A continuation of My Frozen Roses [The Novel].

 

Characters:

Controlled by Genn:

Jayden

Mackenzie

 

Controlled by Lexi:

Hope

Saxon

other assorted smaller characters

 

THIS IS A 1x1 RP. YOU GUYS KNOW THE DRILL. THIS IS BETWEEN US TWO ONLY. Feel free to read it, though. (:

Waifu is still at work so she can't reply at the moment.

 

Btw, where in the story are we starting? :U

right where the thread in Writing ended

Lexi, Jayden is unconscious where you left off. You'll have to start.

bitch he's not unconscious

 

[Hope's Perspective]

 

Okay, we were trapped. And that was shedding the best light on things. In reality, we were a lot worse off than just trapped. We were probably going to be dead soon. Jayden's eyes were open, but he was squinting to see me. Something was probably broken, by the awful distorted expression on his face. It hurt even worse to imagine that while I didn't remember much about him now and it still upset me to see him like this, if I had all of my memories back, this would probably seem a thousand times worse.

 

An ugly, bruise-colored swirl formed next to me. A man possibly even more unattractive slithered out of it. "My, my, the poor boy's not doing so well, is he?" KV clucked mockingly.

 

"I wonder who's fault that is." I snapped.

 

"It is a wonder." KV mused. "If it weren't for you, he wouldn't be here at all. In fact, he'd probably be growing up in some suburb. He'd have quite a nice life, I bet. Playing soccer, football, or some other Earth game with all the other kids in the neighborhood. Doesn't it sound nice? Why would you take that away? If you hadn't been born, both of our lives would've been easier. Why did you have to be so cruel as to ruin what Jayden and I could've had? He would've grown up and fallen in love with a girl who wasn't destined to destroy the world. He would probably hate you. I bet he does now for what you've done."

Jayden

Through blurred vision, Jayden made the best attempt he could to grasp what currently happening between Hope and KV. The man held his chin, a pathetic attempt to look serious. He was a game master and Hope was his prize. "It is a wonder. If it weren't for you, he wouldn't be here at all. In fact, he'd probably be growing up in some suburb. He'd have quite a nice life, I bet. Playing soccer, football, or some other Earth game with all the other kids in the neighborhood. Doesn't it sound nice? Why would you take that away? If you hadn't been born, both of our lives would've been easier. Why did you have to be so cruel as to ruin what Jayden and I could've had? He would've grown up and fallen in love with a girl who wasn't destined to destroy the world. He would probably hate you. I bet he does now for what you've done."

As she was holding him upright, Jayden felt how her body tensed and noticed her auburn eyes possessed the hardened sheen of marble. Her hand tightened its hold on his waist and he wished he had enough strength to place his own hand over hers. They weren't going to stand for any bullshit. "That's not true," Jayden managed to utter a garble of words. He gathered himself, willing his strength to return, bit by bit. He decided to divulge information that would confuse Hope but have KV cower in fear. "The murals. The murals foretell everything. You can read my mind, KV. You know I've been dreaming and having visions about the murals since I was a child. Hope and I, our destinies have always been intertwined. You can try to convince yourself, us, your rebels, the Realm that it isn't the case but that's just it. It's because you try to convince yourself otherwise that you know it's true."

Hope had been looking at him this whole time, a frown creasing her forehead. KV was at loss for words and was so pale, Jayden wondered how he hadn't dropped dead from blood loss. His expression darkened into such a dangerous expression that Jayden unconsciously brought Hope closer to him. "I should've killed you both when I had gotten my hands on you."

KV surged forward and out of instinct, Jayden pushed Hope behind him and welcomed the comforting tingling feeling that came with shifting. Bone, muscle and sinew convulsed and morphed into those of a lean black panther. Already all fours, Hope knocked to the ground behind him, Jayden let out loud growl making KV pause in his attack."A panther, eh? Good choice. Certainly not a form I'd expect from you."

Jayden's ears flattened and the green in his eyes were the most inhuman they had ever been in a Shifted form. As if on cue, a violet translucent force field took shape in front of Jayden and knocked KV off his feet. Jayden didn't need to look behind him to know Mackenzie and Saxon had arrived just as he'd intended.

