Forum Thread

The wind whistles. It shakes the wire, making it tremble and creak. The fence that seems to stretch on for miles moans alongside the sounds of the wind. Today is a cloudy day, so the sun does not shine. Dark Clouds fill the sky and give the atmosphere a blank and grey look. The Soldiers stand at the edge of the doorway. Their grim looks might put some off, but to the people of The Community, they are guardian angels. Today the loudspeakers, large black and alien, the only technology that they used, had announced that yet again, 5 was attempting to escape. Two Soldiers marched into the courtyard, a girl between them. She was infamous and yet again she was wearing a "Special Collar" to contain her ability when she attempted to shift into a mouse to squeeze under the fence. 5 scowled at everyone around her, attempting a swift kick at the shins of the Soldiers. The loudspeakers blared, "Naughty 5. She is not special when she tries to go away. 5 doesn't understand." 5 yelled, "He's lying!-Mpmh mph" One of the soldiers had slapped a hand over her mouth, and she bit him hard.

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Kaida was just sitting in the courtyard, minding her own business, noticing the two soldiers carrying 5 back. She cringed a little at the loudspeakers. "But... why can't we go outside..." she said to herself... "Sometimes I wonder this...... is there more world than... this space we live in..."

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11 looked pityingly at 5. She hated the masked man. Why couldn’t people see how evil he actually was? She blended into the shadows, and disappeared into the night. She would have left, but she knew there were others who rebelled, and was awaiting a sign, a sign to rebel

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8 walked up to the men. "Why dont yall just pester off" He held a fist up to them. "And just let us out, ya big buffoons"

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Kaida had looked at the scene, laughing a little bit about the soldiers being called buffoons.

"I.... I agree with him... we should... we should get out... just want to see the world............"

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The boy known as 19 watched the scene from the side lines, appearing emotionless. Again? This girl just couldn't seem to comprehend that it was pointless, so pointless, to try to flee, to disobey. The Community was life, and whether or not there was something else out there was irrelevant; no one was getting out. He'd resigned himself to this, having learned his lesson the hard way.
So he stood there wordlessly, even when a young boy ran up to the soldiers and started yelling at them. His one reaction was to tug down his left sleeve, and, perhaps, if one were to look into his eyes, they might have seen a hint of pity in their storm-like depths.
Supposedly, most retained their names, but his was only a distant memory to him, nothing more than a wisp of fog drifting through the shadowed valley that was his conscience. Some days, he had half the mind to let it go, to forget it, but others, for reasons unbeknownst to himself, he permitted its continued presence, though he never dwelt on it. It simply wouldn't do to have it present; the last time he'd allowed it to define him, claimed it as his own, his entire being had been brought crashing back down on his own head. No, this was life; no independence, no self, no sympathy. Anything else, and "life" suddenly became a foreign concept to the one who perpetrated the alien act.

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Number 10 was walking around looking for a mouse to use. She found one right outside the fence and made it crawl through. She had it run around and slip through places she couldn’t to see where they led. She let the spirit out, and asked it about the places she had it go. It informed her that it only went inside the walls.

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Kaida shifted into her dragon form, and had begun to play some sort of "game" with herself where she used her ice breath to make a bunch of snowflakes in the air, and then run around to try and catch them. It was something she did often, when she was bored or just wanted something to do at that moment. Some of the others had stopped going by whatever their names were, using their numbers in the place of whatever their names might've been. Kaida didn't want to forget her name. It was part of what made her... her. An individual. She still used Four as her nickname, and is ok with others calling her that. While running around trying to catch the snowflakes, she had accidentally bumped into one of the soldiers, but immediately continued with her game.

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Murasaki waved goodbye to the spirit, and went to find a bird. “Kaida!” She said, passing by. “How are you?” She asked, still holding the mouse’ body, and not realizing it.

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The Soldiers ignored both the boy and the girl. Like emotionless statues, they stood with an iron grip on 5's arms. The two men stared straight ahead. 5 however, glared at both of them and told them bluntly, "Go away." She didn't want or need help. Sure, she'd come back for them all when one day she managed to break out of The Community, but for now, she didn't want them in her way. Even if she was a loner and a little self-centered, 5 also cared about what happened to The Community. She knew that if they kept this up they'd be in just as much trouble as she was. 5 had no idea why her punishments from the so-called "hero" of The Community were so light. Then again, should she be grateful? Light punishments although she didn't stop trying to break out, and 5 knew perfectly well that she would never stop trying as well. So if she was the one that was getting away with just a power reducing ankle bracelet and confinement to the Sleeping Quarters (a regular punishment for her), why should they risk a heavier punishment.

As all machines do, the loudspeakers portrayed no emotion. The crisscrossing wires that made up the circle from which the cheery male voice of, supposedly, the Masked Man did not change, but the Masked Man spoke again, this time in a calm even tone. "This is what happens to those who do not understand that I will show you when it is time to leave The Community. There are dangers out there that I have rescued you from. Now go, and let Mora's punishment be a lesson to you." That stung 5 even more than any ankle bracelet. "DON'T CALL ME THAT, YOU DISGUISED FREAK!" she screamed. The two soldiers let go of her, and the sudden motion made 5 stumble and fall to the ground. They walked away, no emotion crossing their faces.

