Trouble on the Horizon [dominic]

[Madeline Parker]

Large, hand drawn map of the entire school? Check. Notebook full of schemes and ideas? Check. Rat happily gnawing on the edge of the giant map. Che- wait, what?

Madeline Parker sat in the middle of the floor of the empty classroom, having moved stored boxes about so that she would have enough space. It was her favorite place to scheme up a good prank. Students rarely came into the abandoned classroom, especially when Dominic was with her. His particular power was quite handy for chasing others off. Speaking of Nic, he had better materialize soon. There was much work to be done before curfew fell. Maddie did not want to get caught being out past curfew a second time this month.

In the mean time, she was contenting herself by studying her map of the school. It never hurt to refresh her memory, and this next prank needed a prime location. Unfortunately, she'd brought her beloved pet rat with her. Domino was fancy rat, body white and head hooded grey. He was so named for the three grey spots that ran diagonally down his back.

Since he'd been cooped up in his cage for the last few days, Maddie had seen no harm in bringing him along. Normally he was well behaved, usually perched happily on her shoulder. Today, however, he seemed to want to chew up her meticulously hand crafted blueprints. Grumbling about inconsiderate pets, she scooped him up and held him at eye level. Blankly she stared into his own beady eyes, muttering a few disapproving words before placing him back on her shoulder. If he didn't stay put, she'd have to bring her back to her dorm.

[dom]

Nic strolled quietly through the empty halls, his feet not making a sound with each step. He had always wished that his invisibility power came with the ability of complete silence, but it was something he could live with. He always wore shoes with soft soles so they wouldn’t make as much noise and was careful not to drag his feet or stomp. The unseen teen stopped outside of the door of the abandoned classroom, and looked around him to make sure no one was around. When he was positive that the coast was clear, the door slid open, seemingly of its own accord, but Maddie always knew better.

The door closed without a sound and Nic quietly walked over to where the blonde was stationed and stopped a couple feet away before sitting down on the floor. Oh yea! She still can’t see me. A second later Nic suddenly became visible and was studying the map of the school Maddie had. Some of the restricted areas in the school building on the hand drawn map were discovered by Nic. During the weeks she spent drawing up the map, Nic would sneak out of his dorm at night and meet with Maddie in the abandoned classroom. Together they would head over to the restricted areas, and Maddie, with her ultimate lock-picking skills, would get him in. Undetectable by whatever surveillance the rooms had, Nic would then go in and survey the rooms and report to Maddie.

“So, what’s the plan?.” Nic broke the silence, eyeing Maddie’s rat as he asked the question. He never really had a problem with pet rats, but he wasn’t a fan of them either. But Nic was sure never to complain or diss the little creature, Nic knew that if it came down to him or the rat, Maddie would choose the rat. Nic turned his attention away from the rodent, then gazed at Maddie’s face. She was just so pretty and he couldn’t help but get lost in her blue eyes. He knew that she hated it when he’d stare at her like that, but there were times where it would just slip his mind.

[Madeline Parker]

The door clicking shut caused her to look up, and when she saw no one in the room she smiled. Good. He hadn't been followed. She didn't need to see him to know that Dominic was here. She was so used to his constant presence that she was one of few people on campus he was completely incapable of spooking. Of course, he knew better than to sneak up on her. He was a smart boy, one who would never go out of his way to incur her wrath.

When he finally materialized she was already back to staring at her map, one had absently reaching up to stroke the soft, delicate head of Domino. With the other she pointed to the grand staircase that lead up from the ground floor. While a good majority of the school preferred the elevators, just as many still used the stairs out of either fear, impatience, or the will to get some extra exercise. She shot Nic a grin, clearly pleased with what she was currently thinking.

"You see the two stair cases on the ground floor? This one," she slid her finger over it, "we are going to tie fishing line across the top of. And this one," her fingers ghosted to the second staircase, "will be freshly mopped and have a wet floor sign, forcing people to use the other. Simple, but effective." She turned her full attention to him now, trapping him in her piercing gaze as she waited for him to agree with her. Next step would be figuring out how to set it all up.

[dom]

Nic wasn’t surprised when Maddie jumped right into explaining her plan. He learned to listen intently the first time she explained things because she hated having to explain things to him twice. A pair of dark blue eyes followed her finger as it moved across the map and he nodded each time she explained something. Like she said, it was a simple but effective plan. The image of students tripping up and down the stairs as they tried to rush off to their next class brought a smile to the boy’s face.

