JustAnna

Hogwarts: We Are Now

Chase sat on top of his black trunk, twirling his wand between his thin fingers as he flipped through the pages of his scrapbook. Lucius pranced his way up the side of the trunk and came to nudge Chase's arm, begging for attention, "Go away. I'm reading.", he whispered as his father entered the room.

The older man reached his walking stick out, and flicked the book shut in his sons hands, causing a huff, "Don't huff at me, boy. You will stop this nonsense...We don't feel bad for what has happened in the past. We're Everwoods. We have the world at our feet and if you ruin what little reputation you have, going into this school, with your muggle this and your dopey looks, so help me I will...", their father started before their mother entered the room, causing him to close his lips tightly with a sneer.

Chase frowned, staring down at the worn cover of his book. He was always the one who got in trouble. He was always the one who didn't fit in. He wasn't born to live with this family, he thought sometimes. He was meant for something better...but what?

Syler listened to his father from outside his own room, and he shook his head at what he heard. He had told Chase time and time again to be careful with that book he kept. Their father was a prickly man and he did not like even the faintest reminder of the humiliation that shook the pureblood families throughout Britain. Of course Syler could sympathize with his father as he had worked tirelessly to keep the Everwood name well 'respected' and strong. But the man was -very- hard on his children. He decided to go inside to try and calm the situation.

"Oh, there everyone is. I believe everything is packed and ready to go father." Syler got a growl in return and the constant tap of the walking stick could be heard as he went down the hall.

Syler smiled at his mom and nodded politely even as she left as well with a grin on her face. Syler sat down beside Chase and gave him a one-armed hug, if any of his friends from school saw this they would never believe it but with Chase, Syler felt like he had someone that he could always talk to and he seemed to always do what he could to make his younger brother feel better.

"Put the scrapbook in my luggage, since you know father will look in yours." He smiled again and walked out to get the final things ready to go, his hawk Shruikan landing on his shoulder just as he exited the doorway.

Chase stood, tucking his scrapbook under his arm for the time being as he nodded to his brother, "Okay. I thought father was going to actually strike me this time...", he admitted, before following his brother with his trunk and cat in tow.

"How are we going this time, Sy? I don't want to use the chimney. Last time, I nearly ripped my arm off. Dad was so angry. Can we not fly or something?", he asked, his eyes like a puppies eyes as he stopped and his shoulders slumped, "I'm scared..."

Syler looked down for a moment and frowned. "We'll probably use the Floo Network, but I might be able to convince dad to show off his apparating, he was talking about it the other night remember. Let me handle it alright."

He smiled and ruffled his brothers hair before running down the stairs, his hawk a bit flustered but managed to stay perched. As he reached the bottom he waited for Chase then went into the kitchen where his father was standing. "Dad, I was talking to James yesterday and he was telling me how his father was taking him to the station by side-along apparating. Remember when I came home with the bloody nose, I kind of hit him for saying you couldn't do it. But I was thinking, i've never done it before..."

His father looked proud for a moment then thoughtful and just like that it was decided. He had the boys get their trunks into a neat row, while he stood behind Syler, his wife stood behind Chase and the two prepared to apparate to the platform.

Chase nodded to his brother, before following him once more down the stairs. Lucius jumped up onto his shirt and climbed his way up to his shoulder, where he held on, but didn't dig his claws into his skin. He simply purred in Chase's ear, which was oddly calming. As Chase listened in on his brother's plea to his father, he almost became jealous. It was so easy for Syler to bargain with the old man. His parents were so proud of his older brother, and the thought of never feeling that sort of adoration made him nearly sick to his stomach. As his father agreed, Chase pulled his clunky black trunk over, placing Lucius in his carrier on top and then stood in front of his mother, in time for them to vanish and end up on the platform. Chase felt queasy, but much better than he had via Floo powder. He stood, getting his legs back underneath him and then slowly opened his eyes, his breath taken away by the sight of the train.

"Stop staring like a mudblood...", his father snapped, slapping him on the back of the head. His mother quickly reached for him, pulling him into her chest.

