Shadowsblade A Whateley Tale: Shadow On The Heart free porn video

Shadowsblade a Whateley Tale: Written by Shadowsblade Created for war and forged in pain, dealing with demons within and without. To all my readers, thanks for your posts. I do read each one and some of the ones posted recently, they added to my ideas on where to go in long term plot ideas! So keep posting and thinking out there! Copyright ©2018 by Shadowsblade All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the Author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. ----------------------------------------------------------- Monday, August 20, 2007 9:10AM Whateley Academy Well here it was basically one week to go and school would be starting once again for me. 'AND' this was the second time or maybe it was the third time?' My mind had to sarcastically ask itself, I had done this once as a human, once as a Drow at the Sidhe academy and now as a blend of the two? We strolled slowly through campus and thought back to this past weekend at Kent's roadhouse and that little chat Tabitha Turner had with us, Lily's mom thought after school was done with, we Drow should go the 'hero' route in life and we had to laugh at her suggestion internally. We Drow thought like Drow and acted like Drow, even though we were part human. We...the both of us had no real care for humans in general outside of our close set of friends and we thought that would never change?...But life is long and who knows what will come? But today's visit to the Whateley campus was a bit of a compromise and a situation to kill two birds with one stone. Very early this morning we were up at ARC doing our sets of monthly testing, just as we or I had agreed to and Otto suggested that I finish my main physical down here at Whateley to satisfy his bosses and the school yearly admission tests at the same time...so to Whateley we went! Both of us Drow waved to Ophelia as we entered Doyle med center, "Hi ya doing Doc, we missed ya and it's great that we did not have to see ya for anything during summer?" I tried not to lie, after that July fight versus Reverend Roberts we could have come here, but why when we had access to the Grove? "Good to see that my Drow are still in two pieces and standing?" she chuckled a warm greeting to us both. "Like someone once called us, the cockroaches of the Elven world are Drow!" I boasted the half insult and praise I was given months back. She pointed us right towards an open exam room, then a long lock of her mind controlled hair closed the door behind all three of us as she entered herself, "Well, did you both have a good summer vacation?" Ophelia asked as we sat down on the large exam table that was sturdily built to hold the largest and heaviest of mutant teens. "Working vacation, nothing big happened during our stay in Australia." I admitted while hiding behind the small fact, I had just left out all of the state side fights we had to deal with! "Nice to hear that and I have been told New Zealand is beautiful this time of year!" she told me and started to gather up two trays full of supplies from the cabinets for examining us twins. Ophelia's mutation of having mentally controlled, very long hair was handy in situations like this, examining two of us at the same time! "Ohh it was very nice," I said commentating back on how utterly beautiful the country was this summer, "I or we loved how natural the place was...so very far out from all human influence." we smiled to her in turn as she walked back over to us holding a dozen trays of supplies aloft with her long hair. "Humm might have to get you to port me there for a long lunch someday soon?" she pondered the thought for herself. "We can do that for you anytime and take someone with you of course!" I winked to her as that long hair of her's did its part in examining us both. "I might love that and ask for that trip on a long night this winter...for me and one other?" she implied that it might be a very long night indeed with her hint to me. "So any of my fellow Sidhe show up as new students this term?" I wondered if anymore of us Fae had shown up yet for this term at Whateley. "None so far, but we do have a strange mix of other creatures and I might ask you more about them soon enough, if you do know anything?" she asked me and I nodded back to her my willingness to help her out. Ophelia drew several samples of our blood and left us to use our spells that made them inert to magic, then had an assistant take them from the room for her, "Well you are just as I left you a few months back and the only changes I spotted? Are you grew about half an inch since your first measurement, then added about ten pounds in weight via new muscle and bone. That scar from the sword attack on your chest and back has fully vanished and now I find it nearly impossible to tell you both apart. But I can spot the differences in the way you both act!" she smiled, as she told us the results of the exam. "And that difference is?" I just had to ask! "You!" she points a finger to my chest, "You are the most human one, a teen Sidhe or Drow for the most part and she!" Ophelia points at the twin next to me. "She is the Drow, I can tell by the way you both act. She is serious, she studies me while I work and you are withdrawn...thinking to yourself about what is going on around both of you and the why it's going on?" "Really?" we both say in stereo. "It's very obvious to those who know you! Most of those changes, have happened in the months since you left for summer vacation are absolutely huge! I am sure if pressed too hard, you both would fall back on old habits from the first weeks of your going here to Whatley...of being withdrawn and mad at the world. But I really think we humans rubbed off on both of you for the most part, or you are blending in trying to fit in till you need to lash out?" she wondered out loud to us and I am sure wondered to herself if we were hiding much deeper issues? "Hummm...I guess we Drow have to see Bellows even more this term then?" I almost giggled, but could not. "That might be a good idea, if you agree to it? Because we would never force you to do something you both don't agree with." she told us farther. "Thanks ma'am, we appreciate that you trust us more now than last term." "Well my work is done here, unless you want to chat a little more? But in any case, you can go over to Shuster hall, so you can agree with the class schedule laid out or make changes to it?" "I'll be going then ma'am," I said as Rehanna grabbed the door for both of us. "See you next week or so?" Ophelia said to us. "Ophy...we can have lunch and chat?" Rehanna said to Ophelia's surprise, the Drow had used the doctors nickname and not her 'doctor' title or ma'am. Monday, August 20, 2007 11:20 AM Whateley Academy, Shuster Hall As I crossed the campus at a slow stroll, we noticed that the huge remodel of Poe was almost finished with and we should stop by to see what room Mrs. Horton had reserved for us both after we finish up with our run into Shuster! I entered the Shuster hall building quickly and hopped up the stairs as fast as my playful leaps of fun could, we liked the slower pace of not having classes right now and remembered that this was the main office at the same time, so we should get going before someone got mad at us messing around! Us twins stopped at the huge message board and searched it over for any new club offers or fun to be had. The only thing of note was the huge BBQ party for Labor day weekend just before school officially opened up for us students. Rehanna flipped a few notes aside and found a new one for a archery team that one of our students started, "I guess we had an effect on them after all? she reasoned to me. "Yep and maybe they will have fun too?" I added with a smile. "I bet we get a call from them for some tutoring or mentoring?" Rehanna said as she made mental notes on the contacts given for the club. "I am sure, but we will wait till they ask us. Just in case they want to give us some space?" On the next message board was the 'private notes' they were in simple or strange codes from someone in the outside world to someone that might be going here. The whole board was layered with thin board after thin board and a note stayed up here till it was answered or ten years passed by...that was the tradition. Some of the layers nearest the back were that old and would stay till that ten year mark...after that it was assumed you the intended note reader or the sender were very dead! We both loved scanning the notes for the fun of it over the months last term, who or what was being said you never quite knew...that was the intent of the whole service! Rehanna flipped the newest board over to swing away on it's hinges and a layer that was a month old at best was next for her and me to read over, That is when I spotted it. "Three symbols for...child, young, baby and then teach, learn, academy. Then add a crest for a long dead Elvin family, I know by heart" The pure white paper of the Xerox copy stared back at us Drow. "That is from that...Falk lady!" I gasp and Rehanna clamps a hand over my mouth. "You know better, shut it...keep that human part of you still and silent darn you!" she warns me and I nod back to her. I yank the paper fee of it's pins and fold it all up into a small square, so that only the number on the back shows outside. This is the system here, a small attempt at anonymity for both the user and the holder of the rest of the note. The system is moderately simple, a letter arrives at Whateley or one of many PO boxes the school maintains, a copy is made of the communication page or note. A number is issued to reference the original and the note, or letter, or whatever is placed into a large plain envelope. The new copy has that same number printed on its back and placed on the board. Next step, the copy waits until the person the message it was intended for reads it. They take this copy from the message board, turn the message in at the main office, but the office staff member handling the claim is not the same one as the first person that dealt with the incoming original message or the copy and knows nothing about the number. After they reference the number, they pull that now sanitized of all tracing information envelope from the vault and you are handed the sealed envelope! We both walked down several hallways in utter silence, ~"What can she want from us?"~ I mentally questioned my other half. ~"Who knows, but it has to be bad, very bad for her to ask for our help...She had lots hidden money and should have never needed us?"~ Rehanna told me mentally as she wondered to herself silently or to me. When both of us Drow walked slowly into Mrs. Hartford's office door, I knocked out of habit...open door or not! "Ma'am can we come in, unless we are interrupting you?" I asked the assistant headmistress of the school. She nodded my way instantly, "Why no Rohanna, come in please and what can I do for you?" Amelia asked me, as a stack of papers was shoved aside on her huge desk to deal with our need. "Ma'am I have this?" I sighed out slowly, handing her the note number side up. She read the number shown on the back to me without any emotion, then asked me at a whisper, "You sure that this one is yours and do you need any help honey?" "No ma'am, I am sure that one is ours and I don't need help." I told her. Mrs. Hartford might be a 'hardass' the school called her most of the time, but when she was doing this job for us students she cared about us and anyone in such or so much trouble that sending a message this way...a last resort, meant some serious business. Hartford stood up from behind her large desk and crossed the room to a closet door that she opened to a short hallway of safes. she stopped at a large file cabinet style one, used a code on the lock and pressed her necklace to the lock, I am sure I heard a whispered spell as the drawer slid open to her. She mumbled the number to herself as she quickly flipped through the files, pulled out one and closed the drawer, then spun the lock three times. She added a phone number to the flap, then handed me a large sealed envelope, "Call me here or my drop at Kent's place. They know me there by that phone number." she offered us help in her own special way. After we left the office, Hartford sighed out to herself, "I wonder who or what would call for help this way from the Drow twins, it has to be a human? Because a Fae or Sidhe has other more secure ways to communicate with them both and us human would never know it even happened!" We walked out of the building, then stood in the quad staring at the large envelope. No one could read it till it was opened and even the flap was sealed with a spell that showed any tampering to the end user. "We should open that in the Grove." Rehanna suggested to me in Drow, as I thought the very same thing myself! "You're right, far too many ways to spy on campus and kids that do just that for fun or profit!" I said back to my twin in Drow, the only language that I knew was secure...those few students that did know even part of the Drow language...they would never talk about our secrets! After we ported to the Grove and here I knew for a fact no human could track us or listen to us here! One of my daggers slit the envelope open slowly, a single sealed letter slide out along with the original letter that contained it and the original posting for the bulletin board. I read the letter after it was open and it was from the Falk lady just as I has expected. Both of her kids had indeed mutated as I had warned her months ago, her girl into a 'blond haired elf, with violet eyes' Mrs. Falk described her daughter's appearance now and the detailed description of her son's change floored both of us Drow. We both huddled even closer to reread the description again, then once more to be sure and its words hit us like a hammer, "Gaea must be testing us or this is a trap set by humans!" Rehanna said coldly. "Gaea might be rewarding us, but a trap set by humans is very high possibility. They know we would risk anything to save a fellow Sidhe and especially one that looked just like us...we would never stop coming for them!" I said rereading the short description once again. "He has nearly purplish black skin, long while hair to his knees and all white eyes that see far more than his sister does. He is nearly six foot and muscular for a boy his age." her words told me again. "Let's go ask the one person we both know would never stab us in the back over this...Paige! After we made sure that Peter Falk no longer breathed months ago, she would kill for us and even more if this is a trap laid for all of us!" Rehanna hissed out as we both ported quickly away to Hawthorne where Paige's dorm room was. After spending some short time catching up with the housemother of Hawthorne, we asked her permission to see Paige down stairs and she agreed instantly. I knocked lightly at Paige's door, the only one on this leg of the basement hallway. Because she had such a large room laid out for when she went full 'Werepanther' and needed the extra room for her bigger size and wilder needs! Paige opened the door to us and handed us both a orange pop from her large fridge, "Cantrel called down to tell me you are here!" she laughed at us and quickly closed the door behind all three of us girls. Paige gave us both a huge warm furry hug, as her long tail bounced happy back and forth at our presence, "Why are you here, I hope it's not trouble?" she said and fell with a plop onto her bed. I took a spot in the large fluffy chair and Rehanna jumped on the huge swinging log hung from chains across the room for the fun of it! "Well what do you have for me girl or is this a fun only visit?" (the log was there for Paige's more 'wild' days) I handed her the letter to read over, the quickest way to do this task in my mind and Paige put on her cute 'sexy librarian' glasses to read it. After she was done, her face was certainly showing more than a little disbelief in what she just read. "So you sure this came from her?" she had to ask cautiously. "Yes, that is the code we or I gave her at the time and no one else knew it, or could know it." I insisted. "Well I will get on the internal CIA net and see if there is any word on her or the kids being found like she hints at or a trap being laid out for you?" "I know you trust Blue, but none of him on this one. We keep this in family and I insist on that please?" I pleaded with her and she knew I meant family as in Sara's close ones, ones that had beyond blood bonds like we all had. "As you wish, I will get Donna up at ARC on this too via code Sara showed us one night before...before.." Paige started to cry and got me going a little too. "I know and someday she will be back." I sniffed sadly for a second with her. "On it now," she said as her body leaned back to the wall for comfort on a pillow and her glasses came off to hang around her neck on a gold chain. The wall of computers across the room spun up at her silent command as she drifted off into them with her cyber spirit. While Paige was gone, one of her other computers came alive and a holo of Blue filled that side of the room, "Where is Paige, she is ignoring me!" he barked at me, then finally noticed who was really sitting in the room as I smiled a now trademark fang filled grin at his image. "Blue we are working and butt out for now buddy." I warned him gently. "Heya Ro, we were supposed to be working on the new Poe internet firewall today, but I guess this comes first and if I can ask?" he started. "No you may not, so please go and no snooping or your comic collection will find it's new home under a rock in New Zealand!" I warned him. "Got it mean lady, you win and I am gone!" he said and his holo winked out of existence. I knew that he would obey my warning, he knows my warnings are not threats and I can really hurt him! Paige's wall of computers clicked alive one row at a time for the next three hours as they came to life for her extended searching of the net and the hidden dark corners she only knew about. Out there, somewhere in the vast internet. Her mind sought out information one byte at a time on anything dealing with Falk, me or Drow, then lastly Sidhe of any form and she hit gold in Colorado state. One hit located at a college research hospital that had records that only lasted for few seconds of net time before they were erased and happened to be the same one that Blue had mentioned a few days back? Paige traced Blue's path on the net and into his very own computer without him knowing. She was far better at this than he ever could be, she lived here inside the net and it was her mutation. His mutated power was more divisor knack, than full blown mutation like her's, so he lagged behind her on all things computer! Her system scooped up the data she offered it, made a complete copy and she left the system like she was never there!. Blue might ask someday, but a promise made like the one Ro had asked for...ran much deeper than friendship would even go, this shared bond was souls that touched in life! Paige blinked back to the real world as I was busy texting Bill that I would be late for dinner and was safe at Whateley for now. "So find anything girl!" I sang to her as I saw that she was back with us. "Ro, all that is out there? Is that one mention that Blue had found about Drow a week or so back in Colorado and that's it elf chick?" she said while snatching up a coke off her table and drinking the whole bottle in one huge gulp. "No CIA stuff at all?" I had to ask even though I knew she would have said something about it! "Nope, not one little peep. But that letter could have come from that area, a dead drop would have been marked just the same as that one is from a regional PO box anywhere in the area?" she added knowing the system far better than I did...the new human systems was something I was still learning to follow with her help. "Mrs. Falk gave me a burner cell phone, I still have it in storage and the battery has never been in it...besides it being in the either...it can't get a signal?" I offered her what I had on the subject. "I would get it out, power it up while you are here so I can hide the signal on the net and let's see if she answers your call?" she cautioned me and offered a plan. It took some doing on my part, the box that held it was in my deepest storage and I actually had to pull my bronze box from the ether to even get that! Paige sat on her bed while I did what I needed to do, she did not even question the darn thing showing up unlike most do when they see it. I guess being with Sara does that to you after awhile, you just accept life as it comes and the wonderment of being a regular human leaves you? Once I had the little thing in hand, I offered it to her for examination even before we put the battery back in. Paige plugged it into her system, then silently plunged her very self into the small device to see what was maybe hidden in it and came back to me in seconds. "Nothing in that, all factory fresh and untouched by human hands. That phone has never even received a call or sent one!" she gave me with a smile. "Okay so you say it's good and this room traps all cell signals within it?" I asked. "Yep it does and I will send that call all over the world long before she picks the call up to lose anyone that even tries to trace the call back to us or over to her?" Paige added her expertise on the subject to me. "Well since you control all things that go 'beep'!" played with her, "You are in charge then?" "When you are ready?" Paige offered me the lead again. I turned the small cheap phone on and pressed the 'select' button on the only number in it's storage. The phone rang on speaker setting, so that we both could listen in with ease and Mrs. Falk took ten rings to answer my call. "I hope this is you and so I know it is...what does your face mask look like?" she questioned me instantly. "Skull..." was my one word answer. "And what room did we last talk in?" "The one that flushes all...." I gave her simply and really did not tell anyone a clue on the other end of the line, one who might not actually be her. "What did you ask me to do while I was in bed?" she asked now. "Clean your rugs..." I gave only one part of what I said. "Last question....what is your girlfriend?" "Devil in a blue dress..." I had to giggle a hidden joke that would hide who Sara was and Mrs. Falk would understand I am sure. "That is close enough for me and 'hi' again assassin. I know you said that you might not ever answer my plea for help and that you can't really help me...but I...my kids are in so much trouble! If they figure out who we are...they are dead and I know how you want to protect kids...help...us?" she cried on to us both over the phone line. Paige put a holo message floating in the air for me to read, "No trace from anyone outside and yep she is in Colorado Springs area." I had to sigh before speaking, "So are they really elves and are tested as such?" "Can't test them, that will get attention we don't need. the DNA test will point right to us all!" she cried on almost hysterically to the line. "You do know a small blip was on the net, one that mentioned a Drow or dark elf boy. Just a sentence really made it out, but out it was for a short time?" I had to warn her of the mistake made by someone near her. "Ohh one of the doctors made a mistake and left that on a computer...That got out...ohh no they will find us!" she shouted nearly crying and started to mentally lose it now. "Hush now, it was small and so nearly nothing only an expert I know even found it, only because of the elf part within the report." I offered solace that this was a very small mistake. "Thank God!" she sighed out slowly and I could tell she was barely holding it all together. "No thank Gaea...your boy is one of her's from now on and so is your daughter. So get used to it" I made fun of her and her need to offer praise to the right higher being from now on. Paige acted like she was choking to make fun of me and I feigned a slap her way in silent reply. "So I have to hazard a guess, you want to meet and see what I can do for you three?" "Yes!" "Well I have to see your kids to know if they are what you said and see if this is a trap set for me?" I ask. "I will meet you and you can tell...if I lie about them?" she says to me. "How do you know that?" I have to wonder, but not admit to having the power. "Brian had your full file from ARC, plus a school's files before he died and my son has all of it now?" she told me and that information floored me a little...there were copies and I eyeballed Paige like crazy for it! "On it, I will find every last word of that file outside of ARC that is in the wrong hands and clean the net as best I can?" the floating holo text offered up to me. I knew deep inside that the net would never be clean of that information, ARC had sold copies, but they knew who to and that kid was not one of them! "I still need to see the children myself?" I asked again. "I can't ask them to go out, they will get spotted. My daughter Tonya can hide her Elven looks, but Kevin...there is no hiding that!" she almost yelled to me. "So neither one of them knows or controls any magic yet or has any skills to do so?" "No, both of them are kids..." she worries to me. "Does...Kevin have one heart or two?" Rehanna asks from her perch on the log swing. "He has only one, why do you ask?" "Some Sidhe have two. I need to know what race he is...that is all?" I offer and mentally ask Rehanna why the question. ~"Have to know, is he one of us and one heart says no. He is the one of the unchanged and you know about this...just remember it?"~ she instructs me mentally. ~"I understand, but we can...fix him?"~ ~"Fix or really bring him up to our standards!"~ she smiles to me and I feel from her and myself what the smile really means down deep. Mrs. Falk interrupts our mental chat with her next statement, "I did not know that some elves have two hearts?" "They do, but very few...we have to find a place to meet up at...one that I will choose for all of us." I told her next. "Yes we need to meet very soon!" she said almost panicking. "Do you have a car and can both of your kids sit in back of it unseen? So I can see them myself and know for sure that this is not a trap for me?" I insist next. "I don't want them there?" "Then I am not coming if I can not be sure that this is not a trap?" I say and hope she has brains enough to pull through and prove it to me. I do not want to turn my back on the possibility that there are two Sidhe in need of my help! "Fine I will bring them both, there is a...." I interrupt her, "I choose the place and....give me a second to find one." I said and wave over to Paige's holo to find me a good spot, but have to mute the phone to tell her what I need. "Well this one looks good?" Paige says. After the phone is muted, "I need a spot that is more park like, not mall and has lots of places for me to hide in.." I suggest. "A city park with places to hide...that's nuts!" Paige tells me. "A park, where I rule and spirits of nature tell me where a HUMAN is hiding!" I tell her the short version of the facts. "Ohh ya.." Paige says, then shows me a map of a large park near the college. "Mrs. Falk...there is a park here near the college. Be there in twenty minutes." I practically demand. "That is far from me, I might not make it?" she ponders to me. "I know where you are by your phone and you have enough time to make the meet...if you move right now?" I admit that we know more than she does right now. "You traced my phone!" she shrieks to me in suprise. "Yes, did you think I would not. Remember you are asking for my help and have no place to make demands on me whatsoever!" I tell her the simple facts of our continued conversation. "Fine, I will get both of my kids ready and meet you on the bench you mentioned, they will be in the nearest parking lot in a black minivan." she hung up instantly to get moving was my guess? "Well you want me to come with ya or not?" Paige asked me or us. "Please no, stay here where you can keep a better eye out with your tech skills." I asked her. "There are a few camera's in that park since it borders the college campus, I will do overwatch via them and Ro....good luck girl?" she said to me quietly. "I will come back and if I even feel twinge of something like that spell from Boston...I am SO GONE!" I laugh to her to ease her mind and mine! Monday, August 20, 2007 3:10PM Colorado Springs, Colorado A large park nearby the state college grounds We both ported to this place in seconds, Mrs. Falk or anyone that is using her as bait will take several more minutes to even get near this park. Paige has the net fully covered up and told us Drow via a 'spot' radio set near my ear, "There is no satellites looking down on you that are not mine right now and no drones of any size." "Thanks Paige, I owe you dinner out" I had to offer. "In and out cheese burgers on you!" she giggled to me on the radio. Right now I waited just out of sight of the park bench, Rehanna was finishing up her quick run around the whole park's perimeter and was ending up that run in the parking lot that Falk agreed to stop in. Both Pixies flew high above both of us Drow keeping watch on the whole area. Then I knew Paige was watching over me via at least a dozen cameras that she was controlling and using every cell phone within a mile of here to spy on the whole city center! Then Rehanna spotted a blue minivan with dark tinted windows, slowly enter the parking lot from her perch up in a tall tree. What gained her attention to the van, was that it circled the whole lot not once, but three times then pulled into a spot aimed at a driveway leading back out to the street. So that all a driver had to do, was start the van and gun the engine to be back on the road! Rehanna watched the van, through the windshield she could see the Falk mother talk to her two kids for a few minutes, one of the kids...the girl, she leapt into the front seat and the boy stayed in the back hiding his face in a large hoodie top. With the girl in the front now, Rehanna could see her ears clearly and knew she was a fellow Sidhe by the scent, plus the glow of untrained magic coming off the teen in waves. Rehanna made a quick mental note, that girl needs magic training and needs it fast! She is leaking essence all over the place and that makes her easy to track for a magic user. Then surely the boy has the very same issues too! The mother slipped out of the van and hugged her daughter through the still open window, Rehanna overheard , "I will be back honey, but if you see something wrong...run...forget me and save yourselves at any cost...I love both of you." she cried as she walked away searching for threats in everything around her and checking on the van behind her constantly with quick glances over her shoulder. Mrs. Falk hesitantly sits down on the very long bench she choose and watches the small crowds flowing around her for any threat...even though she could not spot one till it was far too late. She really was only a stay at home mother and had no real training, she only fired the gun her husband kept in the home a few times! That gun being in her purse right now gave her no comfort, she knew any trained person could take it in a split second and hurt or kill her! Joannie noticed a blond teen sit on the long bench far away from her and she took out a brown bag that contained a sandwich that the teen started to eat. "So come here often, I am thinking of going to school here after my high school is done?" the beautiful blonde teen asked and made Joannie Falk jump at the sound. "No this is my first time, I just came to the city." Joannie admitted the truth to the teen, better to blend in than to stick out by not talking to the teen! "Nice city here, I attend a boarding school in the east for now. But this might be a fun place to attend college at, with all the nice mountains around here and the parks are very nice." the teen sitting across the bench added as she took in a deep breath of the fresh mountain air. "Like I said, have only been here a few weeks myself." Joannie dryly crackled back her answer, as her throat went dry from the stress of waiting for her meet. "Here have a soda." the teen said pleasantly, as she slid across the bench nearer to Joannie's side and handed her a sealed bottle of orange pop. Joannie took the bottle from the teen's hand and opened it while thinking, 'drinking this right now might help with her growing nervousness', "Thanks I really needed something right now." she sighed to the teen. "No problem, you know I was thinking of going trick or treating next month as an sexy elf. You think that costume would look good on me?" the blond teen asked with a quick laugh. All Joannie could do was stare at the teen only sitting a foot away from her side, "That's right it's me and don't freak out. Because if you do...I am so gone and forgetting you even exist!" the blonde teen warned her in a firm voice. "But you don't look like an elf?" the mother wondered out loud about the teen just inches from her side. "Magic, if I wanted to look like a Labradoodle and lick your hand in greeting. Magic can do that!" I boasted. "So what are we going to do?" Joannie almost stuttered out in her voice of uncertainty about doing all this...exposing her kids to such danger. "To start off with, you are going to tell me you are not part of the CIA or a trap. Then next, that your kids are here in the van and mutated as far as you know. Then that you need help, do this one after another...no blending of the answers and if you lie I will know instantly via a power I have...and I am gone!" I ordered her. Joannie quickly and precisely did as I had requested of her, then sighed out when she was done, "Was that good enough?" "That was just fine, I believe you now and we should all get going back to your place to clean it out." I said as I stood up quickly with purpose. "Clean it out?" she asked puzzled at the thought. I had come to the idea while she spoke, that coming home right now with me to Bill's was the only option she or her family had today. Make a clean fast, very quick untraceable break and go there to Bill's home. Then from that new safe house, we all could make long term plans for her and the kids. "It is best to act right now, act fast and surprise anyone that might be following you or the kids. My moving you three so suddenly, three thousand plus miles will lose any tail and make sure that you are all safe." I said flatly and expected to be obeyed instantly by her or anybody! "Okay?" she said so softly now, indeed sounding so very unsure to my sensitive ears. But Joannie was indeed following me right towards her waiting van and the two children of her's waiting inside. "When we get to your van, tell them that I am your contact and have the boy hide in the back seat. I will take the seat behind you in the middle row and a friend will take the seat nearest me...you will not see them...they are using invisibility and you will only note the van moving slightly as they enter." I ordered her once again. "I got it." she said while readying her purse to enter the small van. "You sure, less mistakes out here mean less chances of messing up later and being found out?" I warned her. She nodded back to me as we made it to the waiting van. Joannie opened her door as I stood near it and she told both kids as she got in, "Kevin in the very back right now, Tonya stay seated where you are...both of you stay silent and this is our new friend. She will get in the middle row after Kevin opens the sliding door a little for her and then Kevin hides again. When she gets in...NO QUESTIONS from both of you, say nothing no matter how strange it looks to either of you and stay still!" Joannie ordered her children in that mad mother style of voice that says...'mess this up and I will beat you silly!' We Drow entered the van without a hitch, once I was all set in my seat and Rehanna was hidden from view by the row of other seats. I ordered Joannie once more, "Mrs. Falk, please pull the van smoothly out of the parking lots driveway towards home, drive the speed limit to the mile, no accelerating like mad, stop at the lights or stop signs like you are doing a driver's test and don't hit anything...please. Because if a cop stops us and wants to see the kids and they don't have MCO cards yet and the cops are assholes...killing cops is bad luck for all of us." is what I warn them all of the facts, no cops will stop us...unfortunately for them Both of the kids do exactly as ordered by their mother and me. Tonya tried to turn around to ask me a question, but my harsh stare stopped her in mid first utterance and she went back to looking out the windshield. Kevin whispered out as he felt something in the seat near him, "Mom there is someone else in the car with us?" he warned. "There is someone with us, my sister or other half and you don't need to worry about her...unless you move to attack me?" I chuckled to him over my shoulder. Kevin just gulped back to me as his mother warned, "Please don't move honey, they are helping us...but don't move for right now." I could make out a slight tremor in her voice as she said that sentence. Joannie pulled the van into a large housing tract filled with row after row of townhomes, then down three more streets to the last ones she needed and down the last driveway to her's. The garage door rolled up, as she hit the opener and my eyes never left watching her every move. Rehanna never stopped watching both children from her cloak of invisibly and both Pixies hovered by their chosen charge that they protected. As the door rolled closed, I slide across the seat to the sliding passenger door, "I will get out first, then my sister and that is when we will let you out of the van one at a time. Do what we say to the letter and this will work out safely and quickly." I told them while finally opening the sliding door to get out of the van. After I was safely out of the van, Rehanna jumped out next from the rear and ran upstairs like a shot to check out the house for any trouble. Both Pixies flew off with her to help with the large task. The three people of the Falk family exited the van in turn without a word, just as I had asked them. All three of them stood there staring at me as all they stood at the homes stairs leading up to the main house, Rehanna mentally told me as we all waited, ~"Home is safe, Violet and Lilac are flying a loop around outside...safe to come up right now...all windows are already closed."