n o r m a l • literate • a c c e p t i n g

[Rayen]

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Anya felt her heart drop into her guts as someone very literally ran into her. Startled, she jumped a little to the side, before she realized it was just another student chiding herself for her own paranoid reaction. Seriously. I can’t flip out every time a stranger pops up. It’s not like everyone’s an undercover Mafioso trying to kidnap me. This place is meant to be a safe hiding place for freaks like me.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, scanning the main hall’s ceiling with ice blue eyes in search for some kind of sign, in case she had missed them, but having no luck with that. “I’d love to help, honest, but seems we’re on the same boat here,” she turned to the girl and offered an apologetic grin. “I’m minutes away from a sugar low, I think, so I was trying to figure out where the heck is the bloody cafeteria…” she trailed off and her eyes grew darker momentarily. “It really seems they’re doing everything possible to keep us in the dark, here…” she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else.

Then, she noticed a cat, winding round the girls’ heels, and instantly a smile crept to her lips. She crouched down, supporting her weight with one hand on the floor besides her, and outstretched her hand carefully so as not to startle the animal. “Hello there,” she cooed, with a smile clearly showing in her voice, her bangs shadowing her face as she bent down. “What a beautiful cat,” she told the girl. “Kalenka would probably like him a lot…” she chuckled, although her eyes showed a dash of worry as she noticed how thin he was, his ribs showing beneath the sleek fur. “What’s his name?” she asked, looking up to meet the girl’s emerald green eyes, then she looked back at the cat and stood up again, shaking her top into place.
“Oh, right. I’m Anya. Anya Kovalevski, Kalenka is my cat. I love cats,” she smiled genuinely at the girl. Anya hoped she didn’t think she was completely nuts, although that was very probably right. She could really do with one or two new friends here, especially since this school seemed to be really, really out of the norm – freaky, as Anya liked to say. “I can read auras, as in I see people’s emotion through their colors… It’s kind of hard to explain. But that’s my mutation. Was going for the cafeteria, but then I got hopelessly lost in this maze of a school. I guess we could try to find it together, I bet two heads will figure it out faster than one alone- Oh, right.” she frowned lightly, realizing she had been talking really fast and had not managed to entirely mask her Russian accent. She smiled nervously, wishing she was any better at talking with strangers. Feeling lame, she stepped back and shuffled her hair with one hand as she always did when she was nervous, touching the sterling silver earring and drawing comfort from it, another childhood habit. She forced a smile, hoping it didn’t look as lame as she thought it did. “Sorry if I was rambling. I don’t even know your name…”

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Alex stared at his comic book collection intently. He really wanted to read that volume of the Bleach manga once again, he thought, comfortably lying flat on his back on the striped sheets of his new bed. “Come on, stupid book, you know you want to…” He furrowed his brows at the brightly coloured volume that rested open on top of his desk and wiggled his fingers towards it in frustration, despite knowing that such gesture was completely useless. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Focus, Alex. The Force is with you. Within you. It’s all inside your head, you just have to…

His eyes snapped open and he let his hand fall down by his side. He crawled across the large bed (it was larger than the one he had back in their house at San Francisco; he couldn’t really complain about his new room) and stretched his arm out, reaching towards the comic book. His fingers just barely brushed the glossy cover and he pulled it, but did not manage to grab it on time so the pocket-sized edition of the manga landed on the floor with a muffled thud. Alex glared at the grinning image of the main character, but rolled to a sitting position and picked the book up, placing it down beside him, his desire to read it now thoroughly vanished. Gravity – one. Laziness – zero. Seems the sedative hasn’t rubbed off yet. He innerly hoped that it would wear off faster if he tried to use his ability. Moving things with his own hands was a bore.

