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Lucas Long

"It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane."-- Valis

0 · 1,115 views · located in Laurea, New York

a character in “Laurel”, as played by piearty

Description


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{ "Everyone's a freak; some people just hide it better than others. Lucky them." }


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Name
Lucas Long

Age & Grade
18, rising senior

Number of Years at Laurel
First and last year at Laurel

Sexual Orientation
Bisexual/Biromantic

Group?
Power

Power
Psychic; he can read thoughts and feelings/senses. This is involuntary and 'on' all the time, no matter how badly he would like to have it stop.
This is limited to knowing thought that are on a personā€™s immediate mind; he wonā€™t know someoneā€™s dark secrets or anything unless they consciously think about them.
Because he knows what people are thinking when they say things, he can also understand languages, or more accurately, bypass the language barrier entirely. He has also learned how to speak a few phrases in various languages just by linking the proper spoken phrases with their thoughts.
He can also understand animalsā€™ thoughts, though they are less loud and intrusive the less intelligent the animal is (hence why he doesnā€™t hear 5000 bug thoughts all the time)
Taking any form of drug, from pot to caffeine to alcohol, messes with his power and gives him a range of negative effects such as nausea, migraines, disjointed vision, faintness, and weakened limbs.
He also is kept up at night by other peopleā€™s dreams and nightmares, so he doesnā€™t sleep well.






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ImageStrengths
Smart || Reads quickly || Piano || Writing || Loyal || Trusting || Hopeful || Omniglot || Budgeting

Weaknesses
Insomnia || Depression || Weak constitution || Closed off || Poor || Bitter || Unsure || Taking any form of drug

Fears
Dying alone || Being homeless || Starving

Secrets
Due to an accident involving his powers and his constant state of exhaustion, Lucas is deaf. Due to his power of reading minds, youā€™d never be able to tell. He never learned sign language or how to read lips because he can just read peopleā€™s minds to know what theyā€™re saying (he can differentiate from what is being spoken and merely thought). However, this means he cannot hear audio from sources aside from living beings. He canā€™t hear any music (bar live singing), use the telephone, watch tv or movies without subtitles, hear anything sourced from speakers, etc. He doesnā€™t like to talk about this and generally pretends that he is not deafā€”he hasnā€™t fully come to terms with it himself.




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ImagePersonality
{ Snarky || Melancholy || Lonely || Exhausted }
Behind the wall of sarcasm and listlessness that Lucas puts up lies a soul desperate for human interaction. He canā€™t remember the last time he didnā€™t feel so fucking lonely, which he finds ironic due to his mind being filled with peopleā€™s thoughts and voices literally 24/7. If you are kind to him you will be surprised to find how quickly the faƧade of bitterness and detachment crashes down and a sort of shy, unwavering loyalty and trust replaces it. This has hurt him in the past.

Lucas suffers from depression and finds himself lying in bed for hours, alone in his disheveled room, far more often than heā€™d like. Part of it comes from not having enough energy to do things, and part of it comes from attempting to isolate himself from other peopleā€™s thoughts, though that never helped much in his NYC apartment where the walls were paper thin. His appearance isnā€™t the bestā€”he has a sallow face and bags under his eyes, his hair is shaggy and unkept, and he constantly wears the same ratty blue-grey hoodie.

The (metaphorical) ghost of Alex haunts him still; as they were in a relationship before Lucasā€™ powers manifested and everything went to shit, Lucas has associated him with happiness, bliss, and perfection. Thus he tends to be attracted to people who are like Alex: kind, gentle, altruistic, and warm-hearted.

Because of various reasons including bullying and unfortunate forays into psychotherapy, Lucas is very, very reluctant to reveal the fact that he has powers. Thus he tries to play dumb about knowledge he ā€˜shouldnā€™tā€™ have, though sometimes he slips up. Trying to keep thing straight has lead him to hate liars (which he realizes is sort of hypocritical) and if someone is blatantly lying to him, he will often try to prod and persuade them into admitting the truth (if he thinks he has a chance).

Lucas finds himself ā€œtoo curious for his own goodā€ and when something is intriguing to him he always finds himself poking around to find out more, going against the little voice in his head that hisses for him to stay quiet, closed off, and secretive.

FUN FACT: Lucas blushes at the drop of a hat.






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ImageImageLikes
Science fiction || Books || Sleep || Kindness || Being read to || Cuddling || Friends || Food || Sunlight || New York City || Choirs || Listening to A capella || Knowledge


ImageImageDislikes
Nightmares || Drugs (from pot to caffeine to tylenol) || Liars || His power || Crying || Being alone || Nighttime || Working || Mysteries




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ImageBiography
Lucas had a pretty happy life until around 9th grade. Until that point he was a nerdy kid who liked music and science fiction, got good grades and even played the piano at his motherā€™s behest. 9th grade was when his latent psychic power suddenly manifested. He suffered from the sensory overload and was a numb shell for about a year, which he has described as feeling like ā€œa floating brain surrounded by sensations and nothing elseā€. This caused him to flunk that year, which his mother was extremely displeased by. For the rest of high school he was relentlessly bullied for acting so strangely, and any attempts to fit in tended to end painfully and embarrassingly. For awhile his only solace was his long-time best friend and later boyfriend Alex, until Alexā€™s life was tragically lost in a car accident. This did not help Lucasā€™ state of mind at all and the combo of the bullying, his boyfriendā€™s death, and the general difficulty of his power caused him to spiral into depression. His mother, who had given him up as a failure after he repeated 9th, kicked him out as soon as he turned 18. He struggled on his own in New York City, working as a cashier at Walgreens and struggling to make ends meet due to being cut off from his motherā€™s support. Hearing about Laurel Academy and how they take in those with special powers, among others, he took the chance to transfer from his awful high school to there, not only for the room and board, but for a chance to start afresh with people who might not hate him. This will be his 5th year in high school, a fact that he is not especially eager to tell anyone.





