DMNO Effect
Prologue Part I: Tricks and Encounters
As she crouched there watching the other children laugh and play within the orphanage's expansive garden, her body hidden by the brush of the nearby woods, Lily was reminded once again of how alone she felt.
She was hiding because she wasn't supposed to be out here. Not today. She was supposed to be in bed recovering from the flu. And she had been, at least until today when she'd begun to feel better. After taking her medicine, Ms. Barret had told her one more day of bedrest should make her nice and healthy again. But Lily didn't want to waste this opportunity.
"If I'm going to miss my lessons again anyway, I might as well have fun today!" She'd thought earlier this morning. She waited first for the other children to leave their beds for breakfast, then for morning lessons to start, and once she peeked out one of the bedroom's low rise windows to see Ms. Barret leaving to make her daily errands into town, Lily promptly stuffed her covers with pillows to make it appear that she was sleeping and exited out the window.
She quickly looked around making sure no one had seen her and with the coast clear, she sprinted across the garden path to the woods behind the orphanage. It was here that she had spent the past few hours walking, exploring, listening to the songs of birds. All alone.
Unfortunately, it was at this time when she decided she should go back before Ms. Barret returned that all the other children burst out the backdoor for recess. Now she was stuck. Although Ms. Barret would be back soon, all Lily could do was wait until they returned inside before she could move. She simply watched as the others played their games, oblivious to both her gaze and her absence.
"Why does this always happen?" Lily thought somberly. Even when she was out there with them, she found that most days, she would still be watching them have fun without her. Whenever she asked the others if she could play too, she would often get answers like, "We have enough people already." or "Maybe next game.". It seemed like the only time other kids approached her at all was when they wanted to see her "trick" again.
Ms. Barret didn't like her trick and when she saw it once, she had strictly forbid her from ever doing it again. Lily listened to her at first because Ms. Barret can be really scary when she's being strict. But soon, some of the other kids saw her do it as well. Sometimes on purpose, mostly by accident.
At first, they were shocked by what they were seeing. Some watched in awe with their mouths wide open. Other were just stunned into silence. Some of the younger kids even cried. It really depended on how Lily used it.
Eventually though, they accepted that it was just something Lily could do and began to lose interest. That was when they began to exclude her. Was it because they were mad that they couldn't do it too, no matter how hard they tried? Maybe they were even afraid of her?
"It's not like I can help it though." She thought to herself.
"I don't even know how I do it sometimes. It's not my fault!"
"Hey!"
Lily was startled out of her thoughts by a sudden voice from behind.
"You're not supposed to be out here!"
"Yeah!" another voice called.
Lily turned around and saw two of the orphanage's most notorious troublemakers, Butch and Harris, standing over her. They were two boys a little older than her and had quite the mean streak to them. Butch was constantly starting fights and stealing things from others. Harris mostly just did whatever Butch said. In terms of personality, Harris wasn't actually that bad, he was just old enough to believe that there were only two kinds of people: pushers and pushovers. You never wanted to be a pushover of course, so that left him with only one other option.
In terms of being problem children, they were second only to Lily herself. For reasons previously stated.
"What're you doin' here Lily?" Butch questioned.
"Yeah, why are you spying on us?" Harris followed.
"I'm not spying on you! I just…" she paused while deciding what to say.
"I bet you were gonna try'n make it rain on us weren't you. That way, if you couldn't play outside, none of us could."
"That's not true Butch! I wanted to play too but you guys never let me join in. I was bored so I snuck out here to play on my own." She exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, well it doesn't matter anyway. When I tell Ms. Barret about this, she's gonna bust you a new one!" Butch grinned.
"Please don't tell Butch! Please! I'll do anything!"
The thought of Ms. Barret finding out terrified her. Lily had been disciplined by her enough times already. Ms. Barret's punishments were never physical but often involved social exclusion and the taking away privileges like desert, video games, or trips into town on weekends. For Lily, this was especially harsh since they were things that made feel less confined. Less alone.
Ever since Ms. Barret learned of Lily's trick, she'd begun to discipline her more and more frequently which only increased Lily's caution around her.
"If she finds out I snuck out by myself, I'm toast!" Lily thought.
"Tell you what…" Butch began. "I won't tell Ms. Barret about this if you do something for me."
