Penelope Hart's Story

Alexis Rose

I stood in the corner of a large room, looking out at all of the others. They were all people like me, people with abilities that no humans should have. Well, that's why they call us freaks, I guess.

Nervously, I tugged on the sleeves of my jacket, a little uncomfortable being close to a bunch of other people. I was just lucky none had gotten close enough to touch me, not that they'd want to get close if their abilities were anything like my own.
I avoided looking directly at anyone's eyes because it seemed that sometimes I could hear thoughts that way without having to touch them, and that just made things more difficult. Avoid physical touch, avoid the eyes. Yeah... Was this really Arzura? I'd thought that once I got here, I'd feel safe and wouldn't have to be so careful, but now that I'm here, surrounded by others like me, it just felt... Really uncomfortable to me.

I scanned the room again. It was large and elegant looking, with simple but nice furnishings... A nice chair here and there, a couch, a coffee table, all set in a simple arrangement along the walls, though only a few people were making use of them. Really not the kind of room a lower middle class kid was used to.

We were supposed to be welcomed by the owner, at least that's what that woman who found me staring at the place and led me here had told me, but he hadn't shown up at all yet. I was starting to wonder if this was all some kind of trap that had been set up for us. Some hoax to gather together all of the idiot freaks who would believe it. Yeah, they'd catch us all in one go, and then take us all to the government "camps" where you'd never be seen or heard from again. Arzura? A place where they were safe from the government tracers? It was almost laughable to think about. Almost.

I shook my head, clearing away my thoughts. Even if this was a trap, it's not like I could run away from it now. Besides, I was getting tired of running. Whatever happens, happens, I guess.

Carter Denz

Carter looked the Emilia, then around the room again. He wasn’t talking to anyone specifically but if anyone wanted to answer he wouldn’t be opposed.

I noted the shorter girl's movements, tone, expressions as she replied to everything I'd said, thinking her kind of amusing. She seems like someone I could possibly get along with.

”Yup, Pamella. Some call me Norrie, or Pam. I don't care which one, either is fine.”

I smiled, feeling a little bit more relaxed than I had earlier, "Norrie, then."

As she shifted her weight, Norrie asked, ”What do you think about all this?” And the relaxed feeling faded.

"I think it's strange, like maybe I shouldn't have come. Though, that's probably just my nerves talking." I sighed, taking a hand out of my pocket to brush a strand of hair behind my ear, "But really, I hate not knowing what's going on..." I almost laughed. I've always hated not knowing things, yet I refused to purposefully listen in on someone's thoughts. A clash of interests there, huh?

Just about that time, a door opened on the other end of the room, and for some reason, my attention was drawn to whoever was stepping through it. A man who appeared older than the rest of us, though I couldn't really place an age (maybe in his mid-thirties or something?), stepped through. His expression, posture, and well, everything about him appeared relaxed, unaffected by the prospect of walking into a room filled with a bunch of freaks. It kind of made me uneasy seeing just how perfectly composed he was. Then I noticed that I wasn't the only one who felt it, because the room was suddenly quiet.

He walked to the center of the far wall before stopping and glancing around the room at a leisurely pace. It was like he was making sure he made eye contact with every kid in the room, me included, because before I could look away, our eyes met. I went rigid, feeling a slight tingle at the base of my skull. My breath caught and my eyes widened. I'd heard thoughts, but had never slipped into someone's memories without touching them before, and the tingles were the sign that I was about to be swept up in this guy's memory lane... But nothing happened. As soon as his eyes moved on, away from mine, the tingles stopped, and I was beyond confused.

"Wha... What just happened?" I breathed out, more uncomfortable than when I first walked into this place. I took both hand out of my pockets and crossed my arms and picking at the fabric of my jacket.

When the man had done a full sweep of the room, a small but welcoming smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. When he spoke, his voice was smooth, fluctuating in a way that matched his relaxed appearance. "I'm sure you all have a lot of questions you'd like to ask, but let's try to make this part brief. I'm Dr. James Mason, and every one of you gathered here has obtained a special ability, though yours may be different from others."

That's comforting. I really wasn't sure what to think, but then again, the two I'd been traveling with had been different from me... I glanced at Pamella, wondering what she could do.

