Young Writers Society

She's gorgeous. I'm not sure if this school is for special kids or if it's for up and coming models because daaaamn. I had been talking too much and I knew that it was bothering her so I had to settle for awkwardly staring at her from my bed while she flipped through an art book.

"What's you power?" I blurted out hating the silence.

"Shapeshifting, into animals to be exact." She said not looking up from her book.

"Dude that's so cool and actually useful, unlike mine. I can just move things with my mind which is pretty useful when your legs work almost as good as jelly. But if I was normal, completely useless." I said leaning up against my wall picking at my star covered sheets.

"I think that's very interesting, and probably a lot easier to control, imagine just turning into a mouse in the middle of class." Bela said closing her book and twisting a piece of hair between her fingers.

"Hey, come here I wanna play with your hair." I said scooting over.

She came and sat carefully as I slid my fingers through her long hair twisting it together to slowly form a french braid.

"And no it's not easy to control," I said as I focused on her strands, "I'm like the hulk, you won't like me when I'm angry, or sad, or get too excited. So it actually kinda sucks. I'm constantly watching over my own emotions, it's not the best way to spend my time."

"I can see that, I suppose it is kind of nice to be able to fly, or swim, or run." Bela said leaning back towards me slightly.

"There ya go! You're pretty great don't let yourself down." I said tying off her hair with a elastic.

She turned and smiled at me with those big brown eyes and I melted. I can't really be falling for her, I mean she's probably straight and won't be one of those girls who experiment when they go off away from home.

Bela walked over to her bag and pulled out 2 tubes and walked back over to me rolling them between her hands. "Can I give you a henna tattoo?"

"Of course dude! Go crazy." I said watching her unscrew the bottle.

She drew intricate designs over y hands, fingers, and arms in beautiful motions. For the rest of the night she did my henna and we talked until maybe 2 until she passed out on my bed waiting for my henna to dry. Man I hope this girl is falling for me too.

Bela

Saturday

That morning, I got up while Keigan was still asleep and began to change.

"Bela?" her voice startled me and I immediately shifted into a bat, flying into the closet and hanging upside down on the hanger rack.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you..." Keigan bit her lip. I slowly phased back, watching in the mirror across the room as I got taller and my bat like features turned into a face and arms and legs. I reached back to tie the bikini that I had just been putting on when she woke up.

"Let me," she said. I backed up towards the bed and she sat up, tying the tie for me. Her fingers lingered a little longer than necessary, or so I thought. I then slid on high-waisted cropped shorts and a white racerback tank top. The bikini was black and basic, but I felt confident in it.

"Going to the pool?" Keigan asked.

"Yeah. My parents never let me go swimming. Well, I had to wear a one piece. They're Hindu and insisted on modesty.

"Well, you look wonderful." Keigan sat in a chair by her bedside and pulled over her wheelchair, transferring herself into it.

"Do you need help? Getting dressed or anything?" I wasn't sure how to act. Keigan acted as if she were checking me out but I didn't know if she was straight or... not.

"Nope. That's the beauty of telekenesis." Keigan lifted her arms and her shirt floated off her body, her drawer opening as a shirt slid over her. I looked away, blushing as she changed.

"I'd ask you to come but..." I looked at her chair and she looked away from me, only slightly hurt. "I'm so sorry," I quickly added, "I don't... I don't know what's okay to say and what's not."

"Well not much hurts me," she said, "just don't be awkward about it. I've been living with this condition for years now. I love floaties. So..."

"Okay," I said brightly. Maybe Keigan would get less awkward.

"Let me change."

"Yeah," I replied, "I'll just wait outside."

We walked and wheeled over to the pool.

"So tell me about your family," Keigan said. I told her about my Hindu parents and my brother who was older and moved out. She listened intently until we got to the pool.

"Can you lift yourself into the pool or do you want help?" I asked.

"Um, well lifting myself takes a great deal of effort, so..." I nodded as Keigan slid off her top and shorts, revealing a red bikini. There were a few others in the pool. I grabbed one of those giant inner-tubes and put my arms around her, bridal style, getting her into the floatie.

"How long have you been doing henna?" Keigan asked, tracing the swirling design I'd left on her arms.

"Six years or so. It's a traditional form of Hindu body art and really useful for weddings so... I just learned."

"And your power?"

"Less than a year." I answered, trailing my arm through the chlorinated water.

"You should turn into a fish," she said brightly.

"I can't... I would die."

"Why?" Keigan splashed a hand in the water.

"When I shift, anything that would kill the animal I turn into would also kill me too. Normal fish can't swim in chlorinated water or they'd get very sick and die. Same goes for me, too."

"Okay. So, say you turn into a spider and somebody squishes you. What would happen?" she asked this with anticipation flashing in her eyes.

"I would die," I replied, "Which almost happened once. The first time I transformed I turned into a mouse. My mother tried to hit me with a broom but I managed to get away."

"Your mom, does she know?" Keigan asked.

"No, she doesn't," I said sadly, tugging my hair out of the french braid Keigan did last night and pulling my now extra curly hair out of the hair elastic. I leaned back in the water, getting my hair wet and smoothing it over.

"So, any boyfriends?" Keigan asked.

"No," I laughed, "My parents didn't let me date. It's Hindu custom for marriages to be arranged by your parents before you turn twenty. I think I might be exempt from that, though. My brother is working on them. Especially since I'm not Hindu, myself."

"What are you?"

"Not sure yet. How about we talk about something more fun?" I asked, chuckling.

"You should swim around," Keigan said.

"I don't want to leave you."

"No, really, you should have fun. Besides," Keigan started to drift lightly and slowly along the water, "This is calming."

I nodded, tying my hair back once more and swimming a few laps in the Olympic sized pool.

Dimitri

"I'll be right back buddy. I think i have something that might help our.....predicament," Dimitri claimed as he ducked back out into the hallway, not bothering to close the door. He grabbed one end of the large duffel bag waiting around the corner and hauled ass to get it in the room. He shimmied his way through the door and absently decided he needed to watch how the strong older boys managed their bags so next time his x-gene muscles could do the work for him. That would make a way better impression on his cute silent-type roommate.

"So I've got a space invaders blanket - you're into retro, yeah? - and its not real big but I don't mind sharing with a beanstalk like you."

Dimi dug around in the bag and threw things over his bed as he found the thermal blanket and flung it at the other boy. "And check these out." The next things he pulled out of the bag looked at first like a pile of papers but on closer inspection were fold outs from magazines. The kind of magazines that mothers would blush to find in their son's rooms with scantily clad female models standing in front of shiny bikes or leaning on the hoods of expensive cars.

"Uh-" The dark haired boy blushed - and that was the first colour Dimi had seen in his pale face - and looked shyly back at his guitar.

"With hotties like these, we won't even feel how cold the room is!" Dimitri continued as he unpacked a rubik's cube and slammed it on the bedside table. "So we've not even got classes yet, what's with that? I bet it's so they've got time to put stuff in our food that will make us all docile and things, then they can experiment on us and crazy shit. So what about it?"

