[IC] The House of Powers

[Benzaiten]

Myriam Riley Cassedy had frozen on the spot when suddenly chaos let loose. More and more teenagers dropped out of their rooms and onto the white hallway. What has been a few voices turned into a mess of them, some people were yelling in what seemed to be Russian. A boy dropped to the floor and held his head as though having a major headache. Myriam's heart race began to quicken. This scene didn't look much like a safe spot for runaway children. No one here seemed to be very calm. Wait. Someone that could be described as calm moved carelessly down the hallway and followed a sign reading cafeteria. Myriam frowned in confusion. The chaos was making her uneasy, her heart raced and her need to go and hide in a quiet place grew with each heartbeat. But this boy just simply walked towards the cafeteria?

As hungry as the blonde was, eating was not on her list at the moment. She looked around for any help, any big sign on the walls that read "here you can find answers", but nowhere seemed to be anything. So she decided to find the next way out to get some fresh air and some silence. She didn't wanna go through this alone, but at the momental stage of almost-panic and being overwhelemed by all the voices, she could not think straight and just wanted to get out.

So she made her way down the hallway, hoping to find a way out of this building quickly. Air, she needed air.

[Temporary]

Mayuri Nakasone

Room Seven - Mayuri's Room

Why was she here? What possible, concievable reason could anyone have for kidnapping such a small, innocent girl such as herself? What the hell was the point of this?! She was scared, confused, utterly frozen in place and without a single idea of where she was or what was going on, let alone what would happen.

Why couldn't Mayuri just wake up from this nightmare..? Her body still gently shook with anxiety, and along with it so did the sheets that surrounded her form, obscuring her identity from the surroundings. The sounds from outside were becoming more panicked... There was Russian mixed in there two, that she could identify. What it meant was beyond her, though. Perhaps it was best not to wonder for too long?

Tears still dropped from her sodden eyes, falling onto her legs and the bed, now that she had forgone the task to wipe them away before they fell. At least her hair wasn't getting in the way. Her skirt was getting pretty wet, though... How much was she crying? There weren't any sobs, though, no wails or murmurs. It was silent crying. Silent despair.

But despair couldn't last long in youth. For some reason, she couldn't stay covered, crying, under those sheets much longer. She pulled herself together, if rather haphazardly, recollected her feelings and climbed out from the bed from which she slept. Someone wasn't going to wipe away her tears for her. It was only fortunate that they had stopped flowing.

It took a little to reacquaint herself with walking on wobbly legs, but Mayuri soon found herself staring into the mirror of the bathroom. She looked a mess... Her hair was stuck up in places, her face sticky with tears, and her eyes bloodshot. Already, the place had worked its despair into the girl, and it was working its malevolence all too quickly.

Her gaze swept around the room away from her dishevelled form for a towel, or something, and quickly found what she was looking for. A small wash cloth, enough to cover her face in its entirety. Though that wasn't hard considering how small her face actually was.

She dried her face, and brushed down her hair as best as possible with her hands. Finally, the real Mayu was looking back from the mirror, with a bit of a smile and a less ragged shape. But... There were already tears in her eyes again. They would never leave, would they? A perpetual sadness, despair, overarching and controlling, preventing and destroying? This place was a Hell, and she hadn't even left her room. Where was Big Sis? Mum? Ui, Yu, Sae?

Where was everyone? Were they here too? It would make things better, but... Hold on! What was she thinking?! They... They must have been scared, right? Her family, friends? Surely they must have been... Their... Their daughter never came home, their friend never returned to school. Unless they had been told something, lied to.

All her thoughts rushed around and collided as she left the bathroom, but quickly subsided, shattering to pieces until only one question remained. Who..? There was someone in the room. They looked worse for wear, and rather confused. But... She looked surprisingly pretty despite the... Well, quite road weary expression.

Was Mayuri intruding on someone else's room?! Th-that couldn't be right! She woke up here! Then... Who was she..? She could've sworn she had heard her voice outside just a moment ago...

"Are you okay?"

What did she do?! Um... Well, say something, damnit! Like what?! I don't know, just say something!
"U-um... F-fine..?" well, ask her name then! "Wh-who... A-are you..? Wh-where are we..?!" too fast! Don't question her so quickly! You said to ask who she was! And? I didn't say force THAT question on her! Oh well..!

"I-I'm... M-Mayuri..."

---

@HecateProxy

[Lillium]

As luck would have it, it turned out that Lucie hadn't stumbled backwards into a wall in her moment of astonishment. Rather, a very tall guy.

For someone who didn't like having her personal space invaded, this made for an awkward few seconds as she backed away to a more suitable distance. Sparing him a brief glance - dark haired, about college age - her wary grey eyes sought out the source of noise in the halls; the guy who had appeared out of nowhere and the girl who'd more or less broken his fall. They were talking loudly in an unfamiliar language she couldn't quite place. Just as it seemed like a fight would break out, another guy - just how many people were there in these hallways? - attempted to diffuse the situation. All this had taken place within a matter of moments.

