Young Writers Society

Welcome to Darken Academy!
Darken is a school specially made for the supernatural. Be you human, monster, undead, or alive. No student is alike in many ways, but they all have three things in common.
None of them came here on accident, no one is sure how or when the school was created, and no one who attends the school has been outside the establishment since they enrolled.
The students are given world class education in all possible ares of learning, are treated with the highest possible respect and care, and each student is catered to their individual wants and needs. Who would ever want to leave?

The students who find the truth.

In reality...
Darken is a prison. The academy was built as a holding tank for the unnatural species and people of the world. The teachers are mostly experts studying the students's behaviors and habits, and seeing if they might take advantage of their powers.
Students who find the truth about the "school" never stay long. The staff always finds out, and stops any escape before it even starts. these "Expelled" students are either imprisoned, tortured and experimented on, or, more likely, killed.

And our story begins...
It doesn't matter how you find out, the point is you do. Once you know the real motive of the school, you have three objectives:

Recruit
The other users of this SB will have to find out some way. Find them.

Plan
In order to survive, you must trust no one. plan your escape, and make sure no one but your allies ever find out. If there is ever a danger of being found out, get rid of it. Quickly.

Escape
Last of all, succeed where hundreds have failed. Escape the school, or die fighting. Once out, you must find some way to hide. Your powers will look more out of place in the real world. You must conceal your true self, and seek out the safest place for you and your friends to live and hide.

Can you escape Darken Academy? And more importantly...can you stay free?

....

Hi guys! Your friend Fantasy here! I kind of set this up cause a few of my SBs (With the exception of HOTS, cause those guys are super awesome! and Rise of the Legion, which hasn't started yet.) have settled down a little, so I have a lot of space for a new Sb and I recently got super inspired and wanted to write a supernatural thing-a-ding.

Those of you who are normally with my SBs know my rules, but I'll re-sate them, cause whats fun without rules right?



As a resident of darken, you must wear a uniform. When you escape, street clothes are fine, but for the most part characters will wear this:



And of course, there are different races. Here they are



Vampire
Vampires are of the undead and dark class of creatures. Most think Vampires are snobbish and untrustworthy, and are generally avoided by others.

Perks of this race are: Walking on walls/celings, levitation/flying, limited shapeshifting. (Can only turn into one animal)

Common disadvantage: Vampires have insomnia. (Since they're nocturnal) tend to burn energy faster in the heat and sun than at night, and get dangerously dehydrated quickly in hot weather.

Other: In the Darken story, not all Vampires have to drink blood. Some might not, as they have chosen never to bite a living thing, but for vampires, Blood is like a strong and incredibly addictive drug. If they bite someone and get a taste of it, its very easy for them to get addicted to blood (And only the blood of the type they bit. For example, if you bit a man, you'd only be craving the blood of a male victim.) and its extremely hard for a Vampire to break that addiction. also, if you are not bitten for the purpose of becoming a Vampire, you won't turn into one. (So we can have a bit of balance in characters, and not every human in the school is turned into one species.) Also, Vampires aren't immortal. They simply age slower than other races. Vampires may live for 8,000 years if they were careful.

Werewolf
Werewolves are of the Dark class of creatures. They are stereotyped as being big, furry brutes with no minds of their own, and are thought to be a little stupid. Are normally tolerated by the rest of the students.

Perks of this race include: Heightened senses of smell and hearing, night vision, slightly heightened speed (Not super speed, sorry.), incredible stamina, and a sixth sense of danger.

Common disadvantage: well, they're Werewolves...when they change, they don't have much control over what they're doing. Werewolves need a lot of food to keep their energy up.

Demons
Demons are the first species you think of when you think of the Dark class of creatures. They are feared among all the students, and are believed to be brutal, cold blooded killers, and/or nefarious tricksters. Most Demons are indeed very cunning.

Perks of this race include: Wings/flight, retractable claws, raptor-like vision.

Common disadvantages: Demons are kleptomaniacs. They are attracted to valuable, interesting, or shiny objects, as well as anything that looks as if it might be of any value. They get easily distracted by these things, so...um..just keep an eye on them when your in a large city or shopping mall...

Angels

Hoo boy. Angels. The school's inhabitants are quite divided on these children of the light. Some thing them wet smacks and goody two-shoes, and are resentful towards them. Others admire them for how virtuous they are. Angels are of the (Eh-durrr) Light class, but they are also part of the neutral class as well.

Perks of this race include: Wings/flight.

Common disadvantage: Angels can literally do no wrong. Unless necessary for protection, they cant fight or kill, they can't lie or steal, (Ever. They tell the truth about literally everything.) yeah, you get the idea. Its not because they don't want to, its because they're incapable of it in every way possible.

And last but not least...

Humans
Humans are of the neutral class of creatures. Some think humans weaklings, or that they're to soft, and are met with a little bit of scorn.

Perks of this race include: Any supernatural power.

Common disadvantage: No racial advantages. This means they don't have any power except the one they have, so make it good!


There are different blood-status's for races as well:
Full-blood
Both your parents were that species of monster (ex: Mother an father were both werewolves) so you were born already that species. Full-blooded characters get ONLY their racial advantages as powers.

Half-Breed/Halfling
Halflings are half monster, (Mother was a Vampire, father was a Demon) or half human.
Halflings characters get to choose three racial advantages fro the parent breeds. (If you are half human, you get the racial advantages and MINOR supernatural powers. Supernatural power can't be as strong as a full-blooded human's and if it is, add a drawback.)

Common
Common are humans who were turned into a different creature. They get the racial advantages of their species, though they might take a while to develop depending on when you were turned, and a minor supernatural power.

And now, my favorite! Character template! Whoo!



I am looking forward to meeting all of you, my fellow classmates.
I pray we all make it out of here alive...

Wren

A/N: Okay so I'm starting Wren off in 3rd person past which might change because I normally write from first person.

Wren Adley sat with her legs crossed on her bed, doodling on a small pad of cream paper with a black pen. She started with the base of the willow tree, quickly and lightly sketching the outline with the pen before adding all the details. The branches that were gnarled and twisted as they reached for the cream colored sky, the leaves that ordinarily would sway in the wind. Next came all the details and imperfections that she loved about nature, the knots and gnarls. She even added a few dots here and there for bugs, grinning to herself. Lastly, she added a bird's nest in the tree and drew a bird flying away from it. A wren bird.

"Newbies are here," Grace Wilson said, sauntering in the room, book in hand, with her bright red hair flowing behind her.

"I know," Wren said, "I could hear them from a mile away." she laughed a beautiful laugh that sounded like church bells in the springtime but really the noise bothered her.

Grace sighed as she sat down, already feeling her shoulders relax. Wren was always pleasant to be around, very calm and generally pretty nice to others. Maybe not outwardly nice but never mean. And Wren just had this air about her, this feeling of being at peace with herself.

"What's the book?" Wren asked, shutting her notepad.

"Wuthering Heights," Grace said, sighing as she ran her hand over the worn cover.

"You love that book." Wren said, her voice seeming to float across the air with even the simplest of statements.

"Yes, I do. It's so descriptive and you know how I love the classics."

"I'm going for a walk," Wren said, "Don't wait up." With that Wren slipped on her worn, leather hiking boots with a cream colored sweater that contrasted nicely with her jeans and her dark auburn hair. She took her pad of paper with her, knowing she could be gone for a while.

Wren's long, willowy features seemed to glide through the hallway as she wove easily in and out of the newcomers getting their luggage into the dorm. With every shout or drop of a suitcase, she winced and continued to push through the crowd.

Once Wren pushed her way through the school doors, she felt the warm, late summer air warm her skin and she slipped off the sweater. As Wren continued to the woods, her boots and socks came off as well and she cuffed her jeans, loving the feel of Earth beneath her bare feet.

She continued along the worn dirt path she had made herself over the past two years for a few minutes before stopping at a tree and dropping her things at the base of it. Autumn was just beginning and apple blossoms beginning to bloom, their subtle smell permeating its way through through the forest.

Wren took a blossom and stuck it in her hair before gazing at the tree intently, gently touching it's base. She could feel her consciousness coaxing the life out of the tree until it flowed through the branches. Time seemed to warp as the blossoms quickly fell and apples grew and ripened in their places. There were about a dozen new apples on the tree, mixed with the rest of the apple blossoms. Wren scaled the tree trunk and swung up onto a branch, taking a piece of the bright red fruit.

Wren bit into the apple, savoring the sweet, all natural taste. Can't get this taste from the apples at school, all hopped up on growth hormone and GMOs, she mused, finishing the small apple and laying back on the branch.

