Post by Danni Archer on Jun 26, 2009 23:34:17 GMT
Okay. Flip. This was not what Danni had been expecting. Not at all. It was desolate. And the students? Well, for the most part they looked haunted.
Danni had had to go home when her parents had heard about the threat of a battle. The war wasn’t something which her dad had been aware of when he signed her up for the school. She’d been removed from the school and had been forced to listen to the news in order to try and find out anything about what was going on up at Orchid. Not that the reporters went anywhere near the actual scene. They just had continued to go on about “rumours of fighting” and “smoke rising from the surrounding area of the school.” No real information. She did guess though, that Professor Hoodham had something to do with it, but it was understandable – he was just protecting the students. But what about the students who’d been left behind? The students like Danni, who’d been forced to come away? The students who had no idea whether or not their friends were dead or alive. What about them? Danni knew that whatever was happening up at the school was terrible, but it hadn’t registered in her demanding to her parents that she wanted to be there. There to support her friends. Even if she wouldn’t be able to fight, even if she would just be there to, I don’t know, change bandages or something. Anything. The not-knowing was killing her. Literally draining her energy. She was listless. Just sitting in front of the TV or the computer, hoping, desperately hoping for some inclination to which way the battle was going. There was little doubt there was a battle at that point. There were too many “rumours” for it not to be true. It was only when the smoke, previously seen on the reporters cameras, had finally disappeared and the report had come in that the enemy had not taken over Orchid that Danni’s father consented to let her return.
But despite Danni’s fears about what could have happened, the reality was so much worse. She returned to Orchid to find the security at the train station much more intense, and getting into the castle was nearly impossible. It was only because Amy saw her that she was let in. Amy Douglas was one of her friends at Orchid. Though in the Warriors, they were in the same dorm and had ended up sitting together at most meals. Their personalities seemed to work well together. They were both lively and energetic, for the most part without a care in the world. But Amy had changed. Drastically. Her face was pale and drawn, her hair looked a sight and in reality she looked more dead than alive. Her dad hadn’t pulled her from the school when he heard a rumour. She’d had go to battle. Danni had greeted her with a hug and was surprised at how fragile Amy had seemed. She had burst into silent sobs and couldn’t speak. Danni had eventually decided that she needed a sedative or something to calm her down. So she had taken her to the hospital wing.
The hospital wing had really terrified Danni. There wasn’t one empty bed and the corridors surrounding the hospital wing were crowded with gurneys and students. Danni went silent at the sight of several mangled limbs and all the blood and other bodily... stuff... on show. She was completely silent. A Carer had come up to her and Amy, who was still crying, but now much more hysterically, and had asked if they were alright. Danni had just looked at her, tears filling her eyes. This girl was quite clearly exhausted, quite clearly needed to spend a few days in bed, but she just kept going. She kept herself going to support the fragile student body. Danni couldn’t think of anything to say so she just nodded and stood dumbly with Amy in the middle of the corridor. Then after being moved to one of the corridor walls by a Carer in a hurry, Danni had watched as Kira, her head, Head of the Spies, had walked past. Or rather limped past as she was supported by a couple of Carers. Danni didn’t know what to make of it. Spies weren’t supposed to fight. But now that she thought about it and looked around her it was only too obvious that the Spies had joined the battle. It was a terrifying thought. If she hadn’t been pulled out... she could be lying like that guy over there, so covered in bandages that she couldn’t make out more than that it was a guy. Or she could be dead. Dead. She could have died. The thought kept resonating around her head as if someone had struck a bell. Danni was somewhat surprised when she felt the tears run down her cheek. She knew it was extremely selfish but she was just so glad that her dad had pulled her out. She was a coward. She knew it but couldn’t seem to do anything about it. She didn’t even know where Amy was anymore. She supposed that some Carer had come and taken her away somewhere. Danni felt herself slowly sink to the ground in despair. Who all had been lost? Who was she never going to meet? What friends was she never going to make? The self pity was disrupted at the return of Kira and her entourage. She was even more... sunken... withdrawn than before. Danni looked at her in despair. What were they going to do? But Kira didn’t appear to notice. Not that she blamed her if she was lost in her own thoughts. Everyone in the surrounding corridors had heard what had been shouted as she left. “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT, KIRA! MADELEINE COULD BE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU-“ Then Danni realised what he’d said. Madeline, Head of the Warriors could be dead? Danni didn’t understand. Had she been injured? And why was it Kira’s fault? She asked whoever it was sitting next to her. They looked at Danni with empty eyes and replied in a voice that was empty of emotion that Madeline had been kidnapped and that the Enemy had launched an attack pretty much straight after. No one knew what had happened to Madeline.
