Blood Sonata

[CodastertheDisaster]

Alex looked to the sky. The sun was peering out from behind the clouds, casting it's rays down on the earth below. It was a brisk day, despite the sun being out, so he drew his hood up. He hoped his friends wouldn't take too long to arrive, he didn't want to spend the day sitting on the dock. A sigh escaped his lips and he let himself fall back on the wood, staring up at the sky. It'll be cloudy again before too long, he thought idly. He wouldn't mind though, he was one of the few people in Arkham that actually enjoyed the rain. He felt like it helped him think, but he was just weird that way. It certainly went with his appearance. He was of average height, leaning towards the taller side, though he was rather skinny, weighing about 130 pounds. He had plain features, a few wispy hairs sprouting from his chin, and a few spots of acne that he covered with his shoulder-length, slightly wavy hair. The only thing about him that wasn't boring was his eyes. They were a bright, piercing green that could punch holes through steel.
He pulled his cellphone out, checking through his messages to see if anyone was cancelling on him. No messages, and everything he'd sent to his friends went through. I have got to stop showing up early... he thought, sighing again and stuffing his phone back in his pocket. His fingers briefly brushed against the pocket knife that he took with him. He didn't want to have to use it, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Especially with so many kids gone missing...

The teen slowly got to his feet, fishing his phone out of his pocket once more to check the time. His brilliant mind decided to show up at eleven 'o clock, when they'd decided on eleven-thirty. At least it was nearing that time now. He brushed some dust off himself and crossed his arms. They'd be here soon enough. The clouds were beginning to to cover the sun now, and he'd be surprised if it didn't rain within the hour. He hoped it didn't. His friends would probably spend the day complaining if it did.

[Masquerade]

The text had been received the previous day.

Branches snapped and leaves were trodden as Marya made her way through the woods, choosing to avoid the gravel road that led to the lake of which had aroused quite a bit of suspicion lately. The papers were full of stories of local teenagers going missing after visiting the lake near Arkham. Barely popular enough to have a somewhat well-kept path leading to it, the lake possessed quite the bit of intrigue to the curious adolescents. Unfortunately, the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat' seemed to be more than just some saying. At this point, it was reality. Marya huffed loudly as she stomped her way between the trees. There was something about that phrase that seemed to get to her, but she couldn't think of what it was. Over the past couple of years, Marya struggled valiantly against a malevolent wave of psychosis that wracked her dreams with terrible and frightening images. At one point, they were so vivid, but now they were nothing but blurred fragments of what must have been a long story waiting to be told.

Everyone who knew the Marya of two years ago now avoided the girl. The psychosis had changed her in ways unimaginable. There was no fear of death in this girl's brown eyes, once cute but now wary all the time. Her posture was much more confident and mature, whereas before she scrambled from place to place with youthful vitality. All in all, she seemed so much older than she actually was. A slight chill breeze blew her overcoat about a bit. She left the coat unbuttoned showing the black t-shirt and black shorts she wore beneath it. The shirt has a picture of a cool white skull upon it, somewhat of a signature for her. Black clothing. Skulls. It was definitely different from the pinks and pastels she used to wear. Rumors around school that she actually wasn't the same person--that the real Marya had perished and was replaced by someone who was doing a horrible job at mimicking the young girl's mannerisms and fashion style. Marya paid them no mind. She had managed to make friends--friends who possessed a certain curiosity that she shared with them.

The border of the forest came into view and Marya stepped out from the midst of the trees to view the calm lake resting not too far off in the distance. Her hardened gaze fell upon the dock where a lone figure could be seen. The others hadn't arrived yet, but surely they were well on their way. Shoving her hands into her shorts pockets, Marya meandered over to where the dock was and tapped her foot against the wood to garner attention from the fellow who was already there. "Hey, Alex. Early as always?" she stated simply, a light smirk appearing on her face, though whether that was comforting or slightly eery was up to the young man who was faced with it now.