The sky was a bright blue with only a few white fluffy clouds scattered throughout. Wren basked in the sunshine but took comfort in the shade of the tree, her feet propped against the rough bark as she took out her notepad.

She sat there, sketching random shapes for a while as day turned to dusk and dusk turned to night. Her limbs at that point were sore and she hopped out of the tree, grabbing her sweater and boots as she made her way back to the school. Everybody was rushing to and from the bathrooms. Well, the newbies were. Everybody else new to shower early on day one or forfeit hot water. Wren preferred to rise early with the sun and shower alone, in the peace and quiet.

Wren crept down the hallways on her toes, avoiding anybody and wishing she could still feel her feet on the soil. But classes started tomorrow and she didn't intend on skipping. Not on day one, anyway.

The summer had been long and all the students stayed at Darken, their normal classes had been cut in half and the rest of the day filled with electives. The newbies showed up during fall. Wren had opted for anything nature related, even taking her first art class. Hence the sketching.

Wren walked into the room to find Grace sitting up in bed, reading her book.

"You're back, good. I thought I was going to have to cover for you while the dorm advisers did bed check. They always do when the new ones come around." she said, shutting her book.

"Yeah, well, I figured I had to go on the first day at the very least," Wren joked, tying her hair up in a bun and changing into sleep shorts. She rarely let herself relax around others but Grace was her roommate, they'd been living together for a year.

"Goodnight," Grace said, shutting off the lights.

"Night," Wren said, turning over to go to sleep.

Sasha

A/N: Same as the post above

There were lots of cars streaming into the school, all looking the same. They were expensive, black vans, each came with a driver, a security guard and 4 students. Except for one, one of them had only one student. Sasha Reynolds.

She sat in the back of the van, all alone by her own insistence. Her legs were crossed, eyes glued to her iphone. Everybody at her old high school was talking about one thing and one thing only, Sasha's disappearance. She smiled to herself, she relished being the center of attention and she was definitely the it girl at her old school.

Sasha got up out of the car and stuck her phone in her bra, pushing her long blonde hair out of her face. She smoothed her dark red, casual lace dress as she grabbed her bags. Her black wedges clicked on the pavement and she was definitely drawing some eyes. She flashed a white smile and walked -no, strutted- to the front of the school.

There were students milling about and she found a random boy, young and shy. Probably a werewolf. Dumb brutes, she thought to herself.

"You know," she pouted, "I shouldn't have worn heels this high and I could really use some help getting my bags up the stairs." she gestured to the winding staircase, flashing her brilliantly golden eyes. He looked dazed for a minute.

"Ah, sure. Yes, of course," he cleared his throat, taking her bags up the stairs.

Sasha headed up the stairs lazily, her hips swaying. She checked her introductory papers, they had her room number and explained that schedules would be handed out the next day, rules etc.

As Sasha reached the top, she found her bags and the boy. "Thank you," she said dismissively, rolling her huge suitcases behind her.

She headed down the hallway until she found the right room, grasped the door knob and threw it open. The first thing she saw was a black haired girl with light blue eyes, unpacking her things.

"Are you lost?" Sasha snapped.

"Uh, no. We share rooms here." The girl said,

"Are you kidding me?" Sasha demanding, slamming the door closed.

"Watch it, that's mahogany." The girl replied, closing the closet doors.

"Yeah well, whatever. I'll be requesting a room change. Or better yet, you could switch rooms."

"I'm Mira," The girl said, not addressing her previous comment.

"Sasha," hopefully this is temporary.

"Yeah," Mira said under her breath, "Hopefully."

Richard Avernus

The sight of the suitcases on Dexter's bed was slightly depressing. I had no idea why they decided to transfer Dexter to another room, no doubt to make room for some freshmen kid.

"Your doing it again." Dexter informed me. He was, as he usually was whenever he had free time, standing upside down on the ceiling. In his arms, his golden tabby, Miel, hung on for dear life. Unlike its master, the cat could not stick to the ceiling.

"I'm not doing anything."

"Yeah you are." Dexter swept a lock of his aqua hair away from his eyes, but it just fell back in his face. "You making your 'Life Sucks' face again. All mopey and I Hate the World-y." He grinned, flashing his fangs. "Your going to miss me. Aren't you, Big Brother?"

I shrugged. Dexter already knew it was true. I'd miss his bouncy optimism, and his jokes. Heck, I'd even miss his evil cat.
Mostly, I'd miss his understanding. Out of the seven hundred or so students at Darken, only Dexter knew the truth behind all the rumors flying around about me. Chances are, whoever I was rooming with wouldn't be happy to be living with a blood addict.
The door handle rattled and we both looked toward the door. It swung open, admitting a boy with light brown skin and black hair.

He must be new. I haven't seen him before.

I'd been here for two years, and since none of the students ever left Darken after enrolling, I'd learned to recognize most of the faces around the school. The boy's eyes traveled from the suitcases lying on Dexter's bed, around the room, and came to rest on me. I looked him dead in the eye, raising one eyebrow superciliously for added affect. We held each others gaze for a while, neither one of us willing to let the other stare him down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of golden tabby fur. Dexter was losing his grip.

"Flying cat." I warned the other boy. He only shot me a confused look.

"Excuse me?"

There was a feline screech, and a shout of dismay from Dexter as the boy dropped the cat, which dropped directly on the new boy's head.

I winced a little as he yelped. Miel hissed and dug his claws into his scalp and I winced again, more visibly.

"See?" I grunted. "Flying cat."

Miel hopped off the poor boy's head and onto Dexter's bed, and the boy's eyes shot up to the ceiling.

"S-sorry! Sorry! It was an accident!" Dexter apologized frantically, waving his hands out in front of him. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as the boy continued to glare at him, casting the pillow he was holding aside.
Dexter flashed him a small, shy smile.
"I er...guess I keep forgetting not everyone can stick to the ceiling. Shame really. It's...it's nice up here..." Dexter's voiced wavered under the boy's cold glare. There was a ripping sound as Miel brought the boy's pillow to it's gruesome end. Feathers and stuffing everywhere.
"Hey! Get off of that!" The boy shouted. Miel looked up at him with malicious green eyes as he continued to shred the pillow to bits.

"That would be Miel." I muttered to the boy. "Dexter's evil cat."
Miel suddenly gave a shriek and hopped off the bed, arching his back and hissing at the boy. Dexter allowed himself to drop from the ceiling, floating in the air as he turned himself upright, then allowing gravity to return and dropped to the carpeted floor. Miel scampered over to him and hopped into his outstretched arms, purring and regarding the other boy smugly.
"Now, what're you doing shredding this poor guy's pillow?" Dexter scolded, picking up his suitcase and exiting the room.As he skittered down the hall, I heard him say "You and me're gonna have a talk, mister!"

Mira Coda
Mira had been having a bad day, even for her standards.
It started with her getting moved out her old dorm room, a fresh start for the new semester. Problem was, Mira had all of her notes, figures, and research on Darken tucked into every secret crevice of that room. Having to move it all was stressful enough. All it took was one dropped paper, one shred left behind, and Mira would land herself in hot water.
And then the newbies arrived.
Which also meant it was Mira’s one year anniversary at Darken.
Anyways, Mira had been relishing her alone time in the new dorm as she unpacked. At least now she had time to re-hide anything that could incriminate her. Besides all of her work, Mira didn’t have much else to unpack. She left her old uniform behind—uniforms were refitted every year—and all of her old school papers from the previous year she also left behind.
At this point, all she had left to unpack was random possessions she had taken when she left home. Photographs of her old home, piano sheet music, items like that.
She was nearly done when the door swung open. Bad thing number three had arrived.
The girl was tall, taller than Mira, with light blonde hair, pale skin, and weirdly blue eyes. It was the eyes that threw Mira off the most; there was something… unnatural about them.
Well, thought Mira, big surprise. There’s something… unnatural about all of us students. One could even say… supernatural.
If Mira had been the type to laugh, she would have.
She started trying to get a sense of this girl, before any introductions were made. Definitely part angel, like Mira, and maybe demon? The eyes were what clued Mira in.
She had on tight clothes, and was as fashionable as Mira was not.
“Are you lost?” the girl snapped, breaking Mira out of her stream of thought.
“Uh, no. We share rooms here,” responded Mira quickly, already starting to get irritated. She stood and starting jamming the rest of her stuff in one of the closets, determined not to let this new roommate bother her.
The girl slammed the door shut, saying something like “you’re got to be kidding me”.
“Watch it, that’s mahogany,” Mira warned absently, closing her own closet door.
There was a quick exchange about wanting to switch rooms, and Mira felt her annoyance growing by the minute. She wanted to leave the room, but unfortunately, she didn’t trust her new roommate, Sasha, alone with her stuff.
Mira finally contented herself to working in what she called her Lab Book, basically where she did all of her work before she hid it.
In a year, Mira had managed to figure out the real reason for the existence of Darken Academy, and now she was working on a second set of research. Escape plans. This meant knowing the school better than administration knew the school, knowing every heartbeat, every action, everything that happened at Darken. To most people, it would be an intimidating challenge, but to Mira, it was welcomed. Right now, she was working on recording the work schedules of every teacher, custodian, and other administrator.
From her book, she unfolded a large master schedule, filled with notes and tabs. Based on what she had observed that day, she added some new notes. As she worked, Mira cautiously watched Sasha unpack. She had already taken notes on all the other newbies and she did the same for Sasha, combining what she observed with her knowledge of angels and demon hybrids.
Sasha seemed smart; she could be a good ally. She was just so damn aggressive, though.
Sasha suddenly noticed her notebook and turned to watch Mira working. Mira felt the eyes on her and kept her head down. Just ignore her.
“You know, I could get you expelled for that,” Sasha said suddenly.
Mira responded without looking up. “Well, worse than expelled, actually,” she murmured.
“Anyways, just letting you know. Cross me, and I’ll slip them a little note.”
“But you won’t,” Mira snapped back.
“I won’t?”
“None of my previous roommates did. If you were to report me, sure, great, I’d be taken care of, but where would you end up? With another roommate, and with the administration scrutinizing you more than ever, since you were in contact with an insubordinate student. And you seem like you were pretty popular back home, am I right? I’m not popular here, but let me say, if you got me taken care of, the other students wouldn’t be too pleased. And you don’t want to start at Darken with enemies.”
“Oh, I’m sure you know a lot about that.”
Mira blinked. “About…?”
“Having enemies. You seem like a really popular person.”

