° Fly High ┆ heroes

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"Comic book heroes don't exist."Especially not in New York City.

Nicholas had already gone through three packs of cigarettes since morning. He flicked away the remains of the charred cigarette butt he'd just finished off, and popped a fresh one out of the box. Smoking was his tell - when he was nervous or stressed out, he smoked. But, then again, he also smoked when he was anxious, happy, excited, irritated, and angry. So no one would really tell that he was stressed, unless he'd snapped off the filter off of the end like a real man. His girls always got on his case about smoking, and they were right, it was incredibly unhealthy, and good health was of the utmost importance to him, especially since his abilities involved so much of his own body. He may have had plenty of money to burn, but his life was stressful, and it had just gotten a whole lot worse.

It was bad enough that he was a mutant - not that he didn't appreciate his powers - but to be cursed with the Ashworth family name. The glares he got on the streets almost gave him chills sometimes, but he'd never let anyone know otherwise. He was pleased to have the abilities he did though - being able to throw bone projectiles from your body sure as hell kept anyone in bad dealings with his father from messing with him. Mutants may have generally been accepted in society, but even the good ones were still feared by civilians, some more than others. They were unpredictable, even the ones who went to Themis. Most people felt safe around the students of Themis, but there would always be that unease that came with them. They would never be completely normal, no matter what the government says. Nicholas knew this, all too well. He, of all people, had the best of intentions, and only ever wanted to help people, even though his father was the scum of the earth in the eyes of most of New York City. But that was why he tried to damn hard - he didn't want to be like his father. He wanted to be different. He wanted to change the business. Clean it up. Make it legitimate. It would be easier said than done, but he'd find a way, somehow. He'd considered just wiping it out completely, but it was an excellent business oppurtunity – if he could figure out a means to make the business profitable towards the greater good, then he'd be able to do more than just punch out the lights of some low-life villian. He could really do something.

The rent-a-cop that had given him grief about parking his car in a no parking zone had finally left, giving Nicholas the oppurtunity finally to slam his car door shut. He twirled his keys around his fingers like a toy before clicking the car hood button, retracting the convertible hood in case it rained. He chewed on the filter of his unlit cigarette as he walked down the path from the parking lot to the main courtyard. He never really cared for the flowers and trees – he prefered steel, glass and concrete, like in downtown New York. It irritated him that Themis had to be just on the border of the city. It was why he chose to have an apartment and drove to campus. He had tried to convince Oliver to move into a town house with him – but the stubborn kid wouldn't take any charity, and chose to live on campus like most of the foreign or out-of-state kids did.

Stuffing the chewed up cigarette in his pocket for later, Nicholas swooped into the main building where the student union was, and looked around for any familiar faces. Collins or Oliver would have been preferable – mostly because he couldn't find his damn lighter. He could get Oliver to light a cigarette with electrical sparks if he really tried. That would have been kind of messed up though (but then again, no one would put it past him for trying to get him to do that).
A couple of prying eyes settled on him, and several people dodged out of his path when he passed by. It must have been obvious that Mercury was not in the best of moods that day. He was stressed, nervous, even, and the fact that he wasn't hiding it well frustrated him even more.
 
Dark eyes stayed fixed outside of the window, searching through the breaks in the trees for the building that held his future. Fingers fiddled with the hem of his shirt restlessly, unable to keep still with anticipation growing higher and higher. It wouldn't be long now before he was at Themis, school for the gifted. A sneer tugged slightly at his lips. Gifted was just a pleasant way of saying mutant. For the longest time he had been convinced that the mutant sub-race should have been wiped from the globe. That is, until it happened to his sister. Lucian's fingers stilled, gripping his shirt in a small show of anger. Why Étoilé? What had she done to deserve such a curse? She was a star, with a cunning and intelligent mind. She would have gone so far in life. All that had been taken away in a single day, and he hadn't been able to see her. Sure, she wrote to the family, but it just hadn't been the same as having her smiling face around the house.


Now a year later, and he was on his way to the same school. His mother had cried. It had to be a sick joke that they would need to lose both their children to this curse. They sat silent and somber in the two front seats, eyes glued to scenery. They didn't say anything, accepting that their last child was leaving them. Silent tears rolled down his mother's cheeks, though she stubbornly refused to wipe them away, acknowledge that she was hurting. It had been this way ever since they had started on their way to Themis, unbroken and heavy between them. He knew what was happening. They were trying to distance themselves, making sure that it hurt less when he left to join his sister. He didn't blame them. Lucian's eyes widened slightly as the building came into view, biting down gently on his bottom lip. Was he nervous? Afraid? After all, he would be surrounded by all these mutants. He was right to be afraid.

