Fantasy World Creations

[spoiler]Class 2-E
Oath, Asta, Throndir, Neko
[/spoiler]
The teacher enters the classroom slowly carrying a hand full of papers. Some students groan slightly after seeing who it is. Mr. Smith one of the school?s history teachers. He has gained a reputation for his dry humor and general edge that has made him popular amongst some of the female students and hated by the male students. He threw himself slightly disheveled and yawning into the chair behind his desk.

?Listen up guys, there is an announcement I?m supposed to read you:?

?Dear students,

Welcome to a brand new year at Washington high. We the faculity and parents cannot wait to see what you make of yourselves this year. We hope to provide an environment for personal growth and achievement that will pave a path to your future selves. To further this endeavor we are instituting a new mandatory extracurricular program that is to come in affect immediately. Students will be required to join and participate in a maximum of two clubs. The decision on what clubs to join must be made within the first few days or your homeroom teacher shall do it in your stead. Please keep in mind that due to the number of students that must be serviced that all choices once med are final and cannot be changed under any circumstances. We hope this change will make the year a memorable one.

All the best in the New Year!
   PTA and The Principle?

"I was told to tell you that you can sign up at the notice board right outside the class room and that homeroom will be extended for first period so that you all can have a look.?

Slowly he yawned as he finished, ?So there you have it I would get thinking if I were you guys.? Some people broke into groups others still directly left the classroom looking to get their spots quickly. Others still seemed not to have been paying attention at all sleeping or holding back as if out of nervousness. Glancing around there looks like there are a number of people willing to talk or you could go look directly at the board.

[spoiler]Npcs can onlt pick one club at the moment sorry if that was confusing[/spoiler]

"Issac! Any idea what you will be doing?" Ardelia questioned her childhood friend as she was thinking about what to do herself. As she spoke, a group of students came over to Issac. "Nah.. I will think of something though." After his brief response, the group of other students began talking, mostly to Issac about the situation, so Ardelia got up to go investigate, it would probably be more productive than listening to people who had no idea what they were talking about.

Leaving the classroom seemed to be the right idea, looking at the notice board only a handful of students seemed to be around it. Silently sliding into position next to another student, she began examining the board.

Art, basketball, cooking, drama, fencing... Gymnastics, kendo, library, modeling, newspaper... Ping pong, rugby, sewing, tennis, wrestling... Wow, there sure are a lot of clubs, I guess there really is something for everyone. But what should I do? Ardelia was a bit conflicted about the decision that had to be made. I wonder what a library club would do... Well, at the very least I like books so it probably would be okay, even if it wasn't my favorite thing. So I guess that can be one of them.

With the first choice seemingly done, Ardelia was trying to decide how to balance it out when she remembered her mother's constant nagging about how she didn't do enough exercise. Well... I guess I could try kendo? From what I have seen being super strong doesn't always make you better at it so maybe I could find a way to be good. Stopping mom's nagging would be a nice bonus though.

Perhaps she was making her choices too fast, but Ardelia seemed confident with her decisions and proceeded to sign up on the notice board in the proper spots. She went back inside the classroom, and Issac was somewhere else. So instead she plopped down in her seat by the window and looked out of it, waiting for something interesting to happen.

Isaac came back into the classroom rubbing his head as if he had the beginnings of a headache forming. He plopped back down in his seat and glanced over at Ardelia.

"To many choices Lia, there are just too many choices. I can't decide, you do it for me!" he said before throwing his head on his desk on top of his arms.

"Just pick something interesting!" He said his voice muffled.

"Well, if you say so." Ardelia had the perfect clubs in mind for her dear friend. She smiles at Issac and hands him his fate.
"Alright, you are going to join the boxing club. That way you can learn a few things and maybe protect Noel and I if we ever run into someone that wants to rob us."

Issac seemed to groan in protest, but it isn't like he had any better ideas himself. So this would be his fate. It seemed some more people were starting to come to decisions themselves, and Ardelia went back to idly gazing out the window.

With the end of the announcement Lilly rose from her seat and strolled quietly out to the hallway to look at the club listings.

Nope, nope, no, uh-uh, boring, pointless, blah... Oh here we go. Her eye had stopped scrolling on the first interesting choice in the entire list. Tai Chi could be nice, low stress I would think and good physical activity. I could use a little of that. After looking over the rest of the list she settled on calligraphy, it seemed like it might be something worth doing. She pulled a pen from her pocket and signed her name in a loopy script.

The task at hand complete, Lilly walked back into the classroom and headed back to her seat. Settling in, she leaned back and let out a long slow sigh before casting her gaze out upon her classmates. Eileen was in her class again this year, that was nice. She knew a few others in the room also, but not as well. For a moment, she felt a strange sense of familiarity with the dark haired girl with the mismatched eyes, but the moment passed.

Lilly pulled a small book from her bag and thumbed through to her bookmark. Eileen looks busy, so I might as well take the chance to read.

Ardelia

Looking around there are a number of people around busy in conversation. Looking over you get a pang of recognition looking at a slightly taller girl talking with a guy while looking a book over. Otherwise, Isaac is busy mulling his fate over and the teacher sneaking a nap at his desk. A short kid about you height with a young face is glancing at the board in the distance as he pushes his glasses up. That's when you here the story about Alicia. Not everyone is having an easy time of it for certain. Maybe you should talk with someone, Then again you have some time maybe going to check on Noel would be a good Idea you could only imagine how he is fairing having to make such a big discussion on his own.   

Lily

"Hey there Lily," said a familiar male voice looking up you see it is in fact Luke as you look up from what he you were reading. "Can you believe this whole mandatory club thing" he said sitting down in the empty desk next to you. At least least they have a lot of option's right?" Luke was without his usual hangers on. Perhaps he had somehow been put in a homeroom without any of them?

He let out a sigh "I ended up choosing something fast without really looking.So what do you think do thin do I look like a member of the Judo club? I'm not even sure what Judo is really hopefully nothing to strenuous. " Looking over his short yet really thin form he fir the musical or poetry type, and your pretty sure he had asthma from the stories you had heard from your sister.

"At least I'm fairing better then some," he said looking in the direction of a girl seeming to almost be completely in tears at the news. The girl with short blonde hair and a medium build was creating a little bit of a scene but was going unnoticed by most do to the strange announcements.

"That's Alicia by the way as rumor has it she's having relationship issues, apparently some guy has fallen for her and follows her around. She must be worried that whatever she picks he'll follow. "

Luke said the last part just loud enough for some of the others (players) to hear

"I wonder what she'll do?"

Lilly stuck the bookmark back in it's proper location and adjusted her glasses.

"Uhh, Im pretty sure Judo is a martial art Luke. It's the one where you throw people around. If you're looking for something that isn't too tough you may wanna reconsider."

While she spoke she looked over at the fussing girl Luke had mentioned. Alicia She repeated mentally, so she would remember.

"Has he been really weird about it? Or... forceful?"

Lilly mulled that thought over a little. Only in a high school could there be drama like that on day one.

Serena had entered the class, her gate like that of a model on the runway as she took her seat near the front. Her hair had been carefully styled for the first day ? A cute bun, while the remainder of her golden locks rested against her back. She had waved to her classmates, a kind smile gracing her lips.

Serena listened intently to their teacher's announcement, her elbows resting on the desk, her head carefully placed on the top of her hands. They would have to join a club? Anxiety washed over Serena, although she kept a composed exterior. This would be a major decision for her...If she wanted other students to continue looking up to her, she'd have to pick carefully. Surely picking something that would give her a good image, over what would be the most enjoyable, was the smartest move. But, at the same time...could she deal with something she disliked for the whole school year?

?...All choices once made are final and cannot be changed under any circumstances..?

She pursed her lips. Whatever she picked, the idol was sure she'd be able to come up with a good reason as to why she had done so.

Serena was quick to make her way to the club board, her eyes scanning the options in a rather frantic manner. ?So many...? She mumbled, a hand resting on her chin. Something athletic was sure to impress the students ? But Serena really wasn't into sports. Test prep seemed like a smart idea, but that simply sounded way too boring. ?Music club?? Her eyes lit up, her name being scribbled under it within a matter of seconds. Would they be playing instruments? Would she get to sing? Either way, she wasn't going to pass that one up. ?One more to go...? She thought, the second decision taking quite a bit longer than the first. There was one club she kept coming back to, however. Flower arranging. Serena adored flowers, and it sounded like a calming activity. She carefully signed her name, hoping more than anything that she had made the right decisions.

None of the happenings in class really caught Ardelia's attention so she decided to go and see how her brother was doing. He was never good at being decisive, and tended to go with the flow. She felt inclined to see what was going on with him. She got up and left the class room, she saw Lilly talking to a classmate and waved as she went by, noticing that she had a book in hand, curious what Lilly had read but that could come later.

She went in the hallway and made her way over towards the area where the senior classes were held. Standing in the hallway confused, Ardelia looked around to see if she could spot Noel, as she had forgotten to ask him what class he was in. A lot of unfamiliar faces went by in the halls, but she continued to work towards the notice board that seniors seemed to be gathered around to check if Noel was there.   

The alarm went off. He had wanted to sleep in this morning, and he had been planning to, at least until his father started yelling loudly in the house about seemingly random things. Turning off the alarm clock, it didn't take long to figure out that the man was drunk. It was still so early in the morning too. Between the Campbell siblings there was always an unspoken rule of getting away from either of their parents when they were in such a mood. The parents were volatile, and though he had preferred to stay home that day, it was simply better to leave the house. His sister had already left - she was usually the first one out, but Brian ran into his brother at their door. The kid was already tidying up his backpack, as well as tying his shoes.

"Take care a'right?" Brian said. His brother simply nodded.

"Mhmm, I don't think dad is himself."

"You know how it is." Brian shook his head as he himself took his belongings; which really was his shoes and coat. He ruffled his brother's hair, and a minute after that they had went on their separate ways.

---

Nothing in school really had ever interested Brian. When the teacher finally read the announcement, Brian was only half-listening. However, he instantly perked up when they mentioned that clubs were going to be mandatory. The hell was up with that? Making clubs mandatory? And to make it worse, he had to join two of them? If there was anyone in the class who would have preferred to not be in one, that was most definitely Brian. But to his credit, Brian did go up to the board as he skimmed through it. He wasn't really expecting to find anything, and he figured that he'll just sign up for something to appease the school. He doesn't have to go to the club meetings anyways. Besides, the clubs can say they have more members, don't they get extra funds or something?

He was just about to sign up for one of the listings, when one of the clubs caught his eye; the cooking club. He remembered all the trouble he had in middle school when the other boys in class found out he was into such girly activities, but since this is new year, perhaps things would be different. That didn't stop Brian in making sure no one else was paying him any particular attention however. Discreetly as possible, he took the pen and scribbled his name on the paper. Choosing another random club, he went with Art, it looked the easiest out of all the other options after all. He walked away quickly after that was done, meaning to go back to his desk.

As he finally sat down, Brian couldn't help but get excited. Not for the Art club, but more so for the Cooking club.

Ardelia

In a sea of much larger seniors you barely make out Noel?s outline to the front he is talking to a redheaded teacher with a stern build. He was one of the Science teachers and the only Physical Education teacher. His name was Mr. Halbert if you remember correctly. You never really paid attention during gym and you did not have him for science and your glad for it. Noel seems to break away from the conversation as another student approaches the adult. Noel pulls himself away from the crowd only to spot you at the back.

?Hey Lia. How?s it going? You actually here at a perfect time I was just talking with Mr. Halbert about what club I should join any ideas??

In the background you can see multiple senior girl?s glancing over and giggling and pointing. Then June can be seen as if at of nowhere batting them away from looking at him.

Lily

Luke?s face paled visibly as he coughed a little at the revaluation. ?Maybe I made a wrong choice, but there is the whole cannot be changed rule.? Luke couldn?t help but chuckle at himself.

As for Alicia, ?Jude?s a fine guy just over eager and awkward. Alicia is just not good with boy stuff apparently.?
Luke continued to complicate his predicament. ?So what do you think I should do??

