Welcome to Gaia! ::

What would be appreciated: Criticism! Rip my stuff to shreds so I can piece it back together! Gracias.
What would not be appreciated: Llamas and trolls.
What is going on? A story that I'm adding on to each day! Some sort of fantasy thing with tons of action, romance, mystery, adventure, and just a twist of social commentary. Hopefully.

WEEK I !!
4/20 // 001. New Beginnings Completed April 20, 2012
4/21 // 002. Cause/Effect Completed April 22, 2012
4/22 // 003. Peace of Mind Completed April 22, 2012
4/23 // 004. Childhood Memories Completed April 22, 2012
4/24 // 005. Speed
4/25 // 006. Mayhem
4/26 // 007. Gilding a Lily

WEEK II !!
4/27 // 008. First Romance
4/28 // 009. Orchards
4/29 // 010. Disillusionment
4/30 // 011. Guardian Angels
5/1 // 012. Different Ways of Thinking
5/2 // 013. Consequence
5/3 // 014. Gratitude

His mother's last words had been simple - Take care, Matthew, and don't let your father down. That was it. A straightforward command, an expectant comment, another guilty stake driven into his vampiric heart. Sighing, the boy ran a scarred hand through his tousled chestnut hair, casting a weary gaze over the city skyline. Boot-clad feet were planted firmly on the edge of the rooftop; for one so young and so close to death, Matthew hardly appeared worried. On the contrary, a bitter smile adorned his lips, as if he were mocking the proximity of his downfall.

He was on top of the world. So why did he feel like nothing?

Turning away from the edge, Matthew loosened his grip on the small, leather-bound diary that he had been clutching. Without a word or shudder of regret, the boy flung the book over his shoulder. Let some other unfortunate fool stumble upon it and slake his thirst for knowledge; he was through. Done. He wanted no part in this dangerous game anymore. He was backing down.

Lifting his eyes to the rising sun, Matthew appreciated the beauty of the city at last. His father had been right. The light - bouncing off of rooftops and reflecting into his irises - was truly breathtaking. Blinding. Painful. If only he'd inherited all of his father's blood - then he would shrivel down to the bone like he had, layers and layers of skin and fat and muscle peeling in over itself, revealing the marred being underneath. Beautiful.

The wretched creature smiled and descended the stairs to the ground floor, each step ringing in his ears. He was getting closer to mortality at last.

He was getting closer.

"Are you ready to rumble?"

"Yes. Let's go."



Thanks for the luck! c:

Thaddeus Gray sighed and rubbed his temples in frustration.

For months he had been trying to perfect his science experiment, but to what end? He was surprised that he wasn't beyond "irritated" at the destruction of his project at the hands of Lance Blansky, the most popular guy in the eleventh grade, but then again, he had grown accustomed to Lance's regular bullying sessions. The tall, good-looking football player was fond of stomping on those smaller and weaker than him, and Thaddeus was one of his favorite victims.

Gritting his teeth in irritation, he gathered the glass remains of his project into his hands, careful not to cut himself as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. It was Friday ... he should have been more excited than this, but he couldn't muster the energy or the willpower to force a smile onto his face or construct another glorious facade. After dumping his science experiment into the trash, he left the school and caught up with Piper, his best friend, who happened to be consumed in some sort of notebook.

"What's that?" He pried, peering over her shoulder to get a better look.

"Something I found," Piper replied with a noncommittal shrug. She offered the book for him to read, but Thaddeus could make no sense of the chicken scratch. It might as well be ancient Greek for all he cared.

"Cool," he said back in a tone that suggested anything but. "Hey, wanna go to the lakefront today? It's great weather!"

"Sure."

Running, the devil clutched the satchel tightly in her clawed fists. Her breath came out in ragged pants, and her legs were pumping faster and more powerfully than a cheetah's. Without the slightest hesitation, she cleared a ten-foot high wire fence in a fluid leap and landed on the other side of the encampment with flashing eyes.

"Get her!"

"Grab the demon!"

Heart thudding, the imp tucked the satchel into her waistband and stumbled away from the large, fenced-in building, too seized by panic to think logically. She could hear the dogs howling in the distance, and she knew that the hounds of Cerberus were soon to be upon her. Quivering with fear and excitement, the imp snapped her fingers and summoned the last of her energies to disappear on the spot, leaving nothing but a wisp of blue fire behind.

"Attention students and masters," the voice boomed again, instantly silencing the body of people who had gathered on campus, "but there has been an intrusion. Campus is in lockdown phase and all individuals should assume their lockdown positions and wait for further instructions. Please return to your unit leaders. Thank you."

There was a brief spell of quiet, then everybody broke out into panic.

"What? What's going on?"

"We're all gonna die!"

"Who is it? Do you know who it is?"

"I want my mom ..."

Similar complaints and scared, timid suggestions were voiced, but no real action was taken. Adults quickly assumed positions of responsibility and tried to shepherd their students toward them, which half-worked out; most of the students were too frightened to do anything. Piper was one of the few who hadn't panicked. Instead, she was tugging Thaddeus' hand, urging for the blanching boy to follow.

"Come on," she said impatiently, leading him to their unit leader, a muscular man known simply as 'Drip.' His real name was probably something a lot more common like 'Robert' or 'William,' but everybody called him Drip.

"Drip," Piper called when she saw him, "can you tell us what's happening?"

Unfortunately, Drip was unable to hear her over the din of the squeaky chatters. Suddenly irritated, Piper straightened and craned her neck over the crowd, which was a fairly easy task to do since she was so tall. In a powerful tone, she shouted: "Everybody, shut up and calm down!"

Much to her surprise, the general mass of students quieted and stared at her, perhaps just as shocked as she was. Clearing her throat embarrassedly, Piper nodded and continued in a remarkably smaller voice. "Just - ah - do as the director says. Don't panic, for Chrissake."

The crowds were considerably easier to manage after that, and Piper noticed that her peers and teachers alike were looking at her with newly-discovered respect and interest. Pleased, she bounced her way over to Drip, still dragging along a disgruntled Thaddeus. "So - Drip, what's up?"

"I think it has to do with Elysia's most wanted," he whispered, eyes wide. It was almost comical to see a hulk of a man hunching down to talk to a younger girl on equal terms. "You know, that Clades man."

"Oh!"

"Yeah," Drip nodded sagely. "Apparently they're targeting Arcadia since we have some of Elysia's most extensive notes and research papers on ... on something, and they want it."

"T-they?"

"Uh-huh. He's rallied a group of supporters. An associate of his broke in just now, and we're trying to find him!" Drip whistled and leaned back, shaking his head. "How insane..." Consumed in thought, he ran a thick thumb over his chiseled chin.

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