z

Young Writers Society


The Silver Bullet Club: Ophiuchus



User avatar
50 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 9000
Reviews: 50
Mon Feb 17, 2014 8:25 pm
View Likes
KingLucifer says...



Andrea Stoddard - Stone Manor

Most of the club had returned to Stone Manor, in the main time we were waiting Chris started telling jokes and making everyone laugh.

"And so, so I told him..." Chris was laughing so hard at his own jokes he was unable to finish.

Me, I was laughing as well, trying not to fall out of my seat as well. Mike was sitting by himself, but showed even he was cracking a smile. The three newbies, Zuri, Lys and Akiza were laughing as well, the only one missing was Eli. Daniel talked to Eli and he said to go on without him. I stood from my seat taking a deep breath to stop laughing.

"Alright, alright, thank you Chris for loosening up the mood, let's get this club meeting underway." Chris nodded and smiled at me and then took a seat on one of two couches that was brought in by Daniel and Chris. "During our search for our former Club President, Amanda Cramer, a few of us had run into some others outside of our club who also had "disorders" as the club itself has agreed to call them. First is Achlys Nyx, from what she has told Daniel and Daniel to me, she can see the spirits of the dead even communicate with them."

I pause to allow that to sink in, not everyone was comfortable about the idea of someone being able to communicate with there loved ones. "Next is Zuri Mortomo, our cryokinesis specialist, and can even freeze stuff on contact." I said. "Well if anyone wants a cold soda they can hand him the can," a few small laughs arose from Chris' comment. "Third is Michael, from what I've seen he's about to create illusions, he managed to create one of Amanda when I first found him." Those who knew Amanda looked at Michael, Daniel spoke up first. "Do you think he might've seen Amanda, he could be a lead to finding her!" I could see Michael didn't like the fact everyone was looking at him.

"He has," I confirmed, "I mean, he met her but I suspect it was a brief meeting." Everyone went back to looking at me, and I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was relieved. I continued before Daniel could say anything more, "finally our forth new member, Akiza. Akiza will you be so nice to explain to the club as to your disorder is?" Daniel spoke up, "Andrea, Akiza doesn't have a-"

"I beg to differ Daniel, all I hear from her is static, the loud nosy kind of static. Which means she's capable of shielding her mind from me, which can only be done if she has a disorder." I look back to her, "so please tell us Akiza."
An angel, a knight, a man who will bring light to where there is only darkness, I am the Morning Star, the Bringer of Light, hail to me as I am King Lucifer!

Formerly: Avalon





User avatar
43 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 2179
Reviews: 43
Tue Feb 18, 2014 3:32 am
View Likes
AlmondEyes says...



~Akiza~




From the moment I had stepped in, I knew this wasn't just some ordinary party, so for the most part, I kept my distance. This seemed to be something more like a club. I didn't' stand too close or touch anyone, though I was as polite as possible. I was sitting on a couch near Daniel, when I realized where I was and what I was doing. I was with a guy I just met and barely knew, in a room full of strangers. It wasn't like me at all to act like this whatsoever. If it were any other guy, I would have put the brakes to it in a hot second. I don't even know Daniel's last name and the guy somehow managed to get me here at little to no effort. The thought made me uncomfortable. He may not know it, but he was an even bigger danger to me than anyone.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by a guy named Chris telling jokes. He was actually kind of funny.

"Alright, alright, thank you Chris for loosening up the mood, let's get this club meeting underway." the girl named Andrea said.

"During our search for our former Club President, Amanda Cramer, a few of us had run into some others outside of our club who also had "disorders" as the club itself has agreed to call them. First is Achlys Nyx, from what she has told Daniel and Daniel to me, she can see the spirits of the dead even communicate with them."

She paused, I guess, to let it sink in. I turned to looked at the girl in question and nodded to myself. When I touched her, I did get a sense of death from her, and her "Disorder", as they like to call, fit the bill.

"Next is Zuri Mortomo, our cryokinesis specialist, and can even freeze stuff on contact." Andrea said. "Well if anyone wants a cold soda they can hand him the can," a few small laughs arose from Chris' comment. "Third is Michael, from what I've seen he's about to create illusions, he managed to create one of Amanda when I first found him."

Daniel spoke up. "Do you think he might've seen Amanda, he could be a lead to finding her!"

"He has," She confirmed, "I mean, he met her but I suspect it was a brief meeting."

She continued, "finally our forth new member, Akiza. Akiza will you be so nice to explain to the club as to your disorder is?"

Daniel spoke up, "Andrea, Akiza doesn't have a-"

I felt a little guilty for not telling Daniel about me, which alsowasn't a norm. I knew right off the back he wasn't normal, but he on the other hand no clue about me.

"I beg to differ Daniel, all I hear from her is static, the loud nosy kind of static. Which means she's capable of shielding her mind from me, which can only be done if she has a disorder." Andrea looked back towards me, "so please tell us, Akiza."

Andrea stuck out like a sore thumb to me because of her so called "disorder", so i'm not surprise she wouldn't be able to read me. I'd come across too many mind readers not to one one when I saw them. I didn't really like them. They were nosy and had no respect for privacy. Well, at least the ones that I had met were. I didn't know this one.

Realizing everyone was waiting on me speak, I opened my mouth. "I can feel other people's emotions, and eventually determine where it's coming from and why the person is feeling that way, meaning i'm an Empath."

