Welcome to Gaia! ::

Studious: Eolande enjoys researching and learning new things. She actually enjoys school and her studies. She often has a book of some sort tucked into a pocket or bag with her.

Musically Inclined: While not a musical genius, Eolande enjoys playing the electric keyboard and writing her own melodies.

Creative: When it comes to music, Eolande enjoys writing her own music and lyrics. She has a notebook filled with songs she has created on the keyboard.

Achluophobia: The Fear of the Dark. Fear of the dark is not fear of the absence of light, but fear of possible or imagined dangers concealed by the darkness.

Brontophobia: An abnormal and persistent fear of thunder that causes undue anxiety even though sufferers realize that thunder itself poses no threat to them. When outdoors during a thunderstorm, they may suffer excessive anxiety. When indoors, they may hide under beds or desks, behind sofas, or in closets.

Delicate: Eolande lacks physical fortitude. She bruises easily and tends to break her limbs a bit more easily then most.

Insecure: Eolande is easily demoralized and questions her own skills and capabilities.

# = In Progress, * = Completed RP, - - Over 8 Posts, / /= Over 15 Posts.

/*/ After School Hanging Eolande: Marlon
#Awakening Eolande: Marlon, Aphrodite
-*-Lunch Time Eolande: Marlon
/#/ Browsing the Mall Eolande: Mark
#Bookstore Eolande: Lucienne
-#-Come over to my place Eolande: Marlon
/*/ Working Girl - Mark
Applereach, Dodgeball Yo! Skylar, Tobias, Marlon

Dear Diary

~ Applereach. It sounds like a nice enough of a school. All I cared about was that it was a public one. Jacob wanted to hide me in some private school. He said it would be perfect for turning out a perfect business minded young lady. That, in dad speak, means he wanted to tuck me away where he would not have to worry about me for the last year of school. I had no intention of being filed away so he could travel to the four corners of the world on his 'business' trips. I managed to convince him it would be healthier for my independence if I took care of myself. I mean, I am eighteen. I can look after myself. Jacob gave me a cell so he can call me at any hour and make certain I am doing what I ought to be. I mean, with the GPS tracker in the cellphone he can see where I go and when I am home. It's basically like he is still here. I'm the cat and I have a bell on my phone. So yes...I get to start Applereach and hopefully get to stay until the end of the semester. I hate Jacob's job. I don't even know what it all really is and I hate it. 'Financial Business Consultant'. That is what he says he is. I know it's more then that. I know he helps those big business people hide their money. I know he's responsible for thousands of people getting laid off, just to save the owners more money. I just...have no proof. Not that I aim to. I've seen those cop shows and I know what happens to the people who go snooping.

So yeah. I would rather go to some public school then risk going to a fancy private school where I may meet the daughter or son of one of those people Jacob 'Consulted'.

Hey Diary,

I met up with Marlon today after school. Most of the day was a drag. I have read ahead in most of my classes so I was able to keep up easily while only paying half attention to the lessons. I spent my free period, and some of my classes, working on lyrics for my newest song. It still needs a lot of work. Maybe I will skip class tomorrow or the day after to work on it. Hmm, maybe I can talk Marlon into skipping with me. That would be cool.

Anyways, I heard a disturbing rumor about how Marlon was picking on one of the math kids. I had been disappointed about that and had thought maybe not to talk about it. But Marlon brought the topic up, so I called him on it. It was a relief to know he's not a bully. It doesn't sit well with with me when the people with power pick on the little guys. I'm real glad Marlon is not like that. It was all an accident, and I figure the math kid thought maybe, since Marlon was new, he could try and lash out without having a bunch of meat head friends beating him to a pulp after school.

