[cocoa]

Day 1

You can drive all night, looking for the answers in the pouring rain

Kendall tapped on her dashboard idly as she drove, the music a low hum in the background. It was raining, and she held her iPhone between her ear and shoulder as she turned the windy roads.

"Yeah, okay, okay. What is it you exactly want me to do, Tom?" Tom was Kendall's brother - a brilliant thinker, but awfully plain, and a bit of a show off because he had the wing shine from the family. Well, Tom, Kendall could remember saying, at least I don't look like a bloody old man. He always turned away at that.

"I got you the stuff, and I've told you a million times, so you better know by now," Tom growled over the reciever.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just pulling your leg. Chill, would ya?" Kendall put her phone down as Tom went off distantly on the other end, focusing on parking. She grabbed her phone one last time before she hung up - "And no-one else from the family is to know about this," she threatened, before hanging up, and grabbing her supplies.

The only thing good about Tom was his brains and creativity, Kendall thought to herself as she wandered onto the school campus, heading straight for the classroom of her least favorite professor. Time to deal with her 'problem'.

Kendall pasted the entire wall with various memes, because her teacher hated memes. Then, she put an air horn under his chair, which he always sat in, because he's lazy. Then, she superglued his drawers closed, and added some weird, clear sticky stuff on the inside to bombard him when he did get them open - it was some weird concatenation Tom had made for her. (Apparently, the memes were some cipher, but Kendall hadn't bothered too long to figure it out.) She also attached several unattractive air fresheners to the walls, before writing in invisible ink on the door a nice little message (careful to write in the handwriting of her least favorite student) for him to notice when he turned the lights off.

"Say goodbye to your job."

And the finishing touch: incriminating papers on the principal's desk - how she got into the principal's room? Tom stole the key and made a copy, earlier in the year, when Raymond was still investigating the teacher's case. But Raymond was halfway across the world, and if they wanted him out, right now -

Well, Kendall thought on the way home in her car, fingerprints clean and wiped, this was clearly the best way to go about it.

///bahaha ok that was cheesy and bad but im braindead 2day

[apprentice_]

prompt one w/ finn


heed the kid who cannot be late one more day. heed he with the iron determination to do the impossible: to turn fifteen minutes into seven.

he loved high school; genuinely loved it. he loved the people and the interactions and all the strange things he saw (he hated working) - but he loved the people. but his passion was no match for his delinquency. if he was late again, he’d be hearing if for the rest of his life.

so with the bell chiming in barely over five minutes, and the trip from home to school being about fifteen, finn flew out the door with his jacket still only on one arm.

he grabbed his bike, and once on the road, caught hold of the back of a car - the driver naturally honked once, twice, and a couple more before finn let go. and his wheels were hot against the pavement still even as his school came into sight.

his bike crashed as he launched off of it, and he hoped it wasn't damaged, or that it wouldn't be stolen before he returned.

only a few minutes, and a few flights of stairs to climb. if there was anything he could do, it was climb; years of rock climbing practice had given him unholy upper body strength. and though he was fast, the stairs always felt like half the trip - much too slow to travel.

so when a third floor class’ window slammed open, and in climbed finn (triumphant but out of breath), every student inside was at a loss for words - some just screamed.

another second and in walked the teacher, bells ringing behind him. finn fell to his seat, eye battling anyone who looked at him or dared pry their lips apart.

the students and no one else would know he scaled the building to make it in time.

he wondered if it mattered he’d left his backpack at home.

[LivingLethal]

---> Prompt 1 with Dio

Dio did not know how he had managed to find himself in such a dangerous situation. He had always been the type to stay out of the way. He would stick close to walls, keep his mouth shut, and be invisible. Yet, his fundamental principle of living life seemed to have changed today; today, he finally meddled. Unsurprisingly enough, it led him to be trapped in a dark room with slick palms and restricted breaths.

The young adult could not envision a single way out of his predicament. Going into his hiding place, he had been tailed by two guards. He'd gotten a glance into room directly next to him. It seemed occupied as well. Dio scoured every inch of the room - and it was certainly tiny - and not a single exit was present. His chest felt constricted; though he knew he needed to stay calm, he couldn't help but panic. It was not an uncommon occurrence for people to disappear, and these were the sorts of situations where they would last be seen. His mind felt clouded. Quit, he thought.

