Day 1
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
One minute before the Supernova

After all of his students left, it was quite quiet in the room. Doctor Dreyman put a messy stack of papers in order and then looked around, his mind moving quickly as his hands worked. What if the supernova was going to happen today? What if that tingling had been radiation? He hoped absently that he hadn't gotten radiation poisoning, and then turned over Liam and Laramie's quick turnaround in his head. What about that? It had been so easy to persuade them...so easy to avoid a fight.

He was sitting on the armrest of his chair and now looked around the empty room as he thought, replaying the events of the class. Then his eyes were hurt as the light flared and he knew that his suspicions had been right; the supernova was today.

He dove under his desk, which was made of strong iron and bolted to the ground due to his personal preference, and pulled in the chair behind him like a door.

Then the world broke apart. Explosions, things falling, loud noises, destruction everywhere. Lewis shut his eyes tightly. Please be over soon...

Day 1
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
One minute before the Supernova

"I made it!" Leon let out another cough before grinning at his sucess. He didn't have a very good car, so he usually tried to walk to the university. Thankfully, he had survived, even if he was sick. Now, he just needed to go inside the building and find some classmates.

Before he made it to the door, the whole world started revealing its wrath. Leon gasped as everything around seemed to be be breaking or crashing. Could this be... No, I doubt it... He knew nothing about a supernova, but he had a notion that this was one. If only you hadn't been a dummy and hadn't missed the lecture!

He knew he needed to find a stable shelter to hide under. Searching through the catastrophy, he spotted a car parked in the front. As stupid as it was, he raced towards it and tried his best to hide under it. That's when in his fear, he wished he had brought his journal to write this down. Sadly, it wouldn't be long before the effects of this problem came to be, and he realized that. But at the same time, he was excited for what he'd be able to write about afterwards. This'll be awesome to write about! But I hope the damage won't be too bad... Or will it?

Day 1:
Outside of Aridia, a few minutes after the supernova

After laying unconscious for several minutes by his car, Mr. Howard began waking up... and trying to piece together what had happened. Maybe the gods are finally catching up to me... Chris thought with a smirk as he got to his feet and walked over to his car... which was now a burnt hunk of metal. "So much for that."

After observing the surrounding destruction, Mr. Howard started to head for the interior of Aridia. The city seemed to have been hit rather hard by the shockwave that had hit Chris. People seemed to be in various states of distress, only natural after a disaster. Might be a good time to pick up some extra business... and cash the bounty hunter thought as he climbed over the rumble of a recently deceased building.

--Day 1--
Judicia, Erbaine
Capitol University

Connor ran into his father's classroom, looking around the room and grabbing onto the doorframe as the room shook. "Dad?" he called into the room. "Dad!" He flinched slightly as a piece of plaster from the ceiling fell to the ground inches from his foot.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do if his dad wasn't there or if he were hurt or . . . dead. He clutched the doorway tightly as the entire building shook, his knuckles turning white as he hesitated.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Day 1-Arida-Henna District

Fang's shaking hand clutched a handful of gravel as he attempted to pull himself out from under the wreckage. He managed to pull himself about halfway out before he took a moment to glance around. He immediately froze. Half in the car, half out, lay Tuck, his eyes wide, blood dribbling out of his mouth and nose.

"Come on, Dog, you were right, but lets go," Fang pleaded, struggling on to his hands and knees and crawling over to Tuck, grabbing at his own blue shirt. "Come on, Tuck, wake up. Wake up."

"Dog, he's dead," Speedy said, already standing on the opposite side of the car. "Let's get outta here."

"He's not dead!!!" Fang yelled, grabbing Tuck's hands to pull him out of the wreckage. The right hand came too easy--Fang jumped back, realizing he was holding his little brother's arm, and nothing more. "Please, Tuck, wake up, boy, WAKE UP!"

"Fang, come on, we gotta go!" The fear in Speedy's voice made Fang's head jerk up. Standing not more than fifty feet from the car, in a semi-circle, were about a dozen gangsters...all in red.

They said nothing.

"You...you...killed him." Fang started searching for his gun. It wasn't in his waistband. He spied it, laying a few yards away.

"Fang, DON'T!!!" Speedy tried to leap over the car to catch Fang, but it was too late. Fang was already at his weapon, and had picked it up and started firing on the reds. In seconds, Fang was lying beside Tuck, cradling his chest. A red walked over and, lowering his weapon, fired. Speedy turned to run, but was only steps away when a bullet ripped through his own flesh.

