τɾuτh . Ør . ḋαɾε __ [ need 1 b ] advanced lit

[HoRRiDx]

• | • | • | • xxxxxRiDDLE
>> Now adays everybody wants to talk, like they've got something to say;

Kar coughed into the back of her hand before smacking her palm against the ratty fabric of an old couch. The dirt and dust and itchy old fabric was getting to her. Causing a tickle in the back of her throat that she could not ignore. It was pure luck that she had even gotten the couch, not that she was sure she really wanted to sleep on it. The damn thing looked as though it hadn’t been used in years! Which wasn’t a far off statement… This being an abandoned old building after all. Hell, Riddle was surprised there was even still furniture in the old house. However Tattered it was.

Dumb Idea… Rolling her eyes Kar brushed back a strand of her blonde hair, sighing deeply as she looked around the room. Taking in the scene. Her friends were doing various things, but mostly ignoring one another. You could cut the tension with a fork! If you were even capable of finding one.

I should just go home …. Another thought! Obviously Kar wasn’t feeling too happy about the whole situation. But it was understandable. These people weren’t her friends anymore, she didn’t know them, she didn’t WANT to know them… Sometimes.

It just didn’t make sense that they’d all agreed to this, sure Kar wanted to prove that she was better than them, in some strange… childish way. But did she really want to spend the night with them? Was it worth it? Of course, leaving now would prove she were some sort of chicken, and Riddle didn’t need that. She was almost near graduation, being branded a chicken now… would be highly irritating.
Of course, she already had the Dorky Nerd status, what possible harm would chicken do?

Cuddling further into her blue and green under the sea styled sleeping bag, Kar closed her eyes. This was certainly going to be a long night, and Riddle had no intention of staying awake through what could have been the best portion of it. “Gmmmmmm,” mumbling softly under her breath Kar licked her lips, despite the old couch it was rather comfortable, and Riddle was suddenly glad she had gotten to it before anyone else. Who knows what dirt and mildew was currently eating through the floor?

CRASH, Kar opened her eyes, reacting to the sudden sound. The room was suddenly much darker than it had been, had she fallen asleep without realizing? “Hello?”

There was nothing there… In fact, there was no one there. Where had everyone gone? “Guys?” Kar’s voice caught in her throat slightly. She quickly cleared it, if they were playing some kind of stupid game on her she wasn’t going to fall for it! “GUYS? That’s not funny, where the hell are you?”

No answer… Kar raised herself up off of the couch, untangling herself from the sleeping bag. “If you don’t come out now, I’m leaving!” She stated confidently, placing her hands on her hips in irritation.

The girl stood there, waiting for a few minutes, her blue eyes scanning the room and her ears listening hard for any sort of sound, any sign that these assholes were hiding out, trying to trick her. “Fine!” Throwing her hands up in the air Kar huffed, “I’M LEAVING!” And with that she turned back to the couch, bending down to grasp her things. But what she saw… was not her sleeping bag.

It was a dead body, pale and rotting… eyes sunken in and its mouth hanging open. The sudden appearance startled Kar, and the sheer shock of finding a dead body caused her to let out a blood curdling scream!


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


“AHH,” Kar‘s body stiffened, jolting backward. It would have kept going had her back not hit something hard, stopping her in her tracks. She opened her eyes quickly. Blue spheres circling the room until she realized exactly where she was… Which was currently sitting at her desk, in the back of Mr. Brackengers classroom. Kar took a second to consider herself, she was breathing heavily, sweating a little and had gotten more than a few odd looks because of it. It wasn’t exactly like her to have bad or startling dreams. Especially during school! That stupid house had done something to her.

Rubbing her hand slowly down the right side of her face Kar shook her head, feeling like an idiot for letting that crappy old shack get to her. What was there to be freaked out about? She had done what she needed to do! She went to the house with Tullip, ___ and ____, and she had stayed the entire night. There were no ghosts, no evil monsters creeping around the place… just bugs and dust. Enough to make anyone’s allergies fly off the charts.

The sudden interruption had caused a slight pause in the class, but Mr Brackenger didn’t hesitate to continue. Not even bringing up the fact that Kar had been sleeping in class. The man didn’t care, it was her time… she could waist it any was she wanted. Not to mention the class was almost over…


RING RING RING


Chimes fluttered over the school speakers, indicating to every student that it was time to start packing up their things. The flush of life around Kar went quickly, kids eager to get out of the classroom and start the weekend. Kar herself wanted to go home and sleep, having been up half the night before. Despite her eyes being closed, she could hardly sleep in the Whitherton house, whether it was the dirt, or the presence of her friends was beyond her. And she certainly wasn’t going to think about it.

Sliding her English books into her dark green Ninja Turtle backpack Kar slipped out of her desk. Moving quickly toward the door in hopes of avoiding any rash encounter with Mr. Brackenger, she didn’t exactly need a lecture right now!
Being small Riddle was able to easily manoeuvre herself through the kids and into the hallway.

Although the poor girl didn’t get very far before a male stepped in front of her, blocking her pathway to her locker. “Ugh, James… what do you want?”

The boy smiled down at her, being much taller. His blonde short choppy hair was spiked up in all directions, and his green eyes bared down at Kar along with pearly white teeth. The boy was smiling, a cocky grin that Riddle wasn’t exactly fond of. “Come on, you know you love it when I get all close!” James took a step forward. Causing Kar to raise her left eyebrow at the boy, her expression of dislike not faltering even a little.

“I’d rather stab myself in the eye,”

James frowned slightly at the sudden comment, but shrugged it off easily. Like he always did, “But then you wouldn’t be able to navigate your way too…” He fumbled around in his back pocket a second before pulling out a sheet of bright yellow paper, “My big Halloween bash! Everybody’s coming,” His eyebrows bounced up and down slightly. In what could be called a "cute boyish way", but instead of giggling like a school girl, Kar rolled her eyes.

“Maybe I’ll go,”

James grinned a broad, happy smile that Kar hadn’t noticed. The boy had something of a crush on Kar, but the girl was never really interested. She had more important things to do that think about boys all day. Like… watch Star Trek. Riddle would be surprised if she ever trusted anyone ever again. After the incident. How could such close friends, part so easily?

“Good, great!” James interrupted her thoughts, as he watched Kar scan the paper in her hands. “I’ll see you there,” giving her one last look James stepped to the side. Not wanting to be plowed over when she started walking again. Knowing full well she wouldn’t bother going around him. Having been in this situation many times before.

“I said maybe…” Kar mumbled, watching him as he moved out of her way and once again starting down the hallway when he was no longer blocking her.

Kar stared down at the paper, it was bright yellow, her favourite colour. But that didn’t exactly make her want to go to a stupid Halloween party any more than she had when James had asked her. Reading it one last time Kar sighed, folding it a few times and sliding it into her front pocket. It only took her a second to reach her locker, the dark blue colouring beginning to fade from many years of use.

Kar grasped the small lock, twisting in her combination and opening it. Of course, Kar was one to keep her things with her. She carried around her Ninja turtle back pack for a reason! But, she never liked to do homework, so… there was no sense in taking her books home! Emptying her bag she closed the locker door, twisting the combination lock and began walking away. Making sure to find her keys before she reached the parking lot, and her crappy old black 1967 Chevy Impala.

It was of course, the car of her dreams… but didn’t exactly function like a normal car should. Obviously that had never stopped Kar from loving her baby!

For the first time all day, Riddle grinned to herself as she opened the driver’s side door and shoved her bag onto the passengers seat. It took her only about a minute to sit down and buckle her seat belt. Something she made sure to do before starting her car every time she got in it to drive.

Kar turned her key in the ignition, and the car came to life with a hum, the sound of the engine rather loud compared to all the other cars beside her. Not that she had a big ego because of it, Kar knew that people with loud engines were generally assholes who thought they owned the road. Riddle was a defensive, pro-active driver! Always.

Placing the car in reverse Kar backed the vehicle out of its parking space, and started on her journey home. The light outside, already beginning to fade.

[Xephiire]

• • •

☼ [ B ] e n j a m i n ☼
Quin Stirling
A.k.a. Mister Vengeful

The attic Benjamin Stirling slept in was small, just like the rest of the other bedrooms scattered upstairs. The roof was slanted, making it difficult for him to stand, but that was the room he had chosen when he came here. It had a single window, dusty-brown flecks of paint chipping off around the unstable frame. Rusty nails were hammered halfway into the ledge to secure it down, wooden boards nailed across the single window to prevent anyone from looking outside. Although, Benjamin had ripped some of those boards off years ago so he could stare down into their large front yard, look at all the withered plants and overgrown weeds, the old creaky gothic-style gates and the dreary sky, and the grey cobblestone pathway that lead up to the front door. In some ways, just staring outside became torture for him, but that never prevented himself from resisting looking outside and gain that longing to go beyond those gates, the barriers that kept him hidden away in the house he now called ‘home’.

There was a wooden dresser, closet, and a random toy or two that was left behind from the previous family that had lived in the house. A single tiny bed took up most of the space in the room, although still too small for Benji’s whole 5’10 figure. His bare feet stuck out over the end of the bed, the scratchy blankets tangled around his sprawled-out body as he slept. A pillow was clutched to his chest, face looking almost as innocent and as peaceful as a sleeping child’s. All worry, all anger, all bitterness erased from his expression, leaving a faint softness that wasn’t very often seen—at least, not when anyone was around to see it.

His shirtless chest was normally motionless in his sleep, but tonight it rose and dropped as he breathed, catching a new scent in the house without even realizing it. Too caught up in his dream, he didn’t focus on the soft whispers downstairs, voices that he had never heard before. Instead, the most vivid dream played in his head that night, teasing him with bare flesh and the scent of warm blood. Some innocent blonde, features so delicate that she could have been mistaken for an angel if Benji didn’t know better. If he couldn’t smell her human scent, teasing him, making his mouth water with that abnormal hunger of his. There were three other scents mingling with hers as well, but none as sweet as hers was.

All four of them stood at the edge of the forest, motionless. Two males and two females, all with slightly blurred faces and Benjamin assumed that was because they weren’t as important, because they didn’t smell quite as tempting. Every time he took a step forward, they stayed where they were, never getting further away like in previous dreams he had about his prey. They always managed to escape him before he could get a hold on them. But not this time. In four large strides he was in front of the blonde woman, hair long and straight, fluttering in the slight breeze, carrying her mouth-watering scent around Benji, so pure and solid that he could nearly taste her warm blood dance its way across his tongue. No dream had ever been so real as this one, not until tonight.

One cold, pale hand reached up to rest against the left side of her neck, holding her still as he leaned in, lips parting against the smooth skin of her shoulders, slowly guiding their way up until he could feel her pulse against his lips, sharp teeth just about to sink into—SLAM!

- - -

Benjamin’s eyes flew open, a striking topaz coloring with pale flecks of emerald running around his pupil, which was now contracting to get used to the darkness consuming the tiny attic. His nails had dug into the pillow that he was hugging to him, easily ripping through the fabric until feathers scattered onto his bed and piled up on the floor, body rigid and tense from the sound of the front door slamming. The hell? Who would be leaving the house so early? It’s not like there was anything much to do outside, and none of the others slammed doors like that... It was pretty understandable that each one of them were sensitive to loud noises, so why purposely irritate by slamming a damn door?

