*bounces* i updated! oh my goodness, i'm so sorry for the long delay about this... i know its been WEEKS since i updated, but i've just been so busy with school and rehearsals and all the drama that's added on it... blargh. but i finally got to write! we have a three day weekend, and hardly any homework for us to do. that, and i'm inspired. ^^ my muses are comin' back!

~*~

Different

~*~

The sickly sweet feeling of sweat and blood circulated about the small hut among many others. It was already nighttime, hours had passed after the events of the sinking of the Ambassador. It was still a sight to behold. Everybody was still in awe, knowing that the ship that had always shown an evidence of the magnificent and modern world was gone.

Christine sighed and continued to examine the silvery smooth blade that she had only acquired days ago. She had been a warrior all her life, from the minute she was born until the day that she would leave this island. Being one of the youngest warriors in their group, with the exception of Rain's little brother, Tumbler, Christine was still getting used to the habits and ways of their people.

They had always been told that they were different. Different from the natives living on this island. Different from the creatures that roamed the lush jungles. Different from the elites that had come here every month. It had been forever drilled into their brains, becoming a part of their body and souls. They were warriors. People who fought for the likes of it. Their purpose for fighting was forever forgotten, knowing full well that their ancestors had fought for a perilous war decades ago, but that feeling of pride and hope had dissolved. The natives and creatures looked upon them as savages, enjoying their hands work and priding in its glory. Christine hated it.

She glanced up from the blade, checking to see how well the boy was doing. It had been news that Rain had found somebody washed up on the island. Although that wasn't what surprised the group of warriors, it was the fact that they had brought him back to their grounds. It was a rule, something sacred, that no outsiders were to be brought inside, or else knowing their location. They were supposed to be stealthy and sneaky along with gruesome and fierce. They knew it was a tough combination, but they went along with it with no worries.

Christine wrinkled her nose, the smell of sweat, sand, and blood still strong. Although she can usually be found in a happy and chirpy mood, Christine found herself feeling annoyed. It was late into the night and the sound of the chatter and scraping of blades called her outside. Instead, she was stuck inside the spare hut they had made for emergencies watching a sleeping boy.

She put her blade down slowly, and walked up to him, trying her best not to create any sound as to waking him up. They wouldn't know how to respond to his reaction. Especially since nobody knew where he came from or who or what he even is. It was impossible to say.

The boy stirred in his sleep, gashes were still upon his face, his skin laid with dirt and sand. Carefully, taking the rags placed near the edge of the cot, she mopped his head. She knew that he was feeling physical pain. She had seen enough of that to make sure. He grimaced, his eyes still closed, his mouth set into a thin line as she tried her best not to inflict pain.

She set the rag down on the floor, taking her eyes off the boy. For once, she was feeling better. She didn't know whether it was the boy or the task she was doing, but a new sense of feeling came over her. She smiled, mostly to herself, thinking that for once, she wasn't acting like a warrior.

Wiping her hands on the sides of her torn pants, her green eyes traveled back to the face of the boy. She gave a small squeak as she jumped back from her position, causing her to fall painfully on the floor of the hut. Minutes before he was asleep, but now his black eyes were roaming about the hut. His face was filled with fright and shock though he remained still in his cot, unmoving.

Christine gathered herself, her heart still beating fast as she took a seat on the edge of the cot once again. Unaware of what to say, she let him gather all of it in, letting silence reign.

"What…" muttered the boy. "Where… am I?"

"You're safe… don't worry about it," said Christine with an unknowing smile she had never showed anybody before. She felt as if she wasn't a warrior to him. She felt like she can be herself.

"But… I… I was on the ship, and…" continued the boy as he rubbed his eyes and sighed.

"You were on the ship? You mean, the Ambassador?" asked Christine in full shock.

"I, er… yeah…"

Christine stood up, not knowing whether to keep this to herself or tell the group. They had an elite on their hands. If it was an inhabitant of the island, that would've been different. They could've just helped him and let him go on his way. But this was different. A different type of person in a different type of situation.

"Is that a bad thing?" croaked the boy, trying to sit up painfully.

Seeing that he was in pain, Christine walked over to him, and helped him sit up as she let him lean against the wall of the hut. She looked at him carefully, still wincing in pain as she thought out what she should do. This boy couldn't create that much harm, can he? If she were to say he was an elite, he would be gone in a flash. In an odd sort of way, Christine felt a connection towards him. Not the kind of love connection that people usually mistake for, but something different. Christine found herself at a loss for words.

