Topic: No Justice for the Damned

Blood Sister

Date: 2017-01-23 18:58 EST
No Justice for the Damned

~~~

"Pain nourishes your courage." ― Mary Tyler Moore

~~~

Rhydin. Dragon's Gate District. Tolmay Residence. January 2nd, 2017.

"Will it be ok?"

The words Lydia had spoken echoed in her mind as she sat on the couch in her reading room of her modest home along the northern wall of the Dragon's Gate District. When she first purchased the home roughly two and a half years ago, it was a way for her to escape the administrative policies and red-tape that went with being the Headmistress of The Academy of Bristle Crios. As a result of her actions during a protest that left several people on the grounds injured and killed, she had been prohibited from returning to the school. After three weeks, the home that was once her escape felt like a prison. She was set to return to her duties the next day with the understanding that she would be monitored until a formal investigation would be held to confirm or rule out her innocence.

With legs folded underneath her and an open book sitting on her lap, Lydia's eyes had wandered outside the window. The quiet night was interrupted by her sister's taunting voice.

"Little schoolmarm stuck at home because none of her students want her anymore?"

Lydia looked up, trying to put on a brave face, all while knowing her sister would be able to see through it. "I was wondering when you would come to rub my face in this. I guess you've seen the newspaper article."

Leta joined her twin on the couch and said, easing off her biting tone, "And the response letters."

"What response letters?" Lydia said, quickly sitting up on the edge of her seat.

"I left them in your book for you," Leta said while motioning to the book that had fallen to Lydia's side.

Lydia eagerly picked up the book once more and leafed through its pages until she found the copies, quickly beginning to skim through them. "What' The parents are taking their kids out of the school because they don't view it as safe anymore. Oh my gosh?"

"Yes, but look at all the nice things they said about you," Leta said with some sympathy. She then added sarcastically, "Though I have no idea why they would defend you. They wouldn't if they knew what you were. Talk about student safety concerns when their principle is a vampi-"

"Don't you dare!? Lydia snapped back before Leta could finish.

Leta stayed silent when she saw the tears welling in her sister's eyes. She'd give her that one. After all, they were vampires because of her.

Blood Sister

Date: 2017-01-23 18:59 EST
The identical twins had always shared a unique bond. It was nothing special, but it was special enough to them. They simply had that uncanny knack of knowing when something was wrong with the other. But, one night when Leta was offered the gift of eternity through vampirism, she gladly accepted, never knowing that her sister would instantly share the same fate as a result of her actions. From that moment on, whatever happened to one, happened to both. They shared the same wounds, same scars, and the same supernatural and even magical abilities.

After she allowed Lydia a few moments to read through the letters, Leta said in an attempt to lighten the mood, "Look, it's not that bad, ok?"

"She's right," Lydia said, ignoring her sister and reading one of the letters from the parents. "The parents had to learn about it weeks later in this news release. If I was still in charge, you know I would have sent out letters?" About two years ago, there was a similar safety incident, though that was as a result of an alchemy experiment gone wrong. After the incident, Lydia kept constant communication open with the students, parents, work crews, staff, and anyone else that she thought to include on her mailing list. Lydia continued, "If the parents are taking their children out of the school, they're not going to able to continue their studies?"

Leta shook her head and scoffed. "You're potentially connected to the deaths of, like, how many people, and you're concern is whether or not the kids get to graduate?"

"I'm not worried about me?" Lydia said in defeat, randomly slipping the copies back into the book.

"That's a lie," Leta said, holding back a laugh. "You have no idea what to do with yourself if you're not teaching. It's your entire world. You work on stuff for those kids on your off days. It's like those kids are your own children. It's sickening."

Lydia didn't look up. "That's" probably true," she said with an added sadness.

Leta kept quiet. She was usually eager to tear her sister down, but she didn't intend to go down this particular path, especially now. She knew Lydia always wanted a child, but ever since she caused them to become members of the undead, she cursed Lydia to never be able to give birth. She quietly sighed, knowing that wasn't even the worst thing she had done to her loved one.

