Young Writers Society

Riley
Phoenix, Arizona

I was sprawled out on my Victorian style sofa when I saw one of my many donor servants walk in. She looked calm. But I could feel the nervousness coming from her mind.

"Sarah Arceus is here to see you, master," she said, her voice trying to stay calm.

I sat upright with quick speed. "Let her in," I said and she left without saying another word. I

I leaned back in the couch and waited until I saw Sarah's figure in the doorway. I gave her gentle, friendly smile.

Sarah Arceus
Phoenix, Arizona

Riley was smiling when I walked in. Apart from Raegan, Riley was my only contact to the Vampire Colonies. He was from the Victorian era, no doubt about it. The style of the mansion- inside and outside- says it all.
I said, "Well well well, if it isn't Riley. Still wearing the Victorian fasions, I see. You never cease to amaze me. My father sends his regards." I sat down on a nearby chair and crossed my legs. "I'm worried about Zen. Have you seen him lately, amigo?"
Riley frowned and said, "Not that I know of, Sarah. As far as my donors know, Zen's possibly in New Orleans getting drunk. You know as well as I do that he does that more often than not."
I sighed. My hunch was right. Riley's donors were not known to tell lies to him. If a liar was found, Riley lets me have the pleasure to kill the liar. I always enjoyed a good chase before the kill. I said, "I already sent a friend out to retrieve him. The person I sent is one of your kind, but from the Underworld Colony. Knowing her, she's probably on her way with Zen passed out in her arms. The person I sent is called Raegan, by the way."

Lester Shiva
New Orleans, Lousiana

In any normal situation, I could've said that it hurts. However, since I got ratted out by a human and my family was insulted by an Assassin vampire, I could hold the dragon in no more. An unmanageable, brutish lot?! That just crossed the line. As my blood boiled over, I changed into a black dragon and growled, "Alright, pal. You asked for it."
Zenkile said, "I think you pissed him off, chica. He doesn't look too happy about what you just said." He came up to me and put his hand on my hind leg.
I had to admit, the boy had some nerve to stand before an angry dragon. Suddenly a calming power came over me, forcing me to settle down. I knew it was Zenkile's doing, but it was too late for me to fight it off. As I returned to my human form, I felt sleepy and had no choice but to pass out. I just laid down on the ground and fell asleep.

Zenkile Celebi
New Orleans, Louisiana

The dragon shifted back to his human form and just passed out on the ground. I took his legs and Fira lift him by the arms. I grunted and said, "Damn, this guy's heavy. What's his bones made of? Bricks? I never thought I would see a bona fide shapeshifter that pissed off."
Fira whispered, "Better keep your voice down, Zen. I think he's sleeping."
I snapped, "He is sleeping, Fira." I looked at his face. His eyelids were fluttering like butterflies. "Well, I'll be damned. He's been asleep for measely seconds and he's already dreaming. I wonder what he's dreaming about?"
The three of us were walking for a good hour when he started writhing around. Fira stated, "I think he's having a nightmare. Most people writhe when having nightmares."
I said lazily, "I'm not a preschool boy, Fira. I know that. My questions are what kind of nightmare is he having and why is he having it at a time like this?"

Raegan Millhan | New Orleans

"What do we care?" Raegan shot back at the other two. "As soon as we get back to Phoenix the better." The others turned around to look at her, as if surprised she was still there; Zenkile blinked at her while the other coughed to herself. Raegan glared back. "Well, don't act surprised!"

"Who are you?" Zenkile murmured. "I don't remember having seen you before."

"No, of course you don't, you dolt. My job is to kick you back to Phoenix, but your cooperation is highly appreciated." Raegan sneered. "I expect Sarah won't be very pleased with what you did. I wouldn't be so smug if I were you."

"Sarah...?

