Welcome to Gaia! ::

Current IC Date:December, 1999

<('-'<)


Have you ever had something happen to you that was so unreal and at the same time... as if it really happened. And you get this feeling and think, de ja vu. I live my life like that every day. To me... every waking moment... it already happened.

~~~~~~

She stared up at the sky. It looked cold and sad. She reached up and grabbed at the sad sky. Turning her hand over she opened her palm revealing a red raven feather. The feather blew in the wind. She turned her head and stood, following it. Reaching for it. The ground gave way to her and she fell into a pit. She sat up and stared at a coffin. The coffin started to rumble and shake. She screamed, but nothing came out. She scrambled to her feet and exited the hole.

She was in a grave yard. And the dead started to rise out of their graves. Strong winds and a loud thundering noise. She turned around and saw a body with long black hair rise from a large puddle of blood. A girl to the side fell. To her, the girl looked dead. She turned to run when she heard a fierce howl of a great being. Turning she saw the great being diving at her. A dragon reared it's head back and readied it's breath. She shrieked and quickly crouched as if to avoid it. She heard a cat meow, and she opened her eyes. A black mangy cat sat in front of her and she attempted to grab for it to protect it, but it ran. She heard the cat meow again and she lifted her head. She watched the black cat go up to a woman who's back was to she. She grabbed the cat and threw it away.

Suddenly the dragon came back and howled at the woman, who simply raised her hand. The dragon fell and shrunk. She didn't have enough time to see what happened to that dragon for she couldn't move. The woman was turning around and she could feel a large amount of pressure be placed upon her. And it continued to get heavier as the woman neared her. The woman reached her evil hands to she. She tried to move. Looking down she saw herself stuck in quick sand. She desperately tried to get away from the woman in front of her.

Turning around she saw the long haired naked woman. This woman reached her hand out, offering instead of trying to take her. She reached and barely grabbed her hand when the evil woman behind her grabbed her, pulling her away. She fell deep into darkness. She fell into space. All the planets lined and each one she saw had a dragon attached to it. She heard a little girl laughing but in turning to the voice, a lot of white feathers were thrown in her face. She grabbed some of the feathers. Blood came from her hand. Opening her palm once more she saw the white feathers were covered in blood.

Someone called her name.

"Dania"

She looked up and saw a billboard. On the billboard there was a picture of the New York skyline, the writing wasn't legible in her vision.

~~~~~~

Dania opened her eyes and sat up. She looked around the room of the homeless shelter she bunked in for the night. She got up and packed up her things quickly. What did that dream mean? Why did it show her those things? Who were those people? She exited the building and headed for the nearest strain station. She knew it was probably a bad idea to go to New York City, but she had learned long ago that if she didn't listen to her visions, they would get out of control.

At the station, she spent the last of her money getting a ticket and a bag of candy corn. And once she got on the train, the same vision struck her again. She passed out in her seat.




The bar side door burst open and a drunken couple staggered out. Jason smirked at them and dubbed them the first prey of the night. In a stupor they made their way down the dark alley. He walked along the roof top and eyed them like a hawk. The snow had colored his favorite 'fishing' spot white. But the ugliness of the city could not be hidden so easily. The snow had turned into mud and became unfavorably filthy. He kept pace with the two until he came to the other edge. The two made their way across the empty road in front of them. His smirk continued to curl his lips as he walked off the building, he continued to follow them in the shadows. As they entered a second ally the guy fell against the wall. The girl shrugged the guy off and continued down the ally. The guy stood and became hostile towards the girl. When she started calling for help, the vampire stepped out of the shadows and confronted them.

He cleared his throat, making the guy turn his attention to the vampire. The man picked up a pipe, “Mind your own business.” And the pipe struck the vampire in the head. What looked like little black beetles fell to the guys feet. “What the hell?” Jason laughed and lifted up his head. He watched their faces as his body fell into beetles. The beetles floated around the guy, the guy swung the pipe through the air as he tried to hit it.

