The ringing of the bell, beginning of a day like most others. Monday morning, a favorite for many students as far as complaining goes, for the DreamScapers it being no exception. Walking up among the crowd, a tired Sam and a bland looking Dilan; waiting at the door a groggy, hair messed up looking Monte.
The two stopping at Monte, Sam looking with absolutely tired eyes, would be the first to speak, “Hey Monte...”
“Man you look like garbage Sam.”
“Speak for yourself, you look like the school’s Sloppy Joes.”
“Normally I’m the one that nods off. You see Amber or Derrick yet?”
“Oh Derrick? Yeah he went to the infirmary. He got clobbered by the ball while practicing because he was nodding off… and I think Amber-” he’d say stopping, yawning for a good few seconds after before resuming, “-Amber I think stayed at home...”
“Man… how are all five of us like this...”
“I’m always like this Sam.”
“Could it be because of our powers?”
“You’re the brainiac, you tell me… but… yeah probably.”
“Well we are only human… odds are our bodies aren’t used to what we’re doing with our powers and what not so it’s exhausting us quicker than normal activities might.”
“Makes sense.”
“Heh, and you know what, we have exams today.”
The group of three quick to groan with exhaustion, not ready as quickly Stark approached, “Hey guys, ready for those exam practice exams?”
Monte groaning, Dilan sighing, and Sam blinking, the three looking to Stark.
“No.”
“Pass.”
“Eh… for once no. Sorry Stark uh, that project took us for forever and we’re all on the tired side.”
“Oh that happens Sam; you just need to drink a little Pepsi or something to get your brain roaring. Here I think I have a couple in my backpack.”
“Is that alright? The staff usually don’t care for outside drinks, especially soda.”
“Oh they totally let you just bring whatever for exams, since our scores reflect on the school itself. If we’re too tired and mess it up, boom, they look horrid and they don’t want that.”
“Ah, fun.”
“Well… shall we get this over with?”
“Yeah, talk with you guys later-”
Running off, Stark blowing right past an approaching Derrick who in turn would shoot a glance back, then approach, “Hey guys...”
“Whoa man, you look bad. That’s a big bruise.”
“I’ve been thinking… what if having these powers is why-”
“We already covered that.”
“I… will be honest… I like being a DreamScaper but I just… I just can’t if it means feeling like this after using our powers.”
“No way Derrick, you’re going to let something like this stop you from being one of us? What about the team and what Victoria said, we all are in this or we all aren’t.”
“Ugh, I know it’s just…-”
The ringing of the bell yet again, an indication to get to class immediately.
“Ugh… let’s continue this later at lunch, we have exam practice to do.”
“Mmm...”
“Right.”
“K.”
“Why have such major exams anyway?”
“Why worry about it each semester is the better question, plus end of the year testing.”
“Ugh.”
-
“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?!??!?!?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN IMP KING FAILED!?”
“Bu-bu-but my lord, please calm yourself, what I speak of is the truth-!”
“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! IMBECILES!! How do you expect me to rule an empire with incompetent subordinates!?”
“My lord, please calm down!”
“GAH, send Snake King to deal with the vermin then, I want a report of their destruction by midnight!! Do you hear me!?!??!?!”
“Ye-yes milord!”
-
Pencils tapping, the clock ticking, eyes drifting, tiredly, the munching of candy and the slurping of drinks, steps from one end of the room to the other. Papers turning, pencils clacking on the desk, eyes shifting forward to gaze upon the instructor, standing center point in the room.
“Your time has come. We’ll begin to mark off what you did or did not finish. Once done, we will begin the next portion of the exam following a fifteen minute break. You will take lunch here, then we repeat with the last two segments after lunch into the end of the day. Dismissed.”
Seats pushing back and the tapping of multiple feet on the ground, door opening with a gust of air moving in, students sighing, yawning, chattering, whispering, and yelling.
“How do you think you did?”
“Not sure, how about you?”
“Hey guys, that last problem was a pain.”
“Last problem? I didn’t even get past the third page!”
