One wouldn't expect a school to reside in the middle of a vast forest, no less a boarding school, but it did. The school, Elope's Academy, was a beautiful building, with towering spires, old brown stone, a large corridor and comfortable common rooms. The school was a grand one, filled with comfort and luxury, for the most part. People could've done their homework on the rooftop balcony, overlooking the marvelous aspen, pine, and oak trees. Or they could've studied in the library, fumbling among rows and rows of neatly organized books. Really, the possibilities were endless. Students have swam in the nearby river during the autumn, built snow caves and snowmen during the holidays, and watched deer graze peacefully, without worry. A primary academy, this was. From the relaxing teacher's lounge, to the lavish infirmary, this school had everything.
Almost everything, that is. Though on the outside, this school seemed to glisten and sparkle with greatness, deep within, it had deep, dark secrets of the past, buried away under the dank, dirt of lies.
But never mind those. Ignore them, go along your way, and pray the dirt doesn't erode. If you dig too deep, you'll inharmoniously bury yourself alive, and wait in your deathbed, forever.
Now, I'm not trying to threaten you in any way. I'm trying to warn you not to get into other's affairs. People didn't appreciate it, and they may have ended up shocking you with an electric jolt, or popping one of your arteries. I'm afraid this is entirely possible, too, for anyone. For, in this lovely academy, another secret resided. The magic within it's pupils, teachers, and staff. Everybody had it, whether it was as simple as the ability to explode any duck you see, or if it was more powerful, like the ability to create a tsunami with any thought. Everybody was dangerous, though not everyone used their powers in a dangerous manner. In reality, the majority of people didn't appease to using their powers in a particularly evil manner. Evil wasn't good, as everybody knew, however some knew this, and hardly cared.
I'd like to bring your attention to sixteen-year-old Bess Manor, a kind-hearted student at the academy. Bess is a good soul, and you can see it in her lovely, kind chestnut brown eyes, and matching wavy, brown hair. Though she's a bit shorter for her age, she has a lot of kindness stored up in her, and she's always willing to be friendly. Bess has the power to control plants in her environment; that is, if she can see it, she can move it, grow it, and bend it. Beautiful Bess' family, however, has a history of brain cancer. She knew it was likely she would get it, after her mother, father, and elder brother died from it. Her only family was her loving cat, Muro, whom her father had given her before he passed away. It came as no surprise when she woke up one morning with a severe headache.
"Ooooh...." She groaned, hardly able to move from the pain. It had woken her up very early, and she couldn't think clearly. After a few moments of agonizing, aggrieved pain, she slowly sat up, hands wrapped piteously around her skull. Slowly, she stumbled her way into the bathroom, scrambling for some medicine. Naturally, before she could open the cap, the headache began to dull, and she began to sigh from relief. Her head swung upward in state of happiness in solitude, before, after a moment when it turned into a very dull ache, she sighed once more and put the drugs back into her cabinet. Slight worry twitched into her brain, and poor Bess felt she shouldn't go back to sleep, fearing she'd wake once more. The girl quickly showered and let her her head rest under the stream of water, before she stepped out and dried herself off. When she finally got dressed, she made her way out of her dormitory and silently padded down the hallway. She wore no shoes, but she needed none, either. The posh carpet was soft under her socked feet, and she knew she probably wouldn't step in anything unwanted or painful.
When she arrived in the kitchen, it was a slight shock to see her treasured boyfriend, Chase, leaning against the counter. He smiled slightly, slowly lowering his chocolate bar. Naturally, it was in Bess' hand in a moment, and she was, naturally, stealing a bite. He looked shocked, though she could tell he was faking it,
"That's mine." He interjected,
"So? Share." Bess murmured, rolling her eyes and swallowing the bite. Chase sighed, smiling, as she wrapped her arms around him, and leaned up for a kiss. Naturally, he accepted, bending down very slightly to offer her the kiss she'd been asking for. Their lips seemed to refuse to part, thoroughly enjoying the moment, before, finally, the time passed, and the sound of shuffling feet could be heard nearby. They looked up to see Frolino, who was pretending he hadn't noticed them, and making his way toward the breakfast cereals,
"Sorry to invade. I was getting really hungry, and I couldn't wait." Frolino said, smirking. Chase's face flushed momentarily, while Bess pulled away and smiled, giggling, "Hi Frolino." She said, looking glad to see him. Behind her back, Chase sent him a deathly scowl,
"Hi Bess." He responded.
