Where'd you go?

[Undine]

Lucette Alexandra Blake, or Lucy as she preferred to be called, was considered to be the almost distinct opposite from her sister; aside from her outstanding marks in all the subjects she took. No, the Blake sisters were quite remarkable when it came to grades but their personalities were so very different. An extremely introverted individual, Lucy avoided social events in high school and went out for the symphony orchestra program. She had very few friends and chose not to talk very much with her mother and father; Deep conversations were only exchanged between sisters and that had suddenly been swept away.

If anything, her anti-social tendencies had only become more prominent the time they had been separated. Lucy was never really informed with all that had happened; All the youngest Blake sister knew was what the news had told her and what her parents confided, which wasn't much. After a while, she stopped attending practices and burying herself in the homework that they used to do together only made it worse. It was like...

It was like she had lost her only real friend but she knew that wherever Jacinda was that she was making new ones by the ton. She was always clever and charming like that. She had to endeavor to be more like that.

"Hey Lucy, you're smart and kind of cute, right? I think my parents would be okay with someone like that. Why don't we go out on a date? I heard you like japanese food..."

If anyone asked Lucy, she was quite certain that that was the silliest reason one could give for wanting to go out on a date. No one ever asked though and she found that if she kept making up excuses as to why not to go that she'd never get over the whole anti-social thing. So she told Jeremy Anderson, the star football player...

"Sure, why not?" He seemed genuinely pleased with her answer and she told him about the little place that was right close to her house. Friday night, the little booth in the back. Lucy even wore a dress that night and put her hair up for this little breakaway. Imagine how surprised she was when he arrived thirty minutes late with his arm slung around the lead cheerleader's, Sasha's, neck.

-------

"Well, looky there, Sasha. They even hire geeks to keep our seats warm." Jeremy chuckled ruthlessly, hugging his make-up slathered prep closer to his broad chest.

"How nice of them. We're here now, though. She can move..." Sasha replied, sticking her thumb towards the door.

Lucette stood rigidly, keeping her viridian colored eyes locked upon them both. Her fist clenched by her side and she enjoyed watching the uncertainty coat their obnoxiously perfect features. She longed to pick up the pot of green tea and chuck it at Jeremy's head and spill soy sauce down the front of Sasha's white evening dress that looked far better than her blue one.

But that just wasn't Lucy.

Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and shifted passed them. Once outside, she turned down the road that would lead her home and began trudging. About five steps in, it started to rain a bit. She was going to suppose that it couldn't get any worse, but it always could. It always did.

Stopping at a small bench that was placed near the sign indicating a bus stop, she folded her willowy hands in her lap and stared down at them thoughtfully.

"Why Lucy... how incredibly stupid of you..."

[Undine]

There were very few modern day fads that Lucy Blake allowed herself to take part in; Music was one of them. Nothing like rap, country, or heavy metal; those things she just couldn't comprehend really. An illegitimate masterpiece performed by a relatively unknown artist was something that moved her otherwise stagnant soul. The rain, she realized, was very much like the music she adored. Steady droplets bounced tenderly from different inorganic objects to bring about a glistening concerto that was quite calming, just like the horse hair bow on the gut strings of a cello.

For several hours, she lost herself in the sound and relied solely upon that individual sense. Sight became obsolete as gold tipped lashes fell over glazed ocean-hue eyes and her skin became numb to the frigid breaths of air. For the duration of that time, she didn't care to recall what happened at the Japanese restaurant with Jeremy, nor did she mourn the unknown fate that had befallen her sister. Was it so radical, wanting to have a moment to herself? No doubt, Mr. and Mrs. Blake would have some harsh words for their youngest when she finally dragged herself away from the bench.

The hard panels came back to her first, the uneven craft of the timber digging into the flesh of her backside. Her arms and legs felt as though they were being stabbed by tiny pins; at the same time the sensation was almost replenishing. Sucking in a breath, she sent her eyes crashing open. Her hands twitched in her lap and she cast a glance down at them.

All the breath left her in a mighty rush. She opened her mouth to speak but found that no words would come forth. Silently, she screamed and her mind recoiled violently. Her hands, pale as snow, were scaled over and naturally engraved with patterns that reminded her of the rolling waves of the ocean. What was she thinking! This wasn't natural!

Launching herself off of the bench, she stumbled into the middle of the street. Her legs, her arms, everything was the same! What was happening to her? Before she could dwell on it any further, or panic anymore, her ivory dermis was bathed in yellow luminance. Eyes that had bled crimson took in the vehicle rapidly approaching as anyone might.

NO!

Tendrils of water, swollen by the bountiful rain that assailed the earth, snaked around her body and struck the hood of the car. It served franticly, crashing into the nearby bus sign after plowing through the bench she had been sitting on. The majestic torrents of liquid and fear did not hesitate there, however; Fences, homes, and other cars lining the street also felt the bite of them. Another wordless cry rattled through her mind before she turned and fled.

-------

A steady trickle of water cascaded before her face but the location she had chosen to sleep in remained quite dry. Scaled limbs had slowly reverted back to normal and she was fortunate that tears did not activate the mutation as the rains had; she had cried her share into the wee hours of the morning.

I can't go home... I can't go home...

She had run so long; she didn't even know where home was. From what she could surmise, she had tucked herself under the awning of a business that had closed a long time ago.

What .. should I do...?

[Justinian Janvrin]

"That was so cool!" the little girl piped as she danced around the much slower man on the sidewalk. The man laughed. The girl hummed as she spun around on her "tippy toes", and moved further away from the man, until she could no longer be seen. And then, suddenly, she stopped humming.

"Frances," Justinian called. "Come back where I can see you!"

"Justinian, c'mere!" she called back. He breathed a sigh of relief. "There's a girl here!"

Justinian blinked and followed the direction where her voice came from. The second he came up, the little girl, Frances, ran up to him and grabbed his hand. Justinian glanced at the dilapidated awning. He sighed, having at first though it had been a homeless person. But seeing the admittedly pretty girl, Justinian grumbled as he slowly walked toward her.

"Hey," he said, lightly poking her on her arm. "You awake?"

[Undine]

Lucy had heard the young girl approaching but rather than reacting properly, her body had seized up. Completely unnecessary, it wasn't as if she still looked as she had. Maybe it had all been a dream? Either way, now was not the time to ponder such things; she had people to contend with.

Flinching when the man poked her arm, first observing him through lowered lashes, she managed to squeak out. "I'm awake..!" Before shoving back further into her shelter. Mother and father had told her time and time again about strangers and she had already spoken to them; way to break the rules! The presence of the young girl seemed to calm some of her nerves though.

"It was raining quite alot and I... lost my way home."