Introductions:
When the whirling dark void ended and the world had finally stopped spinning, Serena found that her vision was clear again, that the aching feeling in her stomach was gone. and that she was somewhere else on a heap on the floor. Shaking her hair out of her eyes, she looked around. Where she actually was, she wasn't quite sure. She knew with absolute certainty that she had never before seen the building that she happened to be inside before, but looking around, at the spacious foyer's comfortable chairs and rich burgundy carpet that she felt quite comfortable here. But where was she, and what was she doing here?
Looking through a pair of glass double-doors that were in front of her, she could see that they led into some room or hall of some sorts, and she could sense some people there. She didn't know how, but she could sense things now, even if she couldn't see them. It was how she knew that she was in a hall of some kind, and how she knew that she had to go inside there. What did they want with her? What was going on? Serena didn't know, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to find out.
Something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning towards it, she saw that it was the letter, fluttering down beside her. Picking it up and climbing to her feet, Serena decided that she'd better go in and get it over with. Slowly, gathering up her courage and taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and cautiously approached the door. She pushed it open, and stepped inside, letting out the breath that she hadn't even been aware that she was holding. As the door swung shut behind her, the room fell into silence as several pairs of eyes turned towards her. Painfully aware of how hard her heart was beating, she forced herself not to stare back and, assuming a nonchalant expression, to look around the room.
She'd been right. It was a hall, not unlike the church halls back in London. Chairs had been set up in a circle and lots of kids that looked about her age had occupied what seemed like all of them at a first glance. Serena swept her gaze across the room again, this time noticing a couple of empty seats in the circle. As the murmur of voices gently began and increased again, she walked over to the nearest one and sat down, and went back to looking at her surroundings.
The hall was large and spacious with little furniture and polished wood flooring. It was very resonant, and even the smallest whispers carried through well. Looking around again, she noticed a few adults standing in a corner of the room. Funny, they seemed to be talking about her, or at least it seemed that way from the way that they kept talking and glancing at her as they conversed. Serena decided to ignore them, and turned her attention to the other kids in the circle.
The first thing that struck her was how... beautiful they seemed. Inhumanly beautiful, in a way. The girls were gorgeous in their own ways, and the boys were handsome, but more importantly, they seemed to have something burning from within, something that she couldn't quite define but that gave them an air of beauty and almost danger. She shivered, though she didn't know why. Just then her attention was diverted by someone else coming in through the door. She let out a little sigh of relief, because she wasn't the last person to arrive, and also because the latecomer seemed to be just as lost as we were. In fact, come to think about it, they were the only one's who looked really lost: most of the kids seemed to be sure where they were. But Serena didn't spend long dwelling on this- her attention was fixed on the newcomer.
He was beautiful too, of course. Black hair slightly spiked up, lightly tanned fair skin and compelling emerald green eyes framed by long dark lashes. He was tall, slim and fairly well built, and he had a sort of elegance around him. Her eyes followed him as he too entered the circle and sat in the last remaining vacant seat. Directly opposite from her. Now she could see that he too was clutching a similar piece of parchment, and though she had no idea what was on it, she was sure that it was just as cryptic as her own note. She watched, slightly amused, as he too, as she had done, began examining his surroundings. His eyes glanced over the hall, noting the exits and the adults conferring in the corner, and then slid his gaze over other kids, looking first one way and then the other, finally coming over towards her. His eyes swept past her, intent to carry on around the circle, but then came back, resting on her. Green eyes met her own, and Serena felt an unfamiliar tug from somewhere inside her. While some part of her brain just savored the sensation, the other part of her desperately tried to change the connection. To strengthen it or to weaken it, she didn't know, but just as it began to shift, the adults walked into the circle.
Until then, Serena hadn't given them much attention, but now she studied them carefully, thankful for the interruption. There were four in all, one male and three females. The male had black hair and ice blue eyes that were both dominating and assertive. He was tall, and assertive and had an air around him that demanded obedience. The female on his right was tall as well, with long dark hair and gray eyes. She was slim and had a graceful, athletic way of moving, that vaguely reminded Serena of a cat. On the man's left was a small woman, with blonde hair and blue eyes with the faintest touch of lavender in them. She too was slim, and had a kind, wise face. The fourth woman was slim and tanned, with silvery brown hair and amber eyes.
