Hallie Green's Story

Mikhail watched Hallie struggling, wondering what her next move was. She was doing pretty well under the increased gravity...Mikhail was about to up the ante when he suddenly felt a sort of draining...He couldn't quite pinpoint it, but he suddenly had no desire to play or joke around. It was like his humor had suddenly been sucked up, leaving him serious. As he struggled to find a reason for this sudden change of emotion, he found the seriousness slipping as well, along with other emotions that he had depended on his whole life. Within instants, he suddenly began to doubt his abilities. He began to panic...to feel helpless. The gravity lessened on Hallie as Mikhail staggered backwards. With the third step, he suddenly realized what had happened, and smiled. Forcing those emotions to return, little by little, he looked at Hallie, smiling toothily.

"That's it! That's what I'm talking about! You're doing great. Now just keep at it," he exclaimed. I wonder, though, he thought, how her ability holds up to physical stress. Without another word, he sprinted towards Hallie and grabbed her waist. Within the next second he had flipped her onto her back. Not hard enough to inflict injury, but hard enough to hurt.

A strange rush had started to take hold of Mikhail. As he had strained to bring back the emotions Hallie had taken, new ones filled in, ones that he had been keeping a strict hold on for much of his life. Emotions that, if kept unchecked, could spiral rapidly out of control.

Although it wasn't apparent just yet, Mikhail was beginning to get aggressive.

Hallie

That's it! That's what I'm talking about! You're doing great. Now just keep at it

Hallie's breath left her, head hitting something hard, hands on her waist. Mikhail's wavelength was getting out of control. What she had taken had slipped away, but what she sensed now was fiercer, hardier. More violent.

She twisted her gaze onto his expression, cast in a shadow of his own mind. So many things passed behind those brown circles that she couldn't fathom. A fight was still going on though.

Walls down again, she glared up to him, accepting these new emotions fully into her mind. She tried not to focus on her shaking limbs or the blood trickling down her nose. She was beyond feeling pain. Blackness bordered her sights. She could feel others as well, James distinct with his carefree air, the girls different, but discernible. Even the teacher was there, passive.

Mikhail still held her down, struggling with the emotions Hallie felt as well. Where did it come from? Why was he like this?

Without thinking, she eased it inside of her own mind, freeing him from his burdens. He was nice. He didn't deserve it. He had been nice to her without wanting anything in return.

Had her skull split? She couldn't tell.

Mikhail stared at Hallie, pinning her down on the ground. He felt different. He was different. A different he wasn't sure he liked. He tried regaining control, but Hallie had taken that. Would she take these emotions too? Sweat dripped down Mikhail's forehead as he tried in vain to keep himself in check. His hold on Hallie had tightened, and he was almost certain that he'd end up breaking one of her bones on the next flip. He was anticipating it.

He wanted it to happen.

Before he could act, he felt the same strange draining sensation. Within seconds he felt nothing. He saw nothing. His expression went slack, and for a moment, everything was black. Then, a refreshing, cool, calm swept over. His default emotion had returned. His speeding heart rate had slowed, his breathing returned to normal, and he was back to his regular self.

Then he noticed the blood on Hallie's face.

He immediately let go of her, wondering why he had been holding her so roughly. Concern turned into a contained panic, tinged with fear, when he realized she wasn't responding. "Hey. Hallie? Hallie!" He shook her shoulders. "Hallie! What happened? Did I hold you too hard? Did I hurt you? Talk to me!" Forcing himself to remain calm, for both his sake and Hallie's, he checked her pulse. "Come on, Hallie. Don't do this. Be strong."

James

He was consumed by a dread, unable to believe what he had said aloud. Arian looked like she had been smacked in the face.

The side of the room filled with the blonde boy's shouts. when James looked over, there was Hallie and there was blood. "What the hell...?"

Leading the way, and throwing Arian an apologetic look, he rushed the girls over to see what had happened. The blonde boy seemed off put, forcing calm, holding on to Hallie and asking her to be strong. Hallie's eyes were blank, staring up at the ceiling as if calculating a white sheet a paper. James snapped his fingers in her face and shrugged. "We have a nurse here?"

