The Revelation

This is an archived fan fiction, meaning that its content has not been edited in over a year, or it was a user request. It is not to be edited anymore unless specified otherwise.

This week it is Crystal’s turn to update.

Prologue

Dinah Maisie Rivers seemed to be a very pleasant girl at first glance. Happy, cheerful, loving, caring, but to a point. Any normal person can't keep in hiding what Dinah had to keep to herself. This essentially spanned all of her past. All of it.

But no matter how hard Dinah tried, once in a blue moon, the layers and layers of joy got lifted, and out came the real Dinah. The one she hid from the rest of society. The one she meant to keep hidden forever, but couldn't.

Most of the times, this didn't happen. But when it did, you could see it. You could see it in her eyes. You could see it in her soul. You could see it in her posture.

Pain.

Chapter One: Bea

LONELINESS: A FEELING I've grown accustomed to. When your heart says one thing, but your mind says another. That feeling that often makes you choose between yourself and happiness. Like how drums hold the beat. But without the rest of the band, they’re boring, tiring, useless.

—————————————

The sound of hundreds of beating hearts was loud and clear in my ears. No shrilly voices, no clangs of lockers closing, just steady heartbeats. Pumping blood through bodies. One wrong move could stop all movement in our bodies. We could die. A powerful Charger could electrocute us all. A Hydrokinetic could drown us all. In a matter of seconds, we could all be gone. Yet here we were, living, breathing, and talking. Our minds were still developing, souls still searching, hearts still beating.

They say Foxfire is for the noble, but really it’s for the snobs who think you should only start your education at 11-years-old. If you only have 9 years of education for a species that lives for who knows how long, you can just imagine all the things we miss.

I stumbled through the halls, trying to make my way to the classroom. Being short didn't help. "Hey look, it's the Sea Monster!"

My eyes were what you could call a Freak Accident. They were grey. Not any cool shade of grey, like stormy grey, but a dull, plain grey. Compared to all the other elves, my eyes were garbage. I sighed and continued my long, boring, tiring, journey to my classroom.

———-

There are three phrases to describe my ability, "Woah." "That's so cool!" And, "AHH, SOMEONE JUST WALKED THROUGH THE GROUND, THIS WORLD IS CURSED! SAVE MY SOUL, I'M INNOCENT!"

Being a Phaser is interesting. It oddly causes you to have a lot of conflicted emotions. Something that has made me run into a lot of problems. I manifested at an early age, 11-years-old. But I never wanted to manifest as a Phaser. I've always wanted to be an Empath. To finally figure out why my emotions are so conflicted. Despite my ability, I've always had a hard time with feelings, it has caused many issues. Heartache, pain, death...

I walked into the cafeteria, everyone was with their friends. They all had friends, they all and people who cared for them.  I was lonely. With nothing. My heart was aching for someone I could call a friend. Someone who cared for me, someone who would listen to my opinion. Someone who would understand me. Someone to make me laugh when I was feeling blue. Someone to share inside jokes with. Someone to love.

I quickly got my food and made my way to the Sixth Year Library. I tripped over an imaginary rock and spilt my food all over my white uniform. A string of words that should not be repeated left my lips. "Woah there, that's a lot of words that could get you grounded for eternity." I turned to see a boy who was also in a white uniform. I stood up and faced him, he towered over me.

Curse my short genes. He had brown hair, a few shades darker than my brown - almost blonde hair. His skin complexion was a bit tan as if he spent the day at the beach and didn't get burnt to a crisp. He had a smirk graced on his lips, and eyes like the night sky. "Good thing my parents aren’t around, don’t your think?"

I didn't recognize him, he definitely wasn't here a few days ago. But there was no announcement about a new student, so who was he? I was about to ask him, but he was gone. I turned around to pick up my food, debating whether that was weird or creepy.

Definitely both.

He was on the ground picking up my food. Okay, so I was blind, big deal.

He handed me the tray, "Next time try to keep it off of the floor, people walk here you know."

My face reddened with anger, it's wasn’t my fault that the world decided the ground needed a hug from me. The rude idiot could at least be a bit understanding. I kneeled back on the ground to pick up everything else. When I got back up, I said to the boy, "You know, you're really a p-"

But before I finished that sentence, I noticed he wasn't in the same spot anymore. I looked around to make sure it wasn't just my clear blindness that prevented me from seeing him. He really was gone.

—————

I was at my locker when a girl walked up to me. Let's get one thing straight, people do not typically walk up to me. The mostly was away from me. The clearly excited girl asked, "Did you hear?"

How am I supposed to know if I heard or not if I'm not sure what the thing I was supposed to hear is? “Hear what?"

She rolled her eyes, "Marius Adean is back!"

I gave her a flat look, who the heck is Marius Adean? Confusion was evident on my face, so the girl explained, "You know, he went on vacation about six months ago, and now he's back?"

Who went on a vacation for six months? The girl gave an unbelieving sigh, then turned around and walked away.

Rude much?

I was about to leave my locker when people started whispering things like, "There he is!" Or, "Look! That's him!" A few, "It's Marius Adean!" My curiosity got the best of me, as I turned to see what the fuss was about. Who was Marius Adean? I turned and looked around. I faced the person who they were all staring at, the rude idiot himself.

Is he Marius Adean? I've been at Foxfire since level one, and I would have remembered someone who was obviously popular. How could I not remember him? My mind hit a blank, I had never seen this boy in my life. Nor had I heard of him. He was a mystery. The question is, why did I not remember him? It baffled me, how does every other student at Foxfire know him, but I can’t recall ever hearing anything about him?

Chapter Two: Rida

WHEN THE SCHOOL day is over, students rush out of Foxfire excitedly, eager to return home and get a nice relaxation session that is much needed for everybody. Best friends meet up and cheerfully discuss the latest gossip (ahem, please read: the return of our so-called school king, Marius Adean. I still think he's an idiot that needs to be thrown off his pedestal); siblings greet each other with either smiles or scowls and the rest of Foxfire's population gets out their pathfinders and prepare to lightleap home. A normal end for normal elves.