~ I knew 'closed' really meant locked and covered up. The doors where exactly the same of course. "Well before we all go up, grab what you might want from down here, as this is the last time you will be in this home...ever!" I ordered all of them. No one moved till Kevin grabbed a skateboard off the wall, "This is all I need from down here, sis you want your bike?" he nudged as he asked her with a knowing wink. "Nope, never liked that one, the one or style I loved was at our old place." Tonya angrily growled out, as she moved towards the stairs. She must have been upset at losing that bike for some reason? I grabbed the van's keys out of Joannie's hand as I said to her, "You will not need those anymore and toss any keys you have to this house away...they can be traced via magic to you all. And before you even ask me...that's right magic can trace a key that is made for the lock across the whole world and right to your pocket!" I tossed the set of keys at the van and those where quickly joined by three sets of house keys. "Well before we go, I should get this over with...I maybe a mutant...but my looks are not very human." I warn the whole family as my illusion drops away with a shimmer and I stand before them as I really am...A Drow teen girl and not the blonde cheerleader. Both the Falk girl and her mother Joannie do several double or triple takes of me and Kevin in quick succession as the poor boy gasps at me, "You look just like me!" "That I do...I am or we are Drow and you...your sister and all of us are Sidhe or humans call us Elves." I told him and her in quick turns of my head and pointed at each of us in turn. "So you are what my son is?" Joannie asks me next, just barely dealing with her shock I'd bet! "No, not exactly the same...but him and me will talk about that later on alone. It is a subject that only he should really hear about for now?" "So all of you get upstairs quickly, what we or you are going to do next...is gather all...everything you want from here. As you are never to come back here...ever...and I mean it!" I order as well as warn and point up the short stairs to the top. All three of the family climb up into the living room and are greeted by a girl coming down the stairs in dark black leather armor, since the mother was leading the way. Joannie recognized the armor instantly from that night her husband died many months ago, "So it is you?" she asked. "Yep me..." Rehanna said at nearly a giggle, as her hand pulled off her skull mask in one smooth motion and was now showing all three of them her twin face of a Drow that stood right behind them, "And it was her too!" she points at me just as I close the door going to the garage and recheck the front door I just passed by on the staircase landing. "You are twins!" Tonya yelped out in surprise, "I did not see that one coming!" "Twins per say and we will explain that one later too, it takes hours and my hand puppets that I use for the show are sadly at home!" I joked as I walked past them all and up to the next half level of the home, holding a kitchen, dining area and small bath on it's level. As I went searching about and poked into their fridge for food, the Pixies blasted right past the family on their way to join in my snacking or fridge raiding, "Never seen Pixies before?" Rehanna grinned, then waved an arm up the stairs going up to the bedrooms level of the home, "NOW GET MOVING AND PACK!" she barked at the stunned three. Very quickly, almost like marines packing for battle quickly! The family had all of its belongings packed into the fifteen bags now sitting on the living room floor. It was obvious to any onlooker they had done this exact same thing many times and had it down pat! "Are you sure you have everything now from upstairs? Because after I drop a spell on it, there is no going back up there after that spell is all set!" Rehanna warns as I drop a spell on the garage below us via an open door. "What does the spell do?" Tonya was first to ask and her brother nodded along with her question. "This spell destroys all DNA up there you might have left behind, as well as fingerprints and other clues someone might use in tracking you or us." I explained as I closed the door leading down and the spell did it's job just behind it. Rehanna nodded to me as I stepped right next to her, "Yes Rohanna is correct as always!" she played with me. "All done up there." the family of three sang said in turn, answering my question, 'of grabbing anything else from upstairs' and Rehanna went up to set her spellwork into motion. I placed all the bags into a tight circle on the tile floor of the living room, then drew a chalk line around the whole stack to ready it all for porting with me. Rehanna flew down the stairs after she was finished up and the Pixies landed on her shoulders. "Okay all we are teleporting to a new home and get ready. Just touch my shoulders or arm and after we are gone...Rohanna will bring the bags next after I make some room for them?" Rehanna instructed the three going along with her. I was ready and told Rehanna, that I was with a thought, ~"All set here"~ "Okay you three, if you get dizzy after we port there. Please sit down, then if you need to toss cookies or barf? TELL ME right away...pleeeeeease...the rug is hard to clean. Now if you are ready," she waited for three nods, "tray tables in upright position, keep your hand or arms on the Drow for liftoff and off we GO!" she shouted at the end and vanished. After they vanished and I felt Rehanna tell me all was fine there in Bill's house, I dropped the spell on the room and the rest of the house with a three minute timer and ported away home. Monday, August 20, 2007 7:40PM Dunwich, New Hampshire Bill and Jineen's Townhouse Rehanna landed right square in the middle of the living room of a large townhome that she personally called home for right now, Jineen and Bill were enjoying some late night after dinner coffee while watching TV from the kitchen counter when she showed up suddenly with three others standing next to her. After the port, I found that both kids were unfazed, not a single hair out of place and that was very normal for us Sidhe during a port like mine. But their mother fell over almost instantly right into a nearby chair and Rehanna had to help her just to sit upright in it she was so intensely sickened by the trip, "Jineen I need a bucket for you know what!" she demanded quickly, while the sound of Joannie starting to have issues with keeping her lunch down seemed to grow by the second. "What or who are they honey and you do need to call us first before bring guests over!" Jineen asked her numerous questions as she handed a bucket to the teen Drow in armor, who quickly shoved the mother's head right in it as the poor woman cut loose with a stream of puke! Jineen sighed out at Rehanna's quick action that saved her carpets, "Thank Gaea, my nice carpets get to stay 'nice' a little longer!" "Surprise we have guests!" Rehanna yelled out as happy as she could muster, "and we will explain all of this mess in just one minute. But...But...I have to go and make room for their bags in the garage first...be right back!" and the then flew off down stairs, while leaving the poor sick mother in the care of her kids for now. While Jineen helped the suddenly sick woman with a larger bucket and worried about her home's carpet even more, Bill grabbed a few bottles of water from the fridge for the kids and a bottle of 'tums' from the kitchen cabinet for their mother. Down in the garage, Rehanna moved a few boxes out of the way and a small table that Bill has set up for a chore cleaning some of his tools after he had just fixed the bathroom sink in the house. Rehanna mentally measured the space and found it was just big enough and sent a mental note of ~"ready"~ to her other half. I ported into the garage more than a little winded from the effort, porting three hundred plus pounds of luggage was taxing. Porting living things for some reason was far easier in life and practice, I have never figured out why...but it was! And that is why I had so very much storage in the ether...Instead of personally carrying it all! Bill gave each kid a water bottle, as he said "Welcome to my home, I am Bill and this is my wife Jineen. We look after the Twins I am sure you knowwww?" Bill trailed off for a second wondering if they did know. "I am Tonya, that boy is my brother Kevin and the sick lady is my mom Joannie." the teen girl promptly gave Bill with a long laugh at watching her mother hug that bucket so close to her chest. "YA and we have never met either D...rowww was it, they or you called them both till just now?" the boy named Kevin by his sister asked unsure of what to make of the strange day so far. "But you are a Drow kid yourself?" Bill asked surprised that the boy did not know what race of elves he was. "HAAAA seven weeks ago, both of us were humans and 'HE' only just finished changing a few days ago!" Tonya giggled out as she pointed at her brother in a very playful manner and Kevin slapped her hand away from his face. Joannie had finally stopped being sick long enough to speak herself and managed to suck down some of the water while chewing up a few tablets of stomach medication. "Now kiiids, stop being a pain in our host's butt's and maybe help go with our bags...if that is alright?" she asked Bill at the end with a glance of uncertainty. "Ahh lets ask the twins first, because they should have called us first before you all came and we have no idea of what plans they already have set up for all three of you?" Jineen said as both Drow made a sudden appearance from the garage door and plopped down on the couch across the room from them all. "The bags are here and no one traced us here..." Rehanna started. ".....And I made sure no one can with a few added spells!" Rohanna huffed out finishing her twins sentence. "Okay Rohanna," Bill did not sound happy at all and started up instantly on the twins, "What are you two up too?" I sighed out long and heavily, this was the first time in hours that what I was doing or just did really set in on me! "Bill I met Mrs. Joannie Falk on the day her husband died, I was there and saved the rest of them from harm....." "I knew it, you killed my dad!" Kevin yelled out in rage and leapt at Rehanna sitting on the couch. The boy never made it those few short feet, Rehanna ported instantly up to her feet in a spilt second and her firm hand SNATCHED the teen boy from the air by the throat! She then angrily hissed only an inch away into his face, "I never killed your dad...We Drow can never lie and I will only say that to you once BOY! Now get away from me..." and she shoved him stumbling backwards as Rohanna her twin quickly stood up herself. "Like I said, we met that night and I SAVED both of you from a assassination team that was there to kill your DAD darn it!" I roared at both of them and was about to say even more. But a short glare from Joannie their mother stopped me cold and that very same glare begged with me 'to stop'...so I did. I sighed out for a very long second and let that new thought of what had really happened to their dad that night months ago settle in with both of the children's minds, "If you want to learn more about that night, you will have to ask your mother...that is a family question or matter, one she has to tell you both and I or we are not getting involved unless we are asked too?" Now that I was safe at home, I was starting to calm down a little and the 'cat' was out of the bag with regarding the kids and their fathers death. Rehanna walked, no really 'stalked' almost 'slinked' over closer to the boy...much closer "So let's see what we have here...shall we?" she questioned him, almost 'purred' to him and even I slowly walked over to both of them lured by curiosity myself in seeing the boy Drow, heck any boy Drow for that matter Rehanna put a firm hand to his face grabbing it by his chin, then a single finger lifted his lip to better show his teeth, "AWW no fangs...we have to fix that or how can he show that he loves another Drow without a little BITE now and then?" she said smiling wide in a very sensual way while showing off her impressive fangs. As I stood closer to the boy, his scent...no his musk filled my nose as I sucked it in deeply and my both of my hearts started to race away faster in sync with one another and Rehanna's too! Jineen was the first to notice what was happening between the three teens and very closely watched on. As both teen Drow came closer to the boy and Rehanna let the boy's chin fall from her hand as she moved around behind him slowly, but her hand and wrist lingered by the boy's nose far too long to be a simple mistake...she did the motion on purpose and when the kid sniffed deeply at the passing arm of the teen girl...his eyes lit up instantly! Rohanna stalked closer to the new boy and was almost doing the same act as her twin, more a dance around the boy than a slow circle of curious inspection or wonderment at seeing a new one of their own kind. The heavy breathing of both teen girls filled the room and even Bill was becoming uncomfortable by the sight of the near mating dance or ritual that all three Drow seemed to be involved in now. "Maybe us three Drow should go and be alone...away from others and these humans?" Rehanna breathed out heavily. The scent off the boy filled my nose as I came up closer to him and it took my mind away instantly. Both of my hearts fired up at a high pace and my lungs gulped for breath in long heavy draws from the room. Joannie sprung to her feet, obviously seeing and hearing where this endeavor by the twins was leading too and reacted like any mother would. "Are you both propositioning my son...right in front of me?" she questioned the actions of the girls on her son! Rohanna glared at her instantly and anyone in the room could see that she was very angry at being interrupted right now, "Shush human the Drow are talking...go way?" is all she said as warning. Jineen saw what was happening and it was not leading to a good place...not right now it was not and she jumped between the boy and the two twins, "I think you both should go upstairs to your room and we will have a personal talk about all of this in a few minutes...when I finally come up there." Both teen girls stared...no glared at Jineen like she had just lost her mind, "We are not going anywhere, he is here and so...we are here." they nearly growled out in angry stereo. Jineen yelled in a very firm voice that only a mother would or could use to both twins, "Rohanna and Rehanna Leigh...this is my home and I own it! So while BOTH of you are under this roof THAT I own BOTH of you will obey me or BOTH of you will leave....Now go up stairs to your room and I will come up to see you BOTH in a few minutes and DO NOT leave this house till after we talk...or don't come back the BOTH of you!" "Yes Mrs. Varney we do as guests, as asked by the owner of the this home and await our talking this matter over in time." Rohanna said as she walked angrily away. Because decorum and honor said it must be so, no matter how they personally felt right now at being ordered about. "Yes we will talk...soon." Rehanna added as she followed one step behind her twin up the stairs and towards their shared room on the next level of the home. When both teens were gone and their door closed, Jineen sighed out slowly all the pent up tension she had within her, "I am so glad that worked, I was not so sure it would." "Honey, even I was not sure it would!" Bill added next, as he let out the long breath that he was holding. "What the heck was that?" Joannie said as she helped her boy finally calm down some and sit in a large chair next to her place on the couch. "That was two Drow girls that have not seen one of their own kind in a very long time and.....you know?" Jineen winked knowingly at the mother of the boy. "Those two hotties and my brother....the goofball...NO WAY!" Tonya almost roared out laughing at the situation. "I could easily see it happen, I work at ARC and those two were the only two real Drow in the whole world. There are a few genetic clones made up by a teenage mad scientist. But Rohanna was the only one, then came Rehanna and if you want more information on her...please ask them for it?" Bill sighed, as he pulled a beer from the fridge and Jineen nodded that she wanted...no really, needed one too! After Bill handed her the bottle of sweet hard ale style beer, she tipped the bottle empty in one go and then pulled three more from the fridge before she started walking slowly towards the stairs, "I have to go chat with them now...wish me luck dear?" she nodded to Bill and trudged slowly upstairs. At Rohanna's door, she knocked lightly, "Honey can I come in now and we all have a little talk?" she asked...but did not insist at all. "Come on in Jineen," I said still sitting crosslegged on my bed while Rehanna paced the room like a caged animal once again. Jineen opened the door and found one Drow pacing the room and she was angry, very angry, that one of the two had to be Rehanna. The other twin had her head down in her hands deep in thought or shame and appeared to be totally calm, but thoroughly confused for sure. "Here both of you take one of these, I know, I know they will not do anything for you. But the fact is you need the idea that we are talking like adults right here and now?" she said while offering both girls a bottle of the sweet ale, that was more soda than booze. Jineen sat down and used her key ring to open her bottle, but both teens just quickly twisted off the top without the aid of any tool. "I would love to be able to do that, taking bottle caps off without the help of an opener!" she laughed and pocketed her key ring with a shark shaped bottle opener on it. "Sorry Jineen I don't know what came over me, or us down there?" I mumbled out while taking a few quick sips of the sweet beer. "Sure you do, he is one of us Drow and we want him!" Rehanna added more than mad at being denied what she surely thought was her right...Drow males must prove their worth to potential mates and one that is rescued by a female...is rather simply now her's to do with as she pleases! In her anger, Rehanna took deep gulps of the cold beer hopeful that it might calm her, but she knew it would not Being as old as she was, Jineen knew what Rehanna was mad about and she had heard of matriarchal societies like the Drow obviously had. "Rehanna honey, and Rohanna, you just changed and came back to the world only six months ago and you had massive problems in dealing with those changes. Give the boy the same amount of time before hitting him with even more things to learn, help him out like others helped you. Then add this to think about, we, you, the school, ARC and the whole world does not need, nor is it really ready for two, three, or four, or more little Drows running around! Just think about my poor clean carpets, they never meant you any harm...so why would you do that to them?" she laughed at both teens, who giggled back as best they could right now. "Thanks Jineen, I was confused back there and just let Rehanna and that basic instinct of her's run my little brain right then." I explained what had just happened to us as best I could. "All I ask is no kids at least till you both graduate and give it a year past that...maybe?" Jineen asked both teens with a smile. "We can honor that date, till graduation for all three of us. No children. But anything else is up to him to win from us females...that is tradition." Rehanna agrees and gives one age old demand of her kind. One that males must 'WIN' over their potential mates and Rehanna is not one to be easily impressed! "Ohhh that poor boy has no idea how hard his life or love life is about to be." Jineen pleads for the boys coming experience. "We will train him, just like we were." Rehanna urges her twin. "Maybe...we should give him a smidge more leeway than we got during our life, so that him failing a few times does not get him killed by us teachers?" Rohanna asked while pinching her fingers together indicating, her wanting to give the boy a chance to win once awhile. "Fine...we will coddle the boy till he grows a bit more into a true Drow that he should be and we should ask him a very important question...one that should be done tonight or tomorrow at the latest?" Rehanna quickly told her twin. "I know, tonight is best with the coming full moon to power it, but we need supplies and a few other things first?" I warned that this choice was not going to be an easy one for him or us two. "What in the heck are you two chatting about?" Jineen asked. "He...Kevin is Drow and we are changed Drow. We can fix that for him, but it has to be done soon, very soon before the humans test him or the MCO finds him." Rehanna told Jineen. "And that never leaves this room Jineen...swear to it!" I asked for her promise and she gave it willingly. "If ARC or the MCO or even Jobe that crazy kid at Whateley heard that you could do that for elves or Drow, ohhhhh BOY!" Jineen sighed out. Bill knocked on my door and asked to come in just as all three of us started to chat about something else. Rehanna let him in without a single word, "Hey I ordered pizza and some fish'n'chips for a late dinner. So if you could go fetch them, we can eat with our new guests and set up who sleeps where tonight?" he smiled to all three of us after entering my room. "I'll go grab that right now," I said standing up, "At the usual spot?" I had to ask to make sure. "Yep," Bill nodded pointing west and that meant LA, my NEW fav spot that Art told me about. One that just loves it when we Drow show up, the owner loves Pixies, so she spoils them both when we show up and the kids that eat there regally have heard we show up from time to time, so they want autographs when we do! After we ported away, Jineen told Bill that both of us had promised not to go too far and have little ones just yet. He sighed out in relief, "Thank Gaea for that, two or more of them running around here would be the death of us both!" he laughed. "You...thank Gaea now Bill?" Jineen smiled at him. "Yep you bet, I know she listens to me and that other guy not so much these days!" he chuckled out while going back downstairs to his guests. Bill entered the living room and sat on the edge of one of the sofas, while Jineen stood close behind him, "Well the twins are off getting all of us some late dinner and I am very sure both of you have found out that elves eating meat was not something you liked doing anymore or worse?" he questioned both kids. Tonya spoke up first, because she gave her brother a playful shove that stopped him from talking himself, "Yahhh meat tastes like cardboard now and fruits and veggies are just fantastic!" "Me too, meat has just lost it for me...so no more chili dogs I have to guess? But just like sis said, veggies are great when done right." Kevin added next. "Well the twins are off to LA to get some pizzas and fish'n'chips that they love eating, they will bring back a huge snack platter to find out what you two like. As for beds, you girls can take the twin's room and Kevin can sleep here on this couch that makes out into a fine bed. Ro and Rehanna will I am sure sleep out in the Grove they call home and show you both that place tomorrow?" Jineen informed all three of her new guests. Over on the West coast in LA We ported to the parking lot where we always did, then walked into the 'small hole in the wall' deli-pizzeria-fish shop and waved our greetings to the owner Sally that quickly came out from behind her glass display filled with every food you would love on a picnic and gave us both a huge hug. "You two staying at Art's or stopping by for some dinner, I have Bill's order cooking and it will be ready soon enough? But you all ordered so much food tonight, are you having guests over or something?" she asked and started back to her place running the show. "A few fellow Sidhe showed up and we had to let them in on your place...that is only fair for all the cookies you give the little ones!" I said and those two knew instantly that warm cookies were being served and it was time to grab one! Both small Fae missiles flew out of nowhere and up to Sally, "What is the special today!" both sang out in joy knowing to ask before receiving their yummy treats! Sally opened the cookie warmer and pulled out two large peanut butter cookies for them to munch on while we Drow waited. As they started to eat their fill on a paper place mat on the glass showcase top. Some of the kids in the seating section must have heard the fuss and ran in to see what was up. The older kids knew me or us already and how I ran this for them...line up with something for us to sign and wait your turn. Simple and easy rules to follow so that everyone had a chance to see or greet us Drow. The few kids that were there at this hour, mostly had the free posters you took out of magazines or a cereal box of Lucky charms that came out a short time ago. But one lucky kid, his dad had overnighted an action figure of mine all the way from China and the first batch of them ever made! "Wow this is neat, the first one I ever have seen past the demo units!" I said as he handed me the action figure still on it's display card and 'un-punched' I had quickly learned to spot as someone that wanted the card 100% collectible!....Un-punched, meant that the hole where the action figure hung from the display was till intact and un-punched or missing that small piece of cardboard!...this sometimes doubles the price on the open market. I quickly took out a roll of hologram stickers that had been ordered a month ago knowing days like this were coming. These small stickers would prove to all, that we Drow personally signed or did not sign something! The sticker was a hologram of my face from the 3d scans made for the movie EFX, then I inscribed a spell into it and over the whole roll that made the hologram grow to the size of my real head and smile to the viewer, then a blade would swish it all away and start over! I was told that my first batch signing with these little gems, made the darn things worth a cool hundred bucks plus each...just for the sticker! Humans loved magic that they could hold in their hands it seemed! And soon the toys would roll in and we would be signing stuff anytime we Drow were caught outside! "So where do you want me to sign this one, I have never seen one in packaging till today?" I asked the boy. "Right there on back under your names!" he grinned to me I quickly did mine and Rehanna added her signature next to mine with, "The first one we ever signed!" and today's date under it. She handed it over to the young boy and he just grinned back to us, "Great I got the first one!" "Way to go son..." then the dad nodded to us, "thanks he just loves it!" After we signed what we could, the food was ready for us and Sally waved us over, "Here ya both go and some warm cookies for the Pixies! she added with a smile. "Thanks Sally, be seeing you in a few weeks maybe? School starts very soon and I might not have the time to 'pop' over for a meal." I warned that coming here might not happen for awhile. "We are ready anytime, just call in your order and it will be here when you drop by!" she waved as both of us vanished with the bags and stacked boxes of hot food. Back at the house, we all sat at the dining table to eat and chat life over. "So have you figured out why us being elves, we don't like meat?" Tonya asked me or us. "It's Sidhe is our correct racial name...elves are a human thing they hung on us," Rehanna corrected her, "But one doctor at ARC thinks it's the iron in the red blood and some fish species have less of that and we can eat them easier." "Iron is a thing?" she asked next. "Yes, you touch cold iron or anything artificial like nylon cloth or plastics and you will get burnt to COOKED. It may matter on your body type or sub race of Sidhe Tonya, but in cases like mine. Cold iron, the truest form found in nature, it burns me or us Drow like fire and you might get a bad skin burn that would burn me or us Drow to bone." Rohanna added and took a new slice of pizza onto her plate. "We had not noticed that yet?" Kevin said, "You sure that happens to us?" "Want to test it out?" I had to ask. "Why not I will do anything on a dare!" he boasted like any boy would. I laughed at him, "if you are sure?" and I pulled out a small box from my storage with a wave over the table. I opened the box, then pulled on the silk glove inside while I ignored the smell the iron gave off, a scent that told me 'pain' and then took out a rod of pure cold iron, most likely made by lightning at sometime before I was given it? "Why the glove?" Tonya asked me while tilting her head to see what I was doing better. "Ohhh you will know in a second and so will Kevin when he grabs this!" I warned. "Well you want me to hold it or what?" he eagerly asked me...."ahh the stupidity of youth!" I thought just then. "When you are ready and this will hurt like MAD...so are you sure?" I had to ask him once more to feel that I had done my duty in truly warning him. "Awww just give it here...it's just metal!" he said and snatched the rod from my hand and his hand sizzled instantly, then started to smoke. Poor Kevin yelled out like a wounded beast, "Jesus Christ!" then dropped the metal rod to the table top. As the rod rolled towards Tonya, she jumped out of her seat and Kevin was out of his seat heading to the kitchen sink to cool off his burning hand. He ran the cooling water over his hand and sighed out slowly, "Ahhh that's better....that darn thing is on fire!" Tonya just glared at the rod laying on the floor near her, "I can feel that darn thing from here, someone grab it and put it away." I stood up, retrieved the rod from the floor and placed it back in it's box, "Remember this lesson, in older parts of the city or small towns. Benches, rails, stairs, light poles might be made of old enough Iron to hurt you both. But newer modern steel is not really an issue with us Sidhe, you might feel a tingle now and then,, but not burn except for hours of contact?" After the rod was safely put away, Kevin came back to the table with a wet towel still on his hand, "Can I see that, I do know a couple of healing spells that can help out with the pain at the least?" I asked and Rehanna made some room between us by sliding her chair a little bit. Kevin worked his way between us and this time I kept my head on straight, even though the scent of him was so attractive right now! "Lay your hand on the table and let's take this towel off the wound first." I removed the towel and examined the burn. His burn was not as bad as one of mine would have been, but worse than Gwen or Nikki would certainly have? A wave of my hand and lots of concentration on my part, takes the pain way as I guide his hands skin to heal up and then seal up a little quicker. I sigh out from the exertion, "Healing is not my bag...I blast-em not fix-em, but that should help you out Kevin and I am sorry you had to go through that...but till you burn your own hand like a little kid or see it like Tonya did? You don't really believe it, since for your whole life that was not an issue you had to deal with." Tonya had to ask about what I just said as it made her curious...very curious! "You only know how to fight and just so you know...I saw your hands glow and Kevin's too while you did that, then add the 'lines' if I could call them that...they fixed themselves inside his hand?" "Humm you might be a healer then, I might...heck I will need that...if you are indeed a healer!" I laughed. Bill laughed with me, "Yep she or the twins will, always getting into trouble and that is WHAT we get to hear about?" he glared at me and I stayed silent...my only safety net to his question. I avoided Bill' glare and changed the subject a little, "Tonya, so you know and Kevin. Drows like me were only trained to fight by the Sidhe royals and used as shock troops or assassins, maybe intelligence gathering I did for awhile?" Tonya and her mother squinted their faces at both of us Drows in minor confusion I am sure, but Tonya asked me first, "You don't look that old, didn't the Sidhe live long ago and only recently come back via mutants like Kevin and me?" "I am or we are a bit different, I was made or mutated to a Drow and the old soul from Shadowsblade put in me? Is the best way to explain it...or really the only way I can explain it and not get into trouble?" "Trouble?" she questions instantly. "Yep trouble, the twins have what are called Geas placed on them and those limit what they can say or even do at times. If one of them tries to break one, it will stop them both or cause pain till they stop and in a worse case...kill them. All magic users have limits like that, just that they...the twins have far more of them with being directly connected to a Drow that lived that long ago." Jineen explained, while we were far too embarrassed to say a word for ourselves. "I have..." I tired to start. But Bill took over when he saw those issues of mine coming up once again, "They have memories from all the fighting that Shadowsblade did back then and to call it a horror would be kind. Then add her human part has it's own issues...ones they will tell you someday I am sure?" Bill smiled and kindly stopped from saying everything about us right now...one step at a time, was his mental plan I am sure. "That's real sad, are you getting better?" Joannie said softly as she leaned over to pat Rehanna on her back in sympathy. "We are getting better, but one caution I should warn you all about now. If we are asleep and we don't really sleep too much because our bodies don't need much, or the nightmares intrude on a good slumber...but if we are twitching or growling in our sleep, don't wake us suddenly it can be dangerous." I said. "I don't get it?" Kevin said. "We are dreaming of those fights we had, we get suck in them and when we wake sometimes it hard to tell where night terror stops and real world begins" Rehanna said as I nodded with her statement. "Well since sleep is on the table, it's about time we get some!" Joannie told her kids and us at the same time. Jineen nodded and started to clean up the table, we Drow jumped in to give a hand and quickly we all had the leftovers in the fridge for tomorrow, plus the trash taken out for the night. When Joannie called to her kids to go up and get ready for bed, I took that chance to ask her, "Can Kevin and I talk about something personal in private while you and Tonya get showered up for bedtime and no we will not get that kind of 'personal'..." "Okay," she reluctantly said to my request, "but can I get a promise on that?" she asked not really knowing how binding a promise from a magic user or Drow can really be. "Haaa that will work, Drow or magic users like the twins have to obey a promise to the letter Joannie..." Bill said ripping the cat out of the bag for me. "We promise only for our short talk right now and not getting physical for tonight..." we both droned out in stereo to her and Kevin. That is when Rehanna laughed out, "Well he has to earn that right from us anyway..." she grinned evilly at him. "Fine have a talk with my son and please be quick about it." his mother huffed out somewhat upset at all of this and I pointed to the stairs going down to the garage for him to follow us. Once down in the garage, I sat in Bill's work bench chair and Rehanna leaned up on the table next to me, "Well what do we need to talk about? Kevin asked from us two silent Drows. "Kevin, I have to tell you this. Please don't ever talk about this to others, I can't ask you to really swear to it because you have no idea how to really do a suitable 'swear' yet...but please?" Kevin nodded back to us, "Yes I can do that for you." "Good, what you need to know and really need to think about is this. We Drow, us twins are far different than regular Drow or Sidhe like you and your sister are. We were changed by magic and other means into better fighters or living weapons." "I saw that in the files that my dad left me, the ones the CIA stole from ARC and I understand the vast differences between you and us regular elves or Sidhe." he nodded to us. "Great, but the question is...do you...would you like to be more like us or stay like you are now?" I reluctantly asked hoping he might want the change we now offered. "You can do that?" he had to question the strange idea. "Yes we can, it will take time and some expense on our part and we are not talking money here. But it can be done." "Could I do it later?" "Yes...but you will have to wait a few years, maybe even a few dozen. Remember the MCO will scan you, so will doctors and they will freak out of you suddenly changed in the next year or something after meeting us Drow?" "So you think this a choose now or wait a whole decade deal?" he said while appearing to be really thinking all of this over like an adult would. "That is what I think and just look at the MCO as they stand now or the H1 mutant haters. They get wind that a mutant can be made stronger...they will go nuts!" I explained on. "So I will or would be just like you?" "Sort of...you will be faster, stronger and probably have more magic than your sister. But some of the things that were done to us or me, we can not do to you. Why you might ask? Because what is needed to accomplish those changes is not here and nor can I get any of it. Plus, some of those changes made...they were horrible and I don't want someone else going through that pain and terror...not to be like we are." "I am not going to ask what those were, but why do you keep using we, us or I like it's strange to you and you have to correct yourself all the time?" "Simple Kevin, a mad scientist kid up at our school has a elf or Drow fetish and cloned Rohanna and made me Rehanna!" Said while pointing to herself leaning on the bench top, "Then a friend helped to fix our shared brain a little and now we grow a little more separate...but still very connected each day." Rehanna angrily