Bercerita tentang seorang gadis bernama Aretha Zayba Namira Rahman yang akan membalas kematian kakak laki-lakinya yang merupakan seorang artis yang selalu dikucilkan oleh rekan-rekan seprofesinya dan produser hanya karena dia tidak berasal dari keluarga seorang artis seperti rekan-rekan seprofesinya yang merupakan anak dari artis senior. Polisi mengatakan kalau sang kakak melakukan bunuh diri yang disebabkan karena karirnya yang hancur setelah Asia production dan yang lainnya membatalkan kontrak kerjasamanya secara sepihak. Tapi dia sama sekali tidak percaya kalau kakaknya bunuh diri dan dia curiga kakaknya sengaja dibunuh oleh seorang produser terkenal. Saat Aretha melancarkan balas dendamnya, dia malah jatuh cinta dengan Bian- kekasih dari putri produser yang ternyata merupakan pemilik perusahaan ternama di Asia. Dan Aretha tahu, kalau dia telah masuk ke dalam jebakan Bian dan apa yang akan terjadi kalau ternyata Bian- pria yang dicintainya adalah sang manipulator genius?

A man with the memories and skills of a Sith Warrior from a conflict that ended four millennia ago finds himself thrown in the opening weeks of the Clone Wars. He has a mission - deal with the current Sith Lord and his supporters permanently and prepare the galaxy for the eventual arrival of the Vong. This is a SI story.


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Note: I do not own Gundam Seed or Star Wars. They Belong to there respective copyright owners. This story is not written for commercial gain. I make no money from it. I am not the original author of this fanfiction. Author is Illuviar, book title is, "Rogue Knight", found at Fanfiction.net. Unable to reach author so I decided to post here for more exposure for Star Wars Fanfics! Enjoy!

My blood was boiling. How could Zeus fucking Grace not care? I couldn't say anything wrong, though, because I refused to make things even worse for Jason. He sat at the table, forcing himself to smile and laugh at my jokes. Bless my mother's soul, she tried her best to keep the conversation upbeat and not mention anything that could remind Jason of his situation with his father. Still, whenever the conversation leaned toward family anecdotes, a shadow would fall across Jason's gorgeous face, which made me angrier.
"...so, I had spoken to Percy on the phone before his field trip to the Metropolitan Museum. Next thing I know, he's standing in my kitchen, hugging me, saying I didn't sound happy on the phone," Mom said, and I smiled. 
I remembered how I had looked at the cabs streaming down Fifth Avenue while my class was eating lunch on the steps of the Museum. I remember I thought back to how tired and almost defeated Mom had sounded. I remembered I barely hesitated as I made a beeline for the street, hailing a cab to East One-hundred-and-fourth and First. I had heard Mr. Brunner call after me, but I ignored him. 
"Of course, it didn't take long for his teacher to call, and I had to send him right back to the Museum." Jason smiled at me, albeit a little sadly.
"Mama's boy," he teased affectionately, slightly shaking his head. I opened my mouth to argue, but Mom cut me off.
"He is," she affirmed with a grin.
"Hey," I protested.
"Oh, honey," she said sweetly. "Everyone knows you are, including you. Besides, I don't see it as a bad thing. Do you?" she directed at Jason, and he chuckled as he shook his head no. "And being the Mama's boy you are, it takes an exceptional person to make you want to move out," she smiled warmly at Jason, which made him blush slightly.
"So, you want to move in with me?" he asked me shyly, making my mother smile more.
"Of course, I do," I answered, taking his hand to brush my thumb over his knuckles.
"I'd say he'll be an idiot if he didn't go through with it," Mom chirped, unhelpfully.
"Is your dad on board, as well?" he asked hopefully.
"Well, yeah," I said with a shrug.
"Then why haven't you said anything?" he nearly shrieked.
"Okay," I started, raising my hands in defence. "To be quite honest, I wasn't going to say anything until you told your family about us, because I didn't want to open the door to one of your family members and have them call the cops on me because they thought I was robbing you." He opened his mouth to argue but closed it quickly when I gave him a pointed look. I then turned to my mother. 
"Is this why you asked me to come this weekend?" I asked. "To convince me to move in with him? Because that's not necessary. I'm already sold, and since he just told his family, it's a big possibility if not a certainty." Mom looked down at the table.
"Actually, I had something else to tell you," she said, grabbing our plates and taking them to the sink.
"What?" I asked after she went silent for a while.
"Well, here goes nothing," she said nervously, turning back to us. "I'm dating someone new."
"Who?" I shrieked. Jason took my hand, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it, trying to calm me. Who was this man trying to steal my mother from me? I was not going to let another big, fat bag of trash treat her the way Gabe did.
"His name is Paul," she answered, determination burning in her eyes. "He was your High school English teacher."
"Mr. Blofis?" I asked, stunned. I thought back to the good-looking man with the slightly overgrown salt-and-pepper hair. He had been one of the teachers I had liked. He was sincere and genuine. He understood my difficulties with my dyslexia and ADHD. He always tried to motivate me and be supportive. He was not a trash bag by the slightest. He was decent.
Piper had once gotten him to divulge a lot of his personal life in class, in true Piper fashion. No one could say no to her. Not when she flashed her kaleidoscope eyes at you. Paul had never been married. Not that he didn't want to, he just hadn't found the right woman yet, is what he had said.
I looked at my mother, trying to picture them together. They would make a pretty good couple. Gods know my mother needed a decent man in her life for once. Nothing against my father, he's a good man, but I can admit he's not exactly marriage material.
"Yes," she nodded, before quickly adding, "he makes me happy, Percy."
"It's okay, Mom," I said, getting up and pulling her into a hug. "From what I remember, he was a good man. If your happy, I'm happy," I said, kissing the top of her head. "He sets one foot wrong though," I said, holding her at arm's length. "You tell me, and I'll kick his ass." Mom burst out laughing.
"Trust me, honey, he sets one foot wrong, and I'll kick his ass myself," she said, wiping a happy tear from her cheek. I started laughing.
"Somehow, I don't doubt that, do you?" I asked Jason.
"Not one bit," he chuckled.
"Oh, and we're all going out for lunch tomorrow," she said, turning back to the sink full of dishes. "Paul wants to spend some time with my darling son." She stressed the word 'darling,' and I understood her meaning very well. I was to be on my best behaviour and be kind to Paul.
"Of course, he wants to spend time with me," I shrugged. "I'm an amazing person and a fucking delight." Both Jason and my mother snorted in unison.
"Sure you are, honey," Mom said, tapping me on the shoulder affectionately.
"Haha," I replied humourlessly, which caused both of them to laugh even more at my expense.
"Anyway, I'm going to finish up the dishes," Mom said. "Why don't you two go to the living room and pick a movie?" she asked, and I kissed her on the cheek.
"Will do, and thanks for a wonderful dinner," I said as I made my way towards the living room, pulling Jason along with me.
"Thanks for a lovely meal, Missus Jackson," he said over his shoulder. Mom threw a wet dishrag at his head. It connected with the side of his face.
"I told you to call me Sally," she scolded, waving a finger at Superman, and I laughed at his shocked expression. I picked up the rag, throwing it back to her. She quickly caught it and turned to the sink full of dishes.
"Come on," I told Jason, pulling him out of his stupor and into the living room. I quickly flipped through our small DVD collection. I came across the one I was looking for and presented it to Jason for his approval.
"Newsies?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's my mom's favourite," I explained. "I've lost count how many times I've have watched it with her."
"I've never watched it," he confessed with a shrug. "Is it any good?"
"Let me put it this way," I smirked. "Most people love Christian Bale because he was Batman. I love Christian Bale because he was pretty hot as Jack Kelly. This movie is probably the reason I turned gay."
"You think Christian Bale's hot?" he asked with a chuckle.
"You don't?" I asked incredulously.
"I guess he's just not my type," he shrugged. My jaw dropped as I stared at him. "His features have always been a bit too sharp for my liking." He took a step closer, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Maybe if he had a slightly turned-up nose, like this beautiful nose..." he tapped my nose with a finger, and I chuckled, "...I would have found him very attractive."
"You know what worries me about you not finding him attractive?" I asked, and he frowned.
"What?" he asked perplexed.
"If you don't find him attractive, do you find yourself attractive?" I asked, and he blushed, looking down at his shoes. "Because you have a lot of the same features he does, babe."
"It'd be so weird if I found someone who looks like me hot," he mumbled. 
"Jason, it would not be weird," I insisted, hooking a finger under his chin to make him look me in the eye. "You are beautiful, fucking gorgeous, and you really should know that. It's not enough that I see it. I want you to look in the mirror and see it yourself." He squirmed in my hold, trying to look anywhere but me. I didn't let him.
"I'm not beautiful, Percy," he said deflated. "I have a scar on my face," he referred to the cute little scar on his lip — the very scar I loved to lick whenever I kissed him.
"It gives you character," I dismissed the thought. "It doesn't take away from how beautiful you are; it only adds to it. There's a story behind that scar, and that makes you that much more interesting. Scars show that you've have lived, that you weren't put up on a pedestal and treated like a porcelain doll."
"My eyes are fucked," he countered, having lost his scar defense. "I'm almost legally blind. I'm useless without my contacts."
"So, that's why you can't see how drop-dead gorgeous you are?" I asked, and he blushed a deep crimson.
"I...I'm just..." he wanted to say something, something important, that much I knew. It seemed like he couldn't find the words, though. He let out a frustrated sigh as he pushed himself out of my arms, turning away from me. "I'm just not good enough," he mumbled. I saw the pain those words brought him, and I knew what his reason was for believing them. Those words hurt me just as much as they hurt him. I couldn't bite my tongue anymore.

