[IC] Santa Celia (Lord Wraith and FantasyChic)

S A N T A C E L I A

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^{◼ P L A Y E R S: Lord Wraith & FantasyChic ◼ G E N R E: Superhuman, Modern Fantasy, School, Slice of Life ◼ T Y P E: One X One, Linear, Sandbox}
_{"Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game."
-Voltaire}

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 11:07 AM | Voltaire University}

Frosh week was in full swing as freshmen, juniors, sophomores and seniors all invaded the grounds of Voltaire University. Set against the glimmering backdrop of Santa Celia, otherwise known as Surf City, the beautiful campus sat on a forested cliff overlooking the sandy beaches along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Adjusting his shades, Aiden Roth took a step out of his car before slinging a duffle bag over his shoulder and moving into the crowd.

A highschool quarterback riding a full scholarship, Aiden was known for his perfect spiral, each and every throw arcing perfectly through the air before landing in the outstretched hands of his team mates. An attractive prospect, Aiden had a magnetic personality in front of the camera and scouts loved him. His car, a brand new Chevrolet Camaro had been a gift from the school in return for Aiden accepting their offer.

A smile crossed his face as the attractive male flashed his white teeth, a pair of brilliant green eyes peering over his shades as Aiden made eye contact with a red head across the quad. Her long lashes batting in his direction before Aiden nodded and turned back towards the large building before him.

The party could wait, his first order of business would be to get settled in his dorm.

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 11:07 AM | Voltaire University}

Whitney got out of the beat up van her father drove. He put it in park and stepped out too. Circling around the truck to meet her in front of the steps, he put his arm around her. "Well, here we are. We did tell you we are proud of you, right?" Whitney nodded, "The whole car ride here, you did." She had to laugh. Her father was such a dork, but his confidence in her sparked something wild. He sighed, "Well this is where we part. I need to drive back soon to pick your mother up from work. Give us a call later though, ok? Just so we know you got settled in." He pulled out all her bags and she gave him a warm hug.

As he pulled away, she strolled up the steps and took one grand look at the campus. It was pretty big. And beautiful. Definitely a photographer's dream. Not only did this school have a nice photography program, but it had a state of the art photo lab. She wanted to see it badly, but she figured she better get settled into her dorm.

As she made her way, she walked past a few girls walking around, gossiping about some boy one of them slept with. Apparently, his..member didn't quite hold up to word. She paid them little mind. Some guy ran past as he caught a football. He looked at her and put on his best charming smile, along with a wink. She merely shook her head and laughed and continued on. She had a feeling life wouldn't be boring here.

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 11:11 AM | Voltaire University}

The hallways of Voltaire University were crowded as Aiden made his way towards his dorm, checking the hastily scribbled map in his hand nearly every thirty seconds. The yells and screams of unbridled youthful chaos echoed through the hallways as young adults in various states of undress entered and exited through every door in the dormitory. Aiden almost had to stop and do a double take as a young woman wrapped in a towel exited the same bathroom as a guy wearing an inflatable duck entered. Shared bathrooms were definitely going to take some getting used to, even for the big football star.

Continuing down the hallway, Aiden finally stumbled upon his room. The door was closed, which in light of everything else he had seen, was almost an odd sight. Placing his key in the lock, Aiden slowly opened the door only to find the room dark, the light from the window blocked as the only source of illumination was the screen of a computer on the right side of the room. Parking in front of the computer was a wheelchair, its occupant oblivious to Aiden's entrance as a large headset covered his ears blocking out the outside world and immersing him in the fantasy role-playing game filling the screen.

"Uh... hello?" Aiden said as the words fell on death ears. Taking a step forward, Aiden reached out gingerly as he tapped the other boy on the shoulder. The spark of static electricity created a loud pop as Aiden's hand shot back, the boy jumping in his seat before the wheelchair suddenly shot back, rolling over Aiden's foot. Letting out a howl of pain, Aiden limped back as the boy's headset was ripped from his head, smashing into the computer. His chest was heaving up and down as he fixated a look of pure venom onto Aiden who had taken to nursing his foot while leaning against the closed closet door.

"Aiden." The freshman stated with a sheepish smile as the boy in the wheelchair rolled his eyes.

"Chester." He replied begrudgingly. "Next time, don't sneak up on a guy." His face loosing a bit as the corners of his mouth began to turn up.

"I'll keep that in mind." Aiden replied, a smirk of his own crossing his face. "I didn't get you killed did I?" As Chester shot Aiden a confused look, he quickly scrambled to clarify. "In your game I mean."

"Nah, raid ended like ten mintues ago, was just trading loot in the lobby." Chester answered, his expression solemn as the words went over Aiden's head. If it wasn't a shooter or the latest Madden, Aiden likely hadn't played it,

"Ah, right. Cool man." Aiden replied as he took a step towards the empty side of the room, gingerly placing weight on his foot as he did.

"Sorry about the foot." Chester replied, nodding towards Aiden's foot as the other teen shook his head.

"Totally my bad, don't even worry about it." He replied, placing his duffle bag on the bed as their door was suddenly kicked open.

"Party on the beach tonight! If you guys don't come, you may as well be committing social harakiri!" The larger teen yelled before taking a swing from the tallboys in either of his hands.

"Yeah well, that's just, like, your opinion, man." Came Chester's reply as the teen left, rushing down the hall way to chest bump another 'bro' no doubt or maybe to 'crack open a cold one with the boys.'

"Aw, c'mon what harm could a party be? It's Frosh man!" Aiden replied as Chester looked from him to the wheelchair and then back to Aiden.

