Realistic or Modern Closed

[Scripted Away]

Alex sighed pitifully.
Her tears could heal quite a lot, yeah, but they couldn't fix this.
She didn't know what to say or Do, so she just softly kept on petting his back.
She slightly flinched as she was sure to have seen Dennis' ghost nearby.
Of course Jim couldn't see him.
After a while, she got the cup of hot chocolate from the desk.
It was cold by now, but she quickly heated it up again with a few flames.
"Here...against the frozen heart...", she mumbled and softly placed the cup in jim's hands. "Hey, If you need some distraction, I know a good place to go."

Mina painfully clenched her teeth.
"That's exactly the problem", she muttered sadly as she pushed the entrance of the tent open.
"You're scared. Everyone is scared of me... Even i am."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim stared down at the cup, sighing brokenly.
"Where do you want to go?", he asked, his voice not as deep and rough as usually, but softer, more delicate. As if it was a piece of glass which could break if you'd only look at it.

Evan looked deep into her terrified eyes and shook his head. "That's not true, Mina!", he protested, frowning. "Just because I was scared when you pushed my freakin' face into the sand, doesn't mean I'm terrified of you forever. Everyone scares people sometimes. We should all be scared of each other because the most of us have all already killed people, ok?" He walked up to her and grabbed her hands. "Look into my eyes. Do I look scared right now? No, I don't."

 

[Scripted Away]

"A place where you are safe from judging people", Alex said softly, wrapped one arm around his shoulders, and suddenly, flames covered them. As they vanished, they were gone.
And appeared again in a huge crater in the desert.
There were several caves in the sandstone-walls and a round and sparkling sea in the middle of it, which reflected the dark night sky, where millions of stars glittered around the moon.
"I found this place a few months ago", she explained silently. "I always come here when I'm feeling down or when I want to be myself."
She turned into a beautiful Phoenix and avoided to look at Jim. Instead, she glanced up at the stars.
"Nobody ever comes here, so there's nobody who could judge. You're safe here for now."

Mina looked away.
While she was an unbeatable fighter out there, she was just a scared girl right now, and showing that side of her scared her even more.
"Why don't you...come in... I guess", she mumbled.
The inside of her tent rather looked like...a maniacs paradise.
Every single knife and fun was arranged exactly parallel, the walls were covered in words and numbers and lines, connecting to more words and numbers and lines. It all didn't seem to make any sense.
On the ground was a huge plan of the city, covered in symbols and letters and numbers as well. Her bed looked like it had never been used; Instead, the blanket was laying on the floor, the pillow was nothing but rags and the bed itself was used as a table for an Ouija board and a huge pentagram.
Pictures of people were lines lined up on the desk, just as painfully organized as the weapons. Some were marked red, some green...

 

[Wyosch]

Jim looked at the phoenix next to him, blinking a few times, before he looked up at the stars. He wasn't shocked, actually.
"Thank you.", he whispered, the memories of him and his cousin flashing before his eyes.
He wished being able to show emotions. He couldn't. Excepting for rage perhaps. His entire life he'd been thaught showing emotions like sadness and fear were weak. Only a coward would do that.
He still remembered crying when his mother had died. His dad had showed him on quite a... special way, that he should never show sadness again. Jim had only been three back then.
"We're in Montana, aren't we?"

Walking in, Evan looked around, staring at the... chaos? No, it wasn't chaos. It was organized chaos.
"What's all this for?", he asked, slightly tilting his head, smiling softly.

 

[Scripted Away]

"Yes, my family just moved here", Alex mumbled. In her Phoenix form, she was about as big as Jim, so she could easily wrap one of her warm wings around his shoulders.
She knew that, being unable to show feelings. As the head of the company she was leading, she had to be strong all the time, although the things they currently saw unraveling gave her nightmares.
The enemy they were fighting here was a joke compared to what was happening all over America.
"Please keep this a secret", she said silently. "People like me are being hunted down like animals."
She shifted back and then softly tilted his face in her direction.
"It's okay, you know? I won't judge. Losing someone so close is painful as hell. It's okay to grieve."

