Name: Isa Stewart
Age: 21
Race: Human
Appearance:

Name: Melanie Hendrickson
Age: 21
Race: Mostly human
App: http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s...es/leopard.jpg

Name: Kate Downing
Age: 24
Race: Human....yea, human.
Appearance: http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs51/f/20...en_by_VyrL.jpg
(without pointy ears)

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Kate rubbed her head with a groan as she slowly began to sit up. They hadn't needed to hit her, especially not so hard! After all, she was the empath, it would be easy for her to get them to believe.

Slowly she looked around at the others that were scattered about the clearing. There were at least half a dozen of them, three boys, three girls, just the way he liked them. Sometimes she wondered if he was trying to breed the perfect prey, the way he so liked to play match maker. But all of the others were beginning to stir, and this was not the time for such thoughts. Right now she had a role to play.

"Hey, the rest of you alright?" She asked as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, still rubbing her head. Was she bleeding?

Much like the rest of the group, Jasper slowly regained consciousness with a groan, shielding his eyes from the bright light that was shining down on his face. But as his memories finally began to catch up to him he instantly bolted up, looking around as he fell into a defensive position, eying those around him. However, none of them seemed threatening, instead looked just as worse for wear as he did.

The small, uncertain voice of a female sounded to his left and he looked at her briefly but didn't respond.

Isa woke up with a soft groan. Her head was throbbing hard enough that it hurt to open her eyes. She sat up carefully, not entirely sure whether or not she was going to collapse again. A quick, albeit very careful probe of her skull told her that she wasn't bleeding, but there would be a good-sized lump there for a while. Distantly, she told herself that nobody else would see it, if she didn't want them to. She could cover it easily enough. She glanced over when she heard one of the others ask if everyone was alright.

"I'm alive," she replied. She winced when the sound of her own voice briefly made her head throb a bit more.

Sebastian stirred when the others around him started to speak. The last thing he remembered was being knocked out... As the memories came back to him, he got to his feet and glanced around warily. There were five others, three of whom seemed to be awake already. He wasn't sure about the last two, and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to find out. He wasn't sure who any of them were or what they could do, and he didn't want to take the chance that one of them would attack him. He glanced over at the two women who had already woken up.

"I'll live," he said cautiously.

Melanie blinked a few times as she woke up, the bright light making her squint and blink some more. Damn, what the hell had she done this time? She felt like she'd drunk about half a bar and then gotten in a fight. Which might have been true.

Wouldn't be the first time, either.

Sitting up cautiously and repressing the pain to the best of her ability, she looked around cautiously at all the others. Two other females, three males. None of them seemed to know each other, and she certainly didn't know any of them. Good. They wouldn't have any expectations of her then.

She remained seated, pulling her legs to cross them in front of her, waiting for all the questions to start.

Zevran woke up silently, and instantly wished he hadn't. That was going to leave a bump for sure, whatever had hit him. He got to his feet, glancing around at the others and doing an automatic weapons check. He still had a knife on him, at least, and he couldn't see anything else on any of the others. Didn't mean they didn't have weapons, though. In fact, they probably dead.

Then the fact hit him: he'd been kidnapped. He, the great Zevran of the Crows, had been kidnapped. Instantly he puffed up, more indignant than scared.

"What the hell," he growled, his eyes narrowing and his accent lilting the words.

"Yea, I know exactly how you feel." She said to the man with the accent. It was an interesting one, not something she was familiar with. But how many years had it been since she had seen the outside world? She observed the rest of the group, watching as they slowly came around. No one seemed seriously hurt, that was good. Then again, he wouldn't threaten his hunt by putting one of them at a disadvantage.

"If no one is seriously hurt then we need to move. He won't give us long to recover before he starts the game." Kate said darkly as she stood, walking around the clearing to try and find anything that might have been left for them.

Jasper forced himself to relax. It was obvious by the similar bumps and bruises that all of them had that none of them had been the ones to do this. They were all in the same state of confusion, unsure of where they were or what, exactly, had happened.

Except, apparently, for one.

"What are you talking about? Do you know where we are?" He turned on her, growling, taking a dangerous step close to Kate. "If you know how we got here then it would be smart to speak now."

Isa knew better than to draw any more attention to herself. She was an illusionist, and illusions didn't work if people watched you build them. Still... She wanted to know what was going on. She kept her mouth shut and let everyone else do the talking. Chances were, someone would end up giving up the information she wanted.

Sebastian looked around at the rest of the group. Already, suspicions were growing, and there seemed to be a good reason. He looked over at the female who seemed to know what was going on.

"What are you talking about, a 'game?'" he asked. "Do you know how we got out here, or what we're here for?" He wanted as much information as possible. Maybe he could figure out how to escape and go back to his life.

Melanie stayed quiet, watching everyone else. A diverse group, apparently. No one knew each other, one of them knew what was going on, and everything was going to hell. Already.

At least she couldn't say her life was boring.

Zevran's eyes narrowed on the woman who apparently knew what was going on, but he didn't ask any more questions. The others were already asking those questions for him, so all he had to do was wait and see what she replied.

