These are a few of my favorite things!

Derac's Favorite Things

1. His Sword
2. Kinir
3. The Kinir Elite
4. Dragons
5. Camping
6. Training
7. Missions
8. His family (parts of it...)
9. Taking over Anastasia's body so he can communicate with other people through the internet!
10. Training


Tyn's Favorite Things

1. Any bladed weapon
2. His faith
3. Praying
4. Women (more specifically A woman)
5. Any bladed weapon
6. Laughing
7. Praying
8. The Kinir Elite
9. Kinir
10. Healing/Medicine (as in learning about it)

Kie's Favorite Things

1. Training
2. The archery range at elite headquarters
3. The Kinir Elite
4. Her uniform
5. Camping
6. Warm baths
7. Kinir
8. Training
9. Missions
10. Training

Aeli's Favorite Things

1. Her hair brush
2. Brushing her hair
3. Dresses
4. Attending Grand Balls
5. Dancing
6. Good looking males
7. Saving innocent people
8. Solving puzzles
9. Kinir (the open plains and bright skies)
10. The Kinir Elite

Jardel's Favorite Things

1. The Kinir Elite
2. His dress uniform
3. Women/Females
4. Weapons
5. Fighting
6. Women/Females
7. Children who think he's an angel
8. Women/Females
9. Good food
10. Women/Females

Rakan's Favorite Things

1. Silence.
2. Quiet.
3. Silence.
4. Camping.
5. Silence.
6. His mace.
7. Silence.
8. His dagger.
9. Silence.
10. No sound.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Mianna dances around the terrace and onto the lush grounds.  She tilts a handwritten page between her hands as if it is her partner.  Cole smiles and steps behind her, peering over her shoulder.  He wraps his arms around her waist.  “What are you doing?”

She scrunches her shoulders and leans into him.  “It’s beautiful out here and I wanted to be inspired.  I rarely get to do guest posts and I’m just so thrilled that Charlene chose me for this one.”

“I see.  So, what have you written so far?”

She reads from the paper.  “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.”

Cole nods.  “Okay.”

“Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.”

He looks to the side.  “Um...”

“Brown paper packages tied up with strings.”  She glances up at him.  “These are a few of my favorite things.”

“Mianna…”

She holds up a finger.  “Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes.  Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes.”  She lifts her arms and turns to face him, setting them on his shoulders.  “Silver white winters that melt into springs…”

“I know.  These are a few of your favorite things.”

She blushes and leans her head to the side with a cherubic smile.  “How did you know?”

“It’s a song on Cornerstone Summit.  Mianna, my love, you were supposed to write about your favorite things.”

“But these are perfect.  And they are my favorite things.  Or some of them.  And Charlene has been humming this song ever since she read the post topic.”  She begins to sway to the music in her mind.

An adoring smile spreads across Cole's face.  As he raises a hand at the woodland, birdsong fills air.  He takes her hand and leads her to the belvedere. 

Vincent and James watch as Cole and Mianna enter the ornate gazebo and begin to dance to the melody.  Vincent folds his arms and shakes his head.  “Only Cole and Mianna could get away with waltzing to a song from The Sound of Music.  In a blog post.  Without it coming across as cheesy.”

.

10 Things and a Chat with Jalmari

The computer screen casts a dim glow on J.D.'s head. Her face is just visible under the pile of post-it notes. Deep, slow breaths claim the air as a trickle of saliva runs across the wood and dampens the ends of her hair. Jalmari phases into the room and glances at J.D. A sigh ensues before he phases back into the hall, then barges in, banging the door against the wall.

J.D. jolts upright then glances around the room in confusion for a few moments before she realizes she has company. "Oh, hey, Jalmari. Can I help you?"

"Yes. We need to talk."

JD puzzles the damp knot of hair stuck to the side of her face and goes to work trying to brush it out with her fingers. "You guys have a post due for the Character Cafe, don't forget."

Jalmari frowns. "Have one of the others do it."

A coy smile inches across J.D.'s face. "You're already here. The topic is '10 Favorite Things'." She waves at the computer while standing, then disappears into the adjacent bathroom. She enters the room again in an instant with a hairbrush and makes a constipated-looking face as she forces the brush through the snarled hair.

"If I do the post, can we talk about something serious?"

"Mm? Yeah, sure."

Jalmari narrows his eyes, giving J.D. his "I-mean-business look", but J.D. is oblivious and continues to work on her hair. With a sigh, he seats himself at her desk and types.