The noise ricocheted off of the rubble-filled buildings surrounding them. Eight men were dead--the three blues and five reds. For this, the reds would take revenge. A single wandering enemy was not an attack. More than one was. This meant their war.

— Day 1 —
Palisade National Park
Near Parksville, Erbaine

The sun shone down pleasantly on the almost-empty campground in Palisade National Park. A young couple, their child, and a dog were enjoying a week in the wilderness together. To all appearances this was a charming, even idyllic scene; little did the family know that this day’s events would ever be burned into their memories – the day the world changed forever.

"Pleeeeaaase, Daddy," the little girl implored. "I'll help take care of him."

"I'm sure you would," the man smiled. "You're very helpful with Candy." Upon hearing her name, the little Welsh corgi jumped up into his lap and licked his hand. He rewarded the pup by scratching her ears. "But that's not why you don't have a brother. You know Mommy and I can't have any more children."

The little girl did indeed know this, but to her eight-year-old mind, anything was still possible. She adored her parents; Daddy loved to help others for as long as she could remember; surely he could find her a baby brother. Please, please, let me have a baby brother, she silently begged whatever or whoever might be listening.

“But Daddy, you can fix anything,” she added aloud, turning her irresistible green eyes toward him.

He’d heard this, or something like it, countless times in his life, ever since he’d discovered – when he was younger than his daughter was now – that he had a special, innate gift with anything mechanical or electrical. So many times he’d helped out neighbors puzzling over a finicky piece of machinery; their happy faces and gratitude were payment enough.

This skill, and a degree in Electrical Engineering, had gotten him an excellent job with the power company that supplied power to Parksville and its environs. All had been well until word came of a possible supernova in nearby Beta System, along with recommended preparations to secure the power grid and its providers.

But first he had to tend to his daughter’s query. “Well, Gracie,” he said, “Let me talk to your mother about this. See, here she comes now. Can you play with Candy until we’re done?”

The girl nodded and quickly jumped off the bench, the dog following eagerly in her steps.

His wife put a grocery bag on the table; now they were ready to prepare lunch. “Another request for a brother?” she whispered with a smile.

“I’m afraid so. I hope we get word from the adoption agency soon, so we can give her good news. But that’s not what I’m most worried about right now, Angie.” He cast a worried glimpse toward his watch, and then to the sky.

As a senior engineer with the power utility, he had a better idea than most about the possible effects of a supernova on the technology all Azuremans took for granted. He knew that special reinforcement of all power plants and power lines had been authorized as a defense against radiation and the possible electromagnetic pulse such an event might generate. This was all kept very hush-hush as no one wanted to create unnecessary panic among the general public. But no one could know if all this extra shielding would be enough.

Angie reached out and touched his hand. “You’ve done all you could do, right?” He nodded hesitantly. “And your boss almost had to order you to take this time off?” Another nod. “Then let’s enjoy this time together as a family. If this supernova happens, you’ll be plenty busy at work.”

“You’re right – “

The words caught in his mouth as the sky suddenly lit with a new sun. The vegetation around them seemed to glow an eerie, almost fluorescent shade in the extra light. His daughter screamed and jumped into his lap.

“Don’t look at it!” he warned, fighting his own curiosity to catch more than a glimpse of this rare event. It wouldn’t do for any of them to be blinded – even temporarily – by looking at the spectacle.

Instead, the couple worked to calm their frightened, shivering daughter until her whimpering stopped. Then Angie pulled out her mobile phone and flipped it on. “No signal, no nothing.” She whispered, not wanting to scare Grace again. This was not unexpected, though; Dan had warned her that in a worst-case scenario their devices would fail. Without another word she pointed a small remote at their car. Again, nothing happened.

“EMP, I’d guess,” Dan said, confirming that his watch no longer worked. “And we’re miles from town. I can’t check into work to see what happened, and there’s no way to get back unless we walk.” The rest went unspoken: if the worst had happened, society even now might be unraveling. Before long it wouldn’t be safe to walk back to town, especially with a young child.

“We’ll have to hunker down here until we get word somehow. Good thing we have plenty of food, matches, and firewood.” The words were light-hearted but there was dread in his heart. This supernova might well turn the world upside down. In the coming days, survival – providing for and protecting his family – would become his top priority.