The calm didn't last for long, and Mikhail started to panic. Had he encouraged her too much? Did she strain herself? Had he been too hard on her? In an effort to defer his thoughts, he wiped away the blood that had trickled down her nose with his good hand.

This whole situation seemed too familiar. Flashbacks to that failed mission interspersed with what was happening now. His concern for his injured teammate mixed with his concern for Hallie. The Gym mingled with the 20th floor. The training turned into a mission for vital information. The people approaching him had become enemies, determined to stall them there just long enough to make it too late to decode the bomb that was ticking away.

As a boy snapped his fingers in front of Hallie's face, so too did Mikhail snap. Before the fingers left his view, Mikhail immediately lashed out, grabbed the guy's wrist and gave it a forceful twist, slamming the guy onto the ground. His mind couldn't differentiate between what was real and what was memory, so to him, all the people in the gym besides Hallie was considered an enemy, determined to have him kill. He got to his feet, and before the guy could get up, Mikhail grabbed his wrist and shoulder and flung him through the air and back onto the ground. Grabbing his arm, he pulled it back behind the teenager's shoulder, and demanded loudly: "Кто Вы рабочей?!?"

James

Released and his opponent on the floor, James rose, wiping his blood off with his fingers. "Crazy little...russian..."

He glanced to Hallie who had passed out as well.

"Well...I think we have a draw during this fight..." James sighed and glanced to Zoe and Arian. "Do we intervene or...leave them?" He nodded over to the teacher. "Hey! They killed each other. Now what?"

He was in a van, Britney Spears' Toxic blaring in the background, the violins screeching. He sat, hunched in his chair, as he stared at the computer screens, munching on some Bugles. He heard a click and turned in time to see another boy, stockier and with brown hair, enter the van. His nose wrinkled when he heard the song. "Really?" he asked, in Russian. Mikhail shrugged, replying in the same language, "I like the song." "I think you just like Britney Spears..." "What's not to like?" Mikhail grinned and kicked his chair backwards, giving the other boy room, "At least I'm not blaring it over the loudspeaker again." The brunette was examining the computer screens. The atmosphere between them was friendly. "You do that again, and I'll write a strongly worded letter to your supervisor." "Psh, yeah right," Mikhail scoffed, "Where would you find another hacker like me?" No response came from the boy. "That's what I thought," Mikhail said smugly. "Whatever," the boy said, "But turn down that music, or I'll tell everyone you're gay!" "You do that, and I'll tell everyone you ate the last piece of cake in the public fridge!" "You're crazy." "At least they'd believe me," Mikhail said with a grin. The other boy faked a punch at Mikhail, who dodged, knocking his headphones out of its jack. He threw the Bugles bag at the other boy in retaliation, hitting him in the forehead. An annoyed voice from the computer screen demanded to know what was going on in Russian, causing both boys to burst out in laughter.

The scene faded, giving way to a myriad of some of Mikhail's happiest memories. Memories of his mother, of Paris, of the times when he wasn't on a mission, and even some when he was. Near the end, some images of Hallie briefly popped up, but were followed by when he first hacked into the Swiss Bank. His mind then went dark, but grew lighter and lighter, until finally...

Mikhail slowly opened his eyes.

Everything looked foggy, and his hearing was blurry. As he slowly regained his consciousness, he heard a language that he recognized as English, but he couldn't understand what was being said. He was on his back, and the ceiling gradually grew into focus. He heard yelling. Angry words in what sounded like an Italian accent. He turned his head painfully and saw a familiar face. White hair.

He squinted his eyes. Where was he? What happened? A voice...sounded like his roommate's....he heard metal. A sword?

Suddenly, his current memories slammed back into him, as did his surroundings. He was in the gym. Hallie was out, and he had been earlier. He turned his head to see a guy with a blade running towards him, aiming for some people to his right.

His eyes shot open, and he scrambled into action. Before he could even do anything, though, his roommate had flown into action and defeated the Italian. Well, that solved that, he thought. That only left Hallie....he walked over to her and picked her up. She wasn't that heavy, even without the gravity manipulation. He turned to face the others. "So. Class dismissed?" he asked.