[Book the Hero]

Nathan walked through the woods, heading towards the lake. The recent events had been troubling him, news of teens around his age disappearing was quite unsettling to hear. He worried about the safety of the few friends he had, who had only been able to make recently.

He was a tall guy, who walked without wavering, and a look of defiance on his face. He wore a white t-shirt, a black jacket, and dark blue jeans. He had the air of someone you didn't want to mess with, and what's more, he actually was. A far cry from the pipsqueak he had been known as in Elementary school. He wandered over to the docks, noticing that two of his friends were already there. "Oi, so I guess we're the first to show up, huh?"

[CodastertheDisaster]

The sound of a girl's voice brought Alex's attention back to reality. Marya was standing at the edge of the dock. He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah. I was a little excited to get here, I guess," he said, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. "How do you manage to wear shorts on a day like this?" he questioned. She was definitely something else. A good something, Alex decided. He preferred odd characters, much like himself.
He checked his phone once more out of habit. "Let's hope they hurry up. It's a shame everyone else can't be early like me," he joked, though as he said it he noticed someone else approaching. "Oh, hey Nathan," he remarked with a wave. "Who else did you expect?" Alex added with a smirk.

[Masquerade]

Marya allowed herself a slight laugh, and gazed down quickly at her shorts before returning her gaze to Alex's visage. He was definitely rather carefree today despite being right here at the lake where all the teenagers had gone missing. A typically lighthearted fellow, Marya somewhat admired Alex's resolve to remain this way given the circumstances. "I tell my parents that my blood feels like it's on fire. Ever since I fell ill a couple of years back, it's been like that. Cool days like this? They feel really good to me. Don't mind showing a bit of skin, and I'm sure no one else minds if I do," Marya teased, taking a single hand out of her pocket and placing it firmly on her hip as she turned around to face Nathan who had arrived just seconds behind her really. Now this was a guy she had some respect for. He appeared to be quite intimidating, and he played the part, though she definitely wasn't afraid of him. Everyone in the school knew she could kick some ass. Picking a fight with her was a mistake.

"Nice to see you being so prompt today, Nathan," Marya directed her teasing tone to the newest to arrive on the scene. "What's more surprising is not expecting this guy to be first as always," she added nonchalantly, jamming a thumb in Alex's direction. Patterns had been established, which was obvious enough. Beating Alex to a meeting spot was way more effort than what it would be worth. Sometimes she wondered how the guy could just laze around until the rest of the more sluggish members of their little circle of friends showed up, but she figured that's what cell phones were for. Marya's eye twitched slightly as Alex checked his. It made her want to check hers too, but she refrained from acting on the impulse. Instead, she remained quiet, lightly tapping her foot against the dock a couple more times, eyes focused on Nathan now.

[Book the Hero]

Nathan just smiled at the two, his look of defiance permanently on his face. "Same old, same old, huh?" He casually said, placing his hands on the back of his head as he walked up next to them. Alex was an ok guy, and even though they were the only two guys in their little group, he still got along well with him.

Marya was one of the ones he got along better with, having a bit of respect for her. She was one of the toughest people he knew, next to himself. He wasn't really sure which one would walk out of a fight, as they were both people that it'd be a bad idea to mess with. And wasn't really hard on the eyes either.

[Shadoe Mayari]

Chase took her time, rocking out to her iPod. She treaded on the gravel road, occasionally picking up some small rocks and throwing them towards the lake. She wasn't really worried about the disappearances she heard in the news; after all, she was just as big and strong as the guys, maybe even stronger. She was taller than the other girls, standing at 5'8 and skinny. She had boyishly short, chestnut brown hair and dull green eyes. If a stranger looked at her and how she dressed, they would think she was a fifteen year old boy. Hell, even some of her close friends that knew her since middle school still think that she's a guy.
It wasn't long before she could see her friends standing by the dock. She couldn't exactly tell who was there, but she saw Alex and Nathan, so it was worth it. "'ello, ya elegant bastards!" she yelled. Her voice was pretty deep for a girl. She stuffed her hands into her hoodie pockets, turning off her iPod squeezing one of the sharper rocks the picked up.