And then you have me. The school's outcast and nationally known freak.

I duck out of Foxfire's doors and rush out to the end of the yard, hoping not to be seen. Being short helps, and I find that this is one of those rare times that I am actually thanking the world for my small, 5 feet structure.

I fish out my own pathfinder from my satchel and adjust the lightleaping crystal on top not so that it lightleaps me to my home, rather so that it lightleaps me anywhere but.

The reason? My parents (if you can even call them that) and I don't have the best relationship. We acknowledge each other and that's pretty much it. They expect me to be an obedient child and get good grades, and in return, I fulfill all their wishes. We maintain the distant hi and how was your day? and how are your studies going? but that's just it.

It hurts so much more than I’d like to admit.

The way they act around me, it's as if they are forced to be my parents. As if they are blackmailed into doing it, somehow.

I shake that disturbing thought away. There's no way that could be true. Despite everything, they're still my parents. Nothing can change that.

Right?

—————

When I finally arrive, I find myself in a breathtakingly beautiful forest, silence haunting the aura above that is splayed slightly with mist. The leaves of the oak and spruce trees are riddled with tiny drops of dew that make for a pattern of a water starburst on them. I can hear the quiet chirping of birds and smell a scent of wood splattered everywhere.

All in all, it is a stunning scenic place that makes me feel so proud to have found.

I'm walking absentmindedly around, admiring the view of this calm forest when suddenly, I remember Marius Adean. A searing headache corrupts my peaceful mind state and I wince, gently rubbing my temples. The pain still doesn't leave as my rebellious brain brings up an image of his sky-dark eyes.

Eyes that I seem to recognize from somewhere.

But how? First I'm telling myself that I’ve never seen him before, and now I'm saying that I recognize his eyes?

"Marius Adean is back! You know, the guy that went on vacation six months ago, and now he's back?"

"You have exactly six months in order to complete this mission and find the information. Do not let me down."

Stunned by the sudden voice from a memory I can't recall ever living, I stumble back . . .

. . . and bump right into Mr. Jerkface himself, Marius.

"Watch where you're going, Shortie!" he snaps, grabbing my shoulders and steadying himself, then sees who he body-slammed into. "Oh, it's you. Should've known."

I have a snarky reply ready to fire at him, but before I can, another memory takes over my mind.

I'm at some sort of hideout, with graying stones fixed into the walls and vines climbing them as well. I'm walking outside of it, busy in my own world when I stumble into a lean body. I mumble an apology and look up to see a pair of eyes the color of twilight staring down at me. "Watch where you're going, Shortie!"

I'm brought back to reality as Marius snaps his fingers in front of me. "Hello? Anyone there?"

I stare at him with confused eyes, then suddenly blurt out, "Do I know you?"

Something flashes across his face. Something that looks awfully like wistfulness and longing.

That leaves me even more confused as Marius's face transforms back into his scowling one. "What makes you think that?"

Anyone can hear the lie in his voice.

As he turns to leave, I grab his arm and force him to look back at me. "You're lying."

He jerks his elbow free from my desperate grip. "No, I'm not. You and I don't know each other."

That is a trigger for another memory.

I'm focusing on my hand, trying to make it disappear and reappear, a trick I've been told to learn and master when a voice from behind me taunts, "Still having trouble trying to get that trick into that mind of yours? I'm not surprised."

Without turning, I roll my eyes and say, "No one asked for your opinion on this, Marius."

"That doesn't mean I can't give it." The smirk on his face can be heard in the smug tone of his voice.

"Go away, I'm trying to focus and I don't need your teasing remarks on my skills," I grumble, now really annoyed.

"Who says I was teasing you?" The seriousness of Marius's voice renders me shocked.

"Um, because I know you and you do nothing but mock me on my awful skills that would make my father really mad at me?" I answer, turning to look at him.

His eyes are narrowed and in a cold, hard voice, he tells me, "You and I don't know each other, Dinah. And don't act as if you do."

The thing is, that memory seems to be recent. Recent as in sometime in the past year.

But what stuns me, even more, is that I actually feel something while experiencing that memory.

The memories I have of this past year seem to . . . well, they don't feel as if they're real memories. I mean, I can remember them perfectly well, but everything about them feels fake. I can't feel anything but indifferent about them.

But these new memories I'm getting, they leave me confused, angry, and frustrated. Because I feel something while remembering them. I feel how annoyed I was, how embarrassed, how confused.

And it all has something to do with the return of the boy standing in front of me.

Marius moves backward, shaking his head. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we don't. We really, really don't, Dinah." And then he seems to realize his mistake.

"If you don't know me, then how do you know my name?" I ask calmly, taking a step towards him unconsciously.

He, already have composed himself again, answers with a shrug. "Heard of you from around. Does that surprise you?"

No, but the fact that I know that when you're biting your bottom lip, you're nervous and I can tell that you're lying does.

But instead of saying that, I just shake my head. "No, it doesn't. I should've known that everybody knows who I am." This needs to be investigated more thoroughly, and interrogating Marius isn't getting me anywhere.

He nods and gives me a salute that, for some reason, makes my heart twist painfully. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

Marius raises his pathfinder to lightleap away and the gesture causes his sleeve to ride up, showing off his forearm.

And I stifle a scream.

Because, tattooed on his forearm in a barely visible manner that you can't see if you're not looking as closely as I am, is a white eye.

But the fact that I know that symbol doesn't make me want to shout that the world has something against me. It because I've seen that mark before - somewhere I can't remember, but I know I have.

And not just the place I can't recall, but someplace else too.

—————

Before I know it, I'm back at Ironglade, my home, and bursting through the doors, not bothering to greet my mom who is on the soft, plush couch in the living room, studying papers that seem to be in runes. I don't dwell on that, though. I have much more important things on my mind.

