Elipsis - A Newcomer Game

Discussion in 'Role Play' started by Fan7asticMrFox, Feb 3, 2015.

  1. FabulousJewels

    FabulousJewels Member

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    Sean, George, and Astrid looked in the direction Talixia was pointing, but there seemed to be nothing hiding in the shadows of the greenery. "I don't see anything," Astrid said.

    "No, she's right," George said, narrowing his eyes as he studied the thick forest of tropical plants. "Someone or something is there. Watching us."

    "Maybe it's the man-eating dragon," Sean said. "Maybe it's lying in wait, ready to snatch one of us up for a midday snack. George, you look like a nice treat. Why don't you go and find out if it's hungry or not?"

    "Would you shut the fuck up already?" George snapped.

    "No, I will not."

    "Look, what is your problem? Why are you holding a grudge against me?"

    "It's not a grudge."

    "No? Well then WHAT IS IT?" George roared, scaring up a couple of birds that had been roosting in a nearby tree.

    "I just don't like you."

    "Yeah, well, I don't like you either, Sean, but that still doesn't change the fact that we're stuck here together. So if you don't mind, I'd like to keep what little sanity I have left to find a way out of this place before you and I tear each other apart."

    "You'd never win a fight against me."

    -----character switch--------

    Shit. This was getting worse by the minute. Astrid stepped between the two men, looking at Sean. He ignored her presence completely, his eyes still locked on George. "Hey. Hey!" She said, waving a hand in front of his face, trying to get his attention. Finally, he glanced down at her.

    "What?!"

    "Would you please stop?" She touched his arm, but he yanked it away. "Arguing isn't going to solve anything. I mean, we're in this together, and the last thing we need right now is for the two of you to start fighting."

    "Yeah, sure."

    "Look, how about you and I go check out the villa? Let's let George handle this situation while we take a little walk and see what we can find?" Sean stared at her for a moment, his face expressionless as he mulled over the idea. Finally, he agreed. Relief washing over her, Astrid looked over at Talixia. "Would you like to join us?"

    ------------------------------------

    George was glad the blond had led Sean away when she did. The man was trying to push him past his breaking point, perhaps trying to assert himself as the alpha male--the self-appointed leader of the pack. Or maybe he just wanted a fight. Either way, George wouldn't back down from him if push came to shove. Dismissing these thoughts, he set off in the direction he'd sensed the human presence. "Hello? Anybody out there?" He asked, making his way through the thicket of tropical plants. Then he saw her. Like the first woman he'd met near the pond, she was stunning. But unlike the first, whose smooth skin was dark as chocolate, this one had pale skin and long brown hair that framed a delicate face. Her dress, too, was different. The blue velvet gown, decidedly vintage, was nothing short of breathtaking. She appeared to have stepped right out of a history book. "Miss?" He said, trying not to scare her away. "My name is George. Please, don't be afraid. I don't bite." Well. Not unless you ask me to.
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2015
  2. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    "Would you like to join us?"

    Talixia nodded. "Sure...Astrid. But first I wanna get some water. I don't know why you guys aren't dying of thirst, but I am." She knelt by the water once again, and sipped some water from her hands. When he thirst was sated, she stood and faced Astrid with renewed vigor, her large eyes sparkling. "Ok, I'm ready," she said with a friendly smile.
     
  3. SocksFox

    SocksFox Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    Lark

    "Miss?" He said, trying not to scare her away. "My name is George. Please, don't be afraid. I don't bite." Well. Not unless you ask me to.


    Damnation she'd been seen. How? There was no point in tryng to hide anymore. Stepping out of the shadows as leary as a doe. Even though she measured barely five feet in height, Lark knew how to hold her own. Her father had teased her about her hoity-toity ways. Now she pulled out all the stops. She was a right and proper English miss inspite of her French blood, thank you very much.

    The emotionless doll mask slipped into place as she put her pert little nose in the air. "I'm not afraid of you, I simply don't trust you. There is a difference."

    A hint of something glimmered at the back of her enormous cobalt eyes as she continued. "And why, pray tell, would you go around biting people. Most children give up the habit before leaving the nursery. Well, at least those who haven't run mad."

    The masked chipped at little. "Are you mad? Or a cannibal, perhaps. My seafaring uncle had a book that spoke of cannibals and all kinds of heathenish places. Tales from the Arabian Nights or some such nonsense. You wouldn't believe a word of the stories. Although they did happen in great desert and there were oasises like this one. Do you think it's possible I fell into my uncle's book?"