Finally forcing his body to relax, a low hiss of sound left his lips when he realized that the scents had followed him out of his dreams. They were actually in the house now, still just as strong as they had been. Now, that wasn’t right... Maybe he was hallucinating? Quick soft little taps outside his window made him all the more curious and he rolled out of bed, landing gracefully on the balls of his feet before tip-toeing over to the window and taking a glance outside. The sun was still hiding over the horizon, but that didn’t prevent him from seeing the four retreating teenagers, sneaking out through the gate that was supposed to be locked... Benjamin’s jaw snapped shut, teeth clicking together with the forced action, a grim line forming on his pale lips. For some reason, his mind couldn’t quite process it. There had been humans in this mansion, right under his very nose, and they all left—alive. Not one drop of their blood had been spilt, no life taken, they just came and went as they pleased without him even knowing of it.

It hurt his pride, in a way. What was he? He was a creature, a monster that fed on the flesh and blood of living things. He was a predator, a killer, a murderer. He was the one with all the power, he was the one who had all the control and the upper-hand, and yet he didn’t even know that there had been little helpless humans in his very home... Well, a home he shared with three others, but it was still his as it was theirs. Did the others know about it? If so, why didn’t they tell him? Why did they let them go? It had been years since he had tasted fresh blood, something to kill his painful hunger, and there it had been, right downstairs. And there it went... Leaving him stuck here again, still hungry.

His bright golden eyes narrowed, anger welling up inside him, the urge to break something rising in his chest and making his hands tremble. Oh how he could snap off the wooden boards against the window so easily, slam his fist right through the thick glass and watch it shatter. But what good would that do? He didn’t have anything here to fix the mess he would make, so it was better to just not do it in the first place.

Hands balled up into fists and still shaking, he kicked down the trapdoor in the attic, the old wooden ladder hitting the second story floor with a crash before he made his way down it, sure that if the others weren’t awake, they sure as hell were now. Once he was down the last flight of stairs, he stopped in the family room, the smell strongest here. What? Had they had some type of slumber party in their house? Idiotic teenagers... Stupid teenagers... He was going to kill them. He was going to murder them. Damn! If only he wasn’t trapped in this stupid old house, doomed for all eternity... Now he had to live here with that fresh scent, and be driven to the brink of near insanity to be teased in such a way. It would take months at least before that scent even became dull. Agh! Damn stupid, naïve, atrocious, teenagers! He was ganna kill them! Or he was going to kill something, at least.

There were stray human hairs here and there, invisible to the human eye from such a distance. One stray blonde hair here, one there, some on the couch and there was that unmistakable scent that stood out above all the rest. His whole body shaking now, feeling as if his territory had been invaded and now tainted, he snarled in anger, his foot kicking out against the couch and making it topple straight over, hitting the ground with a crash. More loud noises, the others would be down there soon enough.

Striding to the front door, he opened it and let it stay open as he went over to the rusted gates, the monochromatic stones cold under his feet and the only visible piece of clothing being his black-and-grey plaid pajama pants. The gates weren’t properly closed, and one swung at an awkward angle, as if clinging to the hinge for dear life. For a moment, his anger subsided, replaced by that overpowering curiosity. Reaching out to the gate, he expected for there to be some invisible barrier between him and ‘the outside world’, preventing him from passing and grabbing the gate, just like it had always been. But he was able to grab onto the metal bars, and pull it to him. Another moment of awed silence passed before he opened the gate again and actually tried to step outside, succeeding.

“God damn, you’ve got to be kidding me...” He murmured out loud, his voice soft like velvet, a low rumble caressing each word as they left his mouth. Freedom? Seriously? He was free to go past the gates that kept him here for so many years... And yet, this new thought confused him. He doubted it. It was so sudden, so unexpected, so new. He was free to come and go as he pleased. Disbelieving that it was as easy as that, he took a step back and looked past the gates, the small outlines of the four teenagers barely visible even still. That grim line touched his lips once more as he turned away from the gate and went back inside, eager to tell the others about his discovery. If he was truly free now, those kids would pay. And he knew exactly which one he wanted to be his first victim, his first taste of fresh blood in a long time.

- - -

xxDown the hollow, I hear the voices, demons call my name .. << - - - - -
xxxxxxThey beckon me, trying to draw me closer; but I know, no one travels down the hollow.
xxxxxxxxxx- - - - - >> It's a morbid place, home to those who have lost their w a y ..

- - - - - >> .. Shadows fall on yesterday, it's like time just slips away. xx
I'm nothing, when darkness follows me. The dawn, it never shows its head. xxxxxx
I'm left dying here instead with nothing, a lock without a k e y .. << - - - - -xxxxxxxxxx

[euphoriium__]

This was ugly, absolutely ugly. Imagine this, picture it well because you don't get thoughts like these every day. Are you ready? Good. A set of teenagers, only four now only four, sitting in a room together, not texting on their phones because she herself couldn't get a lick of a service bar in this creepy house. That was beside the point, back to the picture I'm painting you see. Four teenagers sitting in a room, a living room to be exact, and acting as though they were back in kindergarten, dancing around the heels of their mother's shoes because they were afraid of speaking. Not generally afraid, but more so to put it in a grown up way, too stubborn to speak. Too stubborn to say anything but meek 'Hello's and 'Yeah's and 'Sure why not's because they were all stupid teenagers. Stupid teenagers who had a stupid fight and now faced stupid teenage consequences that they would have to look back on for the rest of their lives because now they couldn't do what they had always dreamed of doing together unless someone managed to swallow this tension and eat it like a burrito. Her extravagant hunger in food only caused her stomach to murmur slightly, frowning for the first time since she had arrived inside this dusty place surrounded by ex friends. Ex friends, ex boyfriend, ex- ********. Just a whole lot of 'Ex's in the room made for an ugly start already.

That was a horrible thing to have to think, and yet she hadn't thought about it until now. Her brown eyes raised themselves carefully from the floor, moving amongst the set of people around her and dropping on the bitter looking Kar Riddle. 'Karriddle' as Tullip used to say when they were younger, having for the longest thought it was just one long name, only to later be told it was two separate names; She decided it sounded better as one name and being that they were at one point dear friends, she was able to say it. Karriddle was what society would call a bit of a freak, with those piercings in her face and that aura she possessed that made one watch their children when they saw her walk by. She had the ability to leave one curious and afraid at the same time, if you did not know her to the best of your ability, and Tullip could inwardly admit that she envied that about the girl. Thick eyelashes batting softly over to Peter, or rather Petey - James, it was a habit for her to remember a person's entire name, which resulted in odd nicknames, but we've been over this. He was a strange one too, always carrying around a camera and getting pictures at some of the worst times, Tullip wouldn't be surprised at all to find he had a camera looming around him somewhere, the female recrossing her legs as her eyes averted to her lap, not one to get pointed out as staring.

She had eyes big enough to catch the sun; What the hell did you expect her to do with eyes that big? Be blind? She missed her Petey - James, despite how junior high was merely what it was, the fall out was a nasty thing that destroyed their relationship, deteriorated it because it seemed to the both of them at the time that it couldn't have possibly lasted through something like that anyway. She couldn't narrow down the argument itself, but there was a vow to never speak to one another again, and like a sissy, tears on her part. Tongue clicking behind her pearly whites that were normally exposed in a cheeky smile, Tullip was officially tired of memories. Sliding into the warmth of her red and black sleeping back, the inside was lined with comfortable flannel, zipping up the side to avoid anything disgusting crawling into her sleeping bag, mentally envying Karriddle for snagging the couch, though deciding against holding onto it, there was nothing more to do but sleep. But she couldn't! She couldn't sleep! Tullip Zachariah had no problem with saying hello to these people, Karriddle, Petey - James, and the like, but when you were merely stared at awkwardly and blinked at like you had a disease, it was quite discouraging. Alright, so they were all stupid for agreeing to this like stupid school children to a stupid dare, but that didn't mean they couldn't speak, did it?

Apparently, it did, because sitting here in their sleeping bags like this, it just bothered her to pieces. "I don't suppose anyone wants. . Wants to talk then." That's alright, maybe next time? Yeah, you keep telling yourself that sport and remember by the time you wake up they won't even be there. They wouldn't look at you in school the next day and they sure as hell wouldn't acknowledge your existence. Of course not, because they really didn't care. Again, another ugly fact pointed out and put under the spotlight. The Portuguese and Italian girl sliding herself deeper into the warmth of her sleeping bag, the floor was hard but that was something she would be getting over, considering she wasn't going to be here for the rest of her life and this was no fun sleepover. That seemed to make the floor even harder, causing her to turn onto her stomach and plant her face into the pillow she had brought from home. The most popular girl in the school rubbing her face into the pillow of hers, she frowned softly again, second time for the night, maybe even the day, as she found herself sliding one headphone into her ear and turning her figure to lay on her side; It would be the hardest thing to get comfortable on this damn floor.



Saltwater Taffy. It never made any sense. There was no salt water in the taffy itself, which could often pose as a good thing because who the hell likes salty candy? Frowning softly at the candy that didn't make any sense, she let the twists unwrap carefully and she found herself chewing softly on the pink taffy, the bell seeming years and years away as the sun poked its face through the window. Nails tapping the table beside her, the silver, sleek laptop sat in front of her as she awaited a good thought to come to mind, staring at the empty space in front of her for a while, maybe two minutes tops. This female here? This one right here, with her honey blond hair and big eyes? She was a part of the school's newspaper, actually, the editor and even had her own column, and though she had already printed out this month's school newspaper for the month of October, Tullip wasn't a procrastinator and had already attempted at starting on November's. "So your daughter's depressed, well get her straight on the Prozac. Well little you know, she already takes crack." What a lyric to sing out at random, her voice soft to Lily Allen's 'Everyone's At It', accent thick within her own words but not thick with the British accent miss Allen held. Oh no, hers was of other cultures. Cultures that required her to mark 'other' on her test forms and things like that.

Her mind was tuning in and out of things that didn't regard anything to do with November's print of the school newspaper, rubbing her pretty eyes as she leaned forward and ignored the glances she had been given thanks to those lyrics, Tullip set her hands on her warm, smooth cheeks, thick eyelashes meeting together as she closed her eyes. That stupid dare. She had woken up, been greeted by the faces of everyone else and decided that they had spent enough 'quality' time to leave and go on their own separate ways, even if she had smiled at each of them to see if it would be returned, it was merely greeted with a fake one from each of them and they all went about their lives. There was a bit of failure within her for that. "How can we start, to tackle the problem? If you don't put your hands up, and admit that you're on it. Kids are in danger, they're all gaining habits. From what I can see, everyone's at it." The bell rang and she watched as teenagers gathered their things and scattered like c**k roaches when the light turns on, leaving to go and get themselves ready for the party that seemed to be the most enjoyable thing about the day.

That was not how Tullip took it, having to be hounded down and the invitation given personally, she stared at the yellow slip of paper inside her tote bag once she closed the laptop and slid it away into that very tote, the little sheet of paper disappearing within the bag. Black leather booties hitting the floor lightly as she stepped through the hallway that was a lot less buzzing now thanks to the Fall day that awaited everyone outside, the calls of her name and the waves and hello's toward her caused a smile to her lips, greeting them in return as she moved toward her locker, the AP Honors English book being set in immediately, switched out for the Trig book that she was not exactly a bundle of joy about. The female who had never really been fond of pants, no matter what time of the year it was, it wasn't due to the fact that she had good legs, it was merely that pants were not her favorite things to wear. Too much crotch restriction, and yes she had been quoted saying this. Pants were atrocious, like bubble gum. Black and white striped tunic dress over her frame, it stopped at mid thigh length, the female wiggled her nose into her locker for a moment before rubbing her legs together, clad in red tights. Fidgeting with the ring around her index finger before closing her locker, the female bounded away from the lockers that needed a new set of paint before letting the afternoon air wrap around her figure, inhaling the air softly and placing her hand on the black bowler hat that had been on the crown of her head for the entire day.