ImagePlayed By: Piearty
Dialogue Color: #140B4D
Face Claim: Aaron Yan

*note-- when interacting with Lucas I request that you consider and make sure to write accurately about any thoughts that would be on your character's mind so I can depict his power properly.

So begins...

Lucas Long's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Anthony Carraway Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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#, as written by piearty
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For the second time, Lucas' presence seemed to calm Aimee down, and he wondered at it. She trusted him more than he felt any person should after less than 24 hours; though he knew her exact reasons, he still couldn't wrap his head around it. You heard me, she thought, and he gave the slightest of nods.

Well, that's an awfully strong statement from someone who met her last night, thought a voice in reference to what Lucas had said. His eyes snapped to Anthony, was frowning at him in vague confusion. Anthony seemed to pick up on the connection that Lucas and Aimee apparently had now, feeling excluded. It washed Lucas in awkward guilt. No, no, I'm the one intruding, he wished to say to the guy. You two have been friends for years and me...I'm just some creep who knows too much.

Aimee, too, seemed to be realizing the unfair difference between Lucas and Anthony keenly. He doesn't know, she thought with dismay, and it filled Lucas with the same miserable feeling, especially when she turned to the wall to hide her tears. I'm sorry, Aimee. He wished the thought-reading went both ways. I'm sorry for your powers, and me, and Nina, and Lane, and this shitty day.

She spoke, bidding Anthony go to class, and directed at Lucas, I need to go to class eventually. He closed his eyes, brow furrowing. But not today.

"I don't wanna speak for..." he paused, trying to remember if the guy's name had been said aloud or not, "Anthony or anything, but I'm going to guess he-- Lucas glanced at him-- "And I...we...don't plan on leaving you alone like this."

He thought of a way to make this better. To make things more equal. He knew Aimee's power and Aimee knew his, and Anthony was in the fucking dark despite being closer to Aimee than Lucas imagined he'd ever be. He found this imbalance profoundly unfair, but wouldn't dare reveal Aimee's secret, so...

He took a breath and straightened his posture, cocking his head to one side. "Besides," he said with a wry smile. "I don't think any of us would like Speech and Debate anyway."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sterling Walker Character Portrait: Nina Nikolayevna Romanov Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Rebecca Sayre Character Portrait: Erin Hill Character Portrait: Lane Blackwell
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Time Skip
It is now 9:45. Mrs Jefferson has welcomed the class in, given the seating chart, and explained the assignment. Erin is out in the hallway working on the preparation part of her speech. No one else has received their topic yet, they are just inside chatting amongst themselves or reading or something along those lines.


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The paper is still curled up in Erin's hand. Half of her had been glad to go first, because it allowed her instant distance from Sterling who, by some cruel twist of faith, is now seated right next to her. To get away from that class in general, actually. Not only Sterling, but also Nina and Daniel. Perhaps if she had been seated next to Lane, she would feel more at ease. Unfortunately, that is far from the case, as she sits on the other side of the room from her. And so she jumped up when her name was called to go outside and work on her speech. Now she regrets moving with such haste. She uncurls the paper.

Forgiveness.

Oh. This isn't so bad. I should be fine. Okay, I've got this. Forgiveness. Okay, Erin takes a long breath and begins scrawling things on the back of her thin slip of paper. Lead with reference to "if sorry was enough, police" joke. Too exaggerated for real life. To err is human. Importance of moving on. Let wounds heal. Forgive, strengthen. Erin doesn't notice the irony in her own notes. All she knows is that she has already been outside for two minutes and despite attempts to reassure herself her palms are sweaty and she desperately wants to get this over with. She twists the paper in her hand, a nervous tick. Knocks on the door to be let in. A Gifted boy, Rory, opens it for her, and wishes her good luck in a whisper. Erin walks to the center.

As she is the first speech, people are slightly more focused on listening. They knows Mrs Jefferson will notice if they are already playing on their phones or whispering to one another. Keevan stops his conversation with her, probably about some book or another, to sit down and lean back. Erin has never before wished that people would be more disrespectful towards her. She wants them all trained on their phones, on each other, on the posters around the room. Anywhere else. But they are on her.

"Um. My topic was forgiveness," Erin shows the class her slip and immediately regrets doing so. It's not like they think you're lying to them, idiot. Erin is impulsive. Erin is loyal. Erin is playful and sometimes loud and always smiling. Until Erin is told to make a speech, and then she is prone to self destruction, like a foolish cartoon supervillain. The feeling of standing up in front of people is not unlike eating a star and trying to digest the burning feeling of your insecurities. Erin took this class deciding that she must learn to present eventually. It must get worse before it can get better.

"Has the timer started? Yeah? Okay, cool. Start now. Please.

If sorry was good enough we wouldn't need police officers. It's too late to apologize. An eye for an eye. We're living in a culture that criticizes the ability to forgive, instead, um, opting for cynicism and, uh, punishment. Half the time we don't even realize we're doing it. But it's there. It's the uh archaic notion that we are born one way and never change."


She makes brief eye contact with Nina, which lapses into her staring at her for a few seconds while the planned course shifts.

