The Academy

[Raven]

Summary

In a futuristic society that covers most of the globe, everything is chosen for you by a group known only as the Council. Their rules, known as the Orders, state that at six years old, every child will be placed with the family who can best take care of them. If there are more children than families, the excess go to a school known only as the Academy. In reality, most of the children sent there have a higher likelyhood of having a gene that gives them extraordinary powers. About three fourths of the student body at the Academy ends up getting a power. The Academy is also where the Council gets most of the force for their army.

Like most dictatorships, there are rebels. In this case, a group known as The Order, in order to confuse people. They have recruited Academy children (in some cases, their own birth children) to try to bring the Academy down. Because if the Council has no army, the Council has no strength.

•Main Characters: Recruited Academy students
•Major Characters: Non-recruited Academy students.
•Minor (but still necessary) Characters: Other Order members, teachers, Council members.

Of course, that is just in my idea of the focus of the story, you can still have other sub-plots that focus on the more minor characters. :3

Details

This society is referred to as a group only as the Recognized World. It encompasses most of the earth, excluding India, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and all the small islands like Hawaii and Guam. Those excluded areas are known inside the Recognized World as the Outlands.

Most children choose their names from their jobs.

Most Academy characters should be at the Coming of Age ceremony for their year.

Most Order recruits would stick together.

The Orders

Note that not all of these you need to know about, but I'm putting them here anyway. If you have any ideas regarding other Orders or alterations to the Orders, pleaase let me know!

On Aging

• At birth, each child is given a number, this is their official name, and if they are called anything else it is a nickname.

• The September after they turn 6, each child is assigned to a new family that matches their personal skills. Any child not given to an eligible family will be sent to the Academy.

• After 8, each child begins learning things gender-specific. Mostly how to deal with puberty and the changes they will go through. They also learn about sex and children.

• At 12, each child is given a specialization which will be what they will study the most and eventually get a job in. They are given a major and a minor, according to what they are best at.

• At 15, each child is permitted to choose a proper name at their Coming of Age ceremony. From this point on, children are allowed to date with the permission of their parents. Children at the Academy are permitted to date other Academy students. There are no other restrictions on dating. They may date whichever gender they like, or not date at all, if they so choose.

• At 17, everyone is assigned a job in either their Major, or if there are enough jobs for their Major, they may be assigned a teaching job, a job in their Minor, or a job in the war.

• At 18, the real work begins. People must begin saving to start their own lives. Academy students must leave as soon as they finish school after they turn 18.

• At 21, people are permitted to test to have children. From this point on, people are allowed to marry. Before this age, everyone, male or female, is unable to have children. No matter what they do with other people.

• Once married, couples may elect to take in a six-year-old. No one is required to marry. They may marry whomever they like.

Birthing

• At 21, people are allowed to submit for testing in order to birth children.

• They are then paired up to reduce the chance of diseases, and to bring out intelligence and skill.

• At this point, they are given one month to try for an infant. Males are allowed to have multiple matches at a time, females are permitted one.

• If no infant is produced, the female may submit again immediately. The male may already have other matches.

• If an infant is produced, the female must wait the designated time after the infant is born, which is unique to each woman, before she can resubmit. Males may already have other matches, and may continue to match.

• Married couples may request to have children with one another. Most of the time, they are accepted.

• No one over the age of 39 may submit.

• Once the child turns 6, if the parents try to keep it, they are killed for insubordination.

Parenting

• Once married, a couple may submit to adopt a child. They are then paired with a child that they could best care for.

• It may take up to three years for a child to match a couple. There are hardly ever cases longer than that.

• From adoption to when the child turns 18, the parents must hire personal tutors or pay for group classes.

Classes

Note that you will only be taught the basics unless this is your major or minor.

