SECLUSION ~ Chapter 01: Mad Tea Party

[Wulfi]

SECLUSION

Chapter 01: Mad Tea Party

~~~~~*****~~~~~

The endless darkness slowly began to clear as her eyes adjusted, tired and hazy with sleep. As soon has her thoughts realigned themselves, panic struck hard. Hazel eyes scanned the dispersing dark in vain, frantic and frightened. Over her ragged breathing she could hear the sound of rubber on road and a purring engine. She bounced as the truck hit a monstrous speed bump, hitting her head roughly.

Wincing, she rubbed the top of her chestnut hair and groaned in discomfort. Had she been kidnapped? The last thing vivid in her memory was the sidewalk and the surrounding buildings, smiling at her on this bright day. However sunny the afternoon may be at this point in time, there was no light in this place.

When was the last time she was actually conscious? Judging by the slight openings between the wooden planks which made up the large crate, it was already night, so she was probably out of it for quite a while. Was time even an issue anymore?

She strained her eyes to make out a few figures that leaned against the walls in the darkness. This wooden prison was obviously the back of a truck of some sort. There were about four others, varying in size.

She crawled over to the figure closest to her, about three feet away, and sat next to the anonymous with an awkward sigh. The head turned to face her, hesitant, scared. A quivering, gentle voice came from her tiny lips.

“U-um... Y-yes?”

“U-uh, yeah, so... Do you know what’s going on?”

The features of her face were becoming clearer now. Wulfi could now see the frail curves of her slender cheekbones, beautiful in their own way. Her dark hair was straight and wild, razor-cut at the ends that dangled just over her shoulders. Her small mouth bared thin, velvet lips.

The most notable feature had to be her eyes.

They were stunningly light, though in the dark, the color was difficult to make out. They appeared to be a translucent shade of jade green.

Despite the beauty held in her sincere eyes, there was a strong fear dwelling in their depths that made tears glisten down her petite face.

She sniffled once before answering. “Mm-mm,” she sounded softly. “I’m sorry...”

Wulfi smiled forgivingly at the girl. She looked to be about sixteen, but her heart was tender like a child’s. Her build was also quite pixie-like, but she dressed her age.

“Now I’m sorry,” chuckled the younger. “I’m Lisa.”

“I-I’m Cassandra.”

She smiled warmly, trying to lighten the mood. “Well, hajimemashite*, Cassie-chan!”

The frightened girl gave an open-mouthed smile, excited. “You speak Japanese?!” her soft, tender voice exclaimed without much volume at all. Wulfi had obviously succeeded, smiling politely in response to her outburst. Her eyes showed a thrill as well.

“So do you speak it?”

“Um, well, some,” Cassandra replied, withdrawn yet again. “I’m just happy that someone b-besides me can speak at least a l-little.”

“Will you please shut the hell up?”

Cassandra’s head ducked into her shoulders as the other’s head whipped to her left. A tall, slender boy was sitting cross-legged against the planks. His body was lithe with stringy muscles, and he looked as if he was about six feet tall. He hunched in order to fit into the space provided, slouched in an animalistic manner. Arms folded across his chest, he huffed a sigh, glaring in their general direction with rage building slowly in his cold eyes. His brown-looking hair was cropped short with slim spikes, most of which were smoothed back. Various little ones made for his bangs.

Wulfi glared, determined hazel eyes meeting a gaze of steel. Even though they may have been kidnapped, why not make the best of it? If this guy was going to be a bad sport, he was going to have to deal with her temper.

“What if I refuse your oh so polite request?” she spat, sarcastic.

It may have been a trick of the shadows, but he seemed to wrinkle his nose in a silent snarl, as if something pungent was afoot. Another huff, and then he went on. “You wouldn’t want the pleasure.”

They kept eye contact, glare upon heated glare. Silence reigned until a foreign voice intervened.

“Could you two please cut it out?” the apologist begged quietly. “I think it would be best if we could just... return to the calmer atmosphere, okay?”

Wulfi’s head spun yet again, this time to the back of the cell. About three or four yards away was the silhouette of a child, possibly ten years old or so. Her stern facade faded immediately.

’How could anyone... do this to a child? Whatever type of game we’re in, it’s sick as hell...’ Her thoughts were cut when the oldest boy turned on the youth, his tone dour with hatred.

“Keep your thoughts, they mean nothing in a situation like this. When we could die at any moment, here you are trying to be the damn optimist. Stop acting like a saint, Sterling. You can’t save anyone.” Be it imagination or stress, a growl appeared to rumble deep within his throat.

The boy, Sterling, dropped his head slowly. The hope faded from his pacifistic voice. “I suppose you... may be right...”

A frustrated sigh came from Wulfi’s end of the crate as she folded her arms atop her bosom. She found this situation to be more of a bother than an immediate threat. Cassandra fidgeted nervously next to her, perturbed by the silence.

After a while, the thought struck the youngest teen. Feeling stupid for not noticing earlier, she gave a small groan of annoyance. Sterling and Cassandra glanced at her, intrigued at the thought that there may be another conversation or, heaven forbid, another quibble. The newest of the four looked to the stubborn young man. His chilling eyes were shut and he appeared to be ignoring the fact that he was in any danger at all.

“Earlier you implied that,” she began, pausing to look at the youngest of the captives, “Sterling’s thoughts meant nothing in this situation, or something along those lines.” Her eyes were sharp, her investigative nature coming out. A good mystery was always a thrill, no matter where she may be or whoever surrounded her. “This gives me the impression that you know something about this whole kidnapping incident. Care to share?”

He was silent. ‘Obstinate little...’

She looked to the others, eyes suggesting a little help. Cassandra looked away, timid. The boy, whose floppy hair was more visible now, cleared his throat. The tallest one made a grunt, signaling that he didn’t want to be bothered. The brave lad continued anyway.

“Lyle, you know that Conner wouldn’t li-”

“Keep his name out of your mouth!!” the eldest practically snarled, causing the females to jump in surprise. He flashed his array of white teeth at the younger, that same growl vibrating in the back of his esophagus.

“That’s not normal,” Wulfi jested, eyes wide with shock. The comment came out more humorously than meant be. Lyle threw her a vicious look, but then returned to his previous position as he closed his fierce eyes yet again.

Cassandra looked down at her knees, burying her face in the sanctuary her legs created. Sterling pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin atop them. His eyes closed slowly as he gave a weary sigh.

The minutes passed by in silence, but no one was keeping time anymore.

[Wulfi]

~~~~~*****~~~~~

The motor of the pick-up truck had long since lulled the four of the prisoners into a light slumber. There was nothing else to do except await the plans which fate, or rather the driver, had in store for them.

As the growl of the engine became tranquil and sputtered to a quiet, the crickets could be heard in the distance. Wulfi awoke slowly. She took note of the silence, looking around and then peering through an opening in the boards to view the surroundings. They’d been on the road for hours upon hours with no idea where they were headed. From the looks of it, they were in the country and they’d come to a halt at a lone gas station.

A tiny groan came from the other side of the large crate. She looked over in time to see Sterling stretch and yawn, sluggish. The boy crawled with discretion passed the other two, seating himself where Wulfi had once been. The girl sat next to him, amused.

She smirked, chuckling. “Lonely?” she whispered to him. The tired child only nodded. Wulfi didn’t complain when his head fell against her left arm. For something of this magnitude to happen to a child was utter insanity. “You okay?”

Sterling muttered a monosyllable sound of conformation and yawned once more before nuzzling her arm affectionately.

She glanced down with a somber smile, gently stroking his flame-colored hair with her left hand absentmindedly. Although she knew he was tired and his wellbeing was at stake, something said from earlier prodded her curious mind. “Ah… Sterling,” she spoke softly, careful not to wake the others.

The boy glanced up at her, brown eyes half open. “Mm? What?” he rasped with equal softness.

“Do you know what’s going on? I never got a straight answer from Lyle.”

He rubbed the sleep out of his eye with a limp fist. “Yeah, but he wouldn’t like me telling you.”

Her eyebrows flew up, surprised. “Me?”

He shook his head tiredly. “Uh-uh… He doesn’t want anyone to know.” He cuddled closer, pleased by the warmth her body produced. It was impressive that he could smile in a situation like this.

Wulfi tried to win him over. He was only a child, so how hard could it be? “I won’t tell. That’s a promise,” she whispered to him, winking with a slight smirk. Sterling didn’t buy it. Her face faltered. With a sigh, she held him tighter with her left arm around his torso. “Please?”

Sterling glanced quickly at Lyle, eyes timid, and then proceeded to shift his vision to her. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, eyes falling to the floor. “I can’t.”

The brunette’s troubled eyes peered out into the night again, giving up for now. It was eerily quiet now. The footsteps from outside were gone and there was no music playing in the background, which was unusual for a gas station. They must have stopped to fill up in quite the desolate area. There weren’t even any lights out here, save for a porch light far in the distance and the celestial bodies high above. There must have been a glow from the inside of the building.

“He’s an odd one,” she muttered to herself, dazed. Sterling didn’t bother to look up. There was only one person she could possibly speak ill of in this cell, and indeed, he was an odd one. Any guy who managed a beastly growl and snarled with teeth poised like fangs was quite the strange one. The behavior was rather queer for someone as serious as himself.

“Don’t feel too bad…” said the lad, his voice barely audible. He was drifting away into the arms of slumber. His eyelids were heavy with fatigue and his lips barely moved as he spoke. “You’re not the first to say that…”

She ruffled his fiery hair gently, jumping slightly when the truck snarled to a start. Sterling didn’t wake as they took off down the road again, but someone did.

A shivering Cassandra stretched her legs out and yawned, pulling back sharply when she noticed how close her own legs were to Lyle’s Indian-style ones. He didn’t even flinch, not even at the jerk of the automobile as it sped onto a bridge.

“Lisa…?” she whispered lightly, head turning to the left. It wasn’t as hard to make out her figure under the passing streetlights.

“I’m here,” she consoled the shaken girl. She leaned to her left and pressed a soft kiss to Sterling’s feather-soft hair. The boy muttered some incoherent speech, deep within the hold of dreamland.

The eldest of the conscious girls smiled weakly. A slight burgundy tint glazed her dark brown hair as stripes of light flickered across the four of them.

“Is h-he okay?” she questioned, referring to the child safe in her arms.

Wulfi brushed his drooping bangs from his sweet face with a swift, tender motion of her free hand. As she put her right hand on his leg with care, she gave a sincere smile. “He’s fine.”

