Young Writers Society

Zina | Gym

She and Anakin were keeping themselves busy in the gym. Or at least Zina was. Anakin looked like he was meditating on something, his lips barely moving and his chest slowly heaving. Zina knew why Anakin was like this. Ever since their near-failed mission four months ago with a witch, Anakin was very upset with himself and couldn't cut himself some slack. He hardly ate anything for a week, then resumes the daily rite. Zina tried to cheer him up, but he was hard to cheer up in his state of depression. As far as Zina knew, Anakin was being hard on himself. Zina walked up to him and asked, "How about some practice?"
Anakin opened his eyes and answered, "Gladly." He became a black dagger and went to Zina's waiting hand.
For a good twenty minutes they practiced their fighting skills. Cheshire walked in the gym, seemingly in a mood that Zina knew too well. Although she wanted to talk to her, Zina decided to give Cheshire some space.
Anakin became his normal self, then asked, "What's the Cheshire Cat's problem?"
Zina answered, "I have no idea, but I think it's best we leave her alone. She doesn't look like she's in a listening mood." After this, Zina and Anakin resumed their practice.

Prima Pierce | Mission Board

I tilted my head as I examined the mission board, Dono right beside me. There were some missions completed, some pending, and many free. I bit my lip as I tried to decide which one to pick, then remembered that Dono was with me. How could I forget the opinion of my Meister?! Very impolite, Rima. I turned to Dono, who was also looking at the mission board.

"Do you want to do a mission?" I asked. Dono squinted at the board, and I heard some sighs behind me. I turned around to see some students staring at Dono, sighing. I rolled my eyes and turned around. Their mothers didn't teach them anything, did they? I thought to myself. Dono chuckled, making me arch an eyebrow.

"Well?" I asked.

"Why're you asking me?" he answered. What? What does he mean by that?

"Because, if I just chose one, I couldn't just drag you along with me, very impolite, wouldn't it be?" I answered. Dono sighed, with a hint of a huff, and rolled his eyes. He shoved his hands in his pocket and looked at me doubtfully, earning more sighs from the students. I sighed.

"Shoot me now," I muttered.

(Hope this was okay Noir! )

Vlad - DWMA's hallways

"But what if something happens to you?! We are your partners, why can't we participiate?!" Maria complains to me with Catherina repeating her famous "Yeah!" as we walk in academy's hallway. I understand their point and they make me smile, making me happy I'm so lucky to have partners that care for me, but my pride's on the line, I have to do it myself. It can't be different.

"Beating them myself without you is the best way I can proove my second class rank to all the first class students, that do not believe in my abilities. Let me handle this, please. Once it's over, I'll get you both an ice cream or something, okay?" I feel like treating small kids while they're both just 2 years younger, but I do not know any other way to try and convince them this one time. My social knowledge is bad as it is.

"Hmph." They both cross their arms in complete resemblance and look away. I'm so happy to have them I can't help but to laugh a bit and pat their heads, making them look at me with a "give up" expression.

"I'll make it worth your while. Lemon and mint ice cream works, right?" Their genuine smile, that probably only I know, is more than enough to make living worthwhile for me. Confident in myself I continue walking towards DWMA's backyard, where the duel is to take place.

DWMA's backyard

The initial noise of sarcastic comments and cheers for a young first class pair trully annoys the heck out of me. I stand in a circle, surrounded by a mass of students. To my right stands professor Stein with a poker-face expression like if this is an everyday event. A few meters in front of me stands my ex-classmate with a king's look. I sure nicknamed him 'Hopeless hero' for a reason - he's always had that look and failed so often it's actually sad. His weapon's a silver longsword, rather beautiful, but not any less hopeless than him.

"You know the rules, there's nothing to discuss. Just get over it quick, I have researches pending." Stein tells both of us in an annoyed voice.

"Don't worry, professor. I'll make his humiliation worth everybody's while. You think you're so great, that you don't even need weapons against me? I'll make sure you realize what a mistake you've done. You hear me, Vlad? I'll proove everybody you're a cheater! Nobody here has become a second class in just one year, it's too fishy and I'll proove that!" He continues on and on, what he says immediately leaves through my second ear. I don't give a damn about his gibberish, but I'm too corteous to disrupt his almighty speech.

Judging by the crowd's approval I guess I'll make his humiliation worth even more if he so desires, and I'd do so with a bored face. I wait for Stein's hand mark to start.

Stein signs start.