I've decided to start bringing him lunch to school too. Sounds like his folks are real gems and leave him to fend for himself when it comes to meals. The school lunches are not all that great at times, at least that is my experience. So I will be making him lunch for tomorrow. I got to figure out something good. Maybe rice with sweet and sour chicken? If I put the chicken in one container, and the sweet and sour sauce in a second, and the rice in two separate bowls it should keep everything from getting soggy until lunch time. I can make some apple fritters with caramel sauce for dessert... That doesn't sound like it's overboard does it? Nah. I just want him to want to have lunches with me.

Eolande glanced at the book laid out on the counter as she used a wooden spoon to stir a creamy white sauce in a small pot. She preferred wooden cooking utensils over metal or plastic. Plastic ones tended to melt and leave little bits of plastic clinging to the bottom of the pan or rolled up mixed in with the food prepared. And metal...Metal just added a weird taste to the food as it was prepared. Eolande hated using metal to cook. But not as much as she hated using plastic.

Eolande flicked the page of the cookbook over so she could refresh in her memory what she was supposed to do next. There was something very soothing about cooking. Her mind was able to go blank and she could just forget about the reality around her. Cooking was simple. It had steps, it had time tables, but it was forgiving of small errors. In fact, it was the possible imperfections that added to the flavor of the food. Food was unconditional in it's love. You paid it attention for a time, and when you were done it did not require any looking after. Eolande lifted the wooden spoon from the pot and lightly flicked her tongue over the tip. Rolling the flavor over her tongue, she removed the pot from the heat and picked up a small cup of chopped up herbs. Tipping the cup, she poured the fresh green leaves into the pot and gave it a few quick stirs. Once it was mixed up well, Eolande tapped the spoon on the edge of the pot and placed a lid on it. Well, the sauce was nearly done...

Eolande knelt at the stove and flicked on the oven light to peer through the glass at the shallow pan inside. She could see the crinkly breaded cutlets inside sizzling. The corners were curled up a little bit and she could see the white batter was now completely browned. With a half smile she turned the heat off and opened the oven door. Using a folded tea towel, she quickly removed the shallow pan from the oven and carried the cooked food over to the small table on the other side of the kitchen. There were two settings at the table. Two plates, two bowls, two cups, and a red carnation standing alone in a clear glass vase. Eolande used a fork to pick each of the cutlets up and placed one on each plate. There was corn already scooped into each of the small bowls, a small square of butter half melted and pooling around the glistening corn nibblets. Eolande carried the pan over to the kitchen sink, where a half tub of hot soapy water waited for her to dip the hot pan into. This way the food did not have a chance to settle and stick to the pan while she ate.

Eolande picked the handle of the pot up and took the top off. The white cream was now slightly green, and the strong scent of rosemary perfumed the air. With a pleased expression, Eolande returned to the table and spooned a liberal amount of the cream sauce onto the cutlets.
"All done. Dinner is ready." She spoke aloud.

The house was empty though. No one showed up as Eolande rinsed out the pot and put it into the soapy water. No one called or knocked at the door as she sat down in one of the chairs. No one showed up at all while she cut her meat up and chewed on the corn. Eolande glanced across at the empty seat and smiled faintly at the vacant air.

"School is pretty okay." She spoke to the shadow crossing the back of the chair. "I haven't gotten to know many of the kids yet, but I have not run into any real jerks. Actually I think this school is pretty cool in compare to all the others." Eolande spoke on while she ate. She paused now and then, and blushed a sudden dark pink. "No. Marlon and I are just friends. He's going to play hooky with me tomorrow. He's the best friend I've had in years. I'm really glad I'm going to Applereach." Eolande glanced down at her now empty plate and glanced over at the untouched food across from her. "No don't worry. I'll get the dishes. And yes. My homework is done. I'll read ahead though to make up for the classes I'm going to miss tomorrow."

Eolande rose and collected her dirty dishes. Carrying them to the sink she dropped them into the water. Silence followed as she washed the collection of dirty dishes. With a glance over her shoulder she asked. "Are you done? How did you like dinner?" Silence continued on while Eolande collected the food still upon the plate. Carrying the plate and bowl, she used a toe to tip the pedal and open the garbage can. Without a blink, she dumped the food into the garbage, then moved on to wash the dishes.