[Rose Hathaway]

Oh how she hated these shoes.

Sophie wanted to kill the whore who decided that high heels were a smart idea in general. Her feet were destroying her, and she was about to yank them off and destroy them herself. But then she'd possibly catch a tapeworm in the woods, and it was something she didn't want at all. And then she would be short, and she refused to be short with the rest of the people she knew. Even if it meant aching feet, her pride would always come first.

After several minutes of walking down the trail in the demon black three inch stillettoes to match her black and white sundress, a product of her excellent fashion taste, she finally reached the dock with a scowl on her face. And she finally took the heels off and threw them into the lake. "Fuck these goddamn shoes!" she snapped, finally happy to get those killer objects off. Sometimes pride just wasn't worth it.

[Masquerade]

Marya's attention was drawn to the last two members of their little circle of friends, those with which she didn't possess a closeness to. She liked neither as much as Alex and Nathan, but she would never tell them that. Granted, the telltale disinterested look she generally gave them might have been enough to hint them to her feelings. Still, they were okay enough to hang out with, so she figured that was that. Her head moved towards the lake as the sound of the shoes landing in the waters below filled the air. She wondered if Sophie was aware that they'd have to walk back, but didn't worry about that at the moment. The realization would don on her eventually, surely. For now, they had an investigation to get under way--one that would likely be uneventful, or would wind up with them dead. So many choices.

"The gang's all here," Marya practically sighed with a small trace of annoyance, keeping her eyes trained on the lake where Sophie's high heels were now drowning, never to be seen again. The perfect crime. Nobody would be the wiser. "Sophie, you don't think we'll be leaving this place alive? Because if we don't find anything, you know you're going to have to walk back right?" Here the girl turned on Sophie, hardened eyes relentlessly shifting to her friend's bare feet. "And I certainly don't see a fishing rod anywhere," she added, further amplifying the truth that the shoes would be hard to retrieve at this point, though it seemed Sophie was happy enough to be rid of them. Whatever floated her boat.

[CodastertheDisaster]

As Chase appeared, and eventually Sophie, Alex gave a slight wave. His lips parted in a smile that revealed his elongated canines and canine molars. He often joked he was part wolf with his teeth, which gave him a slightly animialistic appearance when combined with his bright green eyes. He chuckled a bit at Sophie's outburst, and the fact she didn't even address her friends. "Nice to see you too," he quipped, flashing a grin at her.
Now that everyone was gathered, he took a deep breath. "Well, we're here to look around. So let's get to it, we can either split up or stick together. What do you guys think?" he said, getting straight to business. A Saturday only lasted so long.
"I personally think we should make two groups and each go look on separate sides of the lake. It would yield better results," he added, crossing his arms and waiting on everyone else's response. He ignored Marya's comment, though a hint of amusement tugged at his lips.

[Book the Hero]

Nathan turned when he noticed the other two, Chase and Sophie. Chase looked like a guy, but he could easily tell that she was a girl. He didn't really talk to her much, but she was ok. Sophie on the other hand was pretty obviously a girl, and wasn't that bad looking either. While more often then with Chase, he talked to her a bit less then Marya and Alex, but again, wasn't a bad person too hand with.

"I don't mind splitting up." Nathan said casually. "Heck, I'll even be in the two person team." He finished, eager to get started. It was time to get started looking into these disappearances, and hopefully stop them, before one of his friends got hurt.

[Shadoe Mayari]

"Fuckin' hell, Sophie, why di'ya wear those if ya knew we were coming to the lake?" Chase chuckled, resting her hands behind her neck. There's no way that she'll ever understand those girly-girls, especially after spending nearly thirteen years living with just her uncle and her brother. "What if a seaweed-monster thing pulled ya in because it could smell yer feet bleedin'?" She couldn't help but smile, she was horrible at keeping a straight face. Or making good jokes.