I turned to look at Daniel feeling for his reaction. He was shocked, of course. A bit hurt, though I wouldn't be able to fathom why. What I was about to say would hurt him even more.

"And I also never agreed to join this club." I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

Andrea raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard exactly what I said," I replied, looking at Daniel and shaking my head. "It's just not me."

There was complete silence, but I wasn't paying any attention anyone but Daniel. He stared back at me, looking like i'd hurt him. I sighed, and my phone began to ring in my pocket. It was Mom.

"Yea Mom?" I answer.

"Are you ok honey? I thought you'd be back by now. Are you heading back?" I could almost see he frowning on the other end of the phone.

I sighed again. "I'm on my way right now."

"Alright then. Just hurry home, honey." she said.

"Yes ma'am," I hung up, turned and walked out of the house without another word.

Spoiler! :
Sorry guys. My character kind of came off as a bitch xD
"What is dead my never die, but rises again, larger and stronger..."

*Ride like Lightening, crash like Thunder*


"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies..."





User avatar
95 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 818
Reviews: 95
Sun Mar 02, 2014 2:27 pm
View Likes
Clarity says...



Achlys Nyx

"During our search for our former Club President, Amanda Cramer, a few of us had run into some others outside of our club who also had "disorders" as the club itself has agreed to call them. First is Achlys Nyx, from what she has told Daniel and Daniel to me, she can see the spirits of the dead even communicate with them."

I replayed what Andrea had said over and over again. “She can see the spirits of the dead, even communicate with them.” She couldn’t be talking about me, yet she said my name. Was she as crazy as I am? What are all of these people talking about? I don’t have any weird powers… I have a mental disorder, the doctor said so.

I couldn’t process this; everyone was talking about “paranormal disorders” Akiza is an… Empath? No, this isn’t real, it can’t be…

Akiza answered the phone and left, leaving everyone in silence.

“I…” I began. Everyone looked my way; I ran. There was no way what these people were saying could be true. Sure, my episodes involve dead people… but it’s impossible to see the dead!

Andrea said she could read our minds. How? It isn’t right! It isn’t real!
I ran out of the house and didn’t look back. I needed to feel safe, so I went back to the book shop. I’d be safe here, books are safe.

I sat at the back of the bookshop, behind the bookshelves. I’d been spending most of my days since we moved to Willowcreek. This place felt welcoming. I wasn’t bothered here, I had my own time to relax and feel normal.

Spoiler! :
Sorry it's so short, but we needed something to go on...
"Be courageous and try to write in a way that scares you a little."

she/they


Home is where the books are kept.





User avatar
28 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 798
Reviews: 28
Thu Mar 06, 2014 5:17 pm
View Likes
AdventurerDaniel says...



Daniel Nitram

I sat there still trying to focus on what had just happened, "well you're 0 for 2 Daniel. Worst record I've seen." I looked to see that it was Christ that had made the remark always trying to be funny I guess, but I was a bit to hurt to see the humor.

"Well what are you going to do now there are two people that know about the club that I would definitely not trust and it's on your head so do something." It was Andrea speaking this time.

"Um...do something?" I replied drawing a blank, this was sort of new territory for me what was I supposed to do.

Andrea looked at me as though I was being an idiot, "go after them duh."

"Right um of course I'll do that right now." I slowly scooted my chair back and stood up, it took my body a moment to respond the way I wanted it to I walked slowly but then ran to the door. Swinging it open I hoped to find both of the girls but apparently Achlys was already long gone. But Akiza stood there still almost as if she was second guessing herself. "Hey wait don't go yet." She turned towards me that was a start.

"Why shouldn't I go you lied to me?" I knew what she meant and I couldn't argue with her on that. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth about all this? Oh and Achlys looked positively terrified when she ran out, did your friend think just coming out to her about all this was the best idea?"

She had me pegged I had lied to her and Andrea had been a bit to open with Achlys. But, part of me was mad how could she expect me to be honest about what I am, if she couldn't be honest with me about herself. "Maybe I lied because it's hard to explain to someone you just met that you're an immortal undead human from the 13th century. I mean you would have thought I was crazy. Especially if after that I asked if you'd like to join my club for people with abilities that we call disorders. I mean it's not the best pickup line is it, and it's not like I knew you were an empath when we first met."

"Yeah but I didn't, wait how old are you anyway I mean 13th century, you'd have to be almost 800." She shook her head, "look you had no idea how I would respond you could have given me a chance you know."

I looked at her dumbfounded, given her a chance? "First of all two things I'm 778 and was born in what is now Italy. Also a third thing I'm forgetful, centuries of memories will do that to you. But, right now there's a girl somewhere that's panicking and attempting to come to terms with what she's heard here tonight." I started walking to my car, "and we can play he said she said all night to some sort of result, or you can put more thought in to joining the club and help me help Achlys. I'm sure what she needs right now is some empathy." I hopped in my car and turned the key and headed towards the gates of the house. Waiting to see what Akiza would do.
So much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
Red Wheel Barrow by- William Carlos Williams





User avatar
32 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 671
Reviews: 32
Thu Mar 06, 2014 5:39 pm
View Likes
Redfang18 says...