I rush up the porcelain stairs, my feet bouncing up and down on their own accord. Once I finally reach my room, I throw open the door and walk to my huge walk-in closet.

I hesitate for just a second, but then put on a brave face and push the door open, making my way to the end of my closet.

The back wall is littered with old boxes containing old school notebooks and uniforms. I find one box that is especially dusty a few inches away from the rest and sit down on the carpet, blowing away the stains of many years of not opening.

With a shaking hand, I open the box and cough as dust balls explode in front of me, waving away the particles of dirty air and shuffle through the ripped textbooks from my first year at Foxfire until my hand hits something made of soft fabric.

I bring it out and stare at it.

It's a black cloak that I have had in my possession for the past year, but I can't seem to recall how I got it.

I take in another deep breath and turn the cloak over so that I am staring at the back of it.

And on the back is a white eye. Just like the one on Marius's forearm.

The mark of the Neverseen.

—————

I'm standing in front of a man with eyes the color of the sky and blonde hair, staring at me with such naked disappointment it twists my gut so hard.

I try to feel ashamed for what I have done, but I can't. I just can't. I guess, after everything I've learned, I just don't have it in me anymore.

The man walks around me, shaking his head, his footsteps echoing off the walls of the chambers full of other elves judging me in whispers and taunts.

Well, let them. When they learn why I did what I did, they'll regret ever saying that I wasn't worth all the trouble.

"I expected better from you, Dinah," the man told me in a calm voice that scares me so much more than it should. "I put my faith in you, and you let me down."

He pauses, then lets out a small chuckle. "I should've known you would have pulled some sort of trick like this. You were never as committed to me as you should have been. I chose you and that Marius boy in hopes of proving yourself to me, but I was a fool to do that."

I don't say anything, just continue to stare at the ground.

The man notices this and jerks my chin up roughly, forcing my grey eyes to meet his. Fire dances in his other palm. "You don't know what I'm capable of, and since you could still prove useful, I'm going to let you stay in that blissful state of ignorance."

He steps back and snaps his fingers and suddenly, something is in his hand. It's too blurry for me to make out, but invokes such fear that I take a terrified step back, afraid. I raise my eyes to meet the gaze of someone else in the crowd watching me.

Marius.

He stares at me with an emotion I can't place, but then shuts his eyes and looks away, causing my heart to shatter.

Even after all we've gone through? Even after that night under the stars? He still won't take the risk to save me?

I force all the feelings of hurt and heartbreak to away and look back at the man who just smirks and raises the thing in his hand higher, causing fear for my life to cloud my mind.

I can't do anything. There's no point in doing anything. I did what I had to, and this is the consequence.

All I can do is hope is that it will pay off.

"And this, dear daughter," Fintan Pyren says, "is the punishment you get for exposing yourself to the Black Swan as a member of the Neverseen and, in the process, letting them know of our plan to overthrow the Council and take control of the Lost Cities."

Chapter Three: SuldreenSong

I jumped back, the fabric still loose in my hands, feeling like the memory had jabbed me in the stomach. Remnants of other forgotten memories floated around, fragments strung together, snippets I believe may have been better forgotten. Nothing came from them, they were all fake memories from voices that I couldn't remember.

Dinah

It sounded as if hundreds of tones had joined to say that word, some with pride, others dotted in dissappointment, some with such a sickening cruelty, my stomach knotted, tightening to extent that my breathing slowed. And then within all them I heard hints of myself. My voice taunting someone in a cruel unfamiliar manor, before I retreated apologizing. Someone about to be slashed down by my own hand, before I flinched and couldn't do it. And deep in my gut, I could tell that I thought I was weak. Never be able to go the lengths necessary.

I am weak.

I could be struck down at any second with just a few words. Nothing could ever hurt me physically and just knowing that made me as if I wasn't real. I wasn't real though. Nothing by itself could ever scar me, yet I had so many pains, so many weaknesses, so much vulnerability, all in the trails of ignorance.

We're all still alive.

Pain's just a distant feeling, no one relates to. And loyalty, a weakness to many carry. A feeling pushes on the edges of my consciousness, a memory feeling as if it's close but not present all same. It carries hints of desperation, and an overwhelming sense of an emotion I couldn't begin to describe, that made my breath catch, and was ridden with so much sorrow, it was best not explored.

Ignorant.

That's what I was. It was a theme littered through all of my memories from both my pasts, spanning through my entire existence. I keep continuing through the murky pattern that drowned me, pulling me under so far that there was no return. It had become a constant fact of my life. Something so consistent that any attempt of change would be flooded by the original consequences. I was ignorant of signs, chances, feelings, everything. And it could be my downfall. It would be my downfall.

I pried my eyes off the black fabric, that carried the hints of memories I've recovered. my eyes darted back to the symbol, but I forced myself to look away. To ignore the throbbing feeling in my head, and continue on like all is normal. I had stiffened up so much. A sea monster on land, naturally meant to be in a different element, but stuck where they are. Unadaptable. For now though, I'll continue on in my state of oblivion that I'm locked in until I find a key.

---

"Ahem." That oh-so-recognizable voice says. I was sitting at an empty table, closest to the door in study hall, when of course Mr. Ruler of the Universe shows up, with his piercing blue eyes gaze right at me, staring so intensely, I feel like he's staring through me like I'm a vanisher. He gestures at the seat next to mine, "That's my seat."

I nod, "Ok, you can sit there if you want." I feel his gaze comb over me, scanning my face to see if I'm serious. "Be my guest."

"I wasn't asking for your permission shortie," Something about that line feels vaguely familiar. "I was saying to move." I ignore him, my face as still as a stone, not reflecting on in anyway of who I am. He smiles, sitting down. "Your just as stubborn, as someone I used to know." He sighs, looking up and to his right, seemingly recalling something.