"If you haven't noticed, sand and I don't get along."

"I've got your back man," Aiden replied. "I mean really, what's the worst that could happen?"

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 11:10 AM | Voltaire University}

Whitney walked up the steps to her dorm room. She hadn't expected the dorms to be shared by both genders. She just hoped her roommate would be a girl. She wasn't ecstatic to share bathrooms with the guys, but that was the price to pay for getting a free ride through school.

She opened the door to her room. She looked around. It was about the size she imagined. Not too small, not too big. Her roommate seemed to have claimed their bed on the opposite wall, leaving her with the one near the window. She was fine with that. Part of her morning routine was watching the morning go by out the window. She put her suitcases near her bed and began to unpack. Shortly after, she heard the door open.

She turned around and didn't expect what she saw. The girl standing in front of her looked like she stepped out of Vanity Fair or Cosmo. She had model good looks, long, red hair down to her hips, piercing green eyes that were transfixed on herself. The girl seemed disappointed for a second, but she turned on this megawatt smile and ran up and hugged her. "Hi! My name is Madison! It's so nice to meet you! You must be Whitney! We're gonna get along so well!" Whitney had to get over the fact some stranger just hugged her, but she was also kind of happy her roommate wasn't an asshole. At least, not yet. "Um...hi. Nice to meet you too!"

Madison quickly let her go and moved around the room. "Oh wow, I can't wait to get to know you! You're so pretty! I bet you got a boyfriend, right? No? Well, we're in college so plenty of fish in the sea and all that! Oh! Before I forget, there's some party on the beach tonight. We have to go! Anyone who is anyone will be there and we can meet some of the other freshmen there! It'll be so much fun!" Madison, it seemed, was a ball of energy. Whitney had trouble keeping up, but she got the gist of what she said. A party? Parties weren't really her scene, though she did want to go to the beach. "I don't know...I don't do parties that well." Before she could go on, Madison gasped. "Oh please! You have to come! I can't go alone! What if someone roofies me? Please?" Madison put on her best pout and, she had to admit, it made her feel bad. She rolled her eyes and nodded her head. "Fine. I'll go. But only to make sure you are ok."

Madison waved off the thought. "Please...what's the worst that can happen?"

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 09:57 PM | Corsair Cove}

The 'beach' or as it was more formally known, Corsair Cove was indeed no friend of Chester's as Aiden tried to push the wheel chair through the sand. Originally, the boardwalk had made traversing the waterfront rather easy but as they neared the party, it seemed the boardwalk came to end, resulting in the thin wheels spinning aimlessly in the loose sand.

"Told you this wouldn't work." Chester spat, his tone lacking any humor as he sat angrily, both arms crossed in front of him as he slumped into the rolling chair.

"Just give me a minute." Aiden reassured the other boy as he dug his feet into the sand before burrowing his shoulder into the back of the wheelchair. As Aiden let out a groan, the wheelchair began to move, slowly but surely gaining momentum before the two were continuously moving along.

"Told you." Aiden stated triumphantly as Chester rolled his eyes, his own reply the sound of his tongue clicking against the back of his teeth.

"Tch."

Music could be heard echoing out over the surface of the water as the waves were illuminated several different colors from the lights set up around the cove. Smoke billowed into the sky as a bonfire in the middle of the beach reached for the heavens, its flames reflecting off the tide, causing the surf to turn from dark blue to devilishly red. Barbecues were set up nearby as the smell of grilled meat rolled through the air and Aiden felt as though he could barely take two steps before tripping over a cooler left planted in the sand.

"These guys go all out." He stated, a sense of awe filling the small town boy as he looked at the tables set up on the beach. The surface of each contained bowls of chips, plates of cookies and other assorted munchies. Moving towards the tables, Chester began to pipe up as he continued the conversation.

"That's the Alphas for you." Chester grumbled, evidently the divine spread was less appealing to him than it was to Aiden. "The Omicron Sigma Alpha Fraternity. Comprised of the richest Voltaire has to offer, old wealth mostly, new wealth tends to try to join, most of them don't make it past the hazing."

"I mean, I can't see chugging a couple gallons of alcohol and streaking across campus as that hard to do."

"It's more complicated than that." Chester scowled. "It's wrong and it scars lives." He added, his eyes wandering towards his legs before he looked away towards the sea. "They're a bunch of spoiled bastards who don't know the meaning of the words consequences."

"Well that put a bummer on things." Aiden said as he poured a ladle into a cup. "Punch?"

"If it doesn't come from a closed bottle, I won't be touching it." Chester replied as he pushed his wheelchair away leaving Aiden by himself as he looked around, enjoying the music. Noticing a blonde woman standing against a rock nearby, Aiden took a sip of his punch as he approached her.

"So..." He began, raking his brain for a conversation starter. "This is some party eh? We never had anything like this back home."

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 9:57 PM | Corsair Cove}

Whitney hadn't expected to get dragged to a party on her first day in college, but she wasn't totally dreading it. On the one hand, the beach, or rather in this case Corsair Cove, was beautiful. California had one thing going for it, it produced some of the best beaches. And with good beaches there came good photos.

However, as she set foot on the beach, she saw the wild shenanigans of her fellow youth. Alcohol was surely being served based on the antics. She wasn't against drinking. Far from it, she enjoyed a drink here or there, but she never wanted to be drunk. Losing your inhibitions worried her and she saw too many girls get taken advantage of in those situations. She wasn't going to be a news story.

