Tabitha Walker's Story

"Hold still....just a few more...."

On the other side of the Smoky Mountains, there was a small distant town known as Brook Forge. Despite its relatively small population, (only about 600 people) the town was crawling with space. The land where the town lay was half rugged mountains, and half long, never-ending valleys. The small town was so large, that it was divided into the North and South sides. Although acting like two split regions, there was one thing that remained the same about the sides of town, and that was the fog. The mist and fog that accumulated over the mountain range settled to Brook Forge at the end of their journey across the vast state of Tennessee. Brook Forge had never received much sunlight due to this fog. Everything, from the plants to the animals to the people, had a dark hue. The fog seemed to match the emotion of the people in the town.

Right on the edge of the south side of town, there lived an aunt and her niece. The aunt was a seamstress who made costumes and occasionally props to use in theater for a living. This woman could be described as 'light in the darkness'. Her husband had gone on to help in the war, and she lived in one of the gloomiest places of North America, but yet she had a constant stream of happiness. She was plump, but not fat. She had curly red hair, olive skin, and a heartwarming face that was partially covered by her glass spectacles.

The niece was completely different from her aunt. Although its hard to describe her physical appearance, one could say that she blended in with the area around her. She was dark and mysterious, even to those who knew her well. It was hard to tell whether or not she was sullen, if there was something more to her. Her detailed green eyes seemed to hold secrets that could not be unlocked by words alone. Her white skin was ghost-like and eerie. She was lean and slender, looking tall enough to reach the sky. She was a presence that was neither ignored nor revered, and her name was Tabitha Walker.

It was a special night in Brook Forge. It was the night of senior prom. There was only school in the town, located right on the border between the north and south sides. Simply known as Brook Forge High, the school was not only a place of learning, but it was a major part of social gathering in the town.

Inside the Sherida house on that crisp night in May, the seamstress could be found doing the small, delicate buttons found on the back of her niece's beige dress. Tabitha had not even picked out the dress. In fact, the dress was found in Mrs. Sherida's costume closet. The eighteen-year-old had refused to spend her time at a worthless school event, but much to her disapproval, her aunt was making her go.

"Alright, Tabby, i'm done. Turn around so I can see how it looks."

With her tan heels, the girl made a clacking sound as she pivoted around to face her aunt. At the time, the girl's hair was a flat, shoulder-length, light red color. Although she wore nothing else besides the dress and her shoes, she looked absolutely stunning.
However, her cheerless face begged to differ.

"I hate this, Catherine." she said, simply yet sourly. Her voice was soft, moderately deep, and full of sarcasm.
"Well, your lucky," her aunt replied, "because that was the only dress I could find that wouldn't make you look like a prima donna from the 1700's."
"Why are you making me do this?"
Her aunt was silent for a while, sighed, and then spoke again. She fixed the bottom of the dress as she talked.
"Tabby, i know i said to you a while ago that you don't have to go to prom if you don't want to, but there are....reasons why i want you to go. I think it would be great for you. It's your last year, and you're never going to get to do this ever again. Don't you want to look back and remember something here before you move on to the next chapter of your life?"
The red-haired girl rolled her eyes, and shrugged. "Sure," she said, moving over to the table to grab her car keys, "I'm leaving you now..."
"WAIT! I NEED A PICTURE OF YOU BEFORE YOU GO! Where'd you put the camera?"
"I hid it so that you wouldn't have to take a picture of me before i left the house."
"TABITHA!!" the aunt shouted before her nice could unlock the front door to the house. Her niece wasn't stopping, so Mrs. Sherida quickly started to say goodbye,
"Have a great time, sweetheart. OH! AND TABBY..."
Already on the other side of the doorway, the girl glanced back at her smiling aunt.
"Remember to....talk tonight. I just want you to...have fun."
Emotionless, Tabitha nodded, and then shut the door on her way out, crossing the driveway to her green pickup truck that once belonged to her uncle.

It took about a half hour to cross the southern side of Brook Forge. In her truck, she passed deep woodlands, flowing rivers, and vast fields of grain that seemed to glow in the dark. There weren't too many streetlights, in fact, the sky above illuminated the darkness. Since there were not city lights, all the stars of the night sky could be seen overhead.

It was around 8 pm that Tabitha reached the school. She started to think twice about going inside, since the lights looked too bright for her taste, but she sighed, and undid her seat belt. She looked around, and focused on what was right in front of her. A silver-chained necklace with a blue crystal moon dangled on the mirror. She snatched the necklace from its spot, and clasped it on her neck. The chain had been known as her 'lucky necklace' and had been kept firmly around her neck since she was young. It seemed to be the only thing about Tabby that never changed.