He starts working, his hands moving at speed an everblaze takes to spread. His hand doesn't seem to be moving in a generic line, but rather it courses around the paper in a random movement.

"Are you sure we don't know each other--?" I start, gazing into his eyes, that in the lighting look as if they were glimmering with the whole universe inside of them. His gaze studies me again, softened and almost wistful, different from his normal exterior.

"What would make you think that we do?" He returns my gaze as fierce as ever, the whole world seeming to focus only on us in this moment. I know I shouldn't pry. I know I betrayed him, I think. He betrayed me, or something along those lines. I bite my lip, and continue looking into his eyes for a good thirty seconds, neither of us blinking, just waiting for the other to say something. Waiting for someone to interrupt and prevent either of saying something we might regret. His eyes return the emotions I feel inside: Pain, sorrow, longing.

He ends the silence, his eyes filled with regret. "What have you remembered?" His voice is strained, as he ends the charade.

"Nothing. Everything. It's all relative now." I reply, my voice is muffled. I decide not to mention the one on Fintan, my father. "You." I finish, wanting to see his reaction. I don't know what type of relationship we had had. A rivalry perhaps. Maybe even a romance, but I couldn't know my ignorance had made sure of that. I heard heartbeats pounding in each of our chests, our blood flowing, electricity running through our veins. All still alive.

We all could die.

His face morphs into a guilt ridden regret filled piece of art, before transforming into a cold statue, unreadable. "Don't be wanting what you can't have." He states, with no emotion leaking into his tone. His eyes though remain a vast oasis of all the emotions he's hiding. All the pain, I can tell he's suffering through. His voice turns much quieter, something he probably thought I couldn't hear, "I can't lose you again. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

He pivots to the right before getting up leaving all of his stuff behind. As soon as he made it past the exit, I see his pace speed up as he sprints through the hallway, leaving Foxfire and myself behind him. Two stars isolated from the world, with galaxies ahead of us.

His notebook he was working on flaps open as it falls onto the ground. I hold in a gasp, but still can't stop my eyes from widening as I see its contents.

Chapter Four: Crystal

Day one. Training with Dinah. 

 "​​Dinah, are you ready? " I asked as we went to training.

"Not really. I'm so nervous. I haven't had enough time to study." Dinah said.

" You'll do fine! I have confidence in you! Besides, it can't be that hard! " I said, trying to reassure her.

We walked in silence the rest of the way there. The man who would be training us, stood waiting.

"Welcome to your first day of training, Love Birds." Fontana said.

"I'm not his Love bird. " Dinah grumbled.

My face fell. If only she knew how I felt. How much I needed her to finish the training with me so we could be together.

"First off, Marius's says otherwise. Second off, I will call you whatever I want. Now, have you guys been studying the stuff we have you? " Fintan asked.

"Yes Sir. We both have." I replied.

"Splendid! Now, so any of you know how to spark Everblaze?" He asked.

" Um....don't You think it's a little soon?" Dinah squeaked.

I stomped on her foot.

"Ouch!" She said, glaring at me.

" Dinah! Don't question! It comes with punishments! " I hissed.

"I was just saying......." She started.

"Dinah! He'll burn you to bits! Hush! "I hissed.

"Fine. What's wrong with asking a few minor questions anyway." She  grumbled.

"I have a feeling one of you guys will fail......"  Fintan said, staring at Dinah as if he was staring into a void of death.

"Alright, alright! I get it! You don't want me asking anymore questions! So can we move on already?" Dinah asked.

" Dinah! You. Just. Asked. Another. Question. He quiet before he gets rid of you. " I hissed. Again.

She glared at me.

"I think we should wait until tomorrow to start training. Go on.  Get out of here. I don't want to see you Love Birds till tomorrow." With that, he turned away and went to his cabin.

​I left for my cabin too. Dinah followed.

"Why did you have to ask so many questions? Now we have to wait! " I whined.

"Not my fault he is a jerk and doesn't like actually,  explaining things! He just needs to understand that everyone is different. And if he can't understand anything, then I can't work with him."

Chapter Five: Candy

I took a step forward. Darkness. I took a step backward. Darkness. I levitated into the air. Darkness. And every time I tried to move, I sunk deeper and deeper. Faster and faster. The darkness lured me in like a fish to a light in the deep sea, like a living thing sinking into quicksand, like…

Like a daughter being dragged into evil by her cold-hearted father.

With that one thought, I jolted down into the far depths of the inky black of my surroundings. There was no hope of getting out now. What's worse is that my mind succumbed to the darkness, allowing it to seep in. And the next thing that happened was something that I'd been dreading for years now.

The shards of memories took on ghastly forms. Discolored, unreal shapes. Morphed, deformed people. Abilities that could wipe out the entire universe in the blink of an eye.

But somewhere in that vast scene, I managed to spot a small light. And again, like a fish being lured to a light in the darkness of the deep sea, I moved towards it.

And just when I brushed past it, a blast of energy came through. Along with a voice. His voice.

Thousands of memories with him came fluttering back on wings towards me. Random quotes from our conversations came together.

“Don’t listen to him. He won’t ever understand.”

“I can’t live like this! I can’t live in fear for the rest of my life!”

“Why don’t you let me help?”

“I’m better than you, stop interjecting!”

“I don’t care anymore!”

Only for me to sink even further.

And further.

And further.

And fur- BAM.

Solid rock. Or was it really rock? Was it just me trapped in the box I’d created for myself since day one? Was it the pain from the past coalesced into a hard structure to torment me until my last breath?

And then I heard it. My cat-like ears turned slightly towards the sound. When I stepped a little forwards, I managed to hear a faint call. An incoherent one from down here, but probably a loud and clear one at the very top.

I looked up, just to check whether I was really stuck or not. Nope. High ceiling, too far to see with the naked eye.

Suddenly something grasped me. Great. It was the solid ground below. Must be the pain. Slowly from there, the ground grew around me, and held me in its firm grasp. As if it would never let go. I fought against it with all my might. I tried outward channelling. Failed. Levitation. Failed. Kicking and punching it. Failed. I even tried biting into it with my teeth, which also failed.