added in. Kevin's eyes bugged out in surprise and shock, "Really that is nuts, so one of you is a clone!" Rehanna nodded to him, "Yep and that same moron accidentally changed himself to a 'herself' and at that very same time into a fake Drow too! Thank Gaea, one Drow that was not based on our DNA but a very close Sidhe friend's DNA." she laughed at Jobe's pain. "Ohh boy, so a guy is now a chick and a dark elf...more like my sis is? Was he stupid or something?" "SOMETHING!" we both drone out in stereo with a laugh. "I have to think all of this over?" he worried. "Kevin, unfortunately you don't have the time to really think this over. What is my school right now and soon to be your school starts in just two weeks! Once you arrive on campus at Whateley they will examine you in the Doyle med center and that will lock you out from changing anytime soon...like a decade or more I'd bet?" "Can I at least sleep on it and maybe talk to my mom first?" he fretted about the question before him, a very hard one to say the least! "That you can do, but this is your choice in life and she can't really make it for you. Remember you are a Sidhe now and us Sidhe live thousands of years, not just the hundred or so that humans do. So this is a long term choice...very long term and starting off your new life as a changed Drow, instead of a regular Sidhe? That will let you train as a teen into an adult with that body and that is the best way to start out that I am sure of, so that you don't have to retrain anything you learned years from now?" "I have to think on this Rohanna?...Is that you?" he asked, while pointing at me...the one twin that was sitting for now. "Yes I call myself Rohanna and that is Rehanna," I pointed up at her standing next to the workbench, "the way to tell us part is clothes mostly. I like funny things with some color and she goes for the more practical look, lots of pockets or durability." I offered a small way to tell us apart quickly. "Ya!" Rehanna points instantly at me, "she likes hello kitty skull and crossbones on her jackets and other human style decorations." "Well at least it is better than armor and more armor, then....armor!" I chastised back at her. "Humm and you know why I chose armor over cotton...or did that blade in your back get forgotten all of a sudden?" she smiled evilly at me. "And that assassin would have attacked us or ME sooner or later! That will not happen anymore because of Violet and Lilac protecting our backs now!" I boasted for the two of them sitting on the bench's shelf playing about with a jar of nuts and bolts. But violet always the little clown stood up and 'bowed' her thanks at the praise. "You two certainly came from the same mold, but act so differently! But please let me think this allover for just one night and in the morning I will try to give you both an answer? And by the way, how long will this change of mine take and will it hurt?" he asked both of us looking suddenly leery of feeling anymore pain, because his changes so far were rough on him. "Ahh if I obtain all the supplies I need right off...I'd say just under two weeks because we have the addition of a full moon helping to feed magic better and as for pain...you will not feel a thing. Just go to sleep and wake changed is all." Rehanna nods to what I said, "Yes under two weeks and you can't be seen or disturbed during the whole time...just warning you before hand?" "Well I am heading up to take a shower, see you in a few?" he smiled and grabbed three backpacks from the stack of luggage we just brought, then headed up stairs. As the door closed I looked over at Rehanna who was just jumping a bit to sit on the workbench, "So you think he will do it?" "I hope so, it's not much fun being the only two Drow in the world and I am very sure he has been infatuated by us or you for months! That musky scent he gave off, the one that nearly unhinged both of us tells me that." While us Drow talked over what we had to do or obtain as supplies for changing Kevin, he knocked on my room's door that his family was using for the time being to shower up in before going to bed. His mother instantly sang out for him to come right in when he asked. As Kevin came into the room and closed the door, he found out that his sister was using the shower first and then it would be his turn in next, "Mom I have something important to ask you about?" "What is that dear?" she asked calmly, but mentally worried for her son at the same time while she pulled his night things out of the luggage for him. "Mom, Rohanna asked me a very important question.." he started reluctantly, as his mother handed him a stack of sweats he normally wore at night. "What was that? she said now very concerned and stopped her work to sit down with him on the bed. "You know how Rohanna and her sister are very different from other elves, like me and sis?" he asked as he sat close to his mother. "Yes dear, I do understand that." she said patting the bed, asking him to move closer right beside her so that she could hug him. "Well since I am a Drow now, what she calls 'an unchanged one' and it seems very unlike her in how my body is built. She told me that she could fix that difference and make me exactly like she is?" he said while staring at the floor and Joannie hugged him closer. "I would have to guess that takes magic and not any science that us humans know?" she said while straightening Kevin's long hair for him a little as she let go. "She says I have to choose staying as is or changing to be like her...stronger, faster and more magic she says? But I have to choose now...right now because the MCO will scan me and my suddenly showing up all changed next year, might be an issue...a REAL huge issue too!" he said. "Humm I am sure she mentioned that this is your personal choice and sounds okay to me so far...if she can promise you will not get hurt or die from this...change thing?...But I don't know dear...Kevin...changing again and you have not even got used to this yet?" she patted on her son's chest lightly to stress her point. "But I will have her...them to be around and train me, show me the ropes of being a real Drow?" As Kevin spoke on, his sister opened the bathroom door all set for going to bed. But his mother shooed her back into the bathroom, "Tonya honey we are talking in private right now, so give us a few minutes please?" "Gotcha mom...I'll wait and brush out my hair better." and she quickly shut the door, his sister knew that he needed these short talks with mom, because she had needed them too only a few days ago! "Kevin, I see where this is going and you are old enough to make important choices like this and I can only guide you along, as go forward in life right now. All I would ask from her is a promise not to harm you is all?" Joannie sighed out to her son. "Mom I think I am going to do it, if I don't do this now...it might be several years till I can?" he worried on, as he made that desperate and important choice. "Please make sure you are doing this for you and not because you are attracted to her?" Joannie warned her son knowing how infatuated he was with the Drow twins. "I'll still sleep it over tonight and tell her my choice in the morning?" "Fine Kevin...and Tonya," their mother yelled at the bathroom door, "It's Kevin's turn in there, so come on out and get the bed ready for us to sleep in." Downstairs I had just finished helping Bill unfold the bed from the couch and add the sheets to it with a cotton blanket. As I tossed the freshly covered down pillow on the top, that is when Kevin came downstairs dressed in a old t-shirt and sweat shorts. "Well Kevin all set for the night and I will be going. I am leaving Cein and Nyx here for the night, they are Violet and Lilac's brothers. They will watch over your family just in case and can call upon me in a split second." I waved at both of them sitting on the small fireplace shelf, both of them gave Kevin a short bow and smiled. "So I have 'watch' Pixies for the night...interesting?" Kevin chuckled back. "Yes, see you at sunrise." I said and we ported away for the night to the Grove. "Well good night Kevin, here is remote for the lights and the TV one. If you need me I am right upstairs and don't worry the twins set so many spells on this house, a tank would have issues with getting by them! So sleep tight...and no snoring you two!" Bill pointed in warning at the two Pixies as he left the room and the two shook their heads to the jest. Kevin now alone for the most part finally laid down to get some much needed sleep, he noticed the two Pixie males walk along the edge of the shelf for an hour before both of them flew off to check non something and then came back to sit on the very same shelf watching over him. Kevin notice when they had both left, that he could see a thin line connecting each one and a thinner one connecting them both to the building, then with a little effort he could make out the weaves of several layers of spells that must protect the house!...that was neat to actually see the glow they made in patterns of light. Kevin soon fell fast asleep, his mind went over several thoughts he started to dream...what it would be like to have two hearts, be changed like the girl he fell in love with and her twin. What it was to be a Sidhe, that she called her kind or his kind now...those spells surrounding the home, made it feel so safe, so peaceful...so much like home. The teen boy was quickly becoming accustomed to what it meant to be Sidhe in life! Out in the Grove I sat on the ancient tree stump and watched on as Rehanna paced all around me in large circles, "Could you PLEASE sit down, I am getting dizzy just by watching you!" I shouted at her. "Fine I will sit, BUT you know Drow don't get 'dizzy'!" she growled back at me. "So what are we going to do now?" I asked the Drow sitting next to me. "We wait till tomorrow and he will see the logic behind our question, then he will choose being with 'US' over being with 'THEM' humans!" she grinned to me. "Yes...but who would have thought...we would meet a male of our own kind before Sara was freed from her prison?" I said thinking about her just now for some reason. "Yes...but we have a choice now, one to make our race stronger and grow." Rehanna told me and moved closer. "Yes, I have your memories of...him. Of Velmeran the one. He gave you twins that the royals took away, now we will have more and this TIME...nothing takes them away!" I yelled for Rehanna and me at the same time...a pledge of sorts. Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:20AM Dunwich, New Hampshire Bill and Jineen's Townhouse With the sun now fully up, both of us Drow slipped silently back into the house with a port and found the Pixies I had left were waiting for me in the kitchen. Both Cein and Nyx, were waiting for my return with huge grins on their faces! I knew instantly what they wanted without even asking...THIN MINTS! So I opened the only cabinet I had locked to Violet and Lilac...because if I left it unlocked, they would have raided them all by now and I was very sure of that! I slid out three boxes, then slid only tow of them over to Cein and Nyx, "Here you go, one box each and try not to eat them all at the same time?" I asked and they vanished in a gate spell they made in a hurry to get back to the Grove, while chattering on about "We scored!" or something in Pixie. The last box I zipped open with a finger and placed a pack of cookies of the two inside the box in front of Violet and Lilac, "Now I would save those until after we all eat breakfast, but that is your choice to gobble them all up right now or not?" With them all taken care of, we started to pull today's breakfast out of the fridge and as I started on making more juice up, Rehanna started brewing the coffee that kept Bill and Jineen alive on cold mornings! The warm inviting smells, plus sounds of cooking woke Kevin up, who tidied up his bed and closed it up back into a couch. He walked into the kitchen rubbing his now long hair with long strokes of his fingers, I could tell he was not quite used to having it this long yet and grumbled out to us, "Good morning, why do you get up so early?" "Told ya already, changed Drow don't need that much sleep and besides...we don't sleep well when our nightmares come at night." I sighed out and Rehanna placed a cup of the newly made juice out for him. As he took a sip, Rehanna told him, "At night you might want to tie your hair up with a few scrunchies or something?" "Or you will spend hours combing it all out the next day!" I warned him myself. "I might cut it?" Kevin said simply to us both with a quick shrug of not caring one way or the other! Both of us Drow glare at the teen boy like he had gone instantly insane and said that he wanted to take a bath in the dishwasher or something. Both of us now wild-eyed Drow growled at him in stereo, certainly showing him our combined displeasure in the matter, "Cutting your hair is a mistake! By tradition of times long past, we Drow keep it long to show our age and the fact we have not lost a fight...we only cut it after a major defeat in battle." He furrowed his brows at both of us for saying all that in perfect unison, then sighed, "I guess that means living with long hair then or the embarrassment of cutting it shorter?" "YES..." we both said with a nod to him. We quickly cooked up some eggs for him eat now, then soon enough all the rest of the home was up and comming down stairs because of the inviting smells. I gave Bill his special blend coffee and Jineen her very large cup, all black to get her up and moving. As Jineen sipped at her's slowly like most mornings, she walked into the living room seeing Joannie coming down and pointed at the kitchen with the warm cup cuddled in both of her hands, "Coffee is ready Joannie, the Drow's are up and cooking...dig in!" she grumbled over her cup of bean juice to the yawning mother of two. "Do all elves get up this early?" Joannie asked upset at the fact the sun was barely up in her opinion. "The Drow do and I am sure that your daughter will be up at dawn or earlier too!" Jennie grumbled again and eyeballed me for being such a morning person. Now that all of them had finally crawled or dragged ass down the stairs, we started cooking for real and started up a whole fry pan full of eggs. Then grabbed some morning potatoes out of the freezer to get them warmed up, the frozen bread dough loaf I had put out last night for this meal was all risen and ready for a quick fry in veggy oil. Fry bread was a old family meal that dad served up, just fry up till light brown on both sides, while flipping with a fork and add a little butter to the heavenly treats...simple and quick to make! With a cup of hot coffee in Jineen, she was awake enough to think and when she poured out cup number two into her huge mug, that is when most of home knew she was now fully awake. With her up and most of the adults full of hot bean juice, we started to eat as I laid out each plate of hot food to them all. Jineen laid out some plans for the day, "Well we could get you three over to Whateley this morning and all set-up in a temporary student housing, as your mom finds a local place to rent or buy over the next few days or weeks?" "I can't go," Kevin chirps out as he scoops a fork full of potatoes into his mouth, then takes a bit of fry dough from the large plate of them. "Why dear?" his mom asked directly, shocked at his sudden change of plans. "We talked it over last night mom and I am going with the twins for a few days, then I will show up at Whateley with them." he informed her of his mind finally being made up...and he was telling ME of that choice at the same time! We Drow were so happy he choose to join us fully, that we must have been glowing with joy! I so wanted to hug him for that bravery, but held it back because of two things...one his mom might not like it right now and he had to earn or win us over as tradition dedicated he do! "What are you three up too?" Bill asked all of us Drow in the kitchen. As we twins placed the last plates of hot food on the table and sat down on a stool to eat our share. We both nodded and I stated for us both, "We offered to change Kevin into a Drow just like us...well at least as close as Drow muster these days without the royals around that is?" "You are going to do WHAT!" Bill roared at us three I was sure, as he eyeballed Kevin and then back over to us. "Rohanna honey is that such a good idea and how can you do that?" Jineen just had to ask. "Bill don't worry for us or Kevin, we will only make the major body changes and not the totally SICK shit that the royals did to us...." then I glanced Jineen's way to answer her too, "I have my ways, the Sidhe royals made sure that we could replace our numbers just incase.... you know, loses in battle?" "How do we tell Dr. Otto about this?" Bill asked us twins. "You never tell him...simple. He is not to ever know we Drow can do this change or enhancement to others...it would be a very bad idea! The MCO coming for all of us...fer sure BAD." I warned the whole table. "Okay, Kevin made up his mind and I have to back up his decisions. Kevin is a man now and has to choose what is or is not going to affect his life for decades or hundreds of years I am told?" Kevin's mother said while hugging him closer, then giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Is this dangerous?" Jineen worried on for the boy. "No, I would as sooner kill myself than hurt a fellow Sidhe...remember my Geas Jineen? I can't harm one of my own kind, unless ordered to do so and those that could order us Drow are all VERY dead." I hiss at the end of my statement as our eyes start to glow red in warning. "Okay Rohanna, I am not challenging you...I just forgot about that honey?" Jineen said softly to us Drow to help calm us back down. "So what are the plans for us then?" Joannie asked me or maybe Jineen, as she glanced at both of us in turn. "Same as Jineen said and Kevin added to this trip or later on after we are all done with changing him. You can enter Tonya in the academy on this trip no matter what choice is made and get her a room in summer housing. Then find a place nearby here, if you are indeed staying around here Mrs. Falk?" I had to ask her. "Ohhhya I am staying around here, I saw a rather nice townhome for rent or sale sign on the way into this tract of homes. I will look into buying that one with some money we have hidden away." she grinned in satisfaction. "What about the academy tuition?" Jineen asked next, fully knowing how insanely expensive attending Whateley really was. "All ready fully paid for, as any creature of the Fae that shows up at Whateley's gates. Has a full ride scholarship waiting for them upon acceptance via normal rules." I told her as I ate my next piece of buttery fry dough. "I wonder who started that up?" Bill rolled his eyes knowing full well there was no such scholarship until I showed up. "Who knows Bill, maybe someone that cares for us Fae?" I said, not lying one bit. After breakfast, the Falk family packed and divided up the luggage for who was heading where. Some bags left here in the garage of Kevin's, some going with Tonya today to Whateley and the last stack would stay here till their mother secured a new home for all of them in the long run. We Drow twins left right after breakfast was over with and neatly cleaned up. We had to travel up to ARC, to reposess a personal item of ours they still had and we were not leaving ARC without it today! Tuesday, August 21, 2007 8:40AM New Hampshire, ARC complex On this trip we both passed through the security checks with ease, the staff was used to us showing up and made allowances for us being 'a little off' from their idea of normal. When we walked up onto the bank of elevators that traveled mostly down, deeper into the complex, we spotted Dr. Otto already coming out of one of the cars. "I came up to see you, the guards said you wanted to see me?" he pleasantly asked us. "Yep, I have to ask for something of mine...my sheet from that first day here?" I smiled to him and Rehanna stood behind him to make him a little nervous I am sure. "Well if it's that 'sheet' you came in? It's in black level storage, because the class 'X' taint covering it has never really faded over the last six months by very much." Otto admitted to us. "That's nice Doc, but can you wrap that all up and we'll take it to go." I delightfully teased with him. "I don't know, it's still contaminated and a little dangerous Rohanna. It's not me, it's more rules for letting that kind of item out of the complex." he explained. "Well, the 'item' is mine...I'd bet ARC research has not figured out what does, or says, or how to use it, or how to clean it, or darn near anything?" Rehanna said from her spot behind him in a tone of voice that suggested that 'No' was not answer for dealing with us right now. "You would be correct. So I am going to go out on a limb if you can promise that you will store it safely?" Otto asked me. "Doc, with how much my bronze box glows on your radar and you have not seen it in six months? You might think that I can easily do that task...but we promise to keep it stored safely." "Good enough for me, Give me about twenty minutes to pull that from deep storage for you and you can wait in the cafeteria while having a quick snack on ARC's dime?" he smiled to us. "Gee I thought for sure that this was not going to be a simple task...I ask and get what I asked for right away...On this deal? Thanks Doc!" I beamed at him happily. Otto left us quickly to get the special sheet and as he suggested, we walked over to the cafeteria to have a snack. Since we had just had breakfast an hour or so ago, the best choice was a small selection of the gourmet muffins here and a nice maple one for the Pixies was a nice treat for them. At the leisurely pace we were nibbling at, only two of the four muffins we had bought been eaten when Otto strolled over to our table with a large magically warded box under his arm. Anyone that saw the box could tell it was magically warded by all the glowing runes that covered it's every side. He placed on the table in front of us and then he took a seat across from us. "Well that is all done, it's in this box and please don't open it here." he warned before sliding it over to us. "Any trackers on this box?" I had to ask. "Honestly I am not sure, but I would have to guess...yes...there has to be at least one built into the very box itself somehow or maybe in the runes? As I was not on the team that examined it or stored it." he admitted freely. "That is okay, after I port away from here there is no way they can track me. So I am not really worried at all." I said standing up to leave. "Rohanna, Rehanna please be safe...I like it when we do talk things over and want to see you again?" Otto said at a whisper, wondering inside if I was leaving for good and that using this magic item or others might get us twins hurt? "Doc using this is not dangerous to me and I am not going anywhere soon." Otto stood up and pointed to the teleporting room, "You can leave from there as usual even with that box, then...please let me see you both off?" he asked kindly. "Fine with me." I smiled. "...And me!" Rehanna smiled too As we strolled over to the glass surrounded porting and reception building, Otto told us a few things, "Well school starts in a week or so and I am told you will get a few interesting students in Whateley this term. You might want to talk to them some this term?" "As I meet them each in turn... I am sure we will?" I offered back. When we arrived at the porting room, we waved to him, "Cya in a few weeks?" and ported away. The Groves heart We landed only a few feet from the stump we always used as a seat and placed that box on top of it. It took some doing with a dagger of mine, but the boxes many 'seals' fell off with a few slices and a hard whack busted the main lock off the large lid. Inside the silk lined box was my sheet, or really what was a spell focus for changing a simple Drow into the likes of me. Just think of all the spells covering its surface as guides to even larger spells and a power fuse to keep you, the person wearing it from being fried by the magical energy at the same time! Rehanna pulled out the bronze storage box, while I inspected the sheet closer to be sure it was not a fake they tried to switch out on us! As she opened the box, I found this sheet was indeed the real one and I was happy that Otto had come through for us today. After it was refolded the correct way, we dropped some essence into the runes over the sheet's woven spells to start 'warming them up' for the coming major spells it would have control over and then resealed our box. I blasted the box with fire and made sure that the asses were inert to the Grove, I did not want any human contamination out here in the form of simple trash. "Now for the hard part. " I sighed and ported away. Whateley academy, Kirby hall We landed shrouded in a invisibility spell and quickly checked the 'flag' color for the day or time and found it was 'green' or all is well. That meant we did not have to use illusions to cover up our Drow appearance today. Finding the door to the magic annex or lower levels of Kirby was simple for us Drow, it glowed like a neon sign to us from the very first day...'Hidden door right here...hey hidden door!' it nearly shouted our way each time we saw it. Once in the main doors, we leapt downstairs and walked over to the staff/instructors offices. I was really lucky today, we had not called ahead to ask...but we saw that Circe was in her office when we finally reached her doorway. I knocked on the open door's frame to get her attention from her piles of paperwork covering her whole desk, "Circe can I bother you right now?" I asked the woman who ran the whole magic department of Whateley and most were sure was the 'REAL' Circe of legend! Circe instantly looked up to us from her pile of papers and notes. Then I noticed a warm smile covering her face as she spoke to us, "Sure come on in!" she sang. After we both entered, Rehanna closed the door and that is when Circe was sure of just 'what' kind of visit this was, "So this a private visit then?" she asked and folded her files closed, then slid them all to one side of her large desk. "Yes Ma'am it is, we have a question for you and it is a very private one not dealing with our shared school affairs." I said. "Well more favor, I would say?" Rehanna added in next. "Okay, but first things first...how was the summer and did the filming go well?" she asked cordially. "Ohh the summer was great, the filming was even better and now I seem to have fans...rabid ones too. I had or have paparazzi following me at times and they can get a little nasty?" I thought back to that day of the man breaking or sneaking inside our temporary home near the studios, the one man who had taken photos of us in the shower and we had given him over to the cops...it was very strange we had not heard a thing about him or the case since then? Maybe Australia just punished 'child molesters' or people doing what he his crime was and did not involve the victims? She smiled and then chuckled a little a the idea of people following us Drow and us even allowing it to happen, "Yes I bet you have fans, I have seen the movie posters of you two all over town and now there are toys of you at the stores, then the cereal boxes with both of you on them and magical trinkets in the boxes as prizes?" she winked knowingly at us. "You heard about those?" I wondered out loud. "Yes, but only after you found the mistake and corrected it. But you are right, all of them should be recalled...just incase?" "They are harmless and most of the ones I tested were flawed in someway...luckily! So the chances of a kid getting their hands on a working one , then having enough magical affinity to get one working? That is some real small odds, ones that I will take any day!" "We teachers just know some of our students are going to get a hold of them and 'cheat' with them from time to time." she warned us, that I was sure of! "Well since the spell is ancient Sidhe, it will stick out like a road flare to most mages! Even human ones..." I kidded with her. "I am sure it will, you are very studied in that type of magic and I will go with your expertise on the matter....but why the visit with me today?" she said getting down to brass tacks "Well Circe, this is what I need a favor of...We need to use that rather large gem we sold you, but only for about ten days or so. We need it to store large quantities of magic essence for a project of ours and this project is not dangerous in the slightest to anyone else." I explained and tried not to get too animated in my growing excitement of having Kevin be 'one' of us changed Drow! "Humm?" she sounded out slowly, that was sounding very reluctant to us both and then leaned back a little in her chair, "That is one large favor, but I know you will return the gem as you said. But using, or needing that that much essence is one very large spell and that has me worried some?" "Circe, this project of ours will happen with the gem's help or without it and without the gem, this task will just take longer for us to complete...a far longer task, but it will still be finished." "Will you put spells in the gem or on the gem?" she asked knowing it was new and a new gem of this size had value beyond measure. "The Gem can store essence without leaving a trace on it's capabilities as a magical component in later usage...not a mark so to speak?" "Fine, since I know you can't lie to me...I will loan it to you for the maximum of three weeks to give you some breathing room just in case and only ask for a promise in return...a sorcerers oath to return the gem to me and only me?" "You sure of that of that one condition, what if you suddenly drop dead? I will have no one to give the gem too and I am not chasing you down into what ever heaven or hell you personally end up in?" I smiled about finding the one flaw in her plans, I was sure one she never considered. "Fine, we will amend that deal to leave the gem with anyone on a list that I will leave in Carson's safe keeping and does that change work out for you now?" "Can do and can we get it today, I will port you to anywhere if needed, so you can get the gem faster?" "Lucky for you the best vault for magic items in most of the world, is right here on this very campus and it's stored there for safekeeping." she said while standing up and walking towards the door. "So we are going to retrieve that gem right now ma'am?" I had to ask hoping she was doing just that and not something else that might take up most of the day or even more? "Rohanna, I know that the faster you get started, the faster you finish with this project. So please follow me over to the library and we will retrieve that very gem from the schools vault." she smiled to us and walked out her office door. Circe followed the Drow twins on the way to Beck Library and as they all strolled down one of the many decorative paths of the academy. She noted that in just a month or so, both Drow seemed to have changed quite a bit. One that acted and sounded more like the Rohanna she knew...when she was calm and she seemed even calmer now. The other twin Rehanna was certainly the Drow for sure, her eyes always checked the area around her threats far more than Rohanna did and she acted more like the Drow Circe had seen during those first weeks that tested the just recently changed person. Then add the combination if the Pixies flying in set patterns around all three of them made this look more 'raiding' party, then a few friends retrieving something from the Library on a nice day! The Groves heart It took nearly an hour to open the schools vault and sigh out that Circe was retrieving one of her personal possessions. The fact that she called it more 'her's' than a belonging of a 'group' that she was part of? That made us think, maybe she was the only person funding the purchase? She certainly had lived long enough to fund the deal all by herself! We both paced out the center of the grove, feeling out for the largest Ley line nexus located under the Grove's heart. Violet had said some time ago during my first week here, that there was a five line major nexus inside the Grove. She lead us to it, but the exact center is what I really needed for this project. Violet could only feel the nexus and not the exact center of it that we needed to place the box right on top of. It took almost another full hour to pace back and forth dozens of times till we were very sure of the center. That is when I pulled out the large bronze box, then from inside the box's cavernous void...the sheet that had covered me while I was changed and this was the first item we needed for this project. With the sheet now out, Rehanna took it and laid it loosely over a tree branch so that she could use spells to cleanse the human world's pollution to Sidhe spells off it and out of it. When the Grove spirits sensed what work Rehanna was up too, they send a small breeze that help clean the cloth and it gently flapped in the cool breeze as she worked. I made sure the box as on what we were sure was 'dead center' of the five spoke Ley line nexus and that is when I opened the box that contained the gem and the next step of this plan I knew was laid out in carefully made steps inside my command book. My hand quickly pulled the book from my ether storage, then laid it on top of the box and I quickly flipped nearly to the center of the large leather book. Rehanna looked over my shoulder since her work was finished, "I always found it strange, that the Royals never had us Drow practice doing this task even once at the academy?" My more human centered mind told Rehanna or Shadowsblade the answer her more Drow side could not admit too even thinking, "They wanted us to always be slaves and if we knew how to make more changed Drow just like us...our kids would be fierce fighters that were not under their yoke of slavery and bound to a command book that they used on binding us." "Humm you might be accurate in that train of thought, that is why we lost our kids...they wanted to bind them...make them slaves too?" Rehanna almost cried and the same thoughts flowing in her mind, they flowed into mine and made me sad with her. "Well Kevin will never know that pain, our pain and he will start life as a Drow being FREE!" I shouted as my finger found the point of that first step in changing a Drow in the books instructions. I sighed out reading over the first steps of many dozens of this huge spell, "We sure we don't need anything out of the box? Because once we start, there is no stopping this?" I warned Rehanna and myself. "I need nothing in there, if I do...I will buy it or wait!" she barked out. I carefully followed each step of the directions given by the book and Rehanna checked each step over to be sure. Our hands played across the surface of the box's runes, each one of us touched runes at the same time with both hands and at the far ends of the box eight feet away from each other. The need for two to accomplish this task meant that the Royals wanted us to do this task in a pair of Sidhe or have more than one Drow to be sure we could not accomplish this act alone! They wanted slaves, not insurgents fighting them at any chance! The sequences and patterns of pressing runes or tracing long lines of them with a finger took an hour for both of us to finish. That is when the top instead of the usual sliding off motion it used, it slid inward and only left an inch of ledge or thickness on all of the sidewalls. I smiled at the space it left behind, this is where Kevin would lay as the box changed him to one of us! Towards the foot of the box, a control panel opened up and this was combination magical device or control panel. Part of it's smooth surface is where one would place a secondary power source. Rehanna was closer to this panel than I was, so she waved a hand over it in one long smooth swipe and as her hand passed over the surface. Several gems and runes flowed up to the surface like it was water, they were floating just on the top of the now liquid appearing metal with small ripples fading from the smooth surface over a few short seconds. As the box ran what could be called magical test to be sure it could still operate fully after all this time of laying dormant, I placed the large gem at the bottom of the smooth panel inside a unfilled square and the metal let the large gem settle into it like water, then the gem glowed as it floated on the surface...next the metal became solid once again as all the gems on the control panel glowed in turn as essence flowed into them. We both went back to the book for consulting on the next step and I laughed like a maniac at it, "Haaa this part tells us to make sure we have verified orders to use this box...You know and I know all of the Sidhe Royals are dead, long to dust! So there is no one to check with...we are free Rehanna...for the first time...truly free!" I cackled on in joy. Rehanna became more than sullen in her mood to me, "I hope you are right, this freedom only feels like a short respite to me?" With most of the Box 'warming up' still as it gathered up all the essence it could by taping the Ley nexus, we Drow dropped all of our essence into the gem to fuel it up for the power needs the Box would have. We Drow stood by the box several long exhausting minutes later, as I personally huffed out fully spent, "Well that is all I have and you? So I guess we tap a Ley line ourselves and hope we don't blow up?" "We can try that, we did tell Circe that no one else would be hurt by this project and that is still true if we both blew up right now?" She told me. "Well if we do blow up, then it will be very hard to return the gem from the grave? But this has to be done!" "Guardian?" a soft whisper came from the Grove behind me. We spun instantly towards the voice, ready for action! As this was very personal to both of us and should be guarded from any interference. If the Grove suddenly did not trust us, a fellow Fae being sent to speak to us would be the first among many warnings and the later ones would be very deadly at best. "What or who is that?" I questioned the shadows that hid the voice. "Guardian, sorry to interrupt you both? But we need to talk." said the Matron of the springs as she walked into my sight. "About what subject?" I asked her in a firm voice. "We...the other Fae of the Grove want to help you with this task and if you need our essence to finish this task, we willingly give it as a gift instead of you both risking death?" she smiled to us both in a friendly way. "All of you would give up your essence for this, that would leave the Grove very venerable for a at least a whole day?" I warned her. "It is but at best one day and this needs to be done. Because it seems so very special to both of you, you both deserve this small gift... for whatever this task maybe?" "I can not ask for this. Because leaving the Grove defenseless for even a short day is unimaginable to us Drow and that would make us extremely derelict in our duty, as well as oaths!" I said standing firm on the fact of letting the Grove be almost wide open to attack was something I did not like at all. "Then this is how we Fae creatures of Grove will fix this conundrum, we will just do this deed without your permission or demand we be allowed or lastly the Grove spirits could order you both? That is indeed who sent me, they know what you are doing...even if I do not?" the Matron smiled to me a veiled threat, but it was more of a way out for us Drow to accept the gift as it was meant to be. After the Matron finished her speech, creatures from other Nymphs to Pixies show up to form a line going to the box and they all took turns gifting that magical essence into the large gem...all we Drow could mange was to happily weep at the sight of some much love from my fellows here. It took over an hour for what seemed hundreds of Fae to line up or surround the box and gift that essence into the gem, when they were done. The box glowed as all that essence readied it for the very large task the box was about to begin and now to get the important part...Kevin and make him ready for the changes to come. Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:20AM Whateley Academy, New Hampshire Joannie Falk, now Joannie Murray via the ID's her husband Brian had preset-up before his death at the hands of his CIA employers, who wanted him dead to silence him and for his numerous failures in trying to track down both Paige Donner, plus Brianna Nicole Peters. Both were cyberpaths or nano-computer augmented computer controllers. Both of the girls where mutants attending the same academy for mutants that Rohanna Leigh was attending, a Drow Sidhe and one easily enraged by the fact that Brain tried to kill a fellow Sidhe. Luckily for Joannie and her two children, on the very same night the CIA came to kill her husband. The teenage Drow assassin came to their home to kill Brian too, but she promised Brian not to harm his kids as the CIA showed up and the team of ruthless CIA paid assassin team made the decision to murder the whole family as the team forced Brain to commit suicide. So Rohanna acted on that promise made instantly, she ended all the murders from occurring and killed or punished the team that the CIA had sent. During that long night, one that Joannie will never forget. Rohanna found out from the leader of the men she was punishing, that the Falk children had a very high chance to mutate and mutate soon, as that occurred mostly in a person's teen years. Rohanna returned to the families home while the police were there investigating the forced suicide of her husband and told her the further facts or dangers that her children might be in. At that time Joannie asked for a way to call upon the Drow for her children's sake of there was great need and that need certainly came when both of them indeed finally mutated! Both mutated into Sidhe, one her daughter Tonya appeared to be a 'regular' Sidhe. But her son Kevin appeared to be a Drow just like Rohanna! Right now Tonya sat besides her mother in a rented car that she was driving to Whateley the same academy that Rohanna and her new twin Rehanna attended. While her son Kevin was still at the Varney Townhome waiting for Drow twin to show back up for the three's plan to change Kevin father into a 'Changed' Drow just like the twins were and that change ha to take place before the MCO scanned her son or any medical exams were made of his body. Joannie would tell the staff of the academy that her son was coming at a later date and she and her daughter would stay here locally or at the campus of room was available for both of them and the soon to be all three of them. This morning the Leigh twins mostly Rohanna, had told Joannie that going down to the Academy and starting the paperwork today was best. Then the Drow added that both girls should take their luggage along as she was very sure that space this late in the summer was available and that a scholarship at the school should cover the extra expense. The fact that there was a Sidhe or Fae only scholarship at Whateley surprised Joannie at the time, but after giving it father thought, having one made sense to her! Because the race was long lived and any of them around would have seen to their race's betterment. Joannie crept the car along the hidden driveway of the academy and up to the gate. Where a guard stood in a large armored booth that spanned both side of the gate, as well as having a twin booth with two more men across the road from it, his partner came out of the thick armored door to greet her after first checking out the car from a distance. "Can I help you ladies?" he asked leaning down to the car's window as Joannie lowered it to talk to him. "I hope so, we were told to come here and seek some help with my children?" she told the man and truly hoped they would be let in so simply. "Are you expected ma'am?" he asked on, while pulling a datapad off his leg with a 'rip' of velco to enter any information she gave him. "No we are not expected, but we were told by a very reliable person that you hardly ever turned back mutant children in trouble or danger?" Joannie said and almost started to cry for saying that fact...her small family was indeed in trouble and lots of it! The guard standing next to her window glanced back to his partner inside the both, that guard seemed to do something on a control panel then waited and when that man nodded back to his parted next to her car, the large heavy gates of the academy slowly opened up to her waiting car. "Please pull up the drive to the main parking lot, find a spot and exit your car. Then go to the small booth to the west end of the lot, where the main path and road into the Whateley starts. From that booth there you will be given campus passes, a map of the campus marked with where to go and a escort to there. Have an ID ready...if you have one?....and good luck ladies." he smiled to both of them as he waved her up the long drive and passed the car through the gates. As Joannie followed the drive up into the campus, she noticed something very strange to her? A flag pole that was resting beside the US flag, and state flag's pole. It had what she was sure was the Whateley academy crest on it, but the fringe was green and it was quickly being lowered by a motor. Once at the bottom, it vanished into a box and a red fringed one was quickly raised to replace it. "Mom this place is huge and I can't even see it all yet! Look over there, they are building a new building for student housing it looks like?" Tonya said as her head spun all about taking in the sights so far. "Yes dear it is large and the cars alone in the parking lot tell me the staff here is paid VERY well too. I have to wonder what it really costs for a student to attend here?" her mother wondered out loud the hidden fact that she was indeed worried that if a scholarship fell through...there was no way she could pay for this place and keep them all safely hidden from the CIA at the same time! Tonya practically leaped out of the rented car when her mother finally shut off the engine, "Mom if I go here, I think I could stand it!" she beamed out happily as she studied the mix of buildings new and old all around them. "Do you think your bother will like attending here too?" Joannie fretted about her son and that he rarely liked schools most of the time. "Mom if there are computers where he can play his games...he will be more than happy!" she laughed out the small fact about her brother's gaming habits, Kevin played them far too much and even though pressed for free time...his grades rarely fell because mom kept on him all the time! Both of them gathered a few files of paperwork from the back seat, most of the large stack was made out of the best fakes on the market that money could buy and all of them led to well crafted personal histories, plus backgrounds...all fake and made by craftsman in the art of forgery! "Remember dear...Murray!" Joannie warned her daughter over the top of the car in a whisper of that newest last name of the family once again! "Yes mom...for the thousandth time!" Tonya sighed out and fell behind her mom as they both walked towards the small building the guard told them to look for. "Yes thousandth time and if you forget..." the mother trailed off thinking and not wanting to even say it. Both ladies walked up path beside the school's entry road that went farther onto the campus and up to a small building that contained yet another guard post. This small building was a rather nice one, it was both guard post, meeting area with several dozen benches under a nicely covered area and what looked like a bus stop with a electronically posted time schedule for buses stopping here, plus where they lead to in the hills of the surrounding area or small town of Dunwich near here. One of the guards stood up from his chair minding his job, then came to the large window that had a conveniently placed sign that read 'Guests please check in here' above it. He slid the thick heavy window open to greet both of them, "Good day ladies, ID's please?" he asked in a routine business like manner. As Joannie pulled her's from her purse, that is when she noticed a girl sitting on the bench next to the shack's window. One that was dressed in a school uniform and she was kicking her feet back and forth from boredom. The girl glance up her way as her finger pushed her glasses back onto her cute face and she smiled warmly as the guard took the ID's from both ladies. The guard swiped both ID cards on a computer and into the schools database. While he was busy inputting more information, that is when Joannie noticed two more things about the young teen sitting on the bench. One was her left arm was missing and a cybernetic one replaced it. The other were her eyes...both looked like a cat's eyes to her! When the computer was done with it's process of entering in both of them, a printer spat out a plastic ID card for both to wear that even included a picture. The guard handed each one the new ID with a smile, "Please wear at all times and this student will guide you to where you need to go...have a good day!" When the guard finished, the teen sitting on the bench stood up and greeted both of them, "Hi Mrs. Murray and Tonya....I am Paige. I will be your guide today and please follow me, ask any questions you might have about the school...me or anything you see?" "Paige...you are a mutant too?" Joannie questioned the new teen as all three of them walked up the path off towards what seemed to be the main administration building of the school. "Yep I am!" she smiled, then looked at her and her daughter in turn, "Was it the eyes that gave me away!" she grinned, as she lowered the glasses and winked at both of them. "Are you a cat?" Tonya said bluntly dying to ask. "A Werepanther...plus other things." Paige grinned her answer to the two ladies walking with her. "Okay that is new!" Tonya laughed now at the thoughts that old horror movies were real and Weres did exist! "Better get used to all of it girl, especially here and especially when your new friend is Rohanna!" she grinned again. "She called you and told you we were coming here and about us!" Joannie nearly shouted out in surprise. "Of course she did, your daughter is a Sidhe and both Rohanna and I are almost family we are so close. I am one of her most trusted friends and she has very few of those! So she called me last night that both of you were coming today and that your son will follow later...but don't tell any of the staff you know her or me just yet!" she informed both women walking with her. "So what do we have to do today to get both of my two kids entered in this academy?" Joannie asked for her children. "Well we go up to Shuster Hall here, then to the headmistresses office and drop off all your paperwork. While that is being processed into a ton of forms, the headmistress Mrs. Carson will have a nice talk with both of you and see if she agrees to letting your children in....But don't worry, we have the space and it's all paid for by the Fae only scholarship." Paige said as the all arrived at the building's main doors, that slide open to all three of them. Paige led them both upstairs to the main office area and down the hallway to the headmistresses office, Paige stood at a open doorway marked 'Assistant headmistress' and knocked on the frame with her artificial hand, "Ms. Hartford, here are the Murrays all set and I'll be in the IT tech room if you need me?" Paige said as she entered and waved to the women to follow her in. "Thanks Miss Donner, I may call you again soon?" the lady in the office said and waved bye to Paige as the teen school girl left out a side door of the office with huge a grin beaming back to Joannie, as she mouthed out 'good luck!' and winked to her. "Come on in please...please take a seat," the older lady said waving them on deeper into her large office. "Thank you...Ms. Hartford, was it?" Joannie asked as she took a place in one of the large leather chairs in front of the fine wood desk with marble top. "It was and the guards passed on to me the reason for your visit toady, that your child seeks entrance to Whateley academy?" she asked the troubled mother of two. "Yes for Tonya here, plus her brother Kevin that has been held up and will be here in about a week or so if you grant them both entrance here?" Joannie worried on. "How did you find out about us here at Whateley?" Hartford asked. "I prefer to not say, but they told me that you rarely turn students away that are in trouble and they told us about your whole basic four year program here too?" Joannie nearly gulped out not wanting to give the woman any more information than was necessary right now. "That person or persons, was correct. We really send away students in trouble, can you tell me the trouble you or your children are in?" "Government trouble...non-criminal type." Joannie gave only the most basic of facts to the lady. Ms. Amelia Hartford had spent many years as staff at Whateley and several of those in this very position as Assistant headmistress. With all of that experience behind her, she could almost guess a incoming students powers at times. She knew instantly what the teenage girl sitting before her was...she was a Sidhe. "Humm I see and I see that your daughter is a Elf or what they call themselves...Sidhe and your son is normal, a mutant or?" Amelia lead the mother on thru the basics, while taking a few of her own notes of names, mutant powers and other required personal information on her notepad. "I am told he is a Drow, but both of my children have yet to get their powers tested or see a physician since their changes." the growing nervous mother gave the assistant headmistress one more taste of vital information on her children. "Drow...Dark elf...are you sure?" Hartford asked trying very hard not to look too surprised by that short statement from the mother. "Yes, That is what I was told and I looked it up on the net. There are some sites that have information on them...most of that information is legendary in nature it seems?" Joannie lied to the woman and hoped not to be found out by the lady that she was sitting in front of...for the sake of both kids of her's! "Okay if you are sure...but I do have one prying question about Kevin, or his nature?" "Go on, if he is to be attending this academy...you need all the information I know on him, I guess?" she wondered what that next question would be! "Does your boy have two hearts, I know that is strange question. But I have to ask?" Hartford said, while her hand paused making her next note and hoped that the boy only had one! Whatley having three changed Drow in attendance at the same time would be crazy indeed. "Not that I know of, please remember that he has not had an medical examination since his mutation yet and neither has my Tonya here? But I have to ask you, there is more than one type of Drow?" Joannie pointed at her daughter in the chair next to her, as she asked not sure herself of how many Drow types there might be. "Yes there are." Hartford said flatly. Thinking that as of right now, there are about three at least. One that should be 'normal' that no one has seen yet? One changed Drow that is the Leigh twins and the last for now is the 'Jobe'...'fake' Drow that she is and the clone of her daughter Belphoebe, then add a few others that have tried the very dangerous 'Drow' serum that Jobe created. Joannie sat quietly while Hartford made some personal notes, then made or entered even more on her workstation built into her desktop. Amelia stopped entering notes as she asked for one last detail, "May I see your children's paperwork and school records if you have any...please?" The now extremely nervous mother handed over a large file folder, one that held each of her children's personal files and all of it was fiction. Both only had records up to last year, where Brian had updated them both like he did religiously every six months, the schools were real...names left off intentionally, the children's names deleted off each file...but the grade for classes in each year were very real. He wanted that to match his children closely for their combined sake! And for the ease of them remembering what they had done in school. "Just so you know, the files have the names of their schools left off for the safety of both my children." she told the woman behind the desk. "Unusual, but not something we have not seen here at Whateley before." Hartford said taking the files and noticing the green light on her workstation from Carson that said to her...'send them in now please' with it's crisp glow. "It's not?" the puzzled mom had to say about that small fact. Was this school so used to dealing with children coming out of the shadows, was it that bad in the country or world for mutants? "Yes, this academy is very used to keeping secrets and even some national ones. However the headmistress Mrs. Carson has sent me a signal to have you both sent on into see and speak with her further on the matter. So please exit out my door and see the lady to the right of my office by the larger set of twin office doors." "Thank you Ms. Hartford...what do you think our chances are?" Joannie asked as she stoop up and fussed with fixing her daughters shirt. "I don't make those choices Mrs. Murray, only Mrs. Carson does. But good luck." she said while diving deeper into the two personal files she was just handed. Both Joannie and her daughter made their way out of Hartford's office and over to a desk of a younger girl that introduced herself instantly, "Hi I am Claire and if you do go here...I will be seeing lots at first and hopefully none later? If you stay our of trouble!" she grinned to the daughter. Tonya looked the lady over, plus her large desk covered in paperwork and had to smile as she stifled at giggle at the name plate there...Elaine Claire. Or ?clair, like the pastry! Elaine spotted the giggle instantly and wiggled a finger to her in warning, "No dessert jokes or leaving them on my desk unless they are the VERY GOOD ones!" she smiled to the teen having had many of the sweet treats her name sounded like left on her desk in the years working here! It was not too long before Claire opened the large office doors of the headmistresses off to both of them and quickly, silently closed them behind both of them. Inside the vary large well finished room was a smartly well dressed older lady...about 40ish to Joannie's mind that quickly stood up from her chair to greet both of them with a personal hand shake for each in greetings. Then she pointed out both chairs before her to take a seat in. As Joannie sat and got comfortable for what in her mind was going to be a very through 'grilling' for information on both her and the two children. This is when her mind remembered who this lady was, as Rohanna had left that out and the why...because she had seen her so much...she no longer saw the superhero that she was anymore. "You are Lady Astarte, no one told me that you ran this school?" Joannie said shocked at the fact it made so much sense, you would need a top notch hero to even run such a place as this! Carson chuckled slightly at the sudden 'hero worship' as she whispered back playfully, "Don't tell the students, I don't think they even know yet! But it is not Lady Astarte anymore, it's just Elizabeth Carson headmistress and maybe your headmistress Tonya?" she smiled the child's way. "I hope so, I like this school the more and more as I see it. Even if I do not see mom at night, I know she will get a place near here and I can see her on weekends?" Tonya beamed out eagerly at the headmistress. "We shall see if that is going to occur. But I have to ask Mrs. Murray why you suddenly showed up at our gates today?" Carson asked, while pulling out a note pad of her own. "I know that I or we should have called ahead, but we arrived late last night in a rush and calling in the middle of the night did not seem prudent at all to me? SO we came straight over this morning when I thought it was best that all your staff would be present?" "Here at Whateley this act is not unheard of, but rarely happens and very rarely for two students at the same time with their family in tow." Carson told both of the women before her. "All I can say is sorry....and I hope you take my children on as students?" Joannie worried on once more about her children. "Well Like I said...this has happened before and it is fine...no real need for apologies. But I see from the notes being entered right now, you have one more showing up in a week or so...a son named Kevin and he is a Drow too, how strange?" Carson said while reading one of the displays built into her desktop. "Yes Kevin is caught up in something very personal that he has to finish before attending here...if he attends here that is?" she tells Carson and asks her at the same time. "Well that is cutting it very close for the start of next school term, but we make allowances all the time for students showing up any day of the year. We try to help in every case we encounter here at Whateley. We rather have students attending here with us if they can and we can accommodate, then to have them on the streets getting into trouble and making even more trouble for us mutants in general." Carson states. Carson stopped for a few minutes while she read up on the children's information as the computer updated it to her, "Tonya as I read this so far, you have not done any powers testing?" "Yes ma'am...none so far." the teen answered quickly. "Have you seen or felt anything other than what a Sidhe might feel or out of the normal for you personally?" "I noticed something the other day, my hand set a piece of paper on fire and then on our stove...my hand passed through the flame unhurt?" she told next and her mother glared at her in shock at the child's report of notice that she might have other mutant powers besides being a ELF! "Why didn't you say anything to me Tonya?" her mom asked more than worried for her well-being. Tonya just shrugged to her mother, "I don't know, with all that has been going on...why add even more?" "Well the tests we have to perform on each student in attendance, they will show what powers you do have? Because most Sidhe have a power or affinity towards one of the five elements of water, fire, earth, wood, or lastly air. We have several Sidhe attending right now that do just that." she schooled both of them in the most simplest of facts about the Sidhe race in general. "Humm really....that is normal for a elf to have powers and magic?" Joannie asked for her own personal knowledge and that of her children. "Yes the Sidhe...not elves," Carson winked and corrected the mother gently, "as a race hold to the five elements in some way and have their own magic on top of that too!" she smiled over to Tonya. "Magic, I had not thought of my children needing any teaching in that matter, I thought it was very much a mutant power, like super strength or laser beam eyes?" Joannie said in a funny way, but more than very serious of the facts. "Yes, magic can be a mutation of the use of the power. But most creatures of the Fae like your children, it is a normal part of them and a very deep part of their being. No magic in the world or freely floating essence about, equals no Sidhe and that is how the race died off so long ago. The worlds essence was extinguished and only recently has it come back in any real measurable numbers." she told the mother. "Too cool mom I get to learn magic, I wonder if my skills will be better than Kevin's!" Tonya asked and hoped that they would, she loved rubbing it his face from time to time! "I have to ask the same question Ms. Hartford did, what part of our or who or what government is chasing you and for what if we can ask?" Carson asked the hardest question of all now. "I can't say for the children's safety, but to say this fact...the ones that do? Want all of us harmed in someway and if that single question of who is chasing us...not being answered is the only thing holding my children from enrolling here at Whateley...then I have to say sadly, we will have to seek help elsewhere." is all Joannie allowed herself to say right now. "No that will not be necessary at all, I hated to pry. But the more I know, the more we can help with and protect them from harm. "SO I am...or WE are in!" Tonya bubbled out in glee. "Yes you are your brother are welcome here...unless we find out that you are criminals and Hartford has found no evidence so far that says that you are?" Carson warned. "And if a child was found out to be criminal?" Joannie had to ask, because she knew Rohanna had committed a more than a few very serious crimes in protecting her family so far this week and certainly last time they met! "If the MCO or any local, plus Federal DA wants to put them on trial? We as a neutral school, plus neutral place here at Whateley have to for good or bad...sadly stand aside and let just that happen. We can not endanger all the students attending here and the future students for the sake of one person." Carson laid out the facts. "Just to get it over with, I am sure my family does not have the funds for us two kids to attend here. But we were told there was a scholarship for elves?" Tonya asked for her mother, taking a little pressure off of her right now and her mother smiled to Tonya for doing just that. Not just elves per say, but all Fae creatures that show up to the school or need it's help in coming here to attend. Whoever told you this was correct and you would be one of the first that was not already attending here, as the scholarship was so recently endowed by it's maker!" "Neat, we are the first ones mom!" Tonya yelped out happily. "That you would be, both you and your brother when he arrives. So you know, we here at Whateley run a four year program for most students, that means both of you will enter as freshmen and will be schooled, as well be house accordingly. I think that since you both are the first students inducted into the full scholarship, we will house both of you in our large cottage of Melville. To show the endower of the scholarship, that we indeed take their donated funds seriously as they were meant as!" "Cottages?" Joannie asks with a tilt of her head thinking of very small homes in the woods for some reason. "That is what we call student housing here on campus and Melville is the largest right now, as well as being the best appointed cottage among the seven we have. That building was the newest, till Poe cottage had it's full scale revamp over the summer." Carson said as she clicked at keys on the desktop entering in her final verdict allowing both children entry this term. "Mrs. Carson, if I may ask this, I was told that my family might be granted temporary housing till Tonya and her brother starts and I can find local accommodations in town somewhere?" Joannie asked more than worried that she might have to find a place at a local hotel for both of them. "Yes we can accommodate you both with ease, the Fae scholarship fund covers the costs of that need, plus several others and we can even grant you your own suite. So your children can stay in one of their own rooms. Since it is very late in the summer session, most of our guests for that time have left and made room for those that come at term's start. The parents know to take turns and leave room for those parents of children that can't leave campus easily." Carson smiled to the mother of two that beamed back to her in joy of having found a safe place to stay for now. "Some students don't leave for summer vacation time?" Tonya asked not understanding why. "Yes some mutations affect our students so badly, that they don't even leave their rooms for class time. Then there are some students like Paige that brought you here, did you notice that she did not touch you?" Carson said. "Yes now that you mentioned it, she did stay far away from us both?" Tonya nodded back to Carson. "Paige generates a rather large electrical charge, one that could kill if she did not drain it regularly and one that would kill your mother in some cases. But you being a Sidhe and one in harmony with nature now, you would never even feel a tingle!" she told the child more about her new self. "I DO!" Tonya almost shouts excitedly. "That you do, just ask your other Sidhe classmates as you go. I am sure they will tell great deals of information...if you want to know it or not!" Carson inwardly laughs at Tonya, she has yet to meet the Drow twins that will surely help in Tonya's schooling and training! "Humm sounds like more class time for me?" Tonya almost pouts at the fact it might be. "I sure it will be, some students attending here...your fellow Sidhe take training very seriously and will make an effort to help you train as best possible. I would in your case, follow their lead, they are the best...in most cases." Carson gave the best praise she could offer at the time, because both of the twins still had anger issues with other students...mostly humans. "I will try ma'am." she gave back with a short sigh. Before Carson spoke again, she stood up and went to a small hidden fridge inside a cabinet behind her, "Want anything to drink while your entrance paperwork is being made up? I find most parents are very stressed out by coming here and asking for their children to attend Whateley." "Please...some juice if you have it?" Joannie asked and her daughter added next, "A coke for me!" she grinned standing up to fetch one for her mother. This was a little secret test of Carson's...does the child help out when they can? And Tonya had just passed with flying colors! As they waited and rested up a little from the ordeal so far. They all chatted up about the school's long past and recent history of being a school for mutant kind. During the chat, the door opened after a short knock and Elaine the secretary came in with a stack of paperwork, plus a small bag in her hand "Good, now here are your documents Mrs. Murray and please read them over, then sign at the places indicated. Then we can escort both of you over to security for permanent ID badges for school grounds and keycard usage. Just so you know Mrs. Murray, most parents are not given a permanent ID badge, but since you are staying with us here for two weeks or so? Then add choosing to live very close or will soon to our campus, we will issue you one. Because you might be on campus regularly." The thought of her mother stopping by regularly was not too appetizing to Tonya, but then her mind drifted off that bad thought when she suddenly remembered something Carson said a while back in their conversation, "Ma'am you mentioned that the scholarship covers housing us students, my mother among other things and what are those other things?" "Well in your case and scholarship, it includes all meals here in campus at the main cafeteria and a few other spots, that is normal for all students attending here. Plus yours adds in any needs for supplies needed for magic lad class or any lab class that the teacher assigns or approves, as well as a small fund to draw on for personal research needs. Then lastly, you and Kevin are given about one hundred dollars a week for expenses and a thousand to start off each year for any needed dorm room supplies. We can add more on request if there is need for it and the need is verified." Carson counted off several pionts on her fingers for the incoming student. Joannie quickly, yet carefully read off the vast stack pages of personal contracts or paperwork the school needed, one part of the whole mess stopped her for a few minutes while she thought about it. This part was her signing, no agreeing that her children could get hurt attending school here or die during said training...even the paperwork knew she would question that fact! A paragraph below the required signature explained...'all students are mutants and in training them to defend themselves from others or to be eventual heroes or?...Some students do and will be harmed or die'. Joannie signed. She knew or knows what it meant, some people in the world will always hate her kids forever and try to hurt them or chase them away for reasons of their own or just plain FEAR. "Here ya go kiddo...now it's your turn to read and sign!" Joannie laughed as she slid the stack over to her daughter. "I sign?" she questioned. "Yes, you sign...read it all thoroughly because our school rules are in there and you are agreeing to ALL of them!" Carson warned the teen with a slightly evil grin. "I feel as if I am signing my life away?" Tonya admitted Both older women sounded out in stereo...."You are!" and laughed at her pain. An hour later All three girls were leaving the Security office, tow of them wearing new badges and Paige was guiding their path onto the Guest cottages. Tonya spoke up as they all exited out of Kane hall that contained the security department among many other uses, "Did you see all the huge guns hung on the wall in there mom! You could take over a small country with all of that and I got the strangest feeling from that Sam lady?" Paige laughed at her, "That was just the small stuff, the really big weapons are locked up in a bunker and very safe. But I thought you might feel that Sam was strange, not there...like talking to a toaster in your mind...but not?" she asked her new fellow student with a knowing grin. "Ya I guess, she did seem strange to me...why?" Tonya said. "I felt nothing, she seemed normal, but very young for someone in charge of all that?" Joannie added next. "Well Sam is almost full nano-parts and AI...there is a human in there, but not much. She had several accidents last year and that was the result. It seems only Sidhe and a few others find her artificial or strange...in feeling that is. She is fully human where it counts!" Paige warned both of the ladies a little. As they strolled along, Tonya took time to finally checkout that small bag that Elaine had brought in with the paperwork and Carson handed her as they all left. Inside was a school t-shirt in her exact size made out of cotton and well made at that, not some cheap 'made in china' one! Next was a baseball hat with the school crest on it, cotton of course. Then a booklet of several fee-bee coupons to get her started out on campus... pizza, some free drinks at the cafe among others and lastly was a thick heavy RULE book with a hand written note placed on it...it read simply...'Read me or face the consequences'! Tonya dropped the huge book back into her bag after flipping a few pages, the fished the hat back out and closed the bag for looking at the rest of the small things at the bottom for later, like when Rohanna or Rehanna could explain them all better? "Well at least I got a new hat out of going here!" she smiled as it was quickly placed on her head. "Yep!" Paige sang out to her, "But let go grab a cart from the campus services department, then grab your bags and get you both all set up in a nice suite in the guest cottages by the parking lot?" Paige suggested what to do next. Joannie nodded to the teen, "That sounds like a good plan, then once we are all set? We can tour the campus with your help...if you have the time Paige?" "Ohh I sure do, besides I have to show you the campus and talk about the Drow twins!" Paige beamed back. Very shortly, Paige had barrowed a large from the services department and she walked back out to both women, then tossed the keys to Tonya with a smile, "Your driving, because I can't my powers will fry the battery in the darn thing if I touch the steering wheel!" then she touched a tall metal pole going into the ground near the long row of parked carts, the pole sparked then heated up from her electrical discharge, "See what I mean, if I don't do that once an hour or so? It all builds up and stuff around me goes POOF! Or I might hurt someone I accidentally touch." "Neat, but I can see your issues with that too...but what a taser for annoying people!" Tonya giggled and her mom instantly gave her 'the stare of death' in warning. "But what cart is our?" Tonya asks. "The number on the key is 'three' silly!" Paige, says as she hops into the fourth cart after reading the numbers painted on each. The first one inline always belongs to the shop and never moves! It's an inside joke on campus, that services department rarely 'serves'...they wait for students on punishment details to do the work! Joannie nods to her daughter as she takes a place in the back just behind Paige, who of course will be guiding the both of