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World of Darkness: The Academy - Chapter 5: The Loose Thread


Dawn OOC

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It took a little jostling and some careful maneuvering, but Sean got Swan settled in the back, laying across Ryan and Everett's thighs, blankets softening her impromptu couch. Groundskeeper Jason sat in the front, the sword they had found in Swan's hand braced against the door with his leg.

Sean punched in the code from the pass into the gate, then led the other car out of Estes Park and down the highway to Denver. It was a Friday night, the road full of cars, both ways, but traffic was brisk. People were heading to the Big City for a night of fun and just as many were heading for picturesque Estes Park for a weekend getaway. The headlights of the oncoming traffic painted their cars with alternating bands of light and shadow, washing out most colour.

Once on the highway, Sean pulled out his cellphone and auto-dialed Frida, the only one whose number he had programed in his phone. As it began to ran, he set it down in the empty change dish, putting on speaker phone. They had near an hour to drive down the highway and he wanted to know what the hell all that had been about, in the library.

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Renata found herself being bustled into a car before she could really do or say much about it. It wasn't until the engine was running and the car was moving that her fractured mind put the salient points together.

She was in a car, heading to Denver, apparently.

"Wait," Renata protested. "Wait! I don't want to go to Denver! I just want to know what's going ON!"

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Everything was moving so fast. The guards had turned to compost, they were on the way to Denver it seemed, and he was certain as was everyone else that they hadn't heard the last of Ms. Pritchard.

Sean was right to go to his mom's for refuge. The only flaw with the plan as far as he could see was that Pritchard could find out where they were. Once they got there they could sort out the details of what was happening and regroup.

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"I think," offered Sylvia, "that the entire point of this trip is to get someplace where we can do exactly that, Miss Hodges - and well out of the reach of Mrs. Pritchard. Suffice to say that I am every bit as interested as you in learning precisely what this all means." Pointedly glancing at Frida's cell-phone - which was now in a speakerphone mode - she added, "Would that be your assessment as well, Mr. Cassidy?"

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Fingers drumming on the steering wheel, watching Swan through the rearview mirror, Sean listened to the conference call, mouth tight. He knew that going to Vanessa's house wasn't the best solution, but it was the only place he had access to off campus, and it was empty as well, with Vanessa and his sister's gone wherever they had gone.

"That's pretty much what I was thinkin' Ms. Dorn. The house is empty and at least will give us sometime to talk uninterrupted." In his voice, there was something that suggested a shrug. "If nothin' else, the grounds are gated off."

The cars continued down the highway with the whisper of wheels on asphalt. Soon, the openness of the highway gave way to the Mile High City. Sean giving directions over the speakerphone, leading them higher up the mountain, to an upscale neighborhood of Denver.

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"We have to drive to Denver to get out of her reach?" Renata asked...but it was more like resigned than anything by now. "What is she, some kind of witch? And why is she after you? I mean, besides you bashing her twig men up. That wasn't the first time you'd seen her, was it?"

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"They didn't feel like strawmen - scarecrows - to me," Sean grunted, glaring at a red light the seemed to take forever to change. "And Ren, my mom's place in Denver is the only other place I have access to outside of Dalton. I was more concerned getting Swan off campus rather than myself." Sean quickly looked over his shoulder at Ryan, taking a brief look at Swan as well. "I never want to see whoever that bitch is again, either."

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Following Sean along the route, Sylvia took a moment look over to the clearly agitated Renata. She stayed quiet on the matter of her story for quite a while, mulling it over before deciding that - unless magic was real or Renata was delusional - it made nothing resembling sense.

Finally, in hopes of finding a third option, she calmly asked, "Miss Hodges, would you be able to describe - point by point, in detail - exactly what you observed in the Library, however strange it may seem?"

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Renata scowled at Professor Dorn's 'calm the loony' voice, but even in a bad mood, she couldn't really blame her.

"Most of it, you were there for," she retorted. "The fight you guys had...I actually missed a lot of that, since I was grabbing a fire extinguisher. When I got back, you guys had knocked out her two goons and the Science Bitch was pissed off, but wasn't stopping you from getting out."

She took a breath and shook her head. "So then after you went, she went over to the goons, and she was like...muttering something. I couldn't really hear it, but it was something like 'bad matter reels,' or something...I was kind of not listening because as she was saying that, the two guys just sort of...turned into hay and sticks. Then she just left them there and went away."

