Day 2
Arida, Arenico
de Mon Castle Grounds

Vange actually laughed. The very thought of it all was absurd. "So you're like a magician? Only it's actually...magic." Vange nodded, looking away and trying to hide a smirk. "There wasn't anything in my food at dinner, was there?"

Day 2: Arida: de Mon Castle

Candi's face froze for a moment as the sudden realization washed over her.

"No, no, there wasn't anything in the food..." she paused. "I'm....a witch?"

Candi shook her head. It hadn't quite struck her before that she was playing with something otherworldly. Then she grinned. She had always been slightly otherworldly. Was not Crummella, her heroine, a devil in disguise? Of course. She could get used to this, despite the social stigma against witches. And beside, she told herself, she wasn't a REAL witch. It wasn't like she trained for it. It had just happened. She could become greater than her heroine. Little girls would look up to her until long after she was gone...for that matter, why should she ever die? Candi began to want to test her abilities, but decided against trying to convince Vange to be a guinea pig for a second time today.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners? If you have no more questions, I shall take my leave so you can refresh yourself in private. That door leads the the bathroom. The water should be working, if it is not, there is a bell rope by the light switch. One of the girls will come up to fix it. Everything should run fine, I've seen to that."

Candi smiled, kindly for once.

"I wish I could do more to make you comfortable."

Day 2
Arida, Arenico
de Mon Castle Grounds

Vange shook her head again. "This is crazy." She looked at Candi. "But yet it happened..."

She looked towards the bathroom that Candi motioned to and nodded. "Thanks." She picked up the clothes and said, "If you're going back to Christopher, I'd keep an extra cautious eye open. He's a handful..." She chuckled as she switched on the light to the bathroom and shut the door.

Day 2: Arida
Outside the Convent

Allee nodded briefly, licking her lips and laughing dryly. "It's about the only thing I remember from that class."

Allee bit her lip, concentrating hard on getting the girl onto the chair. She felt like she could finally exhale when their endeavors were successful. For the minutes after, she focused on breathing, watching as Xandria wiped her forehead. "Yeah... let's get her back and hope that we can find a doctor who's not occupied taking care of the other injured people here."

She closed her eyes for the briefest moment, wishing that when she opened them the nightmare would go away... but it didn't. The supernova had changed life for them all, whether they liked it or not.

She opened her eyes and looked at Xandria, gearing up for the grueling trip back to the convent. "Let's lift on the count of three. 1... 2... 3!"

--Day 2--
Parksville, Erbaine
Outside Green Hills Highschool

Fred looked at his watch. It was already 3:24 pm... he had been talking with Reggie since yesterday, and still had more to talk of. He found himself a few blocks away from his school- where he had left his flash drive.

The flash drive consisted mainly of just essays and other schoolwork; it also had the occasional code or two that he wanted to save. But it also held Reggie's programming.

Running into the school, he noticed that it was empty- not even the staff were around. Oh well, thought Fred, just means I won't be in trouble for being absent today... Or had school finished already? He had hardly any memory of the preceding days... or weeks, for that matter.

He found his locker, in which his backpack was snugly contained. The inside of his locker was plastered with pictures of Terra... all of which he had cut out her head. After all, he reasoned, I don't want to be too obsessive.

He pulled out his backpack, and immediately began surfing through the books. Pulling each one out, he looked at the bottom of the pack...it wasn't there. Upon looking in the front pocket, he found it.

Fred plugged the USB drive into the back of Reggie's head, and his eyes immediately turned a bright blue, emitting a holographic screen displaying his programming. He then snapped the code into the corner of the screen, and opened up a file search. R:Reggiebotfilescodingcode4.3bin...ah, found it. He snapped that code into a separate corner, and displayed the two at once.

The files that he had programmed alike were completely different. Whatever codes Reggie had now, they were far too advanced for Fred to have programmed---Fred heard a large crash.

Running over to where he had heard the noise, he saw a familiar face- he didn't know her name, but had passed by her in the hallways of the highschool every once in a while. Walking up to her, he asked, "Do you have any idea what is going on? I've been sort of out of the loop... see, there was a little storm of some sort... and I don't know anything else other than that, really."

Day 2: Arida

de Mon Castle

Candi smiled and slipped out of the room, returning to the study in her new, unnoticeable manner. She stood by the fireplace for a few seconds, watching Christopher examine her shelves.

"Enjoy reading, I see?" she finally asked, lighting another cigarette for the cinematic effect.

The Convent

Sister Martina screamed, startling several of the other nuns.

"What is it, Sister? Another spider?" one teased her.

"Oh Lord have mercy, no! Look out the window! Xandria are Allee are bringing...someone....someone hurt very badly. Go get the doctor!"