"Okay, everyone," Serena snapped back to attention. The blonde-haired woman was speaking. "I know that you're not sure why you're here, but don't worry, we'll explain everything in just a minute. But first, introductions. My name is Rialle Hath, this here is Lupe Acevedo", she said, indicating towards the woman with amber eyes, "On my right is Kherron Lightfire" she continued, gesturing towards the man "...and over there is Raksha Keller. We, that is, my colleagues and I, are going to help you discover a part of your heritage, a part of yourselves. Over the next few years, we shall be working closely with you, so you can call us by our first names, and don't hesitate to ask any questions." At that a hand went up. "Yes?" inquired Rialle. "Um... not meaning to be rude or anything, but why are we here?" the speaker was a girl with long black hair and eyes the darkest shade of blue that Serena had ever seen. She was sitting next to the gorgeous guy. "Ah, that," Rialle answered, with a look at her colleagues, "is what we're getting to next."
*~*~*
-God, I hate being the last to arrive-, Ryan thought, as he tried to discretely slump further into his seat, as the lady with blonde hair started to introduce themselves. His emerald eyes burned at the image of his walking in late to this... place and all eyes turning towards him, and he felt a faint tinge of a blush stain his cheeks. He took a deep breath to retain his composure, and felt the warmth recede. -And I definitely hate being stared at, even at school, where I know everyone. Who are these people, anyway? And what on earth am I doing here-? Ryan shook his hair out of his eyes, trying to remember what had happened to him, and how he'd ended up here. Racking his memory, he remembered being asleep. He'd been having a dream... a great dream... about... something. Try as he might, he couldn't remember the details. -Oh well-, he thought -it'll come to me later-. Things like this always did. Anyway, he'd woken up to see this bright light inside his room, which glowed bright, and then transformed into a piece of parchment. Ryan looked down at the piece of parchment that he clutched in his fist. Opening it, he read:
Another misplaced, heritage lost, Mate for the lamb, partner through the ages. Born to be great, exalted with your Superior host Great but unrecognized, the greatest of mages To rule the lands and to tame the wild Taken and given away, the orphaned child. The time has come to regain the lost To find the strengths and those you value the most To brave the dark waters with light by your side To face every danger, to not run and hide, A destiny formed, a promise sealed, The one who makes the dreams turn real. This letter is a token that can transport to all But with guidance and the unnatural your needs of us will fall. The power of will and courage be your guide For you may be the worlds only light. To understand it all from this riddle would be miraculous But wait a moment and we will bring you back to us.
Folding up the paper once more, Ryan lapsed into thought. For the life of him, he couldn't work out the message. It didn't make any sense. But when he'd finished reading it, he'd fallen down this dark tunnel and when he'd come out of the other end, he was... here. Wherever that was. That was all he could remember. -No point taxing yourself,- his mind told him. -I'm sure they'll explain all in due time. Or at least they'd better,- he thought, glancing at the adults clustered in the center of the circle. Perhaps by coincidence, one of them happened to be looking at him, and his emerald eyes met ice blue ones. Ryan quickly averted his own, and looked around the circle. -God, there are some really gorgeous girls here,- he thought, looking at the people around him. -Too bad I'm not into a girlfriend right now. Not that anyone here really grabs my attention...- his thought trailed off as he looked at the girl sitting across the circle from him. She was listening to the speaker with rapt attention. -Well,...- his mind amended. -So she might be worth taking a look at.- The jolt that he got when he met her eyes... her eyes shifted and he averted his yet again, not wanting to be caught staring at her. However, a moment later, they were back on her again. But as attractive as she was, with her distinctive features, and beautiful slightly tanned skin, almond shaped eyes, high cheekbones, tall slim body, and beautiful wavy, lustrous hair that was so dark that it looked black, although in the light that fell from the windows, he could see that it had natural dark brown highlights that accented her serene brown eyes. Funny, her eyes seemed to be changing color, but no, that was stupid. Things like that didn't happen. He must be dreaming. Still, attractive as she was, and she was more beautiful than anyone else in the room by far, he knew it was no use right now. He felt restless, with a feeling of not belonging anywhere, and then there was what happened last time...He knew that he'd only hurt her if anything happened between them. Assuming that she wanted anything to do with him, that is. -Hold on, wait a second! What are you doing, Drache? You're not interested, remember!- So why did he find that he couldn't look away from her. He was snapped out of his reverie by a question asked by the girl next to him. "Um... not meaning to be rude or anything, but why are we here?" -Just what I was wondering,- Ryan thought to himself, sitting up and paying attention now. "Ah, that", the lady replied answered, with a look at her colleagues "is what we're getting to next." A dramatic, somewhat tense silence fell, and Ryan felt himself catch his breath, also noting that the girl opposite him had simultaneously done the same thing, but before he got caught up staring at her again, he turned his attention back onto the blonde lady, who was now looking at the man with black hair and ice-blue eyes, who took a deep breath and said. "It's called the Night World".
