Lia~

I'm slightly confused. No, more than slightly. These people...how did they find out? Why do they think I'll just consent to go to this "school for the gifted?" Well, auntie wants me to, but she's always looking for an excuse for me to leave. Ever since mom and dad died in the flood, she's taken care of me, but I think she's getting fed up with me wondering to the forest and always being in a daydream. So I'm being forced to go.

Well, whoever else is there, I can only wonder what they are like. 

~Jorleia

I barely use my power.  The town burnt down because of what gave me it.  

We've mostly recovered, but it's still hard to find food.  There are berry bushes growing in our backyard, or at least the part of it that's still burnt.  But the only other real source of food is the stand 10 minutes away.  

I walk there every day.  Today is no different.

As I walk down the dusty, ash-dusted sidewalk, I pass a tall shrub that wasn't there yesterday.  I wonder why it was there and how it got there.

The line for the stand is unusually short, and I don't see some of the people I usually see.  I edge to the back of the line and wait.

When it is finally my turn, the man at the counter glares at me expectantly.  

"Sorry," I growl, and practically slam twenty coins on the counter.  "I forgot."  I then give him a glare equal to his own.

"Whaddaya want?" he asks angrily.  "And don't act like I don't know who you are, fire demon."

"The real demon is the one who doesn't give food to a 14-year-old," I shoot back.  "I want whatever is worth 20 coins."

"Fine then," he tosses an ear of corn and some bread on the counter.  "Enjoy."

"That's IT?!" I cry in outrage.  "Yesterday it was a loaf of bread and 3 ears of corn for 15 coins!"

"Prices change," he says matter-of-factly.

"Fine then," I mock him, then touch the corner of the counter, causing it to light like a candlewick.  "Enjoy!"  I call over my shoulder as I run away with the food. 

When I open the splintered door of our house, Mother asks me, "What did you get this time, Jori?"  

"Nothing worth what it was supposed to be," I mutter angrily.  I toss the food on the table and sit in the corner, on the bed made of old fabric, fallen feathers, and slightly charred wood.  A gust of wind blows in through the cracks, and I stand up again.  "Should I light the fireplace?"  I ask.

"Yes, Jori," Mother says, but before I can, there is a knock on the door.  I quickly light the fire and watch as Mother picks up the letter in front of the door.  "Jori, it's for you," she says.

I walk over and she hands it to me.  I tear it open and read it.  

"Mother?" I half ask, half command.

"Yes, Jori?"  Mother replies.

"The letter says it wants me to go to a boarding school for the gifted.  Should I go?"

"If you want.  Or if you think they can help you find more people who have your gift."

"Uh, then I guess I'll go.  I mean, do you think Father would mind?"

"Not much.  I could go to the stand instead of you for the time you are gone."

"I'm going to get some things." I say, then go out to the backyard.

I find some ripe blackberries and take them inside.  I then get my backpack from its spot on the hook by the front door and put them inside.  I want to be prepared.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

SORRY IT'S SO LONG!!! 

~Tor

I stared at the letter in my hand in disbelief, shocked that there were others like me. I had lived all my life in my family's hut as a sort of commodity, allowing my family to read after dark and attract moths, which we would eat for lunch. Food was scarce. But this letter changed everything for me, maybe at this school I would be appriciated for my talent rather than used as a glorified lightbulb. I picked up a satchel and began to pack, collecting my few books, some empty bottles, and a coil of rope.

Walking outside, I went to a solitary hollow tree and stretched my hand inside it, and took out my greatest treasure. it was a sand-colored egg the size of a paperback novel. I had covered it with feathers for insulation and heated it up with my light whenever I could. I wasn't sure what, if anything, lived inside my egg, but I was determined to find out.

~Ellie

My freakyness is getting freakier. Mom and Dad accidentally locked the garage door on me, which has an electric lock. I knew I could mess with electric things so I took off my gloves and touch it. My mind practically exploded. I could see the coding and wires in my mind and I understood it. The door beeped open, and I stepped inside. "Hey Alien!" I heard my extreamly annoying 12th Grade brother shout from the kitchen. "I thought I locked the door! And took your keys! How'd you get in?" So Mom and Dad didn't forget.

"Why do you care?" I shout back. "Is your girlfriend over?" 

"Shut up!" Is the best reply he can come up with. "And Alien,"

"What, dreamboat?"

"You got mail on the kitchen table. Mom says it's important." 

"Sure heartbreaker. I'll get right to it." 

This RP is gonna be AHMAAAAZING!!

Morrigan (Mor)~

When I am first approached by the strange man, my first instinct is to hit him. I do, but my hand is knocked back by something that I can't see.

"What do you want?" I demand of the man.

"To hand you this. Please tell your, um... Mother to not shoot the messenger. Please. I'd like to keep my head where it belongs. On my shoulders," the strange man says, something like fear crossing his features. I take the letter silently and he immediately begins to blow away in a breeze, like a million little tiny pieces of paper fluttering away.

