[center][img]http://txt-dynamic.cdn.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjYwLjAyYjY5ZC5UV0ZrWld4cGJtVWdUR1YyYVc1bC4xAAA,/beyond-wonderland.regular.png[/img] [hr][code]Grand Ridge Academy - Madeline's Dorm[/code][/center][hr] Maddie woke up around 1AM after a strange dream she had about two kids, a lovecraftian abomination, and a trio of wizards. Not only was it a bit weird, it somehow bothered her, especially what the wizards had said in the end of the dream. [i]Awakened[/i]. With a sigh, she tried to shake the thought out of her head, and went back to sleep... ... However, upon drifting back into sleep, Maddie had seemingly awoken in an endless black space. Just a giant black void... even though this was obviously a dream, it felt [i]real[/i]. Like she was standing here, wide awake. However, directly across was her was a massive being taking the shape of a giant black wolf. Lying on his side, and staring directly at her. "... Madeline Levine," The beast said in a deep gravelly voice, "... You have a debt to pay." Maddie wanted to remind herself that the wolf in front of her wasn't real, that the void she stood in was just a dream, yet she didn't. Instead, she went along with the "dream". [Color=paleturquoise]"A debt? What do you mean?"[/color] she asked the beast. "It's simple; in the accident that claimed the life of your sister..." The beast said... as seemingly the distance between itself and Maddie just closed. The Hound stood up on it's four legs as he looked at Maddie, easily coming up to over twelve feet at the shoulder. "... You too, were supposed to perish" A small gasp left Madeline's mouth when the wolf mentioned her sibling. She hadn't told anyone about her first near death experience, so how did the beast know about it? [Color=paleturquoise]"How did you- Just, who are you?"[/color] Maddie sternly asked. "I am the Hound, Madeline," The Hound stood valiantly as he faced Maddie. "I know everyone and everything..." He trailed off. [Color=paleturquoise]"The Hound, huh? I'll make sure to remember that."[/color] Maddie nodded, crossing her arms. [Color=paleturquoise]"So, what do you want from me?"[/color] That was when the Hound took a few steps towards her, until he was merely inches away from her face. His red eyes staring her head on. "... Your life, of course." He simply said, "Like I said, you were [i]supposed[/i] to die.... that is something I need to correct." Madeline thought for a moment. If she went ahead and allowed The Hound to collect her soul, she could see her sister again, she wouldn't live with the feeling that it was her fault that half her family got hurt. Even so, Maddie always wondered why she survived. [Color=paleturquoise]"... Sorry, but I can't leave just yet. I have to figure out why I lived through [i]two[/i] near-death experiences. And I still have to look out for my friend."[/color] Maddie took a step back, and turned away from The Hound.... and he was right there, staring her in the face. "... You don't have a choice in the matter, really," The Hound spoke, seriously as possible, "Either you go willing, or not willingly at all... in the end, you'll be returned to the source. So..." He took a few steps forward, and raised his eyebrow, "... Why even fight a battle you can never hope to win?" [Color=paleturquoise]"As tempting as it sounds, I've already made up my mind."[/color] That was when the darkness suddenly wrapped itself around Madeline, almost almost it was a physical, amorphous substance. It bound her entirely from the neckdown, and the Hound walked around her, "I think you don't... understand," The Hound said, "So many have made the same decisions as you, and choose to fight the inevitability of death... only to fail all the same." The Hound shook his head in a vague sense of irritation, and then followed that statement up with, "Out of all of the newfound Awakened... there's only two I want. Afterwards, I'll let the inevitable conflict with the.Glutton play it's course... but, by fighting, you'll drag inothers that have no stake in the battle. Even the friend that you so desperately want to keep safe." Leaning in, the beast stared her directly in the eyes, and said, "... Do you want others to be hurt on your behalf?" It was when the void seemed to have a hold on her, that Madeline started to freak out. She tried to free herself from the darkness' grip, but met with failure. So she instead continued to listen to what The Hound was saying. [i][color=paleturquoise]'Glutton'? Does it mean the monster from the corpse camp-out?[/color][/i] Maddie thought to herself. Apparently she wasn't the only "Awakened" that The Hound needed to collect, and if she didn't leave then, more people would die than needed. [Color=paleturquoise]"N-No!! But-!"[/color] Maddie nearly yelled in fear. "Now you want to rethink your stance? Well..." The Hound mocked her, chuckling softly. "... [i]I've already made up my mind. The hunt begins.