Thank God that was over with.

"I Wish You The Very Best in All that You Do."

[HoRRiDx]

• | • | • | • xxxxxRiDDLE
>> Now adays everybody wants to talk, like they've got something to say;

Kar pulled into her driveway, not paying much attention to how she parked the vehicle. It was a smooth ride all the way from the school… Luckily. The warm air was remarkable, Kar was able to roll down her window and let the breeze of the road wash over her face without worry. Generally it was cold, and already snowing around October, in fact, Riddle was quite sure she had always experienced a snow storm before or on the day of Halloween. This year, the weather was much warmer, and the trees still had dead bright orange leaves hanging off their branches just daring to fall off.

Taking the keys from the ignition Kar shoved them deep inside her back pack. Grabbing it before sticking her feet out the side of the car and exiting. She slung the old sack over her shoulder and closed the door before heading up the cement walk way that lead to her front door.

It was only moments before Riddle was inside and upstairs in her room, she set her backpack down against the floor near the doorway, closing the tall black chunk of rectangular wood and locking it. She spent allot of time in her room, only leaving for food or drink. The television set up, and her computer were the only things she really needed to keep her busy during the night. The rest of the time she was at work, or school, or just… Not at home.

Although work wasn’t an option anymore, having quit recently.

Authority was a serious problem for her, if you asked her to do something… She’d most likely do it, depending on the situation. But if it sounded like an order, then it wasn’t happening. No chance. Riddle was odd that way, and had gotten many after school detentions because of it. The most recent one, somehow… almost as if fate had intervened; had her sitting in the back of a classroom with none other than Peter, Tullip and ___. It was awkward to say the least! Probably the first time Kar could remember in which they had all been in the same room together.

Obviously it ended in them fighting, they always fought now a-days. Sometimes Riddle couldn’t remember what had broke them all apart. Peter was just the same, the funny guy… too interested in video taping. The kid was a pack rat, leaving Riddle to assume he still had old video’s of them, as kids. Perhaps hiding under his bed or in the back of his closet. Tullip and him went their separate ways. They became the ’big dogs’ at school. Popular, leaders of the school, and seemingly enjoying it.

Sometimes Kar wished she’d gone the other way, Tullip and Peter always looked like they had so much fun. Her and her closest friend ___ had been kicked while they were down. Instead of rising to the top and floating on clouds for the rest of their high school lives, they were registered as losers and that was it. Kar being the dork she always was, and ___… well, Riddle wasn’t exactly sure anymore. He used to be such a sweet guy, her closest friend, and now? She could even look at him without seeing the deep hatred that played in his eyes.

Kar flopped against the large black couch that sat in her room. It was located directly across from the television. The girl wanted her friends off of her mind, and was going to do it the only way she knew how!
Video games…

Grasping the yellow controller for her X-Box 360 Riddle pushed down against the large green and silver button, turning it on from her spot on the couch. It flushed to life with little bleeps and blips and suddenly Kar was playing Mortal Combat vs. DC Universe. One of her favourite games! Hardly paying attention to anything around her but the tv.

A few hours had passed. Riddle had done what she intended and had forgotten all about the night before, and seeing her old friends. At the moment her brain was engrossed in a game of blood, and a** kicking, and just at the pinnacle point of a battle between The Flash and Batman Kar felt a vibrating coming from underneath her.
It took a second for the feeling to click in, Mall wondered for a second if she had been sitting on her other controller? But a quick and awkward maneouver proved that wrong.

In fact, the tiny buzzing was her cell phone, buried deep within the back of her pocket. Standing up off of the couch she slid her hand into the pocket, yanking out the cell along with a few other random things she had stuffed down there and forgotten about. Cocking her eyebrow casually she flipped the small crimson toy open and brought it to her ear. “Greetings and Salutations!”

“KAR..” The person on the other end was screaming through the phone, over the loud obnoxious music heard playing in the background.

Closing one eye in irritation Kar replied with a solemn, “YEAH WHAT IS IT BECKA?”

“KAR YOU HAVE TO COME!”

Scrunching the brim of her nose, not exactly sure what Becka was currently shouting about, Kar continued the conversation, “Come where?”

“TO JAMES',”

Right… James' party. Kar bit her lip, she had already forgotten about it. Of course, that’s what video games did to her. Peeking her head out the window nearby Kar noticed that it was already dark outside, the sun had disappeared, and despite the buildings and the street lights you could clearly see the brightly lit stars in the black sky. “Right Becka… I donno, I didn’t get much sleep last night and I was--”


“OH KAR YOU ARE SUCH A LOSER!”

Kar growled slightly under her breath at the sudden accusation, “No, Its just that I --”

“KAR YOU GET THAT CUTE LITTLE a** OVER HERE AND HELP ME DRAIN JAMES’ ALCOHOL CABINET DRY!”

Click

And suddenly the conversation was over. Kar left standing there like an idiot on the other end and wondering just how drunk her so called “friend” had gotten, so early in the night. Snapping the phone shut and tossing it against the couch Riddle rolled her eyes, pressing the large silver button to turn off the X-Box, not exactly caring about saving her game or not. She could do it all again, she had plenty of time on her hands... Sadly enough.

With a heavy huff Kar shrugged her shoulders downward, heading toward her full length mirror and taking a look at her appearance. She had gotten ready early this morning, having been out all night at the Witherton place. And being the lazy, tired person she was… Kar got ready quickly.

Of course, she didn’t look bad, wearing a white low cut t-shirt, and black vest. Along with a pair of tight black jeans and a thick metal spiked belt with a batman buckle to top it all off. Her hair, on the other hand… Wasn’t exactly top notch. It was pulled back into a tight pony tail, Kar being unable to take a shower before school. Instead she just pulled it back, splashed some make up on her face and left.

Now she was staring at herself, wondering whether or not she should go to a stupid Halloween party. Thrown by a bunch of idiots, that claimed to be her friend. Not to mention what would she dress up as? That was the point of Halloween after all right? Although now a days, Halloween was about dressing up as skanky as possible for the girls, and get wasted to the point of death for the guys!

Halloween for Riddle on the other hand, had always been about an awesome costume and bag full of candy! This year however, Kar was just planning on sleeping through it. That seemed like the best idea…

But here she was, getting ready for a party she didn’t really want to go too! But hey, maybe she’d have some fun? … Make new friends? Anything other than laying around doing nothing, again! So with an easy turn Kar made her way to the washroom, changing from one mirror to the other. Inside she watched herself rais her arm and slide the green elastic out of her hair, slowly the locks fell around her face. The straight hairs reaching just below her chin.
Getting the hair spray out Kar styled and shaped it until it was set just above her chin. The bleach blonde locks looking for the first time today neat and clean. Choppy like it usually did… No longer like a dead rodent had slept atop her head all day.

Afterwards Riddle bent down to fumble through her counter doors, searching and finding a small yellow makeup kit, one in which she opened every morning. Setting it on the counter Kar took out what she had and added the make up to her face. Only eye shadow, liner, and mascara… She wasn’t one to take hours covering her face in the stuff.

It took nearly 15 minutes for her to get ready, all she needed to do now was leave. So, once more locating her ninja back pack. The very item Kar carried around with her like a baby blanket.
Her fingers clasped around it and lifted, tossing the thing over her shoulder as she had done a million times before and leaving her bedroom. Unlocking the door and mumbling a quick “Bye,” as she exited the house. Her family not exactly concerned about what she did with herself. Especially since she didn’t go into detail with them one days they actually managed to get something out of her.

Exiting the house and moving briskly down the walk way Kar fumbled through the pockets on her bag for her keys. The night air was crisp, and refreshing. Hints of morning dew were already evident and a slight breeze could be felt slinking up her arms and neck. Kar could hear her feet click and clack against the pavement. Smacking and sliding against the ground with every step she took. Her black and green skater shoes loose and comfortable. Not like the stupid heels, or flats that most girls wore now a-days.

Riddle found her keys with ease, and stuck them into the side door, turning it with a quick slide of her wrists and tugging the heavy thing open. She shoved her bag into the passenger seat, again, and then sat down herself, closing the door afterwards. The night air being blocked off.

This time, the car didn’t start as easily. Kar had to fight with the ignition… Turning it a number of times before finally it started up for her. She grinned, quite glad she didn’t have to call someone for a ride. Although she could have simply stayed home had that happened. And dealt with the drunk phone calls she was sure she’d receive all night long.

Pulling out of the driveway and onto the road, Riddle navigated her way to James’ house, parking at the end of a long line of cars and getting out of her own. It was better to park farther away, then less idiots would mess with her vehicle! The cool walk to the house woke her up, the leaves shook around her from the slight breeze. It was the only natural sound that could be heard over the booming music coming from James’ home… A sound that got louder and louder the closer Kar came too the doorway.

A sigh escaped her lips as she knocked on the front door waiting for it to open.

[Jaist Morgan]

Peter James Lake
『Mr. Funny Bones』

What the hell was wrong with this house? Peter sat on the floor of the room, near the others, his heart racing. They were supposed to spend the night here? It was dark, and dank, and it even smelled creepy. The camera that never left his side and was really only shut off when he slept did a circuit of the room, surveying everything with its tiny light. Not that it even gave off that much. It would light a section of the room, only to be swallowed by the gloom before it got very far. It almost seemed to defy the laws of physics. The room they were in had two couches, both rather moldy, and He and Luc had given them to the girls. He was ok with that. There were probably spiders in the couches, and Pete just couldn’t abide spiders. They were terrifying frankly. As was the dark, deep water, being alone, the woods and heights. But that had never stopped him from making the craziest and best videos the school and the internet had ever seen. Jackass videos, Skateboarding videos, Stunts, funny human videos, even some stop motion and serious short dramas. No matter what, the shot has to be taken. It’s all about controlling nerves. You just got to do it.

But this place, it was wringing in the last of his nerves. He just wanted to go home. But he couldn’t. He didn’t want to be labeled a chicken. Tulli asked nervously if anyone wanted to talk, stuttering with cold or nervousness, he couldn't tell. He couldn’t just leave the girls here. Could he? Peter jumped at a noise behind him. He spun quickly, camera leading, to where the noise had come from. He had just enough time to see a mouse scurry across his path. He took a deep breath and forced himself to relax. He was mostly hearing things, of that he was pretty sure. But still. Peter forced himself to turn off the camera and relax, laying back on his sleeping bag and putting his head on the small bag that he kept his change of clothes in. He closed his eyes, forcing them to stay shut every time he wanted to rip them open to look at a new noise. He slowly began to relax and drift off into an uneasy sleep. But right before he drifted off, he could have sworn he had heard some heavy breathing in another room besides what had been taken over by the use of their group.

The next morning, Peter, Kar, Luc, and Tullip all left, no one speaking really. Maybe a word here or there, but Peter couldn’t remember saying anything to any of them. It was so awkward. He had changed in the room, he didn’t care who saw him in his underwear, they had been friends before for years and he had seen all of them in at least some state of undress. Now he was dressed in just black and white pinstripe slacks with his Lakai skate shoes under them. He wore a white button up, with the sleeves rolled up, and a Skankin’ Pickle t-shirt over it (he listened to lost of music, mostly punk and ska). He had a military jacket that he slung over one shoulder, and his school back with also had his clothes in it was over the other. His hair was spiked yesterday, but was now partially down and very messy. He shrugged; nothing he could do about it. The group walked out of the house, straight to the gate and out. Peter took a last look around, looking over the house with his camera, one last time in the daytime. ”Well, we stayed the night, and we didn’t get eaten. Not a bad adventure. This will certainly go in the archives. Dated October 30 through the 31.” He turned the camera to himself as his said all of this, looked at Tullip, Luc, and Kar each individually and then shut the thing off and put it in his bag. He left without a backwards glance, got into his car and drove off.