After some silence, Lydia finally spoke. "I don't know what to do, Leta.?

Blood Sister

Date: 2017-01-23 19:02 EST
"I've been trying to figure out what went wrong that day, Lydi," Leta said without her normal sarcasm. "I need you to tell me exactly what you saw that day out of the ordinary."

Lydia put the book on the coffee table in front of her and her twin. "One of the security guards informed me that there were protests going on. I was afraid it was because" because of what I am. I thought maybe someone had found out and everyone was upset and going to?" She paused, knowing that her fear that the parents might pull their kids out of classes and that she would be banished from the Academy ultimately came true.

"But then what did you do?" Leta asked, trying to get her sister back on track. "Is that when you went to Mage Hall?"

"No, I went back to my office so I could work with Rebecca to set up the security protocols. But when I got back, she wasn't there."

"Would she have been?" Leta asked.

"Oh, yes," Lydia said with certainty. "Firstly, she never takes a break at that hour and, secondly, I'm sure she would have also been informed of the protests and would have promptly returned to the office just as I had, no matter where she was."

Leta got up from the couch and began pacing around the room. "Ok, so then what did you do?"

"I heard screaming from outside of Mage Hall. I was afraid the protestors were attacking the students, so I ran over to see what was going on."

"Of course you would have had to go through the building" with it being daylight?" Leta said more to herself.

Lydia continued, "I went though the first floor of Mage Hall until I found where the screaming was coming from. I looked outside and saw what looked like tiny seeds of flame falling down on the protestors. It looked like it was coming from the floors above me. I was so upset that someone in our staff or one of the students might be doing this, I began running upstairs, trying to find where it was coming from."

"And that's where they found you?" Leta asked rhetorically, glancing into a mirror on the wall so she could see her sister's reflection. "You do know how bad that looks, right' They find you unconscious on the top floor of Mage Hall, right where the burning bead things were coming from."

"I know?" Lydia gave a defeated sigh.

Blood Sister

Date: 2017-01-25 19:31 EST
"So what happened?" Leta asked as she returned to her pacing.

"I went up, but couldn't see anything, or anyone. I looked out the window and saw the onlookers being hit with these waves of what I can only guess was magic. After that, I don't remember. I think I was hit, but not physically' maybe with the magic."

Leta smiled as her sister talked about magic. She was far from a proper mage, but she was much more familiar with it than Lydia. She knew that Lydia was struck, she had felt it that day too, and she worried that it had done more damage than Lydia realized. "Do you feel any differently?"

"I don't think so?" Lydia paused to consider. "I have been having more vivid dreams though."

Leta turned away so her sister wouldn't be able to see her look of concern. Long ago, Leta had locked away some of Lydia's memories. It probably would have been ok, if she didn't continue to do so for decades. Through magic and other means, Leta had hidden large spans of memories away behind a wall she had formed in Lydia's mind. If Lydia was having vivid dreams, the wall might be breaking down and letting those memories begin to surface. Now she had two problems to deal with.

"There was one more thing?" Lydia said, breaking Leta's inner monologue. When she saw she had Leta's attention, she continued, "When I looked outside, among the protesters" Rebecca was there."

"As a protester?" Leta asked in surprise.

"I'm not sure but' at one point, when the magical beams were thrashing around, I saw her" laughing."

"Laughing?" Leta echoed.

"I don't know what to make of it," Lydia said, "I've been trying to understand if it was her, why she would do this" if it was to get back at me."

Leta was confused. Lydia always treated Rebecca with the utmost respect. Leta, on the other hand, would often manipulate Rebecca's mind to get her to do things on her behalf. "What do you mean?"

"I feel like she always blamed me for her husband's death during the kraken incident," Lydia said with remorse.

"Her husband?" Leta spoke as if something didn't sound quite right.

"Yes", Lydia reassured her, "I tried to speak with her about it once, not long after that night, but she denied even being married. I felt as though she was going through the denial stage and that was the only way she could cope.?

Blood Sister

Date: 2017-01-25 19:32 EST
"I didn't think Rebecca had a husband. I thought her whole world was her job." Leta said curiously.