Music - Learn to read and write music, and play various instruments.
Math - Learn everything from basic addition to complicated trigonometry and onward.
Science - Learn to experiment. Physics, biology, geology.
Language - Learn to read, write, and speak various languages, firstly Latin.
Dance - Learn how to safely exercise and various dances, including the waltz, tango, and foxtrot.
Visual Art - Learn to study, examine, critique, and make various visual art forms such as painting, sculpting, and drawing.
History - Learn the history of the Earth and the Recognized World.
Culture - Learn about various ancient cultures like Egyptians, Nazis, Romans, and so forth.
Observation - Learn how to make inferences and notice details.
Agriculture - Learn what crops are edible, the conditions they grow best in, and how to plant, raise, and harvest them.
Nature - Learn about wild plants and animals and how to care for and train them.
Health - Learn how to clean and care for wounds and illnesses.
Home Economics - Learn how to prepare and clean up after meals, raise families, and use money well.
War - Learn how to fight and defend yourself.
Theatre - Learn how to act and perform various theatrical stunts, like magic, acrobatics, and comedy.
Advisory - Study the Orders and/or the religion that character practices.

Character Sheets
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Position:[/b]
[b]Power:[/b]
[b]Major:[/b]
[b]Minor:[/b]
[b]Job:[/b]
[b]Other:[/b]

Characters

Academy Students

Order

Council

Q & A
Q: Is the Order commonly known about in the Academy?
A: NO they are not!

[Gifted]

Name: 1339 (Will be Cristel)
3913 (Would've been Ruby)
Age: 13
Personality: Kind of anti-social, usually gives off a sullen and hostile first impression. Extremley loyal to her friends and nice under the surface. Very serious.
Social butterfly, it would not have taken her much effort to be popular. Gives off an extremley bubbly and happy first impression, and seems like the sort of person who doesn't take life seriously. Under the act, however, she's extremley sadistic and enjos the suffering of others. Sharp wit, if she needs to.
Position: Not in the Order, but simillar ideas and ideals.
Extreme council sympathiser
Power: She has a deamon that does not settle forms, though it prefers a wolf form. She also has water powers and can read minds
Same as above, except her daemon prefers butterfly form
Major: Advisory (was Science, but was transferreed after her sister got "killed")
Was War
Minor:Language
Was Science
Job: None
Other:Ruby and Cristel share a body. All italics are Ruby in this bio Ruby builds up the stregnth to attack Cristel and attempt to take over the body about once a week, usually on Friday evenings. Kind words and encouragement from a friend helps Cristel, but attacking only makes Ruby stronger.Cristels daemon is named Yazermen, Ruby's daemon is named Colsheen.

[Gifted]

Name:Melody (Was 1521)
Age: 15
Personality: Kind and helpful, but a bit melancholic. Seems to be very focused on first impressions, but really just trusts her power.
Position: Not in the Order, really doesn't realize there're other options than the life she's living so just does as she's told.
Power: Hears music in her head that most closely matches the people she meets. Only hears music she's heard before, however.
Major: Music
Minor: Language
Job: None
Other: N/A

Name: Lillac (Was 2396)
Age: 16
Personality: Shy and timid, puts others before herself. Wouldn't (willingly) hurt a fly. Excessively kind and always wanting to make other people happy. However, has occasional outbursts at people who bother her that seem odd considering her character. Has no friends.
Power:
Short version: Think the cruciatus curse.
Long version: Her power creates a green light around her victim and causes them excruciating pain. It does no actual damage to the victims body, but leaves painful burns on Isobel like she splashed acid on herself. She cannot yet control it, and it will build up an energy inside of her until she is forced to release it. She is terrified of it.
Major: Visual Arts
Minor: Music
Other: Seems mysterious because she transferred most of her classes last year when her power first appeared,after she accidently attacked several students in her former classes. Doesn't like people in her classes knowing her power, and is often alone so she doesn't hurt others, since neither she nor the Faculty want her attacking students at random. This is also why both her major and minor are things she can do alone. When she snaps at people, it's because she feels her power building and tries to stop people from approaching because she's afraid of hurting them.

Name: Tokarev (Was 3396)
Age: 13
Personality: Clever but very reserved in classes, overthinks everything. Refuses to take any sort of leadership roles despite being a highly capable person, does only okay in classes despite being two years ahead of her actual age.
Position: Supports and knows about the Order, will never be considered as a member.
Power: Telekinesis
Major: War
Minor: Observation
Other: Three years ago She went on a field trip with her War class to a military base that was supposed to be in a safe, relatively secure location. The base was attacked and most of the adults there were killed. The children fled into the base in panic, and Tokarev and Portia together were able to calm the panic and convince the kids to fight back. With Tokarev as General, she lead the kids to fight back viciously against their unknown enemies and succeed in keeping control of the location and regaining the land around it. During the final battle Portia realized they were fighting against the Order, and a horrified Tokarev retreated her army. The Council rewarded her and Portia generously, promoting them each two years ahead in classes and giving them plaques for their bravery, which still hang in the school halls. It will never be enough, however, as Tokarev is horrified over what she did and vowed never again to seek power the way she had that day. She and Portia have a quiet mutual agreement to not speak to each other and pretend it never happened, though if asked they would both still say they liked the other.