    Lark bit the side of her cheek. Her study of people was thorough. She knew she was prattling on like the veriest ninny and she kept right on going. "No, that doesn't work. There was no one named George in the book, unless he was one of the lesser unnamed folk..." Finally she paused for breath.
     
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  4. Fan7asticMrFox

    Fan7asticMrFox Contributor Contributor

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    It only fully occurred to Marty that he was in any real danger when the McClusky brothers didn't harm his cat. You see, the small time criminal loan sharks usually went about their business attacking their debtors loved ones - in Marty's case, Mr. Fluffykins. The fat orange tabby cat was a frequent victim of abuse and had been spat at, kicked, thrown across the room and on one occasion dropped out of the window. But the thing about fat orange tabby cats is that they can be replaced by another, seemingly identical, fat orange tabby cat. Marty however, could not be.

    He was briefly relieved when the hood on his head had been removed, saving him from the ghastly stench of what he could only describe as groin sweat mixed with a 3 month old quarter pounder. The moment was short lived and a blinding light now cut through his eyes, blocking his thoughts. He felt unprepared and foolish, as if he had jumped on stage to perform a play only to forget all of his lines.

    "Hello?" He regretted speaking instantly. It caused him to grin like an idiot, nervously shaking in his chair.

    "Som'ing funny pal?" A strong Irish accent stabbed through the darkness. Marty stopped smiling. He sat bolt upright in his chair, not even twitching an inch. He'd never been so terrified in his life.

    "Well?" The voice spoke again.

    Marty stuttered and prepared to speak but was flashed across the face by a bare white knuckle sporting a number of gold encrusted rings. They glinted menacingly at him as he watched them come down upon his face once more. Marty felt his whole body tumble like a sack of potatoes, down towards the ground and into the abyss of unconsciousness.

    When he did eventually wake it took him a while to gain his bearings. The grogginess, brought on by several ham sized fists, had left Marty none the wiser about his predicament - instead he enjoyed the illusion that he was at Flamingo Casino gambling high stakes and raking it in while some busty red head across the table gave him the eyes.

    Her piercing stare made him sweat a little, and he tried to stand and talk to her, but strangely could not rise from his seat. In fact he seemed to be sinking, lower into the purple shag carpet and just out of reach of his newly made millions, stacked higher and wider than the Hoover Dam. Marty panicked and squirmed, in desperate need to get back to his cheaply made money, kicking his legs and arms like a madman before bursting forth through his poker chips.

    The poker chips feel to dust. Marty opened his eyes to see handfuls of sand fall away from his palm and the humid wind pick it all up and spit it back in his face. He stared at his hand a while longer, delusional to imaginary millions he had just lost. However in the desert it doesn't take long for the sun to remind you of where you are, and Marty's sweat began to boil.

    Taking his eyes away from the lost money, Marty scanned the horizon to see nothing but sharp blue skies and sand dunes. The desert in Vegas was all flat and craggy, so it was obvious to him that he had been dumped in Pheonix. Not the first time either mind you, though oddly enough he remembered it being a lot flatter too...
     
  5. FabulousJewels

    FabulousJewels Member

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    "Ok, I'm ready," she said with a friendly smile.


    “Good to see you’re feeling better,” Astrid said. It’s also good to see that I’m not the only girl around here, she thought but did not say. Before Talixia had shown up Astrid had had serious reservations about joining the others. Sean and George, especially, had made her wonder if it wouldn’t be wiser to try and survive on her own. The two could not agree on anything, it seemed, and were constantly bickering. “The villa is just beyond that grove of trees,” Astrid said. Sean took the lead and the trio made their way through a maze of vegetation. The bird of paradise flew away from its nest as they approached. Then the villa finally came into view, looming like a dark shadow in the midst of a tropical jungle.


    “Wow,” Sean said. “This place is huge. I wonder how long it’s been empty.” Astrid stared at the vines creeping up the sides of the house and again felt the sensation that it was watching them, that it was alive. And that it wanted them to come inside and have a look around. “Well, one thing’s for sure. If we’re going to explore this place, we’d better do it before sundown.” With that he pushed on as if he were a boy on a quest, eagerly weaving his way through the unkempt yard and climbing the front porch steps. The weathered planks groaned underfoot as if the house was stirring to life.


    “I have a bad feeling about this place,” Astrid said to Talixia.


    -----------------------------------------------------


    There was no one named George in the book, unless he was one of the lesser unnamed folk..." Finally she paused for breath.