Lucie decided right then and there that she wanted nothing to do with those people. It also brought up flutter of worries that only served to add to the leaden weight growing in the pit of her stomach. The best thing to do in this situation was to get out... though, just exactly which way was the exit? Perhaps the guy she'd bumped into would know something. He certainly seemed calmer than the others she'd seen so far.

"Do you speak English?"

She desperately hoped that he did. The girl couldn't very well handle it if yet another person started spouting words she couldn't understand. Wrapping her arms around herself as she waited for his reply, Lucie suddenly shivered as the image of a guy appearing out of nowhere replayed itself in her mind. That wasn't anywhere within the realm of normalcy. Were the effects of whichever drugs she'd been dosed with still active? Her knowledge of recreational drugs were solely limited to what she had heard from others in passing conversation.

The maps on the wall showed the way to other places, but strangely had no exits marked on it. The implications of it were chilling.

@Gonzo

[sakurasan]

Allia was startled as the girl went frantic, kicking and screaming. Allia's eyes went wide as she stared at the girl. Was she... ok? Allia looked down at her stomach which had just gotten kicked. She held her stomach unconsciously and looked back up at her. This is why she shouldn’t pat strangers but it was a habit.

“Ах ! I- я прошу прощения ! Я не знал, что ты a- Ты в порядке ? (Ah! I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know you were a- Are you alright?”

She smiled and nodded. "я в порядке. Ты?" _{Translation: “I’m fine. Are you?”} With that, Allia smiled brightly. It was quite obvious that she didn't feel any of the pain. Allia was extremely tempted to pat her head but resisted. Soon, another man came up and began to yell at her. Rude. This Russian man was rude. Allia frowned at the man and looked back at the girl once he had left.

“Извини за это.” _{Translation: “Sorry about that.”} She says, taking a stand. Either way, she was hungry. Allia felt bad about that and with all the people here, she didn’t feel good. She smiled and waved, going towards the cafeteria.

While she walked, Allia hummed a soothing tone. She may have seemed like she was holding it together but she was beginning to get afraid. Allia had heard one of the guys mention all of them having powers and he was probably right. Once again, she was causing trouble for her parents. Hopefully it didn’t get out into the public that she was missing because that would be terrible. It would seem like they couldn't take care of her child. Allia shut her eyes and finally made it into the cafeteria. She looked down as she walked and played with her fingers, the anxiety brewing inside of her.

Soon, she saw a vending and tried to find some money slot or whatever. However, there wasn’t such a thing. She began to punch in numbers and decided to get a pack of gummies. She smiled once she received them and nearly took a seat at a nearby table before realizing something. She wasn’t the only one in there. Allia nearly jumped back as she saw the boy that was sitting there eating crisps.

“Ah. S-sorry.” she said, looking back down. How many people were here? Wait. Was this the moment when she escaped? Was this where she walked away or would that be rude? Allia took a few breaths and calmed herself down. She wasn’t sure if she was allowed to take a seat here anymore and sort of froze in her place before slowly pulling out the chair and taking a seat. She looked down and started eating her gummies, peeking up at the guy sitting at the table. He can’t see my eyes so it’s fine.

Tall. That was the first thing that she noticed. He was extremely tall and looked like an athlete. The second thing that she realized was his eyes. They were extremely pretty and looked like jewels. All of the people here were either american or Russian so far while she was just a girl from Europe that had a British accent.　However, he did look a bit Caucasian. Her eyes wandered everywhere as she struggled over if she was supposed to make conversation or not. Allia was happy to be getting some food in her stomach at least but she chose to speak.

"D-do you have powers as well?" she asked, looking over at him and eating another little gummy.

@Jinxer@Thundercrash

[HellHoundWoof]

Nikolai Arkaden

Nikolai nodded. Everyone here certainly had powers. Nikolai wasnt wondering about what these other people had as powers. Though he was mildly curious, some of these people could be threats eventually. At the moment was wondering who had put them here, the people who'd taken him had been in black combat uniforms. No defined country, no logo, no insignia. This place was the same, no way to tell where the hell they were. No way to tell in who's care they were in. Some girl introduced herself then walked to the room where the younger Russian girl was. Nikolai wanted to shout at the people that were just walking off. He figured the easiest thing to do would be to introduce himself.

"I'm Nikolai Arkaden," Nikolai said to the first girl he'd met, "Удовольствие встретить Вас."
(Pleasure to meet you.)

"I dont know why they arent more concerned," His accent thicker than molasses, "I was taken. Just trying to finish tattoo, then I got drugged and shocked. I want know where we are."

His tone was noticeably agitated, he was getting more uncomfortable with being here. He didnt know these people, and he was the only one who'd displayed any kind of ability. He was starting to want to run then he wasnt where he had been. He was now in a room with a pool table, air hockey, and several chairs set around square tables. He saw a high definition television on the wall too.