The car came to a stop, though neither parent gave him even a glance. They just waited in heavy silence as he stood, his belongings packed in two suitcases gripped tight in his hands. They started driving as soon as his door was closed. He didn't watch. He couldn't, for the fear of breaking down right there in the parking lot. His footsteps brought him forward, heading in closer to the building. It was the light of her clothing that drew his eyes over, pausing in his walk. Her arms were around him, embracing him in a tight hug before his mind caught up with who she was. His suitcases were dropped, arms wrapped tight around his sister, the first hug they'd shared in a year. There were tears. How could there not be? They were twins, sharing a bond only they understood, and they were finally together again. "Étoilé." Her name fell easily from his lips, loathe to relinquish his hold on her. But he was needed somewhere, and she was pulling away. "Lucian, I had heard that I might see you again." Her smile was small, sad, and not at all as he remembered her. "I just wish it were under better circumstances." A solemn nod, the two twins falling into a soft silence. Neither knew what to say, so happy and yet nervous in seeing each other again.

"You should probably head in." A slim hand went up to run through her hair, twirling the ends around a finger. "Wouldn't want to be late." He forced a smile, polite, cold. "Of course. I'll find you later." He gee a small wave, before retrieving his bags, entering into the building. His chest felt tight. Perhaps it would have been better for them to not have met again. At least then he could still say that he wanted to see her again. "Its just been so long." He told himself, trying desperately to change his view of the whole situation. "Just give it some time, you'll see how much you've missed her. How much she's missed you..."
 
Billy sat quietly in the grass next to the small pond in the center of campus watching the ducks. A couple girls were about tossing bread crumbs and it always made him smile when the ducks got excited and would quack up a storm. Then he started watching the girls. Not because he was interested in them. He just didn't know anybody. Much less, he was in a place he never in a million years thought he would end up. The existence of mutants never bothered him. He had a friend once, Michael, that was a mutant and supposedly came to Themis as well. The only reason Billy hadn't tried to find him was because he wasn't quite sure he was ready to look for outside comfort or if he was even still here. Coming to terms with having power and coming terms with others knowing are two different things. At least they were to him. He wasn't ready to find old friends yet.

He wasn't ready to make new friends either. This was a place that was supposed to teach people like him control over their powers and he was apprehensive to how many people could be loose cannons. How many people here have a dangerous ability? For that matter, how dangerous was his power. The only thing he knows is that he absorbed his best friend, and technically pet, into his body somehow and now had his wolf's eyes and a tattoo of Bandit on his left forearm. When they examined him they said his power would be more extensive and grow as he came to understand it more but he hoped it wasn't anything that could directly hurt animals, or people.

His focus returned to the girls when they shrieked at the large goose that managed to find its way over and chase them. He smiled again. The goose wasn't being territorial, it was being what it thought was friendly. Its something he could always tell with animals. How they were feeling. He didn't mention that in the examination but he was starting to think it might be part of his abilities. He was hoping it would be anyways. It would be one less thing to figure out. He started to wonder if these girls knew what they could do. Then he got a little worried that maybe they would hurt the goose if they got too afraid, back to fearing lack of control. "Don't run from him! He's not trying to hurt you!" he shouted. The girls looked at him then back at the goose, wings spread and waddling full speed towards them, the blonde one smiled and tossed the rest of the bread she had in her hands on the ground. The goose eagerly started feasting. She then waved her right hand slightly. The goose turned a bright hue of purple and vanished. Billy was shocked, what just happened to the goose? He jumped up glaring daggers ready to do... something, even if he hadn't figured it out yet. He heard the excited quacks of the ducks and looked back to the pond. The goose was there, surrounded by ducks and his bread half gone. Billy could tell the whole flock was happy, it was a lot of bread after all. He looked back to the girls but they were gone. Okay, so she knew what she was doing. He felt a little more comfortable and sat back down.
 