Madison had come with her and asked (rather forced) her to wear a bathing suit. She opted for just her blue bikini top and some khaki shorts along with her flip flops. Madison decided to go all out and wear the skimpiest piece she could find. She had the body for it, of course. Promptly upon getting to the beach, Madison ditched her to go hang out with her friends. They were a part of some fraternity known around the campus. She didn't have much time or energy to focus on that. Frats were stupid. Sororities were stupid. The point of school was to get an education, grow as a person, and go into the world a more confident person able to do the job set out in front of them. You didn't need to have wild benders every weekend or haze you're fellow classmates by making them streak or see if they could steal girl's panties.

She leaned up against a rock and watched the scene. She was used to being in the background. Madison was the only person here she knew and she didn't know if they were friends or not. Madison seemed nice enough, but she wondered if that was fake sincerity or if she really did want to get to know her. She would have to see.

Soon, some guy walked up and stood near her. She wondered if he would try to hit on her. He was cute enough if you went for the good ol' American Quarterback jock type. Something about him seemed different though. She was sure she saw him pushing the kid in the wheelchair on the beach. That had to be hard and it was a nice thing to do, so rather than ignore him and brush him off, she decided to respond. "You got that right. It's the first day, why are we already partying when we have four years of this place? Surely there are better things to do, like prepare for classes or relax before the eventual chaos. I digress. Whitney," she introduced herself and stuck her hand out.

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 10:21 PM | Corsair Cove}

Aiden listened as the girl began to speak. He could feel his eyes trying to wander, drawn to the exposed skin accented by the blue bathing suit top. Nodding his head in agreement to what Whitney, as she introduced herself, had to say, Aiden composed his own answer.

"Gotta admit, I'm not quite as studious as you but I can understand the want to focus on your studies while you're here." Taking Whitney's extended hand, Aiden wrapped his own around it, giving it a firm and hearty shake. His hands dwarfed the girl's and he could feel how smooth her hands were compared to the calluses that plagued his hands from working the farm growing up. The handshake lingered for longer than usual as Aiden's eyes met Whitney's through her glasses before he pulled his hand away.

"Er... Sorry 'bout that." He grinned sheepishly, his cheeks were burning, no doubt changing to a hue of crimson. "Do you live in Santa Celia? Or did you move here for school?" It was plain to see that Aiden's question was a distraction from the lingering handshake. "I had only been to the city one time before today, it was for a tour of the school. Haven't really seen much of the city beyond that. The water is beautiful though, I can only imagine the sunsets." He continued, looking at the girl in hopes she'd answer the question rather than brush him off. Taking a nervous sip of his drink. Aiden swished it around in his mouth briefly, something about it felt off as his tongue was left feeling ever so slightly numb as he swallowed. Shrugging it off to the punch being spiked a little strongly, Aiden took another drink only to nearly choke as he realized he had failed to offer anything to Whitney.

"I am so sorry! My Pa would shoot me for my manners just now." He blurted to the girl. "Is there anything I can get for you? Glass of punch? Chips? Cooler?"

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 10:21 PM | Corsair Cove}

Whitney had to give the boy credit. He was trying his best not to stare at her chest, which instantly put him leagues above some of the other guys here. As she shook his hand, she could feel the calluses that one often got from hard work. That and his dialect meant he must come from the farm life. He probably played sports and was the town darling. Full ride scholarship, tons of girls worshiping him.

"No Whitney, stop it. This guy is actually nice. While it may be true, don't immediately write him off," Whitney chastised herself in her head. She had to stop doing that. Aiden seemed like a nice enough guy. She would give him the benefit of the doubt until he proved otherwise.

"I've lived in California my whole life, but we live about an hour from here. Haven't been to this city ever really, but I hear nice things. The sunset being one of them. I can't wait to see it and take a photo of it. I hope it's as beautiful as they say." Whitney realized she was sharing a bit too much with the handsome stranger she just met.

Before she could ask him a question, he nearly spurted out his drink before offering to get her something. She had to admit, that was kind of cute. He was definitely the farm boy, raised in a good home. Points to his parents for raising him right. While she was definitely for equal rights and he was not obligated to get her anything (she could get herself a drink if she so wanted), she would be lying if she said she didn't like it when a guy treated a girl right. "It's ok. You don't have to get me anything just because. I will take you up on your offer for some of that punch though. Just once glass though. I have a feeling it's spiked pretty heavily and I don't envision seeing myself get drunk before school even starts."

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 10:27 PM | Corsair Cove}

Aiden smiled as Whitney took him up on his offer of a drink. Walking over to one of the tables, Aiden picked up a fresh red plastic cup as he scooped a ladle of punch into it. Turning around, he walked back towards Whitney as he extended the drink.

"Oh I'm Aiden by the way, Aiden Roth." The boy said as he reached towards his forehead as if to tip a hat before realizing his head was bare and there was nothing atop it. Suddenly a yell echoed through the darkness followed by the splashing of water as Aiden's attention was called away from Whitney. His eyes scanned the horizon as they quickly found a group of boys doubling over in laughter before realizing the splash had come from a wheelchair in the water.

"CHESTER!" Aiden roared as the small town quarterback took off across the beach at full tilt. Sand changed to water beneath his feet as he waded out into the shallows, quickly taking ahold of the wheelchair before turning around hauling the boy and chair back to shore.

"You think that's funny?" Aiden asked as he parked Chester on dry land.

"Aiden..." Chester's voice trembled as he spoke. "They're not worth it."

"Better listen to your friend, cowboy." The tallest one taunted as he stood with his arms crossed. His words did little to faze Aiden however as the small town boy's fist replied with a 'CRACK' as it connected with jaw bone.