10 Favorite Things
by Jalmari ta Korento

1. Blood
2. Sex
3. Flying
4. Speed
5. Being the leader of my clan
6. Having an author around to write my biography
7. Which
8. She

9. Is not
10. Doing.

Jalmari hits "save" then leans back in the chair. "Blog post complete."

J.D. frowns, sets down the brush despite several locks of hair still being stuck together in one gooey chunk, and goes to look over Jalmari's shoulder. "Hey, you wrote that in chapter four of my WIP!"

"At least you have something in chapter four now."

J.D. narrows her eyes at Jalmari. "Let me guess, this 'serious talk' you want to have is about me not working on Dark Liaison, isn't it?"

Jalmari pivots the chair to face J.D. and crosses his arms. "Yes."

J.D. rolls her eyes. "Well it's not my fault! Jesu and Ema don't delegate the story like you do, and D.L. doesn't focus on you as much as the first book did, so you're S.O.L."

"But the third book does focus on me. I want that third book, J.D." Jalmari points a finger at a picture frame hanging in the center of the far wall. "You got that contract you so desperately wanted. You have a deadline now."

J.D. groans. "I know, I know."

"You made a commitment to yourself and to everyone, just like I made a commitment to my clan."

J.D. inhales a sharp breath and opens her mouth to speak--

"Do not even think about getting on the subject of the Council and me going A.W.O.L," he warns. "That is a completely different and justified condition."

J.D. exhales. "Oh sure, completely justified." She rolls her eyes.

"I'm going to send my brother and the girl in now. I expect to see some progress before you retire for the night."

A dead-pan stare crosses J.D.'s face then turns into a pout. "Fine, but have Ema make me a cup of coffee first. She's the only one that remembers not to mix blood into my drinks."

Jalmari nods then leaves the room. J.D. quickly shuts the door then flings herself onto the bed and buries under the blankets. A soft snore fills the room in no time.

Elijah Has A Secret

Noah enters a small coffee shop in Detroit. The door is unlocked but the sign says closed. No one is in the main room and most of the baked items have been put away. Finally, a young dark haired male enters the room from the back behind the counter.

"We're closed."

"I noticed. Are you Elijah?" Noah moves to a small table closest to the counter, picking a seat and settles in as he watches the man.

"Yes." Elijah tosses a rag on the counter, not stepping out from behind the counter. "Do I know you?"

Noah smiles. "Not yet. I'm Noah, from a different story. Dawn wanted me to come chat with you for this blog post."

"Oh right. Well, nice to meet you Noah." Joining him at the table, Elijah shakes his hand before sitting down. He looks a little uncomfortable and tired. "What are we supposed to talk about?"

"Something that happened before you died and became umm you know, what you are."

"Oh." He looks down at the table, his hands fold together underneath as if he is trying to hide the nervousness he feels over the topic.

Sensing the tension, Noah waits for a moment as he tries to come up with the best way to approach the topic he has been given. After some thought, he offers the question that seems least expected. "So... You're gay, right?"

Caught off guard, Elijah blinks and looks around the room to make sure they are alone before answering. "Yeah... why? Are you?"

"Of course. I mean, Dawn created us after all." He chuckles but the mood doesn't stay light for long as he brings out another question. "Does anyone else know you are?"

"Now? Yeah, they do. I kind of had to tell them after I almost slept with a guy I had just met. I had to confess to it." This got a slight smile from Elijah. It is short lived as he continues speaking, "before when I was alive, I did tell my parents. I was only 12 and probably should have waited because they responded even worse than the angels in the confession group."

Noah got up and went over to the one container of coffee that hasn't been put away yet. He fills two cups, bringing them back to the table with a few packs of sugar and hands a cup to Elijah. "Parents. I know the feeling. My mom didn't care but my dad was pissed when he actually found out."

"Thanks." He sips the coffee. "Both my parents were upset. They sent me to counselors, church officials and even considered sending me away to a place that claimed it could turn me straight."

"Sounds a bit harsh."

"And they were actually considering allowing electroshock treatment." Elijah pauses before trying to explain further. "Electroshock is when they..."

"I know what it is. I control electricity and have a degree in physics. What did you do?" He winced as he sipped the already cooling coffee.

Elijah looks away, absently stirring a spoon in the half drank cup of coffee. "I figured I was screwed anyways, so I did whatever and whoever I wanted. Finally, when I was fourteen I got tired of the therapists and my parents constant trying to change me so I snuck away and went home with a guy."

Noah watched him intently, trying not to stare too much, as he listens.