[/i]" The Hound lunged at her, engulfing her in his jaws... Then Madeline woke up with a yelp, shooting up from her bed. After looking around her dorm to make sure she was back in reality, she got up and threw on her everyday attire. [Color=paleturquoise]"There goes any sleep I had left..."[/color] Maddie sighed, running a hand through her hair. She then glanced at the lotus on her wrist. The strange marking had been there ever since she survived the massacre, and with every wound she got, a blue light would envelop and heal her. Madeline didn't want to believe it, but as time passed, she had gotted used to her new ability. She grabbed her bag, and left the room. Only for the fire alarm to go off. [Color=paleturquoise]"Well fuck my life."[/color] Madeline cursed under her breath, breaking off into a sprint to catch up with the other students. [hr] [Code]Grand Ridge Academy - Outside Main Building[/code] [hr] Once Maddie got outside, she stopped to catch her breath, before pacing around in place. [Color=paleturquoise]"This better just be a drill, this better be just a drill..."[/color] she repeated to herself, her hands in her pockets. It was obvious that she was afraid about what might have happened, her pyrophobia always creeping back to her. So she tried to calm herself down by watching the other students, only to see one of them glowing blue. Wait what? Madeline turned her atention to the familar looking brunette, and the sickly looking girl. The former's glow turning red as they seemed to argue. Once the smaller girl left in a hurry, she took the opportunity to check on the brunette. [Color=paleturquoise]"You alright there?"[/color] She asked. [hr] The girl had left before Claire could even finish her sentence. Yeah, that sounds about right. Little pussy couldn't back up her bark... Claire shook her head as she looked at the red color that had surrounded her, before it turned blue... and eventually faded away. "Huh...?" She asked herself. This blue aura saved her, but why did it turn red? Perhaps it coresponds with her current emotion? Or maybe it flares up when she gets angry- [Color=paleturquoise]"You alright there?"[/color] Claire immediately froze up - because she was reminded of what in the hell she just said out loud. In front of a large group of people. She stiffly, and awkwardly turned around to face the girl - whom looked a little familiar to her. Not familar enough so that she wasn't frozen in place. "Y-yeah, yeah..." Claire stammered for an answer. "... I just got into a lil' scrap with her, t-that's all." [Color=paleturquoise]"It's alright. We all get mad once in a while."[/color] Maddie shrugged. [Color=paleturquoise]"I'm Madeline, Maddie for short."[/color] She introduced herself, holding a hand out for Claire to shake. Claire was unsure of how to go about it. She didn't know if she should... and she was worrie that the field will do something to her new "friend." Still, she took that risk, and took her hand, looking her in the eye as she introduced herself as, "Claire, it don't get no shorter t-than that, hun." She tried to keep up that confident aura around her, but it was clear that she was shook by it. [Color=paleturquoise]"Right. So, what's with that mouse chick?"[/color] Maddie asked a bit curiously, stuffing her hand back in her pocket. "I.. really don't know to tells ya' the truth," Claire scratched the back of her neck. "To cut a long story short; she did a little something, and then decides to come at me for whatever god damn reason...." That red aura surrounded her for a moment, flashing on and off. She relented for a moment, and stood there slackjawed. [Color=paleturquoise]"Aaaaand It looks like you got some sort of magic power too."[/color] Madeline added. "... Huh?" Claire raised an eyebrow as she looked at the girl. "Magic power...? Magic don't exist, sweetheart." [Color=paleturquoise]"Then what's with the aura?"[/color] At that moment, seemingly because Maddie brought attention to it, her aura had activated. That blue glow... she looked at her hand, then at Maddie with curious eyes. "... You can see it?" Madeline nodded. [Color=paleturquoise]"I don't think anyone else sees it though, [i]and[/i] whatever witchcraft i've got ever since I almost got axed to death."[/color] She answered, shuddering at the memory. "Wait..." Claire recalled what happened at the camp. "... You're that girl who almost got killed, weren't you?" She looked at Maddie like she seen a ghost.. because by all means, she should had died that night. Madeline nodded again. [Color=paleturquoise]"Yep, second time I almost died. Not suprising if I'm concidered a spectre at this rate."[/color] She chuckled, looking down at the lotus symbol on her wrist. [Color=paleturquoise]"When I got struck down, this blue light covered and healed the gash that 'Voorhees' cousin' gave me... Still was painful as hell though."[/color] [i]Blue light? Could it be related?