Zuri Mortomo - Stone Manor

When I was told that there were others with abilities, I was shocked to be proven right. The others had abilities different from mine, but nonetheless they were fellow outcasts of society. The person who intrigued me the most was one of the other newcomers - the girl who can see and communicate with spirits of the dead. There were many names for such a person, the most common being a medium or a shaman. Some people were pegged as necromancers, but even I wasn't sure of that.

Upon my introduction and my recruiter's jokingly kind comment of my power, I just sat there at the table, smiling a little and bearing it. I decided to wait in order to tell the others my background and the side effects of my power. After all, I didn't want them to think I was antisocial as a price to being cyrokinetic. Once introductions were finished, I was about to speak up when I watched Achlys run off. I got out of my seat and said calmly, "You folks keep discussing your plans and fill me in when I get back. I'll go talk to her."

The one called Daniel asked, "Why would you want to go after Achlys?"

I answered, "Let's just say that at a small degree, I've been in her shoes. I know how it feels to be afraid of what you're capable of, even if you don't really accept it. Although I accept my disorder as a part of me, I'm still afraid of it because I once froze an innocent kitten a few years ago. I didn't know that my hydrokinetic power had evolved into cyrokinesis until that day, which is why my hands are concealed at all times. My disorder affects my hands the most, appearing like they were frostbitten for a short while, but it also affects my body in general. Your friend Chris had seen it happen a while ago. He'll tell you." After this, I went after Achlys.