"I guess it is then?"

"It's hard to explain… we're not exactly the friendliest type of people you'd like to meet."

"But… you're friendly. You're helping me."

"No…" muttered Christine, remembering that she had been forced to do her task. "They could kill you because of hate or release you to the natives out of fear."

Christine felt his body tense up when she had uttered her words. She didn't want to lie, which was a hard thing to do. The things that went on this island were indescribable and sometimes happened for no reason at all.

"So… that's bad…"

"Yes," said Christine, taking the rags into her hands and dipping it into the cool fresh water basin placed next to the bed.

"But if I'm not an elite…" said the boy, finally catching on.

"You'd be better off."

She continued dabbing the rags on his skin, cleaning him up for the time when he would be presented to Shawn Gonzalvo, the leader of the warriors. She kept her eyes on her task, not looking at his face. She wanted him to make his own choice. Run or stay. She didn't want to enforce anything upon him, although she knew she wanted him to stay.

"So, what do I have to do?"

Christine looked up at him, a spark burning in her eyes, and a true smile of happiness enveloping her face.

~*~

"Come on, my honeys, the feast is tonight and you know that Andross wants it to be perfect!" said Adele as she walked through the rows of tables set up in the kitchen.

The elites were always given a feast on the day of their arrival, even though it meant that their ship sank, but it was a custom that was not meant to be broken. The clatter of scraping, cooking, boiling, cutting traveled throughout the kitchen quarters. Natives were running here and there, doing their task and making sure that they would be done within an hour.

"Stupid Andross…" mumbled Sparks, wiping the back of her hand on her forehead. Her straight blonde hair was tied up into a messy bun, with strays of hair falling on the corners of her face. Her hands were covered with coconut juice and oil. "Making us slave away in here…"

"No talking!" shouted Adele, clapping her hands as she urged the girls on.

Riley rolled her eyes and cut another banana in two pieces. "Come on, Adele, you always say that and you always let us talk when we work. We know you too well!"

Adele smiled at the girls, her eyes sparkling. Nobody knew what the reason Adele had for working under Andross. To the natives, he was an unruly and selfish man. For years he had took control of their island, shaping its ways and cultures to make it into what it had become. He had used them as pawns to get what he wanted, to get his money and the only beautiful standing house that could be found on the island. They knew he didn't care what they thought or felt, but as long as the work was done, there would be no harm.

"Yes, of course, and you know that I love you girls, but if Andross sees what's really going on…"

"Don't worry about it, Adele. How long have we been doing this? Goodness, you're practically our big sister!" said Kaitlin behind the huge stack of fish next to her.

"You wouldn't understand, girls…" muttered Adele seriously.

They all turned their attention upon her, suddenly forgetting their cooking tasks and listening intently to what Adele had to say. They looked up to her, and she was the only mother figure that they had. Nobody looked after the natives, that was for sure, except for the authorities that walked about the grounds. The fact that adults hardly existed on the island didn't help any better.

"Andross has power you couldn't imagine… which is why you had better continue working!" snapped Adele, her mood suddenly changing. She turned on her heel, red hair flowing behind her as she exited the kitchen quarters.

The girls looked at each other, confused and puzzled by Adele's sudden change of mood. They knew Adele as the sunny person she was. She was hardly angry or huffed up after something so little. She was a strong person, and she fought for what she wanted, except for one thing, Andross.

"Right…" said Riley, finally breaking the silence. "They wanted a feast, so they're going to get one!"

"Shut your mouth, Riley," said Sparks, continuing with her task. "You've only cut one banana."

"And there'll be many more!"

"Why do fish have to smell?" whined Kaitlin as she took a step back from the pile of fish in front of her.

"Blame the mermaids," muttered Sparks.

~*~

Kyriel held onto the edges of the blanket that Liselle had given her only a few moments ago. She wrapped the blanket about her, giving her a bit of warmth and safety from the events that had happened before. Only a few hours ago, she had been safely sailing on the ship with a group of teenagers, just like herself towards the island of Costelos looking forward to the new world that they were to discover. Now, she couldn't help but feel scared.

