell walked purposely to the office just ahead of Adela, Ehmer, Leah, and that one girl, Ruby. The principal calmly informed the students that they would be staying at the school for the night and that they should not panic, and blah blah blah blah blah. Archell really didn’t care. Dutily she followed the line of students to the autitorium and was immediately swarmed with a bunch of people asking her how she knew that it was going to snow and if it would keep up until tommorrow. She brushed them off and went to go get in line for the sleeping bags and supplies. Stumbling over a boy’s foot she tripped and fell, right into Adela.
“Oh my gosh I am so sorry!!!!!” Archell apologized loudly.
“Oh no it’s okay.” Adela replied a little embarressed.
“Here let me help you up.” Archell grasped Adela’s hand and pulled her up just as she noticed Ruby watching suspiciously.
What’s up with her? Archell thought. Something was different about Ruby and she was going to find out.

Ehmer wrinkled his nose distastefully at the collection of sleeping bags and pillows in the closet. Living far from school had it’s advantages, but not many of them. He stooped down and picked up a sleeping bag and a pillow in one motion, nearly knocking someone over in the process. He didn’t, of course, say sorry.
Bloody hell, he thought irritably, stepping away from the crowd of students. He was a good half a foot taller than the tallest of the rest of the students and at least three years older. Why couldn’t someone his own age live far away? It hadn’t been a good day, and he was in no mood to spend an evening with kids half his age.
That wasn’t quite fair, he admitted to himself, smirking slightly as Archell fell into Adela. Some of them were two thirds his age.
“Hem, hem,” the principal’s secretary said, clearing her throat. “The library will be open to you until it is time for dinner. Please, leave your things in the Hall and do not run in the hallways.
Ehmer bolted for the door. First one to the library meant the best seat.

Again, Ruby watched. Completely disregarding the secretary’s instructions not to run, Ehmer dashed out the door in the direction of the library, and Ruby smiled, mentally comparing his actions to her own contempt for the ‘rules’. She, however, saw no reason to flaunt this, and slipped out after him before the door had time to shut properly. All the others would no doubt follow, so she could keep an eye on them; she feel the energy radiating from them, like no other kind she could name. Something was going to happen that night, she knew it, and she wanted to be there.
As soon as she was out, she rose to her toes and followed Ehmer. She was just far enough behind him to keep him in view, and she followed, as far as she knew, without detection to the library. However, as he neared the door she broke course and doubled around to the other door, where she knew her enterance would be concealed by a bookcase. It never paid to be obvious.
She swung the door open, and let it close behind her. Through a gap in the booksâ€“ Anne of Green Gables and the last book of The Foundation Trilogyâ€“she could see Ehmer already spread out full length on one of the long couches. She pulled over a box of stored magazines and settled down to wait forâ€¦whatever would happen. It was fated that she wouldn’t wait long.

Ehmer stretched like a cat on the window seat and pulled a battered old blue book from his pocket, the picture of an unaware reader. He turned his head to face his book. Unless someone coudl see his eyes, it would look like he was doing just that, reading. Instead, he tuned out the noise of the cars outside and only listened to the noises in the library.
Yes, someone followed him. He’d heard noises in the corridor, but now he was sure. Someone, probably a girl, was sitting behind a shelf a few rows a way.
Casually, Ehmer yawned and began to read for read. He doubted she was a threat, so there was no need to show that he’d heard or noticed her.

Adela stepped into the library, inhaling the smell of old books and Windex. Leah was already off somewhere, no doubt hoping not to burn anything as she read. Adela looked around for Archell to ask whether it would still be snowing on her thirteenth birthday, which was tomorrow. It wasn’t that she minded, exactly. Adela loved snow and the howling, whirling wind that came with all the best blizzards. It was just that she didn’t want to be stuck with a bunch of people she barely knew, on her birthday.

Archell waltzed into the library after being shouted at for running, slipping, and knocking over the principal (by accident of course). Finally having freed herself of her adoring “fans”, she had run to the safety of the library. Looking around she made sure no one was around her, took her stuff and witha puff of air jumped onto a shelf. There, she sat down to read. Opening her book she settled herself comfortably against the wall, and started to read. Suddenly she could have sworn that she saw a long white cobra with purple/violet eyes ((guess who!)). Then it was gone. Shrugging, she returned to her book.
â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”
Issy quickly fled out of sight of Archell as she looked up from her book. Issy was here on a misson. She was actually was enjoying sneaking around the library in cobra form. Silently, Issy wished she could have used her butterfly form, but no, Hazel got to use that form. Hissing slightly, she raised her jeweled head as she saw Achmet dropping from a shelf to join Zelda on the other side of the library. Zelda and Achmet were in small cat forms so they could hide in the shelves by the prophosized ones. Just a little longerâ€¦ she thought quickly slithering into a cubby hole. As she saw the students leaving for the cafeteria for dinner she decided, Time for another formâ€¦. Quickly she changed into a young teen and followed quietly and inconspiciously to the cafeteria.
â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”-
Archell spotted Adela hurrying towards her witha look of question on her face. As she slowed her pace to the cafe. Adela hurried up and asked her, “Will it continue snowing tommorrow? Because it’s my birthday and I was just wonderingâ€¦” Adela asked.
Smiling Archell said, “Why yes, Adela, I believe it will.” Her thunder gray eyes sparkled with a little light, and in a few minutes the principal came over the intercom. “Students, the snow has seemed to increase in it’s incredible blizzard, your parents might have to pick you up on the 14th instead of tommorrow. Classes and School will be canceled tommorrowâ€¦” Adela looked amazed.
“Well, I guess it will!” Archell grinned. Then looking extremely pleased at herself for a reason known only to herself. Then stopping, she turned back around and said, “Hey Adela!!”
Adela turned around.
“Have a nice Birthday tommorrow!” Archell grinned again and walked off to the Cafeteria unaware that she and all the prophecized ones were being watched.

Ruby sat on her box. She watched as Archell and Adela came into the library, and then left, presumably for food. She was getting to be a bit nervous, she admitted it. But mixed in with that nervousness was excitement, quite a bit of excitement, and anticipation.
On a whim, she reached inside her shirt and pulled out her circled pentagram on its chain, letting it show for once.
Feeling a bit exposed, Ruby looked down at the pendantâ€“and realized it was glowing. Her head darted up and her eyes narrowed, and for a moment she thought she saw aâ€¦a cat. It seemed out of place somehow, but suddenly Ruby’s mind felt clouded and she couldn’t put her finger on why. And then the cat, a small tawney brown, winked at her, and dissapeared.
The fog in her mind vanished with the cat. For a moment she hesitated, and then decided to do something completely out of charecter. Stepping out from behind the shelf, Ruby walked out to the center of the library and justâ€¦stood there. Struggling with an urge to slip along the walls in the shadows, she walked over to Ehmer, who still appeared to be oblivious as he read a book, but his eyes were not moving. Before she lost the initiative she said softly, “Do not look now, but we are being watched. Tell the others, it has something to do withâ€¦ this.” she gestured toward the glowing necklace.

Ehmer turned his head to look at the younger girl. “Huh?” he said rather stupidly, looking her up and down. His sharp eyes focused on the necklace almost at once, but he tried not to let his gaze linger. “What?” he added for good measure.
The others? Mentally, he frowned. What was she going on about? She couldn’t know could she? He shook his head ever so slightly. No, she couldn’t. She was just being queer.
“Uh, it’s very pretty,” he put in after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

Adela couldn’t believe it. What was it with Archell? She could swear that the girl was controlling the weather or something and had done this just to spite her. Or did Archell know something she didn’t? But then, that wasn’t hard. Adela didn’t know what was going on with the blizzard or the possible magic or the funny little flickers she kept seeing out of the corner of her eye or pretty much anything.
All Adela wanted were answers and to be with her family, tiny and strange as it was, on her thirteenth birthday. It didn’t look like she’d be getting either any time soon.
But she was distracted from her thoughts by a little hazel-coloured butterfly darting behind the water fountain. While it was plain and blended in with the bricks, Adela could detect a faint sort ofâ€¦glimmering about it in her mind. She couldn’t see the glimmer, but she was sure it was there. Magic?
Great. Another mystery, probably another one that would never be answered. Adela hated all this. Groaning, she headed toward the cafeteria.
Most of the other junior high and high school students who weren’t going home seemed to be packed into the cafeteria. She spotted Archell, who was surrounded by a crowd of kids. Ruby and Ehmer were sitting in a dark corner, heads put together. Ruby’s hand was covering something on her chest, where Adela though that there might be another glitter, though it was hard to tell from this distance. Every so often, someone would whistle at them, which neither seemed to notice.
Did Ruby know about the glitters, if she had one? There was one way to find out. Adela grabbed a tray with mashed potatoes, peas, and tomato soup and headed over toward the corner. She hoped Ruby and Ehmer wouldn’t chew her head off for being curious.
When she got there, they both turned around to glare at her. “Bugger off,” grumbled Ehmer, but no one thought he really meant it. Adela slid into a seat.
“I have questions. You might have answers,” she said, trying to ignore the sense of apprehension she felt. Ruby and Ehmer might not be dangerous, but they weren’t that easy to be around, either.
“Questions,” said Ruby ruminatively. “Like what?”
“Like, what are you covering up with your hand? It’s got some sort of glitter to it.”
Ruby gripped the thing tightly, glaring at Adela. She could see it glowing now, making Ruby’s hand reddish and lit-up.
Ruby was saved from answering by Leah, who was coming over. “There you are, Adela. I came to say happy birthday.”
“My birthday’s tomorrow,” said Adela, glad for an excuse to look away from Ruby.
“In a few minutes, it will be tomorrow,” said Leah, sitting down with a can of soda. Adela, Ruby, and Ehmer all glanced at the clock, wondering how time could pass so quickly. But sure enough, it read 11:58.
When the bells of a nearby church bagan to chime midnight, everyone jumped. They all seemed to be surprised that it was so late.
“Happy birthday now,” said Leah, but she wasn’t so sure that it was so happy. After all, Adela had just screamed and landed face-first i her mashed potatoes.

Adela, scowling in an almost Leah – ish fashion, extracted her face from the mashed potatoes and quickly wiped it off her nose. Leah resisted the urge to giggle – barely. It was only too obvious, after all, thought Ehmer distainfully. This was very strange. First Adela, the unlucky brithday girl, than Ruby, serious and quiet, who had a glowing necklace, and than Leah. He had heard of Leah, of course, she had practically burned down the dance room, or so he was told. Though not unpleasantly so, the air around her seemed to smell a little bit like smoke. Suddenly, panic gripped him. Did they know what he could do? Deep in thought, he didn’t notice that he was staring directly at Leah for several minutes straight.
Leah, now finished snorting at Adela, turned back to her green beans. A minute later, she sensed someone watching her and looked up. Ehmer was staring her, utterly, or so it seemed, transfixed. Oh no. Had she done something abnormal again? Panicking, she glanced around, than realised her finger was growing warm. Now the heat spread to her hand, than intensified. Trying to look normal, she quickly hid her hand behind her her back and took a big drink of water.

Ruby had been staring, transfixed, at the passing events. In the corner of her eye she sawâ€¦somethingâ€¦flit past the window, as dark as night itself.
Suddenly she shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. She had decided on something. She stood up abruptly, another thing she did not usually do. Ruby was a lone wolf, so to speak, but she was entirely and uncomfortably aware that she knew something none of the other did. And she also knew that if she didn’t work with them, none of them would be safe.
“Listen.” she spoke quietly, lowering her voice so it wouldn’t echo around the empty cafeteria. “I have to tell you guys somethingâ€¦and here isn’t safe. We need to go to the dance roomâ€¦now.”
She got up from her seat, but looked back down at the incredulous and slightly suspicious faces. None of them could recall Ruby ever stringing more than three words together, or standing openly in such bright light. Her pentagram, glowing slightly reddish and hanging painfully obviously over her shirt, twinkled slightly, a bit threateningly under the atmosphere of sudden doubtfulness. Ruby said quietly, “Just trust me.” She turned on her heel and hurried down the hall to the dance room, keeping once more to the shadows.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Ehmer started loudly, finishing with a string of curses that would certainly not be appropriate for the Museblog. He frowned, half-considering not going, but something about Ruby’s tone made him a little bit curious. Just a little bit. He turned to face the group. “Go,” he said forcefully. That was all it took, they all set off after Ruby, some of the younger ones looking a bit scared. Ehmer’s mouth twisted in a wry smile and he followed along after them, feeling oddly protective.
The dance room was located in the top floor of the room, overlooking the parking lot and the front path. When they arrived, Ruby had already drawn the blinds and lit the small lamps on either side of the room.
Everyone stood in a group around the door. Leah’s feet tapped out a dance step on the floor and Adela stared worriedly at the floor. No one spoke. Ehmer shut the door and turned to face Ruby.
“What’s all this?” he asked a little bit coldly. “If this is your idea of some sort of joke, it’s not funny. We’ve followed you, so tell us what the hell is going on.” Some of the littler kids’ eyes widened as Ehmer spoke.

Slightly astounded by Ruby, the others followed her in silence. Something big was happening, and presumably Ruby knew more about it than they did.
Archell couldn’t help grinning, despite the fact that she was walking in the school hallways at midnight with a bunch of people she barely knew. She felt powerful, like a catalyst. After all, if it hadn’t been for her snowstorm, they would all be sitting happily at home. Or unhappily, as it may have been. It struck Archell that she really didn’t know that much about any of the others, including what their home lives were like. If she was going to work with these people, as she was beginning to get the sense that she’d have to, she’d have to know them. She’d have to trust them.
***
When Leah stepped therough the doors of the dance room, she was reminded unpleasantly of the fire. That had been too close. Even the dimmest of students could tell that something was up when she set the hall on fire and then put it out. Luckily, something had happened to distract their attention. Something always did. That was the way school worked.
She could almost smell the smoke, hear the screams of the dancers. Leah had only done what she had to. Just because it required using power she had tried to hide didn’t mean she should let innocent people die. Did it?

Ehmer closed his eyes briefly as he waited for Ruby to answer. All the things he’d been able to do, everything he’d seen, it seemed like she knew. But how could she? He’d been careful to hide his steps along the way. Books from the library put back exactly where they’d been, questions asked in exactly the right way. He didn’t want to believe he’d been careless, but there didn’t seem to be any otehr alternative. He sighed, casting a calculating glance around the room. And what of the others? There was something strange about Leah, to be sure, and Ruby, herself, had always been clear. There was that girl who always knew the weather, but from what he knew, the others were fairly normal. Then again, he didn’t know very much about most of the others. He didn’t make a habit of associating with the younger students.
He crossed his arms, only later realizing what an agressive gesture that must have been. “Well?” he asked, arching an eyebrow at Ruby.
Ruby looked up, her eyes very alive and alert. “I’m not lying,” she stated. “Maybe you think I’m making this up, but I’m not and I want you to understand that and believe me. If I were lyingâ€“.”
“Cut the prologue and get to the point.” Impatience and the strange nervous energy in the air made Ehmer sharp-tempered. It wasn’t that he disliked Ruby, but more that he found himself aching for the knowledge she’d lured them with. The knowledge that she wasn’t giving them.
Ruby fixed Ehmer with her gaze, before sighing and looking at the rest of them in turn. “Alright,” she said, her voice gaining confidence.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker boomed on before Ruby could speak.
“Students”, said the pricipal’s loud nasal voice,”Students, I would like you to welcome Shanise Smith. We have been having some trouble with the utilities, and she is here to assist our janitors. Please try to make her feel welcome and do not bother her while she is doing her job.”
Ehmer lifted his eybrows. “You were saying?”he gestured toward Ruby. But they were interupted again. The door opened and a woman stepped out.
Ehmer blinked. She didn’t look much older than him. And she was a janitor?
If she was surprised, she gave no sign of it. She simply said, “What are you doing here?”

“We could ask the same of you”, Ehmer retaliated, hoping the women would be too intimidated by the fact that he was about a foot taller to ask more questions.
Her stone-faced expression didn’t even change. “Didn’t you here the anouncement? I came here to help fix the pipes and electricity. I thought I’d go here first, since their was a fire in here a few months ago. It could have weakened the electrical circuts.”
Shanis picked up her toolbox and headed for the hall that lead from the dance room to the backstage of the auditorium, then stopped, turned around, and looked at the five students. “And you can carry on your little discusion. Don’t worry, I won’t listen.”
Ehmer and the girls stood in uncomfortable silence. Finally, Leah turned and looked at Ruby. “Well?” she asked.
Ruby shook her head. The message was clear. They couldn’t risk letting this women overhear what she was going to tell them.
Leah began to figit impatiently, while Ehmer paced back and forth along one of the many taped lines on the floor.
Something was nagging at the back of Archell’s mind. There was something distinctly out of place about the Shanis Smith. Some thing besides her extremely pale skin, ice blue eyes, and long, silver hair, which was held up in a ponytail by a tie with a white feather.
After what seemed like hours, she finally returned.
“Um..How were the circuts?” Adela asked lamely
Shanis shrugged. “They should hold out. And I have a feeling that this blizzard will stop soon. Very soon.” she finished, glaring at Archel.
And that’s when Archel noticed. Shanis had said that she had just come here, but she was wearing a rib tank, khaki shorts, and sandals.