Edited June 16, 201213 yr by TheApprenticeofKingMickey

[Hope's Perspective]

 

"Wait, wait!" I shouted, scrambling to get to my feet. Two unfamiliar looking teenagers, a little older than Jayden and I, stood off to the side in defensive poses. I wasn't sure how good of a fighter I was, but I had to be better than Jayden, considering he was injured. His change in species freaked me out, but I managed to conceal most of my fear. It felt.. almost right. Like I knew he could do it, but I didn't really recall until I watched him shift. Everyone stared at me, but I hadn't the faintest idea what to say. All I'd wanted was to draw their attention away from Jayden. "Uh... if you don't back off, we'll get to the murals right now." I didn't really know what I was talking about, but KV did seem sort of spooked.

 

"You don't know about that." He sneered, but his black eyes darted around uneasily.

 

"You couldn't erase all of my memories. I remember everything." I tried to look confident. KV glowered at me, still probably struggling to decide whether I actually remembered anything or not. "Jayden and I know where the murals are. We could get there faster than you."

 

The short boy standing a few yards away piped up. "But, Hope, you don't know where those are. Or what they are."

Mackenzie

KV's ugly black glinted with malicious triumph as he slowly pulled himself up. Mackenzie glared at him in disgust, the temptation to knock him down with another force field very potent. "Jayden knows. He knows everything. The people of Earth always say, In Argentum Vir est clavem ad Altus Vir scriptor ascensus." As Mackenzie uttered this, Saxon and KV did also at the same. Saxon repeated it like a mantra, like a soldier singing his national anthem with pride. KV whispered it like a cowering mortal at the mercy of his God. He looked at both Jayden, who was still a panther, to Hope with an expression Mackenzie had never seen before. Pure, unadulterated terror. Mackenzie took this chance to fling a force field his way. He was thrown against the nearest tree, crumpling like a puppet to the forest floor.

Mackenzie gave KV's unconscious body a blank look before clapping her hands neatly. Hope slithered to her, her chocolate eyes warily watching him. "He'll be out for a couple of days, kiddo," Mackenzie said, gathering her into a hug. Despite the lack of memories, Hope didn't protest against the physical contact but she didn't return the hug either.

"You know what comes next?" Hope asked in that familiar sarcastic tone.

"Q&As. Fun."

Jayden

Sitting around the fireplace in the safe house, Hope rested again Jayden, the firelight giving her skin a gold tint. Although she hadn't remembered Saxon and Mackenzie, she claimed she regained all her memories of Jayden and since then, she hadn't let him out of her site. One moment she was riding on his back, tugging at his arm or intertwining her fingers with his. Such open displays of affection weren't usual in front of Sax and Mac but Hope didn't seem to care. In fact, she seemed to do it more because of the blush over embarrassment that would often colour Jayden's face when his enjoyment of her actions was obvious to everyone.

Suddenly thirsty for a drink, Jayden tried to get up and head for the kitchen but Hope tugged on his jacket sleeve so abruptly he was forced to sit down against his will. "What are the murals?"

Jayden blanched.

"Jayden," Hope's voice hardened yet her eyes remained closed. She meant serious business.

"The murals," he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. Sax and Mac, overhearing her question, came into the living room with soft drinks in tow. "On Earth, there's a special collection of murals that depict cryptic and symbolic paintings of the Altus Vir, Argentum Vir and the Guardians bringing destruction and or creation onto the Realm and Earth. Underneath every single one of them are cryptic messages in Latin."

During this explanation, Hope had opened her eyes, looking directly into Jayden's. A clash of green and brown. "Latin? So where on Earth would these murals be?"

Jayden looked down. "Vatican City."

"So the phrase Mackenzie said?" she stumbled over Mac's name, because in her eyes, it belonged to a stranger.

"In Argentum Vir est clavem ad Altus Vir scriptor ascensus," Jayden, Saxon and Mackenzie said at once. "The Argentum Vir is the key to the Altus Vir's ascension."

Hope sat back against the love seat, blinking with surprise. "I'm going to guess that's one of the messages."

Saxon spoke this time, pushing the his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "On Earth, our people, use that phrase as a mantra in order to inspire courage, strength and heart among them. When higher ups such as world leaders, government officials, authorities, ect. use the phrase, it's meant to be a battle call. Saying that the Altus Vir has arrived and she is ready to end the constant conflict between the Realm and the Earth once and for all. KV knows what this means of course and that when it used, you will be omnipotent."

"How-? What-?" Hope stuttered, unable to properly form a sentence. "Wh-What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Mac interjected, after taking a large gulp of soda. "That you and Jayden are, quite literally, gods bound in human form. Saxon and I are your lovely superhuman servants, meant to guide you to prosperity."

"What's KV got to with it?" Hope frowned, looking at all of them.

"We don't know to be honest," Jayden said softly. "All we know is that he wants us dead because he knows what we're fully capable of doing."

