Full name: Nevara Bloom

Nicknames: Nev

Age: 16

Element: Spirit

Looks

Skin tone/colour: Pale

Hair: Ashy blond

Eyes: black

Height: 165

Type of body-build: tall build and skinny

Fashion style: alternative, dark whimsical, whispy, elegant, unusually black and purple.

Personally

Trats: empathetic, sweet, compassionate, creative, ambitious, forgiving, kind, stubborn, sarcastic, peranoid.

Logical or Intuitive: a little of both

Intro/Extro/Ambiverted: ambiverted

Inteligent: Emotional

Backstory:

She was always neglected by her parents. They wanted her to always have high grades, but when she didn't meet their expectations, they would yell at her or hit her.

Her twin brother, Emrys, is the opposite. He always had the highest grades but that wasn't enough for their parents.

Full Name: Vanya Feywind

Nicknames: Van, Vany

Age: 17

Element: Air

Looks

Skin tone/colour: Black

Hair: Curly black, afro

Eyes: brown

Type of body-build: tall build and curvy

Piercings: septum

Moles: one on the right cheek

Fashion style: Bad girl/ rockstar gf

Personality

Trats: outgoing, funny, sarcastic, flirtatious, bold, popular, intimidating, confident, kinda spoiled, impulsive, competitive, talkative, charming, sometimes manipulative.

Logical or Intuitive: intuitive

Intro/Extro/Ambiverted: extroverted

Inteligent: people inteligent

Backstory

She's loud, always in the spotlight, and known for throwing the biggest parties in town. She's the girl who dances on tables and doesn't care what other people think.

Lirael

I’d just gotten a drink, finally something cold in my hand, something to hold onto in all that noise.

And then, out of nowhere, someone bumped into me, makeing me spill my drink.

“Hey!” I snapped, looking down at my dress, now soaked.

A boy with red roots stood in front of me, like he didn’t understand why that might be a problem. “The police are here!” he shouted over everything.

And just like that, I noticed it. The chaos. People running, shouting, pushing past each other like the whole place was collapsing.

“Oh my God. What are we doing?!” The words came out before I could stop them, fear creeping in under the excitement.

“Come!” He grabbed my hand and didn’t wait for an answer.

We pushed outside just as flashing lights cut through the dark, police cars pulling up right in front of the villa.

“Run!” he yelled. So I did.

I ran with him, into the forest, my hand still in his, the ground uneven beneath my feet. Branches scratched at my arms, my dress catching on everything it could.

“What if we get lost?!” I shouted, breathless.

“There’s an abandoned mansion somewhere in here, we can hide there!” he called back, not slowing down.

Of course there is.

We kept going like that for minutes, long enough for the noise behind us to fade, for the adrenaline to turn into something heavier, something that made my head pound.

And then the cold hit. My dress, still damp from the spilled drink, clung to me, the fabric cold against my skin.

“Great,” I muttered, hugging my arms around myself. “This was my favorite dress.”

He glanced at me, like he was assessing something.

“Then why would you wear it to a party like this?”

I shot him a look. “Because I wanted to look good?”

He didn’t even hesitate. “I think it looks better like this.”

I stopped just long enough to shove him, walking ahead of him now.

“Okay, okay sorry,” he laughed, catching up easily. Then, after a second, he pulled off his patched letter jacket and held it out to me. “Here.”

I hesitated for half a second.

It wasn’t my style. Not even close.

But I was freezing.

“Thanks…” I muttered, taking it anyway, slipping it on and zipping it up. It was warm. Way too big. It smelled faintly like smoke and something sharper.

“Drystan” he said.

I froze for a second, turning to look at him.

“Like… the one from the band?” I asked slowly, the name clicking into place.

He gave me a look, half amused, half oh no.

“Oh..!” My hands flew to my mouth. “No way.”

“Yes way,” he said, and somehow he sounded almost… disappointed.

Like he would’ve preferred I didn’t know.

“And you are?” he asked.

“Lirael.”

He tilted his head slightly. “How do you even spell that?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Yours is not better.”