His gaze lifted from the map to see Maddie staring straight at him, waiting for him to respond. “I like it. Do you think it would work best if we put the line down between first and second hour? We can ditch first hour or just sneak out early, then set up the line. That way when the dismissal bell rings everyone will be hurrying to their next class. And since the other stair case is closed, this one will be packed with people. I can just imagine a dog pile forming at the bottom of the staircase as people fall one after another.” It was amazing how something simple as fishing line could cause such mayhem if used for the wrong purposes but with just the right timing and planning.

Although this plan was exciting to Nic, he had a feeling that it wasn’t the “big” plan that Maddie was working on earlier in the cafeteria. He just couldn’t imagine her putting so much time and effort into something as simple as this. Maybe the fishing line on the stairs was something just to do in the meantime while she ironed out the next big prank. But Nic wasn’t completely sure if this was the case and was hesitant to ask, afraid of offending Maddie by suggesting that this plan wasn’t “big enough.” But the boy was just dying to know. His voice came soft and hinted at his hesitancy, “So uh… this wasn’t what you were working on earlier right? In the cafeteria before...” Nic decided that it would be best not to bring up the person who had upset Maddie earlier.

[Madeline Parker]

Dominic suggested cutting class and that, right there, was exactly why Maddie let him hang around. He wasn't afraid of consequences and shared her enjoyment for breaking rules. Instead of telling her it was a bad idea or trying to talk her out of it, he was suggesting ways to make it better. She would have patted him on the head and called him a good boy had he (of course) not put his foot in his mouth a moment later.

Any pride she'd just felt for him was squashed, her eyes rolling in exasperation. Leaning back, she plucked the rat from her shoulder and held him in her lap, gently petting the creature while shaking her head disapprovingly at the boy. Did he really think something so small and simple was worth wasting a perfectly good plate of fries? Of course not! What she had been planning in the cafeteria that day was far more extravagant. This little staircase thing was just to provide some amusement while she went about ironing out the finer details of what would surely make the school paper.

"Really Nicky, do you think so low of me? Don't be stupid. There's still plenty of time to finalize things for the ball." Hopefully he would catch her hint and realize that she did indeed have something major planned. It would soon be time for the annual Masquerade Ball; to pass up such a wonderful opportunity such as it would be downright unacceptable!

She then shifted gears and returned her thoughts to the current plan, smoothing out a wrinkle in the map. "Skip first block if you can. I'll need you to tie the line. I'll work my magic with one of the janitors to take care of the other staircase. Then, we enjoy the show." Maddie had restored her smirk, quite pleased with herself and her plan. The images of what would ultimately happen danced in her head and she couldn't wait to see it in action. It may just even trump the reaction she'd gotten out of her roommate the day she'd dropped that bucket of water on her head. Ah, the joys if simplicity.

[dom]

For a fleeting moment, Nic thought he saw the glint of approval in Maddie’s eyes as he suggested skipping first period for set up. Nic kept a nonchalant exterior, but internally he was beaming, proud that his suggestion wasn’t immediately shot down by Maddie. Finally I’ve said something right! His moment of victory was shattered when he caught the so very familiar look of exasperation and impatience on Maddie’s face as she began to shake her head.

When the older girl hinted that her next big scheme would take place at the ball, Nic’s dark blue eyes lit up with interest. Events like that never held Nic’s interest and he wasn’t even aware that the school was having one up until earlier that day when he heard some girls in the halls talking about it. A small smirk formed on Nic’s face as he thought of the possibilities and wondered what Maddie had up her sleeve. But he didn’t want to press her any more on the issue than he already did in recent days. When she wants you to know she’ll tell you.

Nic nodded when Maddie laid out his tasks for him. Cutting class and tying the line would be a piece of cake for Nic. The boy hardly ever attended first period just because he usually couldn’t wake up in time for it. And the halls would be empty since everyone would be in class. But he’d remain invisible just in case a professor happened to be out in the halls. It had just occurred to Nic that he didn’t quite catch what day they would be doing this. “Oh yea, when are doing it? A Monday morning would be fun because everyone’s just going to be tired and sluggish. But then again, everyone loves Fridays. It’d be a great way to ruin the day everyone looks forward to,” Nic mused aloud, liking the idea of spoiling everyone’s start to the weekend.

[Madeline Parker]

Damn it! Why did Nic have to come up with a minor detail she'd managed to overlook? Normally Maddie had everything planned out right down to the last millisecond. But, this was one of those more whimsical, last minute ideas she wanted to put into action as soon as possible. So maybe not all of the kinks had been ironed out yet... That didn't mean Nic had the right to go pointing this out to her.

