Realistic or Modern Red Queen, Rag Dolls

[Grey]

October 30th, 6:07PM, 1999

Benton Public Library

It's a quiet evening, the last shreds of the setting sun casting the heavy clouds pink and gold beyond the trees on the western horizon.
The brightest lights are the warm yellows behind the library windows and spilling from the doors, the harsher flourescents of Craig's Burgers (a sign for Whataburger peels to reveal that name; Craig didn't quite crack the franchise problem).

A few local highschoolers and nightshift workers sit on the benches outside the restaurant, and a few kids on the steps of the library, and a low murmur of conversation is underlined by chirping crickets. The only other buildings nearby are closed stores and private homes testament to the slapdash layout of the town.

A friday night like any other.

 

[Cirno]

Natalie Singh

Natalie's Jansport backpack lies on the steps, the suede detailing still distinguishable from navy canvas in the remaining light. The latest assigned literature peeks out from the unzipped front pocket. A textbook is closed by her claimed spot, and the math worksheet on top is filled out with answers but only half of them with the work shown. A pencil's still spinning in her right hand as she chatters with the group, laughing as easily as she touches shoulders.

Matthew seems to be a bit quiet and outside the main group, so she occasionally turns in his direction. On this attempt it's with: "Oh man, did you have to pass the science hallway after lunch too? There was such a crowd!" followed by light laughter.

 

[Life.]

Arturo Akello

The soft humming of the fridge in the background tickled Arturo's eardrums as he stepped out of his bedroom. It was the only noise he heard in the background. Lights were off and the blinds of the small room were half-shut. The warm hues of the descending sun colored the sky outside which provided an orange glow over the living room and kitchen area. Arturo lifted his wristwatch up and saw that the time read 6:07 pm. The meet-up time with the group was soon and the ride to the library was at least 15 minutes unless he zoomed down the streets on his skateboard.

Without wasting another minute, Arturo slipped on his safety gear and grabbed his skateboard. His hand shot into his pocket to make sure a certain piece of folded paper was in place before he left. "I can't wait." A mischievous grin appeared on the boy's face as he imagined his buddy's reactions to his newest idea. There weren't many things he found entertaining about the town of Benton, so his boredom drove him to seek excitement. He had been busy the past couple of days browsing through the sites that were not blocked in the library and came across an interesting find. Today, during school, he had slipped some notes to a couple of friends' lockers, Natalie and Sam, to meet up with him tonight at 6:30pm, outside of the library. Arturo was almost 100% sure that they will show, but he still couldn't help but feel some doubt. This didn't faze him from heading over to the library to wait and see.

The time read 6:27pm when Arturo reached the library. By zipping across streets and down alleyways, he managed to make it before the designated time. The familiar, historical building of the Benton Public Library was buzzing with late evening life since a local eatery was close by. Arturo kicked up his skateboard then when the steps of the library blocked his path, but he didn't enter the building rather he walked over to a ledge on the side of the library that faced the burger joint close by. He laid his skateboard next to him and closed his eyes as he inhaled the delicious smell of burgers from the restaurant. Arturo opened his eyes then to pull out the piece of paper from his pocket and begin re-reading the contents on the page as he waited for his company to arrive.

 

[Arkaeis]

Matthew Mills

5:54PM
From behind slate coloured eyes Mattie closely followed the conversation happening around His car. He sat silently there, waiting for a moment to emerge but something sparked his interest. He had agreed to the meet up only after Sam had mentioned that Natalie was sure to be present. He ended up at the usual spot which was frequented by the same more popular group of teens a few minutes early, after being assured that Sam would meet him there after Practice. His tall but but naturally broad build was clad in well kept red and black flannel which lazily blew in the light breeze of the autumn air, it caped a Pink Floyd tee which seemed slightly worn around the collar from frequent use. The rest of Mattie was wrapped in a simple pair of denim blue-jeans and a pair of chucks that had a custom art-deco design which had been made permanent with the use of a red sharpie.


As he emerged from a ruby red jeep Cherokee his eyes shifted from face to face; person to person approacing those whom had flocked to the backdrop of fragrant scents. After a few nods and a pressured smile, he took his perch on an adjacent table tuning into jokes and stories shared by the small crowd. Amidst this ensemble was entangled Natalie whom immediately caught Mattie's attention, Her confidence often putting Her at the center of any action if there was any to be had.

'Oh God, Sam where the heck are you? ' He wondered quietly to Himself prompted by the curious glances that he was getting from others as he approached. After a brief nodd of acknowledgement he listened in on the story that Natalie had been telling, Her focus repeatedly turning towards him throughout the conversation in ways that caught Matthew off guard which was made evident by sudden waves of flushed cheeks.

