Author's Note: Well, I'm finally free this summer, and I'm happy to be back writing for you all. This chapter may be a bit confusing, but that's because I'm a bit rusty. :) Don't worry, this fic is going to be continued. It's been a long time since I last updated though, so you may have to reread previous chapters. This chapter will contain many flashbacks- you have been warned. Oh, and this story will no long be censored. ;) I'd like to thank Outcast001 and SilverBattleScar for contributing to this long chapter.
NOTE(S): My writing style in this chapter will be slightly different than the ones from before. Also, there's no song for this chapter, but there will hopefully be one for the next chapter. :)
Time: 808 hours since the "Big Poof". Date: 5/1/16 (in story- yeah, I know, we're skipping some time here)
It'd been little over a month since the "Big Poof" took place, and life in a new world had finally started to take shape. The "High Council" and "Republic" were still in power, but Annabel and the Hospital had held up as well. Kids were finally adjusting to life in the FAYZ 2.0, and Vic was able to fully restore electricity, Wifi, and technology as a whole in the FAYZ, though nobody was ever able to figure out how.
After Anderson decided to stay in the FAYZ with his little sister Annaleise, many people had their 15th birthday come and go. And yet, Anderson was the only one who had the… experience. Anderson had told everyone else that he couldn't remember what happened when he blacked out, but he had a strange feeling that nobody else would go through what he did.
(Open Flashback)
"Ichabod, what's the time?" Lycan asked.
"20 seconds left until Anderson turns 15," Ichabod said, checking the clock, "Remember Anderson, you'll see something that'll draw you in- don't fall for it. Turn right away from it."
Anderson surveyed the room around him, wondering if this were his last moments alive. He say Anya's anxiousness, Lycan's calm, Ichabod's worry, Zeb's curiousness, and Amadeus' thoughtfulness.
"5...4...3...2...1…" That was what Anderson heard. And then- blackness. He felt emotions swirl inside and outside of him, feelings and words flow throughout. Pain, happiness, sadness, victory, defeat- it was as if all of those coexisted. But there was one outside force that Anderson sensed… one force of pure and utter darkness. Anderson opened his eyes- he was in a dark room, and on one side, stood a figure, shrouded in the darkness. The figure laughed darkly.
"You thought the poof would be the same as the original FAYZ?" The figure mockingly asked. "How pathetic. Nobody leaves this FAYZ… alive or dead."
Anderson looked around, feeling a sense of dread. "Who are you?" Anderson yelled. Suddenly, a figure came into the room, except, this figure was shrouded in light. All around him seemed to be a sense of light and happiness.
"ANDERSON!" The light figure called. "Follow me!" The figure ran off, and Anderson quickly followed.
"What's going on?" Anderson asked, as he followed the figure shrouded in light. "What's happening? Who are you? Who is he?"
"You'll find the answer to all of those questions one day," The figure said, his face hidden in the light, "But I can't answer that right now. Listen, Anderson, I'm about to show you something important, something important for not only your survival, but the survival of the entire population of the Westmoor FAYZ. Your mind will automatically place this information you receive from this dream in the back of the mind, and you'll forget it once you wake up from this dream. I need you to search through your mind, and remember what I'm about to show you, as it's very important."
The figure in the light opened his hand, and Anderson suddenly found himself standing in a dark alleyway. He felt a surge of pain and screamed. He saw fights break out, storms flash, lightning strike, vines crawl around, a building on fire, a boy holding a whip, a girl with a gun, a pack of wolves, a dark creature, a dead body, blood on the walls, children screaming, and in the middle of all this, stood Lionel Gold.
"Beware of Lionel Gold," The figure in the light whispered, before turning around quickly,
"The… dark figure you encountered earlier is coming. I'm going to block off anybody else from coming to us, you'll be the only one. Remember Anderson, you have to remember this information."
"What about all of my questions?" Anderson asked. "I don't even know who you are-"
The figure in the light waved his hand and Anderson blacked out.
Anderson slowly moved, and opened his eyes. The people in the room were looking at him with worry and confusion. "How long was I out?" Anderson asked.
"About an entire hour," Amadeus said, "What happened? You were screaming in agony during a time." Anderson looked at Amadeus in wonder, wondering what was going on. He looked around, knowing that something had just happened, but he couldn't pull it together.
"I have no idea." Anderson said, simply shrugging. "I have absolutely no idea." The others looked at him with confusion, and shock.