"Your dad's a dick," I said as I gently wrapped my arms around him, resting my chin on his shoulder.
"Percy, please don't." He sounded so broken.
"Just listen," I whispered into his ear. "He never told you he loved you, or that he was proud of you. He never treated you like a father should, and that was wrong of him." He sighed, letting his head fall back onto my shoulder. "But acceptance of oneself doesn't come from other people." I moved one of my hands to rest it right over his heart. "It comes from within, babe. Only you can give people the power to hurt you."
"Where'd you hear that?" he asked softly.
"My dad sent me to a shrink after...well, Gabe." I turned him around. "We both have a lot of stuff to work through, Jase, but we have each other to help us through it." He wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. I ran my fingers through his hair. 
"I'm trying, really trying, to find the value in myself, Jase. I want to be the man you deserve," I confessed. "Will you please try to find the value in yourself, too?" My shoulder shook as he nodded yes. 
"I love you, Percy."
"I love you too, Jason."
"Okay, boys. Have you decided?" Mom asked as she walked into the room with two large bowls of freshly popped popcorn. Jason snapped out of my arms, wiping the tears from his eyes. Mom gave me her 'What did you do?' look, and I pleaded her to drop it with mine. She did. 
I walked back to the DVD's and held up Newsies for her approval. She beamed and almost dropped the popcorn in her excitement. She gave one of the bowls to Jason before she plopped down on the armchair with the other bowl. I popped the DVD in and went to take my seat on the couch. 
I pulled Jason down with me. He slotted in between my legs quite comfortably, falling back against my chest. I pulled the blanket from the back of the couch to cover us. The movie started playing, and I held Jason.
I just held him.

Jason and Percy grew up as bitter rivals. What will happen when they end up going to the same college? Will these two enemies ever become true teammates, will they overcome their past to become partners? Also, why is Percy's back littered in bruises?

Warning! This story contains mature and explicit scenes within a same-sex relationship. If you are not comfortable with LGBT stories, mature and graphic scenes, do not read this story.

Disclaimer! I do not own Percy Jackson or any characters affiliated with the author, Rick Riordan.

Now on to the story. I hope you enjoy it!*



A/N: So Miho is mine while Bunny is my friends. Bunny is from the Newsies fandom and Bunny is blind and Miho isn't from any fandom and he is a shapeshifter that turns into a small white puppy when angry. 

Bunny's face claim: 

 

Minho's face claim: 

 

And this is the dog he shapeshifts into when angry or frustrated: 

 

Miho's pov: 

 Camp has been tense lately and Bunny (my girlfriend) hasn't been taking it super well. So I decided we needed a getaway, I took her by the arm and guided her into the forest and started describing what it looked like as she enjoyed knowing what was around her. 

 "The leaves on the trees are turning red and gold and their starting to fall on the ground," I whispered as I kissed her cheek. 

 "They do that every year," she giggles and I can feel my heart skip a beat at how beautiful her laughter sounds, "can I feel one?" 

 

 I picked up a leave for the ground that was a crispy red and brown colour and handed it to her. She took it and used both her hands to feel it but she still stood close enough to feel the fabric of my clothes. 

 

 After awhile of calm serenity, I started ranting about how the humans have no idea who they are messing with as we could kill them all if we wanted. As they started a war for no reason as we were all minding our own business, humans were stupid in my opinion but there were exceptions as there were amazing ones at camp who were nice and brave and Bunny who was also a human she was a special exception. 

And as I expected but I could never stop it because of my strong silly emotions. 

I turned into a little white furry puppy. 

I definitely needed better control. 

 Which I could tell left her confused, it always did as it comes without warning for her, and looking around at the sudden change as she couldn't feel me anymore but I nudged her foot with my paw and she smiled looking down and leaned down to pick me up. In the middle of her leaning down, she hesitated and my ears perked up with the sound of footsteps surrounding us. Maybe this was a bad idea they had warned us not to wander off, I thought it'd be fine, I should've listened now I can't protect her because of this form. 

Bang! 

 The bang went off suddenly and I started frantically looking around making sure Bunny wasn't hurt but there was an increasing pain in the side of my little form and I realized I had been shot. All I could feel was this overwhelming pain and everything was blurring and I could see black spots in front of my eyes and I fell over with a yelp of pain. 

 I realized with a jolt that I couldn't help her or warn her about anything. As all the energy I had was slowly drifting away. With no strength to turn human again. I looked up at her and with my last seconds I admired how beautiful she looked even though her face is marred in confusion and fear, I smiled. And the world around me dimmed and all my senses were leaving me one by one. 

 All that was in focus now, was her face looking frantic and confused and I hated that I had put it there and that I couldn't even give her any last words or a comforting sound to help calm her down. 

I was useless. 

 Now not being able to form thoughts and think because of the pain my sight left and I struggled to try and take in deep breaths, that only seemed to make it hurt worse, but I couldn't and blackness surrounded me and I took that last breath knowing I couldn't even help the girl I loved the most. 

Elodie's Pov: 

 I had seen them leave and I wanted to stop them but I knew how Bunny got so I let them go, even though my instinct was yelling at how stupid I was but Miho promised he'd be careful. They had been gone for too long now and I warned him. 

 I was waiting at the entrance of the woods, pacing back and forth listening so intensely to the sound of the forest I didn't pick up that Laura, my girlfriend, had started talking, trying to comfort me. 

 I tuned in to listen she is assuring me they were fine, her voice sounded unsure though. I didn't believe that for a second my instincts were raging, telling me something was wrong. 

 When I caught a scent of blood, my ears perked up trying to catch any sounds and I immediately shifted into my wolf form, knowing it was Minho's blood. Laura called after me and Hook, hearing her calls went chasing after me. Using the wolf link to confirm he was right behind me. 