The beetles were too thick. The drunk woman couldn't see through it. She turned to run but hit into the fence at the end of the ally. She turned to see the drunk man hit the ground. Jason slowly emerged from the beetles and calmly walked towards her. “Do not worry,” he spoke in a velvet voice to soothe her. He grazed the back of his hand softly across her face. She looked into his eyes, as if in a spell. “Just close your eyes.” And as she did he pulled her body against him. He slid his lips down her jaw to her neck. A gasp came from the girl as his fangs sank deep into her neck. He sucked the blood from her body until he couldn't feel her heart beating against his chest. The vampire let the body hit the ground. Licking his lips, he let the blood from his victim run through his veins.

He turned around, feeling as if the cold city was alive. Pushing away the feeling he bent down to his male victim and stripped the jacket from the cold corpse. He put the leather jacket on and made his way out of the ally, wiping the blood from his lips.

Dearest Ana,

It has been half a millenia since I have actually put a quill to the parchment, yet I feel compelled. If there was anything I have ever regretted in life, it was the inability to be what a mother is, to you. Since the day I learned that I was to bring you forth, I have known that I would never be able to properly care for you, or even love you. I have always known what I am, and I have always known that love was never a luxury I could partake in. Had I ever known that I could give life to another in a way other than magic, perhaps I would have been more careful. But, even the angel of death cannot end the endless dreaming. For that is how you were conceived, in a dream of desire between your father and I. I see you now, lying in the tiny bundle atop the bed in this rented room, knowing that in a few short hours they will be here to take you from me. To take you far away from the life of chaos and death that I live, and into loving arms. The people I have chosen to be your guardians know nothing about me. I appear to them a pale human girl, who must be anemic for the pallor of my skin could give a slab of white marble a run for its money. They know that I was very much pregnant when I sought them out, but that is all. I cover the rest of my body well, so no abnormalities have shown as to scare them from your life. It does indeed agonize me to know the only child I will ever bear, I must give away because of what I am. And while I am sure what I feel as a pang sadness is normal, and maybe I feel an unconditional love for you, I can never be sure. My heart has been cold to true love for so long, that I can never know. Only know that I gave you away with a heavy heart, and for your safety. I hope that you never seek me out, and never meet me as I am. For who I am now, and who I was before are completely different personalities. I have been tainted by men, I have been made weak. I only know that there is a calling for me, I can feel a pull to something so powerful it makes me ache. Perhaps I will be made powerful again.
Never seek me out dear child, never try to meet me for your life's sake.

Your mother.
~Iona'Loire


Tessa put the scroll down. She remembered the day that she found the scroll, in the ruins of the run down church her mother had burned down in attempt to kill the both of them. She placed it in her nightstand drawer, and sighed. Sleep is dragging her into its grasp, and she knows that she cannot fight it this time. She has been awake now for more than a week, trying to avoid the horrible nightmare that she seemed to not be able to escape. It hits her, like a ton of bricks. She begins to convulse, fighting the ancient magic that wishes to claim her. With a silent scream from her lips, Tessa's eyes roll in to the back of her head, and she falls into a heap of blonde hair and white linen on the floor of her dorm room. A piece of a very ancient puzzle falls into place, and the air of the city itself seems to hum with energy.... Tessa's body rises from the floor. She walks to the window and presses one limp hand to it. The window shatters outward in a million deadly pieces, a glittering rain litters the snow. She climbs from the broken window, the the ground below stumbling as the magic presses her on. Shards of glass tear the flesh of her legs and blackish-red blood begins to fall to the ground making the energy in the air so strong that every living being in the city begins to feel their flesh crawl with the power. She continues to stumble along, pushing past the druggies, the homeless and the hookers. Angry stares, threats follow, yet her head stays down as if she isn't looking at the road, and she walks as if pressed on. She arrives at the gates of a locked Cemetary, and she stops. She holds out her hands, and the chains holding the gate begin to squeal with strain.

(>'-'<)



The subway train came to a stop, jerking Dania to consciousness. She peered around the car at the other passengers as shuffled in and out of the rail car. She stood and exited as well, straightening her army coat. She stared at her feet as she slowly walked out of the car with the other passengers. She wished weather that would allow her to wear her favorite red plad skirt. She hated being forced to where pants, even in the winter. Running her fingers through her hair sleepily, she again peered around her for a moment she had forgotten where she was.