--Day 1--
Judicia, Erbaine
11:57 am

"Thank you very much Mrs. Davis. I'll see you next week."
"Thank you Doctor. I do feel better after our talk."
"I'm very glad of that, Mrs. Davis."
"Goodbye Doctor!"
"Goodbye, Mrs. Davis."
He shut the door after her. Strange that she did not seem to notice those disturbing stutters of energy. He ran a hand thoughtfully over his coat sleeve, but felt no residues of the tingling sensation he had been experiencing off and on for the last half hour. "Very strange," he murmured aloud.
With smooth, unhurried movements, he strode to his desk and began to rearrange the papers lying on it.
The next thing he knew he was on the floor, gasping in agony, clenching his eyes shut against the wickedly blinding light, feeling wave after wave of debilitating energy flash over him, hearing the ear punishing sound of exploding glass, wondering how something this phenomenal came to pass without anyone knowing about it beforehand.

-------------------------------------
11:48

"Are you sure you don't mind, Mom? I can take my own car."
"Of course you can, honey, but this will save gas."
"And take you thirty minutes out of your way."
"Which is why I planned ahead of time! Now come on, son and get in the car." She was laughing at his hesitancy and gesturing with her long, slender hand.
He couldn't help but smile back at her, "OK."

11:59

"Why is the traffic so bad?"
"You should've let me take my own car. You're gonna be late."
His mother shrugged, "Oh well. We still saved gas."
"But if you make a bad impression by showing up late, you might not get the job."
"Dear, I am completely aware of that. But there are other jobs to be had and I'm a young, vivacious, talented and beautiful woman! Don't you worry about me, young man!"
Again, she was making him smile. The next instant he was slammed with a million needles- no, not needles. A million rays of the most intense sunlight anyone had ever seen anywhere manipulated into millions of needle shaped pinpoints and boring into every single cell of his body. He felt as though he was sizzling like a piece of bacon, only there was no frying pan. A wild light was glaring in his eyes, but he caught a moment's glimpse of what appeared to be two suns flaming in the sky before clapping his hands over his face in a desperate attempt to block it out. The car windows popped with a sound like a miniature explosion, sending the specially designed glass shards, larger than a normal window's, flying into his face, arms and chest. Vaguely, he heard his mother gasp sharply.

Sometime in that instant that seemed to last an eternity, something struck the back of the car with a tremendous force, throwing him forward in his seat to crash against the dashboard. His mother was saying something, in a tone that was not quite hysterical, but on the verge of it. The car was catapulting forward and there was another, bone rattling collision, this time in front of the car. He was suddenly aware of a great freedom and a falling sensation. He pulled his hands away from his face just in time to hear his mother's shriek and to see the asphalt rushing up to meet him.

-Day 1-
Arida

"Double suns?" Allee said, dazed. She looked into the sky. "Oh. Right." She felt a tingling notion at the base of her spine. Nothing made sense. It felt like her whole world was upside down. Am I going into shock? she wondered as her whole body went numb.

Allee trailed behind the children as they filed into the cathedral. She rubbed her arms as a chill swept over her. What was going on?

She made sure the children were comfortable in the pews, then she turned to Xandria. "We need food. Blankets. Stuff like that." She took a sidelong glance at the children. "And what about them? We should probably call their parents. We can't keep them locked up in here forever." She laughed dryly. "So much for WfK."

***
-Day 1-
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
7 minutes before the supernova

Liam held tightly to his backpack strap as he walked next to Laramie, then laughed loudly. "Nice. I was hoping the caffeine would have that effect."

Liam's smile widened. "Tell Ben he can come by anytime." Liam paused, then squinted. "I don't know, when did it get so bright?" Liam stopped in his tracks. "What in the--?" He broke off abruptly when an explosion ripped across the sky.

"Laramie!" He shouted as a limb on a nearby tree on campus started to crack. Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of harm's way, running like he never had before. The limb crashed to the ground behind them, but Liam didn't stop running. I would think that was lightning, but there's not a cloud in the sky, he thought, trying to make sense of it all as he ran, Laramie in tow. It was only when he felt a weird feeling travel up his arm that he halted.

"Uh..." He held up his hand - or was it his hand? - in horror. "Laramie... what happened to your hand?" His eyes widened, his voice pinched in panic. "What happened to my hand?"

Burg ~ One Hour after the Supernova

Aching, stinging pain shot through Stephen's body as he slowly drifted back to consciousness. Why did he hurt? Then it started to come back to him. Whatever it was. He was not waking up in his bed as he had thought. He was in the music shop. Recovering from... The Event.