Finding her wasn't an easy task, but it made my semi-nomadic life pay off. I found her in a book store, which was no doubt her element since she appeared more comfortable. I decided to offer her company, since that of musky pages can never replace the living. I sat down beside her with my cane in front of me. "I can tell you've been told your disorder was anything but supernatural. Your reaction says it all. I know how it feels to be told something that you have is not what it seems. My parents disowned me when I was young, leaving me to fend for myself at a young age. Here in this place, I don't really understand what words are, since I can't read very well." I got close to her and put my gloved hand on her shoulder. "I only freeze things when it comes in physical contact with my skin. You're safe because my hands are concealed by gloves. By concealing my skin, I protect others from myself. If I were to use my hands..." I took off a glove and concentrated. My fingers spread out, frost rose from my skin and spiraled for several minutes. My hand touched an ice sculpture of a water lily, which I gave to Alchlys. "Don't mind what happens to my fingers. It's only a temporary thing. Last for about five minutes." I put the glove back on. "You don't have to accept what you have on my account. Give it some time to sink in. You can always talk to me if you need someone."
Look down and show some mercy if you can.
Look down, look down, upon your fellow man.

~~~Les Miserables





User avatar
103 Reviews



Gender: None specified
Points: 451
Reviews: 103
Fri Mar 07, 2014 8:14 pm
wordsandwishes says...



Em~Meeting

An awkward silence descended upon the room as the door closed behind Daniel. I glanced around the room as I unfolded and shook out my wings; still dusty from my crash in the woods. I scanned the room again, something seemed... off.

"Hey, where's Eli?" My voice sounding unnaturally loud amidst the quiet.

The question was met with a series of shrugs and murmuring until Andrea spoke up. "Does anyone have his cell number?"

"He doesn't have a phone." Said Chris.

Well, crap. "Does anyone remember where he was sent to search?"

"Yeah, he was with me, and we were gonna meet up, but I got held up and when I got there he was gone." Chris said. "I figured he'd probably gave up waiting and went to search on his own." He said. "I also didn't see him around the town so my best guess is that he took off into the woods."

"Or he wandered off on another hunch."I thought.

"I also didn't see him around the town so my best guess is that he took off into the woods." He added.

"I can go look for him, it's dark so no one will see me flying and I could get a birds eye view. All I gotta do is look for someone waving around a flashlight."

Andrea considered me for a moment, "Fine, go. But if you can't find him in an hour come back. I'm not sure what exactly is going on here, but if one thing is certain it's that it's not safe here anymore, for any of us."

I nod and make my way out the door. A cool breeze brushes my hair into my face as the door shuts behind me. I open my wings to their full span and push myself off the ground and into the sky. I circle around the woods up where Eli was supposed to be, but I didn't see any signs of life; flashlights or otherwise. Maybe Chris was wrong, maybe he had been in the town they just managed to avoid each other... or something. I dove down lower to that I could almost touch the treetops if I reached out my hand. Maybe if I got close enough I'd be able to spot the glow of a cellphone, or maybe he had a glow in the dark watch or something weird like that.

My time was running out. I silently hoped that he was at his home, probably fallen asleep. Yeah, that was probably right, he might even be at the manor when I get back. I hovered in the air and pulled out my phone. I still had about 20 minutes left.

I did another sweep of the woods before I finally saw some movement, a glimmer of flickering light; probably a fire. I landed hard in a tree and made my way down. I made my way towards the light but as I neared I began to hear voices and when I got a closer look I realised it was just a bunch of teenagers having a bonfire. I sighed and was about to turn around when I heard a voice behind me, too close.

"You're a long way from home, aren't you little bird?"
Last edited by wordsandwishes on Sun Mar 09, 2014 10:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.





User avatar
95 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 818
Reviews: 95
Sun Mar 09, 2014 12:51 pm
View Likes
Clarity says...



Achlys -- Book store

I sat there for a few moments, letting what Zuri had said sink in. It couldn’t be possible, but he just showed me what he could do. But then again… he might not be real. But everyone else saw him at the manor… and Akiza had to be real because we got in the car…

“Think about it, I’m always here to talk.” He said, getting up to leave. I couldn’t let him leave… this was too crazy and if he was real, I had to find out for myself.

“Wait!” I stood up awkwardly. “D- Don’t go.” He turned around and looked at me. “I- How do I know you’re real?”

“You don’t know how to tell?” He asks me, looking surprised.

“No, I don’t…” He doesn’t speak so I carry on. “There are 16 people in this store, including us, and I don’t know who is real and who is not. I could be talking to thin air for all I know.” Zuri took a look around the store then sat back down.

“Actually, there are only 15 people in the store, including us…”

“Well how am I supposed to know who is actually here? If I went up to everyone I saw and asked “are you real?” I’m sure I’d get pegged as crazy, even more so than I already am.” I sighed and sat down across from Zuri.

“You’re not crazy. You’re just different, like me and like everyone else you saw back at the manor.”

“Different? Yeah, because seeing people who aren’t really there isn’t crazy.” I said. Sarcasm probably isn’t my best approach right now… he’s only trying to help. I waited a few moments before speaking again. “Ok, if all of this is true then I need to know more.”

“Come back to the manor then. There are enough of us to at least try and get you to understand everything.”

“Um… ok.” We both stood up and I followed Zuri out of the book store and back to the manor.
"Be courageous and try to write in a way that scares you a little."

she/they


Home is where the books are kept.





User avatar
43 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 2179
Reviews: 43
Mon Mar 10, 2014 9:04 pm
View Likes
AlmondEyes says...



Akiza




I'd just made it down the steps when Achlys comes flying by me, and my knees almost buckles as I feel how terrified she was. I had to catch my breath before I could She brushed against, our minds touching for a moment.

No!This isn't real, it isn't real, can't be real.

"Wait, Achlys!" I call, but she doesn't even look back.

Then I sense Daniel coming. "Hey, wait! Don't go yet."

I turned to look at him. "Why shouldn't I go? You lied to me. Why didn't you just tell me the truth about all this? Oh, and Achlys looked positively terrified when she ran out. Did your friend think just coming out to her about all this was the best idea?"

