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 Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:30 pm
Jaden was seized by a coughing fit about the time that Nathanial grabbed him, and he blinked liquid-filled eyes at the other, trying to see him clearly in all the smoke. "I-I..." He knew that he'd been safer inside, and how well did he know that. For a few moments, he thought he would not go within the blazing building at all, until Nathaniel...
"I would, yes, but..." He bit his lip, clearly steeling his resolve. "I won't be left behind! Not again!" He declared adamantly, "I won't let...you go without me." Though the tiny blond hadn't lost in the same way that Nat had, he had indeed lost a lot, a father, friends...and he'd stayed...quiet and submissive, simply letting the world go by. Not this time, he wouldn't hide in this crisis.
He cared far too much for Nathaniel, more than he cared for the rest of these people, friends and companions though they might be. There was an earnest desire shining in the slender teen's gaze, and he reached and put his long-fingered hands, pianist's hands...on Nat's arms. "Safe doesn't matter...if you're in danger without me." For once, he wasn't backing away from what his heart was telling him.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2008 9:36 pm
"Jade..." replied Nathaniel softly. Well... it would've been softer, if his voice hadn't been so raspy from the all the smoke. He let the stress leave his face for a moment as he nodded firmly. "All right. All right... but you better stick next to me... I'm not losing you. I can't." Mostly, he said it to benefit himself. He'd never really admit how much he needed the blonde. The Elvish obsessive boy who had tapped deeper into him than anyone else.
If they could do this, if they could get through it, they'd do it together. There had to be something they could do. Nat looked longingly towards the other hallways, dropping his hand and slipping it over the others. He enclosed that hand in his own and clung to it. Best friends. This was his best friend. Wasn't there a saying for this?
'A real friend won't bail you out of jail, he'll be sitting next to you laughing about it.'
Well that was Jade... standing next to him, though neither were laughing.
"Let's go... I wanna go upstairs, maybe there's something we can do." He emphasized we, just to prove he did trust the other. Just to prove it for both their sakes, because tonight he needed it. He felt they both did.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 7:42 am
Nash grunted as he watched Wei take over again, didn't his hand hurt? He wondered but opted against protesting. The boy was just as determined as him to get things moving. They had to get in that room so he remained clear. This was until Mica stepped in taking over for the injured student. Nash nodded feeling it was the best option.
Still he kept his eyes open for any strange activity, there was no telling what was the cause of this fire or in general who. With Mica taking over, Nash inspected Wei from his postion making certain the other was okay.
But his attention easily shifted when a crack from the door alerted him to possible progress. "It's working..." he breathed barely above a whisper. It appeared the hindges of the door was taking more damage with every swing from the sledgehammer but how much longer could Mica hold out? Nash was certain the smoke filling his lungs was making it harder to function, no matter when Mica was tired he'd trade off next if he had to but with luck they'd be able to get in soon.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 11:57 am
Following Alex's lead, RuiZhi picked up one of the extinguishers and ran into one of the open class rooms, pulling the pin and aiming the hose. Squeezing the trigger, he felt the hose kick back in his hand with the force of the expulsion. He trained the retardant on a near by window frame, dousing the spreading flame and turning back towards the body of the fire.
Being that he wasn't near the animal room just yet, the fire acted as a normal one, likely the byproduct of the original explosion. Even so, the flame seemed to go down slowly. He was persistant, covering everything to snuff the embers. Making sure his friend was okay, he called out loudly, "Alex! How's it going?" He had to ask. It was slightly maddening to think that he, as a fourteen year old boy, was firefighting with only one other student.
Saviors, indeed.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 12:22 pm
During his time alone, the lithe teen moved swiftly through various halls, looking into different classrooms before moving away when finding nothing but chairs and desks. Watering eyes obscured his vision multiple occasions, forcing him to pause in step and wipe away at his eyes before readjusting to the insane dark lighting. All the while, the youth searched for voices, hearing them in the back of his mind as though they echoed through the hall but as he listened it was obvious he was recalling various memories with the very students he sought. Elijah had made it upstairs following his own thoughts paying little attention to the events around him until shouts sprang to life forcing him to snap into full alert in order to distinguish between memory and the present reality.