He tried to stir, but immediately the pain tightened its grip. Stephen cried out, as a feeling of stabbing knives ravaged his body. He couldn't move. But he must attempt to anyway.

With each attempt, the stabbing increased. Finally he lie still to rest for awhile, regaining strength. He had to get up. He had to see if Julianne was alright.

With one forceful exertion, Stephen managed to move his legs. One try at a time, he was sitting up. He opened his eyes, blinking in the light. All around him lay shards of glass, pieces of broken building, and broken records. As well as a few things in such destruction, it was no longer identifyable. Outside, people were running, screaming, in a panic, wondering what on earth was going on. But Stephen hardly heard them. There was only one thought in his mind.

Where was Julianne?

When Stephen finally had the strength to stand on his feet, he began rummaging through the remains of the music shop. Then, he spotted her. About ten feet away, a girl's hand was showing from underneath a pile of broken bins.

He rushed over to her, scurrying to remove the heap that was crushing her. Was she still alive? Once the garbage had been cleared, he saw her face -- gray, lifeless. Just looking down at her, Stephen could tell there could no longer be any life in that body. She looked so cold and empty, yet strangely beautiful. Like a sweet dream. Angelic, pure.

Tears welled up in his eyes. lovingly, he reached out to her hand to touch her cold skin. That's when he felt it -- the warmth... and a heartbeat. Julianne was still alive. Somehow.

Stephen's heart started beating in a rush as he thought frantically. She was still alive. But not for long. Not if she didn't get medical attention immediately. But was it safe to move her? And even if he could, where could he take her in this destruction? In all this chaos?

~Riella

--Day 1--
Burg

Jack breathed heavily and slumped backward on the alley wall, taking a break from pulling shards of metal out of his arm.

The past hour had become a hazy blur....the explosions, the sweeping panic, the confusion, the near scrapes with death, and to be honest he couldn't even recall how he ended up in this alley at all.

He clenched his teeth and dug his hand into his bleeding wrist, struggling to get the last of the metal out. Great relief struck him when he finally removed the last piece, he shrunk against the alley wall and heaved a great sigh.

His head ached as he tried to remember the events from the previous hour, but all he managed to come up with was a foggy memory of his patrol partner telling him "to get out of here, and save himself."

He thought he should get up and seek his answers, but his legs did not obey, soon the exhaustion took over his whole body and he fell fast asleep.

Supernova
— Day 1 —
Parksville, Erbaine

Luisana Wolfe’s running shoes hit the gravel path with a crunch. She took the same path each morning. It took a little over an hour to run the path looping through the woods and finally return to her cabin, where she would shower, make a cup of coffee and dive into her daily duties. She ran at a steady pace; not too fast, not too slow. Just fast enough to get her heart pumping before she faced a very busy and long day.

A million thoughts crowded her mind and she tried to clear her head, but it was no use. Maybe I should do two laps today... She thought to herself as she frowned.

Glancing at her watch, the face said it was 10:03 AM. She had a little less than three hours before she met with her fiancé, Gabriel Mason, for their daily date...which now only happened once a week, on Saturdays at 1 o’clock sharp. They saw each occasionally inside the park limits, but they were both busy working and didn’t have much time to talk about something other than work.

She let out a breath through her mouth as she quickened her pace, brushing a short, stray piece of hair out of her eyes. Other than the sound of the gravel crunching and a few crows cawing above, the forest was silent.

Twenty minutes later, Lui pulled up in front of a high, chain-link fence. She put in a code and the gate slid open with a grating sound. It needed oil and she made a mental note to tell Robin, the maintenance man, about it later. She gave a shrill whistle and waited.

A low, yawning growl resounded from a wooden shelter, followed by a wolf emerging from the make-shift cave.

“Come on, Tundra.” Lui said, motioning with her hand, despite the fact that the blind wolf couldn’t see her. Tundra, a large gray wolf, was 4 years old. She had been born and raised in the park, kept in captivity due to her handicap. However, she had no trouble hearing or smelling. In fact, those senses were heightened due to her blindness.

The wolf padded out and Lui shut the gate. It was a routine she did every morning. It allowed the wolf to get exercise, without needing her vision. Lui acted as a guide and the wolf followed in her footsteps as Lui finished her run. Once she returned home, the wolf would wait on the porch until Lui came back out from showering. Lui had raised Tundra from the day the wolf was born and they shared a special bond, one that most people wouldn’t understand.