The others had filtered inside the room. It was a much bigger hut than the infirmary that they had occupied earlier. Their were desks, seats, and couches strewn everywhere. Kyriel took this to be where they were supposed to stay during their visit. Although it was much bigger and more elegant than the natives' houses, Kyriel couldn't help but think that she didn't feel safe.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Carlos, taking a seat next to Kyriel.

"No, I'm not sure…" muttered Kyriel. "I mean… what happened to me? How did I get here? What was that… thing?"

Carlos glanced about the room, unaware of what to say. Liselle was sitting across Kyriel and Carlos, her hand circled around Luis' arm. She had taken off work from the kitchen to tend the elites, giving her an excuse to skip the work she had been dreading and spend more time with Luis. Max shifted in his seat, as he looked uncertainly back at Carlos and Kyriel.

"Spirits. That was a spirit," muttered Max, leaning forward to tell Kyriel.

"Excuse me? Did I just hear what you said? A spirit?" said David, his eyes widening in shock and confusion as he kept a tight hold on Luke, who perked up from Max's comment.

"There's spirits living here on this island?" said Luke in awe.

"Max! What did you do?!" shouted Lute from the doorway, her hazel-green eyes piercing at the boy before her. She briskly walked over to the group and took a seat next to Max. "Elites aren't supposed to…"

"Don't you think they've seen enough already? Goodness, who could've missed all those mermaids in the ocean?"

"Are you talking about all those colors that we saw? Those were mermaids?" said Corie, taking another bite of sweet bread laid before them.

"Wow!" exclaimed Luke enthusiastically. "What else is there?"

"Luke!" barked David at his little brother.

"What? It's better that we know now than finding out later!"

"The boy's got a point," said Mark, finally joining the conversation. "What else are all of you hiding from us?"

"We're not hiding anything from you," said Liselle towards Mark. "We're just making sure that our island is safe…"

"Safe?!" shouted Mark, his face turning into a shade of red from the anger he had bottled up inside of him. "This island is nowhere near safe! For goodness sakes, Kyriel could've died! Then there's still the fact that we haven't found Adam!"

"There's a search going on right now for him. He shouldn't have strayed to far. This island isn't too huge. Besides, it just goes to show how much you know about this island," exclaimed Max. "Don't you see? The spirit saved her!"

"Saved?" said Kyriel softly. "Saved me?"

"We really don't know how spirits function. They're just there, like another part of the island. But the thing is, we can't really tell whether they're good or not. It really depends on the spirit…" said Lute, feeling calmer than before.

"So Kyriel's spirit was a good spirit?" asked Corie.

"I guess you can say that…"

"But how can a spirit save her?" asked David. "It's just… unreal!"

"There's a lot of unreal things on this island, Davey…" said Luis. "There's more to this island than you know."

"Hold on… so, are you saying that the spirit saved me from… dying?" said Kyriel.

"In a way, yes," said Lute, nodding. "He took over your soul just for a moment… meaning he had control of your body. He could practically live in there for months without you knowing it…"

"Oh my goodness…" muttered Corie.

"But he left… he left me…"

"Which is a really good thing or else we wouldn't have found you."

"How do you know so much about these things?" said David tauntingly. "How do you know about spirits and what they could do?!"

"We told you, spirits aren't exactly bad or good. Natives can talk to spirits when we want to… they're almost like a direct link to the gods," said Carlos.

"Gods?"

Carlos nodded, glancing at the group of elites before him. He could tell that it would be a lot to take in, especially after the sinking of their boat. They never had to face this type of problem before when the elites came. They arrived, stayed, and left. They had no knowledge about the other creatures roaming about the island. Simple as that. But this wasn't simple at all. There would be a lot of explaining to do. A lot of showing and proving to them.

The elites knew that they came from a modern world, more modern from Costelos, but they needed to learn things from Costelos all the same. It wasn't just an island filled with people working for the big boss. It's history created what it is today. It created the different groups and races that walked about the island.

"Are you sure you want to hear this? Hear everything?" asked Lute carefully. "We may not know much about what happened on the island, but we know enough."

"I'm sure," said Mark, anger and confidence shown on his face.

"I'm listening…" said Corie, nodding.