He knew I had him pegged. Danile had lied to me about the party, though I knew it wasn't an actual party anyway, and that mind reader had just opened her mouth and blurted it all out without thinking about the consequences and sent Achlys off in a panic. Daniel's anger made me frown. What was ha angry about?

"Maybe I lied because it's hard to explain to someone you just met that you're an immortal undead human from the 13th century. I mean, you would have thought I was crazy. Especially if after that I asked if you'd like to join my club for people with abilities that we call disorders. I mean, it's not the best pickup line is it, and it's not like I knew you were an empath when we first met." he said.

True enough.

"Yeah but I didn't- wait, how old are you anyway? I mean, 13th century? You'd have to be almost 800." I shook my head. "Look, you had no idea how I would respond. You could have given me a chance, you know."

He seemed dumbfounded by what i'd just said. "First of all, two things; I'm 778 and was born in what is now Italy. Also a third thing, I'm forgetful. Centuries of memories will do that to you. But, right now there's a girl somewhere that's panicking and attempting to come to terms with what she's heard here tonight."

He started toward his car. "And we can play he said she said all night to some sort of result, or you can put more thought in to joining the club and help me help Achlys. I'm sure what she needs right now is some empathy."

What a play on words that was. But he was right. She would need help dealing with everything. I watched Daniel hop into his car and head for the gate. I hopped into my car and to follow him out, then called my mom. "I'm gonna be home a little later."

*****************


We pulled at the book shop and made our way inside. I looked around, opening up my senses and reaching out around the shop, and followed her signature with Daniel right behind me.

"Do you know where she is?' he asked beside me.

"Not yet, but I will, and she's not alone," I answer.

Or course I was right. Achlys rounded a corner with the guy, Zuri of I recall correctly, right behind her. They stop when they see us. Daniel walks over to them and looks at Achlys.

"We came to make sure you were alright." he said. "That was kind of a lot to take in."

"You could say that again," Achlys nodded her head. "I'm just so confused about what's going, I just don't know how to make sense of it all."

"Well, you should know that you're not alone in this anymore," I smile at her. "You've got people here who understand you now, and are here to help you."

"That's right," she smiles to herself. "i'm not alone anymore?"

I shake me head. Not being able to control what you can do is terrifying for those who have no one to be there for them, or teach them how to control their abilities. I wrote my number down on a piece of paper and handed it to her. "Here's my number. If you need someone to talk to, you can call me. I can even teach you how to better use your ability if you want."

Surprise shone in her eyes as she looked at the piece of paper I handed her and then at me. "Really?"

I nod. "Being an Empath makes me sensitive to others as well as their powers, which means I may be able to better understand them and help control them."

She didn't say anything, but I knew she would call. I turned to Daniel. "She seems to be fine for right, so I guess that's it."

I headed back to my car. My mom would be calling soon to see where I was, and it would be better for me if I got home before that happened. Just as I opened my car, Daniel closed it from behind me. "Please don't go. Come back with me."

"You know I can't. I have my mom waiting for me." I shake my head at him.

"Well how about-" he started.

"Look. We can meet here tomorrow for lunch of you want, but I won't be going back to the club anytime soon. I need to get home, though." I sigh.

I know i'd just hurt him, but I couldn't do anything about it, which made me feel bad. Leaning forward, I kissed him on the cheek, which pulled him out of his thoughts.

"We have to part ways for now, but i'll see you tomorrow?" I open the door and put one foot in.

He nods but says nothing. I close the door behind me, starting the car and pulling away from the curb. I can still see the look in his eyes as he watches me drive off, touching the spot where I kissed him. I touched my lips, which had started to tingle the moment they made contact with his cheek. More and more interesting.
"What is dead my never die, but rises again, larger and stronger..."

*Ride like Lightening, crash like Thunder*


"Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies..."





User avatar
192 Reviews



Gender: None specified
Points: 19207
Reviews: 192
Wed Apr 16, 2014 8:49 pm
View Likes
EloquentDragon says...



Spoiler! :
Sorry it's long. ;)


Eli---Highway Outside Willowcreek


Eli hadn’t stuck around when they had called the cops. Walt had asked him to show him the way to the old mill, and Eli had managed to slip away when they were in the woods. He felt as though he couldn’t stomach seeing the mill again, and his head had cleared by then. He realized that running into the police wouldn’t be such a great idea. Witness or not, there would be questions, and they would ask for IDs, his address, who his parents were, and if he was the delinquent on their watch list or not. More importantly, he needed to get to Stone Manor. Soon.

He took off back towards town, going as fast as practical in the heat, and had soon reached the 7-Eleven that marked the edge of town. He went at a slower pace then, walking as casually as possible along the side of the road. He was in a hurry, but didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention. A pair of cop cars, lights flashing, rushed past him as they flew down the highway. He knew they were headed for the old mill. Eli kept his head low. He eventually crossed under the bridge by the Grocery store, and found himself in the train yards of the west section of town. The afternoon was growing old, and the air was sticky and still. Yellow sunlight reflected off the dust and metal of the tracks and box cars, which only made the shimmering heat waves more visible. Eli stopped, and a fresh wave of nausea swept over him. He pushed it back, his tongue resting heavily in the back of his throat. Amanda was dead. He was still numb over the realization. Of course he should have suspected it, and when he paused to think he knew that there had always been a nagging sense of doubt in the back of his mind. But he had drowned it out with his own self-deceiving hope. She would turn up somewhere, she would be fine. Eli had always seen Amanda as the strongest in the group. It had been a quiet sort of strength, it wasn’t like she had been controlling and over-confidant. Like Andrea. He thought bitterly. He wondered how the new club “president” would receive the news.

Standing there, he felt sick again, and decided to head home instead of going directly to Stone Manor. He had finally defined the source of his feelings—it was grief. He wasn’t thinking rationally. He needed to find a way to calm himself down.

Eli felt a little better when he finally reached the run-down trailer he called home. It was on the north side of the Mobile Home neighborhood, wedged up against the trees and a chain link fence that marked the end of civilization. The porch was in shambles, the siding was flaking off, and one end of the trailer had sunk down because the concrete had deteriorated a bit. But Eli didn’t care. Rent was cheap. Especially considering the landlord forgot he was even there half of the time. And, and that moment, it was the most comforting thing he had ever seen.

