Diligo Est Amicitia

Chapter 20: Exposure

A/N: Ahh… Chapter 20 at last. Mind you, this chapter might be a little cheesy and cliché so if you're not a cheesy or cliché fan, I suggest you skip out on this one. You have been warned.

SPECIAL THANKS TO REDROGUE FOR SUBMITTING THE CHARACTER OF DELANCEY LANE, CONCEPT AND ALL.

"I CANNOT believe that it's a school night! I CANNOT believe that you guys are out here! And you know what's the most unbelievable thing of all?" They ducked as fireballs whizzed above their heads.

"What?" Lilith asked just for the sake of it.

"That I'm fighting fairy-tale creatures on a school night with my best friends who aren't supposed to be here!" Jamie finished her rant as she flamed the next line of attackers.

"Chill, Jamie." Fin mustered the calmest tone possible in a situation like this. But the truth was, she was excited. The wind was cold and it made her shiver but that only prompted her to use her power.

"Better not." Lilith quipped. "She might just freeze over."

Jamie rolled her eyes and was about to retort but she was suddenly cut off... "You're going to die tonight, Chosen Ones!" A vampire suddenly dropped down from the nearest tree, growling.

All three of them rolled their eyes simultaneously. "Can't they come up with something more original?" Fin seemed to almost beg. "It's like we're straight out of a TV show or something."

"Here, here." Lilith agreed as she dusted one of her own kind with a stick she had randomly picked up from the ground. "You'd think we'd get some respect from them."

They looked about them for more assailants. It was clear. "Hmm. That's strange." Jamie's eyebrows met.

"What's strange?" Lilith asked, already bored with the scene.

"They're all… gone."

"So?" Lilith snorted. "They're probably afraid."

"Let's get outta here." Fin agreed. She didn't see anything else suspicious and they had some Math assignments to complete after all.

Jamie, as if reading her mind, turned to her. "Well, you might have done your homework before heading out to kill, hmm?"

Fin and Lilith flushed with guilt. "Mm-hmm; I thought so." She scanned the area one last time before turning her back on it. "Let's go."

As they walked, Lilith started humming to a casual tune but Jamie couldn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right. She couldn't stand it any longer. She held up a hand, halting them in their steps. "Jamie?" Fin called softly. "What is it?"

"Do you sense that?" A small tingle in the back off her mind set off the alarm systems all over her body.

"Sense what?" Lilith asked, a slight note of urgency in her voice.

"Run!" Jamie took off, the other two at her heels, running half-heartedly but able to keep up with their leader. They didn't know what was going on but if Jamie Chapman was panicking, well… they had good reason to panic too. They were approaching the road near Nicky's when… BOOM!!! Somewhere behind them exploded. Jamie chanced a glance behind her. The trees were on fire; fire that was chasing them and in the act, setting off more bombs. She could almost feel the heat.

"Jamie!" Lilith yelled though she knew that the brunette could do nothing. The fire was too big and if Jamie paused for one second to try to control that inferno, then she would perish. Just keep running. Jamie encouraged them silently. They were already reaching the road… tar where the fire couldn't reach them… hopefully. And then… that sudden feeling. As soon as her foot tapped the road, Jamie felt a sensation course through her, overcome by a sudden intuition. Stop. It ordered her. She did. Turn around. Slowly, she obeyed the voice.

"Jamie?" Fin's voice was miles away. "Jamie!"

If they had looked into her face, they would have seen that her eyes had gone completely jet black except for that thin oval of silver. Control it. Who are you? She thought desperately. Her body was out of her own control; it was following someone... or something else's command. The being closed her eyes. I am the First. The very First. You know who I am. Now control it. Jamie's eyes flew open, as she understood. I will. Empowered with determination, she tilted her head as the approaching fire drew ever the closer.

She threw out her hand, twisting and turning her palm as she willed the fire to cease. Mistress of Fire, do you control it or does it control you? It seemed to taunt. Me. Jamie thought fiercely. I control it. Then prove it! The fire drew back as if bracing itself to consume the young girl. Lilith and Fin, only a few steps away stood frozen on the spot, their mouths wide open. But before the flames could claim her, Jamie had thrown her other hand out, drawing a shield between her and the blaze. The fire struggled but it could not fight against the translucent protection. Finally, it gave up; the conflagration was extinguished and darkness fell upon the forest again.

She breathed a sigh of relief and slumped as the Power, which had goaded her on, left her. "Jamie…"

She turned around and froze. Jane White stood well behind Lilith and Fin, speechless and rooted to the spot. "What the hell was that?"

"Okay, whaddya wanna know?" Jamie asked as they all settled in her room. They sat in a circle, surrounded by a ring of candles. Jane didn't seem all that disturbed by the settings.

