VFD: The Birth of the Unfortunate Events

[nevermore]

I have an experiment. You all know that I tend to shun RPing because I have severe RP commitment issues. However, that doesn't mean I'm not always thinking of ideas for things that would make an interesting RP. So here's my idea:

What if I tried acting as narrator, and painted a very distinct picture? I'd then hand the keys over to all of you phenomenal RPers, to take my idea and run with it. Want to give it a go? Yes? Excellent! Thus, your mission, if you choose to accept it...



The year is 1860. 50 years before the birth of Violet Baudelaire, long before schisms and anarchy, there was an organization known only as VFD. Set in a large coastal city, VFD was a small group of people who fought the many mysterious fires that appeared constantly throughout town. VFD was comprised of the best of the best. The most educated, the most resourceful, the most daring. But the founding members of VFD realized that they would grow old, and that some day, they would die.

Desperate to keep the noble organization going, VFD decided to recruit the brightest, most impressionable people the city had to offer: their own children. Taken away in the dead of night to VFD's secret headquarters, their training begins. But mysteries still remain...

Who starts the many fires across town? Is it coincidence, or arson? Will children, if exposed early to trials and suffering, grow stronger and more noble, or rebel out of fear and greed?

Though later, in the days of the Baudelaire orphans and the Quagmire triplets, the glory days of VFD have become a whisper, there are still questions unanswered. Why did VFD, all those years before, find it necessary to train lions and eagles? Why was it necessary to change headquarters so often? Why was VFD a secret? Why is their symbol a leering eye? (http://www.unfortunateevents.blogger.com.br/VFD.jpg)

Only you can tell us.


The cast:

VFD Elders: two or three adults, the founders of VFD, who train the young recruits and send them out on missions.

VFD: Children, some as young as toddlers, some in their late teens. Often, the children of VFD are siblings, and often, they come in sets of three (RPers may tag-team as siblings). Some may be from old families that lived on: The Quagmires, the Baudelaires, the Snickets. Some may be from families long dead by the time ASoUE took place.

Factfile:

Name:
Age:
Number of siblings:
Physical description:
Personality:
Special skills (inventor, scholar, writer, chef, etc):

Once we have enough RPers to play members of VFD, I'll open the scene, and then let you take the reigns. :)

[Qwill]

Name:Hope Hathaway
Age:14
Number of siblings:3 ( Faith, Joy and Trinity)
Physical description:She has long red hair, a sharp nose and long stringy fingers. Her eyes are pale blue.
Personality:She is a biot fussy always wanting to get things right but can keep cool for a while
Special skills (inventor, scholar, writer, chef, etc): Photography (Just in the nick of time photography was invented in 1820)

[PrettyInPointe]

Name: Paxton Praise (I don't think I have used this name before....)
Age: 11 3/4
Number of siblings: 2 (Older brother and an Older Sister)
Physical description: Light Caramel Colored skin, thin eyebrows, dark brown hair that is wavy as it falls a bit past her shoulders, but she ties it up when she is inventing. Her eyes are a warm, chocolate brown, and she is average height with an angular face.
Personality: She is a very bright girl, always wanting to learn something new, and always up for adventure. She is a very energetic child, and doesn't calm down easily.
Special skills: Inventor and an Adventurer

[UndercoverNinja]

Name: Melanie Praise
Age: 15
Physical Description: darker toffee coloured skin, dark, wavy brown hair. Chocolate brown eyes. Tall and angular
Personality: calm but with a controlling presence. Is very sporty but spends a lot of time baking and acting.
Special skills: cooking and acting

[Fla ante]

Name:Campion Beckett
Age:40 (Elder/founder, I'm willing to change if it should be older)
Number of siblings:2
Physical description: tall and quite well built, though quite slim. Dapper with with brown hair and a moustache. Green eyes
Personality: aproachable, intelegent, adventurous not quick to anger
Special skills (inventor, scholar, writer, chef, etc): Inventor and writer

[nevermore]

The year is 1860. It is the end of winter, and children all around the city, roused by their parents in the dead of night, have just been told that they are leaving home to enter into a secret organization. An organization founded and funded by their parents. Without any further explanation, the children were blindfolded, shuffled into carriages, and taken far away from home. When the blindfolds were finally removed, children of all ages found themselves gathered in a room, shivering in thin pajamas, confused, and alone. They are vaguely aware that they are about to be filled in on a strange secret involving their families, their city, and perhaps other mysterious things. Some children, having discovered trap doors in their homes, secret hideaways, and strange documents hidden inside large books, have suspected for years that there was more to their parents than what they seemed. Doctors, scientists, artists... teachers and chefs... All seemed to have far more money than would normally be obtained through their professions. Frightened, the children wait to learn about their uncertain futures. Confused, and with no one else to turn to, the children turn to one another for comfort, and perhaps answers, while they wait for someone to come in and explain the strange events which have just unfolded.

VFD Training Lists

VARIOUS FINERY DISGUISES
Boots, black
Bouquet of Flowers
Bridal Gown
Business cards
Cane, jeweled, turns into sword
Cane, regular
Cape, scarlet silk
Charcoal
Coat, blue, with badge
Coat, doorman's
Coat, long, dark
Coat, medical
Coat, medium-length, beige
Coat, rain
Coat, unusual color
Detective's Badge
Eyepatch
Gloves, lacy white
Gloves, black leather
Hat, bonnet
Hat, chef's
Hat, doorman's
Hat, feathered
Hat, sailor
Hat, top
Makeup Kit--lipstick and fake lipsticks, eyeshadow, eyebrow pencil and fake eyebrows, hair coloring, powder, scissors ("for cutting your hair off completely, if need be,")
Mask, black, skinny
Mask, silver, sparkly
Mask, sad
Mask, laughing
Money to purchase additional disguises or snacks
Name tag, to put on chest
Nameplate, to keep on desk
Overalls
Pants, sensible
Pants, unusual color
Photographs of false family members, ("to keep in your purse, wallet, or pocket")
Petticoat, white
Pots
Razor ("to shave your head or eyebrows")
Robe, black
Shoes, formal
Shoes, unusual color
Shoes, high-buttoned boots
Shoes, sensible
Skirt, long, modest
Skirt, can-can dancer
Skirt, unusual color
Stockings
Suit, black
Suit, brown
Suit, clown
Suit, sailor
Suit, salmon
Suit, chest of drawers
Turban
Veil
Vest, embroidered with gold thread
Wooden leg
Wig, blond, long
Wig, gray, judicial
Wig, multicolored
Wig, white, curly

COMMONPLACE BOOKS
Each VFD member was given a blank book by Abigail to be used for notetaking. In addition to poetry, invention ideas, and short stories, members also write down important codes and information from their lessons. Each book has a different colored cover, and the books are to be guarded with the owner's life.

CODED MESSAGES:
Well little girl, have you been good to your mother? = are you a member of VFD?
The Question is, has she been good to me? = Yes I am

I didn't realize this was a sad occasion = I have something to give you
The world is quiet here = I will accept it
(This is the code that will gain you access not only to packages and secret messages, but also to VFD buildings. You must know this code in order to re-enter the VFD headquarters.)

Whistling Mozart's 14th symphony with crackers in your mouth = our meetings have been canceled (to be learned by Paxton)
Whistling Beethoven's 4th quartet with crackers in your mouth = meetings will resume as usual (to be learned by Lou)

SEBALD CODE:
Begins with the ringing of a bell. Once the bell is rung, every tenth word is part of a coded message. Example:
ring. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, THIS, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, IS, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, SEBALD, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, CODE. ring.


VFD Headquarters and Safe Places

The Mortmain Mountain Headquarters are currently under construction, but are as well guarded as the main headquarters. Maintained by Charles Snicket. The entrance is in a valley, and the only access is through a narrow pass blocked by a large iron door which is attended during daylight hours only. Visitors who arrive after sunset must camp outside the door until morning. There is a river full of fish that runs parallel to the path that leads up to the gate. Do not bother trying to access the valley through the river, you cannot whitewater raft upstream.

The Lachrymose Research Facility is located on the shores of Lake Lachrymose, in a secret passage at the back of Curdled Cave and operated by the Anwhistle family. A boat or raft must be taken from the main town to the other side of the lake. This passage is guarded by a gate with a large bell one must ring in order to gain entrance. In addition, a sign outside the gate reads: "Fans of Sebald may ring the bell and enter." (VFD members must introduce themselves to the gatekeeper via sebald code in order to gain entry)

Valorous Farms Dairy: A safe place run by a family who goes only by their initials. Entry is given to all who know the correct answers to the coded questions. Located in the county, not far from the Finite Forest

VFD Headquarters: Located in the woods on the outskirts of town. Appears to be a large, noble house, surrounded by high walls and iron gates. Entry is given to those who know the correct answers to the coded questions.

Map from the Unauthorized Autobiography (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/nevermore301/kidnap%20mystery/VFDRPMap.jpg) (with added notes)

To-Do List (things we want to have happen before the story ends)
(Please let me know via Side-Chat Thread if you have an idea for your Charrie--either their future, or their contributions to VFD

The Futures of our Charries
Paxton Praise marries Earl of Winnipeg (will then become Countess of Winnipeg, her future daughter will be R, the Duchess)
Something bad happens to Lou which separates her from Simeon (does she die or leave him for someone else in true Snicket-love-triangle fashion? Yet to be determined)
Simeon turns against VFD upon losing Lou, becomes Man with a Beard
_______ to become Woman with Hair because of ________ event in her life. (this future is up for grabs)
Abigail dies (at the very very end) and uses her last strength to hide something in a sugar bowl (will be revealed to readers, but not to charries)

Inventions/VFD Trademarks
Verse Fluctuation Device will be invented by Paxton, Lou, and Simeon in the Mountain Headquarters
VFD headquarter infiltration will lead to the creation of the eye tattoo (who invents this? Maybe an artistically gifted charrie?)
Animals need to be trained (Chas and Abigail will soon confirm that crows are trained)--Lions, Eagles, and Salmon. Who will work to train the remaining animals? (Not Abigail--she got scarred for life (literally) by an Eagle, and she has no intention of going back)

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie hugged Paxton and Ewan close. Paxton couldn't contain her excitement. She was a sucker for adventure. Even so thought Melanie, best stay close until we find out what's going on. Ewan on the other hand hung on to Melanie so tightly she felt as though she were being suffocated. Anything out-of-the-ordinary that Ewan knew was in his books. It was the only time he got out and about, explored the world, understood what certain experiences felt like. All through the words of others. Ewan hated experiencing things for himself. He wasn't much of a risk-taker. In fact, that was putting it lightly. Ewan took the tiniet amount of risk he possibly could. He refused to use knifes and instead used a spoon to butter his bread though even eating itself was a huge risk for Ewan who frequently worried he was going to be poisoned. Because of this Ewan rarely ate. He was stick thin which was just as well because he never did any excersize for fear of injuring himself. He lived entirely on one floor of the house to eliminate falling down the stairs. He slept on a matress on the floor to prevent himself from falling out of the bed. Had baths in lukewarm water so he didn't scald himself. The rest of the Praise family thought he was being ridiculous but there was nothing they could do to make Ewan see sense. In Ewan's eyes, what he did did make sense!

[Kestrel]

Name: Ruth Warner
Age: 8
Number of siblings: 2, both older.
Physical description: She's small and lithe, with short caramel-y hair in ringlets, and large brown eyes.
Personality: She's very sweet and slightly shy. She hates arguing and usually agrees with things that everybody else says. She can be determined when she wants to, as well as stubborn.
Special skills (inventor, scholar, writer, chef, etc): Drawer

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton was being hugged close by Melanie. Ewan was freaking out. He didn't like anything that could danger himself. He hardly even ate for fear of poison! He was being ridiculous, of course, but no amount of reason could change his mind that adventure was the best! Like that time she scaled the side of the house up to the roof of the three story house. (Plus an attic.) That was amazing! She could see the whole city from there! Plus, she found a trapdoor that led into the attic. And she had gotten away with it!

"What's going on Mel?" she asked her sister for the thousandth time. More kids were being brought into the room, some as young as toddlers. They had all been blindfolded on the way over, too. "This is so cool! Maybe we are going to be spies!" She joked, trying to lighten the mood. Then she got serious. "Do you think this has anything to do with the trapdoor, or the secret passageways?" She quietly asked her sister. This was cool, but she did understand that it was serious. She could be more mature then a typical almsot twelve year old, if she wanted.

[Qwill]

Hope and her sisters Faith, Joy and Trinity were walking in silence, "Do you believe?" Joy began. "No," Hope said. "They're not dead, even if they are they're somewhere better now. We have to move on." Trnity cried, "My books! They're all gone!"Faith was silent, "What's in that box Hope?" Hope was annoyed. She was so annoyed of her annoying sister, she couldn't stand them anymore. They had been walking for a day after their parents died and were pestering her with questions. Soon when they fall asleep, she told herself, then i can leave them.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton slipped under Melanie's arm and started walking up to the other kids who were in the room. She heard Melanie call after her, but ignored her. "Do you know what's going on?" she asked all of the other kids. None of them had a clue. "Oh this is hopeless." she grumbled to herself. Then an idea hit her. Why are we all here? she wondered. Why us? This gave her an idea. They must all have something in common. She thought about simalarities. Not age, not gender, not race... she checked off on her mental list. It must be a personality thing! she thought. What could we all be here for. It wouldn't be just because we're all nice or something.... What about talents? That seemed like a good idea to her. She started walking up to other people in the room.

"Do you have a talent?" she asked them. They looked startled, but gave her an answer. She got a lot of the same ones: drawer, singer, scholar, chef, writer, ect. So that's why we're all here... she thought. In truth, she was a pretty good inventor, and she was an adventurer, too. She ran over to Melanie. "Mel I know why we're all here!" she said excitedly.

[amypops]

((Is it too late to join?))

Name: Louisa (Lou) Banning
Age: 14
Number of siblings: 1 (Younger sister)
Physical description: Shoulder length dark brown hair, hazel eyes, quite tall.
Personality: Quite quiet and shy. She gets upset and scared easily.
Special skills (inventor, scholar, writer, chef, etc): writer

---

Lou stood shivering in her nightgown. Her parents had dragged her out of her bed, not long after midnight, blindfolded her, and she had ended up here, in a room full of kids. She tried to think what she had done, and if she was about to get into trouble.

I know following the trapdoor was bad, but I was curious! And ok, I nearly broke the telescope in daddy's drawer, but it was an accident! And mummy shouldn't have been using important documents as bookmarks. she told herself defiantly.

"Do you have a talent?" a voice came from behind her. Lou jumped.

"Oh, uh... writing, I guess..." she stammered, hugging herself to try and keep warm and stop her teeth chattering.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie screamed after Paxton and hugged Ewan closer. It was so typical of Paxton to run off at a time like this. Paxton dissapeared into the crowd. Ewan peered up at her. "Shouldn't we go after her?" he asked, "you know what she's like! always getting into places she shouldn't! She'll get us in trouble." Ewan hated getting into trouble. Melanie shook her head and replied, "no, if we do she'll never be able to find us again and then she'll give up and go off and do something!" Ewan nodded in agreement and went back to hugging Melanie as tightly as possible.
A few minutes later Paxton came running over. "Mel! I know why we're all here!" she exclaimed. Melanie was so lost. She shook her head in confusement and asked her why.

[PrettyInPointe]

((Yay! New role player!))

Melanie looked mad that Paxton had run off, but Paxton was too excited about figuring out why they were there to care. "We're talented! I asked everyone what their talents are, and they all had the same type of answers, like singers, writers, inventors, and so on. Like you can cook and act really well. Everyone here can do something like that!" she said. She was good at putting things together, but this was really exciting for her to figure out something big. "So I know that they don't want us to know where this place is, that's why they blindfolded us, and we all have our talents. Maybe they're putting together a team of kids of something!" she was putting the situation together quickly, and needed more information.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie shook her head at Paxton's ridiculous theory. "Pax, everyone has a special talent! They'd have to have the whole world in here!" She put out her hand for Paxton who refused it. Her eyes were flashing. "Mel?" Ewan piped up. Melanie looked down at him. "Yes Ewan." He brushed his hair out of his face. "We need to cut that Ewan," Melanie cut in before he couuld start. Ewan sighed. He wasn't a fan of scissors. He nodded just to get Melanie off his back and opened his mouth. "I think Paxton's theory is rather plausible. I mean there's probably a few other links but that could be a main one. I mean I don't want to get into the discovery or anything. I'm just saying." He put his hands up in surrender. He knew the girls would get at him and then at each other and he didn't particularly want to start a fight.

[PrettyInPointe]

"I think Paxton's theory is rather plausible. I mean there's probably a few other links but that could be a main one. I mean I don't want to get into the discovery or anything. I'm just saying." Ewan said, raising his hands up as if to surrender before the fight. "See!" Paxton jumped on the chance of being right. "He's the smart one and he agrees with me! He thinks my idea is pausible!" she said. "It's plausible." Ewan corrected her, sighing. "Grammar snob." she sniffed at him, as a woman entered the room.

She was forty-looking and tall with warm green eyes and athouritive air to her, but she still seemed nice. Along with her came to other men. The room grew quiet and all eyes were on the woman at the front of the room, standing on a little built-in platform. "Hello." the woman greeted them. There was a mumbled greeting. "Now, you all have been selected because-" the woman started, before Paxton's excitment became too much for her. "Our talents!" she finished for the woman. Paxton was loud enough to be heard by everyone. "Precisely. But not only for your talents, but also because of your parents." the woman said to her. So I was half right... Paxton thought, as the woman continued.

[amypops]

Lou saw a woman walk into the room, and the room fell silent. She was tall, with green eyes and a kind look about her. She looked like someone you could trust.

"Hello." the woman greeted them. A few people mumbled small 'hellos' back, and she smiled. "Now, you all have been selected because-" but she was cut off as a girl at the front, whom Lou recognised as the girl who had asked her about her 'talent', answered for her.

"Our talents!" the girl beamed.

"Precisely. But not only for your talents, but also because of your parents."

What have my parents got to do with this? she wondered, and she continued to shiver. Gawd. Could they not have put in a radiator or something? It's FREEZING.

[PrettyInPointe]

"Your parents were all part of our organization, the VFD." the woman continued. "Now, you have all been brought here to be trained to be part of the future VFD." she said. VFD..... have I heard that before? she wondered. It sounded familiar. She ran through all her exploring in her head. The spyglass! she remembered. She had find a little golden spyglass in a hidden compartment in her father's bookshelf. It had VFD carved on the side.

"The VFD fights all the fire that have been popping up around town. We are investigating them, and are thinking they are planned. Your parents were all part of the VFD. You will be helping us to answer the questions 'Who is starting the fire?' and 'How will they be stopped?' Are you up to this?" the woman asked the startled looking group. They were having a lot of information dumped on them all at once. "Well, duh!" Paxton called out. The other kids laughed. "Good to know you're ready." the woman smiled at her.

[amypops]

Lou listened intently as the woman continued to talk. "Your parents were all part of our organization, the VFD." the woman continued. "Now, you have all been brought here to be trained to be part of the future VFD." she said.

VFD... VFD... I've heard that before... wait. she thought to herself. It was carved on that telescope. And scribbled on the Paper in mummy's book. And it was carved on that trapdoor beneath the rug in the dining room. AND it was on the wall of that underground tunnel leading to Aunties house...

"The VFD fights all the fire that have been popping up around town. We are investigating them, and are thinking they are planned. Your parents were all part of the VFD. You will be helping us to answer the questions 'Who is starting the fire?' and 'How will they be stopped?' Are you up to this?" the woman asked, snapping Lou out of her daydreams. Everyone stared at her, perplexed.

The girl who had spoken moments before cried out again. "Well, duh!" she said, as if the woman had asked them if they wanted a biscuit, not if they wanted to join a top secret organisation in the middle of the night.

A few kids giggled, and the girls outburst had given a few more children courage, and they were now agreeing also. Lou nodded along with the crowd, not entirely knowig what she was signing up for. Some kiddies firefighting team?

[PrettyInPointe]

The woman backed out of the room, and all the kids burst into a chatting mess. "Oh my goodness! This is so cool! We could catch a criminal!" Paxton said to Melanie. "Do we get to be in teams? What'll our training be? Aren't you excited?" she asked her siblings. Her mind was racing a mile a minute, and she was almost talking as fast. Ewan had a scared look on his face. This was going to be hard for him, considering he hated adventure and danger. He had looked even more scared when she had mentioned a criminal. "Oh I'm sorry Ewan!" she said to him, as she squeezed him tight.

"Mel, can I go see who else is here?" she asked Melanie. Before she got an answer, she started wandering around, looking for faces she recognized. She saw one girl she remembered as being particularly startled from her previous questioning. "Hi! I'm Paxton." she introduced herself. The girl was tall and cold looking. "Aww... you look freezing! Here take my coat!" She offered the girl, as she put it around the girls shoulders. She had grabbed the coat a split-second before she walked out of her room, and she was wearing her warm pajamas tonight, therefore didn't need it. "What's your name anyways?" Paxton asked the girl.

[amypops]

Lou stared off into space for a moment, wondering why her parents put her up to this. They knew she was a scaredy-cat, a wuss.

"Hi! I'm Paxton." a girl popped in front of Lou, and she staggered backwards, shocked at the girls sudden appearence. She recognised her as the girl who had asked her about her talents, and had shouted out dring the womans speech.

"Aww... you look freezing! Here take my coat!" the girl, Paxton, said, putting her coat around Lou's shoulders. Lou stammered her thanks through chattering teeth. "What's your name anyways?" Paxton asked.

"I-I'm Lou." she told her. "Thank you for the coat" she smiled. "If I had kown I was gonna be dragged ot of my bed in the freezing cold night, I would have put on pyjamas instead on a nightie!" she joked.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie was in shock. She was completely and utterly shell-shocked. She didn't hear or see Paxton snob her then leave. She didn't feel Ewan shaking her. She couldn't hear his cries, "Help! Somebody help! There's something wrong with my sister!" She just stood there, unaware of everything except her swirling thoughts. Why? My parents? What have they got to do with this? VFD... Spyglass! Codes! Scraps of paper! Now if Ewan had been in his right state of mind he would have known what to do. Ewan was a obssesive googler. A serious computer whizz. Ewan was the sort to google any little thing that he didn't fully understand. Names, birthdates of the rich and famous... Anything and everything! If he was thinking properly and wasn't shocked and confused himself he would have thought back to that time 17 or so months ago when he had googled what to do with shell-shocked people. As it was Ewan was in no fit state to remember and therefore Melanie was left to her own thoughts. Fires! Aunt Margeret! Burns! Passgeways! Trapdoors! Paxton! Paxton? Where is she? Outside of Melanies mind her eyelids were fluttering. "Melanie?" Ewan choked, tears streaming down his face. There was a small crowd gathered behind him. "Paxton?" Melanie murmured. "Ewan smiled and said, "Yep, she's right here. You just have to open your eyes to see her," he looked around the rapidly growing crowd to see if Paxton was indeed there. She wasn't. "Paxton?" Melanie said again, clearer this time. She opened her eyes. "Paxton!" Ewan shook his head and shrugged. Mel sat up and grabbe his hand. "Come on! We're going!" She pulled him up and dragged him behind her. "Keep your eyes open for Paxton," she commanded ignoring his protests.

[PrettyInPointe]

"I-I'm Lou." she told her. "Thank you for the coat" Lou said, smiling. "If I had kown I was gonna be dragged ot of my bed in the freezing cold night, I would have put on pyjamas instead on a nightie!" she joked. "Yeah, I was lucky to have my warm PJ's on." Paxton said. Then she heard the sound of Ewan's voice."Help! Somebody help! There's something wrong with my sister!" he yelled. A crowd was forming around them. "Oh, man. She's freaking out! I gotta go." she told Lou, apologetically.

Paxton reached the edge of the crowd, pushing her way through to the front. "Paxton?" Melanie murmured. Ewan told her to open her eyes to see her. "Paxton?" Melanie said again, more clear this time. "Paxton!" Ewan shook his head and shrugged, and Mel sat up and grabbed his hand. "Come on! We're going!" She pulled him up and dragged him behind her. "Keep your eyes open for Paxton," she commanded, not hearing his protests. They were coming her way. She tried to back up, but was pushed foreward by the crowd.

"No! Melanie! I'm NOT going!" she said defiently. This may be her greatest adventure ever, and she wasn't going to give it up for her overprotective sister. "I'm not going." she repeated.

[UndercoverNinja]

Mel stopped and Ewan ran into her. "No! Melanie! I'm NOT going!" it was just like Paxton to be defiant. "I'm not going." she repeated. 'maybe i'm just over-reacting. she thought, 'no! i'm definately not! We shouldn't be here. I can't believe we even are!' Melanie knew she would never forgive her parents for doing this to her.
She turned around and searched for Paxton, tears were running down her face. Paxton's face stood out from everyone elses. "Please Pax. For me. For Ewan. Just..." Melanie didn't know what to say. It was difficult to make Paxton do anything!

[PrettyInPointe]

Melanie started crying. "Please Pax. For me. For Ewan. Just..." she trailed off. But Paxton wasn't moving. "No Mel. Be reasonable. Mum and dad thought we were ready for this, and we are! You can go if you are too scared for this adventure, but I'm not moving." This was on argument Paxton wasn't giving up on. She was staying with or without her siblings. A small crowd was forming around them. Melanie seemed to be the only one who wanted to go. "No Melanie." Paxton said, as she retreated into the crowd.

[UndercoverNinja]

"No Mel. Be reasonable. Mum and dad thought we were ready for this, and we are! You can go if you are too scared for this adventure, but I'm not moving. No Melanie." Paxton said, as she retreated into the crowd. Well that decided it! Melanie wasn't leaving Paxton and Ewan to do this own their own. From no on in, they were in it together! She took a step towards Pax and opened her arms for a hug. Please don't leave me hanging Pax. I'll look like such a loser if you do! she pleaded silently

[amypops]

Lou watched the argument between the two girls with interest. Which reminded her...