Mikhail's eyebrows raised when he heard Circus proclaim he was taking the Italian to their dorm. Guess I'm not sleeping there tonight, Mikhail thought with a sigh. Hefting Hallie up onto his back, he left the gym, but not before hollering to Circus "Don't let him touch my stuff!"

He walked down the hallway aimlessly, lost as soon as he stepped out of the gym. Making sure not to drop Hallie, he pulled out his phone and opened the GPS app. It really is sad if you need a GPS to find a dorm room.

After about 30 minutes, he finally found the number 6. Shifting Hallie a little, he focused on the door knob and loosened the gravity within the lock until the pieces loosened. He opened the door and ambled in, shutting the door with his foot, and sat on the nearest bed. He released Hallie and lowered her gently on her bed, and then sat down beside her. He sighed. He wondered why someone so scared of perverts would let an Italian into the room. Besides the French, they had a pretty loose reputation. Even at headquarters, people knew that.

Mikhail mulled over whether he should leave or stay. He decided to stay until she woke up, and then leave after making sure she was ok. He could probably sleep in the library or on the roof.

He looked at Hallie. The lights were off, but he could still make out her features. She looked somewhat troubled. Remembering a K-drama he had seen, he pushed in between her eyebrows until they relaxed. He recalled some of his happier memories, hoping his happiness would transfer to her. As he thought about his mother and his friends, his eyes started to close. Before he knew it, his body hit the mattress, and he was asleep, dreaming of happier times.

James

The scene unfolded oddly and the next thing James knew, the italian and Circus were gone, Mikhail had taken Hallie and Arian had pretty much collapsed against the wall. He sauntered over, shaking his head. "You okay down there?"

Sliding down next to her, he propped his elbows on his knees, pouting a little. He wished this class had actually taken place with proper practice. Thats why he was here after all.

Then he glanced to Arian. She was another reason he was here. "Hello? You awake in there?"


Hallie

Stretching and pulling on a blanket, Hallie winced as she noticed the headache echoing around her skull. And the blanket was stuck. She opened her eyes, blinking and blearily, until focused...on a face.

Jumping and crying out she kicked forward until she hit the wall and the stranger had rolled off onto the floor with a thud!

When she glanced over, her gut sank. It was Mikhail.

Mikhail was in the middle of a bizarre dream about trains and marshmallows on a beach when he suddenly felt himself hit the floor very hard. Waking up immediately, he rolled over onto his knees, holding his head. "Goddddddddammit!" he mumbled, "Mother..." he finished his slew of curses in a mixture of Russian and French. He had forgotten how painful it was to fall with standard gravity. Rubbing his head, he got to his feet and looked around, slightly disoriented. What room was this again? Oh right....

"Hallie?" Mikhail called, removing his hand though his head still throbbed. His back was stinging as well. "You here?" The bed was empty, and judging from how the sheets looked, he was willing to bet that his sudden appearance on the floor was no accident. He circled around the bed until he saw her on the other side. He thought he could just barely see a tinge of guilt in her eyes, but he wasn't sure. "Hey...sorry if I scared you," he apologized, "It's just...well...my roommate brought a guy--who I'm pretty sure is gay--in my room, and I don't want to go in there." He didn't even want to think about what they might be doing in there. Not that he had anything against it. But it really wasn't to his taste. He shuddered a bit, and focused back on Hallie.

"How are you feeling? I'm worried about your head most...you didn't look too good back in the gym." In any other circumstance, Mikhail would have felt her forehead himself, like he had done before. At the moment, though, he felt that he should keep his distance, at least until she had calmed down and didn't pose a threat of socking him in the nose. Perhaps falling asleep right next to her was a bad idea.

James

Exhaling and fingering the crystal around his neck, James nodded. "Crazy. This place is filled with them..."

He glanced over to Arian, smiling a little. "You're not crazy are you? Because if you are...well it shouldnt be a terrible problem. As long as you dont try to...steal my spleen or anything. Like a crazy person....eat my ears...sell my beautiful eyes on the black market..."

She wasnt responding, drowning his words. Peering to Zoe and the rest of the gym, he wondered if the events before had ruined any chance of friendship with Arian, because more than friendship was definitely out of the question.

"I'm sorry about...your sister...and...saying...that..."