Kate frowned a little as a few of the company turned on her and she instinctively took a step back from them. "There is no way out." She said despairingly, her eyes full of fear. "If you're here then you must have a gift of some kind, something that makes you different. I'm an empath, I can influence the emotions of those around me, although I find that its more difficult to do with other gifted." Kate explained quickly, looking around as though she were ready to run at a moments notice.

"The man who owns this island, his name is Xavier. He's a hunter. I guess at one time he just hunted deer, but then it grew into wilder, more dangerous game like lions and wild bears. But then he grew bored with that too. That's when he started hunting people. Rumor is that he accidentally caught a gifted once and that was the first of his prey that ever got away. Now he scours the world looking for other talented humans like us so he can hunt them. The game is simple, if you can get to the other side of the island without him killing you, then you get to keep your life."

"And you know this because you have escaped before?" Jasper questioned. He was a little relieved to hear that he was not the only empath in the group, although he still wasn't sure how much he trusted her or anyone else in the group. But, if what as she said, then it seemed like trusting each other was the only way that they could survive.

"I'm Jasper. Also an empath. And if it is as you say, then the only way we are going to get out of here is by working together. I have some military training and don't particularly care about being some mad man's chew toy."

Well, that explained what they were doing there, but it didn't explain how the other woman knew what was going on. Something didn't seem right, but Isa just observed for the time being. Chances were good that someone else would ask the questions. She just had to be listening for the answers she wanted.

"How does he find gifted to hunt?" Sebastian asked. He didn't know about anyone else, but he was very nearly paranoid about pretending to be normal. He wanted to know how he was caught, and it was probably safe to assume the others wanted to know, too. At least some of them. "Better yet, how does he capture them? Last I remember, I was hit by something. I don't know about anyone else."

Melanie spoke up for the first time. "I know a person who can tell who's gifted and who's not. I guess you could say she's gifted herself, but he might be employing someone like her. Most people would rather live than have to fight for their lives in a game like this." She remained seated, still calm. It was logical, to her.

Zevran frowned. That made sense, he had to admit. "Alright. Even if that is how he found us, how did he get us here? Someone will notice we are missing." He had some friends, coworkers, people like that. They might just assume he'd failed a mission or was dead or something when he didn't come back, but he knew it wasn't the same for everyone.

Kate shrugged a little, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked around anxiously. She really didn't like standing in one place for this long. He wasn't going to grant them too much of a head start. "I never knew how he found me, or any of us. I just know that he did, somehow. He must track us for a while because he knew my habits, my routine. I tried to change it up after the last time but he still managed to find me...again." Her face grew dark as she spoke, her fist clenching in silent hate.

"All I know is that he is a powerful man. He has hands in many pockets and can easily get those in charge to look away. I'm guessing that's how he gets us here, how he keeps this island secret. With enough money you can easily become invisible."

The other empath can't help but feel the anxiety and fear that washes off Kate in waves. He is reminded of a caged animal, beaten into submission, and he can't help but feel sorry for her. He offers her waves of peace and calm in return, hoping that it will help for now.

"She has a point." Jasper says, knowing full well how corrupt the world is. "Besides, where I am from, the police wouldn't give a damn enough to start a search, so it really is a moot point. I think what matters is trying to get back to the lives that we have been ripped from."

With enough skill you could become invisible, too, but Isa wasn't about to say that aloud. Let them wonder about her gift for a while, it would keep them guessing if any of them decided to turn on her. It was a distinct possibility, too. Fighting for survival would drive anyone to any extreme, if it meant they lived.

"So what now?" she finally spoke up. It made her a bit nervous, drawing everyone's attention to herself, but it couldn't be helped.

Sebastian was a little surprised to hear her speak. She had been so quiet he'd almost been able to forget she was there. That wasn't good, he would have to be more attentive in the future. Still, she raised a good point.

"It might be a good idea to start moving," he said in general. "The longer we stay in one place, the more likely it is we get caught."

"I agree," Zevran said. "Moving would be our best bet right now. It will give us more time to plan." He frowned a little, looking at their motley crew. This certainly wasn't the best situation he'd been in, that was for sure.

"Anyone have any genius ideas which way to go or shall we close our eyes and point?" And if he sounded a little snarky, well, he couldn't help it. Kinda. Sorta. Okay, maybe he could, but he didn't feel like it.

Melanie snickered a little at Zevran. He was kind of amusing. Although the only reason she wasn't freaking out was because of years of training to remain calm. Her powers were usually triggered by her emotions, so her freaking out would end up with all of them getting burned. That usually didn't encourage camraderie.

Kate slowly relaxed, taking a deep breath. It took her a minute to realize that the calm wasn't her own and she looked over at the man who admitted he was an empath too. She gave him a thankful smile as the others began to suggest moving on. The snarky comment from the man with the accent made her roll her eyes but smile nonetheless.

"Shall we spin you around and head the way you point?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

Jasper looked to the sky, tracing the movement of the sun and its placement in the sky. The way the shadows stretched across the ground and their length, it told him the time and roughly their location. "Its shortly after noon, and we are most likely in the western area of the island. We should head that way." He said, pointing straight ahead.