"I was freaking out, and I broke off a piece and grabbed some hay...I guess I was thinking it'd be evidence or something...and ran after you guys, hoping you'd know what the fuck was going on. I should have known better."

"I bet this 'Swan' knows though," she adds darkly.

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Sean scowled down at his phone as he pulled up to the elegantly wrought iron gate of his mother's house. "Hey, Renata! Don't go blaming Swan now. She's doesn't remember anything, or just as good as." A LED light on a small black box clipped to the side of the door flashed and with a barely audible whirring, the gate began to swing open.

Sean parked on the circular drive, in front of the main doors. He got out and ran up the steps to the front door, unlocking it and swinging it wide. Then he flicked on the entrance lights and ran back.

"Well, home sweet - nah, forget it. Here we are. Make yourselves comfortable." Sean tilted the front seat forward then gathered Swan back up in his arms, freeing Ryan and Everett of the burden and easily bearing her back to the house. The luxurious house was decorated with dark, heavy furnishings, portraying an understated elegance, set off by rustic and tribal knick-knacks and masks adorning the walls.

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"They turned into sticks and hay?" Everett said with a confused look on his face that mirrored disbelief.

"If Swan does know something about those that lady and her supposed stick men, and I'm sure you're right and she does, she's in no condition to tell us right now. We should all rest before we push the Mystery Machine any further...that's just my opinion." Everett said to Renata.

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"I don't know who the woman was," Swan said wearily from Sean's arms. "But the spell - it could be any number of golem spells. Some create visually perfect simulacrums, though they are a little mindless. Others capture the souls of the dead to create smarter, more willful servants.”

Sean blinked down at Swan and she asked, “What is wrong? Why do you look at me like that? I don’t know how to do them, but I know about them.”

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The house was elegant but spartan, having the feel of a place where people didn't so much live as stand on display. But Swan's words brought Sylvia's attention directly back to the matter at hand.

It wasn't an easy transition; it involved accepting something that no rational person in 21st Century America had any rightful reason to accept. But within the teacher, something was starting to trigger. Her memory - one of her greatest assets - was beginning to show flashes and glimpses of... something? The coins and salt came back to mind, as did something to do with people who had complexions and eyes that shouldn't exist. Just like Swan.

With her mind swirling, Sylvia set upon a logical attack on the situation. There were gaps in her memory; that much was clear and unprecedented. Swan was not normal, and in fact - given the blue stuff that had leaked from her - was not human: a mentally painful step, but the only logical answer. And something was happening to her; at least, she was fairly certain that a month ago she couldn't smell the slight sheen of sweat on a person across the room, or the scent of what she could only describe as fear on Swan and Renata.

Her world was changing. And the only choices were to change with it or remain mired in a reality that no longer existed.

With a final mental twist that was both disorienting and clarifying, Sylvia made her choice.

"These golems. They were built and used back where you called home? And when they're not useful anymore, they can be returned to their component parts?"

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"Fuck the golems," Renata snapped. "If a couple of high school jocks can take them apart, then they're not the problem."

She whirled to stare at Swan with a gimlet eye.

"What else can she do? If she can make 'golems,' what else? What about like...voodoo dolls, or turn into a bird or...I don't know, shoot lightning or control people's minds or something. How dangerous is she? How do we kill her?"

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"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Kill her? Isn't that a bit, uh, drastic, Ren? And don't stare at Swan that way." Sean lead the group to the living room, settling Swan into a plush, leather love seat and taking a step back. "I mean, yeah, sending her goons after Swan wasn't nice, but who said anything about killing?"

"And don't you think you guys are falling for this magic stuff a little easily? What you saw Renata, it was probably a trick." Sean crouched and laid a sympathetic hand on Swan's wrist, giving her a commiserating grin. "And you Swan, your memory is a little messed up, right? Are you sure your not mixing things up with a video game or something, like some sort of fantasy convention?" The jock grimaced. "Admittedly, the colour of your blood is weird, but that just might be a rare medical condition. Makes more sense than magic, right? Anyone?"

Suddenly, there was a stitch of pain in his thigh and Sean was not so sure anymore. His stormy eyes grew distant as he kneaded his leg, easing the tight muscle.

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Swan looked at him, perplexed. "Vidy-oh game? Fantasy chon-ventions? I do not know these things," she told Sean, her inhuman eyes meeting his. "I know that I have forgotten much, but I do know that magic is real, as real as... you." She looked frustrated.