"I wonder why my sister isn't here..." she mumbled to herself. "Mind you, she is quite young..."

The two girls continued to argue, and she wanted to say something, but didn't know what. She was scared of sounding rude.

She didn't want that Paxton girl to go, she wanted to know someone on the missions, but that might sound selfish. So she just let the two girls carry on, secretly hoping that Paxon would win.

[PrettyInPointe]

Melanie seemed to consider for a second. Then she opened her arms for a hug. "Wait, if I hug you, do I get to stay?" Paxton asked. "Yes, Pax." Melanie told her. "Then okay! Anything to stay!" she sad, as she hugged Melanie back. There was a simultanious "Awww...." from the crowd, and Paxton let go. "Okay... back to your own business people!" she told the crowd, who spread back out. She was just so happy to be staying. "Thank you, Mel." Paxton said. "Sorry to put you on the spot like that, but this is too cool to walk away from." she said, giving her a side hug.

[amypops]

Lou watched the two sisters hug, and secretly rejoyced. Paxton was staying! She laughed a little as Paxton shooed away the small crowd that had gathered after the argument had started. The two sisters hugged again.

"So, what do we do now? I mean, its the middle of the night, we've just been informed of some secret organisation and a mission, and the woman has left. What does she expect us to do now? Go back home to our beds? We don't even know where we are!" Lou complained, completely killing the mood.

[PrettyInPointe]

"So, what do we do now? I mean, its the middle of the night, we've just been informed of some secret organisation and a mission, and the woman has left. What does she expect us to do now? Go back home to our beds? We don't even know where we are!" Lou said loudly to everyone. "Way to kill a mood, Lou!" Paxton joked, as she stepped into the center of the large circle that had formed in the room. "Okay people. At the moment, we're on our own. I want to know how many people here have found a spyglass somewhere in your house." Almost the whole circle raised their hands. "Okay, how about a secret passage or trapdoor?" about 3/4 of the circle raised their hands. "So we all have that in common. So, how many people have heard of the fires around town? Any victims?" One young boy spoke up. "Yeah, our house burned down." the boy said. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Paxton said, going over to hug the boy. Then she walked back to the middle.

"Now, I assume someone will come in to talk to us soon, possibly organize us into teams of a sort. So, I guess we wait. Might as well talk in the meantime." And so a group conversation about everyone's talents started. What they didn't know was that they were being watched by the whole VFD on a computer screen, being talked about by their parent, and yes, being organized into teams.

[amypops]

"Speaking of secret passages... the one I found led to my Aunties house. Inside it smelt of smoke and ash, and I got in so much trouble for going down it and suddenly appearing at my Aunties halfway through the day. It was wierd. There was this guy with her, and a few hours later, Aunties house had been burnt down, and the passage was filled with smoke. It was scary."

She remembered hearing her Aunties screaming voice from below the dining room floor, then suddenly her Auntie herself appeared from under the rug, smelling of smoke and coughing loudly, while the smoke from the passage filled the room.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie stood back, her arm draped on Ewan's shoulder. Even though Mel was the oldest, Paxton was the leader of the trio. She was a natural born leader of the pack and despite being the youngest had bossed about the other two since she could walk and talk. Whilst Melanie was all for a bit of mystery she liked to know things, nay needed to know things the majority of the time. If only her parents were there. She knew that they'd be able to explain everything! "Okay Ewan! I've got a competition for you! First one to find someone to talk to wins!" Ewan responded well to competitions and it was times like these he needed someone to talk to so the two fitted perfectly together! "You're on!" he exclaimed and rushed off to find a friend. Melanie didn't mind loosing nor did she particularly want to talk to anyone so she stood by herself, a little way off from the crowd. "Excuse me?" she turned around to find a boy about her age smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back. "You're not going to win like that!" he shook his head in mock despair. Melanie proceeded to explain and before long to the were talking. They got on like a house on fire!

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton looked around to find out almost everyone had taken her advice. They were all talking, including Melanie and Ewan. She looked around. Who could she talk to? She spotted the boy who's house had burnt down. He was standing alone. She went over to him. He looked about her age, was only slightly taller than her, and seemed nice.

"Hi. I'm Paxton. I'm sorry about your house. What can you do, again?" she asked him. "I'm an animal tamer and an adventurer. And it's okay about my house. We're doing really well, actually. Oh, and I'm Collin. I'm twelve. How old are you?" he asked. "No way! I'm an inventor/ adventurer too! I'm 11 3/4, almost twelve." and so they went on talking, until the woman came back in.

[amypops]

Lou watched Paxton talking eagerly to the boy, while she stood awkwardly next to them, Paxtons jacket draped over her shoulders. She felt tall and gangly compared to everyone else in the room, and it was unnerving.

She heard a door open, and she turned and saw the woman walk back in. As more people noticed the womans presence, the quieter the room got, until you could hear the wind roaring outside, and everyone breathing, and that was it.

Everyones full attention was on the woman, and she smiled broadly at the gaggle of children in front of her before begining.

((I didnt know what to make her say. You can choose))

[PrettyInPointe]

The woman walked into the room again, and everyone hushed up. They could've heard a pin drop. The woman gave them a warm smile. "Hello again. We've been observing you all, and we've arranged teams for you. We based the teams off of relatives, attitude, and skills. So here we go. I will read out the team name, where they should meet, and the members. You will work out the rest from there. Now..." the woman started reading off lists. She read out the list of teams.

After a little while, Paxton heard her name called out. "Okay, Team ((should the names be colors, or actual names?)), your members are: Paxton, Melanie, Ewan, Lou, Collin, and Jake. Meet in the meeting room." the woman said. Yay! Paxton thought. I'm with all my friends!

[amypops]

((Well, you can choose. But Names and colours are fequently used, and if VFD is different...:p))

As the woman read out the 'teams' for the missions, Lou silently jumped for joy.

Paxton's in my team! Somebody I can talk to!

As the woman continued to read out name after name, she could see children looking around for team mates, a few squealing in happiness as they were paired up with their friends and families, some sulking because they knew nobody in their teams. The woman told each team to go to a corresponding meeting room, and Lou trudged sleepily after her team mates.

Ugh, seriously. Are we not gonna get to go to sleep? I'm shattered!

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton jumped for joy and danced to the meeting room where team Spark (a.k.a. Team Maroon) was meeting. She arrived and took a seat next to Melanie and Lou and across from Collin. "Cool guys! All together! Mel and Ewan, this is Lou and Collin." Paxton introduced her new friends to her sister and brother. "So yay! We're all on a team together! I wonder what the training will be? What are we supposed to do here?" Paxton asked, as the lady from before came in.

"Hello everyone. My name is Pat, and I'm glad you all seem to like the team. I'm going to be your team representative, just to guide and train you until I'm not needed. So, I believe you've already been introduced, so let's get started. First things first, you need a team leader." Pat said. Paxton looked around at everyone. Oh, this'll be difficult.... she thought.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie hoped desperately that she wouldn't be split up from her siblings. Now, normally she wasn't a religious person but she even prayed. And it seemed as thought there really was a god for her prayers were answered and she was put into a team with Paxton and Ewan. She was also with a few others. Her team representative looked fairly nice, slightly plump, the sort who was carefree and had a jolly laugh. She even had a jar of lollies! Just like a camp leader. She said that they were to choose a leader. For Melanie it seemed natural to make Paxton the leader but then it also made sense to make it one of the older people. Jake perhaps.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton took another lollipop to get her brain going. Everyone seemed to be thinking about who should be the leader. Her brain got a sugar kick-start, and she started thinking. "Sooo.... awkward...." she giggled into the silence. Then she got more serious. "Ok, we need a leader. It makes sense for it to be the oldest right? Or should we vote?" she asked. She looked at everyone around her and they were just staring at her . "Okay, awkward again. Shall we vote, or should the leader be the oldest, or what? Any ideas?"

[nevermore]

Name: Abigail Snicket

Age: 30

Number of siblings: 2--Bethany (25) and Charles (Chaz) (24)

Physical Description: Tall, brown hair (typically worn in a neat bun), blue eyes, although these are often veiled by a tilted hat which she uses to hide a jagged scar that runs from her hairline down to her right eyebrow. How she received this scar is a story she prefers to keep to herself. Abigail is very prim, and quite fashionable, often seen wearing tailored dresses with long petticoats and well-shined boots.

Personality: Because she is the oldest of her three siblings, Abigail was often in charge of their upbringing, giving her a warm, mothering personality. Abigail greatly loves kids, although she is unmarried and has none of her own. Despite her warm personality, she can be stern at times, and is not a woman to be crossed. Inexplicably, Abigail is one of those personality types that people either love or hate--her kindness is often mistaken as being false.

Special skills: Cooking, sewing



As the children were gathered, in the dead of night, arguing over group leaders, a draft suddenly filled the room, causing papers to flutter off tables, candles to flicker, and some of the children to gasp. Standing in an open doorway was a tall woman in a long red and black dress, in black boots, and with her face somewhat hidden behind a poised hat. Despite the late hour, she looked as though she had just returned from a fancy dinner party.

"Your attention please! Look to me, if you will, children. ...Thank you. I would like to introduce myself. My name is Abigail Snicket, daughter of Zacharia Snicket. You will come to know me quite well during your training, but as I know it is late and you must all be exhausted, I will keep things short.

"Now that you have all found your groups and are arguing over leaders, I must ask for you to halt your debate for the time being, and get some rest. Great decisions come to the rested, quiet mind, so I suggest you follow the old adage and 'sleep on it.'

"If you will all follow me, I will give you a brief tour of the VFD headquarters, which will end with me showing you to your rooms, where you can finally get some rest. For tonight, I will be showing you to the kitchens, where your groups will take turns each day working with me to prepare meals (Incidentally, Maroon group, I expect you in the kitchens at dawn to assist with breakfast). I will also show you the dining hall, the auditorium (which is where those of you with theatrical and musical talents will practice each day), and the library. Pat, if you please, will you be so kind as to extinguish the candles for me as I lead the children toward their beds?"

She smiled kindly, and looked out at the crowd of sleepy-eyed children, some of whom were sticky fingered from Pat's late night sweets, before turning and taking the first steps out into the darkened hallway.

[PrettyInPointe]

The kids were crowded into the big room again, when an immaculately dressed woman came in. "If you will all follow me, I will give you a brief tour of the VFD headquarters, which will end with me showing you to your rooms, where you can finally get some rest. For tonight, I will be showing you to the kitchens, where your groups will take turns each day working with me to prepare meals. I will also show you the dining hall, the auditorium, and the library. Pat, if you please, will you be so kind as to extinguish the candles for me as I lead the children toward their beds?" Abigal said. Paxton followed the woman as she started the tour. This place'll be great for exploring... Paxton thought. She looked over at Collin. "Wanna go exploring later this morning?" she whispered to him. They could get some sleep and then go exploring before anyone woke up. "You're on." he whispered back. "Hey Lou, wanna come exploring later?" she asked, quietly.

[nevermore]

"Some of these rooms, you'll notice" Abigail shouted this first half of her sentence in order to be heard above the whispers behind her. As the chatter halted, she continued in a more quiet voice "have locked doors. These rooms are off-limits, and I must ask that you respect these rules if you wish to remain unharmed. Likewise, the gated section of the gardens is strictly forbidden... if you sneak into this area, you may very well bear, for all time, scars from a brutal animal attack..." here, Abigail pulled the corner of her cap down a bit lower over her face. She sincerely hoped no one had noticed... She shuffled them past the window overlooking the gardens, praying that the clicking of her heels masked the distinctive lion's roar that seemed to answer her warning. The questions would come, in due time, but she didn't want the children to be frightened of their new home. When one was well-trained, there was nothing to fear. Hastily, she checked her cap once more.

[PrettyInPointe]

"Some of these rooms, you'll notice" Abigail shouted over the whispers. "have locked doors. These rooms are off-limits, and I must ask that you respect these rules if you wish to remain unharmed. Likewise, the gated section of the gardens is strictly forbidden... if you sneak into this area, you may very well bear, for all time, scars from a brutal animal attack..." she trailed off, pulling her cap down. She seems to know... Paxton thought. You know, it might be fun to go.... dangerous of course.... Paxton thought. Mel would never let her go, of course, but she could work around Melanie. She would talk to Collin and Lou. She was definently not going alone. She raised her hand. "Umm... You never told us, what is the training, excatcly?" she asked Abigail.

[amypops]

Lou had silently been thinking over Paxtons idea to go sneak around - it might help them get to know their new surroundings a bit better - but after the woman had mentioned animal attacks, Lou's choice had changed drastically.

"Paxton..." she whispered, "If there's animals, I dont want to go... animals scare me..." she confessed in a small voice. "Also, I'm tired." she finished with a huge, loud yawn, which caused a few children to turn and stare at her. She smiled sheepishly at them, and continued to follow the group of children lead by the woman.

[nevermore]

Abigail turned and faced the group. "Excellent question, P. The training that you receive will vary depending on your skills. Those of you with acting and writing skills will go on to study and help us produce a new secret code, Arthur Sebald. Those of you who are good at science will help us research various areas, from animals to mushrooms to poison antidotes. I am currently in the process of designing a disguise kit which will shortly be complete, there will be culinary classes, English classes, and many, many other things. Some of you will study music. Some of you will spend free time in our inventor's studio. Others might study photography. You will not spend all of your time in your groups, but often, you will find that working together and combining your skills will produce better results than working alone. You'll see my dears."

Abigail suddenly turned back to the hallway, which had abruptly split off into two different directions.

"Now then, at long last, you have come to your dormitories. The boys will be sleeping in the dorm to the left, and the girls in the dorm to the right. You will find that at the foot of your bed rests a chest engraved with your initials. This contains a few of your personal belongings, sent to us by your parents--clothes, shoes, toothbrushes, family photographs, and other things you might miss.
Team Maroon, I'll remind you one last time so that it's at the front of your mind--you are to meet me in the kitchens at 5:30 in the morning to help prepare breakfast."

As the children began to split off and file past her, Abigail gave them each a kind smile and a nod of her head to quietly wish them goodnight.

[UndercoverNinja]

((are we team maroon?))

Mel hugged Ewan and watched him amble off with the other boys to the left wing dormitory. He seemed to have attached himself to Jake whom Melanie severly hoped would look after her little brother. Paxton it seemed had already run off to her bed with one of the other girls. The woman stood in the middle of the two dormitories, saying goodnight to all of the children as they passed her. While Melanie thought this woman was nice enough, she still wasn't keen on her. After all, she was part of the group of people who had brought them all there. Melanie stood shivering some 5 or so metres away from her, just analysing her. There were so many questions Melanie wanted to ask and right then they were all running through her mind, why being the most important. In fact, Mel was so lost in thought that she didn't notice that all of the others had left for their dorms.

[nevermore]

"Do you need something, Melanie?" Abigail asked kindly. "You know you're welcome at any time in any room that doesn't have a locked door. If you're thirsty, you may go to the kitchens, if you find you can't sleep, you may go to the libraries. Please think of the VFD headquarters as your home, and if you have any questions, please don't be scared to ask me, or any of the other VFD leaders."

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie knew enough about acting to know that you couldn't trust anyone. After all she had trusted her parents and then they went and shoved her here without so much as an explanation. And this place, home! Melanie scoffed at the very thought. Home was a place where you were loved and looked after, there were no secrets and there was always something to do. It was filled with things you love and it always smelled nice, always smelt like home. This place just couldn't compare! Still, Melanie knew that complaining wasn't going to get her anywhere, when had it? "Why?" she asked simply.

[nevermore]

Abigail heaved a sigh that seemed to come from her very core.

"Alas my dear... the first question you ask is the most difficult to answer. I will do my best to explain what I can tomorrow morning, when all of the group is gathered around and more awake and calm then they were tonight. I won't leave you without any sort of answer, however."

She paused, closing her eyes briefly as she shaped her words.

"You are a clever, observant girl. You may have noticed that the world is not always a nice place. The people you meet from day to day are not always good people. It seems that in this area, especially, there are a startling number of cruel people... and a startling number of good, noble people. VFD has grown to become an organization that strives to protect those good people. To be a step ahead of those who are bad, and to try to protect the innocent before bad things happen. Your parents were a part of VFD. Since you were very young, they have watched you for signs of nobility, of intelligence, of kindness."

She paused, clearly on the brink of sharing something she would not confide to just anyone. She chose to say it.

"Melanie, we live in a world, you, I, your sister... a world where all that is ever expected of us is to grow up, get married, have children, grow old, and die. Talents go wasted. A seamstress does nothing more than hem handkerchiefs. An artist does nothing more than paint pictures to hang in the parlor. A musician would be blessed to grace a dinner party with a piano tune. Your parents, as members of VFD, saw that there was a brighter future in store for you. That your talents could be fostered, that you could be educated. That you could make the world a better place, and you wouldn't be judged... you are here, Melanie, because here you can have a chance. A chance you deserve to have. The world is a chaotic place... but here..."

Abigail smiled.

"The world is quiet here."

[UndercoverNinja]

It was late and Melanie was tired but when she realised how carefully Abigial was talking, always aware of the impact her words might have, Mel knew it would be vital she listened and made sense of Abigail's speech. In any normal instance Melanie would have become rather bashful and modest, denying her talents before feeling rather complimented. Where she lived, if you were beautiful, you were worthy, if you were anything else, regardless of how talented or intelligent you may be, you were thrust aside. There were many pretty girls in the world and whilst Melanie wasn't by any means ugly, she was over-shadowed by these empty-headed, good-for-nothing-except-looking-at, giggling girls. Melanie's parents had always told her that one day her talents would be appreciated. She realised now that they had meant here, now, apparently where it was quiet. Mel nodded and silently slunk off to bed.

[nevermore]

Abigail leaned thoughtfully against a wall for a few moments, listening to the final sounds of kids snuggling safely into their beds. She lingered until all was quiet, just in case someone wandered out in need of her help. When the corridor was engulfed in silence, she headed quietly away, in the direction of her own room. She knew she should get to bed, too. The late night meant a long day for everyone, herself included.

It was her tendency to worry, and she had to assure herself that these smart children would be able to find their own way to the kitchens for a glass of water. She would see them in the morning, when, after a good night's sleep, she could try to explain everything.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie didn't find the peace that she had hoped her bed would bring. The mattress was too hard and the blankets too thin. She could faintly hear the wind outside. It was howling and reminded Melanie of a wolf she had once heard many summers ago on their annual camping trip. She had been too scared to leave the tent and they had ended up going home early. Melanie laughed as she thought back to this. But these happy memories when all was right made Melanie feel even more lost in the big house with the mysterious adults. Just when Mel thought she would never fall asleep she did but it wasn't the untroubled sleep she had hoped for. It was full of bad dreams and unease and she had never been happier to wake up.

When she eventually did, there was sunlight streaming in from windows placed high in the walls. She sat up and looked at all of the other girls. She recognised not a single one of them except for Paxton and her friend. There were many girls here. Blonde, brunette; tall, short; old and young; yet they all had something in common. They all looked out of place, lost almost, deep in their troubled slumbers. Silently, Melanie got out of bed and padded out of the room and down the hallway in hopes of getting a drink.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton fell asleep pretty quickly last night, after hearing Melanie come in. She didn't like sleeping without knowing what was going on, which was why she slept with the door open. Having other people in the room helped. She liked listening to the quiet breathing. She woke up the next morning to hear the door click shut. She looked over to see Melanie's empty bed. She quickly got up, slipped her slippers on, and followed her out the door. "Hey Mel!" Paxton whispered called up the hall. She jogged quickly to catch up. "Going to get a drink?" she asked her sister.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie heard the door open again behind her and Paxton call out. She sighed and turned around. "Going to get a drink?" her sister asked. Melanie nodded, "but i don't know where the kitchen is! I'm sure we'll find it though. We aren't Maroon are we? I wasn't really paying attention last night, too sleepy," she passed under an archway. Inscribed on the archway were the words: All is quiet here. Those were the words Abigial had said last night. To be honest they didn't really make sense to Mel but she would make sure she found out the meaning behind them!

[Qwill]

Hope decided that it was no use leavign her sisters behind like that, they would starve, they would die but she had to leave them behind. She needed someplace else to be, she didn't want to be an orphan and the box was still in her hands. Now she was on the streets her sisters sleeping. The nearest orphanage was two streets away. Hope pulled out a small photo of her sisters and carefully wrote the street name on the back. Walking towards the oprhanage she left the photo outside the door and slowly walked away.

[PrettyInPointe]

"We'll find it." Paxton reassured Melanie. Mel still seemed upset about being stuck here. "So, we have kitchen duty this morning, don't we?" she asked Melanie, trying to get her mind off of things. "That'll be fun. We have a great team. You have that guy you met, what's his name? And I have Lou and Collin, and we both have Ewan." she said, cheerfully. She had had a good night's sleep, and was ready to go this morning. "Ready for training too? I hope we gat to work together, and Ewan too. We'd be an amazing trio! Unstoppable!" she decided.

[UndercoverNinja]

How Paxton managed to be postive no matter the situation completely escaped Melanie. Come rain or shine, Paxton was smiling, doing things. She had smiled all the way through Aunt Millicent's funeral when she was seven, she even smiled in her sleep. Melanie nodded at her sister. “I’m sure we’ll manage, we Praise’s always do!” She drew Paxton into a side hug and they ambled off down the corridor.

[nevermore]

Dawn was coming slowly as Abigail opened her eyes. Looking around her tiny, dark room, slowly growing lighter, she stretched and reminded herself of all the tasks before her today. She had to be in the kitchens in a few hours to prepare breakfast. She had to work on her disguise kits, which were almost ready. She had to show the new recruits the green, wood paneled meeting hall, and return later that day to meet with the first generation of VFD members, to discuss the collection of one of the newcomers. One VFD member had shown up at the youngster's house last night, only to find it in ruins, several other members of VFD still scrambling to put out the last of the glowing embers. The children were nowhere to be seen. Whether they had escaped and were on the run, or whether they had perished in the fire was a mystery. They had to decide what to do next. It was an unfortunate event that no one had anticipated...

She yawned and stood up, washed her face at the basin perched on a small table, and walked to her wardrobe to choose her clothes for the day: a dark blue dress with a high, black-laced neck... black boots... and a black veiled hat, which she pulled down low to cover the scar slashing from her forehead down to her left eyebrow. She was an early riser. She liked the quiet hours of the morning, when she could read or sew undisturbed until it was time to go prepare breakfast.

((Qwill, I'm not sure if you saw this over in the side chat thread--I suggested that you can get scooped up by someone from VFD one of these nights as you walk through the streets and brought to the headquarters with the rest of us. Whether you want your sisters to get taken too, or to remain separated from you is your call as well, so I didn't want to make any moves regarding your character until I knew what you wanted to do about the other two siblings))

[PrettyInPointe]

***TIMESKIPPING***

After getting a drink of water and a little more sleep, Paxton walked towards the kitchens to join up with the rest of the maroon team to cook breakfast. She wasn't a natural cook, but she was usually able to figure recipes out. She walked through the double doors into the kitchen with a sibling on either side of her to find Abigail already in the kitchen. She looked stunning in a blue and black laced dress, black hat and boots. "Wow, you look great!" Paxton said to Abigail. She wished she had such good dress sense. But then again, she was an adventurer, therefore would tear beautiful clothes like that up in two minutes.

[nevermore]

"Why thank you very much!" Abigail laughed, "and a good morning to you three. Let's see..." Abigail looked around the large kitchen, where some kids were busy beating eggs, others were slicing bread, and the very youngest (just learning to walk) chewed on wooden spoons and looked curiously on as their older siblings cooked away. "Melanie dear, have you ever made scrambled eggs? I can use your help here at the stove" Abigail patted a place next to her, where she was already tossing eggs about in a large pan. A second stood vacant on the stove next to her. "And... Paxton, ah I know! Some of the younger children are slicing bread for toast, would you please help them arrange the slices onto sheet pans and transfer them into the oven? And... let's see... Ewan, if you look on the shelf over the icebox, you'll find a large bowl full of oranges. Will you please peel them and separate the wedges into ANOTHER LARGE BOWL?" Abigail had to shout the last part of her sentence. One of the toddlers had found a metal mixing bowl, and was happily banging it with the spoon she was chewing moments ago, singing a song that went something like "ya ya ya ya ya ya." Abigail giggled and began singing along with the child.

((how old is Ewan?))

[PrettyInPointe]

((Probably 13ish))

Paxton skipped over to the other children slicing bread, picked up a knife, and started slicing. She also started singing along to the toddlers tune, and started tapping on glasses to the rythm. Soon they had a whole band going, made totally up of kitchen appliances, and the lyrics of "ya, ya, ya." Paxton laughed giddily. She loved the chaos and uproar of this whole place. She was always happy when noise and excitement was around. Maybe that was why she was an adventurer. She twirled over to the over to put the next load of bread in, not dropping a single piece.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie often helped her mother in the kitchen and had therefore learnt a few of the basic cooking skills, nevertheless, she was reluctant to help Abigail with the eggs. Melanie and paxton had stayed in the kitchen, just talking until the others had come down to get breakfast ready. They had talked about many things, there had been a lot of speculation about what was to come, there in the big, creepy house; they had comlained and comiserated about their lack of parents; they had said aloud their worries and showed their disgust at lack of sleep - although Melanie felt refreshed after her short sleep last night.

When Abigail had arrived this morning, she looked very prim and proper, dressed in a neat, dark blue dress - though Melanie couldn't for the life of her understand why anyone would wear a hat that low, much less indoors!

So, scrambled eggs!

[nevermore]

Abigail, with team Maroon in tow, filed into the dining room, where sleepy VFD members, some old, many young, sat around a long table and gazed bleary-eyed at their forks. The group arranged the eggs, toast, fruit, and several large pots of coffee and tea at various intervals along the table. Many of the adults ate behind rustling newspapers, and left the table after exchanging a few kind words to the children. A few of the VFD members spotted children they knew from dinner parties hosted by the children's parents, but many children had no idea who any of these adults were.