Peter got to school and did what he normally did. He hung out with his friends, not those who he stayed the night with. They had all gone their separate ways a little while back. It was good memories, but that was it. Just memories. He had new friends now. Thought they weren’t as fun as his old group, who just hung out and did what they wanted, it was fun. Sometimes. They partied mostly. And Pete didn’t really like parties, though people liked him to go. He would usually video things and make funny videos, tell jokes and stories, make absurd speeches. What ever would make people laugh. That was what he did best. Peter was a comic. He loved to make people laugh, and he was good at it. He was even doing stand-up on the weekends at clubs when he could make the time. It was good money and so much fun. And the parties he went to gave good material for his jokes. He had this one joke about this girl who had thrown up on her boyfriend while they were making out in the closet of a friend’s… you know, you really just have to hear it for yourself. It’s very good.

As the last class of the day finally let out, Pete let out a sigh of relief and left the classroom. He walked down the hall, lost in his own thoughts about the night before. It was odd how the entire night it felt as if he and his three companions were not alone in the house. It was a spooky thought; one that gave him shivers even as he thought about it now. He was so unobservant; he nearly bowled over a guy. ”Uh, James. Sorry man. Not paying attention.” The cocky, good-looking blond boy grinned at Pete and grabbed his shoulder. Peter was about two or three inches shorter than the tall young man and had to look up at him a bit. ”Hey, Pete, just the guy I wanted to see. Hey, you’re coming to the party tonight right?” He asked, but it wasn’t really a question. A yellow invitation was shoved into his hands. Peter opened his mouth to say, that he didn’t want to, but was interrupted by James and his ego. ”Hey, you’re in good with Kar Coles, right?” Pete stared at the blond boy somewhat suspiciously. ”I used to be. We don’t talk much anymore.” James waved his hand to stop him. ”Look, whatever. Just get her to come, ok. Later dude.” He ruffled Peter’s hair in an annoying way and walked off. Pete shook his head, trying to get the feel of the overbearing guy off of him. He didn’t want to go to the party, but it seemed as if he had to. He sighed, but decided that as a little bit of retribution he would do nothing about Kar. No reason to get her involved.

- - - - - - - - - -

It was several hours later and Pete was getting ready for the party. He had just taken a shower and had spiked his hair again in the normal fashion for him. He had also changed his wardrobe. This time, since it was a costume party, he wore his dad’s old army uniform, the dress one. He thought it looked pretty sweet, with the medals his father had won in the service. Not that his father was around to see it. His father had died a few years ago from a brain tumor. Peter had been very close to his dad, and it had torn his apart to see his father, always a strong man, lying sick and thin in a hospital bed, tubes and wires monitoring his heath. His mom and siblings, an older brother, two older sisters, and a younger sister sitting, crying, holding his father’s withered hands. Peter, who had always been a bit strong willed and rebellious, the troublemaker and black sheep of his family, had only been able to watch an cry. He hadn’t done anything worth his father’s love. His brother had gotten the brains in the family, and was working on a doctorate in Theoretical Physics. His oldest sister had been given the looks, the other getting the maternal and loving ways that had made everyone love her. His younger sister had gotten the athletics like her father, playing softball and volleyball. What had Peter ever done? Told a few jokes, made some people laugh; what good was that? However, it had been he who had taken his father’s last words. While saying their last goodbyes, Peter James Lake had looked at his son, Peter James Lake jr. and had said. ”Thank you son, for having spirit, and making me laugh.” And with those words, Peter's father had died.

Pete hadn’t come out of his room for four days. Luc, Kar and Tulli had finally talked him out to get food and go to school. It had been very difficult, but with the help of his friends and girlfriend at the time, he had made it. What had happened to that friendship, that love that the four of them had had. They had been nearly inseparable as youngsters, and now as young adults, they rarely spoke to each other. Even if he and Tulli had broken up…

But, giving himself one last look in the mirror, he grabbed his camera, whose battery had been charging, and left his house. He had written his mother a note that he would be out tonight and he would be back eventually. She didn’t usually worry about him when he told her he would be out. So, he left the note and dropped into his car, a green 1996 Firebird Formula. He put his iPod into the plug and blasted “Radio Nazi” by Stuck Lucky, while pulling out of his driveway and heading to James’s house. He parked at a nearby park and pulled out his iPod, now playing “Middle Finger Paintings” by The Carry-Ons. Pete walked up the street, his iPod playing in his ears, his hands fiddling with his camera, not really looking at anything. He mounted the steps to James’s house and was nearly knocking before he looked up. He was rather stunned to see Kar standing there, apparently waiting for the door to open.

Pete pulled out his headphones, dropping his camera to his side. Oh, Kar. Hey. Peter felt awkward now. He hadn’t even talked to her today. He looked her up and down. Normal dress for Kar, really. She was a pretty girl, and very cool, in her own way. In fact, she had been the one to get him reading comic books. He was actually currently reading through The Watchmen for the third time, which she had gotten him for his birthday a while back. He smiled at her, but something didn’t seem right. The face, no, the clothes, no, the attitude, no, the place, no… wait. ”Kar, why are you here? I thought you hate parties.” He looked at her curiously, then shrugged. ”I was pretty sure you hated James too. He likes you I think. He asked me to try to get you to come. I wasn’t going to ask you for your sake, but since you’re already here, there’s nothing I can do but hope you survive. Look out for James, I don’t trust him farther than I can throw him, and I’m not as strong as you might think.” He grinned and stood in a goofy pose, showing off his slim frame. He shook his head and looked towards the door. ”Did you knock already?”




Is this a tragic end for me?
Or will the sequel set me free?
If you want to know if this is imitation or something real
If you want to be here in my feature film
Then take your plane and sail off

[HoRRiDx]

• | • | • | • xxxxxRiDDLE
>> Now adays everybody wants to talk, like they've got something to say;

Kar sniffed slightly, the cool nights air nipping at her nose as she stood waiting in front of the doorway. She had knocked twice already, and was still waiting for the door to be open. Revealing what would most likely be a dank smelling home filled with boisterous teenagers. Along with them and the Music Riddle assumed the noise level was most likely far too loud for anyone to hear her faint rapping.

She stood there a moment, a moment than turned into seconds and seconds that became minutes. The time standing there had her thinking that perhaps it was fate? The people inside taking so long to open the door gave her a chance to slip away… Go home and sleep until her head hurt from laying down so long! She had done it before, it was a wonderful feeling. Sleeping so long you were actually tired again when you woke up.

Sighing Kar finally came to a decision, she was going to leave… But as soon as the girl was about to turn away from the door a hand reached up from behind her, and began knocking against the thick wooden panel. Out of sheer habit, Kar looked behind herself and back to the door quickly. She needed to do a second take to make sure it was exactly whom she thought it was. Feeling slightly awkward when she realized that Peter was standing directly behind her, and had yet to notice.

Suddenly Riddle had forgotten all about leaving, and instead stood there stiffly, trying not to stare at her -used to be - friend. Something the girl tended to do with everyone in her vicinity. But this time it was worse, having not spoken to Peter all day. Nor much the night they spent together.

“Oh hey Kar,” that was it, he’d finally noticed she was standing there. With a slight turn of her head Kar acknowledged him back, nodding with a sort of half smile.

“Hi, Pettie!”

Pettie? Kar looked away, frowning as she mentally cursed herself. Had she ever called him Pettie before? She remembered Tullip had often referred to him as Pettie, but Kar herself had always preferred Pet or Lake.

There was a long silence, not much conversation going on between the two of them. And despite the fact that only a few seconds had passed it had felt like an hour or so to Riddle.

“Kar, why are you here?” The sudden question was a good one, although Kar still narrowed her eyes slightly. Was it so strange? Her being here… “I thought you hated parties.” The second comment caused her eyes to loosen slightly. It was a common known fact that Riddle didn’t exactly attend the big parties… but she never said she hated them, exactly.

“I was pretty sure you hated James too!” Kar snickered, was it that obvious? “He likes you I think. He asked me to try to get you to come. I wasn’t going to ask you for your sake, but since you’re already here, there’s nothing I can do but hope you survive!” Riddle laughed lightly to herself at that, Peter tended to say allot in a very short amount of time. Something she’d always liked about him.

It was definitely a trait they shared.

“Look out for James, I don’t trust him farther than I can throw him, and I’m not as strong as you might think.”

Cocking her eyebrow Kar gave Peter a look that clearly told him she could handle herself! She may have been small… weak, and generally horrible at anything athletic but she could still kick like nobodies business.

Biting the inside of her lip Kar tried not to laugh at the sudden position Peter had put himself in. He could be such a dork sometimes… And that was coming from Riddle herself. Kar was not sure whether or not Peter was trying to make actual conversation with her, or if he was simply talking because he felt awkward in her presence? They had hardly spoken a word to one another in so long, and here he was… making jokes?

Lowering her gaze she noted that the dark haired male had the infamous camera in his hands, Kar thought momentarily about her past, and how she was sure that herself, Tullip and ___ were the only ones who had ever seen him without it. If just for a few seconds.

“Becka would have drunk dialled me all night if I didn’t come…” Riddle mumbled in response, shrugging like she didn’t really care before patting her butt with her left hand. She had been attempting to indicated her cell phone, but in the process found it was not currently in her pocket.
Suddenly Riddle found herself feeling up all of her clothes for the hard metal box. “Fuuck,” She must have left it on the couch at home. Of course she wasn’t given much time to hate herself for doing something that stupid, because as soon as Peter mentioned knocking, the door opened.

Typical they answered him and not her.

“PETER,” A few drunken idiots flung their hands through the doorway, grasping the boy around the shoulders and patting him like they hadn’t seen him in years. “YOU MADE IT MAN,”

Apparently his friends didn’t hesitate to start without him. The smell coming off one of the taller ones breath was more than she could handle, so instead of sticking around to “catch up” with Peter, Kar pushed her way past them and into the house.

“KAR BEAR,” The nickname pierced her ears as a squealing female wrapped her hands around her shoulders and pulled her… a little too close.

“Beck,” Riddle forced a grin, “I thought I told you never to call me that,” Her fake smile turned upside down, and suddenly Kar was glaring at Becka, “EVER!”

“Oh hott stuff, lighten up! It’s a PARTY… have a drink,” Becka’s arms flung around her like a monkey on drugs as she grasped for the nearest beverage and drew it quickly to Kar face. Kar in turn opened her mouth and let the pink grap fruit tasting liquid tickle her taste buds and slide down the back of her throat, rather than spitting it up and getting it all over herself.

“Gah,” she choked slightly, pushing away the Smirnoff cooler and retching a little in the process. “You know I hate that s**t,” Kar growled, pushing Becka off of herself and wiping away at the alcohol that missed her mouth and dribbled down her chin.

“Kar, you party pooper,” Becka slurred,

“Please Beck, this is what? 5 percent alcohol… how are you already drunk, its not going to taste very great when it comes back up in the morning!” Kar raised one of her thin blonde her eyebrows at the brunette before grasping at the now empty glass container. Taking one last look Riddle tossed it over her shoulder; Not exactly caring if she hit anyone.

“Sure it will, it’ll taste like grape fruit!” Becka added, her friends giggling at everything either of them said. Although Kar was pretty sure none of them understood half of what was going on around them. Sighing she managed a long drawn out roll of her eyes, there was really no dealing with a drunk women was there?