When the whirling dark void ended and the world had finally stopped spinning, Serena found that her vision was clear again, that the aching feeling in her stomach was gone. and that she was somewhere else on a heap on the floor. Shaking her hair out of her eyes, she looked around. Where she actually was, she wasn't quite sure. She knew with absolute certainty that she had never before seen the building that she happened to be inside before, but looking around, at the spacious foyer's comfortable chairs and rich burgundy carpet that she felt quite comfortable here. But where was she, and what was she doing here?
Looking through a pair of glass double-doors that were in front of her, she could see that they led into some room or hall of some sorts, and she could sense some people there. She didn't know how, but she could sense things now, even if she couldn't see them. It was how she knew that she was in a hall of some kind, and how she knew that she had to go inside there. What did they want with her? What was going on? Serena didn't know, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to find out.
Something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. Turning towards it, she saw that it was the letter, fluttering down beside her. Picking it up and climbing to her feet, Serena decided that she'd better go in and get it over with. Slowly, gathering up her courage and taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and cautiously approached the door. She pushed it open, and stepped inside, letting out the breath that she hadn't even been aware that she was holding. As the door swung shut behind her, the room fell into silence as several pairs of eyes turned towards her. Painfully aware of how hard her heart was beating, she forced herself not to stare back and, assuming a nonchalant expression, to look around the room.
She'd been right. It was a hall, not unlike the church halls back in London. Chairs had been set up in a circle and lots of kids that looked about her age had occupied what seemed like all of them at a first glance. Serena swept her gaze across the room again, this time noticing a couple of empty seats in the circle. As the murmur of voices gently began and increased again, she walked over to the nearest one and sat down, and went back to looking at her surroundings.
The hall was large and spacious with little furniture and polished wood flooring. It was very resonant, and even the smallest whispers carried through well. Looking around again, she noticed a few adults standing in a corner of the room. Funny, they seemed to be talking about her, or at least it seemed that way from the way that they kept talking and glancing at her as they conversed. Serena decided to ignore them, and turned her attention to the other kids in the circle.
The first thing that struck her was how... beautiful they seemed. Inhumanly beautiful, in a way. The girls were gorgeous in their own ways, and the boys were handsome, but more importantly, they seemed to have something burning from within, something that she couldn't quite define but that gave them an air of beauty and almost danger. She shivered, though she didn't know why. Just then her attention was diverted by someone else coming in through the door. She let out a little sigh of relief, because she wasn't the last person to arrive, and also because the latecomer seemed to be just as lost as we were. In fact, come to think about it, they were the only one's who looked really lost: most of the kids seemed to be sure where they were. But Serena didn't spend long dwelling on this- her attention was fixed on the newcomer.
He was beautiful too, of course. Black hair slightly spiked up, lightly tanned fair skin and compelling emerald green eyes framed by long dark lashes. He was tall, slim and fairly well built, and he had a sort of elegance around him. Her eyes followed him as he too entered the circle and sat in the last remaining vacant seat. Directly opposite from her. Now she could see that he too was clutching a similar piece of parchment, and though she had no idea what was on it, she was sure that it was just as cryptic as her own note. She watched, slightly amused, as he too, as she had done, began examining his surroundings. His eyes glanced over the hall, noting the exits and the adults conferring in the corner, and then slid his gaze over other kids, looking first one way and then the other, finally coming over towards her. His eyes swept past her, intent to carry on around the circle, but then came back, resting on her. Green eyes met her own, and Serena felt an unfamiliar tug from somewhere inside her. While some part of her brain just savored the sensation, the other part of her desperately tried to change the connection. To strengthen it or to weaken it, she didn't know, but just as it began to shift, the adults walked into the circle.
Until then, Serena hadn't given them much attention, but now she studied them carefully, thankful for the interruption. There were four in all, one male and three females. The male had black hair and ice blue eyes that were both dominating and assertive. He was tall, and assertive and had an air around him that demanded obedience. The female on his right was tall as well, with long dark hair and gray eyes. She was slim and had a graceful, athletic way of moving, that vaguely reminded Serena of a cat. On the man's left was a small woman, with blonde hair and blue eyes with the faintest touch of lavender in them. She too was slim, and had a kind, wise face. The fourth woman was slim and tanned, with silvery brown hair and amber eyes.
