Young Writers Society

Cypress

I tried very hard not to swear as yet another branch whipped my face. Whenever I found Mr. Mystery Mental Voice, he was so dead.

I. Hated. The. Forest.

I had been tailing Barke and Audrey for... I dunno, half an hour, an hour. I lost count. I didn't want to be noticed- let them think they were so skilled for sneaking away without waking the street rat. Truth was, I hadn't been asleep at all. After those dreams, I was afraid to even close my eyes. I could almost... almost sense that whoever kept making me do things was sending the dreams too.

Barke turned, and I stepped back into the shadows, bringing around a veil of foggy wind to make any sign of me hazy. He scowled, twitched a little, and turned back around. I let the veil disappear and crept forward. I was honestly terrified; I didn't know what all they could do. I could go invisible, but it would only be another half hour until I passed out from exertion. Best to stick with what I knew. What I knew were winds- those I could control effortlessly. There's a lot you can do with air.

I sent a thought out to MMV (Mystery Mental Voice, see?): You better hope I don't find you, Voice. I will kill you. Not a guarantee- but I can promise I will hurt you. Badly. Watch yourself, V. I will find you, and hurt you to the full extent of my power. I hoped that was threatening enough and kept going.

Dear god. What had I gotten myself into?

I apologize for being gone these past few days. give me a tentative destination for you lot and ill have Wulf get to you somehow. He'll find a way.

[Psst ninja! How can your charrie send out thoughts? Mine can 'cause he's a mind freak, but...]

Barke

This is stupid. I hear the Lulu and the annoying boy's thoughts from a completely different direction.

I turn, and bump into something. Cypress suddenly appears. So that's where I heard those angry thoughts. I'm not going crazy! She can just go invisible. She scowls at me and I hold my hands up in mock surrender whilst stepping around her. Who stored her milk in the oven?

I wander around, searching for the people who belong to the thoughts, and secretly hoping to see Lulu at least once. They're near, I can feel that.

"...would do you well," comes the voice from somewhere in the trees. Walking towards the sound, I walk up on a boy around my age and Lulu. My God, she's cute, even though she looks irked.

She turns to me. "How did you find us?" she asks in shock.

I shrug. "Mind freak," I explain.

Lulu

I turned to Zabe, checking out his stance, he just, stood there. Why was I still sitting? I jumped to my feet.
"Your not supposed to know we are here." I hissed. I wondered if he noticed I never blink? When I first met Zabe he commented on that, which got him a swift slap on the back of the head, we fought a lot back then. but now he was like, a brother to me.
"Well, now I do." He said. Wait, mind freak, so he can read my mind?
"Get over here." I ask, pointing at the ground in front of me. This was one of those times I really wished to be able to see. So I could tell if he was confused. I stepped forward, putting my hands on his face. Stubble, roundish face. He had quite a hansom face.
"Having fun?" Chuckled Zabe. I smirked,
"A little." I rubbed his stubble again before backing off and holding out my hand.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Lulu, but you probably already knew that. I'll tell you what I told Zabe, unless my thoughts are directed at you, stay out of them." I said, waiting for him to shake my hand.

Barke

"Hi Lulu, and it's hard, but I'll try," I say, taking her hand. "By the way, glad to know you think my face is handsome!" Lulu responds to that by slapping me.

"Now it's in pain, hopefully," she hisses. It is, but I just like the feel of her hand on my face.

"Oh, and just for the record, mind freak includes mind reading, thought sending, thought alteration, and mind control. Which is why you couldn't run when you woke me up that one time," I explain. Understanding dawns on her, and to be honest she looks a little pissed.

"Good to know," she growls. "Now get back to where the others are and sleep!"

I mock bow. "Your wish is my command." She's about to slap me again, I hear it in her thoughts, but I stop her hand and walk away.

"Don't do that!" she fumes.

"Hey, I was about to be hit. Hitting is not fun." I raise two fingers in the form of a wave. "See ya."