The run back to the house was uneventful. Tundra ran just behind Lui, panting excitedly. Lui patted her head when they arrived back to Lui’s cabin. Preparing a bowl of water and food for Tundra, Lui went inside and showered.

It was almost 12 when Lui finished her shower and started making her cup of coffee. She grabbed an apple and headed outside with her coffee mug. Tundra lay in a patch of sunshine. She looked up when Lui came out. The wind had picked up while she was in the shower apparently.

Lui looked up at the sky, covering her eyes with her hand. It was bright out and the sky looked pure white, rather than blue.

She went back inside and called the main house, where her parents lived. They didn’t pick up and she set the phone back in its cradle. The door behind her flew open, slamming against the wall behind it.

Shaking her head, Lui stepped back out, shutting the door behind her. Tundra leaned against her legs as Lui watched the leaves blow around. Every second, the wind got stronger and the sun got brighter, until she had to hold onto the porch rail to keep from being blown back and she had to shield her eyes.

The clearing in front of her cabin was mostly packed-down dirt, but the wind picked up the dirt and blew it around like dust.

Tundra whined next to her and Lui placed a hand between her ears and gently shoved her towards the stairs that led off the porch. She led Tundra with her hand into the front passenger seat of the doorless Jeep. Lui climbed into the driver’s seat and headed toward the larger cabin, where her parents and Terra lived. Tundra lay down, with her head just beside Lui’s thighs.

Lui didn’t even drive for 5 minutes before she gasped at the sight before her. One of the older trees was lying across the road, with flames licking at the dry leaves and branches. “No…no…”

Lui put the brake on and jumped down, surveying the scene before her. She heard Tundra’s pawsteps behind her and she reached a hand down to stop the wolf before she got too close, all the while keeping her eyes on the burning tree. The flames moved fast, eating up the tree bark.

She pulled the walkie-talkie from her belt and tried to get ahold of someone, anyone. No one replied to her call and she clenched her jaw.

Tundra’s ears flicked and her nose sniffed the air as she sat. Her tail was lowered, a sign of fear and uncertainty. “Let’s go, Tundra…”

Luisana clicked her tongue, but the wolf didn’t move. It wasn’t safe to leave the wolf there, so she pulled on the scruff of Tundra’s neck. An action that proved itself to be dangerous. In the wolf’s confusion and fear, she twisted and snapped at Lui’s arm, her teeth sinking deep and tearing the flesh on her wrist.

Luisana sucked in a breath, pulling her arm free as blood poured from the shredded wound. Tundra immediately put her ears down, whining, as she heard Lui groan.
With her uninjured hand, Lui touched the wolf and gently nudged her toward the car. Once the wolf was in the car, Lui grabbed one of the wool blankets that was in the backseat and headed down the small ditch beside the road where a small stream ran. She soaked the blanket and carried it back up, slapping the flames with the wet blanket. Her injured hand lost its grip on the corner of the blanket, and it would have been swallowed in the flames...if they were still there.

She stared at the charred tree that was being eaten by raging flames only seconds ago. Her eyes widened and her breath quickened. Not a single flame could be seen, only the burnt bark. “How...” She sank to her knees before she could finish questioning the phenomenon, exhausted and sweaty. Her wrist felt like it was now on fire and she knew she had to get medical help before infection set in, but she was too stunned to move.