Daemon


I glanced around my new room before placing my two suitcases on my bed and began moving my clothes into the dresser. Soon I was finished and sat back with a relived sigh, I sat on the bed. There was a knock on the door and I cracked open an eye." You may enter." I said out loud. I hid my initial reaction as in walked... A blue haired child. I cocked my head as I hid my surprise. He looked at me and said," So you're Demon Person?" He tried to hold on his giggles as I noticed under his arm he was carrying... A cat. I hid a groan. Cats and I did not get a long. I rubbed the ring on my right pointer finger, the demonic carvings briefly glowing as I rubbed.

I looked at the little midget." It's pronounced Damon. But my name is actually Latin for Demon." I rolled my eyes as the kid started laughing even louder. I rubbed my forehead. "Go ahead and have at the other half of the room. Keep the monstrosity on that side of the room if you can. I don't get along with felines." Chuckling to himself, the boy known as Dexter deposited his cat on his bed and began to unpack. I sat up and spoke." I'm going to get some air. Keep it away from my bedding if you will." As I got up to leave, the cat hissed at me. I simply glared at it as Dexter spoke up." Oh Miel shush. We're going to be here for a while so be polite." I let out a groan as I left the room.

I walked down the long hall and across the Quad, ignoring the looks from some of the other demon students who sensed my aura. I padded into the girls dormitory, winking as the supervisor made a gesture with her hands, simply stating she was watching me. I have her a friendly wave as I passed by her desk before stopping in front of a room. Brushing my hair quickly I knocked on the door frame before entering the open room.

Immedialty I had to duck as a hair brush came flying out of nowhere. I crouched and let a growl build up in the back of my throat, but it died down upon seeing who my assailant was. Wren let out a glare." Perhaps more of a , hello, I'm a guy, may I enter your room?" She said, her hands on her hips angrily. I grinned at her." I'm not a vamp, I don't need to be invited in." She let out an exasperated sigh." Ok, everyone knows that's false, and secondly, what do you want?" She huffed. I smiled and pulled an apple from my jacket. I rubbed it against my jacket before taking a bite." Only to annoy my favorite mortal in the world." Grace looked at me lazily from her bed, where she was nose deep in a book. She rolled her eyes before going back to reading." So they took off your training wheels? You're going to do classes with other students now?" Wren asked. I nodded.

"I promised to be a good little demon Prince, so they let me out to play." I responded cheekily. She rolled her eyes." Ya. Royalty. Don't make me laugh." I smirked and waggled my eyebrows wickedly." Oh Ye mortal of little faith, bow before my might!!" I said dramatically, waggling my fingers." She stuck her tongue out at me, before going to retrieve her hairbrush. I turned to look at Grace." Withering Heights eh?" I asked. She stared at me." Oh come on Grace! It's more apocalyptic and demonicky now right? More exciting." She let a giggle escape." It's Wuthering you dork." I grinned." There's that laugh I've missed!" I said. She sat her book down, giving me a serious look." So, how was summer?" She asked politely. I groaned.

"The same thing they do every year. Just daily activities to keep us all happy and obedient. But oh well, not that I care that much. Just more of an opportunity to work on my plans for bringing about the Apocalypse." She gave me a look." I grinned." Fine fine. I read a book. I mean, sure it was just pictures, but it was still a book. Does that count?" She laughed and rolled her eyes." You are the lamest demon I know." I smirked and gave her a courtly bow." At your service Grace. To provide amusement and make jokes at my own expense." I smiled." So what have you been up to?" I asked cheerfully.

Arthur Pendragon Patel had been sleeping when the van came to a sudden and jarring halt. He then jolted awake, and looked around, bleary eyed, feeling a little confused. Too make matters worse, sunlight streamed out from one of the windows and into his eyes, blinding and disorienting him.

As a result of this disorientation and confusion, his mindlock slipped. All at once, the thoughts of everyone in the region flooded into his mind, each screaming to be notice, and each filling his brain with trivial information.

Quickly, Arthur regained his senses and closed off his mindlock, which was now a subconscious gesture, after months of training to perfect. Moments where it slipped were now rare, and always painful.

He remembered the stories of Thought users who tried to master the thoughts of everyone at once, and succumbed to dementia because of it. Arthur was more sensible than that. He knew it was impossible for everyone, no matter how strong their mind, to control the flow of thoughts of so many.

Presently, the driver called out, "We're here, kid. Welcome to Darken." Arthur shook himself out of his reverie, and as he got up, out of curiosity, he read the mind of the driver. I hate this job. The bus driver's mind grumbled. Taking freaks up and down the mountain to this place. Werewolves, Vampires...even the humans are some sort of freaks. They don't deserve to live, much less go to a special school. Kill them all, I say. Wait, why is this kid staring at me?

Arthur noticed the driver looking at him curiously, and realized that he meant him. He quickly withdrew from the driver's mind, before stepping off the bus. There were two other new students nearby, the three of them standing before a teacher who had apparently been assigned to be their guides during their first day. One of other two other students stood out by far.

The first thing you noticed about the boy wasn't his startling green eyes. Nor his strange grey hair. No, it was his incredible large rucksack. It was taller than he was!
And he was a thin, reedy kid...Arthur wondered how he could carry such an obviously heavy rucksack. He quickly scanned his mind, just looking through his basic personality.
Name is Fenrir Blitzell. 14 years old. Werewolf. Monster geek. Likes insects. Honest.

Arthur then withdrew, satisfied that he had gathered enough information on Fenrir. Then he scanned the other new student.
Name is Sasha Reynolds. 17 years old. Half demon, half angel.
That shocked Arthur. He had never come upon such a combination before. On further probing, he found himself even more fascinated. The very essence of her mind, her personality, was divided. Too closely bound to be schizophrenia, but too far apart to be considered as one. Furthermore, he could see that one part was infused with darkness, while the other glowed with light, very different from the dull grey of a neutral person. And the two parts seemed to be fighting... but before he could investigate further, a man spoke.

"Welcome to Darken Private Academy for the Supernatural." called a tall grey haired man, eho had been standing near the entrance in a dry, monotonous voice, though a loud one. His voice carried over the crowd of gathered students.

"I promise that we will do everything in our power to make your stay a pleasant. Best of Luck!" then he turned and walked away.

Then individual teachers approached the groups they had been assigned to and began talking to them.

A young blond haired woman smiled warmly at Arthur's group, her blue eyes shining. "Welcome to Darken, young ladies and gentlemen! I'm sure you'll learn to love it here. We all do!" then she gave a warm, tinkling laugh.

"But I haven't introduced myself yet! How silly of me. I'm Miss Winters. The man who who just left was Headmaster Grayson. Please follow me and I will give you your dorm room numbers." and she led them to an office where she did just that. She told them to to go their rooms and keep their stuff there and then come back to her office, where she would give them their class schedules and subject books.

Five minutes later, Arthur was standing in front of his room with apprehension. From what he had been told, his new roommate was a vampire. The Psy had had a long history of dealing with the supernatural, but Arthur still feared losing his blood overnight due to an unfortunate...mishap.