"But people can change. And y'know maybe that's the problem. Maybe sometimes people change in ways you could never imagine, and that's um the thing we can't forgive them for. Because we had so fully trusted one ideal, and it just breaks down in front of us, and not always for the better."


And then Sterling, just behind Nina. He had always been either behind or at the side of Nina. He should have remained there, instead of vanishing and allowing matter to collapse into that sudden vacuum until a black hole was formed. Until the Queen was born.

"People don't take responsibility for what they've done. Or even if they do, they can't change the way that their actions have launched others into that negative change. And, I mean, it can be hard to forgive someone that turns everything to ash in your mouth. When people separate they leave holes in the fabric of the quilt they were once part of, you know? I mean, not that people are quilts exactly. Um. Sorry, how much time left do I have?


"Two minutes. Erin, you seem to have lost your point. Try to reel it back in, please. I love the imagery but an impromptu should be a bit more structured. And don't forget about triangulation, okay? I'm unpausing the time now."

"Oh. Sorry. Right. So, I mean sure forgiveness is something we should aim for but sometimes it can just be, um, difficult. I mean I guess nothing is impossible but sometimes people just screw up so badly that there is nothing they can do to fix it and how can you forgive someone if the problem is just left to fester, especially when they didn't have to deal with the problem. The rest of us- er, the people, do. Maybe not forgiving is the only way to, erm, cope, I guess. Or something. I'm sorry, I'm not sure where I'm going anymore can I sit down?"


Mrs. Jefferson studies Erin, who had her for English this previous year, for a moment. She takes a long sip of tea, face unreadable while Erin just stands up there silently, doing a poor job of subtly avoiding looking at Sterling and Nina.

"Yes, I suppose in the interest of time you may take your seat. Although you may want to consider representing next class in order to improve the grade." Both teacher and student know Erin will not be trying to make it up for a higher grade. Even sitting next to Sterling seems refreshing in comparison to the thousand suns she felt at the podium.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck. Why am I in this class is it too late to transfer this was a bad idea can I ask for a seating change? Deep breaths. I'm not up there anymore. Erin can be passably clever when not in the spotlight. In the arena, however, her armor is stripped away by the eyes of spectators. "Shut it," she mutters to Sterling, who is as of yet innocent in terms of any scathing remarks.

"Alright, well. Rebecca Sayre? You're next, dear. Come, take your paper. You have seven minutes beginning when the door shuts behind you."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sterling Walker Character Portrait: Nina Nikolayevna Romanov Character Portrait: Rebecca Sayre Character Portrait: Erin Hill Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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#, as written by Layla
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      XXX
      XXX
      XXXOh, Erin is adorable, alright. Sterling's rather fond. Who isn't in the presence of waddling babies or snorting pugs? Gosh, watching her is a decidedly painful experience, if only because it requires a colossal amount of willpower not to cross the distance between them to ruffle her curly hair and hand her a lollipop.
      XXXSterling fails to notice the glance Erin casts Nina only because his gaze flits over to where the brunette sits poised with that aggravating grace of hers at the same time.
      XXXSterling claps loudly when Erin is finished, grinning as she vacates the podium with the devil on her heels. Her cheeks are flushed and her hair sticks to the thin sheen of sweat on her forehead. He grins as he takes her seat beside him.
      XXXAll hail Mrs Jefferson's sterling seating arrangements. He can see the delight rolling off of Erin in waves.
      XXX"Shut it," Erin hisses the moment she descends into her seat. Sterling widens brilliant blue eyes in mock surprise. He glances over his shoulder before turning back to Erin, cocking his head in bewilderment.
      XXX"Me, Miss Hill?" he questions in his thick British accent. "Goodness, no. I would never think to comment on your poorly executed speech or your perky arse as you fled the stage."
      XXXMrs Jefferson's call for Rebecca has Sterling pressing his finger over a cheeky smile before turning to face the podium. Rebecca's speech is quite brilliant. Succinct, eloquent, supported by evidence. Until she falters for a brief moment, gaze flitting towards lo and behold, Nina Romanov. It seems no one can execute a speech without shifting their attention to "The Queen."
      XXXSterling decides there and then that he will ignore Nina entirely through the duration of his speech, even if it means ignoring that section of the room. It matters little. Aimee threatened Erin's safety and Daniel Ahn... Well, Sterling will shed no tears should Daniel Ahn mysteriously disappear into thin air.
      XXX"Thank you, Rebekah. Take a seat. Next we have Lucas Long." A pause. "Lucas Long?"
      XXXThey had a Long Lucas? Sterling must have slept through more classes than he'd initially envisioned. To think he took pride in knowing the names of everyone in school. Hah, just kidding. He knew about five.
      XXX"As it seems he's absent, we'll move on to the next person on the list," the teacher continues. A grimace that is not entirely subtle flits across her face as she glances at her list. "Sterling Walker," she grumbles. "Come."
      XXXSterling barks like a dog. Mrs Jefferson gawks and sputters something about respect and inappropriate social efficacies and blablabla. Sterling takes the piece of paper from her and heads to the podium. He unfolds his prompt slowly and with no small amount of drama. He pauses before taking a deep breath as if preparing to dive into the unknown. All theatrics. Somebody has to have a sense of humour in this horrendously morbid class. You'd think from everyone's faces that they're being called to the noose.
      XXX"You may begin now, Mr Walker," Mrs Jefferson says impatiently.
      XXX"'It is a curious subject of observation and inquiry,'" Sterling begins, putting on an extra posh British accent and a croaky voice. "'Whether hatred and love be not the same thing at bottom,' said a dead white man."
      XXXHe glances up at his sheet to find Mrs Jefferson about to protest, before she shakes her head and places it in the palm of her hand. Why bother, her gesture seems to say. Sterling does so love sucking the hope out of the human soul.
      XXX"We often think love and hatred are opposites, foils to one another in a story that is infinitely complex," he starts after a moment to gather his thoughts and school his expression into one of serious pondering. "Yet we neglect to realise that it is those we love who inspire the greatest contempt. We succumb to anger because we care. It is because we see - we saw - what they were and all the potential they possessed. And we saw it fall to ruin."
      XXXHis attention shifts to Nina. He curses. Aloud. Mrs Jefferson gasps and a few chuckles spread across the class. Shit, I wasn't supposed to look at her. But he does. Instead of turning away, he challenges her to pull her gaze away. She does not. Something strange crosses her face, but her eyes do not waver. Instead she lifts her chin, a challenge in her own.
      XXX"The opposite of love is not hatred, but indifference," Sterling says quietly. Loud enough to just be heard by everyone in the room, but there is something intimate in his tone as he looks at Nina, as if begging her, beyond all others, to heed his words. It is an apology and adjuration.
      XXX"Myths and sacred stories frequently employ apples as a symbol of love. A fitting analogy, considering the seeds of an apple are poisonous. That is not to say all love leads to one's demise, only that we must be careful not to be so immersed in tasting the sweetness that we devour the bitterness as well. Sometimes mould can fester when neglected. What was lovely can rot."
      XXXNina flinches.
      XXXFinally. A reaction. He needs this. He needs to see what hides beneath the Ice Queen. Sterling continues.
      XXX"A moment can change us for a lifetime."