She walked quickly into the building, avoiding the silent sneers and glares that other kids were giving her. The dress attracted people's attention, but the person who wore it threw their focus away. After paying the fee to get in at the front door, Tabitha crossed through the halls and entered the blue and white colored cafeteria, where the prom was being held. Chairs and tables had been cleared to provide space for the swarm of teenagers that had attended. Although the young adults around her were dancing like crazy, having an enormously good time, Tabitha could only hear deafening music, and see blinding lights. As always, she sat as far away from life as possible. The wallflower perched herself on one of the blue chairs near the windows. With her hand on the back of her neck, and her elbow on the space below the window pane, she looked outside, watching the people enter. She would only have to sit in this position for two and a half more hours until the prom was over.

(OOC: Upto you if you approach him, though if you do, she'd probably be one of his targets for his next round of 'games' *heads up*)

Tabitha wasn't paying attention to the limos and people with their formal attire, but rather she looked past them at the background. The trees made unfamiliar patterns that nobody ever seemed to pay attention to. Their shapes always seemed to tell her something. Some days they told her to stay put, and other days they told her to wander free. She was at a very confusing point in her life. Of course, Aunt Catherine and her friends gave easy smiles and advice, saying that she was a smart girl. College would be easy for her. They had absolutely no idea what she was really talking about...

Suddenly, with a loud bang from the window, cold wind rushed into Tabitha's face, blowing her hair in a thousand different directions. Swiftly, she slammed it shut without opening her eyes. When she did open her eyes, she found no trace of the culprit who had opened it. She turned behind her, scanning the sea of teenagers, but nobody was close enough to her that they would be on a list of suspects. Either the person was a great runner, or there was a ghost in the school. Tabitha wasn't willing to accept the latter.

Since she was standing up, she thought she would at least give herself a reason for doing so. Her throat was a little dry, maybe she'd waste time getting a drink of water by the fountain. She put the tassels of her hair back behind her ears, and started to walk across the white tiled floor. She looked back at the sea of people, hoping to find a shortcut across them in order to go to the other side of the room. That's when she saw a peculiar sight.

Maybe it was just her, but Tabitha had never known that there were such things as prom waiters. A man was strutting around the room, holding a tray of champagne and offering it to people. Maybe the school had just hired someone from a restaurant to come around and serve the students, but there was something fishy about this guy. Brook Forge was a relatively small town, and it was one of those places where everyone seemed to know each other. Of course, not everyone knew each other, but from a person's face, you could tell what family they had come from. This man had a very foreign appearance. He had obviously come from somewhere else. France, maybe? But then again, Brook Forge was such a small, unknown place. People barely knew it was on a map. Why then, would this foreigner be in town? Was he knew, or was there another reason?

The change in music had brought Tabitha back to earth as she realized that she had been standing in the same spot, staring at the waiter while she processed her thoughts. She scratched the back of her head as she realized that this was a slow song, and scrambled back to her seat over by the window. Hopefully the man hadn't noticed her awkwardly staring at him. As she took her seat, she watched as the boys and girls come together and dance. Tabitha found the girls' faces as they guys asked them to dance quite hilarious. It was funny to think that maybe for a second, they could have the imaginary whirlwind romance of a lifetime. Obviously this wasn't true. Love never lasted. That was Tabitha's philosophy. Love was merely just a word. It never really meant anything. There was too much hate, pride, greed, and selfishness in the world for true love to prevail. Not just love as in romance, but love as in peace, and general love for others. There was always something in humans that made them want something that they can't have. And of course, those people full of power would cause something that could never be stopped. She sighed as she turned to face out the window again.

(OOC: Pretty mischievous huh? If he was approached beforehand, she would likely of been the candidate of full control, so this way, it is flexible since he's interested in seeing Tabby's reactions, so you can have fun with this. Afterall, want a nice shaky start when he does become powerless rather than an instant-ally sort of thing, so with this, Tabby can say something that he doesn't want, but then suddenly words enter her mouth that is contradictory that is more to his liking. We can do such for a few posts, before Adam begins to make his exit for the grand finale, before entering the meat of the roleplay when he does become powerless and no longer controls what people say or do).

Despite the blows of loud music, Tabby was starting to get tired, and her eyelids started to drop lower and lower as time passed. Perhaps she'd get a quick nap in before the prom ended. People would probably wonder why she was sleeping there, but then again, they probably wouldn't care anyway. The worst thing that could happen was that people could think she was drunk.