When the VFD trainees had been well fed and were feeling more awake, Abigail cleared her throat meaningfully. "Ahem. Good morning, officially, to each and every one of you. I know last night was full of confusion, but hopefully after a night's sleep and a good breakfast, many of you are full of thoughts and questions. I invite you to ask me anything you'd like. Anything at all. Whether they are about VFD, about your parents, or even about me, nothing is taboo. If it's something I am at liberty to discuss with you, I shall attempt to answer everything as well as I am able."

There was a silence still enough to hear the butter melting down the bread.

"Shy? It's understandable. I'll go first. Did anyone decide to go exploring this morning?"

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton looked around the room, seeing no one raising their hands. She was slightly dissapointed with the other adventurers. Or maybe they just didn't want to admit it. Paxton put her hand up in the air, and Paxton could've sworn she saw Melanie do an eye roll. "I went exploring." Paxton said proudly. They said make this place feel like home, and she explored her home. She had an excuse. Paxton looked around at the face looking at her, and smiled a huge smile. She wasn't scared, and exploring had been fun! The library was huge, and so were the gardens! It was much better than exploring her house.

[nevermore]

Abigail beamed.

"Oh good! I have to admit, I was starting to worry! So many intelligent, curious people spending their first night in a new place, and given the instructions to make themselves at home. I certainly hoped someone would explore!" she laughed.

At Paxton's boldness, and Abigail's reaction, it seemed, many other children were now willing to confess. Several other hands were tentatively raised, and Abigail nodded slowly, a look of approval on her face. It seems young Paxton will become quite the ringleader... Abigail thought to herself.

"Well good then. That's my question answered. Now it's your turn. Come, someone must have a question they've been burning to ask." Abigail said, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie had one burning question. It had come about during breakfast - which for Melanie consisted of scrambled eggs on toast and freahly-squeezed orange juice. Melanie had seen and been greeted by many adults. She recognised many from the formal gatherings her parents hosted. Not being an adult of course she hadn't attended them but rather merely glimpsed them as she sat on the staircase with her siblings watching the extravagently dressed adults. Melanie now wondered if they were all members of this association - the name kept slipping her. But despite being helloed and patted on the back by many people, Melanie never once saw her parents. She noticed many others looking hopefully around and she almost cried when she saw the crest-fallen face of one little boy. It was this boy that piped up now. "Where's my mum and dad?"

[nevermore]

Abigail took a deep breath.

"That is an answer that will apply to each one of you children. Your parents have decided that it's best if they stayed away for a while, until you've made your decisions. They don't want to influence your choice. You see... VFD stands for Volunteer Fire Department. However, over the years, we've grown to become much more than that, looking for ways to better mankind. We are detectives, working undercover. We are scientists, working in secret labs. We are playwrights and poets, authors and actors, who use our work to deliver coded messages to VFD members working in secret. But most importantly children, we are volunteers. And so are you. You have been taken by VFD in secret, in the dead of night, to keep you safe from the prying eyes of the world. You will all stay here for a week, learning about the kind of work VFD does. When the week is over, however, you will all be given a choice. Do you wish to join VFD, or do you wish to return to the world you knew before? To the life you knew before. To the home you knew before. When the week is over, if you choose to leave, you will return home to your parents, to their open arms, who will all love you just the same. If you choose to stay, you will be officially inducted into VFD, and your real training, and your real missions, will begin. Those of you who stay will see your parents rarely, as both you and they will often be on separate missions. But you will work to make the world a better place. Those who leave will leave VFD forever, and will see your parents regularly. But for the next week, your parents have all chosen to stay away from the VFD headquarters, because they want your choice to be yours. And yours alone."

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton was glad to see a few other kids say they went exploring. She was dissapointed at first with the thought no one else had. Then one kids asked the question that was burning in her mind. "Where are my parents?" As she listened to Abigail's speech, her face fell. She wanted, no needed, to stay in the VFD, it was her purpose. But leaving her parents for days, or maybe even weeks at a time was a high price to pay. She would have to talk to Melanie, though she was almost positive she was staying. She couldn't leave now that she knew how amazing this place was. She would have to live with rarely seeing her parents. She looked over at Melanie, who had a pained expression on her face.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie was completely and utterly shocked. What kind of people took children away from their parents and sent them of dangerous missions? Melanie had seen children as young as two! And her parents were part of this organisation? Melanie refused to believe it! Her mother who tutted when she saw girls with their dresses cut just an inch too low and gasped when Melanie told her of girls her age who went to parties, and her father. Silent and brooding he often shut himself in his library. But often, at dinner, he would tell his family about a book he had read and how the ideas were ridiculous. More often than not it was an adventure book about a young boy or girl who had become a pirate, or there had even one time been a story about a young male spy. Eric had laughed at that!
But now, they were part of an organisation who commandered these expiditions. They made children spies and pirates. Melanie refused to believe it!

[nevermore]

Abigail saw a mixture of furrowed brows and expressive faces all around her as VFD's newest recruits sorted through all of the information that she had just given them. It was a lot to take in--she understood that. At the same time, she was aware that these children were among the best and brightest, and would be better equipped to deal with large amounts of information.

Whether you learn that a neighbor's house is on fire while people are trapped inside, or you learn that your parents are part of a secret organization that will soon be asking you to make a life-altering decision, shocking information never seemed to come gradually in this world.

She gave them all several long moments to work through what she had just told them. Then, very quietly, so as to gently bring them back to the present, she set down her tea cup (the faint "clink" caused several to blink in surprise) before she said softly "is there anything else you would like to know?"

[amypops]

"Yes." Lou plucked up enough courage to say.

"Why exactly are people setting fire to other peoples homes? And why don't the adults make a fire department?" she asked, remembering her aunt suddenly appearing from underneath the diningroom table from some trapdoor.

Being nosey, Lou had snuck down and followed the tunnel, only to end up in the charred remains of her aunts house.

"Also, do you know anything about... tunnels? There is one underneath my house, and I noticed VFD on the trapdoors." she admitted.

[nevermore]

Abigail nodded solemnly.

"Yes... the fires. Some seem to be regular fires, which just happen from time to time. Someone falls asleep and leaves a candle burning, embers from a fireplace drift onto the hearth rug when no one is in the room... but others... the fires that start when no one is home, and no flames had been left burning. The ones that happen immediately after one receives a threatening letter, unsigned. These kinds of fires, children, are called 'arson,' " she noticed blank looks from several of the younger children. "...a word which here means 'started by other people who wish to cause harm.' " she explained.

"Typically when fires start, friends and neighbors help to put out the blazes. But more and more fires began over the last few decades, and more often, friends and neighbors were too late. It was at this point that residents of the city decided that something needed to be done, and thus the Volunteer Fire Department--VFD for short--began. We don't know who causes the fires, or why. That is why many members of VFD are also detectives and investigators, and why others are scientists seeking better, faster ways to put out fires... or best of all, ways to prevent them completely."

Abigail paused, trying to remember all of Lou's questions... she knew he had asked about more than just VFD...

"Ah! The tunnels!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Yes. Several families who have joined VFD have come to understand the importance of being able to escape their homes quickly in the event of a fire, or in the event of something even more sinister, like a home invasion by an arsonist. Many people have started to construct tunnels under their homes which lead to a second safe place--often the home of a trusted friend or family member. Many of your parents may have kept the tunnels a secret from you, in order to prevent you from playing in them, or else wandering accidentally into the home of one of your neighbors."

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie was struggling to take all of the information in. It was hard to wrap her head around, all of these years she had thought that there were no secrets! It would have been easier if it had been a small secret, but this! This was too big, too much for Melanie! She stood up, felt very stupid and sat down. She didn't want to make a scene, but then again, she didn't want to be here. She wanted to be back at home, with her parents, blissfully unaware of the V.F.D and arsonists. She wanted to go back to yesterday evening. The cocoa and story before bed she'd shared with her parents and siblings. But deep down, Melanie knew things could never go back to the way they were before.

[nevermore]

After several long moments of silence and no further questions, Abigail swallowed her last bit of tea, wiped her mouth delicately on her napkin, and placed the folded piece of cloth on top of her plate.

"Well my bambini, if you have no other questions, I'd like to show you more of the VFD headquarters. I'll be taking you to see the meeting hall today, as well as the science labs and the theater. I was also thinking a picnic lunch out in the gardens could be a nice way to spend the afternoon. That way we could all talk and get to know one another. Would you like that?"

[amypops]

Lou nodded mutely, along with several other children in the room. This lady seemed nice, Lou thought. She was still getting used to being away from home, and her little baby sister.

This place was huge, and she didn't exactly want to go exploring on her own, in case she went into somewhere she wasn't allowed. She didn't like getting into trouble much. Mind you, not many people did.

Team Maroon helped clean up the breakfast dishes, and they carried them back through to the kitchens.

[nevermore]

The night was cold and rainy. The streets were empty as everyone was now home for the evening, sitting snugly before fires, reading books, sipping tea. Everyone, save one child, who wandered through the dark, unknown streets, one building scarcely discernible from the next as the water-streaked gaslights failed to illuminate the scenery. She stumbled slightly, exhausted from another day of walking, and cold from the pouring rain. When the carriage approached behind her, she did not turn her head. When it stopped a few paces behind, she did not break her stride. It was only when someone reached out from behind her to clap a hand around her mouth that she began to struggle, to scream silently behind the hand that held her tight.
"Quiet" a voice hissed, "we've come to help you. We knew your parents, we are searching for the arsonists who killed them, and we have been looking for you to find you and keep you safe. Come with us if you want to live."
It was only then that she noticed the group of people around her. Men and women, their faces hidden under hats and heavy coats. Silently, she nodded her head. With a startled scream, she found herself blinded by the cloth tied over her eyes, scooped up, feet-first, and bundled into the carriage. By the time curious neighbors peeked out of their curtains, the carriage had vanished without a trace.

Abigail and the children sat in the library, reading by the light of a hundred candles and a cozy, roaring fireplace. Sometimes someone would read an interesting passage from their book out loud to the others, otherwise, the only sound came from the cozy rustling of turning pages. Suddenly, there was a commotion outside as a carriage pulled up to the front door. Abigail rose and ran to the window, looking out at the scene below. Several children crowded around her to look, too. She gasped as the group of cloaked members stepped out of the carriage, and one taller member carried a child in his arms.
"Oh thank goodness. She's alive, and they've found her." She turned and ran to the library door, and turned to address the children in the room with her, "I shall be back momentarily. Please, stay here, and I will return in no time."

Running down the corridors into the entryway, she found the child asleep and shivering on a small sofa. "Is she hurt?" Abigail asked one of the members.
"No. Sick and weary from running through the rain, but otherwise unharmed."
"Fetch me a cup of tea from the kitchens please, and the large blanket from off my bed," Abigail ordered. She turned to Pat, who stood watching curiously over the scene. "Pat, I know you are busy with your studies, but will you please go to the children in the library? Assure them that all is well, and that I will soon be in with a new recruit. I'm afraid I rushed out without much explanation..."

When the tea and blanket had been brought to her, Abigail tucked the comforter around the shivering child, and helped her to sit up, waking her gently. "Sssh, it's all right my dear. Sssh. Here, sip this, it will warm you." The child's eyes began to open, and Abigail smiled down at her. "Hello. You've had quite an adventure, haven't you? My name is Abigail. You have been brought to the VFD headquarters, and you are safe here with us."

((This should hopefully free up the plot a bit, with cause for commotion in the library, and now the stage set for Qwill to join in on the fun. We can certainly have a split-scene moment with the kids in the library, and Abigail and Hope in the VFD entryway.))

[PrettyInPointe]

After kidnapping Hope and bringing her to the VFD headquaters, Pat let Abigail take over. "Oh, of course I will. I'll go check on the children. How much should I explain, exactly? I don't want to tell them we kidnapped her exactly, so shall I just say we have a new team member?" Pat asked Abigail.

She looked over at the warming Hope. "Bring her over by the fire, too." Pat said, and picked Hope up, setting her down in a plushy chair. "That'll be better." Pat said, giving Hope a warm smile.
******************************
Paxton watched curiously as Abigail rushed out of the room. They had been reading for the past hour, and she had stopped after ten minutes. Now she was thinking up inventions. There was her six-year-old attention span coming out again. She needed something very interesting, like plans, to focus on.

After about ten minutes, nobody had come back. "Well, I for one want to know what is going on." Paxton declared, walking over to a near vent. The library was towards the center of the building, so she might be able to hear something. When she heard faint voices, she held up two fingers behind her back. That told her siblings to stand watch.

[amypops]

Lou had been sitting reading for the past hour. If she stared at the words, and ignored her surroundings, she almost got the impression that she was back in her library at home, and she could hear her parents turning the pages quietly in the background, and even hear her baby sister scampering around, nibbling this and that out of curiousity.

Lifting her head and rubbing her stiff neck a little, the illusion dissappeared, and she saw Paxton inching towards the vent. She put down her book quietly.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "I'm sure everyone here is as curious as you are, and we all have to wait!" she sulked, after hearing Paxtons reason to go sneaking. "I hardly think thats fair."

[PrettyInPointe]

"Ya know, most friends would say 'Oh no, don't eavesdrop! You'll be in trouble!' My friends say 'Hey, give us a turn!'" Paxton said, giving Lou a huge grin. She moved to the side so Lou could put her ear against the vent too.

Paxton could almost make out the words the voices were saying. It was Abigail for sure, and maybe.... Pat? She heard something about explaining, or lack of it, and... a new member? On their team? Hmm... who could that be? Paxton thought, giving Melanie a "Did you hear that?" kind of glance.

[nevermore]

Abigail chewed her lip thoughtfully as she pondered Pat's question...
"Well... I don't like lying to the children... I think if children are old enough to ask questions, they are old enough to know answers. In the same breath, Hope's secrets belong to her, and we don't want to share things that aren't our business to be sharing. Perhaps... yes... you're right, Pat. For now, just tell them that a new recruit has arrived. Once Hope is feeling better, I will bring her in to meet everyone, and then she can tell the children as much--or as little--as she wishes to share." Abigail nodded resolutely as she came to this conclusion.

"Thank you for finding her, Pat. I was so worried when I heard that the Hathaway house had been destroyed on the same night that we went to collect the recruits... it's suspicious... But I am so, so glad that she's all right..."

Abigail turned toward Hope, "How are you feeling, dear?"

[PrettyInPointe]

Pat rushed to the library, after getting her orders from Abigail. Just say that there is a new team member, no questions, keep reading or talking. Easy enough.... Right? The kids would be fine with no answers. Oh who was she kidding? Pat laughed, and decided this would be a test for her ability to not crack when pleading started. She could be too soft hearted at times. She was working on it.

************

Paxton hear three soft snaps, grabbed Lou's arm, and rushed them to their seats, just as Pat walked in. Three snaps meant people were coming, now. Thank goodness for symbols. Paxton and her siblings invented them when Paxton became a better adventurer. They had decided yelling "They're coming!" was a lousy symbol, so three snaps worked better.

"Hello Pat. What happened?" Paxton said, innocence in her eyes, but she got right to the point. She had a feeling Pat wasn't going to tell them much. She was right. "You will soon be getting a new team member. Now, where were we?" Pat said, passively. No duh. We knew that. Paxton thought, irritated.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie had looked up from her incredibly dull book to see Paxton and Lou with their ears pressed against a vent. Melanie's eyes widened in terror and she snapped her head down. If there were still adults in the room she didnt want to draw attention to the girls. Gently, she shook her head until her hair covered her eyes then she titled her head so she could peek through the gaps and survey to room. To her left Melanie couldn't see anyone so she titled her head to the right. Still there was no one there! Melanie raised her head and brushed her hair away from her face. No one but her and obviously Paxton and Lou had noticed the lack of authority. Under normal circumstances the room would be a riot. Of course, these were not normal circumstances. Melanie was just about to get up and find out what Lou and Melanie were listening to when she heard the faint clicks of high heels. They were getting louder which meant they were also getting closer! Paxton and Lou were still at the vent. Melanie didn't want to yell at them and draw attention to herself, but nor did she want them to get into trouble. Think Melanie! Think! she mentally screamed at herself. The heels were almost at the door when the light switched on! Three sharp snaps and Lou and Paxton were away from the vent. Melanie heaved a sigh of relief as the door opened and Pat walked in.

[nevermore]

Abigail's heels could be heard clicking down the corridor as she walked back toward the library. The door was pushed open and Abigail walked in looking surprisingly irked, given her general air of well-composedness. "Well, Pat, the child doesn't have two words to say to me, and I have given up trying. I'm willing to forgive her for being exhausted and confused, however I should have liked very much to introduce her to all of the recruits tonight. I have shown her to her bed where she will no doubt already be asleep. I think it best if she joined a different group than mine, at least until we know where her loyalties lie."

She looked out at all of the curious faces, and noticed that Lou, Paxton, and Melanie all seemed slightly less surprised... as though they knew something that the others didn't. She had to fight the urge to smile, suddenly realizing that there was a vent in the floor, just over the entryway.

"Well my bambini, I see there is no point trying to hide anything from clever children like yourselves. We have a new recruit named Hope. She should have joined all of you on the first night, however her home and family have been the victims of arson, and it was difficult for us to find her. As you can imagine, she is quite exhausted from the ordeal, and as much as I would have liked to introduce all of you to her, she has instead chosen to go to sleep. I must ask that you please try not to disturb her when you go to bed tonight."

Abigail paused thoughtfully. In all of the confusion over the last several days, time had all but escaped her.

"You should perhaps consider getting some rest tonight. Tomorrow marks the seventh day at the VFD headquarters, and for some of you, this will be your last night here. Tomorrow evening we will be gathering in the meeting hall, where you will decide, once and for all, if you choose to volunteer for our organization."

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton blushed slightly when Abigail noticed the vent, then beamed when she explained the situation to them anyway. A new recruit! Cool! Paxton thought. It would be all she could do to keep from waking her to talk tonight. She gave a little start when Abigail said it was almost the seventh day.

"What? Really? That was fast! Time flies when you're having fun....." she said thoughtfully. She was pretty sure she was staying. Well, she was positive she was staying, and was pretty sure that Melanie and Ewan were too. She hoped her other friends would too. Then a thought occured to her. "Hey Abigail, what exactly will our missions be like?" she asked curious as always.

[nevermore]

Then a thought occured to her. "Hey Abigail, what exactly will our missions be like?" she asked curious as always.

Abigail smiled mysteriously. "Ah, but if I told you my dear, they wouldn't be secret missions, now would they?" Abigail had a faraway look in her eye as she remembered some of the missions she had completed in the past... no two ever the same, some dangerous, some fun, all exciting. She glanced at Paxton and assumed that an answer such as hers would not be enough to satisfy a curious child's thirst for knowledge. "Well, that, and I couldn't tell you because no two missions are the same. Each person has their own talents, and some of you will be more skilled in some areas than in others. Your missions will not be the same as my missions, and my missions will not be the same as Melanie's. Although sometimes, if fortune favors us, we may all have the opportunity to work together."

((Undercoverninja--will you be controlling Jake as well as Melanie? That would be a welcome blessing. We seriously, seriously need some other characters. Qwill seems to have completely missed my posts/threads begging her to come and post. *sulk*))

[PrettyInPointe]

"That would be amazing!" Paxton exclaimed. "Wouldn't it be amazing? I think it would. And if Lou and Colin and Jake would be on the team too, that would be like, way past awesome." she paused to take a breath.

"Anyways, what will the goal of our missions be? Or will there be more than one goal, depending on the mission? Also, I can kind of understand how an adventurer could help in a mission, but what about being an inventor? Or cooking and acting like Melanie? Will we be learning situations where our skills can be used?" Paxton pryed, wanting more of an answer.

[UndercoverNinja]

Name: Jacob Donovan
Age: 16
Number of siblings: 2- Jasmine and Joshua. Lost
Physical description: Average height, kind of scrawny, tousled brown hair and blue eyes. Mediterranean olive coloured skin.
Personality: Caring, takes a back seat unless pushed. Tries not to try too hard, overly modest.
Special skills (inventor, scholar, writer, chef, etc): super-brain and extra observant.
other: trying to find his siblings

[nevermore]

"That would be amazing!" Paxton exclaimed. "Wouldn't it be amazing? I think it would. And if Lou and Colin and Jake would be on the team too, that would be like, way past awesome." she paused to take a breath.

"Anyways, what will the goal of our missions be? Or will there be more than one goal, depending on the mission? Also, I can kind of understand how an adventurer could help in a mission, but what about being an inventor? Or cooking and acting like Melanie? Will we be learning situations where our skills can be used?" Paxton pryed, wanting more of an answer.

Abigail laughed at Paxton's barrage of questions. She had never heard the phrase "like way past awesome" before, and she pondered it for a moment as she fixed a button on her boot that had come undone. When she rose back up to her full height, she continued, "unfortunately, though, I am not at liberty to tell you any more about things like missions, especially with so many children here who will ultimately choose to leave VFD. These are matters that should only be discussed with sworn-in members. Rest assured though, if you stay, you will receive top training in all of those areas, and more, and will not be sent out on missions until we were certain that you were ready."

[UndercoverNinja]

((i changed where it was because it didnt make sense))

Melanie could sense that Abigail just wanted the children to go to bed so she shushed Paxton and dragged her off to bed, the others gradually started following even though many of them had more questions. Melanie wasn't ready to decide and she doubted a nights rest would help her make up her mind but she went to bed anyway. As she lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling she heard someone walking about outside. She got up and silently padded outside. Through a crack in the door she could see Jake pacing. The door creaked as she opened it. "Hi Melanie," Jake said, "can't sleep?"
Melanie shook her head, "i don't know what to choose tomorrow."
Jake shook his head, "neither. I'm all alone here. at least you have Paxton and Ewan!"
Melanie realised just how true he was! As long as she was with Paxton and ewan she would never be truly alone. She smiled as she thought of the many adventures she had shared with them. she couldn't imagine growing up on her own. She told Jake this.
"I didn't. I had two siblings, Jasmine and Joshua. I lost them when i was 10."
"Lost! How horrible! I hate it when people die!" Melanie exclaimed.
"No, they didn't die. I lost them. I don't know where they are! But now i think the VFD may know. I have to stay to find out, but, I'd be all alone!"
'how horrible!' thought Melanie. "You've got me," she said, smiling. They heard footsteps from down the corridoor. After a brief exchange of glances, the both hurried off to their own rooms.

[nevermore]

The next evening, all of the recruits, along with Pat and Abigail, stood gathered in the meeting hall. A monstrous room, the meeting hall had a high, sloping ceiling, like a cathedral, and was made entirely out of wood... not just any wood, but a strange, green wood, paneled from wall to wall, and from floor to ceiling. Abigail explained that the wood only grew in one part of the world, and came from a lumber mill in a town called Paltryville, which specialized in the strange, verdant (a word which here means "green") lumber.

Pat stood on one end of the hall, Abigail on the other. The children were all gathered in the middle. Abigail cleared her throat.

"Well children, your week is over. For some of you, this was the longest week of your lives. For others, it felt like a few brief days. You have seen the headquarters. You know what VFD can offer you and your futures. The choice is now yours. If you choose to stay, you will be formally inducted into VFD, and your training will begin first thing in the morning. If you choose to leave, you will go home tonight. Regardless of what you choose, your parents are all waiting to see you, and you will get to reunite with them in a few short moments. But now, the choice is yours. If you choose to leave, you cross to Pat's side of the room, and she will escort you away from the meeting hall. You will be blindfolded and taken out of the VFD headquarters by your families, and you will never see this building again. If, however, you should choose to stay, cross to my side of the room, and your adventure will soon begin. The choice is entirely yours."

Abigail stepped back and waited quietly, with her hands clasped and her head bowed. This was VFD's first mass-recruitment. Their first time taking in such young volunteers. Would any of the children choose to join her?

[UndercoverNinja]

All of the children were scared and many horrified with the prospect of finally having to make the decision. Melanie was stood next to Jake and Paxton with Ewan on the other side of Jake. Paxton felt around for Melanies hand. I a way, it was sort of comforting for Melanie to know that even Paxton wasn't completely keen on the idea. For some reason this gave Melanie a kind of confidence she had never felt before. Hoping desperately that Jake was somehow attached to Ewan, she grabbed hold of Jakes hand and dragged her new "family" over to Abigails side of the room. Abigail breathed a sigh of relief and slowly others started crossing over too. By the end there were still a few people left on the other side but Melanie felt no regrets about what she had done. Jake however looked slightly wary.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton took Melanie's hand and squeezed it. They knew what their decision was, but she was still nervous. She didn't really know why, she just hoped her friends chose to stay too.

As they made their way to Abigail's side of the room, Paxton looked at the faces of every kid they passed. Some were so young, some much, much older than Paxton. They all had to make the same decision she had made. But some were alone, and had it much worse than she did. She sent them all a reassuring smile, watching some come over to their side, some go the opposite way. Seeing some people leave made her sad, but she reminded herself of the fun she would have with her siblings.

[nevermore]

Abigail had to struggle to keep her face still as, one by one, children began to volunteer. She had sensed something special in the Praise siblings, and predicted from the moment she set eyes on them that all three children would soon be joining the organization. She was also delighted to see that the youngest recruits--mere toddlers--were indeed intelligent enough to understood the magnitude of the situation. Some immediately crawled one way or the other, while others remained in the center of the room with thoughtful expressions, crawling tentatively first in one direction, then in the other, before officially choosing. All in all, the number of children volunteering was overwhelming. Several recruits had not yet decided, but Abigail's attention was fixed firmly on two: Louisa and Hope. Lou seemed quite close to Paxton, and because her younger sister had not yet been recruited, there seemed to be a sort of... sisterly affection between the two. Would the affection be enough to help Lou decide? And what about Hope? She had nowhere to turn but VFD, lest she choose life in an orphanage. She secretly prayed that Hope would choose to volunteer. Talents such as Hope's would go wasted in an orphanage, where she would never be presented with opportunities for an advanced education. Following her lead, many of the recruits (on both sides of the room) kept their heads bowed so as not to influence the decisions of their friends.

