The Fundamentals

Lucy Camden:

The door swung shut behind me, and I was finally alone. The room could be charitably described as spartan, there was a plain bed against the far wall, a small sink, and a nightstand, nothing else. I placed the box on the nightstand and sat on the floor, with my back against the wall.

My watch read 8:50, four hours ago I was a paramedic from New Jersey, now I'm some kind of warrior, chosen to fight some primal evil. And who do I have at my side? A bunch of scared kids, who can't even be in the same room as each other. Oh god, they're going to die and I can't-'

No.
I can't think like that. For their sake, I can't think like that.

I took a deep breath and started concentrating, just as my father taught me. The light started at my finger tips, then spread up my arms, eventually bathing my whole body in soft yellow light. "Now for the hard part," I muttered. I took a breath, the light became green, I released it, and it returned to yellow.

I took another breath, and there was a knock on the door, shattering my concentration and returning the light to yellow. It was a tall brown haired man in a white lab coat, who, at first glance, looked a little bit like John Lennon.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Ms... Camden, is it?"

"Not at all," I replied.

"My name is Dr. Metson, would you mind if I came inside for a moment? There are some things we need to discuss. "

"Do I have a choice?"

He seemed taken aback by this, "Of course you do, if you're uncomfortable we can go back to the conference room to talk."

The thought of going back there sent shivers up my spine. "NO, I mean, uh, that's fine we can talk here."

"What can you tell me about the gun our agents found on you?" He asked, stepping inside.

"It was my grandfather's, he claimed that someone from The Service gave it to him, that's about it."

"You were allowed to bring one thing, and this is what you chose, why?"

"I... I don't know, why. It just felt right."

A quick smile crossed his face, "as I suspected," he said, taking the gun out of his pocket, and offering it to me. I took it, the cold weight did seem to feel right in my hands.

"I was wondering if I would get this back, thanks doctor."

"Please call me Met, everyone else does."

"No first name?"

He sighed, "you can call me Eugene if you really want to."

"Ouch, you can call me Lucy."

"It's nice to meet you Lucy, but we do have some important business to discuss. Namely, that weapon. There are very few magical weapons of that caliber left in the world," he continued, "in fact, there are only two others, that we know of."

I turned the weapon over in my hands, and it seemed completely normal, "How can this be magic, I mean it looks pretty normal to me."

"About eighty years ago, there was a Russian alchemist by the name of Chekhov, he could manipulate the properties of objects, and infuse them with magical properties. His last creation was a set of seven weapons, which he claimed would decide the fate of the world. Unfortunately, three of them were destroyed before we could claim them, and one was stolen shortly after. Now, one of them has been given to you."

"That can't be right, I mean, it doesn't even work."

"That's how I know Chekhov made it, none of the weapons he modified work in the real world, just like none of our guns work in the other world. But that's not the only thing which makes it unique, all of his weapons are also able to harness the magic in the air to create more ammunition."

"That sounds useful, but not that powerful," I said. I don't want to hurt anyone . . . Why would they give me a gun

"I was getting to that, in addition to those properties the weapon also has some unpredictable effects, depending on the user. In the hands of a fire fundamental, one of the other weapons ignited the air around the target, in the hands of a certain earth fundamental it would never miss, in your hands? We have no idea what'll happen."

"Does that really seem wise?"

"Once you get to the other side we'll run some tests," a loud buzzing filled the room. He pulled out a phone, glanced at the screen then said, "I'm really sorry, but I've got to take this. If you have any more questions, just come and find me." He stiffened up when he answered the phone, then walked briskly out of the room.

I didn't get to ask him about the boxes, why they gave this to me and wha-
Hearing a loud crash next door, I tucked the gun back in my pocket, and went to see what happened.

Clare Belle

I felt like I the moment I reached the rooms my brain swung into a mode of full thought. I couldn't handle the emotions and questions that raced through my head, and the metal box I'd been given cut into my arms as I gripped it. What secrets lie within the hard outside? Curiously, I turned the box to and fro, searching for a clue as to how to unlock it. As far as I could see, there weren't any handles or bottons to unlock. A part of me wanted to keep trying, but at the same time I felt suddenly exhausted. I let the box slide out of my hands and fall on the ground. The collision made a huge sound, and seconds later my door opened.

"What was that? Are you okay?" I glanced up at the person at the door. Lucy, I think her name was. I nodded, and my eyes drifted to the box. Lucy followed my gaze.

"Maybe it's best we don't try to open those yet?" Her voice sounded nice, the way I'd always imagined a mother was supposed to sound. My mom did sometimes, or at least, she used to. The memory of her last words to me took my breath for a second, and I felt my eyes fill with moisture. I didn't want to cry, not here, not in front of this lady. Somehow, perhaps a new branch of my magic, the tears seemed to fade into the air before falling. The woman noticed anyway and took a step forward.
"Do you mind if I come in?"

"No," I shook my head and glanced at the woman. Lucy, I was sure her name was Lucy. "Are you scared?"

"Scared?" Lucy repeated. She turned to observe her hands before answering. "Are you?"

"Yes. Not because of this, I just, I'm not special or anything. Actually, I..." thoughts of the Asylum flooded my mind. "I'm not right," I pointed to my head. "Doctors say I'm sick."

"Why?" Lucy asked.

"Because I can do things that aren't normal, and sometimes I hurt people, or at least I could." Lucy laughed, a short, kind laugh.

"None of us are normal, here. You don't have to worry about us judging you because you're different." I gave Lucy a short smile, and she slipped out of the room. The moment she left I slipped out the door and made my way in the direction the first woman had shown to be the bathrooms. I found the door and pushed it open. The sinks seemed to be calling my name, so I turned the handle and let the water drift over my fingers. Using all my concentration, I worked on moving the water, but after turning towards the ceiling for a few seconds it collapsed back into the sink. Collapsed. Just like I felt like I was about to. Just like my entire life seemed to have done. Collapsed.

Katara

As I walked along with everyone, I wondered what would happen from here on out. I began looking around again, when I heard someone call, "Hey!"