While Archell gaped at the strange Shanis Smith, Adela was trying to place what was wrong with the woman. She looked like ice made human, sure, but there was something else wrong.
She didn’t get to continue her thoughts, though, because the loudspeaker blared on again. “Adela Nelson, ther’s a call for you at the front office,” it crackled. Everyone looked at Adela. She shrugged. Adela didn’t know who would be calling her after midnight, especially since Gran and Andrew were highly untrusting of phones.
But the phone was Gran, her voice distorted. “Adela. Are you alone?” The girl glanced around the office. The principal was elsewhere, and the secretary was at home. She was alone.
“Yeah. Why are you calling? You hate the phone.”
“I know,” said Gran. “I was going to tell you when you got home, but then there was that snowstorm, and this is important. I don’t have much longer. She expects me back.”
“What?” said Adela, confused as ever.
“I’m not your grandmother, and Andrew isn’t your cousin. We were sent to watch over you after your parents were killed by the Force. She realised you were in danger because of your birthday.”
“Who is ‘she’? What’s going on? What does my birthday have to do with any of this stuff?”
“A lot. It’s a full moon tonight, right? You have magic, Adela. And because of your birthday, you’re getting even more,” Gran’s voice was becoming less steady. “Now, when I leave, you have to find the others. You need to, or else you won’t stand a chance. She will send someone to meet you, escort you. Good luck, Adela. Good-bye.”
“Gran? Gran?” But the line was dead. Adela groaned. What Gran had just said sounded like some kind of a prophecy. This was crazy. Adela put her head in her hands and walked back to the dance room. At least she understood the part about ‘others.’ She’d found them.
And she faced them. “Do any of you have any clue what the Powers are? Or how important today is? Or something?”

“No clue,” said Leah with a nonchalant shrug, although it aroused something in her memory. She felt sure it would sound rather stupid saying “Yeah, sure, I just don’t know what,” though, so she kept her mouth shut and focused instead on the janitor lady, Shanisa, or whatever. There was something about her Leah felt extremely uncomfortable with, though she couldn’t name just what.

Ruby glanced at the janitor person; it was clear that she was not going to leave any time soon. She said quietly to the others, “I do.”
They looked at her in surprise, and Ehmer slightly suspiciously, but she went on almost angrily, “It was what I’ve been trying to tell you about! Before my Ma died Iâ€“” she stopped. Ruby Laan had had a hard night, and this reminder of her mother was not helping. She wasn’t used to showing her feeling to anyone. After a moment, however, she sighed, and said, “Well, I guess I’ll just have to tell it from the beginning. Get comfortable, this could take a while.”
She rather purposefully (for Ruby) moved to the end of the room farthest away from Shanis, and the rest followed after a moments hesitation. She sat down and they followed, all except for Ehmer, who scowled and remained standing, casting covert glances at the janitor. Ruby started to speak, softly.
“The only things I know about the Powers is that they are some kind of lunatic elitist cult, and they think they are somehow chosen to rule the world. I think they might be a little religious, because, from what my mother told me, they have some sort of, well, some sort of a prophecy. It says that they can’t take over untill they gain some sort of a power; well, actuallty I’m not sure what the prophecy says. But I thinkâ€¦”
She stopped, looking resigned. “I guess I’ll just have to show you, then.” Ruby took a deep, nervous breath, and said the following in a chanting, almost singsong tome:
“‘Before Order might reign free, the Adversaries must be vanquished. They shall come from sand, and be born of Fire, Air, Vision, Life, and Doom. Guard well thine gates, lords of Cosmos, for from below and from above shall they come to claim dominion and shatter Law. And stone shall burn, and thunder will be heard in clear sky, and those who would be healed shall be wounded, and seen shall be the unexisting. When Chaos-child vanquishes Chaos-lord, then shall the Cosmos be torn asunder.'”
Ruby stopped. She felt suddenly weary. “Don’t ask me what it means,” she said, “I just heard it from my mother. She made me memorize it, and believe me it took a while. All I know is that, whatever it really is, the Powersâ€“well, I have reason to belive the Powers think the ones mentioned in the Prophecy, you know, destroying the Cosmos and all that, are, well, us.”

Archell frowned. She always felt rather proud of the fact that she had some strange control over weather, and undoubtedly it had earned her several clique-ish type followers, but she didn’t like to think it meant anymore – like she had some strange responsibility to the world, something she had to live up to.

As Adela listened to Ruby’s prophecy, she grew more and more alarmed. Gran had told her something like that in bedtime stories, stories about evil lords and noble shapeshifting afareet who tried to vanquish them. Her favorite had always been the one about the kids who finally defeated evil for good and lived happily ever after. She could still hear Gran’s soothing voice telling it, the tale about how a few teenagers were transported to another world, one with magic that they had to learn to use. Adela still loved that story, or at least she had when she was twelve.
Now, she wasn’t so sure. It was one thing to listen to a legend, safe in your grandmother’s lap. It was quite another to be alone and part of the story.

“Us?” Ehmer raised an eyebrow, still playing the fool. “Whaddya mean by that? We’re a group of kids in a school overnight. There’s nothing important ’bout that. It’s not likeâ€“.”
“There is.”
Ehmer spun around, looking for who spoke. It was Adela, who was suddenly wide-eyed as if she’d just become enlightened. “It’s my birthday,” she announced.
If it weren’t for the fact that everything was so serious, Ehmer would have laughed outloud. First, Ruby mentioned a religious cult and a prophecy and now Adela wanted them to celebrate her birthday. It was all too ridiculous. “That’s nice,” he said briskly, ignoring the shorter girl, “but as I was saying,”
“It’s the full moon tonight,” Adela stated as if this were some sort of breaking news.
Ehmer turned to glance out the window. Adela was right. In the middle of the almost black sky, a perfect sphere hung suspended, almost right outside the window.
Was it possible that this was actually important? Ehmer frowned, that would complicate things. Deciding against agreeing, he gave a cruel sort of snort. “Lovely,” he drawled, his act back in place, “are you a were-wolf or something?”
“She’s right,” Ruby said from her corner. “The moon will help.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Outside, the wind rattled the shutters, which banged ominously against the glass. A strange whistling could be heard from the trees just outside the window. “That’s it,” Ehmer said, shooting Shanis a very suspicious look. “We’re getting the heck out of here. Once we’re somewhere else, you and you,” he pointed to Ruby and Adela, “are explaining exactly what you mean by all this nonsense.”
“I don’t know if that’s the best idea,” Shanis said softly, stepping towards the students. “You might be better off staying here.”
Ehmer brushed her off. “No,” he said coldly, “I don’t think we are.” Something about the girl put him on guard, but he didn’t want to stay to find out what it was. He pulled the door open sharply, half expecting it to be locked, and stuck his head out into the corridor outside. “Right, go on,” he said to Ruby. “You lead the way.”
“Uh.” Ruby looked between Ehmer and Shanis for a moment, before nodding decidedly and leading the rest of the students down the hall. Ehmer regarded Shanis for a moment, before following Ruby and the crowd.

Ruby wasn’t going anywhere in particular as she hurried down the hall, still keeping to the shadows. Most of the students and faculty were in bed already, but she wanted to be cautious anyway if what she suspected proved correct. It wasn’t that she minded leading, after all she was at least a year older than everyone but Ehmer. She just wasn’t used to being anywhere but the background. As she walked, she kept talking softly.
“Even if that prophecy is wrong, which it probably is whatever it means, I am almost positive that the Powers, the ‘cosmos’ mentioned, thinks us five are the enemies they have to defeat. I think I know how to tell, but first we have to get somewhere safe. If they are looking for us, I don’t really want to stay and find out what they plan to do to keep us from doing whatever it is we are supposed to do.”
She poked her head around a corner and, seeing it was empty, continiued.
“One thing I do know is that none of usâ€“and I mean none of usâ€“is normal by the general meaning of the word. Firstly,” she said, slowing and turning to face them, “This,” she held up the necklace, which was still glowing with a faint red colour, “Detects energy. I just noticed in the library, when I was spying of Ehmer.”
“Oh, so it was you,” said Ehmer. “I should have known.”
Ruby glared at him and he shut up, but she strongly suspected his obedience had more to do with curiosity than respect.
“So,” she continiued, “When any energy is out of balance, like around an erupting volcano, a sudden fireâ€“” she gave Leah a glance and the other girl took a step back. “How did youâ€¦” she stuttered, then realized what she was saying.
“As I said, I knew then because of my pentagram, although I didn’t make the connection, and I know now because, well, I can sort of feel it, if you know what I mean.”
The others looked blank, so she sighed and went on. “Also, I have been getting these feelings, these senses of disorder, all day, and I think it has to do with the full moon. Think about it, will you? Archellâ€“yes, I know you did it as wellâ€“made a blizzard that sucsessfully buried the school in snow in the middle of October. When Adela walked past the nurse’s office on the way to the dance room all the kids in there left, I saw them, claiming to be feeling much better and, in case you haven’t all noticed, Ehmer keeps turning transparent. I take it he didn’t want me to tell you that,” she said sardonically as Ehmer gasped and shuddered. She ignored him and said finally, although quite a bit more quietly, “And every time one of you does something, well, odd, I can feel it. Listen, before today I would sometimes be able to tell if some kid was picking on another one because I could sense the energy he was using to hit himâ€“If I was lucky. Right after Adela pitched into her potatoes I knew that a large wave just hit a fishiing boat off the coast. Don’t you see? We can do stuff that everyone else would either kill to be able to do or kill us. We can do magic, don’t you understand? And we are most likely being chased by people who do want to kill us!” With that, she turned around and slid down the hall, only her long habit of staying hidden keeping her out of sight from anyone who might be looking. Or perhaps, there was something else, because as she passed, would-be viewers would feel the sting of icy wind and then forget about her entirely. Only Ehmer, Adela, and Leah appeared to notice her pentagram, which was glowing silver and coated with frost.

“I’d be careful if I were you.”
The five companions froze and spun around, trying to locate the source of the voice.
“What do you wan’t”, asked Ruby cooly, looking at Shanis, who had just rounded the corner out of nowhere.
Shanis sighed. Adela noticed she looked drained, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. The was a long, ugly gash running down her cheek.
“I was just warning you to be careful. Some of the students here -and teachers for that matter, are not what they seem. And a snow storm in October draws the Force here like flies to a carcass, if you’ll forgive the similie.”
Adela blinked. The Force? Wasn’t that what Gran had been talking about.

Happy birthday to me, thought Adela, if only to anchor her spinning mind to some sort of reality. Even though magic, a blizzard, and some sort of prophecy were all swirling around the school, it was still Adela’s birthday. Something was the same.
But then again, she was older now. More powerful, too, if Gran was to be believed. And Gran never lied.
Did that mean she had more healing power? She had always been able to help with pain and bleeding from little cuts. Could she erase them completely now?
Adela tapped a broken fingernail on her palm. There was a sort of sign there, a Chinese charcter that Adela couldn’t read. It appeared burned into her skin, although it certainly hadn’t been there yesterday. This probably had something else to do with the whole magic thing. Adela was getting utterly sick of the whole magic thing. It was exciting, though. And terrifying.
Her nail snagged, and a bit of blood welled up inside the mark. Excellent. Now I can see if I can heal wounds completely.
Adela pushed a tiny fraction of magic into the cut with a little puff of mental wind. It filled her vein, bubbling up wiht the blood.
Suddenly, the whole character split open. Along every brush-like line, more blood than Adela thought could fill her body poured out. The lines themselves glittered slightly, like Ruby’s pentagram.
No one seemed to notice, because Adela hadn’t cried out. Oddly enough, the cuts didn’t hurt at all. She just stared at them with a sort of sick fascination before her head began to spin and her stomach to heave.
“There’s..so much,” she murmured to herself, but Leah turned around at the sound of her voice. Seeing the crimson gore that was Adela’s hand, she gasped.
Adela’s knees buckled. Shanis Smith said, “What in the name of the Makers did you do?” That was the last thing Adela heard before she pitched forward for the second time.

At Shanis’ exclamation Ruby whirled around, saw Adela on the ground, and said a very, very bad word. Without thinking she jumped toward the prone figure, shoved a frozen Leah out of the way, and knelt down beside the much younger girl. Ruby slowly reache dout her hand and pressed it, palm down, on her forehead.
Suddenly, she was in excruciating pain. It felt like Adela’s self was seeping into Ruby, filling her up, and it was enourmous, more than she could hold even after the enhancement they all had gone through. And she knew that if she tried, both she and Adela would die.
With a tremendous effort of will, Ruby wrenched her hand away from Adela and touched her bleeding wounds with her other palm. The one she had used to absorb the power went on her necklace, which began to glow a bright, clear sky blue. Immediately the pain stopped, but Adela’s complexion was slowly beginning to turn ashy gray.
Ruby gritted her teeth again and forced the healing power out through her other hand. It wasn’t really coming from her hand, of course, but it was easier to focus on a confined physical object than not to, and anyway she had apparently reached her limitâ€“if she didn’t use the power it would dissipate and be lost, which would not be good for Adela. Instead, she focused on knitting her skin together, evening the blood flowâ€¦regulating the heartbeat. With part of Adela in her, she could sense every minute action of the body, and she felt momentary exilaration.
And then the power was gone. Adela moaned, lifted up her palm so she could see it. There was something strange there, a black mark, but no bleeding cuts, and the last thing Ruby thought was, Oh darn, I scarred her before she fainted. The glowing pendant suddenly went dead.

“Again?” asked Ehmer, trying to keep the worry from his voice and not succeeding too well. “Do all of you magic people faint this much, or is it just a coincidence?” Shanis’s icy glare shut him up.
The woman bent down over Ruby, checking her pulse, forehead, and strangely enough, her pendant. “I can’t heal this kind of drainage. Adela at her peak and in full control of her powers might be able to, but she’s not either. That means we have to call someone all the way from China, and he can’t teleport, so it could take a while. While we’re waiting, keep her warm. If Leah could heat something up, it would be useful.”
“I have a coat in my locker,” said Archell. “I’ll go get it.”
Shanis pulled something that looked like a piece of ice out of one of her pockets. “Get me Feng,” she said. “Tell him this is Nestea, and it’s no good avoiding me, because we need him now. Now might also be a good time to mention the prophecy.”
The ice, which had turned a sparkling black, called out, “It will be done.”
Shanisâ€“Nesteaâ€“ignored the look Ehmer was giving her. Instead, she bent over and examined Adela’s hand. “It’s fine,” said Adela. “It doesn’t really hurt much.”
“No, that’s not it,” said Nestea. “Feng just never told me he had relatives.”

Leah lurked in the back in the back of the group. This was for two reasons – firstly, that horrible Shanis person she barely knew was back, and second, Ruby knew, and now so did all the rest of them. With Archell among them, her secret would be out within minutes the next day, and than, well, as far as she could see, so would the rest of life as she knew it. What had she ever done to Ruby to deserve this? What had Ehmer done to Ruby, for that matter? She had seen the look on his face when she announced he turned partly transparent. She was in the back brooding when Ruby collapsed. Ehmer stepped forward and said something, she didn’t know what, and she didn’t care. Thoughts were rushing through her mind, and each of them pointed the same direction – that Shanis woman. She knew there was something about the woman that she just didn’t trust – a sort of invisible aura that felt icy and uncomfortable. Should she do something? Well, it came back to the question she had asked herself a few hours ago. She could remember it still. [i]Leah had only done what she had to. Just because it required using power she had tried to hide didn’t mean she should let innocent people die. Did it?[/i] No, she decided, it didn’t. Ignoring the light leaking out of the hand Ruby was holding her necklace with, she pressed her self up against the wall so as to concentrate better.
“Feng? Who’s – ” “Never mind,” Shanis/Nestea cut off the girl. “You’ll see in a minute.” She bent down over Ruby, who had sommething clutched in her hand. Never mind that. She carefully felt her pulse. The girl would be fine for now. Her eyes fell on the chain going around Ruby’s neck and realised what she had in her hand was a pendant or a locket of some sort. She carefully pried Ruby’s fingers off the necklace, and Shanis’s eyes widened as she saw the pentagram. “Where did you get that?” she muttered, delicately picking up the pendant ((Note PotC reference)), but was interrupted when someone behind her said, “Don’t move!” she quickly turned around to see Leah, holding something tightly in her hand. “What do you want, girl?” asked Shanis, annoyed. “I want you to explain to me exactly who you are and what business you have here, and why I should trust you.” Leah threateningly revealed the contents of her hand, which was a crackling, dancing flame that didn’t appear to be hurting Leah at all.

