Some are Monsters

Tristan frowned. "Monsters?"

Jared shrugged. "I know it sounds crazy, but that's what I see."

"What kind of monsters?"

"Things you'd expect from fairy tales. Occasionally from nightmares. They show up everywhere, but no one else can see them. I thought I was crazy, except--"

"Except someone who thinks they're crazy, isn't."

"Yeah. So I shut my mouth and tried to ignore them."

Tristan nodded. "I understand. I can see a kind of aura around people. Only some people, though. You and me, for example. I think the aura means we're different."

Jared glanced around. "Who else is...different?"

"Destiny and Blair. A few others. I'm not good with names."

"But not many?"

"Not many that I've seen." He slung his bag over his shoulder again. "Let's go to lunch. Maybe I'll see some more."

Jared nodded and started walking with him. "So we can see things."

"Different things, but yeah."

"You think the others see things too?"

"I'm not sure. Yesterday, when Destiny and Blair were talking, Blair said she was different. I think she would have said she could see things if she did."

"You could be wrong."

"Yeah. I could." Something occurred to him. "Destiny's starting up a study group."

"I know, she's already talked to me about it."

"Did you accept?"

"I said I'd think about it, why?"

"I only started seeing auras after I saw her. I think she might have triggered it."

"Intentionally?"

Tristan sighed. "I don't know. There are over a thousand puzzle pieces, and I've only got a handful."

Jared shrugged again. "Don't let it bother you. I started seeing monsters after almost getting killed by one, so it's probably just a general trigger."

Tristan looked at him, startled. "You almost got killed?"

"Yeah. It looked like some sort of dragon-squid hybrid. With rabies. Maybe later I'll show you the scars."

"I'm good, thanks. So these things are dangerous?"

"Some of them. Some are actually pretty nice. Still, you don't know until you've seen them a few times. I mean, I thought these big wingless dragons were violent and somewhat evil because they kept killing these small, monkey-like things without any sort of provocation. As it turned out, the monkey-things' favorite food is young wingless dragon, hatched or not, and they reproduce at lightspeed. The dragons killed as many monkeys as they could to protect their kids."

"So they're also intelligent."

"Again, some of them. Some are dumber than rocks. A few even look like rocks."

"I think we're getting off-topic."

"I'm serious. There are three living in the geology classroom. I picked one up by mistake last year and it bit me. Miss Charleston still doesn't know why I suddenly started bleeding in the middle of rock classification."

"Ouch."

"Yeah."

"So you see monsters, and I see--" He did a double take. "More than I thought. What's that?"

Chemistry

Tristan had always found chemistry class easy enough, but the timing seemed a little inappropriate. Mixing strange chemicals right before lunchtime didn't appeal to him or any other student, but they put up with it. The friendly Mr. Stevens did his best to make the subject entertaining, and achieved such great success that competition was fierce when the time came to choose new classes.

Today, though, Tristan couldn't focus on the lesson. Not only were Destiny, Jared, and Blair different, a few other students were too. In Spanish class, it was a redhead Tristan knew by his reputation for mischief only. A black-haired senior intent on texting her friends had distracted him from calculus. Now, in chemistry, it was Jared and the redhead's little sister, a cute kid who, unlike some freshmen, actually paid attention to Mr. Stevens' lecture.

Tristan fingered the small, folded square in his pocket. It held the descriptions of these people, though not their names, and he had every intention of tracking them down later. They were different. He was different. There had to be a reason, even if he didn't know it yet.

The bell rang and the class surged to its feet, gathering backpacks and chatting with friends. Tristan hurried to put his things away, glancing up to see Jared approach Mr. Stevens. Good. They'd be some time. Tristan ducked out into the hallway and leaned casually against the wall, waiting. Finally the sophomore walked out into the hall, and Tristan fell into step beside him. "Hi, Jared."

Jared looked up, startled. "Oh, um, hi Tristan."

"How've you been?" This felt so weird. Small talk wasn't one of Tristan's skills.

It wasn't one of Jared's either. "Um, good. You?"

"Good."

Silence fell. Finally Jared said, "Tristan? Why are you suddenly talking to me?"

"I was wondering if you've been feeling normal."

"I told you, I'm good."

