"Sam wasn't part of a scheme to incapacitate a school full of innocent Prodigies!" Evan cried. "Look--Powder's been using mind-control and manipulation against us for months without our knowledge. How do you know he's not in your head, too? He could be monitoring everything you say, he could be watching us right now through your eyes! And if that's the case...we're all in serious danger."
"Are you that stupid!?" she screamed back, "I don't care!" Izzy grabbed Evan's shoulders, her hands still warm from friction. "He is my friend! He is the only person I can call my friend! He doesn't care if act vain or mean or selfish, and I don't care if he's a wimp or a liar or working with the Adjudicator!"
Izzy didn't cry much, but there were tears welling in her eyes. "He likes me! He doesn't ignore me or just throw me off to the side or think I'm just some mean girl or... he... or..." Izzy let go out of Evan and backed away. She wiped her face and sniffled into her sleeve. "Why do I even try with you!? You can't think about anybody but yourself! What do your friends think of you? How do you get out of this mess? How does all this make you feel? Why is everyone so mean to you? Well-... Well you better stop before I kick your ass for good! I'm done being the bad guy in your story! How do you feel now that you're the bad guy in mine!?" With that, Izzy stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
"He's using you!" Evan cried back. "Do you think I'm only doing this for myself? You're in danger, too! Powder--he's using your loneliness against you! He--"
But Izzy had already zipped away, slamming the door in his face. Evan rubbed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. Then he looked at Dawn and Avery.
"You understand, right?" he blinked up at his sister. It was a common tactic, finding someone with no connections and becoming their only source of affection. The target will latch on like a tick--and for someone as emotionally volatile as Izzy, defend the manipulator with their life. "Powder must have done something to her...otherwise why would she be so loyal to him?"
"I don't think we know enough about either of them to say that," Avery pointed out, narrowing her eyes. "And you just lost us a valuable ally. Someone close to the mind-controller...she could've helped us end this thing! Honestly, Evan, do you ever think about what you say?"
"I..." Evan sputtered. "I don't--"
"Exactly, you don't." Avery's voice was low and soft, like the hiss of a snake. "Izzy's right, you never think about anyone but yourself! What do you want to say, what do you get out of this. There are times when it's best to keep your opinion to yourself, but you don't recognize that!"
Evan lowered his head. "...I'm sorry."
"No. No, you're not!" Avery covered her face with her hands, letting out an exasperated grunt. "You do the same thing over and over again, with no regard for the people around you! First Sam, now this!"
"You leave Sam out of this!" Evan cried, his expression turning from guilt to anger. "It wasn't my fault!"
"Really?" Avery raised an eyebrow at him. Then she sighed. "Look, I'm trying to protect you, I really am, but you make it so unnecessarily difficult! You can't keep your mouth shut, you're impulsive--even reckless at times, and you put us all in danger with your outbursts!"
"So what you're saying is...you don't want me here," Evan took a step toward the door.
"No, no, that's not what I'm saying!" Avery grabbed his wrist. "I just--"
"That's exactly what you're saying," Evan growled, wrenching his arm out of her grip. "That's what you've been saying this whole time! I'm useless, dead weight that the team would be better off without! I just cause problems for you and everyone around me! It's clear that you don't need me--why didn't I see it before?"
"Evan--" Avery began, but her brother had already left, slamming the door in her face like Izzy had done to him.
Dawn watched this all in pure horror. What was it about Evan and Izzy that made all emotions boil over and end in screaming matches? Why were they always so bottled up? Dawn put her hand on Avery's arm as she berated Evan. Was this mind-control again? No, it was too soon. Avery was too... herself. That's what scared Dawn most. Avery grabbed Evan's arm. "Hey, I don't think-" Dawn chimed in. Then Evan broke away and yelled at her and- Gosh, so much yelling! Dawn covered her ears by the time he slammed the door.
A minute or so passed before either said a word. Dawn almost forgot she was in a dark broom closet in that time. "So... that was, um." Dawn tried to think of words, but nothing came to mind. All she could do was lean against Avery and pathetically try to wrap an arm around the much broader, taller girl. "It's not your fault," she whispered, a sympathtic smile on her face. It dropped a moment later. "Well, maybe... But I don't blame you. You're just trying for him, even if it is harsh."