"Wait! I think you have the wrong person!" I call out, frantically. The sparks dancing my fingertips, aroused by my surge of panic, say otherwise, though.

I stare at the letter in my hands, still unharmed, despite my fire. I read it as I begin walking home, my disbelief and joy growing with each word. By the time I'm finished, I am practically skipping home.

"Mama!" I call as I burst through the door, "I finally get to learn how to control my fire!"

My mother turns from her cooking, her pleasant smile morphing into a dark scowl.

"No. If you want to learn, I can teach you well enough here," she says with an air of finality and meanness that I had never seen from her before.

"But... Don't you see? This is the solution to all of our problems. We'll have a source of income. I'll get to see the world!" I say, my mother's sour reaction putting a damper on my elation.

"Morrigan. The answer. Is no. Must I spell it out for you?" she says, her words cutting me like ice shards.

"I understand, Mama," I say quietly, but not softly, with an undercurrent of steel in my voice.

"Good girl," she coos, satisfied, "Now would you please go catch a rabbit or two for dinner, Mor?" Mama asks.

I nod and head for my bedroom, dinner being the last thing on my mind. Quickly and quietly, I gather everything I think I might need for this school, as well as a few of my knives. Finally, I grab my bow. I'll just tell Mama that the pack is for carrying the food. Then, I leave through the front door, waving a goodbye with forced cheer. As soon as I am out of sight from the house, I head straight for my friend, Merideth's, house.

"When do I leave?" Merideth is asking her father brokenly when I open the door. There is silver lining her eyes as unshed tears threaten to spill over.

"So, you got the letter, too?" I ask hopefully. My friend whirls around, surprised.

"Yes," she says. I offer a smile.

"Then we're in this together. Me and you," I tell her, giving Merideth a hug.

"Me and you," she whispers back. 

Parker~

I walk over to the blackberry bush through the heavy rain, wishing that the weather were nicer. I sigh. It's been hard for the past few years, all alone in this forest. I start picking the berries, heavy raindrops falling all around me. Not wanting to get more drenched than I already am, I wave my hand above my head. Instantly, there is a thickly woven net of branches and leaves between the two trees above me. Satisfied, I resume picking berries, twice as fast.

Suddenly, I hear the noise of footsteps. Inexperienced footsteps not used to walking in a forest, by the sound of it.

"Who's there?" I call, peering through the trees.

In answer, a bedraggled and dishevled, not to mention soaking wet, mailman comes through the trees.  

"I have a letter here for Parker Silvanus," he says.

"That's me," I say, taking the letter from him. He walks away, and I, having gathered all the berries I'll need for the day, head back to my hideout, an old, huge, half-buried underground tree. Once there, I open the letter.

~
My mind starts to spin after I finish reading. Other people? With powers like me? But I thought I was the only one!

I want to meet these people. I guess that I'll be going to this boarding school.

I quickly pack up my meager possessions into a small backpack, then stand in front of the tree. A rare rush of confidence fills me.

Look out, world, here comes Parker! 

Lia~

My fingertips dance lightly on the water, the water rising and forming a beautiful shape. I'm all packed and ready to go to this place, as Aunt made me, but I wonder why I have to go. Aunt suspects it's some kind of a protection issue, considering who I am. But what would it be protecting me from?

Suddenly, from the backyard lake, I see a red and black cloud made of little daggers rising and heading towards me, slowly. Raising an eyebrow, I lift some of the water and throw it at the cloud. It doesn't back down, so I slowly get up and run inside, slamming the door. Looking out the window, it seems to star back at me, finally going back down into the earth.

What was that?

I shakily let out a breath and walk through my house, going towards the dining room, before slumping down in a chair and thinking.

Protection. Protection from that. I know I'll meet other people there like me. But what if we're all being protected from the same thing? 

~Ellie

I sit on my bed, absorbing the computer's data as it plays music, the best way to calm down. That letter seriously spoked me. Protection? What is there to be protected from? Is it really that powerful that I can't protect myself? A dark cloud passes over the sun, and I look out the window. Wind is going crazy out there, I wonder what's up. Suddenly, my window breaks open. I can feel an invisible hand on my sleeve. "DAN!!" I scream, and I can feel the force of the invisible pull. "IS THIS SOME SORT OF PRANK?! ITS NOT FUNNY, STOP!!" I kick at my invisible captor and try to shock him with the electricity. Dan comes rushing in. 

"It's not me- whaa!"

"Idiot! Do something!" By this time I was in a fierce struggle with the invisible person.

"Like what?!" He was panicking, not a good sign. I summoned all the electricity I had absorbed.

"Like this!" I said, blasting it out of my hands. 

Ellie needs some backup. Anyone up for the job?