By Firelight

[Ailith Rayner]

Ailith caught the knife with practised ease and laughed, "That won't be necessary, would you come up with it please?"

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine got up from the ground where she'd been sitting in front of Lee, and walked round to the girl, taking back her knife.
"You want me to throw it at you?" she said, dubiously. For being small, it was a very sharp knife.
The girl nodded.
"Fine," she said, before flicking the knife open and aiming it and throwing it at the girl's shoulder, in one fluid motion, with expert aim.

[Ailith Rayner]

Ailith watched ... Madeleine closely. Madeleine looked AIlith up and down before focusing on Ailith's right shoulder for a split second before throwing the tiny blade. It's quite hard to make sure the blade points towards the body that you're aiming at. Madeleine managed it beautifully. However that spilt second of warning was all Ailith needed. She had time to move her hand from it's position before her hand clasped the blade. Ailith stood with her handagainst her shoulder and smiled at Madeleine with admiration.
"Nice Madeleine! Perfectly aimed and a brilliant force. I can see why you're Head. Very, very good ... but ..." Ailith pulled her hand away, her shoulder was unscathed except for a nick in the cloth. The moment of truth, if Ailith had performed this well her hand would also be unmarked. But the speed and adrenaline made it hard to feel. She opened her hand ... Yes! Phew!, "... not quite enough of a surprise."
Ailith showed the blade to the audience, it was perfectly rounded and in the shape of Ailith's fist. A silght murmuring. A good sign?
"You want the blade back?" Ailith turned to Madeleine.
"Yes please."
Ailith pinched the blade and made it flat again, she then place a hand on her jaw and the metal came off her face and into her hand where it solidified. She wiped the blade along her hand and returned it to its former sharpness. Before handing it back to Madeleine Ailth took a sharp-edged baby-fingernail and carved 'M.B.' in a scored effect and beside that Ailith made an intricate design of a dagger along the side. She flipped the knife closed to make sure it would and flipped Madeleine her penknife before choosing to remain unseen, and, as everyone was watching the blade and Madeleine to see her reactions no one really noticed Ailith sit back down to her previous seat. Madeleine was left staring around her, now aware she was alone with an attentive audience.
Ailith relaxed. Took a swift glance at Kira before turning back to Madeleine waiting for the performance.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Madeleine caught the blade, and opened it to check that it was still sharp.
Amazingly, it was as sharp as ever, and the metal controller had scratched 'M. B.' beside an wonderfully elaborate engraving of a dagger.
She snapped the knife closed and smiled at ... oh, what was her name? Anne? Aisling? Ailith, that was it! - , before glancing around and noticing that most of the other campers were staring at her, waiting for her to start.
She stood up, flicking her plait over her shoulder, and smiled at the crowd. "Thank you Ailith," she said, in a smooth voice.
Levi was staring at her. She could feel it. So instead of looking at him, she glanced at the flickering flames for a second.
She'd never been to one of these 'power shows', but as Ailith had proved, it was all about putting on a show. But Madeleine hadn't given any thought about what she was going to do. She could shapeshift into ... something, psychokines ... something else? and maybe do something with the air...
Her eyes looked slightly, then went into sharp focus on a bright orange flame.
And she knew what to do.
She stepped forward, clearing a space around her, and a few of the flames from fire flickered out.
Then, suddenly, they created a ring of fire around Madeleine.
A few cries of shock rang out, as Madeleine crouched down, seemingly being devoured by the flames. She waited a second or two in the blistering heat, before shapeshifting into a beautiful, crimson and gold phoenix and rising up out of the fire.
Amongst the gasps and exclamations of delight, she soared up in the air, feeling the wonderful sensation of flight. She was free - literally as free as a bird, and all the worries of the world below were gone, behind her.
The Madeleine-phoenix swooped down, suddenly dropping to the ground and skimming the ground, in front of the campers legs. Out of the corner of an ochre eye, she could see Kira quietly douse the fire with a small spray of water, unseen by the others, who all had their eyes on the rare bird before them.
She turned, rising before the fire, circling once, before alighting on the slightly charred ground where she'd been before, and as she gracefully descended, changing back into herself just before she hit the ground.
A smattering of applause went through the crowd, and Madeleine smiled, bowing. "So, having fun? We've seen explosions, set things on fire, been playing with knives... you might not want to tell your parents about this, hmm?"
A few people chuckled appreciatively.
"You know," she said, glancing about her. "I keep thinking that there are a lot of things that should have been on the list and that aren't... I could really use my iPod, maybe a couple of spare bullets..."
She closed her eyes, and there was a pause and a silence for ten seconds, before her iPod and several gold bullets flew past and landed in Madeleine's outstreched palms.
There was a murmur of appreciation.
Using her air powers, she made the objects in her hand rise up and float gently down to the ground.
She smiled at the people in front of her. "Willing victim?" she asked, challenging with her eyes.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

ooc: Okay, so I'm Kira/Lee and now I'm Deron! But whatever, lol.