"Everything!" Jane exclaimed.

"Everything?" Lilith echoed in disbelief. "You can't expect us to tell you everything in one night!"

"Okay, okay. So how about this; I ask questions, you answer." Jane conceded. When the three best friends agreed to this, she took a deep breath and asked the question that had been bothering her ever since she saw the display of Jamie's power. "Are you guys witches? Or even human?" Fin and Lilith looked at Jamie, who took it upon herself to answer the harder of Jane's questions.

"Witches, no. Human… we are. Or were. I don't really know when we were even normal. I mean…" She faltered, not knowing what to say next but Jane had that patient look on her face which made her feel a lot calmer. "Okay, four thousand, four hundred and forty-four years ago, when dinosaurs were already extinct and mankind existed in large numbers though not enough to fill the world as it does today, there existed creatures."

"Creatures." Jane nodded. "What kind?"

This time, Jamie was the one who took a deep breath. "Okay, you might think that I'm crazy for saying this but---"

"Believe me." Jane interrupted. "After what I've just witnessed, the word 'crazy' has a whole new meaning for me now."

"Okay. Creatures… like centaurs. Werewolves. Sirens… all these beings… they're real." She paused, letting Jane absorb the truth of it.

"So… wait… does… but…" Jane seemed to be at a loss for words. "All these… creatures… they're the things myths are made of."

Lilith shook her head. "The fairy-tale stories you read in books? They're from people who have actually seen them."

"Seen them?" Jane asked, barely able to keep the amazement from her voice. "But how…"

"You see; this is where we need to tell the whole tale." Fin explained. She nodded at Jamie who began reciting from the primordial scrolls their predecessors had written.

Our kind is in danger.

We must not be found out.

Mankind grows more menacing with the passing moment.

They shall want to rule us; they shall want to have power over us.

Jane shivered slightly at the monotone Jamie was using. The room seemed to be growing darker.

We are blessed but we do not belong here.

This world is for men.

They regard us as oddities of nature.

We shall be slaved, and for something we did not have choice over.

We must hide. We must not be found out.

We know not everyone will follow this rule. There will be the ones who rebel.

They will kill and they will slay. They must be controlled.

Jane glanced around the circle. Fin and Lilith had their heads in their hands at Jamie was concentrating on the ancient script.

We have Chosen.

Four leaders. They will guide and protect until the time is right.

To represent Fire, Extraxi, Dragon of the Underworld.

To represent Water, Lycan, Werewolf Leader.

To represent Earth, Lamia, Vampire Queen.

To represent Air, Sun, the only one of her kind.

We must hide. We must not be found out.

Here, Jamie ended. Fin and Lilith raised their heads and Jamie looked away from the piece of parchment as if her eyes had been burned. "So what is that?" Jane finally asked, gesturing to the scroll, which lay in between them.

"It's a copy of the will of the Elders." Lilith answered.

"Elders?" Jane asked.

"They're what we call the First Council… like us, they had their own generations of committees too. They're the people who hold the power of deciding on the big stuff." Fin explained.

"Oh. O-kay…" Jane nodded, slowly taking it all in. Her open-mindedness made it easy for her to accept what most would not even dream of listening to. "So… about that dragon thingy…"

The three girls looked at each other. "That would be me." Jamie raised a hand.

"You're a dragon?" Jane asked in awe.

"Well, no… no… uh, well… actually, it's more like one is inhibiting my body." Jamie tried to explain.

"So it's like possessing you is what." Jane said, unsurely.

"No, not really. I mean at the start maybe yes… but as the years went by… I mean it's like we became one: Extraxi and I."

"And what about you two?" Jane asked, understanding more as she went on.

"Phoenix." Fin announced proudly. "The only one of its kind." She repeated. Then she looked thoughtful. "It's actually why I choose to go by Fin. It's a nickname, I guess."

"Vampire." Lilith shrugged as if it wasn't all that exciting. Jane gulped.

"You aren't… hungry… are you?" Jane asked. Lilith lips curled into a predatory smile as she called on her Power, baring her teeth and hoping that her fangs were sharp.

Jane screamed ducking behind Fin.

"Lilith!" Jamie and Fin admonished.

"Don't mind her, Jane. She's not a real vampire… she just possesses a few similar characteristics. She doesn't drink blood for one but she can go without air." Fin explained. Lilith tried not to appear too proud but her lips still curved into a large grin nevertheless.

"So… do you guys have any powers?" Jane grinned excitedly.

"Pyrokinetic." Jamie snapped her finger and a flame lit up above her fist. She grabbed it quickly and extinguished it, then opened up her palm to show that there were no burn marks. Jane clapped happily.