"You have no idea why you were screaming?" Amadeus asked. "Well, uh, okay- go get some rest then, you need it." Suddenly, a boy ran into the room, and motioned towards Amadeus.
"Oh, I have to go," Amadeus said, "High Council business, I'll see you all later." Amadeus quickly left the room, and eventually, so did everybody else.
Anderson looked around the room, trying to remember what had just happened. He knew he was told something important, but he didn't know who told him, and what was told to him.
"What is going on?" Anderson whispered in fear.
(End of Flashback)
Meanwhile, Sam kept on talking about a girl named Atlanta Woods, who had supposedly saved his life after two boys named Franklin and Mark had attacked him. He decided to go to the Republic and tell them his story. It's safe to say that they were shocked to discover that he had survived the hospital explosion. Eventually, the entire FAYZ (including Lionel, who was furious when he heard that Sam was still alive, which indicated that his assassination attempts had failed miserably) knew that Samael Willow was actually alive and kicking. Lionel strongly refuted the accusations that his deputy and a boy that he had allied himself with would do such a thing, and was so convincing that most of population believed him. Of course, there were some who believed Sam more, including Ichabod, Zeb, Claudia, Chris, Xavier, Launa, Anya, Alexandra, Eli, Charlie, Isaiah, Olive, Amadeus, Mel, Locke, and Annabel. But the Republic and High Council didn't want to start a feud, so things were simmered down, and Elijah and Sam became Co-Fire Chiefs.
(Open Flashback)
Sam was running. Running for his life. It was around 9 PM at night, and the streets were fairly deserted. The High Council had ordered that all of the cars be cleared out of the streets, and all of the car alarms stopped. The job had finally been completed by some middle schoolers, and the streets had now cleared out. That wasn't necessarily the best thing for Sam right now. Two hooded figures were chasing him, and he had nowhere to hide. He thought it was Lionel, but none of the two figures had Lionel's frame.
Sam looked around. He wanted to fight the two figures, but he couldn't exactly throw fireballs- he would have to touch them to light them up on fire. Also, it looked as if one of the figures held a gun. Not a good idea to get in close quarters with that guy.
"Damn," Sam said, "I have no idea what to do." Sam saw that the forest wasn't too far off. He would have to get there and hide. Sam ran off, looking back behind him. The two figures weren't too far behind. But Sam was a bit faster, and ran off.
Sam entered the forest and sprinted around, before ducking behind a tree. Not too long after, he saw the two figures enter. "S***," Sam said, "Not good- not good at all. "
"I can track him down," the first figure said, "Mark, you keep watch."
"Alright Franklin," Mark said, "But let's get this over with." Sam crouched, hiding, wondering who Franklin was. He knew Mark was Lionel's right hand man, but he had never heard of a Franklin. Suddenly, footsteps scrambled across, and one of the figures suddenly reached down and grabbed Sam, pulling him up. The figure then pushed Sam up and held him to the tree. The second figure then ran over, and helped the first one.
"Peek-a-boo" the first figure said, "I see you."
Sam looked closely and saw that the second figure was Mark, which meant that the person who had discovered him was Franklin. "How'd you find me?" Sam asked.
"I… have some tracking abilities," Franklin said, "Plus, you're a pretty terrible hider."
"Finish him," Mark said, "Let's get this over with."
"I don't think so," Sam said, lighting his hand up and touching Franklin, "Get roasted."
Franklin screamed and dived into the bushes, rolling around, trying to stop the fire. Mark looked around, scared.
"Come on Fireboy," Mark said, "I don't see any Watergirl, so I think I can take you."
"Really?" Sam questioned, lighting his hands on fire. "You think you can take me?" Sam began walking towards Mark, who went into a fighting stance. But Mark's eyes sparked with fear, they were no longer burning bright.
Suddenly, all around Sam and Mark, plants began rustling around, and vines stretched out across, headed towards Sam and Mark. "What the heck is going on?" Sam asked.
"I have no idea," Mark said, "I just felt scared, and then-" Mark screamed, lifting his hands up in the air. Franklin had put out the small fire oh him, and had just punched Mark in the back.
"You're weak," Franklin said to Mark, "Pathetic." All around the three boys, vines shot straight up into the air. Franklin laughed.
"Mark, I inspired you- you're creating a work of art!" Franklin continued to chuckle. "You're controlling this! Get him!"