Today Flynn landed in New York, not looking forward to having a new atmosphere he was, naturally, eating corn nuts, his go to snack when nervous. This has become an easier habit because of his duplication ability. The discovery of this ability was right after the incident with the throwing knife and his officer, he was so scared and didn't have a bag of them on him like usual, so they just started appearing in his hand. It took Flynn a while to find that it was his concentration on what he wanted to get them to form in his hand. After a little tinkering he found he could make it appear in between his thumb and index finger for easier eating.

Anyway, the bus was packed and he wasn't comfortable with his seat mate, who kept trying to make small talk. To ease the move, his mom had packed his old backpack with one of everything needed for an average college student even though he's not going to college, ever. He specified only one and explained that one was enough because of his duplication ability, she was saddened that she wouldn't be able to use laundry as an excuse to see him every once in a while. Among the packed items was his dad's bandana that was given to him the day before the accident that killed him, this would be Flynn's symbol no matter if he were a hero or sidekick.

The bus came to a stop, Flynn looked up and noticed the supposedly "abstract art" structure by the pond. He thought of ways he could get to the top to avoid the world below, and this thought enveloped him throughout the tour of the campus. He finally broke concentration when he opened the door to his on campus room, it was already inhabited. "Looks like my new roommate took the liberty of claiming the right side of the room", posters of Johnny Depp scatter the ceiling and walls. The bed sheets are polka dots of different colors, and then his roommate appears out of the bathroom. She introduces herself as Steph.
 
Billy watched as the next tour group stopped by the sculpture and the animated tour guide give what seemed to be very uninteresting description of Themis history. At least, when he went through his tour it wasn't very interesting. Billy notices one guy snacking on what seemed to be nothing. He thought that was interesting there was nothing in his hands yet he keeps on feeding himself. "Weird, I wonder what he can do," Billy says to no one in particular. He decides he spent enough time outside. He wasn't being very productive and the examiners had encouraged him to explore his powers. How he was supposed to do that he had no idea. "Alright," he thinks to himself. "Start with what you know." He had absorbed his wolf and now had Bandit's eyes. Maybe he could absorb another animal. Billy didn't like that, it seemed cruel. What happens to the animal besides becoming a tattoo? His power seems kind of useless.

His attention turns back to the flock. "I might can tell how animals feel," Billy also thinks. Maybe he could kind of communicate with them in a way. He gets up and moves towards them with a cautious attitude, the same he approached animals he would rescue. The whole flock stops and looks directly at him. He had never approached a group of animals in this way before. Normally the animals were already familiar with him. This was an entirely new reaction. He never had to consciously think of the moods he was projecting but now his cautious attitude was plain as day to him as well as back from the flock. "I wonder what would happen if I change my approach." He sits down and takes a welcoming air. The flocks attitude becomes more friendly and they abandon their bread and waddle slowly to him. "Why didn't I notice this before?" he thinks to himself as his projected mood becomes excited. This produces a rather shocking reaction. Some of ducks shrink away intimidated while others get excited and hurry to him with more quacks and wings flapping. Billy laughs, "This is so much cooler than I thought it was going to be."

Billy decides to try one last thing before he wants to move on to another animal. He wants to know what would happen if he wanted to stop telling the ducks he was excited or friendly but keep the attitude. He takes a second and stops focusing on projecting his emotions. Almost instantly, the flock loses most of their interest. Some even waddle back to the bread. The goose however has hung around, his mood very intrigued by Billy's presence and wanting more from him. "Well that was anti-climactic." He gets up and leaves and the goose goes back about its business losing all interest. Billy looks around. I wonder what else I can experiment with. As he's wandering around a couple trees in the grass, he's thinking about how the animals reacted different to his specific moods. "I wonder what that will mean with other animals." He starts thinking about more aggressive creatures. What if his excited mood entices a creature with a bad disposition? Would it attack him? He's never been attacked before, though usually he's always kept a cautious and friendly mood when dealing with new creatures.
 
Getting acquainted with a female roommate was not what Flynn expected, coed is not a norm from what he knew. He figured that under the circumstances in which Themis was created that norms are not a thing of importance here. Steph has the ability to turn invisible, which upsets him seeing as that means she can be around without him knowing. "You won't spy on me will you?" he asks, she replies "Not if your being a good boy, I wouldn't have to now would I?". Flynn simply says "Well honey you're gonna be one busy spy." And begins setting up his side of the room. He makes his bed with simple black sheets and an empty pillowcase, he'll have to buy a pillow soon, perhaps there's an on campus store that sells them, he left his motorcycle at his house in New Mexico, and he would rather not get on a public bus to go looking for one. He sets aside his laptop and charger, then places his backpack on the desk to begin pulling out the rest of his supplies: tooth brush and tooth paste, hairbrush, electric shaver, and wax, showering 'kit', towel, a first aid kit, and a fingernail care kit. His mom knew he liked to keep his hygiene in check. All of them are in their original packaging for him to duplicate later. Making a copy of each, he puts them away in the desk drawers.

