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Scott Kearny was sitting up in his room, looking out the window at the idyllic summer scene before him. Even though the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the wind was whistling softly through the trees, he was intensely miserable. Scott was a New Blood, Silhouette's term for a student who had been at the school for less than a year and who had not yet qualified for a higher rank. He was from a working class neighborhood from Detroit, Michigan, and most of the time was a perfectly happy young adult with infectious enthusiasm and eternal optimism. Fresh-faced and wide-eyed, he had come to the Silhouette Institute in rural France from his native USA to seek training for his special superpower. He had hoped to find acceptance and love here.

He had been wrong.

It hadn't taken long for him to learn that the Silhouette Institute, despite its exotic student body, was just like any other high school. People formed cliques based on their powers and tended to avoid those that had opposite powers, such as fire and water. There was a clear line between those who looked like mutants and those who didn't; the former called the latter 'normies' as an insult. The student body was divided into three ranks that functioned somewhat like grade levels, and the higher-ranking students sometimes picked on the lower-ranking students. Perhaps these were all things to be expected, but they made the Silhouette Institute's brochure a liar, since it promised a 'cohesive community'. Scott himself had been bullied for his power, which was seen as pathetic by others.

Scott's power was the ability to coat either his right or left arm in black and gold armor, a special arm that he called Valor. The name arose from his heroic decision to risk his own life to save a young girl from a drive-by shooting back home. A few months later, Valor started transmitting messages to him from a place called Kasha, which was in another dimension. The natives of Kasha, who called themselves the Kashaxi, had created Valor as their ultimate weapon against chaos. Valor was made from the body of an organism called a Voltari, which was a negative parasite to the Kashaxi. Thus, they could not wield it themselves, and had sent it into the void to choose its own master.

By pure chance, the Voltari had latched onto Scott, and the two were now sharing a body. Unlike with the Kashaxi, the Voltari have positive affects on humans, making them stronger and better. It even seemed to approve of Scott's name for it, and it seemed to be very intuitive about its host's emotions. The Kashaxi had told him that he would need to train to prepare for a cataclysm that was about to hit Earth, but had neglected to tell him exactly what it would be or how he should go about it. In pursuit of this quest, he had withdrawn from his high school and located the Silhouette Institute in France. Using his savings, he had flown here and registered, becoming an official New Blood that very day.

Since it was his first year, he had been required to attend orientation, which was half listening to the faculty talk about the school, and half showing off powers. Scott had not been able to summon his quickly, leading many to say that he was a fake. When Valor finally was summoned, they laughed at him and gave him the unenviable nickname 'Tin Can Man'. Needless to say, Scott was pissed, and had stormed off to his dorm room without a word. So, here he was now, and things were not off to a great start. He laid back on his bed and started listening to the song "Everything About You" by Ugly Kid Joe, and he was thinking of the Silhouette Institute as the subject of the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byEGjLU2egA

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Katrina was sitting in her usual place outside. It was rare to find her anywhere else. She'd sit out by a large tree, either reading a book or just enjoying the greenery around her. Her dress was slightly rumpled from tucking her feet under herself so she could collect all her focus to making a specific flower grow, the 'Big Book of Plants' right beside her.

Kat knows that students aren't allowed to use their power unless they're supervised, but Kat believes her power is really too useless to use inside and it seems most teachers disliked going outside just so she could practice. Kat recalled the sour look one teacher gave her and made her go use the potted plants in the room. She normally used potted plants when practicing inside, but her power doesn't exactly work when it's just full of dirt. Kat spent the whole day trying to make something grow from the pot, and just ended up looking through the soil with her bare hands for a seed, which of course she couldn't find. Now that she looks back on it, it must have seen odd, a nicely dressed girl digging through soil, looking for a nonexistent seed like a madwoman.

The others in the class must have thought it looked strange as well, considering she could hear the snickers and whispers. They called her everything from dirt girl to tomboy. She managed to take everything up to tomboy. When she heard that particular insult, she ran out of the room crying.

Kat clutched the ground at the memory, willing her eyes not to water from the memory. She hated being seen as anything other than a girl. She hated loosing her femininity so easily. It took her a second to calm down and she looked over to the plant in the book again. It was a common strawberry plant, it shouldn't be too hard to make. She willed the little flower out of the ground, and sure enough it bloomed and the little flower turned into a strawberry in a matter of seconds. Kat gave a bright smile to the little plant, plucking the strawberry and giving it a taste. No sooner than she put it in her mouth she was spitting it out, it tasted horrible! "How did I mess up a strawberry?" She muttered, going back to the book.

After many failed attempts and several horrible strawberries later, Kat felt even worse than earlier, she couldn't even do this one simple thing anymore. By the time she finally gave up and gathered her things, it was dark. She huffed slightly, recalling she missed the new student's power demonstration. Kat started walking towards the girls dorm, thinking about how she already didn't want to go to class after she'd made no progress on her power.

In an instant, the clouds outside the window became like waves in a calm ocean and the plane’s wings like a boat’s ores dipping gently into the night’s sky. As the world bent around him, he leaned his head against the window, which was covered in a cold frost, and looked at France as it unfolded beneath him. While the normal things—like buildings, streets, and real people—were shrouded in darkness, he could see the faint glow of the abnormal things playing outside his window. There was a young girl running. She playfully chased a deformed rabbit against the current of the liquid clouds. There was a woman crying right beside him. It seemed she had just lost her son. While in reality, Lysander was surrounded by silence and the faint hum of the plane’s engines; through his eyes he could see a whole other world boom with life around him.

But these sights were abnormal only to those who hadn’t experienced them before. The girl chasing the rabbit had been running outside the plane the whole flight and the crying woman seemed to have been crying forever and probably had no intention to stop. As he grew bored of pacing up and down the airplane, listening to the distressed woman wailing in the background, and making faces at the dumb Institute scouts who sat in the cockpit, Lysander decided it was time to leave. He grabbed his lantern, sank through the floor of the airplane, and floated down to the streets of France.

When he landed, he landed in the exact location he had aimed for: a street in the remote outskirts of France. He listened intently to the silence that consumed the buildings, and waited for something—anything—to make a sound. His steps, pattering against the old, stone streets, led towards an old church resting behind the safety of a large iron gate. It was locked, but Lysander passed through it easily.

“This is it,” he whispered as he looked with awe at the door of the Institute. It was a wooden door, covered by the marks and decay of age. Above it were stone carvings from what looked to be of a distant era. Admiring the door he ignored the angry nun that passed by him. She seemed to be replaying the events of her sisters’ death. But Lysander saw the likes of this before, and was more interested in the architecture of the church than the ectoplasmic violence that occurred behind him.

With a weakness for the aesthetic, he was stuck reveling in the beauty of the church until the plane his body rid on zoomed overhead. It, for a moment, broke the dead silence that deafened the streets, but then disappeared into the dark clouds as it made its way towards the airport in Paris. He would dread having to make the trek back up here again when the plane finally touched down, but for now he was curious to see what kind of people the Institute would house inside.

Slipping through the locked doors of the Institute, Lysander listened closely. A group of students played poker in the library, another group told stories near the warmth of a fireplace, while another listened to the instructors of a New Blood orientation, which he should have been attending. A girl wandered off into the woods, another girl drew sketches flowing from the reservoir of her pain, while another girl walked back to her dorm room in frustration. He could hear it all, though they were faint echoes and hardly distinguishable to his ear, with enough training he would one day be able to understand them. But what called out to him most of all was anything but subtle. Even from far away he could see spurts of its darkness dance off of it like the movements of solar flares whipping against the sun. Lysander stepped back, almost scared to go near it, but his curiosity got the better of him and seduced him to continue forward. With his lantern trembling in his hand, he made his way toward the room. From what he could tell, it was some sort of gym, but weapons and blades lined its walls. Before he could go any further a voice shouted out to him from the darkness, “It’s time to wake up,” it said. It was Edward’s, but Lysander knew better than to believe his dear brother was back.

Long ago, when Edward was training Lysander to traverse the spirit world, he would say those words so that Lysander’s spirit would know to come back before it could travel too far away from his body. Though it was weird that his travels had been cut so short, he justified it with the distance that his body must’ve had made away from him while riding on board the airplane.