"Finding out who I am", Mina said, pointing at the photos on the table and the Ouija board.
"But I don't know about the numbers and letters and lines. I'm pretty sure I'm writing them in my sleep, like a sleepwalker..."
Just as she wanted to sit down on the bed, the planchette moved.
She sighed, rubbing her temples. "Why now?"
Rolling her eyes, she softly put her index and third finger on the wooden piece.
"Hello. Nicolas, is that you?"
The wood raced over the board, spelling 'rain'.
"Yeah sorry. What's up Rain?"
'Carden'
"Shit...", Mina
growled under her breath. "how close is he?"
'Tonight 4am'
"Are the others on their way?"
'Alexandra, Minuet, Lucian'
"And the angels?"
'Skyler'
"Okay okay, can you fight him off or do you need my help?"
'Yes'
"What yes?"
'Help'
Mina nodded. "Gotta hang up and get ready then"
'Goodbye'
Growling, she stared at the planchette for a moment, and turned to Evan again. "Scuse that. My friend calling from the other side."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim grabbed her hand so she would stop tilting his head up and sighed. "I don't know how to grieve.", he mumbled, letting go of her hand again. "I've lost so many-" Gulping, he looked down and up into the stars. He didn't like talking about his feelings. About his thoughts. Everytime he had tried, his feelings were crushed. He wouldn't make that mistake anymore.
"People like you?", he asked, trying to change the topic. "Shapeshifters?"

Evan frowned confused. "What's happening? What's wrong?", he asked, his gaze shifting from the board to Mina and back again. "I never really believed in Ouija...but fine."

 

[Scripted Away]

Alex looked at Jim for a while with a soft expression.
She knew how he felt; terrified to share feelings because they could be used against him then. She just knew that too good, and she understood that she'd probably have to prove her trust to him, to make him trust her.
At his question, she nodded slowly.
"Yes, shapeshifters", she said silently. "Some of us are humans who shift into something else, Some are beings that developed a human form. It's hard to distinguish though. I'm a Phoenix. Half of my family consists of shapeshifters." She looked up into his eyes and slightly tilted her head. "I could swear you're one, too. I can feel energy radiating from you like... like a lightning or so."
Sighing, she looked to the floor. "They are terrifying, aren't they?", she mumbled. "Feelings... they make us human but... one wrong word and they can destroy you from the inside. I know that just too good..."

"We got a vampire approaching. My friends are after him for a while already. He's a tracker: maniacally addicted to hunting someone down for weeks. Guess he wants to find a new victim here." She got a massive shotgun and a box of huge bullets with something seethrough and fluid inside.
"Bullets filled with holy water. Since that one is resistant against silver."
Looking back at Evan, she frowned slightly.
"I'll ask one of them to stay here with you, Just to be sure you got she defense in case Carden gets past us."
Just then, a weird group of three people came into the tent;
There was a girl, about 21 years old, with strikingly red hair and a floor-length black dress. Apart from her far too elegant appearance though, she seemed totally human.
However she was holding hands with a guy that looked... confusing, to put it mildly. He had wild, black hair, two black wolf ears sticking out of it. His lower arms were feathered claws, like the ones of a raven, and on his back spread one black and one white feathered wing.
The third one was intimidating tall, about 6'5, had ebony- white skin, long black hair and hauntingly beautiful slate grey eyes. He was lithe, but still seemed powerful enough to demolish a tank.
Just then, out of a bright ray of light, a girl appeared, looking like the personification of the color white, with a pair of bright white wings on her back.
At last, a boy materialized beside Mina and looked around cautiously. He probably was the youngest of them, maybe 17 or 18 years old. His messy white hair was hanging into his face, but still couldn't cover a bullethole in his left temple. The blue sweater he was wearing was far too big for him, and he was barefoot.
Mina nodded at them with a determined smile.
"Evan, my friends; Alexandra, Minuet, Lucian, Seraphina and Rain."