"Buj moi..." He said with a hand scratching his head, he quickly looked around for a door and found one that led to a hall way. He found a directory labeled in English. He cursed to himself before seeing a food icon beside one of the names, he followed the hall way before finding himself entering the cafeteria opposite where the others had entered from.

"Без перевода."
(God Damnit)

[Gonzo]

Christian immediately spun around after the something had bumped into him, and found a rather oddly dressed female taking a few steps back in order to gather space. It was at that moment that the sounds coming from the other side of the hall had started to register. Christian closed his eyes momentarily and shuddered as the loud noises grew louder and louder. Once he opened his eyes, he focused on the group of kids yelling at each other. They seemed to be yelling in a language he hadn’t heard before. He didn’t recognize any of the kids, which means he definitely wasn’t anywhere in the immediate area outside of his city in California.

Does that mean I’m in another country? How is that possible? How did I get here? Was this after the crash?

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the oddly dressed girl speak. It was English, which Christian was ecstatic about, but it had a very noticeable French accent.

“Uh, yeah,” Christian said, uncertain. He blinked a couple of times and ran a hand over his side part. “I speak English. Glad to hear that someone else does, as well. Do you know where we are? How did I get here? What are you doing in that outfit? Were you the one who was at the crash?”

At that moment, that’s when the pain in his right ribcage presented itself. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was definitely uncomfortable. Christian raised his hand up to his side and gently placed it on the spot where the pain seemed to be emanating from. He shook his head and offered a small, weary smile at the lady.

“I’m sorry. My name is Christian. What’s yo-”

The young man’s eyes widened and he immediately pointed at the spot where one of the kids used to be. He had been saying something Christian couldn’t make out, and in an instant, the kid had vanished. It was impossible.

“Did you see that!?” He asked the girl in front of him. “He just… disappeared! How did he do that!?”

[SheriffLlama]

Abel "Abe" Parker

He looked down at the girl, who introduced herself as Irina. "Pleasure." He said with a harsh laugh under his breath. "I'm Abel." He said, then looked around the hallway. He decided to allow the others to figure out what they were doing for themselves. He wasn't their leader, so there was no point in trying to lead them

When she pointed out the guys that had walked down the hall. He contemplated his options. Honestly, he really would've preferred to go back to his room and sleep this all away. He still felt like his arms and legs were made of lead. He sighed and glanced down the hallway again.

"Nikolai, let's-" He was about to say, but the Russian had already run off. He shrugged, backpedalling and looking at Irina as he jogged backwards. "I guess we follow him." He said, then turned and chased after Nikolai, the girl presumably following close behind. He stopped when Nikolai halted in the doorway to a white cafeteria with an array of tables. He saw that three others had already found their way here.

"What the heck is going on?" He muttered to no one in particular.

@HellHoundWoof @Wolverbells

[Thundercrash]

"я в порядке. Ты? (I’m fine, are you?)

Sighing in relief, Stasya gave a small smile, and the scales began to retreat further down her neck. Apparently she hadn’t hit the girl that hard. “Это хорошо. Мне очень жаль-(That’s good. I’m sorry-)“

"Вставай, это не время плакать! (Come on! This is no time to cry!)”

She flinched at the rough male voice that shouted at her, and in a heartbeat the scales re-established themselves on her face. “Прости! Я- (I’m sorry! I-)” By the time she looked up though, he was already gone. Feeling helpless, she looked back to the girl she had kicked (whose accent was atrocious).

The girl’s eyes followed the boy, and her expression suggested that she was not pleased with him. She looked back to Stasya, bearing a reassuring smile. “Извини за это. (Sorry about that.)” With that, she stood up and departed. Now alone, Stasya curled up into a ball again, pressing her face into her knees. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve being shouted at. She didn’t know who these people were, she didn’t even know where she was. The last thing she remembered was a nurse coming into her room at the hospital and injecting something into her arm, once the needle had actually broken through the scales that covered her. Then she woke up in this strange place that reminded her of a motel they had once stayed in, though it hadn’t looked nearly as palatial as this.

A low growl issued from her stomach, and she slowly raised her eyes above her knees. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten either, she hadn’t even had a chance to have breakfast before her parents had rushed her to the hospital. And she could tell that those panels behind her weren’t windows; the light made her eyes tingle when she looked at them, so she didn’t know how long she had been asleep for. If the gnawing sensation in her stomach was any indication, it had been for a long time. Her eyes slid towards the open door. Unfortunately, getting food meant that she would have to leave the (relative) safety of the room.

With a heavy sigh, she wiped her eyes clear with her arm and slowly rose to her feet, making her way to the door. Peeking around the corner, clawed hands grasping the door frame, she watched the group of confused teens. Some looked to be approximately her age, some looked to be older. She also couldn’t understand most of them, and she certainly didn’t want to talk to the boy who had shouted at her again. She turned and looked down the other direction, but could see that it came to a distant dead-end. Which meant the only way to go further was to go past the others. Which meant they’d see her.