And then I saw it. With a blinding flash of light came a rope, one dangling down thousands of feet. But still not enough. Not enough to reach me. And even if it did reach me, I’d never be able to get back up. My body was already getting absorbed by the pain. The ground proceeded to take me in, it’s sharper ends digging into my shoulder blades, bringing out more and more blood as time passed.

Then I did the one sensible thing. I screamed.

It pierced through the silent, eerie darkness like a sword cutting cleanly into a man’s heart. The very pitch of it was enough to tear any average person’s eardrum in two clean halves. Enough to break the ground in half.

I broke out of the pain that was holding me back from getting out, and levitated towards the bottom of the rope.

It wasn’t as close as I’d thought it would be.

Eventually, after about a mile of going up, it was too much. My body gave out, and I fell to the bottom. Only to be grasped by the pain again.

……

I stayed that way for about 2 months. In a coma. Until somebody finally dared to do the task. A task that may take their life, but they still volunteered to do it.

……

Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump-ity bump. Bump-ity bump bump bump.

The pattern went on for ages, though I eventually got used to it. It would have put me to sleep once again if it weren’t for the odd air of familiarity that came along with it. The feel. The smell. The eyes. The hair. So familiar. So, so familiar… that it was almost too familiar.

As I dared to open my eyes a little wider, my range of vision ranged from one side of my body to the other. And there were hands grasping me. And more hands. And more.

Dizziness shrouded the rest of my vision, making hands pop out of everywhere. Until I saw only hands. And as soon as I closed my eyes, more darkness.

This time, the memories became more real. In fact, I’d even say more real than real life. Every little detail. Every small dot. Every tiny mark.

And one more small thing. Now, in every memory that I shared with Marius, in the place of the usual white eye, I saw a swan. A black one.

Chapter Six: Banana

My eyes flutter open and bright lights shine down on me as I stare at the pristinely white ceiling. I hear voices…and footsteps. People look down at me, murmuring to themselves. They all are wearing black cloaks, looking at me worriedly.

“She knows too much,” one said.

“It’s dangerous,” agreed another.

“Especially with what she has done.”

“I think we’ve made the right decision.”

A new voice entered the conversation. One I recognized as Marius. “But you can’t do this to her! Please, don’t!”

I was confused…why exactly did he care? What would they do to me? There were arguments, but the words blurred in my head.

A man looked down at me and put his hand on my forehead. It was warm, soothing. “Don’t worry, darling, this won’t hurt a bit.”

………..

I am leaning against my locker at Foxfire, fingers on my temples as pain surges through my mind. The flashbacks kept being triggered, and they were all connected to Marius in some way.

These memories were parts of something big, but I needed the half of the picture I didn’t have yet, and the fragments of my past floated around in my head with no connection to the others.

Whenever I looked for answers, there was a blank in my memory. Erased memories, and I had no idea how to make them surface.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear a voice. “Well, you never seemed like one to ditch class.”

I looked up and saw Marius staring at me, his all-to-familiar eyes making my heart race. Hundreds of questions raced around my mind, but I asked none of them.

“You don’t seem like someone to ditch either,” I noted, raising my eyebrows at him.

He shrugged. “At least I have a reason.”

“Which is?” I asked.

“I’d rather not say,” Marius said.

I looked down, and finally decided on asking the question that had bene floating around my mind the most. “I know you, don’t I?”

“No, you don’t,” Marius insisted, but I could tell that it pained him to say that.

“Yes, I do,” I said, more confidently than I had expected.

Marius stared at me. “Alright, I’m not going to tell you anything else, but, I swore an oath never to share any information I learned. I can’t break that oath, I’m sorry.”

For once, I felt like he meant it. I looked directly into his eyes for a long, hard moment. He didn’t move, didn’t leave. “Just tell me one more thing,” I said.

Marius sighed. He thought, his eyes never daring to dart away from my own. “Alright,” Marius said. “I was a double agent, working for the Black Swan. We were…partners.”

Partners.

The word sounded strange in my mouth, and I know it sound strange in his as well.

I backed up a few steps, but he walked forward, closer to me. “What are you doing?”

He smirked. “Something I wanted to do a long time ago.”

With that, against my will, he pressed his lips against my own in a kiss.

Chapter Seven: Vee

Emotions rush through me like a hurricane. I liked it, but I hated it.I wanted to run, but I wanted to stay like this for the rest of my life.

I did the only thing anyone else would have done in my position. I break away and phase into the wall behind me.I could hear Marius calling me, but his voice sounds like it was underwater.

I run through the walls, not really knowing where I was going. At last I break free and fall to my knees in the courtyard in the back of the school. I’m breathing hard, replaying the moment Marius had kissed me.

Why? Why would he kiss…me?

I get up and dust the dirt of my knees. I probably looked like a mess.

Then someone puts a cloth soaked in a sedative over my nose and mouth.

So I fight. I kick and punch and try not to breathe in.My attacker lets out yelp and lets go. I turn around quickly and see a pair of warm brown eyes brimming with hatred. But her pendant was the one that caught my eye.

It was a monocle shaped as a black swan

The girl with the brown eyes sprays something in my face. The world starts to fade away.

“Who..are..you?” I manage to choke out.

She hesitates before saying. “Sophie Elizabeth Foster.”

Then the world goes black.

Chapter Eight: Bea

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP

That was the sound of my heart beating. A miracle. Whatever I was laying down on was itching me like no tomorrow. The room was cold, and the lights were dim. I really wanted to open my eyes, but I knew it would hurt. But you've got to make sacrifices for the greater good right? So I reluctantly opened my eyes.

I stared at the ugly grey ceiling, thinking of all the colours worse than it. There were none. Maybe I was in this state for a minute, or possibly a lunar cycle. I couldn't tell. I could hear someone opening the door, a shot of pure terror made way through my body, it was coursing through my veins, to each and every muscle in me.