“Go get a DRINK!” Becka added, a big grin on her face, her thin arms extending toward a counter off in the corner. “Or I’ll get another one of these and force it down your throat…” Beck smiled brightly, her teeth slightly pink from the beverage. Somehow; and Riddle had no idea when it happened, Becka had found another drink.

“Fine,” Kar gave the bubbly b*****d one last glare before turning away, Thinking only about how Becka was way to happy for her own good, and that a thick wooden bat might fix that…

Of course, if Riddle assaulted her, that would definitely leave a big black splotch on her permanent record. Not that she believed it affected her in any way. Just the sitting around, explaining herself, and basic all out whining of the teachers wondering ’why everyone can’t just get along.’ Kar scoffed at the thought as she neared the counter. Kicking harshly at a few random beer cans, and plastic cups as she went. The floors were coded in some strange, invisible, sticky substance that suctioned the bottom of her shoes against the floor with every step. Ignoring it the best she could Riddle laughed at the idea of James having to clean up this mess before his parents came home from whatever vacation allowed him to have such a party.

[- colours and carousels]

||xxAidenMariia.♪♪

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx`one more word, and you won't survive --

BANG.

A pair of beautiful yellow eyes fluttered open. It would seem someone had dropped the ladder from the attic. There was no question on who that was. She rolled her eyes. Why he would be so rude as to wake her up like that, she couldn't understand. She was the last vampire you wanted to piss off. She didn't move immediately, but stayed immobile. She had rested standing up, and found herself in the corner of her room. Her small room. There was a small bed, but she preferred to stand. She had a room that she would assume had been one of the guest rooms, back when the house was used.. by humans. She had picked her room for the view though, and only that. Its size was of no importance to her. Most of the rooms were on the other side of the house, and had windows overlooking the gates. She didn't want that, however, as it made her terribly angry even to look at them. They had kept them prisoners in this house for too long, locking them away from the enjoyment of human blood. No, her single window overlooked the backyard. The gardens, and trees that would have been beautiful. Once apon a time. Now, the yard was a desolate wasteland. Lifeless. She enjoyed sitting under one of the many Weeping Willows, and listening to their pain. For they were empty shells of previous life. Just like her, and the companions that kept her company in this old, and empty house.

The room which she called her own was practically empty itself. She had moved most of the various items into another room, across the hall. She didn't like the clutter. There was only the bed left, which she didn't know why she kept it. Maybe it was for something to sit on, as she gazed out the window. Maybe it was so the room wasn't completely empty. Who knew? She was hard to understand, even to herself. Most of the things she did were spontanious, and her mood was the same. She would be seemingly happy one moment, and be yelling your face off the next. No, she was a creature best left alone, to dwell in her thoughts. Which were mostly deranged, and perverse. She was practically two faced the way her moods swang. And disturbing her sleep was something that made her angrier than ever.

She sighed, and made her way down the stairs to find him. She had heard him thunder down the stairs, and make more noise down there. As she glided down gracefully, a scent hit her nostrils that she hadn't smelt in a long time. Humans. She snarled as her face distorted itself. What, in the hell, were humans doing in their home? She could tell they had already left, but not long ago. How long had they been there? How many? And why. Why was the most important question. Why had they entered the place? And why, oh why, did they leave unharmed. She hated actually putting violence to use, but thought about it often. She hadn't tasted fresh human blood in years, and longed for it, even just a little bit.

Although she craved the taste, she still felt ties to her human life, and often felt a horrid feeling after murdering. Even just an animal. She wouldn't have wanted her life to be ended like that, so why should anyone else deserve the fate? Not that it mattered. She did end up with that fate. Well, not quite. She ended up with a fate better in some ways, but worse in most ways. An eternal fate. And there was nothing she could do about it. She remembered the night they came here well. Teens, reckless and carefree. That had gotten them into this mess. She had fallen asleep in the living room, on the couch. She woke up the next day, with a set of beautifully white fangs, and dazzling yellow eyes. What had happened? They had trespassed into the home of a vampire. They tried to escape many times, but the gates held them inside, like animals, caged.

She smelt him, and heard him long before she reached the bottom of the stairs. She walked in, and looking directly at Benjamin, anger seething out of her."Why, did you wake me up?" Her voice was smooth, deep, and slow. Almost like a wind chime, it was musical, in its own way. "And, what is the smell of humans doing in our living room?" She was irritated, and wanted answers. She knew that he had disturbed her sleep on purpose. There was no way that, being the graceful creatures they were, they could make that much noise unintentionally. He had interupted something she had not been happy experiencing, though. Her dreams were not good this night. They consisted of her feasting on many humans. Strangely dressed humans. Some even looked like they were attempting to look like vampires themselves. Though, not real vampires. Just what humans thought vampires looked like. When really, you didn't need the funny looking cape, and plastic fangs. All you really needed, was the real fangs, and a lust for blood. Oh, and a vampire to change you of course. Which most vampires didn't do in the first place, and usually just sucked their victims dry of blood. She often wondered about this, and wanted to know if she could have the restraint to change a human. Aiden had only had one human to herself. A stray wanderer. She stood at the gates, and beckoned him in. It was not hard, she was very beautiful, as vampires are. Now, this dream of satisfying her thirst would have been good. Except it wasn't satisfying her thirst at all. Each human she drank dry, only made her thirstier.

Her eyes rolled up, as she breathed in deep. The smell was amazing. She stared at Benji. She was impatient, and on her last nerve. The smell was making her dizzy, and oddly thirsty. She needed to have blood. And now. She sat down on the couch, barely able to stand the dizzyness now. Her anger was slowly dissolving, and being replaced by pure hunger. She was ravenous, and it was all because the smell was getting to her head. She stared ahead, her eyes unfocused, as she imagined the taste of the blood. Imagined the last bit of life draining from the human in her hands. How was she going to stand this pain? There had to be some way to lure another human behind the gates, leading them into the trap of the vampire's lair. Her anger built up again, as she thought about the fact that the humans had made it out alive, when they had been thirsting for blood for so long.

[xx___ENZERU]

even the sunlight's warmth isஜ

______________________ღlike an icy { ⓓⓐⓡⓚⓝⓔⓢⓢ } to my heart

______Celeste E. Kwon

quεεn øf hεaяts

in the black ηigħt sky, ☽
in the 『 center 』of the brightly shining ✩stąrs✩,
is that the p ℓ ą c e that I was born?

this is my story. . .

{"What is this smell?"

"Who are they?"

"Why do I feel so many different kind of emotions?"

So many questions were running through Celeste's head as she was slowly awaken by the new scent, voices, and emotions. Before any of her senses had been assaulted, Celeste had been simply stuck in her labrynth, in her dream, looking for a way out. But now, as she was slowly waking up, Celeste was able to see a light at the end of one of the passages in the labrynth. She just ran towards the direction of the light and when she reached the end, Celeste eyes snapped open. She slowly sat up from her victorian style bed. Celeste looked around the room and frowned wondering what had made her wake up. Her room was quite simple and plain. It would seem that this room belonged to a human girl during the time the house was occupied by humans. The room actually faced the gates, but she made sure not to look outside. At the moment, the house was silent, but Celeste knew that she heard voices downstairs. When she inhaled deeply, Celeste smelled the scent of human blood, which she frowned at.

human blood?!

Celeste pulled the covers of her body and got off her bed when she suddenly heard a slam and loud footsteps heading downstairs. Now, she only knew one person who would make a lot of noises. Celeste sighed softly and ran her hand through her hair. Once again she started to frown wondering about the humans who had visited this house. "I never did think that humans would come here again," she murmured to herself while walking over to the window and peering through. As Celeste looked outside, she felt frustrated at the fact that she was stuck in this house. What I would do to just get out of here, she thought bitterly. Though it had been a while, but she still remembered her life back when she was still a human. Back then, Celeste would've never guessed that she would become vampire and be trapped inside a house. Just going through her memories started to make her blood boil from frustration and restlessness. Celeste took a deep breath to calm herself down and control her temper. Once she felt that she had calmed down, Celeste made her way to the door.

Before Celeste even made an attempt to open her door, she heard another loud crash coming from downstairs and sighed. "He really got to somehow control that temper of his," she muttered to herself while shaking her head. Celeste grabbed the door handle, turned it, and pulled the door open. Just as she opened the door, the scent of human blood became stronger and she felt her eye twitch a bit. I shouldn't have chosen the room above the living room, she thought while trying to subdue her thirst for blood. By having a room above the den, the smell of human would linger around and pretty much drive her crazy for a while. As Celeste walked down the hallway towards the staircase, it looked like she was floating gracefully instead of walking. While going down the staircase, Celeste could already feel the tension at the living room. A fight was one thing Celeste didn't need at the moment, but she doubted that her wishes would come true.

Celeste quietly entered the living room and had a small dizzy spell from the intense smell. She mentally cursed at the group of humans for staying at the house. Once she felt that the spell went away, Celeste glanced over at Benjamin and Aiden, with a blank face. She just watched them to make sure that they wouldn't get into any fight. When it came to anytime of situation, Celeste never was the type of person to take immediate action. In fact, she had always been the one standing on the sideline and only coming out when things get too chaotic. As she continued to watch the two vampires, Celeste silently wondered how she got the role as the peace keeper in the group, not that she minded.

"Why, did you wake me up?"

"And, what is the smell of humans doing in our living room?"

For a short moment, Celeste allowed herself to look around the living room and noticed all these little changes that no human would be able to catch. The joy of being a vampire, she thought sarcastically. Celeste noticed strands of hair lying around, the different type of scents which indicated that there was more than one human who had stayed in the house, and the slight change in room overall. "Aiden, I'm sure Benjamin didn't mean to wake you up with all that noise." Celeste had always had a soft, velvet-like voice, which sounded like water running through a small stream. }

[Jaist Morgan]

Peter James Lake
『Mr. Funny Bones』

There was that awkward silence, that quiet between two people who had once been friends. It shouldn't have been like that. Peter and Kar had been best friends not that long ago. He had shared with her, along with Tulip and ____ Some of his most intimate fears and feelings. They knew things about him that not even his parents knew. But at the moment, it felt like the two were new acquaintances, and that he had just walked in on her in the shower, or something equally embarrassing. It caught Pete almost off guard. He fidgeted with his camera for a moment, wishing he was anywhere else but here.

Wait, had she called him Pettie? He looked at her curiously, which was rather easy, she was short, and he was just over six feet. She hadn't really called him that had she? Only Tulli had ever called him that, and even then, infrequently. At least, he had stopped noticing after a while. But, car. He decided to keep talking through the silence, since it was rather awkward and depressing. And so, what came out was just a blathering of nonsense directed at Kar trying to keep her from realizing how awkward he felt right now. He hadn't meant to leave her, or _____ for that matter, out of his and Tullip's growing popularity. He thought they would all stay friends, that popularity didn't matter. But he was wrong.

Popularity did things to people. Thankfully, Pete wasn't too affected, he wasn't a jock or super popular, he was the good looking, rebelious, slightly odd, funny guy. He was just generally well liked by most people. That was no crime was it? Maybe not, but he had done some horrible things. To get to be the funny man, he had to play some nasty jokes on poor freshmen and dorks. It had made him calloused to others feeling. His humor was witty, but dark and sarcastic, biting through to harsh cores and revealing horrid truths about certain people that made them cry, but everyone else laugh. He had been insulted enough as a small kid to know how bad it hurt, but still he did it. Making fun of people was the way he lived, and stayed popular. And while he was generally funny and made frequent appearances at night clubs, and school, he ruled to make others cry. And he was very good at it.