"Okay, everyone," Serena snapped back to attention. The blonde-haired woman was speaking. "I know that you're not sure why you're here, but don't worry, we'll explain everything in just a minute. But first, introductions. My name is Rialle Hath, this here is Lupe Acevedo", she said, indicating towards the woman with amber eyes, "On my right is Kherron Lightfire" she continued, gesturing towards the man "...and over there is Raksha Keller. We, that is, my colleagues and I, are going to help you discover a part of your heritage, a part of yourselves. Over the next few years, we shall be working closely with you, so you can call us by our first names, and don't hesitate to ask any questions." At that a hand went up. "Yes?" inquired Rialle. "Um... not meaning to be rude or anything, but why are we here?" the speaker was a girl with long black hair and eyes the darkest shade of blue that Serena had ever seen. She was sitting next to the gorgeous guy. "Ah, that," Rialle answered, with a look at her colleagues, "is what we're getting to next."
*~*~*
-God, I hate being the last to arrive-, Ryan thought, as he tried to discretely slump further into his seat, as the lady with blonde hair started to introduce themselves. His emerald eyes burned at the image of his walking in late to this... place and all eyes turning towards him, and he felt a faint tinge of a blush stain his cheeks. He took a deep breath to retain his composure, and felt the warmth recede. -And I definitely hate being stared at, even at school, where I know everyone. Who are these people, anyway? And what on earth am I doing here-? Ryan shook his hair out of his eyes, trying to remember what had happened to him, and how he'd ended up here. Racking his memory, he remembered being asleep. He'd been having a dream... a great dream... about... something. Try as he might, he couldn't remember the details. -Oh well-, he thought -it'll come to me later-. Things like this always did. Anyway, he'd woken up to see this bright light inside his room, which glowed bright, and then transformed into a piece of parchment. Ryan looked down at the piece of parchment that he clutched in his fist. Opening it, he read:
Another misplaced, heritage lost, Mate for the lamb, partner through the ages. Born to be great, exalted with your Superior host Great but unrecognized, the greatest of mages To rule the lands and to tame the wild Taken and given away, the orphaned child. The time has come to regain the lost To find the strengths and those you value the most To brave the dark waters with light by your side To face every danger, to not run and hide, A destiny formed, a promise sealed, The one who makes the dreams turn real. This letter is a token that can transport to all But with guidance and the unnatural your needs of us will fall. The power of will and courage be your guide For you may be the worlds only light. To understand it all from this riddle would be miraculous But wait a moment and we will bring you back to us.
Folding up the paper once more, Ryan lapsed into thought. For the life of him, he couldn't work out the message. It didn't make any sense. But when he'd finished reading it, he'd fallen down this dark tunnel and when he'd come out of the other end, he was... here. Wherever that was. That was all he could remember. -No point taxing yourself,- his mind told him. -I'm sure they'll explain all in due time. Or at least they'd better,- he thought, glancing at the adults clustered in the center of the circle. Perhaps by coincidence, one of them happened to be looking at him, and his emerald eyes met ice blue ones. Ryan quickly averted his own, and looked around the circle. -God, there are some really gorgeous girls here,- he thought, looking at the people around him. -Too bad I'm not into a girlfriend right now. Not that anyone here really grabs my attention...- his thought trailed off as he looked at the girl sitting across the circle from him. She was listening to the speaker with rapt attention. -Well,...- his mind amended. -So she might be worth taking a look at.- The jolt that he got when he met her eyes... her eyes shifted and he averted his yet again, not wanting to be caught staring at her. However, a moment later, they were back on her again. But as attractive as she was, with her distinctive features, and beautiful slightly tanned skin, almond shaped eyes, high cheekbones, tall slim body, and beautiful wavy, lustrous hair that was so dark that it looked black, although in the light that fell from the windows, he could see that it had natural dark brown highlights that accented her serene brown eyes. Funny, her eyes seemed to be changing color, but no, that was stupid. Things like that didn't happen. He must be dreaming. Still, attractive as she was, and she was more beautiful than anyone else in the room by far, he knew it was no use right now. He felt restless, with a feeling of not belonging anywhere, and then there was what happened last time...He knew that he'd only hurt her if anything happened between them. Assuming that she wanted anything to do with him, that is. -Hold on, wait a second! What are you doing, Drache? You're not interested, remember!- So why did he find that he couldn't look away from her. He was snapped out of his reverie by a question asked by the girl next to him. "Um... not meaning to be rude or anything, but why are we here?" -Just what I was wondering,- Ryan thought to himself, sitting up and paying attention now. "Ah, that", the lady replied answered, with a look at her colleagues "is what we're getting to next." A dramatic, somewhat tense silence fell, and Ryan felt himself catch his breath, also noting that the girl opposite him had simultaneously done the same thing, but before he got caught up staring at her again, he turned his attention back onto the blonde lady, who was now looking at the man with black hair and ice-blue eyes, who took a deep breath and said. "It's called the Night World".