Pagan: Vitali

Written for Surprise Story Week: 2.71828.

When Vitali walked into the college cafeteria it was almost entirely empty. He much preferred it when it was like that. The only time it was ever really full was at lunch, so he usually avoided it then. First he went to get a coffee. Normally he would have just bought a cheap one from a vending machine but he decided he wanted to buy a proper coffee from the coffee shop that they had in the cafeteria. A cappucino, to celebrate the fact that he had finally made a decision about his plans for the next couple of years. Once he’d paid for it he turned to leave the counter and almost bumped into someone who was also carrying a hot drink.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s fine,” she replied.

“Did I make you spill any of your… whatever that is?”

“Hot chocolate, and no, you didn’t.”

For a moment Vitali stared at her, trying to work out where he remembered her from. He didn’t think it was from a class but there was definitely something familiar about her. It wasn’t until she turned slightly that he remembered because there was a cut down the left hand side of her face. She had been in what had looked like a very nasty car accident so her picture had been put in the newspaper.

“Do I know you?” she asked.

“No, we’ve never met before. I saw your picture in the paper.”

She nodded. “I suppose most people have. It’s to be expected considering what happened.”

“I’m Vitali.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Vitali. Call me Anna.”

“Were you going to get sugar, Anna?”

She glanced at where the sugar was kept before shaking her head. “I don’t even know if I like this so I should really try it without sugar first.” Vitali must have looked confused as she smiled at him and then continued. “I have amnesia. At the moment everything is a bit of a guessing game.” She sighed. “My brother said I liked hot chocolate before. All I can do is hope I still like it now.”

They both started moving at the same time. “Is it likely that your likes and dislikes will have changed?” he asked, as they walked towards one of the free tables.

“I don’t think they will have but you never know. It’s also possible my brother might have been wrong.” She sat down. “Apparently we haven’t been close recently.”

Vitali also sat down. “What happened to cause the amnesia?”

“The doctor thinks that my memory loss was caused by being hit in the head by a speaker that was in the boot but it’s not definite exactly what the cause was. It could also have been caused by the psychological trauma of the accident, although that usually only affects the time around the accident, or something else that happened that I have no memory of.” She shrugged. “I just got unlucky because I’m one of the few people who actually loses all personal memories. I can’t remember who any of my friends are or my family, and really it’s more difficult for them than it is for me.”

“What’s it like?”

“I don’t know how to describe it.” She looked down into her hot chocolate. “At first I was terrified because I didn’t have any idea who I was or anyone who would know who I was. That lasted about an hour, maybe a little more, and that was when I choose a name for myself. I felt better when I knew something about myself even if it was something I’d made up. Once that happened it was like I started to know who I was. My personality didn’t get damaged by the accident. It took me a little while to convince other people to call me Anna, but my brother Lloyd understood and helped me.” She looked back up at Vitali and smiled. “Now if I’m by myself then I don’t notice all that much because there’s no one around that I need to recognise or anything that I need to remember. What’s really strange is sitting and looking at the books on the bookcase because I can remember the storyline to almost every single one of them. It’s only when I’m with someone who says that they know me that I realise that I don’t know them and then I force myself to try to remember, which I think actually makes it worse. Given time my memories should come back.”

“You don’t have to worry about that with me.”

“It is nice to be around someone I don’t know. I feel better right now that I have done in the last few days. The only other person I don’t feel like I have to try to remember for is Lloyd. He’s really been fantastic and I don’t know how I would have coped without him. It’s still hard for him when he’s around me because he knows me and I don’t know him, but I think if we put a little time in then our relationship will be better than it was before.” Anna sipped her hot chocolate and wrinkled her nose. “Tell me about you.”

“There’s not really much to tell. After a year of classes that I cared nothing about I’m planning on taking some that I am actually interested in next year. My two best friends Oliver and Megan also go to this college, but they’re not friends with each other. I’m currently single.” He shrugged. “That’s about it.”

“What about the necklace?”

Vitali hadn’t realised his necklace was showing. “It’s nothing.”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “No, it’s a pentacle. Witch, Wiccan, general everyday Pagan, or are you just wearing it because it’s ‘cool’?” He stared at her. “I didn’t lose any of the knowledge I already had, Vitali, and one of the things I know about is Paganism.”

“How come?”

“I think someone taught me or at least showed me a book on the subject because that’s a little blurry. So, are you going to tell me what you are or are you going to keep avoiding the question?”

He smiled at her. “Tact isn’t a strong point of yours, is it?” She shook her head without saying anything so he knew that she was waiting for an answer. “I guess I’d say Witch, but I’m not sure it’s an entirely accurate description.”

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Originally posted at dreamwidth.org (and crossposted to livejournal.com) as kajones_writing.

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Deities’ World: Callidora

Written for Surprise Story Week: 18.

Callie walked through the clearing that held her mother’s vision pool without stopping. Being Persephone’s daughter meant that Callie could view the future without difficulty. She chose not to. It wasn’t something she’d ever wanted to do because she saw how much it affected Persephone, especially when she witnessed something happening to one of her favourite mortals that she couldn’t stop. Callie didn’t want to follow in her father’s footsteps either. Being a death God or Goddess was something that only a very special deity could do because it was a hard path. Of course that didn’t mean she didn’t feel the affect that being Hades’ daughter had on her. The footsteps she most wanted to follow were those of her adopted grandmother Hecate but that path was almost as hard as that of being a death God.