Dawn stared at the closet door, desperately hoping something would come to her head... but nothing did. Just a long, oddly comfortable silence. Dawn leaned in closer to Avery, relishing in her warmth. Finally, something popped in her head. Not much, but a start. "I'm not going to give you advice on how to talk to your brother because I barely knew mine, but I think you and him need to have a seriously long talk. I think... we've been hiding a lot from each other for a while now. Maybe we should have one, too. Or, did we already?" Dawn chuckled, her face turning red, "Time's gotten a little fuzzy for me... and I don't think our long talks ever get much of a conclusion."
Avery sniffed quietly, wiping a few small tears off her face. She hadn't meant to get so angry...she just wanted the best for him, she really did, but...
Have I not done enough? she asked herself, staring at the door. Have I just been...letting him out to dry, without realizing what he's been going through? He wouldn't snap at me like that if he wasn't hurt in some way, right? But how do I help him? What am I supposed to do?
The question echoed around in her head as she stood there, bouncing off the walls of her mind like the beating of a drum. She thought she could handle this, make everything better, fix all the problems...but as time went on the things she said seemed to get more and more wrong! And now she wasn't fixing anything, she was making it worse! Izzy was mad, and Evan was gone, and Astrid and Sage were in danger, and she barely knew what was even going on!
Avery gripped her head with her hands, overwhelmed by it all. But, a moment later, Dawn spoke.
"How am I supposed to talk to him, though?" she asked the redhead. "Everything I say sounds awful and mean and he probably hates me now! I don't even know how I'm supposed to find him, either...he'll just turn invisible and run away! Oh, I've messed everything up..."
Evan had messed everything up. He was sitting on his bed in their dorm, digging his nails into the wooden frame as he stared out the window. He should've just kept quiet and not said anything. Let Avery do the talking--she was the diplomat, right? Why did he think opening his fat mouth would make anything better? Izzy hated his guts, probably even more now that he'd accused Powder.
I've set us back weeks, he thought. What if she tells the Adjudicator about everything? She knows what we're doing now...she could've easily decided she wants us dead after what I said to her. Oh my God, this is all my fault...
He was startled out of his thoughts a moment later, though, by Astrid and Sage coming through the dorm door.
"You're okay!" he cried when he saw them.
"Yeah," Sage gave him an odd look. "Why wouldn't we be?"
She tilted her head, surveying him with narrowed eyes. "...Are you okay? Your eyes are all red. Where are Dawn and Avery?"
For once in her life, Dawn felt like she understood someone. The emotions and feelings weren't entirely lost on her. She knew inadequency better than the back of her hand. Words felt easy now.
When Avery gripped her head, Dawn briskly went in front of her and reached for her hands. She held them in her own with a gentle grip, rubbing her thumb across the taller girl's fingers. Sure, she had to stand on her toes, but Dawn didn't mind if it was for Avery's sake.
She looked her dead in the eyes with an unreadable emotion. Something between kindness and understanding, but the lines were blurry in her gaze. "Sometimes, I think you forget you're human," Dawn started, trying to mimic the soft tone Avery always spoke with. "You don't... You can't just fix everything with everyone instantly, or be perfect at everything, and I think you don't realize that. If you want, I can go talk to Evan, or maybe Astrid could. Or maybe Evan just needs some time. I mean, you're his sister! It's not like he'll just suddenly stop loving you over one argument! And maybe you did mess up, but... that's okay, right? Mess-ups happen, and... and you can't just expect perfection all the time... and, um..."
Ah, great. There the words went. Dawn's mouth went dry as she looked at Avery. Seeing her sad just hurt Dawn's just in a way she couldn't explain. It hurt more than her precious hair sliced off. She looked down at Avery's hands in her own, holding them just a bit tighter. Maybe silence was better, but she needed to say something.
So, she thought for a moment. Then, just as suddenly, she reached up and cupped her hands on Avery's cheeks. She wiped a few tears away with her thumb. With new resolve, she stared at Avery's brown eyes once again. Dawn was now even higher on her toes. "I... What I mean is: I think it's my turn to say--" Dawn took a deep breath. "It's going to be okay, and we'll figure it out."
