Circle Dawn:
Walking back into the hall again, trying to look calm and composed, when she felt like a confused mess inside wasn't easy. Still, bracing herself, Serena forced herself to follow Raksha into the hall, striding confidently forward, ready to put herself back out there and pretend to be like the others, who had submitted to the mind control. Pretend that she wasn't petrified out of her wits. However, it seemed as if the boy who followed her out of the doorway had also had similar ideas, for just as she was about to walk through the doorway, she felt something brush her arm, followed by the most complex emotion that she had ever felt. Lightning flashed before her eyes, sparks clouding her vision, and she felt a... tug, somewhere inside of her. As if something that had been buried inside for a long time had finally been uncovered. -What is going on!- She gave her head the tiniest of shakes, to clear the... electricity... that was dancing in front of her eyes. Turning, she saw that her arm had brushed the boy's arm of his full-sleeved shirt, which was green, a colour that emphasised his emerald eyes and the black of his trousers and hair.
Looking up at him, she fund her eyes meeting those brilliant green ones, partially hidden by the fairly short black hair that fell across his forehead and into his eyes, and felt the now somewhat familiar feeling of a tug somewhere inside her. She was falling, falling into the depths of his eyes, into the endless, ever changing green, until they were all that she could see. She couldn't ever remember having seen a shade of green like this before. It was so vivid and bright, a deep sparkling colour that seemed to see into the very depths of her soul. It almost scared her, but she couldn't be frightened. Not here. Drowning in his eyes, Serena vaguely remembered a line from a poem she'd once read. "Nature's first green is gold". She felt, looking into this stranger's eyes, that she could understand what the poet meant. She wanted to reach out to this person, with the eyes that could see into her soul, wanted to know him. She felt as she already knew his secrets, as if she could see into him in a different way than the others could. It made her feel special, and wanted and loved, all at the same time. Dimly, somewhere outside of his eyes, a part of her was telling her that she had to find a way out of this keep moving and go and sit in the hall, but right now, that didn't seem important, so, thrusting the voice aside, she turned her torso to face him more full on, her eyes still locked with his.
*~*~*
Ryan was lost. He didn't know what was happening, what he was doing, but right now, he didn't care. The beautiful girl, the one that he must have followed out of the hall, was looking up at him demurely, though her lashes, and he was immediately caught up in this.... Spell that she seemed to have cast over him. He didn't even know how it had happened. They'd been sitting there, avoiding each other's eyes, when that woman.... -Raksha,- his mind filled in for him, came out and told them to come back in. so they'd both moved towards the door, and his arm had accidentally brushed against hers and that was it. God. She was so beautiful. Her hair was beautiful, falling around her like a curtain of silk, soft and lustrous. Her skin was lightly tanned and glowed healthily, and she had high cheekbones accentuating her almond-shaped eyes, which seemed to be changing colour by the second. First green, then blue, then lavender then gold then brown... the colours were endless. It was uncanny, but somehow alluring. But it wasn't just her outer beauty that seemed to make her so attractive. There was something else... something in her eyes that drew people to her. There was an honesty in her eyes, compassion, trust and loyalty hidden behind them, and they way she looked at him... as if she could see into him. See the worst and the best parts of him. It scared him, but not enough to make him break the connection. He just wanted to stay like this with her forever.
It seemed that the others had other ideas, however, and a few moments later, Raksha's voice could be heard calling them. The interruption broke the connection that had been forged between Serena and Ryan, and they tore their gazes away from one another, much to Ryan's dismay. Then, slowly, almost reluctantly, it seemed to him, the girl moved away, and walked through the doorway, this time, careful to make sure they didn't touch. Ryan followed suit, his head full of questions and thoughts. -What just happened? How can something as insignificant as an arm brushing mine make me lose control like that? Who is she? I don't even know her name!-
As he walked into the room, he could see that the other teenagers were still in their trance, though Kherron had stopped speaking. As they took their places in the circle once again, he also noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the adults giving him and the beautiful girl odd looks, glancing from him to her and then back again. He didn't pay too much attention, however, too preoccupied with his own thoughts. Once sat down, Kherron came back into the circle, with the other adults, and the trance was lifted. The others looked up and blinked a couple of times, seemingly unaware of what had just happened.