Cassandra’s heavenly eyes seemed to hold a sense of understanding within them, all shyness dissipating into nothingness. For the first time in the duration of their imprisonment together, a startling wave of maturity swelled within those jade eyes.

Wulfi inhaled sharply, her pulse pounding in her ears. ‘Such a fast change in emotion…’ It was almost enough to make her doubt exactly how much faith she could put in these strangers. She took off her glasses and cleaned them with the end of her forest green shirt. The silver lining on the cotton matched the silver spotted pattern on their thick black rims.

The older of the two dropped her gaze. Surprisingly, she didn’t notice the shock that concealed itself in her hazel eyes. “What d-do you think they’ll… d-do to us?” she muttered, holding her arms around her midsection. It seemed as if the worry was being to ail her.

Pity washed over the face of the younger girl. She might as well have imagined the motherly will of steel in the back of her eyes. Cassie was Cassie, and a brief moment of determination wouldn’t change much of anything. Her guard was still up, though, and it would take a lot to diminish its strength.

She sighed, smiling. “Who knows? I tried to get Sterling to tell me, but,” she paused to glimpse at the slumbering boy. “He tends not to speak of such things. You know, things concerning that guy…” She could have sworn she saw his eyebrow twitch at the accusation.

Both of them tensed when the ride suddenly became turbulent. They were on rocks or some sort of construction site. They couldn’t be in the country anymore because the city lights were beautifully shining like beacons of hope. Civilization held promises. There might be someone to run to, but then again, this false hope could stand as a bad omen. Why were they being stolen and why were they in a big city such as this place?

A jackhammer’s roar deafened them for a brief moment, and then the road began to smooth out until it became nearly silent. The gentle howl of the tires flying across the pavement sounded like the exact opposite of a Siren’s call. If it were any other scenario, they might have enjoyed the soft hum, but the unanimous decision was that the sound foreshadowed suffering. They’d rather be anywhere but inside the wood-covered back of this truck.

“S-so he knows…? How?” Cassandra asked. The cold air rushed through the boards and chilled her to the bone. Wulfi trembled as well. The air was remarkably cold for summer.

She couldn’t answer her, but if she had to guess, it had something to do with Lyle.

She tried to contort her body into an angle that would allow her to see behind her without waking Sterling. Although fruitless, she could feel the cold air coming from behind her on her right. Had they installed an air conditioner in the back or what? Were they doing this just for their own sick pleasures? Luckily, Sterling wasn’t bothered by the chill because of his grey hooded sweater, which was all too big for him. It may have belonged to a younger Lyle, but now was not the time to ask.

Minutes passed uneventfully. Soon, though, they reached their presumed destination. They tensed as Lyle’s killer eyes snapped open, glaring at the space beside Cassandra. His slump became rigid as a low growl vibrated in the back of his throat. The girls were to frightened by the upcoming events to be disturbed by his odd behavior. His form-fitting polo shirt became tight around his muscles, which seemed to expand a few centimeters since they last laid eyes on him. Lines of white light stayed stationary on their still bodies.

Wulfi tried to look straight into his eyes for a short while, but found his gaze overpowering and had to shift her eyes away from him. His eyes were a shocking frosty blue. It looked as if minuscule shards of shimmering ice were within his very irises. His pupils strangely held a bit of an elliptical shape, but it may have been the lighting that caused all of this.

The engine was shut off by the driver, who opened the door with an irritated moan. He didn’t sound as if he wanted to do this, but would rather be somewhere more exciting. Was this a routine or what? Were they only pawns hired way too often and regularly became tired of this excessive task? So many questions left unanswered would hopefully resolve themselves soon.

The passenger side became vacant when a less aggravated person shut the door behind him and began to walk to the back of the truck. The driver mirrored his actions. Twin shadows danced across the floor.

Cassandra’s eyes welled with thick tears, but she stifled her quiet sobs when Lyle shot her a quick, fierce look. He then looked to the other female, nodding to Sterling. She gave him a disapproving look before gently nudging the boy awake. He yawned with a sleeve-covered hand to his mouth and uncurled his folded legs, then looked at Lyle. There was a silent conversation traveling between their eyes, and despite the little light in Sterling’s misty eyes, he seemed to understand fully. Perhaps they had a plan...

The plan suddenly came to her. Her eyes widened as her pulse quickened, ideas spinning rapidly in her head.

Lyle was going to create a diversion, allowing Sterling to escape. The rest of the party too, maybe. He may not have counted on two other bodies to be present when the plan was set into action.

His eyes flew open so much so that it seemed his gorgeous eyes would pop from his skull. He finally noticed that Sterling had moved from the entrance to the back of the container, which was not part of this scheme. He hurriedly pointed at Sterling, then at the exit. Sterling, in a panic, scrambled with the best of his ability to the end of the crate.

He didn’t have time to scoot to the side before the lock unhitched and the door began to fall flat against the tail of the truck.

“MOVE!!!” bellowed the enraged male, already lunging on all fours for the opening. The youth leaped to the side before a clawed hand could mar his slender leg.

Lyle leaped from confinement like a bat out of hell. An ear-splitting roar burst from his cavernous mouth as he pounced on the raven-haired man. He failed in toppling the blonde man though, whom Wulfi recognized from earlier. Sterling had already bolted from the wooden hell, tears streaming down his face and sobs pushing small tremors along every part of his little body. His legs seemed almost ready to give out, but he pushed onward with no intention of looking back. The girls had fled also, Cassandra the last to escape.

The floored man struggled with the ravenous being atop him, crying out in pain as the crazed Lyle scored a hit. The other was already closing in on Sterling.

Wulfi’s adrenaline pulsed throughout her entire body, specifically her legs. She managed to sprint just close enough behind the long-haired man to snatch a fistful of wild sunlight. He quickly spun around as she caught his hair and with a single arm, hefted her over his shoulder like a bag of flour. She flailed, kicking and punching in vain, as he proceeded to run after the boy again.

He was like frosted marble. His lightly tanned skin was as hard as stone and his features were ungodly beautiful. If he hadn’t been running, he might as well have been a statue. His skin was as cold as the ice in his stern brown eyes. Every attempt to harm him and try to break free of his hold only did her damage. Her fists were already becoming sore.

“Enough of this,” he muttered under his breath. “Elijah!!” he shouted to his comrade, eyes still forward. “I’m going to use it!!” His partner answered in a pained yell that he shouldn’t, but he paid him no heed.

Unexplainable. That’s exactly how one would describe the events unfolding before them. Normal was eons away by now. They’d lost all normality during the ride down. This insanity could not be easily explained.

“Alister, stop!! YOU CAN’T!!” the fallen Elijah called out to deaf ears. His voice echoed off the walls of the empty car lot. Alister glowered at the young boy who was almost to the open mouth of the exit-entrance gateway. He put his palm to his face and made a tiny slit in his wrist, tonguing the blood droplets greedily. A strong, overpowering scent similar to mouthwash entered the girl’s nostrils. Steadily, the whites of his eyes shifted to a liquid crimson color.

Wulfi had stopped protesting. This shock was too much. If she had to guess, she was either dead or comatose. Vampires and werewolves were creatures of fantasy. They. Were. Not. REAL.

She felt a sudden rush of air as the blonde sped forward at lightning speed and set foot in front of the exit, as if he simply walked there. Sterling gasped as he ran headfirst into his stomach, falling over and quivering in total fear. He tried to get up and attempt his daring escape yet again, but Alister lifted him up by the back of his hoodie and tossed him over his other shoulder. Wulfi gave the boy a hopeless look. There were no more complaints from there on out. The only sound from the two hostages was Sterling’s light sobs and continuous sniffles.

She figured she’d lost all sanity by now. ‘Might as well accept it,’ she thought with much apathy. ‘I may never get a chance like this again.’

Cassandra was on the ground, clutching her ankle and breathing ragged between frantic sobs. Death was not on her to-do list, from the looks of it. Alister simply walked passed her and headed back to the truck, setting the two youngest ones down on their feet. They stood at the back of the truck, looking nervous. “Don’t run,” he warned gently, wagging a finger at them slightly as if to prove his authority. There was little need, considering they saw what amazing speed he had.

The bloody wisps of red in his eyes had become lighter, more translucent. Maybe his power was fading, but he could get it back quickly enough.

Elijah stood up and leaned away from the truck, clutching three ghastly looking scratches on his left shoulder and wincing. Lyle was writhing in pain at his feet, silently crying out in pain as waves of devastation tore through him like mad. Light whimpers escaped through his open mouth every now and then. Sterling made a motion to comfort him, but Alister stuck his palm out at him without even glancing his way. The boy clung to Wulfi, shaking as tears poured down his round face. She smoothed his hair in a useless effort to hold him together before his sanity also crumbled away.

The one called Elijah was paler than Alister by far. His skin was the shade of moonlight and his black hair was cropped short, a multitude of thin dark bangs hanging near his sapphire eyes. His appearance was inhumanly stunning despite the bloodied shoulder of his charcoal leather jacket and the blood splatter on the storm grey t-shirt underneath. He shoved his free hand into the pocket of his black jeans and flashed a crooked smile at his friend. “You shouldn’t have done that,” he chuckled.

“It’s not as if there are any humans around besides the few we took,” Alister replied, crossing his arms and staring down at the eldest captive, whose spasms were losing intensity. His eyelids began to droop as the pain became less and less. “Besides,” he continued with little emotion, eying the twin holes on Lyle’s lean neck, “it looks as if you’ve broken the treaty as well.”

“Ha!!” he snorted. “So you caught me!!” Elijah shrugged, grinning like a true prankster. He glanced at the others, face dimming into a small smile. His eyes shined with happiness. “I think you scared them, Ali.”

“I’m positive it was your driving,” he countered blandly.

“Actually, it’s all of this that’s scaring the hell out of us,” Wulfi commented in a low voice. Sterling nodded passionately, crying still into her shirt. The two turned their heads sharply to face her. She shrunk back slightly at the attention. If they were vampires, of course they could hear her.

“Was my driving part of it?” Elijah queried, pointing to himself innocently. Alister sighed deeply, tiring of his constant stupidity.

Wulfi looked to the ceiling thoughtfully. “No, not really. You drive well, albeit fast.” She turned her head to face them. Alister was neutral, and Elijah looked quite pleased. “So vampires really do like driving fast, huh?”

Alister’s eyes went to her and Elijah looked surprised. “You knew?” It was scary how innocent a possible murderer could look.