It all happened too soon. Neither Frolino nor Chase could react fast enough to catch her as she dropped. They both went down to the ground, Chase supporting her head, while Frolino took her hand, squeezing it fearfully. Bess was mostly blank,. her eyes wide and pupils dialated, and a slight dribble of saliva escaping her mouth. Occassionally, a couple of her limbs would flail or flinch, but otherwise, she remained mostly limp. Both boys were confused, Frolino already taking out his phone to call Selene, the infirmary's fifteen-year-old nurse. On the other line, Selene's voice, seeming confused, asked, "Frolino?"
"Selene, we need help. Bess, well, I don't know what's going on, though I think she's having a seizure."
There was a pause on the other line, until Selene's voice asked, "Where are you?"
"Kitchen." He responded. The line went dead, and, after a few minutes of Bess' siezing, Selene stepped into the room, quickly crouching down and tucking her black hair behind her ear. She examined Bess for a moment, looking worried, before turning to glance at Mabui, standing silently in the doorway,
"I need the medicine, now." She said. He nodded, seeming slightly confused, slightly concerned, and stepped inside, offering her the first aid kit Selene had entrusted him with,
"What's wrong?" He asked, as Selene tore open the kit and pulled a syringe out. She uncapped it and poured a strange, brown liquid inside, before capping it once more and squeezing the medicine into Bess' mouth,
"She's having a seizure." Selene said. Mabui sighed quietly, knowing that, obviously, Bess was having a seizure. Mainly, he wanted to know why, but he decided that it wasn't worth clarifying.
A moment later, Bess was beginning to calm down, her eyes refocusing and her twitching slowing. After a few minutes, Bess was calm again, staring confusedly upward,
"W-What happened?" She asked, voice groggy and confused.
"You had a seizure." Selene said, "I don't know what to do about it, but-"
"Oh, god..." Bess murmured, looking aggrieved. Tears sprung to her eyes, and everybody in the room remained silent and shocked.
Finally, "What is it, Bess?" Frolino asked, seeming to snap out of his confused trance.
"I-I..." Bess weeped, seeming to be unable to express her feelings. After a few seconds, she said, "I have brain cancer." She knew it. The same thing had happened to her brother, and her father. First it was a headache, only her father ceized before he could gain pains. Then it was their personalities, which changed on occasion, from normal, to ravaging behavior, to non-sequitar discussions and emotions. She knew she was going to die, which is what led her to her next ireful and desperate exclamation:
"F**k!" She shouted, sitting up and keeling forward. She touched her head on the ceramic tiles and slammed her fist down on the floor, groaning. Everybody was confused, though a twinge of sorrow filled each of their hearts. Bess was Chase's girlfriend and Frolino's best friend. She was one of Selene's most frequent patients, and though she had no relation to Mabui, he cared for her shortcomings nonetheless, as he cared for many.
After a moment's pause, Frolino finally decided, "We need to do something." Everybody agreed, though Chase brought on the severe truth,
"How?"
"Selene, heal her?" He asked.
She shook her head, "I can't. Urand took my healing power, just yesterday. He approached me and before I knew it, I felt emptier. That's why I came with meds."
"D****t." Frolino murmured, "Then, what if we ask Urand to heal her?"
"He wont." Chase sighed, "Urand wouldn't do anything for her."
"Chase, what's your power?"
"Love."
"And Bess'?"
"P-Plants." She whimpered.
"And yours?" He asked Mabui, who merely shrugged, and said with his heavy japanese accent, "I have no power that would help her."
There was a pause, as people shuffled their feet, glanced worriedly at the sniffling Bess, and turned toward the door. Finally, Mabui confessed, "I may have something, though." He murmured, "I would have to get it from my co-worker, but I don't know if they would let me have it."