Behind her, Tundra whined.

~~~

Supernova
— Day 1 —
Arida, Arenico

Her name was Evangeline Moore, commonly called Vange by the select few who knew her well. Her natural haircolor was brown, almost black. Right now, she was a light blonde with shoulder-length, salon-bred ringlets. She stood a few inches shy of 6 feet. Her tan skin was unblemished and it shined with recently applied lotion. A black dress clung to her slim body, the hem falling just below mid-thigh, while high-heels of the same color gave height to her already tall frame.

A semiautomatic pistol was in her right hand, held tightly in a gloved grip. The safety was off and it was loaded, ready and waiting.

She had waited for well over two hours, ferociously chewing on a piece of spearmint gum that had long lost its flavor and watching the hotel door from her position in the limousine. She could see out with no problem, but anyone who tried to look on the inside was only rewarded with a reflection of their own nosy face staring back at them.

According to Senator William Raines, her name was Cynthia Kingston, a rich, bubbly woman from Anglerton, Arenico. They had met about 3 months ago in a local posh restaurant; she had been planning this day for 4 months. Slow and steady was best in this case, despite her usually taking the quick route in every area of her life, including work.

3 months of playing a dumbed-down blonde sickeningly sweet disposition was wearing thin. In approximately 6 and a half hours, she would finish her job, head to the beauty salon for a hair-coloring kit that matched her natural color, get a hotel room and fix her appearance.

She had flirted and the thirtysomething man had fallen harder and quicker than she had expected. Now here she sat, waiting. It wouldn’t take long to remove the politician from the system. In fact, she was wondering why she had waited so long.

Vange glanced at her diamond-studded watch, evidence to show that she was both rich and stylish. The silver hands told her that it was 11:53. Senator Raines would be finishing with his conference in 7 minutes. She tightened her grip on the gun and took a sip from the long-stemmed wine glass. The tart taste of lemonade filled her mouth and she shivered. She hated wine and other alcoholic drinks because they clouded her judgment and made her sluggish. Lemonade was the perfect drink. Cool, refreshing and shocking enough to keep her alert.

The seven minutes passed faster than she anticipated and she watched as the double glass doors to the hotel swung open and the senator stepped down the marble stairs towards his waiting limo. She grinned, running her tongue across her perfectly white teeth. Showtime.

She took one more sip and went to place the glass back down. However, it never made it back to the designated cup holder.

The glass windows on the limousine shattered as white light shone so brightly, her eyes burned with the brightness. A couple shards of glass hit her bare arms, but her face was protected.

-Day 1-
Arenico, Diabolis
running down an alleyway

Nari cut a sharp corner and sprinted down the narrow ally, her long silver hair, waving behind her. Her cloth-soled boots made little sound despite how fast she was running. a couple of yards behind her two large men with cropped hair and tattoo's on their muscled arms turned onto the alley and followed her. Nari's breathing was steady and regular but her legs were begginning to tire and she knew she had to esape quickly or risk capture. So as she rounded another corner she used the window of opporunity in which she was blocked from the gangsters (for thats what they were) view, to leap nimbly up onto and outcropping below a window on the brick building to her left. Using the grouted area as footholds she started to creepup the wall just as the two men rounded the corner. Unfortunatly they saw her and the man with the pierced lip lifted the other one up onto the outcropping,he stood up and grabbed at Nari's ankles. She evaded his hands but then there was an odd shaking from the ground and her grip slipped just a bit, the man steadied himself and took advantage of her slip. he grabbed her ankle and held it firmly. before Nari could even cry out for help a sudden buring sensation in her whole body caused her to let out a yelp. then Suddenly her vision started flickering and she felt herself being pulled down by the two men. Then, everything went black.
......

Day 1~Arida~Convent

Xandria nodded, her mouth suddenly dry.

"I think the nuns are going to get something after they finish cleaning the glass. I don't know what, or how, or when. Sister Theresa just said they would."

~~

That evening, Xandria walked between the rows of bunkbeds. Fortunately, the convent's school had finished the semester, so most of the students were on summer break, and back at home. Even so, most beds held two children. Xandria pulled up the blankets that one child had kicked off, tucked a fallen stuffed animal back into the arms of its owner, and kissed another goodnight. Stepping out into the night air, she waited for Allee, and then the two walked back to Xandria's room together. Xandria had given up her bed to go in the children's room, but a stray sleeping bag and some blankets had been found for her and Allee to sleep with. Xandria shivered as she unlocked her door.

"I guess it will be pretty cold tonight--not exactly like we can close the windows," she said, smiling at Allee. "At least we have some place to stay."

Day 1~Arida~de Mon Castle Grounds

The Majordomo and his assistant, as well as several other groundsmen, walked resolutely to the large gates. It took all of their collected strength to force the gate mechanism to open, but when it did, it swung open with an explosive clang.