Serena

As you renter the classroom after signing up for your clubs, Alicia looks up from her blubbering and almost throws herself at you.

?Serena thank god you?re here you?ve dealt with boys before you?re the only one I can turn to!? She blubbered into your chest. You knew her as a bit over dramatic, but she did seem distressed over something.

?Its this guy Jude Robins!? She cried ? He?s a complete slob and smells like dung, but he just keeps petering me. I want to join the tennis club but if I do so will he and then I?ll never be rid of him!? she blubbered softly so only you can hear a few seconds longer before composing herself.
?Then I had an idea! What if someone signed him up for something else like something I?ll never be able to see him in. Bo one is allowed to make changes so he couldn?t argue right? OH, you?ve got to help me Serena you?re the only one who can! You have to sign him up for some club you? re worldly you?d be able to choose best! You?re my best friend so you?ll help me right right?? she continues to whisper.

Shoving a pen in your hand?s she goes to run back in her desk, before turning back ?You?re a real life saver I?ll wait till you?ve made your choice before I sign up for the tennis team. So now you?re stuck with Alicia Oloski?s mess.

Brian

From your seat towards the back of the class you notice a small and somewhat chubby kid set down next you. Bruce Drake you think his name is. ? I wonder what I should choose?? He mumbled to himself just loud enough to here ?I?m tired of being picked on!?

Thinking it over your mind also wanders to a hangout spot on the grounds were a group of your friends hangout while skipping class. There would probably be someone there you could talk to if you wanted to chill.

Lilly was still watching Alicia while Luke was speaking, not because she was trying to ignore him, but because at that moment another blonde girl entered the room and Alicia had practically pounced on her. Alicia was jabbering quickly at the other girl and Lilly didn't bother to try and hear it, she was too distracted by another weird feeling of familiarity. Why do I think I've seen that girl before?

Waving the strangeness away she turned back to Luke.

"About signing up for Judo? I'm not sure, maybe they can make an exception and let you find another club?

She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes.

"It may not be all that bad though, you could look at it as a learning opportunity. A little exercise wouldn't be too bad either would it?"

The flow of conversation had shifted away from Alicia and her problems with Jude, but Lilly didn't let the issue drop completely from her mind. Where there were problems, she had almost always found herself there trying to solve them. It was the byproduct of her sisterly mentality. She was more than sure that she would end up involved in this trouble sooner or later.

Ardelia was a bit confused, it seemed like everyone was relying on her to choose their clubs for them, but she figured it couldn't be helped. She thought for a bit about what would be a good for Noel. Noticing the girls that seemed to be talking about him, she had an idea.

"Well, Noel, you could try the 'Student Morale and Togetherness Club' since so many people around campus seem to look up to you or respect you. Maybe you would be a good fit for keeping everyone in good spirits." Ardelia didn't know he if would take her idea or not, but since he asked she had to at least give an opinion. It at least definitely seemed like everyone knew who he was so it was a good start.

Re-entering the classroom, Serena was taken by surprise, immediately finding herself ambushed by a fellow classmate...Alicia. Serena was very careful about how close she got to people ? But, with Alicia, for whatever reason...the girl had become attached to the idol almost immediately. Was it just in  Alicia's nature to be clingy? Serena couldn't be sure.  At times, she wondered if there were motives behind Alicia's friendship. But, despite the not so mutual feelings of best-friend-ness, Serena still tried her best to comfort the poor girl though. The two sometimes gossiped and hung out, it would be wrong to just ignore her pleas. She carefully gave Alicia a pat on the head, smiling down at her. ?Calm down.? Serena said quietly, her tone more kind than commanding.

So, Alicia was having boy problems this time (Her problems seemed never ending...). Despite popular belief, Serena rarely dated. She might have made up a date or two, but her actual experience was incredibly limited. She cocked a brow as her blubbering ?friend? forced a pen into her hand. No, no, and no. Serena wasn't going to take such a risk. Surely the boy would notice if his signature was magically forged onto the club sheet? What if he complained? What if she got caught!? Usually, Serena preferred staying out of trouble. The first day of school was not the right day for mischief.

For just a moment, an odd feeling washed over Serena...like she was being watched. Sure enough, when she glanced around the room, she found a short haired blonde with glasses, looking in her direction. Serena quickly broke away from her gaze, remembering the situation at hand.

Marching over to Alicia's desk, she handed the pen back. ?Listen, I'm not going to jot his name down...? Serena whispered. ?I'll go talk to him myself. Don't worry, I won't mention you. I'll make sure he doesn't join tennis club, though.? She finished with a smirk. Serena had seen Jude before...then again, she had a slight familiarity with most of the students.

Once she was able, Serena would find Jude.

The kid next to him was taking the whole choose-your-club way too seriously. Sure, it might look like that you'd be stuck with that particular club for the rest of the year, but it's not like they'd force you to do anything right? Brian was musing to himself. He had never really joined any clubs in the past, but he did feel for the guy beside him. He himself had been picked on during middle school, though to him, that usually ended up in fist fights, detentions, and home calls.

Bruce Drake was the small tubby kid in class. Less then average appeal, though Brian never really held that against anyone. He hadn't seen the kid get picked on, but he could see why others would do so.

"Don't choose too hard. There were some pretty easy-going clubs on the list. Got anything you like doing?"

Ardelia

Thanks Sis I might just do that,? said Noel grabbing a pen from his pocket made his way back to the front of the masses pushing his way through and scribbling down his name in. As he was doing so a short shiver ran down your spine setting the hair on the back of your neck on end. You don?t know what caused it but you find it uncomfortable and perhaps it might be best to head back to the classroom.

Or wander the halls some more looking at the look on the wall you still have ten or fifteen minutes to get back before you would have to get to first period.

Lily

Luke still seemed pale, but smirked ?Maybe I can use it to scare the boys of my sister. Since I doubt they?ll let me change the principle is famous for his stubbornness in following his own rules and only his own rules.? He runs his hands through the messy mop of his brown hair and afterwards something seems weird about it that you can?t quite place.

?Well,? he said standing I?ll let you get back to your book now thanks for listening.? He makes it a few more steps before turning and said ?Oh yeah, my sister asked me if it would be alright if Elise sleeps over this weekend. I said sure since my parents are out in the city. But I said I would have to ask you first,?

Serena

You leave the class on a mission before Alicia can respond reaching out to you like a person going to drown then returning to a heap on her desk. Jude is just in the class next door 2-C. In fact as you walk brushing past a student with bright red hair and a darke leather jacket and through the hallway you think you see him in his usual flannel shirt and jeans.

He is looking at the sign up sheets for clubs apprehensively pen in hand scanning the names. He?s tall but more awkward then anything else which his often wild hair that he takes very little notice. Overall Jude is not a bad guy what so ever just devoted and friendly sometimes at the wrong moments.


Brian

Bruce looks at you a little apprehensively out of shock that anyone had heard his musings.

?I-I-I don?t know I guess I like to swim some, computers break when I?m around and I?m no good at games or outdoors stuff.?

The swim team was obviously not looking like the best choice then again he looks like he might have a complete breakdown any moment. Leaving you with a tough spot suggest he revaluate things or encourage him full well knowing that things could end disastrously for him in the future.

Des

A blonde girl brushes past you as you stand in front of the designated classroom. It has been a year since your family has moved out of the city your father vowing never to go back to this ?back water town? as he called it. Then you were at the museum yesterday cutting class only to make it home early enough to find out that your father had lost his job and your entire family was forced back to this town again this time in Veilstone much further from the hustle and bustle of Traverseward and living in a camped apartment.

So much had gone on in the last to days you still have a bit of a headache and feel like you want to vomit. Perfect for reintroducing yourself to everyone. Stepping inside with a final gulp.  The teacher sees you looks and the paper in your hand and lazely called to the class

?HEY! Everyone quite down for a sec!? he waited till everyone was talking at a dull murmur.
?I forgot to mention were having a return offender this year, so treat him nicely till he gets reacquainted with everything!?

?Introduce yourself and then have a seat. Oh, and read this over while your at it.? The teacher holds out the same letter that he had read to everyone earlier then goes back to his nap. Everyone?s attention was now on you. What?s worse you don?t recognize any of the faces. All the friends you used to have must have been put in different homerooms.

Exiting the room, Serena brushed passed unfamiliar face. A leather jacket, red hair...Who was that guy? She'd most certainly have to find out ? But first, she'd need to solve her current predicament. Jude had been pretty easy to find, despite the flurry of students in the hallway. ?Hey Jude!? Serena called out as she quickly approached him.

Good, he hadn't written his name down yet.

?Do you know what you're going to join?? She asked casually, leaning next to the sign up sheet. She needed to know what he was thinking before she tried convincing him of anything. The guy seemed sweet enough; Serena couldn't help but think Alicia was just being dramatic. Actually, she was positive Alicia was just being dramatic. It was too late to turn back now, though.

Desmond wandered in the room in a position that expressed that he didn't care what people thought. Or rather, given the way he did it, it looked more like 'I want people to think I don't care what they think'. He went up to the front of the class, feeling nervous but trying not to express it. The man let out a little scoff as his eyes scanned the class room. He let out a loud sigh and blinked.

"Name is Christy Desmond. Don't call me Chrisy. I like cars and I play dumbs." He pauses, and stutters a bit. "Drums. I play drums." There was an awkward silence before he slowly shuffled to his seat to read the note.

"So... two clubs, huh?" He mused for a moment before leaving class and going to check out the board outside for what club to join. He saw that blonde again, talking to some random guy he didn't know, not like he knew anybody.

sigh

The strange -happening- distracted Lilly for a half second and threw her off kilter. Then she remembered that Luke had asked her something.

"Oh, yeah that's fine I suppose. I'll tell her she's good to go when I get home."

Luke was alright, and it wouldn't have been the first time she let Elise stay the night there. It should be alright. Still, she was always had the slightest wince of concern whenever Elise was out of sight.

Somewhere up at the front of the class, a new student was introducing himself. Lilly was only half paying attention. She had cracked open her book and was attempting to get lost in history again.

Looking at Noel running off to sign his name, Ardelia felt a bit of regret.
"I hope you don't regret this, Noel..." She didn't speak very loudly but she was sure Noel had heard, as she waved to him and made her way back to her class.

Reaching the classroom, Ardelia noticed that a new student had entered. Hm.. A new student? It would be weird to call him a transfer student, though he didn't go here last year. Oh well, I guess i'll figure out who he is later. Heading back over to her desk, Ardelia caught sight of Lilly, and while she didn't know her very well, she does definitely know that they went off to the forbidden part of the museum together, along with Serena and Brian, though she doesn't remember the details of what happened inside the restricted area.

"Hey there Lilly, what clubs did you end up picking?" As she tried to make casual conversation, Ardelia found her eyes drifting around the room unable to maintain eye contact. It wasn't completely uncommon for her to look around somewhat nervously, as she was also trying to make sure nothing odd was going on while she was zoning out. At least Lilly seems nice enough.

Lilly glanced up from her book at Ardelia. Eyes. She realized she was staring at them again, so she blinked and broke eye contact. Ardelia had been there when Lilly broke away from the main group at the Met, but a lot of what happened that day was... fuzzy.

Lilly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled.

"Oh hey! I thought Calligraphy and Tai Chi looked like good choices. I thought I saw your name on the list for kendo, that's pretty cool. Didn't peg you as a martial artist."

Lilly noticed Ardelia's eyes were wandering hither and yon around the room as if searching for something.

"So, how are you?"

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/s8FMgxjl9oM&autoplay=1[/spoiler]
"I don't think most people would, but my Grandpa always used to say 'A strong mind without a strong body is pointless.' and encouraged my brother and I to always at least do something active. It usually wasn't a martial art though. But growing up, I was always in a local sports team of some sort, or my parents would send me off to play tennis or do gymnastics, something that wasn't really a team sport. They had me trying a lot of different things to see if anything stuck, and it never did. At least this time I'm trying something I chose myself, so I hope it goes okay.