“It’s a mere memory,” Lysander growled to himself as he began ascending into the night’s sky again in order to reclaim his physical body. A few seconds later, he woke up, gazing out at the night sky, this time at nothing more than what was mundanely there. The plane landed gently into the Paris airport and the Institute scouts led him back towards the location he had already been at. For now, the presence he encountered in the church would elude his mind as his focus would turn away from such matters and turn towards how he would go about finding his brother. But even more immediate than that, his mind raced to find answers to how he would face his first day of school.

As it got later, more and more students returned to their dorms. The hallways by the classrooms became relatively quiet, hardly a stir to be noticed. At the end of a hallway leading to training facilities, only one was lit. There was a line of punching bags hanging from the wall, one swaying heavily.

"Ragh!" James grunted, kicking it away as it came back towards him. In a succession of punches, he kept the bag away, and with each strike it became harder to move with a one hundred twenty pound vest on. He was drenched in sweat, his knuckles red and white as they scraped against the sand-filled bag suspended from the ceiling. There was no sign of him using his more supernatural abilities, only his human strength. His abdomen ached with supporting the added weight of the vest and each toss and turn of his body, as well as his arms from lifting barbells earlier, and now enduring them in the flurry of blows he unleashed on the punching bag.

Taking a deep breath, James kicked the bag away again. He chambered his leg, hitting the bag low with a roundhouse kick, rechambered, and hit it in the midsection. Hitting it with the back of his fist, a small gust of wind went out across the room as a blue field of energy enshrouded his arms. As his fist once again met its target, a beam of blue energy shot out and pushed the bag way even more. Then, it seemed, all of his energy he was using became concentrated in his right leg, and he kicked the top of the punching bag. With a loud cracking sound, it became disjointed with the ceiling, and fell off to his left. But he wasn't finished yet.

Quickly, he spun and kicked out towards the punching bag on his right. Yet again, the same blue energy swung with the kick and extended towards its mark. Flowing with his momentum, he twirled and jumped, kicking out once again and disconnecting a second punching bag from the ceiling. Taking a moment to recover, he took a few heavy breaths, and proceeded to take his vest off, and put away what equipment he could.

There was something gnawing at him, and for the longest time. While he felt remorse for his past, he was beginning to feel unscrupulous amounts of rage. He was forced to lead a life he did not choose, live where he was unfamiliar by someone else's accordance, be talked at by people who had little understanding of him, his interests, and his capabilities, and lastly, coerced to rely on institutions he'd much rather have no affiliation with. But, if it were not this, the alternative might be living the rest of his life out in prison, or perhaps not keeping his life at all.

Holding his hand out, he let a fire burn in his palm before he looked at the time. It was getting later, and he'd rather leave before he was uselessly reprimanded for whatever it may be after being found by staff. He began his way down the hall, turning the light out on his way.

Rules. A few of them were good. They stopped people from doing stupid things. But suffocate Donovan in them, and he would stop listening to them all. Which is why, while he was just the socially awkward kid sitting in the back to the other students, he was a menace to the teachers. The only rule he followed, most of the time, was the one about not using your powers without a teacher's supervision. But he did that for his own benefit anyway. His power was manipulation of fire, either creating and nonexistant flame, or controlling one that already existed. Though it seemed to be more bad than good, his natural body temperature was about 102 and it just got higher the more he used it. Depending the other size of the flame his power ranged from easy to control, to nearly impossible. The bigger the fire, the harder it got to control, and the faster his temperature would rise.

Donovan currently sat in the library. He was sitting on one of the window sills with said window open. Feeling somewhat comfortable in the cool night air. He was reading one of his favorite books of all time, only beaten by its prequel. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. He was rereading the entire series again, he did that at least once a year since he had discovered the books. It had been a summer thing for him and sister to do, have a giant movie marathon and watch all three of the movies in one day. With a small break in between for more snacks and the chance to use the bathroom. Because neither of them moved from the couch during the movies.

Sometimes while he read the books he listened to the movie soundtrack, but not this time. He didn't want to be startled by someone coming in, not with the window open. Though he doubted anybody else would be coming to library the night before classes started again. They would be off doing other things, enjoying their last day of freedom before the crippling schedule of practicing with their powers and still trying to balance school work and not becoming completely stressed out. It had only been seven months since he had come to the school, not entirely willingly, so he didn't have the right to complain as much as some people did. But it had been a huge culture shock to him. Donovan had a very sheltered upbringing. Hardly ever leaving the house, save school and a few parties his sister had managed to get him invited too.

His sister had been a popular girl at school and people would literally do anything to get her to go to one of their parties. Even invite her socially awkward brother. He hadn't had the heart to tell his sister that he really didn't want to go to the parties, it wasn't like he talked to people there anyway. After all she had worked so hard to get him there in the first place. Donovan sighed and set the book on his knees. He was starting to feel homesick again thinking about his family. It had happened on and off since he had arrived at the school. They had always been so supportive of him doing whatever they could to make his life easier with his powers. His sister had even gone so far as to dump her fiance after he spilled the family secret.

It was his fault that he had ended up here in the first place. If he hadn't said anything he could still be happily living with his family, coping with his powers and not having to worry about classes where he actually had to use them. He hated using them because it rose his body temperature, and these warm months were hard enough as it was. Donovan conjured up a small flame, about the size you would find on a candle, on the pointer finger of his right hand. He didn't dare make it any bigger and risk the lives of all the wonderful books in the room. He could feel the heat coming off the fire, but it didn't burn him, no fire could. But smoke was another story, he had learned that the hard way.

Jon had just finished what he'd hoped was a casual walk around the dorm building. In truth, he was making use of his ability to produce minor electromagnetic 'pings'. His body did that normally, a side effect of having to force his legs to function normally. But those pings were really only good as a minor form of radar and despite being useful for producing a rather disorienting three hundred sixty degree field of 'vision' weren't good for much.

In this case, he needed to stop at regular intervals and close his eyes to interpret the slightly larger pulse. Specifically, the bigger pulse would glare as it passed over another electric current- a little trick to check in on the security updates. The dorms didn't have any electronic surveillance...at least nothing he could detect. Of course he could just make a stronger ping, but he didn't have to confidence to attempt the act for fear of damaging more sensitive electronics- at least such limitations existing while he was standing. At any rate, the young man cautiously made his way towards the woods. He'd look around during his pauses to act like he was 'looking for something' the physical act should at least disguise the the timing of his pulse.

Jon wasn't one for self-deception, at least in his opinion. The little issue of the recently dead girl had set him on edge, the encounter had been a little too close for his liking. However, the reaction of the institute towards his associates...overzealous solution to the potential compromise to his cover resulted in a rather troublesome solution. First of all was the increased security and the watch shifts, if things were really bad the students themselves might become investigation targets. Depending on whether or not abilities were a considered factor, they would be tested and those that had held back or lied in regards to the capabilities would be the primary suspects. A large cluster of electronics flared as he neared the wall...more cameras and a set of motion sensors. Jon had to keep from smirking at the discovery, such devices were an easy trick for him... a simple bolt and he could either fry or disrupt the live feed for a bit.

"A needless worry for the time being," as much as Jon wanted to believe his own musings...he still continued his rounds further into the woods. It was here the biggest changes in security had taken place, the area had gone from unmonitered to slightly hidden camera'd. The blindspots in this approached were rather glaring, but one that easily allowed for traps, baiting and expansion...a rather common hunting tactic. Jon felt a frown form on his face, finding the central security room for the institute might actually become necessary. The next ping picked up a more familiar device... a cell phone or music playing device- more likely both were correct given modern technology. At any rate, he was too close to keep up a proper search...but the carrier of said device still needed to be checked up on. Jon reluctantly increased his speed while hurrying in the direction of the handheld. Hopefully it wasn't one of his 'co-workers', a student would be a much friendly face at this time...it'd help steady his nerves.

The girl he saw upon finally catching up on the other hand wasn't exactly one Jon was overly thrilled to see...Superlative Atheya Vera. He considered ducking and continuing on his way, but he might learn something by playing friendly. Jon forced a smile on his face before calling out, a little magnetic tug was used in attempt to catch the girls attention. Only something big enough to nudge headphones, nothing more.