"Woah, woah," Astrid bolted over to Evan, putting their hand on their shoulder. "What the hell happened? Another It's all my fault breakdown, or...?" Astrid said in a failed attempt in comforting. "Look, no judgement here, I just gotta know what's wrong."
Evan chuckled a little. Astrid's remark helped to break the tension in his shoulders.
"Yeah, it's exactly that," He grunted, rubbing his eye with the heel of his palm. "Am I really that predictable?"
"You tend to work in patterns," Sage crossed her arms, her expression a mix of confusion and concern. "What's wrong? Why haven't Dawn and Avery come back yet? Are they okay?"
"They're fine, as far as I know," Evan's skin prickled momentarily with uncertain orange. "Izzy came to talk to us once we left the library."
"The speedster?" Sage raised her eyebrows. "I thought I told that little Flash wannabe to stay away from you! Does she need a refresher? 'Cause I'll jog her memory."
Evan leaned away from the aggressive glint in Sage's eye. "No, she didn't come to pick a fight. She wasn't...pleasant, but she wanted our help. Emphasis on wanted, because I think I ruined the whole thing."
"What happened?" the botani-kinetic sat down on the bunk across from him, little tendrils of Semavry curling up her ankles.
"Well, Powder is the one behind the mind-control," Evan began slowly. "And I told her that he was probably in her head, because why else would she be so loyal to him? But that got her all riled up. She slammed the door on us, and then Avery yelled at me for losing an important offer, and...well, it's all just a giant mess."
"So where are they?" Sage asked.
"In a broom closet."
"You're right," Avery sniffed, leaning her cheek against Dawn's hand. "I'm sorry, I just--I don't know why it matters to me so much. I can't be perfect 24/7, can I? I mean...it's just not possible."
She wiped her nose on her sleeve, careful not to bump Dawn's hands away.
"I guess I need to cut myself some slack, right?" she chuckled weakly. "This has all been so hard on everyone...you can't expect the stress not to show. Now that I think about it, I'm really, really tired. I bet Evan is, too."
Astrid stood with her hands on her hips, their head tilted to the floor. A part of her eye wraps started sliding off. "Well... People become friends with people for different reasons, you know? Maybe there's something we shouldn't know about Powder and Izzy. Or maybe he is using her. I think we can only find out if she tells us."
Astrid went to sit on Evan's free side, pushing her eyee wraps back onto their face. "So, um, how big a mess did ya make? I'm a great janitor, I think," they chuckled, messing with the tie of their wraps.
Dawn smiled. She didn't want to let go of Avery anytime soon. She kept wiping any stray tears away, trying to keep Avery as calm as possible. Was this what it was like to her whenever Dawn broke down? "We should have a group nap someday," Dawn joked. Eventually, she tired of standing her toes and returned to flat feet. She stared up at Avery, watching her with a careful eye.
"As soon as we can, we'll finally play old maid, cuddle up in some blankets, watch movies, and take a really good nap," Dawn said, "How does that sound?"
Izzy couldn't think of anything to say. All she could do was run. Running was all she could pride herself on. Even her father knew that. It was only after Powder's instruction did she learn how to wield electricity and fire.
So, here she was, sitting on the roof-railing and sobbing like a toddler who missed their mommy.
She didn't even try to hide it anymore, loud hiccups and cries flowing freely. All she wanted was friends. All she wanted was someone to care about her. All she wanted was attention. She made a mistake! An honest mistake! She just wanted to get back at him. She didn't think it'd hurt anymore than a taser...
But nobody was there to give it to her. The world was in slow-motion now. For a moment, she thought she saw a porcelain doll stare at her from the ground. When Izzy cleared her eyes, nothing but ground was below her dangling legs. So, she simply went about on her sobbing fit.
"Well, I lost us the alliance, for sure," Evan muttered, anxiously scratching his hair. "And knowing Izzy she's probably even more mad at me than before. I just hope she hasn't told the Adjudicator yet...she sounded pretty disgusted when she talked about Powder's mind-control, but--"
"Izzy always sounds disgusted," Sage scoffed. "She walks around like the school stinks of manure. Every other student is beneath her, except for her precious psychopath Powder, and--"
"Sage," the botani-kinetic looked up when Evan said her name. There was an odd expression on his colorless face. "Stop."