Then, after a brief pause, the woman called Rialle began to speak, and Ryan looked up, determined to understand what she was saying. "Right, so... to recap, you all belong to the Night World, which is a secret society of Werewolves, witches, Vampires and Shape-shifters. We live amongst humans, but they don't know that we exist, and so we keep up the appearances of normal humans. There are rules that apply to each species, and these will be explained to you when we tell you what you are, and have been since birth, but have been unaware about. Before, that, thought, a brief discussion of us." She said, indicating the whole room. "you have been chosen specifically, as members for a new circle, which is just a group of Night World members, who get together every now and then. Our group is called Circle Dawn. Remember that. It is important, in case anyone ever asks you. And our circle has a particular purpose. We are to fight. Fight the evil in the world. Our aim is to create some kind of truce between races and the Night World and humans. Some people don't agree with that, and it is our job to prevent racial war happening. It has been prevented before, and must be done again, for certain prophecies have to come true for the safety of everyone, and the world must be protected until these things come true." She said that, looking directly at Ryan, and he felt a pang inside of him, he didn't know why. Everyone else around him was nodding, as the woman continued to speak, discussing the things that they would learn, and answering questions. -If they can accept it, so can I.- He thought.
Now the teachers moved out of the circle. I'm going to call your names now, in pairs, and this person is going to be your fighting partner. You have already had your partners chosen for you specifically. Also, if you find that your name has other names attached to it, it is because those names belong to your Night World heritage, and may be used as your fighting names. When your name is called, I will also tell you what you are, and when your pair is called, both of you go and sit down in a pair. Get to know each other, chat, do anything. Later, the leaders of your race will call you together and go through the rules that apply to your species, but it's more important now for you to get to know your partner. You'll have to work, learn and train intimately with each other, so it's best you get started now. You should also find that your partners tend to go to the same school as you, so make a bond at school, because it may be that one day you'll be needed, and otherwise people may think it a bit odd. Okay, here goes:
First pair: Aria Brightflame... Witch Iris Realton... Vampire
Next: Mark Wentworth... Werewolf Darien Wisteria... Witch
Marigold Tarragon... Witch Damien Matthew Blackman... Vampire
Sabriel Nix... Witch Lyrael Nix... Witch
Kiera Vega Poinsettia... Vampire Cole Smith... Vampire
Ilia Stephanie Marks... Vampire Tyler Blackman... Vampire
Sara Richards... Witch Adam Martin Grimsby... Werewolf
Ophelia Francesca Pearson... Vampire Alder Bignonia... Witch
Ryan had been watching as the circle slowly broke up as pairs went off and started talking with their leader and each other. It seemed as if most of them already knew each other. He took a deep breath, trying to ease out the knot in his stomach. He waited, and waited, until there were only two left.
"Serena Hardwood ... Shifter Ryan Drache ... Shifter"
Somewhere inside of him, he had almost been wishing for it, but as they both stood up, he almost regretted it. After all, how was he to learn how to fight when it was all he could do at the moment to not stare at her. He couldn't even touch her without something happening! This wouldn't work at all. But still... he'd get to know her... and at least he knew her name now. –Serena.- He liked the name, it was beautiful and mysterious, like her, and he liked the way it rolled off his tongue. Slowly, they made their way across the circle, careful not to touch each other, and where Rialle greeted them with a smile.
"Yes, you have Keller. You are the only shifters in the team, and so you are quite special really. Well, more than you already are, anyway." She paused for a moment abruptly, before looking up at them with a somewhat strange smile. "I hope you enjoy yourself. Keller will fill you in on the details in a moment. For now, just sit over there in the far corner and get to know each other."