So you're doing calligraphy huh? I haven't done it myself but apparently my mom keeps some supplies stashed away in one of our closets, Noel got in a bunch of trouble when he re-purposed a bunch of the brushes.

Overall I think things are going pretty well, I'm gonna go check out the library after school, since I also signed up for the Library Club. I have no idea what we will be doing there, but I figure if I spend a lot of time there already, I might as well do a club!

So what do you think you are looking most forward to so far? This whole mandatory club thing is pretty wild... Without it I probably would have ended up in the going home club."

The pace of conversation wasn't particularly fast, but it did end up being a lot more wordy than she had originally planned but anecdotes tend to do that. Oh well, it couldn't be helped.

Considering his options, there was only a few things that Brian could have suggested. He didn't really like people who didn't stand up for themselves; if you're a man you should prove it. He knew what it was like to be picked on though, and Brian really did feel like he wanted to do something to help the kid out.

"Take it from me, this school's going to be hell if there's nothing you like doing in it. I skip classes when there's nothing good happening, but even I know once you get to high school they take things more seriously. Bruce right?" Brian stood up, as he towered over his seatmate. "If the other kids say shit about you, prove them they're wrong."

He beckoned Bruce to follow him.

"We're signing you up for swimming."

It was sort of surprising to hear so much come out of Ardelia at once, she had seemed so quiet at the museum. It wasn't like it was a problem though, talkative people were easier to get along with. People liked when you listened to them, and Lilly's general motive was to have people like her. It made life easier.

"I think I'm most looking forward to calligraphy. It's got a rich history and a lot of tradition, plus I think it will be nice and 'zen' you know?"

Lilly fidgeted with her bookmark.

"The mandatory clubs are a little unorthodox, but I'm all for a little cultural enrichment. So, library club sounds like it might be interesting. You'll probably end up checking books out for me a lot or something. I'm always looking for a new history text"

Did she say 'Going Home Club' earlier? The phrase wasn't one people used often in the States, so it caught Lilly by surprise. She had heard it before, in one of those shows her sister liked to watch, but it seemed weird to her that someone would use it here.

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/FjSNyuiGSxI&autoplay=1[/spoiler]
Lilly seemed to be a bit unease, or just didn't feel like sitting still, as she was fidgeting with a bookmark. "I'm actually pretty surprised to see that we have that kind of club here, though it did seem like a lot of the list is stuff that didn't exist last year. Or at the very least they didn't have any members. Maybe the staff revived a bunch of them to fit us all in somewhere. It's always nice to have people come visit the library! I just hope that some of the staff did a bit of cleaning over the summer, otherwise it will be a lot of work for us to make it look nice.

Anyways, I think I'm going to run to the vending machine to get some juice before class starts. Would you like to go, or do you want anything?"

It was a pretty simple proposal, and while she was definitely thirsty, Ardelia felt like it might do Lilly some good to get up and move around a bit more before class started since she seemed restless.

Lilly seized the invitation as a good excuse to get up and stretch her legs. Plus, it would allow her a chance to talk to Ardelia with less people listening in.

"Sure, I could use a drink."

She shut her book, rose to her feet, and indicated that the other girl should lead on. Ardelia could set the pace, since she was the one that gave the invitation. Lilly decided to make small-talk until they were out of the room. It sounded awkward, she was never that great at getting to know new people.

"So uh, Noel a younger brother?"

Siblings were a connecting point, it seemed an appropriate topic for small-talk. Innocuous and easy to talk about. If Ardelia liked her brother, they could share in their enjoyment of siblinghood. If not, then it was just as simple to offer condolences to the others plight. I over-think this kind of thing way too much.

Ardelia[/b] Lily[/b]

The two of you go to get a drink at one of the vending machines in the main hallway of the school buildings. Were these new additions or had they always been here? You both feel like you?ve seen them before, but at the same time you feel like they are new additions. The drinks themselves also seem a little strange for a regular school especially one like yours out in the country. Things like canned green tea and canned iced coffee. As you continue to talk you only have a few minutes before classes begin

Serena[/b]

Jude turning from the board to look at you slightly flustered he looked shocked that one of the most popular sophomores would be talking to him, ?I?m not sure yet I haven?t been seeing anything that I?m looking for." Jude seemed nervous around you obviously not used to talking to girls. That probably is the cause for some of Alicia?s feelings.

?Why do you ask Serena?? He was fidgeting slightly as he asked the question

Desmond[/b]

Desmond eventually you stand, and decide you might as well go sign up for the mandatory clubs. Pushing your way to the front you pick two of the manliest clubs that you can find on the list. With your name under both the automotive club and the workshop club your about to leave and return to class when you notice a name under the boxing club that seemed weird.  Wallace Gaurden an old friend of yours from when you lived in town. You now for a fact that he would never have willingly signed up for this kind of thing and, on a closer look it does not even look like his hand writing at all.

Brian[/b]

Brian you stand and go towards the board.  Bruce timidly follows along behind looking nervous all the way. As you let him take the lead you watch as he slowly goes up and shakily signs his name for the swimming club.

Giving an unsteady smile he looks up to you and lets out a sigh, ?I guess what?s done is done right there is no turning back now.? He walks over to were your standing shaking like a leaf. He stops just past you, ?Thanks Brian I think I needed this. Then he is gone back into the classroom returning to his seat. You don?t know whether the decision you made is the right one, but it did leave you with a pretty good feeling and perhaps a little respect for Bruce as well.

Desmond furrows his brow when he sees Wallace's name on the list, though he probably didn't notice the different handwriting. That wasn't right at all. Wallace, boxing? The Irish teen couldn't help but chuckle at the thought as he made his way to go see how his friend got bullied into this. The boxing club seemed a good place to start. He strode through the hallway, looking at that blonde girl again briefly. "Yo." He said as neutrally as possible. He kept walking, but slowed down a bit in case she responded.

Serena could tell Jude was having a difficult time with the club decision ? It was written all over his face. Even before she had spoken to him, his body language alone gave away his flustered state.

He hadn't seen anything? Then, he probably hadn't noticed Alicia's name. Or, Alicia had been wrong about him trying to join any club she did. Serena sighed inwardly, still a little annoyed that Alicia had dragged her into this.

?I'm just getting a feel for what everyone is joining. Knowing who's in which clubs could be helpful in the future, if our clubs want to collaborate or something, you know?? A complete lie in response to Jude's question. Serena had explained in such a calm and confident manner it was unlikely he'd question her about it, though. It wasn't out of character either, seeing as it was likely Serena planned on taking some form of leadership role in her clubs. She looked at the list, a single finger being brought to her lips as she looked over the possible options again. Serena looked as if she was deep in thought.

Maybe, if she simply suggested stuff to the nervous boy, he'd just go for it. Jude looked as if he was more than ready for the whole sign up process to be done with. ?How about I help you choose something?? She said with a  friendly smile. ?What about the future club?? She suggested enthusiastically. ?That sounds cool, don't you think??

Before the idol could suggest another club, an unfamiliar voice greeted her. She  turned toward the culprit, finding it to be the red headed kid she'd lightly bumped a few minutes ago. ?Well, hello there.? She replied with a smirk, quickly trailing behind him. ?You're in class 2-E now, huh? I haven't seen you around before.? She said. ?I'm Serena, by the way. Can I get your name?? For whatever reason, the new kid had spoken to her first. Such a rare and convenient occurrence Now, she wouldn't have to hunt him down, or ask others for information.

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/jCfAnoZOBi8&loop=1&autoplay=1[/spoiler]
Walking through the hallway, Lilly asked if Noel was younger or older. I guess he isn't as well known among the younger students.

"Oh, Noel is my older brother, he's a senior at our school. I have a younger sister too, named Renna, but she is kind of in a rebellious phase, so we let her do what she's gonna do. Anyhow, I'm sure Noel will end up swinging by our class at some point. "

After the brief conversation, they reached the vending machines, Ardelia noticed that something was odd.

"Huh? I don't think they normally have these drinks here." She eyed the can of green tea and looked over to the canned coffee. "Well, I guess I might as well see how canned green tea is, I drink a lot of tea at home, so it will be interesting to see how it compares."

Putting in the correct amount of money, Ardelia pressed the button for green tea, and grabbed the can out of the machine when it reached the opening. She opened the can out of curiosity, it felt a bit weird to have a can of tea rather than a cup.

"Figure out what you want to get yet?" She looked over at Lilly, curious at what she would end up picking.

Lilly donned her standard gentle smile at the mention of a younger sister.

"Little sisters can definitely be a handful sometimes."

They had arrived at the vending machines, and Ardelia's assessment was indeed correct. The machine was stocked with a variety of unfamiliar brands. Canned coffee huh... Looks good enough to me.

Lilly waited for Ardelia to make her choice, answered in the affirmative, and then made her own. A black can of coffee labeled "BLACK" in bold uppercase fell into the receptacle with a ka-chunk. Popping the tab, she took a swig. Not bad.

Lilly glanced around the area, and seeing nobody else in the vicinity decided that now was as good a time as any to get down to brass tacks. She adjusted her glasses and fixed a serious gaze on the other girl. She wasn't sure how exactly she was going to phrase this question, and she was a little worried that Ardelia might react... less than positively. However, she had to do this, just to see if she was going crazy.

"Ardelia, Ive got to ask you something a little unorthodox. Have you noticed anything... strange, going on lately? Like, more than just the clubs, I mean..."

She trailed off for a second, trying to find the right words.

"Have you noticed that things seem to be off? Like, something will change right in front of you, but you aren't really sure what it is that's changing?"

Lilly crossed her right arm over her chest and grabbed her left at the bicep, and looked away to the right. Pursuing this line of inquiry was an outstandingly uncomfortable thing for her to do.

"Things have seemed kind of weird since the museum. Parts of that day are kind of, how do I put this, fuzzy?"

She had put all her cards on the table. Ardelia was likely going to thing she was crazy and never speak to her again. At least she didn't seem the type to spread gossip.

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/Ceo5oFkicGg&autoplay=1[/spoiler]
Ardelia looked at Lilly with quite a bit of confusion, manifested in the form of a blank stare. It took a bit to register the complete change of subjects. I'm not so sure that I feel things are that weird... but the museum definitely does feel a bit off... Standing there silently for a moment, she tried to think of the proper way to frame her response. It wasn't quite coming to her but she decided to go with the best she could think of. After all, it was a completely unexpected question.

Well... It seems odd that we went into that area of the museum that was off-limits and I don't remember anything about it. Apparently we found it boring or something but I find that hard to believe from a personal stand point, as the new exhibit seemed really interesting. So unless there was absolutely nothing being prepared for display back there, I would have been more than happy with just seeing it, and wouldn't have forgotten easily.

In regards to other things seeming off, they haven't really. I mean this vending machine seems like it has stuff that wasn't there before... But I just assumed it was stuff from the city finally trickling down to our little backwater area. We're not too far away from New York City, so it made sense to me. Though, I don't normally pay too much attention to what all is around me. I watch out for people, but when something is moved from one place to another, if it wasn't something I used regularly I wouldn't notice. It does seem like school is a bit different this year though, and I can't put my finger on exactly how."

Not really sure what was going on, it was at least worth answering. It had been bothering her a bit that she couldn't remember what had happened in the new exhibit especially when there was supposed to be a really old book involved in the completed project. If that was the case and it had been there, it would have been quite memorable. If nothing else at least someone else felt a bit uneasy, maybe even more so than herself. She took a drink from the green tea that she had gotten from the vending machine, to refresh her throat after a bit of conversation.

"If something is different, I'm not sure there is much we can do about it. Everything seems to at least be safe, so maybe for now we should take things in stride and see what happens. If anything else that seems particularly odd happens, we can talk about it as it comes up. I don't see anything to be too worried about currently, but maybe the clubs will end up being odd in some way. I'll be checking out the Library Club after school today, and I'll let you know if its anything out of the ordinary."

Break was winding down and it might be wise to head back to class shortly, but Ardelia was interested in hearing Lilly's response even if it meant being a bit late to class on the first day. Though she didn't anticipate it being a problem. They had homeroom so being lost wouldn't be a good excuse. Oh well, teachers shouldn't be too angry on the first day of school.