Shanis sighed. “We don’t have time to discuss-”
Her reply cut short by and earthshaking roar.
“-this.”, she finished smoothly. “Would you rather trust me, or a two thousand pound polar bear thirsting for your blood? And”, she added as an afterthought, looking at the flame in Leah’s hand “could blow that out like it was a candle.”
Mentaly, she sent a message to Issy. We have a problem. They only let polar bears into the elite guard.

“I’m serious,” said Leah desperately, trying to hide the fact she was shaking like mad. Polar bears?! “I don’t follow strangers and I’ve got no reason to trust you any more than a ravenous polar bear.” She tried to keep the flame in her hand under control, but her emotion was making it harder. Once, she only bearly managed to keep it from trying to obscure everything within an eight foot radius. “Go on! Give me an answer!”

What’s taking him this long? wondered Nestea. Is it so hard for him to manipulate a little wind that will bring him here? Or is he just being stubborn and staying away from me? Feng can be so annoyingsometimes.
**
A black wind, thought Feng. Someone’s calling. It swirled around him, and he heard Nestea’s voice, still as sharp and cold as ever. Nestea hadn’t changed at all since he’d last seen her, three hundred years ago.
Hmph. She was somehere in America, and the fierceness of the wind told him the north. The restâ€¦well, he could sense Nestea’s aura, and a magically conjured blizzard like the one he felt in the wind would stand out like a fish in the air.
Feng would go see what Nestea wanted. It had been a while since he’d talked to anyone from before. And while he was there, he might be able to catch up on news. Three hundred years away from the rest of his people would detach him a bit.
Feng wrapped a gust of air around him and shaped it into a wind that would take him to Nestea and whoever was with her. That blizzard wasn’t hers. It was too bold, too showy for Nestea.
Maybe it would be good to get back in the world again.

There was a low growling sound coming from the opposite end of the corridor, maybe a few bends away. Leah was sweating. She was going to follow Shanis if she had too, but in the meantime, she had a chance to figure out what was going on and didn’t want to miss it. She continued to stare piercingly at the woman, who looked as if she was contemplating doing something she didn’t want to. Finally, Shanis looked up, a sympathetic line on her brow. “Ah yes, Miss Leah. You’re the force of ember and flame, than?” “What?” “I feared as much. Of course, it was correct. I’m really dreadfully sorry about this, but I’m sure you’d prefer this to being gobbled up by a hungry, rabid polar bear.” With a pitiful type of smile, she raised a hand and made a strange motion towards Leah.
As Shanis’s hand dropped, Leah felt something cold wash over her. Her flame withered, but didn’t die. There was a strange feeling like someone had whacked her over the head with a rather large frying pan, only it didn’t hurt. Though she fought to keep them open, her eyes shut and her legs gave away. The only thought that stayed in her head was “What was she talking about?” and than, quite abruptly, she was asleep. Shanis sighed regretfully. “What did you do?” demanded Ehmer. “Nothing permanent,” answered Shanis, quickly extinguishing Leah’s flame before it caught fire to the wall and quickly grabbed Leah and Ruby by the wrist and up against the wall, and motioned for the others to do the same with themselves.

There was a heavy, growly breathing coming from the opposite end of the corridor. Ehmer shut his eyes tight and pressed himself against the wall. Someone was clinging to his wrist and was just about to cut of his circulation, but he was to scared to shake her off. Given the bracelets that were digging into his forearm, it was Archell. He smirked to himself. Scaredy cat. He wasn’t to fond of the girl, himself.
Now there was loud, lumbering footsteps coming up the hallway. Ehmer felt a wave of sickness come over him at the combined smell of rotting flesh and skunk waft through the air, and Archell’s hand gripped his wrist harder, if that was possible. He sensed a great, shaggy body passing him on all fours. There was something inhuman about it – even for a bear, for that was what it was. He noticed, that now his eyes were getting used to the dark and he could see the bear’s eyes were bloodshot and strangley fogged over. He shivered and scrunched himself into the wall.

Feng felt the blizzard dancing furiously, swirling. The wind was different, terrified now. It was howling frantically, with some sort of urgency that hadn’t been there before. Inside the human building, Feng felt Nestea’s aura, and those of some part-afareet he didn’t know. There was another aura in there too, but he hoped he was mistaken about that. If Nanook were here, Feng’s job would be much more difficult.
Get in, heal, get out. Maybe talk to Nestea a bit, catch up on old times. That was what he was supposed to be doing. This was why Feng had left the world of afareet and Powers. It tended to complicate itself unnecessarily.
He shaped a gust of wind to open the door, and it swung inward, blowing a tiny drift of snow in along with it. Feng looked for Nestea and Nanook’s magic in the stale, stagnant air of the building. He flet himself going light-headed, even though the doors weren’t closed yet. Couldn’t Nestea had moved the drained person outside?
To save energy, Feng stopped the wind and walked. The nausea that came from being in a closed space was overpowering him now, but he could see Nestea’s icy hair.
“I’m here,” he gasped, causing everyone to turn around, even the polar bear.
Yes, that is Nanook. Feng muttered a curse in Chinese as he fought for verticality.

Ehmer was almost sure they were going to get away, when a small whisper on his other side said, “Oh god, what have they done to you?” It was Adela. She had stepped away from the wall and was looking with unabashed horror and pity at the bear, which turned and reared up on al four legs, revealing bloodstains from his mouth to stomach. He roared, sending flecks of bloody spit all over the room. “Are you crazy, girl?” snarled Shanis, seizing Adela’s forearm and letting Ruby and Leah drop to the floor, but Adela wouldn’t move. “You poor, poor thingâ€¦” the bear fell on all fours, than, to everyone’s disbelief, crumpled to the ground. Adela sank to her knees and placed her hand on the bear’s bristly mane. It was almost like hair, and the rest of the bear seemed so oddly humanâ€¦ although she was sure he was – yes, it was deifinitely a boy – quite bearlike when she had first seen him. He seemed even more human by the second. His paws were like hands and feet, and his arms were loosing their hair. Adela, frowning, flopped the bear over onto his back. His eyes – they were human. She sprang to her feet. Something completely incomprehendable was going on here. And sure enough, a moment later, there was a man lying on the floor. “Dear god,” muttered a half-concious Leah, getting weakly to her feet. The bear – no the man – let out a great shuddering sob, and Shanis cried, “Nanook?!” “Yeah, that’s him.” Everyone turned and stared. There was a lean Asian man standing on the doorway. Despite his long and lanky appearance, he walked with a certain grace. “Feng!” cried Shanis. “Here – I think there’s someone here you’d like to meet. She stepped out of the way to revealing the kneeling Adela, and Feng’s jaw dropped.

As Feng was about to speak out in wonder 2 young girls came rushing in the roo, innocent looks on their faces.
“What happened?” cried one with unnaturally white skin and violet eyes.
“Wait, i thoughtâ€¦” the other one started. The other girl had equally white/pale skin and unnaturally whitish moon eyes that creeped everyone in the room out.
“Shut up you idjit!!!” the first girl said.
Shanis rolled her eyes at the ceiling and said, “Issy, Stella, you do know that these kids have already been exposed to magic already, so get rid of those disguises.”
Grinning the girls said, “Well, if you really want us toâ€¦ You know that this will freak them out a bitâ€¦”
“Especially if we do it before the spell wears offâ€¦ Well at least for me because Issy is already part shape-shifterâ€¦” the second girl grinned happily.
“Just do it,” Shanis sighed.
Then the girls’ outlines began to waver as their clothes transformed into long swishy pants and wavy blouses meant for swift riding or even could be worn in battle. The girls grew taller ((just by an inch)) and their bodies crackled with purple and blue light. Finally the transformation was complete. The two girls were now young adults with long white hair and glittering eyes.
Ehmer jumped in surprise and Leah’s eyes widened. A thunderstorm began over there heads and then ended with Archell looking a little embarressed.
Feng nodded in acknowledgment and turned back to Adela

“This is just creepy,” said Leah. Her voice cracked and she slid down the wall and buried her face in her knees. “Why won’t anyone tell me what’s going on? First there’s a random guy who shows up and it turns out he’s half polar bear, than I get drained for lack of patience, and now people are turning into other people! It’s so frusterating! Why won’t anyone tell me what the hell is going on?” She would have liked to storm down the hallway in the opposite direction, run to the library and find a book to loose herself in. But she knew she couldn’t, so she curled up in a ball and sobbed silently to herself.
“Adela?” gasped Feng. “I – I – but – they killed you.” “No,” said Adela, confused. “No, I’m definitely alive.” “I’m confusing you,” Feng decided. “I’m your mother’s brother’s on – your cousin.” There was an awkward silence. Than an expression of sudden realisation dawned upon Adela’s face. “Feng! she gasped, and threw herself into his arms.

Adela’s head spun. She felt trapped, and the mark on her hand ached. She grabbed onto the wall for support. What’s-his-nameâ€“
Fengâ€“ leaned on the doorframe, looking as queasy as Adela felt.
“How did you do that? Honestly, please.” asked Shanis, her calm expression betraying some sort of interest.
Honestly, Adela had no clue. She’d just felt sorry for the poor bear, and suddenly thisâ€¦stuff had come flowing out of her hands. And now she was sick, tired, and completely terrified. What had she been thinking? Standing in front of a giant polar bear, and turning it into a man?
“How, exactly?” asked one of the newly transformed girls. “We’d like to know. Today, preferably.”
“But I don’t know,” said Adela, sitting down. This hall was so thin, the walls so high, enclosing. Why had she never noticed how awful it was before?
“If I could see your hand, I might be able to help,” gasped Feng, sounding ill. Adela showed him her aching palm reluctantly. She didn’t exactly like the prospect of him doing anything to it.
“While the two of you indoors may be hilarious,” said one of the girls, “neither is going to be much use if someone attacks us again.”
“Adela was,” said Leah quietly.
“That was before she performed a major work of magic,” said the other girl, the one with the violet eyes. “She’s drained, for one, and for another, she’s now really kicked in her afreet blood.”
“What’s afreet?” asked Archell.
“We’re afareet,” said Shanis, gesturing towards Feng and the man lying on the floor. “Although perhaps they aren’t the best examples.”
“Could we continue this discussion outside?” groaned Feng from the ground.
Leah looked out the window. “Do we have to?”
“All right. Everybody line up. We are getting some answers. Real answers. Now.”
Everyone turned to look at Ehmer. He stopped, stared, and then began agian, quieter. “You first, Feng, or whatever your name is. Why exactly do you have that same marking on your neck that Adela does on her hand? And what does it have to do with anything?”

Feng glanced at Stella. Stella stepped forward and pulled down the collar of her shirt (just the collar mind you) to reveal a cresent moon shaped marking in the exact same spot as Feng’s and Shanis’s.
“What you see here is the marking of the afareet, although why i have it no one is sure. probably from being a sorcerer but that’s not the point here. The point is, that most of you girls here are part afareet. You might not know it but right now even as we speak a dangerous and dreadful battle is being fought. All you need to do is ask Issy or Zelda and they’llâ€¦ well, let’s not get into that. The battle is against the Powers and theâ€¦ Force. This battle is centered around the afareet but most of all it is being fought because of a prophecy that was made before time was existence. The prophecy concerns a few young adults that will put an end to the evil Force that ruled in our dimension. This prophecy gave the afareets hope and they began to rebel. The Powers came later from a distant dimension called Consket. Siding with the Force they slaughtered innocent people in their rise to power. Once they controlled the land the afareet population had dwindled and there was only a small number left. Now normally you would think that the Powers and the Force would be content with their rule and leave the other dimensions in peace. But the Powers and the Force wanted more. Their greedy hearts made them seek new dimensions for rule and wealth. Their reign lasted for quite a while but then it was demolished by a traitor. No one knew who it was because the traitor killed himself shortly after. A few peaceful years passed in which Issy and the rest of us were born. But then tragedy struck. A Power was outraged at the defeat and decided to rebuild the empire that they had controlled before. My parents got slaughtered at the age of 100000 trying to protect me and my sister, Issy. That when we, the afareets and us, decided to find the young adults of the prophecy and well, here you are.” Stella finished.

“A story for another time,” said Feng with a grimace. ((Basically, I dunno.)) “Nestea, what did you want?” “Well – it’s her. Ruby. I think Adela panicked and drained her. Way beyond what I did to Leah, there.” She gestured to Leah, who was now looking agitated and had slumped down against to stop her shaking knees. “And I’m pretty sure she drained it back into him.” She pointed at the man who used to be a polar bear, and kneeled down beside Ruby. Feng did the same, relieved to have a chance to rest his legs, which felt a bit like jelly. Once he was there, Shanis put her head close to his. “Look,” she whispered furtively, and held up the necklace. Feng’s jaw dropped again. “Whoaaaaâ€¦” “That’s not all,” Shanis/Nestea said. “That polar bear? Nanook. He nearly bit all our heads off, and he’s been eating something. Something human. There’s human blood all over him.” “Nanook? But why? He didn’t side with the powers, he vowed-” “I know,” hissed Nestea. “There’s something even more abnormal than I thought happening here.” Feng rubbed his eyes. “Ayeâ€¦ I shouldn’t leave this long anymore.” He tapped Ruby on the forehead. Yes, it was clear she needed energy, he thought, qiockly withdrawing his finger. But who had extra? “Nestea, I need energy.’ Nestea frowned and looked around. Not any of the children, Nanook could loose control in his current emotional stateâ€¦ Feng needed his, so as not to spew. Issy and Stella would downright refuse, if it meant they’d have to be a little less stunning. She sighed. Nothing for it. “Use mine,” she said, holsing out a palm to Feng. “Right,” he said, placing a hand on her palm. He stretched out one and lightly placed it on Ruby’s forhead, than swiftly withdrew all his energy to the back of his body as a stream of Nestea’s swept through his outstretched arms, and into Ruby. Nestea twitched in discomfort. “I can’t do this by myself,” she told him firmly. “Can’t you spare a little of your own?” He sighed and let a little of his silky white energy mingle with the stream of electric blue coming from Nestea into Ruby. A moment later, he let go of Nestea and Ruby and the flow was cut off. “That should do it,” said Nestea, rubbing her forearm and frowning as Ruby lifted herself up onto her elbows.

Ruby was flying in a world of black and red. Light and darkness swirled around her, touching and joining and seperating and suddenly shattering into a million infinitesimal peices, which shimmered and melted into nothingness. She soared past bright stars and planets and moons of all sorts, some gl

0
0
6

Zallie

in February 28th, 2006 @ 19:01

Or actually, maybe you don’t want to post that GAPA, because it’s REALLY LONG. Ooops.

0
0
7

Rosanne Spector (Administrator)

in February 28th, 2006 @ 19:54

Zallie,
That was long, but not so long that it will make the thread bog down and refuse to load. At least I hope not!

A summary would still be useful, though, for Musers who want to get the lowdown on the story without spending the time to read the whole thing.

Of course, once they get hooked by the summary they probably won’t be able to resist reading the full-length version in its Afareetful glory.

0
0
8

Zallie

in February 28th, 2006 @ 20:07

I had no idea we’d written so much.