The plan was simple.
Eagerly, and painfully over-excited, Deron had let himself out of the house on the stroke of midnight. The darling princesses were being unusually good, and his mother well-tempered. He'd considered telling her about his... 'plan' with Kira, but he felt it would worry her unnecessarily. Her blood pressure was sky-high these days, and she didn't need this. She'd been troubled enough by the fact he'd been meeting with someone from the school.
"Are you sure about this... girl?"
"Yes, Mum."
"Hmm... and will I get to meet her?"
"Yes, Mum. Of course, Mum."
"Better be right, boy."
"I am, Mum. You'll see."
Promise...
Deron knew Cardsdale like the back of his hand. He knew every shortcut, alleyway, building and sidewalk. Cardsdale was his playground. He loved to roam its many cobbled streets- to run about the Square like a madman or to dawdle off into the muddy country lanes, following the winding roads that crisscrossed paths with cattle.
He trekked through them now- the winding country route, scattered with dirt and dust which had dried up in the past few days of sunshine. The grass was a strange colour in the midnight light of the sky- navy, almost. The path before him was a pale blue colour, bare and devoid of the creatures he watched for. It didn't matter if she hadn't sent them yet. He knew the way.
Quickening his pace, his thoughts turned to her, and the last time he'd seen her. An awkward emotion jolted him; one that he hadn't quite gotten used to feeling. It was something hatefully wonderful in it. And he'd challenged it a billion times- knowing that he would always get the same answer. Did he resent Kira for making him like her so much? Of course not. Kira was his friend.
A hell of a lot more.
He really cared about her. And she knew that. He didn't believe in keeping his emotions bottled up. He let them out- sometimes sarcastically, but the world deserved an cynicist or two. He could talk to Kira because... he trusted Kira. And it wasn't just because she came from that place he revered above all others.
It was Kira herself.
The part he longed for.
But scars of the past never quite healed. Deron would often think he'd just left his to bleed out. Was he bitter? Maybe a little. But that was okay. He could still laugh. He could still have fun. He still had the 'will to live', so to speak.
Deron hadn't done too badly at all. Actually, he didn't really see himself as being cynical. He still had hopes and dreams. He was just realistic. Honest about the truth. Why avoid the fact that your dad was a nutter if it was true? Why banish all thoughts of his family life, whenever he should just be able to stand up and talk about it, as though it was nothing.
He wanted that. To just stand and talk about it as though it was a conversation about the weather.
But it was hard- because people always felt sorry for him. They always... made it into something. Deron didn't want pity. He wanted his life to be a normal thing- something people just... never mind. His mind was wandering.
Kira's constant stream of apology was annoying, but she sat there and listened, and it didn't feel like she pitied him. He liked that about her. That's why he'd been able to sit with her, and talk about his life. That's why he'd wanted to kiss her.
So he had.
Never put a tap on your emotions. It'll kill you. And seize the day. Live it out to its fullest. No regrets.
Etc.
And everything in him told him he liked Kira- he wanted Kira- and so, had made sure she knew it. He wanted more than her friendship now. That was another thing about Deron. He never wanted to look back. Moving forward, and looking ahead and seeing the future with hope (to a reasonable degree) was all he did.
Which sounded weird, because he lived for the moment.
But whatever. He knew what he meant. Coming up to the very threshold of BlueBerg Forest, Deron hovered expectantly. And he was right on cue. Speeding towards him through the trees was Kira. She didn't pause for breath, or to stop and talk. She just thrust the bottle at him, and sped off.
But there was no mistaking the sparkle in her eyes.
Her shadow was left behind, waiting expectantly at his feet, but he didn't miss the rude gesture it made at him. He knew full well the things resented him for all the errands Kira sent him on. He kicked at the soil, ruffling the strange little creature (for that's how he tended to think of the shadows) and laughing.
Now, for the concealer...
Kira had given him a bottle of water- but not just any water. Kira had filled it with the very magical water than ran in her veins. She'd done a bit of research, and as it turned out, this magical water would give him a brief shield- one that would give him the air that he had magical properties, and so could enter BlueBerg Forest unharmed.
Downing it quickly, he tucked the bottle in his backpack and rubbed his hands together, addressing the shadow.
"Show me the way."