"You'll regret that." The tall blonde spat, a blood covered tooth littering the sand before his mouth. Suddenly his foot swung out as the other teen swept Aiden's legs out from under him. Hitting the ground with a 'THUD', Aiden could feel his head spinning as the tall teen and his lackeys suddenly set upon him. He thanked his lucky stars that none of the boys were wearing anything more than sandals as their feet lashed out at his ribs. Covering his head, Aiden tried to stand against the pummeling blows but was unable to as he felt a blow to his thigh, his knees giving way.

Suddenly a cry of anguish came from one of his assailants as he stumbled backwards. The blows suddenly stopped as Aiden peaked a glance out from under his arms. What he saw, he couldn't tear his eyes from as the teen had blood oozing out of his eyes and from his finger nails.

"I told you not to drink the punch!" The leader cursed as he spat more blood from his mouth. "Leave the idiot to his fate." He tone was searing as he turned away, his other lackey trailing behind. Several other cries echoed across the beach as Aiden struggled to stand, watching in horror as others began to have blood stream from their eyes. Moving towards Chester, Aiden leaned on the wheelchair as he began to push, his eyes looking for Whitney. He felt sick to his stomach, he had drank the punch and he sure as hell wasn't ready to die.

Spotting Whitney, Aiden looked towards her and yelled.

"SPIT OUT THE PUNCH!"

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Monday, August 21ST - 10:21 PM | Corsair Cove}

The boy brought her back a cup and finally introduced himself. She took a beginner sip of the drink. She could instantly feel the spark on her tongue. It had been spiked beyond all merit. It didn't even taste like punch. She smiled at Aiden, "Thanks. So Aiden, what's your-" before she could finish the question, she too heard the splash. She looked over to see a wheelchair in the water. Some idiots thought it would be funny to toss some poor kid's wheelchair in the water. In fact, the group in question seemed to be laughing like hyenas at their actions. She shouldn't be surprised. High school bull continued through adult life.

However, it wasn't until Aiden screamed for someone named Chester that she quickly put the situation together. They didn't just toss in a wheelchair, but the kid that occupied it as well. Disregard quickly turned to panic. She didn't know the kid, but gathering the fact the kid was in a wheelchair, it stood to reason he couldn't swim. Before she could do anything, Aiden quickly ran along the beach into the water, grabbing both the chair and the boy. She breathed a sigh of relief as the hyenas continued to howl.

She was about to walk over there and help Aiden with Chester when Aiden started confronting them. She shouldn't be surprised about that either. He seemed like a nice guy. However, it wasn't until he swung at him that things went too far. Soon the other guys were on Aiden in an instant. She quickly ran over to the scene, "Hey! Quit it! Leave him alone!" She didn't imagine her words would work, but she wasn't without her own protection.

As she got closer, the beating stopped. Had her words worked? No, it seemed something else entirely. Aiden looked around and Whitney saw it too. Blood. Not just from the fight, but blood pouring out of one of the assailant's eyes. She felt nauseous looking at it. She quickly took a sip of the punch, hoping its carbonation would help settle her stomach. However, Aiden screamed once he locked eyes with her.

Spit out the punch!

She quickly did so, but she could still feel the same spark. She looked around her as other people began to have blood pouring out of them. Soon, panic came over her. She took a few deep breaths. Had this been another prank gone wrong?

She looked at Aiden, with a look as if to say "Am I going to die?"

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ND - 09:47 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

The smell of disinfectant invaded Aiden's nostrils as he sat up. Realizing he was in a bed, Aiden looked around in confusion, tugging at the hospital gown that was draped over him.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty."

Looking up, Aiden moved his eyes towards the voice finally noticing Chester sitting in the room. Rubbing his eyes, Aiden felt his body aching all over. It was as though there had been a major shock to his system, he racked his brain trying to think what exactly had happened when suddenly it all came flooding back.

The party on the beach, the bullies, the spiked punch which lead to the bleeding eyes.

"What happened Chester?" Aiden asked, his throat dry as he forced out the words.

"You and the girl blacked out, people were bleeding out their eyes so I being the only sober person called nine-one-one." Chester stated smugly. "Strangely, you didn't react the same. Hopefully that means you just had a minor case of alcohol poisoning, which every freshman suffers during Frosh Week."

"One can only hope, man." Aiden replied with a wry smile as the door to his room opened.

"Ah, you're awake."

The voice of an older man caused Aiden to turn his head as the doctor entered the room.

"I can only hope you're feeling better than you were when your friend had you brought here."

"I can't honestly remember in order to compare Sir." Aiden replied as the doctor nodded knowingly.

"Anyways, your results came back." The doctor continued. "There was an unknown foreign agent in your blood stream, but it seems to have dissolved since the initial tests. Odd, but it must have been some new designer drug, unfortunately we can hardly keep up with them these days. But you're one of the lucky ones Son, you and the girl that came with you and Mister Chester here are the only ones who made it through the night."

Aiden felt the blood leave his face as the doctor spoke. Only he and Whitney had survived the spiked punch? How were they the only ones who survived?

"I'd like to keep a few more samples of your blood for further study. There's a few other irregularities I'd like to look into."

"Yeah sure Doctor." Aiden responded with a nod. "Am I free to go?"

"Yeah, if anything else shows up we'll call you. Just leave your contact information with the lady at the desk."

"Will do, Doctor." Aiden replied with a smile. "Thanks, Doctor uh, I didn't get your name."

"Doctor Hank Jentyll, but you can just call me Doctor J, I hear that's hip among you young people." The older man added as he extended a hand. Taking the gesture, Aiden shook the doctor's hand as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed.