~I smell it too El~ 

~I know go faster Bunny is there too. She'll panic~ 

 The smell got heavier the closer we got and we found Bunny in a clearing, calling for Miho softly with a tear strained voice while his lifeless body laying just inches from her feet, he must have been in his little puppy form. I whimpered and she whipped around to face us, Hook had frozen with shock in place. 

I shifted back and slowly walked up to her not wanting to alarm her and set her senses off even worse than they were. 

"Bunny are you ok?" I reached her and she grabbed onto me for dear life. 

 She must hate being alone as she can never see anyone, even though she can hear it's not the same, unless someone makes themselves known. It must be lonely. 

 "I'm fine but Miho just vanished! I can smell a faint blood smell but I don't know what or how anything happened. I'm so confused, and it was really silent." She was in hysterics and I put out a calming aura/smell that instantly calmed her down and she slumped into my arms. 

 "It'll be fine, we can talk about this after you wake up ok." She nodded and passed out. I immediately felt guilty as I hate using my power like that because if I wished I could control someone as long as they could smell because I can put out some weird werewolf pheromones. 

 "Oh my god." Hook whispered slightly covering his nose it slightly affects him too. He had unfrozen and had moved to cradle Miho's body. 

"What happened Hook?" He stayed dazed. 

 "Hook answer!" I barked out with my alpha command. The second time having to use it which is not ideal, I hate using it but sometimes it's required. His head whipped up and immediately complied. 

 "He has a bullet wound just above is heart and it is wedged into his lung, and he has bled past the point of saving." He looked confused as I had used my alpha command on him and it felt like a rock had dropped in my stomach, and I felt gross most other alphas use it without hesitation with no regards for other werewolves, but I've seen the awful effects it can sometimes have and it made me feel disgusting as I disliked using it on the anyone. 

"I'm sorry Hook but you should take Bunny back to camp. I'll take Miho." 

 He nodded and got up and shifted so I put Bunny on his back and he shot off, being careful not to knock her off. 

I picked Miho up and started the long trek to camp by foot. 

—————time skip—————- 

Bunny's Pov: 

 I woke up in my extremely fluffy bed confused as the other side was cold and I reached over to feel for Miho as he had started cuddling with me before I fell asleep, he sometimes stays longer, to help with nightmares, for both of us. 

He wasn't there. 

I shot up, panicked and started reaching around for him. I heard the door open and the floorboards creek, it wasn't him, his steps were lighter. 

"Morning Bunny I came to wake you up but it seams your awake already," she chuckled dryly. Elodie, I wonder why she's here? 

 "Where's Miho?" I could feel the mood change but only slightly as she had already been sad walking in. She sighed and sat down on the end of the bed. 

"What do remember from yesterday?" 

 "Well Miho was ranting, he turned into his dog form then I heard footsteps and then a gunshot and then absolutely nothing." I felt panic set in. Was Miho hurt? Was he dead?! 

"Is Miho ok?" I asked somewhat panicked. 

Elodie stayed silent but I could hear her silent cries. 

"He died last night Bunny. He was shot. We found him next to you, dead." My world crumbled. 

I felt numb but at the same time, I wanted to scream with rage and throw things across the room. I heard Elodie stifle a sob and realized, feeling the tears trailing down my face that I was also crying and that she could sympathize with me as she lost Laura once too but she had got her back. 

She got her back. Will I get him back? 

I leaned forward and she pulled me into an embrace. 

 She whispered, "we'll get him back somehow. I promise you," I nodded knowing she wouldn't stop till she got him back for me. I knew I could trust her.

They are at war, humans and supernatural creatures. The time for peace is over. They were all called to Camp for a reason. 
These one-shots are all related and bleed into each other.

I actually found my way to Lit class by myself. Okay, so it was just on the other side of Neferet's room, but still I felt a little more confident when I didn't have to ask to be led around like the helpless idiot new kid.

"Zoey! We saved a desk for ya!" Stevie Rae yelled the instant I got to class. She was sitting beside Damien, and practically hopping up and down with excitement. She looked like a happy puppy again, which made me smile. I was really glad to see her. "So, so, so! Tell me everything! How was Drama? Did you like it? Do you like Professor Nolan? Isn't her tattoo cool? It reminds me of a mask—kinda."

Damien grabbed Stevie Rae's arm. "Breathe and let the girl answer."

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I guess Nolan's tattoos are cool," I said.

"You guess?"

"Well, I was distracted."

"What?" she said. Then her eyes narrowed. "Did someone embarrass you about your Mark? I swear people are just plain rude."

"No, that wasn't it. Actually that Elizabeth No Last Name girl said she thought it was cool. I was distracted because, well..." I was feeling my face get hot again. I'd decided that I was going to ask them about Erik, but now that I'd started talking I wondered whether I should say anything. Should I tell them about the hall?

Damien perked up. "I feel a juicy tidbit coming on. Come on, Zoey. You were distracted becauuuuse?" He drew the word out into a question.

"Okay, okay. I can sum it up in two words: Erik Night."

Stevie Rae's mouth dropped open and Damien did a little pretend swoon, which he had to straighten up from right away because at that moment the bell rang and Professor Penthesilea swept into the room.

"Later!" Stevie Rae whispered.

"Absolutely!" Damien mouthed.

I smiled innocently. If nothing else I was sure that I would love the fact that mentioning Erik would drive them crazy all hour.

Lit class was an experience. First of all, the classroom itself was totally different than any I'd ever seen. There were bizarrely interesting posters and paintings and what looked like original art work filling every inch of wall space. And hanging from the ceiling were wind chimes and crystals—lots of them. Professor Penthesilea (whose name I now recognized from Vamp Soc class as belonging to the most revered of all the Amazons, and who everyone called Prof P) was like something out of the movies (well, the ones on the Sci-Fi Channel). She had seriously long reddish-blond hair, big hazel eyes, and a curvy body that probably made all the guys drool (not that it's very hard to make teenage boys drool). Her tattoos were thin, pretty Celtic knots that traced their way down her face and around her cheekbones, making them look high and dramatic. She was wearing expensive-looking black slacks and a moss-colored silk cardigan sweater set that had the same goddess figure embroidered over her breast as Neferet had been wearing. And, now that I thought about it (and not Erik), I realized Prof Nolan's blouse had the goddess embroidered on the breast pocket of her blouse, too. Hmmm...

"I was born in April of year 1902," Professor Penthesilea said, instantly grabbing our attention. I mean, please, she barely looked thirty. "So I was ten years old in April of 1912, and I remember the tragedy very well. About what am I speaking? Do any of you have any idea?"

Okay, I knew exactly what she was talking about, but it wasn't because I'm a hopeless history nerd. It's because when I was younger I thought I was in love with Leonardo DiCaprio, and my mom got me the entire DVD collection of his movies for my twelfth birthday. This particular movie I watched so many times I still have most of it memorized (and I can not tell you how many times I snot cried when he slipped off that board and floated away like an adorable Popsicle).

I looked around. No one else seemed to have a clue, so I sighed and raised my hand.

Prof P smiled and called on me, "Yes, Miss Redbird."

"The Titanic sank in April of 1912. It was struck by the iceberg late on Sunday night, the fourteenth, and sank just a few hours later on the fifteenth."

I heard Damien suck air beside me, and Stevie Rae's little huh. Jeesh, had I really been acting so stupid that they were shocked to hear me answer a question correctly?

"I do love it when a new fledgling knows something?" Professor Penthesilea said. "Absolutely correct, Miss Redbird. I was living in Chicago at the time of the tragedy, and I will never forget the newsies shouting the tragic headlines from the street corners. It was a horrid event, especially because the loss of lives was so preventable. It also signaled the end of one age and the beginning of another, as well as bringing about many much-needed changes in shipping laws. We are going to study all of this, plus the deliciously melodramatic events of the night, in our next piece of literature, Walter Lord's meticulously researched book, A Night to Remember. Although Lord was not a vampyre—and it's really a shame he wasn't," she added under her breath, "I still find his take on the night compelling and his writing style and tone interesting and very readable. Okay, let's get started! The last person in each row, get books for the people in your row from the long cabinet in the back of the room."