Now they were getting somewhere... well, figuratively. Now that they had a tentative idea of where to go, Isa was anxious to get moving. The longer they stood there, the higher the chance that someone would catch them, and kill them. She had no idea if anyone in the group had any sort of potentially offensive gifts that would help if they got caught, but she certainly didn't.

Sebastian decided it was a very good thing this Jasper person had military training. Nobody else seemed to be all that helpful, anyways.

"We may as well go, now that we have a direction," he said when nobody made any move to leave. "I don't know about any of you, but I don't want my head mounted on a wall or anything like that."

Melanie glanced around t the others before she started walking. At least now they had an idea where they were headed. If the others went with her, fine. If not... Well, it was easier to protect yourself than a bunch of other people.

Zevran glanced over at Melanie. "I guess we're going," he said, rather amused. "So I do not think the spinning and pointing will be necessary. Unless, of course, you just wanted an excuse." He grinned at Kate.

Kate nodded her agreement with Sebastian's comment and slowly started to move as the others did. She laughed a little at Zevran, feeling herself relaxing more with his light conversation and help from the other empath around. "No, unless, of course, you just like being spun around." She replied with a smirk.

Jasper took the lead, since no one else seemed to want it. But if it meant getting them out of here then he would take it. He slowly began moving through the brush, tracking the movement in the sky as they walked. He looked back at the others to make sure they were able to keep up. His eyes fell on Isa and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Sebastian followed the rest of the group once they actually started moving. He made sure he wasn't at the front or the back, but stayed comfortably in the middle. That way, there were people between him and anyone who might stumble upon their little crew. It was easier to just worry about himself, for the moment.

Isa was surprised when one of the men addressed her. She was used to going unnoticed, but it seemed that the entire world was turning upside-down lately.

"Are any of us really alright while we're here?" she asked after a moment. It took her a moment to remember that he mentioned he was an empath, though she didn't volunteer any information about herself.

Zevran snickered at that. "I do not need excuses," he said. "Life is short; enjoy it while you can." He grinned at her, rather flirtatiously, but hey, he might as well make the best of his time there. Not like he really had anything better to do. They weren't being attacked, and they weren't going to stop any time soon, he'd wager.

Melanie stayed quiet, walking a little ahead of Sebastian. She didn't slouch while she walked, just stuck her hands in her pockets and tipped her head back to look up at the sky. It had been a while since she'd been out like this, without anyone watching her, guarding her. She was going to enjoy it while she could if it was the last bloody thing she ever did.

Kate returned his flirtacious smile. She was used to this game, it was how she was able to move without people noticing. People didn't ask questions if you gave them a pretty smile and batted your lashes at them. "Well if being spun around is your thing then I'm sure I can help you out whenever we stop moving."

Jasper chuckled darkly. "No, I suppose not. But the only way we are going to survive is if we are at the top of our game. We will have to learn to rely on each other."

Sebastian couldn't help but watch Melanie every once in a while as she walked. Something about the way she moved intrigued him. She seemed confident, even considering the situation. He liked that.

Looking down at his hands, he let a bit of lightning spark around his fingers for a moment to gauge his energy level. It was decent, but not where he would have liked it to be. It wasn't like he could get any more energy at the moment, either. He would have to figure something out.

Isa didn't trust any of them as far as she could throw them, but she didn't say that aloud. He was right, they had to rely on one another. They had no choice.

"Hopefully, we can get off this island alive," she said. It was about as neutral as she could get. She wasn't used to people actually talking to her. Fading into the background was much easier.

"I can think of things that would be much more fun," Zevran said, flirting shamelessly right back. Hey, he might as wel. Besides, he wasn't about to underestimate her. As the only person who had any idea what was going on, she could in no way be underestimated.

Melanie stayed quiet as she walked, continuing to glance around. She wasn't sure how they'd get off the island, but she was going to try her damnest.

And hopefully her parents wouldn't throw a shitfit as soon as she got out or they found out.

"Funny, so can I." Kate all but purred as they continued to trek through the forest. She moved as though they walked through a crowded club, not a dense wood. It was her default, her comfort zone. If she could act like normal, keep her confidence, keep them close, maybe she would finally be rid of this island!

Looking back at Zevran she flashed him her best smile. "So, you haven't told me your name."

Jasper could sense her unease and began sending her small waves of reassurance. It would not do to have them all frightened, especially of each other. This was the only way they were going to get off the island.

"Yes, hopefully." He agreed, trying to keep his voice neutral for her benefit.

Isa slowly calmed down, though a little voice in the back of her mind tried to tell her that she shouldn't be calm. She was in the middle of the woods on an isolated island surrounded by people who only might or might not be willing to help her escape. She should be hyperventilating by now, but somehow, she felt oddly calm.

Sebastian sped up a little to walk beside Melanie.

"This is going to seem redundant, but you seem a bit paranoid," he commented. It wasn't the smartest thing in the world to say, but it was the only thing he could think of to break the ice. He didn't care much what they talked about, as long as he could ignore the two flirting at the front of the group.