"...Okay," she shot him a look out of the corner of her eye, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. "Sorry. I thought you hated her."
"At least now we know who's behind the mind-control," Evan continued without responding to Sage's comment. "Avery had an idea; she thought we could find a Prodigy to purge the stuff so Powder can't look into our brains. She also thought that we should disappear. Like, hide the door to our dorm and erase the memory of our existence from the school. That way we could finish up our business without having to worry about the Adjudicator coming to knock on our door."
"But we'd need more people for that..." Sage murmured slowly. "And more people means more possibility for betrayal."
"I know, but it's probably our only choice," Evan pointed out. "Besides, look at how useful Astrid has been in the few days we've known her! I'm sure we can find other people who are just as eager to take down the Adjudicator."
"That sounds really nice," Avery smiled, imagining the tranquil scene. "We can finally relax! I can't wait for that day to come--I'm so done with all of this saving-the-school crap. It'd be nice to just be normal Prodigies for a bit."
Dawn started laughing from the absurdity of it all, running a hand through her hair. "Not even Prodigies! Just teens! I feel like I haven't been a dumb, reckless teenager in, what, fifty years!" Dawn kept laughing, though it was clear as day how she only did it to keep from worse thoughts. "Sometimes I just wanna do something I really shouldn't, you know!? Like, smoke cigarettes and get drunk on the roof! Or take my mom's money or go for a joyride at one in the morning! I just wanna be a stupid tesn sometimes!" Her laughs turned into chuckles, but it didn't stop her from thinking about how darkly comic this all was. "But here we are! Doing said saving-the-school with our awesome superpowers while we could meet a fate worse than death at any minute!"
Eventually, her laughing died down and she came back to reality, rubbing frayed ends once again. "Okay, maybe it's not that funny..." she whispered, now looking off to the side with an awkward smile, "But maybe once we're off the grid, we could build a pillow fort or something? I've never done it, and I think Astrid said she's got a few video games lying around," Dawn said. "Or maybe we should get out of this broom closet before the janitor finds us first."
Astrid beamed when Evan mentioned them. "Really!?" they exclaimed. Seconds later, they had pounced onto Evan in a big bear hug. "Aw, thanks! I know I'm awesome, but I didn't think I was already one of the top awesomes here!" Just as quick as she latched on, she detached. "But Evan's got a point. I've got some friends I could talk into this. A lot of them might not want to be directly involved, but I can get a few favors done for us. My roommate is super goth and hates the system and whatever, so they'll totally give us some assistance if we need some."
"What're their abilities?" Sage asked. "It'd be helpful to have someone with medical-related powers on our team. In case somebody gets hurt, which is bound to happen eventually. Honestly I'm surprised nobody's been seriously injured yet. Other than Dawn's bruised cheek, of course."
"If we had somebody who could heal people that'd be great," Evan added, straightening his ruffled hoodie. "They wouldn't have to be that involved in anything, either--just be easy to reach for when someone gets hurt."
Sage cast him a wary look. "You don't think that there might be...fighting, do you?"
"I hope it doesn't come to that," Evan rubbed his hands together nervously, rings of lime green traveling up his fingers. "But it's always good to be prepared."
"Good idea," Avery agreed, reaching for the doorknob. "That'd be suspicious, wouldn't it? I suppose we need to find the others now..."
Astrid crossed their legs and sat on the mattress in deep thought. "Gonna be honest, I never asked what their powers were. We don't talk that much. I just know that they willingly go to the nurse's office a lot, and they're taking a lot of biology and health classes. My guess is they've got some sort body powers," Astrid said. "Other than that, I'm drawing blanks. Only other healers I might know are the nurses."
Dawn nodded and, with a single check outside, exited the broom closet as if nothing happened. She was quick to take Avery's hand once they walked away. If she could do all that in a dark closet, than she could hold her hand in public. Maybe. Her hand was a bit sweaty.