Zenkile Celebi

Although I hated being snapped at, the name Sarah being mentioned in a sentence meant I was in a heap of trouble. Suddenly it hit me. Because I ran away from Phoenix, Sarah must've sent one of her contacts from the Dark World to retrieve me. Knowing Sarah, I was in for a very nasty surprise. I gulped and mumbled, "Sarah, as much as I love you, I really hate it when you send someone else to do your job." I looked at Fira. "Help me get this guy to Phoenix. Maybe Pops can yell at this guy instead of me for once."
The guy- Shiva, his surname was- writhed again, this time struggling like he was bound by ropes and couldn't escape. He moaned and groaned as he writhed. Whatever nightmare he was having, it was horrible as hell.
Fira said nervously, "Whatever he's dreaming about, I think it's starting to scare him out of his wits."
I said calmly, "No, Fira. I've seen my father like this before. From what I saw, nightmares get worse if you see the same one every time you go to sleep. I think Shiva's had this nightmare so many times, he's afraid of going to sleep. Let's just hope he doesn't panic before we get to the Silver Panther." I chuckled a little. "And let's hope she doesn't lose her fury on us before Shiva wakes up with a bang."

Ariadne

I made good speed on the way back to the city, travelling on my well muscled cheetah legs. There's no better way to move, seriously. Just feeling the power of those strong muscles contracting and releasing like rubber bands. Amazing. As much as I love the panther for her grace and power, when you want speed, no other cat will satisfy. So anyway, I was feeling a bit hungry since I've been running back and forth all day and I'll spare you the gruesome details but yes, there are now a few more animal corpses in the woods.

It was night by the time I got back to the city and I thought about just getting some rest and tracking the Shiva down in the morning. His trail had gone a bit stale you see and he wasn't in the city anymore. He'd been gone half a day at least, probably within an hour of my leaving him. But then. I found a fresh scent. It crawled up my nostrils and swept through my lungs. Elf. I wasn't sure if it was the same one but certainly the same tribe and he smelled like he'd spent at least a day in the city, maybe longer. I wonder what I smelled like. Human? I spent so much time around their cities and it was half my blood afterall. But. The smell of shapeshifters was so much stronger than that of humans so maybe my shapeshifter side overcame it? That would be interesting to know.

So then, this elf. I followed the trail and it wasn't long before it led to a tavern. Strange. An elf sleeping in a tavern was so unheard of. I slipped inside and then out again, through the back door. Ah. And there he was. He was sitting with his back turned to me, his blonde hair blowing in the wind. He'd discarded his coat - it was folded over the wall beside him - and his appearance more readily matched his scent. His shoulders were slim and his clothing was stretched taut over his ropey muscles. I took a step closer.

"If you're going to sit down you should get it over with already. Stop skulking." I smiled to myself and went along with it, swinging my legs over to sit on the wall beside him.

"How do I smell?" I asked, copying his bluntness.

"Bad. Your kind stink worse than the humans. What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" I asked, throwing his own words back at him.

Zenkile Celebi

Shiva's constant writhing made walking very hard to do. Twice Fira insisted we just leave him in the woods, but I refused that. Whatever nightmare Shiva was having, it was getting worse by the minute. He murmured in his sleep, "I don't want it. Just let me suffer. Dammit, just let me die outside where I belong." Every so often I heard him mumble in another language that I couldn't make out.
I said calmly, "I don't know where he's from, but whatever language he's talking in is starting to get on my nerves."
The short girl asked agitatedly, "Could somebody please get that guy to shut up?" She didn't like the way Shiva was talking in his sleep. It's almost like she hated the likes of him.
I answered, "He'll probably shut himself up any minute now. Knowing most Shiva shapeshifters, they calm themselves down whenever they have a nightmare."

*EDITED 3*
hope it's okay

Name: Stephen Valentine

Age: 19

Race: Witch

Appearance:

Personality: He is well trained, but he has never before been on an actual mission. He is very careful. He won't do anything until he's sure it will work, but he knows that some things cannot wait(such as if he saw a unique opportunity to get close to his target). However, he may get overconfident. He has excellent control over his body language.

Power: He Is very powerful with electricity and has good control over electronics. Has some firestarting abilities, but not at any distance. Pretty much it's just setting himself or whatever he's holding on fire to use as a weapon. This will not harm the object.

