The Effidice

LAKISHA

I sighed. "Alright. I hate talking about it, though." I cleared my throat just to add to the story-telling effect. "You ready children?" I asked in my best granny-voice.

Stella laughed and nodded. "Let's hear it."

I sighed again and started. "It was around a year ago now. My parents were both trying to force me into marriage to some brute with tight abs and lots of money. In my eyes he was ugly, deceitful and just disgusting. He was using me for my body." I paused for a second, waiting for any questions. There were none, so I continued. "Anyways, one night I was walking around the village with Claw. Just sorta one of my nightly strolls. I used to have them all the time."

"You still do," Kalayn reminded me.

"Okay you little stalker, let her finish!" Stella scolded. "Go on."

"He was out cutting wood and he must have spotted me, despite my plots to avoid him at all costs. He dragged me into the woods and...tried some funny stuff." It was much too awkward a moment to say the actual word with Kalayn and Eli so close. "I started trying to fight him and he brought out his daggar." I pointed at my scar. "And that's how that happened."

Both of their eyes went wide. "That's horrible Lakisha!" Stella stated the obvious.

"Is he here with us?" Kalayn demanded.

I chuckled. "He's not here at all."

"You killed him?!" They both cried out in unison.

I chuckled again. "Oh good Lord no. He had me pinned againt a tree and Claw bit him. He flipped out and instead of listening to me he went into shock. The venom spread quickly and he died." Not that I was unhappy about that... "Simple as that. It's been sort of hard for me to trust men in a serious relationship ever since." Claw put his head under my hand and I stroked his long body absently, fighting back my emotions. It was such a horrible memory...

STELLA

"At least with me as your friend you will certainly know if he come back to haunt you..." I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. I got three weak smiles in return. "Lakisha, just know that at least one other girl here knows how you feel, sort of." I said smiling coyly and Eli.

"What do you mean? Your pet killed a brutish man too?" she chuckled.

I laughed, "No, my story isn't quite as exciting."

Kalayan

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, Stella," I said, grinning. "We're already having storytelling time now, why don't you just join in?"

STELLA

"Mine is no where near as interesting as any of yours, but meh, I'll tell you anyways." I said. "My father and mother were young loves, they fell in love when they were teenagers and married quite young. When my mom became pregnant with me they were so happy, but there were problems during the pregnancy. My mom was warned to terminate...well...me. But she didn't. She made the wrong choice, I costed her her own life. She died in childbirth. Ever since I was born I know my father has resented me," I had started to cry, "I killed his one true love. All my life I have grown up in a loveless home with an abusive father. I don't know what love feels like, and the only man in my life hated me. Now try and tell me that didn't mess me up just a little?"

Lakisha was at my side and in instant, "Aren't we all a little messed up though?" she said.

Kalayan

We all had a story. I realized that was the one thing that fit- we all had tragic pasts of some sort that pulled us together.

"I'm sorry Lakisha, Stella," I said quietly.

"Eh, it's alright..." Lakisha said, trying to fake being cheerful.

STELLA

"I'm sorry Lakisha, Stella." said Kayalan quietly.

Lakisha forced a smile, "Eh, it's alright..."

Eli spoke for the first time in a while, "Does anyone else have the feeling that the people who brought us here know that our powers are not the only thing that we hae in common?"

"You think they know all about our backgrounds?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said, "They knew it would bring us together in a way."

I knew we were all thinking the same thing, so I just said it. "What do you think they have planned for us?" I asked.

Kalayan

"To experiment. Then to see who's useful and get us to join them."

Everyone stared at me.

"It's just a theory," I said with a shrug. "People like this could always use people with skills like ours."

Sorry, it's been a while, but SAT 2's are coming up and I've been studying like hell.

Cain

The world looked grainy when I opened my eyes again.

"Cain, come here, please."

Who had said that? Apparently, my body knew. It got up and started walking towards the back walk of the room, Eli's room. My hand touched a dent in the wall. And then the wall shifted down.

I swear, I would've screamed if I could. There, behind the wall, the metal creature. It stared brazenly at me. Run, Cain, run. But no, my hand came up in a salute and I stayed.

"Cain, we have a task for you. You like Lakisha very much, don't you?"

"Yes, sir." My voice was monotone and slurred.

"Good, very, very good."

LAKISHA

I sighed. "It's possible. It also seems that we all have some sort of special ability... Or at least most of us do." Things were coming together quickly in my mind. I grinned at a random thought that came to mind. "I wonder...if I can make people see things, can I make them not see things?" It was an interesting thought. It had never occurred to me before, but there was something worth trying.