She looked to her left and saw on the wall the initials N and Y written on paper. She glared in confusion before remembering the vision she had before. The thought on the subject and remembered that she had taken the subway upon arriving in New York. She couldn't remember where she had gotten the ticket though. She was usually unlucky in the way of true slumber due to her visions, but the ride had numbed her senses sweetly.

Servaying the area, Dania noted that there were stairs on both sides of the platform. Oh and they had up and down escalators. She smiled remembering when she was little, how her father would encourage going up and down the escalators repeatedly. He always said to her that it was more fun to do so silently and have someone point it out to you. She looked right then left, she bit her lips softly and headed to the right with a small grin on her face. Silently she went up the escalator. Upon reaching the top she rushed over to the down escalator, laughing quietly inside. When the escalator reached the bottom she raced for the up escalator on the other side of the platform. She sighed as the escalator slowly rised up. I miss you father, she thought.

She closed her eyes and quickly dismissed memories she had of him. She wasn't going to allow herself to remember what happened. That was all in the past, keep it that way. She told herself this as she reached the top and made her way to the front of the station. She started to pass the candy until, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a fresh bag of candy corn. She stopped dead and stared at the bag longingly. She reached into her pocket to find the previous bag of candy corn she had bought earlier. She smiled and exited the station.

Peering up at the tall buildings, the young woman made her way down the street. The sky was a dull color, reflecting the muck on the ground the locals called snow. Steam spewed from the drains and under the sewage caps. The atmosphere was depressing and it made you want to rush out of it or risk being eaten by the city itself. December in New York was filled with nothing but traffic. She decided to stop looking at the people walking by. There was a few of large piles of partially white snow, but it was futile in trying to keep it's beautiful vivid white. The only salvation for such a beautiful white would be the mountains back in Colorado. She stared at her feet and continued walking down the dreary streets keeping her large jacket tucked around her tightly.

She walked to the park and sat on one of the swings. She watched the local children run around and climb on the equipment. She smiled and remembered being pushed on the swings by her father. He used to always ask it she could touch the sky yet. She closed her eyes for just a moment, but that moment was long enough for a vision to hit her. It hit her hard, making her fall off the swing and hit the ground with a thud. To most watching, she would look like she was having a seizure. To her though, it was the most violent vision that she had in years. More than likely someone around her had called the medics.

***

She couldn't figure out where she was. The walls of her mind were shaped like hedges and they're movement was disorienting. Everything she looked at was monotone, a black and white theme. Shadows crawled out of places and began to bend and twist. They formed hands and reached for her menacingly. She turned and ran from them, searching for safely from the vile shadows. She tripped and hit into the ground hard. Hands reached out of the ground, trying to grab her. She pried them off her and struggled to her feet. She climbed up a bare tree. She looked up the tree and saw something floating slowly down to her. She reached to grab it but the tree branch broke. She fell, and to her amazement, kept falling. She looked to where the ground was before and saw a wicked hand reaching for her. She didn't want to be touched by the hand. She reached once again up but could not grab anything. A vicious laugh echoed in her mind. She wanted to scream, but when she did nothing came out. She became terrified. "Someone help" she wanted to scream but she had no voice. The only sound was the echoing laughter. A hand reached to her. She didn't know who it belonged to, but she would rather be with this person than be in the hands of the vicious laughter. She reached and grabbed then hand.

And that's all she could make out. The rest of the vision blurred together. It was different from her previous one, but it seemed to hold so much more hatred and anger. The power that grew silently seemed to echo in the city. And the more it grew the more the creatures of both night and day could feel it.

(>'-')>

Illizia

In a winter snowfall its' is so soft and subtle that it's but a whisper touching the planet. A snowflake, softer than silk and short of life, floats effortlessly from the sky. Caries by but a little breeze it passes over the people who bustle about, worrying about Christmas and holiday shopping. Some flakes descend through a warehouse window. This old warehouse had been abandoned for some time, windows have been broken by the local kids throwing rocks at them. It was the perfect place for a hideout. Though not perfect enough it seemed. The building bore scars of a battle that had passed not to long ago. A gaping hole in the roof indicated ambush. Blood washed the floors and was splattered on the walls, and not all the blood was red. Blotches of multicolor blood smeared together, creating ugly colors. The snow from outside had tried to cover those hideous colors, but it did not succeed. The snow soaked up like a sponge. The bodies the liquids once belonged to were thrown to the side like stray puppets. The snow softly covered them in a thin layer of white.