The sisters ran, one to the doctor, another to go meet the two girls, both of whom were gasping for air.

"One of the Sisters is warning the doctor, come, we must bring her in right away. This way."

"Thanks..." Xandria gasped.

— Day 2, Early Morning —
Palisade National Park
Near Parksville, Erbaine

Previously…

"I'm Jenny, and that's Volt. How come your car's still working?"

“My Daddy can fix anything,” Grace offered in response to Jenny’s question. She was far more interested in the new girl and her dog than the car. “Your doggie is pretty. Can I pet her?”

Angie, meanwhile, watched silently from behind, ready to intervene should it become necessary. Perhaps she was overprotective of her child – and so far she no reason to be suspicious of Jenny or Volt – but better safe than sorry when dealing with strangers.

“I guess I can’t fix everything,” the man finally interjected, sighing as he closed the car’s hood. He walked around and put a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “To answer your question, Jenny, I cheated – found a way to bypass the electronics cars normally run on. It was pure luck, and I’m not sure I can do it again.” He held out a hand to Jenny and smiled. “I’m Dan, by the way, and this is my wife Angie. Grace you’ve already met.”

Angie’s curiosity – and maternal instinct – finally got the best of her and she asked, “Are you here alone?”

— Day 2, Early Morning —
East Parksville Elementary School
Parksville, Erbaine

Brandon Norwood and his wife Gina looked out over the hectic scene in the school cafeteria. Was it only yesterday he’d been the principal here, until the supernova made the day anything but ordinary?

So much had changed so quickly. The school had been forced to close, and the children sent home, when it became clear that none of their high-tech devices would work. Brandon and his family returned to the school that evening; a makeshift shelter had been set up there after fires destroyed much of the surrounding neighborhood.

The room was full of people – crying babies, whimpering toddlers, older kids and teenagers, along with worried adults – all standing in several lines, waiting to receive military-type ready-to-eat meals. All things considered, it was surprisingly orderly; the volunteers handing out the food did their best to smile despite the noise and chaos around them.

“Doesn’t it seem a little odd that we got military rations?” Gina whispered to her husband. Brandon knew that she was occasionally suspicious of the government and the military.

“I’m not so sure,” he replied. “It makes sense that the government would be moving quickly to maintain order, especially if this thing is widespread.”

Gina nodded and returned to her meal, but her expression told Brandon she was still had her doubts.

By now everyone had their meals, and the noise level dropped to the point where snippets of various conversations could be heard.

“– I heard there were earthquakes and hundreds died in falling buildings –“

“– power’s out over the whole country –“

“– no computers or cars work anywhere –“

“– the whole capital was destroyed –“

Gina looked over her family. Their twin girls, Holly and Ivy, were busy eating and talking to each other, but she could tell her husband was, like her, paying close attention to the gossip. But how much could they believe?

The next words sent chills down their spines:

“– The government says some people have radiation poisoning.”

“– Yeah, they’re worried about people getting weird superpowers, like being able to fly –“

“– I’ve seen soldiers here in town; maybe they’re here to look for them –“

Brandon and Gina both had the same thought: Holly’s healing display the night before. Their child might have one of those strange “superpowers,” but so far she showed none of the usual signs of radiation poisoning. True, she might get sick at any time – but Gina still wondered if there wasn’t something more going on behind the scenes. Only time would tell. In the meantime it was more important than ever that Holly’s ability be kept secret.

Day 2
Arida, Arenico
The Convent

Dr. Fitzgerald Wallaby loved popcorn. It was one of his favorite things. He could eat it all day if his assistant, Juliette, would allow him to.

In his bony hands, he held a large, silver bowl full of the fluffy, white snack food as he sat in front of a low table that had a Scrabble board spread across it. Lettered tiles littered the rest of the wooden tabletop.

"Juliette, how do you spell 'smorgasbord'?" Dr. Wallaby asked, picking up a tile with the letter Z on it. Juliette was in the small kitchen, preparing a late dinner for them both.

Day 2, Early Morning, Palisade National Park, Camp Watzmilion

"Her!?!?" said Volt in Domestican, barely stopping himself from speaking human. "Do I look like a girl to you," he asked Candy angrily.

Jenny gestured down the path. "No, I'm with all the others here at the actors camp. Most of them are probably getting supplies from their cabins before the first classes start. And Volt is a boy," she said hearing Volt making a grumbling growl.

Day 2: Aridia
de Mon Castle

"When I have time. If not, I make time..." Christopher said over his shoulder. The smell of burning tobacco was an obvious indication that their host was smoking and probably trying to give off a more impressive appearance than she needed to. Still, it was somewhat charming in it's own way.