"What do you mean?" Kalayn asked.

"I mean, what if I could make things that are there not there? Like a table for instance. Could I make it become not visible?" The idea was strange. I needed to try it, see if it would work. Before anybody could answer I focused on Kalayn's foot. It disapeared intirely, but only for a few seconds. I felt automatically, completely drained.

"Holy crap!" Kalayn shouted. "That was awesome!"

I could hardly speak. "Awesome, sure. I feel like slipping into a coma here. Remind me never to do that again unless absolutely necessary." I groaned. That had really taken it outta me. "We need to check on Cain," I muttered, stating the obvious. Besides, seeing him again would do me some good.

STELLA

"I wonder...if I can make people see things, can I make them not see things?" said Lakisha. Sure, it was a facsinating thought but was it realistic? Who was I kidding? Was anything happening here realistic?

"What do you mean?" Kalayn asked.

Lakisha thought for a moment, "I mean, what if I could make things that are there not there? Like a table for instance. Could I make it become not visible?" She focused intently on the table. She looked kind of freaky, with that menacing look in her eyes, the the table started to dissolve until it was copletely gone. In a few seconds it was back and Lakisha was breathing heavily.

"Holy crap! That was awesome!" exclaimed Kayalan.

"Awesome, sure. I feel like slipping into a coma here. Remind me never to do that again unless absolutely necessary." panted Lakisha, "We need to check on Cain."

"Yeah," said Eli, standing up, "He was still sleeping when I left..."

"...and he was still sleeping when I checked on him." I added.

Kayalan stood up and stretched, putting his arm around Eli. What the..? Since when..? Oh! "He's probably ok, we don't need to get too worried."

"Are you forgetting the state we left him in!?" snapped Lakisha.

**I'm in the same boat as ireylcadence, with EOC exams today until June 10 **

Eli~

Eli leaned against Kalayan, flinching from Lakisha's yell. "I agree with Lakisha, we have to worry about Cain." She breathed, looking up at Kalayan, then over at the two girls. "Are you guys ready?" She smiled lightly when they nodded, all four of them heading out of Kalayan's room, across the hall, and into Eli's room. Sabe sat up slowly, snarling, and Crim twittered on anxiously, flapping her iridescent red wings quickly.

"H-he's gone." Stella muttered. Eli's eyes widened in realization. He was gone... in other words he was floating around the building. Somewhere. Sabe continued to growl, until Eli put her index finger over her lips, Sabe ceasing immediately.

"We should look around. Split up and look around I mean. He's got to be somewhere." Eli offered, looking up at the others.

LAKISHA

I nodded, rubbing my arm and trying to keep my eyes open. Wow, that had really, really taken it out of me. I couldn't let the others see, if they did I wouldn't be able to go help. Ha. Yeah, not happening.

"I'll take down by where they had him before," I muttered, turning on my heel.

"Be careful!" Kalayn ordered.

"You needn't worry about me hon." The worst I could do was pass out and end up like Cain, right? I stifled a chuckle. Yeah, because that was every girl's dream. "Cain!" I shouted. "Get you sorry butt over here!" Awwe, well that had sounded sweet. Did it matter? I was tired, hungry and hurting. My arm was still throbbing and my head didn't feel all that great either. I checked my bandage, my wound was bleeding a little again. Nothing I couldn't take care of later.

Kalayan

"I'll scout the hallways," I said finally. "Want to come, Eli, Stella?"

They both nodded in unison. We walked into the hallways, peering down halls, trying doors (which was stupid but... whatever.)

"We'll never find him," I muttered.

"We will," Eli whispered.

"How do you know?"

"Because I think I just heard him," she whispered.

STELLA

"Because I think I just heard him." whispered Eli.

"I think I might have too. It was muffled though. Oh god! Do you think they have him trapped somewhere!?" I said.

"One way to find out." said Kayalan.

"Wait!" exclaimed Eli, "What if they are using Cain to get to us. They obviously know that we broke him out. They know we care about him. What if they are using him as bait to lure us to them. They want to turn us into a drone like they did Cain!"

"Haven't they tortured him enough though?" muttered Kayalan.

"Haven't the tortured us all enough?" I added

"What should we do?" asked Eli.

Kalayan

I paused, then said, "Ok, first we seriously need to get Lakisha. She'll kill us if we don't get her for this.... she and Cain are really good friends...." Or more, I added silently.

"Lakish!"

I heard a muffled, "Yeah?"

"I think we found Cain!"

She was by my side in a second. "Let's go get him," she said, determined.

Stella reminded her about how Cain could be bait.

"Too bad. We're not leaving him behind," she said, determined.