The vines plunged straight towards Sam, and latched onto Sam, who was unable to move. Suddenly, a girl ran by, with a backpack on, and threw two knives at Franklin and Sam, distracting them. She then quickly cut up some of the vines, that held Sam, and then ran off, gesturing for Sam to follow. Sam got out of the vines and then followed after her.
"Where do you think you're going?" Franklin asked, throwing a knife at the girl, hitting her backpack. Franklin then whipped out a gun and fired, hitting Sam in the shoulder, who screamed. Sam dropped to the ground.
"Run!" The girl exclaimed. "You were shot in the shoulder- you have to be able to run." Sam grimaced from the extreme pain, and got up, following the girl. He looked back, and saw that Franklin and Mark couldn't follow quickly, as Mark's vines blocked the way.
The girl and Sam continued to run, until they reached the edge of the forest, and they ran into a building. Sam then saw a nearby couch, and collapsed on it.
"Are you okay?" The girl asked, looking at Sam. She wore jeans, a Yankees sweatshirt, and tennis shoes. She looked to be about 12 years old.
"No, I just got shot in the shoulder," Sam snarked, "But thanks for the save." The girl knelt over and examined Sam's wound.
"You're going to need to go to the hospital," the girl said, "I can't patch this up."
"I can call some friends," Sam said, grimacing in pain, "By the way, what's your name?"
"Atlanta," the girl said, "Atlanta Woods. Try not to get hurt." Atlanta walked out of the building, quickly leaving the area.
"Well- time to call the girls," Sam said, "I need to get to that hospital." Sam sighed and called Mel, knowing that he had a lot to explain.
(End of Flashback)
At first, Sam assumed that Mark's "Watergirl" quote was simply a reference to the computer game "Fireboy and Watergirl", but he realized that Mark could have also been referring to Alex, who had the ability to wield/control water. Fueled by the possibility that Mark knew about Alex's powers, Sam, Launa, Alex, Mel (and occasionally Locke) began to investigate Lionel Gold. Unfortunately for them, Lionel had grown suspicious of them, and they became banned from his official "headquarters". This didn't do anything to help the "silent feud' the High Council was having with each other.
Many fires had broken out, and petty crime rates had risen in the past week. Thankfully, the "Golden Gal Trio", (as Mel, Lo, and Alex had been dubbed) had assisted Charlie, Elijah, and Sam in their attempts to settle down all of the fires and graffiti that had come up. Ignacio and his policemen had actually arrested quite a few kids for these petty crimes- almost all of them were eventually released. The police and fire force had been almost flawless, except for the day of the "Big Breakout" (which is what Charlie called it, and the name stuck).
Lydia and Catherine had broken out of jail, and some guards had mysteriously disappeared, (most of them connected to Lionel Gold). This breakout set Chris off in a rage, as they had shot him. It made it worse that the whereabouts of Catherine and Lydia were unknown. To those who already were suspicious of Lionel were now completely sure that he was evil, and tensions rose even more. Moxie had gone to Amadeus requesting for protection, as she told them of her old relationship with Catherine and Lydia. Moxie was worried that they would come back for revenge. Moxie was also worried about her dog Roxie, who had been quarantined at the hospital by Olive, and backed by Annabel. Luckily for her, Amadeus had assigned Moxie a small personal guard, as he remembered arresting Catherine and Lydia, knowing how dangerous they could be.
(Open Flashback)
Moxie took a glance at her rottweiler, who seemed to be enjoying the walk, despite looking rather green. Moxie wasn't exactly the brightest tool in the shed, nor the most intuitive, but Roxy didn't look too well. Moxie turned a corner, and there stood the newly furnished hospital. Moxie hoped that her dog would be treated. She knew that nobody there was probably a veterinarian, but maybe they would know something.
Moxie and Roxy began to walk towards the door, when suddenly, a girl wearing a hood stepped in front of her. Moxie took a closer look at the girl, who had short, platinum blonde hair. Moxie knew who this girl was. "Lyric," Moxie said, "What are you doing here?"
"First off, don't call me by my nickname," Lydia said, "I'm Lydia to you. Second off, what are you doing here?"
"Taking Roxy to the hospital," Moxie said, "She's not feeling too well."
"Associating with the enemy?" Lydia snarked. "Tut, tut, I thought better of you."
Without warning, another girl walked into the scene. She also wore a hood, hiding her face from the others. "Catherine?" Moxie asked. "You're here too?"