"To make things easy on you, I've sort of summed things up, dividing the abilities into five categories: Erasers, Illusionists, Manipulators, Whisperers, and Listeners. Just by the names, you're probably able to tell which group you belong to, am I right? Well, if not..." He started to pace, putting one arm behind his back and motioning with the other as he talked. "Erasers erase memories. Illusionists control the senses. Manipulators sense and manipulate the emotions. Whisperers can put thoughts or ideas into your head. Listeners can hear your thoughts and see memories."

He stopped pacing. "Like you, I have an ability. Unlike you, I know how to control and use it. Learning to control your abilities is one of the reasons your here, and to learn to control them, you'll have to train them." He paused before continuing, scanning the room again, "That means, if you want to control your abilities, you can't be afraid of them."

What was with this guy's short way of talking? It was a little bit annoying to me, but also somehow intimidating. I guess it was because of how nonchalant his voice was that it unnerved me. Did he think we were all idiots? My stomach flipped as he talked. How could we NOT be afraid of them?

He was silent for a moment, as if he were letting whatever he'd said sink in before continuing.

The boy did not answer right away. It was almost as if he were stalling, waiting for an interruption to occur. And so it did, coming in the form of a man who seemed calm and relaxed as he entered the room. He ambled into the crowd of freaks with a gait that spoke reassurance and gave a placating aura. He contrasted with the overall mood of the room which was one of apprehension and unease. His ease was superior to even the façade that Jessica had spent years fine tuning. It was as if this older man was oblivious and, rather than would not, could not see the fearful looks he was getting from his crowd.

But at the same time he was carrying the burden of a powerful responsibility that weighed down upon his shoulders. This was much like the others in the room, encumbered by the abilities that they all had. Rather than being “powers” they were more of curses put upon each of them. Contrary, however, to his younger peers, the man seemed to have not quite given up yet. The invisible weight was still upon his shoulders but it was as if he had learned to lift it in the proper way.

He gave off an intimidating feel the way a teacher would when berating a child. Instinctively the room seemed to cower before the power the man possessed as if they were being harshly excoriated simply by his presence. He felt familiar yet unknown. Intimate yet inscrutable. It was odd how enticing his presence was. How Jessica, if she let herself, could become relaxed. But she had to be alert. There was definitely an intimidating presence around him.

He met eyes with each and every one of the many people in the room and the tingling at the nape of her neck began, signaling that he was somehow using his powers on her. Jessica stiffened losing her cool composure in that terrifying moment. She took a sharp intake of a breath and the world seemed to spin at the same speed her mind was whirling with all the horrors he could be pressing upon her. But in a split second it was gone and he broke the contact with her widened orbs to move on to yet another pair of eyes.

Jessica let her breath out with a sigh and then took several deep inhales and exhales in order to steady her rapidly beating heart and wild pulse. She then attempted to look as if she had not been afflicted by the encounter of the eyes. It had been a fierce intense battle and she had lost, unable to shut him out or do much of anything.

The blonde finally had a description for the man. Queer. Strange. Intense. Three simple words that held neither a negative connotation, nor a positive one. Though the former two could be taken as an insult, Jessica simply intended to name the man’s main attributes that stood out to her at first glance.

After he had made sure that all attention was focused towards him he smiled. It was as smooth and easy as his entrance had been but it still seemed, not forced, but as if another was controlling his facial expressions. Jessica supposed this was his idea of a welcoming grin.

When he at last spoke, the girl found that the pitch made contact with her ears in a rather nice way, for his tone was soft spoken but powerful, managing to reach every ear in the room in which his audience stood in. It was loud enough to echo, Jessica noted, and quiet enough that he didn’t come off as overbearing.

“I'm sure you all have a lot of questions you'd like to ask, but let's try to make this part brief. I'm Dr. James Mason, and every one of you gathered here has obtained a special ability, though yours may be different from others. To make things easy on you, I've sort of summed things up, dividing the abilities into five categories: Erasers, Illusionists, Manipulators, Whisperers, and Listeners. Just by the names, you're probably able to tell which group you belong to, am I right? Well, if not...”