"Will do Sir, er... Doctor J." Aiden said with a sheepish smile. "Uh, where are my clothes?"

"Just in that wardrobe in the corner. Have a good day Aiden." The doctor said as he bid his farewell.

Pulling the curtain across to shield Chester's eyes, Aiden quickly dressed before disembarking from the room as he and Chester made their way to the front desk. Filling out the required paperwork, Aiden handed the pen back towards the receptionist before pausing as he turned towards her again.

"Could you tell me what room Whitney... Uh you know, she didn't give her last name..." Aiden said as his voice trailed off.

"Carter." Came a matter of fact tone from Chester. "Whitney Carter."

"Could you tell us what room Whitney Carter is in then?" Aiden asked the receptionist as he nodded his thanks to Chester.

"Room 104, just down the hall and around the corner."

"Thank you, have a great day ma'am." Aiden said as he expressed his gratitude before the pair departed towards Whitney's room.

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{?????? | ??????}

Whitney opened her eyes to a field. The sky was cloudy, but you could tell the sun was out. She didn't know where she was. She wasn't at school, that much was sure. She wasn't on the beach. Was she dead? Is this was death was like? It was kind of peaceful if it were true. She looked around and didn't see anything. Or anyone.

She began to walk a bit, feeling herself out. She felt alive if that was saying something. If this was death, what was she supposed to do? Many people had variations of death. This didn't seem like heaven or purgatory? She wasn't reincarnated. She wasn't a spirit, as far as she knew.

As she walked, she could feel eyes on her. She spun around and before her stood three people. Madison, Aiden, and the boy in the wheelchair from the beach night. They stared at her, unblinking and unmoving.

She definitely wasn't dead.

Whitney moved towards them carefully. "Guys? Where are we? What happened to the beach?" The figures just stood there like mannequins awaiting their job for the day. It creeped her out. She moved towards them even more so and waved her hands in front of their faces. No movement. It was like they weren't human.

"Ok guys, funny joke. Is this hazing? You can stop now." Her stomach fell like she was on a roller coaster. This feeling made her uneasy.

She detected slight movement from Aiden and she looked at him. Waiting for something else. Then, Madison moved. Then the wheelchair kid. Soon, all of them began to fidget. But that wasn't all. Whitney looked in horror as blood came pouring out of their eyes, drenching their clothes and skin.

The last thing she heard was her own scream.

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ST - 10:10 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

Whitney jumped awake with a gasp. That nightmare was otherworldly. She felt her face. Other than being in a cold sweat, she wasn't bleeding out of her eyes. And she was alive. She was in a hospital, but she was alive. She looked around her. The room was cozy enough. She was dressed in a hospital gown.

She imagined she was taken from the events of last night. The horror show she saw. It was still fresh in her mind. She rubbed her head as she felt a headache coming. She had to find out more information. She buzzed the call button. Soon, a plump nurse came walking in with a big smile on her face. "Hello sweetie. Are you feeling ok?" Whitney nodded, "Other than a headache. I'm ok. How did I get here? What happened?"

The nurse smiled again, though Whitney could tell the news wasn't going to be good. "Well, sweetie, as far as I know, you and that other boy were taken here to get fixed up. It seems you had some nasty effect from some new drug. I say new drug because we don't have any records of it from your blood samples. It seems to be dissolved, I imagine the doctor will be in here in a few minutes to discharge you."

Whitney took it all in. The other boy, she hoped, was Aiden. Were they the only two here? "What about the other kids on the beach? Were they taken here?" The nurse's expression dropped and that spoke more than any words could have. She shook her head, "I'm sorry, sweetie. As far as I know, you and the boy that was brought in were the only ones to make it. And the boy in the wheelchair. He was the one who called the police. Now, you rest a bit and I'll see about sending the doctor in to get you going." After that, the nurse left her.

Whitney rested her head back on the bed. She couldn't believe it. All those kids, dead. That couldn't be. Maybe some survived? Maybe they woke up and walked back to the school? Maybe it was just a freak thing? She posed all these questions, though she knew the answer.

She wanted to leave. She wanted to go back home. She was even considering dropping out of school at this point. Was there even school anymore? A good part of her class was now dead.

She wanted to see Aiden. Maybe he knew more.

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ND - 10:12 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

A soft knock could be heard on Whitney's door as Aiden and Chester both peaked their heads around. Seeing that Whitney was in the bed still and not in the midst of changing or any other inopportune moment for the pair to walk in, they slowly entered as Aiden began to speak.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked parking Chester beside the bed before taking a seat on the edge of it for himself. "Doctor just gave me a clean bill of health, for whatever reason it looks like I had a natural tolerance to the drug in the punch. Heard you're out of the woods as well, all thanks to this guy." Aiden added with a gesture towards Chester who extended a hand.

"Chester, Chester McQueen, I don't believe we were properly introduced last night."

Aiden had to admit, it was funny seeing Whitney for a second time while she was wearing a hospital gown. Considering the last time he had saw her, she was in a bikini top, the hospital gown was somehow the more covering of the two garments. Though this did also mean that upon her discharge, she'd likely have to wear the bikini top again unless someone was bringing her clothes.

"That would suck." Aiden muttered before realizing he had said the words outloud as Whitney and Chester looked at him. Blinking twice as he stared at the pair like a deer in headlights, he put on his best smile. "Sorry, outside voice."