Danni had jumped up in horror. She hadn’t known that. The news hadn’t said anything all about it. Her legs picked her up and she wandered away from the hospital wing. Pale and silent. She ended up outside looking at the Blueberg. Or rather, the remains of it. She was horrified to see the blackened remains of what had been great beauty which she had been intending to explore. She didn’t understand what had happened, apart from one thing. The smoke seen on the TV screens had been the Blueberg going up in flames. It had been the signal of the end of the battle. When the smoke died, so did the battle. The bodies had been cleared from the area but all that did was to leave desolate emptiness in the space of the Blueberg. And they hadn’t managed to do anything about the blood staining the ground. Though they did have much more important things to worry about. Like the people the blood came from.
There was no one outside at all really. The place was empty. And Danni couldn’t deal with it anymore. She retreated inside the castle and blocked out the noise coming from the Hospital Wing. She couldn’t deal with it right now. She needed to get back to the normal school life. She passed several students and teachers. Some huddled in groups, some standing alone, somehow isolated even with the surrounding students. But they all had the same look. The haunted look of those who had lived though something so terrible that they couldn’t believe that they had lived through it at all. Nobody was really talking. Even if they were in groups they stood silently, hoping somehow that the silence would bring back what they’d lost.
Danni found herself in the dining hall then, and she collapsed onto a seat and looked around her. Again there were several students milling around. She looked at the clock, it was time for lunch but there was no mad scramble for the best food. It was empty. Even those who were there weren’t eating. They were just sitting there, probably praying or some equivalent to praying. They all knew that this battle had cost too much. In almost every aspect. Danni hadn’t been there but she could see it too. She could see it in the empty chairs and empty tables that surrounded her. She could see it in the silence. She could see it in the faces of those around her too. The pale, drawn, haunted faces. And she could see it in her own when she looked in the mirror. She could see it in the tremble of her fingers and she clasped them together, trying to steady herself. She could see it. And she couldn’t see how they could ever repair the damage.
Danni had had to go home when her parents had heard about the threat of a battle. The war wasn’t something which her dad had been aware of when he signed her up for the school. She’d been removed from the school and had been forced to listen to the news in order to try and find out anything about what was going on up at Orchid. Not that the reporters went anywhere near the actual scene. They just had continued to go on about “rumours of fighting” and “smoke rising from the surrounding area of the school.” No real information. She did guess though, that Professor Hoodham had something to do with it, but it was understandable – he was just protecting the students. But what about the students who’d been left behind? The students like Danni, who’d been forced to come away? The students who had no idea whether or not their friends were dead or alive. What about them? Danni knew that whatever was happening up at the school was terrible, but it hadn’t registered in her demanding to her parents that she wanted to be there. There to support her friends. Even if she wouldn’t be able to fight, even if she would just be there to, I don’t know, change bandages or something. Anything. The not-knowing was killing her. Literally draining her energy. She was listless. Just sitting in front of the TV or the computer, hoping, desperately hoping for some inclination to which way the battle was going. There was little doubt there was a battle at that point. There were too many “rumours” for it not to be true. It was only when the smoke, previously seen on the reporters cameras, had finally disappeared and the report had come in that the enemy had not taken over Orchid that Danni’s father consented to let her return.
But despite Danni’s fears about what could have happened, the reality was so much worse. She returned to Orchid to find the security at the train station much more intense, and getting into the castle was nearly impossible. It was only because Amy saw her that she was let in. Amy Douglas was one of her friends at Orchid. Though in the Warriors, they were in the same dorm and had ended up sitting together at most meals. Their personalities seemed to work well together. They were both lively and energetic, for the most part without a care in the world. But Amy had changed. Drastically. Her face was pale and drawn, her hair looked a sight and in reality she looked more dead than alive. Her dad hadn’t pulled her from the school when he heard a rumour. She’d had go to battle. Danni had greeted her with a hug and was surprised at how fragile Amy had seemed. She had burst into silent sobs and couldn’t speak. Danni had eventually decided that she needed a sedative or something to calm her down. So she had taken her to the hospital wing.