"I'll finish up here and then turn into bed early I guess. I want to read a bit before sleeping. I have this great new book filled with all sorts of recipes I want to try. I'm thinking of making lamb with a cherry glaze for tomorrow nights dinner. What do you think?" Eolande placed the cleaned dishes upon a wire rack to dry, and turned to smile brightly at the empty seat. "Okay then. Good night!"

Walking to the doorway, she turned and placed her hand upon the light switch. The cheerful smile on her lips faded and the light in her eyes dimmed. She peered through the kitchen, then turned the dimmer down on the light switch until the room was very nearly darkened. She closed her eyes and exhaled a slow deep breath, then turned and left the doorway to retreat to her room.

Every light in the house was on. The windows shone like the beacons of a lighthouse in the night. Eolande knelt in the kitchen under the table. Surrounding her on the floor was every candle n the house. Which was quiet a few in truth. Several emergency candles stood in a circle around the table in short glass holders. Tea lights lined the counter like little soldiers standing at the ready in their multicolored glass cups. Long decorative tapers stood vigilant at the doorway into the living room.

In addition to the unlit candles, Eolande gripped a heavy duty flashlight in white knuckled hands. It was one of those strange ones that did not need batteries to run. All one needed to do was shake the flashlight to power it up. Eolande didn't quiet grasp the physics of the invention. All she cared about was that it would never need batteries, thus it would never die when she needed it most. At her knees a box of matches and a long necked flame ignitable lighter was at hand. Yes. She was ready. She was prepared. Her phone was fully charged and in her front shirt pocket. Close to where her heart raced. Eolande was as ready as she could be considering the threat that loomed.

It was storming outside.

Flashes of lightning broke up the seemingly oppressive darkness. She didn't mind that. Eolande did not mind the way the lightening scratched and gouged the sky. She did not mind the heavy rain that cracked against the roof of the house. She didn't even mind the wind that assaulted the walls and made the windows shiver in their frames. What had her in a state of panic, shivering in a cold sweat and with eyes slightly glassy with a nearly unreasonable state of mind, was the thunder.

The sky roared overhead, filling Eolande with the dire need to move from her hiding place to somewhere more safe. But she was too terrified to leave the table. She tried to use reason to combat the fear. When you were so scared though, telling yourself there was nothing to be afraid of was hard. Making yourself believe it was even harder.

"I am fine. I am safe." Eolande tried anyways. She looked down at the white triangles of the kitchen linoleum and repeated her mantra. "I am fine. I am safe. Nothing is after me. Nothing is going to hurt me. I am fine. I am safe. Nothing is after me. Nothing is going to hurt me." Another pealing of thunder shook her voice from her and Eolande bent her head to hide her face in her knees.

The lights flickered.

Eolande's head snapped up as the darkness claimed the kitchen for a moment, was banished, then fell like a ravaging beast upon her safe place. The lights went out completely, and Eolande heard a shrill scream of such terror.

The scream continued, over and over, until Eolande began to gag on her own tongue. It was only then that she realized it was herself screaming. The darkness had completely descended upon her. No soft dimmer kept complete darkness at bay. No blue light wrapped her in it's safe glow. It was honestly and truly dark around her. Once she managed to still her screams and draw in some of her sense, Eolande felt the flashlight digging into her palms. When she pressed the button, the bright white light shook like a moth caught in a spiders web upon the wall. Eolande picked up the igniter at her knees and clicked the flame on. With a severely shaking hand she lit the candles within arms reach. When she tried to unfold herself enough to reach for the candles behind her, a rumble of thunder froze her limbs.