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ST - 10:12 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

Whitney looked up as the door opened, expecting to see the doctor to discharge her. Instead, Aiden walked into the room along with the boy in the wheelchair. She hadn't expected to see him. Judging from his clothes, he must have been discharged out of the hospital too. Which means he came just to see her. That surprised her, considering they just met, but perhaps he felt guilty. He shouldn't feel guilty though. He had no way of knowing some drug would be added to the drinks there.

"Apart from a headache and seeing my class bleed out of their eyes, I'm doing surprisingly well." She hated sounding morbid, but it was true. She watched people in her class die in front of her and she and Aiden were the only ones who survived. She thought about Madison. Was she alive? She hoped so, perhaps she found some guy to make out with and they left together.

She hadn't really paid attention to the other boy, but he quickly introduced himself. "Whitney Carter. I wish we could have met under better circumstances. The nurse said I'm going to be discharged soon, but the doctor has to see me first."

Aiden muttered something under his breath and she looked over. He was acting kind of weird, but that was to be expected when you entered something traumatic. She adjusted herself when she realized she was without proper clothing. All she had was her bikini top. She sighed. She wanted to get back to the school, shower, get dressed, and resume why she came here. She hated parties and this was just another reason to. She wanted to forget about last night.

"Hope I get released soon. I want to head back and just...forget this."

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ND - 10:14 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

Opening his mouth to reply, Aiden's words were cut off as the familiar figure of Dr. Jentyll entered the room staring into his clipboard as he pushed the door open. His longer dark hair was highlighted with silver as the doctor pushed his thick rimmed glasses up higher on his nose, looking up to notice that Whitney wasn't alone in her room.

"Mr. Roth, Mr. McQueen," Hank said with a nod as he greeted the pair. "If you could give me the room with Miss Carter, I'd greatly appreciate that."

"Happy to oblige, Doctor." Aiden replied as he nodded to Whitney, "We'll be waiting outside." He added taking a hold of Chester's wheelchair and steering his friend out the door. Watching the pair leave, Dr. Jentyll stood in silence until the door had fully closed. Turning to address Whitney, he held up his clipboard looking over her results.

"Much like the other survivor of the beach incident, there was an unknown foreign agent in your blood stream, but it seems to have dissolved since the initial tests. Chances are it was some new designer drug, unfortunately we can hardly keep up with them these days. But you're one of the lucky ones, you and Aiden were the only ones who made it through the night."

Watching Whitney's reaction, Hank paused for a moment before continuing.

"I'd like to keep a few more samples of your blood for further study. There's a few other irregularities I'd like to look into." Pausing again, Dr. Jentyll took a moment before speaking. "With your permission of course, there's a few markers in your DNA that I believe could leave to creating a counter to this new drug and the sooner we can confirm, the sooner we can prevent another incident from happening."

The doctor knew exactly what he was doing, preying on the young girl's emotions in order to gain her permission. No doubt an overwhelming surge of survivor's guilt would prompt her to say yes. The boy had been easy, eager to please, born and raised in Montana, no doubt by a father who wanted a son to carry on the family's farm. Acting as a surrogate father figure with a few kindly words, Aiden had given his permission without so much as a stutter of hesitation. No doubt Whitney would follow suit.

"No need to give me an answer immediately, my number and contact information are on your file should you need some time to think over your decision. For the time being, you're free to go, it looks like you have a clean bill of health but should any issues arrive please call me immediately."

With a quick nod, the doctor bid his farewell as he opened the door to find Aiden and Chester still eagerly waiting outside the door. Acknowledging them as he passed by, the doctor bid the pair a final farewell disappearing down the hallway. Pushing Chester back through the door, Aiden entered as he triumphantly held up something in his hand.

"Looks like you're good to go now." He beamed excitedly before presenting the folded fabric in his hand to Whitney. "Figured you wouldn't want to parade around in your swimsuit top in the middle of the morning even if this is California. Found a t-shirt in the gift shop, your usual tourist nonsense, 'Hang Ten in Surf City'." Aiden said with a small chuckle. During the time the pair had been out of the room, Aiden had come to his senses regarding Whitney's wardrobe. Even if he would have liked to see her in the swim top, he more importantly wanted to see her again and it would be for his best interest to treat her with the respect she deserved.

"We'll wait outside for you." Aiden stated as he gestured to Whitney's hospital gown. "Assuming you'd like to change before we leave." He added with a slightly nervousness to his chuckle, saluting as he exited the room again with Chester in tow.

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ST - 10:17 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

Whitney waited for Aiden's reply before the door opened and the doctor stepped in. He ushered Chester and Aiden out of the room as she waved goodbye to them. The doctor looked over his clipboard for a bit before speaking. She was never usually nervous in hospitals, but she wasn't comfortable being in one, especially with all that has happened.

Once the doctor explained what happened, her stomach did flip flops. She never took drugs in her life. It wasn't because she was a goody-two-shoes and never wanted to try, she just hated seeing what drugs did to people. It was their life and if you wanted to use them, more power to you. She preferred to remain as sober as possible. The occasional drink didn't hurt anyone, but it was those that went overboard that caused problems. Plus, she wanted to focus on her budding career and her future.

Still, the thought that some new drug swam in her body and she wasn't affected made her feel kind of powerful. It was a shame something this awful had to happen to show her that her blood was unique enough to avoid the effects of the drug. The doctor explained that he wanted more samples to help develop a possible cure. She wanted to help, but at this point in time, she just wanted to leave.

"I want to help Doctor, but all I really want to do is go back to school and put this day and yesterday behind me. I'll let you know when I change my mind." Survivor's guilt was hitting her hard, but she wanted to get out.