A soft sound reached her ears, words she didn’t understand but whose tone she did. Her eyes tracked to the slightly open door immediately across from hers. Someone was afraid, needed help. Twice she looked between the group of teens and the door, then sighed and crept across the hallway, her footsteps noiseless. Gently, she opened the door, and peeked inside.

The room looked identical to the one she had just left, save for one thing: a dark-haired girl in a white nightgown, perched on the edge of the bed. “Здравствуйте? Ты в порядке? Я захожу... (Hello? Are you okay? I’m coming in…)”

@Airalin

[banjoanjo]

URIEL ATTICUS - LOCATION: HOTEL ROOM?

Uriel was actually having a pretty great day. No, really. He got an A on his Physics test, the cafeteria was serving couscous and he was currently lying in one of the most luxurious hotel rooms he had ever had the pleasure of staying in. Such a compliment was difficult to pry from the heir to the famed Atticus Motors. Sure, the reason he was in this room in the first place was because he got drugged and kidnapped and sure, his neck felt like someone had dropped the pointy end of a hammer directly on his jugular but hey, this bed was bloody amazing. Like floating on a dream, his mother would say.

The décor was fantastic too; all brand new high quality stuff. Gave off real “modern art deco” vibes. These kidnappers of his were awfully considerate. If they paid for this hotel room then they certainly weren’t strapped for cash. And even if they were, it wasn’t like his family wouldn’t be able to fulfil whatever demands his captors made. But then again, the Atticus’ had some powerful connections. Anyone who was silly enough to abduct the scion of the Atticus clan wouldn’t get away unscathed. So Uriel relaxed, enjoyed the warmth of the bed while glancing about the room for something to use as a weapon. He was still feeling sluggish from the drugging, so he wouldn’t last long in a fight. He needed more options. Escape routes, intel, all that jazz. He heard voices outside the room. Quite a bit of shouting. It was difficult to make out the ages of the speakers but they didn’t sound much like the grown men he’d been expected. That was … good? Hold up, were they shouting in Russian? Did he get kidnapped by the BRATVA? Oh man, this would be an interesting story to tell later. He was getting pumped now.

It was time to take action. Getting out of bed wasn’t as terrible as he thought it would be (he only hurled once!) and he looked around for the options he was seeking earlier. No windows to leap out of, but there was a bathroom with a mirror! One thrown chair later and he was equipped with a sizable mirror shard wrapped in one of the provided hand towels (y’know, safety first). He stowed his makeshift weapon in the pocket of his blazer. His kidnappers were gracious enough to not undress him, this really was a great day!

Now for the potentially fatal bit. The exit. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. Uriel turned the handle slowly, trying not to make any noise. So far, so good. He peeked his head out. No visible guards, just as he deduced from his earlier hearing. So far, so good. Hand in his pocket, still clutching the wrapped mirror shard, he made his way down the hall. The sound of conversation was clearer now. He was right before, they weren’t grown men, they were … teenagers? He reached the end of the hall, only to find what seemed to be a cafeteria. Yep, definitely teenagers. Man, today really was a great day. Uriel decided to enter the room the only way he knew how to.

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllloooooooooooo, everybo-day!”

@Jinxer @sakurasan @HellHoundWoof @SheriffLlama

[ProxyInc]

Amara 'Mara' Nguyen

Location: Room 7 Mayuri's room

The young girl stood before her; her expression similar to that of deer caught in the headlights. There was a pregnant pause of apprehension between the two of them as Mara's anxiety shot up.

"U-um... F-fine..?" the girl stuttered.

"Wh-who... A-are you..? Wh-where are we..?!"

Her voice shook with the same anxiety that Mara felt in her own chest. She had no idea what was going on either and in that; Mara found some solidarity. She would have to push her own worries and fears back for the moment. "I-I'm... M-Mayuri..." the girl stuttered out next. Mara offered her a small smile while her body softened; "Hello, Mayuri. I'm Amara but everyone calls m-" her body was suddenly overtaken by a coughing fit. Her throat was on fire as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Turning away from the girl; she tried to cover her face as it twisted in pain until it the fit subsided and she could compose herself.

"I'm sorry about that," she whispered as she shot Mayuri an apologetic look, "My throats a little horse but um, I'm Mara." With tear blurred eyes she swept it around the room; it was identical to her own. Clean, bright and with no hint of any personal touch. Absentmindedly she wrapped her bruised arms around her chest, "I don't know where we are...I'm sorry." The last part came out as a harsh whisper. She wished she had answers for her. Hell, even for herself. She wished she could say everything was fine. That the worst was over and soon everyone would be on their way home but she couldn't lie. Not even to herself. They'd have to face this head on.