His pasty eyes open softly, his pupils wide and circular. Everything feels peaceful, surreal. He lays on his side like a beaten mutt. His sight comes into a blurred focus and he gazes at discolored snow. Dim sunlight softly seeps through the hole in the ceiling. He breaths, and pain hits. The pain causes him to go tense. His pupils shrink into very thin slits, disappearing into the iris, and he clenches his eyes closed. He can't make a sound, he can't move. His senses are altered by pain. Fear starts to rise in him, as he felt something. Something was touching him. The blurred white snow became black. Something was walking in front of his sight. Hands were grabbing at him, tugging at him. They turned him to his back, he moaned softly in pain. He heard the creatures growl and grunt.

He felt something bite him and he desperately wanted to get away. He forced his body to move. He tried to swat them away but they seemed to be stronger than him. Their teeth sunk into his skin. He panicked and screamed. Wind stirred from around him, strong enough to throw the creatures away from him, strong enough to shake the building. He needed to get out of there. Up you idiot, he thought. He rolled to his front and started to push himself up on his hands and knees. Pain again. He coughed, staining the ground below him with red. He looked up. The little black things were coming back. Stay away, he thought. Go away! he wanted to scream at them. He felt his body start to shake. It wanted to give up. He wouldn't have it.

"Get....a..way..." Every syllable took his whole breath.

The creatures continued to get closer. His head started to scramble. He thought of death and the pain of the creatures eating away at him while he was still alive. It scared him so much. Adrenalin hit his system. His sight becomes less blurred and he struggles to his feet. He stumbled back and felt the creatures clawing at his legs. Another gust of wind emits from his body and pushes them away. He holds his gut and races towards an exit. Any exit would do. He shoves himself through a busted window. He gets up and staggers away from the building. He didn't know where he was nor did he care at all. His body finally failed him, and darkness engulfed him.

Travis P. Rogers

Travis rubbed his eyes in an attempt to rub away the sensation of sleep. The tv was on, but what was on Travis wasn't sure he had been reading through Miss. Dania McCloud's file. She had vanished, disappeared off the grid, making her invisible. No family to speak of she was adopted and her adopter was somewhat dead. The best lead Travis could find was one of her medical problems. She was known to pass out and go into mild seizures, that was it the best he could find. Meaning all he could do was call all the local hospitals to see if they have a patient that matched.

Travis looked up at his kitchen clock its large digital numbers glowing bright. It sat there tell him that it was 1:38 AM, but sleep was not an option at least not yet. He still needed to call up all the hospitals first. Once more with a tall glass of whiskey Travis took a seat grabbing his phone and the phone book. He began to call one at a time each place one at a time. Every time the same answer over and over, no. Yet, he strove on calling every big time and small mom and pop hospital he could find.

Getting down to the bottom of the barrel he started to call the last few numbers. He picked up the phone and dialed the number the phone rang twice. "Is this the Jacobi Medical Center." "Yes it is sir." The young woman on the other end replied. "This Detective Travis P. Rogers of the NYPD I need to know if you holding a certain patient." "Let me go get the Head Of Medicine." A man picked up the phone. "This is Head of Medicine Dr. Ridland." "Dr. Ridland I am calling on police business I need information." "Of course Detective ask away."

"Dr. Ridland I'm looking for a young girl she’s nine-teen. She is five two, black hair, green eyes, and about hundred and thirty pounds. Here name is Dania McCloud. Now do you have any patients that match that description. If it helps she is prone to seizures." "Actually Detective we just got a patient in not to long ago that matches that description. Some on called the paramedics when they saw her have a seizure in the park." "Is she still there?" "Yes she is still sleeping in one of the rooms." "I'll be there in a few moments keep her there." "Yes Detective." Travis hung up the phone a little surprised.

Travis slipped on his trench coat picked up his keys and rushed from his room. He didn't really think he would find her this was some luck on his part. He could have this case done by daybreak and moved on to something a little more important. Exiting the building he was hit by a cold gust of wind and snow. "God I hate the winter." Travis grumbled as he rushed to get in his car turning on the heat. The radio came on and the clock flashed on with it. " Two forty; looks like I'm not going to get any sleep tonight."