“I read a lot,” she said, closing her statement with a downward tilt of the head and closing her eyes. The vampires shared glances, and then looked back to the duo. Elijah stared at Cassandra for a while, still in hysterics with her arms wrapped firmly around herself. She obviously hadn’t heard anything and was panicking, rocking back and forth. His face fell and he sighed, annoyed.

“Dear God, look at her. She’s a bloody wreck,” he shook his head. “Why don’t you go cheer her up with your fabulous looks, Ali?” He smirked and winked at the man who was nearly the same height as him. The younger, though more mature of the two merely turned on his heel and began casually walking up to the shaking girl.

‘Jesus, what a mess this is turning out to be…’ he thought grimly as he stepped in front of her. She shrieked out a sob, glancing up at him then tearing her eyes away in horror. He held out his hand to her, palm facing skyward. “Miss, we are not here to hurt you,” he spoke in a velvet voice. His charm calmed her sobs as she looked up at him in shock. Tears stained her red face as embarrassment clouded her cheeks.

He gave her a serene, charming smile. All color drained from her face. She hesitated at first, but then slowly reached out a trembling hand to take his open one. However, when she tried to stand as he helped her up, she winced hard and bit her lip in an attempt to stifle a whimper. His hypnotic eyes drifted to her bruised ankle, fake concern swelling in his eyes. Luckily, the blood had faded from his sight completely just in time to ease her fears. He scooped her up bridal style in one swift motion, earning a yelp of surprise from the petite girl. She quivered still.

A sweet, perfume-like scent was barely notable on his skin and clothes, but as soon as Cassandra caught a whiff of it, she gave in. There was no stopping fate now.

He carried her back to the truck and held her still in his arms. She let her head fall limp against his shoulder, crying without a sound. “She hurt herself,” he stated in his normal, neutral tone. Her scarlet face was buried in the material of his jacket.

Elijah shrugged and inspected her foot. “It’s only a sprain,” he confirmed with a slight curve of his devious lips. “She’ll be okay,” he continued as he stood up, “if you carry her the rest of the way.” The bouncy vigor in his tone wasn’t hidden in the least.

“Where are we going?” Wulfi inquired with a raised eyebrow. All fear had faded from her voice long ago. “Not like I have a say in this escapade, but I might as well be prepared.”

Alister nodded to Elijah, who then hovered over an unconscious Lyle and hefted him over his shoulder like a sack of some heavy mineral, grimacing uncharacteristically as he scrunched his nose. “This guy reeks,” he blanched. “Smells like a mixture of wet dog and sewage.”

“You think every wolf smells like wet dog,” the other man sighed, running a hand through his razor-cut pale blonde bangs as he supported the frail girl with one arm.

‘This is borderline asylum, Wulfi thought to herself, glancing down at the silent but trembling boy. She wrapped her arm around him and stroked his hair. ‘Okay, scratch that; this is utter madness. Vampires and werewolves…? And their traits are shockingly similar to the ones in the Twilight series… I’m either extremely lucky or completely out of my mind.’

“We’re off to the airport,” the dark-haired man answered her, tilting his thin lips to the right in a sorry smirk. The stench that Lyle emitted must have been nauseating to him. She cocked her head to the side, eyes suspicious. She was about to push the subject further, but the other man spoke first.

He tensed as his head became swiftly poised downward and his fierce eyes glared darkly at the high ceiling. “Elijah.” He spoke the name so quickly that it sounded like a gruff stutter. The addressed gave him one quick look, serious, and then offered to carry Cassandra. Alister gently passed her over and settled her into the crook of Elijah’s arm.

“Take the others to the terminal and wait for me. If I’m not there by the time the flight arrives, go ahead without me.”

“Are you sure?” asked Elijah, face twisted into a look of concern. “It’d really be better if we were together.”

Alister shook his head, back arched slightly and nose brought up in a noiseless snarl. “There is not other flight today and we can’t afford to waste anymore time. Hurry up and go, Elijah.” He bit his index finger just enough so that a decent amount of blood entered his mouth as he suckled at it. The whites of his eyes swiftly became scarlet.

“Try not to consume too much, Alister,” he warned, worried. “We don’t get anymore until we get home.” His dark eyes peered at him with both warning and fear.

Before he could reply, he was gone. He’d sped off at intense speed toward the exit.

Wulfi glanced down at Sterling, who was calmer than before and only looked at Elijah. Rather, his vision was set on the silent Lyle who was slung over his shoulder. The brunette sighed lightly as she rubbed his head with care, trying to signal that everything would be alright. Despite her efforts, it didn’t change his ominous view on this entire experience.

The tallest of the five began walking towards the same exit that Alister raced out of only moments ago, but not before throwing his leather jacket off, tossing it into the passenger seat and pulling a denim one from the floorboard. He urged the others to follow, but his voice was less than joyful.