"I suppose Vange behaved herself?" The bounty hunter said as he walked over to the fireplace. Christopher quickly realized Candi was not one for the usual "charming" personality. "As for earlier, if my services are needed here, I'll stay. Though, I do need to get back to Erbaine at some point in the future. A matter of payment for a prior job is in the equation."

Christopher stood with his hands in his pockets as he waited for the heiress's response.
-------------------------

Day 2: Burg
Lawrence Manor, 6:35 PM

To say that dinner had so far been uncomfortable would be a massive understatement. Despite the pleasantries expressed upon Selena's arrival to the dinning room, Malcom had mostly kept quite. Occasionally a polite question or comment would be made by either side, but for the most part nothing was said.

After several minutes of idly cutting at his lasagna slice, Malcom finally spoke. "Good grief! I feel like I'm in High School again on a first date..." With that, Lawrence picked up his plate and glass and walked down to where Selena was seated... about eight feet away. "O.K... let's start over, shall we?"

"I never knew we had started..." Selena said with a slight chuckle and a smile. "Alright. Where should we begin?"

"How about at the top? Ahem... Greetings, miss! My name is Malcom Lawrence. Tis a pleasure to meet you." Lawrence said extending his hand. He had said everything so smoothly and without cracking up that it caused Selena to burst out laughing.

"It's a pleasure... my name is.. Selena Browning. Pleasure to..." Selena tried to stop laughing while she shook her hosts hand and introduced herself, but ultimately collapsed into laughter.

Upon the sudden outburst of laughing, Jennings emerged from the kitchen to see what was the matter. After a reassurance from Lawrence that all was well, the butler returned to the kitchen to finish desert.

"... Well, now that we have that out of the way, should we move on to the weather or a Q&A session?" Malcom said after regaining his composure.

"I would actually like to know more about you, where I currently am and how I got here." Selena paused as she took a sip of drink. "So, I guess the latter."

"Very well. I'll try to answer your first two questions at least. I'm Malcom Lawrence, the local billionaire of Burg and its most favored son." With this, Lawrence made a little mock bow. "You are currently in the dining room of my house, or more accurately my mansion, which was built by my great grandfather and has stood the test of time, so far..."

"And how did I get here, if I may ask?" Selena questioned as she finished her food and leaned forward to face her host.

"That... is a bit of a tricky question."

"Why? It should be an easy enough one to answer..." Selena said, slightly puzzled but also a tad miffed.

"Do you remember coming here?" Malcom asked after a short pause.

"Not really... I remember fighting these thugs in an alley then being in a trick or something... then waking up here. Why do ask? Did you drug me or something??" Selena said getting irritated at Malcom dancing around her question.

"No! No! Nothing like that! Its just... well, a bit hard to explain." Lawrence said as he flexed his hands nervously. "I'll try to explain the best I can... You were being taken by government officials to... somewhere. I stopped them and brought you here." Malcom waited for the girl to either slap him or call him a liar or something. Instead, Selena just sat looking at Malcom.

"Are you a...? Nah, you can't be. That would be too weird and crazy. yeah.." Selena quickly trailed off as she took a drink of water.

"Superhuman? Monster? I'm not sure about the first and I know you would get conflicting answers about the latter depending on who you asked..." Lawrence was interrupted for a minute by Jennings bringing out the bowls chocolate ice cream.

"I would be very cautious if I were you, sir..." Jennings said under his breath as he served Malcom the desert before leaving.

"So you are or are not? A superhuman... superman.. thing?" Selena asked before taking a bite of ice cream.

With a sigh, Malcom stood up and grabbed his half full glass of water. "Promise not to go crazy when you see this..."

"I.. promise?" Selena said more than slightly puzzled at her hosts current actions.

"Alright, here it goes..." With a quick flick of the wrist, Malcom sent the glass flying into the air. Selena let out a quick cry as she watched the glass come falling down. Almost at the same instant both Malcom and Selena extended their right hands... though the outcome was quite different for each participant.

The glass itself stopped in mid fall to Malcom's command, however the water in said glass was kept suspended alone in the air by Selena. The girl looked at Lawrence with a combination of amazement and horror crossing her face. Maclom just smiled.

"Soo, we both have a story to tell, eh?"

Day 2
Arida, Arenico
The Convent

Julietta poked her head out of the kitchen as the scent of buttery popcorn filled the room. She glanced at the doctor absentmindedly. "Smorgasbord? Mm... S-M-O-R--"

The microwave beeped mid-sentence, and she reached inside and pulled out the popcorn bag. She set it down on the counter and let it steam, reaching up in the cupboard for a bowl to dump it in. This was where the fact that she was vertically challenged came into play. Her fingertips brushed the edge of the bowl as she pulled it towards her. Somehow, the forces of gravity turned against her, and the bowl fell to the floor, shattering in a thousand pieces.