* * *

"Whoa!"
Deron felt his mouth fall open as he watched the small, honey-haired girl mould the metal as though it was play-dough. He'd heard of these incredible feats before- read up and researched dozens of them but... to see it was something else...
Look at them all, proud students of Orchid Hill- and Kira prominent among them. Watching her, he felt a surge of pride to see her sitting with them. Who was that boy there she kept looking at? Her cousin? Better be.
Then a pretty girl wearing plaits stood up, and Deron was reduced to a state of numb shock. Fire- phoenixes- what more could this school be capable of? And there was Kira, dousing the fire out calmly with a casual flick of her wrist. She was as impressive as the rest of them. He could tell. Maybe she'd get up too and-
That's when he felt the blade press against his throat.

[Macy Deltine]

((This is though the eyes of Parmida))

Parmida stood outside the campsite, watching over the forest. She was invisible, but was trying to fight the urge to go into the campsite and kill every single one of those brats, she was supposed to be protecting. But she had been one of those brats. She had gone on this camping trip, and had showed off her powers. But that was along time ago. She had changed. Mainly, now she was dead. Well..atleast half dead.
She looked down at her tiger companion spirit, Shia. Shia looked up at her, it's red eyes glowing softly.
She heard a loud bang, and she took out her knife, and held it in the air, at the ready. She drifted into the camp, still invisible. She stepped behind a tree and saw Professor Thandie come out and shoute at a multi-coloured haired boy. She smiled. She loved other people's misery. When she had decided that everything was in order, she went out of the camp again, and walked up a hill that she could see over everything, the campsite, the school and Cardsdale. She sat down, hugging her knees. She loved being up here, away from everything. Professor Hoodham had locked her in the Catacombs for so long, she had forgotten how beautiful the forest was at night.
Shia stood up, noticing something. "What is it?" She asked her him. The tiger looked at her, then looked down at the forest again. Shia ran off, and Parmida followed him, moving very quickly. She saw someone moving..it was a boy...not one from the school either. Before he could move any further, he grabbed his arms, and put her knife at his neck.
"What are you doing??" She asked, her body curved over his, her grip tightening on his arm. She wanted to make him hurt. He tried to struggle, but if he tried to get away, Shia would kill him in three seconds. "I said WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Her hair draped over shoulder and touched his body. She dug her knife into his neck, and blood began to spill out of the side of her knife.
"Parmida, let that boy go!" She looked up, and realised how close she was to the campsite. Professor Thandie had come out and was looking at Parmida straight in her eye. She tightened her grip on her boy, as being touched by a spirit would burn into a human's skin, and she wanted this boy to suffer. She let the boy go, but created a forcefield around him, that he couldn't move. Everyone was in complete shock at what had happened. She went up to his face and looked straight in his eyes.
"What are you doing here?" She said, letting her voice ring in his ears. Shia stood beside her and looked at him, about to pounce at any moment.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

The fierce woman glared at him, her eyes still burning him as her terrible touch had done mere seconds before. Deron was robbed of all breath, and could feel his blood steadily trickling down his neck. Her voice was angry- harsh and strangely deep and the tiger kept growling at him.
Was this a trick? Some awful dream? Would he pinch himself and wake up in his bed?
Fat chance.
"He's here because of me."
The woman turned in shock, staring wide-eyed at Kira, who had rose from her seat on the ground. Deron stared too. Kira was standing up to this woman for him...? More to the point- she was listening...?
"You?" spluttered one of the teachers, aghast.
"Me," Kira replied simply, staring at Deron fixedly. "He... I mean, I thought it would be a good idea for him to get to see some magic, and meet my friends. I had no idea Parmida would attack him."
"What did you expect?!" spat the same teacher, mad as hell.
"I was wrong," said Kira softly. "I'm sorry. But do not punish him. He's my friend- a villager."

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

As soon as she had seen Parmida, Madeleine was on her feet, sword drawn, with the hiss of the metal as it left its sheath. Levi and Steve were also on their feet, in the usual attacking stance.
Then, Madeleine had seen Kira's face.
"He's here because of me."
Everyone turned to stare at Kira, and Madeleine motioned to Steve and Levi to sit down. Professor Thandie said something, but Madeleine wasn't listening.
She resheathed her sword and stepped forward in front of Professor Thandie, walking over to the boy on the ground.
Was this Deron? She guessed so - but what the hell had been going through Kira's mind when she had come up with this idea? She was so, so lucky that Parmida hadn't killed him on sight. An intruder, in this time...
Still, she went over to the guy and Parmida, and knelt down on the ground beside him, testing the forcefield with a finger.
Shia growled, bringing everyone's attention away from Kira and Professor Thandie.
Professor Thandie stared at her. "What are you doing, Miss Baudelaire?" she snapped, in a tone that said she was not to be tested. The vice principal was severly pi - ahem, very angry.
"He's bleeding," she said, standing and turning to face her.
Professor Thandie, who was extremely white, nodded once. "Very well," she said, her lips thin, pale and pressed tightly together. She nodded towards Parmida, who, looking murderous, grudgingly removed the forcefield.
Madeleine crouched down again. "Don't move," she murmured. "She'll kill you if you make any movement at all."
Slowly, so as not to scare him, she put the index finger of her left hand to the start of the cut on his neck.
Ignoring him wince at the pain, she focused on the wound, and a soft, golden glow emitted from her hand. She ignored the mutters coming from around her, and moved her hand slowly across the cut, watching the bloody flesh knit together, until it became clean, and good as new.
She stepped back, and nodded at Parmida, who put the forcefield up again.