"Out for a walk, or doing rounds Superlative?" While Jon's tone didn't carry the inflection for a question, it would match his usual behavior. He was genuinely curious, so hypothetically speaking such a harmless question should skit through a mind reader... or at least reveal a weak spot in this seemingly unbeatable lie detector. He really hadn't interacted before with the girl, but deep down he hoped his electromagnetic disposition would interfere with however mind reading worked...like hitting a wire or receiver with an EMP.

---

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The sun has kissed the earth goodnight and has fallen behind the horizon. The moon has welcomed the people wandering the streets in full glory. Their was a slight breeze in the air, that was blowing through the young woman's bright blonde hair. She has stumbled upon the building she has learned to call home. People were walking in and out of the place. Even in the dark the place was filled with life. A yawn escaped the young blondes lips and she walked through the doors. It's another year at this hidden academy and she has learned so much. Mastering three important aspects of her water abilities, it was absolutely wonderful. She now gets to see her best friend again. Todd. Or as she likes to refer to him, cutie. He usually responds to anything she calls him, but cutie is the name she falls back on.

Her feet take her to her dormitory. Nothing was moved or disturbed. Her dresser was still next to her closet. The bed was still near the giant window. The moonlight came through the glass and lit up the room. Her knick knacks her scatter about in random places in attempt to give the room a homey feel. Olive flipped the light switch revealing more details to the room. She walk further in, with her bag trailing behind her. Any reasonable student would unpack now instead of waiting until the morning, but she wasn't in the mood. It was a Sunday night and the young blonde wanted to be outside, enjoying the light the moon was offering. She also wanted to find her Todd. She missed him.

Her bag laid on the bed and Olive walked by the mirror in her room. Her outfit was decent and still intact despite the six hour plane ride. And the two hour car ride. And the twenty minute walk. This young woman lived a great distance away, but she was happy to be here in one piece. She left her room and turned out the lights as she walked out. Her phone was in her back pocket and she was debating whether she should text Todd or just see him tomorrow. As she was trying to make this decision her feet were taking her to the lake that was behind the school. She felt comfortable around water and it was prettiest at night.

Olive made it to the lake and she sat at the edge. Her knees were up to her chest and she wrapped her arms around herself. The moonlight danced across the water and the lake shimmered. It was lovely. The blonde wanted to swim in it, but she restrained herself. 'I'm going to text Todd' she thought to herself. She pulled her phone out and started typing.

To: Todd
From: Olly Pop
Hai cutie! I missed you. Want to hang out? I'm by the lake if you do.

The message sent. I was thinking about the name I put in his phone Olly Pop. It made me smile. I thought that name was absolutely adorable and I programmed it in his phone. He didn't seem bother. I place my phone next to me in the grass and watch the water.

Scott was starting to become sick to his stomach, not liking the feeling of feeling sorry for himself. He turned off his MP3 player and got out of bed. Deciding to take a walk, he left his room and began taking a walk. The school was divided into four sections based on the four cardinal directions, and Scott found himself in the eastern section. It was dark and quiet, and he was going to move on. It was then that he heard three sets of footprints approaching, and turned to face them.

"Hey, it's Tin Can Man," he heard a mocking voice say.
Scott turned to the person who said that, recognizing him as the New Blood who had given him that nickname. The other two were older and taller, while the New Blood was his height. He didn't know the rank of the older two, but one looked like a Superlative.
"You should know better than to be snooping around here. New Bloods aren't welcome in the eastern section."

"I didn't see any signs posted anywhere. Besides, you're a New Blood, too, asshole."
"For a few months, anyway. You're gonna have to pay for wandering onto my turf. That's why I brought my big brother here."
Scott looked up at him, no fear on his face.

"Your big brother?"
"I'm a Superlative student, New Blood. I'm sorry to have to do this to you, but my brother's right. Only Medials, soon-to-be Medials, or Superlatives are allowed in the eastern and northern sections. Your kind should stick to the southern and western sections, where you belong. Nod your head if you understand, newbie."

"You should be ashamed of yourself, being a Superlative and picking on an underclassman."
"Relax, dope, I ain't here to fight. I'm here to referee."
"Referee?"
"Don't you New Bloods know anything? It's against school policy to fight without a teacher or Superlative student to referee, that way, no one dies if the fight gets rough."

"So, I guess I'm fighting your little brother?"
"Right. He's had a bone to pick with you from day one, and now you've pissed him off by coming onto his turf. You're either really stupid, or you have a death wish."
Scott stretched his limbs to limber up a bit.
"Let's just get this over with."

The Superlative led him outside to an open field, then he and the third guy stood on the sidelines. The little brother sneered and cracked his neck.
"I wouldn't be too cocky, Scottie boy. They call me Shell-Shock for a reason, because that's how you'll feel after I'm done with you."
"Shouldn't that be 'shell-shocked'."
"Quit stalling and get ready, otherwise I'll start the fight without you."

Scott placed his hand across his chest like a Roman soldier making a solemn vow.
"I usually don't like fighting, but I don't like your attitude, either. I'm done taking crap from you."
He focused his mind, causing an aura to shoot up around him and the earth to crack. A light tremor could be felt all across the campus, imperceptible to some, but leaving a vibration in the air that could be picked up by Geiger counters. Minutes later, Scott held his fist up in front of him like he was flexing his muscles, and the aura condensed around his arm and caused it to glow brightly enough that Shell-Shock had to shield his eyes.

Indestructible-Disturbed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj2vU2nr5Jw

When the light died down, Scott's arm was covered in black and gold armor, resembling the arm on a medieval suit of armor. Clenching his fist, Scott held it up to his face and glared hard at his opponent.
"The first move is yours. Make it count!"
"I'm gonna shut that big mouth of yours for good!" Shell-Shock shot back.
He held up both hands and caused balls of energy to form in them.

"My power is energy manipulation, meaning that I can control my body's natural energy and use it as a weapon. I'm kinda like those guys on that old anime Dragon Ball Z, and I'm gonna hurt you bad for smarting off to me."
Scott assumed a fighting stance, knowing that he could not afford to underestimate this moron. Shell-Shock threw the balls at him, and Scott rushed at him. Pivoting his body around, he deflected the blasts and built up enough momentum to land a crushing straight right on his opponent's nose. Knocked back, Shell-Shock unleashed a concentrated blast of energy, something that caught Scott off-guard.

Raising his hand, he barely managed to catch the blast. Using his strength, he struggled for a minute before tossing it away, causing it to explode part of the ground.
"Come on, Shell-Shock!" his friend shouted, "He's a nobody! Crush his ass already!"
Shell-Shock placed his fist at his side, building up power.
"You got lucky on that first shot, punk, but it ends here."

Scott knew that his opponent was gearing up for something big, maybe his best technique. If that was the case, the Fist of Valor would be his only true defense. Clenching his fist, his arm began to shine again, glowing like a beacon in the dark.
"He's doin' somethin' freaky with his arm, Shell-Shock! Give it to 'em, now!"
"Shut up, Mike!"

Scott began charging at him, his arm now shining one solid mass of colors.
"Take this, Scottie bitch! This is my Shell Cannon!"
Letting his fist go forward, a huge blast of energy shot forward, threatening to consume Scott.
"Fist of Valor!!!"
Scott's fist made contact with the blast, pushing it back a bit.

The two struggled, and as powerful as Scott's Fist was, there was simply too much energy for it to push back. Faced with the strain, the arm began to crack and lose pieces of itself. Soon, the shoulder down to the elbow pieces had broken off. Within seconds, the rest of the visible arm was gone. The Superlative student, who could see clearly into the battle, looked shocked.
"I...I don't believe it."

"What is it, Rocky?" Mike asked.
"That Scott kid...he's holding back Nick's Shell Cannon with his own flesh and blood fist. What is this kid made of that he could do something like that!?"
Scott was pushing against the blast, his will forcing it back.
Valor isn't just a weapon. It's a part of me...So it doesn't have to be fully formed to take effect.