"And the dreams and visions?"

"Since I was a kid, I kept having visions. In the middle of class or during supper, I would get these flashes of the murals themselves, in Vatican City, showing me what the Altus and Argentum Vir can, could, would or will do." Unconsciously, Jayden and Hope's hands intertwined tightly. "And then I met you." He said this with a timid note and blood involuntarily stained Hope's cheeks.

"Something changed, didn't it?"

"After I met you, the visions stopped. I started dreaming instead. Not of the murals, but of us doing those things. Except we didn't really look like us. We were more inhuman, more godly, I guess you could say? They just got more and more frequent. Now I have dreams of us every night."

"So this means. . . I need to ascend. We need to ascend. We need to see these messages," she stood up as she said this, her expression fully concentrated.

"Hope?" Jayden looked at her confusion.

"Looks like we'll be returning home, don't you think?"

Edited June 17, 201213 yr by TheApprenticeofKingMickey

[Hope's Perspective]

I didn't know what to make of most of this. On a certain level I honestly considered the possibility that they were insane, but they did seem to have a point. "I know we have to get back to Earth now, but how exactly are we supposed to achieve that?"

 

"That's my specialty. You used to be able to do it sometimes, if you really concentrated. But I guess there's no point in reteaching you now." She sighed dejectedly. "When this happens, don't open your eyes until you feel solid ground again."

 

Mackenzie mumbled something that sounded vaguely familiar, and golden light swirled around us. I squeezed my eyes shut. I was curious as to why it was necessary, but I was too intimidated to ask. Mackenzie appeared too miserable, like she was too fragile to give bad news to.

 

When I opened my eyes, we were in the center of a crowded street. There were beautiful churches everywhere. It had to be Vatican City. "This place is gorgeous,"

 

"It looks exactly like it was in my visions. It's perfect." I studied his awed expression. Had they really been serious earlier, or just pulling my leg? It was incomprehensible. How could Jayden and I be gods? I swallowed, and shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

 

"Jayden, uh.. I know this sounds weird, but is it true? That we're like.. like gods?" I hoped that I didn't sound ridiculous. Maybe I was reading too far into things. For all I knew it could've been a comparison that had no basis in reality. "I don't mean to be weird. It's just.. Well, I don't feel... I don't feel that powerful. Do I even have any powers? KV wouldn't have the guys to try to kill us if we were gods, right?" I was beginning to babble, so I shut my trap. I laced my fingers through his, and Jayden didn't protest. "What's going to happen to us once we find these murals?"

 

"Boy, Hope," Saxon chuckled. "You've got a million questions today. But I think Mac and I are going to take our well-deserved break and let Jayden field those."

Jayden

As he was about to answer to answer her, some idiot on a moped nearly drove into Hope and like it was second nature, Jayden pushed her against the stone wall across the street, shielding her with his body.

 

"You alright-?" he began to ask but stopped short. Hope's eyes had widened and her jaw had dropped in surprise at the sudden abruptness of his actions. But Jayden had never longed for her more than in that moment.

 

"Jayden," she poked him. "You can move now."

 

"Sorry," he flushed, hoping the darkness of the night would camouflage the pink staining his cheeks. Mac and Sax joined them, both grinning like cheeky children.

 

"I think I missed landing directly into Vatican City," Mac observed looking at the large stone enclave they were standing next to. "Because I think we're right outside Vatican City."

 

"Really?" Hope looked up, entranced. "So Vatican is surrounded by a giant wall?"

 

"Pretty much, as it is a sovereign state separated from Italy itself," Sax said, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're technically in Rome right now."

 

"We need to find a hotel to stay at," Jayden looked at the end of both sides of the highway as if a hotel would pop into sight.

 

"That's my specialty," Saxon grinned, joining Jayden. "Come on. We need to find the nearest ATM machine."

 

The four of them scurried across the road to the other side of the sidewalk, dodging the cars the as swiftly as possible. Jayden noticed Hope approaching him nervously and despite his flush, grabbed her hand as a source of comfort.

 

She smiled. "Jayden, what happens after we find the murals?"

 

His eyebrows knitted thoughtfully. "All I know is that the messages are the answer."

[Hope's Perspective]

We weren't fluent in Italian, so it did take a while to find an ATM. And when we did, we couldn't read any of the instructions that appeared on the screen. Saxon pulled a smartphone out of his pocket, and attached a cable from it to the ATM. He poked a few buttons on both of the machines, and a moment later, the ATM began to spit out money like it was possessed. Mackenzie very conspicuously shoved the money into her pockets, and stood once the machine had paused. Saxon deconnected his electronic gadgets, and grinned proudly. "Aren't you glad to have at least somebody technologically inclined along?"