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XXX
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      XXX
      XXX"A moment can change us for a lifetime."
      XXXNina grips her hands together under the table, her nails digging into her knuckles. She clenches her jaw. An calloused hand jerks me forward. I fall into the dirt. A fire rages, devouring his skin. She shuts her eyes, breaking the stare between her and Sterling. Don't think about it, don't think about it. Her chest is rising and falling in quirk spurts. She takes a deep breath, shoves the intrusive memories from her mind and opens her eyes. Don't let them know. They are vultures. Exploiting weakness.
      XXX"Often the smallest things can tip the scales from love to hate. A misunderstanding. A mistake. A drunken night can shift the dynamics for the worse." Here Sterling shifts his gaze away from Nina to Erin. "Or better."
      XXXHope shivers. Plummets.
      XXXOh, God.
      XXXShe's going to be sick. But her stomach is empty, her chest a void.
      XXX"Just as love can morph into loathing, so can loathing morph into love. The fragility of humanity's depth of emotion echoes in the transience of our mortality. Just as it is necessary to burn a forest to create fields, so it is that we must sacrifice old flames for the new."
      XXXSterling struts from the podium like he owns the stage and the people beneath it. He returns to Erin's side. I can't breathe. Of course it's fire. It is always fire. Fire took love from her once before, too, but it did not leave her with fields to plough. It left her with the carcass of her brother and the disgust of her family. It left her with a cavern in her chest and scars wrapped around her torso.
      XXXNina traces the path of a small scar on the inside of her wrist, hidden beneath the bracelet Daniel returned to her moments before. It is a burn mark incomparable to those hidden beneath her clothes. Her clenched fists relax under the table.
      XXXNumb. Always numb. There is no light in her eyes, no ember in her chest. She'd known, then, that Sterling and Erin saw something in each other that they did not see in her. But she did not know the depth of their feeling. What a fool she'd been. How could she not have known when Sterling stares at Erin now the way he used to...
      XXX"Hey, don't look too impressed," she hears Sterling say to Erin behind her. "Wouldn't want your panties to spontaneously combust in the middle of class."
      XXXNo more.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Anthony Carraway Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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#, as written by Saerith
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Anthony couldnā€™t seem to be able to take his eyes off of Lucas now. Somehow, him and Aimee had apparently even talked about the class he was having this morning. Meanwhile, Carr didnā€™t even know the other boyā€™s name. He felt embarrassed, most of all, and the constant pain in his head didnā€™t help him figuring out this strange situation at all. Why was he so concerned? Not that he thought this was bad at all, he looked like a pretty stand up guy butā€¦

Then he thought. Aimee was an attractive girl, he supposed. I mean, she didnā€™t look bad. Carr had never actually thought about it butā€¦ The talk with Erin the previous morning had him wondering if perhaps this was the reason this guy seemed so attentive. He couldnā€™t help but blush slightly, feeling like a bit of a third wheel. I wonder if last nightā€¦

He shifted his gaze back to Aimee. It was true, though, he had absolutely no will or strength to get to Speech and Debate at this point. Honestly, he was already feeling so bad, and speaking in public made him so worried, he actually might get sick. So, with a deep sight, he tried his best to give his friend an encouraging smile. ā€You know what? This isā€¦ Our peak, and I have never once skipped class. What kind of teenager am I? Youā€™d be doing me a favor.ā€ He tried to smile at Lucas as well, but really it seemed more like a bit of a sloppy call for help ā€This guy, hmmā€ He gave him an apologetic look for not remembering his name ā€Is right. You know how much I hate that class.ā€

Aimee was strong. No matter how much she cried or if she screamed and fell apart, she was still strong, because she could get through this. She could overcome and always go back to being her usual sweet, joyful self. But she couldnā€™t do it alone. If nothing else, he could at least offer her this, comfort. And if she had trusted someone like Carr to be by her side for all this years thenā€¦ Then this was his duty.