Instead of waiting for him to strike or use anything I charge first, using all my strength for the fastest approach. He must be so surprised by my speed he immediately prepares the sword to block, but that doesn't concern me. My body is dense and he is going to feel it. I twist my arm as I punch the sword for maximal impact, forcing my hand through as I lean forward.

The eventual impact is so powerful it sends both him and his weapon flying backwards, hitting the crowd. All the annoying noise untill now vanishes. Silence before the storm.

Remaining silent all the time I deny my hearing and fully focus on finding Anna's and Catherina's faces in the crowd as I jump from one shocked face to another. I have nothing to say nor care about, today's incident is one of many I've gone through. It's useless to discuss it or try to do anything, I just want to leave and of course buy the ice creams.

Dono | Bulletin

"I'm not really interested in going on a mission right now," he mumbled, shooting a spare glance at Rima. "That is, unless you really want to go."

"Ugh, you are impossible sometimes, you know that?" Rima stomped and turned her back on him. "Now I'm not in the mood anymore." She started walking away, but Dono didn’t make any attempt to call after her--she’d come around sooner or later, so he didn’t really need to worry about that. “Call me when you ARE interested, by the way!”

He’d never call.

He glanced back at the bulletin. It was the same old jobs, same old. Go out, get a Kishin egg, bury it so it can’t help itself to any other human souls. He was tired of doing this, frankly. Over and over and over again. By rights he was probably on his 200th-plus something--Kishin egg.

“Hey Reina. Do you think I’m gonna get up to second-star this time around?” Silence reigned, apart from the few squealing fan-girls that he never noticed. “Yeah, I thought not as well. That girl doesn’t really know, does she, what a real witch is like? But you and me...” He let himself smile--but it wasn’t a happy smile. Bitterness flavoured the entire expression on his face. “We both know what it’s like.”

“Omigosh, it’s DONO.”

“Will you go out on a date with me, puhleaseee?”

The fangirls swarmed in, and he looked around, nonplussed. “What the hell--?”

After half an hour, he somehow extricated himself out of that throng and leaned against a wall in some dark hallway, sobbing. “I swear, one of these days those girls will really trap me in and starve me to death. Why do they all hate me so much?”

“That Shea, he is such a--oh my go--” A purple-headed sweaty girl had stopped in front of him. She smiled lopsidedly and stumbled a step, her eyes not leaving Dono’s. “H-hi. I’m Cheshire, I don’t think we’ve met.” She let out an odd, quiet laugh and continued to smile down at him with that creepy expression.

He blinked at her. “Yeah...hi...” Another blink. And then a bewildered expression. “You’re not out to kill me like that swarm, are you?!”

“...What? Why would I--” The girl giggled airily. “--Do that? We’ve just met.”

He inched away from her ever so slowly, sliding across the wall. “I...I have a class to go to. BYE.” Saying so, he took off in the opposite direction, leaving the girl making googly eyes at him.

Cheshire | The Gym, then the Halls

The gym was perfect for blowing off steam, even when you were supposed to be taking it easy so you wouldn’t rip your stitches. Which Cheshire had heard was pretty dang painful. She pulled on a pair of fingerless gloves and began pounding away at the punching bag, if the punching bag had been a real person it could have told you she was hurting herself more than it, but alas-- it was not.

She gave up and threw the gloves to a random corner of the supply room, since she had only managed to work up a sweat and not blow off any actual anger she decided to take a walk. On her way out of the gym she nodded to Zina and Anakin, a great pair that she had the honor of talking to a few times.

“Stupid Shea,” she mumbled, kicking her feet at the ground before stuffing her hands in her pockets. “That Shea, he is such an--ohmygo--” She stopped short when she had suddenly looked up at the face of the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen.

Blue wasn’t exactly Cheshire’s favorite color, but it seemed to work on him. He seemed so interesting, in a totally cold ‘I don’t really care’ way. Ches was breathless.

“H-hi. I’m Cheshire, I don’t think we’ve met.” She couldn’t push away the bubbly feeling in the pit of her stomach.

He stared at her oddly, blinking a few times. “Yeah... Hi...” She mentally kicked herself and reminded herself that she needed to be cool. “You’re not out to kill me like that swarm, are you?!”

She stared at him for a moment, not quite registering what he had said. “...What? Why would I--” He gave her another odd look, bringing back the bubbly feeling and making her giggle, “--Do that? We’ve just met.”

He started retreating, Ches mentally kicked herself twice as hard for not being cool enough. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when he suddenly scrambled to his feet.

“I...I have a class to go to. BYE.”

She sighed longingly as he booked it down the hallway, then physically smacked herself in the forehead a few times, muttering ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ under her breath as she turned down the hall towards the front entrance, she needed to go see her mother.