    “I wouldn’t know,” George said. “Anyway, whether or not this is part of some cosmic story should be the least of our worries. Because like it or not, we’re here. And unfortunately, it’s not a dream. All of this,” he looked around at the lush green vegetation surrounding them, “is real. And, to answer your question, no, I am not mad, or a cannibal.” Although being a vampire does come close to cannibalism, doesn't it? A small voice inside his head asked. Yes, it did. But that was irrelevant, really, especially since he had no intention of harming the girl. Though most people did not know it, vampires did not need human blood to survive. It was preferable to the blood of an animal, yes, but it wasn't an absolute necessity for survival. He could—and sometimes did—survive off the blood of wildlife. Back home there had been no shortage of human donors, but here things were different. And if none of his companions willingly gave, he would not victimize them simply for a taste of their blood.


    The girl looked flushed and tired. “Are you thirsty?” He asked. “Would you like a drink of water? Because I’m going back to the pond and you’re welcome to join me.”
     
  6. SocksFox

    SocksFox Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    Lark

    The girl looked flushed and tired. “Are you thirsty?” He asked. “Would you like a drink of water? Because I’m going back to the pond and you’re welcome to join me.”

    Before Lark had a chance to reply she felt the song plane shift and heave. Skirts whirling, she broke into a flat out run making for the water. Fronds and greenery reached out as if to hold her back as she raced toward the spring's source. Not knowing if there were others near the spring, she screamed out a warning. "GET AWAY FROM THE WATER. GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"

    She knew what was coming. Who was coming. Blood called to blood with fire and ice...but the power of that ice...
     
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  7. SocksFox

    SocksFox Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    Angel

    The first breath was excruciating, but it wasn't the searing breath of cold she had come to expect this was hot, too hot. Her fingers scrabbled for purchase, encountering nothing but sifting sand that seemed to be sucking her down...down...down...down.

    Holding the panic back just long enough, she stretched out a foot, hoping to touch something solid. Her leathersoled slipper made contact with stone. With the sand now reaching her chin and more pouring down, Angel made a final, desperate push to save herself.

    Her close cropped curls shifted from violent, flaming red to an astonishing silvery, white, almost blinding in their brilliance. The fear was all encompassing as she dropped the barrier keeping her powers at bay. She let the ice take hold.

    It flowed out and down, flowering out around her. A spire blossomed upward from the bedrock, pulling Angel free of the suffocating sands. Clinging tight to the twinning pillar, she rode it upward as it chased the song of its sister threads. The brief journey gave Angel enough time to look around. She was underground and her spire was racing for the surface of what looked like a fairly sizable pool. Pressing her face against the comforting texture of the ice, Angel baced for the breach.
     
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  8. FabulousJewels

    FabulousJewels Member

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    "GET AWAY FROM THE WATER. GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"

    She knew what was coming. Who was coming. Blood called to blood with fire and ice...but the power of that ice...


    The girl bolted toward the water as if someone had just set fire to her petticoat. What now, George thought? He followed her, pausing when he saw a large scorpion making its way toward a hole in the earth. "Going somewhere?" He asked, snatching it out of the detritus before it could reach the safety of its den. As big as his hand, the creature reacted by stinging him on his wrist, its barbed tail embedding itself into his flesh to inject a poison that would have caused the average human being an excruciating amount pain. But George was impervious. "That doesn't work on vampires," he said, biting off the creature's tail. It tasted a little gritty, he thought, but all in all it wasn't too bad. Next he took off the head, chewing it up and swallowing it as he watched the scorpion's legs wiggle to and fro reflexively. Like a chicken with its head cut off, he thought. But this certainly didn't taste like chicken. No. This was decidedly different. Avoiding the entrails, George polished off the remains of his snack, sucking every drop of blood out of the creature's body before dropping the arachnid's carcass in the dirt. "

    "Now, where were we?" He said, feeling a renewed sense of vigor as he turned his attention back to the girl. By now she was standing at the edge of the pond. Something was in the water.

    ------------------------

    Before Talixia could respond, a woman's scream pierced the silence like a needle popping a balloon.

    "GET AWAY FROM THE WATER. GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"

    "Talixia, someone's in trouble! Come on!" She urged, running toward the pond to see what all the commotion was about.
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2015
  9. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    "Huh, what?" Talixia stammered in panic. Her black curls lashed out as her head whipped back and forth, looking for any sign of trouble. She didn't see anything menacing, but the new girl had yelled something about the water, so that's where she looked. From the depths of the water she felt something coming closer and closer. Whatever it was, it had power, power similar to Lark's.