Standing grouped together, Sam, Dilan, and Derrick.
“Man… this just makes out job all the more difficult.”
“Well, at least Winter Vacation is coming up right?”
“Yeah I suppose.”
“That will make the job easier...”
“I wonder what Amber’s up to?”
“Not sure, she doesn’t have practice exams until Wednesday.”
“Heh, probably out shopping.”
-
A building on fire, a tree fallen, and a car smashed up, heavy breathing heard and groaning with several footsteps. Standing at attention, Amber, in front of her a man with a tail coated in green scales looking like a human lizard, passed out on top of a car with two people beside it dressed in uniform.
“Thanks Ms. Amber, we’ll take it from here.”
“Right… oh man,” and the crackling of her back following those words, “What a great stress reliever. I think I’m going to love this job after all.”
-
Tuesday had come, a day of relaxation for many a student as one third of the student body had completed practice exams, while another would begin their own, the true exams not being for another two weeks at this point, the October air spreading over the entire area with a slight chill. The second half of the school year, soon to end.
“Man I’m sick of this exam stuff. Why can’t we be like other schools!?”
“No idea but I’m sick of it.”
“Why complain?”
“We start in January, take off July and August, then wrap up the year in November taking December off too, with three main testing periods in April, October, then that big hurtle in November right at the end.”
“We still get more time off than most schools though.”
“Eh, whatever.”
“Hey guys, can it will ya? I’m trying to read.”
“Oh, sorry Sam, whatever could be the importance of whatever you’re reading?”
“Well, I’m reading about the Forest of Evercant.”
“Ever what?”
“Evercant. It’s about four towns away but get this, lot of rumors about supernatural occurences have been going on there in recent decades. I think it sounds fascinating.”
“So you want to check it out… right?”
“Maybe, uh… what do you all think?”
“Can’t, Monte and I have a game tonight.”
“Like, I totally am fine with going but like, I can’t because I have a hair appointment and stuff.”
“Eh… why not, I don’t do anything. I’ll go with you I suppose. I did testing yesterday so I’m good.”
“Alright. Will the two of us be fine?”
“Sure we will. Your telekinetic powers, my… hypnosis or whatever, we can manage.”
“Well alright then. After school?”
“Deal.”
“Oh shoot, I just remembered, I told Stark that I-”
“Eh just tell him something came up uh… family emergency a few towns over and that you’ll be gone.”
“But… I don’t want to lie to him...”
“Ah just do it. He won’t know.”
“Oh… oh alright...”
“Right, meet me by the pickup spot after school then.”
“Right.”
The bell ringing next, signifying the soon to begin classes and to get to them, leaving the group to scatter as they’d say goodbye, moving on to the next area.
-
Five PM, a short drive later in the limo, Flavo driving with the back window down to talk back, “So… Evercant huh. Queen Galakin has been meaning to investigate that place for awhile though Zaraka’s return sort of delayed that. It’s nice that you youngsters are so willing to step in.”
“I’m just fascinated by the idea of supernatural occurrences now that I know they are real. I… I want to learn more, I must know more.”
“I just want to do something other than going home to my folks, it bores me.”
“So Flavo, what do you know about Evercant?”
“Oh… stories similar to the swamps you visited I suppose… supposedly the towns people are all Amish that act weird even for Amish-”
“How rude, Amish people aren’t weird, they have their own unique life style that is truly inspiring.”
“Er… right, sorry. Anyways, I guess the towns people just try to drive away a fair number of visitors and any who manage to convince them to let stay just get watched the entire time. People living nearby have spoken of strange things… people going missing here, strange dust in the air, random house fires, abnormal wolves, the whole works.”
“That’s definitely unusual. Are there any leads?”
“Nope.”
“Great.”
“Then this will be a blind mystery… oh man, that sounds exciting!”
“At least Zaraka isn’t connected to this.”
“Hold on now kids, we’re here.”
“Finally. Flavo, if you would, just outside of town and uh… maybe stay in the area?”
“Of course Samantha, I shall.”
“Sweet.”
ns 15.158.61.48da2