Mara realized she had trailed off in thought and blushed, "Sorry, I- I didn't mean to barge in here. I forgot what room I came out of and
then there," she paused to cough again, "Um, there are others in the hall and shouting. Anyway, I'm sorry." In her rambling she had noticed the door behind Mayuri. 'A bathroom!' The rooms had bathrooms! A fact she would've known had she not ran out of her room as soon as she could walk. "Um, would you mind if I get some water from your sink?" Her hands went to her throat as she shot Mayuri a sheepish look. It was an odd request but it was either that or go hunting for her room- among a dozen rooms that all looked the same. She was really mentally kicking her own butt for not paying attention before barging out of her room. On the other hand it would seem the ruckus in the hall had died down. Well, at least no one was shouting at least. Mara wasn't ready to dip back into the fray out there though it was probably inevitable. She just wanted a moment to breathe and collect her wits.

@Vocab

[Lillium]

Lucie Valentine

Location: Still loitering around in the hallway...

English! He spoke English!

Lucie's tense frame slumped a little bit in relief, releasing a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Her relief, however, was short-lived as a torrent of questions spilled forth and it soon became obvious that he knew as much of the situation as she did. As someone who wasn't a native English speaker, she had to concentrate a fair bit to catch everything. It was worlds different from hearing it in the movies or games - which were designed to be easy to understand, after all - and to hear it from a young man who seemed just as worried about the entire situation as she was. Disappointment dulled her brief spark of hope and gave way to embarrassment as he pointed out her odd choice of apparel.

"I like to be prepared accordingly and figured this was the perfect outfit to be kidnapped in."

Covering up her embarrassment with a healthy dose of sarcasm was proving to be more difficult that usual and though her words were flippant, she couldn't wipe the worry from her face or the tremor in her voice.

The girl had been too panicked for it to occur to her that she must look quite the bizarre sight until it was pointed out. Her outfit wasn't inconspicuous as far as clothing went, after all. Still, it was the least of her current problems. She could grit her teeth and bear a bit of indignity if it meant she could just leave this entire incident behind.

"What crash?" She asked carefully, suddenly not sure she should have talked to him.

Was this person talking about the car crash that killed her parents? It was highly unlikely that a random foreigner she happened to meet years after the incident in question would know about it; but the icy fingers of fear trailing down her spine had stirred up a cloud of paranoia and made it difficult for the girl to see it. The young man raised a careful hand to his side as if in pain and it dawned on her that he had most likely been asking about a crash he had been in. Loosening fingers that had been curled up into fists at her side a moment ago, Lucie felt the beginnings of a completely alien feeling. Sympathy.

Before Christian could ask for her name, they were both distracted by the guy with the mohawk - the very same one who had appeared out of nowhere - as he quite literally vanished. Letting out a startled squeak of surprise, Lucie nodded her acknowledgement. If they had both seen the same thing, it wasn't likely to have been a drug induced hallucination.

"I don't know! How would I know? People don't just vanish into thin air!" Notes of panic laced her voice and she shook her head as if it would somehow force the world to start making sense again. It didn't. "I don't suppose you know where the exit is? I need to get out of here. My flight leaves tomorrow. I-"

Lucie paled suddenly, drawing a sharp intake of breath as she realized she didn't know what time it was. There hadn't been a clock in the room she had woken up in, and her cellphone was missing. She had no way of telling how long she had been unconscious for. There didn't seem to be any windows either, through which she could see the outside world and make a guess at the time.

"Do you have a cellphone?"

@Gonzo

[Jinxer]

@sakurasan@SheriffLlama@HellHoundWoof@banjoanjo

Arthur Ragnarson

Location: Cafeteria

It appeared as though Arthur could not put off contact with the others involved in... whatever this was. Others began to arrive the cafeteria, presumably getting away from the drama unfolding in the hallway like him or just exploring their current surroundings. His moment of solitude had been stolen. However, the simple act of eating had calmed him down and he could think more analytically about the situation.

So other people my age are here. It looks like we've all been kidnapped but the place is state of the art and they're giving us food and luxury rooms to stay in. Either this is a messed up Hostel film or we're being held ransom.

That was when the first person joined him. They were a girl, his age, with hair even whiter than his own, of average height. She had prettily formed lips and was so distracted she didn't noticed him to begin with. Like him she had gone to the vending machines and got some sweets. In this kind of situation, with only two of them in the room and him waiting for her to notice or acknowledge him, he found it hard not to stare so it was no surprise when she jumped upon realising he was sitting there.

She apologised and sat down to begin eating. Arthur sat in the awkward silence, unsure how best to proceed. After all, what was the proper etiquette here? Was he meant to initiate conversation to try and work out why there were here or was it more considerate to leave her to own thoughts; he was sure she had as much on her mind as he did.

"D-do you have powers as well?"

The question wasn't one he was expecting at all and he sat in silence, dumbfounded. How did you respond to that kind of question? Had she lost her mind? Wait, that guy had appeared from nowhere only. Maybe others in the hallway had some abilities he hadn't been around long enough to see. If that was the case it would be reasonable to ask that question. But then he couldn't work out why he was here then, assuming the possession of powers the common denominator that united them.

