Hello, Everyone. I was taking a look through all this old stuff on my laptop, and I came across my first fanfiction ever. Now, I can see what was wrong with it. So here I go. I am remaking +Anima Gang Wars. New stuff, new character, and a much better plot. Enjoy. Note – I'll be updating very irregularly due to finals, papers, tests, quizzes, quests (mix between a quiz and a test), and of course my other stories. I apologize for the wait. Just hold out until the summer!
Disclaimer: I do not own any themes from +Anima
+Anima Gang Wars: Revamped
Prologue
Hello. My name is Angela. Years ago, my life was turned upside-down. It all started with a normal day, at a normal school, with my normal friends. I lived the life of the mundane. But when you've lived through something like I did, nothing is ever the same. Nothing can be the same. Enough explaining, it's better if you listen to the story. Pay attention, and keep up. God knows I won't wait for you.
~ Angela Ley
Chapter One: Normalcy is Overrated
Let's rewind, shall we? Homecoming. The biggest school event of the year, besides prom that is. Sporting events are scheduled throughout the day and, accompanied with hot food and face-painting booths, it is the most popular weekend the school has. I was playing in the Varsity Field Hockey game.
"Oi! Angela! Break's over. Get back onto the field!" Coach Rapp's commanding tone snapped me out of my musings.
I nodded, and put my mouth guard in. Checking all the straps on my shin pads, I jogged out onto the field. I pulled on my helmet and gloves before taking my place in front of the goal. The ref's whistle pierced the air, and the game resumed. Sticks clashed, and players weaved through the field. Our team lost the ball, and the opposing forwards came streaking down the field. I tensed, watching the ball.
My defensemen had run forward when we had possession. After the steal, they were struggling to regain the ball. I was the last barrier between the other team and the goal. A strongly built girl came sprinting towards me. Making a last minute decision, I ran at her. Right before I collided with her I slid to the ground, kicking my foot out. My boot connected with the ball and sent it flying out of the forward's range.
I got up quickly and headed back to the goal. My team had control of the ball yet again. Coaches were yelling from the sidelines. The rest of the twenty-minute half was easy. The ball stayed at the other end of the field, and I was left with barely any stress. When the game finally ended, the scoreboard read 11 – 4. Everyone from the team ran and jumped on me, laughing and screaming happily.
I quickly shed all my goalie equipment, storing the deep violet shielding in my bag. I dropped it off in the locker room and washed off a little bit. It just goes to show that carrying a change of clothes with you is an amazing thing. I stepped out of the locker room shower smelling like cucumber soap.
I strode out of the Athletic Center, and made my way up into the bleachers to watch the end of the soccer game. Luckily, my game was scheduled early in the day, so I got to watch everyone else. The bleachers were built atop a small hill, and at the bottom was our school's football field. I looked around the side of the hill for my friends. At the far right of my field of vision, I saw a familiar head of black hair.
I half walked, half stumbled, down the hillside to sit beside Amber. Amber was my best friend. Her ebony skin shined in the sun, and her hair was pulled into short pigtails. I tapped her on the shoulder and she smiled.
"Hey! I was wondering where you went off too. I was watching the game, and you all were awesome. But what took you so long? I've been waiting forever," she babbled. I laughed.
"You are way too impatient. What's got you so amped up today?" I asked. Amber stared into the crowd surrounding the booths of food. I followed her gaze to a boy with cropped, curly blond hair. I recognized the boy from my own grade. He was in my biology class.
"Bobby, huh? Well, you didn't have to wait for me! Go. Talk to him!" I pushed Amber slightly down the hill.
"I'm going! I don't need any further encouragement. I mean just look at him!" Amber hurried off to Bobby. I had to admit that she had good taste. The kid was hilarious. Like a younger version of Will Ferrell.
I laid back on the lush grass, and stared up at the sky. It was a beautiful forget-me-not blue. I sighed as the sun warmed my skin. It was an unusually warm day for late October. I turned my head and could see Amber and Bobby laughing from below. I sighed and thought of my own non-existent love life.
"Angela! Do you want to take a nap or come with us?" I heard Amber yell. I got up and grinned.
"Coming!" I ran down the hill, almost toppling over at the bottom.
We wandered around inside the school's gym, which had been set up with booths. We stopped at the Asian Cultural Society's spot for lunch. Their dumplings were selling quickly. After that we wandered around, donating spare dollars to the booths set up for charities. Amber and Bobby had just gotten their faces painted when the loud speaker fired up.
