Young Writers Society

Everyone took turns and did their best to explain the situation to Cait. For the most part she disbelieved the whole orb thing, but when she saw the orb glow in Takeo's hands she started to accept their explanation. Throughout the conversation Jordan was relatively quiet, his eyes shifting toward the orb every once in a while.

After about fifteen minutes of talking, she said, "Okay, let me get this straight. Takeo found a stranger in an alley who gave him that orb, and whenever he holds it his powers increase?"

Taki nodded. "Pretty much."

"And now people who want that orb are chasing you, so you gave it to Ren to hide since no one would expect him to have it?"

Ren nodded this time. "That's right."

Cait looked from one person to the other before asking, "Just how dangerous are these people?"

"The one that first attacked Takeo and torched his apartment is most likely a pyrokinetic, and a high level one at that since he can manipulate his flames to look and act like a monster," Lena explained. "The one that attacked us today was a very skilled swordswoman. I'm not sure if she has special powers of any kind, but she managed to figure out where we would be and set up a trap. If Railgun hadn't shown up when she did, I'm not sure we would even be here right now."

Cait bit back her detestation from hearing Mikoto Misaka's nickname and tried to focus on the matter at hand. "If what you all say is true, then you're all way in over your heads. Why don't you just give them the orb?"

Lena shot Takeo a warning glance, as if predicting he would act up after hear the suggestion. As it turned out, Lena's gaze was the only thing that managed to keep his mouth shut. "After all the effort they spent trying to take it from us already, do you really think they'll just walk away and leave us alone if we did? Besides, we don't know what they plan to do with it. In fact, we don't even fully understand what this thing's purpose is anyway."

"It's a power conduit," Ren said.

Everyone was suddenly looking at him. Ayaka was the first to ask, "What do you mean?"

"It takes any form of mystical energy that comes in contact with it, and enhances it. My theory is that the orb interacts with an esper's AIM field, which in turn grants them more control over their own ability. This would explain why it glows whenever Takeo touches it, and why simply holding it makes him stronger."

"If that's true, and the orb can interact with any energy source it comes in contact with, then why can't the rest of us use it?" Lena asked.

"Don't ask me why, because I don't know why either, but it will only take effect if the person holding it has the same zodiac sign as the orb portrays. Since the stone has the symbol for Aries, and Takeo is an Aries, it makes sense that he's the only one who can use it."

Jordan

He huffed under his breath. So, it all made sense now. He just couldn't help but wonder why Anzhela didn't share this knowledge with him. Was she afraid he would betray her, use one against her? Or was there another reason... He would have to wait until later to question her, but until then, he still needed to find out a way to secure the orb and remove it from these youthful, ignorant hands...

"So, what do we do, then? Find the other orbs and protect those as well?" Cait hissed after a moment. It was clear she was unhappy with the situation, and wanted little to do with anything.

Ren nodded somberly. "If we have to, yes."

She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. Jordan watched her; a weak spot in the group. That was just what he needed - someone to use against the others to break the team apart, making them more vulnerable... He could tell she was reluctant and disapproving before she even opened her mouth. "Count me in, then. Can't let you all kill yourselves."

"Well, there's not much we can do unless when know where all the other orbs are, so we'd might as well focus on protecting the one we have now," Lena said. She turn to face Ren and added, "However, what I'd like to know is how you found out about the orb's purpose in the first place."

Ren was a little hesitant to answer. "Well, I have a friend who lives on another floor. I ran into him earlier today while he was accompanying a girl dressed in a church robe. When she saw the orb she immediately knew what it was and started explaining its purpose to me." He scratched his head a little nervously before adding, "But to tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure how reliable her information is. Apparently she also believes that magic exists."

(Just so you know, Ayumi, Anzhela already knows what the orb is.)

***Fixed it.***

Takeo

Zodiac signs.Takeo couldn't believe he hadn't thought about this sooner but if you only had to have a matching zodiac sign, that meant any other Aries could use it too. Right? So he wasn't special. It was a very deflating thought. He'd started to think that somehow the orb had chosen him to protect it, that somehow it wanted him as much as he wanted it, but apparently not.

He lost himself in his thoughts for a moment, turning the orb over in his hands and wondering again at the dangers it brought. He was scared. He didn't want to admit it but he was terrified of those jerks who were hunting him down and the worst thing was, he could only think clearly when he had the orb in his hands.

"But to tell you the truth, I'm not quite sure how reliable her information is. Apparently she also believes that magic exists." Takeo's head jerked up and he gave a low chuckle.

"Magic? In all honesty, after all the weird stuff, I wouldn't be surprised." He shook his head in bewilderment for the world he'd somehow stepped into. But if he was honest with himself, given the chance to do it all again, he'd still take the orb. He knew it. He just wouldn't be able to help himself.

"Well maybe we should start with her," Cait said. "If she knows about the orbs, she might be able to tell us any facts or rumors about where they are."

