Axel Lerate's Story

"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..."
The man seemed different in a way, a little quirky but in a good way. As he stood to exit the bath Anna turned away blushing, covering her mouth with her dainty fingers.
"No, it's alright," she responded as she too stood, gathering her clothing and holding it in front of her. Though her plush towel was wrapped tightly around her petite frame, she still felt the need to put more mass between him and her.
"I actually don't shake anyone's hand...nothing against you of course!" she added hastily, embarrassed by the harshness of her comment, "It's just that...It's so hard to explain...but I can't touch things...or people...it makes me......sick?" As she spoke she writhed her things in front of her, feeling the warmth on her cheeks. Explaining her power was one of the hardest things in her life, simply because she wasn't even sure what was wrong with her. She still wasn't sure whether it is a blessing or a curse, all she really has learned is that people don't make friends with someone they can't keep secrets from.
Quickly she slipped back around to the other side of the barrier, her faint silhouette casting a shadow across the screen as she dropped her towel and began slipping into her clean clothes. After she finished pulling up her stockings and ensuring that every inch of her skin was covered, she slipped her hands into her white gloves and stepped back around. It seemed that Hallie was speaking intently on the phone with one of the other students, so she stood alone with Axel in the room. Her stomach let out a low, but embarrassing growl. Quickly she covered her rosy cheeks and dropped her gaze, hoping her hadn't noticed. It had been quite some time since she had gotten to eat real, solid food. The nurses fed her a liquid diet the whole time she was in the infirmary, Anna thought it might have added to the severity of her sickness in the end.
An idea popped into her head as she gazed over at Hallie. The girl was so pretty and confident in herself, Anna wanted to be a little mroe like the other girls, a normal girl. As she looked over to Axel she dropped her gaze once more and made invisible circles on the ground with the tip of her boot.
"I heard you say that you are new here right....well if you want...since I'm stuck here until the next mission....I could show you around-if you want me to?"

Axel frowned as he heard Chloe's plight, and then smiled.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with your power, would it? If so, I completely understand. I won't push too far into it for your sake, but if you ever feel like explaining, I'll listen. As for your offered tour-" he said, picking up his clothes and attaching his prosthetic leg, "I'd love to. Pardon if I'm a bit slow, though, I'll need to get a leg up on things..." He said, laughing weakly at his own joke as he made his aura put his clothes on by first sliding his aura over his clothes as they touched his hands, then using it like telekinesis, sighing as he only felt the fabric of his pants go up one leg until the knee. He hated being disabled, and this was one of the many reminders that he would never be like everyone else, no matter how much he wished it.
"So," he said once he was fully dressed, "where shall we go first? I place my life in your hands!"

Anna peered through the steam and watched as Axel slipped what was left of his leg into a prosthetic. He seemed calm about it, perhaps he had lived with this disability for quite some time. Anna was curious, but polite enough not to stare, though she did drop her gaze when he mentioned her powers. Luckily he was ready to go before she felt strange about not answering him, though she was sure the topic would come up again.
"where shall we go first? I place my life in your hands!"
"Well I was thinking the Dining Hall for something to eat, the food in the infirmary is just awful!"

As they turned out of the baths she walked by him, matching his gate as she gripped her bag in front of her, toying with a stray string in her fingers. As always she was very careful not to touch any skin, though most of hers was covered up.
"I like it best when the halls are empty," she said as she gazed down the long hallways, listeing to the sound of their steps echoing against the walls, "Having to weave through other students is rather irritating...and to be honest," she added as she dropped her gaze once more, "I don't really know a lot of people here...no do I wish to know any of them. I know that sounds harsh, but freaks like me don't get to have friends..."
After her final comment she felt ashamed, with most people she would have simple kept quiet... there is nothing outwardly different about his boy, and from the short time she has spent with him she had no way of determining the kind of person he is. So why does she want to talk to him so?
Luckily for her the door to the dining hall is just ahead, and swings open to welcome them. As she brushes a braid behind her ear she places he things on a large empty table and sits, waiting for Axel to do the same. Once she is seated, a silver plate appears in front of her, along with matching silverware.
"This whole school is psychic, so..." she said as she closed her eyes, and placed her hand on the handle of the dome covering the plate, "Just think about what you are hungry for."
As she lifted the cover away a bowl of Shrimp Alfredo was revealed, along with a side of garlic bread and a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea.

