|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 3:35 pm
A seemingly average school week at Daley High is plunged into chaos as a fire in the girls’ locker room during seventh period injured a dozen students, two of which are in critical condition: twin cheerleaders Leah and Sheryl Hall. Due to the discovery of accelerants (notably kerosene), arson is suspected, and police are on the scene. The morning after the fire, students are on edge about foul play.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2019 10:10 pm
So, where is it did we leave off? Oh right...
More than a handful of students getting powers, some using them for good, others using them for...well evil. It was a open and shut case. Now, there were growing suspicions about foul play because of a raging fire originating from the girls' locker room just a day before. Because in the midst of that two girls were injured - no, injured wasn't the word to be used here - these girls were fighting for their lives and in critical condition. How were other students fairing with this knowledge? They weren't. The ones who cared anyway. Hushed whispers and rumors trickled throughout the halls of Daley High. People like usual had their suspects even if their reasons held no real weight or just flat out dumb.
How did Roman Young feel about all of this? Simply put he was tired. Ever since his dormant powers became not so dormant life was a becoming something like right out of a CW hit drama. He just wanted to graduate and get as far away as possible at this point. He didn't want to be a superhero. Doing the right thing obviously came first to his internal conflicts but why did it have to be him? He thought about his brother if only for the briefest of moments and sighed shaking his head to the sides and trying to focus on remembering what he'd been doing or in this case trying to do.
Head buried in his locker, he pulled out his cell phone to text the 'group'. They knew who they consisted of. Regina, Isabella, Thomas, and others. Even some new faces you probably weren't introduced to before.
For those curious the text read: "Meet at library in 5. Need to talk about this."
They were doing things right this time, working slow, and letting each other decide if this life is what they wanted. The way it should be. He pressed send and gathered his belongings namely his backpack and some books for his next class after this free period then started on his way to the library. As much as he wanted to focus on his own things he just couldn't. He'd be in the library sitting comfortable waiting for his friends? (was that even the right word he often wondered) to meet him soon enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:28 am
It was a half hour or so before the first class was due to start; buses were still pouring in, and cars were still being parked. It was just a day in the life, except for the fact that police were to be expected. It was harder to find a bit of normal. For a while it seemed peaceful, up until a nasty fire in the girls’ locker room changed that. It seemed the girls would need to wait for repairs before standard procedure. Frankly, Regina didn’t like most of the girls; she thought them snobby and too obsessed with meaningless things like their cheap romances with ******** lovers and shitty brands for their fancy clothes. She was fine not being cooped up with them in some smelly locker rooms where the jungle savages felt they needed to assert their dominance to a girl who, if she had her way, would raise her voice if pressed, and they wouldn’t want that.
The audiokinetic stepped out of her vehicle and made her goodbyes to her relative before marching forward in her white sneakers, twirling one vacant earbud in her hand while scratching the itch over her gray sweater sleeve, barely touching the wire that led to the phone in her pocket. The raging scream of Chester Bennington in Linkin Park’s “Given Up” at maximum volume tuned out the world up until the vibration of her phone notified her of Roman’s text. A quick glance and a raised brow heralded her decision, planting the other earbud in place and trekking towards the library. A quiet place, a comfort to the noise of the world. Still, she was naturally curious what his deal was.
She navigated the school’s maze-like hallways, reading lips to identify the inevitable gossip towards the incident that nearly killed two fellow students. The two were bitches and she didn’t like them, but that didn’t mean she wanted them burning to ashes. Still the noise was dead, and by the time she stepped into the library, she was searching for Roman, looking between the spaces between books and the various tables. It was largely empty; she preferred it that way. Somewhere in that library was a 5’ 10” athlete with a crooked chin. To think she thought he was an absolute ******** at first.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2019 1:00 pm
Everyone was talking about it. The alleged arson attack that near left those twins for dead in the girls' locker room the day before. It was just another day to Paris, who was completely apathetic to the incident. He doubted the sincerity of the other students, and believed it would be something that they would shake off in a weeks time. While it rung true in his heart, he knew that it was important to play the part of a concerned classmate.
