Rebellious Minds-- An IDV Fanfiction

Chapter 1: Worn Clothing

Word Count: 1.3k 

Dim light flooded into his vision, beginning to invade his senses. There was a dull throbbing resonating through the left side of his head. Eli groaned, his initial instinct being to clutch his head. When his gloved hand clutched at the throbbing area, he could feel two different types of cloth. One was of his very own dark blue blindfold, the middle sporting a serpent devouring its tail with an upside down triangle, a dot at the center of the triangle. Wings expanded around the serpent, a rather archaic design. That was not out of the ordinary. Yet, the other cloth was foreign, he instantly realized that it wasn't cloth, but a rougher fabric, one belonging to a bandage. He also felt his brunette hair, realizing his hood must be off his head. He quickly sat up, regretting it as the pounding in his head intensified.

He groaned with pain, pushing harder against his head. A gentle voice then called out, "You really shouldn't have done that. You already are suffering from a minor concussion, any sudden movements might cause it to worsen."

Eh? He looked over, seeing a woman in a white dress with a blue nurse's cape over her torso. On the cape, there were two horizontal straps, keeping the cape completely closed. On her waist, she wore a belt with a satchel that draped over her left hip. She wore white gloves and white shoes. He then winced, looking at her face. She was certainly beautiful, and her face was calm and serene, her mahogany hair done in a bun, a nurse's cap sitting on the top of her head. Her brown eyes examined him lazily, and he hoped that she couldn't tell how intensely he was staring at her. She set something on the table beside his bed, a glass of water. Eli glanced at it, then noticed something strange. Her clothes were full of tears and calling her clothes white was generous. This game... this was one of the participants, wasn't it?

Eli closed his eyes, glancing away, "Ah... sorry. You must be a doctor, correct?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, my name is Emily Dyer. I am certainly sorry that you entered Otelus Mansion like this. Normally, the owner isn't this rough with introducing new participants, yet perhaps it was to make sure you didn't run away."

Eli shrugged, wondering where Brooke was, "Ah, anyways. Nice to meet you, Ms. Dyer and oh, I am Eli Clark and um...." He looked around the room. Where could she be?

Emily smiled a little, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Clark. Ah, are you looking for that owl of yours? She is rather beautiful creature. What's her name?"

Eli sighed, "Brooke... " He hesitated, wondering if her full name would... interest the Doctor. Yet, in the end, he stated, "Brooke Rose. If... you know where she is, can you bring her to me? Ah... she must be worried about me..."

Emily smiled, "Yes, she was flying around the manor. Anyways, if you need to rest up, please do. I will call you when dinner is ready. Then, you can meet the others." She then nodded, leaving the infirmary. Then she stopped and turned around, that small smile still on her face, "Welcome to Otelus Manor, Mister Clark."

~~~~

Brooke, in around 15 minutes, came back to Eli's side, excitedly shuffling around the infirmary. The Seer looked at the ceiling, his thoughts buzzing around his head. Well, he was inside the manor now; at this point, he couldn't escape from his fate. He was about to play some game, the specifics were watered down, yet he couldn't help but feel... nervous. Why did... he want Eli to risk his life like this? Annoyed, he sat up again, this time the vertigo wasn't as bad. He grabbed the glass of water Emily set aside, taking small sips. He placed it back on the table, shaking his head. He really got himself into a mess this time, hadn't he. Brooke reacted to his agitation, landing on his right shoulder and burrowing her face into his neck.

Smiling, he pet her head, "Well, I guess this could be worse? At least we have a roof over our head, food and well... something tells me I should have brought a change of clothes." He glanced at his navy robes, realizing they would soon be in the same condition as Emily's.

Brooke cooed to this statement, flying off of Eli's shoulder and looping around the room a few times. An easy smile came on his face, soaking in the tranquility of this scene. Yet, suddenly, it all changed. He heard loud knocking and jumped out of his skin. Brooke screeched, landing on the table next to his bed, knocking the glass onto the floor. The glass shattered, smashing into a thousand pieces.

Eli cursed under his breath, "Damn it." He then looked up at the individual who just... let themselves in, "Ah... have you heard of privacy? I value it quite a bit." He narrowed his eyes, finally looking to see who entered.

A lithe and young male laughed at his comment, also sporting a hood similar to Eli's, except his was a darker green. His narrow, brilliant blue eyes sparked with mischief, arrogance, yet something colder and darker seemed to gleam beyond that facade. Although his expression was neutral, the corners of his mouth were upturned a bit, yet it was hard to tell due to the two small bandages on either side of his mouth. His brown hair was done in an incredibly messy ponytail, some strands of his hair danced across his forehead. He wore a black, long sleeved t-shirt, the color stripped with white, the sleeves a darker gray, striped down both of his sleeves. He wore fingerless gloves, ripped jeans and combat boots. Eli instantly assumed the young man served some time in the military because a silver dog tag was around his neck. Brushing a hand through his hair, the male sighed, "Well, someone has to tell you that dinner is ready. Besides, I think it was your owl that broke that glass, not me."

Eli frowned, "Well, you did startle us both."

The individual narrowed his eyes even more, "How else was I- you know what, I'm not going to argue with you. Anyways, the best meal of your life is ready. I wouldn't dally around here, wouldn't want you to miss out on your first meal here."

Well, this conversation got off the wrong foot. Eli decided to backtrack a little, "Ah, sorry about that. I will be there as soon as possible."

The male smiled, "Great, glad to hear that. See you downstairs." He began to leave the room. Wait a second!

Eli heard himself shout, "Wait!"

The male turned around, "What is it, Blindfold?"

Eli frowned, well... that's wonderful. "Ah... I haven't introduced myself yet."

The retired veteran rolled his eyes, "I was hoping you would do that later. In the dining hall."

The seer sighed, "Well... my name is Eli... Eli Clark. And my owl's name is Brooke Rose... And I uh..." This was awkward.

The male thinned his lips, "Okay... nice to meet you, Clark." He turned around again, then said over his shoulder, "I'm Naib Subedar. Don't try to argue with me and I'm sure we'll get along." Naib then left, causing Eli to put his head in his hands.

What a disaster of a first meeting. Well, he should be careful around the rest of this group, hopefully Naib isn't telling the others what a sad sack of garbage their newest member was. Standing up fully, he closed his eyes, put on his hood and made his way out the infirmary and into the new world he was forced to explore. 

--

Hello! I can't do anything too fancy since I'm writing this on my phone but I'm glad that I'm getting a response for this story! It's really encouraging to see people commenting and already excited after the first chapter. Anyways, Naib and Emily have been introduced and hopefully after next chapter, the exposition can stop and the real plot can begin. Trust me I have things planned out! Anyways, next chapter, loads of characters and my own take on the mansion will be introduced! Stay safe and healthy! 

(Also, their personalities are how I think they would act so I'm not sure if they are in character, but I'm trying!)

--Ecto