Once Callie had asked Persephone what the future held for her, but Persephone refused to read the future for herself or any of the people she thought of as family. It was understandable but at the time Callie had been disappointed. She’d been having difficulty seeing what type of deity she was going to be and it was hard. Back then, at the beginning of her studies, she hadn’t understood that everyone went through those sorts of crises when they were working out who they were and it wasn’t going to be a decision that would be made quickly. Immortality meant that she could take as much time as she needed to find out what she needed to know about herself in order to find the deity she would be.

When Archimedes had taken on his first group of people he’d been over four-hundred. Callie hadn’t even been born then, so she always known her older brother as a God, but that fact did make her feel better. If he’d been able to take the time then she could too. He’d explained to her that he needed the time because becoming a deity in his own right was understanding who he was. In the end he’d become a God of winter because it had felt right, even though most people had expected him to become a God of wisdom or knowledge. That was why he was one of the people she always turned to if she needed advice. As he’d built a house close to their parents’ it was easy for her to go over and talk to him.

She knocked on the door and then opened it. “Archimedes?” she called, unsure whether he was home or not.

After a moment he popped his head out of the study. “Callie,” he replied, “how wonderful to see you. Come in here and we can talk.”

Shaking her head she stepped into the house, closing the door behind her before she made her way to the study. “We only saw each other yesterday when you came over for dinner,” she said as she sat down in a chair.

“It’s always wonderful to see my baby sister.”

“If you say so, brother dear.” She smiled at him. “Are you busy?”

“I’m not, and even if I was I would still make time for you. What did you want to talk about?”

“I don’t really know. I’m just confused.”

“Why are you confused?”

She sighed. “There are things that I know I’ve inherited from Mum and Dad that I feel like I should be learning to use but I don’t want to.”

“Like being able to see the future?”

“And Dad’s death sight.”

“You said to me before that you were thinking of becoming a Goddess of magic but that doesn’t mean you need to become a Goddess of prophecy too. There are different levels of seeing the future. Having death sight is creepy but it’s easy enough to learn to ignore if you don’t want to use it. I inherited it too so I can help you with that.”

“What do you mean by levels?”

“Well, you can use something like Mother’s vision pool which will show you everything. It’s a deity’s view of the future so you can see further into the future than you could using anything else. Then you have things like tarot cards. They will show you what your future will be if you continue down the path you’re currently walking down. They’re more personal. If you read for someone you can see what their future may hold but you can’t use them to see someone else’s future otherwise. Finally there are things like cloud scrying or using wax. They can be either. Sometimes you’ll see things relating to the future of the world around you and other times you’ll see personal things. Occasionally it might be both.”

Callie nodded. “I would never use the vision pool.”

“Sometimes I think Mother wishes she hadn’t, but it was the right path for her. I can see it when I look at her and she can do something to change the future of one of her worlds. If she’d hadn’t of made the choice to learn how to use the vision pool then she would never be able to do that.” Archimedes smiled. “It’s not something I could do though.”

“She gets so sad when she can’t change things.”

“That’s because she cares about her the people she’s connected to, whether it’s the whole race or her favoured mortals. It’s who she is. You can see it if you read any of the myths that people write about her.”

“I know, Archimedes. I wouldn’t change who she is for anything, but sometimes I wish things were easier for her.”

“It’s a wish I think we all share. She just seems to always pick people who are going to have a turbulent life.”

She shook her head. “I think they call to her because they’re going to have a turbulent life and Mum is one of those people who can’t let people do that by themselves.”

“All deities are like that really. If we weren’t needed then we wouldn’t feel a connection to someone.”

Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Originally posted at dreamwidth.org (and crosspoted to livejournal.com) as kajones_writing.

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Thear: First Meeting: Persephone and Aisling

On Thear it was the night of the full moon. It was also the first full moon after Aisling’s sixth birthday. That meant it was time.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Inquisition: Skyler (part 2)

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you were lucky enough to get a new life now?” Louisa asked wistfully.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Heliopath’s World: Heliopath (part 2)

Heliopath watched Kestrel breathe. Occasionally someone was allergic to sleep spells and that could cause major problems. It didn’t seem like she was, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. Sleep spells in general were difficult to get right. People would either make them too weak, so the target wouldn’t sleep for long enough, or they would make them too strong, which would lead the target to sleep for a lot longer than they should. Most people bought them, even if they were in a position to make them, and there were a lot of mages who never got to the position where they could use sleep spells. Purple level was the hardest to get past because of the hallucinations that came with the normal withdrawal symptoms.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

The Brotherhood: Tristan (part 2)

Biting his lip Tristan thought of the other book that was in one of the desk drawers. It was a book he had looked at often enough but had never had the courage to open it. Within it was the information on the other people who had found about the Millennium powers, the six other men who had been with his grandfather when they’d first found out about the crystals that would call the children with those powers to a place of their choice. Some days he wanted to read about them but at the same time he was terrified. He wanted them to be better people than his grandfather so he would rather live with his image of them in his mind than find out that they weren’t.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Afterlife: Richard (part 2)

“You did well,” Death said as the spirit guide and Justin left the room. The moment they were alone she reverted back to being Charis. “It won’t be long until you’re ready to take over from me and then I can move on.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Pagan: Vitali (part 2)

“Why?” Anna asked, sounding truly interested.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Deities’ World: Callidora (part 2)

Callie nodded. “What are your people like?”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Donor House: John Good Road – A Conversation with Nick

Character named by: livejournal user: ysabetwordsmith.