"That's not what I asked. Do you feel normal?"

"I don't understand."

They turned a corner and Tristan shoved his hands in his pockets, thinking. Finally he said, "You know Destiny Hunt?"

"Yeah, I met her yesterday. She seems nice."

Sure she did. "What about Blair Ross?"

"We have Latin together." Jared shifted his backpack to a more comfortable position. "Why?"

Tristan sighed and just got to the point. "They're not normal. Neither are we. Neither are some other students. I don't know how, I don't know why. All I know is that we're...different."

"Everyone's different, when you get down to it." Jared shrugged. "Life would be pretty boring if we weren't."

"I know, but that's not what I mean. I mean we're really different."

Jared sighed. "Okay. How?"

"I told you, I don't know yet. Maybe it's something we have, something we are, something we can do, I don't know. It bugs me that I can't figure it out." He glanced up and frowned. "Jared? Is something wrong?"

Jared rubbed an arm. "I...see things. Things no one else can see."

Tristan stood straighter. "Auras?"

Jared shook his head. "Monsters."

a Study Group?

Tristan sat at his seat and pulled out his notes, trying to conceal his anxiety. He'd gone to the library earlier, but hadn't seen Blair. That didn't mean anything, and he was prepared to wait until after school to see if she was okay, but that wasn't worrying him. No, what worried him was the simple fact that first period was history.

"Morning, Tristan."

He looked up. "Oh. Good morning, Destiny."

She sat next to him with a smile. "I'm starting up a study group at my place. Wanna come?"

He looked at the notebook again. "Um, not sure. Who'll be there?"

"Well, I already asked Blair, and she agreed. I'm going to ask Jared later, and there're a few other students I want to talk to." She shrugged. "You're good at schoolwork. Having you there would really help everyone out."

"Um, I can't." Not until he knew what happened to Blair.

"Why not?"

"I have things to do."

She frowned. "Really? What kind of things?"

BBBRRRIIINNNGGG!!! Literally, saved by the bell.

Mr. Richards stood, immediately commanding their attention. Destiny prepared to take notes, a slight frown on her face. He had...refused. She hadn't foreseen his refusal. Now what should she do?

Wednesday Morning

Tristan dried his hair roughly, whistling. He felt great. He'd woken early, the water was warm, and nothing could ruin his--

He glanced at the mirror and frowned. His reflection was blurring, and not from the steam. He leaned closer, squinting to get a better look.

"Tristan! Breakfast is ready!"

With one last look at the mirror, Tristan left the bathroom and got dressed.

__________

He ruffled his little sister's hair as he walked into the dining room. "Morning, Liz."

She smoothed the short, straight strands and glared at him. "Tristan!"

He just chuckled and sat at the table. Eliza was a cute little ten-year-old, with sky-blue eyes and fair skin that made her bright red hair look that much brighter. Some of her classmates had made fun of her once or twice, but in her case, the stereotypes about redheads were completely true. Now no one made fun of her hair or anything else, and everyone was better off for it.

Then Tristan blinked and looked closer. Was she...different? The aura was very slight, almost nonexistent, and he couldn't confirm whether or not she'd changed. There wasn't anything unusual about her, but there hadn't been anything unusual about Jared or Blair either.

"Tristan, what're you looking at?"

He shook it off. "Nothing. How'd you sleep?"

She shrugged. "Okay. You?"

Another frown. The faintest wisps of a dream lingered in the back of his mind, but no matter what he did, it refused to leave him alone or let him remember. "Okay, I guess."

"Good morning!" his mother said, walking out of the kitchen. Emily Young looked like Liz, with the same red hair and blue eyes, but while the daughter was stubborn and short-tempered, the mother was cheerful and accommodating. She put a plate on the table in front of her son. "Hurry and eat, or you'll both be late!"

"Yeah Mom."

"Sure Mom."

the Dream

Tristan lay in the darkness of his room, still trying to figure out what was happening. His mind had been churning all day, through homework and dinner and everything else. He knew that Destiny, Blair, and Jared were different. He also knew that Destiny had taken Blair somewhere, but that was all he knew. He didn't have enough pieces to finish the puzzle, and it frustrated him.