"I do not know my name, but I can tell you about the kinds of magic," she said. "I do not do them, myself, but I know them. Why I know them... I remember a classroom, with others that looked like me, and we were learning what each spell was..." She stopped, looking troubled. "We were learning how to kill spellcasters." Biting her lips a moment, she murmured, "I'm worried that I'm not a good person, now, Sean." The uncertainity on her face was sad.

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"Sean, I understand trying to hold onto what we consider rational." Sylvia's tone was softer than anything she usually used with her students, and in an entirely uncharacteristic move she had called one by his first name.

"But I also understand denial. Nobody - regardless the medical condition - has bright blue blood. Nor do they have eyes of that color. As unorthodox as it seems, none of the usual answers fit this equation. So it's time to look at the unusual ones. Swan isn't human." In a more stern tone of voice, she quickly added, "And that does not mean that she is not a person, so anybody with regrettable ideas can put them away right now."

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Throughout the drive, "Freaky Frida" had stayed silent, speaking only to answer the cellphone and then placing it down to let the others speak. She'd spent the drive sitting next to Ms. Dorn, staring out the window at the darkness, lost in thought.

She followed the others into the house, and as the others spoke, and argued, she stared out the window. To the others, perhaps, it seemed like Frida being Frida.. if indeed they had even noticed her presence. As was rather common for the young artist, she had managed to fade into the background, and people had mostly forgotten about her. But with Swan's statement, Frida's gaze turned suddenly, and she focused on the strange girl intently, dark eyes locked together across the room as Swan felt the other girl's gaze fixated on her. Suddenly, her voice cut through the room, serious and without hesitation.

"I am worried that you may be right."

All eyes turned to Frida, but she ignored them as she continued to stare at the odd, white-skinned woman.

"I don't know what to tell you about magic. Obviously she is different from us, somehow. All that I can tell you is that I've been seeing things."

She glanced around then, her gaze boring into those that had turned to her with expected skepticism.

"Just for a moment, or out of the corner of my eye. I know many of you think I'm crazy. I won't bother to argue with you about that, despite how untrue I believe you to be, you will believe what you wish. However, at no point in my life have I ever experienced delusions or hallucinations. And no point have I ever experienced lapses in memory.. though that is most obviously not exclusive to me."

Her gaze turned to Swan again, and she tilted her head, studying her with penetrating stare.

"I don't know that the woman back at the library was a good person herself. She certainly behaved in an aggressive, uncivilized manner. But her remark - clasping the viper to your bosom. This is a reference to Cleopatra, who committed suicide by allowing an asp to poison her with it's venom. Such a reference would indicate that Ms. Pritchard, for whatever reason, believes Swan here to be someone that should be feared. And even you said that you 'fear us all as your mortal enemies', though you doesn't seem to remember why. Now, as a result of my studies of history and humanities, I believe that our natures - 'good' or 'bad' - are mutable. But it may be possible that you are someone who - at least before the loss of your memory - intended us great harm. To me, at least.. this seems the logical deduction, whether we like it or not."

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The uncertainty Sean saw on Swan's face hurt. It was a look he had worn before, wondering why Vanessa didn't love him as much as his sisters. That hurt was deepened by Ms. Dorn and Frida tearing his comforting denials to shreds. It had been easier, when he had just seen Swan as a - somewhat - normal girl who needed help.

"Fine, fine, fuck! Magic and Spellcrafted Robots are real and Swan isn't human. It doesn't matter!" Sean knelt in front of Swan, taking her hands in his, holding them tight. "It doesn't matter, Swan. Even if - if - you've been trained to hunter wizards - why would that make you a danger to us? None of us know any magic, unless someone else is holding out."

Sean glanced over a thick shoulder, glaring at the others, warning them that had better not be the case, before meeting Swan's eyes once more. Their depthless black were eerie yet captivating and somehow, he was certain he had seen eyes like that before. "And even if all that other crap is true and you were a bad person before, that doesn't matter either. You are in a unique position, Swan, you can be whoever you want to be, now."

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"Yeah, it doesn't matter so much that we drove way the hell out here to Denver in a blind panic to escape Ms Bitchard, so forgive me if I'm the only one trying to figure out how to deal with a witch we just royally pissed off, before she teleports in here and turns us all into asparagus or stone or whatever."