Even though it appeared that the rest of the arm was gone, a tiny piece of it was still left under his wrist. That, on top of Scott's iron will, was enough to keep the defense going. Within a minute, Scott had almost completely pushed the blast back. Another few seconds and it was over. His Fist of Valor connected with tremendous force, sending Nick flying back like a spiral football and hitting the ground, bouncing off of it to be stuck in the wall next to the door through which they had entered this battlefield. The dissipation of the Shell Cannon sent a sonic boom through the air, which could probably be heard by everyone on campus.

Scott collapsed to one knee, and the last fragment of Valor came off. The Superlative student was in shock, but kept his cool.
"I didn't expect it at all, but the Scott kid is the winner. Congratulations, man. You're more powerful than those silly nicknames implied."
Mike approached.

"Hey, man, I'm sorry I made fun of you. You're something else, man. That arm's a lot cooler than it looks. How'd you get it, anyway?"

For his own part, Scott was completely exhausted, and ignored the questions. He had used up a lot of energy to win that fight, and now he just wanted to go to bed. Getting up, he began staggering toward the boy's dorm.
That will give the doubters something to think about.
Scott entered the dorm room and collapsed on the bed. Within seconds, he was sound asleep.

---

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Closed eyes. Through Atheyas now closed eyes, erupted a more open world around her. The sounds of the leaves bristling through the soundless air stream, the soft resonance of the stream nearby that could only be heard if you listened with the intent of hearing it. She turned her music down to a near in-audible noise, which was now a soft guitar played melody she habitually found herself playing on her own guitar. Maybe Atheya would skip going back to her dorm, and sleep out here for the hours of darkness called night, to only be awoken by the stream of the sun’s rays that would flow through the small opening the leaves of the trees let. She missed nature, she missed being in nature. After she had run away the intolerable foster system, she travelled. She had been to the biggest cities of America, to the smallest villages in Europe. The single only thing she regretted was the fact she had only been to India once. Of all the places, New Orleans had to be the last. She had wondered if she had never went to that jazz festival, she wondered if she never went to that single concert that the staff here wouldn’t have pinpointed her. Well it’s too late now.

She didn’t hate the Institute, in fact she was grateful. Instead of hearing the nasty thoughts of those around her, she could actually block them out. She didn’t have to feel the guilt of others now. Now, she only had to feel her own guilt. But that was the thing about this place. Everyone had a story, everyone's often as equally screwed up and sad as the next one. To be honest Atheya cared more about others then she did herself, and if someone needed to talk or what having an awful day, she would be there. Doesn’t matter who, doesn’t even matter when. Any person who knew her, knew of that fac-

Someone's here.

She felt it. The mental nudge of someone else's brain activity trying to ungentlemanly connect to hers. It was odd. It wasn't regular, it was... fuzzy. Like a static that rang through those invisible wires. It didn't particularly block her, it just made things more unclear. But she could tell it wasn't a mentality she had connected to before, as the bond of it all was weak. If she had connected with some ones brain more, she would find herself accidentally slipping into it more and more, her mental wall breaking down over time making it more complicated to stop. So this? This was not a problem. Just an odd indifference. She found herself never wanting to read others thoughts at all, and would ever actively seek to do so. It was their privacy. She didn't ask to be able to access memories or know their secrets.

A nudge at her headphones. That's when it all made sense. A magnetic user, someone pretty good with electronics. The feed back made a bit of sense now. Pushing herself up off the ground, she took out her ear buds, and let them fall over her shoulder, and through the quiet you could still hear the same song playing through them. That was until the boys voice broke through. Glancing up as he showed himself, she gave a curious look with her evergreen eyes, ones that where as dark as the tree's leaves in the night. Even in the dark, it was easy to tell that his smile was partially forced. She wasn't too bad at reading people as a whole.

A small tug played at the edge of her red painted lips, as she stretched up her arms and let out a yawn. "I was out for a walk, and it seems my little clearing has been compromised." She said, still glancing up at him as she dropped her up-stretched arms. "I'm not particularly one to actually do duties like that for the Institute." She commented, her British accent laced within her words like always. "They don't really seem to ask me many questions any more, haven't caused trouble since I was a newbie last year. But you, I wouldn't be surprised if you got blamed for a bit of things, Jon." She pin pointed out, not particularly trusting of him yet. She only just suddenly recalled his name as she remembered seeing him around once or twice.. But this was odd behaviour for her. Often she would be kind, but right now her small sarcastic attitude came out. Maybe it was because she was actually tired for once.

Continuing on, she said "Anything that goes wrong electrically, you would probably be first to blame right? Anywhere from screwing up some ones laptop, to ultimately shutting down lights city wide." Wow, maybe the fact that the buzz playing softly in her head did bother her just a bit. Or maybe it was because of the fact he did just call her Superlative, in which she wasn't to appreciative of. She didn't care for the ranks, and wasn't one to think she was better because of it. To her, everyone was an equal. She was also quite curious about the whole electrical thing too, as her voice would show. She didn't sound like she was accusing the boy of anything when she spoke. Her tone sounded exactly as it was supposed to. Interested in the subject. "Any ways, that's just me rambling, sorry." She laughed, moving past him, giving him a small pat on the shoulder. Turning around she continued to still walk down the path back to the dorms. "I'll be seeing you later Sparky." She spoke, giving her regular smile. "In hopes that you'll call me by my actual name too; Atheya." She called back. Slipping back on her earphones as she moved out of sight, the song that she had been listening to before, coming to an end.

It didn't take too long for her to find her way back to the Institute. Maybe it did, but Atheyas pondering mind didn't keep track. As she left the boy standing there, her head became clearer, and when it did she realized something. She had come face to face with an electrical user before once, and never had there been interference with her own head, and that made sense, considering the electrical user before hadn't been using powers, and so there would be no charge buzzing that would catch her out reaching mental signals. She had come to the conclusion during her walk back that Jon must have been using his power during when they where speaking, or just had on larger scale then just making her ear buds nudge. Now she was really curious.

Opening the oak door in which she let herself out from, she peeked around the corner, before slipping inside, and walking down the empty halls. She was just about to round the corner in where the training room was placed, but stopped, and backed against the wall as she saw Flynn, another Superlative student who was her friend, leaving the training room, head shaking and fists clenched. She could just feel a bad vibe radiating off of him, and concern welled up in the girls stomach. She felt like he probably wouldn't have wanted her to rush up in that moment asking questions, and felt like he should probably get some rest in which she figured by the time, he was going to do.

After a couple of minutes, she pressed her palms against the cool stone of the beautiful building, and pushed her self from the wall, making her way also down the girls dorms hallway, and to her own dorm door. Opening it, she shut it behind her as she stepped in, she slid down to the ground, sitting on the floor, grabbing her phone. She was still worrying about Flynn. Opening up the messenger thing, she shot him a quick message saying "Didn't get to see you today, hope every things well, night~" It would be stupid to send his something along the lines of asking if he where fine or okay. She had been asked that too many times, and knew that it was the most damned question in the universe. She just knew that it made her feel better that someone was at least there and saying something. Even if it was just a tiny message.

Sitting back up, she set her phone down on the night stand, and slid into her bed, now suddenly too exhausted to even change out of her day clothes. It seemed for once on her life, sleep greedily came.

And then she was aware. She was in a space unknown, a dream. It wasn't hers either. No, she was too aware. It was someone else's.

"This should be fun." She stated, glancing around the surroundings for the unfortunate person that got to meet her like this.

---

Lysander looked out the window and at the airport as it melted into the blackness of the night. As they drove away from it, Lysander leaned his head against the glass. This time, however, he felt no chill or frost from it as he had felt in the spirit realm. The warmth kind of irked him, though. He shifted in his seat intermittently, trying to get accustomed to the warmer weather of the real France rather than its spiritual counterpart. However, he instead settled on just sitting up, trying his best to stay awake.

It was weird. He never experienced climate differences between the realms, but perhaps he had been channeling some era in France when summer was cold. But no matter. His mind didn’t dwell on such thoughts for too long. He chose to ignore the odd occurrences (which is saying a lot considering what he sees on a daily basis) and focus on the more mundane. “How much did I miss from not going to orientation?” “What classes do I have?” he thought. He looked at his wardens, the Institute scouts, and eyed them curiously. Would they shun him if he spoke up? Or, now that he had established eye contact with them, would they shun him if he didn’t. He decided that the latter was more likely.