He stared at the dull gray ceiling above him listlessly, wishing he had a life. He cast a glance at the window blinds, willing them closed, before he reminded himself that the inanimate world wouldn’t obey to him any longer. Depressed by this thought, he got up and rummaged inside his black and red messenger bag. After a couple seconds he fished out a slightly smashed, half-empty pack of Pocky, which had been in there for at least one week already. Thankfully chocolate remains edible for a long time. Alex stuffed one of the chocolate and cookie sticks into his mouth, stored the rest back in the bag, swung its leather strap over his shoulder and headed towards the door. He spotted a white key card with his name on it that he hadn’t noticed before. The doctors must have left it there while he was asleep. He swiped it across the reader and twisted the doorknob, wishing that the rooms were closed with regular, old-fashioned keys. If he managed to understand how a regular lock worked he could open it with telekinesis, without needing a key or anything of the sort. But electronic devices were something else – as far as he knew, he couldn’t hijack them based on his power.

Being the social person he was, Alex was in desperate need of contact with other students. He needed to understand how this school worked. He needed to fit into a group and get back to his old job as the group’s joker, the fun guy. Otherwise, his depression promised to linger on - and even more so while his power was on the blink. He looked up and down the corridor before closing the door behind him, looking for someone else who had decided it was about time to leave the room, but there were no other students in sight. He checked his wristwatch as he walked downstairs, following the corridors of increasing size until he found himself at a large space he supposed was the main hall. He had no idea of what their schedule was, but it was about time to have lunch, he decided. He would find out someone who knew the place and get them to show him a place to eat. By then he would have settled into a group already, and everything would be back to normality.

Or at least he hoped so.

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[ιdєитιтy]

ϰ e s s i e ϰ l i l a h ϰ c y r u s ϰ

Why don't you be the  a r t i s t  and make me out of clay?
Why don't you be the  w r i t e r  and decide the words I say?

Essie had forgotten what she had been up to. Her eyes had been focusing on the windows for the majority of the walk, and any other thoughts that had fought for her attention had dispersed into thin air. She honestly hated when that happened, and for her to develop a strong sense of negative emotion towards her mind, it happened too often.
So, she slowed her pace and tried to smother her puzzled expression. She had been here for a few years, and it would be useless looking as lost as a new student to this school, who would probably be heading the cafeteria by now. It's lunch, and jut about every student would probably be following the smells of what ever was being cooked. Essie had never really been one for food. Sure, she ate when she was supposed to, but she rarely, if at all, felt hungry. She currently had no appetite but still wondered wether or not to go eat anyways.
A sudden collision with another person shook Essie out of her self deliberation. She screwed up he face, going from confused, to annoyed, to shocked, neither one suiting the situation. Her now large brown eyes lifted to get a better look at the other end of this little predicament, a bit of guilt picking at the lining of her gut. "No no, my apologies." She quickly spoke, following his own apology. She hoped she didn't cause him any chagrin, as that would not benefit her almost inactive conscious. Sure, she didn't feel about the things she did, but hurting people or animals usually weighed heavily in her mind. When the stranger spoke again, Essie quickly straightened up and gave a more content expression. It was just stating his name, not throwing any insults or accusations. "Essie Cyrus." She spoke more confidently this time, slowly taking back her bearings. "People just call me Essie." Or the teachers referred to her as Miss. Cyrus or a curious cat, but she wasn't going to state either of those as they were never used without a lecture. "It's nice to meet you too, Nick." She gave a half grin, the left side of her pale lips lifting a few millimeters while the other one just sat a neutral level upon her face. 
Nick didn't look familiar, nor did he sound familiar. "I take it you're new?" She questioned, going out on a limb. She hadn't seen him before in her entire life, so that either ment he was new or he kept the shadows of these fairly decent lit halls. Or confined to the spaces of his room. Either way, she hadn't seen him. She wondered whether or not she ask of he was lost. He sure didn't look like it; he actually looked like he knows what he's doing. 
Essie shifted the weight from one leg to the other, her wings looking limp against her back. She felt a silence coming on as she waited for Nick to answer. If he was infact new, then she would be even more curious about his current situation; Lost of not.