Before her mind could cease to race and she would lose herself to the fantasies of the dream world, the booming voice of an ex-senior caused her to jolt up.
"Welcome all to the 2012 Brook Forge High Prom. You are all looking lovely tonight, but now it is time to vote for the Homecoming King and Queen, which are....",
It was just the Homecoming King and Queen. Nothing to be concerned about....
"Adam Alphana as our Homecoming King, and Tabitha Walker as our Homecoming Queen! Congratulations! Now for them to be crowned and dance together".

...

It was a mistake. The man at the microphone had read the name wrong, Tabby was certain. There was no way that she had won Homecoming Queen. It was impossible. It was a work of magic. She pinched herself. She wasn't asleep. Out of all people, why did the ex-senior read her name? Why was her name on that card when she knew that nobody could have possibly voted for her? Was it a prank? Did someone plan this just to harass her? Did she do something wrong? Why was she being tortured like this? Could this day get any worse? Why couldn't any of the questions in her head be answered????

As she looked through the sea of faces all staring at her, she could feel her face turn as red as a tomato. With all the eyes pointed in her direction, all the people clapping for her and smiling at her, it all felt so irregular. So momentous, so morbid. She felt lightheadedness kicking in. Would she faint in a matter of seconds? Now she could hear nothing. The clapping and cheering became muffled sounds, as if she was deaf. Then suddenly, there was a clearing. She had taken too long to get up, people were making a clearing for her. She would have to get up off of her chair and walk through it.

There was one question that stuck out most in her mind; who on earth was Adam....
Oh no.

She could see through the parting of the sea of students that 'waiter man' from before was waiting for her in the center of the room. Upon seeing that he had on a tuxedo instead of the outfit he was wearing the last time she saw him, Tabitha knew that none of this was real. It couldn't be. Regardless, she didn't want the football team up in the front to have to escort her through the parting, so she stood up, trying not to fall, and walked her way through. She took small steps, but eventually, she got to the center. She still couldn't hear a thing.
Waiter man's eyes were staring directly into hers. She tried to look away, but it was like his brown eyes were chaining directly unto her soul. It was like he could see everything that she was thinking. It was as creepy yet utterly fascinating as hell. Finally, the sound returned, and Tabitha stared at him awkwardly as she realized that he had said something that she had missed.

"...What?" she asked him ineptly. Just then, she broke her gaze with him as she heard a girl to her right sneering. Tabitha realized that she'd have to be careful not to make an ass out of herself. That would be a challenge.

She turned her head to face him again, and realized that he was holding his hand out.
"Oh...uh..."
She gently placed her hand in his, and once it was in his palm, she realized that she was trembling.
Stop it. Stop that. she thought to herself. With control and a short breath, she was able to stop. However, that still didn't kill her embarassment. She knew for a fact that her face was still red.

It wasn't hard to believe that Tabitha had never slow danced in her life. She knew she was going to step on this guy's feet. What was she supposed to do? Was she supposed to talk? Was she supposed to twirl or whatever? Maybe she would just stare out into the crowd or down at the ground or something. She desperately wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but the air around her was choking her. Then again, none of this was real. This man she had to dance with, whoever he was, wasn't real. Maybe if she kept that in her head, she'd be able to get through this...

---

Sorry i haven't posted in so long :( i've been busy and such...

(OOC: Corrected Homecoming Queen to Prom Queen since this is to celebrate the end of the senior year and got the two mixed up).

"You've never done this before have you? but your going to have to learn quick when all of these lot want to dance with me....let me give you a hand"

From his response, Tabitha knew she was making her thoughts obvious. Quite frankly she had projected her emotions well, and he had caught on. The mystery man had caught on, whoever he was....wait, she knew. She already knew who he was. Somehow, she had seen his face before. In fact, she had seen his face a couple of times. Yes, he had come in the middle of senior year. Her recollections of the events were very hazy, almost as if they were from a dream, but she could see him on his first day of school at Brook Forge High. He was classified as one of those reckless, wild, rebellious kids. He had quite the stereotypical essence of a young adult. He pretended to be intelligent, although most saw him as something to look at, and he knew it. He was naturally popular, everyone saw him as a crowd pleaser, and his name was Adam. Adam Alphana.

When she realized who he was, something in her brain snapped, as if she had gained some sort of valuable information....but how could she? She had known him months before the prom, months before she was trapped into dancing with him. Maybe Tabitha wasn't part of his crowd, and maybe she didn't care for him too much either, but the fear inside of her slightly pacified. The redness in her face calmed down to its genuine shade of white. His hands grabbing hers brought her back to earth, and she escaped out of her thoughts as he instructed her on how to dance.