them and Tonya does a celebratory jump of joy at being allowed to drive, then hops behind the wheel. "MUSH!" Paige shouts as she points back in the direction of the car. Tonya tosses the last bag onto the large flat deck of the rear of the cart and then closes the renal car's trunk. "All done mom!" she sings and jumps back behind the driver's seat eager to driver the cart fast on the paths of the school. "Next stop, the guest cottage over there!" Paige points once again and takes her place in the passenger seat. "Aww that is not that far, this thing will never get up to speed?" Tonya sighs out. "Well I still have to show you both where to eat and the rest of the school. There is plenty of time for going fast and wreckless later!" Paige smiles evilly. "NO...." Joannie says simply and both girls sigh at being denied their fun. Soon enough, all the ladies bags were all separated by the room where they belonged in a rather nice guest two bedroom suite of the large five story cottage. Page helped Tonya with one of her's off the luggage cart, while Joannie tossed the last bag of her's on her bed. "You seem to have the nice room on this floor, a king in the master bedroom and fulls in the kiddy room. Not to mention the large living room and balcony. Carson must be showing off a little bit with you two!" Paige said as she grabbed a soda from the already stocked fridge. "Carson did mention that we would be the first ones of the Fae to be granted a full ride scholarship from day one and maybe that is why she is showing off to this secret endower?" Tonya said as she grabbed a soda and one large juice for her mom as she walked in from her bedroom. "That I am sure of too honey?" Joannie said as she nodded thanks to her daughter and leaned on the small kitchenette counter. "Secret donator?....you mean Rohanna and Rehanna, they started the whole thing the first few weeks they got here!" Paige said letting the cat out of the bag for sure. "Those two have money?" Tonya said almost doing a spit take with her coke. "Yep...think of it, Drow that have access to ancient Sidhe items or valuables that would sell like hotcakes to collectors or mages?" Paige said as she did a small spin and fell into the large sofa with a sigh. "How much?" Tonya had to ask. "That I am not sure of...never asked and she will not say...nor do I really care. But she invested it all for later use." then Paige remembers one thing... and puts her finger up on her artificial arm to emphasize it, "Except when she bought two fast motorbikes! AND Woof do I mean FAST!" "Humm sounds dangerous to me," the worried mother said as she sat down. "The twins get hurt while riding...no way! They are like cockroaches some of the other students on campus say, you just can't kill them!" Paige laughs like a maniac. "Okay you two, well I am beat and need to clean myself up before we go and tour the rest of the campus. So I am going to my room for a few and you two can get to know one another better." Joannie said as she stood to walk over to her room slowly as the relief of getting both of her kids to somewhere safe hit her like a brick! The more than happy mother closed her door slowly on the two teens as they walked into Tonya's temporary room and that is when it all hit her hard....Joannie had to lay on the bed weeping in joy and some sadness at what had happened today...or this week or the last few long had months. It was over for the most part, they were safe! Tuesday, August 21, 2007 11:20AM Whateley Academy, New Hampshire Joannie opened the door to her daughters room and found both of the girls laughing hard at something Paige had just said, "You mean that Jobe did all this to herself trying to make a perfect girlfriend?...Ohhh that is TOO funny and sad that he or she is that messed up!" "You have to see her dad..."Gizmatic" Wilkins emperor of Karedonia is making her get married too!" Paige nearly shouts in her laughter. "Girls, I am getting hungry and we should get moving to see the rest of this place before dark?" Joannie interrupted the fun, as she asked both girls. "Might be a good idea and I can show you both where to eat in Crystal hall, then the rest of the good spots to grab a bite from after we eat!" Paige nodded to both of them and stood up to continue on with her guided tour. As they drove across the campus, Paige pointed out the buildings as they went, "That one is Beck and has the library in it. Remember this...never go below basement level three, that is where the dangerous books are stored and they get far worse as you go down in levels." she warned. "Dangerous books?" Joannie asked like the mother she was. "Think magical books that are evil and so old they can think almost. I am sure Tonya will never get access to that section, but Rohanna might have some access because she is so good with ancient Sidhe magic?" Paige said back and pondered to herself what access Rohanna might have these days! Tonya spun the cart's wheel towards the direction Paige next pointed to...South. "Ohh that round building, that I almost forgot to point out...that was Kirby hall and has all the magic classes taught in it. There is a magically hidden door to the lower levels, then I hear you don't get to use it until year two or so of mage classes? But Rohanna found it the first day and the elves she hangs with use it all the time, I heard most elves find that darn thing almost instantly?" Tonya nodded back that she had noted the little hint about the door. Paige pointed to the large eight story tall building on the top of one of the taller hills on the large campus, "That building is Melville, the student cottage or housing I was told your two children will be getting Mrs. Murry, one room for you Tonya with a roomie and one for your brother. That is the highest class building on campus, the snobby rich kids seem to always land in that one!" Paige gave her opinion of the buildings residents and seemed to almost 'spit' when she finished talking about them! "Hey can we go see it now!?" Tonya asked Paige. "If you want to and your mom says it's okay?" Paige looked behind her and saw Joannie nod back, "Well she said yes, so turn here and park on the south side." All three ladies exited the cart, then walked into the nearest door of the large 'oval' shaped building and stopped at a concierge desk that overlooked the large patio area filling the center via it's floor to ceiling windows. "Good day Miss Donner, showing our guests around the campus today?" the lady behind the large desk greeted all of them with a huge plastic grin of one very used to a job in service to others. "Yep Mrs. Deng, I am and this is Tonya Murray. She and her brother Kevin will be housed here next term." Paige said and took a map of the building off the desk, along with a LONG list of special building services and their high prices! Joannie gasps at the sight of the large patio and what it contains. Sauna tub, BBQ's and other amenities only a upscale hotel regularly has, "This is for high school students?" she questions the woman behind the desk. Mrs. Deng almost sounds snobby to the mother of two when she answers the question. "Yes ma'am, this building and the other cottages house all the student's attending Whateley. If your children DO stay here, I will see to them and their needs?" "Thanks, I am sure you will." Joannie said back to the smug lady. Tonya looked over the long list that Paige just handed her, "Mom look at this, they will wash all your clothes for you, deliver food, Pizzas and offer full room cleaning services!" The mother scanned over the list quickly and the prices shocked her, "That much, well you are not using any of this!" When Mrs. Deng heard that statement from the mother, her face looked like she had just bitten into a very sour lemon and was repulsed. "Ahhh you can use some of that stuff now and then? Remember that your scholarship comes with a monthly stipend for your needs Tonya." Paige reminded her new friend. "Miss Donner, what scholarship did Miss Murray obtain?" Mrs. Deng smiled now hearing that money might be jingling in the soon to be students pockets for sure? "Tonya and her brother have the Fae one Mrs. Deng," Paige smiled. "Humm that one scholarship has quite some stipend and both students can buy some services with that. Short list of examples, weekly room cleaning and a few others?" she suggested to the eager teen. "We should get moving on before we have to get dinner instead of lunch!" Paige suggested as she noted Tonya's mom was not to pleased with her kids not doing the simple chores like they should! Back in the cart, Paige pointed south down the hill and Tonya drove them past a five story building that was just finishing up construction, "That one is Poe, that is where Rohanna and Rehanna are staying." Paige told them. "So they get a new building" Tonya asked. "Nope, they only revamped that one, but it was nearly a full rebuild anyway and Poe is now at least three times bigger than it was last term!" Paige added as she pointed at the last building on the small road for Tonya to drive to next. "That one is Hawthorn cottage and that is where I stay. My place is in the basement." Paige pointed out as they drove past, then circled the small gathering area and entrance for Hawthorn. "Is that where all the special needs students are housed?" Joannie asked the teen guiding their tour. "Yep, I have my little electrical issue. But there are some students housed in there with me that never leave their rooms because of medical reasons or their mutation is so very dangerous to be around others." Paige told them as they drove past Hawthorn and Paige pointed back north. "So they attend class from their rooms via a internet?" Joannie asked. "Yep on one of the best internets in the world, my adoptive uncle put it all in last term just for me and the cottage's other residents to use." she grinned back to Joannie as she knew the next question was coming! "Your uncle is who?" Joannie asked with a tilt of her head to the girl "He is Willard Jennings, the CEO of NeXT Inc and a real nice guy too!" Paige smiled thinking of the man who helped her so much over the last year. "Well that makes sense with your mutation!" Tonya laughed out at the fact the man ran one of the biggest computer companies in the world. "Ohh and so you know girl! There is a whole tunnel system that connects most of the school building together for winter weather or when we have a 'red' flag day and students that can't or should not be seen publicly can use them to get to class unseen." "That is a good idea, I bet it gets real cold here?!" Tonya shivered thinking of just foot after foot of snow and ice and having to walk through it to class each day! "It does, not that most Sidhe notice the weather anymore since Rohanna showed most of them a spell that keeps you all warm and dry!" Paige groaned at the small fact that she can't learn magic! "NEAT!" Tonya shouted as she drove past Poe once again. "Yep neat and remember this...stick to the main tunnels under us...because some have not been mapped and you can get lost!" Paige warned. "Not all mapped, why?" Joannie asked Paige with a tap on her shoulder to get her attention to the rear seat where she sat. "Most of the tunnels are student built ones over the decades, the students made no maps as they added new networks or shafts so the schools staff would not be able to find their little secret labs and such?" On their way back up the path north to the main building of the campus, Paige pointed out a large modern glass building to the west, "That building is Doyle medical center, the best hospital in the area and where Tonya or Kevin will go if they get injured on campus. They have some of the best doctors in the world here and can call on the best at anytime and if you get hurt...this is where I would want to be!" Paige boasted for the staff. After passing Doyle and the road leading to it from the main gates, Paige points out a small fact of campus life as they pass over a speed bump in the pathway that marks the road's edges, "This road is where ambulances pass by on the way to Doyle and them entering campus is the main reason for the 'red' flags that keep us mutants from showing on campus when outsiders are about." "Got it!" Tonya grinned over to Paige. "Turn in here and we can park while we eat at Crystal!" Paige pointed to a patch of cobblestoned concrete set aside for carts. After they all exited the cart, Paige raised both of her arms in a cheery showy way in front of the large five story tall glass dome, "AND here is Crystal hall! This is where all of us kids eat, meet and greet!" "Nice building for a boarding school?" Joannie wondered out loud. "Well the class of 1985 built it as a "legacy project" for the school and last winter the class of 2007 reworked the inside and added two new layers of floors to better serve the students." Paige added while opening the entry door for all of them, by playfully hopping onto the sensor pad and the door's motors 'hissed' them open to the three. Both women found the inside of the vast dome even more beautiful on the inside, the dome had three floors and the next two floors did not meet the domes wall so that one could fly or jump from floor to floor with ease and room! Each floor had a waterfall that pooled on it's own level and flowed or fell down to the next level, where at the bottom was a vast pool at the room's center with three large trees planted at the center island stretching back up to the roof. Each level was connected by either the large circular staircase at the center of the huge room or by one of the several escalators or lastly elevators in the building that served every floor in some way. The seating at each table was top notch, a heavy wood looking table with cloth and this was no plastic chair filled public 'school' cafeteria...it was a nice restaurant in many ways! "Paige this place is SO neat!" Tonya bubbles out to the girl leading the way. "Yep and just so you know...there is a school pecking order here...the higher up you sit...the higher up you are. AND Ro has a choice spot staked out on the top floor nearest the waterfalls..." Paige smiled back to her and watched as both ladies took in the views. Paige lead them over to a long serving line, very much like one you would find in a large buffet at a casino! "This is where we eat and they DO serve everything you will ever want or need. If it can be cooked, sliced, ground and or eaten in someway...they will serve it to you here!" "Should I even ask what strange things they serve here?" Joannie cringed at even thinking! "It's best not too dwell on that...this is regular food service in this line. We have a line for the more strange food items that is hidden from sight to keep the floor cleaner..." Paige laughed like a teen gone mad thinking about the few times she had seen a kid blow chucks watching another student eat something strange for their own meal! Paige lead them all into the line, then showed them the process on how to get what they wanted to eat and lastly how the campus ID cards were used to pay for meals or track what students ate in a given day. When everyone was done and ready, Paige lead them all up to the top floor and sat next to the pool where the waterfall enjoyably splashed into, "This is where the twins eat on most days, sometimes they do 'to-go' and eat out in the Grove or in their room?" Paige wondered where they went on somedays! She thought about the freedom the twins enjoyed being able to 'port' anywhere in the world at a the drop of a hat. As they ate, Joannie had to ask a nagging question, "Do they serve all day here?" "All day, all night too! They never really close, because some students only come out at night. Like a close friend of mine had issues with the sun at one time, she only could come out at night because the sunlight burned her badly." Paige was talking about Sara before one of her many changes over her short time at the academy. As the three girls ate a late lunch in Crystal hall...out in the Grove. Both Drow watched over their brass colored box as they waited quite impatiently for the control panel to show them that all the offered magical essence was fully absorbed by it and was ready for use. As they waited, both set to copy a very certain part of the book's instructions for others to follow. A small musical chime sounded out as each gem on the control panel lit-up and with all five burning bright with power...the box was ready and set to do it's next task of changing Kevin into a Drow very much like the twins that now guarded it. Rohanna sighed out to the Grove in my relief, "It's finally ready, now we go get Kevin and face the hard part?" "Yes the hard part, I hope he can deal with the truth and forgive us for our want of vengeance?" Rehanna simply gave back to her twin. Rehanna gathered the silk body covering off the branch that it was airing out on and folded it up with Rohanna's help in a certain well planned out way. The cloth that would wrap Kevin in it's own built in protections, now had certain spells showing to the world one at a time as each fold was made and each one had to be empowered as the sheet was readied for use. When the shroud was fully empowered and ready for use. Rohanna placed it with care on the stump at the Groves center. Then she glanced over to the Matron of the Grove now standing in the warm spring waters and warned her, "No one touches that or all our work today is for not!" She nodded back her understanding quickly, "As you say...so it will be done Guardian. I guard it with my very life." "Then I have to ask of you for more help?" Rohanna said next. "Whatever we can do?" she said back to her. "Read this," Rohanna said as she pulled copied pages of her command book and handed them to the matron. "I will Guardian...immediately!" she said and glanced over the pages. "This is a cleansing spell that needs to be done before we begin today and the pages I just gave you explains it all." "I understand this and will help in anyway I can...Guardian of the Groves." she said and sat at the pool's edge to read farther. With a nod from both Drow to the Matron, that task was done, the twins ported away back to Bill's townhome and the waiting Kevin. When both teens suddenly appear in the middle of the living room, poor Bill jumps in shock at the very sudden sight of both twins, "Darn it call first before you do that...darn it I will never get used to that shit!" he cussed out to them and wiped a bit of spilt soda off his shirt. "Sorry Bill, but cell phones don't really work in the Grove? I might as well be on the moon where human tech is counted on out there." Rohanna apologized to him. "It's okay Ro, just venting is all. But Kevin is waiting upstairs for you." Bill sighed out as he took a calming breath and gave his own apology for going off on the twins. As the twins turned to run up stairs, Jineen stopped them with a question, "Hey you two, stop and rest for a little bit...both of you look spent?" she told the haggard looking twins. "We are fine Jineen, just spent a whole lot of essence on this project we are doing is all." Rehanna said over her shoulder as we both hopped up the stairs two steps at a time. After both twins were gone Jineen shook her head to Bill, "Drow don't run out of essence honey, unless they are fighting is what the legends told me as a child?" she warned her husband. "They don't look like they were fighting this time honey? That last fight, both of them were a bloody mess of several bad wounds." Bill reminded his wife of the huge fight the twins had over the summer. Upstairs, both Drow knock on the guest room door that Kevin was using for the time being and went in after a muffled 'come in' came from past the door. "Well we are all ready, so are you all set?" Rohanna asked the worried looking Drow sitting on my bed. "Ahh you sure that I can't get hurt doing this?" he asked me. "Kevin...nothing in life is sure or a 'for sure thing'..." Rohanna did the air quotes to him "and this is one of those times...But I think you will do just fine and not even notice the changes till someone pints them out to you?" I smiled to him. "I trust you Rohanna, that is why I said I would do this...trust." he told me. "Thanks Kevin, that is what I needed right now." Rohanna had to cry back to him and had look away as I wiped those few tears away. "Well lets not sit here all day and get all sad about this...Lets get-r-done!" Kevin laughed as he stood up and pulled at Rohanna's hand to get her standing up with him too. "If you are ready then, OFF WE GO!" Rohanna shouted as all three of us ported off to the Grove. Once we three landed in the Grove's center, Rohanna waved my arms to the area around herself, "Welcome to the Grove...Some call this place North lights falling. But now it is gaining a new name that I will tell you about soon enough" she giggled at the small hidden fact that a World Tree was growing right here in her 'home' grove! "This is nice...I feel as if I am at home and this is where I should be?" Kevin questioned the strange feelings tugging at every part of his being. "Of course this feels like home silly boy, you are a Sidhe now and most of all a Drow. A Queen long ago bequest on all of us Drow, that Groves like this is where we should call home and we guard them from outside attacks in turn for them taking care of us." Rohanna told Kevin of this places symbiotic relationship with us Drow. "So what is the first step Rohanna?" he asked her. "Sit on the stump please and don't touch the folded cloth set there just yet please?" Rohanna told him as he sat and started to lean over to the shroud. "So what's next my girl?" he grinned up to her with a huge smile. "Confession time Kevin," is all both Drow said in that strange stereo they did at times that seemed to spook him more than a bit. "Confess about what?" he asked, then paused for just a second, "If you are going to be telling me about what you were before becoming a Drow...I already know and don't really care. That was then and this is now who we both are." he said to us both. Kevin saying that made us both happy, that was one tall hill climbed and a mountain waiting to be conquered in front of us both. "This is about that night your dad died." Rohanna said and stopped wrapped in silence thinking about what to say next. "That was a bad night...please go on." he urged the one twin onward with a calming smile. "That night the CIA sent a team to kill your father, but at the same time...I was there to kill him in any case." she stopped to let that evil deed of her's sink into him He nodded for me go on, "Yes I could understand that." he said slowly. "I watched them kill him, or really made him commit suicide and I could have stopped it all. But after all the pain he caused a person I know and love in a way and then tried killing a fellow Sidhe...I did my sworn duty and came after his life, as it was forfeited by his vile actions." she told him next with a firm voice of her sworn duty to protect all Sidhe. "Part of me wishes you had saved him, but part of me understands that he had to be punished in some way and that night...one way or another he was going to die. If he did not die that night, the CIA would chase after him each day until they finally got a hold of him or he went over to work with someone even more evil than them...if there is anyone that evil?" he told me. "Believe me, there are things far more evil in the universe than the CIA and that is what Drows like me were made to fight. Soon you will know more about them as I teach you, but for now those are all lessons of life to come? But first we have to deal with this!" "If you are asking for forgiveness Rohanna...Rehanna?" he nodded to both of the Drow in turn, "I grant you that to ease you souls My dad acted badly and was punished...His acts were by his own choice!" "Thanks Kevin, I would hug you right now. But I think I might hug you far too hard and hurt you, because I love you so much right now." Rohanna said happily. "That all will come later, lets get this change of mine over with and behind both of us!" he grinned and stood up for a deep hug anyway. After a long silent hug from both of us twins, we broke up and Rohanna sighed out. "Now it gets interesting!" she warned him as she walked toward the Grove's spring. "So what is next?" he asked innocently. "You have to strip nude and the water Nymphs, along with the Matron of this place will cleanse you of all outside human filth, as we ready you for the many spells to come." Rohanna smiled on evilly and was followed in exact mirror by her twin Rehanna! "Ohh!" he almost shouted and turned a bit red in the cheeks from embarrassment. "It has to be done, you have to be clean as possible or this will never work and human clothes will not do!" Rohanna informed him. As Kevin turned around to look over at the warm springs, that is when the Matron and her 'court' showed up with not a stitch of clothing on them. "We are ready for the Guardian's chosen one." the Matron sang out to us three standing on the shore. "Ohhh brother...you sure know how to test a guy!" Kevin said as his mind filled up with cardinal thoughts of what he might do or the ladies might do TO him! Rohanna shook my head to him, "There is time for that later, but for now just follow their lead and let them do their work on you...then you will be cleansed for what comes next." I said as the Nymphs started pulling him into the shallow waters and helped him off with his clothes. For several hours to come, they did their work cleaning the human world's filth off his body and readying him for the changes to come. Then they started the long process in wrapping him within the shroud, each fold as it came undone required a new spell to be cast and one spell cast as the shroud was folded over his waiting body as it floated in the warm water. As the last folds came into place, they both looked down at him, "Kevin, it's time to sleep and when you awaken right here in this same place. It will all be done and you will be just like I was when this was done to me or the ancient me that is?" Rohanna laughed over her twin to him floating on top of the water. "I am ready," he said sleepily, then closed his eyes as the last spell put him to sleep and Rohanna covered his face with the next fold of the shroud. The next steps only us Sidhe could do, so the Nymphs stepped away while we Drow worked spell after spell into each fold and finally covered Kevin from head to toe in several layers of the silken cloth. As both Drow worked in harmony to gently raise Kevin out of the water and towards the now waiting box. Anyone that knew the style of magic us Drow knew and practiced. They would be able to read a long spell that now formed out in the cloth's runes now covering Kevin's body, each fold added a new word to that last spell and only knowing how to fold the shroud in this way would ever show it! And that was the last spell we both recited in unison, as we nestled him safely within the bronze box. Kevin's wrapped body floated on a small pool silvery metal within the box, this silver fluid was going to do most of the work to come and all that magical essence we gave to the box, along with most of the Groves denizens and that essence is what powered it all...was making it flow like water instead of it's normal solid state. Rohanna smiled down to his now still form wanting to remember it one last time in this way, just as Rehanna touched the last control gem, "I will be here for you when you awaken...I swear!" Rehanna said to him as the metal flowed to fully cover him, then lowered him gently and slowly into the depths of the box. "And I swear to that too with my life." Rohanna added for both Drow, as the lid slid silently closed and the box began it's long task of changing Kevin for the twin Drow. Tuesday, August 21, 2007 3:20 PM Whateley Academy, New Hampshire Paige had finished off the rest of the campus tour after a break for lunch, she had led the two ladies one being a newly minted elf and soon to be student at Whateley all over the large campus that covered a few square miles of rolling hills of New Hampshire. The large size of Holbrook Arena impressed Tonya, that such a large building for sports was on a such small campus and the fact that Whateley had several ranges that could let students test anti-tank guns out made her mother worry about this place...was it a school, or a military academy? As the three of them walked back into the guest room set aside for the family, Paige's phone beeped and she stopped answering Tonya's several questions for a second. Paige slid a finger across the pad to turn it on and closed her eyes for a moment to take the incoming call from one of the Drow twins. "What-cha need Ro?" Paige grinned in her electronic world to the Drow. "Where are you at and are you still with the Murray's?" she asked the human looking were-panther dressed in a school girls uniform. "I am with them and we are waiting in their room Ro, so if you are coming this would be the best time?" Paige told the Drow. "Send the coordinates to me and I will be right there." Rohanna smiled to her phone and then spun it to see where the new directional link told her to go next. A few seconds later, Paige giggled out suddenly as she pocketed her phone, "Incoming Drow, please stand still to give her some room!" That is when Rohanna ported into the center of the small living room of the two bedroom suite. Rohanna sighed out as her eyes saw that Joannie was there with Tonya, "All done and now we wait a few days until Kevin is all done," Joannie tilted her head to the tall Drow in wonderment, "Where is the other you...Rehanna I have to guess?" "One of us will never leave Kevin's side while the spell is active, we both swore to his safety and we never fail" she told Kevin's mom. "Thanks...now I know you mean well and care for him." she grinned back to me. "I care for all our kind...just Kevin more so for now?" Rohanna said, as she dropped a plastic bag of food on the small dinette table and plopped into a seat. "What are you up tooooo you Elf?" Paige asked in playful way of knowing the Drow twins for a very long time...more than most of the other students on campus. "Tell you later...if I care to?" Rohanna grinned evilly back to her. "HUmmmfFF!" she gave back to the stone faced Drow playing it up at being upset with her. "Well I bought some snacks for all of us and me a lunch because I skipped a meal...AND I need the food badly....ELF needs food badly!" she said and then quoted the 'Gauntlet' video game someone had shown her as a joke months ago! "ELF had better not 'shoot' the food!" Tonya instantly knew the joke and her mom shook her head as she grabbed several sodas from the room's small fridge. Roahnna flipped open the top of a large order of cheese fries for us elves, that was soon joined by a cheese pizza and there was a meat lovers pizza for Paige the Werecat of the group to tear into...she loves her food a 'bit bloody' these days, so she tells me! "I was not too sure what to get for you ma'am...so I grabbed a few small sandwiches for ya to try from my fav spot..." the Drow smiled as she handed Joannie a box of warm food. Joannie took the box her offered and she read the lid just before flipping it open 'Gold Coast home eatery-Australia'...she stared blankly at the box for sometime before she spoke..."You went to Australia for lunch?" "Yep...!" the now ill mannered teen elf managed out past the yummy fries now stuffing her mouth. "I am SO not going to get used to this anytime soon...am I?" she sighed a question over to me and took out a egg salad sandwich to nibble on as I smiled my answer back to her, "Not likely.." "You will get used to all of this over time, it gets much easier with friends or family around Mrs. Murray." Paige grinned over her pizza to the worried looking mother. "I certainly hope so?" she mumbled out to us both and took a tentative bite of her sandwich. Tuesday, August 21, 2007 3:30 PM The Grove The Matron of the Grove shook her head slowly as she watched Rehanna beginning her turn...her obligation to watch over Kevin and the Brass box containing him while he changed into a Drow just like the twins. The teen Drow laid down near the box and rested her back on the side of the very ornate box that they had brought with them from the ancient past. The matron smiled on as the Drow sighed over her shoulder to the box and tapped its side with a hand, "You done in there yet?...No?...I'll wait right here...Call me when you're done!" she giggled out and opened a bag of take-out that her sister had left with her. The Matron shook her head again at the Drow's comedy and thought that she should do something. She thought silently on to herself, 'Both of the Protectors are not taking care of themselves, they should not eat so much...human food' she almost spat out. With a inner nod to herself, she called upon one of the bound servants of the twins and Kenna the fire Nymph showed up in front of her with a puff of smoke, "Yes Matron?" she asked on bended knee and head bowed low. "Kenna, you will gather a fine meal for your Mistress and serve it to her as soon as you can. Gather your sisters if you must to finish this task quickly, then as you serve it...tell your Mistress that I think she and her sister should eat more of the Groves offerings to stay healthy....Now go." the Matron ordered in a firm voice. "As you say, it is done." and Kenna vanished with a burst of hot smoke. Rehanna sighed down at her growing cold box of cheese fries and spotted one of her bound Nymphs Kenna walking into sight with three other Nymphs close behind her and each had a large plate of food. Kenna stepped up to her Mistress and kneeled down, "Mistress, the Matron bid me to serve you the far better offerings of the Grove to eat and remind you that eating human food all the day is not good for us Fae or our protector Drow such as you." "Fine, I will heed her warnings and take what is offered Kenna," Rehanna said rather pleasantly...something far from her normal tone to those bound in punishment to her. Kenna set her plate of food nearest the reclining Drow and so did the other three Nymphs in turn, "Here my Mistress, this time I added in some small treats that look very much like pies from the human world to me? I hope you like them, the Matron of us Fire Nymphs taught me how to make them with the berries from the Grove, I recommend them because of the sweetness..." Kenna said with a warm smile as she offered up one of the warm treats to her mistress. "Thanks Kenna, " Rehanna said then took a bite, "this is great, very well done!" "Thanks mistress, I will leave you to your duty...unless there is more?" Kenna asked. "Kenna, please sit and tell me how you are?" Rehanna asked and took a glass of juice off the platter, then handed it to her. Kenna crossed her legs under her long flowing robes and sat in front of her Drow Mistress as asked, "Well Mistress, I am learning my magic at a great pace according to my Matron and the Matron of the Grove." Rehanna scooped a few bits of cut fruit from the platter and dropped them on her small plate as she shook her head, "That is not what I asked...I asked how are you doing...feeling now. I may have been mean and fuming with you when I had you changed as punishment for trying to kill me and my friends. But that does not make me unfeeling and an ogre!" "Yes Mistress," Kenna kept to her respect, because not doing so meant certain death she was told! "I am fine now...very mad at first but...this change agrees with me and I know that I earned it and the other man who lead me...who hired me, that you gave over to Gothmog's biding for punishment is far worse off then I will ever be?" she cringed thinking what a Demon or GOO like Gothmog could do with a simple human as torture! "Now that is great to hear and are you thinking right now when you are finished with your punishment in a few hundred years, to go back to the human world as you once were?" Rehanna asked and took a plate of sweet warmed bread pudding off the platter to try out next. Kenna was a little shocked to hear that question, she always thought this change was forever, or she might die during a task long before clemency was given? "I don't know? But my Mistress, I think I like this new form, I get to see the human world that I was once part of in small bites and in the work I was IN...I would have died during it for sure within a few short years?" Kenna wondered if what she was thinking was true...Did she like this change to a Nymph. She loved the new life, the Grove and her new sisters now. Kenna's new self could easily kill off a dozen of her 'old self' with not even a thought, then add how much longer she would live in this Fae body over her old male human self! "Good to hear Kenna, maybe now you see why I was so angry with you? You or your boss wanted to take all this and even more from me?" Rehanna said with a knowing evil grin. Rehanna had to say something to Kenna, she and her bound sister Joan had earned better treatment over the last few months. Then on top of that, Rehanna needed someone to chat with right now, guarding this place was lonely at times and she could not leave it unguarded with the Box so open to attack. Tuesday, August 21, 2007 5:50 PM Whateley Academy, New Hampshire I heard someone's shuffling feet at the room's door as a knock sounded out, "Hey Paige, the house mother told me to find you and remind you...that you need to make sure that you take your meds for the full moon coming up next week?" a voice said from the door. Paige stood up from the couch as I grabbed my bags of snacks to leave, "Well I am off now, please remember for the first week or few days...we don't know one another and your brother Kevin is safe with me and should be back by the next weeks start!" I grinned and vanished with a silent pop. Paige answered the door and found one of the full time students like her at the door, "Windy, thanks for finding me! I actually forgot to take my meds when I started eating and I can feel that 'cringe' growing in my back, so thanks girl and see you later!" The girl at the door nodded back and turned to leave. As Page walked back to her place on the couch, she popped a small gold pill tube out from her pocket and swallowed the simple bitter pill, "God I hate those things, MAN they are nasty tasting!" "What are they