[Wulfi]

~~~~~*****~~~~~

As they made their way across multiple streets, they managed to arrive at the airport unmarred and in one piece. The captives had never seen this place before so it would be difficult to form a plan of escape, but would they really need to? If they did manage to escape, where would they go? Were the security guards and staff in on this scheme too? And if Elijah had the same inhuman capabilities as Alister, was the chance of escape even above zero?

Some twisted fairytale this was, what with vampires and werewolves, not to mention two damsels in distress and a half-pint commoner.

But then there was Lyle. He had a chance when he went against Elijah before, but could he pull it off again? He was petrified and howling silent screams half an hour ago, but the wounds on his neck had already healed. Was the venom still writhing within him, or had he been fighting the poison this whole time?

The foil to this was Elijah, for now, and possibly Alister later on. Elijah alone wouldn’t be able to lose against Lyle without a struggle of some sort, and the obvious battle would attract a ton of attention with guards included; that was, if the airport employees had an idea as to what was going on.

Maybe the airport wasn’t part of this scheme; the kidnapper had changed jackets before leading the two youngest ones out. Either he was decent enough to hide the blood from his already closed gashes, or he was hiding it for the sake of the mission. The chances that this was an undercover task were growing larger by the second.

All was lost unless Lyle snapped out of his stupor before the plane landed.

Currently, the wolf was on his feet and taking lethargic steps. His icy eyes bore heavy lids and were glazed over with a dull film. It looked as if he was either half asleep or very ill. He was supported by Elijah’s right arm, Cassandra leaning on his left. She limped, tears in her light green eyes. She tried to hide her fear, but it was more than a Herculean task for her to even try to conceal it. She just kept her eyes to the ground, concentrating on her feet as she tried not to fall on her face.

Once, a kind middle-aged woman who worked there offered to lend her a wheelchair and Lyle one also, but Elijah simply smiled politely and declined. The worker walked on, glancing back at them in worry, but was troubled with another person in need of assistance.

By the time they’d reached the terminal, the plane was already pulling in. Sterling gave a faint wail, curling into Wulfi’s side. She held him firmly, feeling as if she was the only authority left.

In a time like this, insanity was sanity. In order to remain collected, one must lose all sense of the normal, everyday world and learn to accept the situation at hand. It appeared as though Wulfi was the only one to find that to be true. The reasoning behind this may be the fact that she’d already been accused of being crazy, and in all seriousness, it was partially true. Maybe having a screw loose could enable a person to accept the most out of the norm situations, whether they applied to them or not.

She took a deep breath, her heart racing. Lyle was still unfocused, his soft breathing shallow and irregular. They may have still been able to flee because the passengers were just now filing out and greeting loved ones at the gate.

Suddenly, her face when white as her small spark of hope was smothered. From the crowd of people, there were five abnormally good-looking people. They could only be vampires.

The pale ones sauntered over to them, graceful despite their briskly paced steps. Elijah stood quickly, although it didn’t look like he meant to appear nervous at all. His expression was quirky again, a crooked smile playing on his face. His eyes, however, were dark with regret.

The tallest of the group was fair skinned, yet well-toned as well. His rich, stone physique was unparalleled to any teen heartthrob. The styling of his hair wasn’t as odd as Alister’s, though it wasn’t as new-aged as Elijah’s spikes; it was simply slicked back and pulled into a tiny crimson ball of a ponytail. The red of his hair was the color of thick blood.

The woman to the right of him was nearly his height, and her luxurious curves would make any model look like common garbage. Her thick caramel hair spilled down her back in large, bouncy waves and curls. The feature of hers that stuck out the most would probably have to be her eyes, as with all of them. These caring orbs were a remarkably bright emerald color which gleamed beautifully in the light. Wulfi felt her heart flutter.

A shorter man, who looked to be about seventeen, was to his left. His body wasn’t as gorgeous as the first’s, but what he lacked in stature he made up for in femininity. If one hadn’t looked at his chest, they’d most likely think him a girl. His angelic face was unscathed by any blemish or mark and his serene, azure eyes were filled with wisdom uncommon to a man who had lived a normal life. It was as if he had seen multiple wars through to the end and was prepared to relay his tales if need be. His smooth chestnut hair ended at the middle of his back; it almost looked as if rain would simply slide off of it instead of zigzag. He smiled with utmost holiness, calm and gentle, with half-lidded eyes.

Another female was beside the younger man, hands clasped behind her back and face beaming with excitement. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she looked from captive to captive, energetic silver eyes almost translucent. The shadows of her eyelids made them fade from silver to storm grey as she swayed. Her fair, pale blonde hair was cut short so that it ended an inch or so above her shoulders; the ends were feathered and looked like dancing rays of sunlight. Maybe they were warm like the sun as well. She could have been about sixteen, or maybe seventeen.

The last of the five was the same height as the long-haired woman. He was the same build as the group leader, though he had the slight curves of the other male. His hair was the same shade as the tallest’s, though it was cropped short and feathered around the nape of his neck. His bangs were parted down the middle, a curtain of crimson falling over his left eye ending at the corner of his tight lips and the other half tucked firmly behind his right ear. His royal blue eye darted around nervously.

The main figure smiled politely with a small bow at the waist. The other men followed suit as the women nodded in greeting. He spoke as he rose. “Hello, children,” his flowing, eased voice welcomed. “I suppose the four of you are rather confused at the moment, but we shall hopefully clear most of that up.”

Wulfi unconsciously stared at Lyle for a moment, but quickly turned to listen when the redhead greeted them. Her olive eyes darted from vampire to vampire, much like how the blonde’s eyes analyzed them. She took in every detail she could pick out in case she needed this knowledge later on.

Sterling timidly pinched onto the end of her shirt, pulse pounding in his petite chest. She rested her hand on his as her eyes met the leader’s breathtaking cerulean gaze. He looked to be brothers with the other redhead.

“Your chauffeur this night was our dear Elijah Hale,” he kindly smiled as he motioned to the addressed with an open palm. “I am the, how you say, leader of this family. Oh no, that’s not right,” he shook his head chuckling. “How do you humans say it? ‘Father’? Or should it be ‘foster father’?”

The brunette at his side amicably put a fair hand on his arm. “The former was correct, Raleigh,” his soft voice assured. The faint rasp suited him perfectly. “Shall I take over?”

“Ah, yes, that would be good,” the one presumed as Raleigh agreed and allowed the saintly young man to continue for him. He gave another warm smile as he took a step back, the other man standing erect. It didn’t give him nearly as much height as he would have liked, but this didn’t displease him in the least.

“My name is Silvester Flanagan,” he introduced himself modestly. “The one who spoke before me is known as Raleigh Flanagan, and to his right is Belinda Flanagan,” he motioned to the beauty with the luscious hair, “his wife.” He then moved his hand to present the chipper young lady. “This is my sister, the lovely Cara Flanagan.”

Cara grinned and waved. “Hiya!” her perky, joyful voice called out to the travelers. It was like a high note played to perfection.

Silvester went on to introduce the last of the party. “And this man here is Douglas Flanagan, Raleigh’s younger brother.”

Douglas stood slightly farther from the group than the others. His hands were shoved deep into his jean pockets, tightly balled into trembling fists. He looked like a nervous wreck, barely able to breathe evenly. It looked as if he was held together at the seams by a thinning thread. At any moment, it seemed, he could snap and run screaming out of the premises.

“We’ll be the ones to take you the rest of the way,” Silvester concluded. His eyes were shut as he smiled pleasantly, folding his arms behind his back.

Elijah’s hearty smile faded swiftly. “Guys, Alister is-…”

“We know, Elijah,” the brunette assured him. “It’s been hard for him to adjust since the accident. Give him some space.” The calm, content expression never left his face. He opened his oceanic eyes to look him straight in the eye, a motherly affection touching his tone. “He’ll come around.”

The taller of the two sighed, shoulders slumping. He nodded as a sign of acceptance, but his depressed eyes showed otherwise.

The auditor bowed at the waist, earning a few stares from passersby. Such odd behavior for this day and age was quite a rare sight, wherever they may be.

Cassandra, who had been silent this entire time, finally spoke. Her tiny voice was hardly above a whisper. “Where are you taking us?” It vibrated with fear, tears welling in her wide eyes.

“To Seclusion.”

The three hostages’ heads spun around in shock as the deep, smooth voice became apparent to their senses. The blonde man from before had returned in one piece; the only thing different about him was his hair, which had been tousled by the wind or a struggle of some sort. His attire hadn’t changed since they last saw him; his wrist and hands, however, were scratched up to the point that they were beginning to turn raw. He looked paler, if possible, and despite his mighty stature, his eyes were weary.

Elijah would probably have fallen flat on his face if he wasn’t such a graceful being. He jumped over the chairs and threw his arms around a stiff Alister. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he muttered under his breath, rocking as he embraced his comrade. “I was afraid you were gonna-...”

“Elijah,” he whispered gently, patting his back. “Quit it,” he said in a bit of a louder voice. “It almost seems as if you care too much sometimes...”

“But you’re my buddy!!” he exclaimed as he hugged him tighter, earning a few sideways looks from passing travelers. The classic grin was back on his face. Alister only sighed, smirking at his doglike antics.

“Ali!!”

The two men looked over at the group of new arrivals, eyes locked on the bubbly blonde girl who had bounced up a few steps and was now in midair with her arms open. She latched onto Alister, giggling as she squeezed his lean neck. “Ali, you’re back!! I missed you!!”

“I was only gone for a few days, Cara,” sighed the victim as his neck was wrung, his speech unhindered.

“Ne-ver-the-less!!” she sang, pronouncing each syllable separately with musical emphasis. “I missed you SO much!!” Her smile reached her ecstatic, silver eyes. “You KNOW time doesn’t pass correctly at home!!”

Ignoring the wary glances from passing people, Cara radiated with absolute joy. Sterling and Cassandra looked at each other, confused and startled. Lyle’s limp head bobbed lazily as Wulfi tried to wake him with a nudge, and she even when so far as to pinch his cheek. Despite the awkwardness of the situation at hand, she couldn’t help herself.

The only response from him was a fluttering blink, but then he fell back into drowsiness. His shallow breathing had not improved by much and his eyes were glazed over, heavy with what could be perceived as sleep.

“Alister,” Silvester interjected, pressing for time. The woman at the counter was beckoning them to board, impatient and on edge in case her job was at risk if the passengers didn’t cooperate. “We need to hurry.”

And so as the vampire company offered their hands, the hesitant youths paused before standing. They stood, staring at each of their open palms as if this decision would ultimately decide their fates. Wulfi remorsefully gave Sterling a light push, causing him to take a step forward. Raleigh looked down at him, smiling maternally, and flexed his long fingers. The child looked back to his newfound friend, his pillar and backbone, his trusted adversary and someone he could confide in.

And then he walked ahead, trying his best to appear brave.

Wulfi gave a sad smile as the eldest man took his tiny hand and lead him to the gate. Her sorrowful eyes didn’t leave him until he had disappeared into the tunnel along with Raleigh.

Cara, arms loosely placed around Alister’s waist, stared at her with eyes full of kindness. Every second made it harder and harder to believe that these people could easily kill them. The younger of the two looked to her new associate, Cassandra, who was shaking as her head whipped around to scan all of the vampires. She wasn’t one to handle these types of situations with finesse.

She nearly flung herself out of her seat as she took the adult woman’s hand, and was lead to the same gate also. Wulfi stared after her retreating form, her heart ramming against her ribs with painful vigor. She was alone now, except for an entranced Lyle, and had no means of escape. If she had tried to flee before, it would have no doubt been a Pyrrhic victory (if her mad dash was a success, that is).

She’d have to bite the bullet. There was no way she could work her way out of this.

Deep in thought, she jumped when Alister and Cara easily lifted Lyle, each one holding onto wither his ankles or wrists. They scowled, snorting in disgust at his putrid smell, which didn’t affect the surrounding human population in the least. They could have each carried him with unmatched ease, but it looked less suspicious this way.

On the other hand, it looked even more suspicious this way, but it seemed as if the werewolf had fallen asleep. His faint snores could be heard as he was hefted off. Luckily, no one was around to see this except for the staff.

Elijah bounded over the row of seats and took his place between the paranoid Douglas and the charming Silvester. She looked to all four of them, none of them pushing her or begging her for her hand. They had all the time in the world, from the looks of it; however, when the woman at the door began to huff and fidget, Silvester opened and closed his hand as a sign of “you better hurry up or I’m gonna be in a ton of trouble” with a small sigh. His caring facade never faded.

Douglas had become even more nervous and began to rub his arm, head whipping in every direction. Paranoia thrived deep within his sapphire eye.

The decision was unanimous: she’d go with the fairly normal one.

“You,” she quietly said in finality, knowing very well that he could hear her.

Elijah’s face drooped only for a second at recognizing the hopeless tone in her voice, but immediately hid his hurt with a wide array of happy teeth. “Good! Shall we, then?” He offered his arm to her like a true dork and she took it with her own. He escorted her to the plane, the others trailing closely behind them.

[Wulfi]

~~~~~*****~~~~~

She got a window seat, though there was nothing to see as of yet. She wasn’t nearly as happy as she could have been, seeing as how she’d been snatched away from her natural habitat and all, but she tried to make the best of it as she lazily gazed out into the night sky. Elijah sat to her right, head back and breathing evenly controlled. Of course he wasn’t sleeping; vampires didn’t, or rather, couldn’t sleep. Perhaps he was conserving energy, or maybe he was deep in thought. Either way, he did a good job of not looking dead.

Wulfi yawned, and although she looked worn out, she’d gotten enough sleep already and wasn’t all that tired. Truth be told, her senses were at their best due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins. It was a good skill she had, keeping calm in dire situations. It was probably the most important asset she had in her arsenal at the moment.

They weren’t the only people on the aircraft. There were unfamiliar faces all around them, and the others from before were scattered amongst the crowd along with their escorts. The roaring, monotone engine rang in her ears in the deafening silence of the sleeping fellow fliers.

After a painfully long period of quiet, Wulfi became drowsy. Her nearly unnoticeable movements became lethargic as she shifted every so often to attain comfort. It brought her back to reality when Elijah tapped her upper arm, and she made a small interrogative grunt. Her eyes whipped open as she faced him.

His stunning face was alarmingly close to hers, though he didn’t seem to be attempting to flirt at all. A pink tinge caught on her cheeks, her wide eyes focused on his blank ones. He looked to his right and she did the same, eyes locking on his outstretched index finger which was aimed out the window. She turned her head and drew a sharp breath.

The airplane was tilted with such painstaking accurateness that the horizon was a visible line which joined the brightening sky and the serene ocean below. On the boundary, a tiny glow appeared, and then the entire line glowed with neon gold. Wulfi’s face lit up with childlike giddiness. A gaping hole stood for her smiling mouth as her eyes reflected amber at the innovative dawn. The hazel irises had become lighter, as had Elijah’s deep blue eyes, which were now the color of the ocean below them.

“I love coming this way,” he breathed, enthusiasm touching his voice. “It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?”

She nodded quickly, rejuvenated at the sight. For a moment, she forgot about the danger around her and just basked in the sheer beauty of nature. This may have been her last chance to see such an amazing wonder of nature in action. The light glinted in their eyes like sparks, metaphors for their joy.

It was almost enough to make her believe that maybe (and the chance was small, but plausible), possibly, this adventure wouldn’t be nearly as bad as they had thought.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

The rest of the trip went smoothly, until they reached the island. By then, it had to have been at least eight o’clock in the morning. The dim lights which lined the aisle began to flicker as the flight hit a turbulent patch of air. The dark clouds engulfed them like thick smoke, strangling the calm that had once been. Passengers began to chatter worriedly and soon, panic struck hard.

The overhead lights began to fade on and off as well, as if they were panicking also. Terrified screams begged for the pilot or stewardesses to let them in on this chaotic situation, but the women sat firm in front of the curtain with their eyes clenched tight and hands protecting their ears from the utter insanity that ensued. Shrieks ripped through any placidity that may have been spared before.