Going out to find a pillow and lamp he can duplicate for his desk, he asks Steph if she wants to join but she says no. He opens the door, and is blinded by how bright it is outside. Slamming the door, he staggers backward blinking with spotted vision. "Are you okay!? What was that all about?" Steph asks. "It's so bright out, since when does the sun shine like that at 6 'o' clock?" he replies. She checks outside and its not that bright, like every other day. "It's not bright at all, you need to get your eyes checked." And on that note he makes the last pair of sunglasses he touched and puts them on, aviators, and heads to the clinic.

The results of his test come back that he has perfect vision and that nothing is wrong with him. It's 9:30 now so he figures its dark enough out that he doesn't need the glasses any more so he destroys them and walks out frustrated that this trip was no help. Opening the door it looks like the sun went back to normal, only the sun isn't even up. Then it all snaps together in his mind, "I must have better than perfect vision, I can see like an owl!" excited that he can now see in darkness. "No need for a lamp" he thinks and laughs to himself. He puts on a new set of aviators and skips off to the store for his pillow.
 
"Okay, lets try that one more time"Enar said to no one in particular while she starting running forward, a speed faster than humans due by creating wind patterns around her feet making her step lighter. Sometimes when she ran it seemed like she was floating around because she barely touched the ground. To her it was fascinating but it was getting old. The new trick now was flying which was starting to frustrate her after the millionth time. Run, sprint, jump, and fly she thought over and over. But like some people say 'It is easier said than done' and this was proof of that. Little by little she felt herself raise above the ground only to fall again once she reached the ten feet. Bam! Enar smacked against a Thuja Green Giant tree and tangled herself with its branches. "This is embarrassing" she mumbled to herself furiously while looking around, making sure no one has seen her.

After thirty minutes trying to get down to the grass without hurting herself, Enar sat down and lay her back against the tree. I have train for two years and I can't even fly. I have master the speed, the attacks, the defense, and how to control the wind patterns but not flying. Sighing she closed her eyes, it was still morning and the sun was finding its way slowly to the center of the sky with each passing minute. A faint breeze embraced the trees and her bringing a smile to her lips. Nature was one of the few things that she enjoyed and was truly passionate about. Being outside was a habit to her, it felt right.

The voices of people woke Enar up from her nap. Somehow she had fallen asleep while she thought about the places she wanted to visit. She had forgotten today was the orientation for the new mutants coming in. Would she have a roommate this year or would her room be hers completely again? It was time to meet new people, to try and be social, to get out of her own protected bubble. "Who will catch my eyes?" she wondered out loud as she saw the tour group far away ahead of her. No one picked her interested. Figures.
 
Elvie smiled, and clapped her hands together, looking over the group in front of her. "And with this tacky piece of art here, our tour is concluded!" The group chuckled and she grinned, knowing she was saying exactly what they were all thinking. "Does anyone have any ques- Yes! Yes, Jeff, the rest of the day will be for you to finish getting ready and settling in. Your introduction to classes will start tomorrow. Mmhmm." She paused, then before anyone spoke again, "Yes, they will most likely be short, just a brief introduction to what you will be doing in the class." There was another pause as the tour group stared at her quietly. They were all thinking it. Most of them were upset, concerned, and felt that she had invaded their privacy. Unfortunately, in all the years that she'd been taught to refine her mind reading, she had yet to find an off switch. The group stood around awkwardly. A lot of them were trying to cover up their negative thoughts about her, a few were almost shouting awkward apologies. She laughed lightly, "Don't worry, I get it all the time, and you all know how it feels, so there's nothing really I can say. Except maybe try to think a bit quieter, yeah?" Everyone gave a strained laugh and she waved politely as she turned and headed to the bank of the lake, leaving the new ones to their own devices.

