Without A Trace

[Amaranth]

Alright, the post is in the Barracks, but I'll replicate it here.

"I really am sorry," Amaranth said quietly, twisting a black rose in her fingers as she stood over the figure slumped in the armchair by the fire. The rose, it was noted, wasn't pure black- the tip of every petal had grown the same delicate blue as its holder's eyes and hair. Its twin was nestled behind Amaranth's ear.
The rose twisted back and forth.
"I should have... well, I should have said something, shouldn't I, Japheth? I am very sorry to enchant you like this. But I could not let you wake up."
What she was about to do was horrible. Betrayal. Treason.
It was the worst thing she'd ever done.
It was also the last thing she'd ever do.
She was ashamed. It was very wrong of her. She automatically felt for her satchel, hanging at her side. There was a flickering golden glow emanating from it, and, very faintly, a voice could be heard.
_{"Amaranth! Let me out! Amaranth! Please! Don't do anything! Don't do this, Amaranth! Please!"}[/i][/sub]
Ignoring Syrene's wailing, Amaranth pushed her worry to the back of her mind. "I'm sorry," she repeated, then, leaning over, very carefully placed the rose on Japheth's chest and swept out of the room.
She paused by another door.
It was his door.
After staring at it for a few moments, she looked away and dropped the other rose in front of the door.
She was doing him a favor, too.
She would only hurt him. He would find someone better.
"Goodbye, Zeth..."

The next morning, the entire female barracks were rudely awakened by the most horrible screeching. Telly, wrenching open Amaranth's door to investigate, stopped dead, turning very white in the face.
"What's going-?" Minako demanded, appearing, then stopped. "Why is that little dragon tied up?"
Naph continued screeching frantically, fighting her bonds but unable to escape.

The male barracks were awoken by shrieking females, who were screaming over the sudden dissapearance of one of their friends.

A short time later, a dark-haired boy was seen running into the forest.

The rules for that particular thread are there. There will be updates on the plot every day both here and in the Mountains, and there will be another thread in the Throne Room, Something to Tell, that involves the plot. This is only for Aeos and Jeni.
I suggest reading the Reception, as one post pertains also. Questions?

[Amaranth]

Update Number One (replica of original in The Mountains)

It was incredibly cold. Though spring had begun, where she was there were still several feet of snow on the ground. Her black dress, so beautiful the day before, was already in ruins, torn and, on the right side, stained with blood from a cut she had sustained falling in the dark. Hours later, it was still bleeding sluggishly, as she didn't dare waste strength healing it.
Her hair had tumbled from its pins and now hung around her slender form like a cape. She shivered constantly; her breath crystalized in the air before her face, coating her eyelashes in a delicate layer of ice.
Her shoes were long gone, worn away by the rocky terrain, and she left bloody footprints behind as she walked. These she used magic to erase- she doubted anyone would go after her, but she didn't want to be found in any case.
Now she had been ascending the mountain for at least an hour, and estimated that it would take her three days to reach her goal. Suddenly, there was a sharp, burning pain in her chest; she muffled a yell, collapsing weakly into the snow.
She knew what had happened as though someone had just told her: she had passed the barrier, beyond which no magic could be used. That had been a warning- try to use magic and die.
Gasping, face white, she staggered to her feet and swayed alarmingly for a moment before she could steady herself and move on. The footprints she left now remained, bloody trail markers. Her bracelet of black lace slipped free and drifted to the ground, stark against the snow.
No turning back.

[Amaranth]

Update #2 (Same)

Her shivering had long since stopped, replaced by a terrible numbness. She was distantly aware of her feet slipping on cold ice, but it was detached as though she was watching someone else. She stumbled, and a small bottle, glowing gold, slipped from her satchel and rolled away. She bent over wearily to pick it up, and the ice cracked.
She crashed through, shards catching her skin and slicing as she sunk deeper in the freezing water. With a strange calm, she watched the light from the surface drift further and further away. Automatically, with no thought from her, her arms snapped up and stroked upward. Vaguely she decided that this was a good thing and allowed it to continue.
She was distantly startled when her hands met unyielding ice/ The hole she had made falling was nowhere to be found. Seeming to snap out of a dream, she pushed weakly against the barrier, but to no avail.
"'fraid of a little water?"
No... no I am not. Not afraid. Let me go...
Questing fingers found an edge.
Let me go.
She had found the hole, light was shining through it onto her face.
Let me go!
With a sudden burst of despearate strength, she heaved herself out of the water and fell hard on her side, legs dangling over the edge.
Eventually, she got up and kept going, golden bottle back in place.
She had to make it there.

[Amaranth]

Final Update

"It's so nice to have my little monster home!" Eris crooned gleefully. She paused, then added, "Even if it is only for a little while."
Amaranth stood silently to the side, watching blankly as the older woman bustled around, "setting things up."
The girl was a terrible mess- not only was she half frozen, her dress was bloodstained and in tatters, and her wounds appeared to have frozen over. Her breath came in ragged gasps, a horrible rattling audible over this, and her skin was waxy and looked fever-flushed. It looked as though death wold be an improvement.
She was vaguely aware of some sort of chanting. Most of it seemed to be echoing inside her mind strangely. AFter quite some time of this, there was an eerie silence, and she was suddenly alone in an enclosed space. She didn't know where she was, but there was a suffocating darkness all around-
Abruptly, her entire body exploded with pain and there was a loud rushing in her ears, as though of strong wind. Screaming, she toppled over to the ground, which was covered in snow.
Visions flashed through her mind. Though she was fairly sure most of them had never happened, they were so terrifyingly real that tears streamed down her face.
She knew that she could recognize them, but she could not. Despite this, she could feel her heart shattering under awful pressure as she watched and as she listened.
"Care for you?" He laughed scornfully, Who was he? "Why would I?"
The world flickered, and now she was watching from afar as an unknown but lovely girl laughed with him, kissed him, held him in her arms...
The girl was gone and he looked disgusted.
"Disgusting. You're a freak. A monster. Get away from me!"
She was hurled back as though from a blow, and then someone else was speaking.
"Are you sure you want to do this,..." A name had been spoken. She could not hear it, but she knew that it was his.
"Yes," replied his voice. He sounded vaguely triumphant. "We can't let a monster like that wander around, can we? I hate it!"
She was aware of herself, standing on a cliff, staring over the edge. There was a sound behind her, and she turned.
It was him. "She greeted him with his name, a cry of joy, but she couldn't hear her own voice.
"Hello," he replied pleasantly.
Suddenlym he darted forward and seized both her arms, gripping them so tightly she thought they would surely break. Startled and frightened, she stared at him, and saw hate in his eyes.
He shoved her away, over the edge, and she was falling through flames.
There was only hate on his face as he watched her fall.
There was a shatering sound, and all that was left was the rushing wind.
"No..." she whispered, and she could hear herself again. The rushing sound faded, and darkness closed in.

Japheth was terrified. He didn't know how he knew where to go, he just did.
He also knew that he head to hurry.
As he skidded to a halt in a snow=covered clearing, he froze in horror.
He couldn't move, couldn't speak. He could only stare at the dark, huddled figure on the ground.
He was too late.


For the full story, read WAT [update 3]

[chrisjordan]

"Without a Trace" is a fast-paced procedural drama about the Missing Persons Squad of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in New York City. The sole responsibility of the special task force is to find missing persons by applying advanced psychological profiling techniques to the evidence and decide.
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