[Macy Deltine]

((this is as Parmida again...))

Parmida felt a shake of rage fall on her, when the girl with the sword try to heal to boy. She tried to fight the urge to do one swift move, and kill both of them at once. But the girl made her stop. She remembered her to be the current head of the Warriors. She could not kill her.
But - that other girl. Now, she could kill her. But she didn't. Major would not be happy. But how stupid could someone be? Did she not think that the boy could have been a spy from the enemy army? That he would hurt her? She could have been so stupid, and have fallen into the trap, that Parmida had fallen into. But that was along time ago. She would not make that mistake again, and she would not let anyone one else do it either.
Parmida looked at the boy again. "I want you to know. If you come any where near this school again, I'll kill you. If you try to talk to any of the students, I'll kill you. I want you to look into that idiotic girl's eyes, because if what I've heard is true, she's the one I should be killing." She stood up and went over to the blond girl, who thought that just confessing would whip the slate clean, and not be punished.
She wrapped one hand around her neck, and lifted her off the ground, choking her. She looked into her blue eyes, and saw straight though to her soul. She didn't saw a word, just let her touch burn into her neck.
She finally dropped her to the ground and walked away, out of the campsite and was followed closely behind by Shia.
There was still silence, as she made her way up the hill again, to watch over the campsite.
She saw Professor Thandie go over to the boy and talk to him. She looked away, still feeling the last bubbles of anger still in the pit of her stomach.
"Come on, Shia." she said, turning invisible, making her way down to the camp again, to watch over them more closely.

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Kira pulled herself upwards, massaging her throat where Parmida's fingers had burned into her skin. She felt thoroughly shaken, though didn't look nearly as bad as Deron, who was a pasty colour. Prof. Truman moved forward, conjuring a thick rope out of mid-air.
"Sorry about this," he muttered to Deron, who numbly let himself be tied up. "Just to keep Parmida happy. And..." he lowered his voice, "you can talk to the students while you're here. I'll speak to Parmida for you. You're a lucky man to have lived."
"Thanks," said Deron, then added weakly, "though I don't feel it."
Prof. Truman grinned, tightening the ropes before picking Deron up and setting him down nearby the campers. Kira followed him, sitting beside Deron slowly, afraid of what he might say or think. She hadn't been expecting that- and she knew that she was completely stupid now to have agreed to this whole thing. What if Deron had been killed? She couldn't stand the thought.
"You okay?"
"Better than okay," Deron winked. "Not every day you get threatened by a dead woman."
Kira laughed. "Em... well, this isn't quite how I pictured you all meeting but... guys, this is my friend, Deron."
"Hey," he beamed.

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Parmida could have - would have - killed Deron - he was so lucky that she hadn't.
Madeleine looked at Deron for a moment before smiling. "Nice to meet you, Deron," she said ironically. "I'm Madeleine."

[Kira & Lee Norris]

He nodded and then tilted his neck upwards, showing the bare skin which had just been sliced open.
"Thanks for that," he muttered.
"You got lucky."
Kira jumped, looking over at her cousin. He looked a little pale, but none the less he seemed alright.
Deron nodded slowly. "I know."
"I'm Lee," Lee said, nodding at Kira, "her cousin."
"I know," Deron grinned. "She's talks rather a lot, this one."
"I'm not that bad."
"You're right, I know. After all, I live with Kerry."

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

"Kerry Morrison?" Madeleine asked, before glancing at Kira's burned neck. "Want me to heal that up for you?"

[Kira & Lee Norris]

Kira rubbed her neck self-consiously. "Could you?"
"Kerry Morrison's the one," Deron nodded as Kira leant forward to let Madeleine work her magic. "She's my cousin. How'd you know her?"

[Madeleine Baudelaire&Russ Ford]

"She works at the dressmaker's," replied Madeleine, frowning gently in conversation as she focused the golden glow on the burnt patch at Kira's neck. "I'm a girl. Do I really need to elaborate?"
Kira's neck had now healed back to its normal, pale skin, and Madeleine lifted her hand away, studying it critically.