0
0
9

Anata who finally got HG2TG and Februrary Muse

in February 28th, 2006 @ 20:36

okay, her comes part 2:
owing with gold and green and yet others were dark and barren and lifeless. She was sure she once saw what looked like a cd disk perched on the back of four elephants swim past on the back of a turtle, but she wasn’t sure. She was moving too quickly to examine any of the objects closely.
And then, red and black gave way in an explosion of force and silent sound. From a gap in the fabric of the sky came a burst of color, and pale blue tendrils reached for her, fouling her scarlet wings and wrapping around her scaled body, dragging out of her flight. Ruby arched her prehensile neck back and let out a half-roar, half-shriek like some great predatory bird, struggling to escape from the clinging threads, sending a great burst of dark fire from her great maw at the stuff. It faltered, shimmeredâ€“
and was suddenly joined by more power, colored white and that seemed to flow, like silk. A great black hawk and a giant golden eagle stooped from the sky.
Two spirit-birds fought the spirit-dragon, who screamed defiance even as it rapidly lost ground. It infuriated Ruby that she could not shake them off; they were only birds! She longed to snap the little pests out of the sky, the power to do so was there, but still out of her reach. in desperation, she spat more of the dark, seemingly heatless flame over her shoulder, but they had driven her too far. She saw the tear in the sky too lateâ€”

Ruby jerked awake. Then she wished she hadn’t. A terrible headache threatened to split her skull in two, but she could make out through the fog of pain the figures of Nestea and an Asian man whom she didn’t know hovering over her. She flexed her wings and discovered that they were arms. Oh, bother.
Slowly, she sat up. Nestea gave her an amused glare but said simply, “About time. You certainly were reluctant to wake, Ruby.”
The Asian man smiled. “Nice to see you in the material world again, my dear. Thank you for helping my young cousin.” He gestured at Adela, who was on her feet again and biting her lip nervously over the form of a man lying on the floor. “Good quick thinking. However, your magic, while it is substantial and could even be described as unusually powerful for your age, is too untrained to safely do what you did. It was truly fortunate that Nestea was able to call me to heal you.”
Ruby’s head slowly stopped spinning. “Don’t tell me this will happen every time I doâ€¦uhâ€¦whatever, Mr. Black Hawk Man.”
Feng looked startled. “Mr. Black Hawk Man?”
Confused, Ruby said, “I think you were the black hawk. Were you the golden eagle? I just assumed that was Nestea.” When she saw that he still looked baffled she explained, “In my dream, a black hawk and a golden eagle chased me and made me wake up. I didn’t exactly want you to.”
Being Ruby, she neglected to tell the man about how she had tried to seriously hurt the two birds.
The Asian man looked interested. “You saw birds, you say? Tell me, what did you see yourself as?”
“Uh, I think some sort of dragon thing.”
“Ah.” Feng did not elaborate. “Well, anyway, my name is Feng, not Mr. Black Hawk Man. And as an answer to your question, the more you excercise your power the greater it will become, and the easier to use. But,” he said, with a hint of a smile, “I suggest you start smaller than healing a magically-induced wound, inflicted by a power that is just as strong as yours if not more so.”
Nestea broke in. “We do not need to discuss this now. We need to get to the Sandstone Fortress before he she nudged the man whom Adela was bent over, wakes up, or any more of his kind are summoned. Let’s hope the heat keeps him neutralized. At least you will be happy there.” She gestured to Leah, who was looking very sullen for some reason. Leah glowered at her.
Nestea opened a hall window, and climbed out into the snow.
As Adela gaped at the place where Feng had been standing few minutes ago, Leah looked disturbed, and Ehmer muttered under his breath, Archell cautiously approached the polar bear man. He was wearing fur boots, silk briches tucked into them, a bit like a pirate. In addition to this, he had a baggy, long sleeved tunic tied with a silk sash. They were all in a blinding white, which contrasted brightly with his dark skin and glossy black, hair, which was pulled back into a loose ponytail at the base of his neck, just far enough to reveal a large gold hoop on high left ear. It was all very nice looking, aside from the dribbling bloodstain down his front. He pulled himself half upright as Archell neared him. “What happened?” he asked. Even in his ill state, one could distinguish a deep, majestic voice. “You were a polar bear, and you reared up at us, and than when Adela went up to you, you just sort fo fell over and turned into yourselfâ€¦ whoever that is,” answered Archell meekly. There was something about the man that demanded respect. “I knew it,” said the man bitterly, spitting out a mouthful of blood, making Archell recoil slightly. “Shouldn’t of stayed a bear for so long.. not that I had a choice. I should have run away earlier, by the time I panicked I was out of time. Went mad,” he finished, glancing at Archell, who was looking very inquisitive. “I stayed in polar bear form for too longâ€¦ tried to last, but by the time I felt my sanity slipping, it was to late. I wasn’t myself. Using your powers so much is dangerous business.” He coughed up another glob of congealed blood. “You can end up killing someoneâ€¦ Like I did, obviously.” He winced. Archell just stared. It had never occured to her that there was a downside to her powers. After a moment, she finally shook it off. “Maybe it was just a squirrel,” she said bracingly. “No, it was human,” answered the man. He lifted a bloodstained hand. “I can tell. And seeing as we’re in a school, I can only imagine who it was I killedâ€¦ an innocent child, probably.” “Can’t you tell who it was?” “Nope,” said the man, getting to his feet. “I’ve gto absolutely no idea. All there is is a big blank periodâ€¦ I’ve got a couple of those in my history.” “Why didn’t you transform?” “I couldn’t – I’d be killed in the situation I was in. Greedy of me, really, killing others so I wouldn’t die.” Archell sat there in horrified silence for a minute, than realised the man was proffering a hand. “Nanook.” “Archell.”
“Sandstone fortressâ€¦” said Ehmer vaguely. “Where is the sandstone fortress? What is the sandstone fortress?”

“It’s a fortress, presumably,” said Archell, which was not a great deal of help. “Made of sandstone.”

“Excellent guess,” muttered Issy. “You have a sharp mind.” She laughed, showing white teeth.

Stella rolled her eyes at her sister. “The sandstone fortress is one of the few remaining afreet strongholds. It’s where Akkavish and Athanath are. We’re supposed to be bringing you to them.”

“Bringing usâ€¦” said Ruby, letting her sentence trail off. “Whose side are they on? Whose side are you on?”

“Oh, yours,” said Issy. “Definitely yours. If we weren’t, you’d know by now.”

Adela rubbed her head. All that magic, and then the tiny hallway, just made her want to lie down in bed, preferably outside. “So, who are Athanath and Akkavish?”

“Our leaders, much as you cousin-uncle-grandfather-whatever might hate to admit it,” said Stella. “Speaking of them, we should probably get going, if Feng and Nestea have already left. And we’ll have to take him, too. Athanath will definitely wnat to know about him.” She gestured toward Nanook with her slim hand.

Frowning, Issy waved her hand. “Surely Feng could have stayed to transport us all by wind. Athanath hates it when people teleport into the fortress.”

“What was that about me?” asked Feng, leaning on the windowsill. “I just needed a breather. Working up a big enough wind to transport ten people, even with Archell’s help, requires me to be at full strength.” Seeing Archell’s look, he added, “You can make wind, can’t you? You just did.”

“Yeahâ€¦”

“Then come on.”

The two of them stood at opposite ends of a circle, calling and shaping the wind. It curled through everyone’s hair, blowing it all into a mass of writhing colour streaming into the snow.

And then they started to move. The powerful currents of air carried the group higher and higher into the sky, until common laws of reasoning said they should be suffocating, but they still climbed.

Suddenly, the wind dropped them. Arms wrapped around Adela’s back, but she couldn’t tell whose. Everything was blurred, they were falling so fast.

The ground was reaching up to grab them. Predictably, Adela thought, Oh crap. I’m going to die. Also predictably, they stopped a foot above the ground and slowly drifted downward.

A sandy-haired young man greeted them. “Welcome back. Athanath’s waiting.”

The werecat looked slyly at the whirl wind that swirled around them and sighed knowing exactly where they were going. Instead of climbing on the whirl wind for a ride, the werecat teleported into the sandstone fortress and walked up to greet the young people he was trackingâ€¦ and Nestea of course.
Greetings the werecat said yawning openly to show off his fangs.
“Well, well, well, look who we have here.” Issy said grinning.
Well?
“Yes yes, you’re free to roam about the fortress just remember to go to the meeting first.” Stella answered.
Oh, I’ll rememberâ€¦
The werecat walked off and slowly disappeared from sight.
Then Hazel and Zelda appeared next to the sandy-haired young man.
“Have you seen that werecat?” Zelda asked briskly. “Why when I find him, I’llâ€¦”
“Sheesh, take it easy, Zelda!!!! You know that we were here to bring a message, not to find the werecat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Hazel said. “Oh, Stella, you’re needed to prepare the weapons forâ€¦ well, you know what!!!! The scout said that she swore that she saw a servant of the Powers about 200 miles away!!! And you know how fast they move!!! And Issy, you’re to accompany the girls and Ehmer to the meeting then, interrogate our prisoner that we over took trying to spy on Athanath.”
The girls nodded. Stella then took off running towards the fortress at breakneck speed. ((faster than a car!!!)) Issy and the sandy-haired young man motioned for the girls and Ehmer to follow.
“What about us?” Nestea asked.
“You’ll accompany the girls and Ehmer to the meeting also. Now Zelda, we can go find that werecat!”
Nodding to the group Hazel and Zelda disappeared in a huff.

Leah swiftly stuffed herhand over her mouth to prevent herself screaming as she fell downwards. The thoughts going through her mind were almost precisely that of Adela’s only more foulmouthed. She landed flat on her back with a whump and looked up in time to see the man say, “Welcome, Athanath’s waiting.” “Who’s Athanath?” she asked, but everyone else was already halfway along the roofless stone hallway. Cursing, she scrambled to her feet and ran after them. “Oh no!” gasped Issy. “Where’s Nanook?” Her sister shrugged. Archell spun around. “I’m here,” said a voice halfway along the hall. They all looked. Indeed, there was a path of bloody footprints leading up to where Nanook was standing. “Don’t run off like that,” Stella told him.” “I wasn’t running off,” snapped Nanook irritably. “Feng and Nestea say to hurry up.”
“Well, sheesh, we’re coming already!!” Stella said while Issy scowled briefly. They quickened their pace and soon caught up with the rest of the group. Issy walked by Adela while Stella used her magic to hover along behind them.
“Ummâ€¦” Adela started.
“Yes Adela?” Issy smiled.
“You’re Issy right?” Adela asked.
“Yup that’s me.”
“I was wonderingâ€¦ Why don’t you ever get mad? It’s just not really normalâ€¦” Adela said shyly hoping that she didn’t anger Issy.
Issy grimanced and said, “Well, you see, I can’t control my powers when I’m angry so if I was to get angry all the time then, a lot of people would not be alive todayâ€¦” Issy smiled a little embarressed.
“Ohâ€¦”
The group reached the room just as Stella spotted a servant trying to sneak off with a crystal. Swooping down from above them , she chased the servant, who by now was truely terrified, down the hall and cornered him.
“Oh, boy, this is NOT going to be prettyâ€¦ Let’s get in the room. You are not ready to see what happensâ€¦” Issy said ushering the group into the room just as the servant exploded into oblivion. Only Ehmer saw what had happened.
Nestea opened the door. “Welcome, all of you. Even the ones that should have been here three centuries ago.” She cast a glance at Feng. He shrugged.

Archell, meanwhile, peered around the doorway. What she saw made her gasp so loudly that it echoed around the huge hall. It also made the rest of the group crane their necks to look around her.

“You can go in,” remarked Feng dryly. “Athanath doesn’t bite. Not usually, anyway. Not dignified enough.”

They all sort of fell through the door, which was odd. You’d think a door that size would fit four or five people easily. Only Adela hung back. “It’sâ€¦inside. I don’t like inside anymore.”

“Open to the sky. For people like us,” said Feng, and threw himself in. He crashed to the hard slate floor, then got up. “It’s much nicer inside. Really.”

Adela pinched her lips together. She stepped through the doorway.

Suddenly, she was inside her body. It was like one of those cheesy videos you watched all the time in school, but this one was different. She couldn’t see anything. All she knew was that she was in a tight space, and oddly enough, she wasn’t terrified. It was quiet. She could feel a deep green pool right ahead of her. Walking on along her ribs, Adela inched closer.

She reached out to where she knew the pool was, pulling at draping, liquid threads of green. Trusting in her instincts, Adela wrapped them around the body that was walking inside her body. They settled over her, green and cool, becoming a living, iridescent skin that encased her. Adela took her new and toward the pool, grabbing more green to cloak herâ€¦

And then she hit the floor. She looked around, desperate to find any sign of strangeness. All she saw was a huge hall, with sandstone walls rising up to meet an open ceiling. Most of the others were stnading around her by now, and as she watched, Nestea tumbled through the door. As her back foot passed through, there was a brief moment of total oblivion through the portal, and then the normal scene again. Issy and Stella were coming slowly, carrying Nanook along with them.

At the front of the giant room, immeasurably far away, a woman sat with her eyes shut. She had wild white hair and olive skin. Batlike wings lay folded on her back. Her slim hands encircled a glowing orb of blue light, and even from this distance Adela could tell that her fingers had four joints. Strangely, the woman wasn’t creepy, justâ€¦different.

And then a low voice reverberated through even the stone of the walls, echoing in Adela’s blood and bones. “Come here. All of you.”

The woman opened her eyes. They were dark black, so deep that they made Adela’s black sweatshirt look grey. And even that didn’t bother Adela.

“I am Athanath. Welcome to Aebvoraena.”
In Ruby’s mind, something clicked. Athanath. She had heard that somewhere before. But is wasn’t the oneâ€¦
Once more overcoming her Ruby instincts (she did that a lot nowadays, it seemed), she said softly to the woman, “Athanathâ€¦are you the Outcast?”
She immediately regretted it.
“Yes.” said Athanath. “Some people do call me that. I would prefer, however, that you were not among them.”

“Sorry,” muttered Ruby. She would have stood up, been a little more stubborn, but her Ruby instincts told her that Athanath was not a good person to mess with. This time she listened.
“So, they have come.”, said a voice from the doorway.
Everyone turned to see a woman walk through the doorway with no apparent discomfort. She had on a strange sort of black, collared top that modestly covered most of her front, but left her back exposed. Her pants were also black, and she had a tatoo of a ebony spider with purple knees on her right shoulder. Her skin was tanned, and her eyes were an eerie dark violet. Her dark black hair tumbled down her back like a river.
Athanath nodded. “Akkavish.”
“Well, then, are we ready to begin?”, said Athanath.
The werecat purred. Yes, I believe we are.
“Then let’s begin.”
“Wait a minute, before we start anything,” said a voice from the ground. Being drained by Nestea didn’t exactly work wonders on your knees. It was Leah. “I don’t want to be started on until someone explains to me what that hell is going on and why I should trust you.” Athanath glanced at Nestea. “Nestea, I assumed I had told you to explain it to them.” “Oh,” said Nestea, flushing slightly. “Well, Nanook was out of control – ” Nanook responded to his name by coughing into his hand and distastefully wiping the bloody residue onto his white briches – “And Leah there refused to move until I told her what was going onâ€¦ I had to drain her. I don’t think she heard me ex-” “I did,” answered Leah flatly. “I just think it sounded like a load of bunk.”
â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”-

Issy and Stella rolled their eyes at the ceiling, and the werecat hissed annoyed.
This is getting rather annoying, don’t you think Zelda? the werecat thought to Zelda.
Gee, ya think? came the reply.
Should we do something? the werecat asked lashing his tail.
What do you propose we do? Zelda thought, looking at the defiant Leah while thinking.
Hmmmâ€¦ Offensive approaches usually workâ€¦
We can’t do that! You know what will happen
Well, we could always get my sister in here to sort things out. the werecat replied.
You have a sister? Zelda looked at the werecat in astonishment.
Of course. Shall I get her?
Sure, I guess. the werecat concentrated on sending a message to his sister while everyone else was trying to explain everything to Leah. Leah however, wasn’t cooperating.
Suddenly a bolt of lightning flashed and a silhouette framed the doorway. Salimila walked in the door, her fur standing straight up with lightning crackling through it.
Ah, hello Salimila. Would you care to join us?
â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”â€”-

Suddenly, Samila hissed, and Feng yelled, “Duck!”
Everbody did, exept for Leah, who unfortunately was right in the path of the large crimson-furred projectile that careened into her, knocking her over.
The projectile, which no longer appeared to be furry at all, got up and revealed himself to be a young man of about nineteen or twenty. Dispite the fact he looked Asian, his hair was a bright red. His eyes were black, exept for the centers, in which dance firey sparks. He offered Leah a hand, grinning from ear to ear.
Leah flushed, and got up on her own.
Nestea looked extremely annoyed. “Your late, Kitsune. Again.”

Just what I need, thought Leah. No one seems to remember I got drained, too. It’s all Ruby this, Ruby thatâ€¦ She scowled, and tried not to fall over again.

Ehmer folded his arms, looking extremely unimpressed by the whole affair. Of course, that was only on the outside. On the inside, he was marveling that there had been people all along just like him. But that was soppy girl-nonsense, and he certainly wasn’t thinking about it. No, not at all. Before anyoneâ€“and he wouldn’t have put it past any of the newcomers to be able to do thatâ€“could read his mind, he put up a block and spoke up: “Am I going to get my damn explanation or what?”

Athanath sighed quietly. “Yes, Ehmer, you will get your ‘damn explanation.’ I think we’re all here now.”

Did I mention that I don’t like the mb thing. The characters are completely inaccurate.

0
0
10

Phoebe

in February 28th, 2006 @ 20:39

SHeesh… They aren’t even at the climax. I’m going to save this on my computer in case something crashes.

0
0
11

Phoebe

in February 28th, 2006 @ 20:41

Yeah, well, they’ve changed. Leah is a different Leah now.

0
0
12

Zallie

in February 28th, 2006 @ 20:48

MB thing?

0
0
13

Jadestone

in February 28th, 2006 @ 21:05

Wow. Ive only read part, but am determanded to contribute! The part ive read is GREAT! But first to finish…

0
0
14

Zallie

in February 28th, 2006 @ 21:05

Oh. I take full responsibility for adapting the RRR threads to fit message-boards. I’m sorry if you don’t like what I’ve done.

0
0
15

Jadestone

in February 28th, 2006 @ 21:11

Do you realize it is 23 pages long?! In size 12 font?! Single spaced and with out indents?! Id better start reading faster…

0
0
16

TigerLotus

in February 28th, 2006 @ 21:40

You guys, to make a good story, not only do we have to read other books to determine a taste we like, we need to really get a minimum charachter list and stick to it. No more charachters after that!
Also, I really could publish this. Take this seriously. I’m willing to go through the pain and agony, but we would need to eleminate some parts. If this story gets 100+ pages I’m willed and determined to get it edited along with my new story the Lost One.
so, you guys give it your best because this might be the title
your reading in the book store!