"Go away!" She yelled. Tears budded in the corners of her eyes as she peered up at the ceiling of the kitchen. "Leave me alone! Go away! Go away!" She repeated in a fearful cry. Still the darkness pressed in around her and the thunder shook the air above. Eolande bent her head and swallowed a terrified sob. In doing so she felt the shifting of her cellphone against her chest. Eolande sniffed and pried her stiff fingers from the flashlight. With trembling hands she pulled the phone out and pressed the Contacts button. At the top the name Jacob was listed as Emergency 1. Swallowing thickly she pressed the call button and held the phone to her ear. The phone rang once...twice..three times...then there was a click. "Hello?" A male voice sounded on the other end.

"Jacob. The power is down and I---" Eolande began to speak in a rush.

"Sorry you called at a bad time. Please leave a message and your number and I will call you back." The voice continued on in a monotone. Eolande whimpered when the phone made a series of clicks then beeped. Instead of leaving a message she hit the red End button, then redialed.

One ring..two..three... "Hello. Sorry you called-" Eolande hung up and repeated the process.

"Please...please...daddy..." She begged as the thunder growled overhead. The house seemed to be shifting around her. The darkness was waiting, poised to jump on her. It was all going to come down. The thunder was going to bring it down.

"Please daddy...please.." She begged he phone as she redialed again and again. Tears that had merely welled now ran freely down her cheeks in her desperation. As the recording picked up once more Eolande dropped the phone before her and covered her head with her hands. "Go away....leave me alone... daddy make it go away...please." She begged in a faint desperate voice. But of course he did not. No one could make thunder go away, nor could they make the darkness vanish forever. And nothing could ever make her father answer the phone when she called while he was at work.

Eolande inhaled deeply and held her breath. She peered into the mirror of the bathroom over the edge of her sunglasses. She felt a small amount of uncertainty at the moment. Maybe this was not a good idea. Maybe she should reconsider her plans. Every part of her conscious and morality was nagging her and had her in a cold sweat.

She -had- been told to have fun.

Eolande tried to comfort herself by clinging to that undefined encouragement. She exhaled the breath she was holding and stepped away from the mirror. The bathroom was empty, of course. Three small stalls and one extra large one took up one entire wall. Eolande had turned off the lights once she entered the room, though there was still a faint glow that filtered through around the door frame. That glow was enough for her to barely see by right now.

Eolande lifted her hand and ran her finger along the arm of her sunglasses. Upon activation, Eolande felt a stirring of movement all around her. Before it had only been her shadow that had moved. Now she was able to see all of the shadows around her moving. They converged upon her and swept up over her frame. Just as before, she felt a calming coolness overtake her. The butterflies in her stomach settled and the cold sweat seemed to evaporate from her brow. Eolande closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling of the power, as well as the reassurance it filled her with. She was un-stoppable now. There was nothing she could not do if she decided she wanted to do it. Upon opening her eyes, she grinned a self assured smile at the dark clad visage that greeted her.

"Hellooooo Umbra." She purred at herself and twisted upon one foot. Placing one gloved hand to her lips, she giggled softly. "Oh your a naughty naughty girl!" A naughty girl that had better get moving if she wanted to hide! Eolande had to refocus herself before the night crew came in to check the bathroom! Eolande turned and skipped into the larger stall. Tilting her head back, she peered upwards at a large square vent overhead. Eolande narrowed her eyes and a moment later the whites within turned black. Like watching a cloud pass over the sun, Eolande's entire body turned into a dark black shadow. In the darkness of the bathroom she was a dark blot. She couldn't help but smile as she reached up and used the wall of the stall to pull herself up. For being a shadow, one would have thought that she would have had a easier time climbing up the bathroom stall. She did not disturb the toilet paper when she stepped on it anymore then being touched by a real shadow would. The roll did not even indent under her weight! Yet still she had to struggle to pull herself up to the top of the stall and into reach of the grate. Now came the very difficult part.

Eolande pushed her hand up through the spaces of the grate. Her nose wrinkled at the odd feeling of her body passing through the metal bars. She was able to curl her fingers over the edge of the vent to grip it.