Before the sentiment had the chance to repeat in his mind, he heard a slight banging noise.

Dio looked up toward the door with a look of terror in his eyes. Luckily, it seemed the noise had originated elsewhere; next door, it appeared. The man clenched his teeth and made a decision. His momentary glance in the adjacent room had shown a boy, likely a teen a few years younger than him, with a thick anklet. In Dio's experience making technology, such anklets tended to be inhibitors for abilities. His room neighbor was likely a prisoner - and a powerful one at that. If he had any chance to escape in one piece, he needed help. Unfortunately, this gamble on his neighbor's identity seemed to be his only idea for escape.

Dio cracked the door, and luckily, nobody was in his corridor. He slipped into the room next to him, where he was met face-to-face with the teen boy, banging his ankle bracelet on a wall out of boredom. Silence was his greeting - he was glad. Words likely would have meant much worse.

"Please," Dio begged. He spared no formalities; the teen did not seem to make a move to do much of anything. The man was simply met with a blank, unamused stare. "If you help me escape, I'll take off your power inhibitor. Please, I'll help us escape."

At the mention of removing the bulky tech around his ankle, the teen's lips upturned, though the rest of his face remained unmoved. His answer seemed almost bored: "If you wish."

Dio got to work on removing the inhibitor. A hopeful thought echoed in his mind as he tinkered with the difficult technology: even though he did not know a single bit of the layout of this facility, even though he was way outnumbered by the staff, even though there were probably cameras crawling in this place, his crazy idea to ask this random kid had worked. If that had worked, he could escape.

(The room neighbor isn't a kalon! Just a character I have.)

[witchcrafting]

{ Prompt One } A slippery Mistake -- 350 words || 1,904 characters

“Gavin?”
Vagabond’s voice called lowly, crawling alongside the wall, trying his best to not make a peep. The two Kalons were in a dark bedroom, another Kalon sleeping nearby.
“Gavin, we have a problem-”
“Yeah, I know we do.”
The boys stared at a gun; one that was broken in half, pieces and shards. Someone had stepped on it, and they didn’t want their butts to be kicked by their boss Jack, who was asleep only a few feet nearby, or so they hoped..
“What do we do?!” Gavin aggressively whispered. “You broke it!”
“ME?!” Vagabond said a little louder than a whisper. “No you!”
“SHUSH! You’re going to wake Jack up!”
“I’m not mad, I just want to know.. Who broke it?” Jack was also whispering, as is she didn’t know what they were trying to do.
The boys screamed, one more girly than the other. Turning toward Jack, they stared innocently.
“Gavin touched it.”
“AND YOU STEPPED ON IT!”
“Now boys..” Jack tutted, “I’m giving you three hours to get the same gun back to me. Or else.”
Vagabond and Gavin nodded quickly, Gavin taking the pieces of the gun, and the two left quickly.

It was an hour later, and the two Kalons were still staring at the broken gun.
“What’re we going to do?”
“Steal a new one.”
“VAGABOND! Geoff customly made this gun for Jack!”
“Then we customly make it ourselves.”
Vagabond sighed. “How?”
“.... Butter..”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. We use butter. We sculpt a new gun!”
“That is… A genius plan!”

It was three hours later. Time was up now.
Jack walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge, grabbing a coca-cola, turning, glancing over to the two gangsters finishing up a small sculpture of the gun they had broken. It wasn’t until she did a double take to see what they had done.
“Is that my gun..?” Jack asked, blinking in confusion.
“YEAH!” Gavin smiled, giggling, “We got you a new one!”
“Out of butter…?”
“Mmhm..”
“... That’s very creative. I’ll take it. You’re off the hook this time, boys. You’re lucky.”

[rain,]

✶ Day 1! ✶ Chili ✶
Tell about a time your kalon had to use a creative solution to solve a problem.

