Today was the first day of hell. No, not highschool. The Trials. Reaching out with one hand Avaleigh Fontaine more or less punch her alarm clock, forgetting in the fug of sleep that it was an old-fashioned one and therefor the on/off switch was on the back. Mumbling and groaning with much frustration she hit it again, sending it crashing to her carpeted floor. Still ringing the aarm clock buzzed into the carpet, somewhat muffled by the thick fabric.

Grumbling Avaleigh turned over and pulled her sheets over her head, something her mother wasn't taking as an answer. Marching in the icy blonde yanked Avaleigh's sheets off and put her face up close and personal to her daughter's, eyes unflinching. 

"Time's up, young lady," the woman announced loudly, her voice seeming far-off and very muffled. When Avaleigh refused to respond her mother huffed and thumped the pillow right next to her head. That sent Avaleigh upwards with a start.

"What was that for?" she cried out angrily, pushing her mom out of the way so she could climb out of bed. Tossing her head as she stalked over to her washroom Ali, as she liked to be called, pulled out a soft-toothed brush and began combing her hair with long practiced swipes. In a few minutes she finally looked presentable. Splashing water on her face to wake herself up Ali felt excitement beginning to stir in her belly at the prospect of the Trials. Finally she'd meet someone who was other than an Air element. She was dying to get a look at one of the Fires for sure.

Knowing that the beginning of the Trials was more formal she ran back into her room, thankfully devoid of any motherly figures, and rifled through her dresser for something nice to wear. Finally she gave up and just grabbed a red t-shirt she'd bought at Cirque du Soleil and a pair of white skinny jeans three sizes to large at the waist only. Threading a woven leather beld through her jeans-loops Avaleigh was almost dressed. 

Fingering the silver chain necklace that she wore everywhere Ali cast around for her socks and shoes. They lay next to her door, still in a misshappen pile since coming home the night before. Hopping on one foot as she pulled them on Avaleigh bounded through the door and down the stairs, grinning widely.

"Ready, mum!" she called out as she skipped through the kitchen and grabbed a bagel already slathered with copious amounts of cream cheese. Biting into the gooey mess she trotted out the door and grabbed her bike, forgoing her helmet in favour of getting to the Trials on time. According to her watch it began in five minutes.

-{TIME SKIP}-

Braking her bike hard Avaleigh stopped at the bike rack, narrowly missing slamming headfirst into the metal contraption. Grousing about the lack of signs she hopped off her transport and locked the chain around it neatly, pausing after she was done to get a good look at the Guildhall.

Built in the 1700s the Guildhall was dedicated to being a secret safe haven for Shifters. Now that the distrust had died down some it was now the fomal meeting hall for their kind. And today, it was the beginning of the Trials. Dark red brick made up most of the walls, though near the bottom Ali could see that it was roughly hewn gray stones that reached up for about a meter and a half. The roof was dark gray slate shingles that shone dully in the sunlight. Winged in shape the Guildhall had the appearance of a cross missing its top half, like it had been cut off. A bell rung brazenly atop a tall tower that sat on the roof, its peals echoing across the cobblestone square out front.

Eyes widening Avaleigh nigh flung herself towards the doors, legs pumping as she entered through the large arching doorway and into the main room of the hall. Filled with plastic chairs that were already almost filled Avaleigh sighed and headed to the front, where her family sat. Knowing her mother wouldn't come to this 'silly meeting of yours' Ali found herself alone in the Fontaine's reserved seats. Shrinking down she sighed and looked to the front, where her father was organizing his notes and talking to one of his aides.

Good start to a bad day, or is it the other way around? she thought dismally. 

--

Leaning back against her chair Brooke sighed, catching a concerned glance from her mother as she let out the soft noise. With a slight scowl Brooke shook her head and stretched her back out, staring around almost nervously. She didn't like the ever increasing noise in this building, already cramped despite its small size. It appeared the Trials weren't just for the participants and their families, as she plenty of older shifters congregating in the back, chatting amongst themselves cheerfully.

Glancing towards the front Brooke noticed an empty row of chairs, wondering why in the blazes no one had taken such good seats. Then she noticed a small figure sitting in the middle of the three empty spots, staring up at the man in the front. That's when it hit her.