Dimitri found his slippers in the duffel bag and sat down on the bed to pull his trainers off and stuff his feet into the Mario mushroom slippers. He'd got the first one on before the other boy had even started trying to form a response.

"What... what- about what?"

"Food of course, I'm starving. Blue pills or not, I hope someone here knows how to cook. Come on." Dimitri sprang off the bed and back out of the room, his hand snaking out to palm the Rubik's cube into his pocket on the way. He checked behind him to make sure the other boy was coming and grinned encouragement as his roommate followed him out. "So what do I call you, Beanstalk? Mostly people call me Dimi - or Dim and that's fine, I don't do smart. I'm too smart to do smart, y'know?"

"H... Harris."

"Well Harris, let's get some food."

Dimitri picked a table somewhere near the middle of the room so he could be in the middle of all the excitement and he decided that someone at the school did know how to cook. Or how to heat up some dinner trays at the very least. He wasn't going to starve and that was a brightener on his mood.

Of course, some guy literally getting hosed by a hot chick right in front of him (and a handsome, boy-next-door type at that) was enough to send him into a fit of giggles.

"What happened?" the boy asked, rubbing his chiseled jaw.

"What happened was, Miss Poseidon didn't want you gettin' all up close and personal, so she used her power on you as a symbolic 'fuck off'." Dimitri laughed again and wondered if every day here was going to be this entertaining.

"Oh. Oh, alright, thanks, uh."

"Dimitri."

"Dimitri, yeah. Thanks."

Adonis took off without supplying a real name so Dimitri tagged the Greek God onto him. He watched the other boy's back until he'd disappeared into the crowd and then turned to the rest of the table once more, only to find most of them were staring at him.

"Wha- oh. That. It's kind of my thing, yeah. My super power - it's solving the Rubik's cube!" Dimitri flashed a grin as he looked down at his hand which was holding the Rubiks cube, now solved. He hadn't consciously taken it out of his pocket or made a move to solve it but he'd watched it done once on a YouTube video and his muscles liked to re-play the action. It made for a neat party trick since he mostly found himself doing it when he wasn't even watching. "I bet you all wish you had a power like mine!"

Trixianna Argyle

I was in the middle of my bed at the foster home, curled up with the first Gallagher Girl book. It was the only thing I remembered from before the accident. I was just getting to the good part when a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in." I sighed as I placed the bookmark back in the book as the head of the home came in and sat next to me on the bed.
"Trixie. I got a letter for you from a special school in California. You have been accepted as a student there. Since you have no known family, the government has chosen to apply for multiple school for you to complete your schooling. This is the only one to reply directly to you. You are to pack your bags now. There is a taxi out front to take you to the school. There is to be no arguments and if you get sent back before holidays you'll be welcomed by a locked door and a cardboard box in an alleyway. Now move it." She got up and walked out, slamming the door behind her.
I could be believe it. I was finally getting out of here. I hope I wouldn't get teased for my accent. I'd gotten enough of that here. I picked up the backpack that had all of my possessions already stuffed in it. I only needed my black Nike shoes and my sunnies. Opening my bag, I grabbed my book and put it carefully inside before turning to the bedside chest and picking up my sunnies before putting them on top of my head. The Nikes I kept under my bed were right where I left them. I threw them on and ran outside, backpack on and shoelaces untied. I didn't bother to say goodbye. The others couldn't care less anyway. I couldn't stop grinning. I felt as though I was running with the wind under my feet. Then I looked down and nearly fell. My feet were touching the ground but only just by the tip of my toes. I was practically running on air! I kept looking at the ground until I slipped and fell right into the taxi.
"You right there hon?" The light tinkle of the female drivers voice seemed to float to me.
"Yeah. Just slipped."
"Right. Well shut the door and we'll be on our way."
As I shut the door a small blue bird clipped his wing on the door as he flew in. He kept chirping in pain. I picked him up and say him in my lap.
"Throw him out. He probably has mites."
I shook my head. "No. He doesn't. I'll take care of him."
And with that, I slammed the door shut and was on my way.

**************

The city looked huge. Like a forest of concret. Lots of cars. Lots of noise. The blue bird was sleeping in my lap. I had lost track of time and I'd didn't help that I had my watch stolen from me when I first arrived at the home. The taxi finally pulled up to the front of the school. It looked huge. And deserted.
"Am I late?" I asked.
"Yeah. Term started yesterday. They don't usually allow late starts but I guess your an exception." The lady made a gesture for me to get out.
"Thank you. I really appreciate it." I grabbed my bag and swung it on my shoulder with one hand and carried Wren, as I decided to name him, in my other hand. I opened the door and got out, slamming the door shut again. I walked up to the reception door and opened it hoping to find someone who could help me get some directions.

My breaths came quick and shallow. I felt like the whole world was closing in around me, staring at me with cold, judgmental eyes. I curled up in my bed, pulling the covers up over my head. Hiding myself away from the world and trying to make myself as small as possible. I could tell I was blushing because of how much heat I could feel coming off my cheeks. What have I done? I thought. Only I could humiliate myself that bad on the first day of school. If Stetson wasn't scared of me, he probably at least hated me. Even more than I hated myself in that moment.

I heard the door squeak open from behind me, followed by footsteps echoing into the room. I'd been curious about who my roommate would be all day, but this was the worst possible time for a first impression. The thought made me pull the covers even further up over my head.

"Hello?" It was a girls voice. A moment later, the door squeaked closed.

My heart started to pound in my chest. I decided it would be better for me to face her and introduce myself than it would her coming over and pulling the covers down to see I was hiding. So I took a deep breath and flipped the covers down, sitting up in the process. "Hi," I said.

I excepted the next thing she would say to be "Is something wrong?" or "Why are your eyes puffy?" But she didn't. She just turned in my direction and gave me a small smile. "Ah. You must be my roommate. Didn't see you there under the covers. Were you trying to sleep?"

"No, I was just..." I sighed, then threw my legs over the side of the bed, stood, and took a few steps closer to her. "It's nice to meet you."

"Back at you." She stuck her hand out in my direction. "My name is Eliza."

I stared at it for a moment, the shook it hesitantly. "Hailey."

"Hailey... Hey, are you the girl who drenched that guy at dinner?"

My cheeks blazed into a new shade of red. I groaned and threw myself back onto my bed.

"I take that as a 'yes,'" I heard her say. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure everyone will forget it ever happened by tomorrow."

"You think?" I peeked one eye out from hiding it in my pillow. "Because I figured I would be known as "the girl who drenches people" for the rest of the semester. Maybe even the rest of high school."

"Nah, I assure you. You forget about it and everyone else will, too. And you're not the only one who... made an impression today. Did you hear about the guy who fainted in the middle of registration? And the girl who fainted trying to help the guy who fainted?"

"Really? That happened today?" I said, my voice muffled by the pillow.

"Yeah. At least what you did didn't result in anyone going to the nurse."

I sat up and sighed. "Thank you. I... I'm sure I look like a mess."

She shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't know."

My eyes widened with a sudden realization I'd felt stupid for not noticing sooner. "You- You're blind."