The inside was only marginally cooler than it was outside. He to a look drink from the kitchen faucet, then collapsed at the table. He stayed there a long time without moving, staring off into space. At last his body must have instinctively felt that the light was changing outside. He had been there nearly an hour, for dusk was falling on Willowcreek. Compelled into a sudden sort of action, he shoved his quiet grief aside and pushed himself up from the table. He would ignore his feelings. Now was not the time. He could deal with them later, when there were less pressing matters at hand. He quickly downed a can of cold soup before heading out the door. Already the sun had sunk low on the horizon, turning the sky red. If he remembered correctly, Andrea had said that the club would meet at sundown. He could have gone earlier, but he felt it best to break news like this to the whole club at once.

The streets were emptier than usual. And the train yards, familiar and sheltering earlier that day, felt eerie and haunted. Eli forced himself to stop thinking about Amanda’s murder. He was letting his imagination get carried away. But with the murderer still at large… He knew it had been murder. It had to be. There was no other explanation.

Before heading out of town Eli tried to call Chris from a payphone. He wasn’t at home, and Eli wasn’t about to waste another seventy-five cents trying to contact Andrea. He would be there soon anyway. He headed East, following the train tracks as they lead him into the forest. He turned off at the shortcut and was heading deeper into the woods when he stopped. He once again drifted off into his thoughts, and hadn’t noticed it until it was painfully strong. But it was there, clear and sharp. The undeniable presence of a demon. What is this? For a demon to be so close to Willowcreek, and to have escaped his attention until just now…

Eli moved carefully. He kept to the shadows as he crept forward. It was just around the next bend, he could feel it. At that moment, there was a blinding pain in the back of his neck, and he fell to the ground. Eli scrambled to his feet, glancing around wildly to see where the attack had come from. But just at that moment the signature of the demon disappeared completely, and he lost all trace of it. What the…

Instead of a demonic aura, he heard voices drifting through the woods. He narrowed his eyes and peered into the deepening gloom. There was a light a little ways away, and the distinctive smell of wood burning. As he came nearer he realized it was a campfire, surrounded by a small group of local delinquents and druggies. Eli hadn’t noticed he had been holding his breath until it rushed out of his lungs in an agitated sigh. He had been worried for nothing. He was definitely letting his imagination get the better of him. But just as he was about to turn away he saw a shadow flit along the edges of the trees. It seemed familiar somehow, and he slowly moved towards it. Perhaps this was the demon he had felt earlier. But then the figure turned, and in a swatch of orange firelight Eli could see that it was Em. What’s she doing here?
He snuck forward to avoid being noticed by the rough crowd at the campfire.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered when he was behind Em’s shoulder. She jumped and whirled around, but relaxed when she saw who it was.
“Don’t do that.” She hissed. “You scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry.” Someone from around the campfire laughed, the rough sound carrying over to them clearly, and Eli was at once uneasy. He grabbed Em by the wrist and pulled her away from the campfire. He continued until he was sure they were out of earshot.
“What are you doing?” Em demanded.
“You don’t want to tangle with them… they’re a rough crowd, trust me.”
“Where were you? You never showed up at the meeting and—”
“I missed the meeting?” Eli looked around and suddenly realized how dark it had become. Strange, he thought it was only a little past sunset when he had left the train tracks… Eli immediately thought of the demon he had sensed. When he had fell… he grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his hand away. There was blood there. Something had happened. There had been a time lapse between when he had been hit, and when he had hit the ground. But if that was the case, why didn’t he remember it? What had happened?
“Are you okay?” Em asked, noticing the blood as well.
“I’ll be fine.” He said. “I think it’s…”
At that moment, there was a heavy crash behind them. Someone—or something else was in the woods. And Eli didn’t think it was one of the bums from the campfire. Em dived behind a boulder and Eli followed her. They waited in silence, crouching in the dark, to see what had been the source of the sound. At first Eli didn’t see anything. But then they caught sight of a dark shape moving through the forest. That could be him. Eli thought of his attacker from before. He felt around and found a heavy rock, which he weighed in his hand.
“Eli, what are you do—” Em didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. With a yell, Eli jumped up and ran head-on towards the figure. He slammed into something and they both fell to the ground. After a brief scuffle Eli saw that it wasn’t a demon or any other suspicious-looking character. It was a boy, probably close to his own age, who was wildly trying to scratch at Eli’s face. Eli threatened him by raising the rock.

“Stop!” Em screamed. Both of them were startled by her intensity, and Eli backed off. The other kid scrambled to his feet, staring at Eli with eyes so wide that he was sure they’d pop out of their sockets. He was pale, thin, and had dirty blond hair that draped around his face. His blank stare was accentuated by the dark rings under his eyes. “Eli, don’t you know who this is?” Em asked.
“Uh…”
“It’s Mike. He’s one of the new members of the club.” She explained in an agitated voice. Mike was muttering something to himself, and he seem utterly lost to the world. Eli picked himself up, then extended his hand.
“Sorry. I thought you were a demon.” He said. Mike stared at his hand for much longer than what should have been normal. Reluctantly, he took it and at once seemed relieved. Eli helped him up.
“Mike, this is Eli. He’s in the club too.” Em explained.
“Does that mean he’s like…” Mike licked his lips nervously. “He knows about… us.” he asked cryptically. Em nodded.
“Us?” Eli was confused. He pointed at Mike “Does that mean he… never mind. We’re wasting time here. Em, there’s something important I need to tell everyone, if they’re still at the manor.”
“They might be, if we hurry.”
There was another, sudden crash that came from deep within the woods. Eli glanced at Mike, whose eyes had once again widened to the size of dinner plates.
“What were you doing out here in the first place?” Eli whispered.
“I thought there was someone watching us from outside the window, so I followed it.” Mike whispered back. “Does that mean you heard that too?”
“What?” Eli asked.
But whatever was out in the shadows seemed to be moving closer. Eli and the others took off towards the manor, moving as stealthily as possible. But their follower only grew closer.