 

"You can come in handy sometimes, kid." Jayden grinned.

 

Saxon grumbled half-heartedly, "I'm not a kid. I'm older than you." But he didn't put up much of a fight.

 

We decided to stay in a hotel that was themed like a Roman palace. Mackenzie booked us four rooms with the cash Saxon had expertly retrieved. The man at the desk seemed a little confused as to why four teenagers were booking rooms, but we had the money to back ourselves up, so he didn't voice any complaints. And after a stroll back to the walls of Vatican City, I stopped.

 

"Well, we've got a hotel and all of that fun stuff. What are we supposed to do now? Like, is it easy to get inside? And what are we going to tell them? 'Oh, hey guys, this is kind of random but we're actually some really freaky godly kids who want inside to look at some murals'? Nobody's going to believe us." The gates where people could enter were a few meters away.

 

"I don't think they're open to the public regardless." Saxon said softly. "We'd have to break in if we want to see anything worthwhile. Most of the murals are hidden, since the church can't exactly promote you and Jayden. They're probably guarded, too. We've got to think of some way to get around that and see them. If we can find them."

Jayden

Sax explained to the three of them that Vatican City was surrounded by stone enclave that was meters high. The only entry points were to be used by automobiles and seeing as how none of them had a license, the whole business of trying to get it was obviously tricky. The only way in was to sneak and jump over the stone enclave at night.

"But it's meters high!" Hope protested as they sat sitting in the living room of their overly fancy hotel room, maps and blueprint of Vatican City scattered all over the coffee table, sofas and floor.

"Come on, kiddo," Mac ruffled her hair, garbed in what obviously looked like clothes for a high profile business woman. "Since have heights been a problem for you?" 

"Jumping down is one thing," Hope pointed out, trying her to straighten the platinum mess that was her hair. She was still in her nightgown, one with straps instead of sleeves and the glimpse of skin distracted Jayden greatly. "But jumping up that high is impossible. At least, in my human form," she said with heavy emphasis.

Over the few days they had stayed researching and studying as much as they could of the Vatican, Hope started regaining her most recent memories of Saxon and Mackenzie. Her conversations with them had started to flow more naturally and for the earlier memories she hadn't remembered yet, she would always ask them about. Hope didn't treat Jayden any different than usual but after the night where he had prevented her from being run over, his reactions to her were crazier than ever. Everything thing she did, he noticed and it made his heart flutter. Of course, he always noticed what she did but never had the urge to pay attention to her been so potent. Even now, he had the urge to grab her and his palms began to sweat at the thought. To distract himself, Jayden picked up one of the blueprints Saxon had conjured and found that if he stared at it long enough, nearly all thoughts of Hope were wiped from his mind. Then he noticed the authenticity of the blueprint and rolled his eyes.

"Sax, do you realize what you've done? Stealing authentic blueprints from the City itself? These contain floor plans to rooms filled with ancient documents soght after by historians, symbolists, maybe even scientists for centuries! You could turn us into international fugitives. We're supposed to be helping the Earth, remember?"

"All part of the plan," Saxon lounged back on his sofa, typing swiftly on his laptop as if he were king of the bachelor pad and not one of the world's most technologically savvy hackers.

"Seems like you've got everything under control," Hope muttered under her breath and unexpectedly rested her head on Jayden's shoulder. No, actually. It should be expected. This was normal between the two of them. What was unexpected was the sudden quickening of Jayden's heartbeat and the sweat forming on his palms. Damn it, Jayden. Get ahold of yourself.

"I could get us over the enclave," he babbled in a desperate attempt to stop the enjoyment he felt out of Hope's long blonde tresses tickling the bare skin of his arm. Hope's head rose from his shoulder and Mac and Sax looked at him with expectant wide eyes. They were waiting for him to finish speaking. "I, uh, could Shift and gain enough strength to throw you all over the wall or something."

Hope cocked her head questioningly. "But Jayden, wouldn't any kind of animal strolling about on a Roman street during the dead of night look a little strange?"

"Jayden's Shifting ability isn't just reserved to animals," Mac informed her, taking an unladylike gulp of coffee from an oversized mug. "One of the Argentum Vir's powers is that he can transform into anything the Altus Vir needs him to be. If Jayden had enough power now, he could turn into a mythical creature if he wanted to. He could turn into-"

"A God," Hope finished, her amber eyes forming an intense stare in his direction.