Soon after the doctor left, Chester and Aiden came back in and tossed her some shirt. She picked it up and read it and couldn't help but grin. It was some campy tourist t-shirt she normally wouldn't be caught dead wearing, but since her alternative was her bikini top and she would have to walk in public back to school, this was the best bet. She smiled at the two boys who had shown her such kindness. "It's perfect. Thanks guys. Yeah, I'd rather get changed alone if you don't mind."

Soon as they left, she got out of her bed and took off her gown. She realized at that moment she didn't have a bra with her. So she put on her bikini and tossed the shirt over it and put on her shorts and shoes. Once she checked herself in the mirror (most girls did), fixed her hair, she stepped outside and looked for the boys. When she saw them she made her way over. "All right, I'm ready. Are you guys heading back to campus? Want to head there together?"

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ND - 10:21 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

Nodding as Whitney directed the question about travelling towards Campus together, Aiden followed up the gesture with a verabl response.

"Yeah, we were intending to wait for you under the assumption you'd be heading there." He stated with a smile as Chester too nodded his approval.

"Indeed."

Walking with Whitney, the three made their way to the quickest method of travel that Santa Celia had to offer. Small stations were littered around the city, leading to the suspended rail that held the city's monorail above the roads as it made its way through the various passageways of the city, leading to every major destination. The monorail, or Santa's Sleigh as it had been dubbed, was the vein which delivered the blue collared blood of the city's to the vital organs. Workers of every trade relied upon the Sleigh to ensure they arrived at work on time and were delivered home safely to their families at the end of the day. As part of their tuition, students at Voltaire University were provided year long passes to the train in order to freely traverse the city without the need for relying on the city's aging bus service or their own rides.

Not that Aiden had any plan of using the train more than necessary. His scholarship had provided him with the Camaro currently parked back outside of their dormitories. Not that it did them any good in this moment, nor would it be the best choice of transportation for Chester on any given day. But perhaps Whitney would appreciate seeing it at some point, if she was the type of girl to be impressed by such things. Doubt crossed Aiden's mind as he realized it was unlikely that Whitney was superficial enough to be impressed by a car, the girl clearly had a head on her shoulders and no doubt was interested by more than just a new paint job and shiny rims.

What about a rim job though?

Aiden inwardly groaned at his own bad joke as the hiss of the train doors caught his attention. Helping Chester into his seat, Aiden grabbed a nearby pole, his hand feeling drawn to the metal as he took a tight white knuckled grip around it. Never a fan of heights, Aiden wasn't happy about now being suspended several stories above the ground below. Due to the lay of the land, the inner city's rail was suspended much higher than the outreaches of the city where Santa Celia's valley rose into rocky cliffs akin to those the university was built upon.

"First time on a train?" Chester's voice broke Aiden's attention as he turned to see Chester staring towards the white knuckles on his fist.

"Something like that..." Aiden answered, his voice trailing off as he gazed out the window.

"You get used to it, I used it a lot last year when I first started at Voltaire." Chester continued.

"You're not a freshman?" Aiden asked, his surprise distracting him from the height outside.

"No, I'm a sophomore." Replied Chester. "I'm studying robotics and mechanical engineering. Hoping to maybe even devise a way to walk again. Maybe even kick the ass of those who did this to me." A half smile crossed his face leaving Aiden confused as to how serious Chester was about his statement. There was something unnerving in his eyes as he made a vague reference to the accident that left him a paraplegic.

"How about you two?" Chester continued as he directed the question towards Aiden and Whitney. "What are you studying?"

"Not really sure, here on a football scholarship. Probably do general studies and see if anything sticks." Aiden answered with a shrug. "What about you Whitney?"

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ST - 10:23 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

Whitney followed the two boys towards the train system. She had to hand it to the city, the trains went pretty much anywhere you wanted, so long as you knew where to go. It made it easier for those that didn't have their own car to get around.

She watched the two boys as she sat next to Chester. He seemed nice enough. Aiden was clenching on to the pole like his life depended on it. She wondered if he was afraid of trains? She didn't want to ask, let alone embarrass the guy. After all, these two showed her kindness after having just met her.

When Chester mentioned being a Sophmore, Whitney was also surprised. She figured everyone at that party was a Freshman. "I thought you were a Freshman too. Don't really know why, just kind of assumed. My apologies." Whitney let the comment about Chester's legs go. It wasn't her place to question the boy about his accident, even if she was curious. Though Aiden seemed to tense up at the subject. She noticed Chester's look as well. That unnerved look.

She wasn't at all surprised to hear Aiden was some Football jock with a scholarship. Hell, it was probably a free ride through college along with a car and sports people all coming to see him play with the hopes of nabbing him when he graduates.

"Whitney, stop that. For all you know, Aiden is actually really smart and got his scholarship so he could find something else to do. Maybe he isn't like the other meatheads who play and get seriously injured that we throw millions of dollars at for running a ball across a field." It was pretty obvious her thoughts on sports. She didn't dislike sports, per se. She knew the athletic ability to do said sports was a lot and that was impressive in and of itself. But the fact he put them up on pedestals for it and give them tons of money made no sense.

"I'm actually hoping to dual major in both Photography and Business. I'd like to eventually own my own photography studio in the city." It was the first time someone asked her about her goals apart from her parents. She beamed a bit at telling them that, but quickly hid her smile.

[Lord Wraith]

A I D E N R O T H:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ND - 10:21 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

It was cute watching the way Whitney lit up as she talked about her studies and future plans. Obviously it meant a lot to her to pursue her passions in such a fulfilling manner. Opening his mouth to speak, Aiden was beat to the punch by Chester who continued the conversation.