Pulling in front of the hospital Travis jumped out of his car and headed in. He walked up to the front desk and flipped out his badge. "Detective Rogers NYPD take me to Dania McCloud's room." The woman behind the desk made a quick call to see if it was alright. She then nodded her head and lead Travis down the hall. Walking down the hall they passed many doors all the same brown with only the numbers on them to tell them apart. "Here we are Mr. Rogers." The woman put her hand on the door knob and opened the door.

As the door open Travis caught a glance of the young girl making her way out the window. "Why do they always run?" Travis complained as he made his way to the open window. Quickly making his way out he window into the bushes out back. He could see the girl running in the distance not to far off. He quickly gave chase running after her across the parking lot. They ran passed a few cars including his as they raced. It was bloody ******** cold why did she have to be a runner was all he could think.

She kept running with all her might trying to pull away, but Travis stayed on her. Travis was pushing himself hard trying to overtake her, but never seemed to get any closer he was always just keeping up. She turned down an ally way Travis followed close behind. She threw what looked to be a backpack into a dumpster and kept going. The thin ally way began to narrow out and soon was only large enough for a single person to run through. luckily it ended before it got any smaller releasing them back in the open.

He quickly committed that little bit of information to memory. Even if he lost her he could go back for that. If he was lucky it could have a phone in it with some possible contacts. Travis ran by the dumpster keeping the girl within sight. He really wished he had one of those tazer gun right now. They were heading into a park making hiding places almost impossible. "Big mistake McCloud." All he would have to do was hope she wore out soon.

Travis was falling behind and the night was dark, he was losing her. She looked back then tripped over herself. She hit the ground and stopped moving. "About time this little game of cat and mouse came to an end.” Travis walked over to the girl on the ground. Once more going threw the steps Travis pulled his badge out. He grabbed the girl by her jacket pulling her up to her feet. “I am Detective Rogers of the NYPD and you’re under arrest. I believe you know your rights and I really don’t want to have to tell them to you. Now you’re coming with me down to the station.”

Travis slipped his badge back into his pocket with his free hand. Then he grabbed her arm and began to lead her back to his car. He really wished he had handcuffs right now, but he wasn’t expecting to be arresting anyone tonight. “Why did you have to run so far away from my car? It’s damn cold out tonight and you have to lead me on some chase through the snow and for what? I’d say that little stunt with stealing the cops gun was your worst crime. I know you ain’t no murderer so I know you didn't kill your step daddy. So what’s with the running? Just serve your time and get it over with.”

The cold was getting to Travis again he reached into his pants pocket grabbing a smoke. He popped one in his mouth he then offered one to the girl.

Travis turned his head a little to offer the girl a smoke when thought he felt a gust of wind. He turned his head only a bit he caught the sight of a figure in the corner of his eye. The figure ordered him to let the girl go. In one swift movement Travis dropped his carton of smokes and pulling his pistol from this shoulder holster. The carton hit the snow with a quiet thud. He aimed for the center of the mans chest taking steady aim.

"Step aside this is police business. I am not letting go of this girl she is coming with me to the station. So step aside sir or I will make you step aside." Travis looked into the man's eyes. Travis then pulled back the hammer of his 9mm raising the barrel to just bellow the man's neck. The man was unmoved by the action. Travis spit out his unlit smoke onto the cold ground.

The tension was thick in the air Travis could swear that the world had stopped moving. The wind which before had cooled him to the core had seemed to stop and even the falling snow had taken a break not wanting to break the tension themselves. The world was silent he could have heard a pin drop on the soft snow and it would have sounded like a gun shot. Then came the sounds his feet settling in the snow, his finger on the trigger putting pressure on the metal. Everything moved so slow as if time itself was holding its breath.

Travis took a deep breath the world came rushing back. He opened his mouth again to speak to the stranger. “I said move and I mean now.” Travis could feel his heart beating in his chest it was slow and calm this wasn’t the first time he was in such a situation. Hopefully this time the end result would be different and no shots would be fired, but this guy. Travis looked into his eyes he wasn’t going to step aside it just wasn’t going to happen. For whatever reason this man wasn’t going to let him take this girl to the police station, but Travis still tried. “Please step aside.”