Story written for: livejournal user: ysabetwordsmith.

Story sponsored by: livejournal user: ysabetwordsmith.

“Have you ever given anyone something without expecting something in return?” John asked, looking at Nick.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Donor House: John Good Road – A Conversation with Nick

Character named by: livejournal user: ysabetwordsmith.

Story written for: livejournal user: ysabetwordsmith.

Story sponsored by: livejournal user: ysabetwordsmith.

“Have you ever given anyone something without expecting something in return?” John asked, looking at Nick.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Donor House: Echoes of Alexandria – Nick and Alice’s First Visit

Setting created by: livejournal user ysabetwordsmith.

Story written for: livejournal user ysabetwordsmith.

Story sponsored by: livejournal user ysabetwordsmith.

If it hadn’t been for Nick pleading with her to go with him Alice probably never would have visited Echoes of Alexandria. She’d walked past it a couple of times but had never been able to gather up the courage to actually step into the human-run bookshop. Being a vampire made everything different. There were humans who made it very obvious that vampires should not be in their shop, even though they couldn’t put up a sign any more that said ‘no vampires’, and then there were humans who didn’t have a problem. It was just a case of knowing which shops had humans in who weren’t anti-vampire.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Donor House: Echoes of Alexandria – Nick and Alice’s First Visit

Setting created by: livejournal user ysabetwordsmith.

Story written for: livejournal user ysabetwordsmith.

Story sponsored by: livejournal user ysabetwordsmith.

If it hadn’t been for Nick pleading with her to go with him Alice probably never would have visited Echoes of Alexandria. She’d walked past it a couple of times but had never been able to gather up the courage to actually step into the human-run bookshop. Being a vampire made everything different. There were humans who made it very obvious that vampires should not be in their shop, even though they couldn’t put up a sign any more that said ‘no vampires’, and then there were humans who didn’t have a problem. It was just a case of knowing which shops had humans in who weren’t anti-vampire.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Afterlife: Without Connection

Written for the Crowdfunded Creative Jam using livejournal user ysabetwordsmith’s title prompt ‘Without Connection’.

The day that Charis moved on to her new life was the day that Richard found himself with no connections in the afterlife. For the first time since Charis had walked into his death and started teaching him to be Death he didn’t have anyone. It was something he’d known was going to happen but that didn’t change the loss he felt at suddenly not having anyone. Sighing, he walked along the beach, wondering if Charis had felt the same way when she’d first been given the power of Death. At least he’d had someone there to teach him. She hadn’t had anyone.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Inquisition: Skyler (part 3)

“Why do you want to go outside so much?” Louisa asked.

“The day that I go outside is the day that I know I’m free. We’re all prisoners down here, even though it’s to keep us safe from being a different kind of prisoner.” Skyler sighed. “If I wasn’t here then I’d be in one of those Inquisition run boarding schools being taught how to be like everyone else and I can’t help wondering if it would be better there.”

“I’m glad that I’m here because I have the freedom to be myself.” Skyler looked at her and found that she was staring down at the newspaper. “Natalie will never know freedom again and you don’t seem to appreciate that we at least have some freedom. Maybe being stuck in an underground safehouse isn’t free enough but it’s better than being dead or forced into being someone else.”

He glanced at the newspaper before looking back at Louisa. “Natalie knew what would happen if her family was ever arrested. I did, from the time I was old enough to know what my parents were, but I never had a change to walk away. At her age she could have walked away if she wanted to and she chose not to. If I’d had the choice then I might not have done the same thing.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that you would have just stopped?”

“It’s possible. I just don’t know what would have happened if Natalie and I were in each other’s shoes.” An image if Natalie floated in Skyler’s mind, as she was when they’d last seen each other. “We were very different people and I think she would have dealt with living in a safe house much better than I have.”

“You don’t know that for sure, Skyler. I think that when you’ve spent time away from someone it’s easy to see all their good points but none of the bad. Can you think of anything you didn’t like about Natalie?”

Skyler smiled. “I don’t know that there was anything I didn’t like. We were only friends for about six months and I think that during that time you’re always on your best behaviour. She could be a bit of a know-it-all but I didn’t dislike that about her. It’s amazing what I learnt during our short friendship.”

“Then you really don’t know that she would have coped better with living in a safe house than you. Six months isn’t enough time to get to know someone that well.”

“Maybe you’re right.” Skyler sighed. “She just seemed so much more mature than I was and I think she would have appreciated having a chance at life much more than I have.” He looked at Louisa. “I look at the safe houses and all I see is the chances that I never had.”