"Hello, everybody! It's almost time for our main event, so get yourselves to the football field immediately!" The message boomed out from the speaker, and soon everyone was in a mad rush for seats. Amber, Bobby, and I ended up sitting on the hillside again, because all the seats on the bleachers were taken.
I looked at my best friend who was listening raptly to Bobby, hanging on his every word. I had never seen Amber be so quiet. Her eyes were shining happily and the painted on feather patterns cracked a little when she smiled. I sighed once again.
It wasn't that I didn't feel happy for Amber – I totally loved that she had hit it off with Bobby. But I was a little jealous. Amber moved from guy to guy easily. She was happy and outgoing, always meeting new people. I was more reserved. I was the girl who sat quietly in the background, smiling at the right moments. I didn't like attention. But still, I didn't want to be alone forever.
A whistle blew, and the game below started. Huge players ran out onto the field, waving at the crowd. A bunch of people yelled, "Go, Rhinos!" and they held up a sign with a speeding rhinoceros. The first quarter passed by quickly. I wasn't too fond of football, but it was the main sporting event for homecoming.
Suddenly, something else on the field caught my eye. A small girl had dropped a ball. It had rolled onto the turf, and no one had noticed. The coach was yelling at the players, failing to notice that his toddler had wandered out onto the playing field. She bent over to pick up the ball she had dropped, and fell on her rear. Behind her, a towering boy was sprinting towards her, narrowly avoiding tackles from the other team. He was going to plow over her.
Before I knew what was happening, I was in the air. I flew at the girl and curled around her protectively. I stuck a hand out to try and shield myself. I braced for the blow. It never came. I opened my eyes and saw everyone staring in shock. The boy who was running at us and fallen backward in a attempt to run in the other direction. I glanced around. What were they staring at? I looked down at the little girl who was looking up at me curiously.
"Hi kitty, kitty," she said, and patted me on the head. What was going on? I stood up and the little girl tottered over to her father. Suddenly, the crowds erupted with screams. Everything was chaos. A football player slammed into me and I hissed. That's right. Hissed.
I looked down at my body. It was covered in snowy, white fur that was riddled with black spots. I stared at my hands in horror. They had been replaced with giant paws. I tried to flex my fingers. Wickedly sharp claws shot out of my new appendages. My mouth opened in a silent scream. I tried to run, but it was awkward on two feet. I dropped to all fours and ran for the cover of the forest. I had to disappear.
I lurched through the underbrush, tripping over roots and stones. I reached out to steady myself on a tree, but my claws raked down the bark, leaving scratches deep in the wood. I finally slowed to a stop near a brook.
I collapsed into the grass, heaving. I could feel my breathing speed up, and I started hyperventilating. I rocked back and forth on the ground trying to console myself.
It's just a dream. It's just a dream. It's just a dream… nothing to be scared of. It's just a dream… I chanted in my head. Suddenly, I heard a thump from behind me.
I jumped into the air and was quick to hide behind a large oak. I looked around to see a huge bird. Yet, from the belly button down it looked like a person. The head was covered in light brown feathers. The color was comforting, like coffee with milk added to it. The feathers trailed down the neck and onto huge wings that sprouted from between the shoulder blades. The tips of the wings were fringed with white feathers. Those white feathers also covered the front of the person's neck. You could see in the way the shirt puffed out slightly, that the feathers continued further.
I moved my attention back to the face. A black beak took the place of the mouth and nose, and the eyes were brown and bright. I started thinking rationally.
Okay. Well, I've turned into a cat, and a bird-person is chasing after me. Now, what would be the sensible thing to do? I asked myself.
It turned out that thinking logically in these situations was a very hard thing to do. In fact, the sensible thing to do would be to check myself into a mental hospital. Seeing a bird-person was surely a sign of insanity.
"Hello? Ange, I know you're there," the bird-person said. I froze. How did it know my name?
"Come on! It's just me," it sang. Then it hit me. My eyes locked on the bird-person's hair. It was short and black, and was put up in familiar pigtails.
"Amber?" I stepped out from the tree, and stared at my best friend. The beak somehow twitched up into a smile.
"Yep!" she chirped. I promptly fainted.
"Ange! Angela? Wake up!" Amber's words broke through to my consciousness. I groaned; my head was pounding. I sat up slowly and rubbed the back of my head. A small bump was rising. That's what I get for landing on rocks. I opened my eyes, and blinked a couple times. Amber's face came into view. She was no longer covered in feathers. I stood up slowly and brushed the dirt of my hands. Wait. Hands?