"Alright then," said Lute, with a nod. "There's about four or five groups that live on this island…"

~*~

The feast was starting. The sound of the crackling fire, the smell of the delicious food that the natives had made, the cheerful songs and dances that filled the air, and the colorful dresses and outfits that everybody wore amazed all the senses. There was no doubt that the feast had no intentions of ending.

Kevin Brady looked up from the tiny tattered book that he was holding, his ears straining to figure out where the sounds of the feast came from. He sighed, flickers of light shadowing his face from the small fire that was made for his reading that night. He couldn't help but feel drawn to the excitement and energy that the natives had planned for the elites. Every year they would have it and every year, he would have the feeling of exhilaration. All he wanted to do was walk up and go.

But it wasn't that easy. The feast was for the elites by the natives. The word warriors didn't fit in there anywhere. Kevin shook his head and looked back down at the book that he was reading. Stories about love, fantasy, monsters, and sword fighting filled the pages of the book but his head and heart wasn't in it. This book, stolen by him only a few days ago, was made by the natives. These were the people the warriors abhor. The natives had made them what they were, savages. But Kevin couldn't help but think how wonderful their world might be.

His thoughts swirled about him as he hid the book in his hiding place, a small opening inside a barren old log. He took a step forward towards the trees and bushes that surrounding him, his head poking here and there hoping to find the activity that was going on. Leaves and stems of the plants that surrounded him grazed his face, blocking his way towards what he really wanted to see.

Using his hand, he pushed a cluster of leaves from his face and saw what seemed to be the greatest thing in the world. The natives were dressed in their costumes of color, of red, green, orange, yellow, and blue. There were several of them clamoring around as they served the elites and made sure that everything was in place. Other natives, however, were performing for the elites, singing and dancing to the beat of the island's music.

He weighed his odds. He had to admit, he was younger and smaller than most of the natives, although he did see a bunch of boys the same age as he not too far away. Being a warrior, he knew how to go unnoticed through an event. He looked down at his outfit, the colors of dark green and brown, making him shift along with the background of the jungle. Although, if the natives did spot him and Rain was to find out, it was a night to remember.

Spotting the boys the same age as him over at a far corner, huddled together in a circle, Kevin nodded. That was where he would go. There were so many things going on that nobody took notice of the little boy that took a step out of the jungle and bravely walked through the middle of the feast, his eyes burning with anticipation.

"Ah, so you want to listen to another island story, eh?" asked an old man, his eyes filled with happiness and laughter, his face outlined by the smile that he worn upon his face.

The kids nodded about him, eager to hear another one. Seeing as how nobody took notice of him and blamed him of any trouble, Kevin took a seat down on the grassy ground, his ears perked up and waiting reluctantly for the story to begin.

"Make it a scary story, Danny!" shouted a native boy.

"No! How about a love story?" shouted a girl.

"Fighting!"

"Monsters!"

"Alright, alright, calm down," said Dan Strattman, smiling at the children before him as he tried his best to quiet them. "How about a combination of all of them, eh?"

Sounds of cheers and agreement flooded throughout the tiny group as Dan nodded at them knowingly and started his story.

"Back then, even before your parents were alive, there was a girl and a boy. They never knew about each other, because of the different groups that their family had belonged to. Not only that, but they were different from each other. They weren't exactly the same. The girl was very beautiful and loved by everyone. The gods, however, that lived in the clouds thought that that was beauty beyond itself. They wanted to preserve it forever by making her a spirit."

"A spirit?" asked one of the native children.

Dan nodded and continued, "She was close to a god, able to change into human form when she wanted to. But everything changed. People distrusted her form. She had the ability to do so many things that her family was scared of what she was able to do. They didn't want something so dangerous to the family. So she left. She wandered around the island, humming a mysterious tune, and wishing that she was never a spirit."

"That's so sad…"

"Is that all?"

Dan shook his head and said, "Don't worry, my boy, there's more. The other boy was also different, like I said before. His kind was hated and isolated in the depths of the jungle. They were prowlers, able to shift into an animal form. But this didn't stop the boy. He was known as the mischief-maker of the bunch. One night, when he was walking through the jungle towards his family, he saw a mist near the bushes…"

"Ooh!" shouted the girl from before. "I bet you that's the spirit girl!"

"Hey! You're going to ruin it!"

