Golden Scar (slow updates)

prologus

Niora, Orion

There was a scream. It was a girl's scream, high-pitched and almost loud enough to shatter every pane of glass within the building. Just as it began to die down, there was another, and then another. A chorus of screams echoed through the halls, causing everyone to stir awake. The young girls in Dorm VI jumped up on their beds, afraid to step on the floorboards in fear that something would brush against their small feet. Reid Fischer stood outside the door, trying his hardest not to let out his laughter. He could faintly hear the sound of rodents scurrying across the floor, and apparently the girls could too. One of them let out another blood-curdling scream, which was followed by another girl's cries for help.

Reid couldn't help himself; he let out a chuckle just as he heard voices coming from the end of the hallway. He knew if he didn't move fast, he'd get caught and would be sent to Headmistress Stella for the fourth time this week. Although he didn't care what she would do if he walked through her office door tonight, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her lectures. He closed his eyes, searching for the spark of energy within him that made him who he was. He felt it as if a warm surge of electricity had gathered inside his chest. Taking a deep breath, he imagined the front of the building with its greying stonewalls and prison-esque looks. His body began to tingle from head to toe before he felt himself being pulled through the air and into a brief darkness. Seconds passed by before the darkness disappeared, and when he opened his eyes, he stood in front of the building he'd imagined only moments before.

The night sky was clear though a cool breeze made it's way through Reid's thin t-shirt as soon as he appeared outside, causing him to shiver. He didn't have much time before they would figure out what had happened and come after him. He walked along the cobblestone path that trailed into the city, crossing his arms around himself in an attempt to keep some of his body heat in. He didn't have much of an escape plan. At this point all he wanted was to get back to his room and hope that nobody saw him. As he walked past some small cottage houses, a voice shouted from behind him. He froze momentarily, cursing silently before taking off in a sprint behind one of the houses.

The voices followed him as he ran passed another row of houses, before he turned off and was met with trees. The whole city was surrounded by greenery, and now Reid was as well. He ran as far as his feet could take him, stopping by a tree with a trunk as wide as his bedroom. He fell against it, struggling to catch his breath. He knew they weren't far behind him, and he needed some other way to escape them. As though it sensed his desperation, the spark inside him began to stir. He steadied his breathing, knowing he'd have to be quick if he wanted to beat the oncoming mob. He didn't have time to focus on a precise location, but instead tried to imagine the lake he saw when he looked out his bedroom window. Without the full image in his mind, he jumped into the darkness, which was what he was told never to do.

Opening his eyes, he took in his surroundings. He was definitely standing beside a lake, but it wasn't the one he had tried to picture in his mind. He cursed under his breath, trying to figure out exactly where he was. The lake in front of him was approximately the same size as the one outside his window, though instead of the water being crystal clear, it was muddy and grey. The sunset spread hues of orange and pink across the sky, which reflected atop the dirty water. It was then that Reid realised he wasn't in Niora anymore. On cue, a tall, lean man in a white singlet ran passed him. Reid's head fell into his hands, before he let out a groan. The man was unmistakably human, which was unfortunate for Reid. He'd accidentally teleported himself to Earth, a world forbidden for any of his kind to enter. He was going to get into a lot more trouble when he got back to Orion, but for now, he might as well enjoy his time here and explore the forbidden world.

It's not like he'd never travelled to Earth before, but most other times nobody was ever searching for him and he could slip out under the radar. This time, however, Headmistress Stella would know. He wasn't sure how, but something told him that when one of his kind travelled to Earth without permission, someone was alerted on the breach. Who knew how long he had before they found him and dragged him back home, but they would have to find him first, which might take them a little while seeing as he had no idea where he was either. He started along the concrete path beside the road, taking in the houses and trying to find any sign that might tell him where he was. It didn't take long before the sky turned to night, the beautiful colours of the sunset washed away with a navy sea filled with white stars. The night sky on Earth was different to that of Orion's, less stars and a deeper shade of blue, but still somewhat beautiful.

Reid had finally stopped in front of a large building, which according to the sign in front of it was a school. Even though it was dark, there were lights flashing from a smaller building beside the school, as though it was still open. Reid knew enough about human schools to know that they didn't run at this time of night, which made him all the more curious to see what was happening. He knew he wasn't supposed to engage with the humans, but if he was going to break one golden rule of the Advena, why not break them all?

He started walking towards the building, music filling his ears as he inched closer. It was unlike any music he had heard from Orion, where their music only came from classical instruments. This type of sound was on a whole new level that Reid was unable to draw his attention from, until a car pulled up in front of him. He dashed towards the nearest tree, thankful for the darkness. He'd seen cars many times before, even tried to drive one, but was still amazed at how each one was unique. A boy about the same age as Reid jumped out of the car then, crossing around to the other side and opening the door.

Reid's breath caught when she stepped out of the car. Her curled blonde locks shimmered under the moonlight, as did the tight-fitting dress she was wearing. But that wasn't what caught Reid's attention. Underneath the dress, beneath her skin, he could feel a tiny, yet unmistakable spark of energy, the same spark that he could feel within himself and every other Advena in Orion. What was she doing here, and how had she gone unnoticed? But there was something about her spark that was different. Not only was it uncontrolled, but it also felt stronger than any other spark he'd felt before. The worst part was that it was about to set off a firework inside of her, and possibly expose his kind to the human world, which would be breaking another golden rule for the Advena.

Without thinking, Reid followed her as she headed inside the building; knowing that what was about to happen wasn't going to be the type of night she'd had planned at all.