He had been approaching the entrance of the school as he saw Regina enter with her earphones playing music. Paris couldn't quite make out what she was listening to, but he could hear titbits of it at least. His thumb gently rubbed against the denim of his coat sleeve as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. His eyes lowered as he read that Roman had requested his and some other's presence at the library, undoubtedly to discuss the now-Freddy Krueger twins.
There was no delay in him making his way to the library. He knew each corner of the school like the back of his hand and was there in no time. The scent of both new and old books was one of his favourite things about the library. "Good Morning." He whispered softly as if to offer some hollow reassurance from his presence.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:38 pm
What kind of would-be, upcoming heroes were they to have not acted on this by now? It couldn't have just been some lowly accident, though there was also a tiny bit of relief to that outcome. Things just didn't seem quite so black and white like that here. For now, it was time to curb those thoughts to score a B- for a half assed presentation assignment involving history related to Genghis Khan, or so he thought as his phone buzzed deep in his pocket. He took it out to examine the notification and was met with just what he was looking for. He felt a tinge of excitement, throwing the phone back into his pocket and turning to head towards the library. "Hey, Thomas. AP History is this way, remember? Ms. Greene said we were up first." Thomas' project partner Corey came bounding around the corner to find Thomas walking in the other direction. Thomas' eyes met his and he could see a slight nervous jitter to him. He must have expected Thomas to do all the talking and was no afraid that he might be left to do just that. "I just need you to stall for me for a bit, okay? Just tell Ms. Greene I got sick and went to the nurse's office or something. I'll be back before the end of the period." Thomas didn't give Corey much of a choice in the matter as he stepped aside and ran for the library.
"Is this for what I think it's for? Were we all thinking the same thing? Cause something really fishy is going down and it can't be good." Thomas didn't skip a beat as he stepped through and into the library room after spotting his peers. He took a seat across from Roman and put his arms on the table at about his elbows.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2019 4:44 pm
I'm in the rental truck sticked up like Walker Texas Ranger blared at an deafening sound up and down the school's parking lot signaling that everyone's resident and favorite football player had arrived. Yeah, you guessed it. It was none other than Jerome Johnson. While other students had their 'rents dropping them off he was riding clean in his own. Teachers rolled their eyes at the rowdy music being played not that he cared. Jealousy is all it came down to. He was riding in a better whip than they could ever imagine to afford on their pathetic salary. Parking, Jerome steps out of his BMW and heads inside his personal playground better known as school. Yesterday was pretty traumatic for a lot of girls. They needed a shoulder to cry on and it would just be plain wrong if he didn't offer every single one of them a broad muscular option in their time of need to shed tears. Plenty of numbers were gained from their moment of weakness. Still what happened was unfortunate. He knew the two who were said to be in critical condition. They ain't deserve that. He finished thumbing through his new contacts and glanced up to see something unusual.
One after the other he watched students go into the library. This piqued his interest and so he followed. Maybe something else had gone down? And if so he wanted to be the first to know about it. He scanned the library aisle to aisle then finally laid eyes on the growing group of individuals. His expression settled into a glare when seeing his teammate, Roman Young. Looks like this was a planned meet-up. He'd step into one of the many aisles to get a good look while he ear-hustled. This was going to be good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 4:04 pm
Margot would be a tad late to their meeting; the social butterfly was caught up in a deep conversation about the importance of overseas conduct for government agents in light of the Secret Service Agents whom were fired in April of that year following the President’s visit to Colombia. It wasn’t until someone had to pee that she realized the text and excused herself to go to the library.
Once she arrived, she wandered about the library for a while, momentarily getting distracted by a copy of Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered by Kilgariff and Hardstark before prancing towards whatever source of noise she could find. While she did spot Jerome, she was unaware of his intentions and simply acted in her usual friendly manner. “Hey Jerome! Wasn’t expecting you in the library of all places. I hope you find what you’re looking for,” she exclaimed, waving in his direction, before strolling right past him to find her friends, momentarily setting her hand over her lips when she realized she may have been too loud.