 

[Wyosch]

"I highly doubt I'm a shapeshifter.", Jim replied, frowning. "So...I should be able to turn into some...thing or animal? Shoot lightings out of my fingers like you said? Watch out Taliban, here comes Commander Davis aka Zeus 2.0!", he mockingly chuckled.
Upon noticing how he had reacted, he sighed. "Sorry.", he whispered, as if he was scared of apologizing. He just looked up into the sky again, watching the stars shine.
"Nothing hurts me.", he replied to Alex talking about feelings. "No words, no feelings, nothing. In a world full of pain and dread and misery, with lying ass motherfuckers all over the place who don't care 'bout nothing unless its themselves, it's just better to feel like this. To be empty on the inside."

Evan was just staring around with a confused expression in his eyes. "Eh...are those...eh did they just appear like that out of the nowhere or am I dreaming?", he asked, not truly believing what he was just seeing there. "Is this all real?"

 

[Scripted Away]

Alex chuckled softly, to show him she was fine with his mocking. "Well Zeus, wouldn't that be heavenly?", she winked, laughing softly about how bad that pun was. As he seemed to be scared off apologizing, she smiled at him with shining eyes. "Don't worry, it's fine! I know it sounds impossible for you."
His speech about being empty and feeling nothing however made her sad.
She softly took his hand and gave it an assuring squeeze; not too hard of course, while she lay her other hand on his heart, slightly warming it up as if she wanted to unfreeze it.
"I can't say I know what you went through, Jim, but what I know is that if you lock your heart away, you might lose it forever." Sighing sadly, she once more made him look into her eyes, her soft, delicate fingers resting on his cheek, her thumb softly stroking over his cheekbone.
"The day after tomorrow I will have to go back... but if you want, we can forget about the cruelty of the world for tonight. I'm here, okay? I'm no one of them over there. I'm just your friend, and I won't judge or lie to you... Just so you know."

Mina laughed silently.
"I told you there's more than you see! You're not hallucinating or so! C'mon, say hi!"
The red-haired girl waved excitedly.
"Hi there! "
While the others seemed plain amused about his confusion.

 

[Wyosch]

Jim turned his head away from her and looked down to the floor. "Maybe that's the point. Losing it." He took his hand out of hers and put them in the pockets of his pants. "And that's the exact problem. That's what they all say, Alex."
Looking up into the dark sky, according to him the stars slowly losing their shine, he sighed. Alex was a good woman. She was nice, very friendly and understanding... but he wouldn't trust her. All the people he'd ever trusted left him in the end, broke his trust or used his trust against him. It was always the same.
"I'm sorry. I'm not a guy you can really talk to." Memories flashing before his eyes, his thoughts racing. "Sooner or later I'll become your enemy. You'll only get hurt around me."

Evan gulped, slowly advancing. "Eh...hi...?", he waved akwardly. "I'm Evan Weller. You guys...?" Turning to Mina, he whispered, "Are they what I think they are?"

 

[Scripted Away]

"Well, but they all aren't me", Alex said smiling, her eyes locked to the sky.
"I think you just kinda lost... The sense for the light, as if you are wearing sunglasses. Everything seems darker than it really is." She nodded at the stars and smirked slightly. "Seems dark up there, doesn't it? But in fact, if you'd mash all the colors up there together, the result would be a very light brown-yellow; not kidding! My friends from the Nasa tested it. The color is called 'cosmic latte'." Looking at Jim again, she smirked.
"And honestly I think I can talk to you really good. Talking isn't about having the same opinion, you know. And Jim- that's a risk I'll gladly take."
After a small, quick kiss on his cheek, she looked into his eyes with burning determination. "This is a promise. One day, I will show you the way back into the light. And Luna knows I keep my promises. Just wait for it."