Another thing I’d appreciate is that we get this place mapped out.
A good writer has his plot mapped out as well as all the settings,
and a lot of the charachters. We’re doing great so far, keep
up the good work!

Oh, and when I’m done with the Lost One, I’m just wondering
should I post it on the museblog or nooooooo…..

YOU MUSEBLOGGERS ARE THE COOLEST, BEST
WRITERS IN THE WHOLE WORLD!
So keep it up before we go
d
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
w
n.

0
0
17

Queen Julietaini or Queenie (J), and Alternate Selves Rhonda, Stig, and Ikol

in March 1st, 2006 @ 16:32

I just spent about ten minutes reading that WHOLE THING. Oh. My. God. You froods work unbelievably hard.

Rhonda: That’s just because you don’t work.
Ikol: So?
Stig: No, we work. We do things all the time.
Rhonda: Like?
Ikol: Museblog, looking things up, writing, screaming at people, insulting them, uh…
Rhonda: Useful work.
Stig: Insulting people IS useful work, dodo-head.
Rhonda: No it isn’t! I mean doing something constructive, like working on the musical, writing things, publishing things…
Ikol: We work on the musical.
Stig: Sometimes.
Rhonda: Shhh! Do ye want them to kno’?

0
0
18

kricket

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 06:26

actually, getting it published is a great idea!!! we’d have to edit it and stuff first but still, it could happen… how do you get a book published anyways? where do you go to? is it online? do you know of any good publishers or websites? yes yes i know i have a lot of questions. but i want to get a book published and i have no idea how.

0
0
19

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 06:52

Getting things published is incredibly hard. We’d have to use an actual publishing company (eg Random House) if we didn’t want to get scammed, etc. Also, the different writing styles here would make it difficult to market, because it’s not consistant.

0
0
20

WatermelonStars

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 07:31

This story rocks! I haven’t read it all yet but already i can’t believe what great writers a lot of you are! i think you should put little bits of it in the magazine each month, then more people would read it.

0
0
21

Phoenix

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 12:24

Thankee!
Zallie, what did you say about Ruby and Ehmer? I don’t understand computer slang, sorry.

0
0
22

Phoenix

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 13:01

Oh yeah, and regarding the website: who is the Omniscient?

0
0
23

Em

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 13:16

i think tamora piecre’s website has advice on publishing things…

http://www.tamora-pierce.com/faq.htm#Publisher

there you go.

0
0
24

Sphinx

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 13:37

I’m not reading all that. And I don’t think I can join in the middle. Sorry, Pheonix.

0
0
25

Queen Julietaini or Queenie (J), and Alternate Selves Rhonda, Stig, and Ikol

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 16:06

I read all of it, and I think we should finish it, send it around to non-writers on the blog for editing (impartial to everyone’s parts), discuss the finer points on the Museblog, then send it around to get published with a better title and the correct names on the cover. Skiddy?

Rhonda: Would Coontz let us put actual names on it?
Ikol: Dunno. We could put it on college entrance resumes and the like, though. Froody.
Stig: If it gets published…

0
0
26

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 16:27

I said that Ehmer and Ruby are my OTP for this story.

0
0
27

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 17:20

Er, that totally wasn’t clear: OTP=one true pairing.

0
0
28

Sphinx

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 17:44

Never mind. I read it. Is that all? If it is, I would like to make a character, if I can. I wouldn’t add it in right away, because there are way too many new characters coming in right now, but I want to make a Djinn.

Here’s my description of Djinn
Pronounced Jinn (plural also djinn). Djinn can grant wishes. There are two types of Djinn. Captured Djinn, and Free Djinn. Captured Djinn must grant the wishes of whoever their master is, but Free Djinn can choose which wishes to grant. They look like humans, and are very good to have on your side. Djinn can create and move things, etc., and that’s how they grant wishes. It’s not magic, though. They simply take matter and move it around, and shape it. The drawback to their powers, though, is that using them wears them out. How much and for how long depends on their experiance and the size and hardness of the action.

That good?

0
0
29

Sphinx

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 17:44

What’s OTP?

0
0
30

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 17:54

I don’t see anything wrong with a Djinn.

OTP is one true pairing, i.e. a ‘ship you support very strongly for a fandom.

….which makes just about no sense if you don’t know what a fandom or ‘ship is. Err, not very good at explaining things, sorry.

0
0
31

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 17:55

Oh, and: can you join, Phoenix?

0
0
32

Violetfire

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 18:07

What we really need is a summary for all the new-ish Musers. I have no idea what’s giong on here, and I feel left out.
And why is this thread so long if we only have thirty-something posts?

0
0
33

Violetfire

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 18:07

Oh i see, post 5. And that’s what’s making it so long, too.

0
0
34

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 18:22

Summary: So, there’s this bunch of kids, right? And a lot of them have really obvious magic powers and it’s a wonder that no one’s discovered them. One day, a little girl makes it snow a lot, so the principal of the school is all ‘ZOMG, you guys will have to stay overnight, except the non-magic kids will have to go home.’ So, the magic kiddies stay at school over night, deal with a polar bear, having their magic powers taken away and lots of different writing styles, before being taken to a magical kingdom, where more magic people are. They’re about to get a ‘damn explination’ about this whole thing.

0
0
35

Violetfire

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 18:23

The summary was great! Did you write all that? How long did it take? Is that the whole story, or is the rest of it even more detailed? Y’know, I copied it into a Word document and it was 24 pages long single-spaced? We really should try to publish it. Although some of the spelling and grammar needs some work. And the parts where people are talking might too. But I think we could really do something with that. But if we did, it’d have to be under an anomous identity or maybe just as “The MuseBlog”. Who knows. But its awesome! And I bet it would be the first story written and published by a bunch of teens on a blog.

0
0
36

Violetfire

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 18:26

I’m gonna join in as soon as I read the whole thing. I went over it all on SpellCheck and fixed all the grammar because I’m really obsessed with things like that. It’s my ideosyncrasy.
I think we need more dialogue.

0
0
37

Violetfire

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 18:28

Oh yay! Moderators are on! Hi, GAPA’s!

0
0
38

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 18:28

Uh, I wrote it in about three minutes, on a random idea.

That’s pretty much it in a nutshell.

0
0
39

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 18:50

Or, you could join the message-board one, which is in need or more members.

0
0
40

Phoenix

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 19:14

Zallie, for the third time, before I can join I need to know who Omniscient is.

Ruby paired up with Ehmer? Uh…okay…except for the fact that Ehmer looks down on Ruby and is angry at her for discovering his power, Ruby thinks Ehmer is a slight jerk and besides is probably too reserved, even with her newfound outgoingness (for Ruby), to have a boyfriend, and they both always fight with each other, that would be just perfect.

No, seriously, I have absolutely no experience with this sort of thing either in literature (writing, not reading) so I will probably fudge it. But if you want to put something of that sort in the story, be my guest. However, I think that it would work out better on the message board than in the story, if you ever tell me who Omniscient is. Plus if we got a GAPA to be a moderator or even an admin., that would REALLY help my parents trust it.

0
0
41

Phoenix

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 19:15

((hint hint, GAPA.))

0
0
42

Rosanne Spector (Administrator)

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 19:34

Phoenix, Phoebe et al, (#40),
I’m sad to say that for now I don’t have time to moderate anything in addition to the MuseBlog.
The message board is a great idea, though. I stopped by for a visit and can see why you want to get it going.
Phoenix, maybe your father could moderate it?!
Or some other benevolent adult?

0
0
43

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 19:43

I’m Omniscient.

0
0
44

Sphinx

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 19:43

Eh, the story needs some romance!

Pheonix, what do you think of my idea?

0
0
45

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 19:43

And I’m very trustworthy.

0
0
46

Phoenix

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 19:48

My dad does NOT have time to mod it, sorry! He says he doesn’t even have time to check it for safety.

Yes, Sphinx, the Djinn (I assume that is what you are talking about) is cool!

Zallie, I’ll go bug my parents some more.

0
0
47

Zallie

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 19:54

Tell them how lovely and secure it is!

0
0
48

Jadestone

in March 2nd, 2006 @ 20:06

Securenes!!! See how secure we are!! (Smiles and breaks somthing. Then gives up, laghs hystarically, and runs around. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!)

0
0
49

Phoenix

in March 3rd, 2006 @ 05:33

Based on Jadestone’s posts in the last half hour or so, I would guess that she is very very hyper. Did you check the chemical contents of your breakfast cereal, Jadestone?
(yes, that was a quote from Calvin and Hobbes)

0
0
50

kricket

in March 3rd, 2006 @ 06:47

will someone please continue the story and give Ehmer his d**n explaination please? I’d do it but i’m not good at explaining things…

0
0
51

Mer and Mre

in March 3rd, 2006 @ 12:21

Mer: WooOOoooOOooo cool story! It really should be published!
Mre: What do YOU know, inferior alternate self?
Mer: More than you.
*scuffle breaks out*

Man, they do fight a lot.

0
0
52

Queen Julietaini or Queenie (J), and Alternate Selves Rhonda, Stig, and Ikol

in March 3rd, 2006 @ 16:18

It’s a djinn, domkopf. Not Djinn. A djinn, who moves in a djine made up of other djinn and might have a curse called a dfienn. Or a helper, called a dfiiend, or a dfiend. Froody?

Ikol: That’s the spirit. Stop capitalizing things.
Rhonda: SurE. mAkEs peRfeCkt s3nZe. More seriously-
Stig: You know, we should really help out on this.
Rhonda: How? That idiot Queenie can’t write.
Ikol: Be nice to Queenie!
Stig: Why? No one else is. Maybe we should write it!
Ikol: It’s an infinite universe, baby.

0
0
53

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 3rd, 2006 @ 16:49

Published? *fans self* Wow. You people think big.

SHIPPERS UNITE! WHOOOOHOO!

Athanath closed those black pits she called eyes again. “Although, maybe, I should show you.”

If Ehmer had been a cartoon character, a large question mark would have appeared over his head. But his gaze was soon riveted to Athanath as she reached into the light, drawing out a thin strand. She shaped it into the form of a human, and soon it was clear that it was herself.

0
0
54

Anata who finally got HG2TG and Februrary Muse

in March 3rd, 2006 @ 18:55

Athanath is not human and never was. In case you don’t know.

0
0
55

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 3rd, 2006 @ 21:39

Yes, I know she’s not human. But she is relatively human-shaped, and so in the rough form of the light, before she’d refined it, she would look human.

The light-Athanath opened its eyes now. While the rest of it looked completely blue and ghostlike, the eyes were as deep a black as Athanath’s own. Somehow, Ehmer knew that the flesh Athanath’s eyes were going to be the eerie blue colour of the construct.

“Thousands of years ago,” said the glowing figure, “we Makers created Aebvoraena. A group of us split off, wanting complete control. They are the Powers. They are who we have to fight, and have been fighting for aeons. Akkavish has experienced it, though she was young. She can tell you.”

Athanath waved her fingers, and another tendril of light wrapped itself into her creation. Now afareet battled afareet, and above them, two huge blazing lights surrounded by other, smaller ones clashed with terrifying clouds of swirling darkness. As they watched, one of the big lights went out, accompanied by a bit of the dark.

0
0
56

kricket

in March 4th, 2006 @ 12:43

Salimila walked over to her brother as Athanath told her story. Issy and Stella sat near Hazel and Zelda whispering about war plans and stuff. Issy shuddered remembering her own encounter with the Powers just about 18 years ago. She drew closer to Stella. Stella put a hand on Issy’s hand and smiled. Adela was staring dumbstruck at the apparation before them. Salimila walked over and sat near her. Adela drew back a bit but did not complain.
————-
is that good? and if they were standing up, Salimila stood up next to Adela. just to clarify that.

0
0
57

Jadestone

in March 4th, 2006 @ 18:46

49-NO!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala HYPERNES!!!!

(calming down) And GAPA-Can we have a tab off this page giving the background of the characters? Please?

0
0
58

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 4th, 2006 @ 19:57

“That was five hundred years ago,” called Athanath’s voice, echoing through the room and floating into the darkest corners. “Five hundred years ago, the second-last of the Great Makers was destroyed. Five hundred years ago, the prophecy was made that we are all living now.”

“Hold it,” said Ehmer. “You mean to tell us that everything we’re doing has been dictated by some damn prophecy? I’m standing here, asking you about the damn prophecy because of the damn prophecy? I don’t believe it.”

“No. That’s not what she means,” said Feng. “It’s that we are at the kind of time where whatever we do changes the world forever. The prophecy told us that we’d meet here, and it told us how, maybe, the Powers could be defeated. It didn’t say how we’ll do it. It doesn’t even say we will. All it says is that we have to try.”

0
0
59

kricket

in March 5th, 2006 @ 08:23

Issy nodded her head in agreement. The werecat purred and Salimila walked over to Ehmer and sparked him on the leg with electricity.
“OW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Ehmer yelled.
Issy giggled and finally burst out laughing.
———–
breakfast!!! g2g!!!!!!!

0
0
60

Zallie

in March 5th, 2006 @ 10:03

Tsk, tsk, taking advantage of other’s lack of control over their magic is not very nice.
——-

Ehmer scowled over at the trio, and locked his hands behind his back to keep himself from bending down to see if it’d done anything beside smart and sting like alll hell. On the outside, he looked a little pissed off, but on the inside, he was furious. He’d come to this stupid place on a lark, and because there wasn’t exactly a choice at the time. Now, he was here, and what did the people he was supposed to be helping do? Use their bloody magic against him. He gritted his teeth, of half a mind to mess with their heads and make them see things. It took nearly a minute of arguing with himself, before he averted his gaze and stalked away from them, to stand over near Ruby instead.

“Alright,” he said to Feng, still frowning. “So the prophecy doesn’t say anything more than that we have to try? No hints or anything?”

0
0
61

Violetfire

in March 5th, 2006 @ 10:45

What parts of this do you want me to add to the story I have? I’m trying to put it all together, but it’s hard when several different people write different versions of the same scene.

0
0
62

kricket

in March 5th, 2006 @ 12:56

“Actually there are a few hints that we can reveal later,” Salimila said grinning a werecat smile that she had inherited from her brother. Sparking she walked over to Ehmer and said, “Oh, and please don’t use curse words around me. It’s rather annoying.”
Her brother grinned mischeviously at Ehmer before walking over to Hazel and talking in telepathy to her.
“Oh, and Ehmer?” Salimila said smiling sweetly. “That was only low voltage. If you don’t want to make me use high voltage, then I would watch your mouth.”
Ehmer scowled at the lightning cat and locked his hands behind his back to keep from rubbing the sore on his leg.
Ruby looked at him strangely before returning her gaze to Athanath and Feng and anyone else that seemed to know what was going on.
“Okay so Stella? Would you and Issy show Ehmer, Ruby, and Archell up to their rooms? We can show Leah and Adela up to theirs.” Zelda asked.
“Sure,” Issy and Stella said in unision.
“Follow us,” Issy said motioning for their group to follow.
————————————————–

if they aren’t done explaining then they don’t have to show them up to their rooms just yet.

0
0
63

Phoenix

in March 5th, 2006 @ 18:07

okay, okay, I’ll try to bring along the Ruby-Ehmer thing, but I don’t promise it will be good (or obvious).

Ruby’s eyes narrowed as the spark leaped from Samalia’s finger to Ehmer’s leg, and they stayed like that as he yelped and jumped back. She had had a sense of power, a feeling that was now becoming familiar to her, what with all the time she was spending around these…people…she thought. But there was something different this time. Sort of like when she had healed Adela (and nearly killed both of them), but not exactly alike. Just like two people had different colored eyes or differently pitched voices, each kind of power, belonging to different people, felt different to her. Unconsiously, she began to draw it into her…
and stopped. Not now. There would be a different time to try that, and she wasn’t sure she trusted these people. Who knew wheather they were in the right?
Ehmer, apperently intimidated into shutting up for a while, glowered at Samalia and moved over to stand by Ruby, who of course, was placed carefully out of the way. In fact, she had purpopsely stationed herself in a place and stood in a fashion that would distract attention away from her. It usually worked. Suddenly uneasy, she glanced at him and edged away, a bit wary of a person who actually paid attention. She had found that humans usually didn’t.