However, he decided to be optimistic and stepped into the dorm room, ready to make friends with his new roommate. Upon entering, Arthur saw a caucasian, dark haired boy standing and looking at the roof.

As he came into the room, the boy turned and gave him a cold stare. Arthur returned the stare, refusing to back down. He got the feeling that the other boy was sizing him up, and probably thought Arthur was just doing the same, but he wasn't. While Richard (the name of the boy which Arthur found out by scanning his mind) was sizing Arthur up, Arthur was doing some digging in his head, pulling out information.
Name is Richard Avernus. 17 years old. Vampire. Addicted to girls' blood.

Arthur smiled, slightly relieved. That meant that he didn't have to fear for his blood any more. He stored that information away for future use.

At that moment, Richard said, "Watch out for the flying cat."

Arthur froze for a moment, processing this information. "Flying cat?" he muttered, wondering if Richard was crazy. At that point, something warm and furry fell on his head.

The ball of fur yowled, and scratched at his scalp, causing Richard to cry in pain, before leaping on a pillow on one of the beds, hissing. The cat then proceeded to shred the pillow to pieces, staring at Arthur all the while with its piercing green eyes, before curling up in the ruins and closing it's eyes.

"That's your pillow." said Richard.. Arthur ignored him and looked up to see a boy (obviously a vampire) looking rather embarrassed.

"S-sorry! Sorry! It was an accident!" Dexter (as Arthur had discovered the boy's name to be) apologized frantically, waving his hands out in front of him. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly as the Richard glared at him in annoyance.

Dexter flashed him a small, shy smile.
"I er...guess I keep forgetting not everyone can stick to the ceiling. Shame really. It's...it's nice up here..." Dexter's voiced wavered under the Arthur's glare.

"That would be Miel." Richard muttered to him. "Dexter's evil cat."

ARthur nodded, and decided on the best course of revenge to to give the cat. Given that Arthur didn't have a lot of time, he decided to go with an old favourite. Arthur sent a fierce jab of pain into Miel's mind, causing it to give a yowl of pain and jump to the floor. Dexter floated down to the floor as well, and the cat ran to him, hopping into his arms.

"Now, what're you doing shredding this poor guy's pillow?" Dexter scolded, picking up his suitcase and exiting the room.As he skittered down the hall, Arthur heard him say "You and me're gonna have a talk, mister!"

"The name is Arthur." said Arthur coldly, introducing himself to Richard. Arthur's impression of Richard had been worsened upon knowing the company he kept. Well, not so much the company, as the company's pets.

"Richard." the other boy replied, shaking Arthur's outstretched hand. Right then, Arthur felt instantly that he and Richard would not get along very well.

If you'll excuse me," said Arthur, "I have to go meet Miss Winters." the other boy nodded as Arthur left the room.

A little while later, having got his new schoolbooks in a backpack he had brought as well as his class schedule (which was prepared on the basis of his class choices which he had sent to the school beforehand), and having arranged for a replacement pillow, Arthur set off to get to first class of the day.

Upon entering the halls, Arthur joined the stream of new students heading to classes, many of them asking for directions and others just standing looking confused.

Arthur took out his schedule and studied it as he strode down the hall. In fact, he was so absorbed in this activity that before he knew it, he had bumped into someone, knocking all their books onto the floor.

Putting away his schedule and muttering an apology, Arthur picked up the books from the floor and looked up at an...incredibly beautiful girl.
A hot girl. he thought. It's like I won the lottery of people to bump into! Score!

Arthur scanned her mind. Rayne Lantry. 17 years old. Half human, half demon. Likes music and birds. Dark secret...

At that point Arthur withdrew from her mind, not wanting to be scared away from her.

"Hey." he said, handing her back her books. "Sorry about that. I'm Arthur, one of the new guys."

"Oh." She replied, tucking the books under her arm. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rayne."

She seemed shy, which made Arthur feel more encouraged about his chances. Ordinarily, he would have used his persuasion powers to start a relationship then and there. But there was something about her that made her seem different from other girls he'd met... Something more mental than physical. In any case, it made Arthur want to treat her differently, to giver her her more free will, and perhaps even respect in the situation. So he decided to use another of his talents:flirting.

"So...what's your first class, Rayne?" he asked with a flirtatious grin.

"Latin..." she replied, looking at him curiously.

"Mine too." said Arthur, leaning against the wall, his hands in his pockets. "Must be fate."

Rayne frowned before replying "Umm...no it isn't. I can see your schedule. You have algebra first."

"I can change my schedule." said Arthur, hoping Rayne would catch on.

Rayne shrugged. "Change it if you want, Arthur. Gotta go now, bye!"

And with that, she turned and disappeared into the crowd, her hair flowing behind hair. Arthur didn't need to read her mind to know that he had been blown off.
Either that or the girl didn't get the hint.

The van jolted as it hit a bump in the road, causing the passengers to shift in the back. Warmth rushed through Fenny as a girl leaned into his shoulder, blushing as she looked up. Her petite body brushed against his, her hands clutching his arm. He caught a glimpse of fangs in her mouth as she mumbled an apology, pushing off.

Fenny grinned, his glasses shining.

“Amazing!” he exclaimed, leaning forward. “You’re absolutely amazing!”

The girl flushed scarlet, stammering, “Wh-wha-”

“I can’t believe I actually got to meet you! A real vampire!” Fenny prowled down the seat, oblivious to the girl inching away in fear. “I have so many questions. Can you really turn into a bat? Can you squeeze through walls? Garlic may hurt you, but what about garlic bread?”

The vampiress seemed to get more and more uncomfortable, squeaking as her back hit the wall. Fenny leaned closer, adjusting his glasses in excitement. “Do you have to ask permission to enter doors, or is it just courtesy? Are all vampires this small? Would you like some of my blood?”

The other students in the van, a human and werewolf, stared with mild amusement as Fenny bombarded the girl with questions. The young lad overshadowed her, his eyes and glasses shining in wonder, growing blinding in intensity.

“Wanna see my bite mark? It’s right-”

“Kyaaaa!”

--------------------

The pavement slid beneath the van’s tires as it rolled to a stop. Two uniformed men yanked the doors open, letting light flood the back of the van. Their flabbergasted faces told the tale of what lay inside.

The vampiress had passed out, face still flushed red from her encounter. The human had her head resting in his lap, comforting her.

Slowly, the girl’s eyes opened. “Where...am I?” she murmured, gazing up at the boy.

The human smiled. “I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. “Can you stand?”

She sat up, putting weight on her feet one at a time. “I think I - ah!” she cried as she tumbled into the human again.

With a chivalrous shrug, the boy scooped her up. “I guess I don’t have a choice, then.” Carrying her in his arms, he hopped out of the van. The girl blushed as she held on tight to his arm.

The hulking werewolf stomped out of the van as well, staring after the vampire and human. Making up his mind, he began to jog after them.

Together, the three of them would star in numerous adventures focusing around their love triangle plot. This, however, is not their story. There is one more person in the van.

Fenny’s arms hung at his sides as he trudged from the dark trunk. Shame and regret comprised his features as he shouldered his rucksack and stepped into the sunlight.

The sound of the doors shutting and van leaving behind him felt almost fearful. Fenny was left alone at the foot of the path. Scratching the back of his head, the boy sighed. “Maybe I should dial it back a little…”

His face suddenly lit up as he realized where he was. Other students flooded around him, moving up the path as well. Demons, angels, vampires, and werewolves all rushed past, headed up the path. At the top, a giant stone building loomed over the landscape. This was the Darken Academy. A school for the supernatural.

Pulling his shirt back, Fenny stared at the scars on his shoulder. These were what got him into the academy. These scars marked Fenrir Blitzwell as a bona-fide werewolf.

Glee exploded from his body, and he dashed towards the school, kicking up a cartoonish cloud of dust in his wake.

-------------------------

After passing through the crowd at the front gate, Fenny hiked his rucksack up and headed for the dorms, bumping into more than a few people along the way. Cracking open a tome on monsters, he looked around the campus.

The interior of the Academy was structured a bit like a medieval castle. Students flooded through the hallways, the angels sometimes flying overhead. High, arched ceilings made the school feel like more of a cathedral than anything. The stairs coiled around the pillars like snakes, reaching up towards the higher floors.

Fenny nearly jumped as a girl stopped next to him. “You know,” she said, “I shouldn't have worn heels this high, and I could really use some help getting my bags up the stairs.” She looked at him meaningfully.

She wore a tight red dress that showcased her curves; there also seemed to be something between her...well, you know. Fenny caught himself staring. “Ah, sure,” he said quickly, regaining his composure. “Yes, of course.”