My attention snaps to a small blonde coming to walk next to me . Chloe. I think that's her name. "Chloe right?"

"I like your hair," she nodded at me.

"Thanks...I guess," what a random thing to say. "so what happened at the meeting?"

"I don't know, I guess the light spirit must have some fire powers." she shrugged.

"Water elemental," I say.

As we walked farther down the ever stretching hallway, it suddenly ended with a large circular opening with a statue in the middle. We all crowded around. All of a sudden Chloe's hands began to glow. I looked at her curiously.

"Uh Chloe," I looked into her eyes. 'Your eyes are glowing,"

She sighed before taking a deep breath, and I waited to see what happened. The glow from her slowly began to fade away. I nodded with a smile at her.

"This is where you will living during your training. You will each get your own room and supplies. Please be in bed by 10:30 and don't use your powers for silly reasons. For example, don't have battles in the hallways or try to overuse your powers." She paused to tell some other kids to quiet down, then she straightened her blazer and gestured to our boxes. "You will open these tonight at the Welcoming Ceremony. Please dress in what is provided to you."

Chloe and I looked at each other, wonder what the "Welcoming Ceremony" was. The Service woman read us our room numbers and off we went. As I stepped into my room, I felt this sense of calm wash over me. The room looked as if I'd walked into a rain forest. Crystalline blue waterfalls everywhere and thick vegetation covered the walls. There was even the drawing of a jaguar poised to pounce on it's prey, ready to spring into action.

The thick and lush royal blue carpet made for a comfortable place to walk without shoes, so I took mine off and padded around the room. I set the box down in the giant Mediterranean Blue bed and look around the room I would call home for the next how ever long. I walked over to the closet, looking for what I would wear tonight, finding a sleeveless satin dress that was also Mediterranean Blue. My skin showed through where my ribs were, claw marks beginning there and slightly curving out before swooping down to my hips and to my back, accentuating my curves. There were a pair of matching tear drop earrings and high heels or flats too. I was debating whether or not to wear the heels because of my height. I was already the tallest female here. I looked at the watch on my wrist and decided to just lay down in bed, and relax for the first time in a long time.

Angel Raziel - Things only get more interesting

Making my way out of the conference room others around me conversated with each other, me? I just kept my sunglasses on, grabbed that box, and my plastic gun. Walking down the hall with others. I eventually end up following everyone, the woman leading us to rooms and began to read us room numbers.

"This is where you will living during your training. You will each get your own room and supplies. Please be in bed by 10:30 and don't use your powers for silly reasons. For example, don't have battles in the hallways or try to overuse your powers." She paused to tell some other kids to quiet down, then she straightened her blazer and gestured to our boxes. "You will open these tonight at the Welcoming Ceremony. Please dress in what is provided to you."

Welcoming Ceremony? That'll get interesting, when mine was called I made my way to the room I was meant for, the second I opened the door and stepped inside, I felt like I was at home. I felt like I was in the air, among the clouds, and in a wide open space, I felt like I was flying even. I took in a deep breath of the room and I felt right at home here, I took a seat on the cloud that would act as a bed. Even that was fluffy comfortable, the box still wouldn't open, but it's not like I cared to have it open right now. I placed it on the bed, and then took a look around. The walls were a very light tan, and on the ceiling was a picture of a great city that seemed to float among the clouds.

I got up and took a look around, the closet door was left open, I open the door and looked inside, there were green and yellow dresses, with high heels to match. I eventually picked out a A-Line/Princess Sweetheart Floor-Length Chiffon Dress With Ruffle Lace. The dress was beautiful, something I would definitely wear it, besides, I was used to wearing dresses, being the daughter of a military general, a military ball would be held once a year, and dad would take me a mom to it. Of course if I wanted to bring a date, dad had to approve of him first, but now that I was considered "dead" I only had to worry for myself, I picked out a cute pair of green high heels to go with the dress and put them both on the side lines for tonight when we would be having our Welcoming Ceremony. I went back to my bed and hopped in, I stretched my legs and arms, this place was great. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep to a long day to come.

Antony Cove - Water

Spoiler

So sorry for being gone so much! Things are just really complicated with life and school and I've been sick all the time and I'm sorry.
Anyway, this post is super-recycled, but this is your first training session. Sorry, LH, there's no ceremony, but you can still wear a dress if you want to. I guess there could be a "ceremony". I'll try to work something like that in before we all have to leave for the Immortal Realm which is today! (Finally.) In our boxes are necklaces to make our powers more accessible and easier to use and a sort of training book that we can read into on the road. I guess getting our boxes open can be our ceremony...

A harsh ringing pulled me out of my sleep and I sat up groggily. By my bedside was an alarm clock that I don't remember setting or even putting there. I turned it off anyway and swung my legs over the edge of my bed. My head was still swimming with dreams and they wouldn't go away until I had a nice hot shower and a glass of chocolate milk.

I got up stretched, but when I turned around to fix my bed - I always fixed my bed when I got up, it's one of the things my foster Mom drilled into me - there was a set of clothes with a note on top of them. I was a bit taken aback, but not as surprised as I usually would have been. After yesterday it would take much more than clothes popping out of nowhere to wow me. I smiled at the thought and picked up the card.

It's 9:00 A.M. You have an hour to meet on the rooftop; do what you want, but do not be late. Showers are located down the hall from your room.

I put the card back down on the bed and grabbed the clothes. They were folded and I couldn't actually tell what they looked like but something about them was familiar. I unfolded them, waiting to satisfy my curiosity quickly, and saw that they were actually my clothes from home. A white long sleeve dress shirt, a blue tie, and black slacks. I nearly choked up at the sight of them.

I found the showers easily enough, they were more obvious than the conference room. I went inside and took a quick shower, wondering if anyone else was awake. Probably, unless they just ignored the alarm. After I dressed and brushed my teeth I started off to find the cafe.

I wondered what happened to the people that didn't arrive on time. I don't think we can just go home. Maybe they killed you, but I don't think that was it. They were the "good guys" they wouldn't just kill us for no reason. Maybe we ended up working here like The Informer. Or maybe we became spies for the United States or something! That was a pleasant thought and it almost made me want to miss the meeting time just to find out.