At the restaurant Chili works at, the food suppliers are a very important part of their daily lives. Each kalon that works as a chef has a special menu to be ordered from, and hot sauce is the main ingredient in all of his food specials. As one of the head chefs, Chili of course gets several orders, but its difficult to keep up with the customers before they get impatient. This was a rather unlucky day, he got multiple orders to complete, and his hot sauce was low in supply. The food suppliers were late. Having to be quick on his feet, Chili immediately got to work. He placed his famous spaghetti pasta into the ovens, and put on the glitzy bright pink roller skates thrown away by his sister Lilyana. "Margaret, make sure my pasta doesn't burn!" Was all he yelled, before dashing out onto the streets, roller skates now rolling him at an incredibly fast speed. He quickly avoided kalons the best he could, although it wasn't truly safe to say everyone was not harmed, and entered the local grocery store. With a quick glance at the helpful signs guiding you to whichever aisle you needed for your food, Chili grabbed as much hot sauce as he can. Placing it into the cart, he skated to the checkout lane, which was surprisingly empty. The cashier-kalon gave him a confused and slightly concerned look after seeing his bright pink roller skates, but must have gotten the point by his cook-like attire as she cashed him out. "And your total is.." She began, but Chili interrupted by placing his roller skates on the counter, then grabbing the bags and racing out.

As he arrived back to the restaurant, it turns out Margaret had taken out his Spaghetti in time, allowing Chili to finish his meal and serve them to his customers. Little to say, the problem was solved, and Chili took a long nap in the back of the kitchen.

[ 331 / 150 words ]

[Reiji]

reiji - day 1 - 316 words
starring gabriel

The loud storm outside didn't Gabriel from enjoying his comfort weekend. He doesn't work or really go outside but something about the weekends just feels so calm. It had been years since he had last gone to school, but whenever he wakes up he would still feel the anxiety of realizing he has to get ready for school. His life is mostly uneventful now, but he prefers this to his past. He doesn't need to care about those things anymore.

Tests, homeworks, keeping up with his peers and failing so, those are just some of the things that he just... don't need to care about. College wasn't that much any different honestly, but atleast he could kept up in his own ways without his parents methods to make him study. He just go on things at his own pace. Although, that might have been his downfall.

Gabriel just had one of those things again, so he needed this to 'chill out' a little bit. He was going to see his best —and only— friend but to be with others and telling them something wasn't what got him through. He's fond if bottling up things, and didn't find any fault in his thinking as everytime he was to open up, it would end up in a disaster. So, the way was... To just, take things on his own pace.

Like when he was in college, to just go on his own way and do what he deemed right. No one had let him do things at his own speed, so the best solution was to do it on his own. To just sit on his bed, with his laptop and some snacks. His headphone plugged in, he began watching his favorite movie. Some mashed potato because he had bitten his lips thus can't properly eat— and a carton of milk, with a side of water just incase.

[Areater]

prompt one. // areater // " the reservation " // 913 words // starring graham & kellogg

"i'm sorry sir, but the restaurant has been booked for that date." the voice from the received was short and clearly a little annoyed, but graham was too frustrated to feel bad for the kalon on the other end. "you don't understand, i booked this reservation weeks ago. it's our anniversary. i'm proposing tonight! you can't call me last minute and tell me your restaurant's been booked!" he was pacing now, constantly fiddling with the dark brown bow on his suit, his eyes glued to the door in case kellogg came home early. "i'm sorry, sir, but a private gentleman paid a substantial amount to have the restaurant booked only for him tonight." too frustrated to continue, graham hung up, wondering what he would do. kellogg would be home in less than an hour and what was he supposed to do? he couldn't look like he forgot their anniversary! and he'd already told his friends he planned to propose - he couldn't back down now. but what was he supposed to do?
they met at a play. maybe he could get last second tickets to a play? no, kellogg wasn't really into plays, and he didn't want tonight to be all about himself, he wanted it to be about both of them. romantic scavenger hunt? no, no, not enough time to plan that. what could he do? he didn't have access to anything! except his chocolate shop, of course.

his chocolate shop.
full of sweet, lovingly made homemade chocolate.
that chocolate shop.

