<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/2yEoWSm.jpg)</div><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Name:</strong> Kellan "Kel" Kai (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=300764.msg14710232#msg14710232)<br/><strong>Time/ Day:</strong> Ten minutes until Midnight, New Year's Eve. 1999.<br/><strong>Location:</strong> New York City (Time Square)<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong> Purplish Light Figure (Scorpio Spirit Mentioned)<br/><hr/></td></tr></tbody></table><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>      The one thing you should never do was head into Times Square on New Year's Eve. Kellan knew this, but without a place to go he wandered into the thick crowd as music blared. The annual Rockin' New Year's Eve festivities were alive as people danced and cheered. He stuffed his closed fists into the pockets of his dark sweater as he pushed his way through the crowd. The few items he had in his possession thrown upon his back in a simple grey backpack he had since high school, and he sighed as he tried to push his way through the crowds. Drunks littered the streets as he made his way further into Times Square, the sharp chill rushing through his light sweatshirt and freezing him to the bone. His bleached hair was dyed a pink and blue for some strands, falling into his face to dim the incessant lights that glittered overhead, and he toyed with the lip ring he had, swishing it left to right with his tongue as he continued forward. There was nothing for him to do and he was too stubborn to even call his mother for help. He knew that <em>she</em> would likely still be there and...<br/><br/>       A snarl contorted his features as the image of that <em>stranger</em> came to his mind. He gritted his teeth as he considered everything that had happened. Ashley... stupid fucking Ashley. She had assured him that they would all be together, but the moment he moved in with the group everything fell apart. He could not hold a job, though some of it was his own fault, others his friends, but there was only so much he would allow. Earlier that day, two beers into a hang out, Kellan had walked in on Ashley on her knees for Travis, the little dick they brought into the house a week earlier, and Kellan had lost it. Oh, she cried. Told him that she was drunk, a bit confused, and then had the gall to try and include him in a threesome with the prick. He had shouted, cursed her name, and packed his shit before heading out. Now, refusing to go home because <em>she</em> would be there, Kellan was left wandering the city streets in a piss poor mood. <br/><br/>      Another number started, the last one before the countdown, and he slowed his step. He came to a halt in front of the McDonalds before exhaling into the cold winter air. A puff of white left his lips as he reached out and popped into the store. He pushed his way through the crowd, the scent of alcohol thick in the air as he placed an order for a dollar burger and a large soda. He dropped the two bucks down and picked up his order, heading back out into the night air. He moved forward, the negative feeling growing in him as he watched families hug, little ones on the shoulders of their parents, lovers hugging and kissing, friends cheering together— and he scowled. He could not shake the feeling that he was missing warmth, hugs, and laughter. He knew that he was missing on mom's snacks and dinner, her laughing at the program, her excited countdowns... but he could not bring himself to admit that he was wrong. Why should he? <br/><br/>      It was all <em><strong>her</strong></em> fault! <br/><br/>      He bit into the burger with a ferocity as the song ended and the announcers started to hype up the crowd. He turned his hazel eyes up to where the ball was, so small in distance, as regret slowly crept up into him. What was he doing with his life? He was nearing the age of thirty, going into the new year, and had nothing to show for it. His girlfriend of almost two years was a cheating whore for who knew how long, he had distanced himself from his only family, and he was unable to think of <del>his sis—</del> <em><strong>her</strong></em> without becoming angry. The food in his mouth went stale and he forced down the lump in his throat, swallowing his bite with a painful gulp of soda. Everything was going to hell and he had a whole year for it to keep going downhill. Deep down, he wanted to go home. He wanted to hug his mother one more time and apologize for leaving, but he could not admit that he was wrong in his words. The crowd calmed down momentarily as he eyed the crystalline ball, another puff of white escaping him. <br/><br/>     <em>If I make a wish on a ball instead of a star, will it work?