Frolino and Chase were on their feet, looking worriedly and hopefully at Mabui,
"Let me make a call." He said, reaching for his phone, and taking a step away from the group. Dailing a number and putting the cell to his ear, he began speaking in Japanese, rapidly, to the person on the other line. After a few minutes of everybody waiting, Mabui hung up and nodded, "If you will excuse me, a friend is bringing it at the moment." Him and Selene made eye contact for a second, as if she were in on a secret, before he was gone in a blur. A few moments later, he was back, holding a folded note in his hand. Casually, he tossed it to Frolino, who easily caught it. Chase, however, yanked it from Frolino's hands to read it himself,
"It's a map." He murmured. Mabui shuffled nervously, his gaze flicking toward the door for a moment, where a fleck of red hair could be seen pulling into the hallway by the door. Nobody but he noticed it, as Bess slowly stood, staring wide-eyed at it,
"Oh my god... it's a map to... to something that restores powers." She murmured, her eyes widening, before shifting to Selene, "Then you can help me, right?"
"I've never cured cancer, but it's worth a try." She murmured, looking uncomfortable.
"A map?" a voice asked from the hallway. A girl, looking about seventeen, stepped inside. Her red hair spewed from her pale head, and her freckled cheeks smiled curiously, "I know this isn't my business, but show me." She said, as Mabui stepped into the doorway, in case this newcomer decided to try to run off. Frolino cautiously handed the girl the map, who glanced at it for a few seconds, before back up,
"Name's Gwen, by the way." She said, her gaze flicking to Bess. Normally, Gwen wasn't so greedy, but this, this was amazing! This could get her millions! When it did, she could finally get back at her parents,
"It's fake." She said, crumbling it up and tossing it toward the wastebasket. Mabui had it in his hands a second before it hit the rubbish. Slowly, he uncrumpled it, and inquired,
"What makes you think it is fake?"
Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes and taking it from his hands, "First, the landmarks are wrong." She said, "The river is much closer to the school, and much further from Urand's castle. Second, Liz's house isn't on there-"
"It is old, and Liz didn't have a home back then, there."
Gwen sighed, "Whatever." She said, once again attempting to toss it toward the wastebasket, and once again failing as Mabui caught it, "It's fake. It's some dumb map that some kid probably drew up to convince people that there really was such a thing." She chuckled, "Hah, restoring powers. What a dweeb."
With that, and a slight sigh, she turned and stepped out of the room, her blue eyes sinking to the floor as she did so. In a few seconds, she was gone.
After a long pause, Selene finally declared, "Alright, that means you have to go find it immediately, and bring it back. I'll use it and see if I can cure Bess."
The others nodded, and immediately began preparations. Frolino made his way to the cabinets, making sure to pack plenty of food, while Bess and Chase made their way out of the room, informing Frolino, "We'll meet you in the main hall."
Mabui hesitantly offered Frolino the map, who took it and stuffed it in his shoe, before all three of them steadfastly slipped out of the room.
* * *
"We're home!" Frolino announced playfully, as they entered the dark, abandoned castle. It hadn't been deserted for long, but already dust mites were nibbling at their feet. They stepped into the castle, and padded across the floor and to the lovely chases around a nice, wide fireplace. Bess automatically dropped onto one, her head having rupturing pain, while Chase slowly made his way around to find firewood. One may wonder why somebody abandoned this fine castle so recently, but when Urand discovered that he could rule an entire school, he took his old home for granted.
Soon enough, a large fire cast a dim glow around the group, warming them from the bone. As they were preparing for sleep, however, the strangest of sounds occurred. It almost sounded like the door being opened, but... why on earth would they hear that? Bess and Frolino were completely oblivious, their eyes closed and asleep. Chase, on the other hand, out to keep Bess well, heard it all too clearly, and was awake as it happened. Though, before he could sit up and investigate, there was the feeling of a cold blade against his throat, and a feminine voice malignantly and ever-so-quietly warning, "Don't twitch."
With preservance, the lightest of footsteps could be heard, going to examine the others. The blade never left, so it was obvious that there were at least two people. The feet shuffled to Bess, and the sound of her pockets being upturned could be heard. As Chase's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the dying fire, he could see a face, pale, with black hair and a cold stare. A shiver ran up his spine, but, luckily, before he could get his throat slit, a slight whimper escaped from the corner, which began the enemy's conflict,
"Merde!" Her voice cursed quietly, obviously in a foregn language, as she stepped away from Chase. Both of them were on it, as Chase realized there was a man and a woman, and both of them went to the small child in the corner, begging for her family. The woman scooped the child up, while the man made sure he was known. A knife rocketed through the air, pinning itself into a life-sized Urand photo, and waking the others. Before they could really react, though, they were gone.