"Yes I am," Catherine said, "But I don't like it. Lydia and I shouldn't be here… not after everybody saw us shooting at the giant meeting."
"Can you two get out of the way?" Moxie asked. "Or I'll make you two get out."
"Well," Catherine said, "You are stronger than us both, but we're more agile and faster."
"Plus," Lydia said, "We came prepared." Lydia slightly moved her hand to her pocket, revealing a concealed pistol.
"Why won't you guys let me go to the hospital?" Moxie asked.
"Well," Lydia said, "It's kind of fun to annoy you, and second of all, you shouldn't be associating with the enemy."
"Furthermore," Catherine said, "You could blow our cover… or betray us in there."
"You guys don't trust me?" Moxie asked, raising her voice. Catherine and Lydia looked at each other, and smirked.
Suddenly, two members of the High Council, Amadeus and Chris, walked up to the girls, backed by Jorge and Davies, respectively (members of the Secret Service). The group of four seemed to be headed towards the hospital, but then began to walk towards Catherine, Lydia, and Moxie.
"What's going on here?" Amadeus asked. "We heard some escalating voices, and decided to check it out." Catherine and Lydia tried to hide their faces from Amadeus and the others, who looked confused.
"Why do you two have jackets on?" Chris asked. "It's like, 90 degrees (Fahrenheit) and sunny!"
"We...have a condition," Catherine said, "We can't take too much sunlight."
"Interesting," Amadeus said, "What is this condition called?" Lydia looked over at Catherine, who seemed to struggle to think of an answer
"Xeroderma pigmentosum," Catherine said, "That's our condition?"
"I feel as if you just made that up," Davies said, "Is that actually a condition?"
"Yes, it actually is," Amadeus said, looking at the two girls suspiciously, "Xeroderma pigmentosum is basically an inherited skin disorder characterized by a heightened reaction to sunlight."
"What are you talking about?" Davies said. "Bro, speak English."
"They can't be in the sun too much," Amadeus responded, "Or their skin will have some… issues." Jorge leaned down over to Amadeus, looking at the two girls suspiciously.
"There's something… off about these girls," Jorge whispered into Amadeus' ear, so only he would hear, "But I don't know what."
"Hey, have I seen you two before?" Chris asked. "I recognize that hair." The atmosphere surrounding the scene seemed to tensen, and Lydia slightly took a step back.
"We were just having a minor argument," Catherine said, "Really, everything is fine, right guys?" Lydia nodded her head vigorously, while Moxie blankly stared at the scene in front of her.
Abruptly, Amadeus reached his hand over to Catherine and flicked her hood off, revealing her face. Catherine let out a small yelp and Lydia jumped backwards, her hood coming off as well Moxie sprinted off, towards the hospital.
"It's the two girls who were shooting at the meeting!" Chris yelled. "Get them!" Lydia and Catherine sprinted away, using surprise to their advantage. Quickly, Amadeus, Chris, Jorge, and Davies followed.
The two girls turned multiple corners, trying to lose the boys, but they were quickly gaining ground. The edge forest was only about 20 feet away from the girls, and they sprinted towards it, diving into the bushes. The boys soon quickly followed, continuing the wild goose chase.
Lydia and Catherine turned a corner into the forest, and dived into the bushes, laying flat.
They saw Davies run by, and saw Jorge punch down some branches, looking for them. "We'll hide here for now," Lydia whispered, "I don't think they'll find us here-"
Suddenly, Chris and Amadeus jumped down into the bushes, soon followed by Davies and Jorge. The girls were surrounded, and they were at close quarters with the boys. "Shame you girls weren't fast enough," Jorge said, "We didn't even break a sweat."
Quick as lightning, Lydia whipped out her pistol, and pointed it right at Chris. Catherine soon took out her pistol, and pointed it at Amadeus. "I would walk away if I were you," Catherine said, "I don't want to shoot."
"But I do!" Lydia exclaimed, firing her pistol, hitting Chris in the leg. Catherine looked taken aback, and surprised at Lydia's quick trigger, when Jorge suddenly lunged and tackled Lydia to the ground. Right as this happened, Davies tackled Catherine, pinning her. Amadeus sprinted and snatched the guns away from the girls, and looked right at them.
"Oh dear," Amadeus said softly, "What will we have to do with you two?" Davies growled at the two girls, looking angry.
"Why'd you shoot Chris?" Davies asked. "You b******!"