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"I wasn't runnin' from Bitchard, I was keepin' Swan outta her hands and the hands of her goons," Sean said, standing up and facing Renata, his voice a rumble. "I figured a house off campus was better than tryin' to hide her in my dorm-room and no one else offered any suggestions. Sorry my mother's house isn't in Estes Park."

His jaw tightened, teeth grinding. "And if she could have turned us into... whatever, she'd have done it, rather than sendin' in her strawmen, if she wanted Swan that bad. If you really saw what you think you saw, Renata, fine, and it's a real concern, but Swan isn't the danger, here."

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"Why?" Renata asked, planting her fists on her hips and not backing down an inch as Sean tried to assume a dominant posture. Even if she had to stare up at him, she did it eye to eye. "Because she's cute? Because she feels so soft and warm in your arms? Because she seems so helpless?"

"She may not be the only danger, or even the worst danger, but there's a crazed wizard lady after her, and maybe willing to go through us to get her. Plus, if what she's saying is true, she was trained to be an assassin of wizards. Which says to me, 'like a normal assassin, but a hundred times more dangerous.' So I'm not crossing her off the danger list."

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Jason nodded to Renata, "No you shouldn't, and keep that list running, I've a feeling it's going to be getting longer."

He turned then to Sean, "Sean there is another point on the weird/magic things list, the metal that Swan's sword is made from is not one I've seen before, and I've come across a wide range of iron, steel and titanium alloys of various kinds. Another point to raise is that although Swan can decide how she acts now from what she has left of her memory who can say what she will do in the future if she regains her memory? Perhaps she will remember something that for her is a good reason to be our enemy even if we can't think of anything that could do that now."

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Despite the back and forth argument, Sylvia had to smile. Sean had aptly stated one of the most insightful comments of the night with regard to their guest: regardless the past, she could now be whomever she wished, breaking old cycles of violence or hatred.

So when she spoke again, it was in stern but not angry tones.

"Miss Hodges, I think that is probably enough of that for now. We are all, I believe, missing significant parts of our recent memories."

Looking down at Swan, she laid a gentle hand upon the injured and strange girl's shoulder. "Yes, I think we've been in conflict with each other. But Mr. Cassidy is very much correct. It is up to us how we proceed from here. We've been given a gift that few ever truly receive: a clean slate." A rare smile was offered to the girl. "Let's make the most of it."

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"BATS!!!!" The momentary discussion, or argument depending on who you asked, was shattered by Ryan's scream. "BATS!! GIANT FUCKIN' BATS!!!" Ryan blew into the room and hit an ottoman throwing him into a tumble that ended up with him scrambling behind a couch peering over the top with wide eyes filled with utter terror. "Giant fucking bats!" he repeated, obviously in distress.

Ms. Dorn gave Ryan an irritated look at his inane behavior and language but Sean spoke up before she could speak. Sean looked at Ryan, "What're you talking about? The bats 'round here are barely even a a foot, and they don't weigh a thing."

Ryan somehow managed to look like he was watching the door and looking at Sean. "Giant. Fucking. Bats," he spat, hunkering down behind the sofa a little more. "I know what I saw ... I think."

"Mr. Jackson, now is not the time for a prank. And watch your language."

"I'm telling you! I-" he looked around at everybody else and the odd looks they were giving him. "I didn't come in cause I wanted to stretch my legs and get some air. I was climbing a tree, your Mom's house has some awesome trees for climbing by the way, and these bats came through at me and ... I dunno, I remember giant fu-, err, freakin' bats. At the school I mean. At least I think it was at the school..."

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"I would have done the same for you or-" Sean began in fierce rebuttal to Renata, when Ryan made his entrance with all the grace of a water buffalo.

"Giant bats? At school. C'mon Ryan, it's..." Sean started with a disbelieving frown, but he trailed off, something swimming up from the shadowy recesses of his memory. "It wasn't bats at school, it was dogs. Big, shadowy dogs things, with sharp teeth. I... I think I remember being bitten." Distractedly, Sean righted the ottoman then plopped down on it, head in his hands.

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Sylvia's smile slipped, then faded into a nearly blank expression, looking off at nothing in particular. "There were... people? And I tried to... do something. Stop a fight, I think. And...."

A twinge crept through her side, and through the fabric of her shirt, Sylvia rubbed at a spot, feeling the faintest hint of a scar.

In a voice uncharacteristically quiet and slightly frightened, she finished, "...and I think I was stabbed."