scrambling, graham ran out the door, pausing only to make sure he had his phone and the ring. he shot a quick test to kellogg as he walked - the shop was just around the corner. sorry, babe, but some kits made a mess and i have to clean up some displays and replace some chocolates. i've got the bases done, but it'll take me a while to add all the finishing touches. i'll text you when i'm done and we can head to dinner then, ok? love you xoxo
he slid the key into the lock and twisted it, flicking the lights on on his way in but leaving the sign on closed. he had closed early today since he didn't really like the shop being open without him nearby, and he didn't want anyone interrupting him. his heart felt like it was beating out of his chest as he began to clear the main display. the middle was a chocolate fountain meant for kalons to be able to dip their own fruit, pretzels, marshmallows, and other treats and then purchase them, so it was off when the store was closed. with a smile, he turned it back on, and then began to clear off the round shelves. once they were cleared, he went to the back and began to collect all of kellogg's favorite chocolates - milk chocolate honey vanilla caramels, orange infused dark chocolate truffles, salted maraschino cherry dark chocolates, white chocolate bark, and more - and brought them back to the front. since the display had five shelves, he wrote a word on each shelf ("will" "you" "marry" "me?") out of individual chocolates and placed a single white chocolate heart on the last shelf. carefully pulling the ring out of his pocket, he placed it on the back shelf atop a box of chocolates - the first box of chocolates he had ever given kellogg. feeling his phone buzz, he read the text. oh no, kits are the worst sometimes! i'm sure we'll be much better parents ;) want me to come over and give you a hand? nervously, graham texted back a single heart emoji with the message that would be lovely! can you come through the back entrance? and walked into the kitchen to set up the chocolate bases. when kellogg arrived through the back door into the kitchen, he used his best acting skills - which were pretty good, he thought - to look flustered. "i'm so sorry babe, i didn't want to ruin our anniversary," he apologized, drizzling white chocolate onto a dark chocolate heart. "don't worry about it," kellogg smiled, taking the bag from him and giving him a sweet kiss. "i'd much rather be here alone with you than at some extra fancy restaurant. how can i help?" graham couldn't help but blush as he looked at the door that went from the kitchen to the main shop area. "can you mop the chocolate off the floor? i'll get the mop." he walked ahead of him towards the closet which held the cleaning supplies. kellogg placed the bag back on the counter and joked, "i was hoping we could romantically make chocolate together," but he followed without much complaint - and then proceeded to gasp as he saw that the chocolate fountain was certainly not spilled everywhere, but the display was certainly different. graham turned and dropped on one knee next to the display. "kellogg, i'll never stop loving you, and i'm ready to make sure everyone knows it. will you marry me?" tearing up, kellogg managed to make out a few words. "isn't there supposed to be a ring, dummy?" with a suave smile - even though he was terrified on the inside - graham turned the display so that the ring box was facing the front. he opened it and held the ring out to kellogg. finally, kellogg pulled him up to hug him. "yes, i want to marry you!"
he never needed to know this wasn't the original plan.

[Softballpup12]

moving to kalon storage

[Grey_Hoodie]

DAY 01: THE RAT
“[creative, amiable, opportunist]”

The Rat was the first animal to arrive at the banquet. He crossed the river on the back of the Ox/
Rats are innovative and opportunistic.



Tell about a time your character had to use a creative solution to solve a problem.