Combat skill or weapon: prefers the dagger., and uses his electric shocks as a multipurpose weapon. For example, he can stop you heart with it, he can render you unconscious, and he can "taser" you.

History: His family is closely allied with an old wealthy vampire, who is a member of the faction that were opposed to the peace treaty. They hate the elves, and would give almost anything to see them destroyed. His mother is Maia Valentine, the one who negotiated the Treaty of Nanaimo after the Dogwood massacre, in which an entire sanctuary of dogwood elves was destroyed, with no survivors. One of the provisions of this treaty is that all Elves are to stay within 5 miles of their sanctuaries. She is also responsible for the 'unfortunate accident' that led to the death of the elven delegate. The vampires involved in the Dogwood massacre were executed. Their operation is very secret. As soon as you take on an assignment, you are alone. Anyone who is caught is immediately ostracized. They must be thought to be acting completely on their own to avoid public suspicion. His family is very rich, and he always had the best tutors, even if his parents were often away on business. His father died when three years ago.

Dwelling: He resides at a private residence near the University of Phoenix, where he studies robotics and engineering. However, his mother lives at their family estate in Concord, New Hampshire.

Main Targets: Lester. They know who he is and would frame the elves. As the lost Shiva, there are the remaining loyals who would fight to avenge him, and Akasha wouldn't hesitate to declare war on those who killed her lover.

Zenkile Celebi

Shiva was very hard to keep still as the rest of us carried him to Phoenix. I often switched sides with Fira, just to keep ourselves busy. Shiva continued to moan and groan or mumble in a foreign language. I asked, "Fira, do you know what the hell he's saying?"
Fira answered, "I don't have a clue what he's saying. This language is old and hardly anybody speaks it. Not to mention only a small few even took the time to study it. All I can make out is 'mother' and 'traitor.' Whatever the nightmare he's having, it's obiviously has something to do with his past. Either that or something else."
I could hold it back no more. "We'll have to ask Sarah," I stated. "She's the expert at dead languages. If there's anyone I know who can understand and speak dead languages, it's Sarah." Suddenly I recalled a certain history lesson she gave me. "Fira, could you tell me what you know about Serenity Shiva?"

Sarah Arceus
Phoenix, Arizona
Riley's mansion

I decided to have a little adventure in Riley's mansion while I waited for Raegan to show up with Zen. As far as I knew about Zen, he probably decided to pick a fight with her. That was always Zen's mistake when faced by a girl. However, I looked in the mirror and saw someone different. My reflection had feral eyes, almost like those of a dragon. Every time I look at myself in the mirror, I see another woman instead of my own face. She smiled at me and often teased my hair. Whoever she was, it somehow scared me out of my wits. I whispered to my reflection, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
The woman on the mirror answered calmly, "I am what the witches created for another creature, child. I'm the one whose resemblence you bear. Soon you will meet my son. He will assume you are me because you remind him of me."
I asked, "What is your son's name?"
The woman smiled at me and answered, "He will tell you himself, when he sees you."

Kirun:

Well this was amusing to say the least.

"What am I doing here?" I asked, raising my hand to my lips in mock concentration before replying in an expressionless manner. "Living, I suppose."

"Thats not exactly what I meant by the question," she replied. Her eyes were quick. They did not display any form of emotion which was discerning in any case. It was not easy to understand someone if they guarded themselves so easily.

"As you cannot discern the meaning from my words," I stated.

"A more subtle answer would be to say nothing at all," she said. Her amusement was visible in the quick smirk she let slip.

I stared at her for a few seconds before resting my hand against my hip. It was chilly out still but I did not want to wear my coat. It was nice not having to wear it all the time. "If you must know, I merely did not want to spend my time doing what I have always done. I wanted to live."

"So you call this living, eh?" she asked, her reply quite snarky. "Living in a tavern. Surrounding yourself with humans. Doing nothing of any consequence. Sure sounds like living to me."