ā€I'll make you a deal. Iā€™ll go back for PE, but Iā€™ll stay with you for know. We will. We could stay in and eat a whole bunch of candy, and we only have to talk about it if you want to. Ok?ā€

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Anthony Carraway Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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Aimee let out a little half-laugh as Anthony reiterated what they had drunkenly said last night. Our peak... she thought. Anthony was right. She had always nagged him about being such a good student, even in 8th grade he always went to his classes, and she thought she was being so superior as a sophomore that she knew all the ropes of high school and that she was basically a genius in the making. Oh, how she was very wrong.

She could tell by the way that Carr was glancing at Lucas that he felt a little awkward around him, and from the way his face looked Anthony wasn't in a good state of mind either. She never really figured out what happened after he went off with Erin, since he never responded to her text. Knowing him, he was probably feeling pretty guilty about leaving her, especially with her acting like this. She wanted to console him, she felt like she had to, even though she knew that he was the one who wanted to be consoling her. Sorry, honorary little brother, she thought. She almost wished that Anthony had the same ability as Lucas, so that she wouldn't have to worry about what she was keeping from him. But, when she thought about it, she probably would have kept it from Lucas too by putting her wall up. I guess it doesn't really matter now... her mind whispered as she glanced at Lucas.

I know we don't know each other very well--well, I guess we didn't know each other very well--so I understand if you feel weird knowing about...well, about me. The playing field is slightly more even now, I guess, she thought to him. She knew it had to be done, she couldn't say it out loud and risk giving away Lucas's power since she knew he was sensitive about it, but she still hated having a side conversation without Anthony even the slightest it aware. He was her best friend, her family, so why did she feel like she couldn't tell him any of this?

"No fair, you know I can't resist candy," she said to Anthony, wiping her eyes on her shirt sleeve and controlling the remainder of sniffles left from her crying. She looked at him with doe eyes, her classic Aimee move without even trying, and sent him a watery smile that verged on genuine. "Got any Sour Patch stashed away?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Anthony Carraway Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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#, as written by piearty
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Well then, Lucas thought, trying to hide his mortification when he realized what Anthony assumed went on last night. That was not the conclusion I was hoping he'd reach... And damn his tendency to blush easily-- he could feel the heat in his cheeks at the very thought. And now Anthony was feeling like a third wheel to his best friend and a guy whose name he didn't even know.

Aimee sent some thoughts to Lucas, but he saw that she also felt guilty for keeping Anthony out of their little secret and their one-sided conversation. She spoke to Anthony, keeping up the facade.

The more I stand here blushing like an idiot, the more suspicious I'm going to look, he thought. I'm going to have to tell him...and outright this time. He shifted from foot to foot, as if tamping down his terror.

"Aimee, it's ok, I'm gonna tell him," Lucas blurted out, and before Anthony could draw any more unfortunate conclusions about this sentence, he continued, "First of all, my name's Lucas, not 'this odd guy'; second of all, nothing like that happened last night; third, I knew you were thinking all that stuff and what class we all have because I have a power too and that's that I can read minds, not that other reason. Surprise! Ok, candy then?"

By this time his shoulders were tense and risen, his eyes were fixated on the carpet pattern in the room, and his arms were crossed, pressed tight to his chest. He felt like a bug underneath a magnifying glass, waiting to see whether he'd be burned by Anthony's reaction. Regardless of what happened though, he knew it was something that had to be done. He couldn't drive a wedge between a friendship like that. And if Anthony freaked out, didn't trust him after this, told him to leave them alone, well, he could deal. Like he always did.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Anthony Carraway Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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#, as written by Saerith
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ā€You know I do.ā€ he announced happily, partially enchanted by Aimeeā€™s lovely smile. It was a relief, really. There wasnā€™t really much he could do having no information, and probably, if he had any, there would still be little he could solve, so seeing her even the least bit recuperated lifted some weight off his shoulders.

When Lucas suddenly spoke again, Carr was surprised to see his face was a bright crimson. He looked very embarrassed, and his words were completely mysterious to Anthony, since Aimee hadnā€™t said a thing that could lead to this answer, andā€¦ By his tone, it seemed like something important. Than, the string of uninterrupted words started pouring out of him, and in opposition to Lucasā€™ flushed cheeks, Anthonyā€™s turned a pale, almost sickly white color. How did heā€¦ He couldnā€™t remember saying any of this aloud. He was mortified that Lucas knew the god damn weirdest things he had thought in the last five minutes or so. Then suddenlyā€¦ ā€ā€¦I can read minds, not that other reason.ā€ Anthonyā€™s eyes widened as he tried to recall everything he had thought while Lucas was in the room. Oh God.

ā€Oh. Oh. Iā€¦ Iā€™m so sorry if Iā€¦ I just didnā€™t think youā€¦ I assumedā€¦ Like, if you did, there was noā€¦" Anthony felt a tightness in his neck and couldnā€™t stop fidgeting, so he took a long, deep breath and lowered his eyes to the floor, defeated by his own words. All he could actually manage was ā€Sorry I called you odd guy. Thatā€™s pretty cool."

Please, could you not tell Aimee I thought that? Sheā€™d be madā€¦ Anthony tried to organize his thoughts and not think about how much of a fool he was feeling like right now. He also realized how tense Lucas was himself, for some reason, and felt bad. He supposed his thoughts were rather judgmental towards him so far. Then, came to him the sudden realization of what that meant to Aimee. A power quite similar to hers. And then, the night before. Anthonyā€™s expression of guilt and embarrassment shifted into one of awe and admiration, like a kid staring at their new toy for the first time.