Surely enough, she found them scattered but near. “Good morning! Let’s sit over here before it gets too, err…crowded…” she proclaimed, gesturing towards four tables with four chairs each and giving the one she’d take a light pat. Roman, Regina, Thomas, and Paris. Who else was in the group text? After pulling a chair and setting her satchel beside her, she stretched her arms and yawned. A granola bar would serve as her snack while she waited for them to gather.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:44 pm
Her boots pounded against the floor, changing locations with seconds to spare. Art class. Not the worst way to spend the first part of the day. She caught something in the corner of her, student after student entering the library. Janelle didn't know their names but she just as easily took notice of their social groups and knew for a fact that it was totally odd. The timing was very suspicious, all things considered. She had the power to run faster than the normal mind could perceive, what was the point of having that at her disposal if she couldn't solve crimes of this caliber like a hero? Like her mom. Art class could wait, Janelle didn't care about it much anyway. She entered the library but never made it obvious that she was wanting the ear full of their conversation. She recognized Roman, Paris, and Margot; you played sports around here and you became a local celebrity. The others seemed weirdly out of place. A nerd, a quiet girl, but who was she to judge? She darted normally into an aisle of old and dusty history books, running her fingers through the thick texts to keep herself busy. Janelle had stopped little crimes here and there. Thefts, breaking and entering, attempted rape but she was filled with excitement to finally be on her first investigative mission, unofficially of course. Surely getting some dirt and finding the culprit, or culprits, would earn her some brownie points from her disapproving mother. "Looks like I'm not the only one who wants to know what's going on here." Her eyes settled on Jerome in a similar vantage point. She was sure he was here to get some inside info himself, she never really took him for the reading type.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 9:35 am
While waiting for his er...friends? Roman scrolled through his social media. He read on as multiple students of Daly High tweeted out their best wishes for the cheerleaders. Others took to Instagram to voice their displeasure on the incident and sought justice. He wasn't really the biggest social media guy himself. Sure, he was plenty active on Instagram but not so much anywhere else.
"Hey Regina," Roman called out, standing up to greet her proper. He didn't know if he should hug her and kiss her cheek. It was pretty much the norm when greeting his other female friends but with Regina he just kinda 'fumbled' at things. He didn't know what to do with his hands so he kept them awkwardly at his sides not wanting to invade her space. Luckily, he wouldn't have to focus on her response because Paris joined them seconds later. He didn't know Paris too well to have any real opinion on him. He just knew he had abilities like the rest of the group and for the most part had intentions on using them for the better good.
Great power and responsibility aside, Roman offers for the two of them to sit. They could talk while waiting for the others to pile in. "Man I got next to no sleep last night. Can't shake what happened. It's so messed up." it was true he tossed and turned the night before. Yesterday was pretty traumatic and could've very well been someone closer to him. That's why he was gathering the lot of them now to prevent this from happening a second time.
Next to enter was Thomas, who of everyone was becoming a really good friend in Roman's eyes. A bit awkward the guy was at times but Ro chalked it up to everything he had going on. Gaining super powers and learning how to manage them all while trying to find yourself in puberty. Wasn't an easy task by any means. "Yeah. That fire didn't just happen out of coincidence. Someone did this." by now with most of them here they resumed conversation trading theories with one another. Some big, some small, they weren't all business though. Laughs were shared and maybe some inappropriate jokes were too. Nothing too out of the ordinary among a group of hormonal teens. They however always managed to trace back to staying on topic. At Margot's suggestion to move he'd nod. "Yeah, sure." Was no big deal and if they were really going to discuss this then it should be hush hush. Taking out his phone to put an end to it's insistent vibrating, Ro would read out to the group the gist of said message. "Coach just called a meeting for the guys. I already know what this is about." he sighed. "Whenever a scandal like this arises, we players and cheerleaders get told to keep quiet about it quick. Not to sound like that guy... Buuuut, us being at the top of the social ladder means if we don't talk about it neither does anyone else. Or so is the idea anyway. Happened awhile back when Professor Madelyn was found doing things with Brad Marshall in ninth grade year. Pretty stupid if you ask me."