Carrying his book in the crook of one arm, he scooped up all of the girl’s suitcases with the other. Showing no signs of physical effort, he bounded up the stairs.

Depositing her bags at the top, Fenny leaned out over the balcony, which gave a stunning view into the school’s courtyard. A few teachers were leading a group of students around, stopping to point to statues and fountains, like tour guides.

Fenny’s face went blank. Guides. Was he supposed to have one of those?

Looking a little closer, he could see the werewolf from before, snatching the vampire girl from the human with an arm around her shoulder. However, they all seemed to be listening to a teacher standing in front of them.

“Uh oh.” The crowd dispersed, the teachers leaving. They were probably headed to their offices, so it’d be alright if he...just knew where the offices were…

Fenny pushed off of the railing, dread hitting him like cold winter winds. By now, the girl from before had reached the top of the steps. “Thank you,” she said, not even glancing back at him as she wheeled her suitcases away.

Adjusting his glasses by the arms, he assumed a thinking pose, consulting his book. “Werewolves have a good sense of smell, right? Maybe I can use that…”

Closing his tome, he lifted his nose and caught a whiff of the air. It smelled a bit like air fresheners and the odors they failed to cover, but he could faintly make out a strong, commanding scent coming from down the hallway.

Nose twitching, Fenny doggedly followed the trail, once again oblivious to the stares he drew.

Grace Wilson

“So what have you been up to?” Daemon asks me. I look over his shoulder to see Wren come straggling back into the room.

“I’m going for a walk. Don’t wait up.” She says grabbing her sweater and boots.

“Never do.” I say laughing. She turns back to me and smirks. “See ya Wren.” She turns away from me, and gives me a wave goodbye.

“You two seem to be getting along better.” Daemon pipes up. I nod.

“Yeah. We’ve built an understanding. Wren is kind of hard to break through.”

“No. I would have never guessed.” He said sarcastically laying down on my bed. “By the way you never answered my question. How was your summer? Did you actually do something fun for once?” I place Wuthering Heights back onto my personal book shelf, and I slowly start organizing it back to its usual fashion.

“For once? What’s that supposed to mean? And besides, yes I did do something fun. I managed to help Mrs. Ruth sort most of the library in alphabetical order. Well, at least all the ones in English and modern languages. She told me she would take care of all the other ancient language books. Plus, since I worked every day she gave me an access card to the restricted section!” I turn back to Daemon where he snores loudly pretending to be asleep. “Jerk!” I say throwing one of Wren’s pillows at him.

“What? I asked you if you did something fun over the summer.” He laughs.

“It was...To me.” I say in an “upset” way.

“Of course it was.” He laughs. I hit him with the pillow again.

“Come on.” I say pulling his arm up.

“Where are we going?”

“Do you even need to ask that?” I ask. He smirks, and stands up. “If we have to go then you have to eat with me...In the cafeteria! Dun dun dun.” I chew on my lip thinking it over.

“Fine….but if I scare someone away with my awkwardness it's your fault.” I turn and walk out the door quickly leaving him to follow me.

“I think you’ll be fine.” He laughs catching up to me. We walk together to the library talking up on all our lost time. He does most of the talking. I like to listen.

Most people are surprised that Daemon and I are friends. Sometimes I'm even surprised. We are extremely different from each other, and we always argue. At the same time though, I don't think I would know what to do without him. It's different with him then with my other friends. It's not like I have much to compare him to, but I guess he brings out a different...more confident version of me.

After a good hour of reading in the library Daemon finally sighs loudly announcing his boredom. We’re sitting in comfy chairs across from each other, and my feet are propped up on his lap. I look up.

“This is the 8th time you’ve untied and re-tied my shoelaces. If you wanna leave you don't have to wait for me.” I say.

“I am perfectly fine.” He picks up a book from the table next to him, and covers his face. His eyes go wide when he realizes it's upside down, and he flips it over. I laugh and go back to my book. The next time I glance up all I can see is his eyes over the top of his book, and he’s raising his eyebrows. I laugh again, and close my book.

“You’re such a dork!” I stand. “Fine. Let's go get some food.” He smiles.

Rayne


"No roommate?" My eyes drift around the barren room almost forlornly. No company. I suppose that's fine, I don't do to well with others unless they're a demon.

"As of yet, no," my guidance counselor purses her lips. "But you'll be fine with that, won't you, Rayne?"

"Yep," I skip forward with my bag of belongings. "Thanks Ingrid."

My guidance counselor smiles and leaves, closing the door behind her. As soon as I hear the click of the door shutting, I let out a deep breath and fall onto a bed. I've been here for three years now. I don't mind this place, its better than the squalid life I'd be leading if I hadn't come here. I just hate the arduous task of packing up my room and moving each new year. It's oh-so tedious. Although I suppose it is to make room for the new students. There are always new students every year. New and naïve students.

This isn't a school. This is a prison. Once you're here, at Darken, there is no leaving. Many of the students try to escape when they learn the truth. So far, or as far as I know, there hasn't been an escape yet. Me, I don't mind it here. My life isn't in danger, so I have no quarrel with being kept in a prison-school that will prevent me from ...

The memory of that night flahses across my eyes and I quickly blink and sit up. I could start unpacking, but I don't need anything right now, so I'll wait a little. Maybe I could see who's residing in the rooms either side and opposite me. That seems like a reasonably smart idea.

Jumping to my feet, I stroll across the intervening space between bed and door, and grab a hold of the brass doorknob just as I hear the sound of a door slamming. I tilt my head to the side and listen intently, catching wisps of conversation. So there are two girls in the room to my right. Maybe I will start with the left room.

Opening the door carefully and gingerly, I step into the hall and close my door. After patting down my shirt front and legs, I stroll over to the door on my left and touch the handle. Maybe I should knock first. So I do. No response. I try the handle. It's locked.
I turn around to the other door when a thought suddenly hits me. I need to get my timetable for classes. Introductions can wait. And who knows, maybe by the time I get back there will be more girls. Cool.
My feet carry me down the hall and into the raucous hall full of the new students bustling about. Some of them look like they're having trouble. I know exactly where to go, but I don't like talking to what's-her-face. The teachers here can get on my nerves. It doesn't help that they're all mostly human. Walking through the throngs of students finally gets me to a front desk with a small line. After waiting for a good five minutes, I'm standing at the front of the line.

"Name?" What's-her-face asks without looking up.

"Rayne Lantry," I say with a droll look on my face. Every year it's the same.

What's-her-face looks at me and frowns. "Of course," she bites out.

She riffles through some sheets of paper looking for my timetable, no doubt. She holds it out and I snatch it from her hands, giving her a sickly sweet smile. Before what's-her-face can say anything I walk away, nose buried in my timetable. Cool, I have Latin again. And music. Art, English, maths, and ancient history. Cool.

Next I go to the place where you get your books from. I should probably learn what they're called, but it doesn't interest me. Although others will have a hard time understanding what I mean when I say 'What's-her-face' and 'the book place'. Oh well, don't ask a demon for directions.

After collecting my books, and checking when my first class is, I decide to go back to my room and change into my uniform. I walk back into the throngs of new students and quickly step out of the way of a young werewolf running through the crowd to get to the book place. When I turn around again someone bumps into me, and all my books crash to the floor. Oh great.

I bend down with the guy that had run into me and pick up my books. I feel a slight prodding at the outer edges of my mind and freeze up, but it disappears as I stand and the rest of my books are handed to me. Oh, he's very attractive. But human, lovely.

"Hey," he says as he hands me my history and Latin book. "Sorry about that. I'm Arthur, one of the new guys."

"Oh," he's new. I suppose that makes sense. "Nice to meet you. I'm Rayne."

"So ... what's your first class, Rayne?" he asks with a flirtatious quirk to his lips.

I'm not really in the mood to flirt. "Latin," I tell him.

"Mine too," Arthur leans against the nearby wall and shoves his hands in his pockets. "Must be fate."

My eyes spot his timetable in his hand. And his first class isn't Latin. "Umm ... No it isn't," I tell him. "I can see your timetable. You have algebra first."

"I can change my schedule," Arthur winks.

I just shrug. "Change it if you want, Arthur," I give him a soft smile, and spot someone I recognise over his shoulder. "Gotta go now, bye!"

And again I'm moving, feet taking me across the intervening space over to the only vampire I'm comfortable being around. As soon as he notices me he pauses in his stride and watches me with growing alarm.

"Hey Richard," I smile at him.

"Rayne," he nods. He seems fidgety every time he talks to me, like he doesn't want to be around me.

"Lots of new kids, hey," I jerk my thumb over my shoulder, indicating the mass behind me.

