[ tumblr /// mood: embarrassed ] It worked about as well as he expected it would. "You are not Miss Olivia," the girl typed, looking up from a cellphone. "I thought not. Who are you?" "I figured I wouldn't make a very convincing Olivia," Ben replied. He lowered his voice, not wanting to draw anymore attention to them. "My name's Benjamin Ross, or Ben, if you prefer. I'm a student at the academy, if you couldn't already tell." He scratched the back of his neck. "As you can tell, Olivia and I have had our bodies switched. And I assume the same thing happened to you, since you also received the email?" Ben couldn't help but smile a bit at his luck. He hadn't planned on seeking out Kallisti or Harley so soon, but Fate had another plan. "I wasn't expecting us to meet, but you might be able to help me. Are you familiar with the name Cherno Plume?"
[ tumblr /// mood: awkward ] After Olivia ended the call, Ben hurried to the Ishmael Coffee. It had grown colder as night was approaching. He ordered a cup of coffee and took a seat in a secluded area. He took a sip of the coffee and grimaced. Both his mind and Olivia's taste buds refused to enjoy the infernal liquid, but his throat welcomed it. Whatever. He tolerate it as much as he could. A young, blonde-haired girl approached him. She greeted him, the synthesized voice created from her typing introducing herself as Kallisti. "Oh, uh..." Ben stammered. Kallisti. That was one of the Bellhurst students Olivia said she had met; one of the ones from the email. Perhaps she had had her body switched as well? Ben decided to act as though he really was Olivia, just to verify his thoughts "Miss Lein. I did not recognize you with such a... different appearance," he replied. He hoped his imitation of Olivia had sounded authentic to the girl, because it definitely didn't to him.
[ tumblr /// mood: tired ] "And Ben dear, if you have done a veritable thing to my body, then... I'll just have to explore each and every one of your personal secrets myself." Ben gulped. "Of course, I haven't," he replied. He wouldn't have in the first place, but now that he'd been threatened, he'd make extra sure not to. Though the girl was over a year his junior, he still feared the contact of her épée. Where to rendezvous? He was already on his way to Ishmael Coffee, but that wouldn't work. It would be too hard to converse in a large group. The library? No, they'd have to keep their discussions to a minimum there. "I'll think of something for the rendezvous." Something else was digging at his mind. "Any idea where Elliot is? He was gone when I woke up." Quickly he added, "After I read my letter, not this morning."
[ tumblr /// mood: confused ] Ben walked down through the campus to the Ishmael Coffee, listening to the clack of the his shoes on the pavement. Why would he want to get coffee from there? The thought of the bitter liquid touching his taste buds made him shudder, yet somehow he couldn't help but want to drink some of it. Was it because of Olivia's body? No. He knew how much she loved her tea. Ben's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of vibrations. He turned his head to the source, Olivia's purse. It must be her phone. He rifled through the contents of the purse, before finding the device. He looked at the name displayed on the screen. It was him. No, that wasn't it. His phone. Whoever was currently in his body was calling him. Was it Olivia? Ben decided that a one-way swap was probably the most likely possibility and clicked answer on the phone, putting the device up to his ear. "Hello?"
Check your privilege, freshman.
Come back when you've taken APUSH, and then you'll have a reason to make threads about school on an internet forum.
[ tumblr /// mood: confused ] Ben felt around the nightstand for his glasses, but once again found nothing. He opened his eyes and sighed. It really hadn't been just a dream. He sat himself up, and looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was already well into the day; he had slept for over twelve hours. He supposed it wasn't too odd. After all, when he had returned to his, that is to say, Olivia's body, it had been around a day after he had fallen asleep. He thought back to the dream he had. This whole body-switching incident had been Crestatia's doing. She had said as such in her letter. Had she done the same to the other email recipients? Since he was the one currently occupying Olivia's body, she must be in someone else's. Though he could not recognize any of the other voices at the round table, the tone of one them matched Marina's, so he could add her to the batch. Ben turned on the shower in Olivia's bathroom and gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Though he thought the female figure and long, almost unnaturally white hair would make him feel odd, it was actually her eyes that did it. Those pale blue eyes, giving off an aura of elegance, so different from his earthy green eyes. He took a quick shower, and, after having a bit of difficulty washing the long hair properly and blow-drying it, exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around him. He felt elated when he found pairs of shorts in Olivia's dresser; now he wouldn't feel quite so awkward wearing one of her Victorian-esque dresses. He pulled on a pale blue dress, with the shorts under it, a pair of stockings, and pair of flats, not even trying to attempt to wear something with heels. Now what to do? he thought. Though he disliked the bitter taste of coffee, he felt a strange craving for it.