Ruffling his bronze hair, he tried a smile to her.


Hallie

Mikhail stood a good distance away, his calmness once again helping her remain calm. Truly after seeing it was Mikhail and not some guy she had ended up sleeping with without knowing, she had regained her composure.

She leaned against the wall, curling her fingers in her hair a moment to wake up fully. Then she faced him, forcing a smile. "So...you take sparring serious." Getting to her feet she recalled the moves he had pulled on her, mania in his eyes. "Care to explain yourself? I'd like to know why you deemed it necessary to smack me on the floor. I'm not a threat to you."

For a moment, Mikhail wanted to tell Hallie the truth. That he was a spy. That he had screwed up on a mission, that he lost most of his left hand in an explosion, that he almost died from a 20-story fall but was saved at the last minute by his power, which ironically got him fired.

But, old habits die hard. He smiled, and explained, "My parents enrolled me in self-defense classes when I was younger. A lot of times we'd have competitions, and a few times I got to the national level," he shrugged apologetically, "I guess my competitive streak still hasn't completely died away. So, sorry about that."

He had told the story so many times that it had become natural. In a way, he wished the story was real. That was one of the secrets to really great lying...there had to be an ounce of truth, and you had to believe it yourself. When he was younger, he had referred to his bosses as his parents, and for a short time, he really did believe his story. By the time he was old enough to know better, he had gotten so good at telling the story that he didn't need to believe it anymore.

"If you want later, I can teach you some of my moves," Mikhail offered to Hallie, grinning. "But, obviously not tonight. Speaking of, I don't think I'll be able to sleep in my room tonight on account of...well...." Mikhail cleared his throat before continuing, "I don't suppose you'd be okay with me sleeping outside your room?" He winked, smiling toothily.

James

Before James could answer Arian's question, Zoe started to cry. It wasn't obnoxious crying, the kind that made James' spine shiver uncomfortably, but a slight whimpering with obvious tears. She left quickly, embarrassment clear, but not saying a word. He hated when girls cried and he wished fleetingly that he could help her.

With a sigh, he faced Arian again, knowing Zoe wouldn't want his help anyway.

"Well," he began, hand automatically going to the blue crystal hanging around his neck. "Your sister died...your parents threw you out...or something along those lines...and your tattoo...it covers a scar." He released the crystal before it's affects started up again like before. He didn't want to pry and understood why she was asking this. "That's all I got."

Eyes expectant, he watched her absorb what knowledge he had of her. It was only flitting and fluctuating images or bits of information, nothing truly solid. He had gained enough control that he could limit such things. He hoped she wouldn't be angry with him.


Hallie

A grand hesitation erupted from Mikhail, but he smoothly gave an explanation about self-defense classes. Which wouldn't explain his hand. What work could someone so young have that would injure him this way?

But he offered to teach her some moves, which would prove useful. Against him and the other students...or whatever they were brought here to do precisely. She pulled out of her wondering though as Mikhail said, "I don't suppose you'd be okay with me sleeping outside your room?" Then he winked, his grin nearly impish.

She couldn't stop herself. "Outside? In the hall? Why would you sleep out there? I have blankets in here if you haven't noticed." Then she cringed, realizing she had just told him he could sleep in the same room as her and kind of implying the same bed. She quickly added, "I can set you up on the floor or something. James won't mind."

Her logic spilled out and now she was stuck with a boy sleeping on the floor...Plus, James would be just a few feet away as well on his bed. How did she end up with two guys as her roommates? Exhaling and fingers snagging into her hair as a headache rolled in, she hoped neither of them had any sort of attraction emotions. She so did not want to have a threesome or something. Especially if she wasn't in complete control.

Having the horrible thought, she began rummaging through her unpacked bag and boxes, looking for the more unattractive and baggy clothes she could find.

Mikhail almost laughed when Hallie said, somewhat flustered, that he could sleep on the floor in her room. Almost. He contained it to a small smirk. Trick worked every time. It would even work on him, unless he really didn't like the person. Though, in the even that it hadn't worked, he really would have slept outside her room.

