Acacia
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So-this-title-doesn't-make-any-sense-but-screw-everything-I-was-in-school-and-I-hate-everything.
I haven't posted for Acacia since October.
Wow I suck. Sorry.
Anywho, this is an awful six-page post that reeks. Enjoy. xD
★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★☽★☾★
I never liked winter.
The frozen breeze that constantly blew across the northern hemisphere was my infernal enemy. Had I been a true flower, I’d die each year only to be reborn. Alas, I wasn’t, so I was forced to endure the potentially-fatal conditions year after year.
What I wouldn’t give for a home on the Equator.
Though it’d been many years since I’d last celebrated the global holiday, I found myself enjoying the festivities, even while snow coated my precious garden. We were one, a unit, and best of all?
After what unreasonably felt like an eternity, I was able to spend the majority of my day with my love, Dante.
Since I don’t wish to dwell on sappiness and ruin my reputation, I shall avert the focus from my romance. But I can promise, we had a fantastique time that Christmas, the first we spent together.
The grandfather clock in the hallway struck twelve, and immediately, everyone’s fatigue was forgotten. Gifts were exchanged all around, and even those who had just joined the club received a small token of cheer, provided by the incredible skills of Violett and the mediocre ones of Griffin.
Though I did have some.. strong negative emotions toward some of the members, a smile was present on my face for the majority of the time. Everyone was so happy, so calm and totally oblivious to the dangers that lurked out in the world. It was a pleasant vacation from the terror we’d been encompassed by for the past... I lost track of the months. I couldn’t remember my life before the club, and the entire time spent in said club was enveloped by fear.
I loved this experience. For the first time in quite a long while, I felt purely happy.
Of course, that didn’t last long.
Because right at the height of my optimism, there came a commotion from the front of the mansion, and everyone turned in shock. In rushed a frénétique man who looked eerily similar to the poulet girl, Ela. Far behind him stood Ash, the odd boy whom we hadn’t seen hide nor tail of for quite some time.
The man was delusional, to say the least. And Akira, as usual, wouldn’t stand for such ridiculousness. The man was soon locked in a closet—which was a bit harsh, if you ask me—and the celebration resumed.
Gifts were exchanged, eggnog was drunk—some infused with alcohol and some not—and pretty soon, we were all too exhausted to stay up. But our night wasn’t over yet.
From the windows lining the back wall of the living room, a shadowy form stepped forth from the trees. Well, it didn’t truly step forth, per se. It actually seemed to stumble over a log or twig or something, flailing until it hit the ground, alabaster wings spread behind the feminine form.
Wait.
Que?
Everyone now alert, we slowly congregated toward the window, save for Sebastian and Griffin who immediately made for the back door. In a few seconds, they were by the girl’s side. She seemed, to put it simply, terrified at the sight of a man with wings and a man with fangs approaching her. But she didn’t object when they helped her up.
“She looks awful.” The words were out before I realized. A few eyes full of disbelief turned to me. “Desolee. I mean she looks as if she’s been in an accident. She needs medical attention maintenant.”
The two men burst through the door, supporting the winged girl. We all blinked.
Akira moved forward. “Alright, everyone. Out of the way.” She turned to Sebastian and Griffin. “You two. Bring her upstairs.”
From the back of the room, Ash muttered, “Oh, my God,” but no one paid him any mind.
The crowd of anomalies parted like the Red Sea in the Bible story my père used to read to my sister and me. Supported by the two self-proclaimed “valiant” males, the girl looked about in a daze, wings twitching. I eyed Ela. Probably another of her kind, no doubt. Just what we need; another closet full of crazy.
Then her eyes met mine. They were oddly normal, human in a way. But the way she stared at me, piercing whatever soul that lived within me... I shuddered. It wasn’t natural.
I turned away. She probably thought me rude, but c’est la vie. She’d learn to deal with it.
Biting my lip, I glanced toward the stairs where the group had been headed.
She was gone.
“Alright, everyone,” called Karin, voice soft yet strangely authoritative, “we should get some rest. No one should be grouchy on Christmas.”
Rubbing our eyes and stifling our yawns, each member grudgingly obliged, climbing the stairs in a daze to swaddle ourselves in our comforting blankets and ignore the odd events that had transpired that Christmas morning.