Axel followed her through the halls as she spoke, keeping a smile on the outside as he listened to Anna, yet on the inside, felt incredibly sad about her being left alone with no friends. As much as he wanted to hug her then and there, he had resisted for her sake. He wasn't sure if his mental block would suppress her power, and he didn't want her having to deal with his memories. Once they had been seated in the cafeteria, and Anna had explained the way food worked here at Psy Prep, he'd lifted his tray to a shaved prime rib sandwich with enough au jus on the side to last through the entire sandwich, a spinach salad with a raspberry vinegarette, and, much to his surprise, taiyaki for dessert, with a cup of oolong tea next to all of it. He lifted the taiyaki, looked it over, and took a bite, tears coming to his eyes after he did so.
{...Well, I'm convinced. This has got to be a dream. Food this good, girl this cute-} he stopped his thought for a moment as he pinched himself, "Ah! Nope. Not a dream." he said out loud, though more to himself than anyone else, and then set his taiyaki back on the plate, turning to Anna as he did so.
"Anna, I know we just met, but I have to ask... If you don't think you should get to have friends, why do I want to be yours so badly?" He had a smile back on his face, and he was leaning back on his seat, hands behind his head.

Anna watched as Axel lifted his cover. His face lit up as he saw the delicious food of his dream, and she felt a little sense of achomplishment as he grinned. As usual she sat quietly, sitting straight in her seat after resting her napkin in her lap. However today she ate with a small blush on her cheeks. Her pasta swirled on her fork as she peeked over the creamy sauce to admire her compnay.
As he finished eating he leaned back and smiled at her.
"Anna, I know we just met, but I have to ask... If you don't think you should get to have friends, why do I want to be yours so badly?
The words caused her to drop her fork with a loud clank, the rose on her cheeks warming across her nose. Older boys usually looked right past her, especially the cute ones. She found it difficult to speak...difficult to explain.
"I....I don't think....I just can't....I can't be close to people....I know it seems so cliche..." she said as she scooted her plate away from her. Though she had only eaten half of her pasta, her stomach was churning at the thought of once again being hurt, once again hurting someome else, "but it's me....not you..."
Leaning back she lifted her white gloved hands up for him to see.
"These are the only thing I have to keep me safe...other than staying away from people..."
Once again she dropped her head, knkwing that her explaination was a poor excuse. Part of her longed for himhowever, that fluttering feeling in her gut was the only thing keeping her at the table. Usually by now she would have run, saved herself from potential heartbreak.... but something seemed different. Axel seemed... different.

Axel reflected on her response, his mind already at work.
{Oh, so you have... Let's see... Fear of contact, recently left the infirmary, probably due to her power... Ah! You must be able to feel the experiences of things you touch, thus the need for the gloves! In that case, I have an idea...} As he thought, a very light tint of purple formed all of his body as he made a spiderweb-thin aura over himself, and before he gave any sign of what he was about to do, he hugged Anna, the aura, having just come into existence, shielding her from his contact.
"You don't need to be alone anymore, Anna." he said softly, hugging her gently, the aura thin enough to let her feel his skin were she to touch it. "I won't abandon someone who needs a friend to keep them from having such a depressing outlook on things!" after he said this, he smiled and laughed a bit. "After all, you're too cute for the sad and alone look!" (Before we all continue this cute filler arc, allow me to point something out. Axel will NOT see her as a "girlfriend" unless she makes it clear she likes him in that way. Til then, he will only think of her as a friend. After all, he barely knows how to be a friend, and even in his "memories", he's never had a girlfriend. I like Axel having Obfuscating Stupidity. The not being a total horndog is a nice bonus.)

After a moment of silence Anna stood, collecting her things as she began to walk away from the table. There is no use in trying to explain, no one ever understands how it feels. The pain, the nausia...thr guilt. People like her weren't meant to have friends...
Her thoughts were interupted as she felt him lunge toward her, wrapping his arms around her. Immediatly her body tensed up,and her eyes clamped shut. She braced for the wave of electricity, the lurch in her stomach and the overwhelming headache as Axel's years of memory swept over her. To her surprise, it never came. Warmth spread from where his arms pulled her close. For a moment she stood in his arms, shocked by how simple this act really was. With her eyes still closed she allowed herself to relax as she leaned in innocently, burying her face in his chest. Hesitantly she opened her eyes, fearing that the moment was too good to be true. Her gaze was met by a soft purple glow, an energy that kept her from touching him, and vise versa.

