Axel Lerate's Story

Meanwhile, back at Psy Prep, the doors opened, and Axel walked in with a piece of paper in his hands. He handed it to the nearest teacher, who gave it a once-over and looked him in the eyes.
"So, that's what happened on your way here?" they asked.
"Yyyyyup."
"You encountered a terrorist cell in the woods,"
"Uh-huh."
"They were about to fire a missile on a nearby town..."
"Yeaaah..."
"And you killed all 20 of them?"
"I killed nineteen, actually."
"What happened to the last one?" Axel smiled at the memory of the man shooting himself before Axel's eyes.
"Pussed out like a BITCH!" The teacher sighed, and rested her head in her hand.
"You have GOT to stop taking these walks of yours."
"And you guys need to get a better Internet connection."
"Axel... Just get to your room. We're integrating you with the students today."
"Finally! I was wondering when you guys would let me join the group!"
"One thing though," the teacher said, giving him a quick investigation to make sure he looked presentable, "you can't let them know of your natural origin. Use the one we gave you. If they find out, it will ruin our plans for them." Axel nodded his affirmation.
"Keep them in the dark, got it. Mental wall up?"
The teacher nodded, and he made his mind foggy, thinking about so many things that someone who tried to read his mind would feel dizzy trying to keep up. It was what kept him from being detected by anyone residing in the school before, and while he would eventually drop it around the students, for now, their being left in the dark was his order.
"You'll meet them once they return from their mission, understand?"
"Yes, ma'am." The teacher nodded, and let Axel go to get his stuff set up in his dorm.

As Axel wandered through the school, he repeatedly started wondering where everyone was, and why it was taking them so long to get back. As he walked, he happened across the hot springs, someplace he hadn't been allowed to access back when he wasn't to be detected.
"Well," he said aloud to no one in particular, "as long as I'm here..." and he slipped out of his shirt and pants, sliding into the water in his boxers after removing his leg to prevent infection. "Ooooohh... Why I wasn't allowed in here is beyond ME!" As he spoke, his mental barrier revitalized, invigorated by the hot water, and he became all but undetectable to the psychic eye.

Hallie

Still on the phone with Mikhail, Hallie noticed the student wandering out of the dorm and starting down a new hallway. She tried to lock onto him but...something...wasn't clicking. The feeling unnerved her. First she couldn't feel Mikhail because of the distance, but here?

Carefully she stood up and limped to follow him, suspicious. A few of the students with them now had shown up late, yes, but at least within the same week they all arrived. This kid...it was two weeks later. Why so delayed?

She decided to start following him, making sure her connection with Mikhail didn't die on the way just in case anything bad happened. Surely it wouldn't, but Hallie wasn't taking any chances.

Stumbling upon the hot springs (why hadn't she known this was here?) she witnessed the new kid slip out of his clothes and slide into the water. After well...detaching a fake leg. Hallie was intrigued by it, momentarily anyway. What really caught her attention was that she couldn't detect a thing of the kid. No emotions, no wavelengths, no nothing.

Remaining back a ways, she hid behind the corner of the wall, watching him closely and keeping her phone pressed tight to her ear.

"You know, it's awful rude to peep on someone who's bathing."
His apparent detection of her might have appeared psychic, but he always liked to say that, or something similar depending on the situation, when he thought he was alone. After all, if no one else was around, no one would be the wiser and he'd feel a bit more secure. If someone was indeed around, he would seriously creep them out. Either way, win-win.(For clarification, no, he did not detect her, it just sounds like he did.) As he soaked, he leant back, resting his head on the stone floor of the onsen, letting his false memories bring him back to Japan, where he had been on vacation with his father after his leg had been removed. They had gone to an onsen then, and afterwards he had treated Axel to taiyaki... Axel had to wipe the little bit of drool from his lips at the thought. Say what you want about implanting a memory that isn't that person's into them, but it sure worked for nostalgia!