Well, cool! This was definitely more interesting than reading Great Expectations (Pip, Estella, who cares?!). I settled in with A Night to Remember and my notebook opened to take, well, notes. Prof P started to read Chapter One aloud to us, and she was actually a good reader. Three class hours almost over and I'd liked all of them. Was it possible that this vamp school would actually be more than a boring place I went to every day because I had to and, besides that, all my friends were there? Not that all of the classes at SIHS had been boring, but we didn't get to study the Amazons and the Titanic (from a teacher who'd been alive when it sank!). I glanced around at the other kids while Prof P read. There were about fifteen of us, which seemed about the average in my other classes, too. All of them had their books open and were paying attention.

Then my eye was caught by something red and bushy on the other side of the room near the rear of the class. I'd spoken too soon—not all of the kids were paying attention. This one had his head down on his arms and he was sound asleep, which I knew because his chubby, way-too-white-and-freckled face was turned in my direction. His mouth was open, and I think he might have been drooling a little. I wondered what Prof P would do to the kid. She didn't seem like the kind of teacher who would be cool with some slug sleeping in the back of the room, but she just kept on with her reading, interspersed with interesting firsthand facts about the early twentieth century, which I really liked (I loved hearing about the flappers—I would definitely have been a flapper if I'd lived in the 1920s). It wasn't until the bell was about to ring and Prof P had assigned the next chapter as homework, and then told us we could talk quietly among ourselves, that she acted as if she noticed the sleeping kid at all. He'd started to stir, finally lifting up his head to display the bright red sleeping circle that was on the side of his forehead and looked bizarrely out of place beside his Mark.

"Elliott, I need to see you," Prof P said from behind her desk. The kid took his time getting up and then dragged his feet, scuffing his untied shoes, over to her desk.

"Yeah?"

"Elliott, you are, of course, failing Lit. But what's more important, you're failing life. Vampyre males are strong, honorable, and unique. They have been our warriors and protectors for countless generations. How do you expect to make the Change into a being who is more warrior than man if you do not practice the discipline it takes even to stay awake in class?"

He shrugged his soft-looking shoulders.

Her expression hardened. "I shall give you one opportunity to make up the zero for class participation you received today by writing a short paper on any issue that was important in America in the early twentieth century. The paper is due tomorrow."

Without saying anything, he started to turn away.

"Elliott," Prof P's voice had dropped and, thick with irritation, it made her sound way scarier than she'd seemed while she had been reading and lecturing. I could feel the power radiating from her, and it made me wonder why she would ever need a male anything to protect her. The kid stopped and turned back to face her.

"I did not excuse you. What is your decision about doing the work to make up today's zero?"

The kid just stood there without saying anything.

"That question calls for an answer, Elliott. Now!" The air around her crackled with the command, making the skin on my arms tingle.

Seemingly unaffected, he shrugged again. "I probably won't do it."

"That says something about your character, Elliott, and it's not something good. You're not only letting yourself down, but you're letting down your mentor, too."

He shrugged again and absently picked his nose. "The Dragon already knows how I am."

The bell rang and Prof P, with a disgusted look on her face, motioned for Elliott to leave the room. Damien, Stevie Rae, and I had just stood up and were starting to walk out the door when Elliott slouched by us, moving more quickly than I believed possible for someone so sloth-like. He bumped into Damien, who was ahead of us. Damien made an oops sound and stumbled a little.

"Fucking faggot, get outta my way," the loser kid snarled, pushing Damien with his shoulder so he could get through the door before him.

"I should smack the crap out of that jerk!" Stevie Rae said, hurrying up to Damien, who was waiting for us.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. That Elliott kid has major problems."

"Yeah, like having poopie for brains," I said, staring down the hall at the slug's back. His hair was certainly unattractive.

"Poopie for brains?" Damien laughed and linked one arm though mine and one through Stevie Rae's, leading us down the hall Wizard of Oz fashion. "That's what I like about our Zoey," he said. "She has such a way with vulgar language."

"Poopie's not vulgar," I said defensively.

"I think that's his point, honey," Stevie Rae laughed.

"Oh." I laughed, too, and I really, really liked how it sounded when he'd said "our" Zoey . like I belonged... like I might be home.

I have chosen the Dao of badge collecting & here's an Easter Egg Surprise for you.