"Relax Davies," Amadeus said, "I'll make sure that Chris is taken care of. Let's go take Chris to Annabel, and these girls to the jail."
"Do we even have a jail?" Jorge asked. "I wasn't aware of one."
"Well," Amadeus said, "We do now."
(End of Flashback)
With all these weird events, and suspicions between the Westies, Easties, and Homeschoolers Association and Allies on the rise, the entire FAYZ had essentially been divided into three territories. Westshine had "claimed" the most land, the Association had "claimed" the second most land, and Eastville had the smallest portion of the FAYZ. This angered Chris, who seemed to take particular offense with Amadeus, who was part of Westshine. To make matters worse, Amadeus had gone off on a "personal" mission because of a hunch three days ago, and still hadn't returned. This greatly worried all of the Westies, (especially Olive, Jorge, Micki, and Dan) and simply made everything even more tense.
The High Council and Republic still met, but the meetings were always harsh and fulled of rebuking comments. With one of the High Council members not present, Lionel and Chris tried to take advantage, which led to protests from the Westshine kids.
Trying to raise spirits, Charlie and Claudia threw a magnificent party just two days ago, (where Annabel did in fact, perform). Everything was going great in the party, when Franklin Wilds suddenly broke in, before being subdued by Elijah, Isaiah, and Annabel. Unfortunately, Franklin somehow managed to escape as he was being escorted to jail, and actually killed one unfortunate guard on his way out. Stories about "Franklin the Freak" and "Fangs" broke out among little children, who were terribly scared by him.
Jayce Chanceford Montgomery had also actually stopped by the most recent High Council/Republic meeting, letting everybody know that he had seen Franklin at Lionel's headquarters. Some believed that Jayce was just trying to stir up some drama, which he did, as a fistfight between Chris and Lionel actually took place. The fight was stopped before either one could seriously harm the other, but people were amazed by the dent Lionel left in one of the walls.
Ignacio later told Micki (Westshine's vice president, who was filling in for Amadeus) that he thought Lionel appeared to be holding back during the minor scuffle, as if he could have seriously hurt Chris, but chose not to. Still, Ignacio was impressed by the minor scar Chris somehow left on Lionel's face.
Finally, to add on to the aura of fear the general population of the FAYZ felt. Before Amadeus had left on his mission, he announced that a girl named Atlanta Woods (her again) had told him about telepathic wolves that could turn into humans. Reverse Werewolves of a sort. These wolves were teenagers from 14-19 years old (they weren't affected by the FAYZ 2.0 as they were wolves, not humans). There was apparently about 8 packs of wolves in the Westmoor Forest, Mountain, and Lake area, but there was one main Pack- the Alpha Pack (which evidently only allowed males to join-sexist huh?). The Easties didn't believe Amadeus, until one of the members of the Alpha Pack was revealed to be Lycan, who was posing as a human and was present when Anderson turned 15. Lycan was revealed to be a werewolf when he attempted to kidnap Annaleise, when the High Council actually worked together to stop him (the fact that the High Council worked together was more shocking than the fact that there were werewolves in the FAYZ). Amadeus decided that he would go on a mission after this event. Nobody knew what the purpose of the mission was, except for Olive.
The question still remained- where was Amadeus? Life in the FAYZ carried on, but everybody knew that something had gone terribly wrong.
The yard of the hospital was alive with activity, the section of the large green field had been commandeered for a game of soccer, where a lot of the younger kids were now playing, and an umpire was keeping the game clean, a boy from Eastville, who was doing surprisingly well with keeping the kids well behaved.
The hospital backyard was huge, there was stone pathways that led to shaded benches and picnic tables, the gardens were full of flowers and brightly coloured trees, and all around, high stone walls hidden by old tall trees surrounded them, keeping trespassers out and everyone safe from the bubbling tensions between the three faction leaders and skirmishes from The Pack.
But she would worry about all that later, when another meeting was no doubt called, so that they could try and find a solution to the problem the Pack represented. Right now, Annabel focused on her swings, her lunges and parries, she went through her paces. Draw, swing, block, sheath, and repeat.
It's been nearly a month since the first day of the new FAYZ, and Annabel had finally gotten the hospital properly defended and organised. Many of the younger kids, with nowhere to go and unable to fend for themselves, wounded up here at the hospital, and many of the older kids volunteered to help out. Now, the older kids were on a roster, taking rounds and checking up on everyone, making sure everything stayed relatively calm. They were also under training from her and Belladonna, learning first aid, how to stitch up wounds, relocate joints, take care of broken bones, allergic reactions and various other common medical problems. It wasn't easy, and not everyone understood it very well, but they all tried, and were all competent in one task or another, so the redhead didn't mind so much.