"Controlling Mother Nature." Lilith said. She focused on a closed up flower on the windowsill and the girls watched in fascination as it opened up as if it were bright daylight.

"Telekinesis fer me!" Fin swayed from side to side. Behind her, one of Jamie's books flew across the room and back to its space on the bookshelf.

"You guys are so cool!" Jane nearly shrieked. All three tried to look modest but a faint blush still coloured their cheeks at the outburst.

"And you?" Jamie asked gently. "You're not freaked out?"

"I was at first." Jane admitted. "But really, how scary someone from the supernatural is depends on the way they use their powers, right?"

All three of them nodded though personally, they thought that Jane was special; a wise girl for her age and knew that their friendship would be a lifelong one.

"But, wait… you still haven't told me how people could See the creatures. And who's the Werewolf? You said that there were supposed to be four of you. Where's the other one?" Jane wanted to know.

"We-ll… we believe that people who could See were one in a million, blessed by the Powers-That-Be or whatever gave us these powers so that they could get a chance to experience something that others would not. You are born a Seer. Not learnt. And it might take years… even decades for that ability to surface. You don't see immediately after you come into this world." Jamie added quickly as Jane opened her mouth. Jane visibly deflated at this.

"Do you think… there's a chance that I might be one?" She asked in a small voice.

"Maybe." Fin replied, honestly but kindly. "You never know."

Jane was quickly cheered up by the thought that someday, she would get to see what the three girls saw. "Tell me about the werewolf leader."

"Well, we call him the Lycan… and he's our guardian." Lilith said simply.

Jane's mouth dropped open. "You mean the guy that took you to Rome?"

The three girls laughed and nodded. "The one and only." Fin agreed.

"Wow. It was all carefully planned out, wasn't it?" Jane reflected.

"Yes." Jamie concurred. "That's because the three of us are to Ascend this year and join him on the 'throne'."

Jane looked up at them quickly. "This year? Does that mean once you… Ascend you're going to quit school? I'm never going to see you again?"

Lilith shook her head sadly. "Sorry, honey, but I don't think so. But even then, we're not too sure about our Ascension. I mean; it's never been done before on their own in all the past three generations of rulers."

"Why not?" Jane frowned.

"You see… usually, before an Archos or ruler died, he chose the heir to his throne. Our ancestors didn't. They chose after death thus they never imparted us on the skills of how to Ascend. Our guardian; he had been Chosen before the previous Lycan died. And somehow, the Phasma of the Dragon, Phoenix and Vampire chose their heirs a hundred years before their actual birth."

"Meaning they picked you guys out like in 1906?" Jane's eyes widened. When they nodded, she muttered, "Freaky."

"Totally." Lilith agreed. Jane blushed, not realizing that she had said it loud enough for the three girls to hear. "No, it's not your fault." Lilith said quickly. "My stupid ears are on super mode."

Jamie checked her watch. It was already midnight and she could see Jane trying to stifle a yawn. "Sweetie, you should go to bed." She said, warming up all the more to the affable fifteen-year old she had come to like.

"Oh, no, that's okay." Jane said quickly.

"Ooh… it's the witching hour." Lilith grinned evilly, rubbing her hands together to complete the image. The room shook slightly.

"Don't do that." Fin shuddered. Lilith just continued grinning, then her face fell and she sighed.

"It's nights like these which makes me wish Peter was here and we'd all go hunting together."

"Who's Peter?" Jane perked up.

Fin laughed. "He's our guardian's son."

"Is he cute?"

"He's sixty-five!"

"Oh." Jane made a weirded-out look before looking at the three girls. "Sorry, I forgot you were immortal. I mean… you are, right?"

Jamie nodded. "I gotta say… he looks really young for his age."

"Oh, so he is handsome." Jane's interest returned.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "You might see him around campus." Was all she would say.

They chatted until three in the morning, after which Jane opted to sleep in Jamie's room for the night; she was much too scared of the dark to be climbing down to her dorm room. Jamie had offered her the bed but the younger girl insisted on sleeping on the floor. As she lay in bed, she thought about what had happened.

The power… the voice… could it be that the Dragon in her had started to rouse? Just how much had she become one with Extraxi? As she started to drift off, the Voice whispered. Here, Jamie. I am here. Startled, she sat up. Tears of sweat were already trickling down her neck and the sides of her face. She let out a huge breath. One thing was for sure; she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

A/N: Hope this cleared up the questions you had about the three girls. If you have any more, please feel free to mention them and I'll see if I can squeeze it into my story! ; ) Sorry if this was badly done and incredibly... well, cliche but God, I hope not.

Crickes