"I am?" she said. I tilted my head at her, suddenly feeling very confused. But then she gave me a wide smile and, realizing it was a joke, I felt myself relax. "Yes, I am. Well, sort of. I can see energy waves. That's my power."

"Oh, I see- I mean... I get it." Oh, god. Can I disappear now?

"Relax. I'm not made of glass," she said.

I closed my eyes and just wanted that day to be over. I wondered if I had broken a record for how many times someone could embarrass themselves in a single day. If I hadn't, I'd felt sure I was close.

"I may not be able to see your expression," Eliza said, leaning back in her bed. "But I can see your energy. You're tense. You should take a walk. It'll help calm you."

"I think that's a good idea." I pulled on my boots and instinctively grabbed my coat, then lied it on my bed when I reminded myself that it was warm outside. Something I knew would take a while for me to get used to.

The night was calm. The warm glow of lamp lights lit up the cobblestone paths, the lamps themselves cutting shadows through their own light. The cool fall breeze blew through my hair and the sky started to sprinkle raindrops down on top of me.

Despite what Eliza said, I still felt horrible. I drenched Stetson in front of everybody. Maybe I wasn't the only one I had embarrassed.

I found myself standing in front of the boys dorm. Something inside me desperately wanted to apologize to him and explain what happened. Maybe if he knew it was an accident I would still have a chance at getting to know him. But at the same time, my shyness pulled me back at the thought. I just felt like retreating into myself, too embarrassed to talk about what happened or why exactly he got drenched.

I looked down at the thin blue watch on my wrist. 9:45PM. Fifteen minutes until they would be locking the dorms for the night. Maybe things would be clearer in the morning. Maybe I should just leave him alone. I've caused him enough trouble already.

Stetson Cassidy

"Cheers," Aaron said with a smirk as he left the room, his body swaying so severely that I wouldn't have been surprised if he flat-out fainted on the carpeted floor. But he made it out of the room, and it wasn't long until I was left entirely alone. Sitting on my unmade bed in a dry shirt, I conjured up the courage to call James.

"Hey Jimmy," I said into my cellphone.

"Stet?" James's low and scratchy voice--always full of cracks and pitch deviations--came through the speaker. He sounded like he was breaking up, static playing in my ear. There were heavy footfalls and a splattering in the background. Rain, presumably.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Nowhere." His voice sounded panicked, his breath labored. "Why're you calling?"

"Weird shit's been happening. I just wanted to talk. Needed to." I paused. "Where are you?"

"I told you, none of your goddamn business," he growled. And then, with a tinge of anxiety, "Look, some guys are after me. I backed out on a deal with Anderson, and Rickshaw's guys are after me, and..." He gulped. The footfalls fell faster, and someone shouted in the distance. The words were muffled. "I stole a car from the dealership, but the tank was empty, and hell, man, I think they're gonna kill me--" His voice rose sharply at the end of the sentence. He breathed in through his nose, and then I heard a rattling of chain link fence. "Oh, shit," he said through his teeth. "I gotta go. I gotta go. Stet, I--" Silence severed his words.

"James?"

The line went dead.

I exhaled. Nowadays, it seemed James couldn't stay out of trouble. When we were younger, he was different. Not only different; nearly a polar opposite of who he was now. And it hurt to think just how much circumstances had changed him. I was never completely sure of what said circumstances were; it seemed like one day, he just woke up a different person.

I knelt on the sandy ground, prodding a mouse with a baseball bat. The rodent scurried back and forth underneath the drainage vent. The bat poked through the gaps, stabbing at the mouse.

"Is that funny to you?" I heard from the opposite end of the alleyway. A young boy's voice, similar to my own, but with a faint Mississippian accent. I couldn't place it then.

I didn't look over, just kept poking away.

"He's got a family just like you," the boy continued on.

"I don't got no family," I mumbled. "People that can't pay for my food ain't no family to me." It was something I'd heard Grandpa say, shortly before he died. The boy approached me, walking closer. I finally looked at him; he was tall for ten years old and skinny, with a head of white-blond hair. The white-blond color hadn't stayed for long; it had turned completely chocolate brown over a matter of years.

"I have friends that could beat you up," I said to the boy, but not minding the companionship. I said it because I was afraid. I didn't know where my friends were. I could see that he'd easily best me in a fistfight, considering the visible age difference. It was the kind of thing boys needed to think about when they went around alone in the neighborhood.

But this boy was different somehow. He didn't try to appear tough. Ignoring the comment, the boy asked, "Do you go to church? I think I've seen you there. There any boy named James Pilsner the fourth at your church?"

"That you?" I asked. I stopped poking at the mouse.

"Yep," he replied, straightening his baseball cap. "Good that you stopped," he said, gesturing to the mouse, which had climbed from the drainage vent and disappeared in the nook of a building. "Sometimes it's better to let things out than to trap them inside."

I got up from my bed. I couldn't stand the smell of smoke that pervaded the dorm room; it reminded me of Dad's old plaid jacket, the one that used to hang on the coat rack. It was an awful sense of deja vu, so I left the room in somewhat of a hurry. Aaron hadn't seemed too keen on cutting the habit, and frankly, I didn't blame him. Everyone had that one thing they couldn't help.

Once I'd exited the building, a thought popped into my head. My earbuds. I forgot my earbuds. I ruminated going back in to get them, but I didn't like the thought of another minute surrounded by all of that cigarette aftereffect and the smell of my dad's jacket. Suddenly, I felt like I would vomit if I went back there. Maybe it was the details of the memory that kept coming back to me. Red paint splattered at the bottom of the ladder. The winter jacket, the one Dad had given me after work one night; "There you go, Scoop."

The jacket, blue and white plaid. The one with the stain at the bottom; the stain I'd always assumed was from the same red paint he brushed the walls with after his and Mom's seventh anniversary. The anniversary had been just after my eighth birthday. He'd insisted on a change, and she'd agreed. The jacket had survived two months of being special by the time I crept up those wooden stairs. They creaked so much under my breathless body, and if I had known what I'd see when my feet reached the top, then I would've never gone up.

I pushed the memory from my mind once the cool breeze flew past my arms. The sun had long since sank behind the horizon, and lamplight shimmered across the cobblestone path. There were students strolling back to their dorms, accompanied by new friends. They engaged in chatter that drowned in the quiet nighttime tranquility spreading over the campus setting.

Then I saw her, Hailey.

Right in front of me, walking slowly with her head bent downwards. I could tell it was her, somehow. I was good at that, picking a face from the crowd. Even the sight of the back of her head was easy to recognize.

I should have taken the hint the first time in the front doorway, when her eyes had so obviously denied contact with mine. Or now, after she'd doused me with water in the dining hall. She was spelling it out for me, how much she didn't want me around. I wasn't pissed off at her for humiliating me. I hadn't even really been angry to begin with. Sure, I was embarrassed. A little frustrated. More than a bit confused.

But, like my mother told me, I never did learn. I was about to walk up to her. I would go up to her and tap her on the right shoulder, walk around her left. Laugh. Watch while she laughed, because I would've gotten her. That trick always worked the first time.

Don't. She just wants to be left alone.