This was their school's PR move in a way. Try to avoid making it to big time outlets like the Herald by subtlety covering their a**. So long as the parents didn't sue which was very likely considering the situation. "Now that we're all here. I have to ask. And please be honest. Is there anyone here that doesn't believe there was any foul play? Or are we all pretty much in agreement that something just doesn't feel right?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:07 pm
Jerome was focused and determined to get a scoop worthy enough of sharing with his fellow classmates. More and more students sat with Roman and a dastardly smile formed at his lips. All until, "Hey Jerome!" he turned to see an all too familiar cheery individual by the name of Margot. He proceeded to throw his head back dramatically, roll his eyes, and his shoulders fell. She just had to ruin it. He knew that nice act was nothing but just that: an act. He let out a small almost muted; "Waddup," only out of courtesy. He wasn't pleased to see her not when she gave away his position and then suggested the group move elsewhere. Yeah, aight whatever. he told himself watching her skip off like some perky bunny. Jerome turned about to dip off from further exposure only to be met by Janelle. "Oh? Me? Nah I mean...I was just tryna find...s**t alright you caught me. Not like you were the first." he rambled at first only to concede. "Yesterday was just wild. Now, we got Mystery Inc having secret meetings and s**t. I'm just tryna make sure I'm not next y'feel?" he was being partly honest. Another part of him really wanted to just pit blame on the lot because he didn't particularly like them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:52 pm
“What’s up?” she replied to the jock who’s fumbling hadn’t really caught her attention. He wasn’t exactly the first to be in a tizzy on how exactly to greet her. Another followed, drawing her attention, prompting a habitual wave and half-smile for incoming student one, two, and three. Now that she’d found the others, it was simple enough to get organized and sit down wherever was sufficient; someone gave their pitch on where and she simply followed along, taking a seat after Roman gestured they do so.
Roman threw the subject onto the table. Particularly outspoken with her own opinion. “Unless people naturally pack kerosene into lockers, someone in this school’s full of s**t. It could’ve been blondie over here in the hospital,” she said, gesturing to the one cheerleader who thankfully didn’t show up for practice. It was a crude expression of concern, but clearly she was glad that Margot wasn’t among the cheerleaders hurt. If it weren’t for her being woefully a do-gooder and earning her trust, she’d be a suspect in her eyes. Either way, something was wrong, and whoever was responsible wasn’t going to get a free pass if she’d have anything to do with it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 7:51 pm
He returned Regina's welcome gesture with a short nod and smile of recognition. He did the same for Janelle, Jerome and Thomas. It wasn't long after the others had arrived that Roman decided to brief them all on what had happened and they had moved over to the tables per Margot's suggestion. Paris let out an amused grunt at the mention of Professor Madelyn. With the involvement of kerosene, a very odd place indeed for a Class B Fire.
He nodded in swift agreement with Regina. It could have very well been Margot. It seemed rather obvious to jump to the conclusion that someone had specifically targeted the twins as both of them were in the same place, at the same time, and managed to both end up in a pretty bad condition. Unless they both just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The nature of 'twins' was ever elusive to Paris. "Maybe they went crazy like the evil twins from The Shining and did it to themselves, with the others caught in the fallout." He said in a lighthearted jest, only to have his laugh fizzle out shortly as now was neither the time nor place. "Yeah, foul play. Definitely." His lips tightened as he conceded.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2019 4:17 pm
Two of them, maybe halfheartedly joking about their person of interest being Margot which prompted a mere nod of Thomas' head in response. No way. He thought and hoped at the very least. As far as he knew, she was one of them in this whole hero business and unless there was some underlying alter or a case of DID, Thomas just couldn't see it, even on a level of speculation. "What happened to them was awful, but when you carry yourself the way they did, someone's bound to get back. Couldn't imagine someone would go this hard, though. Maybe we could look at the people who they've done the worst to, and I'm not talking slurs or just name-calling, but like really pissed in someone's cereal. Not literally, of course. You guys get what I mean, right?" Even if everyone else agreed, Thomas didn't know where to start. He was only just starting to pay attention to other social circles, to be prepared for instances like this when you needed to analyze the population or a community as a whole. Although it's definitely a plus to have so many people from all sorts of different walks of life and sides of the school.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 18, 2019 9:12 pm
These were stressful times for everyone. Charlotte could only speak for herself at the moment in time. She slept the night after the incident for all of four, maybe four and a half hours. A minuscule amount for a teenage girl with midterms, projects, and presentations in her very near future. Not to mention her 'gift' that at times haunted her, and other times made her laugh hysterically. Visions, dreams, nightmares that all blended together in a cesspool of nonsensical chaos. The days leading up to the fire and the hours after were some of the worst, strongest, and most vivid the dreams had ever been. In her dream, Charlotte walked the halls of Daley High. They were longer than normal, that much was evident. The simple tile textures were covered in a thick layer of ash, her sleepwear slippers leaving footprints in the powdery substance. Bright primary and secondary colors shined through the glass window of the room's doors as if a rave or EDM concert was going on. If she was right to assume, in the normal world, that door led to the library. Her hand reached for the handle. Didn't budge much, not at all actually. She continued up the hall getting significantly more weirded out the further she went.