I could smell the food from the cafeteria and was walking faster when something hard hit me from behind. I fell to the ground but quickly got up. Someone from behind was approaching me slowly. I couldn't tell who they were because they were wearing a full body suit and a mask that covered nothing but their eyes. In their hands was a long staff.

"Excuse me," I said uncertainly. They just made another swing at me with the staff but I dodged it by falling to the ground and rolling into standing again. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I don't want to fi-" They made another swing and this time I deflected it with the palm of my hands, pushing the staff away. Their eyes narrowed and they brought the staff up and quickly down again to try and hit my head. I side stepped the blow and, just like that, we were fighting.

I was more on the offensive, blocking their shot and trying not to get hurt, but when their foot found my gut when I caught the staff between both my hands I knew I couldn't let this go on much longer. My eyes darkened and a low growl tore through my throat.

"I don't know who you are, but that hurt like hell."

Quickly, I used my control over water to remove the excess water from my hair and skin, the water formed around my finger tips, waiting for an order. I willed them to freeze, and they did, turning into daggers with lethal tips. The person stopped in mid swing and watched me with interest. I smirked and flung the ice daggers off of my fingers tips. They flew towards the person with impossible speed and the masked man had no time to dodge. The daggers tore through his suit and stuck inside his body. I immediately felt bad as he crumpled to the ground.

"Oh no," I moaned. "Please don't be dead."

I ripped open the front of his shirt, trying to see if I actually killed him, but something strange stopped me in my tracks. There my ice daggers were, sunk in deep, but there was no blood at all even though one definitely pierced his heart. The person started to move and I jumped back in surprise. He got up and dusted himself off. I stared at him.

"Whaa... What the- What the hell?"

The man just grabbed the edge of the mask and pulled it up and off. I literally dropped to my knees at the sight. He only had eyes, no nose, no mouth, no ears, no hair, no anything! Another mannequin... He bowed towards me and took off down the hall, the opposite way I was going. My heart was beating in my ears and I got up. It was then I noticed my box and a white piece of paper on the floor where the masked man was standing.

We only have what we need to have. You passed the test. Congratulations and good luck, Antony. I pocket the note and picked up my box. As soon as it was in my hands it popped open. Inside was a necklace and a book. I lifted the necklace from the box and settled it around my neck. As soon as it was on I felt my insides churn and wash around like their were waves inside of my body. The churning concentrated to a place at the core of my stomach and stayed there. It felt weird, alright, but strangely comforting.

I started towards the cafeteria at a steady jog. I need a glass of chocolate milk now more than ever. When I entered I noticed someone already at the tables. They had their own box open in front of them. I walked over after grabbing a glass of milk and sat down.

"Hey, rough morning too?"

~Echo

The room was big, or at least big enough. Spacious and in shades of gray and silver, with dark curtains and black carpet - the fluffiest one I've ever stepped one, and the first thing ever to make me even use the word fluffiest. The room also had big windows, which I didn't recall seeing when I stood on the outside of the building, and a charming piano. I had no idea anyone could think of that, but I did like to think with my music as background. I checked the wardrobe, finding a couple of suits inside, pressed a few keys on the piano and in the end more fell than lied on the bed, feeling my muscles relieving. I was tired, very tired, yet I didn't really want to sleep. I didn't like the place I found myself at, the lack of information, the presence of so many others..

I stared at the ceiling, my eyes gotten used to the dark surrounding me, as I listened to the Familiars whispering. I wondered if I could call in the same kind of dark that once covered my hometown. Closing my eyes, I recalled that moment, and reached all around me to the shadows and voices, feeling the darkness and the cold as the air got thicker, falling heavier on my chest..

I twitched at the sudden sound of the alarm. I was sure it wasn't there when I entered the room, and I didn't remember anyone entering - but then, I didn't feel like I fell asleep, yet the sun was up and the darkness was gone when I opened my eyes.
Will they not let us sleep?
I got up, walked to the window and frowned at the lovely day outside. As I turned back, I found some clothes on the bed, as long with a note - none of which was there when I woke up a moment ago. Claiming myself, I read the note and sighed. More instructions, more vague information - I was tired of it, though I was the kind of person who could be just as annoyingly closed as this Service - and the clothes were ones coming from my closet at home. I felt anger burning inside of me. If they were at my family's, if they came close to Noise...
No point in this, I warned myself. You are dead, for all they know. You can't go back anymore.

I put on the black shirt and pants, and took a dark gray tie with silver details from the closet. Why not, I thought to myself, leaving the room.
My hair was still wet from the shower I took before dressing up, but I didn't really feel like caring about it. Following the smell of coffee and hoping that, if there's coffee, I can find tea of some sort as well, I headed down the hall.

A person popped in front of me, and I stood still, waiting for them to walk around me - but the person, the man, just stayed there. I frowned a little, not looking up to meet his eyes; and then he took out the daggers. Two identical, silver blades that swung towards me almost too fast to react.
I stepped back, this time looking up - I couldn't see his face, hidden by some kind of a mask, but he didn't seem eager to stop attacking anytime soon.

Not wanting to fight back, I couldn't let go of an unwelcome feeling of knowing what that was about. I had no weapons on me, unless one would call Doe a weapon - but she was sleeping in my inner pocket - and the guy obviously wasn't going to just let me go. They wanted us, if I was right and that was some sort of a test and not an actual assassin, to use our powers to get out of it. I could hear the Familiars, grinning and singing, coming closer and offering.

No, I decided, standing still again as the guy approached once more. I didn't want to use my powers - I didn't want to kill him, or anyone else who might have happened to be around - so I just waited to see what he'll do. Hopefully, he's a test, I thought as he swung his blades again. It would be rather unfortunate if I happened to walk into a trespasser who had decided to kill me for some reason.

I felt the cold, firm blade against the skin of my neck. Staring at the spot his eyes would have been if I could see them, I controlled my breathing so it seemed as calm as always.