“It is better,” he shot back instantly.

“It’s really not.” I shook my head.

“We’re almost there,” he said after a short silence.

His words made me look ahead. Through the trees, something began to take shape.

Nevera

The door creaked open like it was protesting.

The sound echoed through the empty building, sharp. I winced slightly as I stepped inside, the air colder than outside, heavier somehow.

“It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here in a long time,” I said, glancing at Emrys. He was already looking around, quiet, taking everything in like he always does.

We weren’t alone. A girl sat further inside, legs crossed, adjusting the hem of her short silver skirt like she’d been here long enough to get comfortable. Dark hair, chocolate skin, confidence that didn’t need to try.

“And I thought I’d be the only one hiding here,” she said casually.

“You’re the one who threw the party, right?” I asked.

She smirked. “Yup. I’m Vanya.”

“Nevera,” I said, nodding slightly. “And this is my brother, Emrys.” He gave a small nod, still a bit withdrawn, but present.

I was about to ask about the police, whether she’d knew if they left, but the door groaned open again, cutting me off.

More footsteps. A boy with red hair stepped in first, scanning the place like he owned it. Behind him, a girl in a long blue dress, wrapped in a jacket that was very obviously not hers.

“I wasn’t expecting company,” the redhead said.

“Drystan!” Vanya perked up, surprised. Oh, he was guitarist of the band at the party. “Didn’t think you’d remember this place.”

He let out a quiet scoff, looking around like the walls held something only he could see. “Didn’t expect me to? We spent hours here when we were kids.”

“You’re the girl I bumped into earlier,” the girl beside him said, looking at me. “I’m Lirael.”

“I’m Nevera,” I said, giving her a small smile. My eyes dropped to her dress, the part that wasn’t hidden by the oversized jacket. “I really like your dress.”

She glanced down at it, then back at me. “Thanks. It’ll look even better after I wash it.Because someone..” Her eyes flicked to Drystan. “..made me spill my drink all over it.”

He rolled his eyes.

I couldn’t help but smile at thr sean in front of me.

“I guess we’re staying here for a bit,” Vanya said, already lowering herself back to the floor like she’d decided it for everyone. “At least until we know the police are gone.”

No one argued. Drystan dropped down next to her without hesitation, stretching his legs out. Lirael followed, a bit more carefully. Emrys and I sat down too, close enough that our shoulders brushed.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then Emrys started coughing. It wasn’t even that loud, not really, but it hit me like something breaking. My chest tightened so fast I couldn’t breathe, like this was it, like this was the moment everything just…

He looked at me immediately. Of course he did. “I’m okay,” he said, already reading me, already calming me down before I could spiral.

Only then did my lungs start working again. The others didn’t seem to notice.

“Vanya, I really hope you don’t get into trouble with this whole police thing.” Lirael said, absentmindedly playing with the fabric of her dress.

“I kinda hope I do tho.” Vanya replied, staring off like she wasn’t fully here.

“Who the hell wants to get in trouble?” Emrys asked, still catching his breath.

She shrugged, a small, crooked smile on her lips that didn’t reach her eyes. “My parents wouldn’t care even if I got arrested.” She said it like a joke, but didn’t feel like one.

“Can’t relate,” Drystan said. “My parents are the best.”

Vanya elbowed him hard.

“My parents are always at work as well.” Lirael related. “I take care of my younger siblings all the time.”

“Shit, I could never. I hate kids.” Vanya said.

“Same.” I muttered.

Lirael laughed softly. “Is not thta I like them. I just don’t really have a choice. I snuck out of my window to come here.”

There was something in her face something lighter. Like this night meant more to her.

“Yeah, I told my parents we were going to our grandparents aswell so we could come.” I said.

“Our parents are really strict.” Emrys added. “We’ve never been to a party before.”

“Same.” Lirael nodded.

“Mine are chill about everything.” Drystan said.