So instead, I followed her from about twenty paces behind, hands hanging loosely in my jeans pockets. My eyes trained ahead on the shadows that fell over her frame, I wondered what I'd do when she decided to turn around to come back to her dorm.

Suddenly, I saw her veer off to the left and step up in front of an ice-cream truck. It was parked on the side of the path, and a few students walked back past me with waffle cones and chocolate moose tracks, dropping their mouths to catch the melting ice cream. I walked a little quicker, coming up behind her. Hailey was the only one in line, and tucked her fingers in her pockets. "I want a, uh..." She was reaching around for a wallet distractedly. "A mint..." By that point, I'd caught up to her. I hastily reached my hand deeper into my pocket and pulled out a five. I slipped the bill onto the counter, slowly and smoothly.

"Mint chocolate chip," I said to the shaggy-haired guy behind the counter. "Make that two."

Hailey saw me. Her eyes widened, her mouth opening slightly. A horrified look found its way into her expression.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," I told her, giving her a wary smile. "I don't wanna end up with an ice cream in the face. I'm running out of clean shirts."

She blushed. Her fingers reached up to cover her face. "I feel like a complete bitch." She said it like she wasn't used to the word coming from her lips. "I'm sorry," she said through her fingers, "God, I'm sorry."

The guy behind the counter told us that the ice cream would be a minute, and then disappeared into the back of the truck.

"What do you mean you're sorry?" I asked finally. "I mean, I got the message pretty clear." She swallowed, shaking her head. She was still shaking her head as the man handed us our ice creams. I wondered for a moment if she might cry. I led the way to an empty wooden bench across from the truck. I sat down, taking a bite out of the ice cream. Hailey just looked at hers with wide, pink-rimmed brown eyes, as if it was on fire or symbolized some awful sin.

"Y'know," I joked, "I was just trying to show you some good music. If you didn't like it, you could've just told me so."

"I didn't mean to do it," she finally said, with a timid voice. "I didn't mean to use my power on you." I didn't understand, and it must've been obvious because she continued, stammering a little over her words. "Controlling water. For some reason it acts up whenever I'm upset." She swallowed, looking away. "Or whenever someone...touches me."

I suddenly remembered how my hand touched her face when I had tried to give her my other earbud. The music of "Can't Fight This Feeling" still pulsing against my finger. "Oh," I said, not knowing what else to say. I rubbed the back of my neck. "Sorry about that." Hailey looked even more embarrassed. She still sat tentatively on the edge of the bench, not facing me, her ice cream untouched.

"It isn't your fault. You just made me anxious." Her eyes were focused on her knees.

I found myself smiling, huge, trying to get her eyes to land on mine. "Anxious? Well that's not such a bad thing." She kind of laughed, her cheeks reddening, looking flustered. Her laugh was pretty and light.

"How did you know I wanted mint chocolate chip?" Hailey asked all of the sudden, avoiding my eyes. She finally licked her ice cream, simultaneously tucking a stray piece of dark hair behind her ear.

"It's the only thing that starts with 'mint' on the menu," I replied, laughing.

"You read the entire menu?" she marveled. "You were only behind me for a second."

"I'm a fast reader," I told her, winking.

Her face flushed, and she stared at the grass. Her feet kicked back and forth slightly. I let the wind blow across my face; the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I looked at my phone before jumping to my feet.

"Shit," I exclaimed. "Two minutes till they lock us out. We better get going before we have to sleep on this bench." I pulled her up by the hand in one quick motion, as I stuck out my tongue and barely caught a drop of ice cream as it trailed down the side of the cone. Her expression jumped as her elbow jostled mine. I let go of her hand. "Almost ran straight into you there," I said, giving her a sidelong glance. "I was two steps away from facing the wrath of the entire Pacific."

She laughed, a real laugh, and with a burst of confidence, shoved me gently. "It wasn't even two steps."

"What can I say?" I asked, laughing. "I'm as clumsy as a penguin with no arms."

"Penguins don't have arms; they have flippers."

"And I'm also as dumb as a bull. You didn't let me get to that part." Hailey giggled; the sensation of making someone laugh was like a drug. I lobbed my napkin into the trash, and then leaned closer as we walked quickly through the schoolyard. "Though, I'd rather be a whale after that number you did on me at dinner."

She blushed again at this.

"Speaking of numbers," I said, smiling coyly, "you got one?"

She blinked at the question, and then registered. I scratched the back of my head, waiting hopefully. We were in front of the dorms now, and a man with a key was approaching the boy's dorm. My heartbeat quickened. "Hey!" I called out to him, standing straighter. "Hey, hold up, alright? Hold the door for a second? Please?" The man sent a reluctant look in our direction, and motioned for me to hurry up.

"I don't--" Hailey started.

"It's okay," I said.

"No," she said, louder, as if bidding me not to leave, "I don't have a piece of paper. That's what I was gonna say. I don't have something to write on."

I felt myself smiling. "I'm not really a penguin," I said. "I have two hands."

So she reached into her pocket and pulled out a blue pen. She was hesitant, so I stretched my forearm out in front of her, leaning my head over her shoulder. She braced my arm with her slender left hand and moved the tip of the pen over my skin. Her hand shook slightly as she wrote, and her hair blew against my face, smelling like vanilla.

"Hey, hurry up!" the guy by the door called, his hand cupped around his bearded mouth.

At the sound of his voice, Hailey's hand jumped at the end of the last 4, causing the pen to squiggle across my arm.

"Oops," she said.

"Nice touch," I told her, laughing. Then, looking at my arm, "Nice number you got there. "

The bearded guy growled in my direction.

"So long," I told Hailey, jogging towards the door with my hands in my pockets, looking back over my shoulder.

"So long," she echoed, watching me go.

Harris stood at the doorway to his and Dimitri's dorm room. He checked his watch,

10;00

Harris wasn't so much scared of where he would sleep than what the consequences would be if he was caught. That made his skin crawl. He didn't doubt the school had security guards.

Harris hadn't meant to stay over 9, he'd been sitting in the corner of the cafeteria reading a book he'd bought with him. Why he sat in a corner he couldn't recall, something about it felt cozy to him. He must've dosed off while reading because he was awoken by another student with a quizzical look on her face. By the time he reached his dorm it'd been 10.

Harris didn't blame Dimitri, he'd abided by the rules and went back to the dorms before 9. He was probably sound asleep by the time Harris had knocked. Being locked out was fine with him, he hadn't intended to sleep tonight anyway.

Harris exited the dorm building and walked across the courtyard to the entrance of the school. From the start of the day, Harris had been more or less rushed around from one event to another. Now was the time to process what had happened. To tell the truth Harris hadn't wanted to go to Oceanside. He missed his cramped home with his flustered mother rushing around from room to room, pining for one gallery offer or looking for supplies she'd 'misplaced'. He missed the cold quiet mornings in Chicago when the soft gusting of the wind through a tree gently prodded you awake and the snow pitter pattering on the roof slowly gave way to a mellow sunrise shadowed by plush white clouds that blended with the sky until the world became a winter wonderland with the lazy sun peaking through every now and then as if to make sure the world was still warm. To Harris, those small mornings described him. Those jaded mornings were never to cold for Harris no matter how many jackets his mom insisted he wore.