    Without even realizing what she was doing, a deep sense of calm washed over Talixia, just like before when she conjured the golden light vehicle. She started moving in slow, calculated moves, almost like Tai Chi. She knelt down and held her arms out in front of her and behind her, her feet perfectly aligned, and then moved back up into a standing position and raised her arms to the sky. The small, logical part of her brain wondered why she was dancing in the middle of a crisis situation, but a strong male voice whispered through her mind, Do not stop. You're gathering cosmic energy through movement, in case you need to defend yourself.

    Strangely, Talixia wasn't scared of the voice. It was the source of the calm feeling that was radiating through her, keeping her relaxed even though she would usually freak out if her body started moving without her permission. Finally, she stopped dancing and put her hands together like she was praying, and exhaled a steady stream of air. Everything around her glowed more intensely and she felt connected to every living thing in the desert. She also felt more powerful than she had ever felt before.

    "Let it come," Talixia said in a strong, clear voice. She didn't sound like herself at all, but she didn't think that was a bad thing.
     
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  10. FabulousJewels

    FabulousJewels Member

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    "Let it come," Talixia said in a strong, clear voice.

    "Talixia?" Astrid looked back at the girl and noticed a faint glow around her body. In spite of the chaotic scene, her face was calm, as if she were drawing power from an unknown source. Astrid looked back at the pond and watched as another girl, this one with skin as white as porcelain, raced toward the water's edge. The ground began to shake, causing the formerly placid pool to churn violently. Something was rising to the surface.
     
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2015
  11. SocksFox

    SocksFox Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    Lark: On the Defensive

    "Let it come," Talixia said in a strong, clear voice.
    "Talixia?" Astrid looked back at the girl and noticed a faint glow around her body.

    Lark heard the other two girl long before she saw them. Instinct roared as she swirled into a seemingly impossble twist, merging her pounding heart with the thrall cast by the water's lush symphony. The surface tension of the pool shattered and heaved as she whirled once more, lashing out with tendrils of water. The crystalline tentacles snaked out in all directions, as Lark fought to pull the others away from the pool.

    That was her family down there, the very last of her family. Terror rising faster than the songs, she called forth a weave she had never summoned before. If she couldn't be a sword, then by damn she could be a shield. A living veil of seething quicksilver seemed to engulf Lark as she surged for the pool, placing herself between the other girls and the water. Echo hear my call...

    Angel saw solid shield of water tension break as the song threads of the pool were drawn upward. It wasn't a natural phenominon, it was weaving. And then she heard it, the haunting refrain of Echo and the desperate pounding of a panicked heart. She knew the thrum...Impossible, she had died that day on the mountain...

    The ice spire surged with her rising tide of emotions. Even with the surface tension broken, the breachng was going to hurt. As it had with Lark, Echo answered Angel's instinctive plea. Cheek pressed tight to the inside curve of the spire, she slid beneath the cloaking glow of silver as the Echo weave refracted the water threads back. Her ice spire cleaved through the pool with the ease of a surgeon's blade.

    Water flew everywhere. The momentum of the breach cast Angel into the air, Echo binding her in a tight ball. End over end she passed, landing hard on a layer of ice that had begun to spiral out from the spire. Angel's Echo weave broke as she slammed against the ice and skidded to a halt just behind Lark.

    Lark's water tendrils gathered about her, a breathing weave of total defiance. "GET AWAY!"
     
  12. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    When the new girl burst out of the water riding a giant ice-spire, the pond water flew everywhere. Talixia didn't even bat an eye--a blazing gold aura flared around her and the water slide off of it like rain off of a windshield.

    Lark's water tendrils gathered about her, a breathing weave of total defiance. "GET AWAY!"


    Talixia didn't know if Lark was talking to the new chick or to the others, but she had no intention of running away. All her life she had cowed before bullies and been submissive, but this time, this time she was going to make a stand.

    "Do you need help?" Talixia asked Lark, keeping an eye on the new girl. Lark may think Talixia was an idiot, but that didn't mean she had to do this alone. But if Lark denied her help, then Talixia would honor her decision and back off.
     
  13. FabulousJewels

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    "Do you need help?" Talixia asked Lark, keeping an eye on the new girl.

    Astrid waited for Lark to answer.
     
  14. SocksFox

    SocksFox Contributor Contributor Contest Winner 2023

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    Lark and Angel

    Do you need help?" Talixia asked Lark, keeping an eye on the new girl.