Name: Portia (Was 0709)
Age: 15
Personality: Honest and straightforward, but very reserved in classes and doesn't talk much despite once being an amazing actor.
Position: Huge Order supporter, will never be considered as a member
Power: The ability to negate others powers through touching them or whatever they used their power on, OR pushing his shield away from his body to recover them or what they're using their power on.
Major: Theatre
Minor: Advisory
Other: Portia was approached by a girl who told him about the Order. He was extremely enthusiastic but before sh was able to help him meet anyone officially he went on a field trip with several War classes to a military base where they were attacked. He and the kids took refuge in the military base and he met Tokarev inside. The two of them managed to calm the panic and rally the kids to fight back. With their leadership, they managed to secure the military base and recapture more and more of the land around it. Portia was on top of the world, until...
It was the final battle. The enemy had somehow snuck around his forces guarding the land and had managed to attack directly at the base. Portia was inside base, and though he wasn't great with it he had a sniper rifle he could fire if he had a good shot. He watched out the scope, waiting, waiting fr the perfect shot to take out someone important on the other side.
He saw an enemy in his sights and he reacted, squeezing the trigger immediately. A woman went down, and Portia grinned as he watched. Another man came over to help her, and Portia grinned even wider.
"Well, if you're stupid enough to go to her without checking for snipers first."
He didn't really register their facs until the man knelt down and ran his fingers gently through his dead wifes brunette hair.
The woman looked exactly like her. The girl who'd come to talk to him. Was that... her mother?
Portia was horrified, sickened. He dropped his weapon and practically ran to the washroom.
By the time his sickness had passed, he knew what he had to do. He called Tokarev.
Tokarev was horrified and agreed to a hasty retreat. The last thing theyd ever wanted to do was this.
They'd never wanted to fight the Order.

Portia and Tokarev were awarded graciously when they got home, each promoted two years above grade level and given a handsome plaque that hung in the hall. But it's not enough, and that last shot will haunt Portia for the rest of his life.

[Raven]

Name: Macbeth (was 2666)
Age: 16
Personality: Cunning, devious, controlling
Position: Neutral
Power: Can lock away certain parts of his mind so that no one can access them, not mind readers or even Kenny.
Major: Theater
Minor: Observation
Job: Unknown
Other: Asmodeus and Mercucio's cousin

Name: 1331 (Will be) Trick/Encore (calls himself 1313)/Cue (calls herself 3113)[/b]
Age: 13
Personality: Loud, rambunctious, outgoing, a joker devious, dark, lives for the act acrobat, flirty, happy
Position: Academy student Order recruit council supporter neutral
Power: Visual illusions
Major: Theatre
Minor: Music (vocals)
Job: Unknown
Other: Son of Order leader, has three personalities, Trick, Encore, and Cue. All three are straight, so it's rather odd when Cue is hitting on gay guys and one of the other personalities take over

Name: Asmodeus
Age: 15
Personality: Confident, calculating, manipulative, violent
Position: Council supporter.
Power: Ability to view and manipulate memories.
Major: Advisory
Minor: Theater
Job: Unknown
Other: Macbeth's cousin, Mercucio's half-brother

Name: Mercucio
Age: 17
Personality: Fun-loving, manipulative, dramatic
Position: Student Order recruit.
Power: Shape shifting, with consumption of blood.
Major: Theater
Minor: War
Job: Spy.
Other: Macbeth's cousin, Asmodeus' half-brother

Name: Symphony
Age: 15
Personality: Quiet, shy
Position: Academy student Order recruit
Power: Air
Major: Music (Violin, piano) (Used to sing, but since her mother's death, she is too afraid her voice will shake)
Minor: Observation
Job: As yet unknown
Other: Daughter of Order's leader, Trick's sister.