It was a doctor.

I quickly closed my eyes. I could hear a soft laugh, "You don't have to pretend you're asleep." I slowly opened one eye then the other. She was wearing a mask, and there were jewels woven into her hair, her warm skin tone complemented her dazzling eyes. She handed me a bottle, "Drink this."

I downed the whole thing pretty quickly, and she handed me another one. After five I started getting queasy. She noticed and handed me another bottle. Before I could drink it, a woman who looked exactly like the doctor rushed in. "Don't drink that!"

She yelled. Two more people ran in towards the doctor with melders. One person zapped the doctor who fell to the ground. They dragged her body away. The look-alike turned to me, "Sorry about that. And don't drink that, it's poisonous." She said, referring to the bottle in my hand. I put the bottle on the floor, "Who are you?"

I asked curiously, but terrified, "I'm Physic, and that was the Neverseen's attempt to kill you."

Great, I almost died, yay.

"How come I didn't die by any of that other stuff?"

She explained, "In order for the poison to work properly, you needed to be at full health. Those things were actually to heal you."

That made sense, but I couldn't trust this lady either, who knew what she was capable of? The new and improved Physic checked up on me without giving me any elixirs, so it was harder to tell if she was an evil murderer who would poison me and find joy in it. She left me so I could rest, but we all know that is code for 'Sneak out and snoop around.'

I slowly got up, my bones were still aching. The slightest movement would cause tremendous pain. After ten excruciatingly long minutes, I got to the door. The pain had subsided a bit, probably because anything down from my waist was numb at this point. I gradually opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. It was bustling with people in lab coats. They couldn't see me, I needed to blend in.

Oh boy, this is going to hurt.

I sunk into the ground, the pain was almost unbearable. It was as if someone sent three cougars to attack me, and they were tearing me apart, limb from limb. Apparently wherever I was did not only have one floor. When I phased into the ground, I fell right through, onto the next floor.

I groaned in pain, that was definitely going to cost me. There was no way someone didn't see a girl fall through the ceiling. I wasn't wrong. The one voice I didn't want to hear said, "Going somewhere Shortie?"

Of course, the world had to curse me even more than how cursed I am. That's just what it does. Instead of replying, I attempted to get up, I felt a warm hand inclosing its self with mine and I glanced up to see Marius helping me. "What are you doing here?"

"I have to report back to my superiors."

He answered. For a while, there was a silence, a very awkward silence if I might add. He cleared his throat, "You're not supposed to be here, you should go back to your room."

A bit of disappointment filled up inside of me, I had a little bit of hope he would say something else. "Oh, yeah that makes sense."

I was quiet for a few moments, then I said, "What is this place? Why am I here?" He glanced up at a clock, "You'll find out soon enough."

As long as I got my answers soon, I was good. "So uh, I'm going to head back now." I said while turning away, he gave me a quick nod and I made my way to the stairs.

NOTE TO SELF: Never take the stairs after falling out of a ceiling. It hurts.

After twenty long minutes, I was finally back in my room, laying down on a cot. I heard the door creak open and looked up to see Physic. She caught me looking at her and she smiled, "You have some guests."

She turned to the door and said, "Guys! Come in!"

Seven people stepped into the room. My face was covered in confusion, "Who are all of you?"

I scanned their faces one by one, and lastly, I landed on the brown-eyed girl whose eyes bore hatred. Everyone else had similar or the same expression. Some bore the mask of sadness, and others of anger. Some with so many mixed emotions, it was hard to tell what they were feeling. One by one, they introduced themselves, despite the fact that they all looked as if they wanted to decapitate me. Their names were: Fitz, Keefe, Sophie, Linh, and a bunch of others my brain wouldn't let me remember.

"You did something to us much more grave than any deed before."

Said the girl identified as Sophie, her voice was soaked in remorse, sadness, and anger.

At this point, I was very confused. What did I do to have all these people hate me? Fitz spoke up, "You broke our trust on so many levels that we had to wipe your memory."

My eyes widened, I would finally figure out the cause of my memory loss. By the looks of it, whatever I did hurt a lot of people. "We're not supposed to tell you this, but we don't want you making the same mistakes again."

Said the boy identified as Keefe.

"You were brought here to be healed, and according to the rest of the world, that is the only reason you are here. Don't repeat what we tell you to a single soul." Whylie told me. I nodded, bile was riding up my throat, I was scared to know what I did. "If you repeat it to one person-"

Whoever said that was cut off by Sophie. Her eyes were cold, her voice was low and slathered in hatred, "You killed Dexter Dizznee and you did it as my sister."

Chapter Nine: Rida

MY HANDS FLY to my mouth as I stare at Sophie with guilt knawing away my insides.

You killed Dexter Dizznee and you did it as my sister.

How could I have been so cruel to do that? Did I really not have any feelings whatsoever?

Even though I know sorry won't make up for what I did, I still try. "God, I am so so-"

"Save it," the brown-eyed elf interrupted, her eyes void of any emotion. "I don't want to hear what you have to say or your apologies. It's- it's not going to bring him back, is it?" At that, her voice breaks and the brunette with teal eyes - Biana, I recall - puts her arm around her shoulders and gives me a cold glare.

I don't have to be an Empath to know what the elves in front of me are feeling. Hate and anger is radiating off them so obviously, I have to force

Murder.

Liar.

Backstabber.

A fake.

All these word and more taunt me in the back of my mind, reminding me of exactly who I am.

Evil.

Ignorant.

Useless.

I just let those words mock me silently and watch the other elves comfort Sophie, who looks on the verge of tears. I swallow back another sorry and slowly start walking backwards, feeling like my presence isn't wanted.

Nobody tries to stop me from leaving.

---

Before I know it, I'm running outside, desperate for a breath of fresh air. I collapse onto the soft blanket of grass and curl up on myself, feeling tears of self-loathing and anger at myself. I don't wipe them away.