</em> The thought flitted through his mind as he watched the spotlights focus on the ball up top, and he watched as the crowd roared in his ear, half a burger in one hand with a drink in the other, and he tongued the lip ring once more. <em>Guess this is the best star I'll get here...</em> he decided as the ball began to move, slowly descending. <br/><br/>     <strong>10... 9... 8... 7... 6...</strong><br/><br/>     He watched the ball go down as he made his wish. For the coming year, he wanted to get out of this hellish spiral that had become of his life. He wanted to at least reach out to his mom and at least make amends with her if anything. He wanted to get his life on track to some degree and move past this part of his life. He wanted to have a responsibility that wouldn't just ruin his life. <br/><br/>     <strong>5... 4... 3... 2...</strong><br/><br/>     He wanted something new. He wanted to mend the burnt bridges. He wanted to be the person his father wanted him to be. Someone that his family could be proud of. He wanted to go back to the old days. He wanted to play games, hang out, and help each other... He wanted warm beds and less alcohol. He wanted to be more than a hood rat on New York City's streets at the age of twenty-nine. He turned and pushed his way to the edge of the crowd, unwilling to be crushed by the affection. He turned his eyes up to the ball as it reached the bottom. <br/><br/>    <strong>1... <em>HAPPY NEW YEAR!</em></strong> <br/><br/>     Confetti showered around him as they new year run in, but he only heard silence. The world around him seemed to spin and blend together as he pitched backwards, vision gone. The cup fell from his hands as he collapsed against the wall, crumpling to the ground. The darkness and silence gave way to a scalding temperature as waves crashed around him. For a moment, he could not breathe, and he flailed about. Muddied waters surrounded him, infecting him from the inside out. Within the darkness, a purple light glimmered almost taunting him. It lingered on the precipice of his sight line, taunting him like a flame flickering at a moth, and he reached out. He wanted to grab onto something, anything, that could keep him from drowning in these dark waters. <br/><br/>     <em>A wish, eh?</em> The voice reverberates around him in the water. <em>The answer you seek for your wish is one you already know. There is more at stake...</em> His sight is blinded by that purple light as it rushes at him. Then, images. Destruction, death... corpses littering the ground, buildings laid out in ruins, his city but mere ashes. Then, the voice came at him again, this time shouting in a language he did not understand, but he rather felt. A passionate decree that he felt compelled to follow. <br/><br/>     <strong><em>HELP!</em></strong><br/><br/>     Kellan jolted awake with a start and a sharp gasp. He felt his body cooling down from the sensations he had suffered through and forced himself to swallow. Rubbing his tired eyes, he pushed himself from the floor, bewildered. How the hell did he end up on the ground? The crowd was chanting and shouting, people grinding and dancing to the music still. The after party would be going for hours... but it looked like it had recently started. So... he was not out for long. Good. It was too cold to fall asleep on the sidewalk, and even worse, it was only a reminder to what he had already lost. With a huff of annoyance, and bitterness, Kellan turned and moved down an alleyway. He had no other choice tonight but to head to the one place he knew would always be there. The memory of the dark waters surfaced and he gulped. If he had an answer to what he sought, then he already knew that he was not wrong to feel or react how he has. In due time, it would be realized. For now, he wanted a warm bed and something to eat. <br/><br/>     Unbeknownst to the skinny man in the dark sweater, he had undergone changes, too. For swishing behind him like a phantom was a tail very much akin to that of a scorpion's. Ignorant to his physical changes, he set off towards the northern part of the city after flagging down a taxi and clambering into the back seat. He gave the direction of his mother's house to the driver before settling back in his seat. He would use the last bit of his cash to get there, but if he could at least figure something out, he could move forward. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He had quite the drive, so he could at least rest his eyes. From beneath his hood, strands of ivory hair fell, brushing against his neck. Darker skin made the hair stand out, almost like a gentle glow as another hue sparkled in the dim city lights... A purple crystal held by a silver scorpion was now attached to his ear by a silver clip bearing the symbol of Scorpio (https://i.imgur.com/3UcYuXz.png).<br/></td></tr></tbody></table>