I looked down at my body. No longer was fluffy fur covering my skin. I happily welcomed back my bronze skin tone. Amber saw my relieved face and cracked a smile.
"Hey, Amber. Jeez, what happened? I had this crazy delusion where I morphed into a cat. Insane, right? I guess I was dehydrated and it messed with my brain…" I trailed off and watched Amber's expression falter. I felt my hopes die. I was half-expecting for Amber to say that I had been dreaming. So much for that theory.
"Great. That was real, wasn't it." My question came out as a statement. Amber bit her bottom lip and nodded her head. I clenched my fists. Life never let me catch a break. I took deep breaths.
"So, do you have any explanation?" I looked to Amber, who was looking at me with concern.
"Yes, yes I do. But maybe I should wait until you meet everyone else," she replied. My eyes widened in surprise.
"There are more of us?" I asked. Amber nodded. She was looking solemnly around before setting off.
"Follow me." She said. I was growing quite unsettled. Amber was never like this. She was bright and bubbly, and at some points, just plain crazy. I was usually the serious one.
I walked behind her as her traveled deeper into the woods. Trees began to group closer together as we got deeper. I was shocked that there was this much forest. I didn't think it could get so thick. Amber stopped for a moment and navigated her way through some particularly thick underbrush. That's when we came to the thing that blew my mind most of all. A tall wall of bamboo stood in front of us.
Amber walked along the edge of the wall, and came to the entrance. Inside, there was a maze. Much like the ones made out of hay at the country fairs. Amber quickly wove her way through passages, and I struggled to keep up with her fast pace. Finally, she stopped at one of the solid walls.
She whistled a tune, and a portion of the wall swung open like a door. Through the doorway it was pitch black. I swallowed my nervousness and followed Amber into the dark.
I was pulled to the side and I felt someone grip my hands tightly behind my back. I yelped in surprise, and heard something growl in my ear. I clenched my teeth in anger. I had had enough. Enough with the strange circumstances, and enough with being kept in the dark – both literally and figuratively. I kicked back with as much force as I could muster, and smiled when I felt my foot connect with something. I heard a grunt of pain, but the grip only tightened.
"Who is this?" the guy growled to Amber, who, apparently, was still in the room.
"I'm right here, you know. You could be polite and ask me myself," I ground out, rage still simmering inside me.
"Her name's Angela. She turned today," Amber said, shortly. I felt the grip release me. I walked blindly through the dark and felt along the walls. Amber kindly took my hand and guided me through. I had no idea how she knew where she was going, but it was appreciated.
Amber stopped and sat me down in a chair. Suddenly, lights came on. I blinked at the sudden brightness, but my eyes adjusted quickly. Amber and I were not alone in the room. Standing in the corner, there was a tall, blonde girl glaring at me. Standing next to her was a large boy with light brown hair. His arms were crossed, and his huge biceps were very apparent. Sitting across from me was a lean boy, with tousled blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.
"Ok, I'm sick and tired with all this mysterious business. All I know is that I had quite a traumatic experience today, which included growing fur. It would be really appreciated if someone could just tell me what the Hell is going on here," I snapped. The blonde boy smiled a little bit.
"Hello to you too. I'm Taylor, it's nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand. I smiled apologetically and shook it.
"Angela," I replied.
"But you're right. You do deserve an answer. But be warned, it's sort of a long story." Taylor stared into my eyes. I stared back, unwavering.
"I've got time," I said.
He took a deep breath, and began.
"We are a new race. Gifted with abilities that heighten our capability to survive. We are +Anima.
"It all started when I was fourteen. My sister and I were orphans in New York City. We grew up on the streets with a woman who had found us. Supposedly, she found us in a basket that was tossed into drain. We were both fifteen when she died. So we left to go find another home. We were wandering through the streets during the night when we ran into a group of drunken men." Taylor clenched his fists.
"They followed us through the alleyways, and eventually we came to a dead end. The leader of their group went after Carmen, while the others pinned me to the wall. I heard her scream and anger was pumping through me like adrenaline. Suddenly, the men were standing back. My mouth had become a muzzle and my hands and feet turned lupine. Carmen had changed as well. Scales had covered her skin and she had grown a jaw full of teeth and a long, powerful tail. We had become +Anima.