"I was mad and just planned to have sex with him a few times, then I'd go back home but when we went to a bar after he let me use a fake ID, that changed. There was this really hot guy there that everyone seemed to want. No one thought I stood a chance so I took the challenge and tried to get him to sleep with me." Pausing, Elijah picks at a pack of sugar, pretending to read the label.

"Did you succeed?"

Elijah nods. "Yeah, though I would rather not say what I did to convince him. But eventually he had sex with me. I was tired after, so he let me sleep in one of the small side rooms they had. When I woke up, the door was locked and I couldn't get out."

"What do you mean? What happened?" He couldn't drink the coffee anymore and he couldn't look away either.

"It turned out the man I had convinced to use me ran a prostitution ring. They forced me to take part. I tried to escape but there were too many of them." Elijah doesn't look up at Noah. He is still playing with the sugar packet and eventually tears it open, spilling the sugar onto the table. "It was several months before the police raid and I finally saw my family again. I died a couple years later."

"Wow." Noah isn't sure what else to say. He hadn't quite expected the discussion to go to such a dark place. "Does anyone know about all this in your story?"

He shakes his head. "No. No one really knows. Well, one knows some of the details since he manages the group but other than that I haven't told anyone yet. It's not easy to talk about and most of them wouldn't understand. The others are having a hard enough time with the whole being gay part."

Moving his chair, Noah put his arm around Elijah. He rubs his back as Elijah rests his head on his shoulder. "Thanks for telling me. You've obviously been through a lot. But things are better now aren't they?"

"They are better. Thanks for listening."

The Vampires Make a Character

Jesu:  Is the post were we write J.D. as a character?

Ema:  Yeah, we're doing it now since last time we announced the news about our book instead.

Jalmari:  This topic is simple, J.D. would love to be a vampire.

Jesu:  I agree.

Ema:  *Nods* Defiantly.

Jalmari's lips curl into an impish grin:  The real question is which clan would she belong to?

Jesu returns his brother's grin and pulls out a large, leather book crammed with wrinkly yellow pages.

Ema rolls her eyes:  Not that thing again.

Jesu sits and props the book on his lap. He flips through the pages:  I think the Eretikan clan suits her.

Jalmari:  Interesting choice...yes, I can see her quite at home with the Eretikan.

Ema:  Ahem, some of us have no idea what you're talking about.

Jalmari:  You ought to study then.

Jesu: The Eretikan was a Russian clan of vampires. Small, timid creatures, but very deadly. They looked a little bit like large fairies, but with fangs instead of wings.

Ema:  Thank you for clearing that up.

Jalmari:  It's too bad they're extinct.

Jesu shurgs: J.D. has the ability to bring them back, you realize?

Jalmari makes a face: I hope she didn't hear that.

Ema:  If Jalmari thinks that would be a bad idea, then I definitely vote against it.

Jesu:  Relax, this is only for fun.

Jalmari:  I'm sure that little tyrant would be queen of the clan as well.

Ema gives Jalmari a look:  I don't know how she puts up with you.

Jalmari:  You know I'm right.

Jesu:  As much as I hate to admit, I do think J.D. would be the villain in any story. Most likely a seductress.

Ema:  Oh, you guys. I think J.D. would take a secondary job, like Maria, helping when she's needed.

Jalmari:  Hey, Jesu, do you think she would have violet eyes or silver?

Jesu:  Violet. It is her favorite color.

Ema snorts:  I'm sure she'd have both.

Jalmari:  Ahh, so you admit our author is a tyrant.

Ema:  No! I just know she likes both of those colors and well...she made my eyes black and red...so why can't hers be violet and silver?

Jesu:  Alright, so Eretikan vampire queen with violet and silver eyes and long, black hair...

Jalmari:  With a Napoleon  attitude...

Ema:  What is with you and the short jokes?

Jalmari snickers:  You just don't like it because she made you the same height - or lack of...

Ema:  Oh, you are so dead!

Jesu:  Can we focus please?

Jalmari:  Call it "Dark Tyrant Imp"!

Ema:  I'm leaving now.

Jesu shakes his head and chuckles.

J.D. walks into the room as Ema leaves. Ema:  Do not ask them about today's post.

J.D. smiles:  I'm just happy I finally found a topic you were all so eager to discuss.

What Adam thinks about Raye.

I've been here for hours, watching the young people outside of my window and tapping Mia's pen against the paper. As I stand, the sun fades and the street lights flicker on. They coat everything in this amber hue. If the kids playing Frisbee notice the shift in light, they do not acknowledge it. I say kids, I am almost entirely certain they are in their mid-twenties. But it's difficult to tell these days.