"I, uh, don't think so. I mean, I have pretty good powers of persuasion." He smiled half heartedly, regretting the words the moment they left his mouth. His instinct was to smash his head on the table in self-reprimand for the horrific joke; it was never funny under any circumstances and these certainly weren't optimal. "I'm sorry, that wasn't appropriate. No, I don't think I have powers. I mean, I suppose you're talking about the chap who teleported or something back there? I don't have anything like that, at least not that I know of."

Then a thought struck him. Was she asking because she herself had powers? In that case maybe she was doing the same as him, trying to work out why they were here. "Not to pry but... do you? Have powers, I mean."

Out of the corner of his eye Arthur noticed a couple of boys enter the cafeteria but they hung around at the entrance, not entering just yet. Now that there were people in the room, people conversing, it made it more difficult to just walk in as he and the girl had done, he supposed. Even the one with the mohawk would be nervous, he guessed. It was natural for them all to be apprehensive of each other, after all. They all wanted to blame someone for the situation and so far they had no one but each other.

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllloooooooooooo, everybo-day!”

That was probably about the last thing he had been expecting. Arthur twisted in his seat to see the latest entrant, a boy who seemed completely unconcerned about their current situation. Maybe he was in denial? Or he knew something. Arthur decided it was best to not reply, in case they were on the edge of sanity and confrontation might push them over it. He turned back to the girl instead.

"I'm Arthur, I study at Eton. I was in the library and then... I woke up here. May I ask your name?"

[sakurasan]

Allia didn't understand what he meant when he mentioned persuasion. Was his power mind control? Oh. She stopped thinking about it once he had responded, obvious that he meant it as some sort of joke. So he didn't have powers?? Allia couldn't piece things together very well but it was either that some hadn't realized that they had powers or it really wasn't a bunch of teenagers with powers and they were there for another reason.

She was just about to reply when she heard a loud noise. She yelped as her eyes flew open and she backed up in her chair, nearly falling over. With that, Allia had turned invisible and was calming herself down before she realized, becoming pink and turning back to her normal self. She sighed, her hand to her chest as she remembered that the boy was still there.

Allia looked up. It was pretty obvious what was going to be her answer. "Ah. Umm ye-yeah. I do have powers.. S-sorry about that." she bit her lip and turned a bit red. Why did she have to do that? Why couldn't she be more aware of her situations and not act like a frightened animal at everything?

Allia pulled on her bangs and covered her eyes as much as possible. "I-I get scared pretty easily and um. N-never mind. My name's Allia. I was... the way I was brought in here is pretty... foolish on my part.. I study at a place called Charterhouse.. I-I'm from England."

Allia smiled lightly after she spoke. She didn't really feel like mentioning that she was brought due to the fact that she followed a guy for sweets. Even Allia herself didn't know what was going through her mind on that day. All of the people here. She then looked over at the loud man. Well, most of them seemed tense. This jewel eye guy called Aurthur went to a college that was in England. A fairly expensive one as well. But she still had this feeling that the people that brought them there didn't want their money.

@Jinxer@banjoanjo@HellHoundWoof@SheriffLlama

[Airalin]

@Thundercrash

For what felt like an eternity, Lyra sat alone on her bed, cringing at the light coming from that stupid lamp. Despite her weak cries, no one entered her room. However, she heard muffled voices, young voice, coming from not too far away. The people speaking couldn't have been much older than she was. Perhaps her parents had taken her to some kind of hospital for children, so she might make some friends despite her condition. She bit her lip, holding her arms around herself nervously. They were always trying to get her to be social... but it just didn't come to her very easily...

She jumped slightly as the door to her room suddenly opened - and her surprise quickly turned to horror. Her visitor wasn't a person, but a big lizard wearing a nightgown. Frantically, Lyra backed farther onto her bed, mustering all the strength she could. "Help! Someone, help me, please!" she cried. What was a monster doing in a hospital? Father had always liked to joke about Reptilians, but she had always assumed he was only kidding - yet now one of them was in her room!

Her weakness quickly got the better of her, and she laid half-upright in the middle of her bed, staring fearfully at the creature. Reptilians were supposed to be half human... perhaps she could bargain with it!

"Please," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks, "Don't hurt me. My parents are rich - they'll reward you for my safe return! It would be silly not to take advantage of that... I'm small, and thin, and not very good for eating..."

[wolverbells]

'Where. The hell. Did he go?'

Irina's thoughts were now jammed in with the rest of the voices in her head as she tried asking herself the same question over and over again. The one called Nikolai had just vanished again, as if he never even existed. Just a figment of her imagination, probably a delusion from the voices. Stunned, Irina turned to Abel, whom now she somewhat confided in. She could feel a sort of vibe coming off from him, and going towards her. It felt like trust but on a very minimal level. She couldn't identify what the feeling really was though, or how she was able to feel such a thing. Her wide, green eyes made contact with his own and it was clear to see that he was just as confused as she was.

Asking questions would have to come later, apparently, as Abel took off towards the cafeteria and Irina followed suit. She didn't want to be alone in such an establishment. There were others in the hall, some crying and completely freaked out. She could hear other cries as well but they were in her head.

