~~ Evan ~~
"Ugh. What the Hell?"
"Zieet. There's another one. Should we take it back too? The grown-ups were pretty upset about the last one."
"You can have this one. I want the one with the weird eyes."
"Whatever. This one's got fur on top."
"Hey- cut it out!" Evan pushed the phantom away.
"Oh. It's alive."
"Well, duh. DO I look dead to you?" Evan strained his eyes. It was pitch black and he couldn't see a thing. He squeezed his eye shut and opened them just to make sure.
"C'mon. They'll start looking for us again in a little while."
"They? Who's they?"
"The grown-ups."
"Oh."
A small hand grasped Evan's. "You ready?"
"For what?"
"It's over."
"What is? What's over?"
"It doesn't matter anymore."
"Hey, kid... I can't see, man. Don't just leave me here."
Zieet and Glive looked at each other. "He must be blind. What good is a blind pet?" Zieet whispered.
"It'll look better when I teach him to walk the tents."
"Good point."
"This way." Glive said in a louder voice. Evan scowled. First they thought he was dead, then blind and now deaf...
"I heard that. I'm not blind. I just can't see in the dark."
"Where's that?"
"What?"
"The Dark?"
Evan sighed. "I guess I'm not the only one there either."
"Glive, Zieet. Where are getting all of these humans?" A masculine voice filled with ice came from the darkness.
"We found this one not far from the other, only he had already crossed the portal."
"Not more of that interdimensional nonsense..."
"Zieet said it was for real, and I've been through it too."
The man gave a short sound to convey his disappointment. "Cover your eyes, human."
"Why? It's not like I can see."
"I'm summoning a light. It takes your kind a while to adjust, correct?"
"Oh...Kay..." Evan closed his eyes, even though he didn't like the way the man was talking about him. When he opened his eyes a few seconds later, there was a ball of light hovering in the air in front of him. The man had dark hair that the light cast as black. The kids looked to be about twelve years old. The one closest to Evan had short reddish hair and the other had blonde hair that reached his shoulders.
"Hey, you're a mutant too... Whadda ya mean by 'your kind?'"
"I am a Vulgate, foolish human." The man said. He raised his arm and a very pointed and very dangerous looking sword materialized in his grasp. "You are now a prisoner of my people."
"But he was supposed to be MINE!!!" Glive protested.
"I'm not a pet and I'm not a prisoner. I'm just looking for my friends. A blue guy with a tail... named Kurt. Or, what about a bald guy in a wheelchair? You seen them?"
"He said that guy's name too. That means he's not a prisoner." Zieet said. "Remember we're supposed to take everyone who mentions him to the main tents."
"I know that. What is your name, human?"
"Evan Daniels. Who'd I mention?"
"And the other one mentioned ~him~. It all works out, see." Glive smiled widely.
"Not quite. You still have to explain why you were out and not practicing your transformations."
"Awwww. Who needs to do all that?"
"Move it you two."
Evan walked with them in silence, trying to figure out where he was and how he had gotten there. The dim light from the ball showed an enormous tent to their left. Evan peered at it, vaguely wondering just how big the 'main tents' would be. They walked a bit more, and just as Evan was feverently wishing for his rollerblades for the hundredth time, they reached the main tents.
They weren't tents, so much as a collection of houses that had fortress built around them and covered walkways to connect them to each other.
"C'mon. The other one is this way." Glive tugged him through one of the doors and down a hallway. Evan looked back and the man with the icy voice was gone, and so was his light. "Hurry. Why are you so slow?"
"Because I can't see."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll summon a magelight for you." The blonde kid said. There was silence for a while before he gave a frustrated sigh and the other kid started giggling. "Oh yeah? You do better then." He challenged.
A light appeared in front of Evan, shining like a miniature sun. "Don't worry, Zieet. You're better at battle magic than I am, we're even." The blonde boy was comforting his friend, who had a comically tragic look on his face.
"So. Are you two gonna lead the way?"
"Yep." They said at the same time. The blonde definitely got over his disappointment fast. They took off down the empty hall and Evan ran after them.
Why me? It wasn't enough to play tag with those kids; now I have to chase THESE kids around. Ow. My leg...
They finally stopped running and Evan pleased to note that he wasn't panting like a dog. The blonde- was it Zi'eat?- put a hand to his lips in the universal gesture of silence. Then he slowly pushed a door open.
"Why are you here?" A soft voice asked. The boys winced at being caught. "Who is this?"
"Another pet." Zieet said, abandoning all pretense of silence.
"Human, not pet." The person corrected from the shadows. "Your purpose?"