She sat quietly, curling her legs beneath her. She had always tried to make the best of her situation, using her powers for simplicity's sake. But every time anyone found out that she could read minds, they were upset and disgusted. Many of her close friends, even those at her church, had told her to never speak to them again. There were even restraining orders, which the judges had all allowed. She was invading the most private sanctum that all people possessed. She was a stalker, a creep. Her powers, according to many people she used to know, were a curse from Satan, a temptation, a tool for damnation. Elvie pursed her lips. No. Her powers could and would be used for good. They would all see that soon enough.

She was suddenly brought out of her daze by the sound of excited quacking just a few meters down the beach. She turned and saw a very handsome gentleman interacting with the ducks. He was definitely a new arrival, and he looked familiar. Ah, yes. He had been in one of her tour groups earlier. Hopping to her feet she followed after him as he wandered through the small park amid the campus. She dodged the trees as she skipped after him, trying to catch up. "Hey!" She wasn't sure he had heard her, and she didn't want to scare him by talking to him in his mind. People tended to react to that poorly. Instead, she thought she would experiment with her more recent studies. Quickly she tossed an idea into his mind that he had heard her voice behind him and should stop and turn around. It would be hit or miss, but she thought she could at least try it out.
 
Eli has not been able to get any sleep for a couple weeks now. The haunting memory of his father's death still lingered in the back of his mind, causing him nightmares. "I should have been able to save him", he yelled at himself over and over again. The room got heavy, and got heavier with every outburst of rage towards himself, getting so strong that it forcing him to be completely flat on the floor. With no way of controlling this power of Eli's, he eventually passes out. Waking up so confused and unknowing of what had happened to him last night, he ponders, Why, couldn't I lift those rocks? Why, didn't my power activate? With these questions constantly going through his mind and thinking about what the hell had happened last night he had to wonder So what is my real power if it isn't super-human strength?

After finally reaching solid ground from getting off the boat from Rio de Janeiro which took 22 days to get to Miami, the first thing is that he does is try to find directions to Themis. The only reason he even took the boat was so he could keep the only thing that mattered most to him right now, which was his father's motorcycle. Eli gets the motorcycle ready for the long trip up to New York, making sure everything was still in order after the trip, just like his dad used to do. Eli just had to make one final stop before taking off, which was a gas station to fuel up and to grab some snacks for the road trip. With all that time at sea, it almost made Eli forget how much he enjoyed riding and how it made him feel so relaxed with the wind against his body and through his hair.

Eli reaches New York in good time, taking him just about a day or more. He had to take some quick stops in Savannah, Georgia and Richmond, Virginia for gas and a little sleep, seeing that he can't get much still. Eli had gotten lost a little while in New York trying to get to Themis. Running low on fuel again, he stops to get gas and hopefully directions. Every time he tried to get directions, the people around him would get really freaked out the exact moment he mentions the school, Themis. He was getting freaked out about it to because he had no idea about what his power does and doesn't want to hurt anyone. It was unfortunate to see that people were still unaccepting of mutants even after all this time has passed.

Arriving at Themis, Eli had a moment of awe for a minute after looking around at the campus's landscape. Snapping back to reality he quickly looks for the registering building thinking that it will be closing soon. With him not wanting to spend the night on the streets, he goes off. Just like he had guessed they were just about to lock up but he was able to sweet talk the secretary into getting him a quick meeting with the Dean and having a room assigned to him as well. Before heading off to his room Eli wanted to walk around the campus taking a few photos here and there, with his camera, of the beautiful architecture and scenery. After taking in the new atmosphere Eli now just wanted to get to his room so that he could sleep after his long day. Whether or not he would get any sleep was another question.
 
The day was getting hotter and Enar felt the need to take a longer nap that didn't involve being in the open where everyone would see her. At times, she felt scared to be around people for the only reason that they were scared of her. She knew what most of them thought of her. Freak, mutant, abomination. Sighing she got up from under the tree she had spent her past half hour. Back to my room. Deep inside she wished she had a roommate so the room would not feel so lonely and empty. She also wanted someone who would talk to her and not be afraid, a friend.

Enar made her way slowly to her dorm as she took in the people around her. Anyone that has been at Themis before could spot a newbie the first time they saw him/her. In this case, there were a lot of those. Maybe more than the previous year. On one hand she was glad at seem so many people but on the other, well, she felt sorry for them. Half the students at Themis wished they didn't have their 'curse' as they put it. Enar was a neutral party, her cons being that normal humans would point her out of their group and pro being that she could someday use her powers to save the world. Silly but true.