"And then what?' Taki asked. "I don't know about you guys but I don't want to spend my life running away! Shouldn't we just tell the authorities or something?"

"Maybe we won't have to," Lean said. "I wouldn't be surprised if Railgun mentions it to someone." Taki suddenly changed his mind because he was sure that if the authorities found out they'd want the orb for themselves and he still wasn't willing to give it up.

Ren

"Even if we did tell the police, do you really think they would believe us?" Ayaka asked. "If I hadn't seen the orb in action myself I probably wouldn't be believing any of this either."

"At any rate, you're probably right, Cait," Ren said. "If there's anyone who can help us understand more about these orbs, it's Index."

Cait cocked her brow. "Index?"

Ren scratched his head. "It's that girl's name. Again, don't ask me why." He got up and made his way to the door. Everyone else followed suit until they were all out in the hallway, at which point Ren closed and locked his door. He led everyone a few floors down to Toma Kamijo's apartment.

Toma opened the door a few moments after Ren knocked on it. Cait recognized the guy almost immediately. She had seen him and Ren talking to each other once in a while when she had come over to visit in the past. She never had the chance to talk to him in person, though.

Toma was surprised when he saw the crowd outside his apartment. "Ren, who are all these people?" he asked.

"They're my friends," Ren told him. "Sorry to bother you like this, but is it okay if we come in and speak with Index?"

Toma's face changed a little, becoming a little more serious. He seemed to know right away what all of this was about. He nodded and said, "Sure, come in."

Everyone filed in one-by-one, starting with Ren. The apartment was just like Ren's, same size, same arrangement, even the furniture was the same. Takeo was still holding the orb, and when he stepped foot inside Toma's apartment the orb flickered ever-so slightly. He didn't pay it much heed at the time, though. Index was sitting on the floor watching T.V. In her lap lay a kitten that was white and orange with dark brown patches.

"I thought the complex didn't allow pets?" Ren asked.

Toma sighed. "Try telling that to her."

(That cat's name is Sphinx, in case any of the other characters decide to bring it up.)

Takeo

The new people made him feel nervous, but Taki had decided that was an unreasonable reaction. More people should mean more fighting power which should mean that the orb and he were safer. It was hard to make that sink in though, too much of him was thinking that new people who knew about the orb might want it for themselves. They might even be Aries and then where did that leave him?

"Index, do you mind if we ask a few questions?" Ren asked as he approached the small girl. The others crowded around.

"I'm watching T.V." She said in a slightly impatient tone. Taki wondered what sort of little girl she was. He found it odd that she knew anything about the orb and therefore suspicious. Maybe she was the daughter of one of those white robed guys or, even worse, the niece of one of the black robed people. It was just too much of a coincidence that Ren happened to have met her and she happened to know about the orb and be staying with Ren's friend. Way too many coincidences.

"We'd just like to ask you a bit about the orb," Ren tried again and suddenly they had her attention. She turned around, her eyes bright with interest and she fixed them on the other members of the group.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"Can the orb be used by anyone with a matching zodiac sign?" Taki cut in quickly. Despite his suspicions, that was something he really wanted to know the answer to.

Index looked at Takeo for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's right. Although no one has figured out why, the stones will only react to those with corresponding signs." Index began to go off into a tangent about how some magicians theorize that the stones themselves came to Earth from their respective constellations and can only be used by those who were blessed by whatever stars they were born under. Takeo didn't listen, though. He was too busy being depressed by the thought that he really wasn't so special after all.

When Index was finished talking, Ren asked, "So, do you have any idea where the rest of these stones might be?"

Index thought for a moment. "As far as recent records state, about five of them have been uncovered. The Roman Catholic Church is in possession of Pisces and Leo, the Russian Orthodox Church is in possession of Scorpio and, until recently, Aries, and Cancer is in the hands of the Pope himself. All the other stones have never been accounted for."

"I see... so the ones that haven't been found are still out there somewhere?" Ren asked.

Index nodded. "If you're thinking of looking for them, don't bother. The stones have been sought after since the first stone, Leo, was discovered in 729 AD. If no one else has been able to find them within that time, what chance do you have?"

"Good point," Ren said. There goes his chances of finding the Virgo stone. Even if he were to leave Academy City right now and spend the rest of his life looking for it, he wouldn't even come close to finding it.

"You said the Russian Orthodox Church had Aries, right?" Lena asked. "Is it possible that the people who have been attacking us are part of that organization?"

Index nodded. "They could be... or they might be the ones who stole the stone from the Russians in the first place."

Cait

"Wait - stole?" she implored.

Index nodded again. The girl couldn't help but see Jordan gulp in her peripheral vision. There was something about that guy... She didn't like him. She didn't trust him. He had something he was hiding...something serious, something grave... She would talk to Ren later about that, or address Jordan herself. No, that wouldn't be smart. He could probably wrench her in half, just based on his physical appearance. She didn't think she even wanted to know what his ability was! Probably some freakishly strong display...