[Qwill]

"I;ve decied," Hope said out of the blue. She had been contemplating the thought of joining VFD for a long time. They were nice, they cared but could she really trust them at all? "I will join VFD." The words came out of her mouth suddenly. Oh you idiot, Hope told herself, you shouldn't just say things for the whole world to here, especially when the world was quiet here. But she smiled and nodded. She coulds till take pictures and study photography she just didn't dare look at the tattoo of an eye which would be branded on her.

[nevermore]

((Psst, Qwill, we haven't actually brought up the Tatoos yet, so your character likely wouldn't know about them. I also wasn't sure if we should make the tatoos already a part of VFD tradition, or if its an idea that all of the new recruits should come up with as the plot thickened))

Abigail sighed softly. Hark! She speaks! she thought to herself with an inward chuckle. She was glad to see Hope joining them officially. Other volunteers were still observing her siblings, Faith and Trinity, for signs that they might make good volunteers. For now, the two children were safe in an orphanage, where a VFD member was currently on assignment, masquerading as the orphanage's cook in order to survey each child. Faith and Trinity might not have the best time of their lives in an orphanage, but they were safe, healthy, and well looked after there, as long as VFD was watching...

With Hope speaking up and decidedly crossing the room, that left just one child... Little Louisa Banning. All eyes now rested on her, including Abigail's, who could scarcely stand the suspense.

[amypops]

Lou glanced around the room, staring at each person as one by one, they walked over to their different sides of the room, thus deciding if they would join or not.

Suddenly, Lou noticed herself standing in the middle of the room, the only person left undecided. She thought about it for a while, trying to decide.

If she stayed, she would never see her family again, probably, leaving her baby sister, something Lou was not ready to do. Yet if she left VFD, she would feel guilty for putting herself before others.

Everyone was staring at her, awaiting her answer. She started biting her nails, a sure sign she was worried, and she could sense everyone getting restless. She made a snap decision, sure she would regret it later.

And she ran towards Abigail.

[nevermore]

Abigail caught Lou in her arms and swung her around in a giant hug. "I'm so proud of you" she whispered to Lou, and then the same to each child who had joined, as she hugged them one by one. "It will be all right. You'll see. Everything will be all right."

There was an extended group hug as each of VFD's new members put arms around one another, embracing their new extended family. Those who had chosen not to join were led silently out of the room, and the door clicked softly shut as the last failed recruit exited. The new recruits were left all alone. Abigail straightened.

"Well everybody, welcome, and congratulations. You have decided to join VFD, and starting tomorrow, your real training begins. We will teach you all of VFD's secrets, we will explain to you every unsolved mystery, and we will cultivate each of your special talents. But first, you must be inducted." Here, Pat had re-entered the room, having led the children back to their parents. She had a book in her hand which she opened, and then began to record the minutes from the new member's first meeting.

"If you will each line up in front of me, so that I can see each of you... Thank you. Now, please raise your right hand... Excellent. And repeat after me:
I swear to protect the peace.
I swear to uphold wisdom.
I swear to help those who need my help, no matter who, no matter where.
I swear to use my talents to do good.
I swear to use my ingenuity to prevent evil.
I am noble enough.
I am VFD.
The World Is Quiet Here.

... Good. If you will now each step up to Pat and tell her your names, they will be officially recorded in the VFD minutes log. When you have done so, please make your way to the dining room, where you can join your parents for our celebratory dinner party. Before you move though, please let me say, officially, and on the record...
I am so proud of you all. Welcome to our family."

((You can all feel free to play your parents for now as you reunite with them and whatnot. Once classes start, I would like to teach Sebald Code (and other VFD code) as well as Disguise Training because that should be a big part of your missions, and I know some of you haven't read all of the books, so it's something you'll need to be taught. From there though, if Pat wants to teach things--especially the zoology with the eagles, lions, and Montgomery reptile collection--feel free to wing it. No one knows what exactly the animals did, except that the eagles could spot fires from a distance, the lions could smell smoke, and one special snake (I'll have to look it up) could give warnings. It's up to you guys to decide whether the animals can already do these things, or if you will all have to train them to do so. You can also feel free to describe your writing/research/drama/music/photography/etc classes. Does that all work for you guys?))

[PrettyInPointe]

((Yep! Perfecto. :D I can do zoology.))

As soon as Abigail let go of Lou, Paxton hugged her tight. "Yes! Now we're all here!" Paxton said. In truth some of her friends had chose to leave, like Colin and another girl named Lissa that she had met, but she didn't want to think about that. After hugging Abigail, and her sister and brother, and the vow was said, the full blast of her desicion hit her, She was a VFD kid now, a recruit. And she was going to see her parents for the first time in weeks.

She swept one of the toddlers into her arms, and looked excitedly over at Melanie and the unsure looking Jake. "Are you ready for this?" she asked, happily.

[nevermore]

The banquet was carrying on very nicely. One thing VFD was famous for was throwing extravagant dinner parties. Many of the children, long before they knew of VFD or their parents' secret affiliation with them, remembered similar dinner parties in their own home. It must have been quite an experience to have one thrown in their honor.

Abigail was quite at ease with all of the guests. One thing the children may have failed to realize was that, as fellow members of VFD, Abigail knew each of their parents very well. She was surprised to see how closely children resembled their parents, both in looks and temperament. The children who had declined VFD joined the dinner as well, albeit somewhat awkwardly. Abigail could sense their thoughts--that although their parents loved them and accepted them regardless of their decision, there would forever be a certain link between the siblings who had joined and their parents. It felt as though an unspoken rift had been formed, and that, even if they chose to try to close their eyes and pretend the week at VFD had never happened, they would always know, deep down. Now, when their parents went out at night, the children would know that they were off on secret missions, possibly joining other children they had met this last week... or worse, with braver siblings who had joined... Abigail had a sudden sense of dread sweep over her... what if... no... family ties were too strong... still...

She couldn't shake the feeling, deep down, that by singling out some siblings for VFD and not others, that by letting their parents keep VFD a secret until the last moment, leaving their children unprepared, that there would be an invisible wall built up between the two groups: those who had joined, and those who hadn't. And that there would be serious consequences for this, somewhere far down the line... She sincerely hoped that this premonition was wrong...

[PrettyInPointe]

((Um, what part of the plot should we start after the banquet? Lessons, and then a mission?))

Paxton gasped as she walked into the banquet. The room was decorated, and so brightly lit! It was like her house at home during dinner parties! Beautiful! Home.... will I ever go back? Paxton wondered sadly. But the room was lightening her mood geatly. She spotted her parents and ran towards them. Her dad swept her small body up into his arms.

"Dad! We chose to stay!" Paxton said, happily. Her parents were beaming at all of them. "This is so amazing!" Paxton said. "I thought you would like it." her mom said, with a knowing grin. Paxton couldn't help but grin back.

[amypops]

Lou stumbled in after Paxton, taking in all the details of the brightly lit room. She gasped as she saw a huge table piled with food, and many people sitting aound, adults, she noticed. Just like the elaborate parties her mother held at home.

Home...

She saw many children running excitedly into their parents arms, their parents sweeping them into hugs and kissing their heads in loving gestures. Spotting her parents over in a corner, she shuffled awkwardly on the spot, debating if she should run to them or not.

Would they be angry with her for joining? She had promised to look after her baby sister if anything were to happen to them, but how would she be able to do that if she was off fighting fires?

Looking up, she caught her mothers eye, and her mother smiled at her. Her father opened his arms for a hug, and Lou ran towards them, half blinded by tears, and pulled them into a hug, just like all the other children were doing.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie watched Paton run into the room. Melanie let her and Ewan go first. She wasn't sure that she wanted to see her parents. Oddly, it seemed as though they had changed, they were definately not the people she had thought they were. She took a step forwards but then hesitated. Would they be happy that she had joined? Did they really want all three of their children in almost constant danger? Jake took her hand, "are you alright?" Melanie could feel a lump rising in her throat and shook her head. "Come on," Jake dragged her into the dining room. It certainely was a magnificent set-up, with glorious decorations and a table laden so heavily with food that it sunk in the middle. Melanie could see her parents and siblings on the other side of the room. "Is that them?" Jake asked, nodding in their direction. Melanie nodded. Jake pushed her in their direction then went off to find his father. Melanie took small, uncertain steps towards the rest of her family. She stopped a few metres from them. Paton looked up and saw her, she rushed over and dragged Melanie into the family hug. "I believe in you darling!" her father whispered in her ear. Her mother was beaming at her from the other side of the circle. Melanie nodded and they broke up to eat.

[nevermore]

The sun shone through the windows of the room in golden streaks, as the early morning rays broke through the fog that had rolled in from the nearby sea. Many of the VFD trainees were still blinking, bleary-eyed, after being up so late the night before, visiting with family and enjoying the long dinner party.

"Various. Finery. Disguises."

Abigail said clearly, heaving a large traveling trunk up onto her desk. She acted and sounded as though she'd had a good night's sleep, despite the fact that she was up later and woke earlier than anyone else in the room.

"This is the first thing you will learn in my class, and in my opinion, one of the most important. Even the newest members of VFD, who do not yet know some of our most closely guarded secrets, can benefit from disguise training. 'Why disguises?' you're probably wondering. Well, sometimes your missions will take you to unfamiliar places. Other times, they will take you to places where you are very well known, but must travel in secret. In the worst cases, your missions may lead you into danger, in which case, a disguise can save your life. These disguise kits are one of the newest additions to VFD. Every member has a trunk just like this one, and each trunk is filled with the same disguises. These disguises can be put together in numerous ways to make an infinite number of costumes. At this moment, we have volunteers disguised as cooks who are working in orphanages. We have members who are teachers in schools, carriage drivers, train conductors, clowns, secretaries, gypsies, bankers, men, women, and children. These are just a few possibilities. Now, lined up against the wall, you see I have enough trunks for each of you. Please go take a trunk, and heave it into an area of the room where you can easily sort through the contents. Your trunks should contain:
(here, Abigail read off of a long list on her desk as she held up one of each item)

Boots, black
Bouquet of Flowers (Abigail's were daisies)
Bridal Gown
Business cards ("To keep in your purse, wallet, or pocket," she explained, looking up)
Cane, jeweled, turns into sword ("I found these on a trip to the far east," Abigail said proudly, "And brought back several hundred. The shop keeper was shocked and pleased to sell so many" she chuckled)
Cane, regular
Cape, scarlet silk
Charcoal
Coat, blue, with badge
Coat, doorman's
Coat, long, dark
Coat, medical
Coat, medium-length, beige
Coat, rain
Coat, unusual color (Abigail held up her own, which was turquoise)
Detective's Badge
Eyepatch
Gloves, lacy white
Gloves, black leather
Hat, bonnet
Hat, chef's
Hat, doorman's
Hat, feathered (Abigail's had a bright orange feather)
Hat, sailor
Hat, top
Makeup Kit--lipstick and fake lipsticks, eyeshadow, eyebrow pencil and fake eyebrows, hair coloring, powder, scissors ("for cutting your hair off completely, if need be," she explained.
Mask, black, skinny
Mask, silver, sparkly
Mask, sad
Mask, laughing
Money to purchase additional disguises or snacks
Name tag, to put on chest
Nameplate, to keep on desk
Overalls
Pants, sensible (Abigail's were brown)
Pants, unusual color (Abigail's were purple)
Photographs of false family members, ("to keep in your purse, wallet, or pocket")
Petticoat, white
Pots
Razor ("to shave your head or eyebrows")
Robe, black
Shoes, formal
Shoes, unusual color (in this case, bright pink)
Shoes, high-buttoned boots
Shoes, sensible (Abigail's looked just like the pair currently on her feet)
Skirt, long, modest
Skirt, can-can dancer
Skirt, unusual color (lime green)
Stockings
Suit, black
Suit, brown
Suit, clown
Suit, sailor
Suit, salmon
Suit, chest of drawers (here, she held up a strange, boxy looking piece that did, indeed, resemble a chest of drawers)
Turban
Veil
Vest, embroidered with gold thread
Wooden leg
Wig, blond, long
Wig, gray, judicial
Wig, multicolored
Wig, white, curly

Now that you have seen all of the items in your disguise kits, you will complete your first in-class assignment for me: you are each to assemble a disguise, complete with a character that you will play while in this disguise. When everyone is ready, I will ask you to please introduce your new selves to me."

((I have modified some of these from how they appeared in the autobiography--some things like running shoes, sweatsuits, and motorcycle helmets weren't around in 1820, while things like petticoats and can-can dancer skirts would have been. :D I'm going to add this list to the first page of our RP, just for easy access once you're all on your missions. ;)))

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton gasped when Abigail picked all those items up out of the chest. There were so many, ideas were flying around in Paxton's head, all going a mile a minute. She would love this part of missions. She grabbed a trunk and heaved it over to the middle of the room, next to Lou's. "Oh, ideas, ideas, ideas. Except, the trunk is kind of big. Rather unconvienient on missions. I wonder...." In her mind, Paxton was already thinking up ideas of how to make the trunk smaller, and more portable. But meantime, she thought of her disguise. It was like this:

Paxton put on the long skirt, her's was black, and she put the beige coat on over her current red sweater. She put on the sensible shoes, her were black, and with that she officially became Sarah Jackson. Sarah Jackson was a young, rich lady with a husband and a two-month-old daughter. With a swish of lipstick and eyeshadow, she went to introduce herself to Abigail.

[nevermore]

((psst, the year is 1820--turtlenecks hadn't been invented yet, and women would only wear pants if disguised as a man. 1820s fashion page (http://wapedia.mobi/en/1820s_in_fashion)))


Abigail, too, stepped into a costume. She began by wrapping her hair up into a tight bun, which she concealed beneath the top hat. She donned the red silk cloak, the black suit, and her formal black shoes. The ensemble was completed with a mustache (made using one of the fake eyebrows) and the jeweled cane. Whirling around, with her cloak billowing behind her, she bowed to one of the trainees, who was disguised as a young woman. "Hello madam, my name is Count VonVannigan. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance" Count VonVannigan said in a deep voice with a foreign accent.
Here, Count VonVannigan straightened up and waited for the young woman to introduce herself.

[amypops]

Lou stared in awe at the trunk in front of her. It was an authors dream! So many different characters could be made out of these clothes, over and over again...

Thinking hard, she continued to stare hard at the trunk in front of her, whilst out the corner of her eye she saw many people rummaging through theirs, trying to come up with a character. She spotted the sparkly mask, and the unusually coloured skirt (Lou's was a bright orange colour), and then a top round about the same colour of the skirt. Grabbing these items, she put them on, before piling her hair up on her head and holding it in place with many pins and clips.

Quickly coming up with a name and background, she slipped on the formal shoes and staggered over to whom she hoped was Abigail. Lou was now a young woman from Paris, who was attending a masquerade ball (hence the glittery mask).

Curtseying neatly before the tall person that was hopefully Abigail, she racked her brains to try and remember what little french her parents had taught her on a holiday, years ago.

"Uh, Bonjour... Monseur, Je m'appelle... Madame de... Poisson." she blurted, then had to bite back a laugh. Did she really just say she was called Miss Fish?

[nevermore]

Abigail nearly choked trying not to laugh as she greeted Miss Fish. Quickly playing up the name, she courteously asked Madame if she presided over the fish district, adding that she must be quite wealthy to own such a profitable sector.



As the first class was nearly over, and the trainees were packing away their Various Finery Disguises and heading toward the door, Abigail stopped them.
"If you'll wait just one more moment please, I have something else to give you." The children turned to wait as she rummaged behind her desk, producing a large box. Reaching in, she extracted a handful of blank books that resembled diaries. Each book had a different colored cover, and no two were alike.
"These are your commonplace books," she explained, "you may use them as you please. Fill them with short stories. Poetry. Invention ideas. Facts. I also highly encourage you to use them to write down some of the things you learn as you continue your training. Some of the more obscure things may slip your mind during times of chaos, and you will be glad to have them written down. Each book has a different color, so there can be no confusion as to whose book is whose. Please guard these with your life, as they will contain some of the most crucial secrets of VFD."
She passed them out as she spoke, and as she put the box away, she excused them.
"Now, I believe you are off to your tallents lessons. Some of you will go to theater, photography, the inventor's studio, the kitchens... Enjoy your next class. After lunch, we shall meet again in my class to begin Code Training."

With that final excuse, the trainees began to file out the door, some flipping through the blank pages of their books, others staring off into space as they continued dreaming up disguises, inventions, poems, and other equally useful things.

[amypops]

Once everyone was back in their everyday clothes, Lou packed everything away neatly in her trunk and turned to face Abigail. Abigail pulled out a pile of books, each with their own colour, and placed them on the desk. Lou listened intently to her description, and then proceeded to hand them out.

The one Abigail handed to Lou was a pretty emerald colour, and she flicked though the blank pages as Abigail dismissed them. She noticed that the pages were expertly sewn to the cover, they wouldn't fall apart easily. She smiled.

Of course she would put many important findings in here, but if an idea for a story suddenly sprung to mind, she would have the perfect place to jot them down.

The book was small, a perfect size for concealing in a pocket or purse, but still thick enough that it could hold many notes in it.

Exiting the room, she followed signs to a corridor in the east of the building. On the door, there was a shining sign, proudly stating that this room was a creative writing room. Lou took a breath, and stepped inside, slipping her notebook into the pocket of her dress.

[PrettyInPointe]

((Do you want me to take inventing?))

Paxton smiled as she got her book. It was a beautiful dark cerulean color. She loved it. This could be her inventions journal, as her old one was still in her dresser drawer at home. She had so many inventions in that one, it was getting full. Now she had a bigger on to use. Already ideas were forming in her mind. And her next class would be a great time to test them out.

Paxton followed the signs to the inventors studio, and stepped in excitedly. Once inside, she found Pat sitting at a large desk, the teacher's desk, and about five tables chock full of parts and pieces. "Hello, everyone!" Pat called, once the class had all taken their seats at one of the five tables. "Today I just want to see how your minds are flowing already. I have set up many parts all around the studio, and your challenge is to make something the VFD could find useful. This will be the main way of using your skill in the VFD, because we are always in need of new tools. Now, invent away!" Paxton stared at the parts on the table. Something useful? She could do that...

[nevermore]

A few hours later, when everyone's bellies were full of a delicious lunch prepared by students from the cooking class, the Trainees were once again gathered back in Abigail's class for Code Training.

"The first, and perhaps most important thing about VFD is the code that is all around us. We communicate with one another through lots of secret codes. It is how we ask one another if they are members of VFD. It is how we communicate important things, like changed meeting times or locations. Sometimes it's how we say 'someone at VFD works in this business, stars in this play, or has written this book.' And without these codes, complete strangers might find out all about our organization.

Now, the first code you'll probably notice around you is the constant use of VFD. By giving restaurants, books, plays, and foods names that start with VFD, we tell one another that a VFD member is present, a word which means "here" not "a special gift for your birthday."

Someone may name their play Villains From Denmark to indicate that the play is from VFD and will likely contain a coded message.
Someone may name their restaurant Victor's Fine Diner to let you know that the owner is a member and can be relied on for help if you are in danger.
Perhaps a book, or even a chapter in a book, will have a VFD title. These are all meant to capture your attention and tell you that VFD is watching. If you are ever lost, or in danger, or are trying to decide which play to attend, or which book to read, spotting things that begin with VFD may very well save your life.

Have any of you ever encountered VFD signals before?"

[amypops]

Lou slowly raised her hand in the air after much thought about what Abigail had said.

"My favourite book that my mum bought me when I was younger was called 'Very Famous Ducks..." she blushed. It was a very strange, and very childish book, but she had liked it.

"Now that I come to think of it... most books my parents bought me either had titles or authours starting with VFD..." she trailed off, thinking. Did her parents give her these books for a reason?

Luckily, she had seen quite a few of them in the library. She made a mental note to take them out and re-read them.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton thought a moment. She had heard her parents talking about restaurants and plays a lot before, usually right before they left for "work." Were these VFD places? Probably. Paxton tried to think of an example.

"Wait a second, my parents ate at the pizza parlor often. It was called Victoria's Friday Diner, but we called it Victoria's. My parents were good friends with the owner. Was that a code thing?" Paxton asked. She was getting more images popping up in her head now, of her little kids books, old restaurants they used to eat at, the playbills on her parents bedside table. The VFD was a big organization.

[nevermore]

Abigail Smiled.

"Ah yes. I am familiar with both the ducks and the diner. Victoria is one of the founding members of VFD, and her pizza parlor is what we call a "safe place," or an area where VFD members who are lost or in danger can come for help. Lou, I encourage you to re-read Very Famous Ducks once your code training is complete. You may find some amusing codes for children contained within its pages," she replied, with the hint of a smile on her face.

"Next I would like to teach you a few codes that are questions in disguise. The first question means "Are you a member of VFD?" and the correct answer means "Yes I am."
The question is: "Well little girl, have you been good to your mother?" If you are a member of VFD, you will know that the correct answer is "The question is, has she been good to me?"
A few of the students giggled.
"I know. It's a very rude response, both to a complete stranger, as well as to your parents. This is for a reason. No normal person would give someone such an answer, and only trained VFD members would ever think to say something so absurd. To a VFD member, it means you are talking to a friend. To a stranger, they must think we were terrible children." Abigail paused to chuckle. "It works, though."

She paused while the Trainees scribbled hastily into their commonplace books. "The second coded statement means "I have something to give you" and the response means "I will accept it."
The statement is: "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion" and the proper response is "The world is quiet here." This is one of the more commonly used codes in VFD, because it gains you access to many things, from secret packages and messages, to entry into VFD buildings. In fact, to enter this very building, you need to respond correctly to this statement. You would do well to remember that."

As the children wrote this down, Abigail produced from her desk a box of crackers. She walked from desk to desk, handing two to each Trainee, and asking them not to eat the snacks. When everyone had their crackers, she gave them very odd instructions, indeed:

"Please put both crackers in your mouth, and try to whistle. Some of your parents are known for this talent, and I trust that at least two people in this room will be able to do it as well. Don't be shy of the flying crumbs, I have a broom handy. Now, let's hear it!"

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton wrote every code down in her book. She particularly like the first one, the "The question is, has she been good to me?" one. It was funny, and ingenious, as it sounded so everyday-simple, but it wasn't common that you heard that answer. It was brilliant.

When the crackers were passed out, and they were told to put them in their mouths and try to whistle, Paxton got a flashback of her father sitting at the extravagently decorated dining room table during a large party and whistling with crackers in his mouth, to entertain the guests. This was Paxton's favorite trick. She slipped the crackers into her mouth, sucked in a breathe, and whistled. She chewed and swallowed the crackers, and then beamed at Abigail. "I can do it!" she exclaimed.

[amypops]

Lou stared at the crackers in front of her. Abigail told them what to do, and Lou nearly burst out laughing.

She put the crackers in her mouth, trying hard not to bite down on them or start to eat them. She tried whistling, but it kind of failed. Cracker crumbs went everywhere, and Lou nearly started laughing again.

It was quite silly, but she enjoyed it.

On her fifth try, she managed to get a sound out, but only for a few seconds. She grinned, and tried again, managing to whistle for longer this time. She beamed, and copied Paxtons actons of munching the crackers.

"I can do it!" she said excitedly, looking around the room. A few people could, a few couldn't. Some were tryng desperately to get a noise out, spraying the desks with crumbs. Lou had a sudden flashback of her mother doing that on holiday one time, and her grandmother, her mothers mother, had scolded her for trying to teach it to Lou.

[nevermore]

Abigail applauded from the front of the room. "Paxton, Lou, fabulous! Bravo!" She exclaimed. "Well my dears, like it or hate it, the two of you have just earned yourselves some added homework..." She walked to a corner of the room, where there was a piano. Without a word, she flipped open a book of music, sat down at the piano, and began to play Mozart's 14th Symphony (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr4O1odb7iU). As she gained a feel for the music and began to relax a bit, Abigail began to speak while playing.

"As I said moments ago, several of your parents have an amazing talent for whistling with crackers in their mouths. Even more impressive, they whistle complete symphonies. This too, believe it or not, is VFD code. It is done during the intermission of VFD plays and symphonies, and is used to warn members of danger, or two tell them that danger has passed. In the case of Mozart's 14th, when members hear this song whistled through crackers, they know it to mean "our weekly meeting has been canceled until further notice." Sometimes it is for common hinderances, like the meeting leader having a cold. It can also be used to warn people during emergencies that we are in danger, and our headquarters have been compromised."
She turned her head slightly more and spoke more loudly.
"Paxton, your assignment, if you choose to accept it, is to learn how to whistle Mozart's 14th symphony. Once you have learned how to whistle it, you may then move on to trying to do it with crackers in your mouth."

Abigail then stopped playing, flipped open another book of music, and began playing Beethoven's 4th Quartet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E3OUvvD7dU).
"Beethoven's 4th," she explained as she played, "means "our meetings will resume as usual." As you may have guessed, this song will typically be performed once the meetings have been resumed, either because the meeting leader has gotten well again or has found a replacement, or the danger has passed. Lou, my dear," she called, "if you choose to accept it, I would like you to be in charge of learning to whistle Beethoven's 4th."
She stopped playing, put away her music, and stood up to face the two girls. "Will you do it?" she asked.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton laughed. "Of course I will! I love Mozart!" she exclaimed, happily. "That's a great code idea. Only VFD members would be able to figure it out. My father always whistled Mozart and Beethoven and Bach, and I thought it was just his favorites. That fact it had a meaning.... it's just mind boggling." she said. She was amazed at all this code stuff, it was like shy was a spy. Well, she was training to be a spy.... "This is amazing Abigail. I can play that song on the piano, dad taught me. I'll work on it." she promised. Then she looked at Lou. "Ready for this?" she said with a smile.