“Make a run for it.” Eli said as he took off. Em and Mike followed him as they raced through the dark. Fortunately, Eli had a knack for remembering the general lay of the land when he had been to a place, and he knew the general direction they needed to head in order to reach the manor. But it was almost completely dark by this time, and the shadows were playing tricks on his mind. All at once he found himself lurching forward as the ground ended. He rolled down a short, steep hillside that was covered in brambles. Mike followed suit and landed on top of him, elbows and knees jamming into his ribcage. Em tripped, but somehow avoided the fall and skidded to a stop beside them. By an unspoken command they all remained silent as their follower rushed past the hollow above them. The sound faded into the distance, and at last they were alone. They breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.
“What do you think that was?” Em asked. Mike shrugged, before launching into a surprisingly long theory about stalkers, serial killers, and bears. Em gaped at him as he continued his oration. Eli decided not to tell him that he suspected their follower might have been connected with Amanda’s murder… or that it could have been the thing that attacked him. He got to his feet and looked around. There was something odd about this place, it felt sinister. He scouted around a bit, but could barely see anything. Luckily, he had brought a flashlight for his return trip. He didn’t think he would have to use it now. He switched on the light and stopped dead in his tracks.
“Um… guys…” Mike trailed off as they came to join him. Eli heard Em draw in her breath sharply.
“Is that blood?” she asked. Eli nodded. Splattered against the side of a white rock, in scratched and jagged letters barely legible, a series of letters glared back against his flashlight.
“You shall be found. Know you are seen…” Mike read slowly. “Please tell me I’m imagining this?”
“The voice of Ophiuchus calls…” Em continued.
“You have been marked.” Eli finished the end of the inscription.
“What does this mean?” Mike asked, pointing to the last word.
“It’s Latin… it spells,” Em frowned. “War.”

________________________________________________________________
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later and Eli finally saw the tops of Stone Manor rising above the trees. He ran up to the door, Em and Mike close behind him, and burst in to find a surprised crowd of faces. Except Andrea, who was frowning. Mike tripped as he came through the door, crashing into Em and causing everyone to stumble forward.
“What’s the rush?”
“You wouldn’t believe what we just saw,” Em started “There’s—”
“We… need to talk.” Eli cut her off. “Amanda’s dead.”

Spoiler! :
Who was their follower? You'll have to wait and find out. *Cue dramatic music.* (Or you could pick someone, if you want.) And what happened to Eli? That will also be revealed later on.
@Avalon, no hard feelings. That's Eli talking, not me, and probably not true. Trying to introduce that rivalry we discussed. ;)
@wordsandwishes, I stole your idea from your first post. The message thing was a cool concept, but it was dropped, so I reintroduced it here.
@BlackNether12, I hope I got Mike's character right. I tried to follow your character profile, but just let me know if I should change something.
No more countin' dollars... we'll be countin' stars.

Enter, if you dare.





User avatar
303 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 11152
Reviews: 303
Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:11 am
View Likes
StoneHeart says...



Spoiler! :
THIS POST CONTAINS NO PLOT ENHANCING INFORMATION!

Just using it to set Mike in a bit better. Do what you will!



Michael Lauren


The Stone Manor


It had been years since I'd last met my last decent person. The last person who'd gone beyond a 'hi' once they found out I was 'different'. And now....

Now things were changing. The very definitions of who I was were changing. I was no longer an outcast. Misunderstood, feared, and forgotten. Not a single person from the Silver Bullet club had had a less than pleasant comment, or look for me -yet.

To pretend that I knew what was going on would be a lie in every way. Every five minutes I was asking some confused question. Having someone explain something I didn't understand. But slowly, ever so slowly, the pieces of this puzzle began to come together.

I was sitting in the main room of the mansion I had found myself in earlier today, staring blankly at my hands folded on my lap . . . pondering the strange events of the day as the other 'misunderstood's' puttered around, doing their own things. I had so many unanswered questions! Who had started this club? What was my part in the events going on at the moment? Who was Amanda, this person who had died, and whom that man -Eli- had mentioned when he'd seen me first?

I liked Eli, he was straightforward. Honest. It seemed such a rare thing in this world. Of course the other members seemed pleasant enough, but I....

I glanced up around the room. My heart catching in my chest. What if this was all an illusion? What if-

Without a moments hesitation I reached out and held my hand over a candle burning by my chair. The tiny flame licked up around my fingers, the heat sizzling it's way into my body -but I hardly noticed it. The pain. The pain was real.

An odd glance or two switched my way, and I quickly pulled my hand back in. I had felt Eli and the others. They were real. Their voices were real. Their kindness was real. And... I frowned, an idea occurring to me. What if?

“Excuse me.” I said, stopping the girl from earlier in the night, as she passed by me -pacing the room. What was her name? “Em. Do you have a moment?”

She glanced down at me. Her eyes were red as if she'd been crying, and for a moment I regretted interrupting her. But she nodded. “Sure.”

I gulped, thankful. “Okay, I need you to do me a favor.”

She frowned, wiping her face absently on her sleeve. “What?”

“Just,” I hesitated. “Just explain what you see in this room for me. Every detail. Please? I know it sounds a bit weird but it would really help me.”

She sighed, shrugging -but not going away. “It's fine. I can do it.”

As Em explained, I followed her eyes and listened intently as she gave brief mention to every object in the room. The empty fireplace. The tables. The chairs. The carved candlesticks. The people. She ended with a simple 'that's it'.

“Thanks.” I sighed, relieved, but she was off pacing again already. Nothing in the room was out of place. For now. But at least I would know if something new appeared.

I stood quickly, glancing back down at my chair. I needed to find Eli. He had left Andrea's office some time ago, but where was he now?

It ended up that Eli hadn't gone far. I found him outside, leaning against the rail, gazing off into the darkness of the night. I stepped up hesitantly behind him, my eyes automatically scanning my surroundings; my mind on edge. But I was confident enough not to panic.

“Eli?”

He glanced back over at me and gave a weak smile. “Yeah, Mike?”

“Sorry about your friend.”

“Hmh!” He sighed. “It's Andrea you should be sorry for. I wish you could have met her though; she was a great leader for us here.”