Looking back at the group about the Outcast–no, the Maker–she suddenly realized that Stella was beckoning impatiently at her. Did everyone notice everything around here? Would she have no more solitude?
“I need to show you three to your rooms,” said Stella, grabbing a bemused-looking Archell by the collar and Issy gave Ehmer a soft swat somewhere around the range of his ear. He flinched back involontarily, then scowled, looking around as if daring everyone to laugh. Archell looked too intimidated. Ruby never laughed.
The two sisters, or whatever they were, led the three out a wide doorway and down a hall. The rough golden walls were massive; there was no ceiling, so Ruby imagined that rain was rare here. It was already dark and the sky looked enourmous, bigger and higher than anything she had ever seen. She tore her eyes away from the starry blanket with difficulty.
By this time Stella had let go of Archell, and she dropped back to walk with Ehmer several feet ahead of Ruby. The youger girl had apperently gotten over her apprehension towards Stella and Issy enough to be talking excitedly and very fast about what had happened.
“It’s all very odd, isn’t it?” she was saying. “I mean, I’ve always known I could influence the weather, but I never thought it was magic…how cool is this? I just hope my parents aren’t worried.”
But she didn’t seem to be very concerned with her families’ worries, because she continiued to monologue. “I’ll be famous! I can irrigate the Sahara, I can contain giant hurricanes and keep ’em away from cities, I can do anything! Can you imagine anything more cool? We can do magic!”
“Maybe you like it,” grumbled Ehmer, still apperently out of sorts, “but I don’t. I don’t trust it and neither should you. How do we know these people want to help us, anyway? Because of a stupid prophecy that only they say exists? Don’t even talk to them. Don’t tell them anything. If you don’t listen to me and get hurt…I’ll kill you!”
“Don’t you go telling me what to do!” flared Archell, and a major battle might have ensued had not Ruby said, “Actualy, I also told you about the prophecy. But still, Archell, you should be careful. I’m not concerned with weather these people are telling the truth about the prophecy. I’m just worried we might be on the wrong side.”
She left them to mull over that.

0
0
64

Sphinx

in March 5th, 2006 @ 18:47

I’m gonna wait a while to introduce the Djinn. There’s only gonna be one, because Freed Djinn are very rare.

0
0
65

Phoenix

in March 5th, 2006 @ 18:52

Oh, hooray hooray hooray! My dad says he will check the Katreh website tonight, if he gats time! I had better go study my Megillah to get him in a better mood. I alrady made him a stir-fry, but that was before I asked him to check it, so it doesn’t count as kissing up. Hehe.
Soon Ruby might join them in the Sandstone Fortress!

0
0
66

kricket

in March 5th, 2006 @ 19:20

Archell scowled and quickened her pace. Yet deep down she knew Ruby had a point. But who could not trust these nice people? Archell had always learned to trust whoever you could because it might pay off in the long run. Issy and Stella seemed okay, if although a little hasty. Ehmer though was really starting to get on her nerves. She was okay with the whole magic thing just Archell wondered why she had to save the world with him. Ruby Adela and Leah were nice enough but Ehmer was the rudest one there. Archell was a little intimidated but she had to really hold herself back from laughing when Salimila sparked him on the leg. Grinning, she had glanced over in Ruby’s direction and seen her cold hard gaze glaring at Salimila. Since then, a thought had been running through her head but she dared not mention it aloud. Suddenly she realized that they had stopped in front of some massive oak doors.
“This is your room Archell,” Issy said smiling. When the doors opened, Archell squealed in delight ignoring the disproving glances from Ruby and Ehmer. The room was just perfect for her. To the right was a mat to practice her powers and an enormous bed was on the left. Silk blue curtains covered the windows and beautiful ice blue sheets covered the bed. Gray carpets with lightning bolts on them lay around the room.
“Get some rest and we’ll come get you in the morning for out next meeting,” Stella said closing the door behind her.

0
0
67

Phoenix

in March 5th, 2006 @ 20:01

A little ways down the hall was Ruby’s lodging. Issy leaned against the heavy stone door in an effort to open it, gave up, and flicked her hand. The slab swung open, and she gently pushed Ruby in.
She hated to admit it, but the room was pleasent. At least as pleasent as any enclosed place could be.
It was a large space, and the walls seemed to follow no particular pattern, curving and flowing with what seemed to be the natural design of the cliffside from which it was carved. At first they seemed to be undecorated but for the expected chips, crags, and lines of sandstone, but when her gaze rested on any one spot for more than a moment they resolved themselves into images. Images of nothing in this world, mostly, creatures so fantastic Ruby had only seen them in her wildest dreams, of plants and stones and things whose shape seemed to change as she looked at them. They were beautiful.
There wasn’t any bed. However, a thick, soft palette was rolled up in a niche in the wall, multihued and somehow gleaming. Ruby unrolled it and, after a moment of hesitation, spread it out in the center of the floor. A closer look at the crack where she had found it revealed a pillow, which she disgarded, and two sets of clothing, both consisting of loose pants of a light, cottonlike material, a wraparound shirt of the same stuff, and a sash apparently meant for holding them together. These were also colored in the same soft merging patterns. They were so subtle that it took a moment to make out the seperate shades. They were undoubtably quite nice, but Ruby wished she could have something less, well, showy, maybe in black or grey. She would ask Stella and Issy in the morning. At this point, however, they were all she had, and she regretfully changed into one, as they appeared to be designed just as suitably for sleep as for daytime activity, and she had never been one to scrupulously wear clothes for any specific situations that they had been ‘intended’ for.
After this was completed, Ruby crossed the room again and hesitantly pushed on the door. It swung shut easily for all Issy’s show of difficulty, merging seamlessly with the walls. A narrow groove ran from top to bottom, however, ensuring the person in the room would be able to get out. That was always good.
Gingerly, she got lay down on top of the pallette, not bothering to pull the covers up; the air was cool and blankets were just another stupid confinement. Ruby crossed her arms under her head and looked up at the stars, diamond tears in the fabric of night, and despite her grim assessment of the situation to Archell and Ehmer earlier, slept, feeling safer than she had in a long while.

0
0
68

Phoenix

in March 5th, 2006 @ 20:23

I AM ALLOWED TO GO ON THE KATREH BOARD!!!!!
Please, no one send me any private messages, if it is possible to do so.
Where are the roleplaying boards?

0
0
69

Anata who does not feel like adding anything to her name

in March 5th, 2006 @ 23:34

Leah and Adela followed Zelda and Hazel down the sandstone coridor. Leah scowled. It seemed that the other girls had purpousfully suggested they go to their rooms to avoid explaining everything to her. She didn’t trust them, not one bit.
Adela, on the other hand, was absolutey amazed at what she saw around her. The fortress had so many doors. She noticed that some of them were breathtakingly carved and illustrated pictures of animals and symbols. Suddenly Hazel stopped and turned to a door that was labeled HERBARIUM. Opening the door, she stepped into the room. Leah couldn’t help gaping at what she saw. The room was a practical jungle. It was like the zoo, except not cheesy at all. The paths were not smooth tiles, but the same rough sandstone as the rest of the fortress. The two girls followed Hazel and Zelda down the pathways. They rounded a bend and were surprised to see a man sitting at the edge of the path, scribbling furiosly in a notebook with a mechanical pencil. Unlike most of the people they had seen her, he was thin, and with hardenly any muscles.
Adela asked,”Who’s-?”
“Mo’kala”, Zelda cut in. “It’s best to leave him alone when he’s working.”
The man remained totally oblivious to the quartet as the walked by.
Eventually, they came to another door. Instead of sandstone, like many of the other doors, it was cut out of gray rock. Hazel opened the door and stepped aside. “Make yourself comfortable, Adela.”

0
0
70

Zallie

in March 6th, 2006 @ 10:58

Someone, Ehmer suspected Issy or Stella shoved him into a room and shut the door behind him. Normally, he would have yelled at them, but exhaustion was getting the better of him. Keeping up a constant mental block was taxing at the best of times, but with all these other magic-users around, it was damn near impossible.

He took three deep breaths and counted to ten to keep himself from wasting more of his magic on the two of them. Too keep his mind of that, he glanced around what he guessed to be his new room. It wasn’t much bigger than a closet, although it had a large window on the opposite side of the room. A cot lay against a wall, made with some strangely colored wood and a matching chest was at its feet. A small desk with a stool took up the last of the remaining space. All in all, it looked more like a narrow corridor than a bedroom, but Ehmer was far past caring. Without bothering to take off his shoes or examine the trunk or desk further, he flung himself into bed. His last thoughts before he drifted off to sleep were of Issy and Stella and their other friend. For magic-users, he though, who were supposed to be honorable and spending their energy on the mysterious powers, they seemed awfullly petty, messing him like that. Maybe they were part of the Powers themselves, whatever that meant.

0
0
71

Pentatonikk

in March 6th, 2006 @ 22:22

Zelda tapped one of the many hundreds of doors. In the curling wood, Adela could faintly make out some letters that looked Arabic. They were disguised so well, though, that it was hard to be sure. If Ehmer had been here, he would have been able to tell.

“I’m sorry,” said Zelda. “Sometimes this door is a little stubborn with sorcerors. We don’t normally go here, and afareet have been in this wing for so long that it’s steeped in their magic.” She pounded on the door, muttering to it in some strange language. With a reluctant creak, it opened, revealing a room unlike anything Adela had seen before.

For one thing, it was shaped like some screwy heptagon, with two sides extending far out, capped by a trapezoidal bed. There was no ceiling, just a huge skylight with a pullcord hanging down from it. In one of the remaining five corners, something resembling a bamboo grove appeared to be consuming a small chest. The floor was littered with scraps of paper that looked as if they had been put through a shredder and then a tornado.

Misreading Adela’s expression, Hazel said, “Sorry about the mess. It was Feng’s room, but he sleeps outside now.”

“No, it’s absolutely wonderful,” said Adela, who genuinely meant it. “So, this is my room, right?”

Zelda laughed. “Yes. Come on, Leah.”

0
0
72

Zallie

in March 7th, 2006 @ 19:06

Well, I suppose people are losing interest in this one, because of the new orphan story.

0
0
73

Phoenix

in March 7th, 2006 @ 20:18

E’en though I theoretically made a charecter for that one, I don’t like it as much and I don’t think I’ll play it. Who is here apart form Zallie and Phoenix?

0
0
74

Zallie

in March 7th, 2006 @ 20:46

We’ll have to write it ourselves, Phoenix, ~~which may not be a bad thing~~.

0
0
75

Phoenix

in March 7th, 2006 @ 21:10

Zallie, that was not very nice.
We can’t write it alone!
All old RRR people, to me!

0
0
76

Zallie

in March 7th, 2006 @ 21:26

Twas very true, though. You must give me that.

0
0
77

Anata who does not feel like adding anything to her name

in March 8th, 2006 @ 00:09

I will write! I couldn’t let my afareet die! After all, I did come up with their name.

0
0
78

Phoenix

in March 8th, 2006 @ 05:57

Yaay! One less Afreet that we might have to toss! Again: RRR writers, to me!

0
0
79

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in March 8th, 2006 @ 08:20

I’m sorry, 2006.1-ers. I didn’t know that starting the new story would affect this one. I thought it would draw a different crowd. Good luck rallying the troops.

0
0
80

Zallie

in March 8th, 2006 @ 16:00

It’s a very good thing we have the message board now…

0
0
81

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 8th, 2006 @ 16:15

I’m still here, which is good *head swells*, because I’m very fond of Adela, Feng, and Athanath by now and don’t particularly want to let go of them. I did join the new RRR, but like Phoenix, I don’t like my character there as much. I might still play on that board, though.

I know! I’ll put a plug for this story on there! Please, OEADs, just don’t zap the link.

0
0
82

Violetfire

in March 8th, 2006 @ 16:57

I’d help, but I’m too new to really know about the story. I’ve just been editing it.

And could someone please tell me where exactly the story here is? There are different parts that don’t fit together.

0
0
83

Violetfire

in March 8th, 2006 @ 16:58

what message board?

0
0
84

Zallie

in March 8th, 2006 @ 17:23

It’s posted on the last RRR thread, I believe.

What changes (aside from the animal-thing, which is still under consideration) would make you guys like your characters more?

0
0
85

Phoenix

in March 8th, 2006 @ 17:58

BTW, Zallie, since you made me majorly zap Ruby’s powers I’m making her a fairly decent desert traveler and tracker and stuff.
Now who do we have?

0
0
86

kricket

in March 8th, 2006 @ 19:00

hey hey!!! i couldn’t leave Issy Stella HAzel and Zelda!!! NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!! i can be multi-tasked!!!

0
0
87

Phoenix

in March 8th, 2006 @ 19:21

Okay. Could the owner of Leah please come here? She wasa a good charecter. (Pheebs, I think this means you.)

0
0
88

kricket

in March 8th, 2006 @ 19:27

Pheebs get down here!!! GAPAs can you please get all the RRR thread people down here so we can continue with this?

0
0
89

Rosanne Spector (Administrator)

in March 8th, 2006 @ 19:34

We GAPAs are not quite that powerful, kricket!

Here’s an idea: Why not break out of practice of pairing each character with a specific “owner”?? That way, anyone could continue the story.

0
0
90

Violetfire

in March 8th, 2006 @ 19:58

Can you post the link to the message board again?

0
0
91

Violetfire

in March 8th, 2006 @ 19:59

I have all of the story up to: Zelda laughed. “Yes. Come on, Leah.”

0
0
92

Zallie

in March 8th, 2006 @ 20:50

Mmph. I’ve always thought the powers of the afareet were a bit extreme. I mean, all Ehmer can do is feel what some people are feeling and maybe make them see things, once he figures it out himself. Yeah, that should be okay, though.

[Zallie: Sorry, Rosanne and I have tightened up our no-links policy. We’ve removed most of the old ones, too. I know it’s no fun, but we have reasons. –Robert]

^^is the message-board.

0
0
93

Phoenix

in March 8th, 2006 @ 20:55

I’m not really good with Leah, but I suppose the next chapter could be the next morning. I’ll start:

Ruby woke up and spent a moment wondering where she was. The sun was still not up entirely, from what she could tell; someone had hung a canvas curtain across the open ceiling to block out the hot desert rays. Desert rays. That was when she remembered.
She sat up straight, still registering the previous night’s events in her mind. Then she looked down at herself; the mottled colors of her clothing seemed to now be somewhat more subdued, as if they had adapted to her over night. The different hues still blended in a chaotic pattern, though, and she liked that. Maybe she wouldn’t have to ask for darker clothes at all.
Ruby didn’t waste much time thinking about her appearance. She just ran a hand through her brown-red hair a few times to calm it down a bit, checked her pentagram was still in place, and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Then she started off down the hall in the general direction she remembered coming from.
It took a while, but she found the hall. Zelda, Issy, Hazel, and Achmet, the werecat, were already there; Adela was seated at a table with a bowl of hot cereal, but everyone else appeared to be late risers. Issy looked up as she came in. “Good morning. Do you want toast with your eggs or a potato?”
Ruby, startled at this matter-of-fact statement, hesitated for a moment before saying, “Uh…toast, I guess.” she settled down across the long table from Adela and her cereal, and the former gave her a warm smile and said, “Hi, Ruby. Did you have a good rest?”
Ruby didn’t answer, because at this moment Feng stumbled into the room, looking ill, and Adela rushed forward to help him. Behind him came a crash, and Archell ran in, bowled both the wind Afreet and his young cousin completely over, and dashed across the room. Close behind her was Ehmer, who was waving what appeared to be some sort of a hat in the air and saying increasingly foul words to in a very loud voice. And behind Ehmer was a sweeping curtain of flame, and behind that was Leah, shreiking at the top of her lungs, and Nestea, who was spraying ice out of her hands like a fire extinguisher, but having trouble keeping up with Leah, who looked out of control. Ruby just took a step back. This could prove to be interesting.

0
0
94

Zallie

in March 8th, 2006 @ 21:26

I have poked Phoebe. Let’s see if she’ll come…

(I sent her an email, but whatev))

0
0
95

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 8th, 2006 @ 21:40

“It’s dead!” Feng snapped at Nestea. “Dead.” He fell forward, yelling in Chinese at the top of his lungs. Adela was willing to bet her bedroom that Ehmer was picking it up, just in case it contained any swear words. It probably did.

“I know,” said Nestea. “Can you just help me with Leah?”

“Wind fans the flames,” muttered Feng sullenly.

“Shut up, Archell!” yelled Ehmer, the only thing he had said so far that wasn’t X-rated.

“Will everyone shut up?” called Adela, but her voice was too quiet to carry much.

“CLOSE YOUR MOUTHS!” screamed Feng, and added a few obviously colourful phrases at the end.

Nobody listened.

0
0
96

kricket

in March 9th, 2006 @ 05:34

“HEY!!!!!!!!!!!! ZIP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Issy shouted.
No one listened although they turned to see who shouted.
Sighing, Issy used her magic to make them rise up in the air (telekinesis) and spun them around in circles, while Stella made Archell shut up and put out the fire.
With the fire extinguished, Issy dropped them on the floor.
Straightening herself, Zelda asked, “What the h**l is going on?!”