Winter had settled in with a sudden drop of temperature and the threat of a bitter storm sitting heavy in the still, ominous grey clouds above. Roka spared little thought to the upcoming blizzard, eyes steady on the crest of the waterfall above him. It glittered in the sinking sun’s light, setting the water aflame and promising to blind him if he for stared too long. He couldn’t help it, a scowl marring his face as he struggled to come to terms with the fact that he really was so clumsy as to fall into the river he’d lived and traveled beside ever since his youth.
Turning away with a huff and a shake of his soppy pelt, Roka took note of his surroundings. He had dropped into the depths of a pool that had a slow - but no less threatening – current pulling deep into the unknown. Towering over him were smooth, rounded walls of stone and the waterfall that had originally tossed him into this pit. Beneath him was flat rock… as far as he could tell, anyway. The place looked to be nature’s dumping ground, piled with rotting wood and human trash and the bones of other poor souls who’d died along the river’s journey or had ended up stuck here like Roka, left with the expectancy that they would simply waste away unnoticed.
Roka almost could have chuckled. He wasn’t very well going to just sit around and let fate have at him. Now, a way out…? Nothing really came to mind. The piles of trash were nowhere near high enough to allow him to leap out of the hole. Even if he pushed everything together, he’d still probably have to jump at least a fourth of the wall’s height to escape. And if he was crazy enough to take that leap and just so happened to miss the pit’s edge… Roka didn’t want to think of what the impact would be like without the cushion a pool of water offered.
Perhaps the pool of water led somewhere? The current was telling, but Roka wasn’t sure he wanted to take the risk. While there might be a place for the water to exit out back into the free world, there was definitely the possibility that the water simply dumped out into an underground well. There would be no escape from that if that’s truly what rested beneath the waterfall’s pool.
The stone walls encircling him offered no footholds, no grips, no anything. There was nothing but the ear-splitting screech of claws-on-stone reverberating around the pit as he tried to find something to catch on. A frown taking over his features, Roka fought to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach. He was running out of options and was still decidedly against taking a leap of faith or a plunge into depths unknown. Maybe he could just go back up the way he came down?
He knew the idea was a stupid one and he wondered where it might have come from. With a roll of his eyes, he knew it was probably from the desperation he didn’t want to acknowledge. Roka heaved a sigh and waded back out in the pool, gaze catching on the flittering light reflecting off the top of the cascade. The back of his mind wanted to mourn the loss of his recently dried coat, but as he studied the falls, he realized that water seemed to catch on different levels of land, torrents splitting around rocks that barely jutted out from beneath a mass of froth and his thoughts were completely consumed with the possibility of escape.
Roka pushed his body further out into the pool. The ground disappeared from beneath his paws, and the male pulled his body beneath the falling waves of water to further examine the stone behind it: wet, slippery and horridly jagged, but a definite way out if he remained resolute. A hot buzz ran down Roka’s spine and his heart raced with a spike of energy as he set a paw down onto the first rock he could feel. He dared the water to keep him down, feeling only more invigorated as it pumped aggressively against his shoulders and back.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay. That’s it. He’d fallen for the seventeenth time now. Tossing his head in agitation, the kalon resigned himself to pacing, ignorant of the bloody paw prints he left in his wake. With each new attempt, he learned something new, something that might be able to help him succeed. And for a moment, he was truly convinced he had the art down to perfection: he kept his eyes closed against the rapids, he moved one paw at a time, he kept his body beneath splits in the water as much as he could to avoid being sent back down to the beginning. He’d even been so lucky as to actually reach a large-enough flat surface on which he could rest a bit. But as soon as he moved from there, he was tossed back down into the pool with a nasty bruise to his hip for the trouble.
Roka threw a glare over his shoulder at the reflected light he was convinced was taunting him only to realize that it was fading. Tossed out of his circle of thoughts, the male realized he’d been on a timer and was swiftly losing all chance at escape. The wind gave a wild roar from above and Roka’s gaze was drawn to the flutter of a couple of snowflakes settling down to join him in his prison. The blizzard was still a threat, and Roka wanted to kick himself for forgetting it entirely.
Bitterly, he wondered if freezing to death was a luxury the owners of the skeletons littered about had missed out on and that he would be the first to experience it. He could already feel horrid shudders wracking his body and numbness quickly taking over his toes.
Suddenly, Roka was struck with an idea. Freezing. Oh, it was perfect, and he actually chuckled to himself. He needed to hurry, though, before the sun set completely and took away all the light.
Digging through the piles of trash and wood, Roka managed to come away with relatively sturdy objects and assort them into his own pile. There were several thick pieces of wood, an old bucket, a wheelbarrow missing its wheel, a set of rusty bowls and plates, and a dented shield among other things. Deciding to start with the most difficult, Roka dragged the wheelbarrow onto his back and clamped his jaws around one of the handles.
Determined, the kalon set out across the water, choking through gulps of water as he sank beneath the added weight. His legs pumped furiously to lift himself back up and finally he reached the cascade. Carefully, Roka set about climbing along the last successful route he’d taken and snagged the wheelbarrow around and in between a set of rocks until the water’s direction jutted out toward him. Expectedly, he was tossed back down to the pool and Roka rushed to the shore to see his work. Rather than streaming straight down, Roka had managed to form the water something resembling a shallow slope. It would have to do, especially with the light fading quickly and time running out. Roka grabbed the next thing the pile and leapt back into the water.
The wood was easy to work with. He could slot it into place or break it until it fit and moved the water in a way he wanted. As he moved up the levels of rock beneath the water, inserting the materials he’d collected as he could, Roka spared a thought for leaping out to freedom. Tugging the shield into place with his teeth until the water sloped down to his right to follow the path he’d already mapped out for it below with various other items, Roka realized just how close he was to the top of the waterfall.
Excitement getting the better of him for having made it so far, the male jumped off his unsteady perch and reached out for something to grab. He missed and plummeted back into the pool, tired limbs fighting off the current’s pull. He chose not to let the disappointment suffocate him and glanced up at his handiwork.
He’d made an absolute mess of the waterfall, but he hadn’t thought it pretty to begin with and that wasn’t really what he was going for right now. The light vanished just as the snow started pouring down in thick icy clumps. Roka rushed back toward his material pile, burrowing beneath the remaining bits of wood and other objects to protect himself from the coming frost. He curled his soaking wet body into a ball beneath a couple ragged lengths of fabric and waited for morning to come.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roka’s body ached when he came to, and he struggled to open his eyes. His breath came out in gasps and his body was flooded with sickly warmth. He shuddered his way from out beneath his shelter, pressing through a pile of snow. Before him, the waterfall was frozen over and glee washed over the male. Stepping forward on shaky limbs, Roka nodded proudly to himself.
The water he’d carefully diverted had formed into a rough slope, something the kalon could more easily manage to climb than the rock wall behind it. Roka scampered over ice formation, sliding rather ungracefully across the frozen over pool. A very small layer of snow sat atop the ice and offered little in the way of traction, but it was enough for Roka as he started his slow ascent.
As he reached the top, Roka looked back down into the pit and smiled. He could a fever burning in lungs and his whole body wanted to collapse, but at least he was out and finally freed. Roka couldn’t help but feel a little bit proud that he’d bested fate and could live to tell the tale of when nature had tried to trap him in a pit for the rest of winter.