Thankfully the last few mutters he heard were not something brought forward but were instead real words spoken by other students. A clear thump of his restless heart spread relief through his veins at the sight of the others who seemed to be taking control of the resources around them. RuiZhi and Alex seemed to be perfectly alright, besides their obvious distress, but as before, 'Lij' was enthralled with Rui's maturity. Without thought, Elijah joined searching around and taking note of the extinguishers they held in hand. Brilliant! Saying nothing, he swiveled around, searching for a vacant extinguisher and upon finding one he snatched it up. "How does this thing work?" he questioned aloud, having never before been forced to use one and was vacant in trying to discover how it could be used. The instructions were found fast and read with a certain urgency which allowed the teen to get it done.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 12:35 pm
"Uhmm...!" He was almost out of his first fire extinguisher and there was still a smoldering core that just wouldn't go out. It finally sputtered out and Sasha ran back into the hallway, grabbing another.
"It's... It's okay... It's not going out very fast!" Adjusting his mouth guard, the little boy ran back in into the classroom and finished off what he could and went along the hallway to find another stubborn fire, hoping it didn't just return to the rooms they had previously retarded. "One down!" He began to extinguish the classrooms closest to the stairs to give them better access.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 1:10 pm
Dead ends? Nonsense. Scyeth had certainly found the labs, but classrooms and the like were not of any interest to him. He needed to find the animal lab. Which clearly wasn't here. Scyeth was beginning to run out of options. At the end of the hall, he had two choices. Face Dante and cohort or dare the stairs. With very little consideration at all, Scyeth opted for the latter. He kicked the door open and lept up the stairs, taking them two or three at a time.
Here we go. Up, up, up! Scyeth paused for a moment, needing to catch his breath and cough again. Crud. He looked back. Were the teachers still after him?
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 2:07 pm
RuiZhi came back into the hallway, coughing despite his mask. "Yeah, it's really slo-- Elijah!" The Chinese youth looked surprised but extremely pleased. Padding behind his friend, he pointed to the pin and nodded. "Just pull that. Point he hose, be careful though, it kicks. Keep your mouth and nose covered, okay?" He squeezed Elijah's shoulder, since his smile could not be seen. He was so very happy to see his friend; seeing him reminded the young man that they were all in this together, and he was not the only one suffering.
He heard coughs by the stairwell, squinting down the hallway. He could barely see through the ash on his glasses. "Cover your mouth and nose!" he called down the way. "The smoke is worse over here!" And with that, the Chinese boy darted back into the room, grabbing his near empty extinguisher and putting out the remains of the fire in that particular room.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 4:45 pm
The brunette had to admit that his hand was hindering and he handed over the weapon without hesitation. He stood back and watched along with the red head. He knew he had to wait this out but the anxiety was getting to him. Only a little more and the door was sure to come off. The first thing they had to do was shut down the electric system then turn on the sprinklers. He had hoped that there was a surveillance camera so that they could possibly see what had actually set off the fires.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:02 pm
He could still see that malevolent face in the flames, everywhere he looked. It grinned at him, leering, but seemed to hesitate. More was sure there was something wrong with the fire, unnatural and with malintent. This something though...this something was afraid of him.
And it should be. But why?
The young man was confused, a little scared and...angry. Who was he? What was he? He was frustrated that he had no answers, only a growing list of questions that had no end in sight. Was he really that strange? Was he really so different that even his mind could not recall? More grit his teeth, the rage surging inside of him, seeming to spark and ignite a righteous flame of his own. It was like a small current in his chest, swelling and ebbing with each flicking tongue of fire. Why didn't he know?