Harris was off the campus now. The lights of the Venice Beach strip shone with sparkling neon colors that reflected off the Pacific as it slowly lapped at the sandy shore. Harris turned his back on the lights and stepped onto the sand. The tide was low so Harris could walk all the way to the shore line. The wind picked up as he stood their in front of the ocean. It drowned out the city noises, cars motoring down the streets. People still walking home from wherever they'd been previously. Then it died down, giving way to the soft lapping of the ocean. It reminded him of rustling of the wind back in Chicago, but Harris knew that he wouldn't hear that sound for a long while. He felt lost without it, the lapping of the ocean served as only a temporary substitute. Harris sat down, not minding as the sand around him turned to Ice. The ocean in front of him represented his new world. Oceanside, L.A, The Supernatural. Harris sat and stared at the Ocean until the sky turned a deep blue hue and the dawn peeked over the horizon, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find home.

He couldn't find himself.

@backroadstraveler I think our characters would get along! they both kind of have the same power except mine is art form and yours is through sleep!

So apparently he'd missed a lot for only being gone for a few days. Of course him coming in late would mean missing out on seeing the headmistress literally disappear before everyone's eyes. He heard some students talking about it. Heck, that would've been hilarious to see the reactions on everyone's faces... but, maybe it wouldn't. He figured the school was just for "special" people with "powers" like him, so maybe it wouldn't have been unusual for anyone to see. He honestly had no idea. What was this school going to be like? He really hadn't met anyone with extraordinary powers before (besides himself), but he was really betting on having a roommate with super strength or something. Or maybe a super genius! Then, they could help him with his homework, right? Although if they were a super genius there was just as much of a chance that they would smart-talk their way out of doing his homework for him. But he couldn't jump to that conclusion just yet, since he had absolutely no base level understanding of how "powers" worked.

So he could understand animals. What gives? There were people who could disappear! There were probably people who could run at the speed of light and make ice come out of their hands. You know, something actually cool! Heh, cool like frozone, right? He chuckled to himself.

He'd already checked in with admissions and student services to figure out all of the details. The lady at the desk had been exceptionally boring, and Kaito had mentally checked out as she gave him a rule book, a map of the school, keys to the building he was rooming in, and a few stern glances. He was immeasurably glad that he was able to fly in for the weekend, instead of arriving in the middle of the week. It would've been a pain and a drag to try and jump into classes at this point (of course, he would still have to deal with that, but on Monday.)

He just wanted to check out the campus after he dumped his stuff in his dorm. The taxi he'd taken dropped him off in front of the building, and he got out to take his suitcases out of the trunk. He let the larger one slide to the ground with a thump, slung the smaller dufflebag over his shoulder, and his backpack over the other. The driver offered to help, but Kaito just shook his head. "Nah, man. I'm good."

He looked the dorm building up and down, amazed at how nice it looked. He wondered if the rooms would be just as fancy, or if it was all just a facade. As the taxi drove away, he walked slowly down the walkway, rolling his suitcase behind him. He tried to remember from the many papers that he'd gotten, who his roommate was. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to sort through the buckets of useless information he'd had thrown at him in the past hour. Ah! It was Jay. Jay like... Jay Jay the jet plane? Or like the bird? Eh, well, he'd figure out what this guy was like when he met him, he supposed.

It took him a while to find his room, and he had to fish around in his pockets to find his keys, fumbling around with them before he managed to get them in the door to unlock it. He pushed open the door with his shoulder as he dragged his things in, and then dropped them on the floor. Huh. By the looks of it this Jayfeather fellow wasn't here yet. Either that, or he was invisible too. Wouldn't that be funny, hah! Gosh, he wished someone was around to hear his jokes.

He decided to take a few minutes to throw some of his things around on what he claimed as his side of the room. He still couldn't believe that he was actually here, and that the school had actually requested him to be here. I mean, of course they would want him - he was pretty great, after all - but it was just so bizarre.

A school for the super kids? What were they supposed to do? Be trained into being super heroes? Pah, that was just silly. They were more likely to be lab rats or something. But if he got anything out of this school, maybe they could help him find something useful for him to do with his power. Talking to animals would be a cool hobby... if he actually liked animals. He really hoped they wouldn't encourage him to get all cuddly with some furry creatures or something. Eugh.

(Hope this is alright? Sorry, I've never been in a storybook where writing other people's characters is permitted, so Im' very hesitant to do so. Aaa)

Matthew Ledet

My power had grew a lot since the first time I ever found out I had a one. At first i could only transport when I was scared, then it evolved into letting me do what I wanted. During the beginning I wouldn't get weak but now since it has grown it weakens me and makes me to tired to do anything.

I sat in a chair next to my bed in the academy dorms, I was supposed to be getting a roomie, his name was Lucifer. He hadn't shown up yet though and I hope we are going to get along or else it will be a long year.

*Transport*

I had made my way outside and everyone was still walking around and getting all of their things together.

My phone beeped.

It was Rachel, my girlfriend from back home.

When can you come see me again? the text had said.

I laughed. Girls, well she, can be so naive. I told her we were over like 3 weeks ago but she insisted on staying up my ass. if my power wouldn't make me so weak I'd consider dropping her off a cliff in Mount Everest.

*transport*

I transported back into my dorm, it was time to take a power nap.

------------

I awoken and it was still daylight.

*transport*

This time I ended up trampling over a girl.

"Ugh.. and I even saw this coming..." the girl had mumbled.

I got up and helped her up. Dusting off my pants, I stated at her.

"Please watch what your doing next time."

She was so calm about it.

"I'm sorry Miss. My name is Matthew. Are you okay?" I asked.

She dusted off her pink dress and shook my hand.

"Arena is my name." she said.

It was a strange name, but hey, who was I to judge?

"It's nice to meet you." I said.

She smiled and she took out her phone and handed it to me.

"Put your number in it."

I laughed, she didn't waste any time.

I did as I was told and she put hers in mine.

Dimitri

Despite the laughs he'd got at the cafeteria table, when Dimi got up to punch his tray and leave the hall, nobody followed. He took slow steps and listened so hard for somebody calling him back that he almost walked through a pretty redhead. Except that wasn't included in his abilities so instead he walked into her.

"Watch it!" the girl snapped.

"Sorry, I had to check you were real and not an illusion on account of you being so- beautiful."

By the time he reached the end of his flirtation, the girl was already standing in line at the lunch queue and whispering nasty things about him (probably) to her girlfriends. Dimitri let out a heavy sigh and slunk around the hallways.

The school was big. Like way, way bigger and more crowded than the last place he went to and Dimitri had never felt more insignificant. How did a little guy like him get to be a big fish in an ocean this vast? He didn't even know where he stood on the scale of Aquaman to Superman for coolest power of the year award.

He had to have been walking for like an hour (or ten minutes) when he rounded the corner and found an empty stretch of hallway. Or mostly empty at least. Some kid who had been elbowing him to get by a moment ago took one look at the three older boys leaning against the lockers and decided he had somewhere else to be. Big fish! They'd know exactly what Dimi was talking about!