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie was bored. She was bored with it all. Cooking, whistling through crackers, various fienry disguises! She was fed up with the lot of it! She thought it was all stupid. A secret group with codes and meetings, all for putting out fires! It all just seemed so unneccessary. Like acting a russian but forgetting the accent, or making tomato soup without any tomatoes. It just wasn't possible. With no one to guide her she was lost. With no one to talk to she was silent. Her thoughts started attacking her in her sleep. She had bad dreams, dreams of fires and she was trapped. Truth was, she was trapped. Now that she had been inducted so to speak was was stuck with the v.f.d. whatever it was that that stood for!

[amypops]

Lou grinned at Abigail. "Sure!" she smiled taking the sheet of music from her. All the strange thingsher parents had done in the past all seemed to make sense now. The music, the books, the frequent trips to the theatre, only hiring certain people to look after Lou, all of whom had seemed to have met Lou when she was little, but Lou didn't remember them at all...

She flicked through the music, mentally going over it. she recognised it slightly, probably her mother had played it. She played a few different musical instruments.

[nevermore]

The days were flying by for Abigail. She truly could not remember the last time she had felt so happy, now that she had such an extensive family all around her. VFD was a home to her. The only home she had known for many, many years... ever since the fire... With a firm shake of her head to clear her thoughts, Abigail took a sip of her black tea and drummed her fingers upon her writing desk. It was late at night. The Trainees were in bed, and many of the Volunteers had either gone to sleep for the night, or had slipped out into the darkness on various missions. This was the witching hour, as Abigail liked to call it, and for her, it was the perfect time to work. She dipped her pen into a bottle of ink, and hesitated before she began to write...

Dear Dairy,
I hope my letter finds you well. It feels like it has been many months since I have written to you. So much has changed for the better, that it makes me rather anxious. It seems that so few good things happen without some terrible event suddenly taking place. I can only hope that the sense of foreboding that I feel sometimes is merely an old habit from when I was young. I hope that Chas is well. He and his wife have taken my young Snicket niece and nephews to the top of the Mortmain Mountains to build the new headquarters. It has been over a year since I have heard from any of them, and I miss them dearly. They are the only family that I have left, ever since Bethany... but that is unimportant.
I write to you today, dear dairy, because you have been so good to me in the past. I can never thank you enough for taking in my siblings and I after the fire which killed our parents and destroyed our home. I cannot thank you enough for the education that you provided us, and for inspiring Chas and I to join VFD. I feel that I must burden you today with yet another trouble...
The Trainees are quickly approaching their final test before their training ends, and the terror that grips my heart every time I think of it is enough to turn my blood to ice. I have plead with the other elders to reconsider such a dangerous test. I have tried to reason with them that a written exam should suffice. I have spent so much of my time with these wonderful young people that I dread to think what may... Forgive me. It seems I cannot write about it any more than I can think about it. All I can tell you, dear dairy, is that my wishes have been ignored. My propositions have been vetoed, and my petitioning has been out-voted. By some of the children's parents, no less!
Forgive me for burdening you with my darkened thoughts. Perhaps we can discuss the mater in greater detail when next I come to visit you and your valorous farms. Thank you for lending an ear... or in this case, an eye, to my sorrows yet again. Until next time.

Ever Lovingly Yours,
Abigail

She heaved a sigh, sealed the letter, blew out her candle, and remained for many hours staring bleakly at the darkness of her bedroom wall...

[Malz]

((Nevvie, you are gonna love me forever for this :D))

Name: Simeon 'Sim' Hurst
Age: 16
Number of siblings: 4, all of them dead from the fire.
Physical description: Dark black hair that covers his deep meaningful eyes, he is tall (6'0?), strong (but not sickeningly buff), deep voice, his skin as white as a sheet, very serious looking guy.
Personality: Strong and silent type, very loyal to those he cares about, a good listener and is interested in everything people say, does not speak a ton and especially when it comes to his past life and family, very open minded even if he does not toally agree with what someone has suggested.
Special skills: Scholar. Sim is extremely intelligent. He can also play the piano like a professional, though he does not let that certain aspect of him show very often.

***

Sim woke up. He was in a strange room that he had never seen before. His dark eyes looked around him and he saw many white beds lined in a row. When he tried to sit up, he felt a horrible stinging pain and the stench of smoke filled his nostrils. He remembered. A fire. Not the fire. But another one. He had finally found a place to stay, and then... it was gone in a wave of fire. Where was he now? Sim remembered only the fire, nothing more. After he ran out of the house, he had collapsed in a heap, the smoke had built up in his chest. Just at the thought of the event, Sim went into a violent coughing fit, each of his coughs bellowing out from him. Where was he? Who brought him here? Why did this event happen?
Even with his intelligent mind, he could not figure that out, and he was left there on his bed, feeling like his heart had been ripped from his chest. Everything he had ever known has been consumed by fire. What was the point in living now? Who was going to help him? Why should he let somebody help him if they too were going to be lost? Sim pondered these things as he lay there on his bed. Alone. Nobody there to keep him company.

[nevermore]

At the sound of stirring, Abigail roused herself from her drowsing slumber. She had been nodding off while sitting on a chair just outside the infirmary, waiting for young Simeon to awaken. At the sound of rustling bedclothes and a change in breathing, Abigail took him to be awake. Fully dressed, with cap poised and hair as immaculate as though she had spent hours dressing for this particular event, Abigail entered the infirmary. She was quiet as she approached him. She sat down in a chair at the side of his bed, poured some water into a basin, and began to wipe his brow, sweaty with nightmares and terror. She waited for him to grow accustomed to his surroundings before speaking.

"You have been through a terrible ordeal, my dear. I thank the heavens that the members of the Volunteer Fire Department were there to rescue you. Your clothes were on fire when you ran out of the building, but you seem to have escaped with relatively little harm done to yourself..."
Abigail paused thoughtfully, realizing that she was saying too much to someone who had only just regained consciousness.
"My name is Abigail. You are at the VFD headquarters. ... Is there anything that I can do for you?"

((Mally, I could stranglehuggle you for joining! I am soooo happy! :D What's the story with Simeon? Is he a new recruit, or has he been in VFD for a while now? Since our oldest trainee, Melanie, has joined at 15, it's possible for your character to have either been a member for a year now, or to be among the oldest new recruits, in which case, you'll be a complete newbie to the group. Either way would fit the plot))

[Malz]

((New recruit. His parents were VFD but they were concerned about different stuff so they never told him about it.))

Sim closed his eyes and held them like that. Screams. Terror. The unbelievable pain searing his torso. He remembered now. He remembered the event. It was just like the first one. The same emotional pain. The same physical pain. Slowly, Sim opened his eyes and turned his head towards the lady in the hat.
"Ma'am..." he started, his deep voice strained, yet polite. "Is everybody...gone?" the woman nodded and a tortured expression spread across his face. His eyes were squeezed shut as tight as possible, his teeth were clenched, and his fists were balled up. No! Not again! Why me? Why are all things i love lost when i come around? He thought, his mind in turmoil.
"I'm so sorry...." Sim trailed off into bitter tears; which was rare for him. But his apology was not as much for the lady then it was for the people that were lost. He didnt know why, but he felt an immense guilt and he felt like he was responsible for their deaths.

[nevermore]

Abigail,without thinking, took Simeon's hand and patted it in a motherly way. "There there..." she said softly, using a phrase which here does not mean that she was pointing things out to him, but was merely saying something that tends to comfort people, even though it doesn't really mean anything.

"There there... It's horrible, I know. That is why you're here, at the VFD headquarters. We are a group of volunteers dedicated to putting out fires and saving lives. We saved you, Simeon, and I am so happy that you're all right. You may not have known this, but your parents were members of this very organization. They were wonderful people, and I feel certain that they would be happy to know that you are here with us now."

((I've just had a potentially brilliant idea--what if this was a flashback? What if you came in either a day before, or a day after, the other recruits in this story, and you're simply remembering the event now? That way we wouldn't have to figure out how to catch your character up on training two days before the final exam is scheduled. Let me know if you like this idea. If you don't we'll figure something out, this is merely a suggestion))

[Malz]

((hmm... i am confused... how would that work? I mean, if he just came in, he could just take the training and stuff while the kids were taking the final exams. I mean, he didnt get to accept being a VFD yet... i dunno. I am kinda confuzzled :p))

Sim turned his head. "What?" he asked, drawing the word out slowly to give it emphasis. "How could that be? They never told me....nothing was different.... i just dont...." Sim's thoughts caught up with his speech and he stopped talking, his head turned to the side. The weird conversations. The odd guests coming over. The random spurts of going out to eat. Sim didnt really realize that something was amiss because his face was always in a book or he was concentrating on his work for school. This wasnt how it was supposed to work! What about his other siblings? Did they know? Well.... that question would never be answered by either source.
"Why have you brought me here? Why would you save me?" he asked her suddenly, snapping out of his daze. His tone was polite, but there was a sense of caution lacing through his words.

[nevermore]

((Yes, but I've got something planned for the final, which Abigail mentioned a few posts ago was not going to be a written exam, and whatever it is, she is very, very unhappy about. That's all I'll say. *mysterious smile* So I was thinking that maybe this scene we're having can be a flashback, and then we can come back to real time with you snapping back to reality and being like, in the breakfast hall or something, right before the final Code Training class. Otherwise, maybe we can make this a friday night, and give you a weekend to get caught up on training, then have code training monday, and the final exam tuesday...))

Abigail smiled slightly. "Because Simeon... like your parents... like everyone here, you are very special. Very gifted. You have talents and intelligence beyond what the average person possesses, and it is those qualities that we look for when recruiting new members. Members can be any age. We are watching some children as young as a year old, and we have some volunteers who are nearly 100! But we are all gifted and special. We all do our training and research here at the VFD headquarters, and it is here that we have brought you, in hopes of teaching you ways to use your talents in order to save people. If that is something that interests you, that is..." She added.

[Malz]

((Ohhhh! I like that idea!!!))

Sim shook his head quickly and he was suddenly flashed into reality again. There he was. In the dining hall with a bowl of lumpy porridge in front of him. The cooking team was not very creative that morning apparently. Heaving a great sigh, Sim pushed the bowl away. He was very anxious about the exams for some reason. He knew he would pass each of them with flying colors, but he felt this odd sort of dread hanging on his shoulders. The day he first came here stuck out in his mind. It was the reason he was sitting in this room in the first place, yet somehow he felt as though a wrong desicion was made. Sim leaned his head in his hand and listened to the murmurings of the kids. They were discussing exams and the food and just the random conversations about nothing. Sim sighed... he didnt really want to talk. Instead, he listened, and it was not long before Miss Snicket walked up in front of the children and cleared her throat to make an announcement.

[nevermore]

"Children, please be sure to bring extra paper with you to Code Training this morning. I will be teaching you Sebald code today, and I feel quite certain that you'll need the extra paper, because you are certain to make many mistakes as you learn." Abigail chuckled, "At any rate, I certainly did... Also, Paxton, if you please, on your way to class, will you stop by the library and bring with you a copy of Very Famous Ducks? You'll recall that I told you it contained Sebald code, and I thought it would be fun to read that page as a class. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'll be off to prepare for our final lesson." Abigail smiled at all of them, tipped her hat a bit lower, nodded curtly, and turned to leave the room.

((If you'd all like to make your ways to class, I can teach you your final piece of VFD code, as given to us by Mr. Snicket... er... Abigail's great great nephew. :D))

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton excitedly hopped out of her seat. Grabbing Melanie's hand, she pulled her towards code class. She had heard some about the Sebal code, and was beyond excited to learn it.

Halfway to the room, Paxton stopped dead in her tracks. "Whoops." she breathed, and then left Melanie skipping towards the library. She burst in and grabbed "Very Famous Ducks" off the shelf, and skipped back to Melanie. "I remembered." she said, giggling, and then she and Melanie took their seats in code class. Paxton got out her journal, set the book on Abigail's desk, and waited impatiently for the lesson to start.

[nevermore]

((PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE IN CODE: It has come to my attention that the proper response to "I didn't know this was a sad occasion" is "The world is quiet here." It's the phrase that will grant you access to pretty much anything and everything VFD, and I didn't realize that the two were connected until I was reading up on VFD more yesterday evening. I'll be editing the posts that say otherwise, so just note that the proper response has changed))


Abigail walked into the room amongst the general chatter. She scooped up the copy of Very Famous Ducks and placed it in her lap as she proceeded to sit on top of the desk, rather than behind it. Abigail always preferred to sit atop things like desks, because she was a very animated talker, and often found herself standing up in order to gesture and pace as she lectured. Thus, she found it significantly easier to sit on a desk, rather than behind it. She reached behind her and produced a tiny bell, which she rang, producing a still silence in her classroom.

"Well class, welcome to your final code lesson. Today I will be teaching you VFD's most secret and complicated code: Sebald code. It began roughly 15 years ago with one of VFD's true masterminds, Gregor Sebald. It begins," she said, "with the ringing of a bell." And here, she picked up the bell on her desk and rang it again. "When a bell is rung, whether in a play, in a conversation, or even in writing, it signals the start of sebald code. That is where you are to start counting words. Every tenth word is a code."
She glanced around at the blank expressions on some faces, and the furrowed eyebrows on others as they furiously scribbled into their commonplace books.

"Let me see if I can make it easier..." She rang her bell again. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, THIS, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, IS, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, SEBALD, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, CODE." And she rang her bell again.

"Obviously, it won't be so apparent in a play, or in conversation, or even..." she paused, "In a children's book." And she held up Very Famous Ducks. "I am going to read you a passage from this book. Let's see if anyone can crack the code. There will be a prize for the winner," she added with a mysterious smile.

She cleared her throat and opened the book to a particular page. In a steady, clear voice, she began to read:

The town bells are ringing! Make way for the arrival of the very famous ducks! People in the street are cheering! Children all around are singing! Happy are we for the approach of the famous birds. Grab your hats, let's go to a play, for the famous ducks are here. Our clothes are pressed, their feathers are clean. Let's have them over for a tasty supper! You bring the fresh bread, I'll find some meat. Ring the dinner bells!

Looking up, she raised an eyebrow, which was impossible to see beneath her tilted hat. "Well? Who will be the first to tell me what the secret message says?"

[Malz]

Sim raised his hand only moments after Miss Snicket read the passage. Her eyebrows rose up high.
"Arrival are for let's here have fresh." Sim stated though he knew that the statement meant absolutely nothing. "At least, those are the words i deciphered from the code. Unless i am mistaken." Sim stated, his deep voice ringing. He had picked out the words very quickly out of the passage, but they did not quite fit together. His intelligent mind was still turning, trying to figure it out, but he was having a bit of trouble, which was odd for him.

[nevermore]

"Ah, not quite." Abigail said. Seeing how furiously people were writing--scribbling, scratching things out, circling, and counting on their fingers, Abigail spoke to the whole class, rather than just Simeon, "Remember class, you start counting after the ringing of a bell. Once the bell rings, you count every ten words. Remember the example I gave you before:

She rang her bell again. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, THIS, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, IS, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, SEBALD, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, CODE." And she rang her bell once more."

You're all making good progress though. Remember what I said this morning--it took me countless sheets of paper to crack my first message. Stick with it, and I feel certain that one of you will come through with the message." She gave them all an encouraging smile.

[PrettyInPointe]

Okay, let's see. Paxton thought, staring at her paper. She had written down the passage in her notebook, having read it countless times as a child, she remembered most of it. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, people, one two..... and so she went. After a couple minutes, she tentatively raised her hand.

"Um... I think I got it, Abigail." she said, then giggled. "Well, it's kind of funny, but I got 'Ducks are famous for their tasty meat.'" she said, then giggled again, wondering if all Sebald codes were funny like that, or if that book was meant to be practice for trainees.

[nevermore]

Abigail looked steadily at Paxton for a moment, partly in surprise, and partly to heighten the tension. Slowly, she began to clap, and the clap became applause.

"Well done Paxton. Very well done. Indeed, the dark humor behind Very Famous Ducks lies in the Sebald code. That the party the townsfolk are throwing is not to welcome the ducks, so much as to welcome them to dinner... or for dinner, I should say." She chuckled. "Of course, not all sebald code is silly. Much of it is very serious, and can tell people that their lives are in danger. I have seen sebald used to warn someone that one of their dinner guests was a wanted arsonist, and that code saved countless lives. But for the purpose of training youngsters, Very Famous Ducks serves as a more fun, lighthearted way to help trainees learn Sebald. It feels confusing at first, but after a while, you'll learn to count the words like you feel your own heart beat, and the messages stand apart from what someone is only pretending to say."

Abigail caught herself mid-ramble.

"Ah, I got so carried away, I nearly forgot!" She walked around to her desk, opened a drawer, and produced from it a small brass telescope. "Your prize. A Vision Furthering Device. Many members of VFD have them. They are very useful, not only for spotting things from a distance, but an inventor like yourself would know that the mirrors and lenses can be very useful for signaling devices or machines... I am happy to present you with a telescope of your own." Abigail handed it to Paxton, and couldn't help but notice the crestfallen expressions of the other students.

"Oh come now, that's not the only telescope in my desk! If you keep working on the code, you'll all be walking out with one today," she laughed. "Your in-class assignment, then, is to work in pairs, writing a sebald code for your partner, and then giving it to your partner to solve. Raise your hand when you have solved your code, and I'll come look it over. If the code is correct, you will then receive your reward."

She watched as, once again motivated, the children eagerly split into groups and began counting and scribbling their secret messages to one another.

((please feel free to post some secret messages for one another to solve. There's no reason an RP can't have some amusing games for us to play, right? And PIP, you'd better appreciate that Very Famous Ducks thing! I totally wrote that on the fly yesterday while waiting for someone to get around to posting. Haha :D

also, the sollution to the problem:

The town bells are ringing! Make way for the arrival of the very famous ducks! People in the street are cheering! Children all around are singing! Happy are we for the approach of the famous birds. Grab your hats, let's go to a play, for the famous ducks are here. Our clothes are pressed, their feathers are clean. Let's have them over for a tasty supper! You bring the fresh bread, I'll find some meat. Ring the dinner bells!))

[Malz]

Sim cursed himself mentally. Now he felt like a complete numbskull. He shouldve been able to figure it out, but he was also very happy that Paxton answered correctly. He knew that moping in his own self-pity would do nothing so he applauded with everybody else. After Miss Snicket assigned the project, everybody started to work in pairs... the problem was... nobody seemed to want to work with him. Sighing, and shaking his head, Sim looked down at the passage in front of him and started to decode it by himself. He has the brain capacity of two or more of the kids in there, but the company wouldve been nice. The passage was from the novel 'Vivaine's Fine Day'.

The church bells were ringing beautifully, making the citizens wake up sleepily. The new clamor filled the streets. Happy hello's were exchanged and Viviane heard many different sounds. The market square was opening up near her bedroom window. Smells filled her nostrils, including Mr. Baker and his famous bread. Viviane looked out upon the street, sighing and listening to the bells.

Sim raised his hand.

"Clamor heard near Baker Street." he stated, and the class went silent.

[nevermore]

Abigail walked over to see what he had been reading. She found it odd that he had not found a partner, and found it doubly odd when he pulled out a book rather than writing one of his own for a classmate to decode. Glancing at the title of the book, she suddenly realized. He must have remembered the passage about the bells, and suspected the message. Abigail nodded sadly.

"Yes... the... the Baker Street fires..." she said shakily. "That message was included in the novel as a tribute to those who died... My brother Chaz was one of the firefighters on duty that day... they didn't receive the call for so long... they came too late to save anyone... all they could do was put out the flames before they spread to the surrounding houses..." Abigail had a faraway expression on her face as she talked, "The Montgomery family lived there... only Mr. Montgomery survived... he had gone out to run an errand on the other end of town... when he returned, his wife... and... and... and his son... William... my poor, dear William..." She whispered softly. "Excuse me a moment please."

Abigail suddenly sniffed and walked briskly out of the room.

[amypops]

Lou hastily started scribbling down the notes Abigail had just told them. This Sebald code sounded very clever, and she was eager to start this and start decoding someone elses idea.

She tapped the pen on her chin a few times, thinking of what she would write. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind, and she started scribbling once more, thinking of many ways she could hide this code in a book or story.

"The wedding bells were ringing. Joseph and his new wife, Joanne, were celebrating with lots of guests. Melanies floaty, long wedding dress was that of a white colour, and she needed the bridesmaids to help her walk about. More help of some kind was needed also, but she managed to sit on a chair at the table without too much help from people at Headquarters. They were all her friends, she knew them well now. The bells continued to ring as Joanne smiled."

She frowned. It wasn't the best thing she had ever written, but it was hard to hide a code in a story that made sense.

She looked at and glanced around the room, looking for someone to swap notes with, when she saw Abigail exit the room, her shoulders shaking.

[Malz]

"Miss Snicket?" Sim asked, but she had fled the room before anymore was said. The class was completely silent, so Sim stood up and everybody looked at him.
"Get back to work. Miss Snicket will come back when she is ready." he said, surprising some people that he was actually talking, but a minute or two later, chatter started back up and sheets of code were exchange. Sim sat back into his chair pondering what she had said. He was confused, and at first he wondered what he had done... but as his thoughts ran on, he wondered what had happened. Sim scolded himself inwardly and said that he should not pry.

[amypops]

Lou got up out of her seat, following Abigail out of the room. She paused aat the door, unsure whether to approach the woman or not, but decided to go comfort her. She looked pretty upset.

"Uh, Miss?" Lou called out, waiting for a reply or a 'Go away!', in which case she would turn around and re-enter the classroom. there was no reply, so she walked into the corridor and saw abigail leaning against a wall, wiping her eyes with a hankerchief.

"Uh, Miss, are you alright?" she asked cautiously, unsure how exactly to comfort Abigail. She took a step forward and gave the woman a hug, no doubt scaring the life out of her.

[PrettyInPointe]

"Oh, Lou, I got it!" Paxton said, right before Abigail had to flee the room. "Oh, I do hope she is alright. Poor Abigail, she's probably been through a lot, working for the VFD. I wonder..." Paxton said, trailing off. Then she remembered her assignment.

"Oh, yes. Does the code read, 'Lots of help needed at headquarters now?" Paxton asked, pretty sure she was right since the message made sense. She could see how that could easily be incorporated into a book or play. When Sim, a boy who rarely spoke, stood up and told them to keep working, Paxton was surprised. "So he speaks...." she said mostly to herself, as Lou had left.

[nevermore]

Abigail jumped a bit when Lou hugged her. She was so lost in her thoughts that for a moment, she was away from the VFD headquarters. Away from the codes and the secrets and the danger. Once more, she was just a young girl, happy and in love. She heaved a sigh and combed her fingers through Lou's hair.

"Yes, thank you dear," she replied with a sad smile. "Or... I will be, at any rate. The message that Simeon discovered caught me unawares, it seems. I... I was very close to the Montgomery family, you see. William Montgomery and I had known each other since we were very young children. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery were like family to me..." She hesitated... "when I grew older of course, like people do, I fell in love with William. We were engaged to be married, you know..." Abigail paused for a moment to steady her breath, which was once again threatening to choke her. "Two days before the wedding, the Montgomery's lost their house, and their lives. Mr. Montgomery had gone out to oversee the arrangements for the wedding... He and Chaz, along with other VFD firefighters, went as fast as they could when they finally saw the smoke, but they were too late..." She sighed. "That was ten years ago now... my how time can fly..."

She smiled down at Lou. "Thank you very much for coming out. That means a lot to me." Abigail straightened her back, stiffened her resolve, and held out her hand. "Shall we go back into class now?"

[amypops]

Lou listened to Abigails story intently, and she too was lost in her thoughts. she remembered a boy she liked, fancied quite a lot, actually, and she hadn't seen him in months. Hadn't even thought of him...

She felt ashamed. VFD seemed to have taken over her brain. She wondered if he noticed she was missing from the neighbourhood. If he had come round to see her, what had her parents told him?

"Shall we go back into class now?" Abigail asked. Lou nodded, and followed Abigail back into the classroom.

[nevermore]

As Abigail walked back into the classroom with Lou in tow, she gave Lou's hand one last "thank you" squeeze before they parted to return to their separate desks.

"I apologize for that, children," Abigail said briskly. "Now then, where were we? Ah! Sim, I owe you a prize, don't I?" She produced a telescope and presented it to Sim. "Now then, who else has cracked their codes?" she asked, looking around the room. A scattering of hands went up, and Abigail began walking from desk to desk, reading the codes, and occasionally sharing some of the funnier messages with the class.

When the class was over, the students clutched their shiny prizes tightly in their hands as they left the room for other lessons. Abigail knew she had gone out on a limb when she purchased enough of the precious devices to give to every new volunteer. This was no trivial expense, yet it was no matter to her. Her fortune was hers to do with as she pleased. And since she had no family of her own, she would invest it in the only family she knew--VFD.

[amypops]

Later that evening, after supper, the children had no more classes, so they spent their time as they chose. Lou lounged about on top of her bed, examining the spyglass for about the thousandth time. The light reflected off of it, casting a circle of light on the ceiling, which Lou pretended to chase about with her fingers.

It was awfully kind of Abigail to spoil them so, and she wondered where Abigail could have got such a large quantity of them. Surely it would look suspicious if you went into a shop and bought about a hundred telescopes...

Soon bored of her light game, Lou started to scribble down some notes for possible stories, but her heart wasn't in it. Looking for something to do, she tucked the telescope in her drawer behind her socks (where she kept all her personal precious belongings) and got up off the bed, heading out of the room, and towards the library.

She planned on looking for a few more books with the title V.F.D, and seeing if she could spot any Sebald code in them.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton was sitting in a comfy arm chair in the library with her spy glass, turning it over and over in her hands. She loved it, and could tell it would come in really handy, though she wasn't positive as to how. She put the spyglass down, and picked up a book. She was trying to decode some of the Sebald in it. This one was pretty easy.