Louisa reached out and touched his hand. “I know I was lucky, Skyler, and that I had chances that other people didn’t, so it might be easier for me to appreciate being alive that it is for you. When I’ve been here as long as you have I can imagine being bitter about what I missed out on.”

“I hope that never happens to you, Louisa, because I need someone who can still see the positives of living this life and I know that there are other people who also need it.”

Part 1
Part 2
Part 4

Originally posted at dreamwidth.org (and crossposted to livejournal.com) as kajones_writing.

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Heliopath’s World: Heliopath (part 3)

Trying not to focus too hard on what he was doing Heliopath stood and picked Kestrel up. The moment that she was in his arms he knew he should have got someone else to carry her upstairs for him. With that one action he was reminded of things that he really didn’t want to be reminded of. It had been a long time since he’d stopped to think about why he’d made the choices he had, partly because he didn’t want to but mostly because he’d not had the time to. Breathing deeply he walked out of the room.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

The Brotherhood: Tristan (part 3)

Tristan looked up at the pictures of Miriam, Conrad and the other children again. It wasn’t hard to understand why the tragedy had happened. Gaining the sort of power Miriam had as a teenager or an adult would have been hard enough, but she’d been a ten-year-old girl who was thrown out of her home by her parents because she’d turned into an animal. All of the people in the house had been children when they’d first gained their powers and it had affected all of them. When Tristan looked at Kara, Lucas, or any one of the children he was attempting to bring up he could see it. He knew he hadn’t been a good enough surrogate parent to any of them as he’d been twenty-three when the house had fallen under his control and he’d had no idea how to look after children.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Afterlife: Richard (part 3)

“If the power of Death makes all the choices then why does each council member have the right to choose a spirit for the position before Death chooses someone?” Richard asked, leaning against the wall.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Pagan: Vitali (part 3)

“Do you think that you really can become that person?” Vitali asked. “Even if you regain your memories you will have lived for however long as Anna and that may have changed your outlook on life.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Deities’ World: Callidora (part 3)

“There are days,” Callie said, staring at Archimedes’ desk, “that I think I’ll never be ready to truly take my place as a deity.” She sighed. “I’m not worried so much about the knowledge that I’ll need because I know that I’m getting there slowly, but I don’t think I have the temprement to do what you do or what Mum does.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Afterlife: Sacred Calling

Written for dreamwidth user meeks’ picture prompt.

It wasn’t often that an angel walked through the afterlife, but when it did all the spirits knew that something important was happening. What they didn’t know, and Caitlyn did, was that a lot of planning went into when the angel was going to visit. There would be several phone calls, which were referred to as ‘Sacred Calling’, files would be passed between the spirit guide and the angel, the route the angel was going to take through the afterlife was planned carefully, and then the angel would enter the afterlife.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Donor House: A Halloween Surprise

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith’s prompt: ‘what would happen if a group of trick-or-treaters accidentally found themselves at the donor house’.

There was a moment when all Alice could do was stare. As it was Halloween she’d made sure that she was on the reception desk, which gave the receptionist an unexpected night off, just in case someone turned up that she didn’t want in the house. Halloween brought out all the creepiest vampires. What she hadn’t expected was the group of children that walked though the door. As a general rule most children in the local area avoided the donor house. She couldn’t help smiling at them when she realised that they were all dressed in costumes and that meant they were obviously out trick-or-treating.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Donor House: A Halloween Surprise

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith’s prompt: ‘what would happen if a group of trick-or-treaters accidentally found themselves at the donor house’.

There was a moment when all Alice could do was stare. As it was Halloween she’d made sure that she was on the reception desk, which gave the receptionist an unexpected night off, just in case someone turned up that she didn’t want in the house. Halloween brought out all the creepiest vampires. What she hadn’t expected was the group of children that walked though the door. As a general rule most children in the local area avoided the donor house. She couldn’t help smiling at them when she realised that they were all dressed in costumes and that meant they were obviously out trick-or-treating.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Afterlife: Richard – An Old Soldier Dies

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith’s prompt: ‘Richard convincing an old soldier’s soul to go to the afterlife’.

Richard stepped quietly into the room, knowing that his presence might scare the soul of the old soldier. He hated Fireworks Night but understood at the same time why it was important that the living remembered the past. It was seeing souls like the one he knew was hiding under the bed that made him angry. People didn’t seem to care that there were those who had once been in situations that were filled with the same smells and noises because it was a war zone. Trying to rein in his anger he knelt down by the soldier’s bed.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Afterlife: Richard – Samael shows Richard a picture

Written for dreamwidth user meeks’ picture prompt.

It was the day before Halloween on Earth, and Richard was spending some time in his favourite house. As with all his houses it had three rooms: the sitting room; the reading room; and the room he built because he thought it was stupid to call two rooms a house. He found that it would change depending on who was visiting. If Caitlyn was over then it would turn into a study for her, complete with filing cabinets connected to the ‘afterlife filing system’. With the appearance of Samael, who had decided to make friends with Death for the first time in millenia, it would turn into a bedroom. That house was his favourite because of the view he had from all the windows.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Aurora’s World: Atecia: Aurora: Blooming on Sauin Day

Written for dreamwidth user forgottenspirit’s prompt about blooming on their equivalent of Samhain.