"You don't need to be alone anymore, Anna."
As he spoke softly to her she remained silent, simply leaning into his innocent embrace with her hands curled in front of her,resting on his chest. The simplicity of the action was pleasant, she couldn't remember the last time she recieved an embrace, and never once without her power ruining the moment.
"I won't abandon someone who needs a friend to keep them from having such a depressing outlook on thing!...After all, you're too cute for the sad and alone look!"
His comment seemed innocent enough, but still made her blush. It seemed like an eternety had passed, and Anna became embaressed about her reaction to his touch. In her life she experienced very little on the lines of boys, and only knew a bit from watching her brother and his occasional girlfriend. Akwardly she wriggled from his embrace, attempting to hide her rosy face as she turned to collect her things from the table. Sliding her things into her bag she mutters, "Maybe we should go to the library now..."
Gripping her bag to her chest she took a few steps past him. Something told her to wait, possibly from watching people back home, but she felt thr need to let him know that was OK. So she turned back, flipping a braid over her shoulder and giving him her best smile, she reached out to offer him her hand, "Come on slowpoke, I'll show you the way."

Axel smiled and took her offered hand, making sure he kept the aura around himself as he did so.
"Indeed we should." As they walked, he felt a tingle at the back of his head. Thinking it nothing more than an itch, he shrugged it off and kept walking with her, looking around at the school's hallways.
"So," he said, trying to kill the pervading silence as they walked, "you go to the library a lot, then?". He meant nothing behind the question, but just simply wanted to know more about her, he couldn't explain why.

"So...you go to the library a lot, then?"
Anna gripped his hand loosely as they pushed through the large wooden doors and down the old stone hallway. Candles flickered faintly high on the walls, perched in brass sconces, casting a warm glow in the damp hall.
"Yes!" she grinned over to him. The library has always been her sanctuary, and one of her favorite topics of discussion. As they approached the large heavy doors her pace quickened, and she skipped in excitement.
"I love being here, It's the only place I take my gloves off."

A creaking sound echoed down the hall as the door upon their approach. Anna tugged at his wrist as she hurried in, almost dragging him in her excitement. Her footsteps echoed throughout the grand space as she lead him the the center of the empty room. Their only company consisted of row upon row of tall shelves, lined with leather bound books. In the corner plush leather seats sat near a large, floor to ceiling stained glass window that cast colorful lights down the center aisle.
As she lead him to the lounge she plucked a book from the passing shelf and placed it in her lap as she took her spot in her favorite seat, sinking into the soft leather.
Smiling over to him she asked, "Would you like to see the perks of my power?"
She lifted the book revealing the cover, Encyclopedia Britannica, and slipping off her glove.
"Ask me anything."

Had Axel known what flirting(or for that matter, love) was, he'd have asked if she was free tomorrow. But, because he wasn't given those types of memories and I love to think of you all writhing with hatred at me for having mentioned that without allowing Axel to say it, thus furthering sexual tension, he thought of something that niggled in his mind since he'd gotten there.
"What is the brain-in-a-vat theory?" Axel had realized as he'd spoken this that he'd probably sound silly speaking it. After all, it had only been mentioned in passing once while he'd been meeting with the people who had talked to him about Psy Prep, it was probably nothing. The tingle in the back of his head continued to itch, and he tried ignoring it again, his grip on his aura almost slipping as he did so.

"What is the brain-in-a-vat theory?"
Anna smiled at him, closed her eyes, and placed her bare hand on the cover of the book. As the information passed through the her she tilted her head back, feeling the electricity run from her fingertips and up her spine. With a refreshing breath she began filtering through the pages in her mind, it took a lot of concentration to search for information, in most cases she simply let it pass through her, taking in everything.
When she found the keywords she was feeling for she began rattling off in an almost robotic tone,
" The Brain in a Vat thought-experiment is most commonly used to illustrate global or Cartesian skepticism. You are told to imagine the possibility that at this very moment you are actually a brain hooked up to a sophisticated computer program that can perfectly simulate experiences of the outside world. Here is the skeptical argument. If you cannot now be sure that you are not a brain in a vat, then you cannot rule out the possibility that all of your beliefs about the external world are false. Or, to put it in terms of knowledge claims, we can construct the following skeptical argument. Let “P” stand for any belief or claim about the external world, say, that snow is white.

If I know that P, then I know that I am not a brain in a vat
I do not know that I am not a brain in a vat
Thus, I do not know that P."
Though there was so much more information swarming, she stopped, and lifted her hand off the binding. As she lowered her gaze to his she realized there was a blush forming on her cheeks. Would he think she was a freak? Or accept the capacity of he ability? She wasn't quite sure what to think, but she couldn't help but smile. It was the first time she had ever shown off her ability, and to her surprise, she enjoyed the rush.
Her thoughts were interrupted however, by the sound of a grandfather clock tolling through the room.