"Kill me," I muttered. "If that's what you wish."

The guy seemed somewhat confused, as much as it could seem to be anything. I doubted they expected me to let him do it - but I was sure now that he will not.
I could hear the Familiars whispering, as the guy suddenly pinned me against the wall. Now that I didn't like. No one can just touch me like that.
He swung one of his blades again, leaving the other under my chin, and I felt it cutting my chest through the shirt. I doubted it will be a deep wound, but it surely burned like hell.

And then I just didn't care for what was happening anymore. I didn't even know it was me doing it - I didn't even try to control myself.

The darkness fell on the hallway, spreading from me like mist, covering everything. It wasn't the darkness one could ever get used to, not the kind of darkness one could feel warm and cozy in, not the darkness that could have been lit by any kind of light.
It was the kind of darkness that invited you in and then clutched you in a hug never to let go, the cold darkness that no light nor warm could reach, darkness with no voice to be heard even in one would shout - the kind of darkness that hid nightmares, the kind of darkness the shadows feared.

I could hear silent music, like someone playing a piano, in a song I vaguely recognized as something I heard as a child. Inviting and enchanting, luring to come deeper into the dark.

I blinked and clutched the chest of my shirt, as my heartbeats became almost painful. The deep darkness disappeared as if it was never there, leaving the poorly lit hallway now seeming as if shone on by the sun, and as my vision turned completely normal again, I saw the guy kneeling in front of me. Like a servant or a puppet, I couldn't stop thinking, with his daggers on the floor next to him. He slowly stood up, as I felt my breathing heavier than usual, bowed and turned around, leaving as if nothing happened.
Looking in the direction he left, it took me a moment to notice two objects on the floor where he was kneeling - the box I got in the Conference Room, and a piece of paper, which I took in my hand first.

We only have what we need to have, the note said. You passed the test. Congratulations, Echo, and good luck.

Frowning, I tossed the note in my pocket and opened the box, finding a book and a necklace. The necklace was simple - just a black jewel of some sort, in shape of a fang, tied to a thin silver chain with carefully crafted top. I observed it for a while, not even noticing the silence until it got almost scary. I couldn't hear the Familiars anymore, not really - I could feel them there, but unless I concentrated, I couldn't hear their voices.
Putting the necklace on, and with the book in my hand, I headed on.

When I entered a cafeteria, I found empty room. Good. At least no company. Sitting down, I took my time to observe the book more carefully - but just as I was to open it, one of the guys I met yesterday came in. He seemed a bit shaken, and wore a necklace of his own.

"Hey," he said, as I vaguely recalled his name might have been Anthony or such. "Rough morning too?"
*

Spoiler

Yeah, kind of stupid to end with the same sentence, but it's late and the post is pretty long already.. So someone can just come in now and join us, having a conversation. Echo isn't very talkative anyway :p

I woke up the next morning to my alarm clock and rubbed my tired eyes. My gold dress was laid out at the top of the bed and a note.


It's 9:00 A.M. You have an hour to meet on the rooftop; do what you want, but do not be late. Showers are located down the hall from your room.

I smiled and stripped out of my PJ's and hopped in the shower. I let the foamy soap slide though my long hair and got out 10 minutes. I quickly dried my hair and brushed it till it was silky smooth. I slid into my dress and it outlined my curves perfectly. I tied the bow in back in a big bow and slid into my flats. I stared at my reflection in the full mirror by my bed. I sighed looking at the person who used to be Chloe Mason. Now I'm a magician. I turned away and made my bed before walking out the door.

As I walked down the hallway a figure stood there just, staring. I moved closer to the figure so I could pass though and get to the rooftop. It still stood there till it pulled out a dagger with out even moving. He threw the dagger straight at me. I ducked and stood up again confused on my this stranger wanted to hurt me. Then it hit me, this was a test. I closed my eyes again knowing I had to beat this thing and focused all my energy into my hands. They set off a slight glow becoming stronger as the sun appeared in the skylight above us. I quickly pushed my hands forward as a beam of light come out of my hands and hit the man straight in the chest. I gasped and put my hands to my mouth hoping I didn't hurt him to much. As I started to near him, he turned to nothing. I noticed a box that stood next to him and a note.

We only have what we need to have. You passed the test. Congratulations and good luck, Chloe

I opened the box and inside laid a simple necklace. I put it on and a rush went though my body. I felt like fireworks where exploding inside me. I was really weird but sort of soothing.

I got up again and took of my shoes and ran as fast as I could towards the lunch room. As soon as I got there I realized I probably looked like a mess, but I didn't care. All I wanted a big cup of coffee'. The only other people was the boy, I think his name was Anthony, who sat next to me in the conference room.

I grabbed a cup and filled it to the brim with black coffee' and joined them at the long table. I sat next to a boy who name I recall being Echo and tried to fix my hair a little bit. They seemed a little destroyed to so I stopped and let it be.

"Did you guys have to face that dude too?" I asked taking a sip of my coffee'.

"When do you think the others will come?" Anthony asked looking around the room. I shrugged and sunk down in my seat.

We where all very tired so we stopped talking then. I took a long sip of my coffee', When the door burst open again.

Michael Van Halen.

As the room slowly filled up with people, Michael's scowl got wider and icier. Using his useful abilities, he made the air around him turn colder, as to keep the filthy Fundamentals away from him and his dark corner. When the Italian girl, whatever her name was, flipped him off, it caused a sharp bark of laughter to escape his smirking lips and his dark indigo irises widened in surprise. He scowled at her and thickened the darkness around him, hiding from her superior attitude.

He didn't really give a damn what the Informer said. He was a Dark Fundamental, and he was suppose to save the world from Kazari, who was some evil force hidden away in the Immortal Realm? It sounded like a load of bullshit and it made Michael's teeth grit together in rage. Who did these fuckers think they were, to kidnap these kids from their homes and bring them here, all to tell them a scary story and expect them to believe it? Sure, there was the powers and the question of where they originated from, but what if they were just freaks of nature, like the X-Men? What if they were just mutants, ruined by the radioactivity of the stupidity of humanity? Michael let out a dignified snort when the Informer finished talking and he felt her glare from across the room, causing the corner of his lips to tilt up into a smirk.