Blooming on Sauin Day wasn’t something Aurora would wish on anyone, even her worst enemy. Along with the ability to use water magic and memory magic they could also converse with the dead. It was rare, which meant that when the dead found someone with the ability they wouldn’t leave that person alone and that could easily overwhelm the magic user. Since the day Aurora had taken on the responsibilty of looking after all the users in the country she hadn’t met anyone who had bloomed on Sauin Day. She was grateful for that, because she didn’t know how to help someone in that position. In several books a form of crystal was mentioned that could help to shield the user from the dead but it was one that hadn’t been seen in hundreds of years.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Aurora’s World: Atecia: Harrison: Sauin Day Celebrations

Written for dreamwidth user meeks’ prompt about Aurora’s world’s equivalent of Samhain.

Harrison looked around the square, even though he knew that Aurora wouldn’t be there. She avoided all of the celebrations she could, which was understandable, and Sauin Day was the hardest of all. If Harrison had a choice he wouldn’t have been there either, but he didn’t because he was the Crown Prince. Sighing, he sipped his drink again and wished for the absinthe that Aurora had brought down from the mountains. It would knock him out in about ten minutes so he wouldn’t have to listen to the same speeches again. First his father would talk about how grateful he was that another year had passed safely, thanks to the work done by the Prime Minister and Head of Security; followed by the Prime Minister giving his speech on how wonderful the King was and how he was thankful that they were kept safe from magic users; and finally there would be a speech from the Head of Security, and the Army, who would reiterate what the Prime Minister said.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Deities World: Callie – Learning From Lakshmi

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith’s prompt: ‘what Callie would do if she helped Lakshmi on Lakshmi Puja’.

Callie had just put her one hand into her pocket to find her keys, attempting to keep control of the two puppies’ leads with her other hand, when a deity appeared next to her.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Pagan: Anna – Saying Goodbye to Charlotte

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith’s prompt: a mourning ceremony for Charlotte.

Slowly Anna looked around the room. After seven weeks it was beginning to feel like it was hers in some small way, but the ghost of Charlotte still haunted her. Items that she had bought were scattered around the room mixed with things of Charlotte’s Anna didn’t feel comfortable getting rid of. Other people were still clinging to the thought that her memories would just magically reappear like they did in some films. Anna knew that it wasn’t going to happen. If they did return it was going to be a very slow and painful process, one that she wasn’t sure she wanted to go through.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Thear: Bree – Harvest Festival

Written for livejournal user aldersprig’s prompt about harvest festivals.

Bree looked around her village, smiling. The harvest festival had always been one of her favourite celebrations and, even though she hated the way it had become more religious, she made sure she always had the day off. On a large round table in the centre of the square there was a selection of different foods, all made with the bounty that had come from the earth. As always the farmers and their families were the first to collect their food in order to thank them for the hard work they had done throughout the year. If it wasn’t for them each family would have to fend for themselves, even if they were like Bree and didn’t have the same connection to the earth that the farming families did.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Pagan: Charlotte’s Name Change

Finally having some time alone was a real relief. Every time she turned around someone was there watching her to make sure that she was okay. It was understandable. She had been in a car accident where the driver had been announced dead at the scene. The real problem was the amnesia. When she had arrived at the hospital she’d had no idea of who she was. Her coat had produced a debit card which had told her she was C. Hawkins. Then her family had turned up. Well, C. Hawkins’ family had turned up, and as she technically was that person, they were her family. There was just no connection.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

World Walkers: Introducing Lucille

Lucille stared down at the envelope. She knew what it held, which was why she couldn’t bring herself to open it. Becoming a world walker was the only thing she’d ever wanted to do and she had spent nearly nine years studying each of the thirty-four worlds it was possible for a walker to visit. The exams were there to test a potential walker on their knowledge of all the worlds they wished to travel to, so most would study only the worlds they were most interested in.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

World Walkers: Introducing Lucille

Lucille stared down at the envelope. She knew what it held, which was why she couldn’t bring herself to open it. Becoming a world walker was the only thing she’d ever wanted to do and she had spent nearly nine years studying each of the thirty-four worlds it was possible for a walker to visit. The exams were there to test a potential walker on their knowledge of all the worlds they wished to travel to, so most would study only the worlds they were most interested in.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Inquisition: Terry and Martin

Written for livejournal user natalief’s prompt about explosions and Fireworks Night. It went in a very different direction to the one I was expecting it to.