Damn.

Ardelia, was either less perceptive of the peculiarities that had been occurring that day, or was ignoring them. Lilly didn't think the girl would outright lie to her, after saying something so crazy herself. But, after such an outlandish inquiry she was running the risk of looking foolish. Class would be starting soon but back-peddling out of this situation was more important. Ardelia had said she would keep an eye out for anything strange, but she might have just been humoring her.

Lilly gave a nervous laugh, and waved the air in front of her with a hand dismissively.

"Heh... D-don't worry about it. I'm sure it's just the stress of starting a new school year, and continuing to look after my sister that's making me see things. Sorry to be so weird about it."

Lilly did an automatic little half-bow in conjunction with her apology, which was strange, because it wasn't something that people normally did. Jesus, why did I do that? Now I look even weirder.

Lilly waited for Ardelia's inevitable comment with much apprehension.

The time has been passing, and Brian realized it wouldn't be too long until they were all called back to the classroom. He looked at the board full of clubs with the scribbles of his classmates adorning the peices of paper like some sort of graffiti. He knew not everyone had chosen, some were probably still deciding. In Brian's opinion, they took it all too seriously. Then again, the teachers would simply assign the others who had not chosen their own club. They were required to choose two clubs right? That lead him to wonder what kind of club the teachers would place him in. He found the idea almost amusing, but a part of him was curious. A new year was a fresh start after all, and even if the teachers of the school knew of his previous 'misdemeanors', they might just place him somewhere more fitting.

Taking up the pen attached to the wall, he began scratching out his name under the Art club. He kept glancing at the cooking club, but he realized he wasn't just about to give that up.

There were still a few students out in the hallway. Though he didn't know them personally, they did seem familiar. It was then that he remembred they were the same students back in the museum; at least some of them. Ardelia, Lilly, and Serena. The names came to him immediately, though he was pretty sure he had just heard them from somewhere before. There was the new kid named Desmond who had transferred there as well, but he wasn't quite sure if he had been with them at the museum hiding from the heat. Brian furrowed his eyes, it was pretty strange for him to just now realize that the other three were there at the museum, but he shrugged. He was probably just tired. He thought of how else to describe it. Fuzzy. His memories were pretty damn fuzzy.

Mr. Smith probably won't notice he was gone. It was the perfect opportunity to escape, and without any more further thought he headed away from the classroom. He didn't know where he was going, but since it was the first day of school, he could probably get away with it.

"If you say so, Lilly. Just try not to push yourself too hard, Okay?"

Ardelia gave some brief words of reassurance, though she didn't know what was going through Lilly's mind. Now wasn't the time to worry about it though, they had to get back to class before they were too late.

"Well, Let's get back to class."

Ardelia kind of beckoned towards Lilly as she made her way through the hall and back to class. Hopefully we're not too late...

Ardelia[/b] & Lily[/b]

The two of you start heading back to class so that you will be able to grab your book bags and make it to second period on time.  As you return back down the sophomore hall there is still quite a lot of commotion going on. People are still trying to make last minute decisions. As you make it back to the classroom you see you have made it with about five minutes to spare to do as you please around the classroom.

Serena[/b]

As you get distracted from Jude as you attempt to talk to the new student he returns to the sign up sheet and is lost once again in his own activities. Alicia also pops her head outside the classroom and looks on at the situation. She bites her lip in distress as she continues to see Jude standing at the sign up sheet.

Desmond[/b]

As you focus on looking for the guys who might have been bullying Wallace and the blonde girl begins talking to you notice some kids who might fit the bill. At the second sign up sheet at the far end of the hall you see a group of three guys huddling suspiciously and snickering. They seem to be writing something on the board and then breaking out into laughter. Any time they see a teacher coming however they block whatever their doing so that the teachers will be unable to see. With all the chaos in the halls at the moment the few teachers that are out of their classrooms already seem to have their hands full with other problems, and far to busy of the strange behavior.

Brian[/b]

[spoiler]please respond to this in the class 2-C Main story[/spoiler]

As you cross paths with classroom 2-C The teacher Miss. Rest walks out of her classroom at that exact moment as well. Seeing you she steps in front of your path with her clipboard. She?s always been nice to you when you have had her for a class, but her constant kindness to everyone has a way of setting you on edge.

?Ah, Mr. Campbell I?ve been meaning to find you and Mr. Smith it seems you were mistakenly placed in his homeroom instead of mine. A simple oversight really with all the big changes around here, at least we caught it before things went wrong right?" She smiled warmly, ?So why don?t you grab your things there is an empty desk somewhere in the classroom I?m sure.?

She was about to leave towards the teacher?s lounge bore she turned back, ?OH! I almost forgot, I saw that someone had crossed out your name on one of the lists, so I took the liberty of filling the remaining club spot with the ?Moral an Togetherness Club? I hope you don?t mind. It will give you a good opportunity to meet new people.? Having said her piece she turned and was gone even before you have a chance to respond.

Ardelia had expressed concern for her condition when she attempted to play off her inquires as stress induced madness, which could be a positive. If Lilly really wasn't losing her mind then eventually Ardelia would seek her out to discuss any strange happenings. In the mean time, it was most prudent to continue life as usual.

The throng of students outside the classroom hadn't diminished at all it seemed, and it was chaos as people tried to get their name on the list before second period began.

"Guess some people had a harder time deciding."

Unsure of what to do in the remaining time before the bell, Lilly slumped down in her seat with a heavy sigh and prepared herself mentally for the rest of the day.

"I guess so." Those were the last words Ardelia said before getting ready for the next period, she went to her desk and took out a little notebook. While it might be the first day, taking notes might be important. She took a sip of her tea, and smiled at Lilly before getting further settled in.

Desmond let out a sigh and leaned against a wall, crossing his arms. "Yeah, I'm new around here." The man looked at his watch briefly before glancing back up at Serena. "Name's Desmond.I'm a part of the Automotive and Workshop clubs, if you ever want to find me." She seemed to be in a good mood for some reason. Better then getting his head bitten off by a random stranger, at least.

That was when he glanced to the side and saw the group of punks, clearly up to no good, huddled around. He motioned for Serena to look over there. Desmond knew the odds of them being the same people who messed with Wallace was low, but they were pissing him off either way. Serena seemed like the type to get upset over pranks, so perhaps she'd be good person to bring along. After all, they'd be less likely to fight them or something if he had a girl with him.

"You seeing this Serena? Those are probably those guys that have been messing with the sign up boards. They problem just signed a cripple up for the rugby team or something." He started walking towards them forcefully, hoping that the girl would follow.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Desmond." She replied with a smile. "Oh! I was in the middle of some-..." She had suddenly remembered her previous mission...to stop Jude from joining Alicia's club. But, the new kid turned her attention to a group of potential ruffians before she could run off. "Really?" The idol thought, in disbelief that she was going to be dragged into yet another problem. Why couldn't everyone just be happy and behave today!? Being every bodies hero was exhausting! But, Serena saw this as yet another opportunity...She would save the day, and gain a little more fame for it. Other students obviously saw the mischief too, so it wouldn't go unnoticed. If whatever Desmond had planned didn't work, Serena would be right beside him, her own simple idea in mind.

Bootman & Neko

As you waited to move over to the other group of guys at the other board they write down yet another name, and then the bell rings and the hall is alive with movement. As people shove past you and knock into you attempting to get into class you lose sight of the boys and Jude. By the time you have a clear line of sight again they are gone leaving you with nothing. What?s worse because you now have to go to class neither of you have the chance to look for them so it seems like for the moment you will have to let things slide for now.

---

Later that day

The day goes by normally for the most part once homeroom had finished. The usual first day classes with very little out of the ordinary. The largest thing being that people seemed uncomfortable sitting in the lunchroom. Otherwise, only a few blips of strangeness caught your eye but nothing really worth remembering. Before you knew it the day is done and you all go off to your first day of clubs. The teachers are either in the lounge or have gone home so mostly only teachers remain.

As clubs finish up and those who are left leave the school the four of your activities finally end and the four of you leave your own clubs. Led each by your own blue butterfly you all met up in the halls. As you all meet face to face with each other the four insect circle around then float down yet another hall. Pulled by some unknown force the four of you end up back deeper into the school. The door is slightly ajar and it seems like you can here some sobs coming from somewhere inside. Negative energy poured from the room like waves of the ocean sending waves down all of your spines. None of you have anytime to rest since what you did in club, but as you are swept over by the negative energy none of you feel like you can escape going inside

[spoiler]Inside in the back of the classroom is a student a sophomore perhaps shaking with sadness and anger sobbing slightly. None of you can recognize him but he?s clutching a pretty bad bruise on the back of his head. ?I can?t believe those jerks signed me up for the basketball team. I wish I could just make everything disappear!? he whispered just barely enough for you to hear. A dark and foreboding aura was swirling around him like a storm forming a visual manifestation of his rage and pain.
[/spoiler]

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/VBpTCcTD_oY&autoplay=1[/spoiler]

Ardelia sees the student in the room, and he looks to be wounded. Stepping into the room she attempts to strike up a conversation.

"What happened? Who signed you up for the basketball club? And you look hurt, did they force you to do it, or did they do it and then attack you when you confronted them about signing you up?"

It's odd, the club signup was so easy for me, but it seems that it has really been stressing out a lot of other people. It would be nice if everyone could take it easy.

She tried to comfort the guy that was sitting there, even though she didn't know him. It was odd, she didn't normally act like this but since it seemed like there was no way to avoid the room she felt the need to at least try to do something.

"Maybe if you explain the situation, they will let you switch clubs. Surely they don't want students forced into something they didn't even think about doing themselves. I'm Ardelia, by the way. I don't think I've seen you before, do you mind sharing your name?"

Unsure of what effects the words would have, Ardelia hoped that the guy would calm down a bit, after she was talking, she nervously glanced back towards the entrance, hoping that some of the others would come in and help out. Even if they were just there for moral support, surely if multiple people were around this guy would feel a bit more at ease.

Lilly watches Ardelia pass through the door and hears her speak to whomever is in there but doesn't make out the words. Poking her head through the door she calls out softly.

"Hellooo-oh!?"

The sight of the sobbing boy gave her a start, he seemed hurt and Ardelia was making an attempt at calming him down. Lilly moved to Ardelia's side and quickly spoke first to her recent acquaintance and then addressed the boy, her eyes were looking the boy over. That's a nasty bruise.

To Ardelia: "Ardelia, whats happened?"

Then to the boy: "Are you alright?"

Something about the air in the room was making Lilly feel ill at ease, it was almost as if pervasive darkness had enveloped the room. The boys bruise looked painful, and Lilly would have liked to help, but it seemed that Ardelia was already attempting to engage him in conversation so she observed silently.

Like the others, Serena followed after a butterfly which, she couldn't help but feel was familiar somehow. Had she seen one of these before? Following after a silly little bug wasn't something she'd normally do, but for whatever reason, she felt compelled to do so. These sudden urges to do things were becoming oddly common ? It was rather unnerving. She couldn't control herself, and not having control was not something the idol was ok with.

?Anyone else finding this a little weird? Like, at all?? Serena questioned, finding the butterfly had led her and a few other classmates around the school. Standing in front one of the classrooms, the sound of someone crying had grabbed their attention. She sighed, watching as  Adrelia entered the room with little hesitation. Serena slowly peeked inside, not quite as brave. The feeling she got, even just standing next to the room, was unsettling...and she wanted nothing to do with it.

?Get yourself together, Serena!? She mentally scolded herself. Being a wimp was unattractive!

Regaining her composure, she marched into the room, putting on a brave face. There was nothing to be worried about! Maybe the horrible feeling was just her own anxieties. It was the first day of school, after all, and a lot had already happened. The butterflies? Obviously just a hallucination. She was likely dehydrated from all the running she'd done that day. That awfully dark aura? Yeah, more hallucinations. Obviously.