After the blonde woman, Lucy, finished talking and walked away, Michael blinked in shock. He hadn't expected that. It upset him, because she seemed like a generally nice person, and he felt a tinge of regret for being an asshole. But he shrugged the feeling off and his fierce blue eyes narrowed with anger. He stepped out of the icy shadows and fixed everyone who looked his way with a deadly scowl, then strolled out of the conference room and down the hall, to where his new room was. He slammed the door shut and took an icy cold shower, then got dressed in a clean white t-shirt and his boxers. He brushed his teeth, went to the restroom, and unreluctantly slid under the covers of the bed. It took him two hours of cursing and shifting, but he finally drifted off into a restless sleep.
_________________________________________________________________________

The next day, he awoke to an alarm he knew he hadn't he set up. With a snarl, he easily slammed it into the wall across the room and it crumpled to the floor, broken. He kicked off the sheets and yanked open the dresser drawer, snatching up a pair of black jeans, clean blue boxers, and a crisp white long-sleeve shirt. He got dressed, slid on a pair of white socks and his black combat boots, brushed his hair and teeth, then noticed a note on the mirror.

It's 9:00 A.M. You have an hour to meet on the rooftop; do what you want, but do not be late. Showers are located down the hall from your room.

After sliding on his necklace and slamming the door shut, Michael found a flight of stairs and started to stomp up them, making a loud racket and not giving a crap. That's when he heard a soft, light pair of steps behind him, about an estimated flight below. Figuring it was the lithe Air blonde from the previous day, Michael sped up, his rough, calloused hand balled into fists as the person below, too, hurried to catch up.

"Who is it?!" Michael snapped, whirling around to see a faceless mannequin holding a staff and dressed from head to toe in black. Saying nothing, the figure darted forward, its stiff arm raising up to crack him across the head with the blunt end of the staff.

Snarling, Michael dove to the ground and rolled out of the way, his hands bursting into icy, shimmering black shadows as he took up a defense stand. The figure flawlessly rolled into a crouch and whirled around, the weapon dangling from its hand.

"Go. Away." Michael warned in a deadly voice, his blue eyes had turned to the darkest blue, to where it was practically black. He was seething in rage, his teeth gritted in a snarl.

The figure said nothing, merely dove forward to slam into Michael. The fucker was a fast one, and he hit Michael squarely across the leg, making the Dark fundamental hiss in pain and stumble. The mannequin proceeded to knock Michael onto his back and pin him down with its plastic knees, raising its hand high to beat Michael across the head. Undeniable, seething anger exploded inside Michael and he let out a inhumane snarl, breaking a hand free and punching the thing hard in its face, making it knock back. He scrambled to his feet and shot the mannequin with shadow ball after shadow ball, allowing his rage to consume him. Soon, the thing was a melted pool of plastic and Micheal's hands smoking; he was hunched over and breathing hard, his handsome eyes slowly fading back to a dark blue. Once he caught his breath, Michael hissed and kicked the creature, then turned to see a chest of some sort in the corner, with another note awaiting him.

We only have what we need to have. You passed the test. Congratulations and good luck, Michael.

He opened it to find a medieval-looking necklace with a black stone, and it contained dark material. He knew the moment he touched the cool surface of the stone, immediately feeling recharged. With a deep sigh, Michael picked the chest up and placed the necklace back inside and continued up the stairs, two a deserted rooftop. He realized that everyone must be at breakfast and he was twenty minutes early. Ignoring the growling hunger in his stomach, and slipping back into the shadows.

Spoiler

I am SO sorry this is so late. I hope this is alright- but I am suffering from a mild case of writers block. so if anyone would like to have Olivia in their post please by all means go for it. :3

Olivia:



She sat in the van, squished between two men- two men who weren't real men. Two of the five that had feigned being police, pulled her over and then dragged her into the Creeper white van.

She shivered and tried to not touch either of them.

She thought it was because one of her break lights was out, so she like the good girl she was she pulled over- it was on one of the back roads, the one going along the river. she pulled over but the men weren't officers, they dragged her from the car- and almost as soon as they had they put something into her car, put it into neutral and then pushed it into the river. Olivia was too scared to even think, then one of the men has hissed if she didn't cooperate her grandparents would suffer she just froze.

They bundled her into the back of the nondescript white van. and it was now here that she sat shivering and trying not to cry.

"We won't hurt you." Said the man who seemed to be their leader, "We were sent to invite you to the Society, but we had difficulty finding you." That seemed all the explanation she was going to get too. they drove on in silence for what seemed like hours- finally she could stand it no longer.

"Please let me go! I swear I won't tell anyone about you- I won't go to the police please let me go!" Nothing, no reaction there was no response- Olivia burst into tears and sobbed- this seemed to disquiet the men a bit but they made no attempt to silence her.

Hours later they pulled up infront of a large nondescript Mill looking building and they helped her out of the van.

"This way please." Said their leader and he moved off- well there seemed nothing to do but follow him, which Olivia did, thinking every moment would be her last, or they would do something horrible to her.

The man led her down many plain white hallways to a large and empty conference room- a room that looked like it had, had people in it recently- she could even smell some overly sweet perfume that still hung in the air, but it was quiet and empty now. The man seemed confused and looked about.

"Wait here." he said after a long moment and strode out- leaving Olivia standing in the middle of the room feeling very out of place, frightened and confused.


**********

"Oh you finally arrived!" Olivia spun round to face a middle aged woman in a tweed suite smiling happily at her. "THe boys tell me they had quite a time finding you, but I told them the magic would be stronger in time- but it really is you." Beaming she stepped closer, " I am the informer."

"WH-what?"