Because I'd rather  p r e t e n d
I'll still be there at the  e n d

[Crappy, I know. But I am half asleep again, as I've just been a lazy but all week..]

[Noel]

***Skye Kurodnai***

Skye blinked a few times, let himself yawn, and forced himself to his feet. As usual, he had taken him nearly twenty minuets to realize he had been sitting on the floor for nearly an hour. Simply blanking out was his way of resting when overloaded with information, or for escaping reality. Then again, it was past time he learned exactly where he was, given the fact he had no idea whatsoever. He promptly opened up the door to his room, still completely undecorated, and stepped outside. Upon glance around for people and seeing none, he began to try the doors lining the hallway. Gripping the doorknob to the one closest to him, he disappointed to learn that it was locked. The next was the same, and oddly enough he imagined something unpleasant would occur if he tried to pick it, he had more than one experience with electrical locks that shocked the person trying to break them into near-unconsciousness. With a shake of his head, he moved onto the next door, which thankfully opened.

At this point one would probably become aware that Skye had never so much as touched a map of the area, and had absolutely no idea in the slightest where he was going. He didn't even consider that he probably wouldn't be able to find his way back, which said something about his intelligence. He passed a few rooms, glancing around with minimal. Food was beginning to creep into his thoughts, gnawing at his stomach with increasing frequency. Passing by a hallway with a ceiling that seemed to be high enough to touch the clouds and walls far enough apart that was probably an impressive echo, he entered with hope that somebody would arrive who could help him out on the fine ordeal of being lost.

((WB, I apologize. It still hits the 250 word requirement though.))

[Rhapsodii___x]

↑ → nicholas vance ← ↓

{ Oh-oh.
another social casualty. }

Nick swayed a bit, sensing Essie's frustration as she searched for an appropriate emotion for her current situation. His blue eyes landed to the white wings that protruded from her back, and he was instantly fascinated. Quickly, he shook his head and focused on Essie once again. "Yeah, I am new," He said, ruffling his hair with the palm of his hands. "I have no idea where I'm supposed to be heading." He chuckled, blue eyes flitting to the ceiling for a split second. "So, is your mut-," He stopped himself, frowning at the fact that he almost said the word mutant. They weren't mutants here. They were normal, weren't they? Nick shook his head and cleared his throat before continuing. "Is flying your only talent? Do you have any others?" He smiled to himself, glad that he had found a pleasant substitute for the word 'mutation.' He wasn't very keen on referring to anyone like that, and the thought of even saying that word brought a bitter taste with it. His icy blue eyes examined Essie with pure curiosity, and he began to wonder what her normal personality was like. 'Maybe this is her normal personality,' he thought with a small shrug. Either way, he wanted to get to know her better. It would be nice to have a few friends in this strange place, and it wasn't like he was leaving any time soon. He sighed softly, recollecting his last conversation with Veronica, and he frowned at the thought that it really might've been their very last. She was his best friend, and now, he might not ever be able to see her again.


{ score one more.
FOR ME }

[kitten;]

. c h a r l o t t e . d o e .
. . . .................... . . .

Charlotte smiled, listening to the girl's rambling, mentally noting the accent. She didn't comment as she pet Twilight. He started rubbing against her hand, his purring increasing. So, he must be a sort of friendly cat, happy to be with mostly anybody that would pet him. Smiling, Charlotte waited patiently until she finished, and minutely shook her head. She was slightly amused at the younger girl's antics; any age under seventeen for her had felt safe, like home, but she had been forced to grow up fast. Charlotte estimated the girl to be around, fifteen, sixteen...? She was slightly envious of people who still had their families--but then again, they could have their hassles, too. She preferred being alone, but the loss of her mother and the ever-growing fear of her father had changed her. Taking a habitual glance around, she said, "Cats are beautiful creatures. It's really funny, you can see their emotions if you look hard enough..." Realizing that not everybody could see the things she could see, Charlotte hastily added, "Well, I have better sight than you. I don't see auras or anything, but I can read your expressions. Reading auras must be pretty cool, though." She smiled, trying to keep a light atmosphere. It was hard enough for her to talk to one person; she just hoped here weren't more to come.

