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[hr][hr][center][color=a2d9ce]𝕄: 𝕊𝕖𝕡𝕥. 𝟙𝟜, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘   / /   𝕌𝕊𝔸ℝ𝕀𝕃ℕ 𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕥   / /   ℂ𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕦𝕤  / /  𝟘𝟞𝟜𝟝[/color][/center][hr][hr]

The starry sky and vast ocean greeted her once again. Fear tainted the optimism she tried her best to cling to as she stood upon the surface. Control. This meant she would be stronger, didn't it? More capable of controlling the contemptible monster that was glued to her heels. Like a diseased stray dog that couldn't tell the difference between its food and the hand delivering it.

The breathless beauty of her surroundings helped her do away with such negative thoughts. In spite of her fear, she liked this place. In spite of her fear, it seemed perfect. Tailored for her and her alone. This was only her third visit and already she felt she knew it like the back of her hand. Enough to notice that something was different. 

A warm breeze moved sea and sky alike. As if both were made of water, the wind rippled each surface until, slowly, they fell into a perpetual motion. The sound of crashing waves lulled her forward as a familiar droplet of water rose to meet her. She knew what to do.

[color=a2d9ce][i]I[/i] knew what to do. Reaching forward, I knew something was off the moment I touched it. Or, I should say... for the first time, [i]it[/i] seemed to touch [i]me.[/i] It was warm and tender and curious. I felt no hostility towards the strange sensation as it not only spread across my skin, but into the far reaches of my mind. Where words do not exist.[/color]

She thought the vision might end there. It felt as though it were meant to, but then she caught sight of her hands. As before, a thick black substance encased her skin. It was disgusting and wrong. She hated it. Callan sloughed it off like thick amalgamating tar. It fell at her feet in sheets and globs, squirming and writhing and looking altogether quite terrible until the sudden onset of gravity pulled her back through the starry waters.

[hr]

When the guards came pounding at the door, Callan was already awake. A ringing in her ears and a pounding in her head left her stationary, waiting for the fog to clear. In contrast, her heart was racing with excitement. Something had changed. Something good. Beneath a mess of starry blankets and sheets, Callan burrowed her head beneath pillows as the pounding at the door grew louder, interrupting her thoughts and irritating her brain.

From the abyss beneath several pillows, she withdrew a maroon colored jacket with a diamond pattern across the right shoulder and collar bone. Its water repelling fabric was Callan's testament to just barely having enough presence of mind to recognize the harsh rain beating at the outside of the window. As she slid her feet into her tennis shoes, Callan pulled the elastic band away from her nightly hair bun, tousling her curly locks as they fell just past her shoulders. 

A quick glance in the mirror confirmed she had enough mascara left over from the day before to absolve herself from reapplication. Carefully rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she and her roommates were led out into the hellish weather, Callan steadily grew more alert as she realized they were not being led to class. It was too early for class anyway. Were they fighting monsters again so soon?

Suspicions confirmed, Callan attentively listened to ever scrap of given information. Staring at the screen before her, she felt unnerved. After the last battle, she had promised herself she would stay closer to her teammates. Make sure what happened to Padma wouldn't happen to anybody else. But, while she couldn't argue with the apparent logic behind this set up, she feared for her roommates.

Perhaps that was somehow selfish. Callan quickly realized that she was far more worried about Marcus and Siena than any of the others. Worse still, she even felt a tinge more of concern for Marcus than Siena. She should be equally concerned about everyone-- shouldn't she? That's what a real hero would do. 

But Marcus and Siena were... all she really had. She couldn't bring herself to feel that burning desire to win like she had when she used to think about home. Home was gone. In every sense of the word, she had destroyed it. Suite 430 in Building A with Marcus and Siena-- that was home now. And though she'd only been there for a short period of time... she liked it. Enough to do anything within her power to protect it, anyway. 

Perhaps this latest development was a sign. Dreamcatcher giving her the tools she needed to succeed. 

[i]Only one way to find out. [/i]