Evan thought for a moment. Whoever it was sounded nice, but didn't seem to have that good a grasp of English. "Just visiting."
"He says his name is Evan and he knows about Kurt." Zieet added.
"Evan. Look." The stranger stepped into the light. He had a buzz-cut and silvery-white hair. He let Evan get a good look at him before he pointed to a corner of the room. "Do you know?"
Evan slowly walked to the side of the bed that the man pointed at.
"Scott?"
~~ Pietro ~~
He was running again, though he had no idea how he had managed it. The hissing followed at a more sedate pace, as though waiting for him to tire so that the kill would be easy. Pietro had no intention of stopping, however, and headed back the way he had come. His flight from the hissing had been a straight one that ended only because of a dead end. The only way out was the way h had come, so that was where Pietro was going. After that... he would improvise.
Pietro stumbled as something strong latched onto his arm.
"It's not safe out here. Shouldn't you be in your classes?"
Pietro tensed.
"Calm down. Look. If you promise not to skip class, I promise not to tell. Is t a deal?"
Pietro shook his head, too grateful to the stranger to speak and not even registering that he had been mistaken for someone else. He just followed the man and prayed that between the two of them, they could fight off whatever else came their way.
"Do you see that?" The man asked after they had walked only a short way. Pietro sensed the empty space all around him as the stranger investigated whatever he thought he had seen. "Oh great. Another one. What is it about this season that sends all you kids out here? Gimme a hand." Pietro followed his voice to where he was kneeling beside body. He managed to help lift it without much trouble.
The two of them grabbed an arm and carried the body with them.
"I smell sulfur." Pietro said softly, not daring to get his hopes up.
"Now that you mention it, it does a little. Hey, what would you know about sulfur? It's a banned substance."
Pietro ignored the question and sniffed again. It was close... "Wait, wait. Put him down for a sec." Pietro slowly lowered the body to the ground, but held onto the arm. Trembling nearly as much as before, Pietro slid his hand down the arm until his grasped the person's hand.
Three fingers.
It was Kurt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N
Yo, you got lucky. I'm feeling generous so I'll put two chapters up. No reason, I'm just, well, bored and I love waiting half an hour for my computer to upload this stuff... and the sooner I get this filler out of the way, the sooner I can begin my dramatic conclusion... yes, I'm afraid it's coming, slowly but surely. I like applesauce.
"Ugh. What the Hell?"
"Zieet. There's another one. Should we take it back too? The grown-ups were pretty upset about the last one."
"You can have this one. I want the one with the weird eyes."
"Whatever. This one's got fur on top."
"Hey- cut it out!" Evan pushed the phantom away.
"Oh. It's alive."
"Well, duh. DO I look dead to you?" Evan strained his eyes. It was pitch black and he couldn't see a thing. He squeezed his eye shut and opened them just to make sure.
"C'mon. They'll start looking for us again in a little while."
"They? Who's they?"
"The grown-ups."
"Oh."
A small hand grasped Evan's. "You ready?"
"For what?"
"It's over."
"What is? What's over?"
"It doesn't matter anymore."
"Hey, kid... I can't see, man. Don't just leave me here."
Zieet and Glive looked at each other. "He must be blind. What good is a blind pet?" Zieet whispered.
"It'll look better when I teach him to walk the tents."
"Good point."
"This way." Glive said in a louder voice. Evan scowled. First they thought he was dead, then blind and now deaf...
"I heard that. I'm not blind. I just can't see in the dark."
"Where's that?"
"What?"
"The Dark?"
Evan sighed. "I guess I'm not the only one there either."
"Glive, Zieet. Where are getting all of these humans?" A masculine voice filled with ice came from the darkness.
"We found this one not far from the other, only he had already crossed the portal."
"Not more of that interdimensional nonsense..."
"Zieet said it was for real, and I've been through it too."
The man gave a short sound to convey his disappointment. "Cover your eyes, human."
"Why? It's not like I can see."
"I'm summoning a light. It takes your kind a while to adjust, correct?"
"Oh...Kay..." Evan closed his eyes, even though he didn't like the way the man was talking about him. When he opened his eyes a few seconds later, there was a ball of light hovering in the air in front of him. The man had dark hair that the light cast as black. The kids looked to be about twelve years old. The one closest to Evan had short reddish hair and the other had blonde hair that reached his shoulders.
"Hey, you're a mutant too... Whadda ya mean by 'your kind?'"
"I am a Vulgate, foolish human." The man said. He raised his arm and a very pointed and very dangerous looking sword materialized in his grasp. "You are now a prisoner of my people."
"But he was supposed to be MINE!!!" Glive protested.