"Well," Charlotte murmured, looking down at Twilight, who was twirling himself around her legs as if he didn't do that enough already. "Twilight and I were going to find something to eat--he was a stray when I picked him up, and sadly I haven't able to feed him anything yet...poor thing. I doubt the people here fed him, and he's bone thin. Plus," She added, with a faint frown creeping onto her face, "I didn't have any food. They wouldn't even let me do any laundry before I came here...idiots. They even threw away my chocolate cake, and I was saving that." She sighed, digressing on the subject; talking too much wouldn't do any good. She didn't even really know who these people were yet and it wouldn't help to give everything away; they could have something to do with Kyle...who was in the same city as she had been. "By the way, I'm Charlotte. Charlotte Doe, if you must. That's Twilight. Maybe our cats could meet up some time...he seems friendly enough to get along with others."

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[ιdєитιтy]

ϰ e s s i e ϰ l i l a h ϰ c y r u s ϰ

Why don't you be the  a r t i s t  and make me out of clay?
Why don't you be the  w r i t e r  and decide the words I say?

So, Essie had been correct. Nick was, infact, a new student, who was also clueless as to the certain area he should be. "Well, probably the cafeteria." She turned her head around and lifted her arm to point down the corridor. "Down there, to the left." She instructed politely, obviously even sure herself. She had never been that good with direction or procedures. Now that I think about it, I'm not good at advice either. She thought to herself as she positioned herself to face Nick once again. And she wasn't all that helpful, but she was a people person. Well, kinda.
It was hard not to grin a little when Nick stumbled over the 'Mutant' word that some frowned upon, yet other used like there was nothing to it. In Essie's opinion, it wasn't a preferred word. 
"This is it. Not much, I know, but I'm grateful." She replied, her grin stretching into more of a smile. She loved her wings, and rarely ever wished them away. "I just fly." It sounded dreamy, which it probably was. She knew so many people without any.. Changes, that wished they could fly. Essie could honestly say that it is everything it's cracked up to be. She loved being up high above the world, by herself. Or occasionally with the birds. It wad an exciting sense of freedom  that she doubted many could feel. "How about you?" She quickly asked, snapping out of her little day dream about the times she spent in the sky. Nick didn't have any mutations on his exterior, giving her no clue as to what gift, for lack of better words, he possessed. 
There were an assortment of them out there, stretching from mind readers, shifters, super stretchy people, telekinetics, the list could on forever. Essie had never met all the mutants out there, so she hadn't earned moment of experiencing the effects of one's mutation; but she had often wandered about the vast selection of those out there could fit in or severely differ from the society of humans. 
A few more students wandered on by her and Nick, each group deep into a conversation stirring between themselves. Essie didn't have many friends herself, as she never found any motivation towards socialization, with the exception of now. 
She found herself following some of the others with her eyes, too deep in thought to notice her expressions changing from the curiosity towards Nick's mutation to the slight envy towards the small cliques. Essie quickly corrected herself, straightening her back and snapping her eyes and head back to Nick's face, treating the last few seconds as non existent little organisms. 

Because I'd rather  p r e t e n d
I'll still be there at the  e n d

[I seriously need more sleep.]