Terry smiled at Martin. “It’s a fantastic idea, Martin, and I think we should do it. Our names will go down in the history books no matter what happens.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

World Walkers: Rachel’s Story

There was a minute, maybe more, probably more, when Rachel had no idea what was going on. Slowly she stretched out her arm. Instead of it ending in a paw and being covered in fur it ended in a hand with five fingers and was covered in skin. She stared at it, not wanting to touch it just in case it disappeared. That had happened before. Finally she let herself reach out with the other arm. It looked the same as the other one. The hand, her hand, felt so different to a paw. Hands had much more movement and she bent her fingers to get a feel for what it was like to have them.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

World Walkers: Rachel’s Story

There was a minute, maybe more, probably more, when Rachel had no idea what was going on. Slowly she stretched out her arm. Instead of it ending in a paw and being covered in fur it ended in a hand with five fingers and was covered in skin. She stared at it, not wanting to touch it just in case it disappeared. That had happened before. Finally she let herself reach out with the other arm. It looked the same as the other one. The hand, her hand, felt so different to a paw. Hands had much more movement and she bent her fingers to get a feel for what it was like to have them.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Inquisition: Skyler (part 4)

“I hope it never happens to me too,” Louisa said, glancing down at the newspaper. “When I think of that poor girl, and what’s going to happen to her whether she’s found guilty or not guilty, I feel even more grateful that I’m here, that I got lucky.” She looked at Skyler. “Death for a guilty verdict or living a half life if she’s found not guilty. She’ll never be able to study law again.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Heliopath’s World: Heliopath (part 4)

“I wasn’t planning on dropping her at all,” Heliopath muttered, wondering why he had made the decision to put his bed so far away.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

The Brotherhood: Tristan (part 4)

“I honestly don’t think I could have,” Kara said, and Tristan saw the look in her eye she always had when she talked about that night. Seeing it always made him think that she hadn’t told him the whole truth. “If I talk to Mim’s brother maybe I can finally come to terms with what happened. It’s something I need to try, at least, even if he doesn’t understand why I had to do what I did.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Afterlife: Richard (part 4)

Richard reached out and gently squeezed Charis’ shoulder. “I understand. Hopefully we’ll be able to make a difference to those who come after us because you made the choice to train me. Every day has been enjoyable.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Pagan: Vitali (part 4)

Vitali looked at Anna and wondered what he would do if he was in her position. Being the one with the amnesia rather than simply knowing someone who had lost all of their memories. It was difficult to imagine, but it made him feel grateful for the first time that he did have a memory. Like everyone he forgot things sometimes. That was a part of life. He’d just never stopped before to think what it would be like to not remember his sixth birthday party or the day he went to the beach and ended up with sunstroke.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Deities World: Callie (part 4)

Callie looked at Archimedes, knowing that he was probably right. “I’d feel uncomfortable asking Mum if she wants help. If she really does work so hard at looking like she is coping then surely she wouldn’t want me showing that I know she isn’t.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Aurora’s World: Atecia: Harrison: Sauin Day Celebrations (part 2)

It was then that things changed and Harrison was glad that Aurora wasn’t in the crowd, because he was sure that his fear for her would have shown. “It is Sauin’s Day,” the King continued, “a day we continue celebrating even though the man who created this festival was the first magic user in this kingdom. A man who, slowly, took over the Royal family at that time and made magic seem safe. Magic is not safe in any way. It has been proven that magic corrupts. Having the power to kill someone without a weapon should not be permitted to exist.” Harrison bit hard on his lip, knowing that he needed to not say anything that might endanger Aurora or anyone else. “It has come to my attention that something has changed in the last two years. Fewer people have died on their blooming day and I hope this means that magic is slowly fading from our kingdom.” Harrison forced himself not to breathe a sigh of relief. “However we still have the people in the mountains to worry about. I want you to continue being vigilant because there is every possibility that they may return to attempt a take-over.” The King drank deeply from his wine goblet. “As always I thank my Prime Minister and Head of Security for all they have done this year. I would like you all to raise your drinks and toast their wonderful work.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Thear: Bree – Harvest Festival (part 2)

When Bree sat back down she looked at her family. Her father was one of the supporters of the Dorma supremacist movement and it was something she just couldn’t understand. Maybe, if she hadn’t met her half brother, it might have made more sense. She wished she could asked him about Quinn, and Quinn’s mother, but she knew that was a subject she couldn’t bring up.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Thear Advent Story: Trey (parts 1 – 5)

A candle provided the only light in the room. It was the morning of the winter solstice and Trey was awake well before sunrise. Most days he was awake well before sunrise, but for once he had a reason. He knew it wouldn’t be long before the new High Priestess of Persephone arrived at the Residence and he wanted to be the first person to meet her. Sighing, he put his quill down on the desk. Aisling was meant to be the right person, a true priestess who would do what needed to be done, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. Every time he thought of the change that was coming he knew that they needed strong people in the position of High Priest and High Priestess, but they didn’t seem to exist.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Thear Advent Story: Aisling (parts 1 – 5)

Aisling hated talking about people when she knew they could hear her, but she needed to talk to Logan about Trey and he had brought the subject up first. She looked at the back of Trey’s head, wondering what he was thinking, before looking back at Logan. There was something about him that she really didn’t like. When she had some time to herself she’d work out what it was. Until then she had to push away that feeling so she could talk to him without the dislike she felt creeping into her voice.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Thear Advent Story: Genevieve (parts 1 – 5)

“Solstice,” Genevieve started, trying not to meet anyone’s eyes, “shortest day, longest night, on this day winter begins.” Her attempts failed because she found herself staring into her mother Delyth‘s eyes and could see the pride filling them, which did make her feel slightly better. “With the fading of autumn a new year commences. Look back on what’s been, bid the old year farewell, give thanks for what it has gifted you with.”