Mina laughed silently.
"Well... Alexandra is a witch, rain is a ghost, Lucian is a vampire, Minuet is a demon and Seraphina is an angel..."
The cracking of far too quick footsteps interrupted her, and her eyes widened.
"Evan, run! ", she hissed, stepping in front of him with nothing but a knife. "Run and don't look back!"

 

[Wyosch]

Jim looked at her, slightly frowning, yet surprised and un-sure what to do. He just smiled softly.
"Thanks.", was all he could say before looking up into the sky again. Beautiful.
He hadn't even thought one single second about the duties he'd have to do when they'd get back. He hadn't thought about his father. About that Jeffreys-guy. About anything...actually. He'd been too busy talking. And he hadn't been too busy talking in a long time.
"You can teleport...right?"

Evan froze. "I can't just leave you behind! What a coward would I be then?!", he hissed back, frowning angrily.

 

[Scripted Away]

"Rachel...", Alex mumbled. "I trust you to keep it to yourself, okay? My name is Rachel, not Alex. I just...i may not be recognized here. But keep that name in mind."
With a side glance at him, she nodded slowly. "Teleport, control fire, healing tears and falling to ashes, in fact. And if I wanted, age-immortality. Why?"

"A squad is only as strong as its weakest soldier, and right now, you are the weakest of us!", Mina growled. "What can you do against a super fast, super strong, super psycho killing machine that craves for your blood, eh?!"

 

[Wyosch]

"That's a nice name.", Jim replied, smiling softly. His smile soon faded as he looked to the floor. "Could you maybe...quickly teleport me to Texas? I just...I just quickly wanna see my brother." He sighed, knowing that he'd never get the chance to play with his little brother again. He'd never see him again in person. Jim had to stay with his father so he wouldn't come back home. He had to protect his brother from the abuse. Jack would live a good, long and peaceful life.

Turning around, just starting to run, Evan frowned. Luckily he'd made it out there fast enough so nobody would notice that what she had said had actually hurt his feelings. He tried. He always tried so hard...
"Just don't die!", he yelled at them before disappearing behind some bushes in the distance.

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel smiled softly, took his hand and teleported to Texas, round top. At the same time, she changed her outfit from ponytail and military uniform to wild blonde locks that fell down to her waist in soft waves and a black dress with fiery sparks, made of cinder. A few black roses appeared in her hair as she looked at Jim grinning, not letting go of his hand. "welcome to round top, Texas. I don't know where your house is, but this bakery is nice, been here a few years ago, sooo I teleported us here." A passing car caught her attention, making her eyes widen immediately. "Whoa but that wasn't the original engine of an impala from 67 with a sound like that! Sounded like a V8...! Kay I'm jealous..."

"Carden!", the vampire named Lucian hissed. "You piece of shit, you killed my family."
"Ya well and his mother and I told the witches about his family and her mother didn't drown on her own as well", the blonde man chuckled, pointing at Rain, Minuet and Alexandra.
As he noticed Mina, he frowned though.
"What...how can you be here when I killed you?"
"I'll take that as an offense then", Mina hissed, and a split second later, they were a screaming, scratching and biting whirl of claws and teeth.

 

[Wyosch]

Jim enjoyed the scent of desert, Texan desert, for a moment before looking at Rachel. Blinking a couple of times, he gulped, and just looked away. "It was a V8 with racing knobs.", he looked towards the bakery, a soft smile on his face. There were practically only bad memories here in Round Top...but he loved this little village. "I'll show you a car like you've never seen before." Noticing that Rachel was still holding his hand, he just took the opportunity and softly started dragging her along.
"Wait a second...how did you know I'm from Round Top? And from Texas?"

Evan was hiding behind the bushes, slightly shaking. It was not that he was a coward...he was scared something would happen to David. Sure, he was jealous of her that she was one of the best fighters here, and that without even having to train - but he liked her. Eh, like friends, of course.