"Of course, you just need more practice shifting into different forms," Mac deposited her mug on the coffee table.

"So it can be done then?" Sax paused in his typing.

"Yeah," Jayden nodded, unsure what to feel.

"Then we better get packing and have Mac return all these lovely blueprints and maps for us to their rightful owners." The way Sax used the word lovely in regards to the blueprints was almost sickening.

Hope rolled her eyes and hooked herself onto to Jayden's arm. He jumped. She laughed and as any lovesick fool would think, it sounded like bells and sunshine. "So how do we get to the murals?"

"We have to get into the City Gardens. In my visions, the murals were underground, there was running water but there were large openings in the rock above that the sun conveniently shone on each other murals." The fact that Jayden remembered running water from his visions wasn't surprising. He learned from Saxon there were several unused natural springs underneath Vatican City.

"Why do I get the feeling that the murals can only be found when the sun is shining?" Hope's mouth twisted.

Jayden let out a playful laugh.

"I'm guessing that's a yes?" Hope's eyes were now filled with tenderness Jayden knew that was meant only for him.

"Yes."

"So we're going to spend an entire night in Vatican City, hiding from the officials dressed in hammer pants waiting until the sun comes up to enter the City Gardens?"

Jayden gave her a what-can-you-do? gesture.

"Lovely," said Hope in a twisted imitation of Saxon's fond use of the word.

Jayden chuckled, pulling her with him to the kitchen. "C'mon. I'll make us some brunch."

[Hope's Perspective]

All things considered, Jayden wasn't a half bad cook. He created some pancakes that were only half-burned, and eggs that were only partially undercooked. But then again, as perfect as I was beginning to see him as, he was still a boy, and he wasn't a cooking pro. Nobody got food poisoning from eating it, so I figured it was good enough.

 

After our acceptable food, we strolled through Rome. It was a beautiful city, and actors roamed throughout the streets dressed like Roman gladiators. Jayden posed with every single one he saw, which I definitely thought was adorable. He looked to sweet to be any sort of gladiator.

 

As inconspicuously as possible, we made our way toward the Vatican City. Saxon discreetly snapped photos on his phone for later dissection. Jayden's hand in mine turned colder the closer we neared the Vatican City. I sort of wondered if he was afraid, but I wasn't going to ask.

 

"Hey, guys, I think I might've thought of something." Mackenzie had led us to another outdoor shop. Now that she had cash to spend, she couldn't stop buying things. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but hey, we might as well try it. You never know." She held up an energy bar.

 

I shrugged and then yawned. "Mac, it's a candy bar."

 

"Read it, Hope," I squinted to make out the small text.

 

"Get powers like a God?" I quoted. "It's just an advertisement. It doesn't actually mean anything. It's a... mortal advertisement." I'd begun to hear them call the humans around us mortals. I thought it was weird at first, but I found myself saying it anyway.

 

The excitement in her eyes didn't fade. "It could be more than that, even if it's unlikely. I guess you may not recall, but we found a store that sold Portal Donuts years ago. We thought it was sort of funny so we purchased a box. And what do you know? Eat one and you magically have the ability to create a portal. The mortals didn't, but we did. This could be something worthwhile, or it might not be. Plus, look at the price. Who sells an energy bar for twenty bucks?"

 

"Some Italian scam artists looking to make money off idiotic superhuman tourists?" Saxon muttered.

 

"Don't be such a downer, Sax." Mackenzie giggled and insisted on buying two of the bars. "I thought I'd get them for you two. Saxon and I aren't on the level of gods, so we don't have as much of a struggle accessing our powers, because they're lesser. I think we've mostly got a handle on ours by now. It's just you two blockheads we've got to figure out." She appraised us disapprovingly.

 

"That still sounds dumb." Saxon sighed, obviously growing annoyed. "It takes some of my computer's battery life every time you need me to break into an ATM. Cut down on your spending."

 

But Mackenzie was paying no attention. She'd already discovered a rack of dresses and was pawing through it like a madwoman. "It's a good thing we don't have to work for our money." Jayden laughed.

Jayden

 

Jayden frowned at the candy bar. Why are you even considering it? It sounded tempting and even if it was cheap, at least he'd get a nice snack. Strippin the wrapping off, Jayden observed the chocolate bar closely. The chocolate was white, chocolate chips embedded inside of the bar and it suspiciously resembled Hershey's cookies 'n' cream bar. Hope watched him the entire with a raised eyebrow as he examined the bar and he shrugged right at before swallowing a large chunk of it.