ONE
The witching hour the night before my world ended.
Hellbelly.
A giant Poseidon angrily peered over the roof of an imposing edifice. He swung his trident to and fro in an eerily slow arc. The three barbed tips narrowly missed the heads of the mortals below the god. Throngs of sinners stepped through the gaping, shark-toothed mouth of the sea monster the Lord of the sea rode atop. The brave were ushered to an awaiting cart styled as an open clamshell. The God of the Seas dared wandering souls to take a ride through the murky depths of his watery underworld. Leviathan awaited at the end, that great watery beast that swallowed drowning souls unfortunate enough to get swept into the maelstrom. 
They called it a dark-house ride because it was meant to scare the bejeezus out of its visitors. Timid young lovers looking to escape the summer city heat and find a space of time together braved the attractions frights. At the very end, after swirling pell-mell along a spiraling track, Leviathan, a giant fish-faced monster, waited with an open mouth to swallow the riders and their cart. I only rode it once and it was with my very good friend, Mary Adamczyk. We squealed and screamed and when the light of day outside that dark realm at last flooded our eyes, we laughed like the schoolgirls we once were.
By the time of the great disaster that would sweep along the Battery, we were recently graduated from St. Josaphat's, an all-girls' academy. He wasn't much older than us when his life ended so tragically. The unfortunate man was killed by an angry mob who tossed his body into the river after shooting and bludgeoning him.
Funny how ironically fate can play.
Men worked well into the night to get the popular attraction ready for the busy and important Memorial Day Weekend. With Coney Island claiming guests were more excited to ride its Cyclone, the owners of Neptune's World were anxious to lure those same people through their gates down in the Battery.
Hellbelly, the one sure-fire moneymaker in the park, had experienced a rough season the previous summer. The boat run had sprung leaks. The cracked wood sat through a rough, seaside winter. The spring thaw brought more operational worries. Workers, exhausted from a long day, rushed to spread tar over cracks in the walls hoping to patch the leaks. They worked deep into the night as one workday slipped into another.
Just before it struck two in the morning, the steam engine providing power to the filament bulbs seized. Within seconds the lights went out. What happened next in the Hellbelly only added fuel to this spectacular disaster.
The theory was a tired worker, in an effort to stoke the engine, struck a match over a bucket of hot tar. When the flame burnt down to his fingertips, he dropped the match into the bucket. Another man kicked it in his haste to leave. Hellbelly went up in flames.  Fire poured from the tunnel. Men ran from the inferno erupting deep within the attraction. Cut off from the city by the growing, searing flames, they dove in the Hudson.
By morning, Hellbelly and the rest of King Neptune's World amusement park were gone. Thirty men perished. As the news spread, so did the rumors and gossip. What no one would have suspected, or ever learn, was that it had been no accident.
***
On our walk to work at the Hightower Garment Factory a few mornings later, the city's air remained thick with the stench of burned down buildings. It had a different smell from other fires. We could smell the desperation, the loss.
The death. 
"We could see the flames from our building," Mary Adamczyk said. She was a lovely young woman and my friend and confidant. Like so many other girls our age, we had finished school to take jobs to help our families.
Mary clutched my arm. "Father feared our tenement would be swept up in the flames. He says we can thank the Lord the wind shifted."
"Or thank the developers for building King Neptune's World along the boardwalk where the fireboats could get at them."
"Rose Jordan! Are you saying it wasn't a miracle?"
We rounded a corner of East 14th Street and stopped at Union Square. The shadows of air-carriages slid silently over us. The voice of one of the gondoliers came from a horn below his basket.
"Extra extra. Read all the latest news of the Battery fire in today's Telegraph!" The words echoed off the concrete facing of the skyscrapers. It was a miracle more of the air-carriages didn't get snagged along the towering edifices.
A large crowd gathered around several newsboys. Their papers sold quickly. Every penny we earned we saved for our families. As much as we wanted to read the news, we just couldn't spend any money on the paper. We nonetheless made our way through the wall of people. As they turned, papers popped open in front of us, their headlines looming.
Hellbelly Inferno!
Poseidon's Fiery Wrath!
Sea Devil Get's His Due!
All the front pages showed split images: A before with the easily recognized Poseidon with his trident pointing at the reader; an after of the smoldering rubble. The newsies had little trouble hawking the press.
"I know that boy," Mary said. She tugged on my arm as she pointed at one of the newsboys. "He's friends with my brother. Come on, then."
She pulled me closer to the boy.
"Jamie Cochran! What are you doing selling papers at Union Square?" Mary asked.
"The Telegraph needed extra help on account of the fire, Mary Elizabeth. Nickel for the special edition."
"A nickel?" I said.
"The World and the Journal are charging a dime."
"Gouging us for what we should be told," I said. It fell on deaf ears.
"Give us a peak, Jaime," Mary said.
"Wish I could, Mary," Jaime said. He did sound apologetic.
Ever persistent, Mary pushed the matter. "We'll stand right here until you give us a peek."
"Give him a nickel and move on," the boy selling the Journal said. "You're costing him his pay."
I tugged on Mary's arm. She pouted playfully at Jaime but he didn't give in to her charm.
"It's the last time I let him kiss me when my family isn't looking," she said.
I pinched her arm. "Mary Elizabeth Adamczyk," I said. "Who's being sinful now?"
We laughed together continuing down the path of Park Avenue. In front of us, a well-dressed man finished his copy of the Telegraph and dropped it on a bench. Mary scooped it up as another man was reaching for it. He flushed, then tipped his hat to us and went on his way.
Mary sat down.
"What are you doing?" I asked. "We'll be late."
"No, we won't. Mercer Street is just over a block. Sit and read with me."
I could never say no to my best friend. I sat and she read.
"Devil Gets His Due," she read. "Well, that gets your attention."
"Read on, then!"
According to William Hodge, the reporter, the fire burned uncontrollably for nearly four hours. It was only an act of Mother Nature that averted a citywide disaster, at least in Mr. Hodge's words. Mary lifted her head with an air of indignation. She cleared her throat. "Did you hear that Rose Jordan? An act of Mother Nature."
I grabbed the paper from her hands. A portion of it ripped in her grasp. Mary laughed at our little escapade. The portion of the paper she held flittered out of her hand and settled against by my boot. I absently reach for it and crumbled the bit of newsprint tucking it into my waist pocket.
"Come along," I said. "We are now going to be late and you know how Mr. Duncan gets when we're late."
"As long as we're there before he bolts the doors he can't say a word."
"At least they don't chain our feet to the machines."
"That's just an ugly rumor, Rose."
I let the conversation drop even though I knew it wasn't a lie. For quite some time there had been stories of girls like us being chained to the base of their sewing machines. The bosses wanted us to increase their profits. One way was to make sure we weren't off at the coolers filling up with water. Mr. Duncan called it a detrimental cycle but fell short of shackling us to the legs of our machines.
As it were, Mary and I arrived before the doors were locked although Mr. Duncan was not immediately there. He gave us a warning glare as he came down the stairs to bolt the doors behind us.
Following him was an odd-looking man. His skin was alabaster white. He wore a pair of dark, conical goggles made of copper and capped with black lenses. The goggles fit awkwardly over a long nose with a ridge that stretched up between his eyes and disappeared beneath the bowler hat he wore. In one hand he carried a bucket stuffed with rags. In the other, he held a canister.
"Here you go, girls, off to your floor," Mr. Duncan said. He held open the door. When the man moving behind him passed through the door, Mr. Duncan looked nervously after him. There were beads of sweat on his baldpate. He scratched at the kidney-shaped mole high on his forehead.
"Who was that, Mr. Duncan?" Mary asked. "I don't believe I've ever seen him before."
"New boiler man," Mr. Duncan said. He slammed the bolt into place. The click echoed a bit before he turned and faced us. "Lot's to do tonight. Off you go."
Mary and I went into the crowded lift to head off to our floor.
"Why would a boiler man be on the upper floors?" Mary asked me.
"Hmmm?" I was busy reading over the shoulder of the young woman in front of me. She held a copy of the Telegraph in front of her.
"I mean, aren't the boilers in the basement of the building?"
"Of course they are. What are you going on about, Mary?"
Mary slipped her arm through mine. I could tell something weighed heavily in her thoughts. We walked in silence for half a block before she spoke again.
"Sometimes I wonder why we still work at Hightower," Mary said. "We're old enough to get other jobs."
"And where would that be, Mary Adamczyk? A public house serving drunkards? A store clerk wrapping dress boxes? The money just isn't as good as here. Now, no more talk of our true ages. Mr. Duncan and the foremen all believe we are twenty. If they think we're younger, they'll show us the door."
The lift stopped. The door was raised. One of the foremen stood outside on the lift.
"Move it along, ladies," the young man said. He nudged the lass who had been reading the Telegraph. She giggled.
Mary leaned in close to me. "I would have laid him out for poking me in the ribs with his boney elbow." She balled up her fist and pushed it into the air. She made a popping sound. We clutched each other's arms and laughed. If anyone could knock out one of the bosses it was Mary Elizabeth Adamczyk, sister to five older brothers.
"That'll be enough of the silliness, ladies," the foreman said. "Else you find yourself out of a job."
Mary challenged him. "You can't fire us, William Roberts. Mr. Duncan says we are two of the best seamstresses Hightower has.���
"I'm warning you, Mary Adamczyk. Do not  push me today."
She wanted to say more but I stopped her. "The fires have everyone a little on edge. Let's do our jobs."
Mary softly stomped her boot. I had a sense it was going to be a rough shift.
I just didn't know it would be our last.

An ancient species awaken to reclaim the planet.

Chapter 20: Dragon- Why are you here?