"Thanks," he said, "I don't mind the floor. It's better for your back anyways." He laid down on the floor space in between the two beds and put his arms behind his head. "Ahh. The floor is a lot comfortable when you aren't falling on it." He looked over at the top of the bed and sat up. He saw Hallie pulling out some very ugly clothes from her suitcase. Judging from her fairly normal dressing style earlier, he doubted this was a fashion thing. He wondered why a girl would wear such ugly clothes to sleep in.

"Nice...pajamas?" he offered. "Not that it really matters, of course. I am sleeping in my clothes after all....not the most fashionable OR comfortable things to sleep in." Still. Usually girls wore cute pajamas. Things with Hello Kitty or Happy Bunny, or fuzzy pajama bottoms with clouds, or sometimes even some sexy lacy pink night---

Suddenly it hit him. He burst out laughing, covering his reddening face with his hands at the hilarious thought.

James

"You know, I have," he laughed, mimicking her and planting his back against the wall. "Got into some trouble though...but the past is the past." He turned his head slightly, to smile and see if she was actually okay. Part of him wanted to scry with the crystal and know for sure, but he knew that wouldn't be fair. "S'pose we should get sleep. Didn't seem like this day was too long..."

He sighed, wondering what was in store for tomorrow. Standing and holding out his hand, he asked, "Would you like me to escort you to your room?"



Hallie

Carrying her itchiest and ugliest clothes to the bathroom, she ignored Mikhail's laughter, reading that he had figured out what she was doing. She slammed the door, stifling a groan and glaring to her reflection. Maybe that's what she should do, plastic surgery, make herself hideous so no one would sleep with her. He wouldn't be laughing if he knew how it felt to wake up to a strange body, knowing he had violated you and you had completely complied without fully knowing.

She saw the tears forming in her own eyes and sniffed, wiping them away quickly and biting her tongue for a distraction. She could feel Mikhail's amusement and considered absorbing some. But she turned on the shower and managed to block him out. Slipping in under the water, she recalled one of those nights, the one where the guy hadn't pushed her to drink, hadn't pushed her to anything numbing. He had wanted her to feel what he did to her.

Already shaking, Hallie glanced down her bare leg, fingering the semi-bite mark scar. She was completely lucid and had accepted his wicked desires all night long because his twisted mind was too hard to push back. She still hadn't understood what her ability was. She didn't know she could fight it.

More tears formed and she played with the idea of staying in the shower all night long so she wouldn't have to face anybody. Crying was definitely not something she wanted anyone to see her doing. It was weak after all and she could not allow herself to be labeled as such amongst this group of psychic prodigies. She was a strong person. She didn't need anyone and what had happened to her was in the past. In the past dammit!

But she couldn't erase the images or the recollections of the pain. Nights melted into one horrible collage of nightmares and before she knew it, she was curled up under the steaming hot water, skin turning red and tears flowing freely with loud sobs. She hated her mind. She hated it. She didn't care what others felt! Why should she have to experience them? Why should others be able to push themselves onto her so easily? What had to done to deserve this? Who had she pissed off in God's court?

She squeezed her eyes shut, muttering, "I'm not good enough...I'm flawed...why would I have such awful things happen to me if I wasn't...I probably deserve it...I do...that's the only explanation..."

Mikhail took the loud slam of the door as one of those up-turned nose moments. The ones where the girl knows you're right, but she refuses to acknowledge it. He heard her turn the shower on, and he lazily looked up at the ceiling as the water fell. Soon, though, he heard a strange noise mixing with the water, and an uneasy feeling came into his stomach. Getting up, he walked over to the bathroom, ear to the door. Was she...crying?

He thought he heard her say something, but it was too quiet and jumbled to understand. He wondered if it had anything to do with his laughing at her. Whatever the reason, he didn't like to see anyone unhappy, especially a girl. Especially Hallie.

He knocked three times on the door and called out. "Hallie?" He doubted she could hear him through the shower, but he called again, leaning against the door, hands on the wood. "Hallie? Hey...I'm sorry if I made you upset. I don't really know if you can hear me, much less understand me, through the water, but I just want to let you know that you don't have to worry about...you know....any shenanigans happening. Perhaps I don't seem like it, especially after this morning, but I'm not that kind of guy."