 

"Feel anything?" Hope asked with heavy sarcasm.

 

"Besides chocolate deliciousness?" he teased and she elbowed him. They made their way over to a nearby bench and sat. He looked at the rest of the bar and a serious expression crossed his face. "I think I have to eat all of it."

 

"Don't get food poisoning please," Hope said in a pained voice.

 

Can't be helped, he thought, savouring the cookies and cream taste. Some part of him just didn't expect anything to happen after he fully swallowed and not even Hope's mildly expectant expression made anything happen. He offered her a bar, mentioning the taste was worth it and she complied. Just like Jayden, Hope did not feel anything after swallowing the whole thing and they took out their disappointment on Mac's foolishness to which Sax laughed all the while. Mac smacked him on the head and warned him that if he said, "I told you so," she incapacitate him. He simply smiled the whole time.

 

When they had gone examine the stone enclave or more specifically, the exact area where they would hoist themselves over the wall that Jayden began to have second thoughts. It was so tall and firm, no places to properly grasp it if they were to climb it normally. What could he possibly transform into to get them over this thing? The look on Hope's face mirrored his thoughts.

 

Instantly, Jayden was overwhelmed by this peculiar feeling, almost as if he weren't walking on solid ground. His eyes, the most inhumanly green shade possible, took in his surroundings and found them to be distorted. He felt. . . . otherworldly and it was like the world around him was rejecting him for it. Jayden crouched on the ground, head in his hands and groaned. "Mackenzie, what the fuuuuck?" People stared at the collapsing kid in the middle of the sidewalk and Jayden grimaced. Hope's lean form pressed against him and she sported a frown also. A shock jolted Jayden when he saw her eyes were no longer their warm shade of brown. Like a prism trapping colours, they glowed green, blue and purple and Jayden never felt more scared for her than in this moment.

 

"What's happening to us?" Hope slurred as Mackenzie pulled her up from the pavement.

 

Jayden heard Saxon's voice from around him but it was as if a veil was cloaking world and he had to concentrate twice as hard to understand everything. "Your humanity is trying to reject the change being made to your bodies."

 

"Wh-What do you mean?" Hope choked, plainly terrified.

 

Mackenzie pursed her lip, debating how to break it to them."It means you have begun transitioning into gods."

 

*

When one compared sleep to death, Jayden believed they weren't too far off. He hadn't remembered ever being so deep under that it rendered him unable to dream. He fought his way out of the darkness without mercy only to find himself waking to more darkness. Breathing heavily, Jayden rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. Absentmindly, he turned on the light and splashed water against his face. Jayden took comfort in the coolness of the water, letting out calming breaths. Until his calm was shattered by the figure in the mirror. Yelping, Jayden crashed into the towl rack behind him. The boy in the mirror was Jayden but wasn't Jayden at the same time. All traces of brown locks were replaced by an abyssmal black. His eyes were most particularly shocking. They were as inhuman as ever but now there were glints of blue visible in those irises even at the distance he held himself away from the mirror. His skin was coloured with what could only be described as a silver sheen. The imperfection that he had before were slowly being removed and as the seconds passed by, his humanity was slowly being burned out of him like the flame of a candle.

 

It's just like the murals, Jayden thought and groaned. Oh my god, what about Hope? Scrambling out of the bathroom, Jayden noticed the  fluidity in his movements and wondered if he what he was doing could truly be called scrambling. He found her on the balcony, looking impassively at the city below. She was clad in pajamas that, much to Jayden's dismay, showed lots of skin. He stared, searching for the changes and what he found made him catch his breath. The brown of her eyes were replaced with that kaleidoscope of green, blue and purple and her blonde hair had now a platinum tint to it that seemed to be more pronounced the more you looked at it. Like him, her skin was coloured a with a sheen of platinum.

 

He stepped forward and she looked up, smiling. All of the imperfections that smile contained before seemed to have been taken care of but it was still Hope. Her eyes told him she understood what was happening and she no longer felt fear from what would come of it. Nevertheless, he embraced her and consoling her while being consoled in return. None of them knew how long they stood holding one another but it didn't matter. The Altus and Argentum Vir were two pieces that fit well together and together, they were at their strongest. Hope let out a surprised gasp and Jayden pulled back abruptly.

 

"Jayden, look!" she said with awe, gesturing to where they made skin contact.

 

"Are we. . . . glowing?" his voice was laced with amazement and disbelief.

 

"It's so pretty," Hope cooed, entranced. She cupped his cheek experimentally and almost immediately his cheek and her palm emitted light.

