1 – The Beginning

“Come on, Mark. If you don't move faster, we're going to be late!” a female voice echoes in the deserted school.

“Well, if you haven't noticed, we're kinda early,” Mark replied.

The two walked up to the steps of the school and gazed at the sign held above the door frame. It read 'Spirited Wings Academy'.

One of these two was Mary Margarette Moravian. She had medium-length black hair which fell until her shoulders, piercing blue eyes, and a stubborn personality.

The other one was her younger brother, Mark. He, too, had black hair.

They steadily climbed the steps and tried to find the school directory, but they failed to find one.

“Mark, we're supposed to find Room A300,” she told her brother as they walked through the empty corridors.

“I can see Room A219, A220, A221...” Mark counted while pointing at each door respectively.

“Let's just go straight ahead,” Mary spoke as she pulled her brother by the backpack. “Your classroom should be near here.”

“A250, A251, A252, A253...” Mark continued counting as he was dragged by his sister.

After walking a decent distance, they reached the door of Room A300.

When they got there, they saw that a tall guy was leaning on the door frame wearing a gray hoodie and jeans. He was wearing a backpack and seemed to be waiting for someone.

“Get inside, Mark,” Mary told her brother as she pushed him in. “I'll find my classroom on my own.”

But Mary didn't leave the vicinity immediately. She remained to listen to a conversation ongoing between the tall guy and a shorter girl.

“Venice, I thought I lent you my pen last night? Where is it now?” the tall guy with dark brown hair asked what appeared to be his sister.

“I placed it on the counter,” 'Venice' replied innocently.

“You did what?! Now how do you expect me to go to class without a pen?” he asked her angrily.

“I thought that you had more than one!” she nearly shouted back.

'I think I should break this up,' Mary thought to herself as she sweatdropped at the sight of the fighting siblings. They didn't even acknowledge her presence.

“Um, excuse me. May I know where Room B300 is?” Mary interrupted their argument-like conversation.

“You heard us? Never mind,” the tall guy began to ask. “You must be my new classmate. Follow me.”

And with that, the tall guy left the door frame and headed up the flight of stairs.

“I'm Victor Heathers. May I ask what your name is?” he said coolly.

“I'm Mary Moravian. Nice to meet you, and thank you for showing me the way,” Mary spoke nervously.

They finally arrived at the front of the classroom door.

They both headed in.

“Please take this seat,” Victor told her, motioning at the seat beside him.

“Yoh! Victor! Who's that beauty you brought in?” two voices chorused.

Mary looked in the direction of the two voices and saw two identical looking guys. They had auburn hair and chestnut eyes.

“Hey. Don't act like that. She's a new student,” he replied to them.

“Hello, we're Tim and Matt. Nice to meet you,” they moved in front of Mary.

“Nice to meet you, too. I'm Mary Moravian,” she replied to them with a sweet smile.

'Whoah, she's too cute!' Timothy (Tim) thought to himself.

'Victor has a good taste,' Matthew (Matt) thought.

For some reason, Victor managed to hear this and was baffled.

“Did you guys just say that she was cute and that I have good taste?” Victor asked them in a confused tone.

The two of them, and even Mary, were surprised. They turned to look at him.

“How did you,” Tim began.

“Read our thoughts?” Matt continued.

They then eyed him with a curious look.

“You read their thoughts?” Mary asked him in a curious tone.

“Nah, maybe it was just a coincidence,” Victor denied.

In truth, he heard it really clearly as if it was spoken.

'Maybe I'm growing mad,' he thought to himself as he rubbed his head.

Just as the twins were about to start a conversation with Mary, the bell rang.

A woman in her late thirties entered the room. She had short brown hair and vulture-like eyes. Anyone she encountered could have withered under her glare.

“Good morning, everyone,” the teacher spoke.

“Good morning,” the class chorused lifelessly.

“I am Ms. Ha Verde, and I shall be your class adviser for this school year.”

“May I request the new students to come in front?” she said in a questioning tone, and the new students rose from their seats and headed for the platform.

Mary, along with another girl with light brown hair came to the front.

“I am Louise Xavier, but you may all call me 'Lou',” the girl with light brown hair said confidently.

Once she was finished, it was Mary's turn.

“I am Mary Margarette Moravian, but you may call me 'May',” Mary spoke nervously.

Once they were both finished, they headed off the platform and to their respective seats.

As Ms. Ha Verde was about to speak, the bell rang.

Ms. Ha Verde cursed the bell inwardly.

“Alight, class. Please wait for Mr. Jonatthan, your science teacher,” she spoke as she gathered her class record, chalk case, and pointing stick.

“What?! It's the first freaking day of school, and we're having classes already?!” Tim exclaimed.

“Relax, Tim. It's probably just some sort of briefing,” Matt calmed him down.

Just as Matt sat down once more, a man in his late twenties entered the room. He had dark brown hair, and he was carrying a class record, a textbook, and a chalk case.

“Good morning, everyone. I am Mr. Jonatthan Howe. I will be your science teacher for this school year,” he introduced himself after he laid his things on his desk.

“Now if you'll turn your books to page 951...” his voice began trailing off in Mary's mind.

Her eyelids began to feel heavy, and she was feeling slightly nauseous. She felt like she wanted to vomit.

“May, are you alright?” Victor, who was seated right beside her, inquired as he bent down to pick up his book and notebook.

“Is there even such page?” a brave student question Jonatthan.

“I got you there. We're not discussing anything today. I'm just going to give an orientation,” Jonatthan chuckled in reply.

And so the orientation began...and ended.