He nods. "Yeah," he mumbles.

"Has Dexter been moved again?" I ask, trying to keep conversation.

Richard nods. "Yeah," he mumbles.

"You off to get your timetable?" I tilt my head to the side.

Again, he nods and mumbles, "Yeah."

I hold in a sigh and force a bright smile. "Alright, I'll leave you to it," I chirp.

Relief washes over Richard's face. "Bye Rayne," he mumbles, and walks away.

I don't know if he hates me, or I make him nervous. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy to be nervous around a girl, and I know he has no problem telling someone to bugger off. But always, as soon as he sees me, it's like he's on edge. Maybe this year I can change that, and maybe he'll see that I'd make a great friend. Dexter doesn't seem to have a problem with me at all. But if Richard still acts the same by next year, I'll leave him alone forever.

After sighing, I continue on my walk. Back up the stairs and to the girl's wing. As I pass the door that had slammed earlier, I pause to listen for hostile sounds. None? I go into my room and put my books down, save for my Latin one, and walk back out of my room. Ah damn, I still need to unpack. So I go back into my room, dress into the school uniform, grab a book bag from my whatchumicallit - suitcase - and then turn around again. Oh wait, I'm supposed to unpack.

"To the hell with it," I grumble, and walk over to my bedroom door [i]again]/i] to leave. And this time, I will. Even if my Latin class doesn't start till later. I can head over to the library and do some prior reading. Or is it pre-reading. "Stupid English," I grouch as I stomp down the hallway. Again.

Stuart Jackson

Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump

“I’m scared Stuart.”

“I know Lily. I know.” I clutch her small body next to mine.

Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump

“Where’s mommy and daddy?”

“I dont know. But I’ll find them. You have to promise me you will stay here though. You have to promise you won't move.”

“I promise.” She says quietly. I kiss the top of her head, and the leave the safety of the bunker. I must find them.

Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump

I’m running fast. Faster and faster towards the smell. The smell of iron and rust. Please dont be them. Don't be them. When I reach the house the hunters are gone, but the bodies are not. I close my eyes tight, but that doesn’t change what has happened. That doesn’t make them come back.

Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump

In the distance I hear the loud explosion of a gun.

“Lily!” I spin quickly running faster than I ever have towards the bunker. “Don’t you dare take her from me! Dont you dare!”

Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump

The bunker door stands wide open broken at the hinges. My breath swells through my lungs, and my heartbeat pushes at my ribs. I slowly walk down the stairs where my little sister lays at its base bleeding from her stomach.

“Lily! No!” I rush to her sweeping her up into my arms. “Look at me! Look at me you little booger! Please!” Tears rush through my eyes.

Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump

“Bruh-Brother?” She coughs, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes stare blankly towards the ceiling. “Did you find mommy and daddy?”

“Yeah...yes I did Lily. Don’t worry they are coming. They are coming to take you home.” She slightly smiles.

“Home.” She coughs again. “I love you big brother. When we get home do you think mommy will sing to me?”

“Yes….yes I do.” I watch as the life slowly falls from my sister's body. “I love you too….”

“Stuart.” I turn to see a dark figure standing in the doorway. “Your life is in danger. We must go. Now.” He holds out his hand to me, but first I turn to take the small mouse from my sister's backpack. That stupid little rodent. I pull it close to my heart, and turn back to the man. I look at his hand, and for some reason I take it.

Ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump-ba-bump

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I stop running abruptly, and slam my fist hard into the nearest tree. My face beats bright red, and the newly risen sun shines lazily through the trees. I fall slowly to my knees, and I hold my head in my shaking hands. It’s been four years… I slap myself hard across the face. Not today. I will not do this today. I breath in deeply, and stand up taking in the new day.

Today is a new day.

Over and over again I keep telling myself.

I run back to the academy pushing the negative thoughts from my mind. When I get to the gate I can already see the newbies pulling in. We’ve all been there. The intimidating black cars, the scared doe eyed faces. A new girl even waves at me, but I can’t help but ignore her. I don’t mean too, but I can’t take it back when I finally realize it. I make my way through the boys hall towards the showers. I shower for a long time in an attempt to clear my head. It’s only when some guy yells for me to stop hogging the water that I decide to get out.

My next plan. Hopefully find Grace. She has been secluded in the library all summer, and I haven’t really talked to her in a while. She is one of the only people I can talk to about my family. She is pretty much the only family I have left besides my sisters mouse. Good thing about her too is you can always assume where she might be. So I head towards the library. Before I leave the hall I stop by my room where I pick up my sketchbook, and Sammy. I place him in my shoulder where he curls up in the curve of my neck.

Everyone is rushing around getting used to the new year ahead. I find myself getting so caught up in it that I don’t notice what's in front of me. I manage to run straight into somebody almost knocking them to the floor.

Rayne.

I’ve known Rayne for a long while now. We don’t really talk, but we both share the same characteristic. We’re some of the longest residing students at Darken.

“Hey watch it!” She bends down to pick up the stuff I made her drop.

“I'm sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” I bend down too to get my sketchbook that I dropped. My heart rate picks up when I see its open.

“Yeah I could tell.” She says snippy. “Whoa did you draw these?” She beats me to the sketchbook, and picks it up quickly. She zooms through them, and I can feel my skin crawl. I rip it from her hands.

“Yes I did…” Surprisingly she smiles, and raises her hands slightly like a caught criminal.

“Sorry...but hey, they are really good.” She says.

“Thanks…” I say. She starts laughing all a sudden.

“Is that a mouse? Aw he’s so cute.” She reaches for Sammy on my shoulder. He timidly sniffs her finger. “What’s his name?”

“Sammy.” She lightly pets his head. “He likes you. He doesn’t usually allow people to get that close to him.”

“You’re just saying that.” She smiles.

“I’m serious…” We stare at each other for a moment, and I cough. “Um well...I have to go.”

“Oh..uh me too.” She brushes a strand of hair over her ear. We both start off, but after a moment I know we are going the same way. “Oh...are you going to the library too?” She asks.

“Yeah.” I say. She laughs. “Do you..um want to walk with me?” I ask. She smiles.

“Oh...sure.”

“Cool.” I place my hands in my pockets, and walk next to a girl that I don’t really know... This will be an interesting year indeed.

Wren

The first day of school. The alarm went off at 5 am and I covered my ears with my pillow, hating the noise.

"Turn that bloody thing off." I grumbled, my voice somewhat muffled through the fabric of the pillow. Grace slammed her hand down on the 'off' button and stood up.

"Come on, we have to get ready. Unless you're skipping class already."

"Mmmghuf."

"Wren."

"Gmmmfrp."

"WREN!"

"Uggghhhhh." I sat up. It was still dark outside. That meant bed.

"We've been doing this every day for the past year and you're still not used to it." Grace chuckled, wiping the sleep out of her eyes as she spoke.

"I'm fine if the sun is up. Because that's the natural time for humans to be awake."

"Emphasis on humans."

"WHY MUST THEY DISRUPT MY CIRCADIAN RHYTHM? NOT COOL!" I half yelled half laughed, getting up and grabbing my uniform. Grace seemed somewhat surprised at my outburst, I almost never spoke this casually,

"I don't know what that is but maybe it would help if you hadn't been in the woods until late last night," Grace pursed her lips, walking into the bathroom we shared with the next room over to change clothes.

I stayed in the room, slipping on black tights and my black skirt with the uniform red blouse. On went soft, black leather boots. They weren't as good as my brown ones but those were the comfiest I could find that went with the outfit. The school uniform catalog offered a few variations of the red blouse/black skirt ensemble and I always wore the deeper, more natural reds. Like a wine color almost. This blouse had sleeves that went to the middle of my forearms and buttoned up, complimenting my slight figure. The skirt wasn't like the starchy material normal uniforms required for most schools but it was a little more flowy.

I went into the bathroom, opening up my coconut butter and taking a tiny dab from the jar and rubbed it through my hair. If I used to much my hair would look really oily but using just a little bit made my hair shine and it smelled good. I applied a little bit of stained chapstick to my lips so it would look like I was wearing lip gloss and lastly, though I hated to use it, mascara. When I was done my lips were a beautiful, deep red, my lashes nice and full and my hair looked as if it'd been professionally styled.

"I wish I could get away with only a little make up," Grace sighed. Her own make up was always dark and heavy, especially around the eyes.

"It's not good for your lashes or your skin, you know. I'm sure you could get away with it if you tried."

"Yeah. And I wish my hair were healthier." She looked at her ends in dismay which were a little dry.

"Come here," I said, patting the bed. She sat down and I rubbed some coconut butter into her hair before I twisted it into an intricate braid. I loved her long hair but I'd never felt comfortable enough to ask to play with it. I'd never really had friends who were humans.