ā€Oh! So this is what last night was about! Thatā€™s why you were so weird!ā€ Absentmindedly, he pointed to Aimee, a curious enthusiastic smile slowly spreading across his face while his voice got louder. ā€Yeah, this is so cool! Can you, like, talk to each other through telepathy or something? I mean, if you touchā€¦ā€ His voice slowly died as he realized no one else really seemed very excited, and he must be sounding like an asshole. With a timid smile directed at the both of them, he scratched the back of his neck nervously. ā€I'm sorry. I donā€™t know how it works.ā€

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Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Anthony Carraway Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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Aimee tensed immediately when she looked at Lucas. He was bright red, and he had the expression that he was about to say something big. She sat forward a bit, tell him what? and then he said he could read minds and Aimee's eyes widened, looking at Anthony. He stammered and she looked back and forth between them, one eyebrow raised in confusion. "Nothing like what...?" She asked tentatively as Anthony started to get almost as awkward as Lucas. Oh! Oh GOD! The realization hit her and she sat back, containing a tad bit of laughter and covering her eyes with her hands.

Anthony got excited and pointed to Aimee, to which she gave him an amused expression. It felt good to see him getting so happy and wondrous, and it definitely helped to improve her mood. It reminded her of how it usually was between them, all laughs and fun. Even though last night they had been joking around like normal, it felt like it was forever ago. So much had happened within the past 24 hours. Meeting Lucas, touching Erin, fighting with Lane, Nina, the overload. It all seemed so surreal, like it didn't actually happen. But, then she thought to herself that the three of them wouldn't be in her dorm ditching class if it hadn't of happened. "It's exactly like you think, Carr. If he touches me at the same time that I have my wall down, we can hear each other's thoughts," she said. She looked gratefully at Lucas, "If you hadn't of done that downstairs, I...I wouldn't have been able to leave. It felt like..." she curled her arms around her knees again, "like I was frozen in that one spot, just letting all of it in and not being able to control it. It was awful," she admitted.

She looked at the both of them, and realized that Anthony had no idea what she was talking about. Taking a deep breath, since we're all being so honest..."Anthony, I...there's something you don't know, uhm..." She combed her fingers through her hair nervously, looking at Lucas like he could somehow make this any easier. "I got in a fight with Lane earlier, and...it was about, well...a couple months ago I was having a day that was, unfortunately, a lot like this one, and we, uhm, well, Lane and I, we, we had...sex..." She said the last word like it didn't belong anywhere near her, which was stupid because her and Carr had always been open with that kind of thing, and yet she felt like it was against everything in her to talk about it. One secret down, another one to go...at some point that's not right now.

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Character Portrait: Sterling Walker Character Portrait: Nina Nikolayevna Romanov Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Rebecca Sayre Character Portrait: Erin Hill Character Portrait: Lane Blackwell
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Time Skip
Everyone has been at their chosen PE activity for the day for about ten or so minutes now. Weather is partly cloudy, looking like it might turn to a light drizzle soon.

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Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Anthony Carraway Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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#, as written by Saerith
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The idea of this connection between Lucas and Aimee brought a slight smile to his face. For some reason, it sounded so comforting and calming to have someone who could knew everything about you, and who you knew everything about as well. Someone who wouldnā€™t judge, because they truly understand. Someone who didnā€™t need any words to know how you felt or what you wanted. It must beā€¦ easy. It must feel like home. And although he still really wanted to know what had brought Aimee to such a state, she seemed really grateful to Lucas, whatever he had done, so thatā€¦ that was good. Lucas still hadnā€™t said a word since the revealing his power to him, and Anthony wondered if he should do the same, but well, he probably already knew. Besides, he was sure Lucas wouldnā€™t be scared or push him away. If the two boys, complete strangers, had one thing in common, it probably was both of them had had their share of judgement because of their abilities.

When his name was called again, Carr came closer to the bed were Aimee sat. She was speaking quietly, and in a way he wasnā€™t accustomed to. He sat down on the edge of the bed, keeping some distance, both to hear her better and to alleviate the pain in his limbs. Once she finished the stuttered sentence, he felt glad that he had. Not only had an enormous amount of information been thrown at him, he couldnā€™t really put together what Aimee had just told him. Laneā€¦? He had always thought Lane and Aimee had little to no connection at all. Not even friends. How had theyā€¦ Besides, itā€™s not like they hadnā€™t talked about things like this before. As much as Carr felt weird talking about sexuality or imagining his friends were involved in any sexual activities, ever, as a boy who had dealt with a lot of doubt about his own sexuality, thereā€™s no way this wasnā€™t brought up with his best friend. But Aimeeā€¦ She had never seemed confused. Quite the opposite actually, she was the one who helped Anthony figure out a lot of things. And then, somehow, in his sensitive, overprotective mind, Carr made a connection probably only he would have done, and his expression shifted from a befuddled paralysis to a strangely worried, tormented gaze.

ā€What was this fight about?ā€ The tone wasnā€™t really the one most common in his voice. ā€Aimee, you were having a bad day andā€¦ Aimee, did she take advantage of you? Cause Iā€™ll go talk to her right now. If she did anything at all to hurt you Iā€¦"

As soon as the thought entered his mind, he shook it off, realizing how presumptuous he must sound. It was a serious threat, what he was about to say, one he expected he never would, so he told himself to stop assuming things, as he apparently had been doing a lot today. He didnā€™t know anything about it. It wasnā€™t his call. He ran a hand nervously through his head and stood up, unable to keep still.