[Cheeb]

xxxxxlydia / / the rat

xxxxxthe garden was full of hope and love, little buds peeking out of the ground after the winter. perhaps it was lydia's sentimental state of mind, but it seemed like the sprouts of plants were turning to say hello to her.
xxxxxit was a routine for the kit. in the nights, she snuck herself into the garden, guitar in tow, and performed to the flowers. lydia would sink into the soft soil, feeling at peace with the ground beneath her, strumming gently on her instrument. she would whisper a lullaby to the flowers and sing them to sleep. it was the only time lydia felt at peace with herself.
xxxxxher guitar pick was her source of magic -- she herself could not do much, but the magical energy streaming from the pick had the power to make the plants grow healthier and faster. it could do more than that, but lydia preferred to keep things simple.
xxxxxlydia trudged down the path that lead to the garden. it was only a few minutes away, and even in the dark, she knew where she was going. or, at least that's what she thought. the young witch had never bothered to stray from the path that she knew by heart. the woods were mysterious in the dark, and while they had their allure, it had always seemed much too risky.
xxxxxfor a reason she couldn't pin down, lydia found herself drawn to the sound of water in the distance. was it a river of sorts, or was it just a little brook? either way, she'd never noticed it before. "odd," she murmured to herself. "didn't realize that there was running water around here." without thinking of the consequences, she decided to quench her curiosity. lydia tiptoed through the woods, rocks and branches scraping her bare feet, void of any path. perhaps the end result would make up for the journey. at least, that's what she hoped.
xxxxxafter a while of walking and worrying, lydia saw it before her: a bubbling river, gliding over the rocks beneath it. moonlight gave the surface of the water a heavenly glow. time seemed to stop completely. she sat down and strummed on her guitar, making music with the sound of the river.
xxxxxso far, the night had been, well, without a problem. in the witch's mind, it was too good to be true. usually, she made some sort of stupid mistake. lydia pondered the possibilities, wondering what she'd missed --
xxxxxthe path
god, how would she get home? it was late -- past midnight, for sure. her siblings and adoptive mother were probably sleeping, and were definitely a distance away. lydia felt herself start to panic. she should have paid attention; she should have been more careful. however, she caught herself, and sat back down.
xxxxx"okay," she told herself, "what was i trying to do tonight in the first place? go to the garden. if i can find my way back there, then home won't be far away! but, how do i... oh!"
xxxxxthe idea hit her like a train. was it too risky? was it stupid? would it even work? she rummaged through her pocket, pulling out her guitar pick, and started to play the song she crooned to the flowers so often. lydia started slowly, and took the tempo faster, and faster, and faster still. her hands hurt from sliding around so quickly, and she felt herself shaking, but she didn't stop.
xxxxxin the distance, the earth rumbled. over the top of the trees, a strange yet very familiar vine of flowers came into view.
xxxxx"well..." she mumbled. "the garden is that way."