"There you go Miss Logan, a stout nurse says as she attempts to hand Anna her clothing neatly folded in a small pile. Seeing the solemn look on the girls face, she submitted to the her reluctance to speak and she placed them on the end of the bed. The curtain made a harsh grating noise as the iron rings scraped across the meager divider the set her bed apart from the others in the infirmary.
As Anna slowly began to sit up, a pang of nausea struck her, and she lunged for the pale sitting just within reach. As she lurched into the container the sheet barely clung to her naked body, and chills ran down her spine. She had spent the last week like this, tired and inflicted with stomach pains. It wasn't anything she wasn't used to, her frail body was rejecting the overwhelming amount of information she was absorbing in her short time at the academy.
Today she was able to return to her classes, though she had missed out on joining the other's on the newest mission. Luckily her her school work was delivered to her by a rather quirky teaching assistant. Each day a little note from her roommate Adrein was tucked into the bindings of her books, wishing her well in his silly little way. Since the others had left though, she missed him, something she wasn't quite used to yet.
Thinking back, before she arrived, she never remembered missing anyone before. It made her smile, knowing that she really could make friends like normal girl. Wiping her mouth she set the pale down and began pulling her clothes back on, and braiding her long black hair. Though the doctor and nurses all wore gloves while examining her, having so much skin exposed was unnerving, and the feel of cotton covering her skin once more was pleasant and comforting.

The halls were eerily silent, only the sound of her boots clicking against the floor echoed through against the old stone walls. Unsure of when the others would return, she simply made her way past the baths and toward the library. It seemed that she wasn't the only one still in the school. An older girl she recognized was chatting on her cell phone as she walked past. Anna dropped her head as she walked, she felt so small, so young compared to some of the others, especially pretty girls like her. Her gate quickened as she made her way down the hall, barely noticing the new boy lounging in the bath. As soon as she realized he was there however, a blush rose on her cheeks, she was still not used to the thought of naked guys. Especially cute ones...

The thick wooden doors of the library swung open much easier than she anticipated, and she sighed with relief as the familiar smell of books filled the air. After browsing the shelves, she pulled a thick leather-bound book from it's place on the shelf, and plopped down in a large, soft lazy chair. As she blew dust off the cover and opened up the pages she soon became lost in the beauty of John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Hallie

Hallie perked up, leg aching in the process but she allowed herself only a slight wince. Her hazel eyes squinted toward the nearly nude boy and she remained quite still. Maybe that was his power, detecting. Or perhaps he was psychic. She couldn't be sure.

Mikhail seemed distracted on the line, but that was okay. Knowing he could hear if anything went wrong made her feel a strange sense of security alongside her own usual confidence. It was nice, but not the same as having him around.

Stepping forward, with a slight limp, she circled the bath until she stood in front of the new arrival. Pushing her white locks back, she said, "What's your ability then?"

Axel blinked in surprise that someone had actually been there.
"Holy crap, I was just joking around... But my power is the ability to create a tangible aura that I can manipulate." To demonstrate, he flared up his aura, causing the water around him to splash a bit as the purple/blue aura displaced it, which he then made flow to his arms, forming a translucent purple bouquet of flowers, as if mocking the magic trick of making a bouquet appear from nowhere.
"Name's Axel, Axel Lerate. My parents were rather imaginative with their naming... But again, quite rude to be peeping, you're lucky I'm wearing boxers..." Axel's face said he was joking, but his tone implied he was still rather embarrassed.

Mikhail

Mikhail listened with bated breath as Hallie conversed with the new student. He heard her ask what his ability was, but the guy was too far away from the phone for Mikhail to understand clearly.

"He can do what?" Mikhail asked, "Create a tangerine or a what? And his name is Excel? What?"

He had wandered a bit while he was talking, Chandler being oddly quiet behind him. Maybe he had teleported away already? He came to a turn at the hallway and continued on. This hallway was thinner, and Mikhail was glad he wasn't claustrophobic. Since he hadn't met any forks prior, he decided to keep walking, figuring that he'd be able to find his way back easily.