She walked passed Adrelia and up to the boy. Being beside him, she lightly placed a hand on his back, patting it for comfort. ?Hey hey! Calm down, ok?? She put on her sweetest voice. This was another way to impress people -Show them your soft side! ?Look, that bruise is pretty bad. Maybe you should go see a nurse? And you know, there are worse things than the basketball club.? She said. ?Ardelia  pretty much said it all, too. Just explain the situation, there's no reason to freak out.?

When Serena touched the boy he screamed and the aura flared violently it began to grow like a flame licking the ceiling and spreading fast to envelope the entire surrounding area. All four of you felt gust of negative energy whipping around you like you were caught in a windstorm. All the air felt like it was being pulled fron your lungs dizzyness setting in. Then as soon as it started it stopped the wind died down and the darkness receded out of the doorway.There was only one problem the boy is no where to be found and you are no longer standing in any part of the school you recognize.

You all appear to be in an M.C Escher painting, a maze of sorts going in every type of direction made up classrooms and bits of the school. Anything outside of the open air maze was pitch blackness more like void. Classroom desks, chairs, computer monitors, and towers floated as if gravity had no affect here. The strangest thing was that there were wires everywhere sticking out the wall and snaking across the floor. It was a threatening and frighting atmosphere. What worse you begin to hear strange sounds in the distance that does not sound friendly.

Trying to get her bearings, Ardelia looks around confused, then looks over at Lilly remembering their conversation from earlier in the day.

"I think this counts as weird, and I told you i'd look out for it!" She laughed nervously while surveying the rest of the situation, trying to get a feel for how other people were handling it. She was a bit spooked, but she tried her best to keep her composure regardless of how weird things got.

The injured boy's scream still rang in her ears as the darkness receded and revealed the Escherian terrorscape. For the moment Lilly stood stunned, her glasses slipping to the end of her nose as she looked around in bewilderment. The world was a disjointed mess of classroom parts and floating objects that defied gravity, no, logic.

Without turning to look at her, Lilly responded to Ardelia's comment in a hushed monotone.

"Yes, yes you did."

The new boy from her class was there, the bubbly girl from before too. Lilly turned to look at her flaxen haired classmate and adjusted her glasses. This happened when she touched him...

Addressing Serena with the practiced sternness of an older sister and parental figure, she crossed her arms and shot a serious look across the space.

"You... I remember you from the museum... What the hell did you just do?"

Lilly had forgotten her niceties, the whole situation was outrageous and there was little point in being polite when directness would serve just as well. This place was unpleasant, and she misliked the strange sounds in the distance greatly.

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/akGdHniy1P0&autoplay=1[/spoiler]
The moment her hand touched the sobbing student, the negative aura around them grew, and everything was quickly enveloped in the darkness.

Serena coughed, still in a bit of a panic as the aura cleared. ?What....?? She couldn't quite comprehend what she was seeing. It was as if the school was a puzzle, and someone had done a rather pitiful job of fitting the pieces together. Was this all just a dream or something ? Had she passed out after club? Serena was quiet, that is, until Lily called her out.

?Excuse me?? The idol's hands met her hips as she turned toward the short haired blonde.

?What makes you think this was my fault? I was just trying to help the kid, like you guys....? Her sentence trailed off a bit though as an unsettling noise in the distance caught her attention. The noise wasn't the only unsettling part of it though ? The dark void outside the school structures made her wonder what might happen if they stepped into it. Would they fall to their doom?

Lilly watched Serena strike an indignant pose in response to her accusation. No matter, she would pursue the issue regardless.

"You touching him set him off, and lo and behold here we are."

She punctuated the statement with a sarcastic flourish of her hand.

"He was literally seething with some kind of dark energy, you should have kept your hands off!"

She folded her arms across her chest again, eyes still leveled at Serena. The noises continued to grumble in the distance, and a shiver went up Lilly's spine, though she would not show how unsettled she was.

How the hell do we get out of this?

Ardelia looked at the two girls arguing. "I know this isn't the best situation... but we should probably be angry with each other after we figure out how to get home." It was quite clear that the situation was abnormal, so they should try to pool their abilities and work together to get out safely and then fight among themselves after they are safe.

"We don't know what is out there, but if there is anything odds are it isn't friendly. I don't know what to expect, but it would be nice if we faced it together." Whatever is out there, I hope it isn't something that requires us to fight, I don't think I could handle it.

Unfortunately as those thoughts Lia?s mind the sound starts again this time much closer. From around the corner behind you all a dark ooze like shadow begins to envelope the floor and walls of the maze rushing it?s way towards you all. At the front of this force is a person seemingly entirely made out of the shadowy stuff. A basketball player in his uniform dribbling a ball yet he had glowing red intimidating eyes. With each step that he got closer so to did the spreading shadow.

The vibes from the whole scene is not good. Whatever that stuff is you can tell that you don?t want it or the guy made from it touching any of you. Then something even worse happened. The basketball player let out a blood-curdling yell that was like nothing you had heard before.  If any of you had not noticed what was happening before you certainly did now. There is only one way to go for the moment away from the being.

[spoiler]If You chose to run:

As you are running there are any number of things floating in the void. As you runn through the maze. You sporadically hear the sound of a woman's voice at times no more then a whisper "Quickly... you.... must.... find..... the... boy..... if.... you.... want..... to...... escape ......from... this... place..."  [/spoiler]

[spoiler]At this point characters can be damaged
All characters start with 40 points of heath and 40 points of endurence look at the cheatsheet for more info[/spoiler]

Lilly broke her stare on Serena just long enough to notice the specter and its shadowy veil encroaching upon their space, its burning gaze was furious enough to blast away her previous suspicion and anger. Those feelings had been replaced by awe and cold terror. Jesus Christ, what the hell is that.

She turned back to Serena.

"This can wait, I don't think we should let that thing get too close."

Lilly turned to beat a hasty retreat attempting to move Ardelia into doing the same with a gentle push, simultaneously she waved frantically with her free hand for the red headed boy to get moving as well.

"We have overstayed our welcome, and I think it's time we leave!"

As Lilly moved, she could hear a woman's voice calling to her in whispers, telling her... something.

Find the boy? In this mess?

It seemed an almost impossible task, but Lilly was willing to give it her all... Just as soon as they escaped their pursuer that is.

Serena's hands remained on her hips as she gave Lilly the stare-down. The two seemed momentarily locked on each other, neither girl wanting to back down. What did she know? Was the blonde suddenly an expert in...whatever all this was!? In general, Serena did her best to get along with people - Lilly was likely going to be an exception to that rule.

As Adrelia spoke, Serena sighed. "Adrelia is right you know. There's no reason to argue at this point, it's not going to get us anywhere..." It wasn't until she finished speaking Serena noticed the halls darkening, and some kind of dark force was rushing toward them. Lilly had obviously noticed too, seeing as she agreed to saving the arguments for later. Serena followed right behind Lilly and Adrelia, not wanting anything to do with the red eye'd creature. "Stay away!" Serena yelled back at the monster in a panic.

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/x_qieSA8AmQ&autoplay=1[/spoiler]

Looking around at the ruined dreamscape around them, Ardelia knew that staying in place was not the best course of action. She'd have to think on her feet as she ran.

"Glad to see that the two of you can put aside your differences when you are in a dangerous situation."
It wasn't exactly a nice message, but it was the truth, and that was important.

She took off running and wasn't sure what to do. Everything felt like a very lucid dream. A voice, seemingly deep inside of her mind kept saying that she had to save the boy, but how would she go about that?

"Any ideas on how we can save this guy!?" Ardelia shouted while scanning the area for anything that could be used to defend herself if the situation called for it. If there was this crazy thing made of shadows chasing them down, it was possible that there were more, and it is possible that in this plane of existence... or whatever it was that there was a way to combat them.

The four of you run on the only path available in twos do to the width of the corridor, carefully all the while as not to trip over some of the larger wiring that snakes it's way along the floor. Eventually you all make your way to a staircase to another level of the maze. How many levels and passageways is almost impossible to make out, however because of the manic and twisted design of the labyrinth. The walls being just above head height is not helping either. The general disregard this place has for natural laws like physics also makes things rather disconcerting. You all stop as Lia asks her question about finding the boy who had brought you here. At the moment it seemed the creature chasing after you was a like ways behind.

At the top of the stairs the passage splits in two both a right and a left path.

Those of you who all tall enough to see over both, the walls and floating electronics and school debris can now see a platform,  floating in the middle of all this mess just as you reach the top of the stairs. The platform is overflowing with wires, interwoven and tangled spilling over the side like millions of ivy plants. The massive heap forms a kind of glowing nest or more apply a cocoon.

Then your attention is diverted by yet another blood curdling yell of those shadow beings, this time in stereo. There were without a doubt more then one of these things in here with you, exactly how many and where are impossible to tell due to the onslaught of sound. There is one thing distinctive mixed with the ear splitting  wails, however a human cry that  could only be described as pure anguish. Who ever is making a cry like that will not be lasting very long.

Looking around for a weapon to defend yourselves with besides your book bags and other belongings, you could attempt to grab something floating in the abyss, however that would require getting up and leaning at a minimum half way over one of the walls. While you all try to react to the sounds, however the noise almost made you miss a basketball made of shadow ricocheting off the walls like a missile aimed straight for you all.

The creature that is chasing you has seemingly just made it to the stairs.

[Spoiler]Please make a defense roll which is the same thing as a attack roll. Lia gets +1 die for being so short However if at any point you want to shield your book from harm take a minus -1 die to your roll. If any off you attempt to shield yourselves with your stuff also add a +1 die.

Look at the cheat sheet if you want to look at your action possibilities, along with endurance based actions and costs in combat. [/Spoiler]

The beastly cries rang in Lilly's ears as she pounded down the path full tilt hopping as deftly as she could over the wires that threatened to trip her up. When Ardelia voiced her question she came to a halt, the shadow out of sight. She looked up the stairs at the forking path. Marvelous, left... or right?

"The path splits up ahead, which way do you want to go?"

While weighing her options she looked at the floating tangle of glowing wires.

"Hey, what do yo- HEADS UP!"

As she turned around to pose the inquiry to the group, a speeding ball of shadow hurdled its way down the hall and broke her off mid question. There wasn't time to think, but basic instinct moved her into a defensive posture. Shrugging her backpack off her shoulder she swung it around in front of her as a makeshift shield and hoped for the best.

[spoiler][dice]Rolled 3d6 : 4, 4, 1, total 9[/dice][/spoiler]

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/4EiWV2DkKyM&autoplay=1[/spoiler]

Ardelia ran along with the others, not sure of what to do next. She continued to scan the ground for anything that might be able to be used as a weapon. Being short, she wouldn't be able to do much if she kept her head up anyways. When they reached the top of the stairs, Ardelia continued to search the area. Noticing that there were now two paths to choose from, she wondered which should be taken. She then heard a multitude of sounds, a few which distinguished themselves. The first was multiple shadow beings, the other was a human cry, likely the boy that they are supposed to save.

"Well... I'd say we should go whichever way it seems like the cry came from. Unless you guys can see something that I can't. We should also look for something that could be used as a weapon if we need to. There is a lot going on here that is out of the ordinary, so maybe we can hurt these shadow creatures somehow." Right as she finished speaking, Ardelia noticed the bouncing ball of shadow speeding down the hall bouncing off walls as it went.

I need to protect this book... I really want to know what is inside. As she thought that, she doubled over and protected the book while reducing her size, hopefully reducing the likelyhood that she would be hit. Another realization hit her as she cowered. The shadow ball was bouncing. If it can make contact with the wall... and the beings are made of a similar substance, it stands to reason that the beings would be able to be hit by something as well.

[spoiler] Defending the book, so dropping down to 2d6. A question though, if I have something else to defend with, can it cancel out the penalty for protecting the book?

[dice]Rolled 2d6 : 5, 3, total 8[/dice][/spoiler]

Serena sighed inwardly, having done quite a bit of exercise that day already. Her legs were tired, but certainly not so worn down she'd be unable to run from something that appeared this dangerous. She glanced back at the dark creature every so often as they ran, keeping in mind that she'd need to watch for wires on the ground as well. A thought suddenly struck her ? Was she running gracefully? She had to have the proper form or she'd look silly! She automatically changed her posture. ?What am I doing...?? She shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away. Right now wasn't the time to worry about that!