Wulfi made an action to rise from her seat, but a cold hand anchored her gently to her seat. It felt like a steel weight as she winced, and Elijah let up. It was hard for him to control his strength at times. If he wasn’t careful, he could break her with one quick shove. Her distressed eyes met his controlled, stern ones. A red flag went up in her mind; this was all part of the plan.

“You’re going to kill them?!” she yelled over the craze around her. The horrified passengers didn’t seem to notice her statement. Elijah’s blank face became pained as his slim eyebrows furrowed. “That’s not exactly… our aim. It’s their fault for choosing this airline.” He strained to bring the words to his lips. It became painfully obvious that this was the part he dreaded most.

“What’s going to happen?” she murmured, voice trembling and eyes welling with tears. Not surprisingly, he could hear her soft tone over the ruckus.

“We’re going to drop you off on the island, and because they have been through this experience as well, they will not be allowed to leave this vicinity,” he swallowed hard, “…alive.”

Before she could reply, the aircraft swiveled and fell into a spin. She flailed around in her seat due to the intense movement, but her escort buckled her seatbelt at lightning speed and held her shoulder with an iron grip. Despite how tender he may have intended his hold to be, the anxiety made him shudder and press against her with more force than needed. Twin tears fell from her tight eyes as she ran her fingers through her wavy hair, gripping fistfuls in desperation. She dare not peer out the window; she had a gut feeling that they were spiraling out of control and anytime, they would meet their end. The cold fingers grasping her shoulder did little to ease her fears.

“You’re not going to die,” an unnaturally serious voice told her, frosted breath cool on her ear. Elijah was trying his best to calm her, but it was useless without his heroic attitude. She’d bet money that his eyes were glazed over and empty, saddened by this inevitable event. If only vampires could cry, then she wouldn’t be alone in her display of suffering.

And then silence.

The quiet around her was tight, constricting. If she wasn’t so scared, she might have actually considered that she was dead. There was no pain here, and as her heart calmed itself, realization dawned upon her features. The tenseness of her figure dispersed as she became limp, floating in the abyss that was most likely some form of Limbo. Her blank eyes opened slowly and as her vision became clearer, she was blinded by a stark white light.

Everything was nothing. Nothing was everything. All that surrounded her had no material value. Although she was breathing, she was unable to feel the air that filled her lungs. She wasn’t even conscious of her own heartbeat.

She tried to talk, but even if she was actually speaking, she couldn’t feel her lips move nor the sound of her words. One question resounded in her head, echoing off of the walls of her psyche.

‘Am I dead?’

“No, you’re not.”

This reverberating answer struck her by surprise, and with a sudden impact, her eyes snapped open. She inhaled with much greed; it felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. This room had color, and as it ceased its revolutions, she could make out a blurry man with dark hair. He was hovering over her, and she soon realized that it was none other than Elijah. Sterling was also next to him, Raleigh at his side with a fatherly hand on his shoulder. The boy’s lashes were dotted with the dew of his tears.

“Y-you kept asking if you were dead, over and over,” he wailed meekly, sniffling and wiping his burnt sienna eyes with a long gray sleeve. “I was so scared!”

“Yet you did the same thing, my boy,” interjected the eldest, making his debut in the conversation. “Anyone would be frightened. But keep in mind that you indeed passed the test!” He smiled a profoundly dim-witted, yet honestly glad smile.

“Test...?” asked a dizzy Wulfi, voice now foreign on her own two ears. Elijah pulled her up with finessed speed, careful not to give her motion sickness, and supported her numb body with his chest. He sat cross-legged in the center of the aisle with her in his lap. She couldn’t feel the beat of his heart, even if he had one.

He encircled her with his lean arms. “When breaking through the barrier between Seclusion and the Outer World, humans usually experience a state of unconsciousness. Unfortunately, some even die,” Elijah muttered the last part, ashamed of the consequences of their actions.

“So the passengers are-...”

“Unconscious, for now,” a somber redhead finished for her. “We sadly don’t have the technology needed to erase minds, and even if we did, the scent of Seclusion would be all over them. Other creatures, most of them werewolves who snuck away years ago onto a flight not unlike this one, would undoubtedly massacre them... They are rash beings, and cannot stand the scent of Home.”

“...Home... You say it with such fondness,” she murmured, eyes closing and head lolling back so that it rested on Elijah’s stiff shoulder. Her nerves were slowly beginning to reawaken, and the tingle it created was an uncomfortably creepy sensation to her body. It made her want to shudder.

“...There is,” began the man holding her, “an area on Seclusion where we... live, you could say. It holds the best and worst of our memories. We call that place Home.” His crisp breath was notable now, fresh against her rejuvenated facial muscles. She could hardly feel the rumble of sweet his voice deep with is chest, but it was there.

She looked around, testing her neck muscles, and gasped. “The others!! They’re gone!!” Sterling’s face fell to the ground in depression, shoulders slumping.

“We’ve already moved them out,” Raleigh stated regally. “Sterling, however, awoke only minutes before you. After he saw you, he insisted on...” He left his sentence hanging in the air, eyes cast away from the group and full of hurt.

“...On what...?”

“On saying goodbye,” the lad said under his breath.

“Goodbye?”

The next thing she knew, a sobbing young boy was clinging to her rigid form. He buried his face in her chest as Elijah’s hands fell to his sides. The young lady shed a few tears herself. It always got to her when she might never see someone again, even if they had met only a day ago.

“So you’re separating us?” she asked, displeased by this situation. She took a shaky breath as Elijah’s lips brushed her neck, opening for a sigh to pass through. “He’s only a child!”

The two kidnappers remained silent despite her harsh tone, eyes void of any emotion. Apathy played across their faces as the only sounds existing in the airplane became her enraged breathing and Sterling’s sobs. She held the boy tightly in her arms, sending a glare to the ringleader of this operation. Raleigh sighed.

“It’s not my decision whether you stay together or not. There are higher powers at work here.” His pained voice was deathly serious. He kept his eyes averted so that his anger wouldn’t frighten her.

“He’s just a child! He can’t be left with people he doesn’t even trust! It’s insanity!!” Sterling curled his legs to his chest and clung to her arm for dear life. He shook with each tattered breath, tears creating moist stripes on his distressed face. His wails tore at her heartstrings with painstaking accuracy.

“How can you be so sure that he trusts you? You don’t even trust yourself.”

Her heart skipped a beat. How could Elijah know that? True, she didn’t trust people easily; not even her own family and closest friends had her complete trust. But what really perturbed her was his cold, demeaning voice when he commented on her statement.

She timidly turned her head to face him, noses touching. Her eyes were confused, bewildered. His dark eyes, however, were half-lidded as if he was in a different realm of the mind entirely.

“Don’t mind him,” Raleigh explained, acting as if this phenomenon was nothing out of the ordinary. “He has the ability to read minds if he makes skin to skin contact, but only if his lips are touching the skin. He can’t tell what you’re thinking if you’re just holding hands.” He went on to assure her that just because he had touched her before, he was not able to read her thoughts.

She looked to Elijah again, who had returned to his normal self. The only thing different about his demeanor was his low hyperactivity. Sadness overtook him once more. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

All she could do was stare at him, amazed at this skill. He blinked multiple times, confused. “What?” Wulfi shook her head at his question and then spoke to Raleigh directly, eyes serious to a fault.

“I won’t let you take him.”

It was frightening, to say the least. When drastic times were upon her, it was as if she became a completely different person. She could handle when changes were made, but when she felt that something unjust was at hand, she wouldn’t let it stand under any circumstances.

Her strict eyes were fierce, blazing. She would right this wrong, no matter what the cost.

Elijah’s arms tightened around her, tense. His lips pressed to the back of her ear, causing her to tense as well. They were like smooth ice, almost like being kissed by snow.

“She’s not going to give up.”

“I know that, Elijah, but we can’t risk killing her.”

All thoughts from before that lead her to believe that these guys were innocent faded. They were murderers, thieves, and mercenaries. Despite the hesitant fear throbbing in her head, the harsh look of authority never left her. Her eyes betrayed her façade, however. Deep within her irises, worry and the urge to flee swam frenzied.

Sterling’s iron grip dwindled away to tried fists, and he looked up at her with a look full of emotion that she couldn’t put her finger on. It was almost as if he accepted the situation and would go without a fight, but a longing kept him attached to her bosom. This child was more mature than one could infer from first sight.

“It’s okay,” he began. The sadness in his voice sent waves of pain straight to her heavy heart. “I’ll go.”

Before she could give him a reply, Raleigh lifted him from her lap and set him in the cradle his arms created. Sterling curled into a fetal position, eyes sore and damp. He faced her for the last time, though something in his grieving gaze told her that he thought otherwise.

His naturally content smile disturbed her as he was carried away.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

From there on out, everything happened in a blur. The next thing she knew, she was on the soft silver sand of the smooth shoreline. After that, she was sped off into the twisting forests, and finally, they found a cobblestone trail in a peaceful, bright clearing. The spring green grass was finely cut even though it looked as if no one had set foot on the terrain in at least fifty years. Minuscule strands leaned over and shadowed the walkway.

Elijah, face tight as if he was struggling to breathe, set Wulfi down on her feet and moved a chestnut piece of hair behind her ear. He smiled to the best of his ability, a twisted grin full of anguish, yet meant well.

“I can’t go with you the rest of the way,” he admitted. “It’s August 2nd, otherwise known as All Wolves Day.”

He spotted the confusion in her nervous eyes and chuckled dryly. “It’s a holiday unique to this island. There are others too, but it’s best to care about the one at hand.” Surprisingly, though the way he carried himself lead many to think him a goodhearted, jovial person, he was quite intelligent and could speak with utmost sophistication when times called for such manner. He was wise in the ways of the world; he’d probably seen all of it at least twice.

“You see,” he started off with an excited gleam in his eyes, “All Wolves Day is a holiday where the scent of werewolves dampens the air with even more pungency than usual. You can’t smell it, or maybe you can, if you inhale it enough. It has a rank, putrid smell.” Though he was smarter than the average man, he still had the attention span of a pup. He seemed to forget about the depressing situation as he explained further.

She sniffed the air. “I don’t smell anything out of the norm… Flowers, maybe, but that’s it.”

“Hmm,” he mused. “Maybe it’s different for your kind.

“At any rate, you need to get going,” he insisted, eyes not as gloomy as before. He scrunched his nose. “Stupid wolves, leaving their scent on the castle…”

“Castle?!” Her jaw dropped. ‘So I’m in a fairytale?!’