 

[Scripted Away]

"Because I still remember you from high school, silly!", Rachel chuckled. "Been three grades under you, remember? I spilled my orange juice over your Harley Davidson shirt and you snapped at me. Then we skipped the last four lessons and played chess." Laughing softly, she shook her head. "I could barely concentrate because I had the crush of the century on you, doofie!" In fact, she still, or again, liked him really really much...but he didn't have to know about that now. "Didn't you tell me back then that they have amazing cinnamon rolls here?"

Suddenly, Mina flew a couple of feet away, into the Bush. Her right eye was completely missing, just as her left lower arm and a big chunk of her chest, but she growled simply, jumped to her feet and stormed back, the missing parts being replaced by limbs that almost looked astral or so.
"You god forsaken, idiotic, ugly, worthless pile of monkey-Shit!", she screamed furiously, attacking Carden again.

 

[Wyosch]

Jim thought for a moment. "Now I remember. You ruined my favorite shirt.", he frowned for a moment, then winked and smiled softly. Smiling was easy now, somehow, with her here. "You had a crush on me?", he asked, raising an eyebrow, not believing it at all. "You had a crush on the snappy loner who cared more 'bout cars and bikes than school and who always somehow ended up in a fight ending up at the principal's?" He chuckled. "You must be mistakin' me with somebody else, but indeed, they do have the best cinnamon rolls here."

Evan almost jumped up from shock. "The hell?!"
Looking through the bushes, he was hardly able to see anything. What was going on? Was Mina alright?
No, she had just flown through the bushes - but her body parts had just grown back on again. Disgusting, but amazing.

 

[Scripted Away]

"Hah, nah", Rachel laughed softly, squeezing his hand in hers.
"I had a crush on the good-looking, smart rebel, who was able to see further than just to the next test or party, who was snappy, yeah, but also knew the greatest ways to annoy teachers enough to make them completely humiliate themselves. And c'mon, you weren't that much of a loner! You had that friend...what was his name again...paul? Well, and you had and still have me." She chuckled softly, poking his side with one finger. "Ah, I almost forgot one of the reasons why i came!"
She rummaged around in her bag for a moment and lastly pulled out a Harley Davidson shirt.
"You had thrown it into the cafeteria bin, so i I took it with me and tried to get the stains out- successfully! Sadly, the day i wanted to give it back to you, your father had taken you out of school."

With an ugly cracking and crunching, a blonde head flew through the air. Mina went to retrieve it and smiled at Evan, the head tucked under her arm like a bowling ball.
"You can come out, we finished Carden once and forever!"

 

[Wyosch]

Jim blinked a couple of times. "You...is that...?", he took a closer look at it, completely stunned. She'd even taken out some of the dried blood stains. "Damn... and you kept it for that entire year, not even sure you'd ever see me again?" He looked down at her hand, which was still in his, and then up at her again. "I just vaguely remember you and Paul, and some blue-haired chick. You were besties with her, both 12, I believe. That Paul was 13 or 14, and I was 16. 'Till my dad got me out of school when I'd turned 17 to join the army."
He didn't even react to what Rachel had said about him being a good-looking, smart rebel. To him, none was true excepting being able to annoy teachers.
"You were from Germany, right? You'd be going to the school in Montana for a year. I'd just moved there and on the first day you immediately ruined my shirt. Great start.", winking, he softly dragged her with him through a small alley. "We shouldn't be out here on a time like this. And with 'we' I mean a girl like you."

Evan only turned away and puked. Not that he had never seen a dead person before...but that head just hanging there, under Mina's arm - that was too much.
As he had finished, he stood up and tried to keep his gaze away from the head. "Are you ok?"

 

[Scripted Away]

"Yeah exactly. By now, I have completely moved to Montana. I mean, mom basically is on business trips all over the world all the time, dad turned into a workaholic and barely leaves the basement, so i more or less Live alone, but it's kind of nice. A lot of time to travel. I just came back from a year in Africa two months ago." She chuckled softly. "Yeah Well, my Little brother can see the future, and he said 'you two will meet again and change everything'. I don't know what he meant with the second part, but since I knew I'd see you again someday..." at his comment about that 'a girl like her' shouldn't be out at a time like this, she frowned. "I could kill you with just my thoughts, I can defend myself", she grumbled. "You are not the only one who learned to fight, you know? And what do you mean with 'a girl like me'?"