He wondered, though, what would happen if he was "that kind of guy". Although he had a close call this morning, if he hadn't stopped to calm himself, would she too be influenced by it? Then what would happen? He had never had sex before (even though he was good at seducing women, he had never gone that far), but had Hallie? Possibly without really meaning to? Mikhail shuddered at the thought. Brushing the thought away quickly, hee called out again tentatively, wondering if she had heard him. "Hallie?"

Hallie

Hearing Mikhail's voice broke her train of thought and crashed it into reality. Suddenly realizing how much steam had built up around her and the stinging of the boiling water on her skin, she slammed the shower off and tugged the curtain open so hard for air that half of it tore off the rings. Stupid plastic.

She caught her breath. She sensed Mikhail's calmness. He was apologizing for nothing. Hallie shook her head hard to fully wake up. Rubbing a towel across the mirror, she saw her red face, eyes puffy and gross. It was obvious she had been crying. Something she couldnt have.

Numbly she pulled on the itchy bottoms but chose to tug on her tank top from earlier. She couldnt face him, anyone really. With this face, he would know for sure, though from his words it appeared he already had heard.

Slowly she leaned against the door, forehead pressed against the wood where condensation had collected a bit. Her sights were set on the tiles under her bare toes.

"Sorry," she muttered, knowing it had been rude to take off and leave him. "Its...hard sometimes..."

She turned and pressed her back to the door and slid to the floor, cuddling her knees to her chest.

Mikhail pushed his ears to the wood as he heard Hallie's soft, sad words. "Sorry. It's...hard sometimes..." He heard her sliding to the floor, and he followed suit shortly afters, crouching to his haunches, pondering her words.

It's hard sometimes. He had heard that a lot in his life, usually from his fellow co-workers. Teenage girls struggling to fit into a certain body-type, sometimes going so far as to starve themselves or overwork. Guys who weren't as strong as their peers, struggling with the lesser weights and suffering from severe yelling from their supervisors. Those that failed at a mission, and had to face the disappointment from themselves and everybody else. And worse, those that lost a team-member. They'd never forgive themselves. But, of course, in the workplace they were in, you had to move on if you wanted to stay. You had to get over it. It was only hard sometimes. Never all the time.

"I know," he agreed with her statement. He paused, then asked, "Do you want to talk about it? If not, that's fine, but....could you at least come out here? I know for a fact that it won't get easier if you just stay in the bathroom all night. For one, you'll get terrible cramps from sleeping on the tile, or even the bathtub. I can almost 100% assure you that the bed will be more comfortable. Not to mention that I won't get any beauty sleep, since I'm not leaving my post until you get out." He said the last bit teasingly, with a small smile, hoping it would lift her spirits a bit. "Please?"

James

"Pick me ups...pick me ups..." James ponder aloud. Smirking, he released Arian's hand and grabbed her hips and lifting her in a twirl. "Hows that?" he laughed, setting her down again.

Then he thought of Hallie. "My roommate might, c'mon!" He snatched her hand again. "To the dorms!"



Hallie

Once she was able to stand, Hallie opened the door a crack, seeing Mikhail crouching down. Her teeth slipped over her bottom lip, debating in confiding in him. He was right. No good sticking herself in here. Talking would help.

She stepped out, pushing her wet hair back. She wasnt sure what to say but crossed her arms over her chest once realizing it was much colder out here and she hadnt put a bra on. A forced smile crept onto her face.

Mikhail smiled when she finally left the bathroom. He stood up, easing the gravity on his knees. "Nice to see you," he said, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops.

She didn't respond, but instead covered her chest with her arms tightly, if a bit hurriedly. She had kept the ugly shorts, but for her top she was wearing a tank top from before. No bra straps, he noticed. She smiled at him, but it didn't look genuine.

Taking a step towards her, he unhooked his thumbs and brought his arms around Hallie. He pulled her into a hug, and held her. Since she was much shorter than him, her head came up to his chest, his arms encircled around her upper arms. He kept his mind clean of the thoughts she might have been afraid he'd think, instead enjoying the embrace as a friendly, comforting one.

After a few moments, he bent his head towards her ear, and told her gently: "See? You don't have to worry about me. Any emotions you are feeling now are all your own. But I think you already know that."