Half way from her room she spotted a boy with a camera. He must be new she thought as she looked around seeing that no one was around. Must be lost then, time to be a good Samaritan. Walking towards him she managed to give her most kind smile." Are you lost?" she said while looking at him. He looked older than her by a few years, dark short hair, tanned skin, lean but definitely with muscles. A good looking man she thought and bit her lip briefly trying not think too much. Her pale gray eyes stopped in his face looking him in the eyes as she waited for his answer.
 
Billy was walking pretty quickly he realized, but at the same time he was pretty interested in the butterfly he was following around. The emotions he could pick up were extremely scattered, mostly it was fear, sometimes longing. Sometimes he didn't pick up anything at all. He thought that could be a fault in his ability though. It would take some time to figure out. He started to slow down, the butterfly was interesting but it was just too afraid of him and didn't seem to recognize positive emotions. Billy was starting to realize how different animals are. "That's quite a bit to learn on the first day," he thought to himself. He still didn't know how to approach the butterfly though and it was starting to frustrate him.

Billy was about to give up on the butterfly and head over to his dorm. He was kind of anxious to meet his new roommate though being the main reason he was outside in the first place. He didn't want to put up with some hot shot with awesome powers putting him down. He mainly hoped for someone like himself, or at least someone helpful. Out of no where he developed this itching feeling that someone shouted out to him. He stopped and puzzled for a second. "I didn't hear anything," he thought to himself. He definitely didn't remember hearing anything at least. He looked up and out, both ways and then turned around slowly trying to discover the reason for this "shout."

Then he sees her and immediately recognizes her as the animated tour guide, but he couldn't remember her name. He remembered her power though. He remember the awkward silence among his peers as she "demonstrated" slightly what she could do. Billy however took a small liking to her. A school this renowned for producing top of the line Heroes and Sidekicks wouldn't put someone like that in her position if she wasn't ultimately trustworthy. It might be part of the screening process too for all he knew. A power like that surely catches bad thoughts before they come to fruitful action. Besides, she was friendly enough through her tour and really didn't make a show of her power. He truly felt she tried to use it as an ice breaker. How many people are they going to see every day using powers uniquely their own? Better to get used to it fast so the shock was over.

Billy didn't make it a point to move toward her but a couple steps. He couldn't fathom what would interest her in him. He was new, no idea what his power was, walking through trees chasing a butterfly like some handicap... Billy mentally smacked himself. First because he shouldn't be thinking all Heroes set themselves on a pedestal. Second because he realized she probably "heard" him think all of this. "Alright keep cool," he thought. "This is obviously not her first rodeo." She didn't look at all upset. "Yeah she's definitely used to this." he thought. "Geez, what was her name?"
 
Elvie giggled a bit and smiled at him. It certainly was a regular thing for people to stumble over their thoughts, especially when first learning about her power. Most of her closer friends had gotten used to it, and when a rude thought would slip into their minds, they would correct it with a "Sorry, Elvie." She understood that many people couldn't control their thoughts, and that even though something was thought, it wasn't necessarily meant to be expressed. She had learned to take things as they came, elaborate on things that mattered, and ignore the things that didn't.

She was also extremely excited that her attempt at manipulation had worked, at least in the slightest. The whole thing was usually hit or miss. Every person had their own experiences, thoughts, and personalities, and for an implanted idea to work, it had to be tailored for that person. Simple ideas, as long as they weren't obviously against people, were usually easy to transmit. "Hey, you want pizza for dinner" was something typically simple to transmit and would often be taken up and followed. Of course, if that idea went to someone who couldn't stand the taste of pizza, they would be curious where the thought came from and would write it off as a slip of the mind. More serious commands were harder to transfer. "Hey, jump off that cliff there" would not convince a normal person to jump off a cliff. They would likely look at the cliff and wonder what the hell they had been thinking. However, if that person had had a multitude of unfortunate events occur in their lives, it would be more likely. "Hey, you know, your parents are dead, everybody calls you a mutant, and even other mutants think you're a freak. You might as well just end it all, stop the suffering, and jump off that cliff there" would be more likely to succeed in convincing them to do so. Tailored to that person.