She shrugged at Alex's suggestion. Splitting up would be fine, but it'll feel like she missing out on something if the other group found something that she didn't. And she hated missing stuff. "Meh. I'm good with splittin' up. Just as long as ya tell me if you found something cool." Although she liked her friends, she could care less if they found something sharp and shiny for her to keep.

[Masquerade]

"Looks like we're splitting up," Marya spoke up a bit more firmly than necessary. It didn't appear that anyone was particularly bothered by the notion. After all, they could cover more ground that way. Sounded like Chase was expecting to find buried treasure or something which actually caused Marya to let off a quiet laugh to herself, masked by her raising a hand to her mouth and pretending to cough. She wasn't about to let something like that escape her mouth at this time. It was at this point that she realized she had forgotten her fingerless gloves that she usually wore. It was ironic because she specifically wore them for kicking ass, and if they ran into whoever was stealing away teens to do only God knew what with them, she would definitely need to kick some ass. Breaking a skull or two wasn't much trouble for her.

"Everyone has their phones right? We can just use them to stay in communication," Marya suggested loosely. Her hand instinctively went to her shorts pocket and patted the spot where her cell phone rested. She felt oddly attached to the thing, though whenever she would tell her parents, they would just laugh at her and say that was normal for teenage girls, but in reality, the attachment was way different than the normal infatuation with technology that teenagers exhibited. It was almost as if the cell phone had some sort of meaning that she couldn't comprehend which probably arose as a result of her psychosis. Yeah, what can I NOT attribute to this stupid illness? she grumbled mentally, face turning to stone before the others as she awaited the final decisions about splitting up and finally taking action.

[Book the Hero]

"Yeah, I got mind, Marya." Nathan said, his hand reaching down to his pocket, and clutching the cellular device. It had only been recently since he upgraded from his old phone, to this new one, and he had been making sure to keep it on him at all times.

"So, if we are splitting up, who's going with who?" Nathan asked, looking around the group. In all honesty, he would prefer to go with either Marya or Alex, since they were the two he hanged out with the most. But it didn't really matter who he went with, he'd be ok with it. He was just eager to get going.

[Shadoe Mayari]

"Yah, it's here somewhere," Chase muttered, digging though her hoodie pocket. After a while she pulled out her phone, causing several small, sharp rocks to fall out and hit the ground. No wonder why it was such in bad shape. She shrugged, picked one up, and threw it into the lake, before kicking the rest to the side. Meh, she still had plenty, those were just weighing her down. "'Ere we go."

She looked over at Nathan. He was talking, but she really couldn't hear him. "Oi, Nate, speak up! Can't hear ya!" She had no idea why, but she had trouble hearing him, and just him. It was kinda irritating.

OOC: -cough-Don't use black for dialogue, it's a freaking pain to read-cough-

[Rose Hathaway]

"The shoes make me taller, how many times do I have to tell you that?! I thought I'd be able to walk around in these, but I guess I was wrong. I have another pair in my car. I never know if a heel is going to break. Besides, I was going to get rid of those anyway." she snapped back to the teasing.

"Split up all you want, I have my phone with me. I'm not going alone though, and someone has to carry me. I'm not walking around barefoot." Sophie was your average, everyday, spoiled princess. Her father moved into town with her to build shopping malls, and she only hung out with these people just for giggles... and making fun of how poor they were.

[Masquerade]

Marya nearly slammed her palm into her face which would have more than likely broken her own nose, so she relented. The idea of Sophie possessing an infinite stock of stilettos in her car was both amusing and ridiculous. She wasn't even going to ask. There was nothing wrong with being short. Marya was short, and she got ogled to no end. If she wasn't so intimidating, she'd probably have guys lined up to ask her out, but romance was the last thing on her mind right now. She couldn't have a normal life anymore--not after all that she had been through, even though things seemed to be returning to a subtle mundane nature that she used to be familiar with. Regardless, wishing to be taller was stupid and there was no way Marya was going to carry Sophie. By this point, just a couple of minutes into their little lake meeting, she wished to be as far away from the girl as possible.