"I know. She had never mentioned him. I assumed she wanted to keep her work life separate from her personal life." Lydia quickly added, "Wait. You knew she had a husband. It was you who told me that he died."

"What' When?" Leta said defensively, quickly coming over to sit on the couch with her sister.

"The night of the kraken incident. You came to my office at the Academy, and told me that Rebecca's husband died that day."

Leta looked into her sister's eyes and said seriously, "Lydia. I never spoke to you that night."

Lydia paused, trying to analyze what it was that she saw that night. Rebecca came in to her office to update her on security and report campus status. Leta came in and began harassing her on what had been the most detrimental day in her life. That was certainly something Leta would do. "Whoever " or whatever " it was looked just like you..." Lydia said, more to herself. Though, as many times as she suspected Leta lied to her, this was not one of them.

They both sat quietly for a moment, both working out the same suspicions in their head. Both incidents had one factor in common.

Leta finally broke the silence. "I need to see Rebecca."

Lydia immediately knew what Leta was planning. She could easily begin prying into Rebecca's mind to find out if there were any inconsistencies. Under normal circumstances, Lydia would never allow her to do such a thing to anyone, but she was in desperate times. "Give me a week or two to get settled in again." She would have members of the Board following her around closely in the beginning. Her chaperones would hopefully taper off as time went on.

"Alright," Leta agreed, accepting her twin's terms. "Look, you enjoy your last day of vacation," Leta said before turning away to leave.

"Leta?" Lydia said timidly. After Leta looked back, Lydia asked, hoping for reassurance, "Will it be ok?"

As much as she enjoyed being a nuisance, Leta didn't like lying to her sister. Without a word, she left.

Feeling just as uneasy as when they started, Lydia tucked her legs underneath her on the couch and opened her book. After reading a few sentences, Lydia's eyes had wandered outside the window.

The quiet night was interrupted by her sister's taunting voice.

"Little schoolmarm stuck at home because none of her students want her anymore?"

Blood Sister

Date: 2017-02-28 10:51 EST
The Broken Mind

~~~

"God will not damn a lunatic's soul. He knows that the powers of evil are too great for those of us with weak minds." ― Garrett Fort

~~~

Rhydin. Battlefield Park District. The Academy of Bristle Crios. Administration Building. January 20th, 2017.

It had been three weeks since Lydia was allowed back to the Academy to resume her duties as Headmistress. In the first week, there were at least two members of the Board following her at all times, checking over every form she signed, analyzing each change she made, undoubtedly trying to catch her being involved in the protest incident that started her misfortune.

Under normal circumstances, Lydia would have been able to endure it all, as long as she had Rebecca by her side. Not only had she handled everything the Academy needed for the past four and a half years, but she continued to earn Lydia's trust and appreciation time and time again. But after speaking with her twin, Lydia grew suspicious of the secretary she had entrusted her life and, even more importantly, the lives of her students.

Leta worked with Lydia to devise a plan. That night, Lydia would go to school and complete all of her administrative tasks as usual. By this time, her Board chaperones would only pop in and out to check up on her once or twice, just so they could report back to their superiors that they had done so. Especially with it being a Friday, they would understandably wish to complete their obligation early so they could go home to their families. After their last late evening check-in, Lydia would ask Rebecca to join her in her office to go over some students" files. Once in the office, Leta would use her abilities to break into Rebecca's mind, as she had done countless times before, hoping to determine the loyalty of Lydia's cherished secretary.

"Rebecca," Lydia called from her office into the intercom on her desk.

"Yes, Ms. Tolmay," Rebecca answered promptly.

"Can you come in here a moment' I need your help with this student's file."

"Of course, Ms. Tolmay,? Rebecca said kindly before getting up from her desk in the adjoining office. Opening the door, Rebecca came in to the Headmistress's office with a smile and sat down in the chair across from Lydia, only it was not Lydia.