    Lark glared over her shoulder as she sprinted out onto the ice in a desperate bid to reach her cousin. Angel lay crumpled on her side, unmoving. The weaves were holding, the only incidaction there was still life in her. Skidding to a halt beside the small figure, Lark knelt beside her, careful not to make contact. Angel's Echo weave was still intact and it was causing the ice thrall to spread at an alarming rate. "Angel. Wake up. Come on, love. I know you can hear me. Please, Angel."

    Angel heard the voice calling to her from the end of a long, shimmering tunnel. It was Lark's. "So, I really am dead then. At least I'm not alone anymore."

    "Angel! Snap out of it." Lark's said, her tone much sharper than before. "You're not dead."

    Angel's haunting eyes snapped open. "What do you mean, I'm not dead. Either I am or you are. We can't both be here. You died that day...that day on the mountain. I saw the flames and the Hag. She was laughing..."

    "Hush. Now is not the time. We have bigger things to worry about."

    Angel lifted her head and gasped. Ice was spreading out arounding them like Jack Frost's handywork across a window pane. "How..."

    "Echo combined with your binding thrall."

    "But I don't wield Echo." Angel insisted.

    Angel's vehement denial startled a laugh out of Lark. "Yes, you do. I can't touch you until that weave comes down."

    Eyes nearly black with terror, Angel shook her head. "I can't. You know it's forbidden."

    "It's the only way to disrupt that weave, Angel. The threads are too strong and perfectly woven, even for me." Lark replied as she got to her feet. "And if you don't do something quickly, we'll all be in danger of freezing to death in the middle of a bloody desert!" The last was followed up with a firm stomp. "I hate irony."

    Angel's face illuminated with wry humour and the fear abated enough to allow her to focus. "Will you help...please." Lark nodded.

    Heaving herself to her feet, Angel stretched out a silver cloaked hand toward her cousin. Lark gathered a spiral of vibrant purple threads, Spirit in its most potent form, and reached for Angel's outstretched hand. Silver and purple, met but didn't merge. "Now, Angel." Lark murmured.

    Drawing a quick breath, Angel tapped into the great well of stillness that seemed to seperate her from the world. A slight smoky grey mist formed over her fingers, breaking the swirl silvery Echo. With the weave open, Lark's Spirit threads flowed in, enveloping both the Echo threads and the minute, smoky mist. Pulling her hand back in a quick, twisting flourish, Lark lifted the weaves free of her cousin. Their thrall broken, the threads winked out.

    Freed of the frenzied power of Angel's Echo, the ice shuddered and cracked. Seizing hold of her cousin's hand, Lark's water symphony renewed it's chorus. She reached out fingers spread wide and snared a tendril of her prior weave. Fingers enmeshed in the water tentacle, both she and Angel were lifted free of the shattering ice. Slowly, the weave swung them toward the shore.

    The dark, swirling refrains of Lark's songs softened as first, Angel, then she, touched firm ground again. Now face to face with the other two girls, she finallly deemed to answer. "Thank you, but no. Everything is under control...now."




     
  15. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    Talixia frowned. First Lark was yelling at them all to get back, and now she was acting like the new girl was a long-lost friend and that everything was easy peezy. And it didn't escape Talixia's notice that Lark had a slight air of superiority about her. Don't judge her until you know her, the male voice from earlier wound through Talixia's mind.

    Talixia nodded and felt the awesome cosmic energy she had gathered flow away from her and return to the universe. The voice was right, Talixia didn't know Lark. "I'll play nice as long as she does," Talixia grumbled under her breath. She crossed her arms over her chest and asked Lark, "May I ask who the new girl is?" Her tone was even, but she couldn't keep the suspicion out of her eyes. The new girl didn't look all that sane.
     
  16. FabulousJewels

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    Seeing George approach, Astrid went to him. "Are you okay?" She asked.

    "Never better." In spite of the chaotic scene surrounding them, he seemed calm and composed.

    "My name's Astrid, by the way."

    "Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said, taking her hand in his own before bowing slightly. She wasn't used to the formal types, to the gentlemen of the world, so to speak, but his mannerisms were not off-putting. Quite the contrary, she rather enjoyed meeting someone with so much old world charm.

    "You're so proper," she said, giggling.

    "I do try."

    Her thoughts turned to Sean, who was by now exploring the villa, and Astrid's laughter vanished. "Can I tell you something?"

    "Sure."

    "Sean scares me. Badly. Before, when I saw you two arguing, I almost didn't come out of hiding. Because I was scared of him and what he might do. He's a dangerous man, George. Maybe you don't see that. But I do."