The dark haired youth grinned and sauntered over, or did his best impression of a saunter, which having muscle memory and all was actually pretty spectacular, thank you very much. He was quickly standing in front of the biggest fish and the two smaller fish closed in on either side.

"Hey, relax, chill. I don't want no trouble." Dimi held up his hands to show he wasn't carrying anything more offensive than a Rubiks cube.

"Then what do you want?" one of the littler fishies asked. Dimitri turned to face him and gave him his full attention and a classic Dimi grin.

"Tips, advice. I want to know how it rolls here, you get me?"

"I think he's asking for trouble," the second littlest fish decided. "Do you want me to hold him Mac?"

The big fish said nothing but Dimitri felt very suddenly that he should be looking at him and not the stunning blonde who'd just walked onto the scene. She had this long, flowing hair and happy green eyes. Her expression was slightly vacant but she half turned and smiled at him as she was passing, then said: "Nice spin."

"Huh?"

"I can hold him, Mac," the first littlest fish offered as Dimi watched after the girl and completely missed the right hook coming for the corner of his face. His body didn't miss it though and his muscles reacted on auto pilot so he found himself doing a ballet spin out of the way and the big fish punched the littler fish who fell over into the other littler fish and Dimi very quickly got the hint and hurried after the girl.

"Did you know I was going to do that?" Dimitri asked the girl incredulously.

_______________

It seemed a long time before Dimi got back to his room but when he did, he found it strangely empty. It wasn't far off lock-down time but Harris wasn't anywhere in sight. Which was fine. Which meant he had the whole room to himself and he could blast his music or bounce a ball against the wall (if he had a ball) or be deafened by the silence.

Dimi had never been alone at this time of night. He'd always been the last to join his brothers in the room but now... where was he?

And why did Dimi care?

And why did he feel so terribly alone?

I sat on the floor of the lounge with my microscope a few slides I had set up. I had one of a bead a sweat I sneaked off someone as they were walking by, an ant, a leaf, and the set of already set up sides I had brought. I focused in and out on the slides watching the little organisms float around and bump into each other. It's like watching a movie, but a real life movie that could be made with a piece of glass and a plastic cover. I switched between the slides comparing the ant to the prepared slide of a beetle and taking notes in my book as I did.

"Sorry can I sit here?" A boy maybe a year younger than me asked quietly tapping on my shoulder and pointing the chair I was leaning on.

"Oh yeah sorry dude, didn't know I was taking up the whole room." I said scooting over as quickly as I could and moving my folded chair under the table.

He smiled and quietly took quick glances at my microscope as if he didn't want me to see him looking. I went back to looking my slides making it so he could also see what I was doing without actually forcing him to look. I could feel his eyes burning through my hands.

"You wanna look?" I asked him moving the microscope to him.

He nodded and looked in the eyepiece. He instantly started smiling.

"Hey what's your power." I asked tapping on one of the empty slides.

"I can turn things to ice." He said looking at his hands.

"Lets look at it then." I said dropping a drop of water on the slide and gesturing for him to turn it.

I turned away as he might be shy as it crinkled into ice. I then encased the slide and slid it into place. His eyes lit up. I scooted it over to me and I took a peek. Little stripes and snowflakes were frozen in time under my eyes. I took the slide out and put it in a plastic case and labeled it "Iceman" and handed it to the boy.

"Thank you." He smiled putting it in his pocket.

"No problem, I'm Keigan by the way."

"Harris."

I nodded and floated back into my chair before moving all my stuff into my backpack and rolled back to my dorm.

Bela hadn't returned yet so I took the opportunity to bathe I floated out and into the bathroom and sat down on the counter turning on the hot water of the bath and pulling a lush bubble bar out my cosmetic bag. I set up some candles that helped my emotions stay normal and happy and undressed. I floated into the bath dropping the bubble bar in and turning off the water. An then I fell asleep like the idiot I am.

Jay

After receiving my information packet I grabbed my suitcases and headed up to my room. I saw a white board already on the door and grinned to myself, my roomie was already here.

I carefully placed my suitcases at the end of the hall and turned myself invisible, it was this sort of cold feeling that sent shivers down my spine.

I approached my new door and took the handle, flinging it open and gliding inside. My new roomie looked up, startled. He walked over to the door, peering into the hallway briefly before shutting it, resting his forehead against the wood.

I tiptoed behind him, literally breathing down his neck and he spun around, looking somewhat frightened.

"Boo." I said, suddenly appearing and the dude yelled and shrunk against the door with his arms raised.

I busted out laughing. "Oh my gosh," *wheeze* "You are so-" *wheeze* "Gullible!" I was dying, and eventually the guy started laughing too.

"Yeah, you really got me," he said, "I'm Kaito. You must be Jay. As in the bird? Or a plane?"

"Jay, like the bird," I said. "My mother likes birds and other bird names like Wren, Robin and such are mostly girls names so... Jay it is. I better get my bags, I left them in the hallway to scare you." Kaito nodded and opened the door, still chuckling to himself but looking somewhat embarrassed.

I lugged in my suitcases and started to unpack my things, layingJay

After receiving my information packet I grabbed my suitcases and headed up to my room. I saw a white board already on the door and grinned to myself, my roomie was already here.

I carefully placed my suitcases at the end of the hall and turned myself invisible, it was this sort of cold feeling that sent shivers down my spine.

I approached my new door and took the handle, flinging it open and gliding inside. My new roomie looked up, startled. He walked over to the door, peering into the hallway briefly before shutting it, resting his forehead against the wood.

I tiptoed behind him, literally breathing down his neck and he spun around, looking somewhat frightened.

"Boo." I said, suddenly appearing and the dude yelled and shrunk against the door with his arms raised.

I busted out laughing. "Oh my gosh," *wheeze* "You are so-" *wheeze* "Gullible!" I was dying, and eventually the guy started laughing too.

"Yeah, you really got me," he said, "I'm Kaito. You must be Jay. As in the bird? Or a plane?"

"Jay, like the bird," I said. "My mother likes birds and other bird names like Wren, Robin and such are mostly girls names so... Jay it is. I better get my bags, I left them in the hallway to scare you." Kaito nodded and opened the door, still chuckling to himself but looking somewhat embarrassed.

I lugged in my suitcases and started to unpack my things, laying Jay

After receiving my information packet I grabbed my suitcases and headed up to my room. I saw a white board already on the door and grinned to myself, my roomie was already here.

I carefully placed my suitcases at the end of the hall and turned myself invisible, it was this sort of cold feeling that sent shivers down my spine.

I approached my new door and took the handle, flinging it open and gliding inside. My new roomie looked up, startled. He walked over to the door, peering into the hallway briefly before shutting it, resting his forehead against the wood.

I tiptoed behind him, literally breathing down his neck and he spun around, looking somewhat frightened.

"Boo." I said, suddenly appearing and the dude yelled and shrunk against the door with his arms raised.

I busted out laughing. "Oh my gosh," *wheeze* "You are so-" *wheeze* "Gullible!" I was dying, and eventually the guy started laughing too.