He remember one in particular. He couldn't remember what he had said, nor what he was thinking, but he had picked someone out for a joke, not knowing who it was. And he remembered the look on Kar's face when she had turned around to face him. His insides had melted at the look on her face, anger and betrayal. He could never really know, but it had seemed like she was about to cry from anger or embarrassment. Or perhaps both. After that, he hadn't really talked to kar. It had been over a year ago, perhaps two, but it may have been the final blow that had driven the four away from each other. It felt like his fault. Trying to distance himself, he stopped speaking to _____ all together, and he broke up with Tulli a month or so later. It had been a semester long nightmare that to this day, he found lurking by his unconsciousness, threatening to make him remember.

And remember it he did, as she told him about getting drunk dialed. How could she stand him, after he had treated her, not like a friend, but an inferior. He felt like s**t, as if he would suddenly throw up. He opened his mouth to apologize. He had to reconcile, even if she didn't accept it, he still had to try, to let her know how sorry he was. That he hadn't meant it, and that if he had known it was her, he would never have said it. But all that came out was, "Kar, I'm sorry for-" before a group of behemoths, drunk and answering the door, came out shouting. "Peter, You made it, man." He could only mutter, "Aw, s**t!" Before he was pulled bodily into the room.

Before he could think twice, he was jostled around the perimeter of the house, meeting and greeting everyone, being force to tell jokes, and choke down a lot of alcohol. Peter thought he was rather tolerant with alcohol and he didn't ingest too much of the stuff. Mostly it was lightweight stuff like beer and coolers and such. He didn't care much, but he drank when he had to. But finally, James noticed him, and walked straight to him, well, tried to walk straight to him but at this point, he was rather drunk, so straight lines didn't come as naturally to him as to other people. But finally he made it, and grabbed Pete forcibly and marched him to a table and set him bodily upon it, yelling something about a bit of comedy. Pete obliged, though grudgingly. He preferred a smart crowd to a drunk one, so they would get his jokes. But, he had to do what he had to do.

"Friends, Drunkards, Classmates, Lend me your Beers." Upon saying this, he snatched a beer from a nearby person and raised it above his head. "My friends, the hour is nigh, for once day comes upon us, hangovers will burn our heads and light will blind us as it never had before. But until then, drink from the liqueurs of Bacchus and be happy, but be forewarned friends, that the muses of merriment will be brought to the end, for the days of Apocalypse and the return of Kronus, to take back what is his. But till then, Drink to wear away the days that have haunted you til now. And please, may the gods remember, Leave some booze for me." Thought he was sure most people wouldn't understand what he was saying, most of the room roared with laughter at what they thought was a silly saying in the form of shakespearean dialect, but it was much more than that.

He was helped off the table by James, who was drunk but very strong. He feigned a stumble against him, and the player laughed and slapped him on the back. "Maybe you've had enough Pete." He said, grinning stupidly down at him. "Perhaps so James, but you may want to cut back a bit as well." James laughed and boasted about his alcohol tolerance for a while before stumbling off. With a grim set to his mouth, Pete went off to find Kar.

He found her at a counter and sidled up near her. "Kar." He said as quietly as he could for her to hear him over the music, but so no one else could. "Let's get the ******** out of here. This parties bogus and i have just the thing to get these guys in trouble. Especially James." He hated James and had no problem doing thing to him that made him hurt a bit. He didn't think James remembered, but before he had gotten popular, Pete was the little guy that James had beaten up several times on the playground and on the way to and from school. Call it a vendetta if you will, but revenge is sweet. He reached into his pocket and pulled out James's phone, which he had stolen out of the drunk boy's pocket. It was one of Peter's many gifts. He grinned. "What do you think? Call his parents, tell them he's in trouble, and get them to come home tonight. I think it would be funny. We could even hide out in the Old Witherton Mansion again if we need to. It's like two blocks from here. What do you say?" He grinned roguishly, tossing the phone from hand to hand, waiting for Kar's reply.



Is this a tragic end for me?
Or will the sequel set me free?
If you want to know if this is imitation or something real
If you want to be here in my feature film
Then take your plane and sail off


((Sorry it's late and only so so. If you don't like what I did I can always change it. Just let me know. I thought it would be funny and get the story moving along a bit. Let me know if you want me to change it.))

[HoRRiDx]

• | • | • | • xxxxxRiDDLE
>> Now adays everybody wants to talk, like they've got something to say;

Kar bent forward over the counter, the corners of it pinched into her stomach as she did so… But it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Just a little uncomfortable. Slowly her blue eyes scanned the area, looking for anything and everything that James had to drink.
It was the normal teenage party crap, cheep bear and fruity coolers. Stuff Kar didn’t exactly enjoy drinking regularly, not that it would be horrible. Its not like she drank them on a day to day basis or anything.

With a sigh Riddle reached forward, wrapping her slender fingers around the nearest bottle of beer and pulled it back to herself. Leaning back the balls of her heels stopped at the floor and flattened against it. And in one swift movement Riddle snapped the cap off against the corner of the table. The beer frothing and fizzing over as she drew it to her mouth for the first time. Careful not to let it spill down her clothes.

She was surrounded by the putrid smell of beer and other alcohols… She didn’t need to smell like that herself.

The crisp liquid tickled her taste buds as it passed over her tongue, the carbonated beverage caused her to gag slightly as she swallowed it down. The beer had gotten warm, after the many hours of sitting out on the tables. Taking another sip Kar turned away from the counter, glancing out over the room at the party goers. Not far off was Becka, laughing and squawking about something Riddle was sure wouldn’t make any intelligent person laugh; drunk or not... But her friends seemed to find it just as hilarious as Beck herself.

The rest of the seen was basic, boys chugging alcohol… Girls smoking on the couches. A quick glance at the clock told Kar that it was just late enough for all of the weaker drinkers to be wobbling about the room. Each one looking for more booze, and something to hump…. All of them hardly able to stand.
They would certainly be feeling it in the morning.

Of course the longer Kar leered at the crowd the more she needed a drink, so titling her head back she chugged down nearly half the bottle before stopping at the sudden hush of the room.
When she lowered the bottle from in front of her face she could see Peter, standing above them all and smiling. “Friend’s, Drunkards, Classmates, Lend me your beers!”

Kar cocked her eyebrow at the site. Was this a common thing for parties?

“My friends, the hour is nigh, for once day comes upon us, hangover will burn our heads and light will blind us as it never had before. But until then, drink from the liqueurs of Bacchus and be happy,” Bacchus? Kar chuckled slightly, knowing full well half of the people in the room had no idea what Lake was talking about! “But be forewarned friends, that the muses of merriment will be brought to the end, for the days of Apocalypse and the return of Kronos, to take back what is his. But till then, Drink to wear away the days that have haunted you till now. And please, may the gods remember, Leave some booze for me.”

There was an uproar of obnoxious laughter throughout the room. Everyone raised their glances proudly as though Peter were some sort of inspiration. Kar managed to force a smile on her face and raise her glass as well, clinking it with various bottles around her own. People patted her and drank back their booze with glee… Whatever had just happened, the partiers seemed much more enthused about what they were doing than before.

Looking back at Peter Kar took a sip as she watched him, leaping down from the table with some assistance from a wobbling James. The sight of the blonde jock caused Kar to choke slightly. She hadn’t exactly thought about James till now, and despite never making the plan. Riddle expected that her little brain cells were working on a way to avoid him since he caught her in the hallway that afternoon.
For a second the girl thought on what Peter had said to her earlier. “He likes you I think. He asked me to try to get you to come…”

Great! Even though Kar had always secretly enjoyed being stared at by people who thought she was a complete ‘freak’ she was never one too like the gawking of guys. It was embarrassing. So with another raise of her wrist Riddle chugged back the rest of her beverage. Letting the liquid slide down her throat and into her stomach with ease before she tossed it aside and bent back over the counter for another.

Once more her stomach pinched against the corner of the counter, the girl barely able to reach the next bottle. Eventually she was able to clasp her fingers around the nearest brown bottle. Drawing back to herself and barely looking it over before the cap was snapped off like the other and guzzled down.

The bottle was empty by the time she heard her name being called softly over the music. Kar turned quickly, her head already light from the frothy liquid and growing more so as she ricocheted off of Peter and back into the counter. The speed in which she had drank the booze wasn’t helping her balance much. So with the turn Riddle managed to bump into him lightly, and loose her grip on the empty bottle in the process.

Kar Coles pale cheeks flushed the lightest shade of pink at the sudden intrusion into her space and for perhaps the longest moment she could only stare at Pet, her blue eyes wide in wait.

Clearing her throat she asked smoothly, “Can I help you?”

“Lets get the ******** out of here. This parties bogus and I have just the thing to get these guys in trouble. Especially James.”

Riddle narrowed her eyes slightly. The look on Lakes face was seemingly innocent but Kar still couldn’t tell whether or not the joke was really on James, or if it was on her. The past indicated toward the lesser of the two, but his smile was honest.

“What?”

“What do you think? Call his parents, tell them he’s in trouble, and get them to come home tonight. I think it would be funny. We could even hide out in the Old Witherton mansion again if we need to. It’s like two blocks from here. What do you say?”

Riddle tilted her head to the side, “You want to know what I say?” She turned away from him for a second to scrounge up another bottle behind the counter. Barely able to reach. “I say,” Her hand slammed down against the cap harshly, popping it off.

Kar took a hasty drink afterwards, a small amount of beer dribbling down her chin and onto her left shoe. At this point of indulgence… she didn’t exactly care about her clothes. Eating before she came to the party would probably have been a good idea!

“I say, we call the firespeople, and when they come with the police…. I trip you and run away!” The corner of her mouth raised in what was the slightest smirk she could muster. Running her middle and index finger in front of her as she spoke. Indicating herself running away. She took another gulp of the drink, not looking from Peter as she did so.

Her deep feeling of bitterness not boding well with the depressant poison currently sinking to her belly.

“Peter!” Kar rolled her eyes, nearly spitting out the bitter tasting liquor as she watched Becka and her posy of brunettes sneak up behind the popular male. Riddle simply laughed inwardly to herself as she listened to them slur, quite unaware that half of what they said didn’t make any sense.

“We loved your speech!” giggle giggle… “You’re sooooo funny!” wobble wobble.

Some of their fruity drinks spilt on the people behind them as they flung their arms willy nilly around Peter. Grabbing and groping at places Kar had never even thought of touching herself. The idea of any of her old friends could have sex lives was just…. Weird.

She blinked repeatedly at the thought. Almost as if she did it hard enough it would be flushed from her brain.

“You haven’t been bugging our little Kar have you?” She swore she saw Becka give a sideways glare at her.

Bobbing her head from side to side Riddle mocked them silently as a reply, before closing her lips around the brown glass and cocking her head backward. Allowing the liquid to once again tickle her taste buds as it slid down her throat. Not stopping until the bottle was nearly empty.

She had to stop when Becka and her friends let out a cackle of a laugh, and nearly spat. There wasn’t one friend she had that didn’t have a crush on Peter or _____ was there?

Suddenly she needed another drink…. Something stronger.

[Xephiire]

• • •

☼ [ B ] e n j a m i n ☼
Quin Stirling
A.k.a. Mister Vengeful

Within seconds, one of his fellow companions was downstairs as well to join him as he simmered in the anger that consumed him. Arms crossed against his chest, he stared down at the overturned couch, his cat-like eyes narrowed. He wasn't going to fix the couch, nuh uh. Someone else could do that, if they wanted the living room to look nice once again. The fresh scent of humans still lingered in the room, clung to the fabric, scattered everywhere, teasing every inch of Benjamins inhuman senses.

"Why, did you wake me up? And, what is the smell of humans doing in our living room?"