    "Give him some time to cool off. I think he'll feel better after he's had some time to think about everything."

    "Okay, but I'm sticking with you from here on out."

    "I'm sure Sean's not so bad once you get to know him." Yeah, Astrid thought. And I've got oceanfront property in Arizona. "Let him explore the villa if he wants. In the mean time, I say we go for a swim. It must be a hundred and ten degrees out here." With that, George began walking toward the pond. Taking off his shirt and dropping it near the water's edge, Astrid watched as he dove in, his head popping up like a cork after a moment. "You coming?"

    Well. It was hot. And a dip would be nice. Following George's path, Astrid dove in behind him. The water here was deeper, cooler than on the other side. Treading water, she turned to George. "What Sean said about you being a womanizer, is that true?" Not that she particularly cared. After all, George was his own man and could date whoever he chose. Still, she was curious.

    "I've been around," He said.

    "So you don't believe in monogamy then?"

    "I wouldn't say that."

    "Do you have a girlfriend?"

    "I do. We have a three year old daughter and a baby on the way."

    "Get out of here."

    "No, it's true."

    Astrid was shocked. After all the negative things Sean had said, she never expected to hear that George was actually a father. "Well, you seem really nice and I bet you're a great dad."

    "I would go to the ends of the earth for my family."

    Astrid swam toward the shallow end of the pond and stopped after she could finally touch bottom. "What about you?" George asked. "Do you have someone?"

    "I do. But between you and me, I'm not happy. I mean, I love him, yes, but..." But what? What was she trying to say here? That she'd settled for less than she wanted? Maybe. That she would cheat? That she thought it would be okay to cheat? Definitely not. She'd never been the type to fool around. Oh, she'd thought about having sex with other men before. But thinking about it wasn't the same thing as actually doing it.

    "Why aren't you happy?" George asked, standing across from her in the chest deep water. His skin glistening in the sunlight, Astrid suddenly had the thought that whoever his girlfriend was, she was lucky to have someone like him. Well, assuming they had a good relationship and agreed on the things that mattered most. Hopefully, they did. And hopefully they would have a happy union forevermore.

    "I don't know. I guess things just didn't work out the way I thought they would. In the beginning, there was so much excitement. We were so in love. Then things kind of took a turn for the worse. We bought a flower shop and tried running the business together and oh my God, how we fought! He was always so rude to the customers!" She laughed and shook her head at the memory. "I used to tell him, 'You ought to be glad you're my boyfriend because if you weren't I'd have fired you a long time ago.' In the end, our business failed. It was always my dream to see it succeed. But I guess sometimes dreams die. Anyway, after that Tom started doing his own thing and I went back to work for someone I used to know. And since then I guess we've just grown apart." It wasn't like her to be so open about the details of her relationship with Tom, but George had asked. And she'd told him the truth.
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2015
  17. FabulousJewels

    FabulousJewels Member

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    Hearing a low rumble, Astrid looked to the sky and saw dark, angry storm clouds forming overhead. Unnatural, intense, and swirling around what looked like the eye of a hurricane, they crackled with electricity. “Well, I can see how this place has a source of fresh water now,” Astrid said, fear settling in the pit of her stomach like a lead weight. As the first fat drops of rain began to fall and break the surface tension of the water, she looked down at George. “We’d better get out.” How the storm had formed so quickly and where it had come from, she did not know. But like the sandstorm they had encountered in the desert, it was clearly targeting them. "This place is like the fucking Twilight Zone."


    Once ashore, Astrid sat near the water’s edge and began putting on her boots. The rain was intensifying quickly, and by the time she’d donned her footwear it was accompanied by a strong wind that whipped wet hair into her face. “Let’s get to the villa,” George said, trotting toward the trio of women who had been talking among themselves. Astrid got to her feet, intending to follow, but before she could take another step her eyes registered a blinding flash of light that was accompanied by a deafening thunderclap, a sonic boom so loud that it felt as if her ears might bleed. For a split second she could see the arc of electricity that had hit the water, could see the skeletal fingers of death dancing their way toward her. But there’d been no time to react—no time to even think about reacting—and in the end, all she could do was stare in horror as it reached out and grabbed her with what felt like the heat of a thousand suns. Both sight and sound faded into nothingness as unimaginable pain coursed through every fiber of her being. So intense was it that she felt as if she were being roasted alive. Mercifully, Astrid lost consciousness almost immediately.