Blood Sister

Date: 2017-02-28 10:52 EST
Leta sat in Lydia's executive chair and stared into Rebecca's eyes. "Ms. Mordoe, you will open your mind to me."

Rebecca's smile faded and her face became expressionless. "Yes, Seer," she responded, as if on cue.

"Rebecca?" Leta began as she stood up and walked around the desk until she stood in front of her thrall. She had blood bonded Rebecca to her years ago when she started working at the school, ensuring that she would always be able to command obedience over her sister's employee. It had made using her so much easier over the years. Leaning back and sitting on the desk, Leta continued, "I need you to remember the afternoon of December 13th last year. What happened that day?"

"That was the day of the Pro-Human Protest on campus," Rebecca answered stoically.

"Yes," Leta replied. "Tell me what you did prior to finding out about the protests."

"I was in my office, filing some waivers. There were quite a few that day. I stayed over approximately twenty minutes passed my shift. As I was leaving, I heard the commotion passed Mage Hall. Security was attempting to evacuate bystanders due to the protests, so I just continued on my way. I went home. I did not hear about the details about the protests until I got a call the next morning from the Board saying that school had been cancelled until further notice."

Lydia had entered and heard her secretary's response. She looked concerned. "Leta, I swear to you that she was outside of Mage Hall that day. I saw her with my own eyes."

Leta put up a hand to silence her twin. "I know, but she can not lie to me in this state." Leta continued to look at Rebecca and commanded, "Remember it. See it." Placing both hands over Rebecca's shoulders, Leta established a mental link with her and began to probe her memories of the day.

Leta could see her, just as she had said, filling out D5 waivers at her desk. Watching the clock, Leta witnessed as the time came when Rebecca should have gotten up and went towards Mage Hall. She continued on the forms, just as she had said. Leta fast-forwarded the image and, true to her word, Rebecca stayed twenty minutes beyond her shift and went home to her small studio apartment without an incident.

Blood Sister

Date: 2017-02-28 10:54 EST
"Well??" Lydia asked her impatiently.

"Lydi, I'm seeing what she saw, and everything she said is true," Leta said while maintaining her sight within Rebecca's mind. Knowing that her sister was about to speak up again, she added rhetorically, "Just give me a minute, ok?"

In Rebecca's mental image, Leta began to walk around her office, looking for anything out of place. "Lydi would be better at spotting something," she thought to herself. She decided to focus on Rebecca. Just as she was supposed to, Rebecca read over the waiver form to make sure it was fully completed, pulled out the student's chart, verified the contact information, put away the student's chart, and filed the waiver in the class file. She then moved on to the next waiver, reading over it to make sure it was completed, pulled out the student's chart, verified the contact information, put away the student's chart, and filed the waiver in the class file. By the time Rebecca did this about five or six times, Leta spotted something. Rebecca had pulled out the same student's chart. Leta watched closely this time as Rebecca filed the chart and waiver. When she picked up the next waiver form, Leta looked at the name. It was the same student's waiver. Over and over, Rebecca had been filing the same waiver as if her memory had been set on a loop recording.

"Something is definitely going on here," Leta said to her sister. While still in Rebecca's mind, Leta walked over to Rebecca and whispered simply, "Think back."

Quickly, Rebecca's memories began to shuffle backwards. Leta caught pieces of moments; filing in her office; answering students" questions; emailing parents about updates; sending out reports to the Board; home alone with a light meal before going to bed. After scrolling back a couple months, Leta began to see how the young woman's whole life was her job. She also began to feel sorry for the few moments of time that had been blacked out. Those were times she had requested certain things of Rebecca. She would often impersonate her sister to ask Rebecca to do certain things, but there had been a few times Leta needed Rebecca to do things that she needed her never to remember.

"Wait!" Leta said abruptly. "Stop." The scene instantly around her froze. "Where in the world"?" Leta asked herself.

Looking around Rebecca's mind, Leta witnessed Rebecca in the middle of shuffling through papers in someone's office. But she couldn't place where they were. It wasn't any office inside of the Academy.

"Show me this," Leta instructed Rebecca.

(ooc: continuation to follow soon)