Mina nodded, smiling casually. "I'm totally fine. Carden here...less." an evil grin crossed her face for a moment, before she kicked the head away like a football.
Turning back to Evan, she frowned slightly sorrowful.
"You didn't seem okay though", she mumbled silently. "You know, when I told you to hide."

 

[Wyosch]

Jim shook his head. "I didn't mean to upset you like that.", he mumbled, slightly frowning. He hadn't meant it the way she understood it. "I meant...well, you're a...girl." He would've facepalmed himself. "What I mean is, you're... pretty. And young. You might know how to fight, and I believe you on that one, but as you said before: shapeshifters are hunted down mercilessly. So you can't show your phoenix. Having to fight against one of the most dangerous and violent gangs in the US on your own isn't something you'll survive easily - even if you are a good fighter." He sighed. She wouldn't understand unless she experienced it on her own. That wouldn't happen though.
Hearing a siren in the distance, Jim dragged Rachel with him into another alley, where a car couldn't get in. "We're safe here from the cops. Stay close to me though."

Evan lifted his shoulders. "No idea what you're talking about." He looked at the floor for a moment before crossing his arms. "Let's go to the others, shall we?"

 

[Scripted Away]

Rachel crossed her arms with a challenging smirk.
"Two months ago, I took down three tanks and five helicopters on my own- without shifting".
She grinned slightly.
As Jim dragged her into the alley, she had to think of what he had just said.
>>wait, did he call me pretty?!<<
She blushed slightly.
The alley was narrow, really narrow, and he was so freakin' close right now...
>>aaand there it is again...god he smells so good...<<
She looked up into his eyes, hers glowing in the darkness. She could have sworn there had been black wings behind him for a second...
"You definitely are one of us...Jim, listen closely: if you ever get a feeling as if everything is happening in slow motion and everything turns louder and clearer, and your body feels too small or too big for yourself... hide! Get away from wherever you are and hide. The first time shifting is uncontrollable, and it can be painful as hell. Promise me to keep this in mind."

"They already disappeared again. Keeping the chances of being seen as slim as possible", Mina explained. "I don't know about you...but I need some time off now. I still have two portals to America, New York. Wanna come with me?"

 

[Wyosch]

Jim nodded. "Sure, I'll keep it in mind - but I'm still no shapeshifter."
As he heard the sirens coming closer, he frowned. "We gotta get out of here. Cops only come into this district when there's the dealers out again." She'd probably not understand why that was dangerous, but still. He had to get her out of here. If one of the guys who normally spent their nights here saw her, it'd only end in a bloodbath - for them.
He squeezed her hand a bit tighter, making sure he was really holding her, before walking on. "You ever been to Texas before? If, then probably to Austin, the capital?", he asked her, trying to somehow change topics.

Evan lifted his shoulders. "Sure, why not." Vampires, ghosts, angels, demons, portals - this was all getting too much for him. A time off would be good.

 

[Scripted Away]

"Just trust me for once", Rachel chuckled. As he mentioned having been here before, she frowned.
"It'd be easier to ask me where I haven't been yet", she muttered. "We moved so many times and I have travelled to so many places...but I've actually already been to round top once when I was...twelve or so. Had run away from home."
Suddenly, her eyes widened panically and she clinged to Jim's arm. "I...i smell blood...", she whispered, while everything slowly started to turn black.


"Okay!"
Mina quickly disappeared into her tent and came back with two glowing pearls.
"Hold on!", she said with a grin, wrapped one arm tightly around Evan's waist, put one of the pearls on the floor and stepped on it.
Silvery must emerged from it, and as it vanished, they were standing at the Timesquare. "Whoa!", she gasped. "This is...quite different from Afghanistan! ...and cold!"