'Screw them. There's not time to cry. I have to get home.

As she slower to a stop next to Abel, Irina made an effort to push out the voices in her head.

Too many. Too many.

There were now more people clustered in one room which made a pulsing sensation in her head form, feeling more like someone had stabbed her through the temple. In a knee jerk reaction, Irina reached up and grabbed Abel's arm, squeezing it tightly as she shut her eyes and winced.

"Everyone needs to shut up," she said through gritted teeth, her Spanish only adding to the anger and frustration in her tone of voice.

It was becoming clear to her that she was just like everyone else here. These weren't just 'voices' that were inside of her head. They were they voices and feelings over everyone else around her. Not just one or two voices. Everyone's all at once. The girl finally opened her eyes and looked up as someone bellowed a loud introduction; as loud as the voices in her head. She turned back to Abel and pressed a finger up against her temple, "I can hear everyone. I can hear them talking and thinking. I can't take it." Her eyes went back to looking at everyone as they continued to speak, her stomach beginning to turn and threaten to throw up anything that it had inside due to the immense pain in her head.

@SheriffLlama

[Gonzo]

If it were any other situation, Christian would have laughed at the comment made by the small French girl. This wasn’t the case, and instead, the words were met with a small frown. He opened his mouth to protest, but decided not to say anything. His expression turned back to surprise and he shook his head again in disbelief at the sight of the boy vanishing into thin air.

If she didn’t know what was going on, then chances are none of the kids were supposed to be here. Wait…

Kidnapped. The girl had said kidnapped in her sarcastic comment. No longer was Christian worrying about the vanishing kid. That was now the least of his worries. Panic started to slowly set in, but Christian tried his best not to show it. Her questions about the crash, the exit, and his phone had now just begun to register in his mind.

Christian turned around and stared at the sign he had seen walking out of his room. There were different locations on it, but nothing mentioned any kind of exit. He turned again and stared down one end of the hallway, and then the other. There were obvious corridors that merged with the hallway they were in, but there were no signs hanging from the ceiling that displayed a green “exit” like most buildings. His eyes wandered to the kids on the other side of the hall that had decided to disperse, and he immediately turned in the opposite direction and started to walk in the direction of the pool. Maybe it would be an outdoor pool, and with it, a way out.

“The crash I was in before I woke up in this place,” he mumbled as he slowly shuffled his way away from the dispersing crowd. He wasn’t sure if the French girl was going to follow him, but he was going to answer her questions, regardless. It would keep his mind off the fact that he was being kidnapped, and it would keep the panic attack from setting in. “I was driving home. Down a dark street. No lights. A car hit me,” he instinctively put his hand back on his ribs, “and I heard footsteps before passing out. The next thing I knew. I was here.”

Christian scoffed at himself. If this was his way to keep his mind off of the kidnapping, he was doing a shitty job of it. He stopped at the intersection and faced the long corridor that supposedly led to the pool. He saw a pair of large doors, and his optimism kicked in. He turned his head back to the girl and reached into his pocket.

Nothing. There was no phone. Christian frowned and reached into his other pocket; nothing as well. The boy groaned.

“No. No phone. But I think the pool might have a way out. This looks like it’d be too nice of a place to have a pool indoors. Maybe there’s a way out over there.”

[banjoanjo]

URIEL ATTICUS - LOCATION: CAFETERIA

Man, tough crowd. Of course, a hearty response wasn’t the foremost of his expectations, considering the circumstances. At least he was sure that this little gathering of adolescents weren’t his kidnappers. If they were, they would have pounced on him the moment he made his entrance. He surveyed the room with a relaxed smile, but never once released his grip on the mirror shard in his pocket. Hmm, might as well get some grub while he was here. After all, it would be difficult to confront his captors on an empty stomach!

Uriel got himself a generous amount of snacks, stuffed some into his pockets for safekeeping, some others in a growing pile in his arms. He favoured the sweet stuff. The sugar high would be appreciated as the sluggishness in his body wasn’t completely gone yet. He also grabbed himself a Coke to seal the deal. It didn’t come in a glass bottle though. Bummer. The extra weapon would have been nice.

After successfully plundering the vending machines, he turned to scope out the cafeteria’s inhabitants. Huh. All of them were teenagers. And all of them seemed to have varying levels of tenseness. Were they taken too? There was a dark haired boy and girl but the girl seemed awfully stressed. Best to avoid those two then. He didn’t want to make things any worse for her. So the other option was… those two! Sitting at one of the tables, another boy and girl, both with incredibly pale hair. Time to make some new friends!

He plopped his pile of snacks on their table and flashed them both the most dazzling and friendly smile he could muster. He spoke while twisting open his bottle of Coke and sitting down.

“Heya! Name’s Uriel! Flashy name, I know. So uh, would you guys happen to know what the dealio with this place is? I mean, were you kidnapped too?”