Parry, swing, lunge- watch the footwork, balance is important- block, swing, and repeat.
Now, they've all finally had a chance to start relaxing, and fall into their routines. Belladonna has finally been able to start up her new garden, and a lot of the kids have enthusiastically volunteered to help out. A large section of the yard, the one that was hit with the most sunlight and easiest access to water, was now fenced off with wooden poles and brightly coloured rope. In a few weeks, they would have a steady supply of food from the garden, and if everything went well, they would be able to share it with the other factions.
If all out war doesn't break out first.
Annabel sighed and lowered her sword, letting the tip touch the grass as she breathed heavily from the exertion of her training session. She's finally been able to get in some serious training time, and while she still lacked the finesse and grace that skilled swordsmen have, she was coming along nicely, and she seemed to have a natural skill for swordplay. The weight of the blade felt good and right in her hands, and being without her sword or dirk made her feel almost naked. Much like when she's without her clover pendant.
Returning the blade to its decorated scabbard, the teen wiped her brow with her arm. She's getting stronger and fitter every day, now that she doesn't nearly keel over every day. Waking up at random intervals of the night to care for the newborns and toddlers had been torture before she got volunteers. But now everything was running smoothly, and it seemed they had finally found a bit of peace here.
But she knew, sooner or later, someone was going to break the stalemate, and the hospital may be overwhelmed with the injured, the dead and the dying when it happens. Clutching her necklace lightly, she closed her eyes and, once again, sent a small thought to her parents, hoping they were okay, and wished for the wall to come down and for the madness to end.
Nothing happened, as usual.
Returning indoor to shower and prepare for her own shift, the teen didn't notice the appreciative looks she received from some of the older kids, and even if she did she wouldn't have cared. All her focus was on the hospital and those within, who needed to be cared for and protected until the wall came down.
The shower room was large, and always kept clean and stocked with towels and soap. So, with a set of clean clothes in hand, Annabel cleaned up in one of the shower cubicles, dried herself and got dressed. Exiting, she moved to the row of sinks and mirrors along the wall, and set about brushing her teeth. Once finished, she rinsed her mouth and stared at herself in the mirror.
She looked different.
Her hair wasn't dyed in bright, crazy colours, her pilot jacket was in the director's office, hardly used anymore, she rarely wore anything but scrubs nowadays, and her eyes were older, wiser. She no longer had that brightness in her eyes that she never noticed before; they seemed to glow now, in the dim fluorescent lighting of the shower rooms. She had paled a little as well, losing some of her tan due to staying indoors more than she used too, and it made her freckles more pronounced. She rather liked her freckles, both her parents had them, and it was simply another thing that reminded her of them, something to keep her going. It's a little funny, how small, odd things like freckles can inspire someone to keep going, but everything is odd now and nothing is normal anymore. She never thought she would miss normality, and while she doesn't miss all of it, there are some things she longs for.
Shaking her mind from those thoughts, Annabel continued to catalogue the changes of her body these last few weeks. Her thick, curly, shaggy, untamed red hair was longer, and though it was still wild and all over the place, it was easier to keep it under control now. All she had to do was braid it and tie it off, unlike before where the strands would escape after a few hours and she gave up and just used her headband.
She had scars now, too. Usually from when she was too exhausted to heal herself, or when she simply half-healed her wounds so she wouldn't die, but allowed her to keep moving without becoming too weak. A scar, starting from her collarbone, going diagonally up over her neck, across her voice box and stopping just under her jaw, Franklin "Fangs" had credit for that, having left her unable to speak for nearly two whole days. A few bullet wound on her left shoulder, through her right knee, two on her abdomen and three on her torso, leaving white dots where they had pierced her flesh. And X cut in the entire back of her left hand, a small but deep scar on the corner of her right eyebrow, and a large ragged scar on her left thigh that started at her knee and curved up and around to the back of her thigh. The whip-marks on her back had long since healed, and only a few remained, crisscrossing over its expanse. This all took place during Franklin's skirmish at Charlie and Claudia's party.