Walking back into the hall again, trying to look calm and composed, when she felt like a confused mess inside wasn't easy. Still, bracing herself, Serena forced herself to follow Raksha into the hall, striding confidently forward, ready to put herself back out there and pretend to be like the others, who had submitted to the mind control. Pretend that she wasn't petrified out of her wits. However, it seemed as if the boy who followed her out of the doorway had also had similar ideas, for just as she was about to walk through the doorway, she felt something brush her arm, followed by the most complex emotion that she had ever felt. Lightning flashed before her eyes, sparks clouding her vision, and she felt a... tug, somewhere inside of her. As if something that had been buried inside for a long time had finally been uncovered. -What is going on!- She gave her head the tiniest of shakes, to clear the... electricity... that was dancing in front of her eyes. Turning, she saw that her arm had brushed the boy's arm of his full-sleeved shirt, which was green, a colour that emphasised his emerald eyes and the black of his trousers and hair.
Looking up at him, she fund her eyes meeting those brilliant green ones, partially hidden by the fairly short black hair that fell across his forehead and into his eyes, and felt the now somewhat familiar feeling of a tug somewhere inside her. She was falling, falling into the depths of his eyes, into the endless, ever changing green, until they were all that she could see. She couldn't ever remember having seen a shade of green like this before. It was so vivid and bright, a deep sparkling colour that seemed to see into the very depths of her soul. It almost scared her, but she couldn't be frightened. Not here. Drowning in his eyes, Serena vaguely remembered a line from a poem she'd once read. "Nature's first green is gold". She felt, looking into this stranger's eyes, that she could understand what the poet meant. She wanted to reach out to this person, with the eyes that could see into her soul, wanted to know him. She felt as she already knew his secrets, as if she could see into him in a different way than the others could. It made her feel special, and wanted and loved, all at the same time. Dimly, somewhere outside of his eyes, a part of her was telling her that she had to find a way out of this keep moving and go and sit in the hall, but right now, that didn't seem important, so, thrusting the voice aside, she turned her torso to face him more full on, her eyes still locked with his.
*~*~*
Ryan was lost. He didn't know what was happening, what he was doing, but right now, he didn't care. The beautiful girl, the one that he must have followed out of the hall, was looking up at him demurely, though her lashes, and he was immediately caught up in this.... Spell that she seemed to have cast over him. He didn't even know how it had happened. They'd been sitting there, avoiding each other's eyes, when that woman.... -Raksha,- his mind filled in for him, came out and told them to come back in. so they'd both moved towards the door, and his arm had accidentally brushed against hers and that was it. God. She was so beautiful. Her hair was beautiful, falling around her like a curtain of silk, soft and lustrous. Her skin was lightly tanned and glowed healthily, and she had high cheekbones accentuating her almond-shaped eyes, which seemed to be changing colour by the second. First green, then blue, then lavender then gold then brown... the colours were endless. It was uncanny, but somehow alluring. But it wasn't just her outer beauty that seemed to make her so attractive. There was something else... something in her eyes that drew people to her. There was an honesty in her eyes, compassion, trust and loyalty hidden behind them, and they way she looked at him... as if she could see into him. See the worst and the best parts of him. It scared him, but not enough to make him break the connection. He just wanted to stay like this with her forever.
It seemed that the others had other ideas, however, and a few moments later, Raksha's voice could be heard calling them. The interruption broke the connection that had been forged between Serena and Ryan, and they tore their gazes away from one another, much to Ryan's dismay. Then, slowly, almost reluctantly, it seemed to him, the girl moved away, and walked through the doorway, this time, careful to make sure they didn't touch. Ryan followed suit, his head full of questions and thoughts. -What just happened? How can something as insignificant as an arm brushing mine make me lose control like that? Who is she? I don't even know her name!-
As he walked into the room, he could see that the other teenagers were still in their trance, though Kherron had stopped speaking. As they took their places in the circle once again, he also noticed, out of the corner of his eye, the adults giving him and the beautiful girl odd looks, glancing from him to her and then back again. He didn't pay too much attention, however, too preoccupied with his own thoughts. Once sat down, Kherron came back into the circle, with the other adults, and the trance was lifted. The others looked up and blinked a couple of times, seemingly unaware of what had just happened.