"What is it?" she asked. She already had an idea. There was only one thing the other kids ever wanted from her.
"Me and Harris were playing tag a while ago but it's too hot to run around much. We came to the woods because it's cooler. Ms. Barret doesn't like anyone coming here because she says there could be monsters out here, but I've never seen any…"
Lily's eyes widened at the word "monsters". "That's right." She thought. She was a little surprised at how easy she could forget that simple fact sometimes. The truth of their world: monsters do exist. At least, she was told they did. She'd never seen any either. But she'd heard plenty of stories in town before Ms. Barret stopped letting her go. These monsters called creatures of Grimm were dangerous beast that destroyed everything in their wake, drawn in by the negativity of mankind.
"Anyway, we wanted to rest in the shade a little bit, but it's still kind of hot. So could you do that trick to make it colder Lily? If you cool us off, I won't tell about your secret." Butch finished.
"What should I do?" She thought. "I'm not supposed to do it anymore. Ms. Barret would be even angrier if she knew."
But…
"F-fine." She said. "If you promise not to tell, I'll do it."
She was already going to be in trouble anyway. Might as well take the opportunity to get out of it.
"Just give me a second." She stood up and made sure no one in the garden could see her. Then, she closed her eyes and concentrated.
"Cold…" she thought. "Cold things…winter…water…ice…snow." She tried to picture it in her mind.
The two boys watching her began to feel the wind blow harder. They looked up and saw some of the clouds change color from a fluffy white to a heavy gray. The pressure in the air began to build with more and more energy until all at once, it settled. That's when the snowfall came down.
Slowly but steadily, small tufts of snow began to descend on them, tingling their skin with the unfamiliar cold before instantly steaming and evaporating from the heat of their bodies. This was Lily's trick. The power to change the weather. It was something no one, not even Lily could explain.
"Heh. At least you're not gonna kill us this time. Before, when you tried to make it rain, that storm you made just about blew the house down and the woods along with it." Harris remarked.
"Are you guys going to tell on me or not?"
"Hm, I guess you were useful for once so yeah. Secret's safe." Butch said and began to walk back toward the others. "Stay in the woods all you want freak. I don't care."
Then they were gone. Lily was glad they left. She didn't want them to see her cry.
Soon after, Ms. Barret's assistants, who looked after the children while she was gone, called everyone in for afternoon lessons and it was quiet again. Wasting no time, Lily blurred across the garden field back to her bedroom window. Up and over, she found herself back in her room and leaped into bed safe. At least…
"And where did you hurry off to this time child?" Ms. Barret's voice questioned.
…she thought.
Lily whirred her head around and saw the woman herself before her with a less than pleased expression.
"M-Ms. Barret. Are you back from town?" Lily tried to smile.
"I'm standing in front of you am I not"
"Um, yes…you are. I just…"
"I arrived but ten minutes ago hoping to check on you and see that for once, you could follow basic instruction, but alas, reality is cruel indeed.
"I uh, …well…" Was she so busy with Butch and Harris that she hadn't noticed her return?
"And even still. Rather than inform my assistants of a missing child and possibly causing a panic in the building, I chose to wait here for you because I was certain my little lost lamb could not have wandered far. Truly, I am far to kind."
Lily stopped opening her mouth. Ms. Barret had her for sure. "Gods, what punishment would it be this time?" she wondered.
"Lily, I need you to listen to me. All I want is-"
"Ms. Barret, are you in there?" a sudden knocking came from behind the door.
"Ms. Barret?"
"Yes. Come in." she answered.
One of the assistants entered. She was a girl in her teenage years from in town who volunteered here.
"I'm sorry ma'am. We have some visitors at the entrance. They asked if they could speak with the director."
"With me? Are they from Fielden?" Ms. Barret asked.
"I don't think so. I've never seen them in town before. I think they're from a church or something. They were dressed a little weird."
"I see. Alright, I'm coming. Give me just a moment." Mr. Barret turned to look back at Lily. "We will discuss this matter again later Lily. For now, stay in bed, rest, and reflect on your actions."
With that, she left Lily alone in her room and closed the door behind her.
Following her assistant through the orphanage's many halls, Ms. Barret arrived at the front entrance. A large set of wooden double doors remained in her way. Above it was a beautiful glass mural of the changing seasons donated by some local artist. Ms. Barret gripped both door handles and pulled them open.