Shea | Front entrance

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

Shea lurked behind a pillar, observing Ches very, very carefully. So far she’d come out of the gym, then ran into that boy--Dono, wasn’t his name?--and now was going out...somewhere. She looked heavily disappointed that she scared off the boy.

Personally, he was glad. If someone like that actually took a liking to her, he’d never gain back her favour. Ever. And he so did want to regain it again...so he had been following her for a while. Others would call it stalking, but he termed it “an effort necessary to rebuilding our resonance”.

Quite a mouthful it was.

Ches went down the main street, then turned to the left-- disappearing down another street. Before long, she stopped in front of the last house on the little unsuspecting block. Shea followed close behind her--she looked around, then rang the bell several times. Once...twice...thrice...and the door opened with a BANG!

“CHESHIRE!” Hiccup. “YOU came to SEE ME.” The woman hiccuped and leaned forwards, sweeping Ches into her...very...abundant...bosom. Shea was starting to go red at the sight of it. “I LOFFLE YOU.” Saying so, she swooned (it seemed she swooned, at least) into the house, not even bothering to close the door behind her.

Shea rubbed his hands and crept up the porch, slowly, slowly entering, making sure not a single footstep could be heard. A loud burst of drunken song greeted him as he entered, and just as he was about to enter the living room--which seemed lonely--he found himself wrapped up, his face plastered into a woman’s chest...for the second time that week.

“HELLO.”

Prima Pierce | Outside of DWMA

I let out an annoyed huff as I walked on the grounds of the school. Dono, what's the matter with him? He is... What's the word? It's on the tip of my tongue... Oh yes, a jerk! Why couldn't Lord Death pair me up with someone I can actually get along with? I sighed and crouched on the ground. Where's Nate anyways? I stood back up and look around. I sighed when I figured that no one was there.

After a few minutes if letting out steam, I went back inside. I began to search for Dono. Ugh, where is he? I crossed my arms and stopped for a minute. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and turned around.

"'Sup sis?" Nate asked. I arched an eyebrow and turned around.

"Rejected much?" he continued. I turned around to see Andy beside him, arms crossed.

"Have you seen Dono?" I asked. "We have Professor Sid next." Nate and Andy glanced at each other.

"We saw him being hoarded by girls again," Andy answered. I rolled my eyes and nodded again. I ran back to the mission board, where we last saw eachother. I noticed a swarm of girls at the mission board, but no sign of Dono. I huffed and decided to go to Professor Sid's class, in hopes of seeing Dono. Even though he has an attitude like that, he's still my Meister. I walked into Professor Sid's class, and immediately noticed blue hair. Dono. I sat beside him, making sure that I wasn't facing him. I found him, yet I'm still mad at him.

(Hope this is okay! )

Cheshire | Her mother’s house

Cheshire stared wide-eyed at her mother and then at Shea. In her mind, she was screaming in shock and horror. Shea had just walked in on a visit with her mom, just before they were going to slip out to practice magic in the desert. To top that, her mother’s witch circle wasn’t exactly hidden-- in fact it was in plain sight in the living room.

She ducked in front of it as Shea pried away from her mother’s drunken-motherly love. “Oh- hi Shea. What the hell are you doing here?” She put her arms up behind her head, trying to cover up as much of that blasted circle as she could.

“Re-establishing our resonance. Behind you, is that...?” He stared.

She felt her face go pale. “It’s nothing! Nothing at all, and nothing to see here!”

“Oh my...effing...WHO DREW THAT? It’s ASYMMETRICAL.” He gawked even more.

She let her arms hang loose and gave him one of those ‘are you kidding me?’ looks. Bannita let out another drunken laugh and grabbed a bottle of colorful liquid from the coffee table, downing half of it in one go. Ches’ eyes danced between the two.

“What did I do to deserve this?” she asked, looking up at the ceiling-- more so through the ceiling and into the heavens. “I came to Death City for a normal life... this isn’t normal.” She sighed and grabbed Shea by the collar with her good arm, “Time for you to leave, I’m visiting with my... mom.”

“Wait. Wait. WAIT. Am I seeing a--is that a --what is something like that doing in Death City!?”

Bannita hopped over and draped herself over the shoulders of the two, smiling and laughing. “Isn’t it obvious? Silly kid.” She snorted and giggled again, “It’s a witch circle! Chessy helped me draw it, didn’t you baby girl?”

It’s said Cheshire’s eyes grew ten times their natural size that day. “It’s lies! All lies, Shea. I had nothing to do with this!” Shea was still gawping at it, as if he was unable to hear what she was saying.