[Neon]

Name: Lucius (was 6666)
Age: 17
Personality: Cocky, arrogant, egocentric. He is a cunning and conniving young man. He knows what he wants, and usually gets it. He's less like a bully than the king over the bullies. He uses trickery and suave persuasiveness to ply at peoples' weaknesses to get them to bend to his will. Very few know of his true nature. Lives up to his number. His name is derived from a version of Lucifer, "son of the morning"
Position: Not in the order, but has rebellious ideals. Wants to rule the world, and doesn't care how it is accomplished.
Power: He bonds with a person, and can, with that bond, turn them into a personality-specific weapon or tool through physical contact and a bond-specific word. A bit like Soul-Eater. For example, he uses Vladimir as a scythe, or as a pen with blood red ink (note: the ink is not his actual blood)
Major: Observation
Minor: War
Job: Observation Teacher
Other: Dislikes almost everyone, despite most adoring him.


Name: Snow (was 6670)
Age: 16 and a half
Personality: Shy and timid around everyone. Dislikes social situations. However, is almost never seen apart from Eryk (with the exception of classes). Has a thick romanian accent, which he tries (and usually fails) to hide. Has a fondness for snakes for some reason. Has learned from his elder brother and has a natural gift for creating outfits and costumes.
Position: Assists Eryk in his classes sometimes, and is training to be his full-time assistant.
Power: Can poison through skin contact. Is known as a Basilisk for that reason; is immune to poison and therefore knows a great deal about poisons and remedies.
Major: Health
Minor: Observation
Job: None yet, but wants to be an assistant for Eryk, and a part time Medical Examiner.
Other: Is sometimes seen mixing strange things together, and has all sorts of vials all about his person. His name is a double meaning - snow as in his hair colour, and snow white, as in the sibling of Rose Red (his brother)


Name: Rose (was 6657)
Age: 18 (barely)
Personality: Sly and coy, he has a hard time taking "no" for an answer. Is Vlad's elder brother, and uses that to his advantage to manipulate the boy. Is very handsome, and knows how to read people. Has a strong talent for sewing and costuming like his brother.
Position:
Power: Seduction. Can get nearly anyone he wants through a combination of pheremones and slight mind-reading to know what to say. Tends to heighten emotions.
Major: Theater
Minor: Home Economics
Job: Makes costumes for the local theater.
Other: There's a rumour going around that he's sleeping with Snow. His name comes from Rose like the flower (his favourite) and Rose Red, the twin of Snow White (his younger brother)

[Doom]

Name: 9905 (will be Benedict)

Age: 14

Personality: Decisive, objective, vengeful, and introvertered.

Position: Academy student

Power: Assuagement, but only to the extent of easing suspicion, contempt, distrust, frustration, or sometimes fear. Works only in fairly close physical proximity, and can only take full effect if manipulated victim is not provoked before full soothing sets in. As soothing takes effect, the person under his influence begins to experience contentedness and apathy.

Major: Theatre

Minor: Dance

Job: None

Other: Despite his power, he seldom goes out of his way to make friends (or, more accurately, mind slaves).

---

Name: Barnaby

Age: 15

Personality: Generally self-serving and malevolent, but has tendencies to give a fraction of a rat's ass about other people and their problems. At least occasionly.

Position: Academy student

Power: Ice generation and augmentation. Creates tools, armor, and weapons from ice, and can freeze terrain, objects, and people (not as effectively as he could put an ice dagger in their chest, though).

Major: Science

Minor: Observation

Job: None

Other: Has masochist and sadist tendencies, though infrequently.

---

Name: Frederick Fine

Age: 22

Personality: Uproarious and bullheaded demeanor, but actually has a significant capacity for patience, deliberateness, and compassion.

Position: Average citizen of the Recognized World

Power: Flames. Specifically, able to cloak self in flames, with maximum duration and intensity varying depending on stamina, focus, and willpower. Increased agility and strength while on fire.

Major: History

Minor: Visual Art

Job: Archaeologist

Other: Detests the Council for suppressing research regarding the events that led to the current state of things.