As they neared the top of the stairs, she took a moment to look down each of the paths. They didn't have time to choose if they were going to get away from the creature.

?HEADS UP!?

Serena gasped, then just like Lilly, used her backpack as a shield from the dark matter. ?We don't have time to sit around and decide, lets just go right!? Serena said. She raised a brow at Ardelia's comment. ?Hurt them? I'd rather stay as far away from the things as I can.?

[spoiler]
[dice]Rolled 3d6 : 6, 2, 6, total 14[/dice]

If she's fine after this, Serena is going to rush down the right path.
[/spoiler]

Health/Endurance
[spoiler]LIly
40/40

Ardelia
37 health / 40 endurance -1 health the following two turns for necrotic damage

Serena
40 health / 40 endurance

Desmond
40/40
[/spoiler]
Actions
[spoiler]Still to move lilly, des, ardelia[/spoiler]


Being the first to notice the incoming projectile Lily is the most easily prepared for the attack shrugging off her bag with plenty of time to absorb the blow entirely causing the ball to bouce off harmlessly. As it approached Ardelia however she was not so prepared and in her fluster to protect the object rapped in her jacket the ball grazed her arm sending a chilling wave of pain and emotional distress through her entire body. As Ardelia was hit however it gave Serena enough time to deflect the ball as it came back off Ardelia and directly at her. As soon as she deflected it back down the hall she sped off down the right branch of the path on her own.

Serena

As you run down the path further still careful of wires you reach a three pronged junction continuing foward and heading to the left and right.
Only the one directly in front of you can see in the distance is blocked off by one of those seemingly mindless thrawls as you reach the intersection it takes notice of your presence and begins heading in your direction cutting you off from that path.
 

After deflecting the projectile successfully, Lilly breathed a sigh of relief. It was a short lived moment of triumph however, the ball bounced straight into Ardelia. Lilly winced as her companion took the glancing blow. She looked to Serena to see if she had taken a hit as well, but the girl was already dashing down the right path after shrugging off the attack. Desmond seemed to avoid the shadowy assault entirely, so she didn't bother to check in on him.

Lilly called after Serena.
"Hey, wait for the rest of us! We can't afford to split up!"

Turning to Ardelia, she put a hand on her back to comfort her.
"Are you alright? That looked unpleasant."

[spoiler]After Ardelia replies, Lilly is going to follow Serena down the right path matching Ardelia's pace. (Provided that is the way she goes.)[/spoiler]

Wincing as the orb made contact with her arm, Ardelia tried to stay strong. Falling down here wasn't an option. Though in pain, she responded to Lilly and chased off after Serena.

"Yeah... I'm fine. It hurts a bit but not enough to keep me down. We should keep going."

Going down the right path, she called out to Serena. Her pace was brisk, not quite a run, but a bit more than a jog in attempts to catch up with the already moving girl.

"Hey, what do you see down there?" From her point of view, Ardelia couldn't see much so she was hoping for at least some sort of information

Health/Endurance
[Spoiler]
LIly
40/40

Ardelia
36 health / 40 endurance -1 health the following  turn for necrotic damage

Serena
40 health / 40 endurance

Desmond
40/40
[/spoiler]

Ardelia and Lily and Des all come bolting around the corner trying to avoid more wiring, only to see Serena at yet another crossroads and another one of those shadowy things closing in front of them. It seems like they are everywhere just waiting for you if you continue to walk around without direction.  There are now at least two of these things now following a shadow being lets out yet another blood curdling scream the others joining in soon after along with that pained almost animistic yell suffering even more. If that was the boy?s cry you do not have much time to find him.

The only paths open to you at this point is ones once again branching out to the left and right.

Before you can think much more the shadow beings in front and behind you both attack you

[spoiler] make defensive rolls then move. [/spoiler]

"More forks in the road!?" Serena whined. One option immediately became off limits though as yet another dark creature came speedily toward her. "There's more!" Serena looked back as she warned the others, finding they were still being chased from behind as well. Like before, she used her backpack as a form of defense, hoping to stop the attacks.

[spoiler]
[dice]Rolled 3d6 : 3, 2, 5, total 10[/dice]
Serena will be heading right again.
[/spoiler]

"Tch. This getting ridiculous!"

Backpack shield in hand, Lilly steeled herself against the looming onslaught. They needed to make more informed choices about what direction to take, but there wasn't much time to choose. Until a consensus was reached Lilly would just do her best to stay in a group. Safety in numbers right?

"We need to be more careful with what direction we are going! We cant just run blind forever!"

[spoiler][dice]Rolled 3d6 : 6, 5, 3, total 14[/dice]
Lilly will follow Serena down the right path.[/spoiler]

Ardelia runs after both Serena and Lilly, ideally avoiding damage in the process.

"I agree, we should find a better method than choosing randomly if we can!"

For now, however, she was content to stay with the group, hoping to find a way to escape or fight back.

[spoiler] Trying to protect the book so 2d6
[dice]Rolled 2d6 : 6, 6, total 12[/dice][/spoiler]

[spoiler]http://www.youtube.com/v/YTPiBennPgI&autoplay=1[/spoiler]

Health/Endurance
[spoiler]

QuoteLIly
40 Health/40 Endurance

Ardelia
35 health / 40 endurance

Serena
47 health / 40 endurance -1 health the following two turns for necrotic damage

Desmond
40 Health /40 Endurance

[/spoiler]

Actions
[spoiler]

QuoteStill to act
Lilly .5
Des .5
Ardelia  .5
Serena .5

[/spoiler]

Entire Group

This time two of the shadow like orbs came bouncing at all of you with extreme speed. Each thrown from one of the two creatures you have already encountered. The balls coming from both sides go completely over Ardelia?s head coming nowhere near her. Lily And Desmond however have a tougher time and just manage to block the oncoming projectiles causing it to bounce there way along the wall even faster. Serena on the other hand is in a tougher bind being much further down the corridor then the rest she must throw her self against one of the walls to miss an attack coming straight for her leaving her open to be grazed by the second attack from behind.

After she shakes off the attack she bolt down the right path quickly careful to not trip over the mess of wires snaking its way across the floor, and followed close behind by the rest. This path leads yet to another two-pronged intersection after a small flight of stairs. You can see in the path way behind you the two monsterous figures following, as well as some of the debris seemed to have changed was that just a basketball hoop you saw floating amongst the computer equipment and other school stuff.

Turning back to the task at hand however you see that now a third of the would be basketball players has blocked your path forward yet again leaving only the path to the left open.


Serena

Grazing your back a chill of painful negativity runs its way up your back causing you to ghasp and stagger before shaking the majority of the pain off. You were lucky that you were only grazed by one of the attacks you do not want to feel what it was like to be hit straight on by one of those attacks. You also hear Lily calling from behind you as well as you rush down the right passage and up the set of stairs only to be met with more opposition

Lilly breathed a quick sigh of relief as the attack flew past her harmlessly. Serena was not nearly as fortunate. She called out to the other girl as she moved up the hallway.

"Are you alright?"

After dashing down the right corridor, again the way forked in different directions. Again with this? Lilly made note of a third assailant joining the fray, leaving only the left path open to move down. It seemed like their choice was made. Lilly waved the group on to hurry.

"Go left! It's our only option now!"

[spoiler]Naturally Lilly will be going down the left path, and if possible will try and bring up the rear to let the others move out of the way first.[/spoiler]

Ardelia breathed a sigh of relief as the ball of shadow flew overhead. She saw it his Serena, but it didn't hurt as bad as you would think. She was still standing after being hit by the first one, so she figured Serena would be fine. She noticed Lilly running and taking a left turn and decided to follow.

"Okay Serena, you'll be fine! Let's keep going we've gotta get out of here."

Moving as quickly as she could, Ardelia worked to catch up to Lilly and round the corner.

"Hopefully we're safe soon, this is getting tiresome."

It was prettying interesting. He had been examining it for quite some time, studying it curiously. It was surprisingly hard to get a good look, but he was dedicated, determined. Every once and awhile, a situation arose and he could slightly maneuver himself, resulting in more information. He was starting to assemble a full picture of what he was looking at. Suddenly, a black orb wizzed along, buzzing his hair.

"...The f-?!" He looked around, breaking away from what he was looking at to see the shadow maze around him. Wow, he had been staring at Serena's rear for awhile...

Desmond's eyes casually scanned the rest of the room. The only thing he recognized was those wires. They'd passed those a few times, right? Even he had seen that in his... trance. He ducked under a ball again and glanced around at the group.

"Uh. Guys. Maybe we could follow the wires? I mean, they're a landmark at least, right?" He scratched his head

Serena heard the others calling behind her, talking about being a little more careful with their directional decisions...The idol couldn't help it. She was scared, confused, panicky. BUT, as much as it pained her, she had to agree with them.

"Ah..!"  Although it had only been a graze, the energy Serena felt against her back was still pretty painful. She had paused momentarily to regain her footing after the hit, which gave the others a chance to finally catch up with her. "Yeah, I'm fine..." She replied, a little out of breath. There was still little time to wait though, and as Lilly had said, she continued on down the left path.

It was then, the last member of their group finally decided to say something. For whatever reason, he hadn't said a single word since the group had been transported. She glanced back as he spoke. "The wires...?" She repeated, continuing to move as she took in her surroundings again. Wires infested the place, and, from what she could currently tell, there was little else to guide them. "Assuming this path doesn't take us somewhere safe, following the wires doesn't sound like a bad idea..." She agreed.

Health & Endurance

[spoiler]

QuoteLIly
40 Health/40 Endurance

Ardelia
35 health / 40 endurance

Serena
36 health / 40 endurance -1 health the following one turn for necrotic damage

Desmond
40 Health /40 Endurance

[/spoiler]


The entire group following Desmond?s insight follows the only path available with a quick turn. The group begins running for what feels like an eternity at full speed following the wires. Down topsy-turvy stairs and mind warping corridors they are able to barely avoid running into any more of the inhabitants of this maze. The screams however did continue as they had before-like nails on a chalkboard. After a dozen or so more twists and turns you can see that your somewhat making your way to the nest of wires floating at the center of it all. As sinking feeling of dread was settling in you all thinking where the boy could be in all this mess.

As you continue to move you also have time to look at the debris and your surroundings. Things were most defiantly shifting in this place that much was clear. Pulsating waves of shadows like a strobe light seemed to be changing. The debris was becoming filled with more sports oriented every time you saw a new floating cloud. Even the wires that you were following seemed to be thinning at each turn. Even the floor and classroom walls were changing to look more and more like a gymnasium every time you reach a new area.

There is still a number of computer equipment however still floating around and the large nest in the middle has yet to change significantly. You finally reach a bridge to that central nest when you hear the guttural scream that at this distance you can tell is coming from somewhere at the center of that mess. You now know where the boy has been hidden away and based of those screams if you don?t get him out soon he may die or worse. Soon after you here the chores of the three monsters close behind you. There is no turning back.



[spoiler]

QuoteTest of Strength

Rules
To rescue the boy you must make a combined test of strength to pull him free

Note Ardellia may only role one dice for her size

[/spoiler]

Standing before the nested mass of wires Lilly winces slightly at the racket coming from within. That doesn't sound good, if that boy is in there we need to get him out somehow... The thought flashed through her mind, as if she really had a choice in the matter. There wasn't much else that could be done but rally the others to help out.

"Hey, I think that kid is in here! Give me a hand, we need to free him and I can't do it by myself!"

Forging ahead for the rescue Lilly begins to tear at the wires in an effort to reach her goal. Those things are still behind us, we have to hurry!

[spoiler]With the help of the others, Lilly attempts to free the imprisoned boy.
[dice]Rolled 2d6 : 5, 6, total 11[/dice][/spoiler]

The mass of wires towered in front of Ardelia, but she seemed unphased. Around the same time as Lilly, Ardelia realized that the boy must be inside the mass of wires.