@sakurasan @Jinxer

[SheriffLlama]

Abel "Abe" Parker

As he looked across the cafeteria, he saw that some of the others had decided to gather into a somewhat organized fashion. He was about to go enter the room, but he heard Irina shout, and she gripped his arm as if it were as stress ball. He didn't recoil to her iron grasp, but rather turned to her in genuine concern. "Are you alright?" He asked. When she explained the voices, he raised an eyebrow. Maybe she was something like him.

"Come on, lets find somewhere more quiet." He said, then turned to Nikolai. He relayed the information, leaving the decision to follow up to the Russian, and then turned and lead Irina down the hallway. A minute later, he found an open doorway that stepped inside.

The couches and the bar inside the room made it look like a fancy lounge. He stepped away from Irina, moving to the middle of the couches, careful not to ram his shins against the coffee table. He saw a small screen on the wall a few feet away, but couldn't make out the words. "Fancy Bedrooms, a cafeteria, a furnished lounge? Where the frick-" He stopped as a numbers reappeared in his visions, but then flashed and turned into words. The message read, "Led Zeppelin - 'Black Dog'." Then the pain shot through his head and he fell down, slamming his fist in agony against the table.

On the screen, unbeknownst to Abel, an image popped up, under which was the same message. From somewhere in the room, speakers began playing a hard rock song. Abel let out a pained shout as another song began played, sending another flash of 1's and 0's across his vision that translated into, "Skrillex - 'Bangarang'."

As Abel's pain grew, he fell to the floor, covering his ears as a loud ringing shattered his ear drums. Unfortunately for him, he was the only one that could hear it. As he cried out again in pain, the screen began flashed random songs and album covers, each one sending another set of numbers across his vision that translated into a title.

A few seconds later, Abel forced himself from the floor, stumbling to the wall where the screen was. With all of his force, he slammed his right fist into the screen, shattering it with into thousands of cracks. The music stopped and so did his pain.

He sighed, leaning his head against the white wall, his bangs falling into his face. He pulled his fist away, a couple shards of the screen falling against his bare chest. He moved from the wall and sat on the nearest couch, breathing heavily. Then a thought crossed his mind, and he put his hands on his head as his eyes bore a look of understanding. "It's all binary...". He muttered aloud. "All of it's binary..."

@Wolverbells @Hellhoundwoof

[HellHoundWoof]

Nikolai Arkaden

Nikolai looked across the cafeteria at the other entrance and spotted Abel and Irina. Irina seemed to be having some kind of meltdown, perhaps the gravity of the situation was finally panicking her. She pointed a finger at her temple and said something to able. Nikolai didnt know the other people's name so the two who he did received some small compassion from him. He looked around the cafeteria as he began walking across. There had been some guy shouting which made Nikolai annoyed, he wanted to knock the guy around for being so damn casual at a time like this. Nikolai passed others in the cafeteria, he knew he was the only out of the ordinary one here as far as looks went. Between his leather vest and several tattoos he knew he stood out. It would have put a smile on his face if he werent in this current situation. With speed walked back to his temporary friends, he looked down at Irina.

"What is wrong?" Nikolai asked with some small semblance of concern, he pushed the thought of his mind "What can you two do?"

[wolverbells]

Voices go away. Please.

"I can't make it stop," she practically whined as they began to walk away from the growing group.

As they began to leave the mass of teenagers, the voices began to die down in her head. Unfortunately she seemed to not be able to catch a break, because as soon as they both made their way into the room, something seemed to hit Abel like a brick wall. Irina's green eyes widened as she watched him fall to the ground in pain.

"Abel? Are you okay?!"

Irina quickly ran over to Abel, frantically trying to help him with whatever was going on. The situation couldn't have lasted for than a couple minutes, but as soon as Irina placed her hands on Abel's bare shoulders, the girl's mind was filled with a ridiculous amount of sound that she couldn't help but let go of Abel and backpedal away from him as fast as possible. It wasn't until Abel had gotten himself up and broken some screen that the noises subsided and Irina was left standing while trying to catch her breath.

"Too much. This is too much." She somewhat understood what Abel meant, about the binary. "You can hear technology ...?" She didn't get to finish her question when Nikolai walked in, after the ordeal was over with. Irina lifted her hands to where her fingers were rubbing her temples, trying to soothe out the headache from the sensory overload.

"I hear voices, and I think they belong to everyone here," her tone was a bit more serious than what it had been before. She walked back over to Abel who was now sitting down. She say next to him and place a hand on his back hesitatingly, trying to offer him some type of comfort although she was horrible at it. "I heard what you heard," she spoke softly to Abel before looking back at Nikolai. "You come from Russia, no? My dad is from Moscow. I lived there for some years. I understand you but I can not speak it. I was mostly raised in Spain."

What people needed here was a sort of familiarity. Something they could deem trustworthy and could latch on for reassurance. Irina hoped that she could offer some to both Abel and Nikolai. Maybe becoming best friends wasn't something that she, or they, would be interested, but if anything were to happen it would be nice to know someone has your back.

@SheriffLlama@HellHoundWoof