    When she came to, George’s face came into view. “Breathe, Goddammit, breathe!” Astrid gasped, gulping as much air into her lungs as she could manage. The movement of her chest sent shock waves of pain coursing through her body. Cringing, she tried to speak, her mouth forming a small o as tears spilled from her eyes and mixed with the rain that pelted her face. But the words would not come out. It hurts so very, very bad, she wanted to say. “You’re going to be alright,” George said, picking her up off the ground before turning to address the other women. “Go to the villa! Find Sean and tell him we need to find a place for her to lie down!”
     
  18. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    Something was happening, again. They had just barely gotten over the shock of the weird new girl exploding out of the pool riding an ice spire, and now they were dealing with another crisis. A storm. And not just any storm, but a raging, deadly thunderstorm. It came out of nowhere and blacked out the sun. Before Talixia could say "What the hay??" a lightning bolt shot down and Astrid was hit.

    "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!" Talixia jabbered, jumping up and down. But Astrid was okay, or at least alive, because she woke back up a minute later.

    “Go to the villa! Find Sean and tell him we need to find a place for her to lie down!”

    "Wait, you want us to leave you here? And go find Sean? In that creepy old villa?" Talixia stopped freaking out for a moment and fixed George with a baffled look. "That sounds just like the beginning of a scary movie, if you ask me."
     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2015
  19. FabulousJewels

    FabulousJewels Member

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    "It's the only shelter we've got!" George shouted above the wind, hurrying past Talixia and the others. If they wanted to stay out here and brave the elements, he would not stay and argue. Astrid needed help. The wind was getting stronger, bowing the tops of the trees and threatening to topple him as he carried her toward the dilapidated shelter. In his haste he overlooked, then stepped in a shallow hole, nearly dropping the girl. A faint light in one of the windows of the villa beckoned and he hurried on.

    ---------------------------------

    "That sounds just like the beginning of a scary movie, if you ask me."

    Astrid heard Talixia's voice before the pain gave way to unconsciousness once again. When she next woke she could hear shouting. Though she couldn't make out what was being said, she was sure the voices belonged to Sean and George. Opening her eyes, saw that she was lying on a bed. Next to the bed was a mirrored dresser upon which a single candle burned, providing the only light in the room. A rocking chair sat stoically in one shadowy corner, as if keeping watch over her as the struggle outside the bedroom continued. She heard a crash, then footsteps leading to the bedroom door. Something hit the other side of the wall, sending a framed picture to the floor. There was a sickening thump, then finally silence. Panic fluttered in her chest as the doorknob turned and Sean stepped into the room. He was breathing heavily, and there was a wild, almost feral look in his eyes. Astrid's gaze fell to the metal pipe in his hand. It was covered in blood.

    “What have you done?"

    "What needed to be done," he said in a hoarse voice.

    "What the fuck are you talking about?!"

    "Are you bitten?” He asked, letting the pipe fall to the hardwood floor.

    “Bitten?”

    “Just answer the question!” He took three long strides toward the bed and suddenly he was looming over her with the same crazed look in his eyes.

    “No!” Astrid finally said, recoiling. He reached down and grabbed her chin, turning her head left, then right as he inspected her skin. Letting go, he snatched her right arm, then her left, still searching for evidence of bite marks. “Look, I haven’t been bitten! Now get the fuck off me!

    “You got lucky,” he said, finally letting go. “He was a vampire. And if he’d had his way with you, you’d either be dead or on your way to being dead right now.” Astrid stared out at the hallway where a pool of blood was forming just beyond the doorway of the room. “I knew what he was from the very beginning. Why do you think I was on the verge of ripping his head off when you and the others showed up?”

    Because you’re an asshole, she wanted to say.

    “He's a predator--a cold blooded killer."

    "And you're not?" She asked.

    "Vampires prey on the weak, Astrid--people like you who don't recognize them for what they truly are until it's too late. Trust me; I did you a favor by killing him. Had he gotten to you, you would have suffered a long, slow, agonizing death." Sean paused for a moment, studying the look of doubt on her face. "Of course, they don't just kill human beings. In a survival situation they can take the blood of just about any animal. But they prefer humans."

    "How do I know you're telling the truth. How do I know you're not just some crazed, delusional lunatic?"

    "I'll show you his teeth," Sean said. "Believe me, I've dealt with his kind on more occasions than I'd like to remember. And I've seen how they kill. See, they're like monitor lizards. A poisoned bite will kill you, just not right away. The smaller the animal, the faster the poison works. A field mouse, for example, might die within a matter of minutes. But a human? Humans can take days."

    "Why don't they just kill their victims outright? Wouldn't that be easier?"