I tap the pen to the beat of a heart, who's I cannot say. All I know is that it is definitely not mine, it stopped years ago in favour of lying dormant.  I don't particularly blame it. Sometimes I wish I could follow is example. Living is tiring.

It's hard to say how long I stand, leaning against the windowsill and tapping, but it must be a substantial amount of time. It feels like moments ago that Mia left me here, to write my piece, and yet the door is already squeaking her arrival. I swivel to watch her unpack a bag onto the counter, trying not to mind that she seems to have purchased so many apples. There is such a thing as too many Granny Smith's. I wonder if she knows that.

"Finished yet?" She bundles the bag into a draw, slamming it shut. Years I have lived with her, and to this day I cannot fathom her system in the kitchen. "When you're done I have a fun thing for you to do."

"Fun?" I arch an eyebrow. Those are the exact words she described this task as.

"Yep." She smiles, drumming against the counter. I wonder that somebody so young can be so happy all of the time. Perhaps it is her heart I was tapping to. "Funner than fun actually, you will laugh so hard."

"What is the task?" I remove all inflection from the question, hoping she will note my lack of enthusiasm. She does not.

"You can't ask why, but after you're done you have to come outside with me and throw a Frisbee at somebody." She shrinks under my gaze. "Ok, fine, you can ask why. I need you to first steal a Frisbee from these guys outside and then throw it at them. I'm not, like, a revenge-y person normally but... ummm... well they nearly beheaded me."

"You're head seems fine," I say trying not to show my surprise. This is a task I might well enjoy, for once. It's not that I harbour any ill will against the boys outside but a task requiring both stealth and accuracy instead of contemplation sounds right up my street.

"I said nearly beheaded." Mia adjusts the mail pile, straightening it. "And it's only after you're done."

"I'm done now," I lie fluidly. She purses her lips, glancing at my hand and the notebook I clutch. I roll my eyes, motioning for her to lead the way. She does so reluctantly. And, as the door squeaks her departure I hastily pen the only thing I can think about the main character of Mia's zombie book before I follow Mia on a mission of semi-violent revenge. There are just three sentences:

I suppose, when it comes down to it, my main thoughts about Raye can be summed up in two questions. How does she always keep her hair so immaculate? And when will she return the book I loaned her?

Dominic Talks About Noah

Dominic takes over the computer as Dawn naps.

I'm late but it's because Dawn isn't feeling good. She has a cold and took some medicine. So, it's up to me to do this post. It's about the main character, Noah.

I have known him for a long time. We went to school together though at first we weren't friends, not even close. He spent all of his time hanging out with that other guy, Ty. They were always doing pranks and getting in trouble, even though Noah tried to be nice about anything they did. He was way nicer than Ty anyways but Ty has always been kind of a jerk.

I'm not sure exactly what happened but one prank went wrong and Noah changed. He stopped hanging out with Ty and even quite using his powers for fun. In fact, now that I think about it, that was when his tests stalled. He was marked as having the most potential of all the mutants at the school, though now all were mutants, just a majority. Noah was predicted to be one of the strongest they had ever seen but he hasn't reached that potential, though I think he's faking that he can't do more. After Ty left because he wouldn't follow the rules things changed more. I started talking to Noah a bit more since I never liked Ty and eventually we became friends.

Then, well... then my parents died. I had no one and Noah was there for me. His family let me stay at their house though his dad never liked me. I think he didn't like that I was sleeping in the same room as his son. He always suspected I might be gay, though he seemed not to notice his son was definitely gay too. And then they did something I didn't expect and I'm sure Noah had a lot to do with it. They bought a place for me to live.

Noah lives there with me, for now. I guess what I'm trying to say is Noah is complex. He has these amazing abilities that he keeps hidden, very little ego and an amazing amount of kindness. He truly cares and never acts fake about anything. I don't know what I would have done with him.

If I Could Write Charlene Into A Book...

Elaina and Vincent sneak into Charlene’s office and quietly close the door behind them.  Vincent sits down at the computer and logs on.

Elaina:  *whispers*  Hurry, hurry, Vince.  They’ll be here any minute.

Vincent:  *waves his hand at the door and an opalescent sheen covers it and the latch locks*  Eko Silyst.  *the air thickenes*

Elaina:  *squinches her cheek*  Do you really think locking and blocking the door will stop them?  *scowls and wiggles her finger in her ear as her words flattened*

Vincent:  You don’t have to whisper.  Eko Silyst is a silencing spell.  And no.  It won’t stop them, but it will buy us a little time.  Now…

Elaina:  *rushes to look over his shoulder*

Vincent:  *types*  The Meridian Maiden.