 

That simple touch was what destroyed Jayden's self-control. Taking Hope by surprise, he leaned down and captured her lips. They were so soft, supple and tasted of Hope. It was a while before her lips kissed him back. He felt her hands thread through his hair and arms snaking around her waist, Jayden pulled her closer. He couldn't seem to grasp the completeness of it and he was kissing her, his Hope.

 

Hope ended the kiss with a breathy laugh, bringing a smile to Jayden's face. In a few minutes, they'd be getting ready to commit a felony. In a few minutes, they would become criminal refugees.

[ooc: my sweet little Jayden doesn't curse c:]

 

"I guess if we end up getting killed or going to jail, this isn't a bad last moment." I smiled gratefully, but I felt it melt away quickly. "We're like... almost officially gods now, aren't we?"

 

Jayden nodded, his arms still wrapped around me.

 

"If we're gods, then can we even die? What's going to happen if KV came and tried to destroy us right now, hypothetically?" I wondered, my gaze wandering from Jayden's beautiful face out toward the city sprawling below. I didn't truly understand why he looked any different. He'd already looked perfect and godly to me.

 

"I don't know for sure." Jayden sighed heavily. "But if I had to guess, I'd say we're practically immortal."

 

There was a knock at the door. Her voice muffled through the heavy wood, I heard Mackenzie shout, "You guys awake yet?"

 

Jayden's arms fell away, and I almost wanted to pull them back, but I resisted. I strolled toward the door, but I lingered in front of the mirror-slash-closet door set beside the entrance. I looked so... different. I'd already seen myself, but I was scared of how Mackenzie and Saxon would react. Would they freak out and run away screaming? I had to admit, I did look sort of creepy if I compared my new body to my old one.

 

"Do you want me to do it instead?" Jayden asked softly.

 

"No, I can. I just needed to get a handle on myself." I smiled bravely, and using the courage I got from seeing Jayden's face, I yanked the door open.

 

Mackenzie and Saxon stood side by side. Their jaws dropped and eyes expanded fully in synchronization. "Are you kidding me? The candy bars worked? The candy?" Saxon looked most surprised of all.

 

I expected Mackenzie to burst out in giggles and mock Saxon for being wrong, but she had yet to speak. She appraised me for another agonizingly endless second, before I caught the trace of a smile on her lips. But there were also tears pooling in her eyes, and one managed to slip free.

 

I felt horrible. Had I really made her cry? "Mackenzie, I'm sorry," I wasn't sure why I was apologizing, but I didn't want her to start bawling. Her cheeks reddened not with embarrassment, but in preparation for the onslaught of tears. The dam broke, and she erupted in waterworks. Thankfully, nobody was in the hall to witness her breakdown. "Mac, what's wrong?"

 

She laughed and wiped away some of the tears. Sniffling, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Hope. I'm being a big baby right now. I know it sounds ridiculous, but--but I raised you and watched you grow up. You just look so different. Not anything like that little girl Sax and I took care of." She invited herself into the room, and Saxon followed her lead. "I hope that you don't become as much of a crybaby as I am." She chuckled again. "I can't believe how far you've come. You had no idea who I was only a really, really short time ago, and now you're a god. We live in a really twisted world."

 

"I thought we figured the whole 'screwed up world' thing a long time ago." I'd been so concerned with Mackenzie, I hadn't even noticed that Saxon was toting a jumbo sized bucket of popcorn. He spoke with his mouth open.

 

Still sobbing, Mackenzie punched his shoulder. "Don't talk with your mouth open, dummy. It's impolite."

 

"So is calling somebody dummy," Saxon muttered.

 

It felt oddly comforting to know that they accepted me. I knew Jayden would've no matter what, but I had sort of wondered about Mackenzie and Saxon after I glimpsed my new form.

 

"Should I start calling you Aphrodite now?" Jayden teased me, his hand intertwining with mine.

 

"Yes." Mackenzie grabbed a handful of Saxon's popcorn. "This is better than my romantic soap operas."

 

"I was talking to Hope."

 

Mackenzie shrugged and gobbled down more of Saxon's popcorn. "You're just proving my point. My sappy soap operas never included me." Saxon pulled the bucket away from her possessively.

 

I leaned into Jayden, and his arm curled around my waist. Saxon spewed out his popcorn dramatically and pretended to choke. He dropped to his knees, cupping his throat. "The romance. It's killing me. Must... find... an XBox... to play violent video games on." He gasped theatrically.

 

I took a deep breath to steady myself. "I guess now is probably a good a time as any to go see if we can get over that wall. It's night, and we're gods now."