“…so. What happens when I get back to the Institute?” Lysander said, uncomfortably.

“You’ll get washed, get ready for school the next morning, then go to bed.” Replied one of the scouts.

“So I don’t get a tour of the building?”

The scout didn’t respond. Instead he shook his head and looked back at the road outside his window.

A silence befell the car. Lysander, for some moments, watched the mixture of shadows and yellow light dance through the car windows as miles and miles of streetlights passed by. Every other type of light in France seemed to be out. Lysander looked at his watch. It was late, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go to sleep yet. The good thing about his power was that the Institute couldn’t really know if he was using it without their supervision. All he had to do was snuggle up into bed, pretend he was sleeping, and then jump out of his body and into the spirit realm. But there would be one downside to his plan if he chose to tour the spirit realm of the Institute at night: sleep.

Although it would look as if he were sleeping, he would, in fact, be very active and therefore be tired when he woke up in the morning. To counter this side effect, Lysander decided to sleep in the car, although they were only a few miles away from their destination. The scouts didn’t talk to him though, so there really was nothing better for Lysander to do while they were driving. “Hopefully their sternness is due to the fact that their field workers,” Lysander thought to himself before he began drifting off to sleep, “this experience is going to suck if the rest of the administrators are like this.” And with that he closed his eyes, awakening in what seemed to be just moments later when the car arrived at the Institute.

As the scouts unlocked the gates to the church, Lysander remembered how different this experience was when he was in the other realm. Everything was a lot more dark and creepy. Since it was night, it still was a little dark, but without the dead nuns and angry ghosts lurking in his peripheral, the creepy aspect diminished quite a bit. Though he didn’t pay much attention to it, his heart beat calmer now. He was used to the supernatural events that occurred in the spirit world, but there was still notable contrast between that realm and the one he currently was in. There was a sense of safety that the physical world seemed to give Lysander, which was odd because it was the world in which he was more vulnerable. But his steps to the door were more relaxed nonetheless.

After opening the door, Lysander walked into the main hallway of the old church. Before, the hallway was littered with orphan babies burnt to a crisp. Now, it was just a regular hallway. He looked around. A lot of history lied here. But something else rested there as well: something other than the past. It was indescribable. Lysander remembered it from his first spiritual trip here. It was in one of the training rooms. But now it just seemed to be scattered around the school, it’s presence lacing throughout every brick, every stone, every molecule that lined the corridors of the Institute. It put Lysander a bit on edge, but he was always on edge, so he ignored it.

Walking upstairs, Lysander listened closely as the sounds his feet made against the stone steps broke into the calm silence of the boy’s dormitory. As was the case on the streets in his spirit encounter of the Institute, he didn’t listen to the steps so much as he listened to any other sound that broke the silence with him. He listened closely for these other sounds partly out of a need for excitement and partly out of his natural paranoia. So one could imagine how his heart jumped when he heard a loud boom come from outside. Lysander ran to the top of the flight of stairs and looked through the nearest window in order to see what had made that sound. Distant figures stood in a field outside, but they were too far away for Lysander to see.

After a few minutes of watching them, Lysander gave up on trying to squint hard enough in an effort to make out their faces. All he saw were tiny silhouettes moving back and forth below the black horizon. He took his hands off the window and made his way to his dorm room, thinking that maybe what he saw outside was just midnight practice the other students did for training.

Whatever it was, he'd find out tomorrow. But for right now, he just felt too tired to find out. Walking into his room, he dropped all of his things and plopped down onto the bed. “Screw the spirit tour,” he thought to himself, the lids of his eyes being pulled down by fatigue, “I’m just going to go to sleep.” And so he dozed off, his body preparing him for the next day to come.

A boy walks slowly down the hallway. He is well-dressed, handsome. A simple grey sweater, v-necked. A white, collared shirt underneath. It is buttoned, held cold to his chin with a red bowtie. It even has white polka dots. His pants fit him well, neither too tight nor too loose. Khaki. His hair is cropped short, but the look is good on him. He is mature. He is tall, for his age. He smiles brightly. His stormy blue eyes shimmer with excitement. It's the first day of school.



Whispers. Never spoken directly to his face. All Todd ever heard was whispers. Slithering lies, that's what they really ever were. In reality, they were words. Just little words, what could they possibly do? They were just hissing, slithering, serpentine lies; crawling along the dirt until they found him. Until they wound their way around his throat. Until they constricted. Tighter. Tighter. Tighter until they bite into his skin. It's impossible to breathe, to speak, or to even cry. Lies like snakes; lies like ropes. Lies like dying.



Who else would it be? You never treat anyone else this way. As if being the new kid wasn't hard enough. Could you even imagine? I moved away from everything I knew. Everything I ever had. Everything I ever needed. For what? For you? For you and your lies? You don't have to like me, but why do you hate me so much?



I'm not! I'm not a freak! I just haven't been to a real school in a while. I just... I'm so nervous. Please. Someone. Anyone. Talk to me. I'll show you. I'm not a freak... I just want...



It's not my fault! Please! You're suffocating me! Just let me open my mouth to-!

---

---

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

Todd's eyes snap open, and he breathes. Greedily, he breathes. Coughing, spluttering, and joyously; he breathes. Immediately, Todd's head whips up from his desk. However, he movement is too much too fast. He's awake, but only just. Todd's hands find his eyes, and wearily, he rubs the sleep from them. Slowly, Todd leans back over until his forehead touches the cold surface of his desk. His hands make their way up his forehead into a mop of thick, soft, brown hair.


"It's ok. I'm ok. It's gone." Todd lied, to no one in particular. It was never really gone. It was just behind the corner. It was just down the hallway. It was just out of his reach. Just far enough away that he just barely couldn't grab it, throttle it, and kill it for good. Shaking his head, Todd stood from his desk and walked over to his closet. He was still in his pajamas, and, according to the clock on his phone, it was five in the evening. Todd sighed, his left palm ascending, for a brief moment, to cup his face. While he had earned that nap, going the previous night without sleep until his homework was done, he'd miss dinner if he didn't get his ass in gear. It was time to get up. Opening the door to his wardrobe, Todd's face swung out to meet him. The mirror inside his wardrobe showed him exactly what he thought he would see. The rings underneath his eyes were darkening, and the cowlick on the back of his head was extra terrible. His nightmares, poor night's sleep, and disgusting summer homework aside, today was the day. Classes officially started tomorrow and his friends were all coming back today! Well... actually, they were probably already back.

Quickly, Todd undressed, wrapped his robe around himself, grabbed his shower caddy, and made for the showers on his floor. Luckily, since Todd had slept so long, from noon to almost sunset, the bathroom was mostly empty and he got to sing along, albeit poorly, to the communal radio. Even better, Todd had all the hot water to himself. After nearly forty-five minutes soaking in the revitalizing water and making sure he was good at clean, Todd exited the showers and returned to his room. Todd placed his wet shower caddy on the windowsill and opened his window. His curtains were still partly drawn, but there was a lovely breeze in the air and the fresh air was delightful. Todd smiled as he took in the glowing, golden sky. The sun was so pretty when it set. Todd would have watched the sun for longer, but he became rather embarrassed once he realized he'd probably flashed someone, the campus was still rather busy.

Returning to his wardrobe with a nervous giggle, Todd addressed his reflection again. Although he was naked this time, he felt better. The shower had done wonders for his mood, and it had fixed his cowlick as well. As he got dressed, Todd spoke to himself, as he often did, to prepare himself for the day. It was practically time to go back to sleep, but rituals needed to be observed. It was the only way they retained their power.

"It's gone."

He reassured himself. He wanted to believe it so badly. He even half did. When he said it out loud, Todd almost felt like he could believe it. Almost.

"It's gone behind me forever, and it won't ever jump up and scare me."

Nodding, Todd felt a little better. He wasn't really lying. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. If he believed in it and worked his hardest to make it so, then it would be his truth. Once he'd finished getting dressed, a blue sweater, a lighter blue shirt, khaki pants, and black Chuck TayIors, Todd continued to speak to himself as he flossed.