"That's... a lot of wires. I dunno if I am the best for this kind of thing but I'll give you a hand." At least someone besides her had taken the lead on this issue.

Ardelia tried to help as much as she could, pulling at wires, trying to separate them and reach the center of the mass.

[spoiler][dice]Rolled 1d6 : 4, total 4[/dice][/spoiler]

Serena took note of the three creatures still looming beind them. If they were going to do this, they'd need to be fast. Along with the other too, she dug through the wires, almost scared to think of what state the boy might already be in. But, hopefully, they weren't too late to save him.

[spoiler]
[dice]Rolled 2d6 : 3, 1, total 4[/dice]
[/spoiler]

The four of you manage to pull at the wires the first layers seem to separate easier then you might have expected revealing an inner web of wires far denser then the ones on the outside. It takes both Ardelia and Lily to keep the outer layer of wires free so that Serena and Desmond can attempt to reach in to the center of the mess. They sink in all the way to their shoulders. Then what?s worse you hit some kind of membrane deep within the wires that exploded. Gushing out was a putrid black oil like substance.

Then Serena and Desmond covered in the fluid feel something like flesh inside. Pulling hard they manage to exhume the boy as he gasps for air wires sticking out of his skin like some kind of horrible science experiment. He was exuding the same kind of dark aura as those shadow monsters like smoke. Whatever this stuff was it seemed to be the stuff that was powering the entire place and the source of the electricity.

He seems different almost all aspects of him physically had changed from that of the weakling geek to that of the shadow creatures who had been chasing you the entire time. Before anyone cold think this over however pulling him free seemed to be enough to detach him from the wires of the pod. Once he was free all the electricity of this place seemed to drain away with him and the shadow monsters close behind. Only the light on this circular platform seemed to remain. As you all stood surrounding by darkness the lights on the platform grew brighter as the boys dark purple aura began to flare. Growing brighter and brighter until you are all blinded you can hear him scream awake.

When you can see once again you are returned to the classroom everything, as it had been before this whole mess had started. You all seemed to have fallen on the floor unconscious and the sun has already set.  The boy is unconscious as well and does not seem unchanged at all. Was what happened all just a bad dream? People are probably getting worried for you all since it?s getting late.

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/Gpa6R_hF9uc&autoplay=1[/spoiler]

Ardelia watched as the fluids covered Desmond and Serena. There wasn't much she could do to provide assistance, but rather watched with a sense of curiosity.

I think I'm glad I didn't have to experience that...

As she had those thoughts of relief, the boy popped out of the wires, some dangling as his body left the pod. The world around her began to go dark, the light quickly disappearing. Ardelia scarcely had time to look at each of her companions before the world went dark.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ardelia's eyes opened the room was illuminated by moonlight; the sun had set. Letting her eyes adjust to the level of light, she noticed that it was the classroom she had been in before the mess had started.

I wonder if everyone else is here too...

Rising to her feet, she noticed that the boy, and Serena were both near her. Desmond and Lilly were present too. All of them were still unconscious it seemed.

"Hey... You guys alright?" The girl let out a quiet voice, not quite a nervous one but a cautious one. It was uncommon to be in the school at night, after all.

While monitoring the condition of her companions, Ardelia touched her bag and remembered that she had her mysterious book on hand.

It's getting pretty late... I know I should wait to see that everyone is alright but I am really curious about this book. I mean I am doing just fine and I am probably the weakest one of everyone here.

Making her way to the door, Ardelia looked back at her companions. the book was a higher priority at the moment, and everyone should be alright.

"See you guys tomorrow!" She sounded far to excited about words that nobody could hear.

She briskly made her way down the hallway. Enough time had already been spent at the school. Especially when such an interesting artifact was in her possession. The desire to get home and study it proved to be too great as the small girl broke out into a sprint as she headed for the school gates. There was no time to spare, and after everything else that had happened today nothing could surprise or scare her.

The group had worked together quickly - Each knowing there was no time for arguments, or hesitation. The other two held the wires back as Serena and Desmond dove into them, clawing away in an attempt to free the screaming boy. "What on earth is tha-." A black, oily substance sprung forth from the wiry mass, covering Serena nearly head to toe. "OH MY- GROSS!" She could hardly contain her displeasure. But, rather than worry about what had coated her form, she was more concerned with how much it had probably messed up her hair. However, she didn't stop digging, for only a second later she felt what the idol assumed had to be the boy.

The moment Serena and Desmond pulled the boy out, she withdrew her hands, disturbed by the site before her. Was this what the others had gone through? What exactly had they been digging into?

His body had already become shadowy, wires protruding from him. She backed away slowly, then froze as the maze-like school aorund them grew dark. Eventually, nothing but the glowing platform was visible...The scene was short lived however as her eyes closed, the idol losing consciousness.


Serena's eyes fluttered open, finding the room covered in a moonlit glow. It took her a moment or two to realize where she was. "Weren't we just..." She mumbled, slowly sitting up.

The idol suddenly gasped, remembering the disgusting black goo she had been covered in. Using only the moonlight, she quickly examined herself, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she found no evidence of the oily substance on her clothing or hair.

"...Guys?" It was only then did she realize the other three students still laying beside her. "Lilly? Desmond?" She whispered. Reaching out, the idol lightly tapped Desmond's shoulder, then Lilly's. Although the boy appeared normal now, Serena had no intention of touching the third unconscious student - She had learned her lesson. Someone was missing, though. The idol stood, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of Adrelia - but she was nowhere to be found.

Serena let out a groan then as she realized how late it probably was. She still had to walk home! Running all afternoon, then running from psychotic shadow demons? If her legs could speak, they would have been screaming. Although she was worried, the idol couldn't wait for the others to wake up - She still had a long walk ahead of her. Digging through her backpack she tore a piece of paper from her notebook, jotting down a quick note.

"Had to go home - We should probably meet up and talk about what happened..."

♥ Serena

She left out a time and place, knowing they'd see each other again soon enough.

Lilly tugged hard at the wires in her grasp opening a path to the center of the mass, holding firm she watched as Serena and Desmond tear into the core and then subsequently become drenched in... whatever that was. Ooooh man, that's pretty nasty.

At last the boy was free, but something still wasn't right. That doesn't look like the same kid... As the attached cords and cables came loose from his skin the lights around them dimmed until only the platform was left illuminated. Blinded then, by the flaring of his foul aura, Lilly braced herself for what was next.

---

Her eyes snapped open, and darted around the room. Awake, and only a little confused she took a moment to try and recognize her surroundings. Why is everything so blurry? Her glasses had fallen off.

Adjusting her spectacles and refocusing the room, she recognized a classroom in the school. Nearby Desmond and the boy lay unconscious, and would not rouse. They seemed fine however, and Ardelia and Serena seemed to not have been concerned since they were gone before she had awoken. It was late after all, and she should be going as well. Elise would need dinner and the day's events could be discussed tomorrow. Lilly walked out the door and down the hall. I need nap.

New rules
[spoiler]Conversation battles or CB's take place whenever arguing with, persuading, or coning npcs. CB's work like regular combat except only social abilities and weaknesses apply. Entering into a CB has the added opportunity to raise or lower relationship points depending on the situation. Look to the relationship point rules for more details.[/spoiler]

General changes
It has been two weeks since school had started and weird things started occurring around campus. Unfortunately things seemed to only be getting stranger and stranger each passing day. The following days after the nighttime battle you feel the same electric energy in the air again each morning as you did before on that first day. It seemed to getting stronger each morning as you woke up then began to dissipate to the point that it was completely unnoticed by the time you would arrive at school.

Your dreams have been filled with glimpses of a hooded woman with blue hair standing in darkness. Though you can never make out her face in detail her mouth moves as if she is attempting to say something to you but she has no sound. If you attempt to approach her then she becomes a stream of butterflies, which float away just before you awake.


The oddities and weird events around town also seem to be increasing though no one seems to take any notice. What little traffic there was coming through the three towns seemed to be lessening everyday. At first nothing seemed different though you heard more complaints from those who worked outside the local area seeming more reluctant then ever to leave or drive back home once they had left. Then those simply driving through would stop in the middle of the street as if in a daze before coming to their senses and driving on. This has gotten worse however within these few days as the only hotel in town is full to bursting with wayward travelers often city workers who have decided to drop everything to live here. What is worse those from the town who were on the outside when this shift happened refuse to come home. Leaving some families broken, houses abandoned and children on their own. Traffic seems to be almost completely driving around the area as if there is some kind of invisible barrier. One of the most noticeable affects is that the small chain stores and market are already starting to run low since there have only a few deliveries to restock and those that came unloaded there goods and have not left to return to the city.

The three towns simply do not have the capacity to deal with the sudden influx of souls. Many adults now are wondering around looking for work and opportunities that simply are not available or had been wanted.

The school at the moment seems to be the center of the strange behavior along with the bulge in transfer students that has caused the administration to take drastic measures. The sudden increase in student population has forced the school to close down many of its larger facilities so they can be converted into more classrooms. Spaces like the cafeteria, Gym, and Library have been sealed off from student use completely. This has meant that all lunches must now be brought from home or around the school and eaten in the classroom for now. To limit congestion in the halls between classes the school has also changed its policies so that the teachers now are the ones who now change classrooms instead of students Many of the school clubs have also taken responsibility of maintaining control with such few staff while in minor ways.

There has also been an increase in students suddenly fainting out of nowhere while on campus. The administration blames it on poor ventilation in the over crowded classrooms and have said that the problem will be resolved by the end of winter break. For now the nurse has had to resort to asking help from the health and wellness club whenever things get overwhelming. Likewise, the fledgling disciplinary committee has recently asked to take up the responsibility of keeping some of the peace between students when teachers are distracted.

The clubs seem to be going well and have started growing in popularity. People are falling in their roles for the most part with their activities. Because of the increase in students the time to choose clubs has also been extended for the new comers. Not everything is Rosie however, people are still getting signed up for random clubs by some group of trouble makers and the staff have yet to stop them with how busy they have become just keeping the school going. There have currently eleven proven cases of people signing up or forcing others into other clubs for one reason or another. There is no telling the actual number of affected students as some are using the student uproar over the bullies who go unpunished to do the exact same thing for their own reasons.

Individual Changes

Ardelia
Abridged Version
[spoiler]-1 size (small)
-1 focus (sword)
-1 room for two
+1 attack
+1 magic
[/spoiler]

It has been about two weeks since you began your club activates and seeing the strange activates around town. Anytime you have tried to talk with your family they agree things have been strange recently but are not overly alarmed by any of it and have not noticed any changes that have occurred to them or you. You specifically are attempting to deal with the new housemate that has moved in with you. He is the supposed spirit of the adventurer in the book named Farron. He seemed to know a lot about magic swordsmanship although he has no memory of anything beside his sword skills and his name. It is also a pain that he seems too able to be seen and heard by you. He has been training you in the basics of his craft though he is not the best of teachers. Though if the dark things you are seeing are real then you want a way to protect yourself

The Kendo Club is going well the five of you are in the throws of training mostly at the moment building stamina because of the little amount of space you can find while on campus. You quickly discovered that strength is not one of your forties due to your size choosing instead to work with precision and speed in your sword work. The library club has been a bit of a disaster since all the organizing and cleaning you three had been doing was for not and you had to pack the books away again but this time Pamela took them home with her with James' help not trusting the school with their care in there proper place. Pamela is quite upset with the idea of being forced out by the school. You do have to wonder however if either of the others have found strange books like you did or what could happen if such a book stayed in Pamela's house



Isaac for the last week also seems different. Somehow more imposing and has been wearing all kind of bandages. Even in two week he has started to seem more physical. His body is showing some telling signs of obvious growth in height and muscle. He seems to have taken to boxing better then you expected. He seems pretty much the same, and laid back though he has seemingly started dying his hair orange for some reason though no one else has mentioned it. You watched in days as it went slowly one shade brighter and brighter.