Someone touched her on the shoulder. "Cait? You in?"

She gasped, looking back at the group. "Uh, in on what?"


***There. Left a plot opening. I don't have much of anything right now...***

Takeo

"In on everything. Protecting the orb, keeping an eye out for any those people might have. From what you guys have said, they sound very powerful. Maybe they're using one of these orbs themselves," Ren suggested. Takeo nodded thoughtfully as Cait gave a very definite nod of her head.

"Alright, I'm in."

"They're not ever going to stop," Taki said suddenly, staring at the orb in his hand. "They'll just keep coming, how can they not?"

"Takeo?" Lena eyed him warily. She wasn't sure if she preferred him when he had the orb or when he was just desperate to get it.

"It's more than just the power," Takeo explained. "It's like the orb is the only thing that matters in the whole world. I want it so bad. When I don't have it, I can think of nothing except getting it back. I don't know if it affects everyone the same way but if they're feeling even a tenth of this... I don't know how they can stand it.' He almost felt pity for them for a moment but that quickly washed away. They'd known what the orb was and chosen to involve themselves with it. Takeo had just been an innocent bystander.

"So what do we do now?" Lena asked.

"I don't know," Taki admitted. "I can't go home and the plan for getting new clothes didn't exactly go to plan."

"You should stay with me," Ren said. "Unless someone followed you here you should be safe for the night at least. Plus, if someone does show up to attack us, it'd be better if you had the orb with you in order to fend them off."

"I'm staying, too," Cait said. "From how strong these people sound, you'll need more than two people to fight them off."

Ren nodded. "All right."

"What about the rest of us?" Ayaka asked.

"There's not enough room in my apartment for everyone, you guys will have to crash together at your own place, or with one of your friends. But no matter what, you should stick together." Takeo was a little surprised at how calm Ren was about the whole situation. Then again, he hadn't seen firsthand what these people could do.

Toma came up to Ren and said, "Hey, we can help you out if you want."

"Thanks Toma, but I wouldn't want you to get caught up in all of this."

(I need Jordan to go home on his own tonight so he can speak with Anzhela again, Ayumi. Just have him give them an excuse to leave on his own, and I'll do the rest.)

Hey guys,
I'm so sorry that I have not posted in a while, but my computer caught a really bad virus and it's taken a couple weeks for the guy to fix it. Hopefully I'll get a chance to post either tonight or before work tomorrow.
-Undertaker

Lena

“Well, since Taki and Cait are staying here with Ren to protect the orb, then perhaps Jordan and Akaya could stay at my place. That way we are all together.” I said as I gazed around the group.

“Good idea,” Ren stated as he looked around, “what do you guys say?”

Akaya and Jordan nodded in agreement. Suddenly Jordan said that if he was going to stay with me that he needed to run home and get some clothes

((Sorry for the shortness, it was all I could really think of to put...^^'))

(Since I don't want things to start dragging on, I'm going to do a little fast forwarding to keep the storybook moving. One thing I've learned in the past few years is that once the story starts to drag people will lose interest and stop posting.)


With that, they all went their separate ways for the night. Ren, Cait, and Takeo went back to Ren's apartment, Lena and Ayaka made their way to Lena's home, and Jordan ran off to his own place. Before he left, Lena gave Jordan her address so he would know where to go.

As Jordan made his way back to the parking lot building he lived in, he started to notice how quiet the back alleys were that evening. It got to the point where he heard absolutely nothing within the streets when he was standing in front of the parking lot. Usually he could hear stray animals rustling through some nearby garbage cans, or some gang members making a ruckus a few blocks away, but today there was only the whisper of the wind to keep him company.

He decided to ignore it and simply grab what he had come here for. But the moment he stepping inside the building he felt a sudden, overwhelming sense of dread. It was like his body was screaming at him to not take another step forward. What confused him the most, though, was that he had no idea why he was feeling this way. There was no rhyme or reason to his fear, there was nothing for him to be scared of, so why was he so frightened?

"So, what do you think, Jordan?" a very familiar Russian sounding voice asked from the shadows. Anzhela stepped into view a few moments later. She was wearing a different dress than the one she had the night before, this one was purple with a slight red sheen to it.

Jordan frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"I am talking about the barrier I put up around this place. I noticed your home was a little lacking in... security. So, I erected a barrier that causes anyone that comes near it to experience dread. This should keep nosy passersby from pocking around in your belongings."

For some reason, simply knowing the cause of his dread caused it to disappear altogether. Jordan felt calm and easy once again. "And why would you do this?" he asked, a little annoyed that she hadn't asked for his permission first.

"Think of it as a little gift for agreeing to help us, da?"

***Sorry I didn't post. I have my last actual final tomorrow morning, then the next three days are just music grades. It will slow down, yes, but I won't be able to get on as often as I can during the breaks. I'll respond tomorrow, I promise!***