They stood there on the aging front steps, and as the assistant had said, they did indeed look strange. They were a man and woman dressed in some type of robe. It was brown in color and parts covering their arms and legs were an even darker shade from stains of dirt. "They must have traveled a lot." Ms. Barret noted. They both smiled upon seeing her.
"How can I help you?" she asked.
"Good afternoon Ma'am…" the man spoke. "My name is Zachary. This is my wife Eliza."
"We were passing through town earlier today and happened to hear about your establishment." Eliza said "We thought it could be a great opportunity."
"Are you two looking to adopt" Ms. Barret questioned.
"Oh no! please don't misunderstand. My wife and I had children and they were the only ones we'll ever have."
"I see. Had…is it?" Ms. Barret finished in her thoughts.
"Yes. We were actually wondering if we could take some to time out your day to tell you and the children under your care about the blessings of the Catalyst faith." Zachary asked.
"Our faith was founded only a few years ago. But its power and beliefs are real. We've seen miracles firsthand." Eliza added.
"Ah, I'm terribly sorry but I'm afraid I don't like exposing the children to any one religion too much. I believe that it is optimal for them to mature more in mind and values before forming any complex meanings about the world." Ms. Barret responded.
"Is that so?" They sounded disappointed.
"Yes. Please don't take offense to this. It is simply my way of teaching."
"No, none taken. If that is what you believe, we have no right to change it. The truth will reveal itself to all anyway." Zachary said.
"At the very least, would you take this for your trouble?" Eliza said, and produced some Lien from her robe.
"No, I couldn't take your money." Ms. Barret refused.
"Please, think of it as a donation to your establishment. We hardly need it anyway. We are on a pilgrimage and must move on from here eventually."
"I guess if you insist, it shall go towards the children's education and food supplies."
"Wonderful!" Eliza cheered.
"By the way, we've heard that the weather around here has been very unusual this time of year. Would you know anything about that?" Zachary asked.
"N-no. I believe we're just experiencing a more intense climate recently. Nothing to be too concerned about."
"Yes, your right." Zachary seemed to eye her. "But do make sure that the children stay safe. You never know these days. Anything is possible"
"Yes, of course. Thank you for your concerns." Ms. Barret agreed.
They both smiled and left without another word. Ms. Barret returned inside, wiping sweat from her brow that was brought on more by nervousness than the heat.
"What did they want Ms. Barret?" the assistant asked.
"Nothing of importance. They were simply trying to spread their word of truth as you call it. They mentioned being on a pilgrimage."
"Really, I didn't recognize their clothing. Are they a new type of faith?
"That is what they said, though not what it was they believed."
"Huh. The only religions anybody practices around here are ones that have been around hundreds and thousands of years. It's kinda crazy that even today, new ones keep popping up."
"Indeed. Perhaps it is proof that humanity's search for truth and meaning will likely never cease."
"They seemed friendly enough, but I did get a strange feeling from them." Ms. Barret thought.
Catalyst is what they called themselves. Something that initiates change…
A knocking came from the front doors behind them.
"Goodness! are they back again?" the assistant asked, and headed for the doors.
"No, I will answer it. Please return to your duties."
"Yes ma'am." The assistant turned around.
Ms. Barret went to the doors and, hesitating a little bit, pulled them open once again. Standing in front her were not the same couple from before. They were different people. Two young men. One was dark haired and looking off to the side. The other was blonde and smiling. He looked older than his companion, but still fresh-faced. They both looked exhausted.
"Hey there. Are you in charge of this building?" He asked politely.
"Yes I am. Belinda Barret, director of the Heart-Hope Orphanage here in Fielden. Who am I addressing?"
"Oh, my name is Jaune Arc." He answered. "Sorry, but we're both not from around here. Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?" ….
A/N: Yeah, I'm not even going to make excuses as to why this is so late. All I'll say is that I finally got some motivation back to write this thing. If you read the other prologue and were confused by this chapter, This is the new and improved version of the prologue that I feel introduces the story much better than the old one. The first half might start a little slow, but hopefully I piqued your interest by the end of the chapter. For the few people who have read and followed this story so far, this improved prologue is dedicated to them. I haven't given up on this story! Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it. Reviews and PMs are always welcome. Until next time guys! :-)