"You hold there," he said, placing her chilled fingers behind his neck. He then put his right hand around her waist, and his left on her shoulder. Unlike her hands, which felt dead and useless, his were warm and full of life. "and I hold here, and all you need to do now is follow after me and keep looking at me, which shouldn't be hard. Don't worry about your feet"
He ended with a wink, and Tabitha knew that he must have been reading her facial expressions again. Just him talking about her feet made her feel like she was more prone to step on his. His coincidental words did not give her any notable facial expressions. However, upon looking with detail, one could see Tabitha's jaw slightly tremble.

Why was she so terrified of this? This wasn't real anyway. Out of nowhere, crowns had been placed on their heads, and time started to move fast. It was as though one second became a hundred. As they began to dance, and Tabitha didn't step on his feet, he said, "Oh, and I assure you this is all very real."
Wait....what?
Him stating that it was real only made it less real. This time, his words were definitely not a coincidence. Maybe she was like a book when it came to emotions, but there was no way he could have stated what Tabitha was thinking about so confidently without the use of mind-reading. Was he psychic? It could make sense...how he was so popular and everything. Just then, a thought crossed her mind. If he was psychic, then the window....could he have been the source?

All the negativity in her mind had drained away, and now she found herself curiously staring at Adam, who still remained a mystery. Suddenly, his hand rose up from her shoulder and stroked her cheek, something she wasn't expecting in the slightest. She didn't feel fear, but pressure in her body as his fingers touched her face. Her eyes followed his hand, and once he had placed his hand back on her shoulder, she rose an eyebrow towards him. Not out of annoyance, but out of confusion.
"Did that not feel real to you? Every girl dreams of being Prom Queen yet you're it, yet you don't seem happy about it, or rather, you are in disbelief that all this is happening to you so you're thinking this is all a dream, in which case, surely I fit the description of your Prince Charming", he gave her another wink, "Cinderella always dreamed of such, yet she only had till midnight before returning to what she saw as real, yet she enjoyed her time while it lasted, will you not do the same?"

Tabitha could almost bring herself to laugh. He was being poetic and arrogant, but most importantly, he thought he knew her. He was reading her mind still, yes, but his words were implying that he understood her emotions clearly. For all he knew, she could be nervous for other reasons. Emotions could never tell the full truth.
"Maybe...depends on how much you read my mind" she answered back. To her surprise, the words did not come out sarcastically, but rather she said them as though she was stating a fact. In an instant, the nerves she had suppressed for a minute started to break back in. She had messed up, and said the wrong thing in front of the wrong person. In fact, she knew it would only be a matter of time before she would. She wanted to look down, but as he had commanded her to do, her eyes kept their focus on him.

Tabby was expecting insults to come out of his mouth, and she even winced before he gave her a warm, wide smile. Before he could say anything, the sounds around Tabitha started to mute. Things didn't quiet down, they literally muted. She turned her head from side to side, seeing kids talking but no sounds coming out of their mouths. She could still hear the music, but it was much softer. Maybe she was going crazy, or maybe Adam was some sort of demon coming to haunt her for her wrongdoings in a past life, but honestly, Tabitha was actually enjoying the quietness.

"That's obsurd. It's a matter of deduction, as Sherlock Holmes would say. Reading minds is impossible. Your body language and your hesitation to come to to the dance floor suggests you weren't expecting it so you'd think it wasn't real.....then you were slow to take my hand and were looking down at the floor which suggested you hadn't danced before. As I said, a matter of deduction, so you should enjoy the moment while you can. Whether you believe it or not, the night is young, your the Prom Queen and the night is yours. Now, how about it?".

She sighed. He was so sugarcoated. At least he wasn't a complete idiot. His monologues actually made sense, they weren't just babbling to try to impress her. Then again, why was he trying to impress her, if he even was trying to impress her? Why would someone like him care about what she thought about him anyway? Wasn't she invisible? Wasn't she blind to everyone who was around her? If she were to walk on a high wire, would anyone notice her? It was an endless circle of thoughts that always came back to one question; how on earth did she become prom queen?

She was thinking too much again. Tabitha took a deep breath through her nose, and filled her lungs with air. With the silence around her, the air was actually breathable.

"You look stunning and you dance pretty good too for a first-timer. Now it's time to relax and enjoy yourself, no?", he said after a moment of silence. "...Thanks", she replied, "....sure..."
Her words might have come out a bit too serious and dull, but she was starting to feel less exhilirated. She was getting used to slow dancing a lot more than she thought she would. Everything was starting to feel more peaceful. With the deafening sounds out of the way, her mind was at ease, at least for now.