"O my goodness!" she exclaimed as she slipped her gloves back onto her hands and gathered her things. As she stood she gaze him a fond smile and apologized ,"This has been so fun Axel, if you want, we can meet again tomorrow." Before he could answer she spun on her heels and made her way out of the library and up to her room. As she entered the black rotary phone sitting by her bed began to ring. With a smile she picked it up,
"Hi big brother, I miss you too...

---

The following day she lazily rose from her bed. After having slept in the small, hard cots next to other coughing, sneezing students, it was pleasant to be in the quiet, soft bed. As she rolled over her gaze fell onto the empty bed next to hers, and again she began missing her roomie. Before she was finished dressing her stomach began growling, ans thoughts of waffles and coffee danced in her head. In no time she made her way down to the dining hall. The delicious smell rose from her plate as she began scanning the room for a face she recognized. It was a pleasant change from staying quiet and keeping her head down.

Axel was a bit shocked by(if not slightly wishing he had)her power, and was about to respond when the bells had chimed, and Anna left rather quickly. Axel smiled and waved until the doors had closed behind her, and then he slumped over after dropping his aura. That had been what his tingle had been: The aura had been so thin that it had been constantly cracking and repairing itself on a microscopic level, which had been causing him untold amounts of stress. He laughed to himself as he stood up, bracing himself against one of the shelves. Being Anna's friend was going to take a LOT of work... But it would be worth it, if only for Anna's sake. He stumbled to his dorm room, opened the door, and dropped on his bed, passing out from the exhaustion, not even taking the time to remove his leg.

************
Waking up wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience for Axel, who was used to having the sun's light wake him up, not the buzzing of an alarm clock. As he rolled out of bed, he felt his stump feel as if it was on fire from the chafing of last night. {Great...} He thought as he detatched the leg, rubbing the stump gently, {Now I've got to use THAT. Great.}. He let his aura form over his body, then let it all flow to his stump, forming a purple, glasslike leg as he got dressed in a black t-shirt, jeans, and his trademark coat, then thought for a second and took out his leather gloves and put them on. He couldn't have both a leg and a fullbody going, so he was going to have to give Anna as little contact space as possible.
As he walked into the dining area, he saw his new friend sitting down to eat, and walked over after grabbing his own meal.
"Morning, Anna!" he said as he sat down next to her, giving her kind of a spaced hug that kept his head from touching her. "Sorry about the weak hug, but I need to use my aura today for my leg, I left my prosthetic on last night, and it chafed, so I had to use this to stay out of a crutch. SO! Did you sleep well?" He asked, opening his tray to a Macintosh apple next to a small cup of rice with salmon, and a cup of green tea to match.

It wasn't long after Anna sat down that Axel joined her. He kindly wore gloves for her, and she noticed a surprising glow eliminating from his pants. His ability astonished her. He walked on a glowing prosthetic, which she assumed took great concentration to maintain, however he didn't seem strained at all. She wished she could control her own powers with such precision.
"O..hello. Yes I slept fine, better than I have in a long while," she replied as he broke her from her thoughts, and he sat her gaze fell on his breakfast. Try as she might she couldn't help but make a slight face "That's an....interesting choice for breakfast. Is that...fish?"
She continued to smile back at him, but pushed her waffles aside and began sipping on her tea.
"I thought maybe today we could take a walk around the vicinity and check out the garden and maybe play a game of tennis...If you're up to it?"
After letting it slip she felt bad about suggesting something like that. Tennis was one of her escapes as a child, a sport that can be played alone. However, she was unsure whether he would be able to participate, or even if he would like it.
"First however, we should find out when classes start again. I've been sick for so long, I'm not even sure what the schedule is right now."

Axel blushed at her noticing his choice of meal.
"My dad was a helicopter operator for some big Japanese company after we left America for five years, I never got over how good Japanese cuisine is." he said, taking a sip of his tea, "And I'm pretty sure classes will kick back up once everyone gets back from the mission I've heard so much about. Til then-" he continued, taking a bite from the sweet apple, always making sure to swallow before going on, "I think that spending the day with you would be great. As for tennis, well, I'm not the best, but I can do a mean backhand!" As he spoke, he took another bite of his apple, enjoying the slight mealiness that a good Macintosh can deliver. "So I'll be ready to go when you are! And would you feel up to going swimming later?"