"I'm not a pet and I'm not a prisoner. I'm just looking for my friends. A blue guy with a tail... named Kurt. Or, what about a bald guy in a wheelchair? You seen them?"
"He said that guy's name too. That means he's not a prisoner." Zieet said. "Remember we're supposed to take everyone who mentions him to the main tents."
"I know that. What is your name, human?"
"Evan Daniels. Who'd I mention?"
"And the other one mentioned ~him~. It all works out, see." Glive smiled widely.
"Not quite. You still have to explain why you were out and not practicing your transformations."
"Awwww. Who needs to do all that?"
"Move it you two."
Evan walked with them in silence, trying to figure out where he was and how he had gotten there. The dim light from the ball showed an enormous tent to their left. Evan peered at it, vaguely wondering just how big the 'main tents' would be. They walked a bit more, and just as Evan was feverently wishing for his rollerblades for the hundredth time, they reached the main tents.
They weren't tents, so much as a collection of houses that had fortress built around them and covered walkways to connect them to each other.
"C'mon. The other one is this way." Glive tugged him through one of the doors and down a hallway. Evan looked back and the man with the icy voice was gone, and so was his light. "Hurry. Why are you so slow?"
"Because I can't see."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll summon a magelight for you." The blonde kid said. There was silence for a while before he gave a frustrated sigh and the other kid started giggling. "Oh yeah? You do better then." He challenged.
A light appeared in front of Evan, shining like a miniature sun. "Don't worry, Zieet. You're better at battle magic than I am, we're even." The blonde boy was comforting his friend, who had a comically tragic look on his face.
"So. Are you two gonna lead the way?"
"Yep." They said at the same time. The blonde definitely got over his disappointment fast. They took off down the empty hall and Evan ran after them.
Why me? It wasn't enough to play tag with those kids; now I have to chase THESE kids around. Ow. My leg...
They finally stopped running and Evan pleased to note that he wasn't panting like a dog. The blonde- was it Zi'eat?- put a hand to his lips in the universal gesture of silence. Then he slowly pushed a door open.
"Why are you here?" A soft voice asked. The boys winced at being caught. "Who is this?"
"Another pet." Zieet said, abandoning all pretense of silence.
"Human, not pet." The person corrected from the shadows. "Your purpose?"
Evan thought for a moment. Whoever it was sounded nice, but didn't seem to have that good a grasp of English. "Just visiting."
"He says his name is Evan and he knows about Kurt." Zieet added.
"Evan. Look." The stranger stepped into the light. He had a buzz-cut and silvery-white hair. He let Evan get a good look at him before he pointed to a corner of the room. "Do you know?"
Evan slowly walked to the side of the bed that the man pointed at.
"Scott?"
~~ Pietro ~~
He was running again, though he had no idea how he had managed it. The hissing followed at a more sedate pace, as though waiting for him to tire so that the kill would be easy. Pietro had no intention of stopping, however, and headed back the way he had come. His flight from the hissing had been a straight one that ended only because of a dead end. The only way out was the way h had come, so that was where Pietro was going. After that... he would improvise.
Pietro stumbled as something strong latched onto his arm.
"It's not safe out here. Shouldn't you be in your classes?"
Pietro tensed.
"Calm down. Look. If you promise not to skip class, I promise not to tell. Is t a deal?"
Pietro shook his head, too grateful to the stranger to speak and not even registering that he had been mistaken for someone else. He just followed the man and prayed that between the two of them, they could fight off whatever else came their way.
"Do you see that?" The man asked after they had walked only a short way. Pietro sensed the empty space all around him as the stranger investigated whatever he thought he had seen. "Oh great. Another one. What is it about this season that sends all you kids out here? Gimme a hand." Pietro followed his voice to where he was kneeling beside body. He managed to help lift it without much trouble.
The two of them grabbed an arm and carried the body with them.
"I smell sulfur." Pietro said softly, not daring to get his hopes up.
"Now that you mention it, it does a little. Hey, what would you know about sulfur? It's a banned substance."
Pietro ignored the question and sniffed again. It was close... "Wait, wait. Put him down for a sec." Pietro slowly lowered the body to the ground, but held onto the arm. Trembling nearly as much as before, Pietro slid his hand down the arm until his grasped the person's hand.
Three fingers.
It was Kurt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N
Yo, you got lucky. I'm feeling generous so I'll put two chapters up. No reason, I'm just, well, bored and I love waiting half an hour for my computer to upload this stuff... and the sooner I get this filler out of the way, the sooner I can begin my dramatic conclusion... yes, I'm afraid it's coming, slowly but surely. I like applesauce.