made of?" Tonya asked as she handed Paige some soda to drink. "A few things a medical devisor made and some things Rohanna added that she knows?" Paige said after gulping down the soda to kill the pills bitter taste. "Rohanna knows about Werewolves of Were-creatures?" Tonya asked shaking her head at the thoughts. "Yep, if you did not know...the Sidhe or Elves are what made the Weres to fight an enemy in the ancient past and they where made from regular humans too!" laughed as she plopped back into her place on the long couch. "SAY WHAT!" Joannie yelped out in surprise. "That's right, Elves experimented on humans to make them better fighters...and DO NOT spread that info around too much...please ma'am?" Paige grinned back and nearly pleaded with her sad kitty cat eyes to the woman. Joannie laughed at the sight, "Stop that you look like a kitten straight off a cartoon with that sorrowful stare of yours!" "Gotta use the weapons God gives ya!" Paige laughed back. Friday, August 24, 2007 9:40AM Outside of the Cleveland Ohio Area Senator Stockbridge hung up his office phone as he mumbled out, "Darn traitor to the cause, that man will get men killed someday with his over the top politics!" Earl leaned back into his large leather chair and pondered on about his problem with the Senator who was now protecting the CIA from oversight on mutant matters and might be using them in military ways that violate the nations treaties! The senator knew the US getting caught using mutants or 'supers' in it's spying or assassination attempts would cripple the nations relations with NATO, EU, Russia and China...not including many others that would use the mess as a bargaining chip...like Gizmatic or Lord Paramount! Earl knew he had to catch the old man in a huge lie and one he did not see coming at all! With a thought about his son, who came into sight playing football in the backyard with his visiting schoolmates...he had an idea! Rohanna and Rehanna both had the power to see lies in humans and they never missed...or so he was informed in is vast files on the twin Drows. Maybe, just maybe he could ask them to intercede and not look like he was using them? A favor maybe, one to be named later? Earl swung open his window and yelled for his son, "Josh please dust off and come in my office?" "Yep dad be right in...." he said back then turned to his buddies, "Well guys dad calls, good practice for the season and grab some grub in the kitchen while I am gone!" Josh swung open the huge door leading to his dad's office, a place he rarely came into because of his dad's need for secrecy, "What-cha need dad?" he asked and closed the door when his dad motioned for him to do so. "Ahh Josh you visited the twins over the summer once, but only got in a few sparse meals with them because of the filming schedule was so tight. Maybe before the new term starts we should have them over?" "Dad that is a great idea and I was just thinking the same thing...but I can tell you are hiding something or being not fully truthful with me?" Josh warned. "Ahh yep, you have your mother's gift...she sees right through me all the time! I do have a favor to ask of the twins, one that is small for them and easy to accomplish?" "Well this sounds like the first among many favors that you will be indebted to them and I was told that owing a favor to a Drow is a very bad idea...they hold you to your word or get real mean," Josh warned. "Who told you this?" Earl asked his son. "Nikki...Fey, she told me one day. Just incase I got 'stupid' she said." "Tell me more son, I know I have read this once somewhere? But remind your old father please?" "Ahh elves or Sidhe are mages and favors are held over them or another is very binding in ways...ways that make you or them DO the favor asked for in return and humans are not exempt from those rules. Denying a request that is equal in return, can leave one very open to some attacks or uses by the holder of the debt...I think that is how she put it?" Josh wondered out loud, "You can call Nikki and ask her?" "I will, but first call the twins over for lunch tomorrow none the less and I will think about what I might ask of them tonight." Friday, August 24, 2007 10:20AM Dunwich, New Hampshire Bill and Jineen's Townhouse The phone rang with a electronic shrill that filled the kitchen area and most of the downstairs area. Jineen picked up the wireless handset and looked at the number no the display, "Ohio? Who in the heck do we know in Ohio?" she wondered out then answered, "Hello?" Jineen listened to the kid on the other end of the line for several minutes, laughing at each of his questions a little. Jineen did know someone in Ohio and that someone was Josh that was dating or kind of dating the twins or one of them? "I will get Rohanna for ya, give me a few to catch up with her...as she is washing her clothes right now?" Jineen wondered to the phone 'was she downstairs doing the wash?' It was so very hard to keep up with a teen that teleports at times! Jineen hit the 'hold' on the phone and then tapped the intercom button on the wall, "Ro honey the phone is for you and where is your cell dear...Josh is there and he says your cell line is only taking messages?" Since I was reading down here in the wash room my text book on human style magic fell to the floor from my lap as I jumped up to hit the intercom button to talk back Jineen, "Sorry Jineen, it's out in the Grove with Rehanna. I forget to take it with me sometimes? But I got it from here!" I said and grabbed the handset off the phone cradle. "Heya Josh! What's up?" I asked and for the next several minutes he went on and on about what little time we had getting together over the summer months, he apologized over and over even though it was all my fault or the films...they would not let him on set for those few days because we where doing explosive EFX and civies not allowed by law during that dangerous stuff! Me an actor, paid, on contract, on insurance and mutant, no prob...Josh a human and under age...nope! Poor Josh just kept going and going forever! Nearly babbling till I finally giggled to get a word in edgewise, "Josh...please stop apologizing to me and it's all good? All the summer meet ups not happening in a good way...that was all my fault because of the movie?" I no sooner than stopped, no really hesitated for a single breath when he started babbling on again. I had to stop him with a little sigh that made me sound bored to death and that is when I got my words in next, "Josh please you are babbling, I know you like me and I bet I am one of your first girlfriends? But what did you call about...besides the past summer?" I could hear his father laughing as quietly as he could muster in the background of the room, but his boy having issues with talking to a girl certainly got to Earl! "Well I want to...or dad suggested since the new school term starts soon...or starts in a week...that maybe we all should have lunch?...maybe?" "Fine with me," I gave in easily "But only I will show up, Rehanna is suck doing a small job for both of us and we can not leave it unwatched. So is that fine?" Senator Earl overheard that and nodded silently to his son breaking the boy's indecision on the matter, "That will fine, come on over to the front door at say?" Josh paused and glared blankly at his dad for an answer, who slapped his forehead in puzzlement at his son being so tongue tied when talking with a girl, "Ten" he whispered out. "Awww Ten?" Josh asked. "Ten it is...see ya!" and I hung up to ease his pain...I hoped he would get better at this, but who knows? Saturday, August 25, 2007 9:58AM Outside of the Cleveland Ohio Area "How do I look mom?" Josh asked for the dozenth time this hour as he looked himself over in the hallway mirror once again as his mom passed by on her way to the kitchen to check on lunch. "Just fine honey, just like I said the last time...two minutes ago?" she sighed at the boy's worrying. "She should be here by now?" he said checking his watch knowing that Rohanna or the twins would knock at Ten exactly and no sooner...or even be late by a second unless the end of the world had come? Dorothy glanced at the wall clock that read the nations atomic clock time pulse that made it set perfectly, "Your watch is fast honey, the clock in here is dead on and its Nine fifty-nine." his mother told him as she checked on the baking cake and then the other lunch fixings heating up on the stove. 10:00AM plus a few seconds A knock sounds from the large homes front door, Josh jumps almost out of his own skin at the sudden sound and runs to answer it as his mother shakes her head at the boy's reaction, "That boy is going to be in trouble for sure one day over this?" Josh flings the door open as he nearly slides passed it on the smooth wood flood and finds a tall Drow giggling at his stumbling and how he almost fell, "Hiya Rohanna, come on in and lets talk in the media room before dinner?" "Hi Josh, thanks for the invite and I'd love to see your mom and dad again...and Josh it's only lunch time?" I asked. "Ohhh shit...shoot I mean? You are right! I get so messed up these days?" Josh babbles out, as he absently mindedly rubs the back of his head. "You mean messed up on dates...but it's all fine Josh, lets go?" I say and enter at his greeting, plus his very red face! Josh leads me into the media room that is really a well done living room with a huge TV as the centerpiece on the wall and points out his father reclining in a chair at the far side of the room, "Hi Rohanna. Have a seat and rest a bit before lunch and tell how me how your summer went?" Senator Earl invites me. "Well the Summer went fine Sir, the film is off to a great start and I was told we will have to do very little in the way of re-shoots?" I told him as I took a place on the sofa nearest him and Josh sat near me...but not right by me just now. "Re-shoots dear?" Dorothy says as Josh's mother enters the room from a short hall that joins onto the kitchen beyond. "Yes ma'am, those are redos of scenes we missed, or ones that don't look or run quite right when they add them into the rest of the film or outright goofs in some part?" I explained to her. "Well I am sure you do all your parts just fine dear and the whole film will do just great. Just think...the first real film with a Fae or Sidhe as a star and one that an actor or actress that is not all in make-up like that other one based on a book? Or that school of magic one...ahhh Jerry something or another?" she smiled to me. For well over an hour, we all chatted up on what had filled our summers and most of that time was spent on me telling them how the filming had gone for us twins. Then I talked about how a photographer had snuck into our townhome and stolen my very personal things...plus took several nude pic's of me in the shower. Josh was fuming now and gave his father a few 'sink-eyes' over the matter because we were all sure he knew all about it! But the Senator erased all doubt on the subject of his not knowing, when he mentioned it himself, "Rohanna if you did not know...that man has disappeared from the face of the earth and no one has even seen him since his bail was made, then released at the hands of a well to do local attorney?" he stared at me for a reply on the issue. "I heard nothing of it and the last time I saw him...he was being dragged into a cop car under arrest? I just thought since I was underage...that they don't talk to me unless they need me?" I said knowing nothing about the laws 'down under' "Aww so you heard nothing about that?" he asked and Dot glared right at him in warning. "Senator, if you think I or anyone I know made him...disappeared. I or they did not...that I know of?" I stated, then stared flatly back at him and dared him to test me with my narrowed with anger eyes. "Earl...enough!" Dot reacted instantly, "The girl does not know what happened and even IF she did...the Asss..." Dorothy slipped and corrected herself quickly, " the gentleman deserved everything he got?" As she talked, I thought it all over...Gothmog must have got him. He would know instantly that the man grabbed Sara's medallion and punished him on the spot! I smiled inwardly knowing that man would never bother me again! Dorothy interrupted my daydreaming, "Lets all get to lunch, I am sure it's all ready by now?" she said getting up to peak into the kitchen and gets a nod back from her chef on the matter. "Well since it's still warm out, lets eat on the screened porch and enjoy the time outside?" Earl suggested and the servants started setting up the table quickly for all of us. The room was quickly set-up for our meal, that table was set with new cloth, the outer doors folded away and the room now joined onto the rearmost sunroom of the large home. Then the chef showed up with his cart of hot food, "What we have today is...we heard that Miss can eat shellfish and shrimp over the summer. So I cooked up, shrimp, fried clams, and the centerpiece...Maine lobster tails!" A billow of warm steam rose as the chef lifted a dome off the top most platter and showed all of us a fine selection of nice red tails to choose from. He dropped one onto a plate, added some butter in a small dish and since I was the guest...I was served first! As he served up the rest of the table, Dot, then the Senator and finally Josh. The other three servers in the room placed plates of shrimp, or fried clams in several spots on the table along with a large salad at the center. I had some lobster in Australia, but the rocky reef lobster from down there had nothing on the juicy full meat of a true Maine lobster! As dad said, if it does not have claws to fight back with...it's a big shrimp and NOT a TRUE lobster! Before long I was done with my first lobster tail and starting in on my second! As we ate, Dorothy asked about what I was going for this term as a specialty for my college credits. I told her, that I was still leaning towards a degree in some electronic or electrical field and that Magic along with my Sidhe style fighting would always be my main classes. "I heard that you might have at least two more elves or Sidhe joining with you this term Rohanna?" Senator Earl told me with a knowing smile of a truly well informed man that he was. "Humm I had not heard too much beyond maybe one so far?" I said not lying...As Kevin had not entered Whateley JUST yet, so he was not officially enrolled till that day! "At that rate dear, they might have to open a Sidhe or Fae only school soon?" Dorothy smiled over the large meal to me. "That would be nice, real nice!" I grinned back to her ear to ear. Sometime latter the staff was taking away the last of the desert dishes from the table and replacing them with glasses of soda for us kids and a glass of beer for Earl, plus very nice smelling wine for Dot. We all walked slowly onto the open porch and started talking over other random subjects till Earl guided me aside into the homes gardens to talk more privately with me while Josh fetched his mom some more wine, "Rohanna I might ask you for a favor tonight?" he asked while taking a huge draw of smoke off his cigar. 'OHHH boy here it comes!' my mind said...but my mouth said "Well Sir what would that be?" I asked in a pleasant tone while the possibility of a raging fire in me was kept from igniting. "I am having one more guest tonight for a short time, one that is from 'an agency' and one that is using mutants in it's dealing...those dealings should not be using them on or during 'off the books' jobs without permission from higher up in the Washington leadership." "Well lets drag the cat out of the bag...CIA and jobs meaning...spying or killing?" I asked flatly. "Hummm we should not say?" he asked. "Well since I can't lie...lets just say it and get it over with why don't we?" I said with just a hint of demand in my voice. "Yes to all of that and the fact that they are using or misusing or lastly abusing those assets, ones that the whole nation might need someday?" "I had heard some rumors about that around the school, some students out on jobs that paid officially, or scholarship and some kids working under duress, then lastly some killed or nearly killed outright before coming to Whateley?" "Well I..." Earl stopped when his son shouted at him, "SO this is why you wanted me to invite her here to dinner tonight DAD! You said small favor...NOT this government crap, at least give Rohanna a chance till she hits graduation before you try...fucking up her life!" Josh shouted out at him and I could tell he was really upset...boiling mad in fact. Right behind Josh was his mother, to say Dorothy was upset? That was like saying a dragon has hot breath, or the sea is wet! She shouted at her husband like a BaneSidhe having a bad day! "Earl! You told me that you would not do this and yet here you are doing exactly that!" she huffed at him and was about to toss the wine glass his way, that was grasped firmly in her shaking with rage hand to put a bigger period on her point! Now the fur was starting to fly verbally and I could not even hope to keep up with the subject because personal family secrets were being used and outed right in front of me. All three of them tossed at each other with only 'words' for several minutes and even the servants that stayed at the edges of your sight till you needed one...vanished till the shouting went down some. I tried to get a word in edgewise several times, but with all three going at it and Earl on the losing side because mother and son had the poor man cornered with no hope of escape! My voice finally found a break in the action when Violet whistled a shrill call of one of the birds of the Grove that silenced all of them, "Thank you Violet," I nodded to her, "But as I was trying to say? I will leave now. As I do not want to be the center of causing any family issues?" Josh started first, "You can't go this is dad's fault!" Then Dot was on his heels once again with her more than angry tone, "You are right Josh," she nodded. It was downhill from there, until Violet broke the uproar again with a newer and higher pitched shrill that left one's ears ringing a little, "Violet...thanks but less window breaking next time? What I wanted to say is that I have know idea how this CIA versus whoever works or how Washington works or even a small city council for that matter, all the back channels and infighting that I have never experienced in the Swamp of politics per say? All of that knowledge I will need greatly someday, I might have stood in a royal court as guard...but I sadly learned nothing from it...my job came first in my mind, so I tuned out all the words around me...save the ones that called me to action?" Earl saw a place that he could act on and get what he wanted! Yes this teen or ancient Drow might learn something that took him decades to learn! Then add if his son listened in on all of it, the boy would learn the 'Swamp' too? Something in the way of survival skills he would need very soon! "Wait Rohanna, I acted out of hand and had unsaid motives to invite you here today?" Earl said with a genuine tone that said to me 'hat was in hand' and he meant it! Josh was about to say something on that subject, when a kick from mom sent that thought right out of his mind! "I am not sure about all of this, us Drow causing such family unrest is not our way at all?" "Rohanna dear," Dorothy started, "since you said women run your families and I surely do MINE..." she squinted evilly at the Senator, who did wither a bit under her harsh stare, "Let's do this, we all here in the family will teach you the ropes of our lives around the Washington swamp and not ask anything in return. But at times like this, we will ASK you first about trading in favors before bringing you over like this?" "You do understand what owing a favor to a Drow or Sidhe means Ma'am and Sir?" I had to ask them. "Yes, I do...I asked an expert on that today...Nikki and she said owing you a favor is a bad idea...that you will collect and collect to the letter. But we can talk about that each time it comes up...can we?" "Of course we can sir?" I smiled to him, knowing that things do change and this Drow intends on all favors owed to her, being collected in some way or coming out ahead in the end in some way! Saturday, August 25, 2007 4:58PM Outside of the Cleveland Ohio Area It took Senator Earl well over an hour with Dot's help to explain who was coming and how I fit into this political puzzle. I had to stop him during his detailed explanations a few times to let my brain catch up, because Earl talked in those human 'gray' areas that eluded me since my change. But Dot always helpful, she filled in parts in her own evil little ways that certainly helped me! The man coming over very soon, was one William Norris. Some people on the hill or in the CIA call him Chuck Norris...because when you see him...you are getting your ass kicked right then or very soon will! His job was leading the special units department or 'black' cases, and one that dealt mostly with mutant kind. He may not have been a mutant himself...that anyone knew of? But he certainly knew how to handle one, or get them to work for our side in our ways? My whole job during the Senator's little chat, was to tell Earl if the man was lying or hiding something the best way I could. Then add, this man surely had heard of me by now? So having a Drow like me in the room might unnerve one, even a calm man that routinely handled danger like this one! As the time for William to show up came closer, the Senator showed me where he wanted me to sit...behind his guest on a couch and what drinks to serve them both during the meeting. Outside the large mansion William Norris was just being passed through the Senators security and as routine demanded...stripped of his weapon. But Norris always kept a holdout gun that could not be detected on his person and a few blades for 'close work'. Bill always hated the 'security theater' of coming here, but you had to deal with men like Senator Stockbridge all the time. Because they held the wallet of the nation and the flow of money into Bill's department in his hands. Not to mention that the Senator and his committee was supposed to TELL Bill's department what to do, or not do in the nations name. William was greeted at the door by Senator Earl as was the norm on all of his visits so far and what was mentally bothering Bill right now as he shook hands with the leader of the Senate committee he answered too? Is why this call in to the Senators home and no warning of what the subject of tonight's grilling might be! When the Senator was guiding William into his home's large library that doubled as the home office. Bill noted a beautiful blond teen was setting out a scotch on ice for the Senator and a unopened coke bottle on a coaster with a bag of 'Pnuttels' next to it for him to snack on while they talked. The Senator closed the door and walked over to his desk as he spoke, "This is my new assistant, I am showing her the ropes of dealing inside Washington...Say Hi to William Norris...Miss Leigh?" he asked the girl, who smiled back her fast greeting, "Good day Sir." and left his coke on the table nearest the seat he usually took during these meetings. That name rattled around in Bill's mind as he took his seat, then popped open his coke with a opener on his key chain. 'Lee' was that? he had heard Lee many a time, so he asked her, "Miss is your name Lee again?" "Why yes sir, Lee...L...e...i...g...h. Leigh the French way to spell the name, first name is Rohanna also Sir?" she said and took Earl some M&M's in a small bowl to nibble on, that was his normal snack food for meetings so far Bill had noticed. The teens whole name rattled around in Bill's head even harder now, he had heard or read that name more than a few times? Maybe the kid's family was from France, but she had no accent...her accent was strange...California like...but kind of British too or Irish? That is when Rohanna wrote and placed a short note on the Senator's desk for him to read, Earl crumpled it up instantly with a short nod of acknowledgment. When the teen took a water bottle and placed it on the table behind him, the one the large sofa used. Bill questioned the act instantly! "Earl, is she staying?" he had to ask because of security and national secrets were very commonly talked about in this room during their meetings. "Why yes she is and don't worry any? Rohanna has already given me a vow not to talk about what she hears in this room or sees from us? Is that not right Miss Leigh?" Earl asked as the Teen sat and Bill had to twist in his seat to see her better...most of the time he could 'just' make her out...in the corner of his eye. "Yes Senator, I could repeat it all for Mr. Norris if you would like?" "Well Bill?" "AHHH Earl I don't think that a secrets act is binding on a teenager?" "Humm Well Rohanna, please say it all again for Bill...Please?" "I by my true name will not say or repeat or communicate in any manner to anyone I know at this time or don't know at this time...anything I hear or is seen by me in this room. Unless it becomes general knowledge someday, or I am released to do so by either of you gentlemen?" Bill shook his head at the statement, "All of that was nice and I am sure you will keep to your word? But...Earl a teen in our meeting...really?" he questioned the Senator's strange thoughts on the matter. "Well look at Miss Leigh again Bill, that was a very binding Mage's oath she just gave you and one she can not break?" he chuckled knowingly at the man before he turned around. As William spun around in his chair once again to get a better look at the teen sitting nearly behind him, this time her form shimmered for a second and a white haired, nearly purple skinned, elf now sat in the blonde's place and Bill recognized that fang filled smile instantly...the Drow or one of them from Whateley. Bill leapt out of his seat all the while yelling back at Earl and nearly pulling his weapon out from his coat, "Earl what is this, you bring a mutant into one of our meetings and a teen one at that!" "William have a seat, and don't pull out your holdout gun? I would hate to get this carpet all bloody if Miss Leigh reacts badly to your intentions. AND since we are talking about mutants tonight and your departments using or MIS-using them? She is the perfect person to give me opinions on the matter, besides the small fact I am truly training her in Washington's ways...then add she can tell me instantly...if you are lying to me?" Earl warned the stunned man. "How did she know I was armed?" Bill questions and reveals that he really is...armed by mistake. "I smelled the gun power and oils the gun uses? Then add I saw the outline of it, along with the two knives you carry...one in your coat and one on your left leg above your sock." the Drow smiled at him. "See how useful Rohanna is William, she could be an important valuable asset someday? But let's call that idea one that will be questioned again years from now at best...shall we?" Earl said to the man and along the lines he had agreed to with both his son and wife! "Okay Earl, this is your meeting and how you want it run or who attends it is your choice? So what did you want to know about?" Bill almost sighed to the senator who could be called his boss on many matters of state business. From there the conversation was lead by the senator, who would ask questions and expect full well thought out replies from Mr. Norris on each matter. During William's answer, Rohanna would nod or shake her head as the man spoke. Thus telling Earl if the man was telling the truth or lying outright. Most of the time, Earl let the lies pass by. But occasionally he would press the matter when he knew it was a lie and stop William, then ask the man to correct himself or tell the truth? William tugged at this dress coat or his shirt collar at times, this form of questioning was grueling at best and then add the fact he had a trained killer at his back...one he had no chance against in a fight! "So Bill what about that cyber mutant that disappeared last year and the one right after her? Both of them could have been great assets that controlled computers, but one disappeared into nothing and the other was snatched up by another agency..." Earl told the man. "Well in both cases, the same man was in charge and he failed. One, the first case we had issues with ARC and outside interference that greatly affected the case. The last one, the military became involved among others and she was placed at a boarding school...Whateley by the way?" Bill said and glanced behind him, the evil knowing smirk crossing the teen Drow's face unnerved him more than a little...'how much did she really know?' he thought silently. "What became of that manager that failed the CIA? He let a fully trained it seemed asset and a computer controlling mutant slide right between his fingers with that last one?" Earl asked with a stern voice. "He was fired on the last action day of the last case Earl? We cut off all ties with the man and I heard he committed suicide right after we let him go...possibly the job and failure got to him? Or he was unstable all this time, because the case before it was very messy!" I smiled as I thought about Falk being forced to take his own life and after chasing one of my fellow Sidhe and Paige...his death was deserved! Too bad his children have to suffer their fathers errors, then add I have to help them along from here out because of his failures, but I help willingly! "Hummm...too bad I would have liked to ask him a few questions about that first mutant? But Rohanna dear...?" "Yes Sir?" the Drow behind William said in a warm voice that unnerved him yet again. "Do you know that girl, she does go to your school now?" Earl asked. "Which one Sir, there were two in that last question you gave Mr. Norris?" she said and seemed to know more than a teen should...so thought William just now. "The second one of course?" "Ohh her Sir, well part of her mutation was into a Sidhe...like me and with that of course I know her. We train together all the time and she shows me techy things...things I never dealt with before?" the Drow smiled with her fangs out as Bill turned to look at her. "That's good Rohanna. So what would you say about her?" Earl asked. "After she graduates Whateley and college? I am sure she will be quite the asset to any company that hires her!" "And what if we would like her to work with the CIA?" William asked the teen. "That would be up to her if she took your offers or not? But she is keeping up with me during our shared school training and I am training her on the side in Sidhe skills as well...in a few hundred years...she will be just awesome!" "A few hundred years?" William chuckled out. "Yes Sir, you do not train the perfection that is a Sidhe warrior overnight or in a few years. Training magic properly takes several decades of not hundreds of years, then each fighting skill must be mastered from there...just like I was taught." the teen said with a hint of anger or warning in her voice to William. "Humm, we will asked her then?" Earl said and dropped the matter. But William wanted to know something, something that has been bothering him since he heard of this Teen Drow behind him and her suddenly appearing twin sister. he had sent a few recruiters to the school to make a try at getting her in the 'company'...but each time they failed or were turned away by the schools staff with a warning to leave her alone for a few more years...'Let her settle a bit more' was the answer most times. So still bothered by that last train of thought, William turned in his large chair and stared right at the Teen Drow as he asked his question, "So Rohanna, would you work for us in the CIA or another agency of the US government? We could use all that training of yours!" "Well Sir, Mr. Norris...One...why would I work for humans? Then if you could convince me? What are you going to pay me with, because money outside of a few toys I have already purchased...does not interest me or I flatly don't really need it? With one exception...bribing humans to get them to do as I request someday?" I smiled to him. "Well not all jobs are repaid with cash?" William said slowly. "Senator Stockbridge, please tell Mr. Norris what you found out about asking favors of Drow or even Sidhe or mages?" I asked pleasantly. "Well Bill, asking one of their kind for a favor binds you into repaying it in kind...in some way and the Drow, Sidhe or mages get their favors repaid in kind...fully. Then I was told owing a Drow a favor is a bad idea...they always collect!" "I am sure we can come up with arrangements to suit you?" William told me. "Senator?" I asked. "The lady has big needs or wants and only the president I think...could grant them the way she wants? AND yes they are that big Bill!" "I am sure I could think of something?" William said and pondered the thought. "And if you failed to pay off Sir? Do you really want a Drow or Drow twins chasing after you? Because in our ancient Drow mind or memories, Failure meant sure death and only death. That is it, black or white simple...no grays in life. That is how we lived...or died." "That is a little extreme?" "Yes it is, so if you do fail me and your boss is the president? Do you want me going after him or that office over repayment for your failure for hundreds of years? We Drow do live a very long time!" "In any case, please let's talk later?" "Ask the Senator, he is my go between so far in any of my future dealings with the US government and I like having him there...he knows what you can or can not promise?" I nod over to Earl and he nods back. Monday, August 27, 2007 11:50 PM The Grove Here it was the day we twins had been waiting all week for!. The whole Grove was alive with magic this night, the Moon would be in red eclipse or blood moon of the earth very soon and with that simple eclipse. The magic...the essence of the Grove grew hundreds of fold and at its peak, the Box would be filled so much essence...it would accomplish weeks, if not months of it's work on Kevin in just minutes! As the minutes passed by in slow motion to my eyes, the Box glowed brighter and brighter with power. The moon's silvery disk started to gain just a hint of reddening at one edge and that told me that 'magical' time was here. It anyone was going to attack the Grove, it would be tonight! But this much power pulsing through every part of the Grove, gave it so much power...no one would be that crazy to darken this bright night! Normally on nights like this, I would be banging out a weapon or magic item on a forge because of the raw power that was so very easy to gather this night...but tonight was for a rebirth of one of my kind! I was sure that I could hear the hammer falling on metal far off somewhere nearby, forging an item of vast power? Perhaps Caitlin the Artificer, a very human looking golem that shaped metal and magic to create works for GODS was at work! I smiled at the thoughts, she was free now and the one of only a few in her long lineage, that was ever free and someday I will be too...we Drow twins will be free of that damn cursed book! The few hours passed by quickly to most, but to me, to us it felt like days! After the peak of the moon becoming fully blood red, the box shone like a sun over the whole Grove. I could see the very Ley lines pulse power into it and as the moon's red faded, the moon set in the west for the greeting of the new morning rising in the east with the sun. That moon slowly losing its red color is when the mercury like metal that covered up Kevin when the Box began it's task, started to flow once more and his wrapped body rose to the top of the silvery mass slowly...ever so slowly! As his body rose up, the silvery liquid flowed off his wrapped body and then finally rested on the very top as the metal finally became a solid once again. Then gems all lit up one at a time on the control panel and then all winked out in unison...it was done! I leapt to be at Kevin's side, both of us looked his body over and I pulled at the shrouds wrappings covering his face up. As I pulled the silk like cloth away, I could see a little of the box's work had been done to his face. It was nearly unnoticeable, but there...his face was slightly more squared like mine was. As I pulled the cloth from his mouth, I lifted a lip of his to take a peak and found what I wanted too...he had very nice fangs just like mine now! That is when I started praying to Gaea innerly, 'Please be alright...Kevin please breath for me...please!' and I could hear Rehanna in my mind saying the same exact thing. Kevin took a breath! Sunday, August 26, 2007 11:50 PM The Grove Kevin gulped in air a few more times as we watched his body stir from its long change and I left my mental shields down for now, so that I could listen for that tell tail that he was fully a changed Drow like us now. Kevin certainly did not let me down, when I mentally overheard him say to himself, "my mouth tastes like metal...why?" After overhearing Kevin's mental gasp from what one might say is the 'Drow only channel', I sadly slammed my mental shields back up. Because I did not want to add to his huge burden of just changing from a normal human to a Sidhe, then now to a Drow just like me besides the ever present mutant factor in the eyes of humans at large in the world. We would reveal our shared mental power to him later, after he settled down a bit more...but even knowing that it was there... even hearing his mental voice for a few seconds filled both of us twin Drow with hope that our lives of pain and torture at the hands of the royals was now in the far past! I pulled the silk like cloth all the way from around his head, while Rehanna stepped away a few feet for our next part of helping Kevin fully wake up. As my hands pulled that last layer away from his eyes, he winced at the light surely blasting the newly changed eyes and I covered them with my hand to shield them from the full moon resting overhead now beaming its way into the grove's heart. As Kevin stirred more, Rehanna whispered to him from several feet away knowing that his ears were very sensitive right now and would be for a short time until his mind caught up with controlling the inner volume of the freshly finished changes he had just undergone. "Kevin don't move around