April

April rolled her eyes at the love show going on in the living room. She left as they did, going down the hall to one of the rooms. She heard activity coming from one, and she peeked in. Ah. It was the dark-haired girl. It looked as if she had just come out of the shower. And...was sleeping? April knocked her knuckles on the wall.

"May I come in?" she asked, and eyed the pile of clothes on the floor, "And possibly offer you clothes as well?"

Hallie

Eyes still narrow suspiciously, Hallie answered Mikhail, "His name's Axel. And he can create auras, or whatever," she said dismissively, not impressed by the flower trick or caring that he seemed a bit embarrassed. In fact, what truly bothered her as she stood there, was that she couldn't get a read on him. No wavelength whatsoever.

"Why are you here?" she asked, putting her weight to foot so her hip stuck out a little. "Everyone else came weeks ago."

She hoped Mikhail was listening well. She didn't trust this guy.


Chandler

He followed Mikhail, simply because anything else seemed boring. He wanted to know that Hallie was okay too, which it seemed it was. Mikhail was asking questions about some Excel thing and tangerines. Chandler didn't understand, but listened quietly. For some reason, talking felt out of place. He knew Mikhail and Hallie were dating, so didn't want to butt in. And after stepping down many halls (was Mikhail lost?) he figured he should leave them alone.

So, he tapped Mikhail on the shoulder and gestured that he was going to head back the other way. Mikhail seemed to understand and Chandler set off, adjusting his collar awkwardly as he did. His face felt suddenly hot.

The mansion was huge. He could probably get lost within its hallways and floors and ball rooms for hours and be entertained, but right now, he felt on edge. It wasn't a familiar feeling. Back home, he had everything under his own control, his games, his friends, school...Here, they could potentially die. And judging from the injuries and mysterious circumstances of their "hosts" he was pretty sure their chances of survival dwindled.

He found James standing outside the first room they had entered. The bronze-haired boy leaned against the door jamb, blue crystal in hand with his brows furrowed. Adrien's voice came from inside, trying to start up a game of something, but Chandler didn't feel like a game would help anyone's mood. Stopping in front of James, Chandler nodded to the crystal. "Whatcha up to?"

"April's gone," James said. "I'm just making sure everyone's still here and safe."

Chandler squinted. "So...why do you look...not happy?"

Blue green eyes filled with concern, James finally lifted his head and replied, "I think Zara's in trouble."

--

They found the hole in the floor a few minutes later, using their phones to try and get a better look. Chandler wasn't happy at all with the situation and nervously squinted down, keeping his weight on his back foot. Just in case.

"Are those...?" he started.

James nodded. "Guns."

"Shit..."

Another swipe of the phone screen revealed another worry. James spoke before Chandler could. "Zara!"

As automatic as breathing, Chandler took hold of James' arm and easily teleported them down beside her. James was a little unbalanced, but Chandler knelt down and noticed an odd scent in the air. "What is that?" he questioned, straightening Zara's head so she face up, but nothing registered on her face.

James knelt on her other side. "I don't know. Zara?" he asked, taking her hand. "Zara? Are you okay? Wake up, c'mon."

Chandler shook his head, spine tingling. "Who did this...?"

Axel chuckled a little.
"Well, I WAS attending Belmont High, a place a lot like this one, only we were a LOT furher under he radar, but a fellow psychic ended up accidentally bringing the entire place to the ground, and I was the only one who didn't die, because my aura went into overdrive. Psy Prep heard of my problem, so they extended their teaching prowess towards me. Since I like being able to use my power, I accepted."

Zara

Everything was dark and murky. Sometimes she even forgot she was there. Occasionally, a shadow would dip below her, revealing a wavering scene of her memory. But they never lasted for long. At least, not long enough for her to recognize them.