"I need ... ow. I need to cut my hair again. It's getting long again. I wonder if I could get someone here to do it for me? That might be kind of fun. We'll see. First thing's first. What's my schedule today?"

Finished with his teeth, Todd turned to his desk to address his calendar.

"Ohh, that was it. Sweet."

Rather pleased with himself, Todd headed down to the common area in between the dorms. It adjoined the two wings together, at least, on this floor, and had a small kitchenette to prepare meals in. There was a cafeteria, but Todd much prefered to make his own food. He hand nothing against all the wonderful lunch ladies, it was just... bad memories. Unfortunately, Todd also needed to replenish his personal fridge. He'd run out of groceries. It would have to wait until tomorrow after class. Even worse, there was only a half-full bag of apples in the fridge. While delicious, you couldn't even make pie, crumble, or anything tasty without eggs and milk. Even if he did have those things, Todd was running dangerously low on his other baking supplies. Sighing, somewhat dejectedly, Todd resigned himself to eating microwave popcorn for dinner and began to return to his room.

Just then, Todd's pocket buzzed. Usually, this meant his phone had been messaged. Normally, Todd would have ignored it until he was good and ready, like whole he was waiting for his popcorn to finish. However, tomorrow was the start of classes. Today, people were returning. That could only mean one thing. Excited beyond all reasoning, Todd pulled out his phone and flicked to the text messages. His thoughts were racing.

Please, please, please, please... Yes! It is!

Todd was so pleased, he even started to hum while he read her message:

"To: Todd
From: Olly Pop

Hai cutie! I missed you. Want to hang out? I'm by the lake if you do."

Todd couldn't help but smile. His hunger momentarily forgotten, Todd grabbed an apple from the fridge, jammed it into his mouth, and took off down the hallway. As he ran, Todd devoured his apple, even popping the core in his mouth once he had finished. Having reached his door, Todd shut it behind him, locked the door, threw his keys in his pocket, swallowed what was left of his apple, and jumped bodily from his window.

The feeling of the night air against his face was rather pleasant, but he only had three stories until he hit the ground. This part was always the trickiest. Though Todd's human body thought fast enough to keep up with gravity, his body wasn't. There was a very specific series of sconces, spires, and buttresses one had to make use of as they fell from Todd's room, or they'd never survive. That being said, even he couldn't do it without a little help. As he fell, Todd channeled his power into his body, taking on his hybrid form. Feeling the speed start to creep into his body, Todd whipped his right hand out, catching a tower spire and swinging around it bodily. After the first rotation, he let go, flinging himself onto a buttress which he slid down as if he were grinding a rail. Todd's feet had finished transforming by this point, taking his shoes with them. His scaly feet slid against the concrete, and he poured himself down the side of the building. After the buttress grind, Todd leapfrogged a sconce, then did half a back flip, using his tail to angle himself until he was falling, as of he were lying down. With only a few seconds left, Todd used his tail to angle the air around himself ilu to he could reach one of the columns supporting the school. Once it was within his grasp, it was a simply matter to cling to the Coleman and slide down the rest of the way. This method did have one drawback. It left Todd upside down. If there were any screw ups, Todd would be taking a dirt bath. Not fun to think about.

The second Todd's feet hit the ground he was off, running a good thirty five meters per second. To get from his dorm to the lake would take no time at all. While Todd's hybrid form was fast, it's most impressive ability is the capability to be whisper silent. Without a sound, his footfalls barely audible, Todd raced along the lakeshore, following Olive's scent. It had been a while but Todd would have recognized her anywhere. Part of it was her perfume, but that wasn't what stood out the most to Todd. To him, it was the smell of rain and freshly fallen snow. That was the best part about Olive's smell. Once he was within fifty feet, give or take, Todd stopped running, and crept slowly forward. He could see her perfectly in the night, his animalistic, icy blue eyes reflecting the light of the moon. There she was, just off the shore, at their spot between the reeds and the old Willow tree. It was, arguably, the prettiest spot on the campus when the moon was full. Todd had stumbled upon it last year, only to find that Olive had been coming there to swim. Once the awkward was over, which mostly just involved Todd forcing himself not to stare, the two became fast friends. Best friends even. There might not be anyone else Todd cares about more, well, excepting his family of course.

With otherworldly, canine grace, Todd crept until he was mere inches behind Olive. He made no sound, his fur didn't rustle, and twigs didn't even snap under his feet. He barely even breathed. Slowly, making sure to make no sound, Todd allowed himself to shift back into his human form, and knelt down behind Olive. Then, as fast, and as gently as he could, Todd placed both of his hands over Olive's eyes simultaneously.

"Guess who Olly Pop?" Todd asked, whispering the words into her ear. There would be no real guessing involved. It could only be him. Once she'd answered, Todd let go, and sat on the dry sand behind her, such that his legs were on either side of her. Once he'd sat, Todd threw his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her into a tight, but gentle, embrace. "It's so great to see you again! How was your trip? Did you get to see your mum? How's she doing?"

---

---

The young blonde stared out into the water, watching the moonlight dance. A small smile appeared on her face and she lifted a hand. With the flick of her wrist she pulled a stream of water out. Moving her hand in slow circles, the water started to form a circle. The faster the young woman's hand moved the smaller the circle would be. The water circle moved faster and grew smaller until it was about the size of a ring. Olive's hand stopped moving and the circle ceased all movement. She lowered the circle and brought it at eye level. All it took was one touch and it froze the whole thing solid. The ice was pure and it styled the ring with different carvings. Her nickname "Olly Pop" was even carved inside. The ring was slipped on her finger and she officially felt she was home. She stared at her ice ring, listening to the sounds of nature around her. It was lovely and she didn't want to move from this spot. A pair of hands covered her eyes and she jumped a little from fright.

"Guess who Olly Pop?" The smile that was on her face before, grew wider. Todd came to see her. "Big foot" she said jokingly. He moved his hands from her eyes and he shifted his body so that he was sitting behind her. His legs were on either side of hers and his arms had wrapped around her waist. She leaned back into him and sighed happily. From a distance it would look as though they were dating, but they were not. Not once had the two been beyond this. Their friendship was something that she couldn't explain. Olive care for Todd a lot, but she can't tell if his action are just a response to her flirting or if he really likes her. She doesn't say anything. Instead she continues to flirt with him and call him different pet names. And when people ask if they are together her simple response is 'it's complicated' only because it is. Her hands rested on her arms as she watched the water. "It's so great to see you again! How was your trip? Did you get to see your mum? How's she doing?"

The blonde smirked. "The trip was long and very boring. For obvious reason I couldn't entertain myself with my abilities so I sat on the plane listening to idiots talk about nonsense. I thought I was going to die" she said, dwelling on the plane ride. "But I did get to see my mom. She is doing very well. She missed me a lot and when I mentioned your name once, she wouldn't shut up about you" a giggle escaped her as she thought about the different things her mother said. "She kept wondering when I would bring you to see her. Why I don't talk about you all the time? Then she started talking about grand kids and I tuned her out" she added stilling giggling a bit. Olive cared about her mother a lot and it was always funny to hear her babble on about things as if she were a normal child. The young blonde knows that her happiness will come with a price, condemning her child to a life of solitude until another place like this reveals itself. Olive didn't want that.

"What about you? How was your trip? How is you mom, brother, and sister? I bet they missed you The blond said a bit excited. She enjoyed hearing about the trips of others because she believes hers are a bit boring.

Jon felt a wave of relieve at Atheya's answer, until the pretty British voice announced the kicker...'but'. Nothing good ever came after that one word and in this case, the pattern held true. 'Is she on to me?' The question was too close, yes a magnet could ruin a computer, cell phone and such. However the woman had specifically included knocking out lights, something pure magnetism couldn't accomplish. In an of itself, that would be acceptable under a mistake of magnetism versus electromagnetism but the addition of city wide- the limit of his capability was far too much. Fortunately a tree was there to catch the man as his balance attempted to fail him, regardless Jon found himself amused and found the blip of nerves remarkably easy to pass...but he remained leaning.