The hospital wing had really terrified Danni. There wasn’t one empty bed and the corridors surrounding the hospital wing were crowded with gurneys and students. Danni went silent at the sight of several mangled limbs and all the blood and other bodily... stuff... on show. She was completely silent. A Carer had come up to her and Amy, who was still crying, but now much more hysterically, and had asked if they were alright. Danni had just looked at her, tears filling her eyes. This girl was quite clearly exhausted, quite clearly needed to spend a few days in bed, but she just kept going. She kept herself going to support the fragile student body. Danni couldn’t think of anything to say so she just nodded and stood dumbly with Amy in the middle of the corridor. Then after being moved to one of the corridor walls by a Carer in a hurry, Danni had watched as Kira, her head, Head of the Spies, had walked past. Or rather limped past as she was supported by a couple of Carers. Danni didn’t know what to make of it. Spies weren’t supposed to fight. But now that she thought about it and looked around her it was only too obvious that the Spies had joined the battle. It was a terrifying thought. If she hadn’t been pulled out... she could be lying like that guy over there, so covered in bandages that she couldn’t make out more than that it was a guy. Or she could be dead. Dead. She could have died. The thought kept resonating around her head as if someone had struck a bell. Danni was somewhat surprised when she felt the tears run down her cheek. She knew it was extremely selfish but she was just so glad that her dad had pulled her out. She was a coward. She knew it but couldn’t seem to do anything about it. She didn’t even know where Amy was anymore. She supposed that some Carer had come and taken her away somewhere. Danni felt herself slowly sink to the ground in despair. Who all had been lost? Who was she never going to meet? What friends was she never going to make? The self pity was disrupted at the return of Kira and her entourage. She was even more... sunken... withdrawn than before. Danni looked at her in despair. What were they going to do? But Kira didn’t appear to notice. Not that she blamed her if she was lost in her own thoughts. Everyone in the surrounding corridors had heard what had been shouted as she left. “IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT, KIRA! MADELEINE COULD BE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU-“ Then Danni realised what he’d said. Madeline, Head of the Warriors could be dead? Danni didn’t understand. Had she been injured? And why was it Kira’s fault? She asked whoever it was sitting next to her. They looked at Danni with empty eyes and replied in a voice that was empty of emotion that Madeline had been kidnapped and that the Enemy had launched an attack pretty much straight after. No one knew what had happened to Madeline.
Danni had jumped up in horror. She hadn’t known that. The news hadn’t said anything all about it. Her legs picked her up and she wandered away from the hospital wing. Pale and silent. She ended up outside looking at the Blueberg. Or rather, the remains of it. She was horrified to see the blackened remains of what had been great beauty which she had been intending to explore. She didn’t understand what had happened, apart from one thing. The smoke seen on the TV screens had been the Blueberg going up in flames. It had been the signal of the end of the battle. When the smoke died, so did the battle. The bodies had been cleared from the area but all that did was to leave desolate emptiness in the space of the Blueberg. And they hadn’t managed to do anything about the blood staining the ground. Though they did have much more important things to worry about. Like the people the blood came from.
There was no one outside at all really. The place was empty. And Danni couldn’t deal with it anymore. She retreated inside the castle and blocked out the noise coming from the Hospital Wing. She couldn’t deal with it right now. She needed to get back to the normal school life. She passed several students and teachers. Some huddled in groups, some standing alone, somehow isolated even with the surrounding students. But they all had the same look. The haunted look of those who had lived though something so terrible that they couldn’t believe that they had lived through it at all. Nobody was really talking. Even if they were in groups they stood silently, hoping somehow that the silence would bring back what they’d lost.
Danni found herself in the dining hall then, and she collapsed onto a seat and looked around her. Again there were several students milling around. She looked at the clock, it was time for lunch but there was no mad scramble for the best food. It was empty. Even those who were there weren’t eating. They were just sitting there, probably praying or some equivalent to praying. They all knew that this battle had cost too much. In almost every aspect. Danni hadn’t been there but she could see it too. She could see it in the empty chairs and empty tables that surrounded her. She could see it in the silence. She could see it in the faces of those around her too. The pale, drawn, haunted faces. And she could see it in her own when she looked in the mirror. She could see it in the tremble of her fingers and she clasped them together, trying to steady herself. She could see it. And she couldn’t see how they could ever repair the damage.