[ tumblr /// mood: confused ] Ben carefully opened the envelope Crestatia had left under the round table and scanned its contents. He smirked at what was written for him. If the witch thought that he would ever follow that, she didn't really know anything about him, other than that he was one of her "pawns." As soon as his eyes passed over over the final line of the letter, his surroundings disappeared, and he woke. Ben reached over onto his nightstand for his glasses, but his hand could find no such thing. He sat himself up in the bed, his long white hair falling over his shoulders. Long white hair? That didn't belong to him. Ben reached his hand to his chest. Now those definitely weren't his. What's going on now? Ben tried to look around the room, but night had already filled it with darkness. Though he had just woken up, he could feel his eyelids drooping. Though his new body had gotten rest, his mind had not. He lay back down in the bed, closing his eyes. Whatever was going on, he would deal with it in the morning.
[ tumblr /// mood: curious ] A girl dressed in purple gothic lolita clothing appeared at the table, with hair to match. She called herself Crestatia. She claimed that they were in some sort of game, that they were just pawns. Ben could feel his hands clench on the surface of the round table. "Aah, what am I saying? You probably do not understand any of this. I suppose I shall allow you to ask questions before I continue. Choose wisely. As always, there is not very much time." One-by-one, his peers rattled off questions to the guest, or rather, the host. Ben recognized none of the voices, but the way one of them phrased their questions sounded familiar to him. He waited for a opening to ask his own. When the time came, he spoke. "Your email says we have, well, had, only a hundred days to live. So why do you have to kill us like you say you do, if we're already going to die regardless? Why give us a time limit if it doesn't really mean anything?"
[ tumblr /// mood: confused ] Ben opened his eyes, waking from his sleep. He found himself not to be in his room as he would expecting. In fact, he wasn't sure if he was even on Earth. His surroundings had an ethereal quality, surrounding him with an endless whiteness. The whole area seemed alien to him. Was it even a room? He couldn't spot any corners, nothing to indicate that there were walls. He found himself sitting around around a round table, the same harsh white as everything else. Ben wasn't the only one there, either. All the seats around the table were filled. He couldn't make out the features of the others, but he counted ten others among him. What's going on?
So close, and yet so far.
[ tumblr /// mood: tired ] Elliot had stepped out to allow Ben the chance to speak with Olivia. He had to admit, while his roommate's behavior could be strange at times, he had the sense to be polite. Ben took a sip from the cup of aromatic Darjeeling she had poured for them. "So, Benjamin, what has brought you to my room? I had made an appointment with Elliot, but your arrival was quite unexpected." Ben swallowed the hot tea, thinking of a way to respond. "I've been attempting to investigate the mysterious email that you and I, and many others, received over the past few days. The one that said that we had only 100 days to live?" Olivia nodded in response. "I have already spoken to Marina, and she was noticing strange patterns in her readings. I was wonder whether you knew anything more about it." Olivia closed her eyes and shook her head. "Unfortunately, I know nothing more about the subject than you." Though she said this, her eyes hinted that she knew something else, but Ben decided not to press her. I see... Ben thought. Well, while I am here, I might as well see if she knows him. "Would you happen to know a student named Cherno Plume? He's one of the students relocated here from Bellhurst." "I am afraid not." Ben gave a small sigh. "However, I do know two students from Bellhurst who transferred recently. Miss Kallisti Lein and Mr. Harley Jackson. Perhaps they would be better aids in your search?" Kallisti Lein and Harley Jackson... Ben would make sure to remember those names. "Thank you," he said, dipping his head slightly. "I ought to be going now." As if she had anticipated this, Olivia had already pulled out a libretto for La Bohème. Ben crashed onto his bed when he returned to his room. He gazed at his palm. Only 80 days left. And he still needed to speak with Cherno Plume... before one of them met John Quincy's fate. Before long, Ben felt sleep overcome him.
[ tumblr /// mood: surprised ] Ben stopped when he heard a familiar voice. "Good morning, Benjamin." Elliot? "What brings you to the... g-girl's dormitory?" I could ask you the same. Out of all people, what would he be doing going to the girl's dorms? He wouldn't have a girlfriend to visit; not the man who feared physical contact enough to wear gloves and a surgical mask. Marina had mentioned that he was there with her when they found John Quincy's body. Could he be going to Olivia as well? "Oh, Elliot, hello," Ben greeted his room mate. He had to think of an excuse; if Elliot was going to meet with Olivia, it was unlikely that their meeting was unplanned. He couldn't say the same about his own. "I was just on my way back to the room from Ishmael Coffee. Since I had free time, I figured I would visit a friend while on the way." It wasn't entirely untrue, though he wasn't sure he could really called Olivia a friend. He had only spoken with her a few times prior. "And what about yourself?"
I kingdom hearts forum.
[ tumblr /// mood: tired ] Ben took a sip of tea from the hot cup. He sat in the campus's Ishmael Coffee, a thick, hardcover in his left hand, the cup in his right. Though he had returned to his normal schedule after the party the night before, he couldn't get what Marina had said off his mind. A shortening life line, the same thing happening to each of the recipients. There was no way it could be a coincidence, nor was it something natural. Whatever was happening, there must be some supernatural force involved. Ben had never been much of a believer in such things. Ghosts, vampires, whatever; they weren't real. But he trusted Marina's judgment, and the fact that lines on their palms were changing was proof enough for him to accept it. Then there was John Quincy's death, his corpse found in the astronomy tower. How many of the other names were dead as well? Ben shuddered at the thought. What had Olivia been doing there? Marina had said she was unconscious. It was unlikely that she had been the one who had committed the murder. Still, there must have been some connection. He had given up trying to contact Cherno Plume for the moment, so the other Brookbridge students were his only chance to investigate. Who knew? Perhaps Olivia knew some of the Bellhurst students on the list herself. Ben exited the Ishmael Coffee, heading northeast toward the girl's dormitory. "But... what's her room number, again?" Perhaps he shouldn't have declined her previous offer.