"It should be nice and wavy when you take it down today."

"Thanks," she said, somewhat awkwardly, looking at the twisting braid as she pulled it over her shoulder. She wasn't really used to me being social either.

"Better get going," I said and we walked out of the room, shutting and locking our room door behind us. We were already out of the dorm when I stopped.

"Wait, I forgot a hair tie. See you later?" Grace nodded and I headed back in, hefting my school bag over my shoulder. I wanted to go straight outside after the first day and needed to be able to keep my hair out of my face. Just then a golden blur streaked by me followed by a blue haired boy.

"Come on, Miel! I'm already late! He cried. I almost stumbled and lost my balance but I watched with interest as the cat bounded around a pillar and ran up to me, his fur standing up as he rubbed his cheek against my ankles.

"Here kitty," I said, my voice soft as I sat down and pulled him into my lap. Miel purred and kept rubbing his cheek against me as I pet him, his fur smoothing over. I felt calm with him, as if I could face the day just because of this cat.

The blue haired boy rounded the corner, finally realizing the cat had outsmarted him. He stopped in his tracks just as a black haired boy ran up to him.

"Dexter, what is going on? I heard you running down the hallway looking for Miel while I was in my room. You really should just let that devil cat go, he's evil."

"No he's not, see." Dexter pointed to me and I stopped cold as I looked at the black haired boy. I knew him, his name was Richard and he like to get cozy with the girls before drinking from them. He was a blood addict. A vampire. Dexter clearly was too but maybe a halfling.

"How did you get him to do that?" Richard asked just as Miel hissed at him and cowered against my chest.

"He just came up to me and wanted attention," I replied softly, not looking him in the eye. I felt a little nervous being in the same room alone as two vamps.

"Poor Miel," Dexter said, taking him from me, "I must not have given you enough love. Thank you for catching him." He said, looking at me. Dexter clomped up the grand staircase, cooing to Miel as he went.

"So." I said, standing up and brushing the cat fur off of my uniform. "I should be going," I turned to the door, forgetting all about the hair tie.

"What's your power?" he asked bluntly.

"Plants and auras." I said, leaving out the part about walking dreams.

"Animals?" he asked.

"No. Just plants and auras."

"I'm Richard." I didn't say anything, so he spoke up once more. "And you are...?"

"Wren." With that I gathered my bag and walked out of the dorm.

Arthur Pendragon Patel

Arthur was thinking about Rayne as he sat down in a seat at the back of Algebra class. No other girl he had liked had seemed so...unconcerned about his advances. He was attractive, he knew that, and had been told so many times. But Rayne had just blown him off. He had a feeling that Rayne would be harder to get than the other girls, but Arthur was now determined.

There was something about her that made him nervous and eager to impress, an urge that he had never felt before. Usually it was the girls who were trying to impress him, not the other way around, but Arthur was set on his goal. So, he began plotting.

Then the teacher walked in and said "Good morning students. For our new students, I am Mr.Murphy. To start off the term, I am going to give you a test." At that, the entire class groaned.

Mr.Murphy chuckled and said, "Don't worry, it will have no effect on your grades. Since the new students weren't with me last year,they will not have to answer the test."

"But I would like to, Mr.Murphy." said Arthur.

Mr. Murphy looked at him in confusion."You want to answer the test?"

"Yes." I replied.

Mr.Murphy shrugged. "Well, if you really want to..." Mr. Murphy handed Arthur an answer sheet.

Arthur quickly solved the paer. He was a whiz at algebra, which helped, and whatever he didn't know, he scanned the minds of his fellow students to find out. He knew his paper would impress the teacher, and Arthur liked it when he surprised people, if only for the expression on their faces.

While scanning, one of the minds in his class rather stood out...
Harold Abernathy. 15 years old. has a combination of demon, human and vampire blood. Large ego.

His mind seemed intelligent to Arthur, though egotistic and lazy. Just the type that Arthur would want to recruit into his gang! Arthur could use his flaws to manipulate Harold into doing things, and use his powers to help him.

So, after submitting his perfect paper to the teacher, he walked over to Harold as he stepped into the hall outside the class.

"Hey I'm Arthur, one of the new guys." he said, introducing himself.

Harold turned his eyes towards Arthur and said, "Oh hey, I'm the guy who rules this school. My name is-"

Arthur cut him off, saying, "Harold Abernathy. You're part demon, vampire and human. Oh, and you're fifteen."

Harold gaped at him, shocked. "How did you know that?"

"I have my sources." Arthur replied nonchalantly. "By the way, you and your talents don't seemed to be appreciated the way they deserve to be around here."

Harold frowned and replied, "I know, right? I wish I could show them exactly who's who here."

Arhur started using his persuasion power now."I can help you with that. How about we collaborate. With your demonic prowess, and my mental talents, we can actually rule this school. What's more, you won't have to trouble yourself with making plans, as I'll do all of that. What do you say?

Harold seemed to be considering it before replying, "Sounds intriguing but...what sort of powers do you possess?"

Not willing to reveal all of his abilities now, Arthur instead decided to give him a small demonstration of just one.

"This." he said with a malevolent grin and enacted his mental torturing ability on poor Harold's mind.

"Agh!" Harold cried, seizing his head. Then Arthur cut it off and Harold, looking at Arthur with awed eyes, said, "That was amazing! How did you do that?"

Arthur shrugged nonchalantly. "You have to be born with it."

Harold shook his head in wonder and said, "Well, if I can't do it, I've gotta have access to it. It would be useful to teach those unfortunate people who cross me a lesson. Arthur, you've got a partnership."

"Awesome." replied Arthur with a mischievous grin as he shook Harold's hand.

A few classes later, Arthur was walking though the hall when he heard a slam. He went closer to the source of the sound and saw that the boy he had seen when he had seen in the morning, Fenrir, the thin one with the huge rucksack, had been lifted up and pushed against a wall by a much bigger boy who had his fist raised.

"I'll teach you to shut up!" he said, as claws extended from his fingers (showing that he was obviously a demon).

Arthur quickly intervened. "Wait, wait!" he called out, making the demon boy (who he found out was named Burke) pause.

"What?" he asked, turning towards Arthur.

Arthur asked, "What was the cause of this situation?"

Burke replied, "This shithead here kept on asking me questions. Did I hatch from an egg or was I born? How was I raised as a demon? How did my mother and father treat me? He doesn't know how to shut up, so I'm gonna teach him..." and he raised his fist once again.

"Hold on!" said Arthur using his persuasion now. "Fenrir, why were you questioning him?"

"I was trying to add to my encyclopedic knowledge of monsters and...wait, how did you know my name?" he replied, whimpering as Burke glowered.

"i have my sources." said Arthur. He had scanned Fenrir's mind further as he was speaking to him, and realized that he did indeed have an encyclopedic knowledge of monsters. I can use that to my advantage. he thought.

"Well, since this is his first offense it would we prudent to let him go. By all means, if he does it again, you can beat him up."

Burke seemed to consider this before muttering, "Fine. But don't ever try that again." and released Fenrir.

Fenrir said, "Thanks."

Arthur replied, "No problem. By the way, would you like to join my gang? We could use your knowledge to our advantage, and protect you from guys like that." and he gestured in the direction of where Burke had gone. "Provided you don't annoy them too much, of course."

Fenrir looked thoughtful before saying, "Sure, why not?"

"Great." replied Arthur. "Meet me and Harold at lunch. Bye for now!" Fenrir nodded as Arthur strode down the hall, confident now that he had acquired his first two followers.

Later on, Arthur was walking into the lunch room when he heard loud voices.

"Apply to join Bloodborne if you want to take command of the school with our excellent strategies!"

"If you're smarter than the rest, apply to join Aviantus!"

"Apply to Taurus if you want to par-tay!"

All this and more was being shouted by the house recruiters into loudspeakers. Ms.Winters had spoken to him about this, though he hadn't expected people to care so much about it, or be so loud.

By far the worst recruiter seemed to be the one from Leonitas, who kept shouting, "Apply to Leonitas. We make decisions! we are the best House!" He just seemed to be doing things rather halfheartedly.

Arthur took pity on him and decided to show him how to attract members. He walked up to the boy and said, "You're not doing it right."

The boy turned to him angrily. "Oh really? You try it then!"

"Gladly." Replied Arthur and took the loudspeaker from the boy's hands. And started to speak into it.

"Do you want your voice to be heard?" He started, and a few heads turned towards him.
"do you want your opinion to count? Your right to be listened to realised? If so, then apply to join Leonitas, where you can be at the forefront of school development, and help lead the school, and learn to be a strong leader! So apply to Leonitas, the house of to-be world leaders!" Then he handed the loudspeaker back to the boy and started to walk away.