As he spoke, he began to pace gesturing slightly with one hand while putting the other behind his back, giving the appearance of a well-educated professor. Indeed the man was knowledgeable on the subject and Jessica couldn’t help wonder if he had studied it before or conducted experiments. It did seem odd that his title was that of a Doctor and that he knew so much about the subject. Putting these two pieces of evidence together, it seemed quite plausible that he had, perhaps in that past, been involved in studies connected to these special abilities.

“Erasers erase memories. Illusionists control the senses. Manipulators sense and manipulate the emotions. Whisperers can put thoughts or ideas into your head. Listeners can hear your thoughts and see memories.”

‘Listeners can hear your thoughts and see memories.’ So she was a Listener. She almost wanted to laugh for joy that she was not insane or to try the title aloud tasting it on her tongue. But she did not, for fear of breaking the intent silence that was no longer awkward but instead eager and curious.

“Like you, I have an ability. Unlike you, I know how to control and use it. Learning to control your abilities is one of the reasons your here, and to learn to control them, you'll have to train them. That means if you want to control your abilities, you can't be afraid of them.”

At the last sentence, Jessica audibly snorted. How was it possible to not live in fear? She would love to see the day when she wasn’t conscious of coming in physical contact with others, didn’t mind eye contact, and even embraced her power. Though she usually cleverly concealed her emotions, this time around she allowed the disbelief to show upon her face. And here she had actually begun to believe in, even respect this “Doctor.”

Alexis
(OOC: alright, I'm just gonna post to get things moving a bit. I know it's not the best post, but, hey. catch up when you can)

After hearing the Mason guy respond, I knew I needed to stay. Everything he said dropped heavily onto my mind. Just I as was beginning to sink into my own thoughts, I was jolted back to reality by a now-familiar voice:

"Dr. Mason Sir, I-... I am not afraid of my gift but I want to stay here and learn!"

The spontaneously excited outburst caused all my negative thoughts, well, in fact all thoughts I had to disappear as I stared, shocked and dumbfounded at the girl whose company I'd come to enjoy. I watched Norrie fold her hands in front of her with a cough at the hanging silence.

"Sorry if I spoke out of turn, Sir."

My eyes went back to Mason. An amused and somewhat lopsided smile seemed to change this man's appearance, along with the feel he gave off. The small chuckle that escaped him changed the image even more. Where did the curt, bored and intimidating guy go?

Without thinking, I stepped closer to Norrie, placing my right hand onto her left shoulder, feeling a little confused. I must be overanalyzing him...

Dr. Mason shook his head and brought his hands up in a light shrug, that new appearance of his sticking. A fleeting thougt came to me that he might have multiple personalities... No... The same dangerous feeling was still there, muted, but present.

"Out of turn? I'm not that formal of a guy." His voice was pleasant compared to his previously dull and curt tone, causing me to tilt my head a bit at the change. "I'm glad you're eager to learn. Not fearing your power just means you're one step ahead. There's plenty more to take, yet."

The tension in the room has faded to a dull buzz rather than a crackling roar. Was this the same guy who infused the very tension he was now defusing?

I watched, kindly captivated by the strangeness of it all as Mason knitted his fingers together and stretched his arms out in front of him, knuckles cracking in the process. He looked around at everyone as he relaxed his hands into his pockets, his smile relaxing as well.

"Well, if you're staying, I guess that means I'll have to give you a room, huh?"

My hand slid down from Norrie's shoulder quickly, in a panic as I felt a prickle and a pull at the back of my mind. The feeling disappeared, and I sighed with relief. That was close. Way too close. I didn't want to get pulled into a tidal wave of memories right now. I didn't know if I pulled away fast enough to not listen in on my friend's thoughts. I could never notice if that particular link was made, but I would know soon enough. Either I'd hear her or I wouldn't, and I was hoping for the latter.

"Grab another person to room with, girls with girls, guys with guys, and I'll give you each a room key. For now, feel free to explore and hand out. The information about how this place works will be on your beds."

Without saying anything else, he left through the door he'd come in by. A few people at a time started to follow him out, and soon, everyone who stayed had a key. The place was amazing. Definitely not as strange as the room we'd been in only moments before, though it was still a little out of the ordinary from my point of view. Big and amazing. Honestly, I would probably need a map. "A map would be good..."

Some people decided to go exploring right off the bat, while others headed for their rooms on the second and third floors.