For a brief second, her eyes lit up with both surprise and happiness. The chances that this expedition would turn out to be alright were growing more and more.

“Go on, now,” he urged, moving his palms forth as if he was pushing someone.

And so she turned and cautiously walked down the long pathway, wary of her surroundings. Though she was defensive, she couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope begin to evolve into something stronger.

Whatever lay at the end of this road, she would accept it. There was no turning back now.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Hours of walking began to ail her.

The sunlight which had made the island seem so welcoming before was hidden behind threatening layers of storm gray. A soft chill had settled and engulfed the entire area in a shade of thinning fog. The miasma began to disperse as she strode deeper into the forest, which broke at times and displayed treeless, lush clearings. The trail never became confusing and so she continued without complaint. Often, the slender trail would twist and wind as if contorting in pain. Whenever this occurred, a throbbing sensation in her head would annoy her to no end, but she kept moving forward and didn’t dare look back. She feared that if her eyes left the stones on the pathway, she might lose sight of her destination entirely.

It’s not like she could go back, even if she wanted to. It was better to accept one’s fate than wait for the inevitable. Stress was a demon common to all. It was better not to entice it.

Dizzy, feeling as if she was falling into a stupor similar to Lyle’s unblessed state, she rested. Falling to her knees, she took deep breaths and tried to focus on anything other than the swirling nausea that threatened to overtake her.

It may have been another strange figment of her imagination, but she could smell a foreign scent that reminded her oddly of lavender. The pounding in her head subsided and her aching muscles became less tense. Rejuvenated, she stood and glanced around in confusion.

Silence ensued. Even the faint cries of unknown birds became mute, and the dancing wind had lost its breath. The fog had become exceptionally thick around her also, and as she swiveled around to catch what anomaly may have aided her, the cloud swallowing her thinned out.

After a short while, the forest was alive with distant animalistic chatter once more.