"Yeah, you really got me," he said, "I'm Kaito. You must be Jay. As in the bird? Or a plane?"

"Jay, like the bird," I said. "My mother likes birds and other bird names like Wren, Robin and such are mostly girls names so... Jay it is. I better get my bags, I left them in the hallway to scare you." Kaito nodded and opened the door, still chuckling to himself but looking somewhat embarrassed.

I lugged in my suitcases and started to unpack my things, laying my dark purple sheets on the bed and then making my bed with my dark gray comforter that had a pattern of darker gray, large hexagons.

"I really don't like surprises so..." Kaito spoke up, sitting on his bed.

"Oh yeah, no problem. No more vanishing action without warning. And I promise I won't do it to invade your privacy or be creepy or anything." He nodded

"So," I leaned back on the bed and put my arms behind my bed, "what's up?"

Lilah Banes

I swing from my fly bar and somersault through the air. I wait until what must be the last possible second before extending my arms out, and sure enough, Janie and I lock onto each other’s wrists.

‘‘Would you look at that, you’re finally getting the hang of this!’’ Janie teases. I look up at the trapeze artist and roll my eyes. Janie face is starting to flush a deep red from hanging upside-down so long, but somehow she still manages to pull her expression into a smirk.

‘‘I told you I could! You think maybe a month before I can perform?’’ I ask.

For some reason my hands suddenly let go of Janie ‘‘Lilah!’’ she scolds.

As soon as I start to mumble an apology, a booming voice bellows out from beneath us. ‘‘Lilah! You got a suit here for ya!’’ Maurice, our strong man, hollers.

I should have known there was a reason I let go of Janie. I quit my apology and grin at her. Janie mutters something about me being a ‘true circus freak’ and drops me into the safety net below.

Maurice is waiting by the opening flap of our tent. I scramble out of the net and run over to him. ‘‘Hiya!’’ I say in greeting. ‘‘So why am I wearing a suit now? I mean I know the red in the skirt of this leotard is starting to fade,’’ I say stretching the strip of fabric out for him to see, ‘‘but it’s not stretchy and still fits fine. Plus, if I can ever join an actual act I’ll need-’’

‘‘Banes, would you slow down!’’ Maurice says, cutting me off. I close my mouth and look up at the tall man. He sighs. He tends to do that a lot around me. ‘‘Not that kind of suit. There’s a man, who wears a suit, here to talk to you.’’

‘‘Oh. Ok… Is everything alright?’’ I ask. Maurice seems unusually tense, and he’s not a guy to get stressed out. Angry, occasionally, but not stressed.

‘‘Just come on.’’ I follow Maurice out of the tent and down the dusty dirt road that leads out of our site. The weather’s been great lately, and the summer isn’t as hot in Northern California as it is back in Missouri. Granted, this day’s been a little warmer than most.

Suddenly I’m overwhelmed with fear. I feel my entire body stiffen, and my hand instinctively reached out to latch onto Maurice’s arm. Two seconds later, I understand why.

The man just ahead of our path- I know him. Well, not really, but he looks exactly like the guy in my dream. He has the same milky white skin, and the same wiry frame. Sometimes the one in my dream has glowing, red eyes, and pointed teeth. I couldn’t about that from here; the man didn’t smile and he was wearing dark sunglasses. ‘‘But it’s not raining!’’ I whisper to myself.

Maurice gave me a gentle squeeze with his free hand. ‘‘He’s alright Lilah, just an old classmate of mine.’’

‘‘No, no no!’’ This is all wrong. In my dream, the man always stood at a fork in the road, and behind him it was super cloudy and rainy. Why would I see him now, in the sun, on a one-way dirt path?

The man crosses the rest of the distance. ‘‘Lilah Banes?’’ he asks. I nod mutely, still refusing to let go of Maurice’s arm. He pulls out a slip of folded-up paper from inside his coat. ‘‘I’m Dr. Crowe, and I’m here to personally invite out to Oceanside Acadamey.’’

‘‘What?’’ I let go of Maurice to take the paper from him, dismissing my fear. My? At a private school? This has to be Maurice’s doing- if not Janie’s. ‘‘Is this a joke?’’ I ask, not even unfolding the slip.

The man finally smiles as he shakes his head. Well, no pointy teeth. ‘‘I assure you, the invitation is genuine.’’

‘‘No, Maurice, did you put him up to this? Because you know what my grades look like and there is no way I’d get invited to attend a private school. And you found me at a circus, and came in person. I mean a normal person would just mail the letter to someone’s house and wait for a reply from there.’’

‘‘Ms. Banes, you’re not normal. I suggest you read that letter.’’

I unfold the paper and begin to read. First I become intrigued. So there are others like me. Well I suppose Maurice was more than just a normal strong man, but. I dismiss my thought, and continue on. Slowly my interest turns to shock, and my shock turns to horror. ‘‘You can’t do that!’’ I snap.

‘‘Ms. Banes, I assure you, I even if you choose to run from this, I can find you. I’d suggest you take advantage of this opportunity.’’

I look up to Maurice for some kind of answer. He only nods with a tight smile. ‘‘But, I don’t have any clothes, like I literally have this, a couple shorts and T-shirts; well I did pack a set of sweats and a hoodie, but I packed light because it’s really not smart to have a lot when you’re running off to find the circus. And my mom- I told her I’d be back in time for school. I have to send her a postcard…’’ one of my hands flies up to tug on my tight braid.

‘‘We’ve taken the liberty of purchasing some uniform attire on you behalf, and we’ve already notified your mother of your attendance.’’

‘‘Come on kid, I’ll help you pack.’’ Maurice tells me. I shake my head, but follow him anyway. This can’t be real.

***

So it turns out Dr. Crowe is actually a pretty cool guy. I didn’t say anything to him the first couple of hours in our four-hour drive, but eventually I had to ask about his eyes. They were red, like in my dream. Apparently he has X-Ray vision, and can ‘see that which he seeks’ or some sort of crystal ball stuff, which is how he found me. But after we got that he started telling me about the school and how much I would like it. Apparently he and Maurice weren’t just classmates, but roommates. And, not to my surprise, Maurice tended to drag Crowe into trouble.

It’s maybe 5:30 and growing dark by the time we get to Oceanside. I grab my old sack out of the trunk smile at Dr. Crowe with a slight shrug. ‘‘So what now?
He points of one of the building on campus. That’s the girl’s dorm if you want to set your stuff down. The cafeteria,’’ he says as he swings his finger over to another building ‘‘is still open if you want a bite to eat. Good luck, Ms. Banes.’’ Crowe climbs back into his car and drives straight back out the gate. I guess he’s got more student to go ‘seek.’

I make my way to the cafeteria. I’m not real hungry right now, but an apple sounds good. An apple sounds really good, actually- I realize as I start walking. I hope they’ve got sweet ones here. My mom sells the sweetest apples; I doubt the city food would even compare. The more I think about apples and the grocery store my mom runs, the more I decide I don’t actually want an apple. It just wouldn’t compare.