He gave her another smile, "Afterall, you are a pretty girl. Hasn't anyone told you that?"
This struck a nerve in Tabitha. She stared back at him with wide eyes, and clenched the hands behind his neck into loose fists.
The answer was yes, people had told her that before. Not many, though. Only one person meant those words sincerely, and that was her Aunt Catherine. Her aunt had told her that she was beautiful on several occasions. Her aunt was telling her that she was beautiful almost every day. That meant nothing to Tabitha, however. Aunt Catherine never believed in the words 'ugly', or 'evil'. Everything in her eyes was beautiful. Everything in her eyes was dramatic. It explained why she was a costume designer for theatre and film. All things in life were extravagant to Aunt Catherine. Tabitha couldn't bear to think like that.

There was another person in her life that had told her she was pretty. That person never meant it. That person meant it as scorn, not as a compliment. That person had told Tabitha she was pretty for bad, hateful, and disturbing reasons. That person was manipulative, wicked, and unforgiving. That person had been with her for most of her life. That person deserved to burn in hell.

So to Tabitha, what Adam had said came to her as a bit of a shock. Of course, it didn't mean much, as it was just a nice gesture. She knew that, but the words threw her so off balance. She looked down at the ground, down at her feet, and tried to think of words so that she could answer his question. The problem was, she couldn't. She didn't want to use words that would make him start asking more questions, OR WORSE, make him feel sorry for her. So, she decided to say what any other girl would say,
"I guess...."
With his so-called 'deductive skills', he would be able to read her expressions, and hopefully put that question aside. Besides, he looked like the arrogant type. He didn't appear like he was willing to be sensitive at the moment.

"For a girl whose been voted Prom Queen, dancing with me at the envy of others, and being complimented on your looks, you don't smile much do you? not even a little bit....."

"Right you are." Tabitha seemed to say out of the contemptuous glare of her eyes. The peaceful mindset she had been captured in merely five seconds ago had withered away, and now things were starting to drag on. "You are either still in shock for being Prom Queen, you didn't want to come and want to leave the dance floor, it's something I said, or I'm not good enough for you," said Adam, a strange sort of smile plastered on his lips, "I'll tell you what, you chose a guy you want to be with, and I'll switch places with him, since we're supposed to be setting this dance off before everyone else joins in..."

What on earth was he talking about now? Switch places? It was worse enough that she had to dance with him. Dancing with anyone else was like heresy in her book. Before she could utter a word, he added, "If your sticking with me, then it would be my pleasure, but do stop looking down or you may trip your feet up. You can either look sideways and lean against my upper chest or look at me like before, though be warned, once everyone else joins in, the tempo will get faster...".

Tabitha gave a small acknowledging nod, and did as he said. As much as she desired to, she didn't look down. Instead, her eyes gazed upward. The strange sound-proof field was still around them as the music continued to play. As she accumulated boredom from her feet moving in the same side-stepped pattern, her focus switched from the dance to the magic that was around her. Apparently, Adam was psychic, he was able to open the window with his mind, and he had the ability to read her mind. At least, that's what her crazy brain was telling her. Despite her skepticism and willingness to believe that it was all a dream, he had disproved her opinion using empathy. With all the data aligned in her head, Tabitha was still reluctant to have faith in the fact that he had some sort of super-powers. Just one more demonstration of his ghastly abilities, and maybe she would have confidence in the fact that he was something other than normal. Although, he had clearly shown her that already with his constant gab...

As if someone had suddenly taken a match and lit it inside her mind, Tabitha had a fortuitous thought burn inside her head. The tiny spark that was the thought, grew bigger, and her ingenious thought turned into instant action.
"I guess I'll stay with you," she spoke. She waited a couple seconds and then muttered, "I wish this was a different song, though. This one's dragging on..."

With his intuitive sense in all things conversation, Tabitha was sure he had managed to hear her. Of course, it wasn't that hard to hear a whisper in a sound-proof dome. If her plan was working, she knew that her dancing partner would be willing to comply with her subtle demands. With his pretentious display in supernatural abilities, he would be able to change the song without causing tension in the audience. The students would act as if the new song had been playing the whole time. This simple yet subtle test would finally settle her inquisitiveness towards him. The test would also reveal his intelligence. He was very charismatic. Every sentence he spoke, Tabitha could tell he was speaking his mind. If he was cunning and receptive to her trick, he would understand that she was delicately manipulating him.