0
0
97

Phoenix

in March 9th, 2006 @ 06:20

That was when the room plunged into a purple-black darkness. Each person was suddenly trapped, unable to move; Leah struggled furiously and seemed to be doing better than anyone else but her fire went out with a pop. Ruby tested her invisible bonds carefully, found she could move although it was like walking through think jello pudding, and sat back down (carefully and in slow motion) on the bench. It was better to go with the flow in this case; chaos went with darkness, didn’t it?
Akkavish stalked into the room, scowling like a thundercloud. They could see her because the darkness seemed to solidify around her body, and she looked perfectly normal other than the fact that her feature were even darker than usual.
“All right!” she bellowed, “What under heaven is going on in here?!”
That was when there was a popping noise, and Leah dropped from her position of slightly suspended above the floor to land lightly on the ground. Whatever battle she had been fighting, it looked like she had won.

0
0
98

kricket

in March 9th, 2006 @ 15:25

Issy rubbed her arms and looked expectantly at the group of kids on the floor. Whatever had happened, it was up to them to explain. Salimila and the werecat walked into the room but stopped when they saw Akkavish in all her fury.
“Uh, maybe this isn’t a good time to tell you but a Power spy has been caught sneaking around outside the walls,” Salimila said boldly.
“I’ll go check it out,” Zelda and Hazel said in unision glad to get away from the scene making Issy promise to tell them what had happened later.

0
0
99

Zallie

in March 9th, 2006 @ 16:40

ROBERT: Did you leave the link in the other thread? Violetfire wants to know the address…

0
0
100

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 9th, 2006 @ 18:07

DO NOT DELETE/IGNORE/WHATEVER

This is the link (for Violetfire)
http://katreh.proboards78.com/index.cgi

0
0
101

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 9th, 2006 @ 18:18

“Explanations, all of you,” snapped Akkavish. “You, especially,” she added, looking daggers at the older afareet. “You know the rules. This is breakfast, not practice. A magical disturbance of that magnitude will certainly tell the Powers that we have a bunch of untrained hotheads around, if they didn’t already know. This is war, not bloody social hour! Act like it!” She stopped shouting to catch her breath, then continued in a calmer voice. “First: our…new arrivals. What made you think that the Fortress was a playground to test your powers, or whatever made you act like that?”

0
0
102

Phoenix

in March 9th, 2006 @ 19:32

“Well she” Ehmer poinetd at Archell accusingly, “Thought it would be funny to sneak into my room and wake me up. By making a thundercloud pour right over my head. And then when I tried to give her her just deserts, she had to run down the hall and bump into Leah, who freaked out and set me on fire. I had only just got it out when Nestea came along and started screaming like a banshee, which set Leah off again. And we all ran into Feng, and he tripped and hit his head against the wall. We only just got here. And,” he added, “It wasn’t my fault.”

0
0
103

Anata who does not feel like adding anything to her name

in March 10th, 2006 @ 00:11

Ok, I’m going to add another character. But he’s dead before the book begins, so it really doesn’t matter.
Mei
Powers:Mei was a thunder afareet, but he didn’t have much power over electricity, exept giving people small zaps, like what Samila did to Ehmer. His chief talent, however, was illusions. He discovered away to fool all five senses, even touch. So even if you stuck your hand thru the illusion, you woud still feel the outside of it.
Weaknesses:His power diminishes when he is near wood.
Virtues:Extremely brave, Mei did anything to protect a good afreet, even one of the enemy.
Faults:Mei is often overly stubborn, and tends not to think before he acts.
Background: Mei is one of the few afareet that was born in Aebenvorea during the Powers War. He joined MUUAP(Magin Users United Against the Powers) and proved to be an exellent soldier. Like Akkavish, he quickly rose to a high rank. Sadly, he was killed in a battle with Apepihotep.
Oh, and it really isn’t in Nestea’s character to start screaming, but we can work that out later.

0
0
104

Phoenix

in March 10th, 2006 @ 05:42

She was screaming in anger, because Ehmer was on fire and after Archell’s blood, and Leah was totaly out of control, and she didn’t like it at all.

0
0
105

kricket

in March 10th, 2006 @ 17:51

Archell grinned sheepishly at Akkavish and slid towards the door. But before she could sneak out of the room, Issy caught her with her magic.

0
0
106

Zallie

in March 10th, 2006 @ 21:13

Eee! Finally, something exciting’s happening on the afareet board.

0
0
107

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 10th, 2006 @ 22:37

Akkavish jumped again. “Issy,” she said, exasperated. “You needn’t use your magic for every little thing. For one thing, the Powers can sense it, and for another, you’ll drain yourself, even with the amount of magic you have.”

Issy was spared having to reply by her sisters, who entered the room looking worried. “Do you want the good news first, or the bad?” asked Zelda.

“Good,” said Akkavish at the same time that Ehmer said, “Bad.”

“Good, then,” said Hazel, grinning wickedly at Ehmer. “It wasn’t a real spy, just a decoy. It dissolved into smoke when we came near it. Being just a construct, it couldn’t see anything.”

“But,” Zelda took over, “this means two things. It means that the Powers probably know where the Fortress is, and that they have a djinn. Only a djinn could make something that convincing out of smoke.”

“What’s a djinn?” asked Adela. This was yet another thing she’d never heard of.

0
0
108

kricket

in March 11th, 2006 @ 10:06

Issy gasped, Akkavish’s eyes widened in shock and Salimila sparked with so much electricity that she shocked almost everyone in the room with it.

0
0
109

Violetfire

in March 11th, 2006 @ 10:56

Thank you very very much, Penty!

0
0
110

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 11th, 2006 @ 18:50

Cool, VF. Glad to be of service. If you could join up, that would be just dandy. We need new members.

0
0
111

Phoenix

in March 11th, 2006 @ 19:00

Feng raised his head from the floor, with some effort. “A djinn? They have a djinn? Oh, s***.” Then he slumped back to the stone surface.
Akkavish gave him a dissaproving look and said, “A djinn, Adela, is a very, very, very powerful spellcaster. There are very few left, and at this point probably all of them are enslaved, or have gone into hiding. They can do, well, pretty much anything, and are bound to anyone who can release them from imprisonment–a state they are born into. There used to be free born djinn, but…” she shook her head. “If the powers have a djinn, that does not bode well for us.”

0
0
112

Jadestone

in March 11th, 2006 @ 19:18

Can someone post the Story So Far so I can read it? I would like to try to write…

0
0
113

Phoenix

in March 11th, 2006 @ 20:13

It’s further up on this thread.

0
0
114

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 11th, 2006 @ 21:41

Jadestone- Posts 5 and 9, and then you can read the rest of it as you go.

“Enslaved? How can you enslave someone that powerful?” asked Archell. She sounded a bit scornful. “If I had that much power, I’d blast the Powers into little bits of dust before they even tried anything.”

Feng smiled a bit ruefully. “There are two reasons why that wouldn’t work. The first is that howevermuch magic a djinn has, the Powers will always have more. The second…well, have you ever heard of a genie?”

Most of the other afareet gave Feng blank looks, but Archell nodded. “You mean like in Aladdin?”

This time it was Feng’s turn to look puzzled. “Well, djinn are basically genies. You can trap them in lamps and bottles, and when they come out, they have to do your bidding. It’s like Akkavish said.” He leaned himself back on the floor, his breathing laboured.

“Are you all right?” asked Adela. Feng looked sicker than he had in the school, even though there were skylights and windows here. “I can heal you, I think.”

Feng’s lip cracked, spilling blood onto the stone. “Nah, I’m fine,” he said. “Besides, you can’t control all your powers yet. It would be just my luck to end up headless or something.”

“Stop trying to be so big and strong, Feng,” said Issy sharply. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said, rather unconvincingly.

“Feng,” barked Nestea, “if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I will freeze you into an ice cube and leave you here.” She seemed concerned, for all her angry tone.

“I don’t know. It feels like someone’s draining me from far away, but that’s impossible.”

“If you think that’s impossible, you know nothing about the Powers,” said Akkavish. “Everyone, we need to put up some wards. There can be no doubt now: the Powers know where we are.”

0
0
115

Phoenix

in March 12th, 2006 @ 09:48

“wards?” asked Ruby with a blank look, but then her expression cleared. “Oh, you mean like this?”
She shut her eyes, repeating one phrase over and over to herself. “I am nothingness and void. I am nothingness and void. I am nothingness and voi–”
Then she dissapeared.
Actually, she hadn’t vanished in the common term of the word. It was just that, when the others in the room tried to look at her, they found their eyes sliding away, or just losing interest in Ruby, who physically looked perfectly normal. The only ones who seemed to be unaffected (in that they could look at her for substantial periods without going cross-eyed) were Akkavish and Ehmer.
Feng whistled, his eyes connecting to something slightly to her right. “Disglamours,” he said. “Impressive.”

0
0
116

Violetfire

in March 12th, 2006 @ 10:45

The rest of it starts mostly on post 53, then you have to find the next bits farther down.

0
0
117

Zallie

in March 12th, 2006 @ 12:29

Ehmer shook his head. “No, I think they mean wards like protection. Walls of spells or something.” He shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pockets, most of his anger gone.

0
0
118

kricket

in March 12th, 2006 @ 19:14

Issy nodded at Ehmer.
“In fact, that’s exactly what we mean, although Ruby’s trick will be useful later in time. In fact…” Issy rummaged through her pack and brought out an old dust covered book. Wiping off the cover she handed the book to Ruby. Or at least, handed it in the general direction of Ruby. “This, Ruby, is a book of illusions and little tricks like the one you just did. Or should I say, are still doing.” Issy grinned. “You can stop now if you like. We’ve seen enough of your magic to see that you have an unique type of magic… something that will not go unnoticed by the Powers.”

0
0
119

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 12th, 2006 @ 22:17

“Like this,” said Nestea. A tendril of slowly freezing water shot out from her finger, snaking around the walls as she walked by them. When the circle had been completed and the two chains of ice merged, she spoke some words in another language and a shimmering dome sprang up. It seemed encrusted with living bits of frost that slowly danced their way across the shield.

“That’s a ward,” she said, dusting off her hands.

0
0
120

Phoenix

in March 13th, 2006 @ 19:18

Ruby let her ‘disglamour’, as Feng had called it, dissapate. She was still quite proud of the trick. “Can we maybe use something like that for an outside sheild? if the Powers can’t aim straight, the physical wards wouldn’t take so much battering. And anyway,” she added, “I want to help. I don’t see any other way Chaos–I am a Chaos Afreet, right?–could help.”
She looked around at the brightly colored ice. “It’s very nice. Maybe Fengcould put some wind sheild or summat outside of it to keep the Powers from melting it?”

0
0
121

kricket

in March 14th, 2006 @ 05:49

Issy looked thoughtful. “Hmmm… That might work for a while… But remember, the Powers have a djinn. That wouldn’t keep them out very long, but it would be a good manuver… Why don’t you, Nestea, and Feng get to work on that while my sisters and I…”
“And me,” Salimila butted in.
“… and Salimila focus our magic on a different ward.”
“What type of ward?” Akkavish asked suspiciously.
Issy smiled and said, “Oh I think you might recognize it from the last time…”
“That one?” Akkavish’s eyes widened. “Issy, are you sure…”
“Of course I’m sure!!! I’ll be fine…” Issy said.
“Then let’s get to work!” Zelda cut in. “The other afareets can work on one of the wards in this book,” she said throwing a book at Ehmer.

0
0
122

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 14th, 2006 @ 16:11

“They underestimate us, they really do,” commented Feng dryly. Now that the ward was up, the colour had begun to enter his face again. “We won’t need the book. It’s simple enough that warding is the first thing we teach new trainees.”

Nestea said nothing, just looked thoughtful. “Ruby…” she finally murmured, “I don’t think a disglamour will do much to protect us, just make us harder to find. The Fortress is big enough that even if they couldn’t aim straight, they’d hit something.”

“It’s still worth a try, though.” said Feng. “It may buy us time to react, whenever they attack, and time always makes a difference.” He fell silent, his face betraying nothing, just staring blankly at the slowly shifting patterns of ice.

Nestea looked over at him, her face also a calculated deadpan. “Does it now?” she asked in a monotone.

“You should know,” said Feng, getting up and beginning to place a second ward.

“We weren’t going to bring that up again,” commented Nestea. “It was–”

“It was Nanook,” Feng finished for her. “Nanook and the Powers. It never could be you, could it? You never could make a mistake, admit you were wrong and maybe that you hurt someone, could you?” The air in the room was starting to swirl around Feng, pulling his hair up into a tornado. “Is it because you never were hurt? Never paid the price? Is that it, Nestea?”

0
0
123

Phoenix

in March 14th, 2006 @ 19:18

Everyone stared back and forth between Feng and Nestea. Ehmer moved, following a seemingly unconsious instinct, to stand in front of Archell and Adela. Ruby backed away, pressing herself against the hard stone wall and instinctively disglamouring. Even Leah looked scared, edging away from the sudden windstorm surrounding Feng.

0
0
124

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 14th, 2006 @ 20:29

“Back off, Ehmer,” said Adela, suddenly all business. “Do you think either of us really cares about a bit of wind?” Starngely enough, she wasn’t. She had the presence of mind to be terrified of Feng, but she instinctively knew he wouldn’t hurt her.

“Archell!” she yelled. “Do something about the wind! Draw it away from him, or something!”

Archell looked wildly around, then put her hands in the air and began chanting in the same language Nestea had used on the wards. “Aya-kuric’h marana-ro te koram tenar urach’imir…” It seemed like she was in a trance of some sort.

Slowly, the wind reached out with tentative fingers toward Archell, spiralling around her oblivious form. It pulled at her robes, urging her to come, dance with it, journey through the air. The girl responded, spreading her arms wider and lifting her feet off the ground and soaring like a bird.

“Get down! What the hell are you doing?” called Ehmer. There was a slight hint of worry in his voice.

Archell’s eyes flew open, and she fell to the ground with a thump. Luckily, she’d only been a few feet up when Ehmer yelled.

Adela instantly turned to Feng, who looked normal once more. He was carefully avoiding Nestea as he rushed towards Archell, who was lying rather dazed on the ground.

“Sprained anything? Broken?” he asked.

“What happened? I think I blacked out or something.”

Nestea spoke, her voice frigid. “What happened, Archell, is that you lost control of your magic. You let it control you. Luckily, Ehmer shouted at you, or you could very well be dead with your brain splattered on the floor by now.”

“Some of us,” she added, “ought to know control by now. Let’s start on the wards and disglamours.”

0
0
125

Pentatonikk (RRF)

in March 15th, 2006 @ 15:40

Visit the Katreh board! Prease! *puppy face*

0
0
126

Jadestone

in March 16th, 2006 @ 17:08

Where the Katreh board? And, more importantly, what is the Ketreh board?

0
0
127

Zallie

in March 16th, 2006 @ 18:51

Jadestone, we’ve posted the link for you at least three times. GAPA may have zapped it once, but there should be a real one somewhere. Keep looking.

Again: the Katreh board is a message-board RPG based off of this RRR thread.

0
0
128

kricket

in March 16th, 2006 @ 19:11

Archell examined the discarded book of wards. Turning it over, she saw that the book’s title was Advanced Wards for the Afareet and Sorcerers By Issy.
“Maybe they don’t underestimate us,” Archell said handing the book to Nestea and pointing out the title.

0
0
129

Phoenix

in March 18th, 2006 @ 18:28

Drat. Off the front page again.

0
0
130

Jadestone

in March 18th, 2006 @ 18:52

Oh vell. at least its first here.

0
0
131

Anata who does not feel like adding anything to her name

in March 18th, 2006 @ 21:39

I comment on that paragraph kricket. Issy really doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would write books, and the girls aren’t experienced enough to deal with advanced wards yet.

0
0
132

Violetfire

in March 18th, 2006 @ 21:40

Yaaaaaaaaaaay now its back on the home page.

0
0
133

Pentatonikk

in March 19th, 2006 @ 00:00

Here it is again: [DO NOT ZAP, PREASE]

http://katreh.proboards78.com/index.cgi

0
0
134

Jadestone

in March 19th, 2006 @ 17:15

Thank you!

0
0
135

Phoenix

in March 20th, 2006 @ 06:35

So if we are excluding Kricket’s post (sorry, Kricket!), whose POV are we using?

0
0
136

kricket

in March 20th, 2006 @ 19:28

it’s okay. it can be beginner’s wards for the untrained by ———

0
0
137

Pentatonikk

in March 21st, 2006 @ 20:49

Er… Nobody’s, I think. And if it’s for the untrained, why do we need the book? They have Feng and Nestea, who admittedly aren’t in the greatest of moods right now, but can still do something as simple as a ward without anger screwing up their concentration.

0
0
138

kricket

in March 22nd, 2006 @ 05:48

okay okay okay!!! sheesh, you don’t have to get all fussy!!!! don’t make me quit this one like i did the first one!!!

0
0
139

Phoenix

in March 23rd, 2006 @ 19:25

Drat. I have a writer’s block. We need Zallie to post something now, or Pheebs. Yurgh.
Kricket, I thought it was fine. Jolly good show, wot?