She barely missed getting hit by the pieces of broken glass, and as soon as the crashing sound had faded away, she heard the ominous clanging sound of the doorbell. The only problem was that she was surrounded in piles of broken glass. Ah, well. She knew just the man for the job. "Romano!" she yelled. "Get the door!"

Day 2: Arida

de Mon Castle

As Chris turned around, Candi felt something strange--a feeling she had never felt before, except maybe about some favored furs. Her heart fluttered. This dude was kinda cute...what WAS she thinking? Candi blinked, momentarily dazed by this odd composition of feeling. She smiled shyly up at Christopher.

"Oh, Vange is fine. She and my Persian had a little run in, but that's okay, the cat is usually a very fickle little being. She's getting cleaned up right now...." Candi trailed off, then finally turned away and settled crosslegged in a chair. "Tell me a bit about yourself, and this...wildfire you seem to have collected. Your real self, too."

The Convent

"What am I, the butler?" Romano snorted, carefully removing his gloves and tossing them into the trash. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

The tall dark haired man strode down the hall and opened up the door.

"Ah! Good afternoon sister...err..I'm sorry, I don't know your name?" He queried.

"Doesn't matter," she gasped. "You have an emergency patient coming, right now."

"Hey, Doc," Romano called over his shoulder. "Clean up, I'll go get the surgical suite ready. Thanks, Sis. Come in and have a cup of iced tea? I'm sure Julietta could help you with that."

Day 2
Arida, Arenico
The Convent

"Holy shenanigans, Jo-Ann! What is going on in there?" Dr. Wallaby asked, looking up and squinting. He stood, setting the bowl on the couch beside him. His light blue slippers whispered along the floor as he made his way toward the kitchen. "What were you doing in here? Having a tea party on the ceiling?"

He observed the pieces. "I'll get the sweeper..." Dr. Wallaby turned on his heels and walked toward a closet. He opened it and a roll of toilet paper fell on him. "Romano! What did I tell you about stacking the wiping rolls properly? Now just look at this mess!" With his white hand, he motioned to the single roll of paper that sat on the carpeted floor. He sighed and tried 3 times to pick it up, successfully grabbing it on the third. Placing it back on the shelf, he grabbed the broom, walked back to Julietta and handed it to her. "Here you go, Janice."

By this time, Romano had opened the door and he could hear a young woman's voice, but he couldn't see anyone in front of Romano. "Romano! What did I tell you about mimicking women? It's very bad for the image!"

At the mention of surgical gloves, Dr. Wallaby looked around. "Where did I put those...? He walked off, looking for them. "Ah, yes. They're behind the macaroni salad. Juanita, can you please reach for the latex hand coverings? They're behind the macaroni salad in the ice box."

--Day 2--
Parksville, Erbaine
Green Hills Highschool

To Catherine's great surprise, when she looked up, she saw a kid her age. Apparently everyone hadn't left. She knew his name: Fred. "I don't know," She said, trying to keep her voice steady. "The lights went off and I blacked out during the assembly." She smiled weakly. "Everyone else is gone."

The building suddenly trembled, as though it were made of fabric. Cat's eyes snapped away from Fred and to the walls around them. Dust was trickling down the walls at the corners. "I think," She said, "I think we should get out of here!"

Without waiting for a reply, Cat tried to run, tripped over her own feet, made a hasty recovery, and bolted down the hallway.

— Day 2, Early Morning —
Palisade National Park
Near Parksville, Erbaine

Previously…

"...And Volt is a boy," she said hearing Volt making a grumbling growl.

“Sorry,” Grace whispered nervously, taking a step away from the growling dog. She was relieved to feel her mother’s hand on her shoulder.

“She’s just used to her own dog being a girl,” Angie explained. “No harm done, I hope?”

Candy, meanwhile, didn’t reply to Volt’s inquiry except to issue a low growl of her own, ready to protect her humans if necessary. Angie noticed this and immediately called Candy to her side. Hesitantly, the dog obeyed, but kept wary eyes on Jenny and Volt.

Angie’s maternal instinct was satisfied to hear that Jenny was here with others, and it seemed she had a defender in Volt as well.

Dan, meanwhile, couldn’t hide his curiosity, and peppered Jenny with questions. “Our car and phones and such don’t work, because of the supernova. Is anything working here? Has anyone here heard anything more about the supernova’s effects, or any news from the outside? We’ve been camping for a few days, so we’re hungry for any news at all, especially about what’s happening down in Parksville.”

“That’s where we live,” Grace piped up.