After getting bored of that, Paxton got out her journal. She was currently working on an invention that she'd been working on for quite some time. She was working on making a code, a way to write messages to other VFD members. She was thinking that it would be cool to train animals like dogs to carry the messages. She just had to figure out how to train them.

[Malz]

Sim was also in the library, as were a couple of other kids. Girls, naturally, not that Sim minded. He was busy pulling out books, heavy volumes, and sitting in a chair near the fireplace and reading through them. He enjoyed moments like these. It was past nightfall, most kids were heading to bed, but in the library was where he could get peace and restful knowledge. He was reading through a particularly extensive book about the Sebald code and frequent spy techniques. He wanted to become a master at it, just for future use. Sim was reading through it quite contently when he saw a shadow cross over his book. When he looked up, he saw a girl looking down at him smiling.

((idc who the girl is))

[amypops]

Lou searched the bookshelves, scanning the old, faded covers of books, looking for titles that caught her eye. One in particular did just that: 'Various Final Destinations'.

Her curiousity peaked, Lou pulled the book out and carried it over to an old, squishy armchair near the fireplace. She noticed another person sitting next to the fireplace, and she stopped in her tracks, staring intently at him. She slowly walked towards him, then exhaled... was she upset? The boy looked up, and Lou grinned guiltily.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else..." she stammered, blushing.

Blushing?

She scampered over to the armchair nearest the fire and buried her face in her book, not looking up again.

For a moment, he looked exactly like Peter, the boy from the neighbourhood... Oh Lou, give up! You're probably never gonna see him again. And he's not a member of VFD. So forget him. She told herself, shaking her head sadly.

[Malz]

Sim was confused about what just happened, but he could see byt he look on this girl's face and the look in her eyes, she was greatly distressed. Slowly, Sim set his book down remembering the page and he walked over to the girl whose face was as red as scarlet.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his deep voice quiet and soothing. The girl looked up at him and she looked close to tears. Sim knelt next to the chair and looked at her.
"Are you alright?" he repeated, and he waited for the girl to respond. He was ready to listen or to be dismissed. It was all up to her, and he did not like to pry into other people's business. It was a pet peeve of his.

[amypops]

Lou pretended to be looking through the book, but she was lost in her thoughts. She heard movements beside her, but kept her eyes trained on the book. "Are you alright?" the boy, who Lou recognised as Sim, asked. She looked up, into his face, and had to look away again.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine." she mumbled, turning her eyes back to the book so that Sim wouldn't see the tears in them.

Why was she so... upset around him? Was it because he bore a striking resemblance to Peter?

[nevermore]

Abigail let herself into the library, walked over to the gigantic circular hearthrug, sat down, and checked that her skirt was fanned out around her to ensure that her ankles were not indecently exposed. She then patted the rug beside her to indicate that everyone should join her on the floor.

"I have something important that I would like to share with all of you. A story that I need to tell..." She took a deep breath before continuing. "This is a story that very few people know, and I ask you to please keep it to yourselves. You are more than welcome to discuss what I say with anybody in this room, but please, ensure that my story never leaves this circle. I began to tell Lou a small part of this story earlier today, and it was talking to her that made me decide to share it with all of you... the complete story." She smiled faintly at Lou.

"Ten years ago, I was engaged to be married to a man named William Montgomery. The Montgomery family were close friends of my own family's and William and I were dear friends through childhood. Two days before the wedding, while I was at the dressmaker's making final adjustments to my gown, Mr. Montgomery and my brother, Chaz, were at the church overseeing the ceremonial details. It was not until the two men were leaving the church that they saw the plumes of smoke across the town, and not until that moment that a member of VFD came running up to inform them of the fire. They jumped into the carriage and rode as quickly as they could, but they came too late to save the house... or Mrs. Montgomery... or William..."

Abigail paused a moment to collect herself.

"For a year, I was distraught. I rarely spoke, I rarely ate. I felt angry and defiant, but I did not know what a helpless woman like myself could do. It was then that Chaz came to visit me and told me about VFD. He had been a member for just over a year, and suggested that I join. Obviously, I accepted his offer, joined VFD, and found comfort in my work. However I was still angry. Still defiant. But now, I was more adventurous, too."

She picked at the lace edging on her skirt as she talked, as though afraid to make eye contact with anyone in the room. Her hat was titled low, as usual, so her expression was hard to read.

"One night, I was feeling particularly adventurous, and I did something that I was forbidden to do. I walked out into the garden, to the gated section. Knowing that the area was restricted, I went in anyway. Little did I know that the section of the garden I had entered was actually a giant birdcage. And that inside that birdcage, lived two gigantic golden eagles. Little did I know, that the eagles had a nest of hatchlings, and were particularly protective of them. In my recklessness, I walked straight toward the nest, and it was there, that the mother attacked me..."

She removed her hat and looked up at the students. The scar was menacing. It was ugly. It ran from the top left part of her hairline, across her forehead, and down into her left eyebrow, leaving her left eye partly swolen shut. The line was jagged and red, even after all those years. Without her hat, it was easy to see that the woman who had once been a great beauty, would instead instill fear in the hearts of strangers.

"I cover my face out of shame. I will forever bear the scar, children, of my recklessness. I wanted to be adventurous. I wanted to be defiant. My scar is a lesson children, and it is a lesson I would rather you learned from me, rather than from your own experience. My scar is a lesson that you should never, NEVER, confuse adventurousness with downright recklessness. Remember that."

She put her cap back on, pulling the brim low over her eye, and once again became the Abigail that everyone knew. The children. Their parents. Friends and neighbors. Only those closest to her knew why she wore a hat at all hours of the day, and what painful secret it contained.

"Children, your final exam is sure to begin soon. I want you to know two things. First, that I love you all dearly. You are family to me. Second, that while I do not agree with the methods of this exam, I have faith that you will all pass your tests..."

As she spoke, the door opened, and Pat walked in carrying a tray of tea things. She poured a cup for each child. Abigail wore an expression of dark, spiteful anger.

"Children, now is my time to go. I wish you all good night. And good luck. Remember what I have said. And remember my dears, that the world is quiet here."

The door shut softly behind her.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What the children did not know was that their nightly tea had been laced with a sleeping draught. Sound asleep, the children were bundled by threes into carriages and carted off into the darkness, each going in separate directions.
The children awoke the following morning to find themselves in strange surroundings. On springy moss beneath forest trees. Atop a high mountain. On the soft sand of a beach. In the dark cave of a massive lake. Families, once again, had been separated.

In one group, Melanie, Ewan and Jake.

In another, Hope, and two recruits she had never fully gotten to know.

In a third, Lou, Paxton, and Simeon.

And so the list went on. The groups had been scattered to the four winds. Or so it seemed.

Scribbled into each person's commonplace book was the same message "Your test begins: Find your way home."

[Malz]

Sim woke up suddenly, feeling a bit dazed. Sleeping draught... he though, recognizing the symptoms from a book he had read. He felt light-headed, exhausted, and his stomach was feeling like it was turning upside down and backwards. Standing up with his hands on his head and twisting his torso, Sim saw two girls that were passed out beside him. He recognized both of them. That girl from... that one night, she was blushing and upset about something... when was that? The other girl was quite renown in the VFD... Paxton. Sim, finally getting over the symptoms of the draught, opened his plain black commonplace book to record whatever he remembered and what seemed to be going on, but he saw a message. Your test begins: Fin your way home.
It seemed so cryptic and completely foreboding... it sent shivers down Sim's spine.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton awoke, rubbing sleep from her eyes. But a split second after she drearily awoke, she was wide awake and alert. What's going on!? she thought, then remembered that panicing wouldn't help. She took two deep breathes, then looked around. Okay, I'm in the mountains, not up too high. I'm with Lou, who is asleep and Simeon, who is awake. What could've happen.... the final test! This is it! she thought. "What's going on?" she asked Simeon.

Then it occured to Paxton that she should wake up Lou. "Lou! Wake up!" she said, hurriedly. Then were soon rubbing sleep out of their eyes too. Paxton quickly scurried over to her notebook, which she found laying on the rocks near where she woke up. Written on the first page in neat cursive were the words: Your test begins. Find your way home. "Oh my goodness....."

[Malz]

"That was also my initial thought." Sim told Paxton, who seemed abnormally jittery and anxious. "Just settle down. We can figure this out soon." he said calmly, jotting some notes down in his notebook. It was about his surroundings, the type of sleeping draught they probably took, the oddities in behaviour, and other things he noticed on the spot of waking up.
"Now, let's think about this rationally. Obviously, this is the final exam. We cannot go zooming forward into it. We need to think it out." Sim never usually talked this much, for he never had the reason too. Sim believed that speech should be used practically and not for mindless prattle, but this was a time of dire proportions, talking would be neccessary. Sighing, he noticed a sense of wonder in Paxton's eyes that made him a little worried.
"Paxton. I do not think that this will be the grand adventure you believe it to be. If we think logically, it shall be a breeze, which i hope it shall be." Sim sighed again.

[PrettyInPointe]

"I think the point of this is for it to be an adventure. But we can think it out logically if you want. Not as fun, but....." she trailed off. She started looking around. "They left us our journals and quills, right? Did they leave us anything else? Our disguise kits, invention stuff, anything?" she asked. She looked around. She liked this mountain place. It was a good thinking area. "Okay. We're all awake. I'm a light sleeper, so they had to have knocked us out with something. Sorry, I'm not good at logical thinking. I'm more of a.... creative child."

[Malz]

"Sleeping Draught. It is a very specific draught made from a weed called Passibog. It knocks you out in a matter of minutes and keeps you asleep for exactly 7 hours and 13 minutes and 2 seconds. The Passibog is pretty rare, and it is no surprise that VFD has some on hand. The difference between Passibog and other sleeping draughts is that it keeps your past knowledge in tact, yet, when you wake up, it still feels like you never left your place where you consumed the draught." And with that, Sim nodded and started to jot down some more notes in his notebook. When he looked up, Paxton seemed a bit amused by his rantings on the Passibog.
"I have read books on it." he shrugged indifferently.

[amypops]

Lou wasn't paying much attention to Sim or Paxton, instead looking around and taking in her surroundings. They seemed to be in a clearing of some sort, the only thing surrounding them was the dying trees and piles of rocks. There wasn't even the quiet chirp of the birds, the only sound was that of their panicked breathing and the wind howling round them.

She flicked trough her commonplace book, just as Paxton and Sim had done, and on the next empty page (or as empty as a page in Lous notebook would ever be), was the words Your test begins: Find your way home.

She nearly dropped the book in shock. How could they, whoever 'they' were, have written in it? She kept it on her at all times, she never let it out of her sight!

She hastily patted the numerous hidden pockets in her dress, and sighed in relief when she found that her telescope and her pen were still there.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton walked over to the trunk that was given to them, and opened it up. It was a disguise kit! Paxton got a huge grin on her face. "Yes! I can use this is so many ways!" Paxton said. Then her face fell. "Oh gosh darn it. How are we going to carry it? We can't just lag around a huge trunk all the way back..." Paxton said, trailing off. Her brain was off again.

She walked off into the nearby trees, thinking. She was getting an idea on how to make a smaller version of the trunk. She ran back into the clearing, and got out her journal, turning to the blueprint of the small version. She felt Simeon and Lou's eyes on her, probably thinking she was crazy. "I have an idea on how to make this more portable. What do you think?" she said, showing them the blueprint.

[Malz]

Sim analyzed the contraption and his eyebrows rose. "That is....brilliant!" he told her in astonishment. She was smarter than Sim gave her credit for. Sim watched intentitavly as Paxton set to work on her invention, but he noticed that the first thing she did was tie her hair up in a ribbon, which amused Sim for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Sim opened his notebook again. He needed to create a log of everything that was happening during the day.

December 8, 1860
~Wake up and discover ourselves in some remote mountainous area
-'Ourselves' referring to myself: Simeon Hurst, Paxton Praise, and Louisa Banning.
~Find our commonbooks, telescopes, and disguise trunk
~Trunk is too hefty so Paxton takes it upon herself to invent a craftier way to store everything
~We wait for invention to finish

Sim closed his notebook and put it into his pocket. That log would come in handy sometime, he could feel it.

[amypops]

"The disguise trunk! This is great! If we have to maybe... sneak around somewhere, we could make up totally different personalities, recreate ourselves so that nobody knows who we are... but it's too heavy to carry..." she trailed off, and Paxton ran off, and came back a while later with a completed blueprint of something. As both Lou and Sim praised Paxtons genious, she got to work. Sim started scribbling in his commonplace book, and Lou sat on a rock, flicking through her commonplace book. As she looked around at the clearing they were in, she couldn't help but think of how she could work this setting into a story.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton walked into the trees. With one disguise kit, she could split it up between the three of them to make the load a lot more portable. She was thinking about a purse-style-ish design. She walked over to a pine tree. "Hmm.... this will be hard with tools...." she thought. She walked back into the clearing and opened the trunk. She rummaged through the contents, taking out the clown suit.

"We probably won't be needing this..." she said, and with that, carefully ripped a very large square out of the suit using a sharp rock on the ground near her. She then ripped a strip of cloth three times the length of the square out of the suit, and cut a slit in each corner of the square. She strung the strip of cloth through every corner, then went through the first slit again, strung it through the opposite corner, and tied it off.

Paxton sat back to look at her work. It ended up looking like a huge, very colorful, purse. This would be a lot lighter and more portable than the trunk. She made two most using the rest of the clown suit and the bridal gown, making three purses total. She then divided up the trunk remaining contents into the bags, and called Lou and Simeon over, who gaped at the bags. "So... what do you think?" Paxton asked, nervously.

[amypops]

"Genious!" Lou cried, seeing exactly what Paxton had come up with. The purse type bags looked a lot smaller and a lot lighter than the huge trunk that was now lying discarded under a huge pine tree. "And very pretty, too!" she smiled, stroking the multi-coloured remains of the clown suit. "You know, with your brains, we have a huge advantage at getting back!" she smiled again. "What else is there in the trunk? I highly doubt that we will need absolutely everything in there. If we get rid of some un-needed clothes, that would make the load even lighter."

[Malz]

"This idea is incredibly ingenius... but the colors.." Sim commented, winking. He was more of a mellow type of person when it came to colors. Black, brown, and even occassionally dark green. Of course, Sim wasnt going to complain. This was much better than lugging around a huge and heavy trunk all throughout their journey, he would take what he got.
"Thank you, Paxton." he told her sincerely and started to put some of the male clothes into his bag. He was wary about the whole cross-dressing thing, and he absolutely refused to wear a skirt or dress, but he would not be surprised if the ladies would not mind wear trousers. Sighing, he just kept cramming more costumes.

[amypops]

Lou copied Sims actions, grabbing some clothes, skirts, jumpers and the like, and shoved them into the rainbow bag of wonders. She grabbed some trousers and a few caps, too. She wuldn't mind dressing up as a male, as long as it saved her life or something.

She help up a bright pink skirt, and jokingly held it up next to Sim. "Oh look, I think this colour would suit you Sim, wouldn't you agree Paxton?" Lou asked, before dissolving into giggles. Sim didn't look impressed. "Aww, c'mon, I was joking."

[Malz]

"I would rather not." he grunted, going back into the more contained side of himself. After packing as many clothes as he could into the pack, Sim sat down and pulled out his commonbook to jot down another event for his log.

~Purse/pack invented for disguise storing by Paxton. Portable and lightweight.
~We finish packing the many disguises and morale is pretty high.

Sim put the book back into his pocket and glanced upward towards the two girls. They were both giggling and joking around, and Sim was wondering if the whole trip was to be that way, though he did not mind. Before....before the fire his...his sisters were the same way. Sim sighed at the memory. How he wished life was the way it used to be.

[nevermore]

Name: Charles (Chas) Snicket

Age: 24

Number of siblings: 2--Abigail (30) and Bethany (25)

Physical description: Short, with a strong, stocky build. Chas has strong hands covered in calluses and scratches, brown eyes, and brown hair like Abigail's, though his is short and generally rumpled. He is Abigail's physical opposite: short, stocky, and messy

Personality: As friendly as his sister, Chas has the added bonus of being lighthearted and more of a joker. He is intelligent, and was the first to join VFD (at the young age of 15). One of the original members, Chas was responsible for recruiting Abigail after her fiance was killed. Chas is good at working with his hands--carpentry, architecture, mechanics--in short, anything that makes use of tools. Chas lives atop the Mortmain Mountains with his wife, Penelope, and children: Douglas (5), Elijah (3) (a third child will eventually be introduced, named either Frederick or Felicity).

Special skills: Construction--be it inventing, carpentry, or architecture. Chas is a failure as a chef.




Please note:

The Mortmain Mountain Headquarters are currently under construction, but are as well guarded as the main headquarters. Maintained by Charles Snicket. The entrance is in a valley, and the only access is through a narrow pass blocked by a large iron door which is attended during daylight hours only. Visitors who arrive after sunset must camp outside the door until morning. There is a river full of fish that runs parallel to the path that leads up to the gate. Do not bother trying to access the valley through the river, you cannot whitewater raft upstream.

The Lachrymose Research Facility is located on the shores of Lake Lachrymose, in a secret passage at the back of Curdled Cave and operated by the Anwhistle family. A boat or raft must be taken from the main town to the other side of the lake. This passage is guarded by a gate with a large bell one must ring in order to gain entrance. In addition, a sign outside the gate reads: "Fans of Sebald may ring the bell and enter." (VFD members must introduce themselves to the gatekeeper via sebald code in order to gain entry)

Valorous Farms Dairy: A safe place run by a family who goes only by their initials. Entry is given to all who know the correct answers to the coded questions. Located in the county, not far from the Finite Forest.

VFD Headquarters: Located in the woods on the outskirts of town. Appears to be a large, noble house, surrounded by high walls and iron gates. Entry is given to those who know the correct answers to the coded questions.

Edit:

Map from Unauthorized Autobiography (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/nevermore301/kidnap%20mystery/VFDMap.jpg)

[Malz]

"Okay, now that we are done packing all of these diguises up, we should try and figure out where we are and where we need to go. " Sim spoke up, still trying to shake off the memory of his previous life. "As we can see, we are positioned in a slightly mountainous area. I believe that if we can somehow find habitation or some directions from a stray climber, we can get out of this place and on our way back to VFD. Alright?" the girls look doubtful about his plan.
"Well, i know plenty of survival skills from the many books i have read, and i do not think that it would be wise if we just did not plan the expidition out..." the girls didnt respond. "I-If we find a river we could find habitation..." he sputtered..
"Fine. What do you two propose we do?" Sim gave up and let them speak.

((sorry if i controlled your characters a bit))

[amypops]

"Well, I think its an idea, but the thing is... what if we are going in the comletely wrong direction? I mean, we have no idea where the VFD headquarters are, and we were brought there in the middle of the night, in winter, blindfolded. We have no idea if we are even in the same country as we were lat night! We could be anywhere from a few feet to kilometers away from VFD!" Lou told Sim, plonking herself down on a nearby rock.

"I remember reading a book in which something like this happened to the main characters, but they found clues that lead them home. D'you think that VFD might have left some form of clue?" at this point, she picked up her commonplace book and started flicking through the pages. If VFD had written their mission in their books, they might have left a clue, too, Lou decided.

[Malz]

Sim looked at the landscape. He needed to find a water source of some kind, but this task was difficult considering that there was snow on the ground. After a few moments he looked into a small patch of trees and his mind was flipping through pages of books he had read. Sim searched through his small pack and found a warm jacket and he put it on.
"It will get colder. Put on a jacket and let's head out. I do believe i have found a likely place for a stream or a creek. If we follow that, we are surely going to find some sort of civilization, and besides, if we do not keep moving, we will only get colder." Sim stated and then started to walk very slowly towards the patch of trees, if his assumptions were wrong, he would be humiliated, but Sim was confident. And it was long before he sensed the girls catching up to him.

[nevermore]

Lou hurried after Sim. She had taken a moment to wrestle into her coat and arrange her disguise kit so that it wouldn't get in the way of her hiking. Once she was ready, she began crunching through the snow after him, following his footprints. She was soon out of breath from being so high up, and had to gasp for air as she spoke. "Sim! ... Wait... up..." Getting colder, Lou put her hands in her pockets, and shouted in surprise. "Hey! Hey you guys! I just found something in my coat!" She stopped walking and pulled out the folded piece of paper she had discovered. "Hey! It's a map! Come back Sim! Come back! I found a map!" The extra effort to yell cost her all of her breath, and all she could do after that was gasp and wait for Sim and Paxton to find her.

((maybe there should be a small, discreet spot on the map, like a precise red jam stain, right at the top of the mortmain mountains to indicate something might be up there--otherwise the children would have no reason to climb up instead of down, right?))

[Malz]

Sim heard strangled shouts coming from behind him so he turned around and saw a figure crouched over. This alarmed Sim, and he recognized the tall, skinny figure of Lou and he rushed over to her.
"Lou?" he asked her. "You alright?" he asked as he saw that she was gasping, and he thought he heard her gasp something about a map.
"A map? You found a map? Lou.. stand up, put your hands on your head, and breath through your nose and out through your mouth. It will help you catch your breath."

[nevermore]

Lou thrust the map into Sim's hand with a gasped "Here. Look." before taking his advice. She stood up straight, put her hands on her head, and forced herself to take a deep, slow breath. For a moment, she was glad that she wasn't old enough to wear things like corsets yet. She couldn't imagine how hard it would be to hike around on a mountain with your lungs strapped in... As her breathing steadied, she found the strength to ask "what's on it?"

[Malz]

Sim looked closely at the map, it had everything surrounding the VFD headquarters, and it was simple, yet, had great detail. The buildings were scetched out with acuracy, and the names of the places were even listed. But.. there was something odd about it.
"Huh." Sim thought outloud, and it was then that he realized that both Lou and Paxton were looking around his arm (because he was too tall for them to peer over his shoulder) at the map with him. They were looking at him curiously as if to say, 'What is the matter?'.
"Well... it is just this." Sim pointed delicately to a small stain on the map, it was a pinkish-red color. "What do you think this is? I believe that it is strawberry jam, like that stuff we use on toasts at VFD. But if you look closely at it... it does not look very accidental. I mean, just look how it is placed exactly in between the two peaks of these two drawings of the mountains... very precise. Do you think that it could be a clue of some sort?" he asked the girls.

[PrettyInPointe]

((Does this make sense?))

Paxton looked impatiently over Sim's shoulder. She actually grabbed his arm and lowered it to be able to see the map. "Hmm... That does look rather spot on..." she said, grabbing the map out of Sim's hands. She started pacing, looking up occasionally at the trees and the sky. She knew some things about survival, that she hoped would be useful, mostly from adventures and from Ewan.

Oh, Ewan.... I wonder how he's holding up.... Paxton thought. She hoped he would make it back to camp without many problems, and he was with Melanie. Ewan was so fragile, even if he is her big brother.

Paxton snapped out of her reverie, and continued to look at the map. The jam spot was right in between the Mortmain Mountains, so if it was placed there intentionally, something must be there. If she wasn't missing anything on the map, and they were somewhere on the map, those were the mountains they were in. They just had to figure out which of the mountains they were on, then work there way towards the space between the peaks. "Uh... help?" Paxton asked. She assumed Sim would know the answer.

[nevermore]

Lou, dizzy from the altitude and from lack of oxygen, started giggling furiously when Paxton spoke. "Haha! Spot on! Spot on! Get it? Spot on? Because of the spot? On the map? Spot on. Hahaha. Get it Sim?" Lou sat down on the snowy ground. "I think we should... ahaha... sorry. I think we should go toward the spot..." Lou suddenly had a brilliant idea. She took off her coat and disguise kit, walked over to the tallest pine she could find, and began climbing it. It was hard work, especially because she was so easily out of breath, but when she got to the top, she saw exactly what she needed. "Aha! There is one mountain to the north. We're on the southern mountain. Down below, I can see where the stream runs into the valley. Oh! That's stricken stream! I heard my dad... My... dad..." Slowly, Lou climbed back down. She put her coat back on, and looked very seriously at Sim and Paxton. "My dad talked about the Mortmain Mountains just before I got kidnapped. He didn't know that I was hiding under the kitchen table that day. He said 'You know they're up to something up there. They took the kids and a cart of lumber, and followed the stream up the peak.' I bet whatever he was talking about with mom, it's being built at the top of Stricken Stream. We should go see. At least then I can tell my dad a secret about VFD. He would be so proud. And we're so close! Let's go see!"

[PrettyInPointe]

"I think that it's worth checking out. It's the only lead we have." Paxton said. "If Lou's right in saying that we are on the Southern mountain, then we need to go north, right?" Paxton looked around at the trees, then walked over to one with a green trunk.

"This trunk is covered in moss. Moss grows on the... south side? No, the northern side. Yes, it's definently the north side. So we go that way, right?" She said. She wasn't good with maps. She just couldn't read them well. "Either that, or I'm totally wrong and someone else should figure it out." she said, with a laugh.

[Malz]

"I can read maps. In fact, i spent a whole month once reading booksand studying maps. It was quite fascinating." Sim stated and took the map from Paxton, and then stretched out his arm and grabbed Lou by the sleeve of her coat to stop her from wandering off.
"You were correct about the moss, but i am afraid that if we go north, we will become even more lost and stuck in the Mortmain Mountains. Now, it seems to me that we are very close to the peak of one of these three mountains the map shows us." Sim circled the cluster of mountains with his fingure to show the girls.
"And to get to the valley," Sim continued, "We must follow the brook i believe is through those trees, and if we follow that downward, i am sure we will find ourselves near Stricken Stream. Alright?" he asked.

[PrettyInPointe]

"Oh. Yep, that sounds right." Paxton said. "I hate maps. I can't read them. They confuse me." She gave a little laugh, then started off towards the brook that Sim pointed out. "So, what do you think is there?" Paxton asked Lou and Sim.

"If it's worth noting on the map, it must be something that could get us back, or at least speed up the process..." she said thoughtfully. Then a thought hit her. "Hey Sim, how long do you think it's going to take us to get to Stricken stream? We have no food, but we can make a fire with our spyglasses." she asked, thoughtfully.