[Rhapsodii___x]

↑ → nicholas vance ← ↓

{ How could I forget?
mama said, "think before speaking". }

Nick followed her finger to the corridor that ended with a sharp turn. "Thanks," he said with a bright grin. He felt a bit self-conscious when she smiled slightly at his choice of words but offered his own polite smile at her confirmation of his inquiry. He blinked for a few moments. Had she just asked him about his...talent? What was his talent? Nick frowned a bit before speaking although the look wasn't aimed at Essie in the least bit. "Well, I have lava lamp blood." He said with a small chuckle. "I mean, I don't feel cold in freezing temperatures or hot in searing temperatures. So, my blood is kind of like a mixture of electric blue and crimson which refuse to combine. Uh, I also learn skills pretty quickly," He paused, looking a bit thoughtful. "Well, skills that I enjoy." He smirked to himself. "I can also sense negative emotions.." His words drifted off slowly as he took note of other groups walking around the school. His blue eyes drifted to Essie, and he offered her an empathetic look. He was feeling a bit envious himself. How could he make friends with people he had never known. He shrugged at the thought. Well, he was doing a pretty good job at talking to Essie. Wasn't he?

He rocked back on the heel of his shoes and shoved his hands casually in his pockets, waiting for Essie's reply. Inwardly, he was curious about how she saw him. Did she think he was some sort of creep? At this thought, Nick couldn't stifle a small chuckle. Maybe she saw him as a potential friend? He sighed hopefully. A friend was definitely something he needed in this strange environment. Also, he was sure he would need someone to keep him from destroying the pesky doctors that kept sampling his blood while he slept. Nick rubbed his bruised arm unconsciously, feeling a small indent in his skin where the doctor had stuck the needle. 'They're gonna kill me.' He thought bitterly to himself.

{ no filter in my head.
OH, WHAT'S A BOY TO DO? }

[Numina]

.: נυłıαи κøвe тøυłıøυše :.

I love those who can smile in trouble,
who can gather strength from distress,
and grow brave by reflection.
'Tis the business of little minds to shrink,

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Piles of books were gathered all around him. The sun was on the rise, and a young man sat in front of his laptop, staring off at a screen showing the article he wrote. Julian hadn't slept at all that night, something the blue circles around his eyes showed. "This is horrible." He said to himself when he had read it over. His hands touched the back of his skull, holding it up in frustration. Instead of just writing the article he should have wrote for his job, he had written this. A piece of junk that should have been a masterful article containing a new insight and medical explanation about how the mind worked. He had done so much research already, but it just didn't seem to be able to become a nice unity. With a deep sigh he turned off the power of his computer and stretched, causing his cat, Ivan, to give him a frustrated look as he lay on Julian's lap. "Sorry buddy." He smiled at the kitten, softly stroking his back. He had completely forgotten Ivan was even laying there. Sitting in one position all night wasn't the best you could do. Sleeping hadn't been an option. As soon as he laid down thoughts came, racing through his mind, not willing to leave. He was happy though, no events had happened last night. No wars he was witness of. Tyler wasn't awake yet, and so he tried to make as little noise as possible as he made his way to the shower. He closed his eyes as the hot water touched his skin. He knew it wasn't something he was supposed to do yet, as he was going to take a jog around the park in a minute, but he needed this bad. He would just take another shower, he decided. It would be a long day, as he had to make his way to his new school. He had packed everything last night, before Tyler and he had gone out to celebrate their last night together for some time.

When he walked outside the sun was up to the fullest. It was slightly cold, but it didn't quite bother him. The cappuccino he had bought at the nearest starbucks smelled delicious. He took a few sips and sat it next to a trash can, ready for the homeless people to take, may they want it. Slowly he increased his pace, ready to go for a run. The wind felt great in his face, refreshing him from the long night he had had. He started to take notice of some people after a while. People who stuck out. They were clothed very proper and had black sunglasses covering their eyes. At first it didn't bother him. Until he noticed that they appeared everywhere he ran and grew suspicious. He tried a variety of speeds to determine the truth. They were in fact following him, and being the brave and curious guy he was, he stood still, turning towards his stalkers.