too much right now, you might harm yourself and keep your eyes closed, as you will find that this light will be way too bright for them right now...Please give your body all time it desires to adjust and your mind to catch up with your body's many changes." she whispered out slowly and as loudly she dare right now. Kevin winced instantly from what he thought was Rehanna shouting right into his ears, "Please don't shout I c........" he stopped mumbling because even his own words sounded like thunder right now and he took the Drow's guidance as the whole truth. Rehanna covered here mouth and lessened the volume of her voice even more, "Is this better? Just nod if it is." she asked. The boy's head nodded slightly back to us both and I smiled over towards Rehanna, 'Good he is improving quickly' I mentally told her. Rehanna whispered over to Kevin for the next several minutes and asked him when her voice was less booming sounding to him. When he nodded to that question a few times, "I felt that is better now and even my own voice is sounding normal to me," "Yes I am sure it is, but try to listen to one sound in the Grove all around us and fix on it, make it the only one you hear. Single it out, study it and tell me what you think it is?" Rehanna now smiled as she came back over to us. What Kevin heard was a crackling sound, much like twigs breaking under someone's foot, but he knew that was not Rehanna walking over towards him? And that is when his mind finally caught up with his conscious thoughts, 'I know the difference between the two girls now, Rohanna and Rehanna...I can hear it in their voices now...neat!' he thought silently. Now he concentrated on that one little sound, thinking at why it was or how it was being made and his mind leapt to what he was hearing, "I hear a mouse or something about that size in the bushes to my left and add to that I can hear the difference in your voices now...no hiding what twin is whom now for both of you!" he tried to laugh and ended up coughing a bit from a very dry throat. "You nailed it, that was a field mouse and you are correct in what direction it was in... next try to guess how many feet away it was?" I had to ask him with a short giggle. Kevin listened for the mouse once more while both of the Drows stayed utterly silent to his ears, he thought it over a few times and compared the existing sound to a few newer ones, "Ahh ten feet? he guessed. "Good, but it's closer to eleven feet." I told him. "But for now Kevin, the next step is me slowly pulling my hand from your eyes and please keep them tightly shut for a few minuets till it feels less painful, then open them slowly in little bits till you can see us both?" I asked him and both of us Drow went about unwrapping him from the rest of the shroud still covering his body. As we both worked on his shrouds, Kevin tried squinting his eyes open too fast and was rewarded by immense biting pain, "God it's bright here, is that the sun right overhead or what!" he shouted out to us, while wincing in pain and slamming his eyes closed once again. "That is the full moon silly, so try a little slower next time and cheating will not make your adjustments go any faster. Ohh and it's not God anymore...she is called Gaea and she will talk to you soon enough or you will feel her at work around you, that I am 'very' sure of!" I informed him. All of us Drow always seemed to have a far better connection to Gaea, than regular Sidhe ever have normally and I was sure she would contact this new Drow very soon...if it was not her very hand guiding him to me or changing him for me in the first place? As the shroud fell away from Kevin's body in one long wrap after another, he started to stirring his arms and legs as they became more free with each unwrapping, "NO! Stop that Kevin...Stop moving until we are done, let your mind work on the eyes and ears part first, then we will move onto working out your arms and legs next!" I warned him that moving too soon would hurt him, that I was very sure of...because I almost fell many times after my change up at ARC. As we finished unwrapping him, he stirred once again, "Kevin listen carefully to me, you will hurt yourself by not heading my warnings and this will take far longer. You need time, go slowly and let that newly changed brain of yours catch up a little with the body?" I asked him again. I remembered my pain filled change, there was no one to verbally lead me, to help me out like we were doing for Kevin. That counseling not being there at the time, no one being around to help...caused me great deals of pain that I did not have to go through and messed me up mentally for days and maybe even weeks afterward. In my head I was going over a list for this process, one that I have never done myself for another Drow...ever. The royals placed all of that knowledge or this very knowledge right into my head for occasions just like this. As certain layers of wrapping came away from Kevin's still body, the next steps popped into my mind or our shared mind that us two Drows had. Rehanna started off with the next part as I took time to carefully fold the shroud back up for storage, "Kevin pick one hand, then finger by finger flex them and then follow up that same arm up, wrists elbow, then shoulder. Do each one in turn fully and the we can start on your legs. We are re-building those mental pathways for your brain and making sure all is good with your changes." It took over an hour for Kevin to finish up with his testing body joints out one by one and we watched over each step giving encouragement to go on when pains occasionally flashed through him. As he did the last part of his legs, his eyes finally fully opened without pain towards the night sky and he gasped out at the sight, "Rohanna the stars are so beautiful here!" "Welcome to seeing the world through Drow eyes and that was just the beginning Kevin, wait until you see the rest of the world this way!" I had to exclaim to him. "Yes the world awaits, but take it slowly...for now" Rehanna added to my very thoughts. Kevin glanced over towards Rehanna, then back to me before smiling, "Both of you look so beautiful right now, like angels." "Thanks, now lets work on getting you to sit up and go from there...step by step...slowly." I asked while helping him out with slowly rising up from the top of our bronze box. After we helped Kevin raise from the boxes top, we lead him through one slow step at a time with flexing out his arm and legs once more, working on the major muscle groups until he felt little or no pain or stiffness. The next part was getting his feet swung over the edge and making a few slow tries at standing up, the last part was a slow walk over to the spring to lay down so that the healing waters could work at soaking away any of his lingering pains. Once he felt much better and was free of any further pain from moving, I had him swim the full length of the spring and then added in few full circles of the large spring. All during the time he swam, the nymphs watched very closely over him and I knew he was very safe in their expert hands as I watched on from the shoreline. The last step was having the nymphs use their powers over water as an exercise tool in his next workout, by using it to move water pressure against his moving or walking in the water. The last part was for his reflexes and balance, so I had him balance on one foot while on top of the larger rocks nearer the waterfalls and over a short time his balance greatly improved....well...until...I told him to close his eyes and that is when I tossed a fist sized rock at his chest with just enough force to knock him over. He fell over instantly, arms uselessly flailing at the air and came back up spitting water towards me, "Hey what gives!" he shouted at all of us girls giggling at his pain, us twin Drow and the nymphs sitting on the shore. "Had to test your progress...you sadly failed. So try again, get back to the same position and same spot!" I barked at him. "So you are going to do that again?" he questioned while taking his place on the rock once more. "Yes and did you not hear the stone being tossed at you?" "Yes," he sighed out. "Did you not hear it flying through the air towards you too?" I continued on. "Yes," he said now standing on one foot and just closing his eyes to us twins. "Then why did you not leap out of its way or knock it aside or catch it?" I questioned him. "I just thought it was going to pass by me, like you were playing?" he admitted. "I will tell you when we are playing, but just think that at all times we are training for the very real dangers of life and you will succeed far more often." I said while Rehanna was flinging a rock his way once again. This time he flopped out of the way and into the water. Then came back to the top laughing his triumph to me, "That time you missed!" "One I was not trying that hard, two you should have flipped out of the way and back onto the rock standing up with ease, three you should have caught that rock in any case...right? Now try again!" I barked once more. "Is it going to be like this always with us?" he asked moving to stand back up on his rock and absently mindedly wiped some of the water free from his long white hair. "No you will improve, but till then practice...practice, practice!" I said and thought about my time at training, it was a little bit more fatal back then! "But you said I should 'just' flip out of the way and still catch the rock? You do know that doing all of that takes a lot of training!" he whined to me. "Did you try at least, or go for the simple, easy way out?" I questioned him and placed my hands on my hips to emphasis that I was the instructor now scolding him. "You make it all sound so...simple! You have all this training that I don't have?" he told me. "But did you even try, you might be surprised at what your new self can do...just ask it...NO order it and it WILL do it or to my shame I messed up in your transformation AND you are not even close to being like me or us twins?" I had to sadly admit. He sighed and did just as I asked him, "Well I am ready?" he said standing on his other foot now. I stood there with rock in hand, but Rehanna teleported and tossed an stone she had utterly silent his way and I watched on as it flew his way! But this time he did the flip I had asked for and snatched the rock out of the air. "I did it!" Kevin yelled out from the river rock he was still standing on. Rehanna instantly hit him in the back with yet another rock as he shouted distracted by his joy and he fell back into the water once more. This time he came to surface mad as heck, "What the fucking hell bitch...that was uncalled for...I did what you asked and you do that!" "That was a simple test, one a little Drow kid could pass and you are not a kid...are you? Being freshly changed should not matter, so back to square one and don't call me bitch again. I will let it slide once...the title is Jabbress or Rohanna or Ro if we are being friendly?" I sighed out my warning. "Jab...what and keep on coming at me like that....and 'bitch' will be your name as far as am concerned!" he barked my way. "Kevin I am trying to be nice to you, not be like the persons that trained me and tortured me while doing it. Everything I do has a purpose, it will save your life someday and mine too, maybe you mom's or sisters also? You chose being a changed Drow and our Drow lives have never been the kind of safe, raise two kids and have a house in the suburbs types! So stick with me...please and I told you my names...use them or suffer either without my training you or my foot up your ass!" I barked at the last. "Hummph, well I will give you a few more tries, but this TRAINING of yours had better improve or you had better let up on me?" he told me asking to 'go easy' on him I was sure! "Nothing is easy. So tell me while you get up on the rock again and this time do a hand stand! Did you hear the rock or feel it...think before answering us." Kevin thought it over while he got moved in place and easily did that one arm hand stand. His thoughts drifted instantly back to that single split second of time at his will, then showed him...he did indeed 'feel' the air moving out of the way of the rock and finally the rock itself! "Rohanna! You were or are right, I did feel the rock or the air or is it both?" he questioned us both, as the light of the fact...that he did both dawned on him. "That was Gaea, I told you that you would 'feel' her, her presence in the world around you and that links all of nature to you, back to her and to everything of the five elements. Fire, earth, water, air and the center of all...wood." I told him while juggling a rock about in my hands. "So I can use that to see with...to see the attacks coming at me?" he asked. "Most of the time, if the attack is coming via an element of the five or through it. Like arrows or bullets to some extent, but on magic it does not work and you have to learn magic to stop those attacks on you." "Okay, so how do I know when you are going to do something?" he asked. "Well padawan," I jested to him, "keep trying and try to find me before I act!" I said and threw the rock his way, but this one was a flat stone that would slice the air and be WAY harder to 'feel out' while it flew on its path towards him. The stone nearly hit him, but he leapt out of its way with an inch to spare and landed back on his feet and not in the water this time! "Ro darn it you move silently, I have been trying all this time to hear you or Rehanna and darn it...I can't!" he yelled. "Then simply, don't" Rehanna said from the shoreline on her side of the spring. "What?" he quizzed us both. "You hear sounds fine, but I am moving too silently for you to hear?" "Yaaa and what?" "Well if I am moving or standing, I am acting on top of something and out here within the Grove it has to be one of the five elements...so ask them what I am doing?" Rehanna instructed. "Ask a rock or the dirt or the air somehow?" Kevin asked with more than a hint of sarcasm hanging in his voice of what the Drow twin was saying or asking him to accomplish? "Have you even tried too?" I asked him instead of the now smiling Rehanna. He closed his eyes, found that last connection with 'air' he had done and found new ones with earth and wood. He found out suddenly...Yes the grass was 'wood' too! A revelation hit him and now he felt it tell him that I was or we were walking on the grass and he felt that via his foot being on a stone connected to earth, then to soil and finally connected the to grass under my boots! "I feel you now, your footsteps are very faint and very light. But I can still see where you both are and make a guess at what you are up too!" "Being this close to one another and in the Grove gives you the home field advantage. That means the grove is helping you too! But remember this...back out in the human world, its help will not be there...the Grove that is and the human world has concrete covering the ground that is made up of human spoiled earth or rock, so you can't 'feel' your way though it. The darn stuff is silent and I will train you on how to hear while on that surface...a little bit later on in your training." "Rohanna...can I get dressed now. I feel kind of silly doing all of this training without clothes on and in front of girls?" he was asking or telling both of us of his embarrassment I was sure. "Ahhh you could have put on your clothes at anytime or had me grab you a set of swim trunks from your room?" I had to laugh his way. "I could have WHAT!?" he shouted out, "So you have been eyeballing me all this time and I could have had clothes on...all this time!" he growled a little to us. Rehanna now gave Kevin a goofy grin from her side of the spring, "It was to our great pleasure to watch you all this time...Kevin." she smiled at the last and batted her eyelashes his way, much like Sara would do to us at times. "Shit!" he barked and flipped back up to his feet from a handstand. "No that is Shu...in Drow or Shit...might as well start learning the Drow language somewhere?" I laughed at him. "Okay...STU!" he barked once more, "AND am I going to see you the same way I am right now...someday?" he had to ask...his dream was to see both of the twins that way somehow! "Maybe?...males in Drow society have to EARN their rights to a female...win her over as worthy of her time and remember this one fact...We Drows are a matriarchal society, the women rule and not the men." Rehanna told him and I laughed at the shock now covering his face. "Great...so I get 'mothered' for the rest of my life?" he shrugged while pulling on his pants and grabbing his shirt from the nymph assisting him. "And you thought otherwise all your life...that a woman would NOT be telling you what to do and when?...how strange is that...?" I asked. "But?" he started as I handed him his shoes and ported away with him. Monday, August 27, 2007 10:20 AM Whateley Academy guest cottage Kevin now found himself standing in a very unfamiliar room and spun about while holding onto his shoes, "What is this and why did we stop training?" "This is your family's temporary suite at Whateley and why we stopped? It's lunch time and I thought that you should spend sometime with your mom and sister...besides, tomorrow is the first day of school and you have to get all ready for that madness." that is when I tugged at his ill fitting shirt, "And you need to buy some bigger shirts and longer pants, you changed a bit more in your clothing size over the last week!" I laughed at him. Across the suite from us three Drow now chatting in the living room, Joannie overheard what she thought was her son talking to the one of the Drow twins Rohanna or Rehanna, "Kevin is that you?" she asked coming into the room from her bedroom and found her son standing there or what she thought was her boy? This boy was a little taller, maybe a full inch or more and his body was far more hardened and angular in its general appearance than the smooth thin lines he had before and his sister shared by being an elf? His face was a bit squared off and he lost some of that 'pointy chin' he always had and now his lean body was covered in a hard layer of muscles that showed and stood out as he struggled to get his now too tight t-shirt back on. "Hey mom...I'm back and finished cooking!" he made a try at laughing at his new changes. "I see that Kevin...yep I can tell the difference from even over here son!" she smiled to him happily and walked over to wrap him in a motherly hug. "See Joannie, I said that I would watch over him and here he is all good?" I had to say to the still worried mother. "Hey!" Tonya shouted from coming in from her shared room, "You look good Kevin, far better than before...man meat, hubba...hubba!" she giggled out. "Tonyaaaaa! Pleaseeeee!" Kevin whined out while still tugging at his shirt. "Well I guess we will have to run into town and get you a few new things to dress in?" his mom now worried about the costs, while she tugged at his shirt to fit it better and was having no real effect on its appearance. I instantly knew Joannie was worried about the cost of a whole new wardrobe for Kevin, then add Tonya most likely had only a few new things since her change by the lack of bags the family had packed when we all left Denver behind. "Ahhh Joannie, drop by Rogers' Fabric Boutique, Cecilia runs that tailor shop and will set Kevin and Tonya with a full set of school uniforms, just have it added to my 'tab'. Then go over to Dan's Sporting Goods, where they have a good selection of natural fiber clothes we Sidhe can wear and do the same there...use my 'tab'." I said and handed her one of my personal cards that should work as ID and connect the family of three to me...besides the pointy ears and one of them being very much a DROW like us twins! "I shouldn't Rohanna...you have done so much for us?" Joannie said as her hand touched my card and looked like she was trying to push it back on me. "I have plenty and I am sure that you need all of your cash to buy that townhome? Besides, we are family now in many ways...many ways." I said twice again thinking that we really were now in a way. "Thanks Rohanna..." Joannie says that as she reluctantly takes the card from my hand, "But lets get some lunch, then go shopping?" she asked while giving me a warm inviting smile. "I will see them when class starts and it's best that the other students or staff don't connect us three just yet...except for Kevin's looks that is?" I smiled his way and took note that he had indeed turned out fine and more than sexy to the Drow part of me! That must have been when Kevin noticed my eyes change, "Ahh Ro your eyes are a pinkish purple...and glowing?" "SHU!" I yelped or I should say we both yelped in stereo, then Rehanna cried out more than embarrassed at being caught, "We have to go...cya and call if you need anything!" and we both ported instantly away. "What was that?" Kevin had to ask his mom and she gave him a very puzzled look back while shaking her head "I don't know?" That is when Joannie's phone rang on the table top and she picked it up, "Hello?" "AHH I would take Kevin over to the security building and tell them...that he came out of the Grove and get his ID's for school all done now, then he can get lunch...bye" I added and hung up. "Who was it mom?" Tonya asked her puzzled looking mother. "Rohanna, she called to remind us to take Kevin over to the security office for his ID's and tell the staff that he came from the Grove...and that makes sense. Him just 'popping' up without coming on campus via a guarded path or entry point would have to be explained in someway?" she thought. Monday, August 27, 2007 11:10 AM Whateley Academy security office Sam Everheart or Admiral to others, or second in command of the security department. Squinted through her office doors, when she spotted a boy holding open the door for what seemed to be his mother and sister? Sam did not really have to squint at the sight of the three people now entering her building to see them better, with her eyes being replaced by very advanced nano optics! But the sight of the boy stuck her is a very strange and unusual occurrence even for now normal strangeness of Whateley...he was a Drow and Sam's internal sensors could also tell that this new boy or student, was nearly exactly like the Leigh twins by the twin heart beats banging away inside his chest! "What the Fudge!" she gasped at the sight and quickly connected to the school's mainframe, then mentally found the Elven teen girl was already on record as an incoming student and that her brother was still coming or so the mother said to the school's staff? The girl elf had already done her powers testing and came back as a full Sidhe like some of the other students. Tonya was her name, she had the normal mutation pattern that most Sidhe had. Magic, exemplar three or better and add to that she seemed to have fire elemental powers, that was the norm for the Sidhe. They almost always had an element of the five closely tied to them. Sam got up from her spot sitting behind her large metal desk inside her personal office and waved over to the desk sergeant as she walked into the main room, "I will take this one, besides I want to chat with these new arrivals for a bit." The man at the desk noticed the boy's long white hair and purple black skin...then add pointy ears...he mumbled out, "NO shit admiral!" as he stood up giving her command of the front desk. The older woman that was listed as the mother of the girl strolled over to the desk and pointed back to her son still holding the door open for his sister Sam was sure, "I am here to help my son Kevin get a school ID, you are expecting him and he just finally arrived." "Humm..." Sam pondered towards the kid, "Nice to meet you Kevin and how did you get on campus? Because I would have been informed of a kid's or elf's unattended arrival at the schools main gate." "I walked in from the Grove, we Sidhe live out there and its Drow Ma'am or is that Miss, I did not catch your name?" Kevin asked reading the name tag on Sam's uniform and her gold rake badge with 'assistant chief' engraved under it. Kevin saying Drow instead of Sidhe or elf was certainly Rohanna's 'MO' since day one on campus, Sam knew that by heart and that connected the two or three of them in someway that was a certain fact in her analytical mind! "Drow?" Sam questioned the boy, "Who told you that you're a Drow and not a dark elf?" "That is what information on Sidhe races I read in a few books long ago." Kevin admitted the fact that he had done just that in an MMO video game book. "So you have never met twins like yourself or have another spirit or ghost talking inside your head at times?" Sam had to ask incase this kid was just like Rohanna and that would make him very dangerous to say the least! "Nope, no strange voices in my head...not one Jimmy cricket!" he laughed to the very young looking girl that ran the security department of Whateley or most of it. "Okay Kevin lets get a few pic's done, have you sign a few papers on academy rules and then we can get you all set-up with an ID for this term..." Sam instructed the youngster and waved over to the waiting ID camera set-up across the room. Monday, August 27, 2007 12:20 PM Bill and Jineen's townhome Bill glances down at his cell phone and sees a flashing text message...In coming Drow, move!...that is when both twins port into the living rooms center and the one twin that he is sure only can be Rehanna plops onto the couch and flips on the large TV. "Heya you two, all done with Kevin and now the world has three of us to deal with!" I greeted Bill and Jineen running up the stairs towards both of them sitting in the kitchen area, while Jineen was cooking their lunch and the wonderful smells filled the kitchen! Jineen might not be a practicing Catholic, but she had to fake being one for decades during her time in Ireland and she glances up to the sky..."Lord I know I pray to Gaea most of the time, but you might...you should really give this your whole attention for about a decade at least!" "Hey it's not that bad!" I mumble after snatching a cookie off the plate that Jineen just laid out. "No it's worse...now three...then five or more...then seven or more, like rabbits we will be up to our butts in Drow!" Bill laughed to his wife. "Don't joke Bill, you're encouraging them!" she squeaked back. "I promised you Jineen and your fine carpets not to do anything like that for a long while...and I intend on keeping my word. Besides, think of all the fun this place would be with four or more kids running around to liven it all up?" I smiled back to her. "Don't even joke..." Bill groaned. But I did not even get in a word because Rehanna shouted up at us all in the kitchen about what was on the TV right now, "I know that, I or us have not been really following politics...but who is the short guy on TV?" Bill strolled over to the railing overlooking the main living room one spilt level below and knew instantly by the person in questions voice before he even checked by seeing the man's face the TV, "Ohh that is an old actor kid that did a sit-com in the 80's. He ran for Governor of California after they had a big recall on the governor of the time and the field of candidates was just nuts. Ranging from a porn actress, to the big movie actor from the robot pic's before his wife shot him for having a kid with the maid...'I'll be back!' was his famous movie line. Then this guy won after the big guy got shot by his now ex-wife and from there on out, he dead as Lincoln in the voters minds....'what you electing Willis!' was his guys motto once in office Rehanna?" "I get Regan winning for president, but a short ex-actor governor of California? That is nuts!" I said glancing at the screen myself even though I could mentally see it through Rehanna's eyes. Rehanna had to let out a giggle when the small statured black man walked down the carpet and hopped onto a large polished wood box behind a podium before taking his spot at the arrayed mikes, "My fellow Californians the new section of high speed rail opens today between San Fran and San Diego....ohh and it stops in that small town L.A. for the locals!" he laughed. The press event went on to show the rest of the high-speed rail integrating with the existing mono-rail of LA and its connections all the way down south to San Diego and now the whole thing had an added leg reaching north to San Fran that moved along at a brisk 400 miles per hour at top speed, but would spend most of its time on track at 300. The next parts, would hook up the whole system leading east out of LA, San Fran and then San Diego going over to the east coast at the end. Those lines could hit over 500 on a good day on the non-stop runs...so it was planned! "Funny how the Lost Wages track is being laid first and will be done in only a few months? I'd bet a few Mega-casinos paid for the whole thing to suck cash out of the LA folks!" I laughed at the map the small black man was now pointing to. Monday, August 27, 2007 4:50 PM Whateley Guest cottage Kevin dropped three huge shopping bags onto the couch, then helped his sister in dropping off her one large bag, "Well gotta rush it, we have to wash all this up and pack it for school tomorrow!" he grinned. "Yep...mom is it okay if we play G&E online while we wait for the wash to finish up or do we have to wait?" Tonya asked as she started ripping clothes from the shopping bags to make a few piles for washing. "You can game...both of you. But I still can't believe how much Kevin ate for lunch!" Joannie shook her head at the thoughts of the boy finishing off his third plate at crystal hall! "Yaaa what did Ro and Re give you out there...a hollow leg or something!?" Tonya ribbed her bother while tossing her clothes into a bag to carry downstairs. "Heck if I know, she did mention I would be eating more and sleeping lots less from now on?" he said grabbing his own bag and filling it. "Sleep...how little sleep?" his mother worried out. "Like an hour or so a night or less, she said I could stay up for a week easy and then grab a nap for an hour and be good for another week!" he smiled back. "Okay?" Joannie sighed to her boy, "But when you are at home...don't keep me up all night!" she warned him. Downstairs both siblings found the washing machines of the building in short order and then to their shared surprise found the machine both washed and dried the clothes! This would save them a trip to move them from one machine to another, then add the machines would 'beep' their phones when done! With that all set for at least the next hour or better, both kids ran back up stairs to their shared room and fired up their laptops to play 'Good and Evil online' a fantasy MMO they had played since it came out. Both checked over their characters and found them just as they left them, in town crafting new gear. Both of them had not played the MMO for well over a week and in that time the characters would be 'bot-ed' by the game engine and run around on auto. Kevin smiled to his sister, "Well my Elven ranger 'Ta'mor' finished his new bow, so what did yours get done?" "All I got finished was my rangers armor for Talura and that is just fine...lets go out and find the message board for this weeks events?" Both teens guided the very real to them characters out in the virtual world to find out from the message board, that the new events 'shinny' was an escaped Demon and they had to find it for their side to win. Over the next several hours, their party found the 'demon' named 'Isca DePrisao' that was a bat winged girl demon with huge clawed feet that was 'good-side' leaning player and rescued her, then had a few fights along the way...after some time at play, they had to shut down early because the cell phone had beeped that the laundry was done. "Funny the event making a real person and not a game AI run avatar the 'shinny' ?" Kevin thought to his sister. "Yep very strange..." she agreed back to him. Monday, August 27, 2007 4:50 PM Whateley, Poe cottage I was taking a break from the memorial day BBQ and welcome all party to lay down in my room, I thought over the last few weeks again. I had my or our room set-up as soon as we Drow could get in past the construction gangs, I even pointed out a few mistakes on the way to the electrical crew...'the building would need more power boys' was my line to them! But back to the weeks coming to here, my room was re-filled by my belongings. The futon bed/couch we Drow were laying on, my huge poster of 'Bullitt' with Steve McQueen hung on one wall and add all my plants that the nymphs had taken care of for me over summer filled in the rest of them. Now I had the room full of our Drow possessions and lots of plants from the Grove. A tree filled the far corner once again, as its branches filled and weaved their way through a trellis on the ceiling and all of that lovely greenery bore sweet fruits! Across the room as our AV center that Paige helped my install a few days back while Rehanna was in the Grove watching over Kevin and she upgraded my computer to the latest NeXT spec-ed one! My hand made 'magic' furnishings lined this wall behind the futon, our dresser at the bed's foot with ice box and chest of drawers, then add our magically huge wardrobe last. This year I had a few more shelves added over my head for the small ones to use and their friends when they came over. The last thing was a custom doll house on the top most level they used for personal fun and sleeping. The new rooms in Poe this year were far larger than the old ones in the building before the full rebuild of the building over the summer break and the new amenities of larger common room at each floor and huge warm greeting area added to the buildings charm a little...I was a little upset that the old warmness the building had via its older use of natural products was gone, but my room's flooring was still wood as I needed it! They had enlarged the bathrooms on each level and added a real whirlpool tub in each one during the remodel. I was sure that feature word be coveted and fought over on some nights, but they had a computer aided reservation system already in place for it's use! Then add the basement had a hot tub too, now along with a larger gym and meeting rooms. My thoughts passed from the room I was in and over to the few new students I had met so far this week! A few days ago I had stalked a girl with a huge reapers AXE or poleblade that I found out was not only a student, but a new member of the security staff! Melanie Mikokami, who was a spirit of death or goddess or some darn thing dealing with that and I had seen her in the past or Rehanna or Shadowsblade had with her nearness to be actually dead so many times! We Drow will have to keep an eye on that one, she might be here because Sam sent her to keep eyes on us? Then we met via Fey a real treat and a sign that things would get better...a baby dragon! Lille Skygge by name and by way of Germany and her freshly hatched egg, boy would I love to get some of that egg shell for some spellcrafting! She is going to be just around the corner with the new freshmen this term and I have to keep up with her...always loved working around Dragons in the old times...you knew where you stood with them! The rest of today was walking around all the new posies that just arrived and trying to keep them out of trouble. We got a large new crop of new students this term, both in Poe and outside in the rest of the academy I heard and it might be one of the biggest inflows of students for years! A soft knock sounded on my door, I was decent and ready...so I yelped at it, "Come on in the Drows are in session...plots to takeover the world start in ten minutes if you want in?" Roz slid into the door with ease and clapped her hands at my jest, "Ohh goody I want in, do I get a hairless evil cat?" she beamed at both of us. "Well maybe, but till then there are other things to pet tonight!" Rehanna breathlessly sassed back to Roz and made room for her on the bed. "Been busy with the new kids?" I had to ask since she did 'RA' or resident assistant for each term so far and loves to pick over the incoming herd of lesbians for new prey! "Ohhh boy this years newbies are a handful, even Kayda brought her brother this year and he is just like her." she sighed out trying to relax. "How so?" I purred muzzling closer to her. "He is an avatar just like sis and bonded a cougar spirit to him...a female one that changes his sex...then add he changes into a kitty- girl the younger ones are fawning all over about!" "BARF!" I pretended to hack out to her. "Its going to be an interesting year!" she sighed to me. "Anything else?" There is this tall blond down the hall with wings I saw at the pool today, but I will leave her to Angel...as she seems to be making a play for her?" "Angel or Angel our resident timid girl, is making a play on someone, or is someone trying to hook them both up?" I questioned her with a knowing glance, she loved playing matchmaker at times! "Well they do match, blue eyes, blond and both have wings. A match made in heaven I would say...but I already heard the new kid is a strange one," Roz told us next. "Strange, how so and how can you tell here at the world headquarters of strange!" I giggled to her. "Well she is a GOO in someway?" she admitted. "Ohh shoot, GOO or something? I will have to ask about that later, but I am sure we Drow met her today by accident and she seemed nice then." I said remembering when the new arrival Melanie wanted to know who was in a certain room on this very floor, so I knocked and opened the door to see the same girl Roz must be talking about? "I am sure its...or she is not trouble? Or why would Carson let her in and then add Angel likes her a lot, then she seems very nice...besides she put the 'whammy' on peeper so bad, he fell into the pool camera and all!" she laughed. After laying there for sometime resting, just being quiet and enjoying it all. I felt Roz stirring to get up, "Going so soon?" we asked in stereo. "Have to get back to my room in case the kiddies wake up and need help...you know first night jitters and all!" she smiled to both of us. "Call if you need help?" I offered. "I will, but honestly Ro...most kids get the willy's seeing you both for the first time and the