	I had left Kysael to practice walking on her own, since she had vastly improved since we had begun the process. 
	She was in our shared chambers, while I went to the clinic to take care of some other patients. There had been a lot of incoming patients lately, and the assistants were getting a bit overwhelmed without my help. 
	I was very happy with the progress that Kysael was making. She was doing so well, in fact, that I figured that soon she would be able to run.... possibly jump, even.
	I had a lot on my mind that day. 
	I had just received word from the newsies and my father that Kelose had been banished from all of the Elven lands, that he had been declared a Rogue. 
	That meant that there was a very high price on his head, and he wouldn't be safe anywhere. Not that he couldn't defend himself, and not that he wasn't still valuable in some areas who were more than likely still hiring him for his services....
	But I wondered whether or not to tell Kysael. I didn't want for her to worry, with all of the progress that she was making. 
	And I knew that such news would make her worry. 
	She had always loved and cared deeply for Kelose. I knew that hearing such a thing would upset her. 
	Being a rogue was not only dangerous, but it was also a disgrace. Rogue elves were unwelcomed by other races as well, not just the elves. 
	It would be dangerous to even be associated with the name of a rogue elf. 
	And as an assassin, his rogue status put him on the map as a rogue elven assassin, who was up for hire by any nation, not just the elven nations. 
	That meant that he was full on killer for hire, basically. 
	Whoever paid him a good sum of money to assassinate the target in question, anyway.
	Kysael would be devastated to hear the news. And so...
	To tell her or not to tell her? 
	I knew that she would find out well enough on her own soon, but should I be the one to tell her?
	An assistant came into the room with me and a patient, and pulled me to the side. "My lord, lady Kirinae has returned with a visitor. She asked to see you right away."
	I sighed, relief flooding my heart, and told my patient that I would be back momentarily. 
	I am sure that she just wanted to check in with me before she went back into Lykra to see her mother. It seems that I had worried for nothing afterall, and I was very thankful that she was safe. 
	Kysael had been right, as it were.
	But who would be with her was the question? 
	Where had she gone to bring back someone with her? And who was it? 
	I walked out of the clinic, and I dropped the glass of water I had been holding. This was not what I had expected at all.
	"Hello, Lord Dragon," He said with a resigned calmness. He had a hood covering his head, his face shadowed, and I could see that he had grown a little taller, a little more muscular. His eyes were a piercing gold tinged with orange, and the air around him made the hairs on my arms stand at attention. 
	His energy was dark and sinister, foreboding, almost feeling as if it were coiling around his body and the room in wisps of darkness. 
	Not one that any elven man of the light realm would desire to come into contact with for fear of being contaminated.
	"Kelose!" I startled. Never in my wildest imaginings had I ever anticipated that Kelose would have the nerve to show up here, and to actually interfere with Kysael and I. I whirled my eyes to Kirinae. "Why is he here? Kirinae, where did you go?"
	"It's alright, Dragon, I didn't go into Irasil and bother him or anything. I mean...well, I was going to, but.... he found me on the borders of Irasil and Lykra, and I told him who I was and that I needed for him to come with me to see mother."
	My heart thumped wildly with fear and hurt anger. "Kirinae, Kelose is a married man, you can't just barge in and ask him to-"
	"I am not married any longer, Lord Dragon," Kelose interrupted to remind me, and he continued to explain. "Lunariel....she began cheating on me, so.... I left her."
	"Oh, I... I'm sorry." I sighed. "I had heard that, but I had no way to confirm-"
	He shrugged it off. "I am a Rogue now, anyway. And I'm glad not to be with that hateful shrew anymore, anyhow." He met my gaze evenly. "I had been on my way here, to offer my services to Kysael in whatever way the two of you desired me to do so, in payment to make up for everything that I have put her through. But then I came upon Kirinae in the forest, searching for me, as it were. Kirinae told me that Kysael needs me, for some reason. What is this all about? What could she possibly need me for? She has you. She resonates a light with you that she never emitted with me. I was never good for her, so I can't possibly help...can I?"
	I looked away, uncomfortable. "Kirinae, go and check on your mother. There are some things that I need to discuss with Kelose....alone."
	She grinned, and did as I asked, leaving the two of us outside the clinic alone. Once she was gone, he spoke.
	"Kysael....how is she? I heard that she was almost killed by a wild boar. What is her condition? And what can I possibly do to help her?"
	I sighed. "Yes, she was injured. I assume that you got the news from my father, since he was the only person whom I informed. Though I'm not sure how you could have talked to him, considering your latest status."
	"I actually spent some time with your father outside of the city. I had my brother give him word to meet me, and he trained me. He told me that he'd gotten word from you that she was injured, but I didn't have much to go on." 
	"I see...." I thought it strange that my father would train Kelose in anything, but that did give me some insight to his current standing. If my father had been willing to do such a thing, it meant that Kelose didn't have any ulterior motives, that his intentions were pure. I decided to go ahead and give him the information. "Her injury was severe. The puncture wound went clean through her entire left hip bone. All of the nerves on the left side of her body were either severely damaged or severed completely."
	He startled. He understood the severity of such grim injuries. "How is she? I am sure that she must be having a hard time."
	 "I have been spending hours each day since November healing her, and we just began rehabilitation back in March. She is just now starting to walk again, slowly. She is doing much better. And....there is something that you can do to help her, but to be frank with you.... I'm really not pleased to tell you this, because I know what it will mean for her and myself once it has been done."
	He looked at me, waiting for me to continue.
	I sighed, closing my eyes. "When Mafrien captured her.... he...he placed a mating mark on her back." His eyes got wide, full of questions, but I continued anyway. "The only thing.... the only one who can break it....is you." His golden eyes narrowed a bit, but he gave no verbal response, waiting for me to elaborate. "You would have to continue your Soul Bond with her, to free her from the mating mark. Only that can break it.... and...." I sighed again. "I never thought that this would happen. I am relieved, but also.... remorseful."
	He thought for a long moment. "The mating mark must be what was tampering with my connection to Kysael in the first place. I had noticed that I hadn't been feeling anything from her in quite a while. I had been shocked to hear she had been so gravely injured and I had not felt it. And when I had desired to offer my services, I never could have foreseen this turn of events. Continue the Soul Bond....I had never thought that such a thing would be able to happen, and I certainly never thought that it would need to be completed. She needs to be as far away from me as possible. I am unsure about this. But you say you are remorseful. Why...?"
	"Because....I had just begun to accept my feelings for her. We were getting closer and closer to finally being together, almost enjoying our marriage...with only the mating mark holding us back. And yes, I am happy that it can finally be broken.... but the cost of it being broken may just be our budding relationship....and for that, I am in remorse."
	He nodded softly. "I am sorry, Dragon. I know that you care for her. And I know that she loves you. I have seen it in her eyes many times over the years, and yet she didn't seem to realize it herself until we ended our relations. She was always watching you, and I could see her feelings. She always loved you, Dragon."
	The pace of my heart quickened, and I looked away. "I'm sure it was only her admiration."
	He shook his head. "No. It was more than that. And I was jealous and hurt. And when we separated, she was able to get through all of that because of you. You raised her. You are the one who deserves her, after everything that you have done for her. But you are right, if I finish the Soul Bond with her.... I would be incapable of completely leaving her even if I don't want to be with her, and so....and so, you wouldn't be able to be with her fully, either." He sighed sadly. "I am....so.... terribly.... sorry." He met my eyes. "Do you wish for me to go on and finish the Bonding process? Or do you want me to leave, and forget that I even came here? I will leave the decision to you."
	I thought on that for a moment. 
	As much as I wanted for him to leave, for her to be with me.... selfishly, because of my Blood Bond to her....I had to put her needs first, before my own. That had been my entire purpose since she was born, to do right by her, protect her...even at the cost of what I wanted.
	And that meant that she needed to have the mating mark broken as soon as possible, so that she could be happy.
	"She deserves to be happy, finally. Go ahead and finish Bonding to her. My Bond with her will still remain, and I at least will have that."
	He looked surprised. "You....you are Bonded to her? How?"
	"The Wraith's Blood Bond," I said softly. "She fed me her blood to save me, and unintentionally, unknowingly, caused me to be Bound to her as her Blood Bound servant. So, through our Blood Bond, I am forced and obligated to be by her side to serve and protect her, no matter what happens."
	He nodded; his eyes sad. "That is a cruel twist of fate. You, her most faithful and loyal friend, her new and oldest love, her protector and servant, her husband.... reduced to watching her be Soul Bound to another man and being forced to stay by her side to serve and love her despite it. How cruel fate is...."
	I took in a deep breath just as Kirinae returned. "She's gone!" She said in a panic. "Dragon, she's not in the room!"
	I felt hot. Not again! I thought. That girl had to stop disappearing sometime or another.
	"Split up," I told them. "We will cover more ground if we separate. Meet back here in two hours," I said, and we all separated, taking off into different areas of the forest.
	I was surprised and impressed that Kysael had managed to get out of the city, seeing how there was a good number of stairs to climb to get out. 
	She had definitely come a long way from not even being able to move her toes.
	I was impressed, but I was afraid. What if she was pushing herself again? 
	She may be lying unconscious somewhere, for all we knew. 
	I could only hope that she was safe and that we would find her quickly.