I nodded. “Well, Eli. I . . . uh.” I paused. “I like it here.” Ouch.

He smiled. “I'm glad you like it here, Mike.”

“No, it's . . .” I gulped, my confidence fading. “I want to help you! If what we saw out there earlier was anything serious then you all are going to have trouble soon.” My voice grew firm as I spoke. “Please. I ... I feel safe here. I've always been really confused, but I feel better here. I can focus.”

He gazed tiredly into my eyes for a few moments before turning back to the rail. “We're going to need all the help we can get, Mike. I'll talk to Andrea about it. What's your ... 'disability'?”

“Uncontrollable illusions.” I answered quickly, almost adding a 'what's yours?' onto it, but not sure if this was the moment to ask. “I create illusions which are tied directly to my emotions. They ... they drive me crazy.”

“Can you control them?”

I shook my head. “Not yet. But I'm certain that if I had some time I could learn how to.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully, not looking at me. “If you could get that ability under control we could use it for sure. But otherwise, what kind of things are you good at? Do you know the area very well?”

I nodded. “I'm not really good at very much. I can run pretty fast, I'm fairly fit, and I can climb. Not very useful for you, probably. But yeah, I do know town and the area pretty well -probably better than most anyone around here. I move around a lot.”

He nodded again. “I guess we'll see, then!”

I waited a couple of quick seconds before moving back into the house. He had had his say, and I was confident he would help. Now I had a job to do. Figure out every detail of what this club was, who it's members were, and who on earth it was that was threatening us with war!

War. I didn't watch movies and read books all that much, but I knew that the threat, and the way it had been given, was pretty serious. War: A situation where people hurt other people for reasons that were never good enough. That was how my dad had always put it.

At least we weren't starting this war.

I sighed, thinking about my old man. What had happened to him never passed through my mind without a good deal of feeling, but right now . . . right now I felt confident as I thought of him; thinking of the ideals he believed in instead of the moment in our lives which stood out most prominently.

'Miss you.

The air in the hall of the mansion shimmered lightly, and then, to my surprise, coalesced into a perfect replica of my father's image. I gulped, looking into his smiling grey eyes. This illusion was unlike any other I'd ever seen. There was no pain in his face. There was peace. And confidence. No fear.

I took a deep breath. Go. Without a moments hesitation, the a unsubstantial vision disappeared into nothing.

I stood in the hall for a long time after that. I might just have stumbled in on the answer to my problem. To all my problems.



Spoiler! :
Seeing as Mike's illusions have been around since he was real small he'd over time just grown more and more terrified of them. Now, with a bit of confidence from his talk with Eli, he finds that the way to control his illusions (of course) is to control his emotions.

Any problems? Let me know.
For I who am poor have only my dreams
I spread my dreams under your feet . . .

. . . tread softly for you tread on my dreams.


We are masters of our silences, and slaves of our words





User avatar
28 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 798
Reviews: 28
Sun May 18, 2014 4:31 pm
View Likes
AdventurerDaniel says...



Daniel Nitram

I sat there the news sinking in, Amanda is dead, I had suspected as much. But, even the creeping suspicion didn't dull the blow of hearing it out loud.Suddenly memories started flooding back into my mind. At first they were of times spent with Amanda when I first joined the club but then it kept going back even farther. I remembered a girl about the same age as Amanda and a funeral. I focused on the memory trying to take in all I could before I lost it again. I began to recall a conversation with an older man at the funeral just one snippet that I said to him. "You and your snakes are playing a dangerous game Silas. I advise you know who you're up against before you keep playing." It wasn't until I opened my eyes that I realized I had said that out loud since everyone was staring.

Andrea spoke first despite her obvious grieving she tried to keep a strong face, "Who's Silas?"

"I'm not sure but I think I need to go talk to Eli." I stepped out of the meeting room and looked around I saw Michael walking towards me, "hey Mike, have your seen Eli?" He nodded and pointed toward the balcony as he returned to the meeting room. I went up to Eli not sure how to breach the subject, "I'm really sorry you had to be the one to find Amanda." He turned to look at me he looked a bit shell-shocked to say the least. "Look I know this isn't necessarily a comfortable topic but earlier when you found her. Well...could you tell how she died. I mean I have a theory but it depends on your answer and I really want to be wrong."

"Two puncture marks to the neck, looked like a snake bite. But, the thing is they had a demonic energy." He looked at me with worry in his eyes. I had never seen that expression cross his face and it chilled me to the bone, if this had Eli worried it was bad.

I thought long and hard trying to get back every bit of that memory from so long ago. Still only one thing stuck in my mind a conversation with a man named Silas Ardell. I knew him as a man with a surprising skill for the commanding of animals but I wonder what was the game he and I played then and would I be forced to see it play out again? "Eli I need to tell the others my theory and know everything that everyone found." We returned to the rooms and seated ourselves no one seemed to be handling the news of Amanda's passing well but none so poorly as Amanda. "Okay everyone I think I know who is behind the going ons of late but I need to.know everything you all found. That I don't already know please."

Email spoke up first, "we found an inscription in ways a declaration of war I believe but war was written in Latin."

"I was afraid you would say something along those lines," I brushed my hair back with my hands and looked at everyone. "There's a man by the name of Silas Ardell gifted with the art of tongues and in control of snakes. From what Eli told me that was the method of Amanda's, well murder." Everyone looked about concerned, "form what I can tell from the town records and my fragmented memory Silas once was a normal snake handling church preacher. Until he became fanatically obsessed with snakes. He began to build a following of some people like us, but would kill those that would turn against him. He hid it well until he had one of his precious snakes kill a girl I treated as my own family. He made a powerful enemy that day and I put the fear of God in him quick. I ran him and his church out of this town, but now it seems he has grown bold in the years since." I tied up my hair and looked at everyone gathered in that room. "So now we prepare for the war he brings against us."
So much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
Red Wheel Barrow by- William Carlos Williams








In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.
— JRR Tolkien