She tapped on the door as a brief warning they were entering, then scuttled inside as quickly as possible. "He, we're back," Dawn said. Now in front of the faces that knew her, she let go of Avery's hand and started picking her nails. "Um," she stuttered, "sorry for the wait? Any updates while we, uh... occupied?"
Evan cast Avery a stiff glance. His sister's face was red and shiny with tears...was that because of him?
I should probably ask her about it, he told himself. Later, though. We've got stuff to get done.
"We're thinking about asking Astrid's roommate to help us," Sage informed the pair. "As well as anyone else we can find. Hopefully now that our little video is spreading around there'll be more people willing to fight the Adjudicator."
"In fact, there might be people coming to find us right now..." Evan realized. "People who want to help...or people who want to harm."
Dawn took in a deep breath. After thr blowup with Avery and Evan, she was not ready to scream why would you say that!? at Evan's face. Instead she rushed to climb up onto her bunk and pretend she was reading a book. Act natural! They were just friends hanging out, right?
Astrid was more than ready. "Why the living hell would you jinx us like that!?" they whisper-screamed at him. "Well, it was nice knowing you guys. I'll see you in the next life," Astrid sighed as she resigned to her fate, walking into the bathroom and shutting the door. This wasn't their dorm after all. It'd be suspicious with so many people in one room, or something like that. Maybe it was that Astrid didn't want to deal with their 'new pal' either.
Evan pursed his lips as Avery moved to open the door. Yet another mistake to add to his rapidly growing list.
"Miss Jones," it was Dr. Emily. He was standing in the doorway with his hands folded behind his back, a curt expression on his mild face. "Good to see you."
"Hello sir," Avery greeted him a little stiffly. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to ask some questions," Dr. Emily leaned to the side to see past Avery's large frame and into the room beyond. Evan stiffened as the man's gaze moved to him, little invisible patches appearing like holes on his body. But Dr. Emily didn't seem concerned with him; instead he turned his attention to Dawn, who was sitting on one of the upper bunks. "It has come to my attention that a certain...video is circulating around the school. One starring our very own Adjudicator. Would you four happen to know anything about that?"
"No, sir," Avery shook her head. "We haven't seen anything. We've been in this dorm all day."
"I see," Dr. Emily cast her a narrow look. "Skipping class, then?"
Avery shifted uncomfortably.
"You four haven't shown up to your classes in at least two days. Do you care to explain this gap in your attendance?"
"Evan's been sick," Avery pointed to her brother, who quickly changed colors to a more pallid and sickly shade. He coughed weakly, hunching his shoulders like a hoodie-wearing version of Gollum. "We've been taking care of him."
"And he needs...all three of you to tend to his needs?" Dr. Emily arched one extremely skeptical eyebrow.
"Yes, sir," Avery replied, nodding like a soldier being drilled by their sergeant. "He's very demanding."
"Fetch me some water, will you?" Evan croaked at Sage, making his voice sound as feeble as possible. "My throat is so very dry..."
"Uh, sure," Sage got up and went to the bathroom door, which she opened just enough for her to slip inside. Couldn't risk revealing Astrid to the already nosy doctor. He'd wonder why--
"Mr. Jones isn't even supposed to be in this dorm," Dr. Emily reminded Avery. "Doesn't he have his own just down the hall?"
"Yes, well..." she shifted from foot to foot as she tried to think of a valid excuse for Evan's placement. "He gets lonely in there. It's been empty ever since Sam was...expelled. I didn't want him to have to go through the school year all by himself."
"What an accommodating sister you are," Dr. Emily remarked. "But I still want to know about that video."
"I assure you, we had nothing to do with it," Avery waved it off, trying to appear as dismissive and relaxed as possible. They couldn't get caught now, not when they had done so much. "Ask any of the students here. They'll tell you--we haven't even left the hallway."
"I just might," Dr. Emily took a step back, regarding her with a calculating stare. Despite his suspicions, though, he'd found nothing to prove his theory. But that didn't mean he believed their story. "Well, I suppose I should be heading off, then. Don't want to catch whatever it is that your brother has. But make sure to attend class tomorrow--too many absences and you might be removed from the school."