A number of students had been looking at him and listening so he was sure that a good number of them would be applying to join Leonitas later on. Then he heard a voice say, "Wait!" And Arthur turned to see the boy.

"You have to join Leonitas!" He said as he caught up with Arhur. "You're charismatic, have a strong voice, and would make a great leader! You're perfect for Leonitas! In fact, since I'm one of those nominated by the leader to recruit, I can let you in without the usual test."

"Really?" Replied Arthur, scratching his chin.

"Yes." Replied the boy. "In fact, if what you just did was any indication of your capabilities, then I think you could make council member without a problem."

"Alright then." replied Arthur. "Yes, I'll join Leonitas."

"Great." Said the boy. "We have a meeting in the Leonitas Council hall tomorrow at 4 pm. Be there, and you'll be formally introduced as a member."

Arthur nodded, and as he was walking out of the lunchroom, his head was already whirring and planning various strategies to get himself elected as Council Member.

Arthur yawned. He was in World History, his last class for the day, and he was bored, and waiting for it to get Over. His thoughts turned to Rayne as he wondered how to get her to like. Unlike most girls, he knew that it might require quite a bit of effort on his part. Which he was willing to do, but how to go about i?

Well, he thought, The first thing to do would be to find a way to spend more time with her, and use that time to work on it. But how to do that?

He thought for a wile, and then it came to him. He grinned, as he always did when he had a plan.

"Are...you okay?" Asked Fenrir who was sitting next to him.

"Trust me, I'm fine." Replied Arthur. "In fact, I'm better than ever."

The next morning, after a number of arrangements had been made the previous day, Arthur walked into his first class of the day wearing one of his new Darken uniforms, which he had collected from the tailor the previous day. It had the Leonitas crest sewn on to the right chest.

However, this was not the only thing Arthur had done the previous day. Rayne was early, already sitting in class, and Arhur sat down beside her.

"Hey Rayne." He said.

"Oh hey Arthur." replied Rayne, glancing towards him,

Arthur then grinned and said, "By the way, I've changed my Class schedule so I share half my classes with you."

Rayne gaped. "What! How do you know my schedule! I have it with me!"

Arthur replied. "You don't have the only copy. The school board of administration keeps one too."

Rayne looked at him curiously. "But how did you get it?"

Arthur grinned mischievously and said, "I have ways and means. Let's just say that it required quite a bit of effort."

Rayne laughed. "You're crazy! You went to all that trouble just to hang out with me?"

"Yup." replied Arthur. "But I prefer to think of it as persistent . And trust me when I say that I will continue to persist."

At that, Rayne smiled, and Arthur's heart rose as he thought that maybe, just maybe, Rayne was starting to like him. Then the teacher came in and class started, with Arthur planning the next stage of his strategy.

Sasha

I woke up that morning at 5 am, an hour and a half before school started. Mira gave me a seething glare as she turned over and I got up, looking perky and refreshed. I needed time to get ready for school.

I went into the bathroom and turned on my curling iron, applying creams to my face as the iron heated up.

The next hour was filled with powders and hairspray and pots of makeup and cream. By the time I was finished our next door neighbors were coming in the bathroom bleary eyed and I was standing in the mirror looking perfect... until you saw my sleep shorts and tank top.

I sauntered back into the room where Mira was getting ready. I stripped off my sleep shorts and tank and rummaged through the closet.

"Were you a model or something?" Mira asked.

"Yes." I said bluntly. "I still am, I'll probably do a little work on weekends."

"Figures." she didn't say anything after that but continued getting dressed.

I slipped on black tights, lace tights. They were tres chic. After that came a tight mini skirt that went down to mid thighs. Afterwards was the red blouse. I wore that looser, I do have some class! I tucked that into my skirt and loosened the bottom part a bit which flattered my figure even more. After that came the blazer, I needed to look my best for the house I was to choose. Lastly, came the heels. They were black, close toed ankle boots.

Mira looked at me as I walked out, bag in hand.

"Coming?" I asked.

"We don't have to leave for another 20 minutes," she said flatly.

"I need breakfast. And I need to socialize, make sure I get the lead on the scene around here. Ta." I said smugly, shutting the door behind me.

I walked down the hallway, no, I strutted down the hallway, my heels clicking on the dark wood floors.

Damn

Who does she think she is

Heels to school? Really?

Nice butt

I heard all these thoughts as I walked down the hallway and I smiled smugly. Everybody either wanted me or wanted to be me. I made my way to the cafeteria where house recruits were already setting up.

I walked over to the nearest one I saw, the one with people who looked like me.

"What house is this?" I asked, turning the boy's mind to putty.

"Taurus," he said dazedly,

"Oh? What are the requirements?"

"We do what we want and..." his speech slurred as I held his brain.

"I'd like to join."

"There's a test." he replied, blinking. He was trying to fight it, but he was no match for me.

"No test. I'm in. Got it?" He nodded, and I gave him my name as he handed me a pin.

I let go of my grip on his mind and pinned it to my blazer, walking away, examining the breakfast line.

Ugh, no croissants, I thought to myself before smiling smugly. That's okay, I need to cut off a pound or two anyway.

Rayne

Persistence. What an interesting word. I’d put it in the category of words that don’t really describe me. Persistent. A word that does describe me. Lazy. I like that word. Lazy is a nice word.

I can feel eyes on me and turn my head ever so slightly to find Arthur giving me a calculating look, his pencil tapping lightly on desk. I don’t think he’s even looking at me, but he’s concentrating on something. And it must be super important because even when I turn to face him he doesn’t react. I don’t know how I feel about this guy. Who changes half of their time table just to hang out with a person? It makes me a little uncomfortable. What a fruit cake.

“So Arthur,” I begin, and his eyes come into focus.

“Yeah?” He asks, sitting up a little straighter. Sheesh.

“Where you from, originally?” I ask.

“I was born in Mumbai,” he tells me.

“Oh,” my eyes widen and a small smile plays at my lips. “That’s in India, right?” He nods. “I love India. I love the culture there, and the religion. I love how there are so many different names for one Goddess.”

“Where are you from?” Arthur asks me.

“England,” I mutter in a small voice.

“You don’t really have an accent,” Arthur raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah I know,” I chuckle. “I had to get rid of it so I didn’t stand out so much. A girl with a prominent British accent going to an American private school for the supernatural? You’d get eaten alive.”

“I would protect you,” Arthur smirks.

“I don’t need protecting,” I roll my eyes. “People stopped treating me like the new girl after I beat up some guy that kept picking on me.”

“Jeez,” Arthur exclaims. “That’s rough.”

Not as rough as my punishment. “Eh, it meant I was left alone after that. I do enjoy it here, though. Even if I’m avoided,” I shrug.

“Avoided?” Arthur stares at me like that’s I just told him I’ve been to the moon. “Why on earth would anyone want to avoid you?”

Again, I shrug. “Dunno,” I mumble.

My attention drifts off, and if Arthur kept talking, I don’t notice. I start to copy down the notes off the board as the teacher starts yabbering on about punctuation, and how she wants to actually see it in our work this year. Once I’ve copied down everything I check my time table. I have art class next, and I’m sure Stuart is going to be in that class.

“Hey Rayne,” Arthur leans across to whisper to me.

“Mm?” I glance at him before looking at the new set of notes on the board.

“What are you doing after your last class?”

“Probably going to my room to unpack,” I chuckle. “I still haven’t done that yet.”

Arthur raises an eyebrow before nodding. “Right, what about after that?” He asks.

“Sleeping?” I offer.

“Don’t you have dinner?” Arthur’s eyes widen.

“Oh, yeah, I have dinner, and then I go to sleep,” I grin at him.

“Right after dinner?” Arthur persists.

I chuckle. “Usually during the first week back I just sleep after dinner,” I tell him.

“What about homework?” Arthur presses.

“Don’t do it in the first week,” I shrug.

“Well, what if you wanted to hang out with someone after classes?” Arthur grins.

“No one usually wants to,” I shrug again.

“But what if someone does today?” Arthur’s grin widens. “And many days after that?”

“If you want to hang out with me, you just have to ask,” I close my book and put my things away as the bell for next class goes. “I’ll see you later, Arthur.”

I stand up and walk out of the classroom, and make my way down the hall to the arts wing. I find my classroom and walk into the room, finding a familiar face and sitting down in the stool beside him.

“Hey Stuart,” I greet him. “Hey Sammy,” I smile at the small brown mouse sitting on Stuart’s shoulder.

“Hey Rayne,” Stuart gives me a half grin.

I pull my sketchbook out as the classroom door bursts open.