Sequence of Dreams series Book 1: Loathed for her mixed blood, Half Woodelf, half Wraith Kysael struggles to find her place in the world. But with the help of the man who has been with her since her birth, she discovers that her true purpose was much more than she could have ever bargained for!

The next morning Lea struggled to get a word out with her parents running all over the house to take her to therapy on time. It seemed like they had scheduled an important meeting for her mother and now had to find babysitters for her brothers within the next half hour. The twins had already left the house on an impromptu shopping trip with their friends who stayed home instead of going off to college. That just left the teenager stressfully attempting to talk to her mother about the night before.
    
    "Mom I need to tell you something-"

"Your sisters are going to have to pick you up from therapy today. Your father and I have a busy day," Her mother said exasperated as she interrupted the anxious-looking teen.  "I know that you would rather walk home instead but sweetheart your sisters do want to spend time with you."

Lea nearly dropped her backpack hearing her mother's words. The twins would be picking her up? It wasn't like they'd make fun of her for going to therapy, they had become more supportive over the years. But seriously, them of all people? Neither woman was a safe driver, she still struggled to figure out how they passed their driver's test. She cringed and put her things into her bag with a frown openly on her face.

"Will their friends be coming with them?" The twins had okay friends in her opinion. Some of them were nicer than others however they all were more or fewer people with the same attitude as her sisters. "Mom, I can just take the bus home."

The center she went to offered transportation for anyone who had a membership at the facility. She knew the idea of it would worry her mother more, but she did not need any more stress in her life. All night she had spent trying to research the drawing on the card and the language but she had no luck. Everything she managed to find led to suspicious-looking sites and creepier links. For now, she had stuffed it into one of the pockets of her bag, hidden under some snacks. 

Once she arrived at the center she planned on investigating some more. She hoped that today one of her fellow therapy goers had some sort of mental breakdown of some kind to distract the group leader from seeing her on her phone. It was morbid to want it to happen, but right now she was unable to think of anything but the card's existence.

Her mother shook her head, grabbing her keys from off of the kitchen counter as she headed toward the front door with the other following. "I'd rather your sisters drop you off with a friend or two on time than have you come home an hour late."

Damnit. She had completely glossed over the fact that she'd get home later due to the other passengers in her mind. Her stop would certainly be one of the last, just because of how far she lived from the center. It was a two-hour drive on a good day, with traffic making a near three and half hour ride on a terrible day. With stops, she would be lucky if she got home by night.

"Can you promise that they won't bring like six people with them? Like last time?" Her jacket sat tied around her waist, the heat outside being too much for her to wear as they walked to the family car. 

"I'll talk to them about it. Make sure that you have everything with you, we are going to stop at a gas station to get you something for lunch." The car started with a loud stutter coming from its ancient engine and soon they were off. 

***
By the time she arrived at the health and wellness center's front door, the heat had cooled down enough for her body to feel relaxed. She opened the door and was immediately met with bright fluorescent lights gleaming in her eyes. Sunglasses covering her eyes, she could make out some of the usual figures in the room seated or standing around the room phones in hand. Some looked up at her and waved while others nodded their head before going back to what they were doing. 

Some new people had joined recently from the looks of it. A girl who looked to be from another part of the state from her clothing choice sat alone near the back of the room within the circle of chairs. Once she noticed Lea's eyes on her, the girl looked up at her with a glance. Her face fell when she saw how uncomfortable the new member looked. The glance seemed very dismissive to a degree that the other wondered if she had maybe offended her by staring. Guiltily, she decided to try and privately apologize to the girl. 

Therapy was new for many people and this might have been the other girl's first-ever session. Years ago when she first came here she remembered all the curious looks made her way and the anxiety that situation gave her for days afterward. Jeez, now she felt like such an asshole. Sitting down in a chair near a fan, she took off her sunglasses and put them in her backpack waiting for the session to start. 

Even though she had arrived late it looked like the group leader wasn't even there. It was a tiny bit annoying, especially with the fact she wanted to get home as soon as possible. The card had felt like a weight in her backpack as she rode with her mother. After getting on the highway she had given up on trying to tell her mother about what she had found and why it scared her so much.

They had instead talked about how her day would go, with everyone being gone again by the time she got home. Her guilt only grew knowing that this was something she should tell her mother. The card was like some creepy stalker letter in her mind and it scared her to know someone had been in her room. They had snuck in somehow or had gotten someone she trusted to do their bidding. She had looked around for what felt like hours that night, trying to see if her window had any possible way of being unlocked from the outside.

But her mother was already so stressed with their normal schedules that telling her about the card would be like giving her a nuclear bomb. Her father would find out next and then they'd have police officers tearing her room, her bookshelf, her dressers apart looking for traces of evidence. Her parents would never let her sleep alone or go out alone so she'd have to kiss therapy and sports goodbye. If it turned out to be fine then her family would have uprooted their lives for nothing.

And if it turned out to be something serious, something life-threatening she just couldn't stomach the thought of it. It made her sick with worry about the possibilities of what may happen if she even thought of mentioning the letter. Frustrated with her mind, she looked away from her lap at the now more full room. While she had been consumed the rest of the participants had come in, with five or so other new members joining the group. 

They were all of the various ages, but every single one of them couldn't be over the age of nineteen. That was just how the group was set up with the youngest age allowed for sign-up being fourteen. That's when she had joined with any other therapy type setups beforehand being one on one or with her mother present in activities. She felt bad for the younger ones who looked unsure of themselves no matter how hard they tried to hide it. She could see it vividly in their eyes and the way they held their bodies. 

A clap echoed throughout the room, startling many of them. "I'm sorry I'm late everyone. As you can see we have some new members joining our group today, I would like you to be as welcoming as possible to them." The group leader strutted into the room with her folder containing notes in her arms and her heels clicking on the stone floor loudly. 

She had been the leader of the group for only three years and had integrated with everyone fairly well. When she arrived at first they all had been hostile to her presence. They had been pleasantly surprised with her actions towards them and their problems. Miss Jade was a warm and intelligent woman who cared about them, unlike other leaders they had been given. 

From the corner of her eye, Lea could see the girl from before staring at the older woman strangely. Her eyes were incredibly wide to a point she felt worried that she might hurt herself. Widely, she starred as the woman introduced some of the newsies members, her pierced lips moving as if she was murmuring to herself. Suddenly her target changed and her head whipped around to another part of the room eradicate. Quickly, Lea looked away from the confusing scene and looked back at her lap to avoid being caught by the other girl. 

Maybe she had been wrong about offending the girl, now she wondered if she had scared her in some way. Her face was full of emotion when she starred wide at the warm but commanding women helping them. It was raw rage mixed with terror, a type of terror that Lea had only seen before a few times. Usually when somebody who, in her mind, was not ready for this type of situation was forced to come and participate. They left the same day or by the next week never coming back. 

"This is Momo everyone," Miss Jade the group leader introduced them to the girl in question and everyone else welcomed her in monotone. "She is one of our newest members so I would like you all to be kind to her and open to her opinions."

Momo looked uncomfortable with the attention being brought onto her and she stayed silent for the rest of the conversation. They moved on once she chose not to respond, introducing the last members to everyone else. Soon the conversation moved onto talking about anything new in their lives and what they had learned from these events. 

One of the younger members talked about a test they got a high score on and how it made them feel more confident in themselves. An older girl talked about how becoming a teen mom had changed her life positively the more mature she got. While others talked negatively about events like funerals, parents divorcing, or struggles with their appearance. And the rest stayed silent just like Momo, choosing not to share anything unwanted.

The session went on more or less peacefully, with only a few people having bad moods and shouting. Everyone else was rather mellow with the way they spoke and acted. Nobody had any energy to cause a scene due to how early in the morning they had to wake up to get here. Soon the talking melded together as she felt her tiredness grow along with her urge to go home. 