[ tumblr /// mood: pensive ] "Good night, Marina," Ben said as she left, having finished picking up the cards. Perhaps I should leave, too... he thought. He turned his gaze around the room, searching for any sign of Cherno. Unfortunately, he had no luck in finding the black-haired boy in the room. He must not have come... He let out a small sigh. He shifted his gaze to the watch on his wrist. It was getting rather late. Giving the room one last glance, he silently exited the room. When Ben arrived back in his room, he took a seat on his bed. He turned his hand so that the palm faced him. He gazed at the line Marina had traced, the life line. She said his, along with the others who had received the email, was unnaturally short. And that it was growing shorter with every day that passed. Was there really nothing they could do to prevent their deaths? Ben sighed. There would be time for discussion later. For now, he needed to sleep.
[ tumblr /// mood: worried ] Marina's eyes shifted in concentration when he mentioned the name John Quincy. "Oh. He was the one whose body we found yesterday." The loudness of her voice attracted the unwanted attention of the party guests. Ben swore that he could feel their eyes piercing into him and Marina. Lowering her voice slightly, Marina continued. "Elliot, he came to see me yesterday and I sensed something. It brought us to the Astronomy Tower, where we found Olivia passed out next to a dead body. The body of that Quincy fellow." Ben could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. John Quincy was a dead? Was that why there were police sirens yesterday? And even worse, they had found Olivia there as well. Sure, she seemed unnaturally calm most of the time, but a murderer? There was no way she could have done it. Even if she had, why would she be passed out when the body was found? Ben was pulled out of his thoughts by Marina's voice. "You should take that email very seriously, Benjamin sweetie." Her voice then took an ominous tone. "Let me see your hand." She set down the tarot cards she had been shuffling. After a second of hesitation, Ben complied, lifting his hand toward her, palm facing upward.
[ tumblr /// mood: calm ] "So then, Benjamin, what is on your mind?" Marina had started to shuffle her cards before she asked the question. Ben turned his head to face her. "It's about that email," he told her. "You said that you had sensed it was probably true." Ben swallowed, his throat tensing as he remembered the list of names. "I recognized some of the names. Not only us, but Olivia and Elliot, as well. I assume that Elliot had visited you yesterday for that reason?" His thoughts turned to the names of Bellhurst students. "I tried seeking out one of the new students, Cherno Plume. Just from scanning his Tumblr page, it seemed like he was involve in some sort of investigation about it back in Coy City. But I had no luck in contacting him." He paused. "And then there was another name, John Quincy. It's strange. Just a few days ago, his name appeared in my head, along with a sudden pain. I wonder if it's connected somehow." He scratched the back of his neck and continued. "I rarely get headaches, and when I do, a bit of tea can solve it easily. I wonder, is the email connected to something supernatural?"
[ tumblr /// mood: flustered ] Ben saw Marina glance up from her cards, a smile forming as she noticed him. "Benjamin sweetie. What a pleasure." She indicated the seat next to her her with her hand. "How can I help you?" She laid the cards on the table, frowning as she examined them. Before he could respond, she glanced back up at him, her face returning to her previous expression. "Would you like some sort of service, or just to talk?" Ben could feel his face grow hot. Of course, she didn't mean that kind of service, but the thought of it was all it took to quicken his heartbeat. "Er..." He took a seat next to her, and began to silently slow his breathing. All he needed was to take his mind off of it. "Just talk, if that would be alright with you." The breathing seemed to work; he could feel his heart returned to his normal pace. Giving Marina a smile, he added, "Besides, if someone comes to you, they'll be in more needed of a reading than me."
[ tumblr /// mood: nervous ] Ben quickly received a response from Marina; he would be going to the party. Ben let out a sigh of relief. If anything, he would still be able to speak with her at the party. But what would he wear? He rifled through his dresser, looking for a shirt to change into. After a few moments of consideration, he decided to put on a simple white dress shirt and a green sweater vest over it. Maybe a bit to formal for a pizza party, but if he had to socialize, he wanted to make a good impression. Ben entered the party room and looked around. Thankfully, it seemed that not many people had arrived yet. There was no sign of the black-haired boy he had seen in the profile picture on Cherno's Tumblr page. He did, however, spot Marina. She sat in a chair, a bright orange jacket on the back of it. Tarot cards shuffled back and forth through her hands. Had she come her to search for clients? Ben shrugged off the thought. Now he had a chance to speak with her. Careful not the bump into anyone, he approached the young woman, his mouth forming a slight smile. "Marina."