Benji rolled his eyes over to Aiden, as if the answer was quite obvious. "Why do you think the smell of flesh is contaminating our home right now? Is it really that hard to come up with an answer?" He could see the flash of irritation in her eyes, and yet that didn't stop him from being bitter. He knew he'd most likely regret acting this way to her later, since she hadn't really done anything to deserve 'the wrath of Benjamin'. Even though, true, it wasn't really wrath... at the moment. "Four idiotic teenagers decided to have a little sleepover here, and not one of us knew of it, and they all left alive. Not one drop of blood spilt, either. Isn't that just grand?" A fake smile was forced onto his lips as he tried to calm himself down, noticing for the first time that Celeste was in the room as well.

"Aiden, I'm sure Benjamin didn't mean to wake you up with all that noise." Ah, so very like the known 'peacemaker' of the group. Waiting until things got bad, before she jumped in, just in case something got out of hand.

Although, with Benjamin and Aiden, it had never gotten horrible between them when they bickered. It usually ended up in play fights, short tussles around the house, or some sort of playful banter between the two, which Benjamin was fine with. It had always been this way between them; When they were in high school, they were those two friends that you couldn't quite separate in the group. Had each others backs, goofed around in their own special way, and argued about the simplest of things. He wasn't sure if Celeste and ____ understood their relationship, and didn't quite care. It's not as if they knew him before his anger, like Aiden did. She was the only one who had seen him slowly change, who had seen his bitterness form and probably the only one who understood why that had happened, since they talked regularly. After all, she was like his crutch, and when something was bothering him, that's who he would go to, of all people. Well, either that, or rip something to shreds, but he was really trying to quit that habit. How many towels and porcelain cups could one rip and shatter before there weren't anymore in the house?

There was always the negative side to having Aiden so close to him, though... The bond that was almost like a couple that had been together for years, without the physical aspects... The feelings that could arise at any moment, and had in the past before Benjamins anger was born... The fact that she was the only one who ever saw his 'soft' and 'sweet' side, when the other two vampires saw him as a ticking time-bomb, ready to explode in a vicious rant or physically break something.

But, years had passed since they had both ended up stuck in this house, thanks to a dare that neither one of them backed down from. At first, Benjamin thought it was fantastic, being immortal and forever young, with enhanced senses and enhanced abilities unlike any mere mortal. He felt reborn, alive and powerful. As if he could do anything... That is, until he found out that he wasn't able to leave the vicinity. The years he had to spend in the same place, his unquenchable thirst growing and gnawing at every inch of his being, tormenting him, teasing him, breaking him, was enough to twist his personality around, was enough to turn him bitter and angry, violent and aggressive... So pessimistic.

Finally letting his arms fall from their position against his chest, he let his cold eyes slide on over to Celeste, an un-amused smile replacing the fake one he had moments before. "Of course I meant to wake her up with that noise. When have I been known to care about how my actions might effect others? Anyway, the gates are open now. Crazy, right? We can actually step foot out of this horrid place." Even though he tried to keep his voice emotionless, the excitement flashed in his eyes, giving his true feelings away. "And d'you know what I'm going to do now that I can finally pass those gates?" He turned from them and headed towards the door, not bothering to wait for a response. "I'm going to pursue those teenagers, and sink my teeth into the sweetest one. I'll be back later." With a dark chuckle, he slammed the front door on his way out and ran.

- - -

It felt like taking a fresh breath of air, being out of that house for the first time in about 40 years. The feeling of the wind through his hair, grass against his bare feet, leaves brushing across his bare arms, and the sun glinting off his inhumanly pale chest... Which, was actually starting to get somewhat irritating, to be truthful. Ignoring the tiny burning sensation on his skin, he entered the forest near to his 'home'. First thing was first, subdue the hunger that was ripping him apart from the inside out. Within seconds, he had a deer pinned to the ground, neck snapped mercilessly to the side, his teeth already cutting through the animals soft flesh. He was so used to feeding off animals that it was just second nature to him, to pounce and kill without thought. The majority of his kills had been the lone squirrels and rabbits that would manage to wander past their gates into his territory, but very rarely would anything larger wander inside to seriously quench his thirst for blood. This was the first real 'meal' he had in a long, long time... Possibly the best meal he ever had, since his tongue had not yet tasted human blood.

Never had he lured a human past those gates, never had he caught one cross his path, never had he torn ones throat out... He was clueless to the sweet taste of a young humans blood, but he would soon see if it was as good as he had heard, wouldn't he? That delicious feminine scent still lingered inside him, and oh how he wanted to see if it tasted as good as it smelt...

Snarling a bit in frustration, he tore at the dead animals neck, ripping it as he often did. He wasn't clean about his kills, no. He liked to destroy his victims... Rip off pieces of flesh and scatter their limbs, feel their blood smeared onto his hands... It never used to be that way; something that had slowly grown into a habit over time, possibly to ease his pain of being trapped in such a small place for so long... Spitting out the meat from his mouth, he frowned and stood up, taking his time to shuffle over to the nearby creek, kneeling down by it to wash the blood off his face, hands, and wherever else it might have gotten. His reflection rippled in the red-tinted water, and he paused for a second, now able to see his full reflection for the first time in quite a while. The mirrors in the older house were either scuffed and fogged up, which made them difficult to truly see every sharp edge of an image, and the other that had once been perfect, had twenty different cracks running through it, courtesy of Benjamin and his known temper.

Forever young, even still... His skin was as smooth as could be, an unusual ivory white that made him look like some perfect marble statue, unbreakable and sturdy. No stubble touched his chin, no wrinkles across his face, other than the small crinkles he got at the edges of his eyes when he smiled, and no freckles falling across the bridge of his nose. His teeth were pearly white, and nearly perfectly straight, except for those long canines that twisted at a small awkward angle, making them more noticeable to whoever caught him smiling. His long lashes casted shadows across his cheekbones, bringing attention to his soft yellow eyes. Flecks of emerald color were scattered around the pupil, making them look almost green, rather than a solid topaz. Which was nice when out in public he assumed, so people wouldn't constantly stare and wonder if he had contacts. Pursing his lips at his reflection, he reached up and ran a hand across his sharp jaw line, eyes narrowing. The only thing that didn't quite fit his 'sweet guy, could do no harm and never kill a squirrel to drain it's blood' image, were the soft shadows under his eyes, giving him that small dangerous edge that each vampire had. Other than that, he looked quite innocent. Except for the fact he, well, wasn't innocent at all.

"Well, doesn't really matter, does it now? Either way, I'll be getting my first human life sometime soon... Hopefully tonight." He spoke to his reflection, a devious grin creeping onto his pale lips. "Ahhh, such the sinner, Benji. Time has turned you into someone you're not..." Letting out a harsh laugh, he placed his hand over the waters surface and messed up his reflection, thinking it looked better distorted rather than handsome. Handsome didn't fit the person he was now.

Standing back up, it took a second for him to turn around and then his image wavered and disappeared from the spot, running once more.

- - -

He had let his nose lead him, following the sweetest scent he had ever come across. Not that it was saying much, since he hadn't caught many scents other than animals, since he had been turned. For all he knew, there could be something sweeter out there... Shaking his head to erase the thoughts, he stood in front of the school he had once gone to, so many years ago. It looked the same, sadly. Lifting his head, he sniffed the air, taking a few steps to the parking lot. Nobody was out here, which gave him time to figure out what he was chasing after.

A car?

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, his sense of smell leading him straight to a car, of all things. But ah, maybe this was a good thing? It was her car obviously... Or maybe it's someone else’s, and she just got a ride here... Which wouldn't be helpful when actually trying to find the damn human-girl, but anyway... Worry about that later, Benji. Nodding slightly, he slowly approached the car, looking in each direction even though nobody was outside anyway.

With one simple jump, he was crouching on the hood of the car, staring through the front window to everything inside. For some reason, he had the strangest urge to press his face against the glass to really see what was inside, without the glare of the sun making it difficult. But, thinking over it, he decided that would be a bad idea. What if he left prints? Suspicious, much? Taking another glace around, he slid off the hood and crept over to the drivers side, gently tugging on the handle to see if the car was even locked. To his surprise, it wasn't.

Opening the door, he quickly slid inside and leaned towards the front seat, in-taking that sweet scent he had been following. No, no, this was definitely her car. Her smell was all over the place! He gently pressed his lips against the headrest and closed his eyes, imagining how the cool material against his lips might just be a soft neck, so easy to puncture and rip into... Then the bell rang, making Benji jump and smack his head on the doorframe, stumbling backwards out of the car and completely out of his little daze now. "Mmrrhh, ow..." Scowling he slammed the door shut and forced himself to walk away from the vehicle, his movements jerky and uncoordinated now as he tried to clear his head of the scent. "Guess that's what I get for trespassing... Although, she did do it first, didn't she?" More meaningless babbling to himself. I've really ought to stop doing that... Don't need to attract more attention than I'm already getting.

Reaching the outer wall of the school, he leaned against it and kept his gaze on the car, ignoring the giggles and stares he was getting from the students who were now out of class. What did he care if they saw him in his pajama pants and found it funny? He'd most likely never see these obnoxious teenagers ever again. When a nearby girl took out her cell phone though to take a picture, he shot a glare her way, watching as she hesitated before deciding better of it... Or maybe she had taken the picture? Hell if he knew.

Finally, someone approached the Chevy impala that he had previously broken into. Female, but he already knew that. Blonde, petite, average yet completely not average, looked like a social outcast... Had metal decorating parts of her body, that he could see... For some reason, she didn't quite fit the image he had in his head, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Watching her get into her car and drive off, he finally pushed himself off the wall and smirked. Now that he knew what she looked like, he had a face to put to his prey. The hunt was on. But first, he needed some clothes.

- - -

Barging back through the front door of the home that he shared, he dropped the numerous clothing items from his arms, letting them collect at his feet. He had only been out for a couple of hours, but maybe nobody was at the house anymore? Instead of yelling to see who answered, he took the front door and opened it, slamming it shut just to open it again and slam it like before.

SLAM!
...
SLAM!
...

Pausing, he waited for anyone to come downstairs and prevent him from slamming it again, and possibly destroying their sensitive hearing, before continuing it.

SLAM!
...
SLAM!SLAM!SLAM!

Chuckling softly, he closed it softly, hoping someone was home and that he had irritated somebody. Oh, how he loved irritating his fellow vampire companions.

- - -

xxDown the hollow, I hear the voices, demons call my name .. << - - - - -
xxxxxxThey beckon me, trying to draw me closer; but I know, no one travels down the hollow.
xxxxxxxxxx- - - - - >> It's a morbid place, home to those who have lost their w a y ..

- - - - - >> .. Shadows fall on yesterday, it's like time just slips away. xx
I'm nothing, when darkness follows me. The dawn, it never shows its head. xxxxxx
I'm left dying here instead with nothing, a lock without a k e y .. << - - - - -xxxxxxxxxx

[- colours and carousels]

||xxAidenMariia.♪♪

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx`one more word, and you won't survive --

Aiden's eyes flashed angrily as Benji retorted. She had a momentary urge to sweep over to him and smack his face. But she didn't, of course. Her and Benji had been friends for over fifty years. What could she have done really? They never listened to each other. They were like siblings almost. They had been friends in highschool, and they had lost their humans lives together as well. They'd been through thick and thin. And they bickered like a married couple. She almost opened her mouth to reply, when Celeste came in, cutting her off with the statement about how Benji probably didn't mean to wake her up. She rolled her eyes. Of course he did. That was the only reason he made so much noise. He could have glided gracefully down, as she did and made no amount of noise at all. She listened to him as he spoke of the teenagers, and stopped dead when she heard him say the gates were open. Her mood immediately changed and a smile lit her smooth, pale face. Before she could reply, he had already made his way out the door, and towards the gate. She sighed sitting down. She wasn't sure if she wanted the freedom yet. I mean, sure she was happy they were open, and she could finally get some real blood in her system. But it was a big step. She hadn't gone farther than the gates in years. Around forty of them. She was the lucky one though. She had had human blood within that time. Only one human. It was the only one she'd ever had. And she enjoyed that more than anything in her entire life. Including her human one.