Finally he decided to just wait. If Blair wasn't in school tomorrow, he'd know something was wrong. If she was, he'd try to talk to her. He knew Destiny wouldn't talk to him, but maybe Blair would.

Satisfied, he rolled over and in moments had fallen asleep.

__________

He walked down the street of an unfamiliar city, warm sun beating down on his head. A quick scan of the street told him that the team was still around, blending into the crowd so well only he could see them. They'd spent all their lives training for such a hunt, and they did their training proud.

He glanced at the girl walking beside him. The culling process back at the Citadel may have left them with only the best warriors, but he didn't know those warriors. He only knew her.

She felt his eyes and turned to give him a reassuring smile. She'd had no problem trusting the others, but for all he knew she'd grown up with them. "Don't worry so much. Everything's going to be fine."

"I just don't want to hit my head again," he lied.

"The zorn-dust caused that paroxysm, it won't happen again. See anything?"

"Well, the guy trying to bilk Wolfe talks to birds, but that's it."

"I'll get his name. Keep looking, they're around here somewhere."

"I know they're around here somewhere," he muttered after she left. "Otherwise we wouldn't have been sent here." He looked around again, sighed, and kept walking.

Without any sort of warning a rock dropped into the pit of his stomach, and the world spun around him uncontrollably. He stumbled to a storefront and leaned against it, trying not to lose the lunch he never ate. The girl shook his shoulder and tried to talk to him, but he couldn't hear her over the screams resounding in his ears. He bit his tongue against a scream of his own as an echo of agony rippled through his body. Someone--an empath. An empath was being hurt and she was calling for help the only way she could.

He pushed himself off the wall and looked towards the cry. The source was a tall office building, no different from any of the others in the city, and one he'd already dismissed. But now he could see the darkness exuding from the windows, a thick sludge of pain and suffering three blocks away. He shivered, wondering how he could have missed it before. "That one."

The girl followed his gaze. "You're sure?"

"Yeah. It's that one."

She nodded. "Then it's time."

__________

The dream faded into darkness, and when Tristan woke the next morning he barely remembered it at all.

In the Library

Tristan opened the door and looked around. The library was fairly empty, the quiet murmur of students and the dry rustling of pages a pleasant backdrop of sound. Tristan liked the library, and often spent his afternoons in it, but he didn't plan on doing any actual reading today.

He walked to a shelf and pulled off a book, looking at the pages without seeing them. His hazel eyes scanned the aisles, searching for anyone who could be described as a "blonde pixie". Short and thin, he guessed, with short hair and maybe green eyes...

And there she was, pushing a full library cart. While her sprite-like appearance seemed to suggest a cheerful or even frivolous nature, her demeanor was sober and shy, eyes fastened firmly on the books as she put them away. The same thing around Destiny and Jared was in equal evidence around the freshman, an aura more felt than seen.

Blair turned a corner, heading for the fiction section. Tristan almost followed, but something made him take a step back instead. A moment later, Destiny appeared and started to browse. Tristan watched her deliberate movements, and knew she was here for more than a little light reading.

Tristan meandered a few aisles closer, making the movement as casual as possible. Destiny reached the blonde girl and murmured something that made Blair glance up sharply, then return to her work with a forced nonchalance. Tristan moved closer, and heard Blair mutter, "You know nothing about me."

"I know you're different," Destiny replied.

Blair's voice lowered further. "Yeah. I'm different."

There was a small smile in Destiny's voice. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Blair shook her head and walked away. Destiny followed, eyes fixed on the shelves and the books they held. When she spoke again, it was outside Tristan's hearing, and he just knew they would hear him if he went any closer. He scowled, but there wasn't anything he could do but watch and wait.

They kept talking as Blair worked, and eventually came to an agreement. Destiny pulled a book off a shelf and walked to the check-out counter. Blair finished shelving and returned the cart to its place. The two girls grabbed their backpacks and left together, Destiny leading the way with quick strides.

The door closed, and Tristan shut the book with a snap and a sigh. So much for today's answers.

Lunchtime

The next time he saw her was at lunch. She was sitting by herself at the base of a tree, poring over the notes he'd given her. As it turned out, they were taking a lot of the same classes, though at different times.