Being beaten had left its marks, but it had also strengthened her, and Fangs had not broken her. She had been rescued, and while the madman was still out there, she no longer feared him. Now that she had her weapons again, now that she knew how to fight, now that she could ignore pain, now that she knew his weaknesses, she did not fear him. He would come again, she knew, but she didn't care. She was ready to face him this time.
She only had to wait.
Locke was standing in an empty clearing in the Westmoor forest. He knew that it was dangerous to be there, but this was the perfect place to train and hone in his powers. Locke took a quick break, panting from his hard work. He thought back to when he first learned of his powers.
(Open Flashback)
Launa woke up, gasping for air. Alexandra and Melissa were looking at her with worry, and Locke was staring at her in confusion. "Are you okay?" Locke asked. "You just collapsed."
Launa realized that she had just gotten another vision of the future.
"Yeah," Launa said, "I'm just fine. Nice to meet you Locke- I'll talk to you later. Alex, Mel, let's go! I need to talk to you both." Launa led Alex and Mel away.
Locke looked at the girls in shock, wondering what the heck had just happened.
"Yeah," Melissa said, "You also said that you would explain everything later. So… spill Lo. What's going on?"
"Well," Launa said, "People in this new FAYZ have powers. And I'm one of these people."
"What?" Alexandra said. "What's your power?"
"I get visions," Launa said, "Visions of the future. I know it sounds ridiculous, but so is shooting water out of your hands. Please believe me." Alexandra and Melissa looked at each other and nodded.
"We believe you," Alexandra said, "We're friends, remember?"
"But what did you see with Locke?" Melissa asked.
"Thanks guys," Launa said, lowering her voice,"And Mel, I saw that Locke is one of the people with powers. It's amazing- he can manipulate the temperature of things."
"What?" Alexandra asked. "That's crazy!"
"I know," Launa said, "Hey- guys, look at that shadow! It kinda looks like a human!" Melissa and Alexandra looked at the shadow, and nodded their heads.
"Oh my gosh," Melissa said, "You're right!"
"Take a picture of it!" Alexandra said.
"I have a better idea!" Launa said. "This sounds really girly… but… selfie time! Er… groupie time!" Launa, Alexandra, and Melissa took a picture with the shadow.
"Anyway," Launa said, resting her elbow against the building next to her, "We should do something to-" Launa collapsed to the ground, blacking out.
(End of Flashback)
Little did the girls know that a curious Locke had followed them, wondering why Launa had collapsed. He didn't believe what he had heard at first, but when he tested out his powers and they actually worked, he knew that he had a special gift. Locke soon decided to join the police force, using his powers to stop criminals. He was lucky that nobody knew of his power yet, he made sure that nobody saw him using it. The power of temperature manipulation was very useful. Over the past month, he had been training in this clearing.
Locke snapped back to reality, and focused on his training. He began staring at a tree, and thought about it becoming frozen. The tree soon became ice-cold and very brittle, filled with ice. Locke then heated up the tree, restoring it back to normal.
"Finally," Locke told himself, "I'm getting the hang of this." Suddenly, the ringing noise of clapping resounded across the clearing, and Locke whirled around.
The forest and clearing still appeared to be empty, and Locke couldn't see anybody. He ran out of the clearing, and hid behind the undergrowth in the forest. He continued searching for the source of the clapping, but wasn't able to to see anyone.
Abruptly, Lydia and Catherine stepped into the clearing, flanked by Mark and Franklin. The four of them leaned against a rock, as if they were guarding someone. Lionel then walked into the middle of the clearing.
"I knew it," Locke whispered to himself, "There was something suspicious about this guy. I got to get out of here though."
Locke quietly moved away, making sure that he didn't make any noise. Suddenly, the crack of a branch was heard, and Locke looked down- he had just stepped on a tree branch.
Quick as lightning, Lydia and Franklin sprinted towards him, while Catherine and Mark stayed by the rock. Locke began to run, when he suddenly saw a pack of wolves in front of him.
"Damn," Locke said, before running away, quickly chased by the wolves, "It's the Alpha Pack."
Locke was running as fast as he ever did, but the wolves, Lydia, and Franklin were quickly gaining on him, when he suddenly was tripped up by a vine. Locke looked up and saw that he had run right by the empty clearing, and Mark was standing about five feet away from him, laughing.
Lionel had been examining the tree Locke had been practicing on, as if he didn't notice the scene around him. After a few moments, a grinning Lionel turned his electrifying gaze towards Locke.
"Well, well, well," Lionel said, "What do we have here…"