Snippet #2244505

"I hope they can help you get a handle on that."

The unexpected noise startled Erin from her writing momentarily as she looked up at her mother. As if controlled by another, her hand finished writing one last sentence. She looked back down at what she had written, a full half page of clear, type-like writing. It was not her normal handwriting by any stretch. She did not think she could ever normally make letters that round and perfect. The words, however, were much less appealing. It was another depressing death, Samuel Moore, probably someone she had only glimpsed before. Killed in a brutal car wreck involving a drunk semi truck driver and at least five other cars. Apparently his had gotten the brunt of the impact. Shutting the notebook with more force than necessary, Erin glared at her mother. Something in her eyes gave away that she was not mad at her mother, but at what she had written. Nevertheless, this was a conversation they had had before, and frustration colored her words.

"Yeah, and maybe they will get the sun to stop shining too. Or gravity to stop pulling, or bees to stop stinging, or--" Erin was cut off by her mother's glare and exasperated sigh. She was always telling Erin to stop being so sarcastic, though she had gotten it from her mother. Biting back a comeback, she glared out the side window, fiddling with the pencil still grasped in her hand. At least she was not feeling another compulsion yet. Some days it seemed like she never stopped writing, but thankfully this was not one of them, so far.

She hated the thought of going to new places, and especially a new school. There were too many new faces, which only meant more people whose death she would have to record. At least she could avoid actually knowing what happened to most by writing it down instead of watching it, but even that did not always work. But an even bigger reason for not wanting to go to boarding school was that she would be away from her parents. Though her mother regularly drove her nuts, and she only saw her father for a small part of each day, she would still miss them. Nevertheless, it even simpler than just homesickness. Her father would no longer be there to comfort her after a particularly bad nightmare. No one would. She would have to deal with them alone. Not that she doubted her ability to deal with it on her own, but it would just be another added pressure.

Finally, they arrived at the train station, still immersed in an awkward silence. Erin's mother took her hand and gave it a little squeeze, trying to offer a reassuring smile, but she was clearly trying too hard. Still, Erin appreciated the effort and gave a half hearted smile of her own. Giving her mother one final, stiff hug, they gave their customary "goodbye"s and "I love you"s. She shouldered her packs and grabbed her heavy suitcase, resenting that she had to fill nearly half of it with journals and notebooks.

On the way up to the school, she passed a couple families in tearful farewells, but passed without so much as a glance. If she was lucky, her powers would not note them. Finally, the mansion came into view, and Erin paused to wonder at it. It was much larger, and grander, than she had expected. After a moment, she recovered from her wide-eyed gaping and continued her trek up to the door. She had little interest in socializing at the moment, instead focusing on finding her room.

Apparently, she was in Room n°14 with someone named Myka. That is all the paper really said, other than a couple rules. Not that she would know where Room n°14 was. There was not really anyone nearby who did not look busy, though there was a girl who looked a little green. Not really wanting to bug anyone, Erin decided to just find her room by herself. Dragging her clunky luggage through the somewhat crowded halls, Erin realized she was in the wrong corridor. The numbers were too high and increasing. She gave a sigh and turned around, deciding to try another hallway.

She had just turned the corner when she realized someone was sprinting toward her, and approaching much faster than she could dodge. He crashed into Erin and she went sprawling on her back right on top of her suitcase with a surprised yelp. After a moment, still trying to untangle her self from her baggage, Erin took a good look at the guy who bowled her over. He seemed to have some sort of running blades on, but they were not made of metal or plastic. It must have been some kind of psychic energy.

"Is it really the best idea to hop around in a crowded building like that?" She finally got up and began brushing herself off. "Could have broken something, or worse, me." She looked at him again, taking a deep breath to calm down. She extended her hand and continued, "Name's Erin. By the way, what were you doing anyway?"