Destiny was...interesting. She was as serious about class work as he, though she wasn't sure what she wanted to do after high school and college. When he'd asked, she'd blown it off with something about being satisfied to survive the day. Not a view he agreed with--or understood--but he respected her opinion.

He walked over, lunch tray in hand. She looked up and smiled. "Hi, Tristan."

"Hi, Destiny." He sat next to her. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Not hungry." She shrugged and changed the subject. "You take good notes."

"Thanks." He took a bite of his lunch, cafeteria spaghetti. "Made any friends yet?"

"Hm." She tilted her head to the side, thinking. "Well, I met a freshman named Blair and a sophomore named Jared. They're pretty nice."

Tristan frowned. "Jared Ferrell? Brown hair, kind of short?"

"That's him."

"I think I've seen him around." Just last period, in fact. Tristan had never really noticed Jacob before, but during chemistry he couldn't help it. The same thing that made Destiny different was affecting Jared. "Maybe I should meet Blair. You said she's a freshman?"

Neither her tone nor her expression changed, but something told Tristan that his words had made her nervous. Very nervous indeed. "Yeah, but maybe you shouldn't. She's afraid of her own shadow, there's no telling how she'll react to you."

"What're you worried about?" He kept his eyes on the tray. "I'm not scary."

"No, you're not, but she wouldn't talk to me for the first half of the period."

"I still don't see why I can't talk to her."

Destiny rolled her eyes. "Fine. You want to meet her, then find her. She looks like a blonde pixie and usually hides out in the library." She stood and picked up her bag. "I have to go find my next class. Later, Tristan."

She left, leaving Tristan to wonder just what Destiny Hunt was trying to hide.

First Encounters

He first saw her almost three days ago. Though not exactly where things had gone wrong, it seemed to be where those things had begun. Before then, he hadn't seen any other weird things. Before then, he'd been just a normal guy.

His name was Tristan Young. He was seventeen years old, with curly black hair that was forever falling into his hazel eyes. He was a good student, kind of quiet and distant. He focused on his studies to the exclusion of almost everything else, with the goal of being a lawyer in mind. He'd been that way for years, but not forever. He just didn't care to socialize, and could usually be found reading over his notes before a class, instead of talking and joking like the rest of his peers.

Tuesday was no different. It was first period, and though class wouldn't start for another seven or eight minutes, Tristan was ready to take notes on the lecture of the day. He shut out the noise of everyone else as he always did, but for some reason he heard the door open. He glanced up, took note of the slender girl that walked in, then returned to his notes. She was unfamiliar, but there wasn't anything unusual about that. For all he knew, they'd been going to the same school since the seventh grade.

Then he frowned and looked up again. She was talking to the teacher, again not unusual, but there was something different about her. Something he couldn't put his finger on. It was a kind of...aura? Was that the right word for it?

She shook the teacher's hand, and he could have sworn something passed through the contact. She tossed her thick, golden-brown braid over her shoulder and met his eyes, green-gold to hazel. She walked to his table and said, "Hi. My name's Destiny. Destiny Hunt. Mr. Richards said you'd be able to help me catch up."

He blinked and shook it off. "Um, yeah. What've you missed?"

"I just transferred here, actually. I'd be grateful for any help you can give me." Destiny smiled, a small grin that made him smile too.

"Sure. Got some time?"

"Nothing but." She sat in the chair next to him and put her bag on the floor. Something on her forehead glinted, but before Tristan could take another look she said, "Where should we start?"

Prologue

He stumbled over another root and asked, "Why are we going through the park again?"

"Just keep following me" was the answer.

"I can't follow you, I can't see! And where are we going?"

His guide stopped and gave a frustrated sigh. "We're going to my house. It's the closest entrance, and we're using the shortest path."

"Entrance to where?"

"Just follow me." She started moving again, and he groaned as he tried to figure out where, exactly, things had gone wrong.

the Rules

1. No hatefulness. No exceptions.
2. No inappropriate language or content.
3. Arguing is allowed, as long as it remains fairly impersonal.
4. I reserve the right to change the rules at any time.
5. I reserve the right to change the posts at any time.

I recognize that I've used a lot of big words in these rules.
Not knowing what these words mean isn't an excuse.
After all, I've got a nice link that will tell you what they mean.