I have been so tired lately... It seems that the Fourth Quarter of the school year is the time when all teachers pile everything on us at once. Ah well. At least my creative mind is finally starting to wake up! I'm sure there are many questions shooting through your mind: What is this school? Who are these people from Circe's past? What's with the dog? Well STAY TUNED! Okay, enough of the TV announcer bit. I don't believe in popping in filler chapters at the very beginning, so I'm just gonna move right along with the plot. Enjoy!

CIRCE'S POV

"I wanna call my parents." She whispered, backing away from the men with their horrible equipment. "I wanna call my parents!"

The shadowy figures chuckled amongst themselves, as if sharing some inside joke.

"Your parents won't come for you." A harsh voice snarled. "They don't want you anymore. Did you really think that they didn't know what this place was when they sent you?"

"No..." She shook her head. "No, it can't be true!"

"Have you ever wondered why no one here gets any letters?" Another voice put in. "It's because your parents, all of them, want nothing to do with freaks like you."

"SHUT UP!" The walls shook at her scream and the men paused.

"This is good..." One whispered.

"Her abilities are returning..." Another replied. "Let's get a sample! Quickly!"

There were too many for her. Struggling only made their hands grip more tightly, their needles pierce deeper. Something thick was being pumped into her veins. Her limbs stopped moving and her eyes drooped.

She was drifting...drifting...

…...

Circe's eyes snapped open. She was drenched with sweat. 'Ugh...' Groaning to herself, she sat up and blinked blearily. She sighed as she glanced at the clock. It was one o'clock in the afternoon. She had gone to bed at eight in the evening... 'Well, at least I know that these new sleeping pills work...' To calm herself, she started reciting one of her favorite poems.

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, 'tapping at my chamber door- Only this, and nothing more.'"

Glancing at the calender, she realized with a start that it was the Fourth of July. She would be going out with Noah, Rex, and Breach to the fair. Then, they'd get to see the fireworks... At this thought, Circe felt a smile coming to her face. It had been years since she had gotten to see real fireworks. The last time had been with her parents, back before the nanite event.

She knew that it was pretty childish to be so ecstatic over the colorful lights that would explode in the sky, but she didn't care. She remembered what she had been told once by one of her friends, the one who had given her the silver mirror: "It's cool to grow up, Circe, but you still need something to hold on to that reminds you of being a kid. Kids are open and trusting. They think that everyone is their friend. They believe in what should be true and can be made happy by the simplest of things. As long as you carry a little of that with you, you'll be able to get through anything." He had also been the one who had ignited Circe's passion for poetry. They had especially enjoyed reading the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow;- vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow- sorrow for the lost Lenore- For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore- Nameless here for evermore."

'I wonder if he would have liked Robert Frost...' She mused to herself, remembering the poet she had discovered courtesy of the book Wolfgang had given her.

"And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating, 'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door- Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;- This it is, and nothing more.'"

Circe pulled the bone comb out of her bag, feeling another prick of nostalgia. She remembered when another friend would sit behind her, running his fingers and this comb through her hair every morning and evening.

"Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, 'Sir,' said I, 'or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, That I scarce was sure I heard you'- here I opened wide the door;- Darkness there, and nothing more."

It was odd to be thinking of her old companions so much. When she was with the Pack, her main focus had been on the future. Now that she was finally able to relax a little in Providence, her mind seemed to have taken a permanent trip to the past. First the horrible memories of her nightmares, now the wonderful thoughts that entered her daydreams.

"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before; But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, 'Lenore!' This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, 'Lenore!'- Merely this, and nothing more."

Circe was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of her phone vibrating. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Circe!" It was Rex. "Finally, you pick up! Are you coming down here or what? We're buying rounds of cheese fries!"

Before Circe could answer, she heard someone else snatch the phone. "Please hurry!" Noah's pleading voice entered her ear. "Breach and Rex are making me lose my appetite. I'm a third wheel! I've resorted to conversing with the dog!"

Circe chuckled softly. "And is Scylla saying anything back?"

Noah breathed a staticy sigh before replying. "Aurora isn't saying anything. But, to her credit, she's drooling a lot less than Rex is." (Circe had opted to call the gray Husky "Scylla", after the Greek monster. Aurora just seemed like an overused name to her.)

"HEY!" There was the sound of fighting over the phone.

"Seriously!" Noah shouted, clearly holding the cell out of Rex's reach. "With the combination of Breach and this food, I feel the need to place a towel on the table!"

Both boys let out exclamations of protest as the sounds of fighting ceased. Breach's breezy voice started talking. "He's exaggerating. He just wants to see you as soon as he can. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah." Circe lied, still smiling at the boys' goofiness. "I'll be right down. Can't miss the fireworks after all!"

Breach giggled at this. "I know! They're gonna be so shiny!" Click.

Circe quickly changed into her clothes and ran her comb through her hair before putting the drawstring bag around her neck and running out the door, slipping it under her shirt as she went. Under her breath, she continued to recite The Raven until she was running out the doors and across the desert toward town.