Deciding that Urand's castle was no longer a safe place to stay, the group quickly up and left, rushing their way by night, through the forest. They felt so nigh docile, except for the looming threat of the family of hunters. It wasn't until early that morning, that the three evil ones were back, making themselves conspicuous.
Evil, repugnant grins spread across each face, as their features were to be made out clearly by then. One was obviously a shapeshifter, for she was still stretching from a panther's body. She was thin, tall, with long black hair and pale skin. The man was much taller, still pale, and seemed to match the other in stature. Dark, black hair, and evil grin. The child, on the other hand, though her stringy hair was the same as her parents, as well as her skin tone, her eyes were filled with the brightness of a baby, seeing the world for the first time. This child looked nearly non-sequitar compared to her parents.
"Love, I told you a direct approach would work best." She said, smirking at her husband. She didn't have an accent, regardless of her french the previous night,
"Why yes, it did." He murmured, looking excited,
"Should we introduce ourselves?" The woman asked.
"Certainly. I am Rien, and this is my wife, Liz, and our daughter, Charity." His smile turned warm for an instant, before it darkened once more,
"So, kids, here's the deal." Liz said, stepping forward and slowly pulling her pistol out, "Either you give us what you have, the... map, or whatever, or I blow her brains out." She smirked at Bess. The same question coursed through each of the teens' minds, 'How did this palaver grow so demanding, so suddenly'
"Well, that is a very eloquent request." Frolino said, getting ahead of himself, "But I simply cannot let you have it. You can have the device after we find it, but we need to help Bess."
A chiming, cruel laugh escaped Liz, the gun hardly moving, "Now, son." She said, sounding almost like a grandmother by then, "I'm afraid you have no choice. My demand is very specious, indeed, and your good loved Bess is on the line."
"No." Frolino murmured, scowling darkly. Bess slowly rose her hand, creating a single vine from the ground, that came up in front of her face. Liz uttered a joyous laugh, "Now, love, how will that help you?" She turned her gaaze back to Frolino and murmured, "You're trying my patience. Give me the map, or I kill her, got it?"
"No. We won't, and you won't." He murmured, still scowling darkly.
A loud bang rang through the forest, silencing the early birds. There was a pause of shock, as Chase slowly glanced at Bess fearfully. She remained still, her mouth hanging agape in shock, and vine wilting, as Frolino paused, his hand over his bloody wound, before he crumpled to the ground.
Needless to say, the arrangments were done. Chase quickly landed Liz the map, who smiled, winked, and shot Frolino once more, as if she was demonstrating her point. Frolino wasn't dead. The first shot hit his stomach-area, and caused internal bleeding that needed immediate treatment, while the second shot was in his foot, so he couldn't walk, anyway. Smiling, Liz and her family turned and stepped into the trees.
The early birds quickly forgot, singing of love and joy once more.
The river seemed to take on it's normal bubble and roar.
But Frolino's silence was unbearable and unusual.
* * *
"Selene, do you... do you think you could help him?" Bess fumbled with her words, "I... I think he's dying." She was in dull fear for her friend, as Frolino was gently set on the hospital table. Selene worked quickly, taking the bullet out, and sewing him up. She even got his blood type and ordered that from the main hospital in town, to be delivered immediately. Chase was sitting in the corner when they rejoined them, Bess, poor Bess, still rubbing her aching head. She didn't care about Frolino anymore. He was dead, gone! It was just Chase and her now, and that was all that mattered. She didn't want to deal with this any more.
"Bess?"
"Huh?" She asked dully.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Don't you care? Isn't he your friend?" This was so extreme, even Chase was feeling remorseful,
"No. Not anymore. When he dies, he won't be my-"
"Bess, that's not good. You've changed, and I don't know why, but you're different." With that, Chase sighed, stood, and left her alone on the bench against the wall. Fine! She didn't care about him, either! He could die for all she cared, all of them could!
Soon after these dark thoughts, Selene was sitting by Bess, sighing,
"Bess?"
"God, d****t! What?" The stressed out girl asked,
"First, I'm sorry to say, but Frolino died."
"So?"
Selene was slightly put-off by this, but decided to deliver the next bout of bad news,
"I can't cure cancer."
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