"That's right, he found the spirit girl. They ended up falling in love with each other, despite what they were. It didn't take long for the boy's family to find out what he had been up to. Prowlers were very sneaky. They ended up killing the boy. The gods were so angry by what the girl did that they froze her soul and buried her into the depths of the sea. The next day, the sea turned into a dark red from the girl's love for the boy."

"Geez…"

"But the story's not finished," smiled Dan slyly. "What they didn't know was that the couple had left something that nobody had ever discovered or learned about. They kept it in hiding and made sure that no one ever found it."

"It? What is it?"

"More like a who is it?" said Dan. "They had a baby girl, Alisa. Made by her parents, she was half spirit and half prowler. She had beautiful light brown hair with blonde highlights from her father and icy blue eyes from her mother. They kept her in the middle of the jungle, inside a cave protected by magic."

"So nobody found her?"

"Nope… not one single person. But if anybody did, that person would most likely be a boy."

"A boy? Why?"

"Alisa's mother hummed when she walked about the island when she was alive. In turn, Alisa had her mother's song etched into her mind and sang it every night. It was the same song that drew her father to Alisa's mother. A sort of call to all the males in the island."

"But is she dangerous?"

"No one really knows… but she could be. People have ventured into the forest without coming back, possibly finding Alisa's cave. But people have come to call her one thing…"

"What's that?"

"The temptress."

~*~

Adam knew he shouldn't have strayed too far from Christine. The grounds of the warriors were so huge that Adam couldn't even begin to imagine how many of them lived on the island. He just needed a drink of water and being the person that he was, lost his way.

He neared towards a small cave, covered by vines and shrubbery, flower sprouting on the ground. Curiosity took him as he took a step forward and squinted through the darkness. His eyes widened as he made out an outline from the inside of the cave.

A pair of ice-blue eyes stared back at him, the outline of the body silvery and flowing. It's hair changed from a dark brown to blonde, as Adam stood frozen to the spot. It seemed as if the girl, or the outline of the girl, was flowing against the wind, though she still stayed in one point. Staring at him through the darkness. She gave a small smile. Not a smile of welcoming or happiness. But a sly smile. A mysterious smile Adam couldn't decipher.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes once again and smiled at Adam, then opened her mouth to begin her song.

~*~

A/N: I added more characters since I needed authority on the island. (look at the character page, i'll also put it up here if it doesn't show up there). Gods & Spirits will be featured in the next chapter along with other groups.

OTHERS

Philip Andross – Pulitzer

Roland Bossworth - Hearst

Dan Strattman - Kloppman

Eric Weasley – Weisel

Adele Strousse - Medda

~*~

Shout-outs

Inquisitive: aw, thanks! so sorry about the late update though! :(

Socks Myers: hmm, alright, maybe i'll let you be friends with connor. *shrug* we'll see. ^^ hahah, and thanks for the congrats about the ball! goodness, i had so much fun! i was all smiles that night!

geometrygal: *points suspiciously* yes you did! i blame you! hahahha, i'm just joking. love ya, honey.

Eire: *glomps* i haven't talked to you for a while! well, i did, only with kyriel, but still. ^^ hahha. i hope everything's going alright with ya... ooh, and hope you like this update! ^^

Written Sparks: you get cookies just for that. ^^ thankies!

JustDuck: *nod* don't you just love nifty things? ooh, that'll be my new word! nifty nifty nifty!

Frenchygoil: oh hey, how did watching peter pan go? i really like that movie... it was so cute. (erm, especially peter pan himself!) yesh, also updated 10dames a few days ago! ^^

azn-kimmi: hahahha! kimberly... lol, you're scary sometimes, y'know? aw, just joking. don't worry... the gods will be coming up soon. *wink*

sheengale: its sheena beena! yeah, i tend to write more descriptions than dialogue... which can get pretty annoying sometimes since it takes me forever to get to the point. :P but i'm working on it!

Cerridwen4: lmao! he was wearing a red dress? that's an image. my date wore a pink shirt to match my black/pink dress. heheheh. ^^

Kyriel: *death pokes* i updated! ha! *hides mookies* my mookies. and WHEN are we going to make mookies? (cookies and muffins...) we also hafta figure out what to do for 'Just Click Your Heels'. *pokes*

Cat: I'm so sorry for the delay! i was mostly busy from school and all that's going on over here, which is why it took me forever to update. i hope you like this chapter!