Lulu

"I warned him to stay out. He deserved the slap." Zabe chuckled, and I felt my face turn bright red.
"Oh Barke, your face is so handsome!" he mocks, I turn on one heel and walk up to him, whether I'm in his face or staring at his chest I'm not sure.
"First of all, I sound NOTHING like that." I raised another finger. "Second of all it's none of your business." I raised a last finger. "And third of all he flipping controlled me! He had better not do that again, or he WILL feel my wrath." It didn't get me far, all I did was make Zabe laugh. I threw my hands up in desperation and slunk back against a tree.
"Get to sleep now." He says, getting all big brotherly on me again and draping his cloak over me again. I yawn, I guess he was right.
"Fine." I sigh in defeat. I was really tired, and we had a LONG day tomorrow. They didn't have my speed, so getting them back wouldn't be as easy.

>It was just an attempt; she didn't think it would work.<

Cypress

I growled. This is what I got for tailing the lot of 'em. Being excluded and not having one single blasted clue what was going on. I strangled the snarl that rose up from the pit of my chest, clenched my fists, and slammed my fist against a tree. Not only did it topple, but the ground beneath it cracked, and a sonic boom of sorts rippled out in a ten foot radius from me.

I glared at them all and marched firmly to my own dark corner. I set up a small fortress of top speed, strong and whip like winds, ducked in, and curled up in a ball in the center. No one approached me, and I was left to my anguish.

I slapped myself for being so weak earlier. Fake memories- that was all they were. I knew my father didn't give a whit what or who I was. I knew my mother was ashamed to have me- that's why I was a street rat, my father was a merchant, and my mother was a noblewoman. We all belong in our places. And even if our rings had been looped together at some point, they were loose now.

Alone.

I had thought the thought before, but now, it had a different effect. Instead of snorting, I sobbed a little, curled up tighter, and pulled my hood up, burying my face in my sleeves.

I wouldn't let them see me cry.

Audrey!

Audrey sighed and walked away from the group, shaking her head. Everything was getting confusing. She'd seen them. However, she wasn't going to confront them. The squirrel had left already, and Tap was still clinging to Audrey's shoulders. Cat. She thought, her body melding into something foreign. Her arms turned into pitch black legs, and she fell towards the ground, a tail growling from her back as claws sprung forward, her canine teeth turning lethal.

Tap was clung to the bright red collar around her neck, chirping nonsense in her sensitive cat ears. Audrey sighed and shook her head. She was already missing the orphans.

Orphan.

With a hiss of anger, Audrey threw herself onto the bottom branch of a huge oak tree. She extended her claws, and climbed to one of the highest branches, one that could support her easily. She shifted back into her human form and wedged herself between the two branches, she pulled her jacket off, and set it behind her head, leaning back against it with a sigh. Her mind was swimming as she stared up into the stars, Tap laying on her stomach in contentment.

Barke

As I make my way back to the group, (I'm finding my way by keeping tabs on some dreamer named Wulf) I hear thoughts of rejection and sadness. What...? The thoughts come closer the more I walk, but I see nothing. A sobbing sound comes from behind a tree, so I look. Nothing.

"Cypress, I know you're there," I sigh. No answer. I kick the air, and hit something that reveals herself as Cypress. She glares at me.

"Why don't you leave me alone? And stop calling me Cypress, it's Cy." She sighs in frustration and crosses her arms, but she's trembling and tears are lingering at the corners of her eyes.

I shrug. "Your family issues are none of my business, but if you're confused and think we're trying to exclude you, you're wrong. We're mostly doing our own things." Wait...she didn't say any of that. I seriously need to start separating my thoughts from words.

She raises an eyebrow. "How do you know all that?"

"Mind freak," I explain, "which includes mind reading, mind control, thought sending, thought alteration...look, I'm just a mind freak. What do you do? Besides the invisibility thing, I mean."

Cypress

I raised an eyebrow. "Air manipulation, mostly."

" 'Splains the air fortress."

"Yep. And I do have telekinesis, it's just..."

"What?"

"I have really bad control." I pointed to the toppled tree and cracked ground. He chuckled. I grunted. "Won't be laughing when I tree to throw a tree in our way and end up pulling you into a chasm in the ground." He fell silent. I tried not to smirk.

"And I don't have family issues!" I added sharply. Other than an upperclass mother who was ashamed of my existence, and a father who didn't want me, that was true. Hard to have family issues when you have no family. I laughed softly at myself and fell back. Barke moved to catch me, but I was already settled on a hammock of air that had assembled in record time. I was proud of myself. I closed my eyes and rocked back and forth.

I still hated the woods.

By the way.