The bell rang, and Mr. Jonatthan left after saying goodbye to the class.

Afterwards, they had mathematics, which was followed by recess.

“May, are you alright?” Victor repeated as he approached May's desk. “You've been looking sick since science period.”

“I am?” she asked him in a weak tone.

“Yes, you are. Will you mind telling me what's wrong?” he lifted an eyebrow in concern.

“Well, ever since you bent down to pick up your book, I've been feeling a bit dizzy. As if my eyelids wanted to droop down,” she explained as she laid her head on the desk.

“Is something wrong with her?” Matt inquired, approaching May's desk.

“Yeah, I also noticed that she's paler than usual,” Tim added.

“Stop crowding around me,” May told them hotly.

“Hey, Vicky!” a female voice suddenly called from the door.

Victor turned to the source of the voice and saw that his sister was there calling for him.

“What do you want?” he asked her hotly as he neared the door.

“I'll lend you my pen,” she told him innocently as she held up an offensively pink pen with a Hello Kitty key chain hanging from the top to his face.

Victor blinked.

“There is no way in hell that I am using that,” he shooed the offensive pen.

“Hey, Venice. Wait up!” a voice called from the stairs. It came from a male who was panting really hard.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Mark,” she turned to the direction of the stairs.

“Did she just say 'Mark'?” May asked weakly from her desk.

“Are you, by any chance, Mary's brother?” Victor inquired the raven-haired boy who stationed himself beside Venice.

“Indeed, I am,” he replied proudly.

“Then you must check out your sister. She's not looking well,” he told the younger boy.

“Really, Vicky? What happened?” Venice chirped in.

Venice and Mark both headed for May's desk, and soon, she had a whole crowd around it.

“May,” Mark called. “Are you okay?”

May brought her head up and shook it really hard.

“Huh? The pain and dizziness are gone,” she said in a confused tone.

Mark wiped invisible sweat.

“Someone wanted to break into your mind, May,” Victor spoke.

“Eh?” May's eyes widened in confusion.

“If you were an average person, you would've been easily manipulated,” he continued, positioning his hand on his chin in a thinking stance.

“But why was it that you survived and fought against it?”

“I'm getting really confused now,” May stated.

“What I'm trying to say is that you were supposed to be mind controlled by now,” Victor spoke impatiently.

May nodded in understanding.

“So you're saying that I'm abnormal?” she questioned.

“Yes, but in a good way,” Tim chimed in.

“And how is it that I am abnormal?” she continued.

“Try looking deep inside you,” Matt instructed her.

May closed her eyes to concentrate. After a good three seconds, it began to rain.

Venice's and Mark's eyes widened in amazement while Victor and the twins nodded knowingly.

“What are you guys nodding for?” May asked them in an angry tone.

“Please come with me,” Victor pulled her by the hand to a wall.

“Touch the wall and look deep inside you,” he instructed and May did so.

All of a sudden, a door became visible to May's view.

“What? How?” were the only words that escaped her lips.

“I see...” Victor muttered.

“What about me?” Mark questioned indignantly.

“Please try looking inside you,” Venice told him solemnly.

Mark closed his eyes in concentration as Venice placed her hands up to her forehead.

Mark was then brought to a place that had different hues of dark purple.

“Where am I?” he asked himself as he felt for a wall.

All around him were swirling things. They seemed to go on forever and never stopped.

“Relax. Take a deep breath and place your hands out in front of you,” a voice spoke, and it echoed throughout the dimension.

Mark did so.

“Good. Now, think that you want something to materialize.”

Mark thought so, and warmth soon flooded into his hands.

He opened his eyes and saw that something in front of him was ablaze.

“Did I do that?” he questioned the voice.

“Yes. You are very similar to your sister. Now please bring the images of the place you were previously in.”

Mark obeyed, and after he opened his eyes, he was back in the corridor where his sister was.

“Thank you,” Venice told him and gave him a small smile.

“Venice, did you stop time here as well?” Victor asked his sister.

“Of course,” she replied with a nod.

“Y-you mean that time here is frozen?” May asked in surprise.

“Well, put it in that case, yes,” the twins chorused.

“Right..”

“Venice, please conjure up a void so we may see what May can do,” Victor told his sister.

She nodded.

Soon, another dimension swallowed them in. They were now in a void.

“May, listen to us,” Tim began.

“Think that something will materialize,” Matt finished.

May then closed her eyes.

Soon, she felt something pelting her. It was water.

“Oh my...” the twins mouthed.

They were all soaking wet.

“Mark, think of warmth,” Venice instructed.

Mark promptly obeyed, and soon, a warm sensation crept upon them. Their clothes and hair were now dry.

“Look what I can do,” Victor's voice echoed in their mind.

“Venice, the works, if you please.”

Just then, a metal box materialized in front of them.

Victor brought his hand in front of him and motioned it to the right. The box also moved to the right.

May was in awe while Mark stared.

“May, we want you to form clouds,” the twins told her.

Just then, clouds materialized above them.

“Watch us!” they said simultaneously.

Lightning then began falling from the clouds.

“Wow!” May clapped her hands.

“And look at this!” Venice spoke, and she suddenly disappeared.

“What? Venice? Where are you?” Mark called.

“I'm right here,” she appeared in front of him in his image.

Mark jumped back, and Venice changed back to her true form.

“Was that an illusion?” May asked her.

She nodded, “But with some borrowed power, I can make them materialize.”

“So, can you explain that headache I had a while ago?” May asked.

“Like I said, someone wanted to break into your mind, but you subconsciously fought it off,” Tim spoke.

“And that someone happens to be...” Matt's voice trailed off.