"I am the informer, don't be afraid- we won't hurt you. you were brought here because you are special. and it is my job to tell you why." Olivia eyed her, she seemed to be telling the truth,

"Okay....." The woman motioned her to a seat,

"you are at The Service Headquarters, located in Washington, D.C, Second, the reason you've been collected is because you posses special abilities- or the promise of special abilities. You are a Fundamentals, remnants of a great race, and we need your help. The world needs your help." She took a breath and continued- smoothing her suit,

"The Fundamentals, the original four, were the protectors of this world and their own. There are two worlds that exist, the mortal world and the immortal world. The Fundamentals exist to keep the two worlds at bay, making sure they never cross. They kept the peace by fighting off evil that threatened to hurt the inhabitants of the immortal world and expose their secret to the mortal realm. The Fundamentals were doing a good job of keeping things under control until an evil with great power showed up"

"Wait what?" Olivia blinked head whirling,

"Please don't interrupt." From there she went on to explain many things Olivia didn't understand, that were hard to wrap her head about or just plain strange and when she had wished Olivia felt sick.

"You have the wrong person...."

"Oh No Olivia- we have the right person." Olivia shook her head,

No you don't get it- I don't have magic- I'm not some magical warrior....." The woman waved her off- leading her from the room,

"Well not yet Olivia but neither are the others. Now. you are late, but that is no problem. Here." she hands her a box that seemingly has no hinges or lock, "This is part of your training. now, go down that hallway, breakfast is in the cafeteria, please hurry you don't have much time.when you eat something then head up the stairs to the roof- you will find the others there. " Gently giving the young girl a push on the back she sent her on her way.

Katara

It's 9:00 A.M. You have an hour to meet on the rooftop; do what you want, but do not be late. Showers are located down the hall from your room.

My eyes flow open at the announcement, and I jolted up in bed, the air around me so thick it clung to my skin. Half way through the night, I'd gotten up and taken a shower. Instead of putting clothes on, I went to bed in my underwear. I went to the dresser at the far end of the room and pulled out a fresh pair. I found a tight black camo tank top and matching cargos to wear before brushing out my hair and teeth. After that, I washed my face. When I finished with that, I grabbed a few things and headed out of my room to wander around.

As always, most of the doors are locked. The hall ways are quiet, and there was no one else around. I let my finger trail along the smooth and cooled stark white walls as I saddled along, listening to the silence of my foot steps. I turned a corner, stopping dead in my tracks. Standing dead center of the hallway stood a faceless mannequin, holding a pair of Sai in it's hands and a whip wrapped around it's waist. Two weapons I favored while training, and two weapons I was most deadly with besides a bow and arrow. I pulled away from the wall. "You should put those down before you hurt yourself with them."

Without a word it threw one of the Sai at me, which I barely dodged. I didn't have anything to to defend my self with, and that also meant I'd have to go hand-to-hand. That put me at a disadvantage, seeing as how it had both long a short range weapon to use. Great. He came at me again twirling, spinning, slicing through the air as he went. I had to do a double back flip and a split to dodge his attack. He came at me again with a side swipe I blocked with my arm and slapped the other Sai out of his hand before jumping back back. Bad idea.

He cracked out the whip that had been around his waist and and flicked his wrist. The sting of the whip as it lashed it's way down my right eye had me wiping the away the blood that began to run down the side of my face. I touched the now raising wound and hissed. That would leave a scar. Another crack sound, and next thing I know, i'm being dragged by my wrist. I dug the soles of my boots into the ground, trying to slow myself down.

Too bad it didn't work. I went flying into a wall, then back to the ground. I wrapped the whip around my wrist and yanked hard, pulling the mannequin my way. I pulled my other arm back, letting it piston forward and watched as the mannequin flew back. The whip dropped to the ground as I charged forward. The mannequin recovered faster than I thought and tackled me to the floor, knocking the breath out of me. I punched the thing in it's no existent face and kicked it off of me. Before it could could recover from the blow I came up behind it, wrapping one arm around it's neck and positioning the palm of my hand on the opposite side of the chin, and another on the back of the head, and with a sharp yank, the mannequin dropped to the floor. It didn't get back up.

I winced at the burning sensation in my eye. It felt like it was on fire. I pulled the moisture from the air and let it lightly graze my eye, the cooling sensation a welcome invitation. I looked over towards the body, come to discover it's gone, and a chest in it's place with a note attached.

We only have what we need to have. You passed the test. Congratulations and good luck, Katara.

I picked up the chest as I lifted it open and find a silver chain with a blue tinted teardrop diamond pendant. Not feeling hungry anymore, I put the necklace on and headed up to the roof. When I get up there I find someone else there. Micheal, I believe, was his name. His eyes popped wide as I realized I still had blood on me. I smiled. "Hi. Micheal right?"

"So you know my name?" his arrogant smirk was something else.

Hm. I shrugged nonchalantly and gave him a bored look as I peered down at my nails."Eh. It was just a guess. I wasn't sure what you name was."

The smirk slowly slid from his face. I smiled inside, giving a smile I said, "My name's Katara."

His nose wrinkled in a grimace as he said, "Nice to meet you."

He didn't seem very sincere. Oh well. A shame really. My smile grew even greater inside. "Like wise."

Thomas Alexander - Earth
I woke up with a jolt. The alarm clock on the nightstand was shouting like there was no tomorrow. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and got up from the armchair to turn the alarm of. Last night I had sat down for a moment and I must've fallen asleep. My shoulders hurt a bit and my whole body felt stiff. I yawned and got into the shower in hopes that it would wake me up. It didn't help much. I was still tired when I got out, and my stomach was grumbling. I hadn't eaten any dinner yesterday.

I opened the wardrobe and frowned when I saw the tie. Instead I chose a simple black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. When I rummaged through my backpack to find my toothbrush I found a note. "It's 9:00 A.M. You have an hour to meet on the rooftop; do what you want, but do not be late. Showers are located down the hall from your room." I looked at the clock. 9:15, and I had a bathroom adjacent to my room. Really now. If they were going to be creepy and sneak into my room when I was asleep they might as well do it right.