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It was noon. I shielded my eyes from the light that poured in through my window. My body fought against the urge to rise, but I’d received more than enough sleep. I needed the sun more than I wanted to sleep the day away. So eventually I succumbed and embraced the day.
A knock at my door came just as I closed the portal to my balcony. Unsheathing my hair from its holder, I answered it.
There stood a grinning Kateri. “Morning, sleepyhead! Akira told me to get everyone downstairs to conference with the weird hobo guy.”
I blinked. The appearance of Mademoiselle Chicken’s brother had escaped my mind, but now that I remembered, I wouldn’t miss it.
“Un moment, s’il vous plait!” Before she could respond, I’d shut the door. Rude, yes, but I needed a bit of privacy, non?
In three minutes, I’d exchanged my pajamas for a more acceptable outfit: a pair of jeans and the Christmas sweater Violett had knitted for me.
Though I found the evergreen topped with a caricature of myself insulting, I had to admit that it was kind of amusing. And impressive.
Kateri dragged me down the flight of stairs and into the hallway where everyone, donning a personal sweater, had gathered, bags shadowing their eyes but smiles on their faces nonetheless.
At the front of the group, Akira stretched her back and spared us a single glance before trekking into the hall.
A series of grunts, thumps, and minor curses filtered through the walls
She returned moments later with the prisoner in tow. He looked awful, hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled, and skin sagging.
To my right, Ela bristled almost undetectably. I didn’t bother asking.
Akira sat the intruder on the floor before us. He didn’t object. With a quick wave of her hand, she’d removed the cloth from his mouth, leaving the bond around his hands in place.
“Now, we’re going to make this as painless as possible, alright?” she said, crouching near him. He didn’t lift his gaze. “But the only way to do that is for you to cooperate. Do you understand?” For some reason, she was being gentle, tame almost, and the man instinctively nodded. “Good. Griffin?”
The Wyvern stepped forward, taking Akira’s place as she rose and backed away. “You said your name was Tommy, correct?” He nodded. “Tommy, I am going to ask you a few questions. We only wish to know all that you know. You must understand that our primary concern is for our club’s safety. Please comply to the best of your abilities.”
Tommy met Griffin’s stare. “I...”
“How did you find us?” Griffin’s soft tone took a sharp turn, not quite as bladed as a knife but sharp nonetheless.
“I...” He gulped. “Why should I trust you?”
Clenching his jaw, Griffin’s eyes narrowed. “Because you have no one else to confide in.”
The man paled. “Oh.” And finally his shields broke. “I... I received a call... from... a P.I. a few days ago. He told me I could find my sister... through Ash Carson. He told me...” Though it seemed impossible, his skin seemed to grow whiter. “He said she’d been kidnapped by... scientists.”
Griffin closed his eyes, shaking his head. Ela, on the other hand, couldn’t contain herself. As usual.
“What?” Pushing through the crowd, she reached her alleged brother. “Who the f*ck is this guy you’ve been talking to? I haven’t been kidnapped. Are you smoking something, Tommy?” She was fuming, and it took the strength of Dante and Locke combined to pull her back. Tommy looked mortified.
“But...” His brows furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“We are going to try to help you, and us, understand.” Griffin had returned to his stoic state. “Why did you claim we were in danger?”
“Because it’s true.” For the first time, his voice was strong. “Believe it or not, I’m trying to help you. Those... scientists... they’re... they’re after you.”
“We know.” That was Akira, solemn as ever, arms crossed over her chest. “We’ve been attacked before. It’s not news.”
But Tommy shook his head. “You don’t understand. You don’t understand. It’s worse than you think.”
“How do you know?” Griffin, always on task, drew Tommy’s eyes back to him. “How are you certain?”
For a second, Tommy’s face was crestfallen. Then he lifted his head, eyes glittering. “Some guy named Hank told me.”
There was a few seconds of silence. Hank? Who was this “Hank”? What was wrong with this man?
“We know not of any 'Hank,'” said Griffin. Tommy grimaced.
“That’s what he said. But everything he's said so far has been right.”
“Look, Tommy,” Ela started, “just stop. You’re not funny. You need help or something.”