[Neon]

Name: Saint (was 6676)
Age: 17.5
Personality: Suave and cool, he does what he wants, when he wants. He can trick and charm his way into most anything. He loves the thrill of the hunt more than the actual prey. Tends to hide behind a mask of nonchalance.
Position: Doesn't care about The Order.
Power: The hermaphrodite of the magic realms, a Shapeshifter (or just 'Shifter) can be man or woman (or both). Rediculously fertile, they don't have any "natural" looks. They choose their appearance. Can become younger or older as well.
Major: Theatre
Minor: Languages
Job: Lead Actor
Other: For some reason really dislikes Rose, though he'd never let anyone know that (especially not Rosey himself) His name comes from Saint Dane, the shapeshifting villain of the Pendragon series.

[Raven]

Trick had had the same schedule for longer than he cared to admit, and going to class was so routine he could practically do it while he slept. Despite that, he knew full well that he didn't know many of his classmates. It had never really bothered him, but as he tried to think of who he could cast for the role of Theseus in his production of a Midsummer Night's Dream, he suddenly regretted it. No doubt in one of his classes he knew someone who would fit well with his ideas for the character. He might never know. Those thoughts occupied his mind as he went to his dance class, the first class he had in the day. He wasn't paying any real attention to where he was going, since he knew the way so well. Unfortunately, people didn't always stay in the same place the way walls did.

[Mismagius]

Robyn sat in her desk, the one right at the back, near the only window in the room. It was open, and there was a soft breeze blowing in, it was nice. She could vaguely hear her teacher drone on and on, but she wasn't paying attention enough to even know the topic of his rant, and she didn't need to. She was already ahead. All she could think of at the moment is how much she hated being indoors, and how she couldn't wait to get outside, into the fresh air, and out of this classroom that just smelled like human. She disliked it, because it didn't smell natural to her. Sighing, she began to stare at the clock.

[Gifted]

The happy, talking students voices bled through her dor, pillow and ears despite her attempts to cover them. Didn't anyone in this place have the sense to keep their business to themselves so people could sleep?
Of course not, stupid!

Cristel jumped and ended up falling out of her bed in shock. It had happened again. Shut up, Ruby!
And why would I do that?
Her voice sounded clearer to Cristel than t had for a long time. She braced herself for a fight. This is my body, not yours. Leave me alone, freak.
and why would I do that? I'm not jut going to die off when I can win.
Cristel glared at the wall, directing the glare at Ruby, but said nothing.
Oh but don't worry, I'm not going to fight you right now. You see, I've been noticing a pattern about these attacks. Up till now I've been pretty irregular, trying to catch you off guard. But I'll forfeit the element of surprise for the ability to win.
What are you talking about?
The last time I attacked you was last Friday, was it not?
And I beat you down like the dog you are.
Exactly. Because I'd attacked two days before. The longest time I've had the patience to wait is six days, and that time I very nearly beat you. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it was a draw.
I was distracted by that little asshole Trick's thoughts. If I'd been up to my normal standard-
Believe that all you want, the fact is you very nearly lost. You needed Yazermens help to hold onto yourself. Now, as this time I was willing to wait an entire week... Ruby trailed off nastily. She had a habit of doing that, half-speaking a threat and letting her victim fill in the blanks. She thought it was scarier that way, and if Cristel was honest with herself, she was totally right.
I'll see you when I'm ready, Cristel!

Cristel shuddered. She was out of time. She was out of options.
She had to find someone today.
Find someone today or die.


There was no time to go back to sleep. She looked at her schedule and saw she had dance first thing today. Normally she'd have been rather unenthusiastic, but today it gave her a smug satisfaction. Dance had been one of ruby's favorite classes. Ruby wouldn't attack in the early hours, meaning if she did win this time, she'd have already missed dance. This small victory was enough to cheer Cristel up a bit.
Yaz had already awoken and gave a nervous look up at her. "It's gonna be a long day." She confirmed, sighing. He turned into a mouse and she put him in her pocket before heading off to dance.

[Neon]

Lucius glanced at the clock above the door, five minutes until class started and there was no sign of his "lovely assistant." He hoped, for whomever's sake, that he was merely held back a bit with his home ec class, and not being inconvenienced by anybody. 'Especially not,' he thought with a scowl, 'that awful brother'.


Snow, in fact, had stayed behind to help clean up a cooking demonstration. He walked quickly down the hall, his side seemingly glued to the wall as he did so.