The girl stood up. She looked around at the curious faces. "Well? Go back to your silly existences of slavery." She stalked back to the Sleeping Quaters, dissapearing inside. If it wasn't a tarp tent, 5 might have slammed the door.

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Murasaki looked away, and kept walking. She kept walking until she came to the sleeping quarters. “Hi Mora...” she said a little sad. “I saw what happened. I’m sorry I didn’t help you.” She apologized still, forgetting about the dead mouse.

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5 looked up at her. She knew that this girl liked to hang around. Sometimes it was nice. 5 had only been two when the Masked Man "relocated" her to The Community, so she had no idea if she had any siblings. She had always wanted a little sister. Still, though, she should know better than to call her that. Hadn't she just screamed at The Masked Man to never call her Mora? 5 only used this number so that she could protect the one bit of the outside world she had left. It was like a diamond buried in the soil that she had managed to pluck out. 5 would protect the diamond at all costs so that she could have that one lifelink besides the fuzzy memories. What could you expect from a two-year-old? The name Mora was all that she really and truly had.

5 scoweled, glaring at Murasaki. "Don't. Call. Me. Mora." She turned away from her. 5 didn't always mean to be nasty, she really didn't. But she wanted to make it clear, in no uncertain terms, that Mora was not something that she was to be called.

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“I’m sorry... I forgot you don’t like to be called that. I will try not to do it again.” She said, sadly. Marusaki has always looked up to Mora, and she hated when she got Mora mad. She finally realized she still had the dead mouse. She set it down outside, and started to draw.

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Kaida growled at the loudspeakers. She didn't really trust the Masked Man. One day, she thought, she'll learn how to properly fly, and then she'll finally get to see the world like she's always wanted to... She roared at the speaker, then went to where the fence was, clawing at it a few times.

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Murasaki had finished the drawing, which was of her spirit friends who always helped her out. She drew her mouse friends, and bird friends too. She started to color it, and set down her note book, and asked for her mouse friend to check on Mora. It agreed and found her.

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Eventually, Kaida returned to the sleeping quarters as well, finding her usual spot and pulling out an arctic fox plush that was missing its left eye. It was one of the only things she had left from her life before her "relocation", and she had named it Snowy because of its fur, which was once a perfect white. She's had Snowy ever since she was 2 or 3, and when the strange men came to her house to take her away, she hid the doll in her clothes so it will at least keep her company... Her name and her old fox plush... those two things were what she had left of her old life. She didn't want to forget them...

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Murasaki hugged her sketchbook tightly, scared someone would take it away from her. She had seen ghosts since she was born, and they gave her this sketch book and her supplies. She loved her friends, and didn’t want to lose the one thing she had other than them, her powers, and her name.

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7 was sitting, using the trunk of a large pine as back support not paying much attention to 5’s yet another escape fail. After all the event was a regular. She had a hand cupped to her mouth as she whispered to the clouds. She always had a hand blocking her lips and she always whispered when talking to the weather so you couldn’t tell what she way saying. Whatever they talked about though, it made her grin wickedly. The sky spirits were her best (and only as far as she was concerned) friend. They talked daily.
Out of everyone, 7 probably knew the most about the outside she figured. The sky spirits would occasionally bring in stories of the outside world. Stories of giant buildings made of glass, people, and alien like places like mountains and deserts. From what she’s heard... outside sounded magical. Although she desperately wanted to see the wonders for herself, 7 trusted the masked man would let them out when they were ready. Besides, the community was her home. It was all she ever knew and the number ‘7’ was as much of a name as Buffy was. She doesn’t mind being called either, in her mind they are both names which are hers.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and stalked off. "urggg, you yellow belly guards."

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5 flopped onto the cot. The thin mattress did little to protect her back from the metal frame underneath, so she winced slightly as her head hit the pillow, and the frame bit into her back. The loud thump was quite audible but didn't attract any attention. The girl swung her legs and listened to the rhythmic sound of the plastic ankle bracelet hitting the metal frame. Ding, Ding, Ding. She sat up when she saw Marusaki's mouse "creation," or whatever you would call a small mammal's corpse raised up from the dead. "The kid sent you, didn't she?" 5 sighed. "Well, little mouse, you can tell her I'm not mad, I'm just.." 5 looked up at the tarp ceiling, trying to find the right word for it. "Frustrated. I mean, I was sure Plan 456 would be perfect. Somehow, the freaks managed to spot me and stop me before I could get out." 5 stood up and walked to the entrance. "Screw confinement, I'm going to get some air." She walked out, the ankle bracelet beeping softly as she walked to the tree. There was someone else there, but 5 didn't care so she walked to the other side and sat down, sticking her tongue out at the Soldiers who stared at her (and the citizens.)

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