AWI: So, I never got around to doing anything with this fic, sadly. If any of you few readers are interested, this fic is now up for adoption. If you would like to adopt it, I have a plan written out chapter-by-chapter to the end. It totals at 11 chapters and you will also receive the half-done Chapter 3. Should you adopt this fic, feel free to completely alter everything if you want, just please follow the basic plot, at least.
If no one wishes to adopt by the end of the year (give or take), I will post the plan in here as a courtesy to the readers.


Within the Mist


Chapter 1: Hunger

The lunchroom was bustling with lunchroom life and activity typical of your typical high school lunchroom with all the high schoolers eating lunch. Everyone was either eating or chatting animatedly with their friends or cliques or whatever groups. Only one person seemed to be out of the loop and rocking the boat. A strawberry blond with an odd pixie cut with two long braids extending from beneath the pixieness. Her eyes were a startlingly average brown but were mostly covered by her messy pixie cut that most definitely hinted at a bed head. But, what made her so different from everyone else, was the fact that she was neither speaking with friends, nor eating lunch. Just reading a book as her stomach growled and her faced contorted slightly at the discomfort of hunger.

After a short while, her book couldn't seem to hold her attention any longer and she pulled out math homework that was due in two days. Damn, when you do homework ahead of time, that's when you know things are bad. But, she ignored the vibes and painfully did the homework until the bell rang and she headed for her next class.

[.I+I.]

Jessie, as that was the strawberry blond's name, trudged home, avoiding puddles or anything else that might get her dirty in any way. She was a bit of a clean freak, all thanks to her 'guardian'. He didn't like 'dirty' things. Apparently she constantly qualified as dirty, no matter how spotless she was…

Sighing mentally, Jessie turned and started down the path to the house, scanning the yard for any bottles or cans or… something else… Finding nothing, she knocked once on the door before pulling out the key and opening it.

The sight that welcomed her was not at all unusual and she passed it by without a second thought. On the living room couch was a red haired man with a goatee and strange half mask with a black haired woman lying on top of him, unconscious. They were covered by nothing more than a blanket, giving hints at what they might have been doing.

Jessie waltzed on past and shut herself in her room, dumping her bag and pulling open a dresser drawer to reveal a bunch of granola bars and the like. Pulling one out, the blond unwrapped it and began devouring it like there was no tomorrow.

Having sated the gnawing hunger enough, the girl headed back out, ignoring the living room scene and heading directly for the kitchen to get some actual food. Sadly, after opening every cupboard, Jessie was greeted with the same sight; cobwebs, cobwebs, the occasional spider, oh, and more cobwebs. Sighing pitifully, she went straight back to her room to gorge on an oh so satisfying feast of granola bars. Oh, it just sounded so exciting and nutritious! Well… some of them had fruit in them… maybe…

All the food was gone, meaning Allen had come to visit while she was at school, most likely. She would have to go shopping again and get more food. Who knew when he would be back again? He didn't exactly have a regular pattern. He was almost as unpredictable as Cross, the redheaded idiot lying on the couch if you hadn't already figured it out.

Munching on the fifth bar, the blond began to feel a bit dumb. Her breakfast had been a granola bar as she dashed through the streets to school and now her lunner was granola bars. So, all in all, she'd had granola bars for brelunner. Wonderful variety, wouldn't you say?