“No, I don’t,” he bit back. “You don’t remember. None of you.”
Ash raised his hand, stepping forward. “Actually... I do.”
Akira seemed conflicted. “What?”
“XL attacked a few days before I left.” He glanced around at the puzzled faces staring at him. “Um... You really don’t remember.”
A headache sprouted behind my eyes. This was insanity.
Forehead puckered with concern or fear, I couldn’t be sure, Griffin turned to Akira. “Perhaps he should be allowed some rest. At the moment, he seems...” he struggled to find the words, “a bit delusional.”
Tommy’s eye twitched, and behind him, he shifted his arms almost frantically. “I’m not. I swear. Believe me. Please.”
Akira gritted her teeth. “I’m afraid I can’t.” She turned to Griffin. “Take him to the attic. Leave him in solitary until we figure out what to do with him.”
His eyes went wide. “No. No! Wait! Stop! Please!”
“Akira!” The sudden, shrill voice silenced all else, and everyone turned to face Ash, his fists clenched by his sides and chest heaving. “Wait.” Swallowing, he crossed the distance between them. “Akira, try and remember. XL can’t win. I remember. They did something to you to screw with your mind.”
“Ash, stand down.”
“Listen to me.” The nymph boy’s eyes locked onto the werewolf’s. “You didn’t always have quills. Griffin didn’t have scales. They tampered with you all like you were, I don’t know, dolls. Like toys, broken toys.” She went rigid. “Don’t you remember the labs, the...”
“The torture,” Akira finished, eyes glassy. “The needles and poison. How they strapped us to tables and mocked us, laughed at our pain.” Two streams of tears trekked down her cheeks, and she swayed a bit.
Griffin’s eyes were wide as he moved to support her. “Akira...”
She turned to him with a misty stare. “Oh, Griffin.” Her index finger probed his neck where diamond scales protected his skin. It was like she’d never seen that before. But hadn’t he always been... built... like that? “Look what they did...”
He took her hands. “I... I do not understand.”
After wrenching her hands from him, she pressed her palms against her temples and closed her eyes. “Ah... Oh, God....”
We were all frozen. This was witchcraft, a spell, voodoo, something. Whatever was possessing Akira wasn’t natural.
Karin reached for her friend. “Akira, you’re scaring us.”
Red orbs flashed open, meeting the rabbit’s in an intense stare. “Do you remember, Karin?” Her voice sent chills down my spine. It was so... cold and monotonous.
Meanwhile, Tommy had wriggled from his impromptu handcuffs, and after rising on shaking legs, he cautiously made his way to Akira, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You understand now, don’t you?”
She nodded dreamily. “Yeah. They... they’ll come again. But they’ll be ready. They’ll be better. They won’t let us go, will they?” Though he seemed conflicted, Tommy shook his head. I couldn’t tell if he was unsure or reluctant. Maybe both. Akira swallowed. “Then you’re right. We need to get out of here. The sooner the better. I...” She shook her head. “I need some time to think and plan. Griffin, Tommy? I’ll need you both.” They nodded immediately.
“What are we to do?” I couldn’t help but say, tired of waiting in silence for orders. Akira turned her alien stare on me.
“Pack and be ready to leave at any moment. The instant we have a set and stable plan, we need to go.” She averted her gaze. “I’m not risking anyone’s life. We’re not taking any chances. I’m not losing anyone. Go.”
Still shaken, we all eventually shuffled away. Our Christmas was ruined. We were to go back on the run.
Ah, just like the good old days in this club. Nostalgia wasn’t enough to make me hate everything.
I blamed the chicken and her brother.
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I forced this out oh em gee. Sorry it's awful; Acacia is difficult after so long >.<
Oh and yay new plot twist woo?
March 10 will mark the official start of the plot, so spend the next two weeks (ish) packing and preparing for a new adventure!
This club has been very quiet lately, save for a few posts, so we need to up the ante. Guys, we got this. Let's write and have fun and have our minds screwed over and beat up a few XL grunts while we're at it. Yeah? Yeah.
Be prepared for some serious changes in the near future. Hehehehe
Anime will post a follow-up tonight. Those of you who still need to introduce your characters, please do so now or ASAP.
Thanks for your love and support! <3