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Thear Advent Story: Orla (parts 1 – 5)

Orla wrapped an arm around her waist as she looked at the priest of Anubis who had led the winter solstice ritual. He wasn’t a true priest, but one of the many fake priests who had no connection to his deity, and for that reason she didn’t think he had the right to lead a ritual. Unfortunately there was nothing she could do about it. Artemis had told Orla, several times, that she needed to keep her head down and not draw attention to herself in order to keep herself safe. As the only person in her village who knew of the existance of North Square, and had some warning that change was coming soon, she had to be there for her people when they needed her.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Thear Advent Story: Conall (part 1 – 5)

“You don’t have to sit alone,” Sophia said, sitting next to Conall.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Afterlife: Richard – An Old Soldier Dies (part 2)

Richard couldn’t think of anything to say. There were clichés he could use, like life isn’t fair, but he didn’t want to use them on the man in front of him. It wouldn’t be right. After fighting for your country the soldiers should be looked after, but they weren’t. Maybe, if someone had bothered to think for five minutes, instead of being under a bed remembering the worst times of his life the poor soldier he was looking at might have died in bed a happy man.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Afterlife: Richard and Samael at Christmas

Written for livejournal user ysabetworsmith’s prompt: What is Christmas like in the Afterlife? Do the spirits or angels observe it, or does it only affect people like Death who still traffic closely with the mortal world?

Richard looked at Samael. It wasn’t unusual for the angel to do things Richard didn’t quite expect him to do, but this one was… Well, the tree would have filled his original living room entirely, so the room had grown. A fireplace was one of the several new additions, with stockings for him, Samael and Caitlyn attached to the mantelpiece. For a few seconds all Richard could do was stare at Samael, who was singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer as loud as he could and wrapping another piece of tinsel around the already smothered tree.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

The World Walker: Martina

Written for livejournal user skjam’s prompt: New Year’s: The pause between old and new.

The energy was hard to capture because it only lasted for a moment, but it was important. Most witches didn’t bother to even try. Some sorceresses did, as they had spells that they could only do if they had the energy from that moment when the old year ended and the new one began. Everyone could, if they wanted to, collect the energy, as long as they were in the right place at the right time. It did, of course, mean spending time around people, which wasn’t something that every witch or sorceress would do. Martina didn’t mind much, she actually kind of like people, so she was the one in her coven who was usually chosen to attempt capturing the energy.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

The World Walker: Martina

Written for livejournal user skjam’s prompt: New Year’s: The pause between old and new.

The energy was hard to capture because it only lasted for a moment, but it was important. Most witches didn’t bother to even try. Some sorceresses did, as they had spells that they could only do if they had the energy from that moment when the old year ended and the new one began. Everyone could, if they wanted to, collect the energy, as long as they were in the right place at the right time. It did, of course, mean spending time around people, which wasn’t something that every witch or sorceress would do. Martina didn’t mind much, she actually kind of like people, so she was the one in her coven who was usually chosen to attempt capturing the energy.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Aurora’s World: Atecia: Aurora: Aurora Blooms

This story was written for dreamwidth user meeks.

Aurora stared into the flames, wondering how other people felt on their eighteenth birthday. It was a day that would define the rest of their lives but no one ever talked about it. She knew why. Talking about it would make the possibility of it happening more real. Being a user of magic could be a death sentence and that was enough to terrify everyone. Parents dreaded the thought of losing their child while her generation was worried that they would never fulfil their potential. They all had plans for their future, which was something she’d never been able to do. After spending several days poring over the family trees of everyone in town she knew that she was the only person who had two magic users for parents. Her fate was inevitable.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Heliopath’s World: Introducing Kieran

Written for dreamwidth user forgottenspirit’s prompt: ice mages.

When a mage reached blue level, the point at which they could begin working with ice, most had already found their calling. Some didn’t bother to get to a higher level, just to say they could, when they already knew what they were best at, but there were those who saw level as being more important than knowledge. Brown was hard to reach, due to the withdrawal symptoms, and it was often seen as a stepping stone to the highest levels, so there were a lot of mages who made the choice to reach blue before going back to focus on their favourite area.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Pagan: Anna’s Yule

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith’s prompt: How does Anna spend Yule?

Anna looked at the Christmas tree. The room was filled with the scent of pine and there seemed to be tinsel everywhere, but it didn’t make her feel any more comfortable with the thought of celebrating Christmas. She knew it was what the family did, even though they weren’t religious, and she felt as though she should do it for them, because they missed Charlotte. Sighing, Anna turned to leave the lounge, thinking about what was going to be best for her. Everything she had done in the last few months had been for Charlotte’s parents, who still didn’t feel like they were Anna’s parents, and it was getting too much.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Donor House: Nadia – A Drink Driving Vampire

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith’s prompt: a vampire from the Donor House is involved in a drunk-driving car accident. How will the other vampires and donors back at the house respond?

It had been a slow night until Grant was brought in by the police. Nadia looked at the vampire, who glared sullenly back at her, and then at the two human policemen. One of them smiled at her, which was unusual, but not exactly unwanted, so she smiled back, before turning her attention to why a vampire would have been brought back to the donor house by the police.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Donor House: Nadia – A Drink Driving Vampire

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith’s prompt: a vampire from the Donor House is involved in a drunk-driving car accident. How will the other vampires and donors back at the house respond?