[Wulfi]

~~~~~*****~~~~~

It took her at least another hour to escape the forest. The long, sleek walkway curved majestically over miniature hills and risen, grass-coated earth. As she hiked up the final, largest hill, her excitement rose to fever pitch.

She stood atop the crest of earth and stared in awe.

A massive mansion symbolic of a castle stood about a third of a mile away. Its architecture was breathtaking, simply regal. From far off, it looked like the manifestation of a medieval maniac’s addiction. The darkly colored stones and ominous structure thrived within the thin layer of fog around its base.

She couldn’t believe it. This was insanity in its purest form.

Wulfi took off running, sprinting like a madman in a marathon. Her eyes were full of nothing but high expectations as she neared the oversized mansion, laughing lightly into the misty air.

Within minutes of constant speed, she was in front of the extravagant double doors. Either handle was just out of her reach, with twin iron wolf heads holding silver rings boldly in their open jaws. These holds were the only piece of the building that signified great fortune within its dark walls; they were pure silver, though the rest of the mansion looked somber and shadowed.

Her heart nearly gave out as she pounded anxiously on the gargantuan doors, one fist on each. She beat twice, grinning excitedly and jumped, startled as the heavy doors cracked open. Her smile faded.

It was like opening a freezer, seeing as how a cold, stagnant blast of air hit her head on. She caught whiff and snorted at the stale air, then proceeded inside.

The interior was similar to the sad, agonizing exterior. The commons area was empty as she set foot inside and looked as barren as a ghost town. A lone skylight that ascended up countless flights of stairs, another thick glass pane on each level, allowed the room a few rays of gray-tinted sunlight. It must have been about noon, from what she could tell.

Her skeptic eyes darted from staircase to charcoal staircase, each on either side of the large room. She urged her legs to move and began slowly pacing up to the foot of the steps, taking in the whole of the room with interested eyes.

The only thing that truly caught her eye was the humongous stained glass window on the wall at the top of the stairs. It could be seen from the entrance as well, but no sunlight filtered through it and so it refused to glow. It took up nearly the entire wall like a holy mural. Her eyes traversed the artwork in awe.

It was the most amazing glass work she’d ever had the privilege of laying eyes on. Though it was dim with a faint gray hue, it told a tale unique and passionate.

In the center was a young woman in a royal blue dress with light blue leggings and elbow-length gloves. Silver heels and a moonlight colored shawl adorned her feet and shoulders. Her brown hair fell in ringlets and waves down her back and flared out around her as if energy was pulsing from her body, causing it to hover about her fine form. Elliptical slits of sienna stood for her eyes.

To the lady’s left was another young woman around the centerpiece’s age, if not slightly older. Her hair was golden brown and spilled down her back in tight curls, and her pale coral dress fit her lithe body well. Another girl was on the middle woman’s right and looked exactly like the one on the left, only her hair was a garnet red and her dress was a glistening forest green. Twin sets of oval emeralds made for their eyes. They both sat on their knees, each gently holding one of the maiden’s hands.

Diagonally to the left of the maiden, somewhere in the lower left area of the masterpiece, a young man in a cobalt blue suit of armor reached toward the main lady in vain. Opposite of him, directly to the lower right of the same object of affection, a man with long, sleek onyx hair mimicked the soldier’s pose.

Perhaps they weren’t longing for the princess, but for the gorgeous sapphire in the center of the stained glass mural. It was crafted so that the shape resembled that of an upside-down, diamond-headed pentagon. Though the sun did not touch the jewel, it glimmered faintly as if some sort of magic was pulsing through it.

She yawned, worn out after a day of traveling, and retired to the hallway to the right of the top of the stairs. There were various rooms and a staircase at the end of each respective hallway.

She ascended even though she was weary; it was as if something compelled her to do so, as if something was calling out to her.

Indeed, faint singing rang in her ears, the singing of a young girl. It echoed in a nearly silent manner, only falling on her ears.

Upon discovering the highest room in the mansion, her curious eyes snapped wide. On the thirtieth floor, there was only one room at the end of the hallway, and it had to be fictitious; it was too dreamlike to exist.

The room was fairly large, and pressed against the far wall was a sky blue canopy bed. The veil seemed to glimmer in the gentle sun, which danced through the tall window at the foot of the bed, bounced off of the tilted full-body mirror on the wall opposite of the bed, and jumped to the curtain of ice. A white vanity was on the wall to the left of the room.

As she set foot inside the bedroom, the little girl’s singing immediately ceased. It didn’t even fade slightly, but altogether stopped.

Wulfi’s eyes were drawn to a small ivory, Victorian-style music box. As she stepped across the plush carpet, the metronome of her heart quickened. There was something about this room that made her uneasy, yet she couldn’t help but love it.

Her soft fingers traced the silver fringe of the cover, smooth and unmarred. Not a knick could be found anywhere on its spotless, glossy surface. She could almost feel a presence within its confines.

Eyelids heavy, she brushed aside the icy veil and crawled into the bed. Pulling the chilled covers up to her neck, she shivered, and tried in vain to imagine what sort of non-human would be waiting for her upon her awakening.









Footnotes:
* - Hajimemashite – (Hah-jee-meh-MAHSH-teh) – “Nice to meet you” in Japanese, literally “this is the first time we meet”.

(((Your debut doesn't have to be nearly as long as mine, but your means of abduction need to remain the same as mine. That means vampies kidnap you and fly with you to the island. If you want to travel with a small group, go ahead, but you can only have a werewolf on board if you message me. I'll relay the details to you there in order to avoid spoiling the others. And please, don't everyone have a werewolf. -_-;; One or two members besides me can have ONE.

Please read the whole thing!! I spent so long on this!! ^_^;;

And btw, I had to post this in fragments because...

"Your message exceeded the maximum allowed 25Kb (25,600 characters). Your message was 71,266 characters. Please shorten your message."



Yeeeeeeeaaaaaah... Enjoy. ^^)))

[Griffin]

OOC: I'll have to read and reply later. I'm too busy and I'd like to read it all at once. I might have a reply up tomorrow night.

[Admin]

OOC: Okay... about 15% done so far...

[Wulfi]

(((I'm looking forward to replies by Friday, peoples... Try to get on it. >_>;; )))

[shadowdeath]

OOC: LOLZ HERE I GOES WRITING A CRAP INTROOOOO

---

Alex's mouth moved as his lip synced to lyrics he didn't even know. Still, he tried the best he could, while dancing around like an idiot. He immediately stopped his dancing and lip syncing as a black van was driving down the road towards him. His great dancing and lip syncing skills were something that couldn't be revealed to the public yet. They obviously couldn't handle the greatness.

The van slowed down as it got closer to Alex. When it reached the music listening kid it stopped and the door slide open. Two tall men wearing suits and dark sunglasses got out. The one on the left had a buzz cut and looked very grim. His partner was his polar opposite. He had purple hair that spiked in multiple directions, and was smiling slightly, looking amused.

"Are you Alex Zhang?" Ask the buzz cut man.

The question seemed to echo throughout Alex's mind. But he couldn't of heard the question with Tupac blasting in his earphones. He pulled out his headphones. "Sorry, what did you ask?"

The man on the right chuckled, shaking his head. The grim looking man repeated his question. "Are you Alex Zhang?"

Again the question echoed through his mind. The hell? They know my name? And what's up with me repeating his question? "Um...." Alex was about to reply yes when he realized who these men were. Looking at the suits and dark sunglasses they were obviously FBI. Or CIA. Or maybe the mafia. Probably FBI.

He panicked and blurted out, "I swear! I swear I'm not ZhangisDaMan1337! I didn't download those songs!"

The spiked hair man started laughing. The buzz cut one was silent. "We just need you to come with us Alex," said the spiked hair man after he stopped laughing.

"Uh... okay..." Alex replied. He made a move as if to go with them but instantly turned around, dropping his back bag and started running as fast as he could. He ran head on into a light pole and fell on his back.

"Fuck..." The words barely escaped his mouth as he drifted into unconsciousness.

---

Alex drifted in and out of sleep listening to the silent hum of an airplane. His brain made a connection and his eyes immediately opened up. Airplane? What?

And sitting across from him was the main with the purple spiked hair. "Me and Silent over here had a bet going on. See if you would even wake up. I thought you would wake up before entering Seclusion. Silent," he said jerking his thumb towards the buzz cut man, "thought you were an idiot and would only wake up after the entering. If you survived of course." He smirked. He peered out the window. "Oh look! We're there! Get ready, it's one hell of a ride."

The plane jerked downward and started to spin. Alex was completely taken by surprised. He jerked forward only held by his seatbelt.

"Oh god I'm going to throw -" he never finished his sentence. Because once again, he saw darkness.

---

It was dark. Completely dark. Ah, Alex thought, This is nice. Death is like sleeping forever! I love sleep. My only regret is I never slept with anyone yet... oh well. Sleeping forever will do..

"WAKE THE HELL UP". The thought exploded into his head, it's message echoing several times though his head. Alex sat up holding his hands to his ears yelling, "YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Hey! You cheated this time Silent! You can't tell him to wake up!" The purple spiked man protested. Silent responded, but Alex couldn't hear the response. "No, you definitely cheated, otherwise he wouldn't of woken up asking you to shut up. I want my money."

Silent started walking away. "Get back here!" Purple spikes demanded. He pulled at Alex's arm dragging him with him. "Come on kid, let's move."

---

After what seemed like eons, Alex arrived at a giant castle. The pair that had kidnapped him left halfway through the journey with something along the lines of "Go to the castle yourself, can't stand this goddamn smell."

So he was finally there. He pushed on the door, and they didn't open. Alex then kicked the door, which resulted in much swearing. He then knocked on the door, and the doors slowly swung open. "Oh, that's why they didn't open earlier."

He walked in, looking for a bed. Or food. All the walking made him completely worn out. Hopefully when he slept he would wake up. At the moment he was pretty convinced that all this big adventure was the result of him hitting that light pole earlier, and he was probably in a coma.

Spying some stairs he slowly walked up, found the first room that had a bed and immediately flopped down on it. When his head touched the pillow he fell asleep. His stomach grumbled. Food would have to come later.

[Griffin]

OOC:

Wulfi: Done. Fantastic job. I didn't read every single detail because it makes my eyes hurt, but I got a large bulk of it.

@alex: "I swear! I swear I'm not ZhangisDaMan1337! I didn't download those songs!" Beautiful.

I think I'll start this like all my other real life RPs...playing Guild Wars!! ...nah. I'll try something new.
________________________________

Ah...Northmont's auditorium. Griffin's home away from home. Northmont's auditorium is one of the best, if not THE best, for high schools in eastern Ohio. Following the enjoyment of Peter Pan, Griffin decided to take a shot at the musical, Fame. Auditions were today. His choir class had gone over the music a couple times and he felt he had it down.

People came, acted, sang, and just had fun. Griff was there with a small group of friends: Jon, Jacquie (pronounced Jackie), and Erika. Griffin was the only one auditioning, but the others wanted to come see what him preform since he was so loved after Peter Pan (I was too ^_^).

Missed a beat here, sharped a note there. All in all it was a solid job. He was pleased as he walked out the courtyard with his friends. The girls said he did great. Jon made jokes. 'Twas their way.

As they neared the end of the courtyard, Erika left them to meet with another friend. Lucky for her. Griffin just caught a flash in his peripheral vision. With all the times his dad sneak attacks him, he's senses are keener than most (again, true).

He motioned to them to huddle just like a group of teens talking would. Another glance around confirmed his suspicions. This time, though. The two serious dressed men didn't bother to be sneaky. In fact, they were coming from the opposite direction from where Griff saw them. "Strange..."

The one on the left was taller, wearing a black tux. His brown hair was slicked back and his man-heels clunked as he walked. Even from a distance, he could see a certain gleam in his eye. Not a good one either. The man on the right had a scruffy short haired look. He wore sunglasses with a matching black tux. "Very strange."

Jon saw them as well. Griff and Jon's constant brawls and duels kept him aware as well. He mentioned the odd movement of the left man's hand by his pocket.

"A weapon most likely."

Jacquie was nervous. "Should we run."

"Nah," said Griffin. "Doing anything here would be stupid. Especially with the principal coming from behind us."

She started, "But Kraus isn't..."

"Afternoon children," came Mr. Kraus's rough voice.

They responded in unison, "Good afternoon."

Mr. Kruas stopped as he saw the two men. "Excuse me, can I help you? School grounds are closed to everyone except children partaking in after school activities."

The two men glanced at each other. The taller man stepped forward and slugged the principal with a mean right hook. The teens stood in shock. Mr. Kraus fell slump to the ground. "Now we run," Jon said.

They took off, the men's in quick pursuit. Exiting the courtyard, they all split out. Jon ran left, going around the school. Jacquie went straight across to the tennis courts. Griff went right, swinging right again back into the auditorium. Everyone was cleared out. Rushing to the stage area, the stormed down the center aisle and slid left, opening a concealed portion of the stage which led into the pit.

The pit was where the band would sit during shows that required them. The top of the stage would fold down, allowing them to be seen. The pit was Griff's happy place you could say. All the new Drama Club'ers were too scared to go down there and the seniors had more fun up top. Always a good place to hide.

He heard the footsteps above him. He held his breath, but it didn't make a difference. It shocked him so freakin' much to see a black hole above him and the two men float down.

"Holy...shit."

He first thought was to run again, but there was no where to run to. They were blocking where he came in and the other door was locked.

"Just what the hell is going on here anyway?"


He sat down, defeated. "What do you want?" The only consolation is that he knew Jon and Jacquie her OK.

The shorter man spoke, "Are you Griffin Coldiron?"

He looked up, "Wha?"

"Are you Griffin Coldiron."

Multiple retorts came to mind, but he figured this wasn't the time to use them. "Yeah...who are you though?"

"Come with us," said the taller man coolly.

"Oh come on. Haven't you seen the safety videos? Don't go with strangers?"

He immediately noticed his mistake. As Jon said, the tall man pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Griffin. He instinctively put his hands up. "Shit man...you're going to kill me 'cause I made a joke?"

"Get up."

He followed, seeing as he was in no position to disobey. Another curse Griffin had was that his mind reacted faster than his body. He saw the man's finger move and the trigger was pulled. He wanted to dive, but a small feathered needle had already stuck itself in his shoulder. "Fuck me..."

Griffin felt sick as his thoughts swam back together. His vision was blurred and his head ached. He could tell he was upright, though. There was a certain weightlessness feeling about. He turned sideways try and comfort the pain...but it soon panicked him. He was in a plane. Up in a plane.