"Alex, you got your knife on you? I think you can handle the other ladies and I'll just go be intimidating with Nathan over here," Marya shot the question to Alex whom she knew probably would come prepared for danger. He was quite good at being prepared. It made him tons more reliable than anyone here including herself. She wasn't allowed to let them split up and have one group defenseless, however. Chase looked like a guy, but Marya wasn't sure if the girl could actually fight like one. Pairing up with Nathan was overkill. She knew that she and him would be perfectly fine. The others...well, their safety was a tad more questionable. And THAT was granted they even ran into trouble out here in the first place which Marya figured would probably be best if they didn't. Some clues would be perfectly fine, however. Sort of the thing she was expecting at this point.

[CodastertheDisaster]

Alex smothered a laugh at Sophie, looking to the ground to hide his smirk. When he regained his serious expression, he nodded at Marya, whipping the blade out of his pocket. It wasn't necessarily anything special, just a simple folding knife with a half-serrated edge, about 7 inches in length when open. Not exactly a viking longsword, but it would get the job done if he were to be tackled by something. He made sure to keep the edge razor-sharp, just in case.
"So it'll be the three of us," he said, motioning with his head to the girls standing behind him, "And you two? Sounds good to me. Buzz me if anything comes up."
He took a few steps forward, shooting Sophie a glare. "So how do you expect me to look around if I have to carry you?" he asked, his tone carrying a subtle edge. "It isn't my fault you hurled your shoes in the lake. And if you knew you were going to be walking around, why wear them? Marya is short and she doesn't wear heels. Being short isn't a bad thing," he added with a sigh. "So be it. You can thank me later," he grumbled walking over to her and waiting for her to hop on his back. He shot a look at Marya, showing at how exasperated he felt towards the girl he was going inevitably going to become a manservant to for the day. At least it would pay off if they found something cool...
With the girl on his back, he nodded at Chase and began to walk towards the left side of the lake. "You two take the right side." It wasn't a surprise that Alex chose the left; he often did, probably on account of his dominant hand. It led to a few predictable situations, especially in Role-Playing Games. He always had traps set up for him.

[Book the Hero]

Well then, it looked like he was teaming up Marya, which was more then fine with him, seeing as she was one of the people who he could get along with best, and the fact that she was probably the best person around to have watch your back.

Nathan was attracted to the girl, not only with appearance, though he did ogled at her on occasion, but also the tough personality that came with it, that said she wasn't going to take shit from anyone. But he recognized that she obviously wasn't interested in dating. It was too bad, but he'd have to deal. He was fine with just hanging out with her and the rest of the group.

"Come on, let's get going." Nathan said to Marya, turning around to begin checking out the right side of the lake.

[Shadoe Mayari]

Chase rolled her eyes in annoyance. Why the fucking 'ell is that brat along for the ride, anyway? She stuffed her hands back in her pockets, fingering a smooth, sharp rock. Oh, how she was tempted, but she'd have to deal with it for now. Maybe later, when there's less witnesses.
She sighed, before forcing on a smile. "So I guess I'm with Werewolf and the brat here, right? I can deal with that." This is gonna be fun, she could feel it. Although she really despised the idea of working with Sophie, Alex's presence alleviated the frustration. He was a pretty chill guy, and Chase felt comfortable around him. Then again, she feels better when she was around any of her guy friends.
She couldn't help but chuckle when Sophie climbed onto Alex's back. "Hope ya keep up, 'cause I ain't waitin' for ya if you fall behind." She laughed before leading them, keeping an eye out for anything sharp and shiny.

[Rose Hathaway]

Sophie happily climbed up on Alex's back, her bare feet swinging from his waist. "I wore the shoes because they are pretty. I like being pretty. Looking this gorgeous is really a challenge. You'd be surprised. And adding the height of a heel makes me look like a model, which is always good." she said with a satisfied yet smug grin.

