Sorry about the weird name thing. I must have clicked on the age thing while I was typing and accidentally typed some of my story in there. IS it possible for you to delete that and put it just as Alta, Admin?

Fixed!

-Admin 

I don't appreciate being called pathetic, but I will apologize. It was not my intention to leave or forget for so long.

Is there anything you had in mind for what the kids will do once they're all together, or will it all just be survival and interpersonal drama? I can't stand interpersonal drama. It tends to hinge on bad decisions, petulance, poor communication and lack of trust. Which would likely be plentiful in a group of ill-treated teens...

Chamelee~

I find a fire escape and some cardboard, and the next morning I go to the green market. It's open-air, lots of stalls, lots of people. A big crowd to get lost in. Today is sunny and warm, so they'll definitely be busy.

They are. Oh, how they are. I easily take some free samples, a couple of scraps, a quiet corner to hide in. I learned long ago that to blend in you shouldn't act suspicious, but it's still so hard not to shrink from every sound and step, to hunch my shoulders and always look where I'm going. To look like I belong. Some days I have to borrow it. 

As I hurry--I mean stroll, I remind myself--back out to the edges, my gaze slips to the shadows, finding countless things to duck behind, missed opportunities to borrow, places to explore. One of these last proves too big a temptation, and I step around an overgrown corner to find a long-legged dog turning into a human girl.

She turns and sees me right away, and I only have a second to blush at her streaked hair, blue-green eyes and revealing clothes before she slams me into the wall and growls in my face, "You. Will. Tell. No one. They will not believe you, and after they call the cops on your crazy butt I will kill you."

I can't breathe, can't escape. My heart is going a million miles a second and the edges of my vision blur, turn dark. The only sound that escapes my throat is an embarrassingly high-pitched squeak, and I borrow her capacity for speech to pour out the words "I won't, I won't, I'm sorry oh my god please don't hurt me, I have powers too-" and then I clamp my lips shut and give my voice back because I cannot have just said that. 

Fun fact: I was in an open air market only two days ago because I’m vacationing in Italy:)

Jax~

I have my eye on a fruit vendor’s cart that is only a few paces away from my hiding place. The man is jittery, but he spends lots of time talking to his customers and doesn’t seem to be paying attention to the other side of his table.

A group of animated old ladies passes in front of the stand and stops, discussing travel plans probably. I’m just about to sidle over and snatch some fruit when suddenly a dark shape hurtles into me from the other side of the barrels.

I grunt in surprise and sit back a bit. I look at the shape and see a girl, sprawled awkwardly over the barrels. She seemed to have hit her head pretty hard, and her eyes are closed.

I quickly pick her up and set her down across from me, surprised at how light she is. Causing a scene right now is not what I want, as it will probably attract unwanted attention from law enforcement. 

Her head lolls to one side, and her eyes are still closed. Her dark brown hair obscured half of her face, but I can see that she’s scowling even though she’s unconscious. 

I stare stupidly at her for a second. What do you do with an unconcious girl who you don’t even know?  I notice that the group of ladies has moved on, and I mutter a quiet curse at the lost opportunity.

Turning back to the girl, I raise my hand uncertainly and give her a gentle pat on her face.

“Hey,” I say, “wake up.”

I slap her a little bit harder this time, wincing at how loud it sounds. I don’t want to hurt her, but at the same time I want her to wake up.  

I slap again, and this time something happens. She shakes her head, then slowly blinks open her eyes.

“You good?” I ask, sitting back against the barrel behind me.

She shakes her head again. She looks a couple of years younger than me, but she seemed more mature mentally. I try to stop the flood of information about her weaknesses that flows into my head, but just like all the other times my power acts up, I can’t prevent it. All I can pick out of the mess is a full moon and her left ankle, which seems to have been broken a couple of years ago and never healed fully.

“Who are you?” she asks, squinting up at me.

“The name’s Jax,” I say, then hold out my hand for her to shake.  

Chamelee~

The girl stood frozen for a beat, and then the use of my powers hit me and I blacked out. 

When I came to, it was with a lurch. I was crumpled on the ground where I'd just been standing, and the girl was several feet away, staring at me.

"You're not dead."

"N-no..." My voice had returned wobbly, still shaking from its flight. I looked away from the girl and down at the way I had come. It looked the same--empty, weedy, half-filled with late morning sun.

I didn't move. I couldn't safely escape this girl, and somehow I wasn't sure I wanted to leave her anyway.

An awkward silence weighed down on us. I tried to think of what to do. Could I trust her? She had just pushed me into the wall and threatened to kill me. But she was scared. I had seen her shapeshift. Wouldn't I have done the same? Well, no, I would've run, but still. I needed to at least let her know that she could trust me.

"I'm Chamelee." It comes out softer than I had intended.

The girl didn't respond. I glanced up at her, then immediately back down.

But then a hand came into my view. I took it hesitantly, not sure what she would do. But she hoisted me up and didn't throw me or anything. 

"Name's Sam. Now explain."

"O-okay. Um." I bit my lip, trying to think where to start. "So, I came here for breakfast--I don't have any money, I just kinda..." I trail off, then start a new sentence. "I, um, I thought this alley looked kind of pretty so I came in and then, well, you know. I, er, lost my voice for a second and I panicked and borrowed yours. Sort of. Your ability to speak. That's my power, borrowing things. But it sucks because then I have to give it back, and then I fall unconscious, and the rules for that are really complicated." 

I raise my eyes to see how Sam is taking this. She looks a little surprised, but mostly steady. Stern. I look back down yet again and realize she hasn't let go of my hand. She notices, too, and drops it awkwardly. I cup it in my other hand before it occurs to me that that's probably weird and let it fall to my side, then do my best to stop moving.

She sets her jaw. "So you passed out because you used your power."

I nod. "What did it look like?"

Sam raises an eyebrow, and I scramble to explain. "I've never seen it, of course, and no one else has told me before, so I was just... wondering." I purse my lips briefly as she considers this.

"Well, it was creepy. Your eyes rolled back and then you just went limp." 

I nod again. "Thanks."

She looks uncomfortable. "Ah, well, you know. 'S nothing."

I smile a little and ask, "So, you can shapeshift?"

Sam shrugs. "Into a wolf, at least."

Just then, we're interrupted by a crash that sounds like wood and an accompanying shout.

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HYPERUNCONTROLLABLYWILDTOP!!!

HYPERUNCONTROLABLLYWILDTOOOOOOP!!

Rogue~

Blade and I turn a corner.

"Are you sure we can trust this girl? I mean, she did say she has a bad side..."

"Hey I trusted you... For the most part."

"Touche'." Blade peeks around the corner. I begin to walk back to our alley, but Blade grabs my hand and doesn't let go. "Let's keep our guard up." I slide my hand out of his.

"Oh, believe me, mine's up." I turn my back on him and walk back to the alley. Abby's still drawing on her cardboard. I peek over her shoulder. Pictures cover the board, not all of them pleasant. I point to a picture of Abby, her shadow, cast against a wall, looming over her, red eyes ablaze with contempt.

~~

To answer somebody's question, yes there will be (an) antagonist(s). 

Oops. That last post is mine, I just put it under the wrong name. Thet's my TOPping name. :I

HYPERUNCONTROLABLLYWILDTOP!!!

HYPERUNCONTROLABLLYWILDTOP!!