Bannita pulled away from the two and skipped over to her closet, then pulled out the duffel bag. With one swift movement she pulled Ches’ hat from the bag and plopped it down on her head. She had made it herself, when Ches first showed interest in magic. Blood, sweat and tears went into sewing the purple cat ears on the over sized witch’s hat-- mostly blood because Banni was often too drunk to sew properly.

“Shea, this isn’t what it looks like. I-I can explain.”

“I just have one question for you...” He turned around and stared at her, looking serious. “Are you planning to do anything to DWMA?”

Ches blinked, a little taken back. “Why would I?-- I love the DWMA, why would I do anything to harm it?” She flipped off the hat and turned it over in her hands.

“I suppose I’ll just have to take your word for it then...since witches are supposed to be the natural enemy of the DWMA. But I suppose your mum doesn’t look like she’d be much of one.”

Silas - Bedroom

He knew he was being childish. Maybe that's why he continued to do so.

Latona had let him be after their little debacle in the dining room, which as much as he had basked in the fact that he was alone again, he still wished she would have followed. That off pang of 'why didn't you follow?' sounded off every so often, making him curl up tighter under his sheets.

Get a grip, Silas. You're like a twelve year old girl..

In any case, the night had passed and the morning came without so much as a few words having gone between them. When Latona knocked on his door to signal leaving, he merely responded with a "I'm not feeling good." And let her leave without him for the first time since they became partners.

"I don't know what I'm doing," he mumbled, flicking his eyes towards the little bird who was slowly pecking apart sunflower seeds with a quick, deft diligence. He merely flicked his little head up, back and forth, then back down in the most jittery, bird-like manner.

He rolled over, turning his eyes towards the wall now. A white-washed wall with not even the distraction of a couple band posters to cover up the blandness that was it. And it was bland, like everything else in his room. Clean, white, and immaculately boring.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, then curled up tighter as he did so, wondering if he could simply mold into himself. The headache that resonated through his head only seemed to make everything worse, which really wasn't a far cry from what he had expected of himself. Oh how the mighty have fallen, his father would say. Not that father ever mean't anything cruel even if the words left a horrid pang in the back of Silas' throat.

"I made a mistake, didn't I?" he asked, though to know one. Maybe to himself. He simply felt like stating it. "And I should go make it up to her."

He pushed himself up slowly, stretching out his sore, scrunched muscles that had strained to keep him so tightly wound.

"Yes, I'll make it up to her. Somehow."

Shea | In Bannita’s house

“But I suppose your mum doesn’t look like she’d be much of one.”

Ches looked huffy, but seemed relieved as well. She slumped over, then put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean by re-establing--resblishing--oh whatever it was! What did you mean by that?”

Shea scratched his chin innocently. “Oh, that? That’s nothing. And...” he turned around the room, his eyebrow visibly twitching. “Why is this place so unsymmetrical?!”

Ches sighed and pressed the bridge of her nose between her thumb and fore-finger “Is that really all you’re ever going to worry about? C’mon mom, let’s go.”

“Hey, where are you going?! Take meeee with youuuu!” The moon laughed at them as they walked out of the house, Shea suddenly attached to Ches’s shoulders...for the third time that day.

“Shea, you’re hurting me. I swear to Death if you rip my stitches I’ll use my witchy powers on you.”

“That’s okayyyy.” He hugged her even tighter. “Because now I have you back!”

“What was that?”

“Nooooothing.”

Anakin | Anakin and Zina's Dormroom

Zina was already in his hammock, but Anakin couldn't sleep. He had the sense that something was out there, waiting paitently for the right moment to strike. This instinct was the only thing that got Zina nearly killed four months ago. A strong witch almost had both Zina and Anakin in hot water when Anakin jumped in front of the witch and thrusted his dagger-self through her, claiming the witch and sparing Zina. Lord Death was impressed of Anakin's courage, but disappointed on the near-falied attempt to do what was a Second Star's mission. After Zina left for bed, Anakin stayed behind and promised Lord Death that he won't make that near-fatal mistake again. Since then, Anakin wasn't willing to go on missions that are for higher class. Although he and Zina like a good challenge, after the near-fatal gamble that he made, Anakin started to trust his instinct less.
He laid there in bed, staring at the ceiling and feeling restless. He knew he couldn't sleep with this instinct bugging him, but he didn't attempt a gamble like he did last time. After that time his gamble almost costed him his Meister, he decided that his gambles would be the Death of him and Zina.