She turned to Chase with a snarky look on her face now. "The proper term is princess, not brat. I think you should learn that quickly, you peasant." Sophie had a dark tone to her voice now, edged with a bit of snob. God she hated Chase. She got so annoying and rude.

[Masquerade]

Marya caught Alex's gaze and just waved her hand dismissively at him, an aloof look upon her face. She did feel sorry for the fellow. If he just asked, she would have been more than pleased to knock Sophie out for him, but that didn't seem to be a very valid option at the moment. The group of three meandered off. Alex was in for a wonderful time. While they explored the left side of the lake, it seemed she and Nathan were supposed to scope out the right. She had no objections to that and departed the deck with Nathan, heading in the opposite direction of Alex and the others. Eventually they'd meet up if they went around in a complete circle, but that would probably take a while. They really needed a day of no school to get this investigation done.

"All right, so what're the odds of us running into some unruly psychopath who likes to get his rocks off to teenagers?" Marya shot lightheartedly to her rather tall companion as she strolled along keeping her eyes peeled, her hands clenched into fists and tucked into her pockets. Her reflexes were peak. Nothing was going to catch her by surprise without her body reacting swiftly to whatever the hell it was that had enough balls to jump her. Whatever balls it had, she would be sure to remove with a deft ass-kicking. She hoped it was nothing but a psychopath, but there was always the chance that things could get...paranormal. She had a friend who was really into cryptozoology and some other weird shit; he could go on and on and on about weird creatures found in urban myths. What if this was one of those things? The results of a scuffle with a beast of legend would be...intriguing, to say the absolute least.

[Book the Hero]

"Not sure." Nathan said to his companion. "But if we do run into one, I'm taking them down." He said, cracking his knuckles, as he scanned the area. First thing to do was circle around the lake, keeping an eye out for anything strange, and met up with the others, at the other end of the lake. Simple, really.

But something in his gut told him that things wouldn't be that simple. It was as if something in the back of his mind was screaming at him to take everyone, and get the fuck out of there. But he just ignored it. Whatever it was, he was certain he and Marya could handle it.

[Shadoe Mayari]

Chase growled incoherently and turned her iPod on to drown her out. If there was a monster out here, she'll throw Sophie at it and run. And then maybe the monster will kill itself after listening to her talk for a minute. That'll solve their problems. She chuckled at the thought. If only it could be that easy.
She found herself staring up into the cloudy sky, wishing for it to rain. It'd be awesome, running through a heavy downpour. The others may disagree with her, but missed frolicking in the rain and playing in the mud when she was a kid. All of these happy thoughts were starting to distract her from the situation. Oh, what her iPod can do to her.

[Masquerade]

Marya allowed herself an almost sinister grin at the thought of crashing a fist into some psycho's face. "Make sure you leave some for me," she spoke up in a joking manner, though she was definitely serious about it. If there really was something out there, she wanted to get her licks in because some of her own acquaintances had disappeared at the hands of whatever dwelt near this particular lake. The police hadn't found anything yet, and she wondered if the motley group of high school students would fare any better. She figured it was all about differing perceptions and psychological mumbo jumbo which she had been force-fed ever since she started having mental problems herself. Yeah, psychology was interesting, but there was only so much one person could take on a daily basis, and her limit had been reached for the day with that single thought.

She continued to march along. The day was most likely bound to stay chill throughout. The breeze was still as calm as it was when she arrived along with the other stragglers. She couldn't wait for things to get colder so she could blow Alex's mind some more. For the past two years, she had not donned a single pair of long pants, even when the weather was unfavorable. There was fire in her blood; she was pretty sure of it. More than sure. "You know, I kinda hope that something crazy happens," Marya admitted somewhat sheepishly. "It's like...my weird psychotic dreams would be validated--like they...I don't know..." her voice trailed off, her last words falling upon the crisp air.

"Like maybe what happened in my mind over the past two years...could actually happen in real life."

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