Elaina:  Charlene’s not from Meridian.

Vincent:  The topic is:  “If you could write your author into a book it would be called … and she would be a …”  *holds up a hand to accentuate the “…”*

Elaina:  *folds her arms*  Well then why not call it The Princess of Shilo City?

Vincent:  *smiles a toothy smile*  Because, I’m at the computer. 

The door knob rattles, the latch unlocks, the opalescent sheen fades, and the silencing spell breaks.  James leads Cole into the office.

Vincent:  *grimaces*  I forgot about James and his multi-tasking.

Cole:  Nice try, Kid.

James:  *motions for Vincent to move*  I’ll take over here.  *takes seat as Vincent gets up*  *types*  Goddess of the Ethereal Plane.

Cole:  Wait.  *a sly grin curves his lips*  The topic didn’t say the book was going to be a real book.  Why don’t we have some fun with this?  *everyone looks at him and he reaches over James and types*  Token Toad of Toad Suck.

All eyes widen. 

Elaina:  Cole! 

Cole:  What?  Toad Suck is a small community near where she lives in Arkansas.  I could call it Banshee of Booger Hollow.

Elaina:  *covers her mouth and snickers*

Charlene:  *enters the office*  How’s it going, guys?

James quickly waves his hand in the air and Cole straightens, turning deep red. 

Cole:  Uh, duh, uh…well…

James:  Cole came up with the perfect title and character.  Why don’t you have a look.

Charlene:  Oh, Cole, you did?  That’s great.  *looks over James’s shoulder and reads*  The Lady of Cornerstone Summit.  Aww.  *hugs Cole*  That is so sweet.

Cole:  *looks at James with a “thanks for the save” look*  Anything for you, Charlene.

.

The Announcement

Ema, Jesu, Jalmari, Maria, and Naamah line up shoulder to shoulder. Each vampire has a big, goofy grin on their face.

J.D.:  Okay guys, ready? Maria, we'll start with you.

Maria beams and steps forward:  Darling readers, today we hope you forgive us for not following the assigned topic.

Naamah:  While we would love to poke fun at J.D., we have an exciting announcement to share instead.

Jesu:  Yesterday, our author, J.D., received word that Dark Heirloom has been accepted for publication and is now under contract with Muse It Up Publishing Inc.

Jalmari:  So please take a moment to extend your sincere congratulations to J.D. Brown.

Ema:  And know that by this time next year, Jalmari, Jesu, Naamah, Maria, and I will be available on e-readers everywhere! Congrats Jen, we all knew you could do it!

*All the vampires gather around J.D. for a group hug*

J.D.:  Aww, I love you guys. *sniffle*

Ephram's favorite places

Dawn enters the room carrying a tray of frosting covered chocolate chip and sugar cookies. Leaves for a minute and returns with a few sodas and a bottle of water. She sits in a chair, cookie in hand, waiting. Soon Ephram enters the room and stops when he sees the cookies.

Ephram: What are those for?

Dawn: You.

Ephram: *already has a cookie in his hands* Why?

Dawn: Just thought it would be nice. You go through a lot in the chapters I'm working on, so thought you might like a cookie. And you have to do this blog post anyways. You can share the cookies with anyone who comments on the post.

Ephram: Thanks. *bites into cookie, crumbs falling on his shirt* What do I have to talk about this time?

Dawn: Your favorite place to spend your free time. That means, no homework or anything like that. Where do you like to be when you are relaxing or having fun?

Ephram: Oh. I don't know. 

Dawn: I am sure you an come up with something. Where do you like to be when you are alone? Where do you like to be with friends, like Isaac?

Ephram: Alone? I spend all my time in my bedroom, out of the way since my parents don't like me around. It's easier that way and I can spend time working on computers or reading. It's not very fun.

Dawn: Where do you have fun then?

Ephram: Well, I liked those times at the park. Playing on the swings. He was so crazy, swinging on his stomach like he was flying. I wish I could have done that too but it made me nervous. Or he would hang upside down on the slide. Isaac is just crazy and fun. Kind of wish I was more like him. 

Dawn: You are fun in your own way. And you've been stuck alone a lot, once you get out things will get better.

Ephram: If you say so. Are we done?

Dawn: Yeah, this is fine. And yes, you can have another cookie.

Ephram smiles as he takes a cookie.