Third floor was where the animal room was located. Perhaps that was why the fire was more fierce as More approached. And before he knew it, he was against the abnormal heat of the wicked fire. Suddenly a voice called in his mind...
Go back, my brother...
Surprised, the young man looked up and searched around for the speaker. But there was no one, no one other than the dancing and cackling flames and the faces within.
Go back, my brother...
The voice spoke again. Annoyed, More shouted back.
"I will not. Who are you? Show yourself!!"
I am an agent of the demonic race. It is not my intention to harm you, my brother...
"You are the one who started the fire?"
That is correct.
"For what reason?? Two people are still trapped in the building. Stop this at once!"
I cannot. It is my duty to prevent my kind from falling to slavery of humans. For this reason, the human...and the demon child within must die.
"I don't understand." More purged his lips. "Do you not care for the lives that are lost?"
Human lives are not worthy of our concerns, my brother, and a minor race who is slave to humans...My brother, do you still not understand?
"I know not of a minor race." More breathed sharply. "I...I am a mere student here. I too, am a human being."
...Then perhaps my intuition was wrong. Or perhaps you too, have given up on your pride and came to side with the humans. whichever the case, I must bless you with the same punishment of death!
Before the young man could object, he was once again surrounded by flames. This time however, the flames advanced, shredding its previous fear and overwhelmed with an intent to kill. More could feel the heat burning into his skin, the dark smoke trying to force its way down to his lungs...
At the same time, a similar pain emerged. The headache.
It was more painful than the fire, much more unbearable. More screamed under this sudden agony coming from his head. Something was trying to break through. Something filled with strong emotions and power.
"Leave me alone..." The young man hissed, holding firmly against his head. It hurts, this was too much, too much...
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!"
So...powerful. Who...who are you...?
Then the light faded, his anger was gone, but so was the presence. The fire was there, but the face...it was gone. The heat he'd felt before was also gone, alerting More that the fire was just that now: a fire, and nothing more.
"Who am I indeed..."
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 5:59 pm
The yelling drew his attention first. RuiZhi ran out of the room, looking up and down the hallway to see...More? What the heck was he doing? "H-hey, More..." he tried to say, but the words were quiet on his lips. Was the blonde...arguing with the fire?
And here he thought he was the only one who was going mad.
RuiZhi tried to approach the other, but he was too close to the flame, closer than the Chinese youth could bear. He could hear More, but who was he talking to? Minor race? Mere student? And then...and then...
It all happened so fast. The fire consumed More, but there was a flash...
The boy was suddenly on the ground, covering his face, bare chest rising and falling while he gasped for air. RuiZhi was ready to jump back into the burning class room, rather than deal with that heat that slapped over his skin, burning and freezing at the same time. He had felt it, and yet, he hadn't felt anything. In fact, he felt a little better, as if somewhat energized.
Standing and brushing his destroyed pajama bottoms off, he extended a hand and clasped More's bare shoulder. "It doesn't matter," he answered the question not posed to him, "because you're here now. I...I don't know what you just did, but you're saving important lives..." Hoisting the extinguisher back up, RuiZhi moved towards the edge of the flame by More, starting to spray. This time, the fire retreated with a trace of normalacy. Glancing up to More, he murmured softly, "Thank you."
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 6:01 pm
For all his waifish human weaknesses, Dante's sensitivity also had its blessings. Combined with luck, these assets could come in very handy.
One of these assets was his heightened hearing.
Thus he heard the faint thump of a foot on the door and the snick of a lock caving into the wishes of someone stronger. ...Someone stronger...a person....
Scyeth! He ran that way, right?!
"Professor Veilwood! Up this way!" Dante dashed down a hall, rubbing at his eyes to keep them clear of smoke, and--yes, there it was! A door hanging wide open!...though for some ludicrous reason he hoped that he'd checked before he kicked in the door. For fire, and all.
"Ardanay, this way--"
And then he heard the second, much louder boom.