She looked up at Celeste. "Well. What are you going to do?" She stood up quickly, and made her way to the still open front door. She stared out at the now unlocked gates, confused. Should she leave? Well, that was simple. She made up her mind as soon as she laid eyes on the gate. She turned around, smiling wickedly at Celeste. "Bye, my love" And with that, she whisked out the door, following the scent of the deer's fresh blood that she could already smell. It didn't take long to find. It wasn't far from the home. She could see it teared apart, and instantly was angry. Not at anything in particular. She was just thirsty. Very thirsty. She snarled, her senses taking over. She quickly found a doe, and her baby. Smiling she calmed herself, walking up to it slowly. They were stupid. They did not run, as they would have for humans. No. They stood there, looking at her blankly. She sucked them dry, slowly savouring the taste. Not that it could match up to that wonderful taste of human blood. She left the forest quickly, eager to find someone of the human race.

It didn't take her long to manouver(sp?) her way out of the trees. When she had lived in this town as a human, her house was not far from it. In fact, her house was very beautiful, and she was the one who was supposed to have got it from her parents. She didn't live long enough for that, however. She was sure her younger brother would have had it now. She made a note to go and see it before her day was done. As she made that note, she looked to the sky, the sun burning her eyes. She hadn't even noticed it was up, in her happiness of escaping. Now, she could feel it lightly burning her skin, irritating her. She passed her house, looking at it briefly, before making her way to her old highschool. Of course, where better to start on your search for humans? Teenagers were probably pretty appetizing, and she looked still about the right age to attend. Though her clothing was certainly out of place. She was still wearing the dress she had died in, they had had no clothes to change into. Occasionally, she had taken water from the spring in their backyard, and made a bath for herself. There was no point to it, but it soothed her and made her feel much better about being confined to a big, old musty house. And now, there was blood on her dress, from the deer she had consumed. She could smell the school well before she could see it. There were hundreds of different scents flying at her as she reached it, knowing full well it was each and every individual child's scent.

There was one scent that she recognized immediately. Benji's. So he had chosen to come here too? She had a feeling she had just missed him, and didn't bother to look for him. Instead, she made her way to the front doors of the school, curious to see the inside of it. She entered the doors slowly, her eyes full of wonder. She snorted as she saw what she had come to see. The school was exactly the same. She had noticed it was a bit bigger, and was sure they had added another floor. But other then that it was the same. She wandered the halls quietly, gliding past classrooms, resisting the urge to run inside and drink everyone's blood. She must have looked lost to anyone that would have seen her. She was wearing an old-fashioned dress, that was covered in blood. She was sure she had some on her face too, she didn't bother to wipe it off. She didn't really care what these humans thought. As she walked past one of her old classrooms, something yellow on the ground caught her eye. It was a flyer. It was about a Halloween party, and it was located at a house near the forest by the mansion. And the address was her own. She smiled as she looked at it. So. There was going to be some kind of event in her old house. She wondered if her brother would be there. She assumed he must have kids, if there was a party being thrown. Because he was sure as hell not the party type. He was the little nerd, that nobody liked. He was just over five years younger than her, so he was easily in his early fifties now. This thought made her cringe. It would be odd to see him again. There was no way she could though.

She was happy that it was Halloween. She remembered the holiday well. The holiday where kids would get dressed up, and go door to door to strangers houses to get candy. And when the teenagers would all get together and drink, and do hallucinogens. She laughed, and kept the flyer, eager to make her way home and tell the others. If the others were even there. It was different to be able to leave, and she was sure neither of them would want to be cooped up in there much longer. She had a few strange stares as she walked quickly, almost too quickly, back towards the front doors. The bell had rang before she had reached them, and her face went into a look of shock. There was no way she was going to be in there when students flocked out. She gave up trying to look normal, and sped out the doors, racing back down the road, through the forest, and back through the gates, back to her home. She figured if no-one was there, she would leave the flyer out in the open, where someone would easily find it.

She ran through the doors, slowing down as she entered the living room. Benji was there, with some clothes. She wasn't sure where Celeste was or ______ for that fact. As she thought about it, she relized she hadn't seen him all day. She didn't care at this point in time, though. It was Benji she wanted to talk to. He had been her friend most of her life. He would understand her excitement. She jumped on him as soon as she saw him, smothering him in a big hug. "You'll never believe this." she said, happily. She would be glad to go to her childhood home. She handed him the flyer, and watched his face, waiting for his reaction. "Recognize the address? she asked coyly.

She walked around him, taking a seat on the couch, thinking of a plan. If her brother was there, she'd have a field day scaring the living s**t out of him. She could imagine it now. "Oh, hello Stanley. Miss me much? Yes, its your dead sister. Well, turns out, I'm not really dead, and I've been living up at the old mansion, living off of the blood of animals. What a delightful surprise, no?" She laughed as this thought went through her head. What a great night tonight would be. She hoped very dearly that her brother was present. And that she could see his child, or children, and his wife. In general, just the life he had made for himself. The life she was denied. What made everything so much better was that it was Halloween. Everyone would believe that her beautiful pearly white fangs were fake, and that she was wearing a costume. That she and her companions had the best costumes of them all.

[Jaist Morgan]

Peter James Lake
『Mr. Funny Bones』

He had just walked over to Kar. He had informed her of his plan. His horrible, mischievous plan. Did he really expect her to go along with him? After all, Pete and Kar had barely talked over the last couple of years, except for that short conversation on the porch no more than twenty minutes ago. He shouldn't have expected anything from her, and he knew it. But he thought she would have at least had a laugh with him. Or done it herself with how much she hated James. He shuddered slightly. Why did his first name have to be the same as that s**t-head's. It had been a respectable name, his father's name before it had been his. And that rapscallion had to take the name and turn it into something horrible. His...father.

He hated thinking about that. Even that short thought brought tears to his eyes. He couldn't help it. His father had died. But he shook the thought and tears away. This was certainly no place for a breakdown. But not only had Kar outright rejected his scheme, she had joked with him, in a way very unlike her. It was odd to watch her as she watched him, taking another drink from her beer. Was something wrong with her?

"Kar, are you drunk? Is something wrong?" His brows furrowed in concern as he stepped forward towards her. He was going to get her to talk to him seriously, from the first time since the split up of the group. He would force it out of her if he had to. But about that time, he heard a troupe of giggles and sloshing of drinks. His name was called out, and it was all he could do to turn as he saw a large group of girls, led by none other than Becka, of course, stampeding towards him. They surrounded him before he could do anything but utter the phrase, "Aw, s**t . . ." They were all around him, surrounding him with drunken giggles and wobbles, several of them falling into him in their drunken stupor. It was not that pleasant, though they were all pretty girls.

He smiled a winning smile, and prepared to talk his way out of this one. "Well, thank you very much, I did that for you guys and your entertainment." He lied through his teeth. But the girls ate it up. And then some. He suddenly became the object of all their drunken desires. "Look, I have to go- Woah!- Ok, who touched me there?" There was a lot of groping and touching. While, getting five very attractive girls in bed with him was a rather enjoyable prospective, it was not his goal of the night, and drunk girls, honestly, weren't that good. However, that wasn't the only reason he was rejecting the girls. He was, sad to say, still in love. His falling out with his friends and the break-up with Tulli had shattered his world. He had gone threw a slew of girls after that, one right after another, but none of them had matched up at all. None of them gave him satisfaction. They were too fat, even when they weren't. They didn't kiss right. They weren't pretty enough. No one was ever good enough. And the reason? He was still hopelessly in love with Tulli. But he would never admit that to anyone. He barely admitted it to himself.

But these girls had to go. The groping and touching. Not to mention on sly girl trying to get her hand, unsuccessfully, down his pants. He had to get out. "Look, ladies, this is great, but, aw s**t!" He dropped the phone. And he didn't have James's parents number. Hell, he was pretty sure he didn't have James number. "Look, I dropped something, I need to..." That one girls hand was rather persistent. He tried to turn away, but he was being pressed in from all sides. "I gotta go, you see, I'm meeting someone." Nothing but more giggles. That girl finally got her hand in his pants. "GET THE ******** AWAY FROM ME! His voice roared over the talking of the people, the music that was way too loud, and over the drunken fuzz that was in all the drinkers heads. He stepped back from the stunned girls, wanting to get away from them as quickly as possible, and stormed past Kar, who looked like she wanted something stronger to drink, and out the front door.

He didn't think anyone had ever seen him get angry or yell like that. Well, except maybe Kar. She had seen him at his best and worst back when they were friends. It just didn't happen much that he got angry. He was a normally easy-going guy. He liked simple things and liked to stay away from angry feelings. They weren't all that funny. But that had just gotten to him. It probably hadn't helped that he had been thinking of his father and Tulli recently as well. He threw a beer that had been in his hand against the wall of the house, and watched as the glass shattered and the beer leaked down the wall, like sticky brown blood. How appropriate on Halloween, no? He shook his head.

The porch was a rather long one, with stairs coming up the middle, and chairs for smoking or relaxing outside on the wings of the porch. He sat on the floor of the porch, on one side. It was dark and shadowy, and only people who really looked for him would see him. And let's face it, drunk people can't see well anyways. He was alone.

He pulled out the pack of cigarettes in his front pocket. He slapped the box against his palm a few times to make sure the cigarettes were packed well, then opened the pack and took one out. The long white stick stuck out in the dark. It was a clove cigarette, a real one. It tasted better than a regular. He put the stick in his mouth and pulled out his lighter. He watched the flame, very oddly bright in the dark, as he lifted it to the cigarette. One drag, Two drags. It was lit. He took another drag, breathing it in, and pulled the it from his lips. He let the smoke trickle slowly from his nose and mouth, letting the last of the smoke out in a line from between his lips.

He took another drag and scooted towards the wooden railing on the porch. He put his legs around a post and rested his forehead against it. His cigarette dangled from his right hand, resting on his knee. Why had he come to this party? He hated parties. He just came because he was asked to. Because he was popular and it was expected of him. It sucked. He wished he wasn't popular, that he was still friends with his old friends, who would be sitting at home, talking and laughing, making fun of the people at the party. It was so much fun being an outcast. You had friends. It was very lonely being popular.

Peter watched as a girl walked up the steps of the porch, knocked on the door, and was led in. She hadn't even looked over or noticed him. She was wearing a black, skimpy dress, with pale make-up and fangs tinged with blood on them. A vampire. Ha. He said out loud for the first time in several minutes. He took another drag from his cigarette. This time he lifted his head and blew the smoke straight over his head. While watching the smoke trail off above him, he continued to talk out loud. Hmmm. Makes me wish a real vampire would show up and suck my blood. That would be nice. If i was dead or a vampire, that might make this a lot better. He chucked to himself, resting his head back on the wooden post of the railing. "But that's an unrealistic dream. There's no such thing as vampires."


Is this a tragic end for me?
Or will the sequel set me free?
If you want to know if this is imitation or something real
If you want to be here in my feature film
Then take your plane and sail off



((Finally got one up. I've been crashed with school work. Sorry this is so late guys. I hope it's not dead yet. Is everyone still here?))