Five minutes later I was out from my room, pulling my dad's old leather jacket on as I left. Rooftop, huh? I really hoped that they would serve some breakfast. I made my way up through the building, until my nose finally caught a whiff of what had to be food. I followed the scent through a hallway, and as I turned a corner I spotted another one of those manikins. This one had no face, and was holding a baseball bat.

"Hi?" I said, not knowing what else I should do. It looked as if it was guarding the place. Maybe I had taken a wrong turn or something? Without warning it suddenly raised the bat and charged towards me, swinging it at my head. I dodged, but just barely. "Woah now! I'm not trespassing or anything."

It didn't seem to care, but charged at me again. I made a less than graceful dodge and managed to trip the manikin while doing so. I hadn't meant to do it, but it worked. The manikin fell flat on its stomach, and I managed to sit down on its back before it had time to get up. It flailed the bat dangerously around, so I pinned its arm to the floor and took it. The manikin kept fighting to get loose, but I sat still, not knowing what I was supposed to do. Would they get mad if I destroyed it?

I sat like that for quite and listened as my stomach got louder and louder. I really needed to eat something. Really, it was odd that I was more worried about food that I was about getting my head bashed in by a moving manikin. My priorities had gotten a bit twisted lately. "I'm going to get up, and if you try to kill me again I'll have no choice but to defend myself, okay?" I said loudly and jumped up, baseball bat ready in my hands. It didn't even hesitate before it got up and launched itself at me, not even caring that it no longer had a weapon. A swing was all it took to send it's head flying into the wall and then down on the floor with two loud thump. A third thump was added when the rest of it fell. I did warn it, so they couldn't possibly blame this on me now, could they?

"I th-th-this your box?" I jumped and twirled around when I heard the voice behind me. It was just a girl, holding two of the boxes we had received earlier. Her hair made me smile a bit, I had never seen anything like it, but her weary eyes reminded me that I was still holding a baseball bat in my hands. I dropped it beside the manikin.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "It might be. Are you one of the Fundamentals?"

She looked confused, really confused, and I couldn't blame her. "I-I think s-s-so."

I held out my hand and smiled at the shy girl. "So am I, apparently. My name's Thomas Alexander, but you can call me Tom. I'm an earth fundamental, or so I've been told."

She smiled but didn't take my hand, and I realized it was because she was holding both the boxes. I relieved her of one of them and then shook her hand. "Olivia Noel Saint-John, also an earth fundamental." She seemed to relax a bit.

"So.. I just got attacked by a crazy manikin, how has your day been?"

This earned me a slight giggle. She had a very sweet smile, but seemed to have trouble looking me in the eye. "I was just kidnapped." So she arrived today, one after the rest of us? As if this experience wasn't confusing enough already.

"Kidnappings are old news. The rest of us went though all that yesterday." I smiled comfortingly at her confused look. "Yeah, there's more or us. I was just about to head to.. Wherever the smell of food is coming from. I suppose the others should be there by now. Wanna come with me?"

"Y-yeah, sure." I nodded and followed the scent. My stomach was still grumbling.

I soon realized that the lid of my box was open, so I pulled it of and looked inside. A necklace, a book and a note. "We only have what we need to have. You passed the test. Congratulations and good luck, Thomas." Well, wasn't that nice? I had managed to survive the psychotic manikin.

When I looked up from the box I froze. "Have you met one of those manikins, by the way?"

"Umm.. No? Wh-why do you ask?"

"I suspect that one might be intended for you," I said and nodded towards the faceless manikin that was waiting. Oh, and I who had been really hungry.. Guess I wouldn't get to eat quite yet. I stepped in front of Olivia instinctively and waited for the manikin to make its move.

Spoiler

I figured Olivia should get a manikin as well xD

Haylee Knight

When Haylee entered her room, she felt right at home, everything was dark, her bed, computer desk and the computer itself. She could see perfectly, but she could tell it was darker in here than it seemed, her night vision was nearly perfect and she could see everything perfectly. Her eyes eventually fell on a piano that was in the corner of the room, it had been so long since Haylee last played the piano, she unzipped her jacket and threw it on the bed and then made her way over to the piano, some of the happier memories of her foster care home came from the piano. She took a seat her fingers going to the keys, the piano felt familer to her, she's done this time and time again, her fingers began to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, the first movement. The familer music was perfected as she stayed at the foster care home.

Haylee continue to play as the eerie music played throughout the dark room, Haylee knew that the music must be travailing to the other rooms, for other people, others were listening, eventually tho, Haylee stopped as the first movement concluded. The second and third movements were loud and noisy, and Haylee didn't want to bother anyone with a sleepless night. For once, she decided to be nice to everyone else, and for once, she felt like she was home, she soon found rest as she went to bed.

The next mourning, Haylee woke with a note that was placed on her body "It's 9:00 A.M. You have an hour to meet on the rooftop; do what you want, but do not be late. Showers are located down the hall from your room" Haylee didn't care what they said, she wanted a shower, something to eat, and some new clothes. Haylee quickly found two, the shower and a clothes that were laid out for her, a pair of black jeans, a black blouse that showed nothing about her besides her shoulders, and her black leather jacket. Now she needed something to eat, walking out of her room and down the hall when a guy in a black suit stopped her just before a door that had a golden plaque on it that read "Cafateria" on it.

"What I'm not allowed to go in?" she asked the man in black.

Instead of responding normally, the guy drew a sword, and Haylee couldn't help but roll her eyes at the fact that The Service would resort to something like this. The guy charged at her with the sword, and Haylee reacted at the last possible second, she moved to the left out of the swords path and Haylee's foot found the man in blacks tripping him. The guy was already getting up, he was on his hands and knees when Haylee's foot found the guys butt.

"Don't get up on my account, I'll just deal with this myself," Haylee said.

Haylee walked on top of the guy making sure to put extra force on one foot so when she brought it down, she pinned the guys head, her other foot found the hand that the guy held a sword in. She stomped on it hard until the guy released it, once done she took the sword in hand and the guy was already getting up as she stepped off. Haylee didn't hesitate the second she had the chance, she stabbed the guy right though the back. Then slowly pulled it back out and found no blood on it, Haylee realized all to quickly that this was a mannequin, she saw a note on the floor that must've fallen out of the jacket of the mannequin.