Instead, I let them fall.

All these new revelations, new elves, new memories, they are driving me crazy. I don't know what's real and what's an illusion any more.

I can't even tell if I'm real anymore.

My life before all this was simple. Sure, I was considered a freak, but at least I wasn't accused of murder of someone.

A murder I committed while acting like someone's sister.

Who would have known even I would stoop so low.

I bury my face into my knees and keep sobbing, hugging myself tighter. There's only one person who can understand my pain right now, but he is one of the reasons my heart is twisting painfully.

I can still feel his lips on mine, the sensation, and I don't want to admit it, but I want to feel it again. Yet the relationship Marius and I have is leaving me confused, and that kiss isn't helping me at all.

Suddenly, I feel someone else sit down beside me and I look up, jolted out of my miserable thoughts. After seeing exactly who it is, I hastily wipe away my tears and try to cover up my sobbing mess.

The elf beside me looks at me awkwardly with his silvery-blue eyes, his jet-black bangs dipped in platinum silver hiding a bit of his face. Tam, I remember, seems as unsure about where he is as I do.

"So, guess that kinda surprised back there, didn't it?" he finally asked, breaking the somber silence.

I let out a snort. "Surprised is an understatement. My life has been turned upside-down." I pause at that. "Actually, that's also an understatement."

He leaves me stunned when he laughs. "That may also be true."

I give him a confused look and gestured around. "Why're you here, anyway? Shouldn't you be, I dunno, cursing my name and wishing to kill me?"

Tam gets a distant look in his eyes as he picks at the grass. "See, that's where the others and I are different. Do you know what my ability is, Dinah?"

I shake my head. "No, why?"

"I'm a Shade. And I can take a reading of your mind to see how much potential for darkness you have. And Dinah, you..." He hesitates for a second before continuing. "You had - and still have - absolutely zero."

I blink. "Wait, what? How? I killed someone! H-"

"But that's the thing," he interrupts, looking at me dead in the eyes. "You didn't kill Dex. Someone else did, and they accused you for it."

I blink once again. "But how-"

"When we found Dex, he was lying in a pool of blood with yo standing over him with a knife. The others were to freaked out to notice, but I saw that your eyes were somewhat glazed. As if the person put you in a trance, and considering who the person it, I'm not surprised."

"You're acting like you know who did it," I note.

"That's because I do." His voice has taken on an edge of venom and was laced with absolute hate and rage.

"And who is it?" I ask, desperate to know.

Tam presses his lips into a straight line, his fists clenched and his eyes burning with a scary fire.

"The person who killed Dex and made it look like you did it was none other than a member of the Collective, creator of Sophie Foster. Mr. Forkle."

Chapter Ten: SuldreenSong

Forkle

Errol Loki Forkle

A name so familiar to me, yet so distant nonetheless. Words so well memorized, that were never spoken.

"Why?" I hear the words, realizing they had slipped out of my own mouth. I'm surprised that I don't feel the anger coursing through my veins channel to this now known murderer. A deep pit of guilt seems conjure up from somewhere deep in my stomach in place of the relieve I expected.

The boy looks off in to the distance, his bangs flicking off into the wind. Bangs Boy. "I don't know. One day his shadowvapor was at it's norm, the next his mind was fogged with it." He pivots slightly the inferno slightly dimming in to a deep dark pool. "It was him though. It couldn't have been one of the others."

"The others?" My tone wavers slightly.

"The ones with drastic changes in shadowvapor and illumination. Same dayas Dex's death." He explained, "Even Linh, well you don't know her anymore, still is just as sweet has more shadowvapor. Same percentages though with illumination change." I gaped, struggling to process the information he said in such a caual manor. His eyes darken, becoming a void of all emotion, "Most people read like they had more shadowvapor, and no one darkened would've done that to Dex, Forkle was the most dark, and..."

"So, you don't know?" I interupt. "And most people read with more who changed? Who didn't?"

"One person. Marius." His eyes, look a bit glassy almost as if coated in tears. He adds in a uncharacteristic growl,  "And I know it's Forkle. I already told you that." 

I gather my thoughts, trying ot voice them though no words come out of my mouth. As if on cue, my ears pick up the soft crunch of footsteps crushing the grass down. Tam gazes towards the visitor, before instantly standing up and leaving. What was that about?

"Shortie--I thought I should get this over with right now." A familiar tone voices, laced with both venom and sweetness, carrying a feeling that was vicious, yet full of that-that I don't know what, that makes my breath catch. I prepare for the worst, expecting another blow, yet his lips form the two words I hadn't began to to expect. "I'm sorry." I look up meeting his eyes, looking at the galaxies stowed inside them. He takes a deep breath, "For leading you on."

"What do you mean?" I shout once again stunned, at the words coming out of my mouth. "You're the one who made the first move! You're the one who wanted it! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO KISSED ME!" I sucked in a breath. I can't say I still didn't know how I felt about that, I felt betrayed.

He placed a finger on my mouth, "Ssssssshhhhhhhh. You going to bother the others." A star dimmed in his eyes, a universe flickering, flashing before my eyes like it was only an illusion.

"Then why? Why then?" A hole, gaping in my stomach, a void of feeling reaches over me, seizing the oppurtunity in my state. "Why had you wanted it?" I try to piece together a disguise, a mask I had worn previously to hide, but my features betrayed me. My face contorts, yelling at the top of my lungs, all the things I should've questioned, all the things lies that were left obscured. I barely know him in my life now. Yet somehow in this short time I became vulnerable, my mind refused, yet my heart let him in. And with a few, almost polite sentences, I was struck down. 

I didn't shed a tear.

"I had wanted to see if you were still in there. To see if there was anybody left who I loved." His eyes blink twitching, a sheen of glass blocking my whole view, and I wish see the boy inside of there whose sad, lonely, desperate. His eyes clear, before fogging up with a think mist I couldn't gaze through. 