"What is it you want?" He asked, just loud enough for them to hear,but not to bother the other people. They came closer,and with that more intimidating. All over sudden an image appeared. A huge building with wide forests surrounding it. It was over in an instant. Something that rarely happened. The stalkers smiled. "We want you. We are from Barretta's School for the Gifted, and we are about to take you there. There will be no noise of any kind until we get there, do you understand that?" What was this school? What school would send these scary looking men to the students to just kidnap them? The rebel in him came up, unwilling to do whichever they wanted. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. He would go there on his own. Any research he had done on it leaded to nothing. There wasn't any information at all on this school. While thinking of a nice plan, Julian looked at them like they were mad. No..... "Yes... Let me get my stuff and say bye for a second. I'll be right wi-." He felt a sting in his neck, and everything got black.


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He woke up for what felt only minutes later. His whole body hurt though, and his mind wasn't working like it supposed to. A bit blurry, one would say. The bed he was laying in was nice though, much like his own. Then it struck him. Where was he? As he looked around him with the great furiousity that had taken over he saw a mid-aged man standing in the middle of the room. "Where am I?" He asked out loud now, not hiding his anger. "Calm down. You are at Barretta's. We have done several tests on you which concluded you are gifted. According to the tests you are able to see and hear things in places all over the world. Is this correct?" He asked with an indifferent voice. It irritated Julian to the most. "Yes. So?" An opening door distracted him. A couple of strong looking men came into the room and put down boxes. Then his cat came in, loud meowing. A sudden calm- and happiness filled his body. Ivan. The cat jumped on the bed and snuggled against his body. A loud cough filled the room. The doctor wanted his attention back. "This is the room you will be staying in. Your belongings are inside of the boxes. Decorate your room any way you want to." With that he left, obviously frustrated himself as well. Julian smiled.

"Let's see.." He looked around in the boxes only to conclude everything he valued was brought here. When he had put everything into place he noticed a key card laying on his bed. Curiously he took it and opened the door. "Well then." He said to Ivan. "Let's take a look around shall we?" And he started to walk around the building with Ivan by his side, getting lost in an instant.

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but they whose heart is firm,
and whose conscience approves their conduct,
will pursue their principles unto death.
-Leonardo Da Vinci

[| LionCub |]

[[.. Sorry for not posting in awhile my parents took away my laptop. Hopefully I'll have it soon. Oh and by the way I'm on my Wii writing all stuff .]]

[ιdєитιтy]

ϰ e s s i e ϰ l i l a h ϰ c y r u s ϰ

Why don't you be the  a r t i s t  and make me out of clay?
Why don't you be the  w r i t e r  and decide the words I say?

Essie crossed her arms as she listened to him thank her. "Anytime." She grinned a little more as she gave a short nod of her head, some strands of her bangs readjusting themselves on bee forehead. "I enjoy offering my assistance." She stated with a simple shrug. She honestly didn't mind helping anyone who was lost or needed something. She was almost a people person, but she had always been told she needed to try more often at befriending people. Maybe I'll swing a potential friend in Nick. She thought in an upbeat manner. He seemed like a nice guy. 
"Wow. Quite a selection you've got there." She laughed, her eyes showing her interest. "So you could tell of I was angry or sad?" She questioned, raising her right eyebrow curiously, debating on putting on a little angry show. She wasn't a bad actress, but so many could tell if she was lying. That was lately. Before, she could figure out what to say when she wanted to say it, but the ones that hold authority of the students that attend here seemed to be figuring her out and pinning her as predictable.
Essie changed her attention from his handsome face to where he placed his hand on his arm. "Don't worry, you get used to it. I did." She comforted, resisting the urge to re-check to see if where she had been pricked by the doctor's assortment of needles that either took some of her blood or injected something. Usually it was just taking away some blood that she would silencer come to lack, even if the body did recreate the cells at a fairly quick pace. "And at that point, it's like routine and you don't notice." She quickly added after. It wasn't entirely bad. This school, or lab as some of the more negative children put it, had it's perks just as it had it's more disliked features. But sift anywhere? 

Because I'd rather  p r e t e n d
I'll still be there at the  e n d

[My apologies for the shortness. I'll try harder next time. .]