Ethereal Beings

Chapter Eight: Some Sort of Cult?

"What do you mean you know who I am?" Nancy is puzzled, looking up from her phone screen at the young football captain stood in front of the table she was sat at.

"Come on, lets go somewhere and chat... I'll explain everything." He offers Nancy a smile and a hand, which Nancy hesitantly takes, standing up and grabbing her bag from beside her chair.

Dave leads Nancy to a small room, which is usually off-limits to students who haven't booked it out. It was dubbed the Social Room, which student hired to use for private meetings and small social gatherings. She had been in there once or twice before, with a group of people she had to work with for a group presentation. Inside the room, sits Leigh and a couple of other people that she doesn't seem to recognise. The room is colourful, decorated with other student's work and art, a haven of inspiration.

"So, we've noticed that you're one of Us. You have a similar Mark which coincidently appeared after your seizure. We always knew there was something different about you, Nancy." Leigh stands, folding her arms across her chest and walking across the room. "It might have come off as me bullying you, or something, but I'm sorry. I was just kinda jealous." She shrugs her shoulders, leaning against one of the tables in the room.

"Why were you so mean to me, Leigh? I always tried my best to be nice and bite my tongue when you made little comments about the way I look, or that fact that I actually care about my studies." Nancy sighs, "But, I'm getting pretty fed up with it to be honest."

"Hey, ladies, calm down! We're all equals here." One of the girls Nancy didn't recognise pipes up, approaching the two girls and standing in between them. Her hair was short and multi-coloured, with red and orange highlights thrown into her choppy styled bob. "I'm Phoenix, by the way." She extends a hand to Nancy, and her eyes plead with her to take it.

Nancy shakes her hand and smiles, "Hi, I'm Nancy." She felt so awkward in social situations, and she wasn't really used to people wanting to meet her, let alone be her friend. She felt lost, like a fish out of water. Nancy much preferred to be alone, but she figured that maybe some friends would do her some good and be able to help her through her new situation. "Why are we here exactly?"

"Oh, yeah, you're probably really confused." Dave scratches his head, "well, you're one of Us. We all carry a similar Mark to your crescent moon, which no one else can see." He rolls up his sleeve to reveal the face of a wolf, delicately wrapping around his wrist.
"I thought I was the only one..." Nancy is shocked, unable to comprehend the events playing out in front of her.

She looks around the room to see that the others had all begun to reveal their Marks. Phoenix pulled down the neck of her t-shirt to reveal a beautiful bird, which looked like its feathers were made of fire, nestled on her collar bone. Leigh was tugging at the bottom of her jeans to reveal the portrait of a beautiful doe, which had found its home on her ankle.

"This is so stupid." Nancy's attention turns to the quiet guy, sat in the corner of the room, scratching away at the desk in front of him with a knife. He was pale, and his Mark stood bold on his neck, contrasting with the shade of his skin. It was a serpent, beautifully detailed, which wrapped around his neck. The head of the serpent rested in the centre, underneath his chin. The snake's image was vicious, its fangs bared, and its neck coiled in an offensive stance, ready to strike. Something about it sent shivers down Nancy's spine. "She's not one of us, look at her. I'm sure her Marking was a mistake." He sighs and throws the knife down into the wood of the desk, so that it is upright.

"That's Jared, just ignore him." Phoenix squints her eyes, shielding her mouth with her hand to muffle her words, "he a bit angsty."
Leigh chuckles, "only a bit? Jared's known for being an angsty asshole. He spends his free time listening to heavy metal and drawing gross hybrid creature things." Leigh is walking over to where Jared is sitting, her arms still crossed over her chest. "Are you going to play nice, and actually introduce yourself properly?"