Eolande had always hated pull up's in gym. She hated them even more now as her arms trembled with the silent effort to pull herself up into the grate. It was slightly disorienting to be pulling herself -through- that metal grate. What gave her the extra push of strength she needed was the plastic banging sound of a trashcan being emptied. The mall janitor!! He was emptying out the trashcan right outside the bathrooms! Any second now he'd walk in!

"Eeeeunef!" She grunted and squeaked as she pulled her upper body through the vent. Kicking her legs behind her, she braced herself against the insides of the vent and pulled herself the rest of the way in. Not a moment too soon either!! The door of the bathroom opened and she heard the squeaky wheels of the janitors cart. Eolande exhaled a soft sigh and relaxed in the small square vent.

It was smaller then what her body normally would be able to squeeze into, and she was pretty positive that had she weighed anything at all the vent would have indented under her backside. As a shadow though, she was able to rest comfortably enough in the small space and wait out the maintenance routine of the janitor. When he was finished she was tempted to slip out of the vent...but she did not want to risk a guard wandering in to check out the stalls. So instead Eolande crossed her arms under her chin and waited...and waited...and waited... She rather wish she had some way to keep track of time. There was no clock in view from her hiding spot, and she dared not crawl from her hiding place until she was positive the mall was completely closed down.

When she could no longer stand to lay there, mostly because she was starting to drift asleep, she crept from the vent and dropped silently to the floor below. Eolande had to wonder, would her power continue to work if she fell asleep? Maybe she'd try it sometime. She'd go to sleep as a shadow and see if she woke up as one too. Since she was a shadow right now, Eolande could not push the door of the stall open, so instead she scooted under it. If nothing else, being a shadow was going to be a great source of exercise! Maybe she'd toughen up a bit? It would be nice to no longer bruise from a tap or risk breaking her arm if she fell.

Eolande shifted out of her shadow form as she approached the bathroom door. With one gloved finger she poked the door open a crack and peered out. Darkness spread across the mall in a welcoming blanket. A few security lights cut through the gloom, but she saw no danger in them. The direct beams of light were too small to prove a counter to her shadow form. It was just the walls and doors that would vex her. A slow grin cracked her lips and Eolande pushed the door of the bathroom open further. As she stepped around the door, she shifted back into her shadow form. She knew there were cameras about the mall. However, as she was nothing but a shadow right now she had little worries about any of them picking up her movements.

The mall was so empty! So quiet! It was like she had it all to herself! Eolande silently clapped her hands together and bounced on her tip toes in excitement before dashing with equal silence down the empty halls. She was as quiet as a shadow! There wasn't even a heavy panting breath to give her away when she came to a stop not too far from where she started her run. Placing her hands on her knee's, she let the exhilaration of her freedom fade. When she was this..this Umbra...she felt incredibly bold and brave. She was someone else entirely! Someone who possessed..well...a rebels spirit or something like that. She felt like there were no consequences to what she did. That was why she was here right now after all! Eolande looked up at the gate that was locked before her. Her shadowed lips parted in a smile. No locks nor gates nor bulletproof glass could stop her! With a petite little bounce, she stepped through the gate and exhaled on the other side. She was inside! All the mall was her toy! Eolande gave a glance over her shoulder, then dashes through the empty aisles. First she was going to stop in the jewelry section! She was going to get all the cute shiny things she never could afford! That necklace and earring set!

Thoughts of those pieces made her pause. Her thoughts turned to Mark and the meeting they had that very day. Eolande stopped and looked around the jewelry section for a few moments. her fingers brushed over the display case and paused when she looked at a pair of charm bracelets inside. Biting her bottom lip, a small thought niggled in the back of her mind. She could get herself and Mark some matching bracelets...as a thanks for the ice cream. And Marlon...Ah! She'd get him a ipod touch! She didn't have to steal just for herself after all. She could get gifts for her two friends too! Smiling brightly to herself, as brightly as a shadow girl could, Eolande traipsed towards the electronics section. She needed to decide what she could carry off with herself after all! This was going to be a wonderful shopping spree!!