So she remained silent for slightly longer than usual when it came to answering one of his questions. The girl was used to having an answer for everything; not having one had caused her eyes to narrow. Mentally she was doing some quick calculations, weighing the different opportunities. A Monday prank would probably have a grumpier outcome than a Friday one in the long run, and considering she had something big planned for the ball she was beginning to think a slightly happier outcome would be better. Friday, while tumbling down the stairs would surly piss off most of student body, would have them get over it much faster considering they had weekend plans to think about.

"Friday. We'll do it Friday." Her head nodded along with her words, as if confirming with herself that this was the final decision. She ran a few more calculations through her mind, making sure there wasn't anything else she could be caught off guard with. Then she fixed sharp eyes on Dominic, questioning him before the words left her mouth. "Any other questions?" There was a note of finality in her voice that signaled the end of the discussion provided he didn't have any other stupid (albeit potentially useful) comments to make. She had a class in half an hour and didn't make it a habit to show up late.

[dom]

Nic waited in nervous silence as Maddie took her time to answer his question, his deep blue gaze avoiding the piercing look in her eyes. Again, he had messed up. Dang it! Gotta quit asking so many questions, I must look like such an idiot. Maddie was probably just about to tell me that anyways, why can’t I just keep my mouth shut? When the older teen decided on Friday, Nic nodded his head and added, ”Friday, got it!” Nic had to make sure that he didn’t sleep in on that day, as he often did, and miss the opportunity to tie the fishing line. He’d have to set several alarms and maybe even beg his roommate to drag him out of bed early.

The sharp tone of Maddie’s voice had Nic attentive once again and he immediately shook his head in response before quietly muttering, “No, that was it.” Actually, that was a total lie. Now that Maddie had mentioned the ball, Nic began to wonder if someone had asked to accompany her. The idea of her going with some other guy and him not knowing was beginning to grate on Nic’s mind. The boy knew that it was absolutely out of the question for him to ask her to go with him, but if he couldn’t take her, then he’d rather no other boy have that honor.

The teen sat in silence, awaiting further instruction or dismissal from Maddie as he fiddled with the laces of his shoes and pondered what he’d do after this little meeting was over. I could go raid the kitchen before lunch starts and take the loot to my room. Oh but then I’d have to skip third period again, I’ve skipped that one twice this week and Professor Wilson has already threatened to tell the Headmistress. So I’ll go to all of my classes then raid the kitchen before dinner. Nic was somewhat satisfied with his plan for the day, but was sour about the fact that he would actually be attending all of his classes today.

[Madeline Parker]

He answered in the negative and Maddie's smile softened into something a bit less intimidating and a bit more human. The expression on her face said "good" though all she did to acknowledge this was a slight nod of her head. The less questions she had to answer, the better. She did not generally like it when people tried to wheedle information out of her.

She then busied herself with gathering her things. The large map was carefully folded along the pre-establised creases so as not to add any extra wrinkles. Papers and writing utensils were swept into various compartments of her bag, their organization a bit more ordered than that of most people her age. Then she reached up to her shoulder and gently took Domino into her hands, her blue eyes scrutinizing him for a moment. Content that he seemed fine, she got to her feet, swung her bag over one shoulder, and replaced her beloved rat on the other.

Maddie paused, her hand on the doorknob as she turned to glance at Nic before leaving. "Friday morning, first period. Don't forget." There was a hint of warning in her voice that softened slightly as she said goodbye. "I've got class. See you around, Niccy." And with a mischievous smile that meant word of their plans were to not leave this room, she turned back and slipped out the door, the muffled sound of her shoes the only sound in the currently empty corridor.

[dom]

Nic nodded his head firmly when Maddie told him once again the day and time they would be pulling off the next prank. “Got it.” He waved his goodbye as she headed out the door and let out a drawn out sigh as he placed his hands on his head and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m really not in the mood for class today. I think I should skip, really. It’d be better for me, better for the class, and better for my professors.” In this way, the teen ended up talking himself into taking the day off from classes, as he did several times already since the start of the new year.

Well now that that’s settled, off to the kitchen! Nic disappeared as he headed towards the door and he quietly slid into the corridor when he was sure no one was around, and shut the door behind him. As he went down a flight of stairs, he began to plan out his kitchen raid. First make sure the cooks don’t see the door “open on its own”, they’ll know it’s me and that’ll just mean trouble later. I’ll hit the fridge when no one is looking and quickly take all that I can get and dip out before someone sees a pile of food floating in the air. Satisfied with his simple plan, Nic hummed a tune as he continued to make his way to the kitchen.

OOC: Gah, crappy post. But, END THREAD