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Renata looked around at everyone, feeling like she had to be the butt of a joke here. Any second now some fat guy with an overly wide grin would step out with a camera and explain it was all part of some new reality show.

"You're all insane," she said, backing towards the kitchen, where she knew there'd be knives. "Just stay the hell away from me, all of you."

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Frida turned to Renata, her features flickering faintly in annoyance.

"Do calm down. Either none of us are insane, and something very strange is going on - or we're all insane, yourself included. You were, after all, the one who ran up to us claiming to have seen two men disintegrate into lawn refuse. That's certainly no less frightening than giant bats or shadowy dogs, or seeing things out of the corner of my eye. If you're so convinced we're all out of our minds and you're not, tell me Renata - what do you remember about those several days everyone was 'sick'?"

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Ryan laughed, "So people turning into sticks and grass is perfectly sane, but giant fucking bats are right out the window eh?" He laughed again, and in doing so the other could see some measure of his fear dissolve away. "Come on Ren, you can't have it both ways. I remember what I ... I mean I know that what I remember ... It happened, didn't it? There was a cliff ..." his voice trailed off and he cocked his head to the side as though trying to recall something.

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"No, giant bats are fine. Awesome, in fact," Renata retorted. "No, you're insane because of the whole 'I remember, oh wait, no I don't' thing you're doing. She probably messed with your heads or something."

She gave Frida a flat, annoyed look. "And you've -always- been insane, so no change there."

For some reason then, fragments of her dream flickered in front of her...raven's feathers, a weathered old door, and...a bag of bones?

She grimaced and rubbed her thumbs over her eyes, trying to banish the unwelcome thoughts. "I'm tired. Is there a place I can lie down for a few?"

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"Wha? For fuck's sake, listen to what you just said! This woman turned men into garden refuse and 'messed with our minds'," Ryan made sarcastic quote marks in the air as he said the last, "and yet you think that you're somehow more rational that we are? Take a second to look at things from our perspective."

He paused, giving her a chance to at least think about it, and looked at the others. "This isn't one against another. And it's not the rest of us against you. We've all seen stuff that was ... is, not right, but unless somebody spiked us all with LSD or something, and trust me, this doesn't feel like LSD, then it's real and we're in this together."

Ryan looked at Renata, at all of them, "All of us are recalling weird stuff; that's proof enough for me right there, and that's without knowing, absolutely knowing that I've seen some kind of giant bat ... things, in the past. I'm equally sure that Sean's memories of shadow dogs, or whatever, are no less real than your own memories of that bitch turning men into lawn clippings. The only thing denying it does it give her more power later when she comes for Swan or any of us."

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As the students argued, Jason - sword still in hand - made his way over toward the other adult in the room. As he did, Sylvia felt yet another sharp twinge in her side. Almost immediately thereafter, Jason stopped and looked down at the white-metal weapon in his hand.

"OK, that was just creepy," he said more to himself than anyone else.

Distracted by the sudden pain, Sylvia didn't catch the look, but did hear the words. In a slightly pained voice, she managed to ask, "There's a lot of things that are creepy tonight, Jason. To which one are you referring?"

With a somewhat sheepish look, he replied, "This thing just sorta pulsed in my hand. Done that a few times tonight. Just plain weird."

For the first time, Sylvia really looked at the sword, eyes first narrowing and then going wide.

She was silent for a long moment that include a hard swallow, a variety of half-emotions playing across her features. Finally, her face - if not her eyes - returned to a sort of neutrality, and she said in careful words, "I think it would be best to put that someplace safe, secure, and away from me, Mr. Beckett."

Concerned, Jason backed off from Sylvia, then after looking around for a moment, headed off in the general direction of the garage. Sylvia meanwhile turned to give the wounded Swan a long look before stepping over and kneeling at her side.

"I have a question for you," she said in quiet words, "and you have my word that no matter how you answer, no harm will come to you. You were found with a sword. Is that sword yours?"

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"Dude, whatever, Sir-Talks-A-Lot," Renata snapped back at Ryan. "Actually, I -am- pretty sure I'm sane because she never saw me, alright? She never even knew I was there. So she couldn't have done anything to me. Plus, you know what? It means she doesn't even know I know. I could go marching back to school right now, safe as houses, and she'd never knew I knew about her."

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Clearly, Jason wanted to ask why, but he just shrugged and walked out of the room. When he came back a moment later, he didn't have the sword with him. "There you go, Sylvia," he said, leaning on a wall.