"So I'll be ready to go when you are! And would you feel up to going swimming later?"
"I don't mind but...I don't know of anywhere to swim. I don't think there is a pool on the vicinity...unless you are suggesting we swim in the lake...?"
She blushed at the thought of doing something so rash, but it brought a sense of excitement as well. A grin spread across her lips and she topped off the plate with the lid, both disappearing as she slid them away. She slipped her books into her bags as she ccontinued, "Well, I'm ready if you are. Shall we?" then she reached! out for his hand once more as she lead him out the front door of the school onto the lush green lawn and down a cobble stone path.
As she spoke she pointed from area to area, "Over there is the Garden...and there is the Orchard...and The Forest."

"And if I was suggesting?" Axel said with a smirk, then almost jumping when she had taken his hand. Axel was honestly quite surprised at her taking his hand, what with her having been paralyzed at the thought of being touched not even twenty four hours ago. He smiled through his surprise, though, there was just... something about Anna that made him feel like the day was going to better when she was around. {Shame more people couldn't have that feeling.} he thought to himself as they walked down the path hand-in-gloved-hand, enjoying the sights around them.
"You guys have a garden AND an orchard? Please tell me there's a vineyard as well, this is too good to be true!!!" he said with mock amazement, although it was more in a jesting manner than in a sarcastic sense. As they walked, his auramanced leg pulsed a soft purple with each step he took. Had anyone who could sense emotions/read minds been around, they'd have noticed his mental barrier completely down.

"No I don't think they'd go as far to allow wine to be made on the premises" she chuckled as she followed the path the the Orchard. A group of twenty trees stood tall, their leafy tops visible over the surrounding hedges. Her boots clicked lightly over the cobblestone path until she stepped onto the lawn, and stopped under a flowering apple tree. Some of the delicate pink flowers were beginning to show signs of small fruit buds. Releasing his hand she slipped off one of her gloves and reached up to pinch the soft petals between her fingers.
"Nature is so very simple.. she sighed sweetly as the tree began unwinding its tale,
" Nothing is every complicated...there are no emotions..or harmful memories, just growth and the determination to thrive. Plants simply observe, people don't know, but they can see too. This orchard has seen the tears of many, and love grow. Over time, it's like reading a story about the generations who have passed. "
Turning back she smiled and explained, "It seems that back when the school was established they had a student who had the ability to accelerate life, she used her ability to turn this one bare land into the beauty we see here today." With a chuckle she added, "The trees know her as ' mother"
After letting her hand down she turned to Axel, her curiosity was nagging at her. Usually she didn't have to ask people about their lives, it merely came to her. However, she didn't have that luxury with him, and not knowing was strange for her. As she spoke she dropped her gaze from his, unsure of whether it came from embarrassment for himself or her.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to...." she muttered as she glanced down at his glowing limb, "but do you mind my asking...what happened to you?"

Axel flinched at her asking about his leg. He sighed as he turned to sit with his back against the tree. She was lucky he liked her. He'd sent others flying for that same question.
"That..." He said, looking away, "is a memory I don't wish to inflict upon anyone. Please... Maybe on another date(Note that he's referring to a different day. YAY, SEXUAL OBLIVIOUSNESS!!!)... Just not today. Please." He sounded tired all of a sudden, as if just the mere mentioning brought forth old ghosts that weighed him down.

His unwillingness to answer posed a predicament for her. Curiosity was nagging the back of her mind, but she could see the pain evident on his face. For a moment, she considered reaching out and brushing his bare neck, but instead she slipped her glove back on and approached him, linking her arm into his.
"I'm sorry, I'm sure it's not important. You don't have to tell me at all, I kind of like the mystery." Weakly she attempted to make him feel better, no matter, because the smile she flashed him was genuine.
Come on! she said as she gave his arm a tug, "The lake is this way." Eagerly she jogged ahead of him, following the path leading into a thicket. She moved like a child through the brush, smoothly weaving and hopping across large tree roots just off the path. As she bounced her braids and skirt bounced, and the breeze whipping through the foliage made then dance. A look of pure glee was plastered on her face, and she couldn't help but giggle. Looking back to check on him she grinned, pointing just in the distance to a crystal clear lake adorned with can tails and dancing grass.
"There' s the lake, isn't it pretty?

Axel shook off the thoughts he had once he saw her smile, and got up to follow her to the lake. As she ran, he felt himself feel a little better just watching her. Maybe... She would be the one to learn his memories... He dropped the thought once they reached the lake, and he felt his breath almost taken away at the view. The lake was looking nice, too, and he took his trenchcoat off to enjoy the sun, his form fitting t-shirt and jeans making him almost look like the poster child for Kohls.
"You questioned my wanting to go swimming in the lake earlier, is there something here I'm missing?"