[/i] Claire asked herself, but she wondered if it was appropriate to talk about all this here. Her eyes peered across the horizon and she saw all these people staring at her from her earlier... freakout. After Maddie spoke, Claire damn near lunged in, and grabbed onto her wrist, and whispered into her ear, "Hows 'bout we discuss this elsewhere, friend?" She said. [Color=paleturquoise]"Erm, yeah..."[/color] Madeline agreed, looking around. There was a tight feeling of relief as Claire pulled Maddie away from the prying eyes of the crowd. As much as she tried to poster like she didn't care, she was starting to care a whole lot more now that she put that information about herself out there. Which she [i]hopes[/i] that Maddie didn't hear, but she seems to be more interested in her aura... which seemed to once again manisfest as Claire yanked the girl around. Eventually, they made it to the parking lot, where a massive crowd formed due to the fire alarm going on. Now, it may seem contradictory that Claire left one crowd for another - but in this one it's not paying attention to [i]her[/i]. Claire merely leaned up against her truck, and crossed her arms. She didn't know how to process what Maddie said... but, she had an idea. "So... there's some funky shit goin' on. First Scott turns into a horror movie villain, then my friend has a flaming lion jump out of him, and then this..." Claire said as she extended her arm, just by bringing thought to her aura, that was enough to make it appear. "... Followed by a series of un-fuckin'-fortunate events that end up with that orange thing attacking us...." She trailed off as she thought about Zoey, and her currently shitty condition. [Color=paleturquoise]"I know. Do you think anyone else got whatever we have?"[/color] Maddie asked as she searched through her bag. "... You mean the cooties?" Claire snorted at her rather poor wording. [Color=paleturquoise]"If you can call it that."[/color] Madeline chuckled as she grabbed a hunting knife from her bag, having made sure to keep it with her at all times after the massacre. [Color=paleturquoise]"Ah, here we are!"[/color] Claire immediately lunged at her arm, and tried to push it back in the bag. She looked her in the eye as she said, "...Hey. sweetheart," She shook her head, as she pointed at the massive crowd "Remember..." [Color=paleturquoise]"I know, I know. I'm just gonna show you what I meant by that 'blue healing light' bullshit real quick."[/color] Madeline explained, and in response, Claire just moved so that she was blocking Maddie from the crowd. "Do it." Maddie nodded, before giving one of the palms of her hands a small cut, then quickly stuffed her knife back in her bag. "... You're oddly okay with hurting yourself," Claire just dryly noted, hinting at a darker part of Maddie. Still. she watched it heal near instantly. "... So, you don't die? That's what I'm getting at here. I don't got a whole lot to bring to show-n'-tell other than this, I guess. Which does something." Her aura turned on yet again, and faded. [Color=paleturquoise]"Well, not exactly. I've noticed that the bigger the wound, the longer it takes to heal. So I still might be able to die, if i'm not careful."[/color] "I hate to find out if you can," Claire said as she looked around at the huge crowd. "But... you keep that on you because of what happened at camp?" This was Claire's point exactly. Scott was still out there, killing people because of all those bodies that are found on the news. It made Claire sick to her stomach... but she clenched her fist as she looked directly at Maddie, "... and that's why we need to find others like us." She said. [Color=paleturquoise]"Right. You said that one of your friends had summoned some 'fire-lion', yeah? Maybe we should look for him?"[/color] Madeline suggested, shoving her hands back into her pockets. "Justin." Claire corrected, "Lookin' for him might be a good idea, but... I don't know where he's been the last while." She shrugged her shoulders. "How's about this?" She looked at the crowd and wondered if he could be standing in it right now.... "Gimme your number, and you go to your classes or whatever while I look into a few things.." [Color=paleturquoise]"Oh, sure!"[/color] Maddie grabbed a small notepad and pen from her bag and wrote down her phone number, tearing the page out and giving it to Claire. [Color=paleturquoise]"Here you go."[/color] "Thank ya miss... but while you have that out..." Claire quickly grabbed her hands before she could put it back "... Lemme give you my number so you can tell me if you got somethin' to report." Claire wrote down her number on another page and gave it to Maddie. [Color=paleturquoise]"Thanks. Guess I'll see ya later then?"[/color] "Yeah... it was great meeting ya', Mads," Claire dryly says, almost fearing she was being sarcastic. "... Just stay safe, and make sure to call me if anything goes wrong." Sliding her hands into her pockets, Claire stauntered off. She needed to find Justin soon as possible. [Color=paleturquoise]"Right, see you around..."[/color] Madeline walked away, stuffing the notepad in her pocket.