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted- nevermore! …... "Okay, I think we all agree that Rex is not allowed to have any more cotton candy tonight. Any objections?" Noah muttered, watching Rex running laps around the park on the Rex Ride.

"No objections here." Circe sighed, taking a bite out of her corndog.

"I think he's kinda funny when he's like this." Breach stated, smiling as Rex drove by once again with a loud whoop. She started to eat another cheese fry, when a pleading whimper interrupted her. She turned to smile at the silver dog. "Want some, Artemis?"

"Scylla."

"Aurora."

Both Noah and Circe hurried to correct Breach, who hadn't liked either of their name choices and had decided to name the dog after the moon goddess.

Rex, looking a little dizzy, stumbled over to them and collapsed against Breach. "Okay...I've crashed..." He groaned, resting his head on her shoulder.

Breach lovingly stroked his black hair while Circe and Noah suddenly became very interested in a nearby tree. "You'd better wake up, Brillante." She murmured. "You said that you wanted to fly me to a special spot to watch the fireworks."

Rex perked up. "Hey, I was just resting!" The Boogie Pack sprouted from his shoulders. "We're heading up to the ridge overlooking the park. The view is awesome! Want Breach to portal you guys up?"

"Hm...let me think..." Circe tossed her corndog stick into a nearby trash can. "All in favor of skipping the mush-fest, say aye!"

"Aye." Noah agreed, grinning. "You two go ahead. I already have a spot in mind."

"Oh! Right!" Rex winked at his best friend. "I forgot. No problem. We'll just take Cujo and meet you guys at the entrance."

"Aurora." Noah walked over to Circe. "Have fun!" He waved as Rex and Breach flew off before grabbing Circe by the arm and pulling her toward the rides. "Hurry up! They'll be starting in a few minutes!"

"Noah, what-" Circe panted as she tried to keep up with the hyperactive blonde.

"Just wait!" Noah assured her, skidding to a halt in front of the Ferris Wheel. "Perfect! No one's on!" He motioned for Circe to wait while he started talking to the man who was running the ride. After a minute, he called her over. "Hop on!"

Circe, starting to realize what was going on, felt a smile coming to her face and allowed herself to be led to one of the seats. Noah sat down next to her. They were just starting to climb up when the first boom shook the sky. Circe clenched her fists in anticipation as the Ferris Wheel moved at an agonizingly slow pace. Then, they reached the top and froze just as a bright red explosion filled the sky.

Circe gazed at the scene in wonder. Rainbow colors shot through the sky, making it seem almost light enough to be daytime. The loudness of the explosions seemed to cause her blood to pulse and her chest to vibrate. They were every bit as beautiful as she remembered. She glanced at Noah out of the corner of her eye. He had an expression of rapt joy on his face that mirrored hers.

"You know..." She muttered, talking to Noah while still keeping her eyes on the bright spectacle. "When I was little, I used to classify the different kinds of fireworks. I'd give each one a different name."

"Really? Me too!" Noah pointed toward the sky as a bright green firework flowered across the sky, filling their vision. "You know those big ones? They're called 'Big Bens'." A quiet firework went off, causing a rain of gold to pour down from its point of explosion. "And that's a 'Fountain'."

One of those tiny fireworks that went off with an especially loud BANG shook Circe's bones. "I call those 'Cherry Bombs'." One erupted in a series of smaller bangs and crackles. "That's a 'Crackler'. The ones that make less noise, but still go off in smaller showers of glitter are called 'Sparklers'."

The two stopped talking as the Grand Finale began. Everything from Generics, to Big Bens, to Cherry Bombs lit up the sky faster than Circe could keep track of them. Then, all too soon, it was over.

As the Ferris Wheel began its descent, Circe pulled Noah into a warm hug. "Thanks, Noah. That was amazing!"

She could have sworn that Noah's face was turning red, though it could have just been a trick of the ride's lights. "N-No problem, Circe..." He mumbled shyly. They paused to thank the ride operator before heading toward the entrance. "Want one last round of cheese fries?"

"Sounds good." As Noah walked away, a soft clink caught Circe's attention. She looked down at the pavement. "Hey, Noah? You dropped something."

"Huh?" Noah turned around. "Oh, that's Aurora's collar. It was on her when I found her in the alley. It was caught on a chain and I took it off to free her."

Circe bent down and picked it up. "Who used to own-" The words died in her throat as she stared in horror at the name plate. Four ugly letters, engraved in the metal like words carved into skin, stared up at her. PSCM.

PSCM...PSCM...PSCM...

Her hand shook and the metal object fell out of her hand with a clatter. She faintly heard Noah running to her side, but she didn't notice or care. Her knees gave way and she collapsed to the ground. Her vision went black as she fainted dead away.

OOOOH! Mystery! You like? Please say that you like! Oh, and that whole thing with naming the fireworks...yeah, that's based off of myself. Those names are all names that I use to classify the different types of fireworks. My favorites are probably the Cracklers and the Cherry Bombs. Translation: Brillante is Spanish for shiny. It seemed like the perfect pet name for Breach to give Rex. Please gimme reviews. Even though Breach isn't the main character in this, reviews are still very shiny! And I still like shininess! Peace out! ^_^