"Listen. You be who you are. You're bright, and you're talented. You'll be a great wizard some day. Don't talk to the sorting hat...and you'll be fine, darling. Mama loves you...", she whispered, being the more reasonable of the two. Sure, in public she was an intolerable bitch, but to her children, she was the voice of reason.

Syler smiled as the feeling washed over them and as soon as the platform came into focus he was already stepping away from his father and next to Chase. As his father slapped his brother Syler felt a rage building but it was fought down almost as quickly.

He pulled Chase close to him after his mother did her spill and also whispered. "No matter what happens know I will do anything for you. Even if you somehow get placed in Hufflepuff." He smiled brightly and put his forehead to Chase's and then shook his fathers hand before stepping to the train and refusing help with his luggage, instead turning to help Chase. It was strange how protective and loving he was to Chase and cold-hearted and hateful he was to basically everyone else.

Chase calmed as soon as his mother started reasoning with him. His shoulders lowering just a bit and his eyes fluttering closed. However, it didn't take her long before she stood straight and joined her husband, letting her children go. She fought back the tears as she snapped her fingers at one of the conductors, and pointed to the luggage. She flicked the lock on Lucius' carrier, and let him run free. It didn't take long, until he was on Chase's shoulder, ready to go wherever he decided to. Chase leaned in close to his brother, taking in his warmth as he spoke to him. As he pulled away, Chase gave a small smile, but didn't turn to their father. He simply stood close to Syler as they entered the train, joining the other students.

The Walking Dead : What's Left

My characters aren't actually leaving the hospital. It's just their plan for now.

The Walking Dead : What's Left

Ryland jolted up in her bed, her lungs seizing as the power moaned to a halt in the hospital. The silence was deafening, until she began grasping at her throat, sobbing.

"No. No please…", she begged to no one as her breathing became so labored she could barely stand to sit. So, she stood from the bed and leaned her hands on it. To her left, she noticed her emergency tank, and quickly unbuckled the strap holding it in. She fumbled for a few seconds, her vision becoming blurry as she shoved a tube onto the nozzle and began turning the valve frantically. After the oxygen began hissing through the tube, she slung it around her face and held it to her nose with shaky hands, because her life depended on it.

After a few breaths, she was able to calm her breathing, and brought a clammy hand to meet her forehead. What was happening? Why were the lights out? Taking another deep breath, she padded over to the door and peered through the small rectangle of glass, her oxygen trolley in tow. She quickly gasped, tears stinging at the corner of her eyes as she stared at the carnage in the hall. There was blood, puddles of it, in various places that she could see. The lights flickered, as the emergency generators fought to keep them alive, and in the floor a woman reached for the door, staring at her eyes as her hands clutched and her half torn jaw flexed. Her eyes were clouded, and her intestines lay on the floor next to her.

Ryland had to fight the urge to vomit as she also fought the urge to help the woman, her hand on the doorknob. Suddenly, a face appeared in the window, a man, snarling and salivating all over the glass as he attempted to get to her…to…bite her?

"What is this?", she asked herself, as a gunshot caught her off guard. She covered her ears and sobbed loudly, as pellets dented her door and the man disappeared.

"Are you alive in there?", a voice called to her. She said nothing, just stood staring at the door, "ANSWER ME!"

"YES! Yes please don't shoot me…I'm sick and…I don't know what to do…please…", she sobbed, sinking to the ground. She didn't know if this man wanted to kill her, or if he was here to save her…or eat her.

"Get on your knees and don't move. I'm coming in. Try anything and I'll blow your head off…", he explained through the door. Since she was already down there, Ryland placed her hands on the back of her head and stared ahead as the door opened.

"Please…", she whispered as a boy, around her age entered, shotgun in his hand and blood covering his neck and shirt. He looked exhausted. He looked like he had been through hell, "M-my name is Ryland. I'm…I'm a student at ASU. I'm just like you. Please don't kill me. I'll do anything you want."

"What?", he asked, absolutely confused. He shut the door behind him quietly, and locked it before stepping up in front of her, "Why would I kill you? You look pretty harmless."

"I'm…that man…"

"He's dead.", the boy explained.