“Mine don’t care about anything.” Vanya cut in. “I came out as gay two years ago and my mom just said, ‘Great, sweetie. Don’t be late for school.’ It was 8 p.m by the way.” She laughed but it was clear it was bothering her.

“That’s messed up.” Emrys said quietly.

“At least they’re not homophobic.” Drystan added, trying to lift the mood. It didn’t really work tho.

“Our parents are so strict we weren’t even allowed outside alone until two years ago.” Emrys continued, frustration slipping into his voice. “And even now, we can’t stay out past 6 and they track our location.”

“So they can find us right now?” Lirael asked quickly.

“No,” I said. “We turned our phones off.”

A small wave of relief passed through the group.

“Well,” Emrys said, tying his shoelaces like it was nothing, “I won’t have to deal with them much longer anyway.” I shot him a look. How can he even joke about this.

“What do you mean?” Vanya asked.

“Oh. I have lung cancer.” He said nonchalantly. Like it was nothing.

Silence.

“God…” Lirael whispered.

“Oh yeah I think I heard that from my mom.” Drystan said trying to remember. “And I thought my problems where big.” he muttered after.

“What problems do you even have?” Vanya asked him with a skeptical look.

“I do have problems as well.” he said quickly. “I’m just not sharing them with strangers. No offense.” he said looking at Emrys.

“None taken.”

“We are probably gonna see each other at school anyway.” Lirael said.

"The whole town probably knows at this point." Emrys said jokingly but he was clearly bothered by this fact.

“It's a small town. And nothing really happens here, so news about this kinda stuff travel fast.” Vanya added. The way she was talking about it looked like she knew aswell.

No one replied.

Vanya scrolled on her phone, the screen lighting up her face in short flashes. Drystan ran his fingers over a rough concrete block beside him. Lirael kept trying to wipe the stain out of her dress, even though it was already set. Emrys retied his laces.

“The police are still there.” Vanya said suddenly, letting out a small laugh as she looked at her phone. “Someone posted it on Instagram.”

Of course they did.

I leaned back slightly, resting my head against the cold wall. Outside, everything was still moving. But in here it felt like time had stopped.

“Let’s do something.” Drystan’s voice cut through the stillness as he pushed himself up from the floor, stretching like he couldn’t sit still any longer. “I’m bored. We’re gonna be stuck here for at least another hour.”

“And what exactly do you plan to do?” Lirael asked, arms folded, skeptical.

He glanced around, a slow grin forming. “Explore, maybe? This place is huge.”

“I mean… it’s not like we’ve got better options,” Vanya said, already getting to her feet.

“I guess…” I muttered, following as the rest of us stood.

We moved upstairs.

The house only got stranger the deeper we went. Furniture still sat where it had been left, hidden under dusty white sheets like ghosts pretending to be objects. Some rooms still had beds, duvets, pillows, everything in place, as if someone had just walked out one day and never came back.

There was even a living room. Two sofas, an armchair, a fireplace. Plants had started growing through cracks, dust layered over everything, but still.

“This is actually not bad,” Emrys said, pulling a sheet off one of the couches. Drystan immediately dropped onto it, like he’d been waiting for permission.

“Why is this place even abandoned?” I asked, brushing my fingers along the curtain. Dust came off too easily.

“Yeah, why leave all this behind?” Lirael added, wiping the fireplace with her sleeve.

“This house has been here forever,” Vanya said. “From what I knok something happened to the owners.”

“So they died?” Drystan asked.

“Or ran away,” she shrugged. “There are a lot of stories. I don’t know which one’s true.”

“There’s another floor.” Emrys said suddenly, already heading for the stairs. “Let’s check it out.”

We followed. The door upstairs creaked open.

“Holly shit” Drystan breathed.

Shelves lined the walls, packed with books and glass bottles filled with strange liquids and powders. A large worktable stood in the center, cluttered with tools, dried plants, and things I couldn’t even name. Candles of different colors were stacked neatly on a shelf.

“What is this place?” Lirael whispered.

“It looks like some kind of experiment room.” I said, picking up a small bottle and giving it a careful shake.