I think I was the same then, I don't know though. I don't know anything, "I don't know who I was then, but I can't imagine being anything but a fool to have liked you." The words feel wierd coming out of my mouth, I mean it, but at the same time I don't think it's true. I meet his eyes glaring, seeing how fully exposed they were, how surprisingly vulnerable he seemed, before something inside of him seemed to take control blocking me out. Taking a deep breath, my legs get up and carry me away to another place, I would probably be unwelcome.

Vision blurring from the water in my eyes that refused to spill out, I take one step. Than another. Walking away dissapppointed from the only person I felt I could relate to. The blur spreads, darkness flashing, before my knees give in and I collaspe.

"Dinah, I can't support you in this anymore." I choke back a breath, my eyes meeting the midnight blue that was dotted with galaxies coming from the elf that had spoken.

"What do you mean, we're doing the right thing. We're saving so many--" My gaze strengthens, echoing all the desperation, I felt. I look down at hand, phasing out of vision, so undefined, and unreal.

"Humans, how does that help anyone? They're so terminal it could be a service." His eyes go blank, an empty slate with nothing to read from, glazed over slightly. "Fintan agrees, I agree, Forkle agrees." 

I look back down, unique patterns of particles climbing up my arm, my other hand juct starting to defy reality. He's not going to help me. I know that. And I feel a pinprick of light leave me, soon becoming a waterfall. I compose myself-ish, abrubtly saying "Good night Marius." I look up at the empty sky, almost wishing I would see as many stars there as I saw in his eyes, "I'll see you in the morning."

I flash back into reality, finding Marius carrying me bridal style down a hallway. His eyes meet mine, and I wonder if I should just have pretended to be asleep, but it's too late. He drops me on to the floor, my back randomly phasing slightly into it. Why does that have to happen. I sit up rubbing my legs that had had the full blow of dropping, looking up at Marius. His eyes, cool and collected, look back at me. 'What have you remembered?" He states, almost like he already knew. He offers me a hand up, which I simply avoid, before walking away slowly leaving both him and he world I know with him behind.

He grabs my arm, wearing the first broad sign of emotion I had seen all night, before he collaspes on the floor. I leave him, my mind circling back to the flashback.  A line replaying itself over and over, "Fintan agrees, I agree, Forkle agrees" I shake my head, unbelievingly, before running the the maze of hallways, hoping to find something. An exit perhaps. Someone to share my pain with. Anything. I sprint, looking back only once seeing Marius curled up on the floor in pain, his hand reaching up almost like reaching for something.

My thoughts swirl in my head, a tornado taking form. And once it gets on its path, it could destroy everything. I am weak. I know that, but I will destroy anything that strikes me down. And I will not be weak again. I will rise. And I will complete what I must've apparently started. 

Chapter 11: Crystal

Today seemed like a normal day for everyone. But it wasn't a normal day for me. Today was the day I was going to find Forkle and confront him. Probably a stupid idea but who cares. I was going to confront him and nothing was going to stop me. Or so I thought.

I walked through the halls of Foxfire, hoping to avoid Marius as much as possible. I made it to my locker, without spotting him. I put my books in, only leaving out the ones for my next class. As I walked to my class, i couldn't stop thinking about Marius. I felt like he was hiding something from me. Like always. I turned a corner and walked straight into Marius. I groaned.

"You don't seem happy to see me." Marius noted.

"Who would WANT to see you." I shot back.

"Basically the entire school." He responded.

"Well, not me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class to make it to. On time." I walked around him and continued walking.

After class.

I walked to Lunch, really hungry. I grabbed my food and sat down.

"Mind if I join you?" Marius asked.

"Yes. I do mind." I said.

"Well, I'm going to sit here anyways." He said, sitting down next to me.

"Ugh, fine. But scoot over." I said.

He moved an inch over.

"More."

He moved over more.

"More!" I said, annoyed.

He grinned at my annoyance and moved half an inch over.

I sighed, got up, and moved to a different table.

After school.

I was in my room, packing a bag. I wasn't sure how long I'd be gone, but I wasn't coming back until I'd found him. I swung my backpack over my shoulder and went outside. I had gone a ways before a sadly, familiar voice called. "Where are you going?"

I turned, and glared at Marius. "None of your business. So stop stalking me." I snapped.

"I'm not! We just seem to run into each other quite often!" He said, innocently.

"Oh, suuuurrrreee." I said.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He asked.

"Because I am. That's why." I said.

"That's not really an answer." He noted.

"So?"

"Where are you going?" He asked, stepping closer.

"Somewhere."

"Where?" He asked.

"I told you." I was getting annoyed.

"Not really." He said, stepping closer again.

'Ugh! Just leave me alone!" I stormed off.

When I was out of sight, I started running. I was going to find Forkle, and i would not let Marius stop me.

Chapter Order and Authors

Since there were no chapter preferences, we'll start off the story in the order the users were listed in. All authors basically have an open playing field, except that their chapter has to somehow relate to the last person's chapter, and you always have to end with a cliffhanger (especially the last person). Hopefully, if all goes well, there will be a sequel to this.

A NOTE FOR THE AUTHORS: PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THIS IS NOT A COLLABORATION FANFICTION AND TRY YOUR BEST TO NOT COORDINATE WITH SOMEBODY ELSE TO MAKE SURE THE STORY GOES HOW YOU WANT IT TO. THIS STORY IS MEANT TO TAKE SHARP TWISTS AND TURNS WITH EVERY CHAPTER, IN HOPE OF MAKING SOMETHING INTERESTING, COOL, AND FUN TO READ IN THE END.

1. Bea
2. Rida
3. SuldreenSong
4. Crystal
5. Candy
6. Banana
7. Vee

Sign Ups (CLOSED)

• Bea
• Rida
• SuldreenSong
• Crystal
• Candy
• Banana
• Vee

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