Your parents actually are some of the people who have yet to come home. They went into the city because of a sick family member and have not called in a few days they are also not answering any of your calls. Noel and Renna are so busy with both school stuff and things going on around the house they have not had time to worry. Noel in particular was left in charge while they were meant to be away a few days. You have been noticing that you have also been hearing more rumors about how good looking your brother is, and you have to admit something has seen different about him. He?s been holding himself differently the last couple of days his presence some how more alluring to those around him. He still acted the same for the most part although maybe his smile looks a little brighter and he might be filling out his clothes a little more. Renna on the other hand has turned to the clouds. She has joined the Astronomy Club at her school and has since had a telescope out her window every night despite what either of you say.   

Lily
Abridged Version
[spoiler]-1 guardian
-1 restricted freedom (family responsibilities)
+1 heal (touch)
+1 power word[/spoiler]

By a stroke of luck or perhaps intuition on your part you got your father to stay home the day that no one came back home from outside the town. He had been complaining for a few days about the drive and some of his co-workers more then usual, but barely hesitated to go because of you girls. The day that you were able to stop him from going you almost had to steal his car keys and block the door. The only problem being because he did not go in he got fired, the reasons why still a little unclear to you. Now he is staying out close to midnight each night looking for a job in town. It seems how he was fired was the final straw and he refuses to look outside of the area for work. He patrols the streets with the sudden explosion of men and women who are looking for a job in the towns and having no luck.

You have been trying your best to shield Elsie from any of your father's troubles as much as you could. The elementary and middle schools seem to be using the same new style of teaching and clubs as the high school. For now Elsie is absorbed in those after class activities. She joined the art club at her best friends request and found quite a talent for painting and sculpting. This is something you find surprising as before she showed no real interest and got bored if she sat in one place to long. Now the talent just seemed to be gushing out of her uncontrollably.  The art teacher even called you in to talk about her future as a prodigy. She however seems at the moment dead set against such training though she enjoys the praise.

Your own club activities seem to be going well both the Tai Chi club and the calligraphy clubs have proven to be good ways of reliving stress. Your circulation is beginning to improve slightly from tai chi as you attempt to learn how to improve your inner energy. Finding that calm in those few moments of peace seem to be the only thing keeping you sane.

Calligraphy club is also going well you all are starting to really practice writing. The swirling text and varying styles are all something you have been working to accomplish. Working nightly on the basics is helping a lot though you find recently that if you focus too hard when creating the piece the lines begin to blur and almost vibrate off the page. You then feel exhausted directly after and soon fall asleep.

Serena
Abridged Version
[spoiler]-1 obsession (popularity)
-1 compulsion (lying)
+1 agile
+1 performer [/spoiler]

The largest changes that have occurred in your life have happened to you personally. Whatever is happening in town because your little brother got sick forcing her to have not leave town trapping her inside did not separate your family. She like the others has thus strangely lost her job after just a day of absence. This means that for the moment your family is even more destitute then you already were.

To fill the stress void being formed you have focused yourself even more on your daily drive to become one of the popular elite. The would be flower arranging club has had some interesting twists and you have seen girls begin to whisper when one of the boys acknowledges you in the halls or the class. It has also had the benefit of starting to get you in shape and though you hate the work at times the benefits social and something you don't quite understand keeps you training. The music club on the other hand is something a lot more light hearted. You took the role of lead singer easily since no one else objected and have enjoyed experimenting with songs. You have been getting winded easily however often still tired from your work out the day before. The band is also not ready to perform because most of the others had almost never played their instruments before. They had come in just looking to goof off and then be able to brag about being in a band without practicing. Though you have seen them slightly more interested in playing at home after every club day.

Besides the subtle changes in physique or attitude of your classmates you have also seen some changes in yourself. The most obvious of which is the change that has occurred in your hair. Every day since that first night at the school your hair has been shifting slowly but visibly in color from blonde to bubblegum pink. Each morning as you took a shower you would see the water drain away yellow first turning lighter and then redder each day till you ended up with bright pink.

Desmond
Abridged Version
[spoiler]-1 compulsion (going fast)
-1 obsession (manliness)
+1  pilot
+1 Strength[/spoiler]

Your home life has gotten even more hectic over the last two weeks your Parents have lost there jobs and are now trying to find work around town that they can do. Your dad over the last two weeks had gotten super disinterested in his office job and quite out of complete disgust. He was now looking for his calling within town. For now that is simply acting like more and more slobish instead of his usual organized and clean shaven attire while he spends the day looking for a job and then throwing himself on a couch at night. Otherwise your mom who was a housewife decided to take up a job as a cleaner until he finds something new. What's worse she finds nothing wrong at all with his behavior.

Your school life has also been rather strange. You have been spending every day after school in the local junkyard, because you need spare parts and metals for both clubs. The automotive club has been interesting so far you haven't found much you can use to actually build a car. The largest change was simply making friends with the other guys. The meek guy Garret has started to have a change. You don't know if it's because he has gotten more comfortable or your bravado rubbing; off but he has started to change. Taking a page out of both your and Logan's books He has stated to get a bluster of his own within the last couple weeks even cutting his hair and spiking it back.

The Workshop club is also interesting because they have only hand tools at their disposal and whatever they can find in the junkyard to make stuff. The nice thing about all the manual labor is you have begun to feel a little bit stronger over the last couple of days. And it might be your ego tricking you but you might be seeing a little bit of definition in the few days. But that cannot be possible can it. Otherwise you all have begun stockpiling materials in the small back shed room that you have claimed as your clubroom. It is mostly men and there have been talks about how to improve what you make there is not much you can do. Otherwise a senior had found a book on different building techniques some modern and some quite old-fashioned. The thing that has caught people?s interest the most is a plan for mixing the old with the new. The administration has also left a note with the club saying that they will have to help them with the space issues come winter break.

Other then the physical changes that you have seen in yourself there have also been a number of mental changes. Your dreams and daydreams have become more and more focused around driving a car at fast speeds. The more you have thought about the car you building the more your cravings for speeds have increased. Your body begins to feel stiff and sluggish if you don't fidget around even in class. As each day passes the itch to fufil the need for high speeds is getting harder to ignore, though it's only a slight mental itch at this point. The only time you can truly tune it out though is when your working in the workshop. Now that you think about it you have had drams of leaning over a coal fire forge as well recently all with women marveling at your skill of course.

The morning had come, and with it a new school day. Lilly walked briskly down the sidewalk to the school, a piece of toast hung out of her mouth. She was late. The last few days had been tiring and she had slept in. Fortunately, she was able to put together a lunch for Elise, but in taking care of her sister she had neglected her own meal prep.

At last, she made it to school and in a few minutes more she was sitting at her desk. Yawning loudly, she looked around to see how the others were.

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/s8FMgxjl9oM&autoplay=1[/spoiler]

The past couple weeks had been tiring. Every day had been something new. Well, at the very least I am starting to get used to always having Farron around. Her clubs had been settling down as they got used to their activities. The school had been changing, the student body right in the middle of everything. Out of nowhere they had changed many of the systems that they had grew up being used to. It still felt odd to stay in the classroom while the teachers moved around. The large number of transfer students was surprising too, they lived fairly close to the city and didn't really have anything unique to offer, so why would so many people want to come here? With the school requiring students to bring their own lunches now, Ardelia generally stopped off at a family mart on the way to class and picked something up for lunch time.

Arriving at the classroom before many of the other students is something that seemed to come natural to Ardelia, even more so these days.  It was interesting to watch everyone arrive, greeting their friends, unpacking their stuff and telling stories. Though she did not often join in herself. She liked her classmates, but never really knew what to talk about with them in the mornings. Not feeling particularly sociable this morning, Ardelia pulled out her notebook and reviewed the material that had been covered previously for the first period.

Mr. Smith walked into the classroom as per usual like he had just gotten out of bed and had not bothered getting changed out of the clothes he had been wearing the night before.  He sat down with an exasperated and leaned back heavily in his chair pinching the bridge of his nose as if to steam a headache that was already throbbing in the back of his head. His nightlife over the past few weeks seemed to be getting more and more lively with each passing day. After a few more long moments and people continued to filter in he sat forward. Looking out into the classroom he seemed to grimace slightly before tossing his head back.

"This room is to damned cramped!? Vincent Smith?s moaning was a bit of a homeroom staple though the girls always batted their eyes in his direction and he always told the truth without sugar coating it. He even went so far as to unbutton his dress shirt slightly wiping the sweat from his brow. You could hear some girls near by swooning slightly. Whether due to the sudden fainting spells that seemed to be plaguing people all around school or your homeroom teacher you are unsure. Otherwise you both catch each other?s glances out of the corner of your eyes you could try to have some kind of conversation. Otherwise you have some time to chat with anyone in the classroom.

Lily

Eileen is siting in her seat staring at the clock tapping her foot wildly she looks like she is nervous about something.

Luke is sitting in his seat near the back over the last two weeks he?s really let his hair grow out and has it tied back in a short ponytail. Everyday you?ve seen him he?s been covered in all kind of busies and cuts. He has also started looking tanner then usual most likely due to the time spent with the judo team. He still seemed laid back but there was a somewhat different air around him. He was click away at his phone texting someone though your eyes did meet and he nodded in your direction. The desk next to him was open

Ardelia

Ray was in your classes he had already begun to lose a little bit of weight since you all had started the kendo club. He was currently looking over a comic book while munching on part of his lunch. Despite the fact that he had obviously losing weight it was part of his regimen to start eating better and more often because of all the work he had to do in the kendo club.

On the other hand you can see Isaac just dodge his way in with his hoodie up while wearing a baseball cap. He had started getting self conscious about his appearance recently. Over the last two weeks he became covered almost head to toe in bruises and bandages, which coupled with his hair that was turning a brighter and brighter shade of orange everyday seemed to be struggling. He slumped down low in his chair once he made it to his desk trying his best to avoid any eye contact.

[spoiler]http://youtube.com/v/S1baWtCsK8s&autoplay=1[/spoiler]

Ardelia looked around the classroom a bit. Ray seemed to be fine and she would see him later at practice anyways. Issac on the other hand looked like he had seen better days.

"Hey Issac... It's been a while. How are you holding up? It looks like you are having some trouble, and you haven't been coming around lately. What club did you end up joining and what's it like?"

Issac felt different, and the girl felt a bit nervous about how he would react.

Lilly rolled her eyes at Mr. Smiths customary morning gripes and stood up to make her way over to Eileen. It had been a while since they last spoke, and she wanted to see how her friend was doing.

"Hey, how's it going?"

If something was bothering Eileen, it would only be right to see if she could lend a hand.

Ardelia

"Stupid bruises" he mumbled. Being so much closer up it is clear to see just how beat up he seems to be. Where could they even be training? The school did not have any real pace for mats or a ring. Even the Kendo club had been forced off school grounds after the first day because of space.  Most of his bruises were turning a purple green meaning that they were already quite old. He let out a slightly frustrated sigh, as he looked sidelong up at you.

"Hey there Del how'a it going? Sorry I haven't been around been spending any free time either in bed or running. Heard through my mom that Noel has been looking after the house ever since your parents left town. Everything going oka-" he cut out mid sentence as some older boys came by the classroom he tried his best to cover his face and hair with his hood pulled over his head even further,



?Who is thus guy?? you hear your ghostly companion whisper in your ear. ?He won?t be getting anywhere if he acts like this he



Lily



You take a seat next to your best friend and she smiles warmly as you do so. She glances at the clock once again and says, ?Hey Lily hows it going?. Sorry I haven't called in a while I've been running drills nonstop. It's not helping that our three best players have all gotten that same bug that have been making people faint all over school." She throws her arms along the desk turning her head to face you. There has been a ton of gossip going around the school about students and teachers fainting suddenly and being out for days. The people who succumbed would aeligidy start acting stange a few days before and then suddenly collapse. "So how's are your clubs you joined two of them right?"

[Spoiler]Make a knowledge  check and add your heal dice[/spoiler]

Out of the corner of your eye you can see Ardelia talking to some boy at the edge of the classroom slouching in her chair memories of the strange happenings weeks before flooding back. Maybe you should find some time to talk things over later.