Every so often she would realize that she couldn't feel anything. But such thoughts only popped up for a second before she started melting away again into the ethereal waves of her mind and unconsciousness...

For a moment, she thought she heard a voice. Her name. She thought she could feel movement. But the audio faded in and out as she sunk under again, forgetting what she had just heard in preference of sleep.

Mikhail

The audio was still blurry, but Mikhail could pick out the words a bit easier. He wasn't sure if Hallie had moved closer or the guy had just started speaking louder. He still wasn't sure what an aura was...at least, the English word wasn't familiar. He'd have to look it up later.

He heard something about a high school...apparently there was another school with psychic students? Was that even possible? He thought Psy Prep was the only one...and seeing as their own abilities were manufactured, that thought wasn't too far-fetched, what with private funding. But a second school? Was the thought of psychic students shared by others? Perhaps a deviant partner making his own school? That would explain how Psy Prep knew about him. Still...it was odd. Mikhail wasn't sure if he bought the guy's story yet.

"Can you tell if he's lying or not?" Mikhail asked. He wasn't sure if lying was an emotion or not, but surely guilt or arrogance, or at the very least, a sense of discomfort, would accompany a lie? "I'm not sure whether I buy his story..."

Axel heard the gist of what Mikhail said over the phone, and it clicked as to why Hallie was being cautious.
"OH, you can read minds? Sorry, secondary effect of my aura, nullifies attempts to read my mind. Wish I could turn it off, can't. Something about alpha and beta waves acting like a Faraday cage or other." He blushed again. Even if he hadn't been lying about the mindblock, she still wouldn't have detected anything out of the ordinary, after all, to him, the memories were still very much real. "Sorry."

Hallie

"I can't," she said to Mikhail, swallowing oddly. "Apparently his mind is blocked or...whatever..."

She didn't buy any of it. He was blushing and acting like a normal guy but...something was...off. She couldn't feel anything from him. Maybe she was being a little paranoid. Of course his power might nullify hers, she couldn't let that wrack her nerves. But the feeling...it wasn't right.

She turned away from Axel, huffing a little and ignoring him for now. Her focus went back fully to Mikhail. "He doesn't matter. Doesn't seem like a threat or anything," she sighed, crossing one arm under her phone arm. "Maybe he's just...a student. I don't know. How are you doing?" Although she couldn't feel Mikhail's wavelengths, she could tell something was definitely on his mind. Perhaps something happened that he wasn't saying.


James

Zara wasn't getting up anytime soon. He faced Chandler and said, "Teleport her upstairs," he instructed. "Then come back for me."

Chandler eyebrows pulled together, eyes glancing around. "You sure you'll be okay?"

Nodding, James ruffles his bronze hair and said, "Just hurry. Whoever did this...might still be around."

Also nodding, Chandler got a good grip under Zara's waist and her shoulder, just to make sure she landed safely. Within the next second, Chandler vanished.

James stood up and turned around slowly, taking in everything he saw. His crystal burned on his chest, but the images were nonsensical. Just more weapons and faces he had never seen before. His worry for Zara and the whole group's safety clouded any focus he may have had.

Chandler reappeared. "C'mon," he urged and took James' arm.

James wanted to stay and investigate, but knew the idea was less than safe. He decided to tell Mikhail what they had found and possibly organize a better group investigation rather than risking one by himself. Chandler teleported them back upstairs, and James' attention switched to Zara on the floor. "Someone find Mikhail," he said calmly, knowing the Russian would want to know about his friend. "Anyone know what knocked her out? There's a weird smell but...I can't identify it."