    "They can't. If the poison doesn't do its work first, they can't feed. No one knows why. Maybe it's something in their saliva that has to circulate through the body first. Or maybe the poison just needs time to partially digest the blood, making it easier to extract. No one really knows. But whatever the reason is, it's a very painful way to die. By the time a victim's organs start shutting down and the vampire finally returns to feed, death is usually a welcome respite to the suffering they've endured.”

    “So you killed him because he was a vampire.”

    “I did what I had to do. I was protecting us.”

    “And what of the others? Where are they?” Astrid asked, wondering if Talixia, Lark and the other girl were okay.

    “I don’t know. They never showed up.” Sean stepped outside the room and looked down at the area where George’s body was presumably lying. “No."

    "What?"

    "This can't be."

    "What can't be?"

    "He was right here. He was dead!

    Was?

    As Sean grabbed the length of steel pipe off the floor,the sound of shattering glass pierced the air. Somewhere beyond the bedroom, wind and rain began to infiltrate the interior of the villa. Putting a finger to his lips, Sean turned and disappeared into the shadows of the hallway. Outside, the wind howled. Astrid looked toward the rain battered window and imagined George crashing through it, baring fangs longer than a Bengal tiger's. Drawing her knees to her chest, she shivered and waited for Sean to return.

    --------------------------------------------------------------
    P.S. Happy Friday 13th, you guys! Sorry for turning this into a horror story. It really wasn't my intention. Just kind of happened that way.
    --------------------------------------------------------------
     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2015
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  20. Erik-the-Enchanter!

    Erik-the-Enchanter! Banned Contributor

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    Talixia had stayed downstairs, sitting in a tall-backed chair in a parlor room, while Sean and George went elsewhere with Astrid. She felt like she would just be in the way, and those two guys seemed like they knew what they were doing. George, in particular, seemed pretty eager to get at Astrid. Talixia didn't know what George was, but he gave her serious creepy vibes. She shivered just thinking about him and that look he gave her when they were at the pool, and she had seen him eat a scorpion at one point, as if it was a crispy potato chip. He definitely wasn't human. But what was he?

    Leaning back in the chair, Talixia closed her eyes and tried to breath evenly and rest for a moment. She was tired from all the running around they had done all day, and she was mighty hungry. As she sat there, she slipped into a strange in-between state; she wasn't entirely awake, and she wasn't asleep, she was just drifting. Suddenly, three light beings appeared before her; they had humanoid bodies, but they were made of pure light. The one of the left glowed a deep crimson red, the middle one was very tall and it glowed electric blue, and the last one was bright canary yellow.

    Talixia felt extremely peaceful in their radiant presence. The middle one leaned forward and said, in the same powerful male voice that had spoken to Talixia earlier, "Talixia, I need you to listen to what I say."

    Talixia grinned sleepily. "Sure. Who are you?"

    "I am Michael," the electric spirit said, and although it didn't have a mouth Talixia felt like it was smiling. "This is Amen-Ra." Michael nodded at the crimson spirit. "And this is Buddha." He nodded to the glaringly yellow spirit. "We have been watching you for a very long time, Talixia. You were our friend, but you chose to be reincarnated on earth as a human, to spread love and to help end suffering."

    Talixia nodded. "Sure, sure. What else?"

    "The Wiccans put you in the desert, Talixia," Michael continued. "They were not truly Wiccan, but a cult led by a an evil sorcerer. They knew what you were and they sent you here to die. You must learn to master your abilities, before they find out you survived. They will come for you and kill you. You must be ready."

    The light beings were beginning to fade. Talixia sat up in the chair and reached out for them. "Wait! What exactly am I?"

    "You're a Deva," Michael replied, and again Talixia sensed that he was smiling. "A divine being that chose to be reborn on earth to elevate humanity. Listen, Talixia: we will help you, but there is only so much we can do. Learn to use your powers..." And then the three spirits were gone.

    Talixia became fully awake with a jolt, breathing hard. As she sat there, visions of blood and a pipe and George laying on the ground flashed before her eyes. She blinked, hard, and the visions faded away and her normal sight returned. Something terrible had happened while she was in a trance.

    "Sean? Astrid? George? What's going on?" she called out, her voice echoing in the big house.
     
  21. FabulousJewels

    FabulousJewels Member

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    "Sean? Astrid? George? What's going on?" she called out, her voice echoing in the big house.

    "Talixia!" Astrid hollered. "In here! I'm in the bedroom! Something terrible has happened!"

    Oh, thank God! At least Talixia was okay.
     
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