[Raven]

Macbeth had seen the kid around in his classes, and noted just how shy he seemed to be. If not for role call, he would have sworn that Vladimir was a girl. As it was, he couldn't be sure. Some girls might choose guy's names, he supposed. As it was, traditional names were exceedingly rare in the Academy, which brought the kid to even more attention. Macbeth couldn't help but note that he was rather attractive to, and genuinely hoped that he was a she. When he saw the kid walking down the hall alone, when he was so often with that other boy, the annoying one, he grinned, then sidled over and put his arm in front of Vladimir to block his path.



Trick, who hadn't been paying attention to where he'd been going at all, ran right into Cristel. He stumbled and grabbed her for support. When he looked up at her, he looked stung. "Sorry," he said, and hurried to let her go. They had been best friends once. Then she had snubbed him when her sister died, in favor of being a loner. It wasn't like he had been insensitive. She hadn't even given him that chance. She started avoiding him before he even knew about Ruby. And it wasn't like she had been particularly fond of her sister, either. They hadn't been friends, they hadn't even talked a lot. Even when he tried to talk to her about it, to comfort her, she had just glared and walked away. It hurt, especially since it took a special kind of person not to think Trick was lame. He wasn't shallow, which meant he would never be in with Ruby's old crowd, and while his sister was a great artist and a genius, he wasn't smart or artistic. Plus, the art geeks tended to avoid you if you did illusions, whether you seemed good at art or not. He didn't use people the way most other theater kids seemed to, and he wasn't religious. Cristel had been his only friend, and he would have liked to think that abandoning him would hurt almost as much as losing Ruby. Only clearly it hadn't, since that had been a year ago, and she still did everything in her power to stay away from him.

[Gifted]

Cristel was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she didn't notice Trick coming up behind her until he'd run into her.
She whipped around and her eyes focused on the familiar boy. The one who'd caused all this. "Watch where you're going." She said coolly. It was the first words she'd spoken to him since the incident.

Cristel's major hadn't always been the same as it was now. Advisory used to be her minor. Her major was science.
With Ruby minoring in Science, they'd always done their lab projects together. Not because they liked each other -though they had, once, but that was ages ago- but because Cristel insisted on it, to keep an eye on her evil twin.
One of the only good things about Ruby, though; she'd always been very good and careful at science. There was no fear of her screwing up the chemicals, at least not by accident. The two usually got high marks.
Until that day, just over a year ago, when something went catastrophically wrong. The beaker they'd been working with exploded, sending both of them flying backwards. Ruby, who was actually holding the beaker at the time, was declared dead at the scene. Miraculously, Cristel had gotten only a few cuts and scratches. She didn't understand it. Ruby was too careful to make a mistake with a chemical, much less one that'd kill her...

She'd heard later from a friend of Ruby's in the same class that she'd seen Trick tampering with their experiment. He was the one who'd introduced the foreign chemical, that'd had such catastrophic results.

She hadn't spoken to Trick since, though the two had once been friends.

It wasn't even that he'd killed Ruby. If that was all, Cristel would thank him for it. Thank him for getting rid of that sadistic, amoral psychopath she called a sister.
It was that he hadn't killed Ruby. The whole world thought she was dead, but she wasn't. She'd taken refuge inside Cristel's mind, torturing her, trying to make her do things. Before, she'd managed a few rare hours of peace. Now, her life was a constant battle. Always she was on guard, always did she have to work to stop Ruby taking over her mind. Ruby didn't want to tourture her anymore... she wanted to erase her. And Cristel knew Ruby getting control of her body would be dangerous for her and anyone else to come close to her.

So she'd exiled herself from people, tried her hardest to push others away. Any contact they came into with her, and by extension, ruby, was dangerous. Cristel had to live her life alone, with only her psychotic sister for company.

You can see why she'd feel kind of bitter to the person who made it necessary.

[Raven]

Trick frowned at her. "You don't have to be a jerk." He moved around her, into the class they were outside. His dance class. And hers as well.

[Gifted]

Hadn't he noticed she was a jerk to everyone? Whatever. She stepped into the classroom. She hadn't actually noticed until today that she was in the same dance class as Trick, though as they never spoke he couldn't have been that hard to miss.