new kids might take a few times at the least?" she warned me, but I nodded my understanding back to her and knew that Drow creeping around at night...especially your first night in a strange place would spook anyone! "Cya tomorrow lover..." I said as Roz gave us very knowing smile, as she slid silently back out our door and into the dorm hallway. Tuesday, August 28, 2007 4:50 AM Whateley, Guest cottage Kevin sat there on the suite's couch blinking at the darkness in the room surrounding him and still not believing how his eyes cut through the pitch blackness of the room. In his eyes, it was daylight in the room to maybe a bit less much like a cloud had passed over the rooms only window. Even in the room he could make out the beating of his sisters heart and mom's heart across the whole suite. He had went to bed at nearly midnight with his sister already snoozing across the small room, his head hit the pillow and he was instantly out dreaming about several events of the day...along with his new twin Drow girlfriends! At Three AM his eyes popped instantly open and he felt like as if he had slept in the whole day, as he sat up in bed whole still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He noticed what time it really was after he had assumed it was six or so? "THREE...its still THREE! I know Ro told me I would sleep less, but this is ridiculous!" he mumbled out. Kevin then yanked his pillow from under his head, plopped it over his face and yelled into it, "THIS SUCKS!" Then for the next thirty minutes he tried to get back to sleep and nothing worked. So he got up, crept across the room and grabbed his bags plus his sisters. He was amazed at how utterly silent he was when he thought about being so and his sister did not even stir as he moved their large bags into the living room so they could be ready for the day. Now he was all done with that small task and sat quietly on the couch trying out different senses on the dark, silent room one at a time and finding out how much he had really changed in less than a week! Just as Kevin was trying to see how long he could hold his breath and see what he could hear in the room or rest of the suite, or heck the whole floor he was quickly finding out! That is when the alarm next to his sister beeped to wake her up and he could make out her slapping the clock to shut it up, then getting up with a yawn. Tonya looked over to her brothers bed and saw that he was not there and switched on the table lamp with a click, "Kevin where are ya?" she questioned the now empty room. He heard her cry and popped in to the room with a small leap, "I'm right here, I was just out in the living room." "In the dark, with no TV or computer?" his sister questioned after she noticed no light spilling form that room or TV sounds and his computer still resting on the rooms two sided work desk. "I was listening to the room, the whole building and testing out my eyes. AND boy sis what I can see...my eyes can see lots more this way...the way Rohanna fixed me!" he excitedly stuttered out. "All good bro, but I have dibs on the bathroom!" she laughed while grabbing her last bag full of personal needs and leaping to the door, then shutting it fast! Kevin shook his head at the now closed door, "At least I will get away from that happening everyday!" An hour later one of the building's attendants had knocked at the door to take the luggage for the two kids and send it over to their new rooms at Melville cottage. In that time Kevin had finally gained entry to the bathroom and had his time to get ready for his first day of academy life. When he left the small bath, he was dressed in what was his best and better clothes, along with several Whateley uniforms would be on the way from Rogers' Fabric Boutique within the next week. When he left the bath, he found his mom quite busy at fussing over Tonya's choice of slacks for today, "Why did you not put on the dress I choose for you Tonya Rae Murray!" Tonya the ever quick to anger tomboy snapped back at their mom, "Mom lay off, I have to choose what I want to wear now...sheeesh I am fifteen already!" she groaned out. "Okay little lady...I only wanted you to look your best!" their mom nearly shouted at both of them as she stopped her picking at Tonya's blouse top. "Mom we have to get going if we want to beat the rush of students coming in via the train or the bus from the airport." Kevin said holding the suite's door open for his mother and sister. "Yes, we should get moving and make sure to grab your packs of entry paperwork...both of you?" The mother of two instructed and worried about both of them being out of her sight. But knew this place was the safest one for both and they had a back-up plan of the Grove on top of that! AS the three of them went down in the elevator, Joannie fussed over her son's tie and then his choice in slacks, " you should have put on the light blue ones Kevin?" "Naww mom the these dark blues are the best match for this shirt and they don't make my skin color stand out so bad" he admitted at wanting or worrying about fitting in better with the rest of the students today. Joannie hugged both of her kids in turn fiercely, then let Kevin go last, "Now the both of you watch out for each other and no getting into trouble!" she warned both of them and only got that trademark smile of 'we will' back along with a barely audible sound of it being actually spoken. Tuesday, August 28, 2007 7:20 AM Whateley, Shuster hall Kevin took one more step in his line and Tonya was right behind him. Both of them had grabbed a quick snack back at the Guest cottage before leaving and ran over to here to find the lines clearly marked by...Have school ID...or...NO ID...then...no paperwork or ID lines. They both took the shortest of the bunch with luck and while they waited a bus rolled up fresh from the train station. It dropped off fifty lost souls that knew nothing about what to do or where to go! But several students that must be either junior or seniors by the age and looks of them, then add all of them already wore full academy uniforms. Guided the 'lost souls' toward the tables they needed with firm, yet welcoming encouragement. Kevin was next in line, when the student waiting at his table walked away towards there cottage reading a map. He knew his turn was next and stepped up. The lady at the table did not even glance up from her stack of papers or the computer pad she was still working on from the last student. Her hand popped out to him palm up with, "ID please and package..." she said emotionlessly. "Here it is ma'am." he said dropping the ID in her hand and the package on her table. She quickly placed it in her comp-pad's slot, then glanced down at the picture still showing and whined out, "Okay who is playing with me..." she started to say, then looked up to see Kevin's face, then slowly squeaked out..."Ohhh shit...there are more!" "More what ma'am?" Kevin questioned the lady now sliding back from the table a whole foot and seemed to be getting ready to leap to her feet to RUN! He could tell at the very least she was scared...very scared by her heart beat jumping by at least forty beats a minute! "What...what, you are a Drow?" she asked puzzled at him. "That is what I am told by a few books and the internet. But I am not very sure yet...I have not been tested yet?" he smiled plainly lying and Tonya behind him only few feet was giggling away like mad. "Hummm do you know a Rohanna or Rehanna or Leigh?" she questioned next and opened his packet to check on his paperwork. "Nope...Why?" he lied again. "Just asking...well its all here and you are good young man, now go to Melville cottage for your room assignment." she said while circling a building in highlighter and handing him the copy of the campus map. "Thanks ma'...." he started before that lady at the table shouted..."NEXT student and have a nice day Mr. Murray." she added before going back to her hurried work. Tonya stepped past Kevin as he stood there barely walking away from the admission tables and she whispered to him as he puzzled over the map, "Kev...wait for me, I know the fastest way over there and already learned most of the school's layout." "What?" her puzzled brother or 'bother' asked her again. "Just wait for me you moron..." she growled her confused brothers way and stepped up to the now impatient lady yelling "NEXT!" once again right at her! So she stepped up and dropped off her paperwork into the impatient ladies outstretched hand. Kevin stood there trying hard to make sense of the map, he knew where north was down to the inch and where is guest suite was. But this map was not making sense to him right now, so he waited till his 'sis' walked back over to him. Tonya shook her head at how puzzled her brother looked right now, "Darn without a GPS on a cell phone...he is so lost all the time!" "Where are we?" he asked pointing at the map and missing the Shuster building they now stood in by a FEW! Tonya pulled the map from his hand and spun its arrow till it was pointing north, "This is our building now, then this one is where we slept last night and here is where we go...got it?" she asked. "YES!" he grumbled. "You will learn it all fast, just remember I was here for the last week with a personal guide" she smiled to him. They both started walking to the door leading out towards Melville when a bus rolled up and dumped the last of the incoming freshmen off and one took instant hate to the two Sidhe, "Hey look at the two fairies!" he almost yelled to his freshly made pack, that he was the instant leader of by being a six foot three slag of muscle and powers to back it up. Adam Ironknife, codename Stormwolf was guiding the new students into Shuster for their admissions and overheard the boy, "Can I ask you to please go on in and get your paperwork started all of you?" he interrupted the new leader of what looked like a pack of trouble in the making. "So...what and who are you?" the bigger boy asked the leader of the wild pack and auxiliary campus security guard. "My name is Ironknife and I am asking all of you to please get your admissions started..." he asked again while desperately trying to remain pleasant sounding and pointed to the open doors. "Yep...yep, but how do you guys let fairies like them in this school?" the large boy asked while thumbing over his shoulder at the two elves. "Please don't, the elves or Sidhe travel in packs here at Whateley and are not ones to be messed with...." Adam warned the dim student to be. "I can handle them...easy. One snapped arm and it's all over!" he laughed out like a moronic jackass and his bunch joined in along with him. "Not easy....deadly...now please go on in?" Adam asked once more while his 'wild pack' just noticed their leader was missing, while they were busy guiding in the last of the bus load new students to the doors and noted that Adam was standing amongst a pack of five large students that had 'trouble' written all over them. "Deadly... that's BS guy...deadly maybe for you? But me, I am bulletproof!" the dim boy yelped out proudly, while puffing out his ample chest trying to prove his size and strength...Adam was not impressed to say the least...not after one term of the 'Kimba's' and then add the Drow twins during the next one! "Elves don't use or need bullets, they use magic that levels buildings and please?" Adam pointed towards the door once more for the group. When the leader noticed the two 'fairies' walking away quickly, he gave in, "Fine...I'll get-em later." The leader huffed and walked away from Adam with his pack falling in quickly behind the impromptu leader. The rest of the 'Wild pack' caught up with their leader as on of the teams girls was watching the group of boys finally walk into the doors of Shuster hall, "Hey what gives Adam?" Mindbird the teams shorter girl of the two asked him. "They are going to be trouble I am sure, keep an eye out for that bunch for all our good...people." he warned them all with a long sigh. "Why Adam?" Robert 'Firecat' Shih asked while taking a few quick snapshots with a cell phone of the group in question. "Bob, they called two new elves 'fairies' and wanted to start trouble...one of the elves was a Drow like the twins...exactly like the twins." Adam added in. The tall lanky girl of the pack threw up her arms in defeat, "Ohh heck no, that means more of them even if this kid does not know how to fight like the twins. Rohanna will teach them all she knows and quick!" Diana 'Thunderfox' Ritter shook her head to the very thoughts of a whole year or longer of that happening. "This can't be good Adam, if those guys mess with an elf...A Drow for that matter and Ro hears about it?" the last one of the pack called by his team Theo or 'Stonebear' tossed in his last thoughts to the matter at hand. The thoughts of the twins going totally crazed in revenge for hurting the only boy Drow that Adam knew of quickly entered his mind and he had to shake off the dark thoughts just a quick! "Let's hope this is an easy year?" "You just jinxed it Adam!" one said back. Across the campus, on the small hill that Melville cottage stands on Both siblings looked back down on the campus and with the height advantage here Kevin could make out the whole campus layout far better, "Now this tells me where everything is!" "Yep and the view from Mel's top deck of is cooler Kev..." Tonya admitted that she had been to the top floor sometime this week during her travels. Tonya lead her brother around from the front door Melville to a far better side door that opened right on the concierge desk area where she greeted one of the ladies behind the large desk by name, "Hi Mrs. Deng, I'm back and this is Kevin my brother!" she grinned to the uniformed lady manning the desk along with a few others. "Good day Miss Murray, I have your rooms ready and your bags are already in both rooms. Let me grab you key cards and lock instructions." the Asian lady said with a plastic smile of professionalism and then handed both a key card with an instruction pamphlet. "Mr. Murray, since Drow do not have fingerprints to work your rooms locks, I might suggest using the code pad on the lock or keep this card with you from now on?" "Ohh ya that was a problem at security yesterday, but they fixed it with more pic's and a few eye scans?" Kevin remembered the far longer process that he had done. "Fine sir, but have a nice day and feel free to call upon me if you have any needs?" Mrs. Deng asked with her now trademark plastic smile and went back to helping check in a few other newly arrived students. Tonya gave her brother a small shove towards the doors leading to the buildings center, Melville was shaped for the most part like a huge 'O' and the center held a large courtyard with several places for students to meet at and a few BBQ's. The center had one large Sauna tub with a covering trellis. Kevin took in the sights quickly, "Tonya what is this place a hotel or a dorm?" "Both bro, this for the most part is the dorm for the rich kids on campus and this is where the twins had us put up with their scholarship!" Tonya grinned his way and spun in the buildings center like a top to show her joy at being housed in such a nice place for a change...instead of the long line of cheaper condos or apartments the family had to deal with since their fathers death. "And mom agreed to this?" Kevin asked reluctantly because his mother never spoiled them and made both 'earn' all their needs or wants in someway? "Yep she agreed reluctantly and we get an allowance, plus all our stuff paid for!" she bubbled out. "Sure...and when does mom show up and bop us both for getting soft?" he sarcastically asked the bubbling teen and crossed his arms. "Ohhh I am sure she will say something, but we are in charge of our monthly stipend and we can choose anything we want...be that weekly room cleaning or having pizzas delivered BRO!" she yelped back happily to him. "Well let get to our rooms then and meet up for lunch later at noonish?" he suggested and Tonya ran off across the large patio towards where her room lay. Kevin on the other hand walked the other direction toward 'boys country' of the elevators to go up two levels to the freshmen floor and as he waited for the door. He read over the rather large pamphlet on the building, freshmen where on level three and from there it was stacked by grades. One floor up was sophomore and up from there to the top where a few larger one person rooms laid for the 'special' or 'rich' seniors! The newly made Drow quickly found his room and noticed that not too many other students were roaming the floor...yet! "Most of them, must be still stuck in admissions getting paperwork done?" Kevin found his door only a few rooms off from the elevators on this side of the large building and even noted the kitchenette on the floor with three microwaves, small stove and a large vending machine he would check out later. "Cool that's a short walk and convenient. He took his time picking a code for the door and made up a long one on the fly. Then beyond the door he found that his roomie had not showed up just yet, but his bags were here. "Man this kid has done some traveling!" said noticed the banged up bags and large custom made trunk that showed the owner had money! With a few hours to go till lunch, Kevin moved his few bags on the bed and started putting everything away in either the large dresser or equally large closet. Since he still had very little even after the shopping trip yesterday, he finished in short order and plopped onto this already made bed to relax. Down the hall and across the building Tonya counted the doors off the elevator lining the long hallway one by one and mentally read off each room number searching for her's. At nearly the end, she came to the last door before the floors restroom and showers door, this is where a very pretty redhead was dropping a large bag into a stack of them already lining the hallway to be taken away later by the staff. "Is this room 310?" Tonya asked the redhead making note of her bright green eyes. "That it's, urr ye mah freish roommate?" the redhead asked in a thick Scottish accent that could be barely translated by Tonya's now enhanced elf brain. (That it is, are you my new roommate) "I think so...I am Tonya Murray and you are?" "Weel this is oor freish hame 'n' a'm Emily Elspeth Glenwyvvn" the girl pointed to herself, then waved to the room for Tonya to enter. (Well this is our new home and I am Emily Elspeth Glenwyvvn) Tonya only could nod in agreement as her brain worked hard at translating the Scottish back into American english! Once in the room Tonya noticed how big the room was compared to the pics of dorm rooms she had seen on TV or the net and she moved one of her few bags off to the side of what should be her bed by the lack of things being put away on that half of the room. "Sae yer an sith?" Emily asked her new roommate and Tonya took a few extra seconds before she spoke to be sure what Emily had said! (So you are an elf) "Yes an elf, but not born this way. I mutated and so did my brother to one...but he is a dark elf or Drow I think they are called?" Tonya smiled back and started to unpack her bags. "Well a'm a bio-devisor 'n' juist a basic exemplar!" Emily laughed out, "but ur th' rest o` yer fowk elves tae ye juist ye two?" (Well I am a bio-devisor and just a basic exemplar!...But are the rest of your family elves too you just you two) "Just me and my goofball brother!" Tonya said and from there Emily told her that she was from Dingwall Scotland, that her family owned a large scotch distillery in town and had done so for hundreds of years. The next part was that she was supposed to be going to Oxford college in England this term, but a lab accident sent her here under caution for this whole term at the least and Emily was very mad about all of that mess! It also turns out that Emily's family still owns the castle that an ancestor built 'X' hundreds of years ago and her mom is on her third boy toy after her father died in Loch Ness....maybe even died via the Loch ness monster some say! Emily helped Tonya put away what she did have for clothes in short order, "Ah see that ye hud tae travel light, or dinnae hae awfy much yit? she questioned the lack of garments as she put the last pair of slacks in the closet for Tonya. (I see that you had to travel light, or don't have too much yet?") "Had to travel light, then add when I changed I grew!" Tonya smiled to the redhead. "Ah wid say ye grew! Darn giant, or amazon!?" Emily laughed to her new roomy. (I would say you grew! Darn giant, or amazon?) Back over in Kevin's room Kevin had just finished putting away the last of his own cloths and was now busy with hanging his cherished poster of the twins new movie on the wall over his bed. He was having some trouble hanging it by himself, because the darn thing was one of the huge bus stop sized ones! The only good thing about the huge poster was that it was made of a translucent plastic that let the poster have lights behind it so it could be seen at night and that meant it was nearly impossible to tear! Kevin was standing on his bed when his rooms door flew open and a person tossed a backpack on the far bed meant for a roommate. "Thanks buddy by my pa never let my ma have any fancy butlers and stuff 'round the house, so I'm kinda used to doing thing fer meself!" a voice said from the hallway and a lanky kid dressed in jeans, work shirt, work boots entered the room and the last touch was a 'Moore Racing' ballcap on his head. "Hey y'all must be my roommate, unless y'all werk fer him?" was the new teens question to Kevin, that took a few seconds for his brain to decipher! "Just hanging a poster, but I think I have it now?" Kevin said as the poster slipped again. "Here let me get some av my 100 mahl puurr hour tape ayn' that there will hold it till thay ...uhh a-buildin' falls down!" the teen said before yanking open a trunk full of tools and pulling a roll of tape from the top. The new kid leap to the bed and helped Kevin hold up the large sheet while he used the tape doubled up on the back, so that it stick but would not show. "There all done ayn' looks great. Is that there y'all's girl aw girls on this here poster?" the new kid asked and corrected himself when noticing that the poster had twins? "Nope not my girls, but they or one might be someday? And what is your name by the way...I am Kevin Murray." Kevin smiled and offered his hand to the boy now stepping off his bed. The kid wiped off his hand absentmindedly on a clean rag that was hanging from his rear jeans pocket, like he was very used to having them dirty all the time and vigorously shook Kevin's offered hand, "Whel ah am Bobby Joe Moore ayn' glay ta me y'all!" "Moore...I have heard of Moore somewhere?" Kevin pondered back. "Whel y'all should have, my family runs one av the largest racing companies in NASCAR. Moore racing...more horsepower more winners!" he boasted for his team. Kevin let go of Bobby's vigorous shake, then sat on his bed as Bobby walked away shaking his hand top get the feeling back, "Kevin y'all have ayy awful strong grip there, darn near done broke my fingers." "Sorry, I am still getting used to all of the changes, I was only a normal human a few weeks ago and then 'boom' elf ....and then add some!" "Y'all weren't bawn this here way?" Bobby asked and started to open one of his larger trunks. "Nope, I was not." Kevin laughed. "Ay just done thought elves was nawmal, because my grandma done said they was ayn' ay have saw ayy few in the deep holler near home." bobby explained about some of his kin and how he thought elves were 'just normal'. The next trunk that Bobby opened was the same one he and pulled the tape from, this box as a rolling tool box and Bobby replaced the tape back to its spot, then closed it up before rolling it back to hallway. "Now that's one large tool box!" Kevin whistled out. "Nope this here is my ...uhh small one, thay ...my big-un is a-bein' sent down ta thay ...uhh auto shop faw me. But ah'm gonna squirrel this un away down stairs faw now." the lanky teen said as he made sure that the box's top was locked. Kevin shook his head at the thoughts, "That's the 'small' one? he asked again noting this one was six foot tall closed and about six long by four deep! "Whel when y'all build race cars frawum scratch, mowtaw, chassis ayn' all, y'all need thay ...uhh richt tools faw thay ... job! So this here one, is faw my home projects mowst av thay ...time?" "Cool, so what is your power or whatever? I am here because of the obvious...I am a elf or Drow." "A caw?" Bobby had to ask, never hearing that word before. "No Drow...D...R...O...W or a dark elf to some." Kevin explained. "Ah done got it now, Drow." "Well this is my first time from home and you?" "Ay have spent tahm with my grandparents, uncles ayn' aunts whahl maw ayn' pa was on the road with the team. But ah think ah will miss my dawg thay mowst?" he said while putting his stack of work shirts into the that side of the room's large dresser. "What was the dog's name?" Kevin had to ask while pulling the next trunk over to Bobby to help some with putting away his roomie's belongings. "Dawg...we likes to keep it simple." All Kevin could muster was a snicker in reply. Tuesday, August 28, 2007 12:20 AM Whateley Academy, Crystal Hall When both new roommates put away the last of Bobby Joe's belongings, Kevin led his new buddy back over to his sister's room and all four were introduced and became quick friends. But growling stomachs interrupted the small gathering of the newly arrived roommates that only had a small snack on the train hours ago for breakfast and Tonya took it upon herself to lead them over to the huge student cafeteria, plus along the way point out all the spots she had learned about over the last week. "That over there is the best coffee shop on campus I have found so far and it's also called 'Fixers patio' were the students who can get things done gather at times...and I mean stuff as in not so legal or ethical at times 'stuff'!" Tonya smiled evilly to her pack of friends. All of them filtered into the fast moving line of the huge cafeteria and waited their turns at the hot food service. Tonya herself skipped most of it for a few slices of cheese pizza and a huge serving at the salad bar. Emily ribbed her new roomie as she watched what she chose, "Urr ye oan a diet or something?" the redhead Scot asked. "Nope...." Tonya smiled back as she nibbled at a slice of melon, "We elves can't stand meat too much...it tastes funny or 'off' to me now and poor Kev can't even eat any red meat without barfing it all up...so I am told." All Emily did was shake her head in reply, "Sith ur streenge folk." That is when she spotted what she was hunting for and nabbed it...a meat pie...something that reminded her of home. Not exactly what her Grandma might make, but close enough! Kevin was next in line of the group and he took a few of the fried fish he could eat now, added in some crab legs and some fruits that the Grove's Matron insisted he eat more of for each meal...at least for the next week or so? As Bobby Joe stepped up to the service cook, he scanned the long list before he drawled out in his country accent, "Do y'all have an catfeysh?" "No sir, we have what is on the list...but I'll order some for you under your name and save it." she offered and scanned his name tag with a small wand and then punched in a few notes on a pad mounted on her sleeve. "Humm grits ayn' shrimp, then some mac-n-cheeese?" he asked for next. "Yes sir, one second." she said and quickly her team placed the items on a plate for him and added a fresh cornbread to the side, with honey butter dripping off the top. Someone on the staff knew what the student might like for sure and added the small square that might make him feel at home. After they all checked out, Tonya pointed out a table near the waterfalls to eat at and the group of new friends headed that way. But as they weaved through the small crowd of lost and new students, Kevin was bumped into not by accident in his mind...but very much on purpose. "What do we have here guy's...a new fairy elf!" the shadow that bumped Kevin, almost causing him to drop his tray growls out. "Get the fuck away from me!" Kevin roars back, he has always been one not to take crap from anyone! When Kevin looks up from his work on rearranging his tray of food, he sees a tall boy-wolf or werewolf staring back at him and the wolf is mad or something far worse. "Get out of my way!" Kevin roars once more, but this time the wolf teens face is not mad...but truly scared! Bloodwolf was always the school bullies and will always be one in life until he calms down or gets a case nice case of...dead at the hand of one he underestimated. But what he mistook as a newly arrived regular elf, was now far more in his eyes...or its eyes! Those eyes glowed from the blank white they normally had...over to a fiery red, just like the Leigh or Drow twins had last term. The same ones who could and would beat him to death....and he knew it! "Ohhhh shit!" the wolfboy squeaked out now, "you are like them...they have male Drows now?" he asked and ran off at the same time! "What was that?" his sister Tonya asked with a shrug. "Heck if I know...but I think our friends have a rep here that is...bad?" Kevin blinked a question back to her. "Lets get to a table, before someone else goes nuts" she suggested back with a nod over towards the table where both roomies were already taking a place at. "What was that all about Kevin and did you know your eyes glowed red, just like you know who's did...but that pink-purple?" Tonya asked her brother while unwrapping her silverware pack. "They did?" the surprised teen asked the table and got three quick nods in reply. "I might have to ask someone about that then?" "A'm sure tis juist a form o' ye showing rage, anger or trying tae friten yer target intae submitting. Loads o' bio-forms dae th' identical thing." Emily said while poking her meat pie to cool it a little. (I am sure its just a form of you showing rage, anger or trying to scare your target into submitting. Lots of Bio-forms do the same thing) "Really and why do you say that?" Tonya asked her roomie. "Ah hae yin masters degree in biology, then twa mair bachelors in DNA studies and mutations..." the young Bio-devisor of the group said with a knowing smile of one who has the education to back their conclusions. (I have one masters degree in Biology, then two more Bachelors in DNA studies and mutations...) Everyone is starting to eat their fill when Bobby Joe pulls a small mason jar from his cargo pants pocket, the un-screws the top and takes a long sip. Kevin sitting right next to him smells the contents first, "What is that stuff...paint thinner!" "Ay have done used it that there way once, but this here is grandma's apple brandy. She would nevuurr let me leave home without ayy little bit?" Bobby tapped Kevin's cup in 'cheers' and took another long sip. "Can ah huv a go that?" Emily asked and put out her still empty cup for Bobby to fill up with a little bit. he did and she took one tentative sip, "Humm nae as guid as mah stuff...what is this a week auld at best?" "If that?" "Is that moonshine?" Kevin asked, as he picked up the jar to take a sniff and his sensitive nose was repulsed instantly! "It is..." Kevin had to take one sip and gasped at the very unfamiliar feeling of burning in his mouth...."Paint thinner!...Thank God or Gaea it is hard to poison a DROW!" Emily laughed at his reaction, "It micht smooth oot a bawherr, efter aging it a' in a braw wood cask a decade or so?" she pondered. ( It might smooth out a bit, after aging it all in a fine wood cask a decade or so?) Tuesday, August 28, 2007 2:50 PM Berlin, New Hampshire Several hours had passed by and now Joannie felt better that both of her kids were now safe in Whateley, no calls had come and nether of her children had come rushing home to cry that the school was not safe. But for now Joannie was running a little late in her mind for a meeting that Rohanna had set up for her, one with a mortgage company that would strangely meet her personally at the local bank. She wanted to have a mortgage on the new townhome she had picked out, so that she could keep what funds her family had free just in case the family had to run for their lives once again! Yes Brian her husband, had stashed away several hundred thousand dollars, yes she had enough to buy the nice three bedroom townhome more than once. But she did not want any money 'trapped' within the purchase of the house, because if they had to run again...that money was gone and might as well been burnt to ash! Joannie swung open a glass door of then large bank building and searched the small wall mounted map in the lobby for the room this meet was to be held in. Her finger quickly chased the line she had to take to the room and headed out in that direction. She found the right meeting room in short order and pulled the door open to find a very nicely dressed lady placing out a stack of file folders on the table, while a man dressed in a fine three piece suit was busy fixing up the tea and coffee service for the room. "Ahhh Mrs. Murray...glad you made it!" the man greeted her and that is when she noticed his long hair tied behind his back. Joannie paced across the room and took his offered hand, "I hope I am not late?" she nervously asked. "Not at all Joannie, if I can call you that or we can?" the lady asked, as she took a turn in greeting her warmly. "Yes you may, and you are?" "I am Maelyrra or Mae and this is my partner, Zelphar or Zel for short." the tall and somewhat thin, yet utterly beautiful girl said and pointed the man out, who nodded at his name being said. "Joannie, please have a seat there..." the man or Zel pointed to a seat across the small table form where the two had their paperwork already placed, "Then would you like tea or coffee?" he asked with a smile. "Tea please?" she asked while dropping a case on the table and taking a seat. "Nice, another tea person Mae!" Zel grinned and started brewing the tea with what seemed to Joannie to be a silver tea set. Then she noticed that Zel was brewing up the tea leaves the old way with a strainer and a custom blend taboot, all taken from a small wooden box! When he was done, he took Joannie the first cup and set it beside her. When she nodded "Thanks" up to him. Zel noticed her nervousness and so did Mae. "Joannie, no need to be nervous...your loan was approved days ago when Rohanna called us in on it and please relax you are around family now." Mae said while taking her tea from Zel's outstretched hand. "Family?" Joannie question both with a glance of confusion. "Yes my lady...." Zel said as he sat and pulled a large rough gemstone from his leather bag and touched it with a finger...it glowed with a slow pulse from there on. Mae giggled, as she tucked some loose hair behind her ears and showed the confused mother the truth! "Ohhh my...you are both elves too!" she gasped out. "Shshhh, not in public...but the stone keeps scrying eyes away and yes we both are Elves or Sidhe, just like your two children." Zel smiled warmly to her. "So let's look at this loan and hack out the numbers...shall we?" Mae asked as she slid a pack of loan documents her way. Joannie read the short parts of the loan, the amount, term and the interest rate floored her instantly! "You only want a half a percent in interest over thirty years...that is unheard of or insane!" "We have to ask for some kind of interest or it's not a true loan and the feds would call it a gift, then tax you twenty percent at the least!" Zel pointed out. "Hummm, I guess this is okay then? Rohanna did say that she would help us, just I did not expect other elves to BE that help!" the mother sighed back. "We Sidhe have to help our own, our numbers are too small. But we do have one thing on our sides...long lives that compensate us with being able to invest over the long term." Mae laughed over to her. "But read on into the sales section of your home choice?" Zel asked as he tapped the stack of papers. Joannie read on and found that the 'sale' of the home included all new carpets, or tile or lastly wood flooring and all of this was to be her choices, plus paint to match! "Why the carpets or flooring?" she had to ask why such an addition was being added in for free and surly it was a very costly addition too! "Our fae feet burn on human made synthetics and since you have two Sidhe children, then certainly more than a few of our kind will visit from Whateley...you will need all of that 'plastic' carpet or flooring replaced... before they can call it home?" Zel added simply. Joannie smiled eagerly to both elves, "Where do I sign?" An hour later, the whole stack of paperwork was finished and Joannie had her copies in her case. Zel placed a wooden box on the table in front of Joannie and she looked down at it wondering what this was, "What?" Joannie asked when she touched the finely made box. "Those are your keys, the house is now yours and go see it! Then tomorrow a interior designer will call you to set-up a meeting to make sure that flooring is installed by weeks end?" Zel nodded her way. "How can I repay this, all of this kindness?" Joannie almost cried, and held back the tears filling her eyes. "You already did, you have the next generation of our kind in your hands and we had to help or what kind of a race would we be?" Mae said while taking hold of the mothers hand in friendship. "I have to ask this strange question?" Zel asked as he poured a second cup of tea for himself and warmed up Joannie's by filling it back to the brim. "Have you thought to remarry and have other children?" he asked strangely. "I have not thought that far yet...why?" "Well we Sidhe have found that what few humans that carry the mutated gene which makes new elves, it comes more often from the mother's side of the family and you were gifted twice...that means should you have another child, the chance of that child being or becoming one of us is very high." he admitted. "Ohhhh my!" she gasped understanding the elf's meaning. "Your choice, I thought you should know...as one of your children was incredibly rare...rare even in Sidhe families...or even unheard of!" "My son the Drow?" she asked. "Yes...the Drow are rare...extremely rare!"