Another door peaked her interest. It wasn't unfamiliar to her. Bullies made sure of that when they'd lock her up inside. It was the point of origin, she was sure of it. The reason she was seeing these things. Humanoid figures walked out of the girl's locker room entirely covered in ash or.. were they made of ash? Charlotte's mouth formed into a circle and she blew as much air as she could muster in this fabricated fake-world. The ash figures broke down from top to bottom, one by one, dealt the killing blow with a simple huff and puff. Eventually they stopped coming and Charlotte moved further in. The room was boiling hot, she could feel it as if it were reality falling right on top of her. Sweat formed along her skin immediately when she set foot in the locker room. It was obviously due to the bright orange glow behind the set of lockers but to her, it felt like the searing heat was deep seated into the room like a sauna. Charlotte nervously crept around the lockers, her fingers laced around the edges followed by her head that peaked over. Two figures stood plainly in the opening, engulfed by a ball of flame. Their bodies were blackened and unrecognizable. They were hazy and hard to differentiate. She couldn't hear any screams, only the roar of the flame. They seemed un-phased by something that should be causing so much pain. What was her 'ability' trying to show her? The figures in the flame, presumably the twin sister victims pointed toward the door where, once Charlotte turned around, laid eyes on four other ashen figures. Their own figures were distinct. Their sizes, shape, even the length of hair was different enough from the next ash figure. Not only that, but holes where eyes should have been were empty but an ominous white on the inside. They started to step forward, Charlotte's breathing picking up rapidly at their eerie behavior. They were inches away from her, the mixture of sweat from the heat and her own nervousness was immeasurable at this point. When they were nearly on top of her, her legs felt the back of a bench causing her to trip over to what felt like a long fall, an eternity before she felt the hard impact from the ground.
Charlotte's eyes opened in a flutter to several of her classmates standing over her. "What just happened?" Charlotte's hand cupped against the side of her head. Her hands ran against the coarse band that held a pair of safety goggles in place over her eyes. Chemistry. She was in Chemistry class. Her professor, Mr. Cook cleared the students that circled around her stifling snickers and the urge to film the spectacle. "Are you alright? You fell out of your chair and hit your head pretty hard. I'll give you a hall pass so you can go see the school nurse, alright, Charlotte?" She couldn't find the words to respond to her teacher, her eyes left to dance among the classroom meeting gaze after gaze with more kids who thought she was weird as hell. "What the ******** are you all laughing at?" Her voice was low, cracked some even. A couple of them just couldn't hold in their laughter any longer. She took the safety goggles off and laid them on her desk and took her belongings in hand. She wasn't going to wait for a hall pass or further approval. She needed air, or at least to be surrounded by something other than these walls.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2019 7:23 pm
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” said an unfamiliar voice, one of a boy wiping his hands with a towel beside his locker nearby. He was giving a sideways glance, momentarily returning his gaze to his locker to close it before crossing his arms and leaning back against it. His left knuckles were a little pink, and rumor had it there had been a fight earlier that day, names conveniently missing from the gossip. It was probably for the best; everyone had other things to talk about. Why he was involved, he wouldn’t say. Whatever the case, she seemed to be in a situation all on her own, distress labeled over her face like a neon sign on a gloomy evening.
The ex-linebacker with a tarnished reputation in a hallway with a girl he previously didn’t give more than a passing glance up until she stepped out of her classroom a pariah. He didn’t know her name, not a clue, but he knew laughter and ridicule when he heard it, muffled by a door or not. His guess was that she was the source. He didn’t know why he bothered, but at the same time, few were willing to talk, at least few with something nice to say. No, Clark had a bad reputation, one he couldn’t easily evade. It was funny what a few happenstance photos of him outside his ex-girlfriend’s house and some ugly taglines could do. From athlete with a bright future to stalker douchebag in only a few days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