Anna woke from her slumber in the library as a student knocked a stack of books off a shelf. Glancing around she wiped her eyes of sleep and checked the time, she had fallen asleep for only five minutes but it seemed like an hour, her book laying across her chest. With a stretch she packed up her things and wiped the wrinkles from her skirt, and headed back out into the empty school. Her long braids dangled down her shoulders as she gripped her books to her chest, her mind wandering to the homework she still had to do, and the classes she had missed.
"I do so hate missing classes...I wonder how the others are doing on their assignment..."
Idly she talked to herself as she made her way up the grand spiral staircase to her room. The familiar door creaked open, and a small grin formed across her face. Memories of her first day with Adrein came washing back over her as she touched the blanket she covered his naked body with, and glanced at the broken vase that now sat glued back together on the table. She pushed the big oak door leading into the bedroom open and rested her eyes on the two grand beds. Her violet comforter was crisply tucked under the bed, showing it's lack of use in the last few weeks. Adrein's still lay disheveled from when he left, she assumed from running late for class that morning.
She sat her bags down and opened her wardrobe, retrieving a new change of clothes and a towel. In exchange for her books she took her plastic bucket that contained her soap and hair products.
"A bath sounds so nice right now," she grimaced to herself as she imagined the germs on her clothes from the infirmary.

As she stepped into the grand bathroom she was hit by a wall of steam. It seemed the boy she saw earlier was still soaking on the other side of the barrier. Her glasses became useless as they coated in condensation, so she slipped off her shoes and felt with her feet for the edge of the bath. Quietly she slipped out of her skirt, followed by her stockings, and unbuttoned her blouse, letting it all fall the the floor. After making small pile of her old clothes she placed her red glasses on top and slipped into the hot water. The warmth relaxed her as the water lapped up against her chest, the heat bringing a flush to her face. Without her glasses, she simply took in the feeling of the room. The steam around her kissed her cheeks, and the water flowed smoothly around her.
As she un-braided her hair visions of falling from the sky and rolling down a serene mountain filled, before resting in a lake not far from the school. Water was simple, no complex memories to be absorbed just it's moment in the cycle of life. For the first time in a long while she was relaxed, stretching her legs out in front of her and splashing the water with her toes.
through the barrier she heard the young man's voice. He was new to the school it seemed, though he seemed different. She couldn't make out the words he was saying, but his tone seemed cocky, fake. Slowly stepping through the girl's side of the bath she pressed her ear to the thin liner. She heard the boy, and the girl she passed in the hall earlier. It seemed that new boy had a strange aura. As she heard him mentioned that it blocker her ability to read minds she panicked, "Can she sense me from this distance?"
She attempted to back away slowly from the partition, but her foot slipped on the smooth bottom of the bath, and she fell back into the hot water with a loud splash.

Axel smiled as he heard the splash come from the other side.
"It seems we aren't as alone as I expected." he said, and he let his aura gather in his hands and stretch around the barrier, forming into words on the other side, written in lovely cursive letters.
Hello there! Feel like joining in on the conversation over here?
As he manipulated his aura over to Anna, he made sure to let the mindblock slip a bit so Hallie could just detect the sole feeling of friendliness, so it would appear that the mental Faraday Cage went with his aura the further it stretched, another one of his little games. He liked faking certain weaknesses, so he could rub it in the faces of anyone who tried to fight him. Here, it would add verifiability to his statement about his aura acting as a barrier, and make him appear more trustworthy. He'd read the files on everyone here, of course, so all he had to do was play their powers to his advantage. After all, if someone has learned that their power is reading minds, they will trust that the people whose minds they read aren't aware of how to abuse that power.

Hallie

A splash drew her attention before Mikhail answered. She hadn't even sensed the girl until just then. Rolling her eyes, frustrated with her own lack of focus, she faced forward again and shook her head as Axel tried to be coy and stretch his...aura, or whatever...around to her. Then she felt something from him, a strange but friendly wavelength. She gripped to it and read it as quickly as she could so she could identify it again if she ever had the chance. It seemed innocent, genuine. Perhaps she was being paranoid for no reason...