Fontaine. Weston Fontaine and his family probably had reserved seats considering his place in the Council. With a shrug she turned away from the girl and focused her attention on the other participants. Considering their methods for choosing pairs Brooke was almost certain she'd be stuck with some loud-mouth who only cared for themself.

ooc; The pairs are on the first page and will be announced once everyone posts. <3 

[[I had a really large post written and everything, and then guess what? The internet went down, there was an earthquake, and then my dad freaken shut down my computer.]]

Olavi woke to the voice of his brother and his brother's partner. He just layed there for a few minutes, listening to the words that trickled into his room. It sounded like they were arguing about something. Olavi wiped his face with his hand and ruffled his hair, yawning. Today just felt like one of those days.

The teen got up and stumbled to his dresser, where a small stack of clothes had been placed the day before. Olavi almost always picked out what he was going to wear the night before, just in case something comes up.

When Olavi was done changing, he left his room and walked downstairs to find something to eat. He found his brother in the kitchen, mumbling about something, as well as his brother's partner. There was also some scrambled eggs in a pan, which Olavi swiped and ate.

Olavi went back upstairs to finish getting ready.

~Timeskip~

Olavi put the headphones in his ears as he got into his parent's car. He could hear his father mumbling about how you can go deft from earbuds. Olavi ignored his dad, he was so used to it that he really didn't care about what his father thought.

He turned on his MP3 player and quickly recognized the song that was playing. It was in Estonian, but he still loved it. Olavi put his MP3 on repeat and closed his eyes, drowning in the music.

They quickly reached Guildhall, they lived pretty close to it, and rushed, or was dragged in Olavi's case, to the meeting place. Olavi's parents found some seats in the back and took them.

Ooc; Holycrap. Earthquake. o_o Hope you're alright and everyone else nearby is too. <3

Okey. Sorry for disappearing. Wifi got installed and I just got the passcode. I've typed this twice already so this version is a bit...shrunk. LOL Anywho, please post your intros if you haven't. Imma try and catch all the other members so we can get this up again. ^^ 

Riley leaned back in her chair and spread apart her legs in a garish, unfeminine appearance. She didn't care, just as she didn't care that her shorts were too short, and her tank top too low. She didn't mind showing off her body; she liked the feel of the air on her skin, but as for guys looking at her, she never even gave them a chance at her. She didn't do love, or lust for that matter.

The room she was in was cold, same with the metal folding chair she sat on which was in the back of the room. She slid her black leather jacket off of the back of the chair and shrugged it on, her typical scowl set clean on her face. She hadn't expected waiting like this and she really didn't have the patience to wait. With an obvious sigh, she crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

---

"Maks, we're going to be late," Taylor growled at her twin brother as Maksis pulled off from the curb and moseyed the car back onto the road. Maksis shot her a look and Taylor crossed her arms over her chest, huffed, and leaned back into her chair.

"You're the one who made three wrong turns," he muttered, but she could see the amusement dancing in his eyes. "That's why we traded seats," he reminded her.

Taylor set her gaze back out the window and watched the buildings roll by as Maksis's sure hands guided the vehicle down the right roads and led them to the gathering place. Maksis parked the car and the two climbed out. She tried to ignore the smug grin on Maksis's face as they climbed the steps that led to the building.

Once they opened the double doors, they hurried to find some seats.

  Rowan gave her parents a smile as she exited the car. She was really thankful that they had brought her, but even more thankful that they were going to let her do this on her own. She kept a small, soft smile on her face as she moved towards the big building where she would learn what her future held for her. Her short green skirt swished against her as she walked, emphasizing her feline stride. It was amazing how a girl as tiny as she was, with her only 5 feet of hight, could manage to prowl as well as she did. She ignored the stares directed at her from many of the people around her. She knew what she looked like. Tiny stature, school-girl like dress, flowing brunette pigtails, with womanly curves and a deadly stride. Making her way inside, she found a seat in the middle of the crowd, and observed everything around her.

  Gavin parked his motorcycle and sang to himself cheerily as he removed his helmet and tucked it under his arm. With a spring in his step, the very tall and thin young man moved towards the Meeting Hall. His voice, as he walked, almost skipping, was sweet and rich, a deep barritone. His smile was infectious, and he shared it with everyone. He removed his leather jacked as soon as he entered the building, revealing a charcoal colored dress shirt, untucked, with a black blazer and tie. He stopped for a moment to wipe his glasses free of any fog before making his way to a seat as close to the front as he could get.