[Malz]

"Well, there is no legend on this map, so judging by what Lou saw up in the tree, we should get there at maximum, in three to four days. If we are lucky, the snow gnats will not be too harsh and the weather will not be too formidable, we should get down there in a day if we start to move along now." Sim's mind was reeling with information, this was the sort of reading he had done for pleasure rather than for the knowledge of things he might use. Sim never would have expected that he would be doing this in his lifetime. He would rather be in a warm library reading a big book and sitting in a nice cozy chair. But it was too late for that now.
"That idea with the spyglasses, that is a brilliant idea. I would be willing to take out the big lense in mine so that the sun will...hmm.. yes, and the brook might have salmon swimming in it. Girls, i do believe we can do this." He complimented happily.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton walked over to the river, thinking about Sim's salmon comment. If she could figure out a way to catch some fish, well, it would be great to have a meal for the next three to four days. "Hm... guys, can I try something real quick?" Paxton asked. She didn't wait for an answer. If I can trap the fish, we could just grab them... she thought. Paxton started gathering a big pile of rocks and small boulders, beckoning for Lou and Sim to help. Then she started lining them up on either side of the river. "If this will trap the fish, we can grab them..." Paxton said, thoughtfully.

[amypops]

Lou, still a bit giddy from the climb, scrambled over to Paxton and started copying her movements, picking up somewhat large boulders and placing them in the stream.

"So, you're suggesting we block off this for a while and cath some fish? Never would have thougt of that myself..." she started giggling again, and continued to toss rocks into the river. "Ugh, why am I so dizzy? Is it just the air or what?"

She beckoned for Sim to come and help, and together they managed to create a large pile of rocks in the middle of the stream. "So, what do we do now?"

[Malz]

"I believe that the elevation and the lack of oxygen is the reason you are dizzy Lou." Sim said thoughtfully. "I am pretty short of breath myself, but i read briefly about a certain plant...i wonder if...hmm." Sim dropped the rock that was in his hands into the water and then wandered off away from the girls scanning the ground. He was trying to remember the name of a certain plant that helped breath in in high elevations. Mountain climbers used it but the plant was often blended into moss. Sim ran his hands over tree trunks and down by the brook to feel the moss and he hoped to run his fingers over a sprig or two of the kroskey-leaf. The kroskey- leaf had a very specific slight prickle to it when you touched it. Sim concentrated very hard as he traveled further and further away from the girls.
"Aha!" Sim exclaimed as he pulled up two very small green leaves from the ground and held them in his large palm. This excited him, but his excitement greatly lessed when he saw his location: right in a patch of poison ivy.... and Sim was very allergic. Quickly he ran back to where he thought the girls were, but he couldnt find them.
"Paxton!" he yelled in vain. "Lou!"
Sim was getting frantic, and he knew that preventing the reaction was impossible without his special medicine; which of course was back at VFD headquarters, but he needed to find the girls and tell them what was going to happen and not to be alarmed… but he knew they would probably be alarmed anyways.
“Lou!” he yelled again. “Paxton!”

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton smiled at the big pile of rocks in the middle of the stream, then shivered at the cold water. "Okay, next we have to move the rocks to the sides of the stream, creating two dams. Then the fish will be caught in the middle." Paxton explained. She walked over to the side of the stream, and started drawing in the mud. She drew a diagram of the trap. "Get the point?" she asked, hopefully. "Then if we could get a net.... out of clothing straps? Or we could just use our hands to grab the fish..." she said thoughtfully, starting to move the rocks off the the sides. Then she heard her name being shouted. "What.... What was that? Where's Sim?" She asked, frantically.

[Malz]

"Lou! Paxton!" Sim shouted again, his deep voice echoing through the trees. Sim strained his eyes as he looked for the girls and also for the small stream of water which would surely lead him to their fishing spot, but he couldnt see much anymore because his vision was getting blurry; one of the side effects. Soon his face would start to get splotches, and his hands would turn red and get rashes, and that was only the major side effects. Others included dizziness and his mind would become a little scrambled... all in all, when Sim got poison ivy, it wasnt pretty. And in this cold, the red splotches would stand out even more on his pale, pale face.
Suddenly, Sim saw a flash of white and when he went forward, he saw it was the white from Paxton's heavy coat.
"I found you two! Finally!" Sim exclaimed in relief and he opened his clenched fist to reveal the two small leaves of kroskey.
"This will... this will help with the lack of oxygen and everything included." he stammered, but the look on the girls' faces made him embarressed. He knew his face was becoming splotchy.

((lol let's have Paxton flip out :p))

[PrettyInPointe]

"Sim! What happened?" Paxton asked, frantically. Sim didn't look good. His face was getting all splotchy and his hands were getting redder and redder. "What did you do?!" Paxton asked. He seemed to be having a reaction to something. "Is it like an allergy or something?" Paxton asked, starting to shake. She didn't do well with medical issues.

Paxton didn't like blood, she freaked when people couldn't breathe well, she started shaking, and it just wasn't good. Besides, she had enough energy without adding franticness to it. "Well gosh darn it, I'm an inventor, not a doctor! Wh-what do you need? Is there... like some plant that could help you, or something?" Paxton asked shakily.

[Malz]

Sim put his hand on Paxton's shoulder to stop the shaking.
"Shh. Stop. Dont be alarmed, i accidently touched some poison ivy and this is what happens. I will be fine, just stay calm. I will probably be pretty dazed in a little bit, and this is only starting to work into full motion. My face will be splotchy and my hands will get rashes, and other things will happen, but i wont die or anything. And my medicine is back at VFD headquarters so i will have to wait for my symptoms to wear off. Paxton... calm down." Sim could feel his face getting very hot in places and that is where he knew the splotches were. Paxton still looked slightly frantic, but Lou looked sympathetic.
"Calm down. I am going to be alright... just uncomfortable."

[amypops]

Lou wasn't able to hear properly, the wind was howling in her ears, and she contined to try and catch fish between her small, frozen fingers. She saw Paxton get up, saying something, but Lou couldn't hear.

After a few minutes, she took her hands out of the frozen lake, rubbing her hands together to try and keep warm. As she looked up from the ground, she caught sight of Sim standing next to Paxton, and his face looked a mess.

"Oh my goodness, Sim, what happened? are you alright?" Lou cried, dropping everything she was doing and rushing over to Sim in a panic.

[Malz]

Sim sighed and explained his situation again to Lou.
"I can still push on as normal..." he finished with a sigh. Sim was pretty embarrassed at the moment and he didnt know what else to say or do.
"So how has the trap worked so far? Any fish?" he asked switching subjects and cramming his hands into his coat pockets. The rash was making him very uncomfortable and it was even hurting him a little, but he didnt want to make a scene or worry the girls so he decided not to mention it.
"Also, chew up those leaves i handed to Paxton. They will help with the elevation side effects."

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton handed the leaves to Lou, still worried about Sim. Sh didn't like the looks of him, but if he said he'd be fine... "Okay, do you want to go check and see how the trap worked? I'm not sure if it will be that good, considering it's Winter and there aren't many fish out, but if it did work we'll need to run in and grab them. But should we make a fire first or after, because we can't keep the fish with us too long, so should we wait until later to eat them, or eat the right away? Because if we were going to wait until later, we could cook them and then lay them close to the fire to reheat later..." she rambled, walking back to the stream.

[Malz]

Sim stood awkwardly with his hands still shoved deeper into his pockets and waiting until his knowledge would be of use. But unlike the reactions he had beforehand, this one would have to have to run its course because there was obviously no medicine around. Sim's hands felt extremely uncomfortable. It felt prickly, and it itched like there were millions of little spiders crawling in and out of his skin, his hands stung and burned. Sim could barely resist the urge not to scratch them or shove them into a pile of snow. Sim also knew that his face probably looked like somebody smashed a tomato into it... he felt humiliated, but he was thankful that he was with two girls who wouldnt judge him or anything.

((Cue Lou to see Sim's pockets moving b/c of his hands and she offers to wrap them.... or something like that.))

[amypops]

Lou continued to steal worried glances at Sim whilst she helped Paxton and Sim. Chewing on the leaves like Sim told her to, she instantly began to feel a little better, and was able to breathe easier than before.

Trying to make sense of Paxtons rambling, she started raking through her purse type bag full of costumes, looking for something warm and thick. When she loked over at Sim again, she saw his hads figeting a lot, and he kept stuffing them in his pocket, as if he was trying to ignore te obvious pain. His face was now almost covered in red splotches, and Lou cringed every time she looked at him. He must be in so much pain!

She found some socks in her bag, no doubt several sizes to big, and glanced at the stream. Then she had an idea.

Rushing over to the stream, she dipped the socks in the icy water until tey were soaking, and ran back to Sim, asking for his hands.

[Malz]

Sim had started to help Paxton build a lean-to shelter. It would definetly protect them from the snow and it would be big enough to hold all of them for the night. All of a sudden Lou came up to him and asked for his hands. Sim pulled his hands out, which were now covered by gloves, though they provided only minimal comfort. As Lou started to pull of one of the gloves, a pink blush spread on his splotchy face and he pulled away.
"You dont want to be doing that." he told her as he pulled his gloves back on. "Trust me. Just help me finish this shelter. Once we do that, we can build a fire and eat our salmon."

[amypops]

"Are you sure? This will help cool down the rash, it always worked when I ate something I had a reaction to..." Lou trailed off, looking away.

She placed the socks back in the water - they might be useful later, or if Sim changed his mind - and picked up the nearest object, helping Sim hold up the sheet and secure it in place. She then wandered over to where paxton was lighting a fire, intent on helping in any way she could.

Both Sim and paxton's talents would be useful - Sim with his map-reading skills and Paxton with her inventive mind - and lou couldn't help but think that her small talent for story writing was a bit useless.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton handed the telescope lens to Lou, letting her attempt to build a fire, and wandered over to Sim to help him build a shelter. After deciding a lean-to would be easiest and the quickest to put up and take down, they got to work. Lou got the fire started, and as it got dark they worked by the light of the fire. Finally, Paxton stepped back to see their work. "Pretty good, I think. Should be easy to take down to help us get moving quickly in the morning, and easy to set up again. We should be able to get moving and up to the mountains quickly tomorrow. The journey shouldn't be to long at all." Paxton said satisfied, while she sat cross-legged by the fire.

[Malz]

Sim slung his pack into the corner of the makeshift shelter and he laid down, using the pack for a pillow. He felt pretty lousy and also kinda guilty for having to burden the girls with his stupid allergy. He wished that the people who dropped them off couldve gave him some medicine. His hands were just feeling worse and worse, like a fire was scalding them now, but the positive side was that though his face looked ugly; it wasnt bothering him.
As he lay there pondering his options, Sim turned his head and noticed Lou was looking at him. Sighing, Sim turned away and shoved his hands further in his pockets.

[amypops]

Lou frowned at the obvious pain on Sims face. What was it with guys and always acting tough? She saw him practically sitting on his hands, they were getting deeper and deeper into his pockets.

Sighing, she headed back to the stream and took the ice-cold and soaking wet socks out, heading over to Sim.

"Sim, can I have your hands please? Please, I just want to help. Your rash is obviously sore..." she frowned at him.

She hated seeing him like this. His face looked a lot better - maybe the cold mountain air was helping to cool it down? - but his hands looked bad.

[Malz]

Sim shook his head. "No. I dont want you to be seeing them." he told her and then he rolled back on his side and sighed miserably. Why did he always seem to be a burden on people? The last people he was a burden too burned in a fire. Sim was snapped out of his pity party by a huff of breath behind him and he kept his hands deep in his pockets. He knew that he was probably frustrating Lou. Turning back over and sitting up Sim looked up at her.
"I'm sorry." he shrugged. "I cant let you see them."

[amypops]

Lou huffed impatiently. Why was Sim being so... difficult!?

"Look, Sim, whatever it is, it's not contagious, it's fine. Also, if you keep stuffing them in your pockets, the warmth is just going to make them worse!" she cried, exasperated. She was no doctor, but she knew that for something like a rash, heat wasn't good.

No matter how much she pleaded, Sim would not take his hads out of his pocket. Very annoyed now, Lou was ready to force his hnds out of his pockets, but she knew that it would do no good, and probably make him feel worse. Knowing that it was a last resort, she turned to the puppy dog eyes, looking at Sim with wide eyes.

"Please, Sim?"

[Malz]

Sim sighed and looked at Lou. She was pleading with him, and he had refused every time. His will was weakening and he looked up at her a final time. She had brown eyes. I have never noticed that before. he thought.
"Lou..." he started. "I dont.... okay." Sim pulled his hands slowly out of his pockets and sighed again. She was right of course, about rashes and heat, but maybe he was thinking of them too stereotypically. Sim knew that these girls werent weak at heart or anything, but he still felt very nervous about revealing his hands. Maybe he just didnt want to embarrass himself. Sim held his breath as Lou started to pull off his glove.

[amypops]

Lou smiled inwardly as Sim gave in, slowly taking his hands out of his pockets, hesitating before giving them to Lou. She took the gloves off carefully, laying them on the ground and looking at Sim's hands. They didn't look that bad at all, Lou couldn't see why there was such a fuss - but they did look quite sore.

Taking the socks out of the icy lake, she wrung all water out and started to carefully wrap them around Sims hands, hoping that it would be enough to cool down the rash. She stepped back after tying the sock, quickly covering her mouth with her hand as she let out a huge yawn.

"How long exactly have we been up here, anyway?"

[Malz]

That feels nice... Sim thought as Lou's hands gingerly wrapped the cold socks around his burning hands. "Thanks." he said with a small smile once she was finished and he also yawned.
"I dont know. I believe we have been here for awhile because it is starting to get dark. I believe that once our dinner is finished cooking, we should get some rest. We need to find somebody who lives around here soon, so thatmaybe the could help up find our way back to the VFD." Sim said, answering her question.
"Hey Paxton, are the fish almost done cooking?" he asked.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton looked up when she heard her name. She checked on the fish. "Yep, just taking them off now!" she called, also yawning. "Gosh, yawning must be contagious. It's getting dark, we should start going to sleep soon." she said, gathering flat-ish rocks and putting the fish on them. "Bon appetite!" she said, handing out the fish to the other two, and waiting anxiously for either of them to take the first bite. She was afraid they wouldn't be very good, but it was better to eat something that didn't taste very good then to starve.

[Malz]

Sim tore the fish in half, to make sure that it was all the way cooked, and then popped a small portion into his mouth, chewing it slowly. It wasnt the best meal he had ever had in his life, but it was still pretty good. He was nearly halfway done by the time he noticed that the girls were taking their first bites. Sim blushed and looked down at his meal. He felt sort of piggish, but he kept eating anyways. This might be thier last meal for a couple of days.
"Well." Sim announced, patting his stomach and tossing the rock into the stream. "Good job cooking Paxton, but right now i am going to go to sleep. I am quite worn out. Good night girls."
And with that, Sim crawled into the shelter and fell asleep in an instant.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton ate the fish quickly, and even though it didn't taste perfect, she was proud of it. It was the first wilderness meal she had made, and it wasn't terrible. She skipped her rock in the river, wiped her mouth, and yawned. "Well, that was a good meal. I'll just check the fire and the head to bed." she said, cheerily. She walked over to the fire, then walked into the woods and grabbed some dry-ish leaves and twigs. She walked back towards the camp, and threw the leaves into the fire. "Okay, that should do it. Goodnight." she said to Lou with a smile, and climbed into the shelter.

[Malz]

The next morning, Sim rose early as he usually does, he brought some new wood for the fire which was still flickering, and he pulled out his commonplace book and pencil. Through the events of the evening before, he had not had a chance to write in it.

December 9, 1860

~Hiked for a while until we came across a small stream, we rest here for the night
~Paxton caught a couple of fish while I went looking for the Kroskey-leaf
~Got caught in poison ivy. Bad allergic reaction. Face blotchy, hand rashes, slight nausea.
~We build a fire, and a lean-in shelter

Sim stopped writing as he heard one of the girls yawning, and he knew it wouldnt be long before she (whichever one it was) realized that he was not near the camp. Sim was actually sitting on a fallen tree and looking at the moutainside as the sun started to rise. It was truely a magnificent sight.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton sat up in the shelter, rubbing sleep from her eyes. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was, and then another few seconds to realize Sim wasn't with her. She quickly scrambled out of the shelter, but then decided if Sim was gone, he was smart enough to know how to get back.

Paxton froze for a second, and listened intently, trying to place Sim's position. Finally, she heard a twig crack, and decided to go in that direction. Sure enough, she was lead to Sim. "Good morning, Sim. Glad to see your hands feel better. You're an early bird, aren't you?" she said, drowsily. She noted she had to look up to Sim. Gosh he was tall. She yawned again, and sat down on a fallen log.

[Malz]

"Good morning Paxton. Or as the Croatians would say, dobro jutro." Sim greeted with a smile, closing his commonplace book and sticking his pencil in his ears. "And yes I am. I do enjoy waking up in the early morning to get a good start on the day, and i also think best in the fresh hours of the day." Sim said while nodding, but he immediatly felt sheepish as he saw Paxton sitting on the log and nearly asleep again. Sim sat next to her and patted her on the back softly.
"If you want to go back to bed," he murmered, his deep voice soothing. "You can go right ahead." he had a smile playing on his lips as he saw Paxton lift her head sleepily.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton blushed. "No, no, I always have trouble waking up. My Ma had to literally drag me to church every Sunday." she said with a laugh. "And you're certainly not a bore. I'll be bouncing around in half an hour. My brother, Ewan, says he likes me best at this time, because I'll be quiet." she said, smiling. She looked over the trees at the view. "I can certainly see why you would think well at this time. The view is... inspiring. Makes you think... makes you wonder. Like the possibilities are endless. It's a good time for thinking." she said, thoughtfully, more to herself than to Sim.

[Malz]

"Yes. Yes, i must agree with you there. I have never been to the mountains before, but i have always heard stories of the beauty. Now i get to see it for myself." he sighed wistfully, placing his hands (which still held the commonplace book) in his lap.
"I am very nervous for this whole mission." Sim said breaking the silence suddenly. "I dont know about you, but i just feel like there is more in store for us than we know. It is very complicated to explain. I am just very apprehensive. I mean, we are still in training. Why would they but us in this sort of situation do you think?" Sim asked, wondering how Paxton would respond. She always managed to surprise him some way or another.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton sat there a moment, thoughtfully. She held up one finger, motioning for Sim to wait, and making sure he knew she had heard him. Why would they send trainees into this kind of situations? Splitting up families, and some trainees were as young as toddlers! Finally, Paxton spoke. "Well, part of it could be tradition. It may be a tradition that they put trainees in this situation for them to complete their training. But also..." she paused for a moment.

"I don't think this is just testing our survival abilities. They are seeing how we apply our talents when their desperately needed. They're seeing if we can be a team and compromise and work out problems and not get into conflicts. Their seeing how we do when it's not in a classroom, where you can just try again tomorrow. They need to know if we can improvise and figure things out, or if we need the guidance that we get in the classroom. Because if we need the guidance, they can't let us go on missions in the real world." Paxton said, decisively, then looked to Sim for his thoughts.

[amypops]

Lou rolled over sleepily, her eyes only half open as she tried to shake herself awake. As she fully opened her eyes, she realised that she was not in her room in the VFD headquarters, and had a few seconds of panic before remembering where she was. Lost on top of a mountain.

She looked around, and noticed that both Paxton and Sim were nowhere to be seen. "Uh... Paxton? Sim? Are you guys here?" she cried, poking her head out of the make-shift tent and scanning the area.

She saw that someone had restarted the small fire from the night before, and slipped on her shoes, wandering over to it.

[Libby_Lou]

Name: Kris Anwhistle
Age: 14
Number of siblings: none
Physical description: Kris has sandy blonde hair that is cut close to his scalp and he has dull blue eyes that get vivid when he is happy or excited. Kris has scars on the left side of his face that mar his appearance, and it usually makes people scared of him. He is medium height.
Personality: Kris is quite talkative, but he is also quite sensative. Especially when people mention his scars. Kris likes to make new friends, and he likes to be treated like a normal person.
Special skills: He loves to cook.

[Malz]

Lou rolled over sleepily, her eyes only half open as she tried to shake herself awake. As she fully opened her eyes, she realised that she was not in her room in the VFD headquarters, and had a few seconds of panic before remembering where she was. Lost on top of a mountain.

She looked around, and noticed that both Paxton and Sim were nowhere to be seen. "Uh... Paxton? Sim? Are you guys here?" she cried, poking her head out of the make-shift tent and scanning the area.

She saw that someone had restarted the small fire from the night before, and slipped on her shoes, wandering over to it.

Sim turned around as he heard footsteps in the snow and a faint voice. "Do you suppose that Lou is awake?" he asked Paxton who seemed to still be in a trance. Sim sighed and started to head back to the camp but something else clogged up his hearing. Buzzing. A horrible loud buzzing. Sim's eyes widened and he turned around, squinting as the sun was in his eyes, but there was a cloud approaching.
"PAXTON!" Sim shouted at her, but she wasnt moving fast enough, so Sim grabbed her wrist, pulling her up and then he put his arm around her waist and ushered her to move faster and back to the camp.
"Lou!" Sim yelled as the buzzing grew louder and he was starting to feel little shots of pain hit his back and legs all the way through his clothing. "Throw leaves on the fire!!!! NOW!" both of the girls look frightened and alarmed.
"Snow gnats."

[amypops]

Lou knelt down near the fire, poking a few twigs around in it in an attempt to keep the tiny flame alive.

What is that annoying sound? It's like... irritating buzzing...

She shook her head a bit, but the buzzing persisted. She smacked her head, lookng like she was trying to get water out of her ears, but the buzzing wouldn't go away.

It's like an annoying and persistant bumble bee! she thought with a sigh.

She jerked her head up as Sim and Paxton careered out of the trees. So thats where they were... what were they doing? Oi... get out of jealous mode, Lou...

"Throw leaves on the fire!!!! NOW!" Sim cried, and Lou scrambed at the ground, hastily picking up leaves and tossing them in the small fire hurriedly as she saw the huge cloud of bugs following Sim and Paxton. Diving into the tent, she desperately hoped the fire had grown at least a little.

"Wh... what was that all about?" Lou choked out, panicking as the buzzing grew louder.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton heard the buzzing before Sim did. The sound of the buzzing quickly sent her into a trance. The buzzing... it sounded just like the time...

A year or two ago, when Paxton was about eight, she had been climbing on the roof looking for a secret passage she thought might be up there. She had been unable to locate it inside the house, so she thought she might as well look up there. And while she was up there, she was going to try to make a snowball slide, going from the roof to the ground. If someone stayed up there during a neighborhood snowball fight, they could fuel up the team by making ammo and sliding it down towards the ground using the slide.

As Paxton was up there searching, she had started to hear a buzzing sound. It had gotten louder and louder, and when she turned around, she saw a cloud of hornets coming towards her. She screamed, and started frantically wondering what to do. It took her a long time to climb up the side of the house, and it would take her even longer to climb down. She started backing up quickly as the bees approached her, and backed up a little too much. She fell off the roof, flailing her arms and reaching for something to slow her fall. Her hand caught a bar holding up a planter, and her arm felt like it was getting ripped out of it's socket. But she did manage to slide down to the ground and land on her feet. She ran inside and the hornets were no where it be seen, but to that day hornets terrified her.

She zapped out of her trance when Sim started pulling her back to camp. When they got there, Paxton helped build the fire up higher, and grabbed the spyglass to try to make some new flames. Eventually, she piled into the shelter with Lou. "I-I-I don't-t-t know." Paxton said, still shaking with fright. She stubbornly clenched her fists, and tried to stop herself from vibrating.

[nevermore]

((some side-story involving Abigail while the children are away. All updates about Abby will be posted in pale pink until she is again reunited with her children))

Abigail sighed and pressed her forehead against the cool windowpane, staring out at the dreary forest beyond her window. She had spent more and more time, alone, in her room as they days wore on. Simply sitting in the cushioned bay window, staring. A book lay open on her lap, the same page untouched for several long hours. She stared at the constant misting rain, her brow knitted with worry. VFD had predicted that she would grow overly-attached to the young recruits, but nothing--nothing--could have prepared her for the gut-wrenching depression that washed over her when the children were torn away from her and thrown, alone, out into the world. There had been no word as to the whereabouts of any of them. Had her beloved Paxton, Lou, and Simeon fallen prey to snow gnats, mountain lions, or something even more unspeakable? Would they find her brother and find safety with his family? She had screamed and yelled at the other elders until finally someone took pity on her, and informed her of the whereabouts of three of the young volunteers, hoping she would find solace in knowing that they were near Chas and safety.
But where were Melanie, Jake, and Kris? Where they safe, or in some terrible danger? What of little Ewan, torn away from his siblings and friends? Or any of the other children, all of whom VFD had remained mute about...
She wiped angrily at the tear that fell down her cheek, frustrated, as though that tear had betrayed her constant efforts to remain strong and poised. She focused purposefully upon the page that lay open on her lap, but the words began to blur, and gradually, her attentions once again turned toward the gates surrounding the VFD headquarters, and the world beyond... straining for some sign that the children would return home safely...

[Malz]

Sim tore open his handbag in a rush and pulled out a long trench coat. Quickly, he placed himself in between the girls and tossed the coat over top of them and he put his long arms around Lou and Paxton to make sure they were both securely in the makeshift shield.
"The snow gnats should be gone soon if the smoke builds up like i hope it should. I am sorry for yelling at both of you. Are you alright?" he whispered to them, trying not to shiver from both fear and the cold.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton was still shaking violently, not from cold but from fear. And less of fear from the snow gnats, which none the less were quite frightening, but more of fear of her memory. She could still here the bees buzzing, her scream as she fell. But she had to be strong, she wouldn't let herself be the weakling.