It had been a slow night until Grant was brought in by the police. Nadia looked at the vampire, who glared sullenly back at her, and then at the two human policemen. One of them smiled at her, which was unusual, but not exactly unwanted, so she smiled back, before turning her attention to why a vampire would have been brought back to the donor house by the police.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

The Brotherhood: Tatiana’s Arrival

Written for dreamwidth user forgottenspirit’s picture prompt, which was of an arctic fox.

Tatiana was putting off the inevitable. Laying under a bush, uncomfortably, and watching the house was just a way of having a few more minutes alone. She didn’t want to become a part of the community that lived there. It was too easy to imagine what they were like and what she would have been like under different circumstances. From the first moment she had changed into animal form she had been able to feel the pull of the crystal, but she hadn’t needed to follow it. When her parents had found her fox self curled up under her desk they had known, somehow, that it was their daughter. Looking down at her paw she snuffed. They knew who she was because she had become an arctic fox, which wasn’t native to England.

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Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.

Donor House: Jack – An Asexual Vampire

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith.

For most vampires there was a slightly sexual element to feeding. Jack knew that, but feeding had never been like that to him, even before he had a name for what he was. That knowledge was one of the reason he was grateful he’d been turned into a vampire. If he’d just lived his human life then he would have died without that and back then his life had been very difficult. His family expected him to marry and have children just like everyone else. They didn’t get it when he tried to explain to them that he didn’t want to have children. In all honesty he didn’t want to get married either because he didn’t think that anyone would understand why he didn’t have any interest in sex.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

Donor House: Jack – An Asexual Vampire

Written for livejournal user ysabetwordsmith.

For most vampires there was a slightly sexual element to feeding. Jack knew that, but feeding had never been like that to him, even before he had a name for what he was. That knowledge was one of the reason he was grateful he’d been turned into a vampire. If he’d just lived his human life then he would have died without that and back then his life had been very difficult. His family expected him to marry and have children just like everyone else. They didn’t get it when he tried to explain to them that he didn’t want to have children. In all honesty he didn’t want to get married either because he didn’t think that anyone would understand why he didn’t have any interest in sex.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

World Walkers: Athare – Mab’s Story

Sighing, Mab looked down at the table. It would take time to get used to the new elders, who were all much younger than the previous group, but she didn’t have any. The fae didn’t know how not to use their magic and the last thing she wanted was for Athare to fall apart the same way their old world had done. No one had time to find out what their new world was like before they’d moved, because neither she or the elders had wanted to believe Willow.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

World Walkers: Athare – Mab’s Story

Sighing, Mab looked down at the table. It would take time to get used to the new elders, who were all much younger than the previous group, but she didn’t have any. The fae didn’t know how not to use their magic and the last thing she wanted was for Athare to fall apart the same way their old world had done. No one had time to find out what their new world was like before they’d moved, because neither she or the elders had wanted to believe Willow.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

World Walkers: Taithmarin – Zoe’s Story (part 1)

Zoe had always hated lifts. There was no real reason for her hatred, apart from her fear of getting stuck in one. It didn’t matter that it very rarely happened, because the simple fact that it was a possibility was enough to stop her. On the rare occasion she did get in a lift it was for a very good reason. She had a good reason the day she got into a lift with Adam. Normally she would have just walked up the six staircases that would take them to their holiday apartment. Having a large suitcase to carry up those stairs meant it made much more sense just to put her fears aside for thirty seconds.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

World Walkers: Taithmarin – Zoe’s Story (part 1)

Zoe had always hated lifts. There was no real reason for her hatred, apart from her fear of getting stuck in one. It didn’t matter that it very rarely happened, because the simple fact that it was a possibility was enough to stop her. On the rare occasion she did get in a lift it was for a very good reason. She had a good reason the day she got into a lift with Adam. Normally she would have just walked up the six staircases that would take them to their holiday apartment. Having a large suitcase to carry up those stairs meant it made much more sense just to put her fears aside for thirty seconds.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

World Walkers: Rhiannon’s Story (part 1)

Rhiannon stepped into the classroom. From the moment her right foot crossed the threshold she could feel his eyes on her. It was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable. She did her best to ignore him as she went to sit in the window seat she had chosen at the beginning of the year, when she had been the new girl, again. Every time she started a new school she wished that they had chosen a better age for her, an older age so she didn’t have to spend most of her time learning the same things repeatedly, but it was their way of making sure that she was under their control. They were scared of her in a way that none of her previous owners had been.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

World Walkers: Rhiannon’s Story (part 1)

Rhiannon stepped into the classroom. From the moment her right foot crossed the threshold she could feel his eyes on her. It was beginning to make her feel uncomfortable. She did her best to ignore him as she went to sit in the window seat she had chosen at the beginning of the year, when she had been the new girl, again. Every time she started a new school she wished that they had chosen a better age for her, an older age so she didn’t have to spend most of her time learning the same things repeatedly, but it was their way of making sure that she was under their control. They were scared of her in a way that none of her previous owners had been.

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Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.