"From what we have seen, kids become +Anima in high stress or dangerous circumstances. It also seems as if only children can become one. Most commonly, people turn in the middle of adolescence. Ever since we had changed, we began the search for other kids out there in the same situation. Then we came across Ryan." Taylor nodded his head to the beefy one in the corner next to Blondie.
"He lived in the inner city. When he was crossing the street he failed to notice the huge truck that was hurtling towards him. All of a sudden he was hanging on the traffic light. He's a monkey.
"Then there was Amber. You must know that she also had lived in New York City before she moved to Illinois. We saw her fly off the Empire State Building. She told us later that when she stuck her head through the bars she slipped. She was so slim that she passed right through the preventive rails. Luckily her wings unfolded. She's a mockingbird.
"Finally, here is the reason that we moved out of New York. While we were searching around, we came across another group of +Anima. The leader was named Monty. After he changed, he had the same idea as we did – to find others. We worked together at first, but it soon became apparent that we couldn't do it. Loyalties were laid differently, and there was no absolute leader. Monty and I got into a fight, which ended up as all of us fighting. We lost. They were older and stronger, and we had never truly fought in our lives. So we ran. Monty is not a forgiving person; he will always see us as enemies. But more importantly, he hates all normal people. When he first changed, he was in prison. He was put in there for manslaughter at 18. When his inmates decided to rough him up a little bit, he turned. He impaled a man with one of his horns. He is a bull.
"Then he figured out how to escape – while outside doing work, he morphed into a bull and fought his was out. The guards were so shocked that they didn't even shoot at him. After his clean getaway, he got a haircut, changed his name, and lived on his own in New York. Then he recruited Felix and Jacob. Felix is the second in command, and is a falcon +Anima. Jacob is a grizzly bear.
"So, you see how we couldn't even match them in strength. We ran here. Amber enrolled into the 6th Grade of Gibbons Grammar School, and the rest of us sat tight and found a home. On the way here, we picked up Nikki and Sam. They're not here at the moment. We found them in Philadelphia.
"Now we just live here. Amber goes to school, and we look out for more of us. So… What do you think?" The boy watched my expression.
I was surprised and amazed, yet I managed to look nonchalant. I didn't want them to think that I freaked out over the slightest thing. However, this wasn't slight in the least. I looked coolly back at Taylor and shrugged.
"It's quite a story. There's only one thing I'm concerned about. What am I supposed to do? Can I keep going to school? Can I go back to my family? Can I even believe that I might get into college after this?" The questions flooded from my mouth. Amber looked at me apologetically.
"Sorry, Ange. You can't go back. Everyone saw you jump into the field and change. There's no way you can go back into town. I think we'll even have to move-" Amber started. But then the blonde girl spoke up.
"We don't have to go anywhere. She's the one that everyone saw. Why does she have to ruin our life?" she spat.
My nails dug into my palm. Blondie's face was screwed into an expression of contempt and disgust. As if I was something nasty she found on the bottom of her shoe. Uncontrollable waves of fury washed over me. Instantly, the snowy fur began to grow over my arms and legs. Nails turned into claws, and my lips curled back into a snarl.
"You think I asked for this?!" I screamed at her, gesturing to the fur.
The girl looked taken aback. But then her brow furrowed as well, and her pale skin became green scales. Her jaw jutted out with lots of teeth, and her tail thumped heavily to the floor. She stepped forward menacingly. But I didn't care. I was ready to rip out her heart, that is, if she had one. I was about to leap before Taylor stepped between her and me.
"Carmen, stop it. You're being such an idiot. Angela just changed today, and she doesn't need to worry about you on top of everything else," he growled at her. Carmen threw a disgusted look at me from over her brother's shoulder.
"Taylor, I don't want her here," she seethed.
"Well, it's not all about what you want," he said coldly. Carmen's scales began to disappear, but she still looked livid. Taylor turned to me.
"You're welcome to stay here. Ignore Carmen. I won't keep you here, but I just want you to know that you'd be a great addition to our group," he said, warmly. I looked at Carmen and shook my head.
"Sorry. I'd rather stay with my family. They love me no matter what I do. It seems I'd be useless here, and I don't want to cause rifts between any of you. I'll get out now." I stood and turned, walking back into the dark hallway.
"I don't think that's such a good idea!" Amber shouted. I shook my head, and sighed.
"Bye, Amber. Maybe I'll see you later. I'll call you when I get home." I said.