"We only have what we need to have. You passed the test. Congratulations and good luck, Haylee" the note said.

Haylee now had a sword, a dead mannequin, and now she turned with blade in hand she headed towards the Cafeteria.

Claire Belle

I woke up to the sound of soft piano music, and shot upwards. A few seconds later an alarm started ringing on the table next to me. I turned it off and then sat for a while longer while the music played on above me. The notes were beautiful, though terrifying at the same time.

In a second, the piano music brought the events of the night before flooding into my memory. I shivered and slid back into the bed and pulled the blankets up to my neck. I didn't want to wake up.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Apparently, the Service did want me to wake up. I switched the button again and tried to stay in bed, but only another minute went by before the beeping returned.

"Fine." I said, flipping off the alarm for the last time and standing up. A note fell off the table as I stood, and I picked it up to read the instructions. I then turned and found the dress lying at the foot of the bed. I picked it up, slipped on a pair of white ballet flats, and ran down the hall to the showers. I was relieved to find them empty as I stepped in and let the water absorb into my skin.

I felt oddly nervous, a feeling that continued to grow as the piano music continued. It stopped suddenly as I left the shower, and I couldn't help but think of the term from my english classes, forshadowing. I slipped on the dress, blue and white and decorated with pearls that to me looked like droplets of water. It was beautiful, though I would have liked it more if I had worn it in different circumstances.

I then moved through the hallways to the location written on the card. I pushed open a heavy door and froze at the sight of a man covered in dark clothes facing one of the girls. Chloe, I think her name was. Suddenly a beam of light shot from her hands and hit the man. Seconds later his body disappeared, and Chloe turned to pick up her box. I stayed hidden behind the door, too terrified to move forward in case another manikin appeared.

I waited as the Fundamentals began appearing in the hallway. Some already carried their open box, some met the manikin before even reaching the wide doors. An angry looking girl charged through the doors with a sword from her manikin, and I suddenly felt a pang of hunger. Wearily, I stepped forward just in time to come face to face with my own challenge.

"Stop it!" I screamed without meaning to. The manikin only came forward with her arms held out. I had already seen from the others that this was only a machine; there was nothing human about it. Still, I didn't want to.. kill it. It's hand found a place around my throat, and without thinking I opened my hands and let the water from the shower surge through my body. It felt like every drop of water still in my skin was moving forward into the robot in front of me. The drops began to slide through crevices in its body, and the wood and metal expanded so a point near exploding. I found all the last reserves of water in my damp hair and skin and shot it through my fingertips. Almost instantly, the manikin exploded.

"I'm sorry," I murmured before grabbing my box and heading through the doors. I quickly took stock of the other people sitting at the tables before noticing the boy, Michael, wasn't there. I saw plates and a bar of food, and loaded two of them before slipping over to stairs that I figured would lead to the roof and most likely to a starving Michael as well.

Lucy Camden:

There was a note in the bed, It's 9:00 A.M. You have an hour to meet on the rooftop; do what you want, but do not be late. Showers are located down the hall from your room.

I glanced at the clock, 9:00 exactly.
"I'd really like to know how they do that," I mumbled, grabbing a towel out of the dresser. A shower would feel fantastic right now.
The door swung shut with a soft click, as I stepped into the hallway. It was quiet, maybe everyone else decided to get some sleep. Whatever they're doing, I'm not going to complain about having the shower to myself.

Towards the end of the hallway I got to a door marked showers, not hearing anyone inside, I tried the door, and found it was locked. I heard footsteps behind me and called out "hey, do you know why the door's locked?" No answer. I turned as the footsteps, "shame, I really wanted a hot sho-" that's when I saw its face. It was shaped like a human, but looking at it felt so. . . wrong.

The thing lunged at me with a large knife, I tried to dodge, but it happened so fast. The blade cut a deep gash along my thigh, and an elbow to the stomach knocked me flat. The thing turned, and advanced upon, a wicked smile on it's face. Panicking, I closed my eyes and screamed. The flash filled the hallway, forcing the thing to stagger backwards, temporarily blinded. Picking myself up, I staggered back towards the rooms. As I reached the door to my room the thing let out a bloodcurdling screech and charged at me. The door was locked. How can it be locked? I turned to face the thing, but it was already upon me, the knife slipped cleanly between my ribs. I fell to the ground gasping for breath, as the thing stabbed me again, and again. As my vision started to fade, I could only think of one thing I failed.

I tried the door marked "shower," but it was locked. What the hell just happened? How am I still alive? That thing stabbed me and then I died. there's no way I could have survived that, but now, wait, didn't I do this already? Which means that thing is...
Too late, it was already behind me. With a single movement it slit my throat, leaving me to bleed out on the ground.

I tried the door, then whirled to face the thing. It was already upon me How can it be so fast?, the knife flashed downward in an arc towards my shoulder. I grabbed its arm with one hand, and the wrist with another, trying to wrest the knife from its grasp. A left hook hit me in the ribs, with a sickening crack. Another came, knocking the wind out of me, and causing pain to shoot up my side. As I brought an arm down to protect my side, the thing broke free from my grasp and embedded the knife in my shoulder. It grabbed my other arm and twisted it hard. A heavy forearm pressed against my throat, forcing me against the wall. I gasped for breath as everything faded to black.

The thing was right behind me, knife raised. I quickly dodged as it brought the knife down on the doorknob, smashing the mechanism. The thing dropped the ruined knife and turned to me, I let loose a blinding flash, causing it to screech in pain. The shower door swung open as I threw myself against it, revealing a locker room. I ran past the rows of lockers and onto the slippery tile, with the thing right behind me. I grabbed the wall to try and swing myself around the corner. The thing didn't, it fell while trying to make the corner, then slid head first into a wall. I turned to look, and saw its neck was bent at a strange angle. A note had fallen out of its pocket "We only have what we need to have. You passed the test. Congratulations and good luck, Lucy."

I sat down against the wall and cried.