The teen had never been on a plane before. But considering the circumstances, it wasn't something to cheer about. He was sitting near the two men who tranquilized him. How they got a tranquilizer in a handgun he'll never figure out. There were more important things to worry about.

He tried to make words, but only scratchy groans were conjured. The tall man spoke, "Humph. You're up. Thought you'd be out until the spin."

Still recuperating, he didn't patch together "I'm on a plane" and "the spin".. The shorter man piped up, "Jack, we're almost there."

Jack turned to his ally, "Really? Damn. Kid, you have the worst timing."

Finally able to respond, Griff spoke, "What're you talking about."

"You'll see," Jack smiled.

Suddenly, the plane jerked sideways. Not used to the feel on flying at all, Griff felt like he'd lose his lunch. But it soon worsened as the plane spiraled down...down...down. Black.

"Let me know that I've done wrong, when I've known this all along. I go around a time or two, just to waste my time with you."

"Damn...even when I'm dead music gets stuck in my head. Heh...that rhymed. I'm a funny dead guy to."

"You're not dead jackass."

His brown eyes fluttered open. He slowly sat up trying to ignore the throb in his head. He was on some sort of beach near a beautiful forest. "What the fuck?"

"Get up."

"Again?"

The two glared at him. Griffin sighed, "Fine..."

They guided him for hours on end through the heavy woods. Slowly lumbering along, Griffin was only focused on not falling unconscious again. He bumped into the short man, not noticing they stopped. He regained awareness, especially the ache in his legs. The teen's vision faded again as he stood before the behemoth before him. A castle.

"...Cool."

The men were too silent he thought, but without them saying anything, it provided Griffin the chance to make up his own story.

But...the tall man soon summed up what had happened. "Before you go in, you should know a few things. I take it you have a mind for fantasy."

He nodded.

"Well, you're fine then. Keep that mind open. This land is called Seclusion. We took you from the Outer World. Many people such as yourself have been gathered. For what reason, well, only the head of the family know that. Watch for your Outer World-ish horror film stuff."

Griffin never watched movies, "Liiiiike...?"

"Smell anything?"

He sniffed. He barely caught a light scent. "Flowers?"

"Werewolf."

Griffin blinked, "Yeah...werewolves. Can I go in the castle now?"

The men nodded.

"Cool."

He pushed on the doors and they slowly creaked open. But his fatigue caught up to him and he collapsed on the cool stone. A couple hours on the floor couldn't hurt...right?

[shadowdeath]

OOC: Lol cheater, you skipped the transportation to plane too.

[Griffin]

OOC: Hey...it's late. >_<

[shadowdeath]

OOC: Lol I don't blame you.

[Admin]

OOC: Okay... I absolutely have no idea what to do. So far, Wulfi, I've read about 2 posts of yours so far, and they're basically in a trunk. Do I have to get to a plane via 2 men, because my ADD will not allow me to endure more reading.

[Griffin]

OOC: Basically, two "vampires" take you on a plane, it spirals out, you go unconscious and wake up in Seclusion. "Vampires" take you to castle. You go in. End scene.

[Will]

Now I mean youuuuu~
Crank that Soulja Boy!

Will, along with the rest of the crowd at his 8th grade dance, happily "Cranked Dat Soulja Boy" while the beats flowed through the DJ's speakers. Friends of his classmates came, and so did Sara. Will had slowdanced with her many times. The final beat jumped out of the speakers, and then the song switched to The Hell Song by Sum 41.

Rock music...at a dance...genius. Will reached into his wallet, pulled out a 1, then stepped outside of the dance hall. He crossed the street to the park and fed a bill into a Gatorade machine. He punched the button next to the Lemon Lime flavor, and the machine rattled as his drink fell to the bottom.

Will turned around and-

"Don't move. Don't say anything," said a tall, bald man pointing his tazer at him. He was dressed up in shades and a suit, and accompanying him was a man in similar attire, but his long straight hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

"You're going to come with us. Quickly. Quietly. Without any problems," said the one with the tazer.

Crack. Crack. Crack. Will slowly uncapped his Gatorade. He took a small sip. He felt like hell right now. He was scared. A guy had a tazer pointed at him, and they were asking Will to come with them. Stupidity escaped from his brain to his limbs.

Will tossed his bottle of Gatorade onto the one with the tazer, jabstepped, and using every football instinct he had, avoided the two men. He began sprinting back towards the dance hall. Thick footsteps behind him let him know that he was being followed. Will shot forward, adrenalline propelling him forward. The footsteps grew louder. How the...?

Will heard a small popping sound, a small pain, then electricity flowing everywhere throughout his body. He was unconscious within a couple of seconds.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Will had trouble thinking as he slowly woke up. He felt like he was floating. It was warm, company around him, and the rough sleeves on his arms were incredibly snug. Shit. He was tied to his chair. Suddenly Will came to his senses. He looked around. The men were there.

"Where am I?" Will demanded.

"On your way to a whole new world," replied the one that tazed him.

"I don't have time for any Disney sh-"

"There's no time for jokes. You're being taken to a place called Seclusion. You played Oblivion, from what I hear."

"Uh...yes. How d-"

"No time to explain. Imagine Morrowind. Good luck surviving."

"Wh-"

The lights went out. Everything went upside down, right-side up, and went in a constant cycle. They were going fast too. His world of light exploded in an instant.

He woke up. He was being dragged. He was on a wooden board attatched to ropes and the men were dragging him. Will didn't want to let them know he was awake. Walking in...wherever the fuck they were didn't appeal to him right now. Will fell asleep. This was way too much to take in.

At last, a still-sleeping Will was thrown into a cold, dark space.

[Admin]

The night was always very quiet. It had an enchanting and mystical feel. This night in particular. The air felt moist with the smell of newfallen rain. The boy enjoyed that smell, the smell that is accompanied by the first bright morning after a terrible storm. Brandon would drown himself in the feeling of that air.

He was walking home from his friend Erica's house. His steps were heavy since he had been walking for some time now. He cut through the high school, observing the football team play in the rain, then the band practicing in the back of the parkinglot. Brandon didn't go to that school anymore, so he really didn't see a point in considering the school anything more than just a shortcut.

Brandon pulled out his cell phone to call his mother, he wanted to assure her that he'd be home soon. '6-4-1-4-5-...-...' It rang 4 times, and got a voicemail. 'Heya mum, I'll be home soon. Could you make dinner? Okay... bye.' ...and he hung up. The phone's battery was exhausted.

By now, Brandon had walked about half way home. He was passing by his favorite wooden park from his childhood, when he was inspired to step in. Whatever force pulled him in, it was unknown. '...Nobody's here...' Brandon muttered under his breath. The park was a labryinth of wood and metal. It was a cleverly crafted playground for adventuring children. At night, it was close to terrifying. The only light in the whole park was a streetlight, shining consistently on the park in a eerie fashion, and a flickering light a little closer to the park. Brandon swung low on the swings that cold night, aware of his surroundings.

It's getting really dark... I... should go...

Brandon pulled on the gate of the park and nudged it loose. The gate swung open, and Brandon stepped through the gate, close to a large brush bush. He had to cross the street to get onto Cherry Street.

He didn't get to Cherry Street.

'Boy!' a suited man stepped out from the bush. His hair was onxy black, and quite shiny. His face was difficult to see well in the dark though. He was followed by a taller suited person, their head was shaved, and they had a figure that would allow Brandon to assume they were transgendered.

'Brandon... that's your name isn't it?' Brandon was terribly surprised, but too frightened to move. 'Y-Yes, why?'

'Brandon Buccie-' The onxy hair man almost finished before his partner lunged forward and pinned Brandon to the ground.

The shiny black-haired man cleared his throat. 'How are you so sure this is the one we're looking for?'

'...I saw it in his eyes. He recognised the last name. Now get the bag.'

Brandon squirmed hysterically. 'Help! Help!' he muttered through the ground. He was so scared that he couldn't see.

The had quickly bound and gagged him. He was carried into their van and quickly put into a black bag.

The van drove for what felt like hours.

Brandon felt the door open, and he was pulled out, and he dropped hard to the smooth ground. He felt a series of smooth, carpet, and rough. Finally, he stopped moving. He managed to squirm free of the bag enough to see where he was. A plane?

The engine started to mutter, and without a minute to recollect his thought, Brandon was rolling uncontrollably across the floor because of the plane's momentum.

It flew for a while, Brandon still unable to comprehend what happened, when the worst seemed to happen. The plane dove straight down and spiraled madly out of control. Is it the end...? Those words rang over in his head, throbbing his ears. Is it the end...?

And Brandon's sight faded, going totally black.

Where... where am I? Why can't I see? Why can't I move...? ...Why can't I speak...? Am I being dragged again...?

Brandon didn't know what was going on, but he felt as if the two were dragging him in the black bag again.

The dragging stopped. the floor felt smooth.

Where am I...?

[shadowdeath]

OOC: I'm the only one who was really suppose to cheat and skip the van part! You all didn't run into poles and should of woken up in a truck or van or something!

[Wulfi]

(((Wulfi likey!! Wulfi likey!! =D You all did very good with your introductions!! And thanks so much for the comments! ^_^

There are two or three things that annoy me, though.

One, I may have read it wrong, but it seems like your vampires actually got to the castle entrance. They can only go as far as the cobblestone trail on All Wolves Day.

Two, Griffy, I believe you smelled wet dog. As it states in the story...

“You see,” he started off with an excited gleam in his eyes, “All Wolves Day is a holiday where the scent of werewolves dampens the air with even more pungency than usual. You can’t smell it, or maybe you can, if you inhale it enough. It has a rank, putrid smell.” Though he was smarter than the average man, he still had the attention span of a pup. He seemed to forget about the depressing situation as he explained further.

She sniffed the air. “I don’t smell anything out of the norm… Flowers, maybe, but that’s it.”

“Hmm,” he mused. “Maybe it’s different for your kind.

If you do manage to smell the scent, it should smell pleasant to humans.

And three, I'm not really peeved about this one at all, but you made all of your vampires wear suits. XD I can work with that. Let's say thye work under the Flanagan family, then.

All in all, good work!! I'd like to continue after LC posts, thought that may take a while... I might change my mind and post tomorrow.

Good work, everyone!! I like where this is going!!)))

[shadowdeath]

OOC: *started a trend*

[Griffin]

OOC: What if I enjoy the smell of wet dog?

[Wulfi]

(((Well, good for you, but it should smell like flowers. XD )))

[Griffin]

OOC: Lol, ok.

[shadowdeath]

OOC:

He slightly caught a vicious scent. "Flowers?"

Lololol vicious scent of flowers. =P

[Griffin]

OOC: Damn right.

[Wulfi]

(((XD Someone get Nick (LC) to reply. If he doesn't in a week, I'll go ahead.)))

[lostconnections]

((Gomen everyone, college has been a pain considering the end of the semester is getting closer, I'll have a reply up tomorrow or tonight, hopefully it's the latter >>))

[Wulfi]

(((okay)))

[lostconnections]

"ichi, nii, san, shii, ichi, nii, san, shii"

This was all the left the mouth of Nick as he went through the motions with one of his swords, more precisely a katana which he highly valued, mostly because it was a gift from his grandfather. The blade was perfectly formed and just as sharp while it had a handgaurd which looked like a 6 pointed shuriken. The tying on the hilt was a dark red which matched the color of the tsuba perfectly.

After a while of repeating the movements he stops to take a break, in which he goes and sheathes the masterpiece of a sword and rests it against a nearby tree, next to a cloth which covered some other items he brought with him into the woods.

Nick stood at approximately 5' 11" with brown neck length curley hair and blue eyes along with a simple short mustache/goatee. His skin was pale compared to the average person. He currently wore a black Tshit with "Don't leave, your humiliation is very important to me" in red text on the front along with a pair of black cargos and black sneakers.

"Hey you there, our car ran out of gas nearby. do you know where we could find a phone?"

Nick raises and eyebrow and turns around to see two people walking towards him. their clothes were rathing unique and very.....black, probably worth alot. The two people consisted of a male and female, both were about his height and both had almost silver hair which was either dyed or something else. the male wore what looked to be a suit while the female wore a rahter formal business-like top and a tight mini-skirt.

"hey kid, ya listening?" the female says, all the while Nick was still looking them over, noticing they have skin paler than his and rather dark colored eyes.

"I am, one sec, I have my cell nearby."

He turns and begins walk towards the cloth covered bundle when he hears a rather disterbing question come from the two of them.

"so, are you Nicholas Lawrence....."

He stops in mid-step as he hears the pause which sigifies somone knowinbg how to pronounce his last name, but the scary part was that they knew who he was.

"so you are......you're coming with us"

Nick makes a bolt for the cloth bundle, he would hear the two people after him right on his tail. Once he getws to the bundle he quickly reachs under it and pulls out.....a battle-axe. sure it was un-conventional, but he was teaching himself how to use it.

To his surprise and dismay, the male catches the sharped weapon like it was nothing. Nick, surprised at the feat that the male just did lets go of the axe and grabs his katana, just in time to get nailed in the forhead by a punch from the male, sending him head over heels until he skids to a stop on the forest floor.

By this time his head was hurting like hell and after putting his hand to his head he would discover he was bleeding too. he struggles to his feet and when his vision mostly aligns itself he notices that only one is in front of him. Again before he could react he felt something soft on his upper back.

"Sorry kiddo, I was hoping I didn't have to use this." And with this she sticks a needle into Nick's neck. As he began to rapidly lose conciousness he could only think to grip his sword tighter.

~~~~~~

Suddenly Nick felt a jolt and sits up, to find himself in an indoor area surrounded by luggage. However after a quick once over of himself he felt a few stitches on his upper forhead and also notices his sword was still in his hands.

"Where the hell am I, the cargo hold of a plane?"

"Well well, it seems we have a winner." a female voice from behind him says.

Nick turns to see a door now open and the woman from before looking at him.

"Although, I'm surprised you woke up so soon, well in your case I would say 'so late' considering you missed the plane flight and crash"

"Oh this is just peachy." the teenage groans and he gets up and struggles out the door to find himself on a beach, and after checking himself over once again he noticed 2 things.

1: he still had his concealed weapons
2: he felt even worse standing than he did lying down

He sighs and looks at the female again. "so, what now?"

"well just follow the nearby path and you'll be fine, hopefully"

"Oh joy....."

Nick looks around and after a few second finds and path which he begins to follow, taking note that he didn't ask where he was once he had been following said path for over an hour. Soon though he notices a castle in the distance.

"Good, a building, hopefully someone will be able to tell me where the hell I am."

[Wulfi]

(((Fantastic job, everybody!! I'll have the second chappie up sometime this week. For now, we can just talk OOC.)))