"Spread out and check the houses nearby," he said, nodding to the men around him. "Any that need shelter, bring them in. Tell them to only take what is necessary from their homes. I have a feeling there will be little room once word gets out that there is shelter and food here."

Without a word, all of the men set to work, gathering in the unfortunate inside the dark, sinister walls of the de Mon lands.

Day 1: Aridia
Near the de Mon Grounds

Chris had been heading towards the Northeast end of the city for the past half hour, making his way through the streets and alleys while "acquiring" any valuables. Normally valuables would be money, jewels, etc. though this time that word applied to food, drinks, etc. plus money.

The bounty hunter had begun to notice various people throughout the town migrating to an unknown area, which peaked his interest. Following along at a safe distance behind the pilgrims, Chris finally arrived at what appeared to be a family plantation or manor. A large, Gothic house sat upon a hill surrounded by an equally ominous iron fence. "My type of place..." the bounty hunter muttered as he chewed on an apple.

Christopher made his way to the front of the ever growing crowd where he was met by... security guards or butlers... maybe a bit of both? "Hey, fella's! What's all this about, eh?" he asked gesturing to the crowd behind him then at the mansion.

Judicia - Day 1 - Pre-Supernova

Warren T. Kole rode the rail all the way to the bottom, and then with a jump he cleared the gap between the railing and the half pipe, he then proceeded roll up the ramp, getting serious air and spinning the bike around its handle bars. He hit the ramp again, rolled through the half pipe and up the other side, where he stopped for a break.

“Nice moves moves there, Kole” said Brian, one of the skateboarders “I’ll still kick your butt next week” Warren rolled his eyes; his friendly neighbor hood rival was at it again. The two had competed since Warren beat Brian in a pickup basketball game. “Just ‘because you say that a hundred times, Brian doesn’t make it happen”

“Yeah, just like your mother asked for a regular baby, instead she got a mentally retarded one” his rival shot back. “Brian, just leave me alone” Warren replied, defensively. “Why? So you can go crying home to your mommy?”

Warren clinched his fists, and hopped back on his bike, strapping his helmet on “Goodbye, Brian” his enemy laughed “No, I know. You’re going to run home to your girlfriend, Haley. Talk about weird and weirder”

Warren glanced at Haley, who was sitting on a bench across the park reading a book. “Dude, I told you. There is nothing between us” Kole said, starting to roll off the platform. “Well then, I suppose she has… Possibilities’ Brian said this lit Warren up; he ripped off the helmet and through it down the pipe.

“Keep your filthy claws off her” facing him down “But I thought you said-” Brain was cut off by a fist entering his field of vision, quickly covering his entire eyesight until it made contact with his nose. Brian collapsed again the railing, his nose bleeding. Shaking off the daze he stood up and took a swing at Warren, who was promptly hit in the face, except he didn’t have a railing to fall back on and slid down the ramp to the bottom of the pipe.

At this point Brian’s posse jumped in, lifting the battered Warren onto his knees and punching him repeatedly in face and stomach. That is until the parks security pulled up, scattering the culprits.

By Haley saw what was happening and rushed over, she hadn’t talked to Warren to years. They had used to be close friends, but ever since Cameron left… They had fallen apart significantly over the years, but that didn’t matter now. She’d help anyone on in this condition. “Warren!” she said, he had a busted lip and a black eye. But nothing that a little TLC wouldn’t cure, “You okay kid?” the guard asked him Warren nodded, obviously lying “I’ll take care of him”

That was Haley, attempting to keep Warren out of trouble (as always), to which the guard replied “You sure?” Haley smiled and helped Warren to his feet “I got him” The guard shrugged “Alright, go ahead” and he walked away.

Warren shook the buzzing out of his head and looked down at Haley “Thanks” she shrugged and replied “No biggy, I would have done it for anyone… What happened?” Warren sighed “Lets just get home; by the way, can I wash up at your house? My mom see’s me like this and I’m grounded for the rest of eternity” “Sure, I don’t think dad would object to that.” Haley said.

Twenty minutes later they were walking down Fountain Street, their houses we directly across from each other, so going in Haley’s front door unnoticed to his parents took quite a bit of sneakiness. But they had practiced it over and over in their younger years, so getting in now was relatively easy.

“Mom, I’m home!” she called as she peaked her head in the door “Hello Haley… How was- Warren? I haven’t seen you around here in ages” Warren kept his head down as she talked to him “Yeah. I’ve been busy at the zoo and stuff” he offered as an excuse “By the way, I fell skateboarding. And I was wondering if you would let me use your bathroom, you know how my mom is”

“Of course” she said, all the sudden the brightest light that any of them had ever seen shone through the front window. Warren turned around; lifting his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring rays of the distant sun

“What in the name of-” Haley’s mom whispered before the full force of the blast hit them. Haley grabbed his hand and her face was the last thing he saw before his eyes were overwhelmed by the blinding glare.

“Holy crap”