"I know! But he tried to…I mean I think he tried to-. He tried to eat me…To bite me."

"He's dead. They all are. They are all coming back, somehow and…apparently we're food.", the boy explained, setting his shotgun on the empty bed beside him, "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know. I have something wrong with my lungs. I have to have this…"

The boy closed his eyes and sighed through his nose, visibly frustrated with her situation. He ran a hand down his face as another shotgun blast sounded from outside the hospital. It was another survivor. Ryland simply brought her hands down to her lap, causing the boy to flinch.

"I'm sorry, but…maybe we can just get out of here. We can find the others that are still alive in here. There's hope, right? What's your name?", she asked him, and he rolled his eyes.

"I've checked every room for the past ten floors. Everyone is either dead or gone. Your family apparently doesn't give two shits about you. They left you here with nothing…bailed. We have to do the same if we want to survive. Last place we need to be is the hospital…", he explained once more, before turning his head to look at her finally, "I'm Travis."

"I'll follow your lead…", she whispered, standing from the ground. She swung the backpack of oxygen onto her back and started for the door.

"And how do you expect to lug that around?"

"With those things out there…the last thing I'm worried about is dying of oxygen deprivation. I'll make it until I don't. For now…you said we needed to leave. Let's leave.", Ryland whispered in a hurry as human footsteps ran their way down the hall outside, and Travis joined her, counting down until they ripped the door open and entered the hallway.

The Walking Dead : What's Left

SPOILER

I think he was bitten or scratched and knows he's going to die. I think he is the "tainted meat" from the graphic novel

The Walking Dead : What's Left

I will post in a bit, guys. I have some stuff to take care of (as per usual) IRL.

Hogwarts: We Are Now

"Are students mean there?", Ava asked innocently, watching people file up and down the corridor outside their door. It was almost her biggest fear for someone to open the door and file in. She wasn't really ready to meet anyone. Then again, she knew that if she didn't make friends, she'd likely spend the year alone, since Remington was a fifth year.

"Only some of them. You can steer clear of them. They're…predisposed to be that way."

"Slytherins…", Ava murmured, biting her lip. Remington frowned and tilted his head in a way to say that it was on both sides of the fence.

"Not all of them. I have a couple of friends from Slytherin, actually. But mom…", Remington cut off as his memory of his mother flashed in his head. Part of the memory was good, but it quickly faded to terrible. As he opened his eyes, he noticed Ava was fixated on the window, her whimsical nature taking her straight out of the negative and into something beautiful that he couldn't see, nor could he fathom. A smile spread across her face as she watched the window, "What do you see?"

"I don't know what they are…", she whispered, pressing her face further into the glass as the things whisked out of her sight and over the top of the train, and then back in front of her, flying right in front of the window, "Look!"

Remington frowned, a bit concerned as he stared at the direction she was pointing. She plastered her hand to the window, as if trying to interact with the thing.

"Um…Ava…", Remington stuttered as more students passed, and an owl suddenly staggered in, and began loving on Ava. Much to Remington's relief, the bird took her mind off of whatever it was she was seeing out the window. She reached down, cooing to the bird as she petted his head lovingly, and scratched under his jaw. As he fluttered to get away from Rhea, Ava reached for him and giggled.

"He's fine! He's so pretty…", she quipped, nuzzling his beak. She sat him down on the seat next to her with a smile as the Raven suddenly flew in to meet them. Her face spread into one of pure delight at the sight as she reached out to pet him as well. When he started singing however, she jumped but only frowned when he was silenced, "How exciting. Everyone has animals!"

Remington sniggered a bit as he watched his sister possibly make friends, because of her gift, something she truly needed to happen. Otherwise, she would end up a freak at the school…

"It's quite alright…", he answered, speaking to both students, "Guys, this is Ava…she's a first year."

Hogwarts: We Are Now

Vern - when you finish your sheet, make sure to let me know so I can put him on the first page.

Hogwarts: We Are Now

That's fine. As long as you guys don't speed post a TON, I'm fine with responses.

Hogwarts: We Are Now

Maybe he can notice the boys. They aren't threatening them...more of making eyes at all of the "freaks".