I continued into the hallway and soon the light of the previous room disappeared. Luckily, as a cat my vision was much better. I easily navigated through the winding passageways. Soon enough, I was at the door. I opened it to find that the sun had set. I looked at the maze before me. There was no way I'd be able to find my way out alone. But I wasn't about to go back and ask for help. Then I had an idea.
I bent my knees and jumped as high as I could. I landed on the top of the wall of bamboo. I walked on the tops of the walls and jumped down outside the maze. I set off in a random direction. Eventually the trees grew thinner and I came to a road. I recognized it and figured out the way home. It was very late by the time I got to my house.
All the lights were out, except for my parents' bedroom. I tried the front door, and found it to be locked. I fumbled around in my jacket pocket for my keys, which was very hard to do with paws. They weren't there. This day couldn't get any worse. I thought about knocking, but it proved impossible with those clumsy mitts, and I didn't want to scratch the door.
I headed around the back to the window to my room on the second floor. I eyed my balcony and jumped. I missed. Then I saw the trees. I jumped up onto the trunk of the tree. My claws dug in and it was easy to scale it. I wandered out onto the branch that was closest to my balcony. I leapt onto it easily. I pushed the sliding glass door aside, and walked into my room. Finally, something normal.
I sat on my bed and surveyed my last problem. How was I supposed to change back? The last time I did, it was because I passed out. Maybe if I stopped breathing... On second thought, that probably wasn't a good idea. I stood and faced the full-length mirror on the back of my door.
That's when I saw myself for the first time. The soft white fur covered me from head to toe. Rounded, triangular ears sat atop my head. Whiskers sprouted from my muzzle. Yep. Muzzle. My mouth and nose had elongated into one. I tried to smile. The cat showed its teeth. My eyes had gone from dark brown to a slate gray. Black rosettes covered the fur as well. I turned around to look at my back. There, coming out from a ripped whole in my pants, was a long fluffy tail. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed before. It flicked back and forth lazily, dragging a bit on the floor.
I closed my eyes, and tried to clear my thoughts. Like my Health Class teacher always said – When in doubt, relax. I worked on relaxing my muscles, and thought of a calming place. I felt warmth spread through my limbs. I opened my eyes to see my normal self. I sighed, relieved. At least I knew how to control this new power… somewhat.
I quickly changed into pajamas before venturing out of my room. It was time to tell Mom and Dad. I stopped outside their room and took a deep breath. I knocked on the door. The doorknob swiveled and then the door was open. Standing in the doorway was my mother in her bathrobe, looking very surprised.
"Hi, Mom." I smiled and hugged her. She came out of her initial shock and hugged me back tightly.
"Oh, honey. We were so worried about you! We've heard all sorts of crazy things from the parents at school, and kids from your class kept calling…" she sobbed. I patted her on the shoulder.
"Hey, Lina, what's going on?" I saw my dad step out of their master bathroom, and I smiled at him from over Mom's shoulder. He face relaxed into expression of relief and happiness.
I tore away from mom for a second, and Dad pulled me into a bear hug. I stayed like that for a while. It was what that day needed. There's nothing more comforting than hugs from your parents. Dad smelled like soap and Old Spice.
"Oh my God, sweetheart! What happened? I heard a wild animal was running loose at school." I smiled sheepishly and pulled away.
"Yeah, about that. There's something I've got to show you…" My parents looked at me expectantly. Mom's eyes were narrowed, as if she thought I was hiding a large cat in the garage. Ah, if that were only the case.
I closed my eyes and struggled to change. I replayed Carmen's words in my head. I relived every infuriating comment that every bully threw my way. With the rage, I felt a hot tingling. I opened my eyes, to see that the fur had returned. I looked at my parents' faces. They both were understandably in shock. Mom's eyes rolled back and she fainted. Dad caught her just in time.
"How…?" was all he managed to say. Dad splashed some water on Mom's face, and I returned to myself. It was easier this time. As the age old saying goes – practice makes perfect.
About two minutes later Mom came to. She looked relieved when she saw that I was no longer a cat. I spent the next hour or so explaining about what had happened. But I did leave out the part about Amber's "family" living out in the woods. I didn't tell them that Amber herself was a +Anima either. I had a feeling she wanted to stay discreet.
"Goodness. Well, that was a lot of excitement for one night," Mom said. She yawned, and sat on the bed.
"Well, I'm beat. Goodnight," I closed the door quietly. I returned to my room and collapsed on my bed. No matter what Amber said, I was glad that I told my parents.