6:07pm
"Uhh yeah, I did notice the crowd but was running late for Math lab so I didn't get a chance to see what it was about." He responded to Natalie's question in a deflective manner as he settled in trying to get comfortable but obviously over thinking it.

'Shit, Sam why did I let you talk me into this..? You were supposed to be here- god she's so freaking beautiful. ' He thought trading glances with who to Mattie was the most interesting person in Benton.

 

[Wandering Owl]

Setting out around 6:15pm, Sam was already running a bit late. Arturo had said to meet at 6:30, he’d easily be at the library before then, but he’d promised Mattie to meet up right after practice. Which was supposed to have finished by 6pm. He didn’t have the guy’s number yet, so no way to let him know - all Sam could do the next best thing, and show up as soon as he could. He’d probably be there in the time it would take to notice a text, anyway. It was only a five minute walk to the library. Even from a distance, he could pick out the bustling little crowd on the steps that Natalie was probably at the centre of, and the figure just off to one side of the group that was almost certainly Mattie. Good to see they made it in time.

With a smile, he made his way over to the group, throwing an arm around Mattie’s shoulders. “Hey bud! Sorry I’m late, got talking with some of the team about Halloween plans and lost track of time. Hope you didn't get too lonely without me.” A nudge accompanied the last sentence, and a short but meaningful look over to Natalie. Sam had known about Mattie’s crush for a while. The guy just got so flustered it was hard to set anything up. He hoped they’d managed to get talking while he was gone - and he hoped that Natalie actually returned his affections. Mattie didn't deserve to get rejected after everything. Natalie didn't deserve to have to turn him down either. Sam was sure she must get enough unwanted attention, from some of the jokes he’d heard guys made about her. He’d always shot those down pretty quickly. How hard was it to know when a girl was attractive without constantly trying to get in her pants? It was comments like those that made hanging out with this little misfit group feel like a breath of fresh air.

He fell into the conversation easily, chatting and laughing along with the rest, and the minutes rolled past without him even realising it. It was only the sight of a familiar figure on a skateboard, making his way over to an empty ledge, that reminded Sam why he’d come here in the first place. He stood up, gesturing to Mattie and Natalie to follow him. “May as well see what he’s dragged us all out here for.” The laughter in his voice cancelled out any malice his words might have held. “It’s gotta be something good if it’s worth all this mystery.”

 

[Life.]

Arturo Akello

Not even a minute passed that Arturo heard the sounds of some laughter and shuffling of feet and clothing. He glanced to the corner of the library and saw three figures approaching him. Two were ones he was familiar with, while the one in the middle was a stranger. Since Sam was leading the way of the trio, he must know who the invited stranger was. Arturo stuffed the piece of paper back into his pockets before he stood up from the ledge. "Hey! Glad you all can make it! And I see that we have an extra body," a wide grin spread across his face as he took a few steps to greet them each with a fist-bump. "The more, the merrier, I say." The dark-haired teenager slipped off his helmet then and rubbed his hair a few times to poof it out from the shape it had been confined into.

"Now, you all must be wondering why I gathered us here. The day before, dun dun dun, Halloween!" Arturo threw his arms up into the air to add as dramatic flair for his presentation, "A Friday night before Halloween. What better way to spend it than to embark on an adventure!" He paused for a moment to gauge their reactions, but before any could interrupt he continued, "I've spent past Halloweens going through the same ol' routine--decorating, finding costumes, messing with neighbors and their Halloween decorations, parties, the whole shebang. But that was back at my hometown, now I am here in Benton. And well, I wanted to do something different." Almost like a magic trick, the piece of paper that was in his pocket appeared in his hand, "So for the past week I've scoured the Internet in search of something new and exciting to celebrate Halloween. That's when I found, this interesting ritual. The site seemed pretty skeptical and eerie, which I felt made it even more authentic."

"Actually, instead of spilling all the exciting details here. We should start heading over to the designated place. Are any of you guys hungry though? We can grab some burgers and fries to go."

 

[Cirno]

Natalie Singh

Having to weave her way out from the middle of the high school students gathered on the stairs, Nat was the last to catch up with Sam.

As Arturo speaks, she flashes Mattie a smile to confirm his presence is welcome. She snickers a bit at Arturo's dramatic flair before fishing out her chapstick. And then she squints a bit at him saying, "this interesting ritual." She runs her lips together consideringly. Even though it was already the 30th, the weather didn't feel like a night for, like, a seance or whatever their new classmate had planned. What's the worst that could happen? She glances up at Sam and Mattie to check their reactions. They would need to get a move on if she wanted to keep curfew though.

"I'll pay!" she says readily, already bouncing towards Craig's Burgers. "What'd you guys like?"