ā€I'm sorry. I got carried away. Wow, this was weird, Iā€™m really sorry. Iā€™m justā€¦ surprised. I mean, I would never have thoughtā€¦ Why didnā€™t you tell me? I mean, itā€™s okay, but you know I wouldā€™ve understood. As he spoke the last word, he felt a harsh sting as the loud sound of the bell echoed in his head. Oh, God. This hangover, and Gym. Perfect. He looked at both Aimee and Lucas, with a frustrated look on his eyes, as if asking for help. ā€Well, I better goā€¦ My room is unlocked. You know were I keep the hidden goods. Just donā€™t eat my peanut butter.ā€

With a deep sight and an insincere smile, he started to leave the room. Damn his consciousness. Damn school. He really, really wanted that peanut butter.

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Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Anthony Carraway Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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Aimee watched the various expressions dance across Anthony's face, and she braced herself for his words. She felt awful having kept it from him for so long, but hopefully it was understandable? How could she have told him what she wasn't really sure of herself? He looked at her sternly, with a lot of protectiveness, and asked the last thing she expected. "What? No! No no, nothing like that I swear. She didn't hurt me..." Aimee said vehemently. Lane had done the exact opposite, which is something Aimee would probably never admit out loud. Looking at Carr, she was surprised that he had started to make a threat. Carr had always been so gentle, and she had always been so protective, but she supposed that he had always had that edge inside of him. His power was centralized in fear, after all.

She nodded along with him, knowing she should have told him. Idiot, you should have told him months ago... she thought to herself. She had known that he would understand, and yet for some reason she had convinced herself that it could never be spoken of again. To anyone. And look where that had gotten her. At the same time as Anthony, she heard the bell ring. However, it seemed as thought it physically hurt him to hear it. She supposed it was the after effects from last nights bonfire, and she felt bad. The last thing he probably wanted to do was go to gym class, but she knew that skipping one class had been asking a lot from him, and skipping two would have been near impossible. She smiled at him, a real smile, when he left and sighed. Leaning her head back against the wall.

Aimee's head felt almost unbearably heavy, probably a post-crying/overload migraine coming on, and she really didn't feel like opening her mouth. Luckily for her, she didn't have to when talking to Lucas. Are you going to gym, too? She asked him. While she knew Carr's thoughts almost without touching him, she had yet to really figure out Lucas's habits. Sure, she knew his past, but the past didn't make the person, and she had yet to get to know the person. What she did know was that he cared about her, and she him, but that didn't mean squat if she just ended up annoying him. Thank you...for being here. For dealing with me, she thought, her mind saying more than her words ever could.

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Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Anthony Carraway Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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When Anthony apologized for calling him 'odd guy', Lucas managed a smirk. "Well, you didn't exactly call me that, you thought it, and holding thoughts against you would be a real dick move."

Anthony threw some thoughts at him, and before he could pinch the bridge of his nose and tell Anthony and Aimee both to stop having secret conversations with him like they were passing notes in front of the teacher, Aimee started snickering; it had dawned on her what Lucas had meant by "nothing like that" and contrary to Anthony's fear, she considered the thought hilarious.

Then Anthony started getting excited about Lucas and Aimee's powers, and Aimee was feeling better and thanking Lucas for what he'd done, and his hackles lowered, his muscles began to relax. He could feel the trust--trust toward him, flowing through both their minds, and he was sure it was undeserved but it felt damn good nonetheless. To be trusted. To be accepted. Hell, to simply not be labeled a freak-- and he suddenly realized they never would've done so; they were used to being called 'freaks' themselves. "No problem," he mumbled absentmindedly. Though Anthony probably is really confused as to what you're saying...

Aimee seemed to realize the same thing, and the lighthearted tone in the room faded after such a frustratingly short time. Shame and nervousness swirled in Aimee as she confessed her secret-- or at least, one of them, Lucas thought wonderingly-- and confusion and worry swirled in Anthony as he processed it. Then, something occurred to him that had never even crossed Lucas' mind, and the thought made his stomach drop.

"Aimee, did she take advantage of you? Cause Iā€™ll go talk to her right now. If she did anything at all to hurt you Iā€¦" Anthony trailed off, realizing the force of what he was going to say, what he was threatening to do.

In that moment, briefly, Lucas saw stormclouds. He saw snakes and fire and a 50 foot drop to nothingness, grinning fangs in the darkness and the shadow of death. He heard the echoes of screams, cries of madness and fright. The color that had been burning his cheeks drained from his face. He looked at the guy sitting on the bed next to Aimee, shaking his head, running his hand anxiously through his tangle of hair, stuttering and stumbling over words. Lucas had gotten a brief glimpse of his powers before, when the guy'd considered whether Lucas knew about them or not, but this...this was not what he'd imagined they'd be.

Aimee reassured Anthony that there was no harm involved, to both the guys' relief, then the dull ringing in her and Anthony's minds happened again. Bell already? Anthony got up to head to gym, resigned to having to miss out on the peanut butter stash in his room, and Lucas couldn't help but look at him in wonder as he left. A power like that and he still puts up with gym class? This school is luckier than it realizes...

Now it was only Aimee and Lucas, like last night. He was humbled that Anthony trusted him enough already to leave her in his hands, though he kept trying to tell himself it was only for the sake of attendance. Aimee was getting a pretty bad headache and it was starting to hurt him too, but he wasn't going to tell her that. She directed some thoughts towards him because she was too fatigued to speak.

"Deal with you?" he said incredulously. Then, flatly, "What the hell are you talking about."