In the middle of the room stood a wooden stand. And on it a big book that looked older then the whole house.

I stepped closer, drawn to it before I could think twice. The cover was worn, the letters carved deep:

“Grimmoar.”

The others gathered close behind me. I reached out

The book opened. On its own!

Lirael screamed, and we all stumbled back instinctively.

“Now we know why this place is abandoned. It’s fucking haunted!” Drystan said, voice tight despite the smirk he tried to force.

“No,” I said quickly, my heart still racing. “I think they, the owners of the house, were the ones doing the ‘haunting’. Why else would they have a whole room like this?”

“Okay, okay,” Vanya said, already stepping forward from between us. “I wanna see what’s inside.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Lirael said, her voice quieter now. “What if something happens?”

“Relax,” she waved her off. “I’m just reading, not summoning a demon.”

I moved closer too. I couldn’t help it. Curiosity burned stronger than fear. The page showed a drawing a star inside a circle, symbols at each point. Strange, precise.

At the top, written: “The Ritual of the Five Elements.”

“It’s some kind of ritual.” Vanya said.

“No shit.” Drystan muttered sarcastically. “What does it say?”

“This doesn’t feel like a good idea…” Lirael said again, even as she leaned in closer.

Vanya kept reading.

“This ritual will bind each element of nature to its chosen owner. If done with the wrong people, it won’t work.”

“What does it mean by ‘bind?’” I repeated.

“It doesn’t explain.” she said, scanning further. “You need five people, salt, and a symbol for each element.”

She pointed to the corner. “There were salt bags over there.”

“Wait we’re actually doing this?” Lirael snapped. “Have none of you seen a horror movie?!”

“It’s not that deep.” Drystan said, already helping Vanya drag the salt over.

“That book opened itself!” she insisted, pointing.

“Sure, it’s creepy,” I admitted. “but I kinda want to know what happens.”

“And I’m not dying without trying whatever this is.” Emrys added, half-joking. Half not.

Lirael didn’t argue again. She didn't leave tho.

“Okay, what now?” Vanya asked looking at me cuz I was the most closer to the book.

I leaned over the book. “Draw a star surrounded by a circle with the salt.”

They got to work,pouring, shaping, adjusting until something close to a pentagram formed on the dusty floor, as I continue to read: “This represents the pentagram. The symbol of the 5 elements of nature.”

“Now we need a symbol for each element” I continued. “Earth, Air, Water, Fire… and Spirit.”

“Soil for earth,” Emrys said as he went to one of the pots of dried plants.

“Candle for fire,” Drystan added taking one red candle and light it with a lighter from his pants.

“Water’s easy,” Lirael said, already moving to a faucet that was still working.

“I saw smudge sticks earlier. We could use that for the air element.” Vanya said looking around. “I just need to remember where I saw them…”

“And spirit?” Lirael asked.

Silence.

“What even counts as spirit?” Drystan muttered. “Dead people? A corpse?”

My hand stung. I looked down at the scratch from earlier. “What about blood?” I said quietly, holding it up.

That got their attention.

“That might work,” Drystan said.

We took our places. A red candle flickered in Drystan’s hand. Soil rested in Emrys’s palm. Lirael held a small bowl of water. Vanya gripped the smudge stick and light the up. And me with the blood from my hand.

“Each person stands at one point,” I read. “And recites the incantation.”

Everyone moved into the position the drawing showed. Except Lirael.

“Come on,” Drystan said. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be the ‘good girl’ anymore?”

She hesitated.Then stepped forward “Fine. But if something happens, it’s on you.”

We raised our hands. And together, we spoke.

“Earth, awaken, stone and root, Bind our flesh in ancient truth. Air, arise, breath unseen, Carry us where none have been. Water, whisper, tide and vein, Cleanse our souls in silver rain. Fire, ignite, ember bright, Forge our will in searing light. Spirit, eternal, veil untorn, Unite the five, let power be born.” we recited the incantation three times.

Then we waited for something, anything. Everyone was looking around for a sign that me actually made something happened, but nothing.