"Y-y-y-yeah. I'm f-f-fine." Paxton said, trying to control herself. But the snow gnats... they seemed to have awakened her to the danger she was in. She had never really considered danger in, well, anything before. She was an adventurer, danger was non-existent. She didn't like the feeling of danger.

[Libby_Lou]

Kris woke up and held his aching head in his hands. Him, Jake, and Melanie had been walking for quite some time and he had unfortunatly slipped and hit is head on a rock. He had been unconcious, and it was very unpleasant.
"So you guys. I absolutely am positive now that we are near Lack Lachrymose. My old ucle used to take me fishing here... but we have to watch out for the leeches. That is how he died you know? Every generation, someone in our family dies from the leeches." he sighed and looked from Melanie to Jake. Niether of them looked very comfortable.
"Dont worry." he said. "They only want food. And because we havnt really eaten in a day or two, we wont get in a squirmish with the leeches. Mmmm..." he sighed. "Do you guys smell that? That is the Lake.... smells wonderful. Like fish...."

((Post colors for Georgia/Libby's quest have been designated as pale green by nevvie. Be sure to post using the "quick reply" box so that you can actually choose colors))

[UndercoverNinja]

Melanie was relieved that Kris had come around. Although he had only been out for a minute it had been the worst minute of Melanie's life. She had been on tenterhooks. She didn't really know Kris all that well and it would be horrible if she never got the chance to. She had said that outloud and Jake had scolded her for doing so.


"So you guys. I absolutely am positive now that we are near Lack Lachrymose. My old ucle used to take me fishing here... but we have to watch out for the leeches. That is how he died you know? Every generation, someone in our family dies from the leeches." he sighed and looked from Melanie to Jake. Niether of them looked very comfortable.
"Dont worry." he said. "They only want food. And because we havnt really eaten in a day or two, we wont get in a squirmish with the leeches. Mmmm..." he sighed. "Do you guys smell that? That is the Lake.... smells wonderful. Like fish...."

"I'm not keen on fish so I don't cook it ever but if you can Kris then I'd eat anything!!!" They hadn't eaten in over a day and Melanie stomach was now constantly growling. She was a little worried about Kris's comment about the leeches. Leeches made her nerovus ever since they had been used to draw blood from her sister. The doctor and been a horrible leering man who looked too overjoyed at the prospect of her death aswell. Melanie shook the thought from her mind and followed the boys down the slope.

[Malz]

Sim lifted the jacket up cautiously and sighed. The gnats were all gone. They were safe. Everything was alright.
"Besides a few bites here and there, are you two okay?" he asked, and they both seemed pretty shaken up, especially Paxton. Sim brushed it off and looked at the sky. The dawn had passed, and noon was approaching.
"We need to start moving if we want to reach the mysterious spot on the map before sundown. Lets pack up our things and get going." Sim ordered, trying not to be too bossy about it. He gathered the trench coat, stuffing it in his 'purse' of costumes. He kept the fire going so the gnats wouldnt return whie they were about to leave, and her wrapped the remaining fish in a spare cloth so they could eat it later. When he finished, he waited for the girls.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton stood up, still shaking a bit. Boy, did those gnats give her a fright. She threw a couple of twigs into the fire, and grabbed her makeshift purse. She checked to make sure they all had their spyglasses, which they did, and then grabbed the map. She studied it, trying to think of what could be at the smudge. It had to be something to help them, as it was too precise to be a mistake, but what? A VFD member's home? But why would they live in the mountains? Though a lot of people do live in the mountains... right? Paxton thought. She rolled up the map, then walked over to Sim. "Ready." she said, determined.

[amypops]

"Y-yeah... I'm ok..." Lou stuttered, getting to her feet and peeking out of the tent. The buzzing noise had gone, and Lou took this as a sign that the gnats had gone too. Nodding along with Paxton, she stuffed her things into her bag of costumes and put one of her shoes back on her foot (it had fallen off in the confusion), and stood beside Paxton.

"So... do we have any idea where to head out to? Or did VFD leave us any clues as where to go? I mean, they wouldn't just dump us up here and make us find out way home. Surely there is a certain reason we were placed here and not somewhere else... it's like a mystery book..." she muttered the last sentence to herself, smiling.

[Malz]

"I do believe that the spot on the map is our best bet." Sim said as he started walking towards the stream. "If we follow the stream, which we know runs downhill, i believe that it should lead us to the valley. No sweat." Sim started to walk faster and he turned around and his eyebrows raised.
"C'mon girls! Hurry up if you want to reach the valley by sundown! Why are you walking so slow?" he said with a triumphant laugh. The mountain air must be doing something to me... i feel great! Better than i have in a long time! he thought gleefully as he kept walking quite fast next to the stream.

[Libby_Lou]

Melanie was relieved that Kris had come around. Although he had only been out for a minute it had been the worst minute of Melanie's life. She had been on tenterhooks. She didn't really know Kris all that well and it would be horrible if she never got the chance to. She had said that outloud and Jake had scolded her for doing so.



"I'm not keen on fish so I don't cook it ever but if you can Kris then I'd eat anything!!!" They hadn't eaten in over a day and Melanie stomach was now constantly growling. She was a little worried about Kris's comment about the leeches. Leeches made her nerovus ever since they had been used to draw blood from her sister. The doctor and been a horrible leering man who looked too overjoyed at the prospect of her death aswell. Melanie shook the thought from her mind and followed the boys down the slope.

"Of course I can!" Kris replied back to Melanie. "Fish have so many recipes. Fish fillet, fish..." and Kris continued to ramble on about every fish recipe he knew. A short while later, smiling, he moved back a tree branch with his hand and there was the natural beauty of Lachrymose Lake, looking placid and cool.
"I havent been here in years..." he sighed, feeling contented. "Let's go to town and see if there is anywhere we can sell some of these clothes and gt some money for supplies. Does that sound alright?"

[amypops]

Lou picked up her things and scurried after Sim, who was steaming ahead. Apparently, he had an idea of where to go, and they were going to get to it, as Sim had said, before sundown. She skipped after him, in a bit of a better mood, although she hadn't the slightest clue why.

Must be the air... she thought to herself, following the path beside the stream. Sim was right - it was all uphill, and as she looked behind her, she saw that they must have been at the very top of the mountain.

How on earth did the people of VFD get us up there!? she wondered, before looking forward again and quickening her pace to catch up with Sim, who was strolling on ahead.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton followed Sim and Lou, bringing up the rear. She walked along quickly, trying to keep up, not fall, and admire her surroundings. The woods were beautiful, the day was crisp, and even though they had no idea what they would find at their target location, she was going to enjoy the day. She ran a few steps to keep up with the older two, hitched her bag higher up on her shoulder, and looked around. Nothing seemed different from the place they had started, so she had no marker for how far they had come. "Uh, Sim, how much longer, do you think?" she asked, after they had been walking along for a while.

[UndercoverNinja]

"Of course I can!" Kris replied back to Melanie. "Fish have so many recipes. Fish fillet, fish..." and Kris continued to ramble on about every fish recipe he knew. A short while later, smiling, he moved back a tree branch with his hand and there was the natural beauty of Lachrymose Lake, looking placid and cool.
"I havent been here in years..." he sighed, feeling contented. "Let's go to town and see if there is anywhere we can sell some of these clothes and gt some money for supplies. Does that sound alright?"

"For these clothes?" Melanie asked, picking at an unravelling thread on her dress, "Not likely! And what are we going to wear once we sell them?" Melanie shook her head. Not to be mean or anything but it seemed as though Kris had hit his head pretty hard! Their clothes wouldn't get them very much at all and it would leave them with nothing. "Does anybody know any tricks or anything, something they can perform to get us money? If not I know a few ways to get it illegitly." Melanie hated herself for thinking those thoughts but she had seen some of the "masters" of the trade at work when she went and sat in town to think.

[amypops]

Lou, Sim and Paxton had been walking for a while, following the path beside the stream. Lou had let Sim lead the way, as he evidently knew what he was doing and where he was headed, but by now the curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"Sim, what do you think could be up there? I mean, where the mark is? I suppose there could be anything up there. Maybe it's an old abandoned house, or maybe its an old abandoned uh... place? Or maybe it's not old. Or abandoned. Maybe it's newly built, and there's people living there! Maybe it's a clue to why we were left here!" she rambled, smiling, letting her imagination get the better of her.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton was thoughtful. She listened to Lou's ideas, also wondering what it could be. "Hmm... I doubt it's abandoned. I think it's probably something that is inhabited. Something about the location makes me wonder.... it's very secretive, up in the mountains, in the space between. No one would really go there. I think it might be something directly related the the VFD. Something.... I don't know." Paxton said. She thought she saw the trees beginning to thin. "Hey, are we close?" she asked.

[Malz]

Lou, Sim and Paxton had been walking for a while, following the path beside the stream. Lou had let Sim lead the way, as he evidently knew what he was doing and where he was headed, but by now the curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"Sim, what do you think could be up there? I mean, where the mark is? I suppose there could be anything up there. Maybe it's an old abandoned house, or maybe its an old abandoned uh... place? Or maybe it's not old. Or abandoned. Maybe it's newly built, and there's people living there! Maybe it's a clue to why we were left here!" she rambled, smiling, letting her imagination get the better of her.

"Well, i believe that if the VFD gave us this map, they would not give us faulty clues or directions. I have a very very strong feeling about this... well splotch." Sim chuckled and he gasped with joy when he saw an opening in the woods close ahead. He rushed ahead and his eyes grew big with anticipation when he saw the bottom of the valley right in front of them.
"I do believe we are almost there... and look, we still have a few hours of daylight left. Now let's look for this mysterious 'spot' place." he told them eagerly.

[Libby_Lou]

Kris laughed at Melenies comment. "No, silly. The clothes in the trunk that our good friend Jake has been diligently carrying for us. Some of those clothes could probably bring in at least a little bit of money." he shrugged. "And if not, oh well. Maybe we could find someone that could hire us for a little bit so that some money could come into our hands." Kris was positivly giddy about being back at the Lake. He loved it there. Sprinting ahead, he started to run to the beginnings of the town.
"C'mon let's go!" he yelled back to them with a laugh.

[PrettyInPointe]

As they neared the mystery spot, Paxton's excitement got to the better of her. Deciding asking how close they were again would verge on being annoying, she looked back at Sim and Lou, who were already behind her, and started sprinting ahead.

She ran for a long while, before finding a mountain pass. It was very narrow, so she dove right in. She got to the end, finally, where there was a wall, a beautiful waterfall opposite it, and inbetween a big door. She was about to knock on the door, but then decided she should wait for Lou and Sim. "LOU, SIM, I FOUND IT HURRY!" she called out, practically vibrating with excitement.

[Malz]

Sim tried to follow Paxtin, but he lost track of her, and so did Lou. They were searching for possible signs of where she could've gone until they heard her yell out.
LOU, SIM, I FOUND IT HURRY!
Sim heard her shout.
"What do you suppose she found?" Sim asked Lou with a shrug. He didnt have any idea. But the biggest dilemma was that he had no idea where she was. She had just sprinted off and now Lou and Sim were lost and didnt know where their teammate was.
"Paxton!" he shouted into the air. "Where are you?"

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton was jumping up and down not, not being able to wait for Lou and Sim much longer. She started running back towards Sim's voice as he called out looking for her. "I'm right here." she said, stepping out of the trees. "And I found what we're looking for. I'm sure it's it. Now come on!" she said, grabbing Sim's hand in her left hand, and Lou's in her right. She dragged them along as she ran to the mountain pass, then led them to the end of it. "Isn't it amazing!" she said, excited. "It's beautiful! Let's go in!" she said, reaching for the doorknob.

It was locked. Paxton frowned.

[amypops]

Lou, gasping for air after her and Sim's sprint down to meet Paxton, gasped loudly as Paxton showed them the door with a flourish.

Paxton tried to open the door, but it was obviously locked. They stood and stared at the door for a few moments, their eyes trained on the doorknob that did not want to open. Lou waited a few more moments, waiting to see what Paxton or Sim would do, and knocked thee times on the door, before stepping back quickly, as if something would jump out at her.

They waited, and Lou was sure she heard footsteps...

[nevermore]

((did I miss this post during my sidechat tantrum? I feel sheepish now. :o))

Chas glanced at his pocket watch and looked up at the setting sun. He was closing up for the night. He had put his tools away (except for the screwdriver tucked behind his ear, the wrench in his back pocket, and the hammer still grasped in his left hand, which he eventually put into the same pocket as his watch), covered his carpentry project (bookshelves for the library) with a large tarp, and washed his hands in preparation for dinner back at the house. Granted, washing his hands did little good, since the rest of him was still a disheveled mess. He had sawdust covering the shoulders of his waistcoat, bits of rust, dust, and glue dotting the legs of his trousers, paint on his fine black leather shoes, and his hair looked as though it was growing straight up, instead of down and out. The last part wasn't his fault though. His home was in a place his wife named "Valley of the Four Drafts" because wind constantly blew in from the north, south, east, and west. After being outside most of the day, it was easy to understand why his hair was such a wreck.

Just as he had taken to the path and had begun to walk away from the door which he had been working near, he paused. Did he hear someone knocking? Or was it the wind echoing off the Mortmain Mountains? The wind always made strange sounds, so it was hard to tell... He took two more steps away from the door, but then paused again, and placed his hand on his chest. Reaching into his coat, he pulled from a hidden pocket a letter, very worn from lengthy travel, which had been written by his sister. "Please be on the lookout for some of my children, and keep them safe for me" she had begged. He knew she would probably saddle a horse and march straight up to his door if something happened to the new recruits. Deciding to take no chances, he turned back, and went back to the door.

He opened a small shutter which had been built into the door so he could look out at the unexpected guests. He found, not to his surprise, two young women and a young man, all looking rather travelworn themselves. In his eagerness, he nearly opened the door straight away, but then stopped himself. Instead, he looked sternly down at the visitors, eying them as though greatly suspicious of their being there.

"Well little girl, have you been good to your mother?" He boomed in a loud, deep voice.

[amypops]

Lou stepped back as the doors opened, and a tall man appeared in the doorway, looking down on them with a stern look on his face. Lou instantly felt intimidated. "Well little girl, have you been good to your mother?" he asked, waiting expectantly for an answer.

Lou looked at Paxton, and then at Sim, and then back to the man, panicking. She was sure Abigail had gone over ths sort of code, but the only one she could really remember off the top of her head was Sebald.

Not daring to take out her commonplace book, incase he thought she had maybe stolen it from someone, Lou gulped and looked into the mans eyes, her fingers crossed behind her back for luck.

"The Question is, has she been good to me?"

[nevermore]

Immediately, Chas burst out laughing and threw the doors open. "Come in! Come in!" he said excitedly, immediately dropping the gruff voice he had worn when testing them. He shuffled the three children through the door and clapped them on the backs like old friends.
"Now let's see... Abigail told me all about you kids in her letter..." He looked over all three kids carefully, and first addressed Sim. "You must be Simeon, correct? I'm fairly certain Simeon is not one of you two lovely ladies... and... hmmm... You must be Paxton, and you must be L--no no wait..." He stopped pointing and reconsidered, and then pointed at Paxton (whom he had been about to call "Lou") "No YOU'RE Paxton, and that must make YOU Lou!" he finished, pointing at Lou.
"Yes yes! I know all about you three! Louisa Banning, the writer, Paxton Praise the famous inventor, and Simeon Hurst, the brilliant young researcher!" Again, he clapped them on the shoulders with a hearty laugh.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton smiled apologetically at the man. "I"m sorry sir, but I'm Lou." she said, fighting to keep a straight face. There was a pause, and then she laughed. "I'm only joking. You were right the first time. I'm Paxton." she said, putting out her hand to shake his. She liked this man, he kind of reminded her of her father, friendly, humorous, a bit odd. At least, this was her first impression of the man.

"What is this place? I love your location by the way, it's a beautiful waterfall. And you mentioned Abigail... Are you related to her? Siblings? Cousins? Or just co-workers?" she asked. She had about fifteen more questions stored up. "You're part of the VFD right? Of course you are. How long have you been in the VFD? Are you in the leader-group-thing?" she asked, curiously, bouncing up and down.

[nevermore]

Chas grinned down at Paxton and took a deep breath. "This is the valley of the four drafts, named by my wife, where we are building VFD's mountain headquarters, thank you very much I love our waterfall, too, Abigail is my sister, I am her younger brother Charles, but you may call me Chas because everyone does, I am indeed part of VFD and actually joined before old Abbypants did and was one of VFD's first members, and while VFD has no leader-group things, I am indeed one of the oldest members making me a bit leaderish."

He grinned at Paxton, unaware that he was bouncing up and down along with her.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton smiled at the man, Chas. He was Abigail's younger brother? Of course, she could see them resemblance now. "Abigail never told us about her family. I didn't know she had any siblings."

Usually with her bombard of questions, she got a "Slow down Paxton!" or an "All will come in time." Chas had answered all her questions, just as fast as she had spit them out. Now, anyone who knew Paxton knew that doing that took talent. "But is this place, like, a back-up headquarters?" she asked.

[Malz]

Sim was overwhelmed by the intenisty and joyfullness of this man, it even made him crack a slight smile. His attitude was most definetly contagious, but Sim did feel very wary though. He felt like he was more welcome than he shouldve been. Sure, he was Abigail's brother, but they were also complete strangers in his warm household. It was very peculier, but Sim had a very sure trust that Abigail would not lead them awry.

An itch started to form on Sim's face, and it was then that he realized that his face must still be very red and blotchy, and probably puffy. He tried the best he could not to draw attention to himself, it was the last thing he wanted actually....

[nevermore]

"Well now..." Chas said, catching his breath and looking at them all. Unlike tall Abigail (made worse by those darn button-down high-heeled shoes she always wore), Chas was short and stocky. He was just Sim's height, and only slightly taller than even Paxton and Lou.

"Well now. You all look positively exhausted. Here I am, standing in a windstorm babbling on so fast I'm sure 2/3 of you can't keep up (he added this with an affectionate wink at Paxton). Please feel free to bombard me with questions whenever they spring into your heads. That said, I should get you all out of this wind and show you to our makeshift headquarters."

Chas began to lead the way, explaining things as he did so.

"VFD, as you know, is an organization that spreads far and wide across this area. Because not everyone lives near the main headquarters, and because we all need vacations from time to time, VFD is building other headquarters as well. There's one in Lake Lachrymose, and this one here in the mountains. Well... sort of... as you can see, it's still under construction... (He waved his hand toward a very large building that was only half-finished)... My wife lives here with me, as do our two rambunctious children" he said with a chuckle, "and it's just the four of us in charge of building this entire thing. It will be amazing when it's finished though."
Chas led them up toward the building, where two young boys sprang out the door and promptly latched onto each knee, peeping cautiously over at the newcomers. His wive, looking tired but friendly in an apron over a long, plain dress, was waiting in the open doorway for the visitors.
"These are my sons, Douglas and Elijah," Chas held out each leg respectively to indicate who was whom, "and my wife, Penelope."

He beamed proudly at all of them, eager to show them his family and home. They had so few visitors up so far in the mountains...

[Malz]

"It s a pleasure to meet you all." Sim said politely, shaking hands with Chas' fwife and smiling slightly at the kids.
"Oh my dear!" Penelope cried out, gingerly placing her hand on Sim's face, and Sim blushed, feeling quite embarrassed by the gesture. "You are allergic to poison ivy arent you? The same thing happens to me. Now come with my, dear, i will give you the proper treatment." Sim saw Penelope shoot a look at Chas that said, 'How dare you not help this poor dear?' and Sim cracked an apologetic smile, following Penelope.
"I'll be back soon. Why dont you girls get settled in?" he told Paxton and Lou before he left the room.

[nevermore]

Chas looked sheepishly at Paxton and Lou... "I thought maybe it was a... condition... I didn't want to point it out and seem rude..." he whispered awkwardly. "My kids are still quite young, as you can see, so I really still have a lot to learn about parenting..." he looked down at his feet like a young boy who was in trouble before bouncing back to his usual self.
"Come come! I'll show you the mountain headquarters!"

He marched off with big, exaggerated steps because Douglas and Elijah were still clutching his knees. His children had taken seats on his feet and were howling with delight as he took them for a "ride" throughout the house. "Paxton, Lou, I'm afraid you'll have to walk beside me... I only have two legs" he said with a chuckle.

He led them around the building, some rooms half finished (like the library, which had books piled in boxes and towering stacks all around the room, as he was still finishing the bookshelves), rooms that were completely finished (like the many bedrooms and a large but cozy sitting room) and rooms that were still completely empty. "One of these rooms will be an inventing studio, one will be a science laboratory, one will have hundreds of maps for our cartographers... but it's the kitchen that I really wanted to show you..."

As he spoke, he pushed open two large, swinging doors that opened inward into a gigantic, gleaming kitchen. The truly impressive feature was outside the kitchen, however. Beyond two large windows was a towering cliff and a great, tumbling waterfall. The pool split into two rivers which ran around either side of the headquarters.

"You can use the rivers for transportation, you see," Chas explained eagerly, "You can get in a boat and row back toward one of two destinations. You take that river (he pointed one way) out to sea which will take you to briny beach. From there, you take the carriage road back toward the city. Or, you can take that river (he pointed the other way) to Lake Lachrymose, where Anwhistle Aquatics, another VFD headquarter, resides..."

[Malz]

Sim was taken through a couple of hallways and a couple of rooms, including a gigantic library which he couldnt wait to start getting into. Library's were the most peaceful places on earth in Sim's opinion. After a few minutes they eventually reached what seemed like a hospital-type room.
"Now sweetie, when did you touch the poison ivy?" Penelope asked and she motioned for Sim to sit on an elevated counter thing.
"Yesterday. I was looking for a special plant and i found poison ivy." he said simply and with a shrug.
"That makes it easy." Penelope found a syringe and started to full it with a blue liquid that Sim had seen many times before. It was the treatment for the allergy. "Now this will hurt a little." she said sweetly while pulling up Sim's sleeve and putting the needle into his arm.
"Would you mind if i rested a little bit on one of these beds? I usually get a bit drowsy after taking the medication." Sim asked, using his best manners.
"Of course. I will go tell the others where you are so they wont worry." she she left him alone in the room. It was a frightening dejavu situation. It reminded him strangely of the first time he visited VFD... after that dreaded fire... and the Sim konked out completely asleep.

[PrettyInPointe]

Paxton was in awe from the rivers. They were beautiful, amazing! And the idea behind them... this whole place was designed so perfectly. So convenient, so practical. "This is so.... perfect." Paxton said, running to the window. "You were amazingly lucky to find this location. It perfect." she complimented.

While she was contemplating if there could possibly be a better location, Penelope came into the room. Paxton looked up, wondering if Sim was okay. "I gave him the medicine, and he is now lying down, as an affect of the medicine. It makes some people a bit drowsy." she explained.

[nevermore]

As Penelope walked into the room, Chas felt a bit embarrassed, having missed Sim's obvious allergic reaction. He glanced toward Paxton and Lou, and suddenly processed that they had the same expressions and body language that his boys usually had when they were ready for bed. At Penelope's mention of the word "drowsy" his paternal instinct took over.

"Good heavens!" Chas exclaimed, "Where are my manners?! I've been so eager to show you ladies the house that I've failed to show you to your rooms! Come come come!" He began to bustle them out of the kitchen and down the hall. "I'll show you several rooms and let you choose. You're welcome to each take your own bedroom, or to share a room. There's plenty of room! Please, make yourselves at home. Also, once you've settled in and had some rest, you children--Sim, too--can meet us back in the kitchen for supper. I do hope you like salmon..."

[Kalik2486]

My first Character:

Name: Cedric Quagmire, but known as Cedric Anwhistle in the town of Lake Lachrymose
Age: 15
Number of siblings: 2 older ones: Henry and Alfred (twin infants; both died in the great fire that devoured the Quagmire mansion and parents); Cedric was a toddler rescued by a family friend who took him to Anwhistle Aquatics to hide from unsigned threats. Possession of a locked wooden case that told him of a secret organization called VFD and the family heirloom.
Physical description: very tall for his age, strong build, light skin, dark brown piercing eyes and brown hair, rather handsome features, waistcoat with white shirt, black trousers and tailcoat, long scar on left arm
Personality: too serious, intellectual, self-disciplined, persevering, tough on the outside but caring and full of sorrow on the inside (the death of his family made a mark in his emotions)
Special skills (inventor, scholar, writer, chef, etc): detective/investigator, math-whiz
---------------------------------------
My Second Character (the Elder):

Name: Gregor Anwhistle, founder of Anwhistle Aquatics & (Kris Anwhistle’s Uncle)
Age: 30
Number of Siblings: brother: Isaac "Ike" Anwhistle
Physical Description: tall, silver-rimmed glasses, dark blond hair, moustache and beard, wears glasses, intelligent blue eyes,
Personality: serious depending on the situation, austere, loyal, optimistic, intelligent, sometimes too obsessed with his findings, warm/kind to everyone, can be sometimes humorous. Lives in the Aquatic Facility and the guardian of Cedric Quagmire. Directed Voluntary Fish Domestication (http://www.charlie-bone.com/en/Animals_in_A_Series_of_Unfortunate_Events#Salmon) program and the research of Medusoid Mycelium (http://www.charlie-bone.com/en/Medusoid_Mycelium). Very daring just like his brother Ike and loves to sail out on his boat and fish.
Special Skills: Ichthyologist; (scholar/researcher)

[amypops]

"Salmon would be very nice, thank you." Lou smiled sleepily, suddenly aware of just how tired she was. Sleeping in a thin tent on top of a mountain does tend to keep you up at night.

Lou looked over at the waterfall nce more, amazed at it's beauty. "It really is a spectacular view. And not only that, it's very useful, as you mentioned, sir."

As she looked at the view, hundreds of ideas for settings in stories were whirling about in her head, along with a lot of plot ideas. She couldn't help it - she had fiction on the brain.

"This is just... amazing."