"Well a magnet is rather nasty on delicate electronics,but not so much on things like lightbulbs. To do something like that, you're looking at some kind of electromagnetic user, although a powerful electricity user could do the same." Jon raised his hands up as if to say 'what can you do' and found his smile was no longer fake. While Atheya's approach during her rambling comment caused Jon to release his electric grip on his body. To minimize his slipping, the man dug his hands deeper into the tree while leaning into the trunk. The effort payed off when the woman touched his shoulder...crisis avoided.

"Yeah...catch you later," Jon maintained his position while the girl left and started up his electric puppetry the instant she got out of arms reach. He remained rooted to the spot until she passed out of hearing range and his own radar. It was only then he recognized the name she used...Sparky. Jon instantly felt his heart rate skyrocket at that. 'That girl's dangerous,'such was the only conclusion he could draw from the brief discussion. It didn't seem like she was reading his mind exactly, why beat around the bush like that if she could? But there's no escaping the fact that Sparky is only appropriate for someone who could wield electricity. Jon unleashed another one of his scanning pulses, she was still nearby...but in camera sight.

The young man still outstretch a hand and created a pull with his hand. In response, grains or dark sand- iron to be precise rose to his call. A simple exertion of will shaped the string into a rod with blade like semblance. In and of itself, this wouldn't be capable of cutting but Jon willed a small flux in the field, this would cause the sand to vibrate and cause cutting much like how a chainsaw worked. He knew that chasing Atheya at this point would be tantamount to suicide, however he intended to finish his rounds. Jon stood and continued his scan from his previous path after rising to his feet.

"Feel free to come for me Telepath...I'm ready." The words were naught more than a whisper and more a matter of self assurance than threat, but they were sufficient to last him through the night.

---

Scott jumped as his cell phone alarm went off. It was the heavy metal instrumental song "Core of Grief" from the anime 'Fist of the North Star', which he had downloaded onto his phone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skBYsA5tyRE

After switching it off, Scott got out of bed and headed for the shower. After he was done cleaning up, he put on some jeans, a red short-sleeved shirt with the words 'Tapout' emblazoned on them, and white sneakers. After looking over his schedule, he saw that 'Power Control 101' was his first class, and that meant that he would have to summon Valor. Summoning Valor would be destructive to the environment, and he didn't want to damage the school. He left his dorm and went outside. Holding his arm up in front of him, he took a deep breath and focused his mind.

An aura shot up around him, cracking the earth and sending waves of energy through the ground and air. The aura condensed around his arm and it began to shine brightly. When the light dimmed, Valor was on Scott's right arm in its full glory.
Feeling strong today, Valor?
I am your sword and shield, Scott.
Scott went inside the dorm and headed for his classroom.

As he passed through the halls, he heard people whispering about him.
"That's Scott Kearny. They say he defeated Shell-Shock with that arm!"
Scott's experience last night had taught him to divide the student body at Silhouette into two camps: The Bullies and The Kiss-Asses. These people were Kiss-Asses already, so he wouldn't have to put faces through the wall to get them to leave him alone. He was almost to the classroom, and then a movement caught his eye and caused him to clench Valor.

Katrina had woken up earlier than she usually did, feeling thankful she didn't have to rush just to get to class on time. She smiled fondly to her plants, pushing them a little bit more towards the sunlight coming in through an open window. It didn't take long for her to get ready, well, compared to how long it used to take her to get ready, before she actually got used to putting on make up and styling her hair. Kat just slipped on a green dress, putting on some light make up and pulling on her favorite silver strappy sandals. As she looked to the clock she decided against using her spare time to see what she could make grow, not really feeling the need to be disappointed.

It wasn't until she was already walking down the halls that Kat realized that she could very well meet the new student's she had missed at the orientation the day before. She may not know all to much about their power but that wouldn't mean she couldn't just get to know them, right? The people in the hall were whispering, apparently about some Scott, Katrina wondered what they meant by 'arm', who beat what with what arm?

Kat glanced around the halls for a face she didn't recognize, waving at the few people she actually made eye contact with as she passes by. One boy she didn't recognize caught her eyes, and she all but skipped up to him, her smile wide on her face, "Hi! I'm Katrina Hyde, but most call me Kat. Are you new to the school?" She asked politely and with enthusiasm. "You'll love it here, even though being a New Blood isn't the absolute best." She was cheerful as always, smiling and intertwining her fingers behind her back, looking to Scott eagerly.

Scott's fist relaxed as he realized that the movement he had caught was just a girl skipping up to him. She looked to be of mixed black-white descent, and she had a ready smile. She said her name was Katrina, and the funny thing was that she didn't even seem to notice his arm.
Look at this, Valor. Another Kiss-Ass.
I'm not getting any bad vibes from her, so be polite.

Scott gave her a small smile.
"Scott Kearny. This is Valor."
He held his arm up so she could see it, then dropped it back down to his side. By her words, he could tell that she was a New Blood like him, so they were probably headed for the same class. He went around her and took a seat inside, waiting for some indication of what he needed to do.

As Todd adjusted his position behind Olive, she leaned back into him and sighed happily. From a distance it would look as though the two were dating, but nothing could be more wrong. Not once had the two been beyond this. For all their hugs, flirting, and general closeness, this was as far as it went. Todd... Todd hated that. While he loved how close he was with Olive, and that their friendship was so strong, he hated that friendship was all it was. Their relationship something that neither could properly explain. Todd cared for Olive quite a lot, and the reverse was also inescapably true. That being said, Olive was so... frustrating. She doesn't say anything that ever meant anything to him. She continues to flirt with him, call him different pet names, and remain physically close to him, yet all the while there were never any clues to how she really felt about him. Every time Todd gets remotely close to the subject of just what their relationship is, she changes the subject, or skips over it like it's nothing. Even worse, when people ask if they are together, Todd doesn't know how to respond and never says anything, for fear of being wrong. Olive, on the other hand, usually diverts those questions with a simple, "it's complicated." What does that even mean? Todd sighed quietly to himself. He knew the more he tried to figure it out, the more closely he would become wrapped around her little finger. Instead, Todd let himself relax and take in everything. The gentle crash of the waves on the shore, the whispering breeze through the reeds, and her smell, like rain, washed over his mind. Why would he need to be on edge with her? She was his best friend, until she was comfortable enough to put the ball in his court, she could just keep it. It wasn't like they were going anywhere anytime soon. Todd would never let Olive just slip out of his life, and if he even tried... there would be serious hell to pay. Todd shuddered at the thought. Relieved, and less tense than before, Todd let his head come down to rest on shoulder, and closed his eyes, listening to her speak.

As Todd sat, listening, Olive let herself lean into his warm embrace. Her hands rested on her arms as she watched the water. Smirking in response to Todd's question, the blonde spoke. "The trip was long and very boring. For obvious reason I couldn't entertain myself with my abilities so I sat on the plane listening to idiots talk about nonsense. I thought I was going to die." She said sullenly, obviously, dwelling on the miserable plane ride. "I did get to see my mom. She is doing very well. She missed me a lot, and when I mentioned your name once, she wouldn't shut up about you." A giggle escaped her lips. "She kept wondering when I would bring you to see her. Why I don't talk about you all the time? Then she started talking about grand-kids and I tuned her out." She added dismissively, as if it were no big deal. Todd sighed. This was exactly what he was talking about. What did that mean? She giggled a bit more, which only served to make Todd more confused. Did she think it was funny that her mom wanted them to be together? Was she laughing out of nervousness because she didn't want to sound clingy? There was just no winning with her. At a loss for what to say, Todd laughed, and offered, "Next thing you know, she'll be planning our... a wedding for us." He stuttered as he said, 'our,' and quickly tried to correct it. He didn't want to sound like he had already planned the whole thing out. Olive was his best friend. Maybe he was just reading into the situation too far? Either way, he couldn't say nothing.

"What about you? How was your trip? How is you mom, brother, and sister? I bet they missed you." The blond said, a bit excited. She must have been anxious to change the topic. Todd, however, didn't like this subject. "I didn't get to go home this time. I only did last year because I had, technically, graduated from High School. This year, I had to stay here over the summer again. I still video chat with them about three times a week, but... It's not the same, you know? Sorry, that's pretty blue, let's change the subject, yeah? Do you have your phone on you sweetie? What time is it? As much as I'd love to stay here until morning, I've got early class during the week, Superlatives and all..." Todd sighed as he said the last part. Most students would have jumped at the bit to be as strong and as in control as Todd was of his powers, for Todd, it just meant more work. After all, with great power, comes great responsible...ness. Todd was powerful, so he had an equal share of responsible...ness to go along with it. Though Todd was never one to put off hard work, he hated getting stuck with some of the more troublesome duties, like night patrol or grocery runs.