0
0
140

Pentatonikk

in March 23rd, 2006 @ 21:26

Don’t quit, kricket! We have few enough people as it is. Yeah, the dreaded writer’s block for me too. *tragic sigh* Zallie hasn’t been on recently, though. At least, not on the blog.

0
0
141

kricket

in March 25th, 2006 @ 10:02

okay okay!!! i can help you.

0
0
142

kricket

in March 26th, 2006 @ 08:35

Salimila walked into the room sparking dangerously. “What’s all the ruckus?”
Nestea glared at Feng. “Oh, nothing…”
Salimila rolled her eyes up at the ceiling as if better answers could be found there.
“Can we start on the wards now?” Arcell piped up.
“Of course of course…” Nestea said her mind obviously on something else. “Let’s start with disglamours… Ruby would you care to demonstrate again?”

0
0
143

Zallie

in March 26th, 2006 @ 08:52

Yeah, I’ve been pretty busy. D’you want a post from Ehmer’s POV? Wards aren’t something he could really do, though.

0
0
144

Phoenix

in March 26th, 2006 @ 12:29

“Sure thing.”
Admittedly, Ruby was feeling a bit proud of her ward. She concentrated on nothingness.

((sorry, I really have writer’s block!))

0
0
145

kricket

in March 26th, 2006 @ 12:44

sorry i meant Archell… my mind is like dead today…

0
0
146

kricket

in March 26th, 2006 @ 17:29

Nestea nodded as Ruby as she became “invisible.”
“That’s very good, Ruby,” she said her eyes concentrating somewhere near Ruby’s head. “Would you care to show the others how to do a disglamour?”
Archell nodded eagerly. She was looking forward to this.
Salimila watched with interest. Well well well… I could get used to this… she thought.

0
0
147

White Fox

in April 1st, 2006 @ 20:47

Greetings all.

Havent really got a clue as to what your writing about here, whether I suffer from confusion or this is all just…well confusing, but I thought I’d give you all a thumbs up anyway.

…actually I have no idea as to how I got here…

Anyway, Good luck writers of the conjoined, Fox O. U .T

Laterz

*How beautifully ironic – you are willing to die for your home…and I am willing to kill for it.*

0
0
148

Jadestone

in April 3rd, 2006 @ 17:35

Wait…So in 142, 144, andd 146, was it Ruby or Archell doing the disglamour?

0
0
149

Jadestone

in April 9th, 2006 @ 20:00

Gahh! Where is everyone? Grrr. Someone come by and answer my question. Please?

0
0
150

kricket

in April 13th, 2006 @ 15:41

sry it was Ruby, Archell just wanted to learn how to do it…

0
0
151

kokopelli #13, a.k.a. TerroR

in April 14th, 2006 @ 12:56

A guy named Hoenn walked into the room. He quietly sat down in the corner, and, being it how he can mysteriously avoid detection, no one noticed him. He walked in right after Ruby turned invisible. (A mysterious new character!)

0
0
152

kokopelli #13, a.k.a. TerroR

in April 14th, 2006 @ 13:10

Suddenly, a short fellow walked into the room. “TELEGRAM!!!!!!!!” he exclaimed.
Nestea quickly gave a studying glare at him.
The short man boomed,”TELEGRAM FOR ARCHELL!!!!!”
Archell asked the man to read it.
“From Hoenn,” he started. “Am long lost cousin, stop. I am from the planet Qadis, stop. Will be there at approximately 12:56:39 PM, stop. Please have powers ready, stop. Say hi to Nestea for me, stop. Tell Nestea that he knows me, stop. Am his long lost friend, stop.”
“I wonder who Hoenn is?” Archell thought.
“Sent at 12:55 PM”, said the deliveryman. Upon saying this, he left.

0
0
153

kokopelli #13, a.k.a. TerroR

in April 14th, 2006 @ 13:12

Just a question, What is a disglamor?

0
0
154

kokopelli #13, a.k.a. TerroR

in April 14th, 2006 @ 14:11

**disglamour**

0
0
155

Anata who does not feel like adding anything to her name

in April 15th, 2006 @ 00:58

Sorry Koko, but I don’t think we can use that.

0
0
156

Anata who does not feel like adding anything to her name

in April 18th, 2006 @ 01:51

“Wait.” Akkavish entered the conversation. “I think its best if we teach them in sealed rooms. If the Powers have a djinn, they will be able to detect even the smallest of spells. The less magic they sense us practicing, the more likely they will underestamate us. And the more they underestimate us, the less likely they are to send Apepihotep in. And we do not“, she added forcefully, “want them to send in Apepihotep.”

Just so you should know, a sealed room is a room marked with ruins and small amounts of prepared magic so it keeps exess energy from spells from getting away. The exess is absorbed by the runes, so a sealed room is self sustaining, providing that it is used for practicing spells often.

0
0
157

kokopelli #13, a.k.a. TerroR

in April 19th, 2006 @ 09:56

Oh well. At least find a way to put someone in there whose name is Hoenn and has the powers that I mentioned in that part. And if possible, could I control him?

0
0
158

kokopelli #13, a.k.a. TerroR

in April 19th, 2006 @ 10:04

A powerful mercinary in the room named Hoenn spoke. “I could help you with danger. I know my way around. I’ve been trailing you for the past three days, thirteen hours, forty-six minutes, and sixteen seconds. If I trailed you that long without being noticed, then I can either overpower or escape any enemy. And by the way, who is this Apepihotep that you are always speaking of? And who is the ‘them’?”
Hoenn spoke with the force of a hurricane.

0
0
159

kokopelli #13, a.k.a. TerroR

in April 19th, 2006 @ 10:18

“Forget I was ever here,” Hoenn said. “I’ll find out those answers for myself. If you’re ever in deep trouble, use this.”

As he said this he handed Ruby a low-frequency whistle that only Hoenn’s ears are trained to hear.

“Blow on this,” Hoenn said. And with that, he disappeared.

0
0
160

Em

in April 19th, 2006 @ 19:37

what is the password for katreh?

0
0
161

Anata the Great and Powerful

in April 24th, 2006 @ 02:19

Sorry Koko, but we really do not need any more characters. Most of the supporting characters have already been introduced. We do not want the story to get overloded.
So far we have these, and some others I’ll mention later.
Main Characters
Ruby-Female, Around 14, half-afareet, chaos
Ehmer-Male, Around 16, sorceror, illusionist
Archell-Female, Around 14, sorceror, weather control
Adela-Female, Around 14, sorceror, healing/destruction
Leah-Female, Around 14, sorceror, fire control
Supporting Characters
Magic Users United Against the Powers Members:
Achmet-Male, Arabic, Around 500(Looks only about 18), afareet, sand/vocal, animal form-sandcat
Akkavish-Female, Israeli, around 4000(Looks around 30), afareet, darkness, animal form-spider
Athanath-Gender(if any) unknown, age unknown, great maker, powers extensive
Feng-Male, Chinese, 481(looks about 21), afareet, wind, animal form-black hawk
Issy-Female, Nationality Unown, around 1000(Looks around 18),sorceror, telekenisis and other powers
Kitsune-Male, Japanese, around 1000 (looks around 16), afareet, fire, animal form-fox
Nanook-Male, Inuit, around 2000(looks around 21), afareet, ice, animal form-giant polar bear, formerly a powers servant
Nestea-Female, Scandinavian, around 1000 (Looks around 19), afareet, ice, animal form-golden eagle

Powers Servents:
Apepihotep-Male(Ruby’s Father, though she doesn’t know yet),
Arabic, around 3500(looks around 28), afareet, chaos, animal form-large gold dragon

0
0
162

Pentatonikk

in April 29th, 2006 @ 22:20

161(Anata)- A few corrections to the list:
-The MCs are all afareet, not sorcerers. The only sorcerers are Issy, Stella, Zelda, and Hazel as far as I know.

-Athanath, while very powerful, doesn’t use her powers much because it would alert the Powers to where she is. That’s a very bad thing…

-Adela is thirteen, not fourteen. She just had her birthday.

-Why do some of the afareet appear to be aging faster than others? By this count, Feng is younger than Nestea, but looks older.

160(Em)- There’s no password for most of the board. Once you make an account, there’s a password to that. That’s the little password box at the bottom of the screen.

0
0
163

Anata the Great and Powerful

in April 30th, 2006 @ 01:41

Afareet age at different rates, depending on their power level and element. Oh, and something else. Feng appears to be older than Nestea because of the deep persicution of wind and sand afareets by the Powers, not only is thier gene recessive, but they live shorter lives. I can however edit their ages, depending if it goes along with the story or not.
Most of the MC’s are not Afareet. Ruby is half-afreet, the rest have afreet blood, like all sorcerors. (However, they are different from regular sorcerers, so their powers may behave a bit different as well.)

0
0
164

kricket

in April 30th, 2006 @ 11:49

Archell has a cousin?

0
0
165

Anata

in April 30th, 2006 @ 17:47

Archell may have a cousin, but we she is not taking part in this story.

0
0
166

Pentatonikk

in May 10th, 2006 @ 22:11

I think sorcerers are an entirely different class of magic from afareet. Not sure about this, though. After all, no afreet or human looks anything like Issy and Stella do.

May I post a link to the Aebvoraena board? Katreh is currently inactive, so I created another one. If it’s not okay, please just snip the link. However, we do need more members, and some from the original RRR would be very nice.

[…snip… I’m sorry, Pentatonikk, but I’m sticking to the no-links-to-personal-Web-sites policy for now. Hence the snipping. â€” Rosanne]

0
0
167

Jadestone

in May 11th, 2006 @ 15:56

So are we including kokopelli #13’s bit or not?

0
0
168

Pentatonikk

in May 27th, 2006 @ 12:03

167 (Jadestone)- No. We are not.

166 (OEAD-sama)- Aebvoraena is basically Katreh but with a different name, though. Ach weil…

0
0
169

Kuai Zi Angel Pentatonikk

in June 22nd, 2006 @ 17:24

Reading on the side of the homepage? Click here! (Oh, what a shameless RRR plugger am I.)

0
0
170

Ebeth the Stalker

in June 22nd, 2006 @ 17:54

PLUG! PLUG! AH!

Another one? Sheeshers.

0
0
171

Axa

in June 22nd, 2006 @ 18:00

I would totally post here but I get lost and this is never really very…active. Hmm.

-evaporates-

0
0
172

Kuai Zi Angel Pentatonikk

in June 22nd, 2006 @ 19:00

Nooo! Don’t evaporate! *goes to cry in corner* This is why we need a Part 3 thread. I’d even post the version I’ve been editing, and we could try and get some new recruits… *runs off to suggestion box*

0
0
173

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

in June 22nd, 2006 @ 19:43

Your wish is our command: Part 3 now exists. Go in peace.

0
0

Piggy on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???A very merry 'Blogiversary to you, Meow! I guess now you have to get permission for your MB life to continue using its pseudonym. Kidwise, the oldest…
Cat's Meow on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???It's been 18 years to the day since my first post on MuseBlog! My MB life is now a legal adult! Pleased to see all of you who have dropped in lately.…
Cat's Meow on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Also, happy early birthday! (according to the sidebar calendar)
Cat's Meow on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Wow, I'm glad you got to see the eclipse, but that housing situation sounds wild. How old are your kids now?
Cat's Meow on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???re: socializing in-person and making friends I can sincerely recommend Bumble BFF, trivia, and book clubs. I moved to my current city about 15 months…
Piggy on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Hello everyone! I've read all these comments the day (perhaps hour) they were posted, but never managed the gumption to reply to them, sadly ("sadly"…
gimanator on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Salutations! There's a little bit of explanation in the HG2MB (in particular an explanation for the email), but I think the 'blog has shifted a bit in…
gimanator on The Hare & Hedgepig, v. VINever fear, there's always some unexpected comestible about! How about one of these green pastry things? I think they're avocado flavored, but you nev…
gimanator on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???My, what a lovely flurry of activity here! Although I'm a little slow to reply to it, as usual. Funny to see our project as a sort of subject of paleo…
Robert Coontz (Administrator) on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Welcome back, Cat's Eye, and thank you for the fascinating update. (Fun factoid related to Life on the Mississippi: as Piggy noted, my great-great-gra…
Robert Coontz (Administrator) on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Hm. Not exactly. Maybe I'd better let Piggy explain.
Robert Coontz (Administrator) on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Sorry about that! We were besieged by spambots and had to do a lot of preliminary moderating before we could even see your posts. Welcome!
Cat's Eye on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Hello, all! I've had a busy few years since I last dropped in - published a book, wrote a sequel, endured a few rounds of COVID, and got top surgery!…
Sinusoidal Polyglot on Welcome, Neophytes!Hi! I’m new to MB. Can someone explain how this works? It is chaotic compared to CB (Chatterbox) the place I come from originally (tragically it is sh…
Sinusoidal on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Can someone create a guide on how MB works and how to use it and post and all that? What are the kinds of topics MB talks about?
Sinusoidal Polyglot on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Hi! Sinusoidal here! This is my first post on MuseBlog. I come from ChatterBox (See my posts there). If I’m not supposed to give my email, why is it r…
You can call me "Fitzy" on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???I sent a post a few weeks back, but I don't think it was approved. I stumbled across this place a few weeks ago and did some brief digging into it. It…
Piggy on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Hello friends! I've been trying to think of something meaningful to say for the last couple weeks, but nothing quoteworthy has come to mind. When peop…
You can call me "Fitzy" on The Hare & Hedgepig, v. VIAlas, I fear I am too late to assist with this food. Surely it must have spoiled by now? It's a shame. This is a lovely-looking spot, and quite cozy t…
You can call me "Fitzy" on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???I was never a user of this site. Never a user of any blogs or forums on the internet really. Never got the hang of the social internet, and ADD means…
ibcf on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Same problem has kept me away like a pool of flesh eating bacteria, ha. Never mind what I've had to show for myself since; the ignominy of the nonsens…
ZNZ on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???I'm not sure exactly how I ended up back here, but I was so pleasantly surprised to see posts as recent as these last! It makes me happy to think of y…
Piggy on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Well, today marks my 17th 'Blogiversary. Somehow that number, anything less than my current age, sounds too small, as though my self and my MuseBlog s…
Piggy on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???I ought to pick out some Twain to read myself. One of my half-treasured possessions is a dark green hardback set of his works published in the 1930s o…
gimanator on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Now that I'm here, I also have a long overdue thanks for the recommendation of Life on the Mississippi: it was the perfect suggestion. It had been a l…
gimanator on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???Goodness, that's an anagram I haven't seen in a long while! I've been watching for your resurfacing, Piggy. I even (briefly) wondered if the site outa…
Piggy on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???I've realized that since my employer finally made me take a company laptop a few months ago, after a few years of using my personal computer to work f…
Piggy on The Hare & Hedgepig, v. VIIf anyone has an appetite, the wungs are getting impatient at how long it's taking me to eat the loaf of pumpkin bread they've baked to match (in shap…
gimanator on Random Thread: Spring 2023 to ???I'm back for the latest dispatch! I was mistaken about two things: I thought this post would be about two months earlier and I thought I would have fi…
Piggy on The Hare & Hedgepig, v. VIOh dear, they've done milkshakes now. Where did that mop go....

MuseBlog

MB Calendar is Back!

Looking for Something?

Log in Here!

REALLY Random

Recent Comments

Categories

Our Places

Round-Robin ‘Riting, v. 2006.1, part 2

Comments RSS TrackBack 173 comments

Lane the Orange Raisin

Robert Coontz (Administrator)

Jadestone

Jadestone

Zallie

Zallie

Rosanne Spector (Administrator)

Zallie

Anata who finally got HG2TG and Februrary Muse

Phoebe

Phoebe

Zallie

Jadestone

Zallie

Jadestone

TigerLotus

Queen Julietaini or Queenie (J), and Alternate Selves Rhonda, Stig, and Ikol

kricket

Zallie

WatermelonStars

Phoenix

Phoenix

Em

Sphinx

Queen Julietaini or Queenie (J), and Alternate Selves Rhonda, Stig, and Ikol

Zallie

Zallie

Sphinx

Sphinx

Zallie

Zallie

Violetfire

Violetfire

Zallie

Violetfire

Violetfire

Violetfire

Zallie

Zallie

Phoenix

Phoenix

Rosanne Spector (Administrator)

Zallie

Sphinx

Zallie

Phoenix

Zallie

Jadestone

Phoenix

kricket

Mer and Mre

Queen Julietaini or Queenie (J), and Alternate Selves Rhonda, Stig, and Ikol

Pentatonikk (RRF)

Anata who finally got HG2TG and Februrary Muse

Pentatonikk (RRF)

kricket

Jadestone

Pentatonikk (RRF)

kricket

Zallie

Violetfire

kricket

Phoenix

Sphinx

Phoenix

kricket

Phoenix

Phoenix

Anata who does not feel like adding anything to her name

Zallie