 

"Why aren't we gods, too?" Saxon asked Mackenzie, drawing himself to his feet and munching on popcorn. "We're superhuman, blah, blah, blah," He said before she could object. "But we're not actually gods. The universe is so unfair." He turned his attention to Jayden and I. "Could you please fix that? Make the universe more fair by using your godly powers."

 

"Sax, don't complain. At least you're not human. Now let's get moving. We've got some laws to break."

Jayden

When one commits a felony, what does one wear? Head in his hands and leaning back on the living room couch, Jayden wondered how they were ever going to accomplish this. Black was too conspicuous. White was far too noticeable and civilian clothes would hardly benefit them.

"Jayden," Mackenzie's voice cracked the sphere of thoughts surrounding them. He looked through the spaces of his fingers to find her staring down at him, hands on her hips and a burning challenge in her eyes. Currently, Hope was getting something to eat in the kitchen and Saxon was gathering all their belongings, using his magic to make it seem like there had been no trace of them here."Do you really have no confidence in my ability to shop?"

At these words, his face pulled into a frown and his now blue-green eyes were perplexed. "Ummmmmmmmm..."

With something like expectancy, Mac rolled her eyes and punched him repeatedly. If she wasn't so outspoken or bold, she would be what today's society decrees as a perfect lady. "You. Are. Such. A. Guy."

A high pitched squeal of excitement sounded from the other side the living room and Jayden bolted to find Hope staring down at an ensemble of camo clothes with rapture. "Mac, these are gorgeous!"

Ah. So that's how they were getting over the enclave.

[Hope's Perspective]

Most people (like Mackenzie) find camouflage unfashionable. I'd always thought it was pretty cute, but that might have something to do with its practicality. I held up a pair of camouflage tactical pants that Mackenzie had found in my size. "These will totally work."

 

I hadn't noticed when Saxon sauntered in. "Isn't camouflage in itself pretty conspicuous? Nobody just walks around dressed like soldiers."

 

"Shut up, Saxon, it'll be nighttime." Mackenzie grumbled. "Your lack of faith is disturbing. Plus, maybe Jayden and Hope have some super secret godly powers that will blow up the wall or something."

 

"I wouldn't count on that," I threw in, but no one was listening to me.

 

Mackenzie apparently had the clothes sorted very specifically, because she shoved a pile of more camouflage into my arms. "These are yours. Now go get dressed." She pointed to two stacks of camouflage still lying on the table. "Jayden and Sax, that means you too."

 

"Yes, Mom," Saxon muttered.

 

Because everyone was terrified to mess with Mackenzie, god or not, we hurried. I was the first to return to the living room, clad in a bulky camouflage shirt, pants, and boots that I couldn't figure out how to lace. She gave me a once over and shook her head. "Hope, what am I going to do with you? You don't even look like a god. You need some make-up or something."

 

"I think I'll pass." Behind me, Saxon cleared his throat.

 

"We gonna get moving soon?" He asked just as Jayden walked into the living room.

 

Mackenzie squinted out the window. "It's getting fairly dark. It wouldn't be a bad idea to leave now, if you're all ready to go." Her eyes had lost their usual bossy, playful glitter. Now they were hard, and in the dim light looked gray. "Getting over the wall should actually be the easiest part. But they have guards in there, and from what I can tell, a lot of them. Once we get over the wall, we're going to have to get in and out as fast as humanly possible. We leave no trace of ourselves behind, got it? No popcorn, Saxon." I saw the faintest trace of a smile grace her lips.

 

Mackenzie led us outside and then motioned to Jayden. "Well, Jayden, you're the only one of us who really knows where these things are. Do you think you can get us there and maybe avoid getting us into trouble with the police here?"

 

Jayden smiled teasingly, and I stared at his lips. They curved in a shape that resembled a heart when he grinned. He noticed me watching him, and his smile grew warmer. "Yeah, I got it, Mac."

 

We mostly kept to side streets and the darkest of alleys. Even though we only passed a few people, it was a few people too many for my nerves. I wasn't any sort of criminal, and honestly the idea of committing such a serious crime freaked me out. It felt like they could read my mind, like they knew what I was about to do. Jayden seemed calmer, and occasionally would turn to give me a reassuring smile.

 

He obviously did know the way, because it didn't take long to get to that tall, and very intimidating wall. I didn't want to even imagine myself getting over this thing. "Well," My hands were shaking. Could I really do this? "We're here. It looks like the wall is too high. Maybe we should just go up to the gate and nicely ask to see the murals?"