Swan looked uncertain, then reached out and took one of Sean's hands. Whether it was for comfort or protection was hard to say. "I don't know," the white-skinned woman said honestly. "I don't remember. But... I think it was. I have felt it, when it pulses. It calls to me. I want to hold it, but I think this will hurt you, Sylvia Dorn. So I will not."

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It took a lot not to shudder; something inside Sylvia very much wanted to shudder right now. She couldn't remember the incident, not clearly. But it seemed all too likely that, not very long ago, this strange and frightened girl had stabbed her with a sword.

For a very brief moment, Sylvia's eyes showed anger, and in that same moment, a reflex deep inside wanted to do something - *rip her throat out*, it whispered. Her eyes shifted from anger to wide-eyed fear, and she backed away from the girl: not for fear of what the chalk-white woman might do, but for fear of what she herself might do to the girl.

It took several seconds for Sylvia to compose herself, and to remember her earlier words. Finally, she said to the girl who had been her enemy, "What happened before is past. Clean slate. If you're willing."

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Everett's head swung back and forth as he listened to the others argue. "What we're doing here is the opposite of regrouping and assessing the situation" he interjected.

He threw a sideways glance at the door and shuddered as a small chill ran down his spine. "So we've got Ryan remembering bats, doors freak me out, anyone else got anything?"

The youth ran a hand through his hair and turned his attention to Ms. Dorn. She looked very spooked. "Ms. Dorn? You been getting any strange feelings or remembering anything weird lately?" he prodded not so lightly. It was clear she had. As strange as their night and past few days had been and as much disbelief as Everett was in it was clear that Swan was either the key to this mystery or the source of the mass hysteria that had gripped them all.

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Without turning to look at him - in fact, without taking her eyes off of Swan - Sylvia said, "Yes, Mr. Erasmus, but it's a private matter. Suffice to say that it correlates with what others have described. We have experienced things which have been suppressed somehow, and are only now starting to realize it."

Seeming to come back to center somewhat, the teacher stood, smoothing her blouse before saying in a louder voice, "And you're very right. We need to stop arguing and work together on this. Whether we particularly like it or not, we are now a working team, and we need to behave as such."

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Sitting on the ottoman next to Swan, his thoughts roiling, tumbling upon themselves, Sean was barely aware of Ryan and Renata bickering. The strains of Frida's violin resounded in his mind, but kept altering into an entrancing, yet alien, melody he could put no name to.

Swan's reaching touch brought him back, stopping the music cold. He shifted to give her an assuring smile and squeezed her hand comfortingly to still the slight trembles. He caught up with what Ms. Dorn and Swan were talking about, suppressing his own shudder, thinking about the sword - no, a sword, a different one, edge red with heart's blood.

When he saw the flash of rage in Ms. Dorn's eyes, he jumped to his feet, interposing himself between her and Swan - he wasn't about to hit Ms. Dorn, but he couldn't let her attack Swan either - then felt his face redden as he saw her take a step back. Relax Sean, you're seeing threats everywhere.

"Sorry," he mumbled to the weirdly intent academician, then whispered to Swan, "When we know what we're doing, we'll let Ms. Dorn leave first, then you can get your sword, maybe holding it will help you remember somethin'."

After Everett spoke and Ms. Dorn mentioned they had to be a team, Sean found himself nodding agreement. He was an athlete after all, and though some players dominated the game they were in, they only did so with the help of their team.

Sean caught Renata's eye and pointed back towards the grand staircase. "If you still wantta grab a few, Renata, go right at the top of the stairs, the first two rooms on the right are the guestrooms. The bathroom is across the hall."

Sean raised his voice to address the rest of the group. "And speaking of team, how about we continue talking about this over dinner? Not sure about anyone else, but I missed supper. I got some burgers I can grill - sorry got nothing for vegans here - and pop, water, or OJ to drink."

Sean began silently counting heads, making sure he had enough burgers to go 'round. One... Two... Three... Four...

Originally Posted By: Rememberin'
"One," he said as he stared at Sean, smiling suddenly...

Then those green eyes latched onto Lorelei and he said, "Two..."

Holy Shit! "I'm number one," he said quietly, then louder, "I got... chosen? Chosen number one, by... And you got chosen, and you, and you." Sean pointed at Ms. Dorn and Jason, and Ryan, still hiding behind the couch.

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