Then, after a brief pause, the woman called Rialle began to speak, and Ryan looked up, determined to understand what she was saying. "Right, so... to recap, you all belong to the Night World, which is a secret society of Werewolves, witches, Vampires and Shape-shifters. We live amongst humans, but they don't know that we exist, and so we keep up the appearances of normal humans. There are rules that apply to each species, and these will be explained to you when we tell you what you are, and have been since birth, but have been unaware about. Before, that, thought, a brief discussion of us." She said, indicating the whole room. "you have been chosen specifically, as members for a new circle, which is just a group of Night World members, who get together every now and then. Our group is called Circle Dawn. Remember that. It is important, in case anyone ever asks you. And our circle has a particular purpose. We are to fight. Fight the evil in the world. Our aim is to create some kind of truce between races and the Night World and humans. Some people don't agree with that, and it is our job to prevent racial war happening. It has been prevented before, and must be done again, for certain prophecies have to come true for the safety of everyone, and the world must be protected until these things come true." She said that, looking directly at Ryan, and he felt a pang inside of him, he didn't know why. Everyone else around him was nodding, as the woman continued to speak, discussing the things that they would learn, and answering questions. -If they can accept it, so can I.- He thought.
Now the teachers moved out of the circle. I'm going to call your names now, in pairs, and this person is going to be your fighting partner. You have already had your partners chosen for you specifically. Also, if you find that your name has other names attached to it, it is because those names belong to your Night World heritage, and may be used as your fighting names. When your name is called, I will also tell you what you are, and when your pair is called, both of you go and sit down in a pair. Get to know each other, chat, do anything. Later, the leaders of your race will call you together and go through the rules that apply to your species, but it's more important now for you to get to know your partner. You'll have to work, learn and train intimately with each other, so it's best you get started now. You should also find that your partners tend to go to the same school as you, so make a bond at school, because it may be that one day you'll be needed, and otherwise people may think it a bit odd. Okay, here goes:
First pair: Aria Brightflame... Witch Iris Realton... Vampire
Next: Mark Wentworth... Werewolf Darien Wisteria... Witch
Marigold Tarragon... Witch Damien Matthew Blackman... Vampire
Sabriel Nix... Witch Lyrael Nix... Witch
Kiera Vega Poinsettia... Vampire Cole Smith... Vampire
Ilia Stephanie Marks... Vampire Tyler Blackman... Vampire
Sara Richards... Witch Adam Martin Grimsby... Werewolf
Ophelia Francesca Pearson... Vampire Alder Bignonia... Witch
Ryan had been watching as the circle slowly broke up as pairs went off and started talking with their leader and each other. It seemed as if most of them already knew each other. He took a deep breath, trying to ease out the knot in his stomach. He waited, and waited, until there were only two left.
"Serena Hardwood ... Shifter Ryan Drache ... Shifter"
Somewhere inside of him, he had almost been wishing for it, but as they both stood up, he almost regretted it. After all, how was he to learn how to fight when it was all he could do at the moment to not stare at her. He couldn't even touch her without something happening! This wouldn't work at all. But still... he'd get to know her... and at least he knew her name now. –Serena.- He liked the name, it was beautiful and mysterious, like her, and he liked the way it rolled off his tongue. Slowly, they made their way across the circle, careful not to touch each other, and where Rialle greeted them with a smile.
"Yes, you have Keller. You are the only shifters in the team, and so you are quite special really. Well, more than you already are, anyway." She paused for a moment abruptly, before looking up at them with a somewhat strange smile. "I hope you enjoy yourself. Keller will fill you in on the details in a moment. For now, just sit over there in the far corner and get to know each other."