It’s kinda funny how I can hang out several months with the carnies and be fine sending her postcards, but the moment I have to eat a school lunch, I’m practically homesick. So what now? I can see the cafeteria down the hall to my left, but the little appetite I did have is completely gone. And you don’t remember where Crowe said the girl’s dorm was… I really need to pay more attention. I finally give up and start wandering around the halls. It doesn’t hurt to try to get familiar with the layout of this building before I have to ask for directions. Besides, I the last thing I want to do is think about my mom when I have to get used to the fact I’m actually stuck in school. If it wasn’t for that letter, I would never have given this place a second thought.

I feel my face pull into a small smile ‘‘Nice spin!’’ I say. Of course, it’s only after-the-fact do I realize what I’ve walked into. Some guy seems to have managed to upset three dweebs.

‘‘Huh?’’ Dang, his eyes are really blue. I put my head down and hurry onward, but I still manage to see him twirl away from a punch and his attacker accidentally land the blow on his friend. I cover my mouth and try to keep from laughing.

I can hear the boy running my way. ‘‘Did you know I was going to do that?’’ he shouts. I slow my pace and shrug in reply.

‘‘Not exactly. Did you know you were going to do that?’’

‘‘Well, I…’’ The boy shook his head, his mop of hair flying. ‘‘Not exactly,’’ he said with a grin. ‘‘But seriously, how’d you know?’’

‘‘Oh I didn’t- my mouth seemed to know what was coming though. Half the things I say don’t make sense to me until after.’’ He cocks his head and looks at me funny. ‘‘Oh! And I’m Lilah! Lilah Banes! Names are good, right?’’

‘‘Right,’’ he says, funny look still on his face. ‘‘Dimitri Ivanov.’’

I grin. ‘‘Well, that means you’re officially the first person I’ve met here! Well, unless you count Dr. Crowe, but I think he’s kinda an exception. Hey, so everyone here is supposed to do weird stuff, right?’’

‘‘Yeah, it’s real, live, X-Men.’’

‘‘So, my thing is doing and saying stuff in response to things that are about to happen- is yours that,’’ I ask, pointing to the rubik's cube he held, ‘‘or just doing stuff without having to pay attention?’’

‘‘Who said they’re two different things?’’ Dimitri asks. ‘‘And I would have been paying attention if some beautiful blonde hadn’t caught my eye.’’

I laugh slightly, and feel my cheeks turning pink. Oh God, what do I say now? ‘‘Well, ok, um…’’ finally I regain my footing. ‘‘So, Dimitri, would you mind showing me how to get to the girl’s dorm? I literally got on campus like an hour or two ago, and have no idea what I’m doing. But I’d like to not get locked out my first night here, and maybe meet my roommate before she falls asleep.’’

Dimitri shrugs. ‘‘Why not?’’

Kaito

Gravity wrote:
"So," I leaned back on the bed and put my arms behind my bed, "what's up?"

Kaito smiled to himself, and took a seat on his own bed across from Jay's. "Haha, nothing yet, really. Besides that fact that my roommate can turn invisible!" He gestured to Jay enthusiastically. "That's freaking awesome! How do you do it exactly? Is it just one of those things you think about? Does it just happen?" He had so many questions, but really, he just wanted to see Jay disappear again (albeit, with some forewarning this time).

Jay seemed amused at Kaito's curiosity. "Well, I guess I just will myself to do it. It's not much different than when you decide to walk or run. You just do it. I can't be invisible for a super long time though. I get really tired."

Kaito nodded, as if he already knew this information, even though he was hearing for the first time. He added this information to his mental file on superpowers, wondering if he should still call that file "superpowers," or if it needed to be renamed. Was there a better word for it that some Oceanside evil scientists came up with? Who knows! "Huh, that's funny. So it really is like running! It makes you tired after you do it for too long." He chuckled at his own joke. Kaito, you're on fire today.

Jay gave a little laugh himself, but turned the conversation over to Kaito. "So, what's your power?"

Kaito's smile faded a bit. He was trying to figure out a way to either make his power sound cool, or make it seem like a joke. Heck, if his life was a joke, he might as well make it a good one! But he couldn't think of anything clever, so he had to settle for the boring truth. "I can understand and talk to animals," He shrugged. "Gets really annoying real fast. Trust me."

Jay's head tilted to the side, as he prepared to ask a followup question. "Hah, what do animals say?"

Kaito rolled his eyes in a joking manner. "Cats only ever talk shit about every living being, birds are the biggest gossipers, fish are just dumb, deer are hormonal as heck, and dogs - don't even get me started on dogs..."

______________________________________________________________________

Kaito made his way into the cafeteria, watching all of the super-teenagers in uniform lining up for lunch. If he didn't know that everyone in the room had special powers of some sort, he would've sword that these sweaty, hormonal, angsty teenagers were just like every other high schooler on the planet. He of course, didn't include himself in that category - he may have been a bit sweaty, but he wasn't really all that hormonal or angsty, and either way it didn't matter too much, since he was wearing deodorant.

When he finally received his food from the server, he was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food he was given to eat. Normally school cafeterias were famed for their "mystery meats," and their tendency to give students indigestion or other bowel issues. But this looked like something he could get in a decent restaurant. Being mildly impressed, he turned his attentions to something much more important: socializing.

At this point in the history of the student's lives, it probably felt like a few years had gone by. For all he knew, everyone had already decided who was "cool," and who was "weird," and they'd already formed all of their established "groups." He'd have to fight to find a place to fit in. So as he walked into the battlefield (i.e. the tables in the cafeteria), he made sure to observe carefully the social dynamics of each group.

He didn't make much progress, but he did notice a blonde girl to the side who seemed just as equally overwhelmed with all of the seating options. With a small grin, he sidled up next to her, noting her curly blonde hair and her very pretty face. She seemed to be in his class, which was fantastic.

"Looking for a place to sit?"

She seemed a bit surprised at his appearance, but replied, "Uh, yeah."

"How about you come sit with me? I'm in the same boat."

She nodded timidly, "Sure."

They headed to an empty table, and sat on opposite sides of the table, facing each other. They both had the cafeteria's catered meal, which was the same for pretty much each student. Kaito was looking forward to eating the sandwich the most.

"So! What's your name?" Kaito asked, leaning forward onto the table with his arms.

"Trixianna," she grinned. "You?"

"The name's Kaito." He took a bite into his sandwich, and continued, still chewing. "Hm. Can I just call you Trixie? You know how us super kids can't be bothered to say anything with more than two syllables, and all." He smirked, as if to ask for a laugh, or hold up a "laugh" sign like they did in those old plays or something.

"That works." She replied, starting her sandwich as well.

"So, let me guess: you're Australian? Eh, mate?" He chuckled.

Trixie looked away shyly. She'd hoped it wouldn't be so obvious. "Yeah..."

"Hah, that's great." He said in his best mock Australian accent. "Haha, sorry." He took a sip of water, and set the cup down before continuing. "Really, though."

Trixie nodded, not wanting to talk while she was chewing, and waited until she swallowed. "Thanks."

(and here is where my sleep deprived brain stops)