Olive frowned a bit when he said that he couldn't go home again. It was sad him staying up here and she spends all her free time away from him. Next time she was going to take him with her. If he would agree, would be left up to him. It would be kind of forward just inviting him to meet her mother. She didn't want to freak him out. It would ruin their already questionable friendship. Quickly in her mind she decided to invite him home with her when she was sure about what they were, besides best friends.

The blonde looked around in search of her phone and saw in to the left on the grass. She put it there after texting Todd. "It's around 10:30 pm" she had read to him. Olive was happy that Todd was a superlative, he deserved it. But he would always have to end their time together and it was really annoying at times. She just wanted to stay up the whole night talking about whatever comes to mind. Usually Olive is the one to fall asleep between the two, but Todd never minded. It was small things like that, why the young woman cared for him so much. Why were things so complicated between them? It was giving her a headache. A yawn escaped her lips and she closed her eyes.

It had been a long day, from the plane ride to the taxi, to the walk. The young woman needed a good nights rest, especially because classes start up tomorrow. But Olive didn't want to go to sleep. She wanted to stay in Todd's arms and just pretend tomorrow doesn't exist. Right now was better than any future that was in store. "Before you ask. I'm not asleep. I'm just resting" the blonde said, but it was a lie. If Todd knew her at all, he would know that.

Todd smiled softly. Here she was, with a day like hers, possibly even longer and harder than Todd's, and all Olive wanted to do was ignore her responsibilities and share the night with him. Sighing, Todd wrapped his arms around her tighter. Resigning himself to the extra work of it all, Todd spoke. "Mhmm, and the yawning from earlier, how do you explain that? Hungry for flies perhaps? Come on sweetheart. Up we go." Effortlessly, Todd lifted Olive into the air. He shifted his arms to carry her princess-style, but did so as he was picking her up. "Sit tight Olly, I'll have you back in your room in two shakes of a Jinouga's tail." At that, Todd began to grin his mad, wolfish grin. It was the kind he only ever wore when he was planning on doing something devious, dangerous, and just the littlest bit stupid. At that, Todd began to shift. He channeled his power into his body, taking on his Hybrid form once again. It was getting late, and Todd had already used this form once already today, but he had more than enough energy for what he was planning on doing. It should be fine. After all, Todd would never consent to carry just anyone. Olive was special. Olive demanded that he show off, even if just a little.

Though his body sprouted claws, scales, a tail, and horns, Todd made sure to shift Olive within his grasp such that his hold on her body wasn't too loose or too tight, but just right. Further, her bare skin was only touching his soft fur, or smooth scales, so as to not cause unnecessary discomfort. The wild grin still on his face, Todd turned his head to face Olive. "Thank you for choosing Air Todd." He began, slowly beginning to walk in the direction of the Institute. "We know your choices in travel are limited, and we thank you for your patronage. Please note that, in the event of an emergency, exits can be accessed by pulling on one of my ears, causing me to drop you. In the mean time, do hold on, as we will be beginning our ascent shortly." As Todd spoke, his grin grew wider and wider, and he began to walk faster and faster. By the time he was finished, Todd was running just short of a full sprint, while carrying Olive. In his Hybrid Jinouga form, this meant, roughly, seventy miles per hour. As Todd ran, he made sure to do so as smoothly as possible, so as not to disturb the resting Olive. He ran as if he were gliding, and Olive's body barely moved within his grasp. He cradled her gently, as if she were made of porcelain, and would shatter at the slightest touch. Though the Jinouga was not meant to nurture, or love something other than itself, through Todd, the beast appeared gentle, caring, and even loving.

As Todd shifted into his bestial form, Olive didn't move. She allowed Todd to move her around as he changed into his, "other half," as she referred to it. His change was slow, yet fast. Watching him change into his Jinouga form, is like watching him in slow motion. You see each part shift as if it was acting on its own. With one eye she would watch, and she knew it only took mere seconds for him to shift the way he does. As for his running speed, it didn't bother her at all. As the cool air hit her skin, it forced her to cuddle more into his soft fur. It was warm and inviting. She didn't want to let him go. Her eyes closed and she embraced the feeling of nature as she rested in Todd's arms.

Approaching the school's walls, Todd only increased his speed, reaching seventy-five, eighty, eighty-five miles per hour. Blazing down the trail, Todd bent ever lower to the ground, preparing himself for the hard part. He was only a few short meters from the wall when he jumped, tightening his grip on Olive, but not so much as to be painful. Firing all the muscles in his back, legs, and core, Todd rocketed himself into the air, still holding Olive within his arms. Having measured the required speed just right, Todd landed gently on the roof beside Olive's windowsill and ducked inside the open window. "Well aren't we lucky. Someone left their window open." Todd smirked at the sleepy Olive. Ever so gently, as if she might break from any uneven movements, Todd set Olive down on her bed. "Sleep tight, Princess. We've got class tomorrow. I'll see you first thing, ok?[/b]" Smiling, Todd turned to leave out of the window, preferring not to be seen coming out of a door in the girl's wing of the dormitories at this late at night. Walk of shame be damned, if he were seen coming out of Olive's door at nearly eleven o'clock at night, he would never live it down. His reputation would fall into shambles overnight. It wasn't that Todd was particularly popular and Olive wasn't. Quite the opposite. Olive was... rather popular amongst all the boys at school, and even some of the girls. Ever the gentleman, Todd wouldn't dare sully her reputation, and chose the window so as to preserve his best friend's honor.

It wasn't until the blonde was placed in her bed that she realized that they had reached the school building. She had missed the part where he practically flew up the side of the building to get her in here. She was grateful to have a room by the window, or Todd wouldn't be able do the things he did for her. There were many times where her best friend had to use the window to walk in and out of her room. Leaving through the front door raised suspicion, but no one could see him leaving through the window. It was to save their relationship, to keep rumors from spreading, or at least that is why Olive believed he did it. The young woman pulled her silk pillow closer to her and opened her eyes when she heard the creak from the window. "No Toddy. Don't go." The blonde said childishly. She pushed herself up in the sitting position, rubbing her tired eyes. "Stay here tonight and keep me company while I sleep." Olive begged, holding out her arms to him. The young blonde wanted Todd to stay with her forever, but she only had tonight.

Olive's voice stopped Todd in his tracks; frozen, hesitant. He knew that, if he looked now, he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, and he wouldn't be able to slip out once she fell asleep. Even worse, he would have to wake her up when he left. Slowly, Todd turned back around. His icy blue eyes glinted in the lowlight. There she was. Holding her arms out to him, and pouting like his little sister did when she was younger. Todd fondly recalled the way she begged to sleep with him after a particularly bad nightmare. The same feeling of resignation was there, and love, but more than that, Todd felt pain in his heart. As much as Todd knew that he should be going, he just couldn't refuse her. Releasing his transformation, Todd returned to his human form and walked back over to Olive's bedside. Gently, Todd wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close to him. "Alright, Olly Pop, just this once." Todd had said those words dozens of times. Each time he always promised himself that he wouldn't say them again. Todd never kept that promise. Todd quickly took off his shoes and his hoodie, and sat back against the headboard. "Come here." Todd said, smiling gently. Once Olive had gotten herself comfortable, Todd took his phone out of his pocket and set his alarm to wake him up at five in the morning. As soon as he set his phone down, his head hit the pillow and he fell asleep.

Olive was beyond happy that Todd agreed to stay the night with her. This isn't the first time, there have been many other nights where Todd would sleep in her bed. Every time Olive asked, Todd came through. It was one of the things she enjoyed and adored about him. She wrapped her arms Todd while he set the alarm. The blonde was drifting in and out of consciousness, but she was able to watch Todd fall asleep. "Good Night Toddy" she mumbled before falling into a deep sleep within her best friends arms.