Hallie carefully stepped around the barrier and saw (Anna, right? She needed to get these names figured out) covering herself and resurfacing to find Axel's message. Eyes narrowed, she said, "You don't have to listen to him." Maybe he was being friendly, but that didn't mean he was trustworthy. Rejoining Axel's side, she retorted, "Leave her alone." Hallie could read the nerves coming from the smaller girl.

Anna blushed wildly, knowing that he other's had heard her fall. As she struggled to get up she saw words appear in the air before her, though without her glasses it was difficult for her to see.
"You don't have to listen to him....Leave her alone." she heard Hallie snap back at the boy, easing her nerves a bit. Standing she gathered her hair into two pigtails and slipped her glasses on. Before she stepped around the barrier she wrapped herself in a plush purple towel. Her voice still shook a bit as she spoke,"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to eaves drop...I just though that everyone had gone on the mission already..."
The boy, Axel from what she had gather, was new to the school. He sat in the steamy water, a strange aura danced around him. Hallie stood close by, however she was not in the bath, her cell phone still perched open in her hand. For a moment Anna was panged with jealousy...the girls white locks rolled beautifully down her shoulders, and contrasted with her hazel eyes. She could tell even by the clothing Hallie wore, the tight jeans and revealing tops, that she was more confident than Anna ever thought she could be.

Anna dropped her gaze to the water, slowly lowering herself as not to reveal herself too much to the two other students, and dipped her feet into the bath as she sat on the warm edge. Carefully, she made sure not to touch the boy in the water, and was far enough from the girl that there was no danger of absorbing their memories. With her uniform folded neatly beside her she began running her fingers through her long, wet black hair, still too nervous to look either of them in the eye.
"I don't believe we have been formally introduced...My name is Anna," she said, though she did not extend her hand out to either one of them.
"I got...'sick' shortly after arriving....I've been laying in the infirmary since then." Meekly she glanced up at the boy, blushing deeply. Then she quickly added to her previous comment, "But I'm better now! It's nothing catching...so don't worry."

Hallie

Anna started introducing herself a bit more, but Hallie was distracted by Mikhail's sudden yelp into the phone. Wincing from the sharp noise, she turned away from Axel and Anna, frantically asking, "What happened?"

"Almost fell...That would have sucked, huh?"

Smiling, a little relieved, Hallie began to answer, but Mikhail was distracted.

"You! What are you doing? Are you spying on me? And why does that room have no floor?"

Hallie listened hard, barely catching the other voice. It was female. "Just though I should let you know that you're Polish friend is not exactly conscious right now."

"What?" Hallie exclaimed. "Mikhail!"

He wasn't answering. All she heard were footsteps and then "OOF!"

Mikhail must have hit something hard, a few groans coming through the phone. "Misha!" Hallie cried out.

But another voice joined in on the other line, definitely Chandler. "Sorry dude," he breathed. "Zara. Over here."

More frantic footsteps followed and the voices were muddled with panic and Hallie couldn't decipher most of them. James was there though. She felt better knowing at least those three boys were there taking care of Zara, but what had happened? Why was she unconscious?

"Mikhail?" she asked again, but wasn't sure if he was even holding the phone anymore.

Axel tilted his head in questioning, his aura folding back into him and sealed up the apparent gap that he had opened in his mind. When Anna had said that she thought everyone was out on a mission, at first he looked confused, but then he gave a warm smile, and rubbed the back of his head and spoke almost to himself as she walked around the barrier.
"You guys have missions here? I feel left out now!" His voice had almost a laugh to it, like he was joking about being unpopular already. As she sat down and introduced herself, he closed his eyes for her sake, but first used his aura to grab his towel and sit up on the edge, this time letting the feelings of courtesy and respect out for Hallie to detect. He then made a sort of half-bow with one hand holding the towel.
"Well, Anna, it's great to meet you! I'm Axel, Axel Lerate, world-renowned psychic, only 4.95 a minute! Sorry if I won't shake your hand, I've got my eyes closed and I'm afraid I'd grab something I'd have to apologize about later..."