Barke

When I move to catch her, she doesn't fall. Oh, that's right. She's in an air...thing. "I'm...going back to the group," I say, backing up slowly with my hands clasped being my back. I don't know why, but I do that a lot.

"Why?" she asks. "That voice guy is really annoying."

"Well yeah, but Lulu said to, and she's mad enough as it is."

"Who the hell is Lulu?" Oh, crap.

"Lulu is..." I hesitate. "Gotta go," I mutter and make a break for it. Where's the group again? I find Wulf's sleeping mind again and follow the thoughts. Just follow the thoughts.

Cypress

I raised an eyebrow at Barke's retreating back. Lulu? Who in all earth names their daughter Lulu?

And more importantly, why did she seem to have Barke's undying attention?

Whoa. Did not think that.

I shook my head and rocked from side to side, trying not to care that Barke apparently was keeping secrets from us. And since when were us three an "us"? This was insane. I needed to get back to the city, but lord knows I wasn't going to be able to. I brought a bit more air around me, so I was in a little wind cocoon, and therefore protected from flies.

I closed my eyes and tried to get some more sleep. This time, it was dreamless- but I did hear the name Lulu whirling around, tangled up with Barke's name. I woke with a jolt, propped up on my elbows.

Too weird.

ZABRIEL

Zabriel chewed his bottom lip nervously, thankful for his long sleeves. It was chilly out tonight, and he had given his cloak to Lulu. She needed it much more than he did anyways. He was nervous because they had already been spotted. Twice. His mentor would be absolutely thrilled to hear that one.

He was also irritated. That mystery voice is annoying. That "mystery voice" would be what saved their hides in a couple of days. They could all live with it for a little while longer, you know, four weeks or so. Annoying... ungreatful little worms they were.

Zabriel sat down on the moss and rested his head against a tree-trunk, deep in thought. His mentor had said to test the six both physically and mentally. Now, just how would he do this? They hated him, he couldn't show himself, he had already been seen by two of them...

Bad.

Of course, he could test them by obeying their wishes and staying out of their head. More like punishment to be honest. Let them fend for themselves for a few days, tell Lulu to keep away from them, see how they faired without their help. Zabriel smirked. Seemed tangible, a well-deserved punishment if he did say so himself.

The six would get their wish, he would stay out of their heads, and he wouldn't guide them by light or dreams or wind. Not until they were begging, if their egoes weren't too big for that.

Lulu

I fluttered my eyes, waking up to see Zabe pacing back and forth, and that it was still night. He looked cold, I could tell of course. I stood up and out his cloak back over his shoulders.
"Maybe, you, should sleep." I said, yawning. he shrugged it off and put it back on me.
"No, you need it Lu." I growled and put it back on him.
"No, it's your turn." I complained, he groaned. "Zabe, please, let me watch them for a while." I said, taking a step towards him. Of course, another disadvantage of not being able to see color and seeing heat patterns, you can't see when there is a rock in front of you. I stumbled forward and fell. Zabe chuckled and helped me up. I brushed myself off.
"What was it this time?" I asked, his heat pattern out of sight. His voice came from behind me, startling me slightly.
"A rock." figured. I wonder what color rocks really where... I turned towards him, my face probably level with his chest again as I pushed him towards a tree.
"Sleep!" I demanded.

ZABRIEL

Zabe chuckled and ruffled Lulu's hair. "I'll sleep, but you have to agree with my plans first."

Lulu shoved Zabe's hand off her head and sighed. "And what have you been scheming now?"

"They're all horribly ungreatful for our efforts. I say we make ourselves completely disapear for a while, you know, until they go stark-raving-mad. No thoughts, no guiding, no wind, no dreams, no nothing." Zabe smirked, liking his idea more and more. Normally he was a soft-hearted oaf, but he didn't hesitate to punish accordingly. He would never let them out of his sight, and he would die if it meant saving them, but they needed to learn.

Lulu arched an eyebrow. "You sure?" Zabe nodded. "Fine, I guess..."

"Good." Zabriel leaned over and gave Lulu a brotherly kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight Lulu." He sank to the ground and pulled his cloak over his eyes, debating whether or not to throw it back at Lulu. Of course there wasn't much point in that, she would just throw it back.

"Goodnight Zabe," he heard Lulu say before slipping into sleep. He was truly exhausted, and prayed that he would have at least one nightmareless sleep.