Hogwarts: We Are Now

Remington pushed his trolley, sighing and rolling his eyes at Ava's slow pace behind him. She was young, and tiny, but she had to hurry or they would miss the train! He stepped up to the barrier of the platform, and glanced around. To his left, he noticed a couple of muggle boys standing there, watching as people approached the wall. They were sneering in a way that caused Remington to become a bit defensive, and hard to control his temper.

"Ava…stay close.", he murmured to his sister. Her tiny body came to stand next to his, as they waited for their father to catch up. He was a muggle, himself, and a very nervous muggle at that. He knew what the world thought of his children, and his wife (rest her soul). As he caught up with them, he too noticed the boys.

"A-are we sure she's ready, Rem..?"

"What do you mean? She's eleven. Of course she's ready.", Remington answered, his eyebrows coming to almost touch each other. He frowned at his father, and then glanced back to the boys, "You really want her out here? She's safer at Hogwarts. They can teach her to control her…outbursts…"

"But yours were hardly the same. Yours weren't as powerful."

"Because she blew up a gas station? Things happen!", Remington argued, suddenly growing frustrated with his father. It was true. Ava had become angry and frustrated, while sitting in the car one night. Remington and his father were crossing the street from the movie theatre to get cheap treats for the movies (as they weren't particularly wealthy). Frustrated, Ava accidentally channeled her her anger on the gas station they were headed to. It exploded suddenly, due to a small fire she had started. No one was killed, but a few people were seriously injured, and her father became forever afraid of her.

"She could have killed someone. WITH HER MIND! She needs help…not some quack teaching her magic tricks that could very well get her killed. If you haven't noticed…your kind isn't exactly accepted in our world."

Remington was finished. He sneered once more at his dad, while Ava stared on, her eyes threatening to break over with tears. Her face remained straight laced, however, no matter how hurt her feelings were, and she stared off into space, looking for anything that could make this argument go away. Remington leaned down and lifted her trunk, with effort, slamming it down on top of his on the trolley. He grabbed her owl's cage, which was considerably smaller than his own, and squished it in next to it, and then grabbed her wrist.

"Don't expect an owl…", he muttered, before dragging Ava toward the wall.

"Remington don't. You know how I get when I'm stressed. REMINGTON!", their father yelled after them. Remington ignored him, dragging Ava so fast her shoes slid across the concrete as she stared back at her father and waved. They vanished through the wall, and onto the platform, leaving him sobbing.

Once on the platform, Remington took a second to breathe, a few growls of frustration leaving his throat, before a belt of arms wrapped around his waist. A small, puppy-like sob against his skin caused him to close his eyes, his right hand coming down to smooth Ava's hair down. Taking another deep breath, Remington pushed her away and then sank to his knees. His hands brushed her hair back, and his thumb whisked a tear away from her eye.

"Listen to me. You're not weird or abnormal. He doesn't know what he's saying. He's scared…they all are. What happened that night was just…", he broke off and sighed, not knowing how to explain her powers to her, "It was my fault. I should have let you come with us. With things the way they are now, I was scared people would see what you were wearing. You know how the muggles are, now."

Ava looked down at her outfit, the same one she had worn that night, and sniffled, "Is it obvious by my outfit?"

Remington sighed once again, running his finger across the Ravenclaw shield that adorned her too small tshirt. The muggles had learned their artwork and their symbols. They had learned to spot wands and to spot magical artifacts. Looking down at the ground, Remington nodded slightly, "Yeah. Ravenclaw is nothing new to them…and we should have taken it off of you or wrapped you in a jacket. You were frustrated. He doesn't really blame you."

"Yes he does, Rem…He hates me."

Sighing through his nose, Remington closed his eyes, "He does not. He misses mom…just like I do. He might hate me for bringing you…but none of this is your fault. Know that, alright?"

He whisked another tear from her cheek as she stared at the train, and all of the students along the front of it. Glancing toward the train, he smiled, "Let's go. We don't want to be late."

Not saying another word, Ava placed her hand back onto his wrist, and the siblings boarded the train, somehow finding a cabin that was completely empty.