He shook his head. "This isn't...this isn't dealing with you. Makes it sound like you're some sort of burden. You're hurt and sick; how could I--we not make sure you were alright? I should...I should be thanking you for dealing with me." Looking down, he continued, "Last night...you didn't have to put up with my bullshit for two whole hours, but you did. And now you think you're annoying me?"

"I don't really wanna go to gym," he said solemnly, memories of shouting coaches and collapsing with fatigue in his head, "and I don't really want to leave you alone when you're like this. So, if you're ok with this--with me being around..." He looked at her and simply shrugged.

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Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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Aimee opened her eyes and looked at him incredulously. As he was talking, he looked almost...angry. No, not angry. Shocked. He was shocked that she should apologize, felt like it should be him doing it instead. She smiled, scooted over a bit and patted the bed beside her. "Not that I need someone to babysit me, but I'm glad you're here," she said. Looking out the window, she saw various people running or on their way to the boathouse, preparing for some gym class or another. She wondered if she would see Lane, decided she didn't want to know, and turned back to Lucas. Now that she was feeling slightly better, she took the time to notice him next to her. "You look tired," she said concernedly.

Aimee leaned against the wall again, turning her head so that she could see him. Switching back to thought, my roommate never showed up, you could sleep, she offered. The least she could do was offer him some comfort, if not to shift the focus off of her then just because she legitimately cared. From seeing his past, she knew he hadn't had someone to care about him for a long time. She knew she would never mention it, but he could see it in her mind if he really dared to look. The good part about someone knowing and understanding her power was that she didn't have to hide the reasons she cared about people. With others, they always wondered and she could never say, because I know what happened when you were five and I feel bad, otherwise she could definitely be considered a freak. Again with Lucas, though, it was always so easy.

She sighed, wishing the pain in her head would at least diminish. She wondered if pain transferred to Lucas as well, and she sincerely hoped that it didn't. She would feel awful, probably kick him out of her room, and then she would feel worse. It was really a lose-lose situation. "Do you want to take Carr up on his offer and steal the candy?" she asked tiredly. But then that involved getting up and walking to his room, which was really the last thing she wanted to do, and the warmth emanating from Lucas was pretty nice, too, so she didn't want him to get up either. No point in asking that, oh well, she thought to herself.

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Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Lucas Long
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Aimee and Lucas both sat on the bed, facing the other wall and not saying anything. Aimee's roommate had never shown up, so she had offered Lucas the spot temporarily since he looked so exhausted from everything that had happened. She'd imagined it had been difficult to deal with everyone's thoughts (particularly hers, being so loud) and from judging by the dark circles under his eyes, she was right. "I am tired," he said wearily. She looked at him with concern again, not really able to stop her natural maternal instincts coming out. All she ever wanted to do was take care of people. "Maybe a sugar rush will help...where did Anthony say the candy was?" He asked, standing up slowly.

She pursed her lips. "He keeps a stash in the box underneath his bed," she told him. They had often dug into the enormous amounts of candy for movie nights on her laptop or just for hanging out in their dorms and goofing off. One time, on a dare, she made Carr eat twenty sour punch straws at the same time. He almost killed her, figuratively speaking. She chuckled now, thinking about the memory. Lucas left to go get the candy, and she almost called out to him for her preference, but then remembered that he probably already knew from seeing it in her thoughts. That's never gonna get difficult, she thought. Well, it probably would at some point when she was thinking about something she really would rather keep to herself, but now it was coming in handy.

Lucas came back, and she licked her lips in anticipation for the sour goodness that he brought. "Yum, Sour Patch are my favorite," she admitted gleefully. He handed them to her, taking some for himself, and sat across from her. She didn't really want to bring up any difficult topics since he looked like he was about ready to keel over, so she settled for quietly eating her candy instead. She had a reputation for finishing things quickly, so the Sour Patch was gone within minutes. Looking at Lucas again, she frowned. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep over there?"

He paused for a moment, then let out a huge jaw-cracking yawn and rubbed his eyes. She grinned, knowing he may have tried to resist and now it was obvious that he couldn't. "Nah, I think I'm just gonna go back to my dorm. Are you gonna be okay?" He asked, giving her a once over of his own. She couldn't imagine what she looked like. Knotty hair, swollen eyes, tear stained clothes; all a recipe for disgust. She nodded, not really knowing what else to say. She had hoped that he would go down to lunch with her, since she didn't think she'd have the courage to do it by herself, but maybe Carr would be around, and she could be with him. Anything than just sitting there and listening to the whispers. But at the same time, if she went into the caf, she risked bumping into someone or something and getting more information crammed into her head. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle that.

Lucas got up to leave then, saying to call him if she needed, and she gave him a wan smile. There was a vending machine around the corner, that would have to do. She couldn't risk anything like this morning happening again.

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Character Portrait: Sterling Walker Character Portrait: Nina Nikolayevna Romanov Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Rebecca Sayre Character Portrait: Erin Hill Character Portrait: Lane Blackwell
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Time Skip
The bell rung about two minutes ago, so lunch begins in three minutes. Everyone is either on their way to lunch or currently at lunch.

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Character Portrait: Sterling Walker Character Portrait: Nina Nikolayevna Romanov Character Portrait: Aimee Hart Character Portrait: Rebecca Sayre Character Portrait: Erin Hill Character Portrait: Lane Blackwell
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Time Skip
We are now in the final class of the Summer day. Feel free to write up a finishing post for your character mulling anything over, or a collaboration if your character shares a class with another's. After this we will probably skip ahead a week or so, making this a good chance to give a character's "final say" on anything that happened today or last night, so to speak.