"Any particular field of photography you're interested in Whitney? With passion like yours I could easily see you as a photojournalist, braving war-zones to bring people the real truth." Chester stated with a smile of his own.

"Or maybe something like advertisement and marketing." Aiden chimed in trying to think of something that wasn't wedding, maternity or fashion photography. Anything that wouldn't make it sound like he was trying to put Whitney in some kind of stereotypical box.

As the train came to a halt, Aiden felt a sigh of relief escape his chest as the tracks leveled out and the vehicle came to a rest outside of the school. The pneumatic hiss of the doors alerted the tree that they had opened as Aiden took a hold of Chester's wheelchair and guided the young man out of the train after the rest of the passengers had exited.

"So, any other plans for frosh week?" Aiden asked, students looking at them as they passed through towards the co-ed dormitories. "Obviously partying is off the table, but we could get our books and some other supplies before classes start..." His voice trailed off as he noticed a group of people staring at them, hurriedly whispering among themselves as each member of the circle took looks at them.

"Huh, walk of shames didn't draw this kind of attention back home." Aiden muttered as Chester shook his head.

"It's more than that." He stated flatly. "Remember the punkass you clocked last night?"

"Not exactly the type of manners you forget." Aiden replied with a sneer, his accent coming through despite his attempts to hide it. Even still, the Western drawl still came through at times.

"Yeah well, he's kind of a big deal on campus. Quinton Childs, daddy's an oil tycoon and mommy's a Pulitzer winning journalist. Big wallet, bigger mouth."

"So what exactly could he do?" Aiden asked as they kept walking.

"Cause you a whole lot more trouble than it's worth. There's no doubt in my mind that he's made sure the school believes we're responsible for last night's debacle." Chester said bitterly.

"HEY!" A voice came from behind Aiden as he turned towards it.

"My boyfriend was at that party last night! He died because of you!" The female shrieked as her hand met Aiden's cheek. A 'POP' filled the air as a static discharge exploded as the woman's hand made contact with Aiden's face. Shrieking even louder, she pulled her hand back, her entire arm hanging limp as it sat numbly cradled by her other arm.

"Fuck you!" She cried as another student ran towards Aiden.

"What'd you do to her man? Haven't you done enough?"

"Yeah! Get out of here!"

"Murderers!"

A crowd had gathered around the trio as Aiden tried to position himself defensively around Chester and Whitney. But the crowd had surrounded them and there was no way he could protect them both from all sides. Clenching his fists, the air around him began to crackle as a sensation akin to sparks dancing across his knuckles filled his hands.

"Get back!" Aiden roared as a pulse was sent out from around the group, the crowd temporarily staggering as Aiden saw his opening.

"Whitney, get on!" Aiden ordered gesturing his head towards Chester's lap as he took a hold of the wheelchair. The all-star quarterback took a hold of the chair and pushed with all his might until he broke into a run making a break for it until the trio were safely inside.

"Alright then." Aiden muttered before loudly proclaiming no doubt what the other two were already thinking. "What the hell do we do about that?"

[FantasyChic]

W H I T N E Y C A R T E R:

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^{Tuesday, August 22ST - 10:29 AM | Santa Celia General Hospital}

Whitney hadn't given too much thought about what she would do. Perhaps photojournalism was in her future? She wanted to take pictures and earn a living doing so, she didn't give too much thought on the particulars. "I'm not too sure. I want to own my own studio, perhaps do landscape photos or whatever I'm hired to do. I don't really want to be a wedding photographer or fashion. Perhaps I could do some photojournalism while I build up my resume."

Soon the train stopped and they began exiting. Aiden mentioned what other plans she had and she wasn't sure. She wasn't going to party anytime soon, that was for damn sure. Perhaps she could go with them to get her books and supplies. The two seemed nice enough and having friends may make things less awkward. Surely word had gotten out about the party. She didn't want that kind of attention on her just as she was starting school.

Before she could speak, she noticed the looks the people around her gave them. Chester mentioned the boy that Aiden punched (a fact she still wished he hadn't done) and she could already tell the boy was trouble. "Dealt with my fair share of kids like him. Like to think everyone is beneath them just because mommy and daddy foot the bill. Sooner or later they get a nice dose of reality. Doesn't seem like that will happen anytime soon." As far as she was concerned, the boy must be targeting Aiden, since they fought, but she couldn't help but notice the venom the people stared at her with too. What had she done? She tried to stop the fighting.

Her question was answered when Chester brought it up. It wasn't their fault, but of course, the group that caused it would be part of the wealthy elite. So their names would be dragged through the mud for it. This was not the way she wanted to start things off. Before she knew it, some girl ran up to them, lashing out at Aiden. She claimed her boyfriend was there and was killed because of him. Before she could speak, the girl wound up for a slap.

She heard the crackle. She felt the pulse. The girl darted back holding her arm. Whitney looked just as shocked, but soon a crowd started forming. They were being cornered. She felt her breath getting heavy. She didn't like this attention. This conflict. Her vision was getting a little fuzzy.

Aiden shouted for them to get back and another pulse reverberated, sending the crowd stumbling back a bit. Aiden yelled for her to get on. She got on as instructed as Aiden raced Chester's wheelchair. Soon, they were away from the crowd. She took a few more deep breaths before she got off again. What the hell happened?

"What do you mean? What the hell was that Aiden? You..pushed those people back. I felt the static. It was like you conducted electricity. Just...what..." She gripped her wrist and controlled her breathing, but she could feel the anxiety building up. "I need...to sit..down..."