Eventually, they reached a break period and Lea excused herself to go the bathroom. Taking her bag with her, she walked into the spacious room and stood in front of the large mirrors lining the wall. Her face looked more tired than she had previously realized. Her eyes were red with anxiety, she looked like a wreck. Stress lines had grown to become bags under her eyes as she briefly rubbed at them to make them disappear. 

She took out some makeup from her bag, hesitating as she looked at the brush in her hand. Covering it all up now would only cause suspicion, she had been here for hours, and only now did she put on anything. She didn't need any other questions entering her life at the moment. Putting the brush back into her bag she hears the bathroom door swing open with a loud bang.

Startled, she looked up only to see the blank-faced expression of Momo as she came into the bathroom. The older woman ignored her as she went over to the bathroom sink, turned on the hot sink water, and began to wash her hands. Lea opened her mouth to apologize for earlier but stopped once her gaze caught it. Unknowingly her jacket sleeves went up her arm revealing something familiar. Like a tattoo, what she thought were words traveled up the girl's dark skin in the color of gold. The same gold that had been on the card, was in the form of the same text. 

Lea gasped unconsciously, her hand reaching to cover her mouth only too late. The girl stopped washing her hands and turned towards her. Her body chilled at the sight of the coldness in the other's eyes, she looked down on her with an amount of animosity that was unheard of. Lea wanted to ask her about the tattoo, about whatever language it was in, and how the girl had come across it. 

But something in her was frozen. She found herself unable to move with those eyes staring at her. Her mouth felt like it had been filled with cotton as she struggled to get words out. What was this? Why did this woman stare down at her like she was some sort of vermin? It frightened her more than anything, but the idea of not knowing was starting to frighten her even more. 

"Please," She felt as if someone was sitting on her chest suddenly, with those eyes getting harder as the two stared at one another. "Please where did you get that tattoo from? I need to know."

As she spoke the other girl blinked at her in confusion, her gaze softening momentarily before she saw something. Beneath the surface of her expression briefly, there had been something other than anger. It was hard for her to recognize it as soon as it appeared it was gone. Replaced by a feral creature that seethed and frothed at the teeth.

The girl chuckled coldly, moving uncomfortably close to Lea. This made her press her body against the wall behind her in an attempt to get away. The sound of the older woman's voice frightened her to a point she began to shake. Her gaze drifted down to her trembling hands in shock. They were shaking uncontrollably, her entire body felt like something foreign within the crevices of her mind. 

"So that's why you kept watching me. I thought you were just some nosy bitch but no," Momo's voice was dark filled with rage that made her confusion grow. "I can see it on you now. Don't play dumb with me, you know what this is."

Quickly, the woman lifted her sleeve to show more of what she had thought was a tattoo. Gold writhed like maggots on her skin. It moved upward endlessly, disappearing beneath the clothing it had previously come from. She still couldn't make out what any of it meant, the language was too strange to even know what the letters were. Her stomach twisted as she saw it wasn't the words or letters moving on their own. Her mind was engulfed in terror as she struggled to decipher what was happening, what she could even be seeing. 

"Your skins moving!" Lea screamed her hand coming up once again to cover her mouth, but this time she was fast enough. Her body shook even fiercer as the other looked annoyed at her reaction.

Momo rolled her eyes, annoyed at her words as she pulled her sleeve back down. Her other arm slammed forward, her hand slapping the wall next to Lea's head too close for comfort. A cruel smile painted her lips as she stared down at the other girl with glazed eyes. She could still see the tattoo moving on the girl's skin even though her jacket was covering it. All she could see was the way the skin looked bloated like something was trying to come out of it. The way it was scarred remembered her about what she read in school textbooks about chemical burns. 

"Don't act like you're shocked. I know you can feel it too, can't you? Or are you just that stupid that you don't even understand what it is?" Her voice was mocking, she knew what the response would be already. "It's all over you and you don't even see it. Just look at your hand."

"What are you even talking about?" Lea's voice wavered as she spoke, unsure if she could even trust her mind. There was no way that this could be happening, there was just no way. "Get away from me, you're crazy."

Momo moved closer to her as she finished speaking, so close their faces were almost touching. The cold gaze of a madwoman met that of someone scared to recognize what was blatantly in front of them. She could feel the woman breathing down her neck as she felt her nerves get the best of her. Using all the energy left in her body she pushed her body forward, knocking the woman away from her as she escaped her grasp. Her shoulder touched the woman's bare skin with something moving against her body in a way that made her skin crawl with disgust. 

There was no way what she saw was real. There was no way what she felt against her body was even real. But her eyes had seen it, she knew for a fact that she had seen that disgusting display. It made no sense, however. Had she been drugged? Was there some sort of hallucinogen on the card? But wouldn't she have felt the effects earlier? Nothing made any sense and terrified her. Her stomach continued to curdle as she began to feel ill. 

"Get away from me. Don't come near me again, I don't know...I don't know what's happening but please stay away from me!" Lea yelled weakly, her throat burning from how hoarse it was. She could hear the sound of someone coming towards the other side of the bathroom entrance. 

Before Momo could reply, the door opened revealing a worried-looking Miss Jade. The woman was followed by two security guards of the center. Lea had no idea how loud they had been yelling at one another but right now she couldn't even be embarrassed about the fact. She starred at the blank face Momo with shock. The woman looked disheveled from their brief encounter, but mostly she looked exhausted. Her body trembled as she tried to exit the room only to be stopped.

"Lea dear god she's bleeding, we need to get her some help." Miss Jade said taking her hand into her own with wetness suddenly covering it. 

Slowly, Lea looked down at her hand and saw what everyone else in the room had been seeing. Her hand that had been trembling the most was covered in blood. A low buzzing filled her ears as she stared at in disbelief. Had Momo seen the blood on her hand? Was that why she kept badgering her to take a look? The skin looked as if she had taken a razor blade to the inside of her palm, nausea filled her mouth as she tried not to vomit all over her shoes. Dizzily, she starred back at Momo in disbelief only to see the girl gone. 


Free to read on Webnovel & Royal Road only!!

Just a few months ago, Lea was a normal seventeen year old girl who was enjoying her newfound "normal" life. Her life had gotten better, she was doing great in sports and her annoying older sisters had moved out for college. Everything was going great for her and she couldn't have been happier.

That is, until she found a mysterious birthday card written in a fake language that only she could see. And the constant ache, a pain spreading throughout her body only causing her to bleed uncontrollably. Suddenly she is seen as a self harming attention seeking kid and she can't even trust her own mind. 

Forced to trust a mysterious woman who wants to kill and skin her feeble body, Lea begins a journey to find out what is actually real and what is fake in a hidden world.

"Solarite" is a YA urban fantasy novel with slice of life elements mixed in a splendid body horror twist. Updates every month with a new chapter and reviews are appreciated for this rough draft. 

Sequence of Dreams series, Book 2 & 3:
Book 2- Kirinae, daughter to Kysael and Mafrien, is unsatisfied with her life of luxury and wants to live as an average girl. But nothing could ever truly be average for this girl! Including who she falls in love with.
Book 3- After trauma, after trauma, Kysael has fought to keep her head above water. But she finds life not so forgiving as she continues facing more struggles, and the true enemy she has to face seems to be her own existence. No matter what lifetime it is.

Merlin, not happy with how the future unravelled for the life of
Harry Potter, intervenes early to set the course of history back on track.
Implied Pairing Only. Smart!Harry Bash!AD Idiot!RW 

WARNING I DO NOT OWN THIS STORY I MERELY PUT IT HERE FOR ALL OF US TO APPRECIATE T'S STORY!! 
THIS FANFIC WAS WRITTEN BY SINKYE

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