And THAT, most definitely, was NOT a student.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 6:12 pm
Scyeth nearly jumped out of his skin at the loud noise. What the hell was going on? Still in the stairwell, he couldn't see too well what was in front of him or what was behind him, though he could only assume that was Dante and Ardanay. But ahead, that sounded like RuiZhi and...More? Was it More? It certainly sounded familiar, but who knew, in this crazy fire. But if they were up here...was this where Alex and whoever else was?
"Hey!" he hollered down the stairway. Coughcough. "Up here!" If there was a good time to be caught by the teachers, it would be now. At least they could help RuiZhi once they got up here. (And hopefully forget to punish him, or something pleasant like that.)
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 6:47 pm
Professor Veilwood swerved around the corner, looking at the open door and coughing through a would-be mask. Upwards was a staircase, at which he heard the thumps of feet through thick smoke clouds. Scyeth. The student was upstairs, running fast by the looks of it. Was chasing him really going to get anywhere? He was already inside, deep inside. But true, they had to get him out. They had to get the others out. And so his pause lasted only a moment as he rushed upstairs after Scyeth, almost catching him, but not quite. Not yet. It seemed the blonde was always just a single step ahead, a fingertip away.
And then... the sound. He paused, halfway up the steps, already faster and farther than the Elf. For a moment he looked around, wondering on Earth what else could have exploded. He grimaced a little at the thought and turned to run faster. Now it seemed like the boy was calling them. Coughing. But calling them. Ardanay made it up the stairs and put his hand on the other boy's shoulder, making sure he was real and in one piece. His eyes scanned around wildly and then rested on the boy in front of him. Scolding could come later.
"Are you all right? What was that sound?" His voice though, was grave and serious, filled with a concern like any normal teacher might be.
Nathaniel had taken the liberty of keeping his hand firmly in his best friend's and dragging him around after him. Nothing in the entire world was going to separate the two of them, he'd make sure of it. So as emerald eyes sparkled and dimmed at the smoke and fire, he made his way past various hallways and doors to where he heard shouting. One voice sounded fairly familiar, and not at all a pleasant welcome. The other voices were muffled, but had authority. Much more like a teacher. Like Professor Araquenosse.
Quickly, he began to stride down the hall towards the voices and found the Elven Professor, a kicked open door, and the sound of thudding steps and another adult went upstairs. A louder sound betrayed something odd going on and he looked to Dante, realizing the other probably didn't understand it either. Without waiting, he took off up the stairs, still keeping hold of Jade, and found himself face to face with Professor Veilwood and his enemy... Scyeth.
He frowned. He hadn't forgotten the pain of being kicked in the shin, it had only numbed with time, and urgency had eased it for the moment. But it existed. And the other's manners were evident too... or lack thereof. Now was not the time to wage war though. Many other things were important. He waited silently, having heard the question posed at the last possible moment. Did the other know what was going on?
Frankly, he didn't care if the other was all right or not. He was the one person that the Brit thought the planet could do without.
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Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 6:57 pm
Elijah brightened with RuiZhi's help and looked alighted to see him and the others working so feverishly. With a proper thank you, he too went off and started to spray the fire where he could. And like the others, he paused at the loud noise some ways away. Blinking he tried to make sense of it just before his friend went off in the direction of the sound. What had happened to More, anyway? Was that More? Hundreds of thoughts flooded him all at once as though they had been swept down over the edge of a chasm into his brain which pooled the thoughts together and was unable to linger on just one for too long.
Should he have followed? Instead of following directly after, Elijah started down the hall, heading into every room that was skipped that held within it flame. Every so often he paused to cough and place his sleeve over his mouth before wiping the sweat from his brow. His button-up shirt was no doubt ruined, but that wasn't something he even considered at the time and wouldn't discover till long after this fiasco.
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![[ S a v i o r ]'s avatar](https://a1cdn.gaiaonline.com/dress-up/avatar/ava/1e/18/6f7439bb4b181e_flip.png?t=1225826498_6.00_00)