I knew her words were the truth. Leaving the Willow elves had been something I took great pleasure in doing, thinking that this world would hold so much more for me than the one before it. Why wouldn't it? There were no ghastly rules to follow. Nothing really being expected of me. This would be the life I had always dreamed. Yet here I was, alone and unabashed, surviving on ridiculous jobs and meaningless tasks. This was not the grand adventure I expected. My life had, in all honesty, turned to what I had feared it would become by staying. Ironic, really.

"Things don't always work the way we plan them," she murmured. Her voice was a little less mocking. Not quite enough to put me at ease, but the sincerity may or may not have been there.

"I can attest greatly to that."

Sarah Arceus
Phoenix, Arizona
Riley's mansion

It took me half an hour to make sure I didn't lose my head. I still found it hard to believe that I was talking to a different person in the mirror. I kept this locked up in my mind, acutely aware of Riley's power of reading minds. Although he and Raegan were the first vampires I knew as friends, I couldn't trust them with any of my secrets. Already I had enough trouble with Raegan because I never paid her for favors and twice I had to let her nip me as a penence. Of course, Riley always get the blame for me being nipped. I sat down near the fireplace and turned into a silver panther to take a cat nap- pardon the pun, heh heh.

Lester Shiva
Age 3, 14th century Ireland

I followed Mother and Father to an old manor in Ireland. Both my parents were taking me to see a relative for the first time since my birth. Father warned, "Now behave yourself, my son, or no play dates for a week. This is your cousin that you're about to meet."
I asked, "Cousin?" I was still too young to know family relations.
Mother answered, "Yes, child. Cousin. He's your father's nefew. You need to know what younger Shiva look like. This is your chance to know your father's side of the clan."
I clutched my doll close to my chest, still unsure what to say. The whole idea of "extended family" never sank in. As for my doll, I never left home without her. I named her Serenity, after my mother. My doll looked a little like my mother, but bronze with blue eyes. I loved Serenity, the same way I still love my parents. I hid behind Mother when I saw a redhead boy. Poking my head out from Mother's side, I said timidly, "Hi."
Father chuckled and said, "Lester, this is your cousin Artemis. Artemis, this is my son Lester."
Artemis glared at me and said rudely, "He's just a pipsqueak, uncle."
Father said sternly, "Now, you be nice to him. He's only three years old since last moon. He's just a little shy, that's all."
Mother soothed, "Go ahead, Lester. Why don't you show your cousin your doll?"
I gulped and went to Artemis nervously, still clutching Serenity to my tiny chest. I took a breath, and slowly handed her to Artemis. I asked nervously, "D-d-d-do you wanna play with me?"
Instead of answering, Artemis crushed Serenity's head with his left hand. He said darkly, "No. I don't play with dolls."
I started crying as I gathered up the pieces of Serenity's head. I couldn't stop myself from bawling like a baby.
Father said strictly, "Now look what you did, Artemis. You hurt your cousin's feelings by destroying his first childhood toy. It took me and his mother a week to build that doll." His voice was powerful, as all kings of the clan were.
Mother picked me up and clutched my head against her breast. She said soothingly, "Don't cry, son. We'll fix your doll. Your father and I will make her as good as new."

Zenkile Celebi
Present day
Almost three miles from Phoenix

I checked Shiva and saw tears running down his face. I asked Fira, "What's Shiva's problem now?"
Fira answered, "I don't know. He was like that for the last ten minutes. All I can make out of what he's saying in his sleep were 'cousin,' 'mother,' 'father,' and 'doll.' I think he's remembering something from his childhood. The word 'doll' keeps coming up every two minutes. I think he used to play with dolls as a child."
I chuckled. A dude playing with dolls?! That's just flat-out silly. Looking at Shiva's waist, I noticed there was a small sack tied to his belt. I carefully took the sack off Shiva's snakeskin belt and emptied the contents. All that was in the sack was a small doll. It looked familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Putting the doll back in the sack, I carefully returned the sack and the doll in it to Shiva's belt. I murmured, "Damn, Shiva. I can't believe you played with dolls when you were a kid. How could you handle the ridicule that comes with?"
Fira giggled and said, "I smell jealousy coming out of your pores."
I snapped, "I'm not jealous of Shiva."