She continued to approach him, finally extended her hand. "It's Evelyn, but everyone calls me Elvie. You're Billy, right?" She smiled again, tipping her head a bit to the side. "Don't worry too much about your thoughts. I know people think things that they would never say out loud, and I try my hardest to ignore them. I won't be offended by anything that crosses your mind." She paused, taking a moment to browse over what his mind was thinking about the most. "It's not that the academy specifically trusts me to do this task or are using it as a screening, although I can see how it might be a benefit. Really, I just like to be active around campus and help out people who might need me. I've been here a year already, so I'm not as sure about things as others. You're also right, I do sort of use it as an ice breaker for what everyone will experience on campus. My power's pretty invasive, but it's definitely one of the least intimidating when you look at some of the other people around here. It's a good introduction."

She smiled again, indicating a bench nearby where they could sit down and chat for a bit. "So you have animal empathy as a power? I think that's pretty cool. I've always loved kitties, myself! I also have to say I think it's cool that you're trying to be so positive about this place. Most people on my tour were acting like this was some sort of military camp or prison, when it's not that way at all! Themis makes heroes."
 
Billy looked to the bench she was indicating. It was in the shade, that was cool. He was a little tired of sitting in the sun and after chasing around the butterfly trying to some how connect with it, certainly was tiring. "Yeah," he said looking back at her as he took a step towards the bench. "I'm actually not too sure. I guess empathy would be the right way to say it but I don't know what else I can do." He looked at her. "I don't know how to explain this but I'm assuming if you can read my thoughts you should be able to understand if I just think about it right?"

Billy didn't wait for an answer. He sat down and closed his eyes and flashed back to the day that Bandit "died". He and Bandit were walking down a pretty calm street when Bandit caught a whiff of some roadkill. Billy was just realizing now that he can remember Bandit's excitement pouring out of him. "I guess I really should have noticed my powers sooner," Billy thought along with the flashback. It never occurred to him that any thing he was feeling or doing might have been special. It was hard for Billy to remember the rest in real time seeing how it all seemed to happen so slowly. Billy was laughing and trying to call Bandit away from the dead animal when the next thing he knew a horn was blaring. Billy looked back to see a dirty, beat up, red truck barreling down the road. Billy looked back at Bandit who had noticed the vehicle too late. Billy could feel the fear coming from Bandit as if it was happening all over again. Bandit was just starting to take a step away from his prized roadkill when the truck caught him by the haunches. He was rolled over by front tire and bounced up and out of the way of the rear.

Blood was starting to collect pretty quickly as Billy rushed over to Bandit. He sat and wrapped his arms around Bandit's head and was crying over him. "Please don't leave me!" Billy cried as tears ran down his eyes. Billy had been reluctant to relive this memory up until now but as he did, he could feel the air of Bandit's emotions change from pained and fear to resolution. He can now clearly remember Bandit's emotions, though he couldn't quite put a name to the feeling. It was almost as if Bandit was saying "I wont' leave you, I'd do anything for you." At the same moment Bandit put his nose to Billy's head and burst into the spiraling green particles.

Billy cut his memory off here and looked up at Elvie. He had thought he just figured something out. He didn't have to say it, he knew Elvie could hear it. His mind had to be screaming it. But at the same time all the thoughts of doubt were there. As he looked at her he couldn't say anything. Man this power made it difficult for him to say anything before she already knew what it was. He just kept thinking a million miles a minute. "I just need an animal to be loyal to me! That's how the absorption works!" The negative thoughts were still there too. "It won't work, there has to be another factor. Besides, what are you going to do when you do have them?" He continued to think. "Well," he finally said aloud. "I have a hypothesis. And I guess technically I have you to thank." This day was just full of surprises.
 
Flynn found the perfect pillow, firm enough that not all the filling spread away from his head, but soft enough that it was actually comfortable. He bought it and walked back to his room gleefully. He has had such a long day: plane ride, bus ride, small tour, roommate conversations, clinic visit, discovery of a new power, and now a pillow to sleep with. The walk was a bit cold, but none the less enjoyable, meeting other students and talking about how life is gonna be from now on.

At least they still do normal things around here, games and sports with no powers allowed. Ping pong and pool tables in the lobby, along with an air hockey game going gave Flynn a relaxed feeling, the feeling that he may be different but it doesn't have to show if he doesn't want it to. This all made him happy to be at Themis rather than back at training where he gets told what to do with his time and has his day planned out by someone he probably will never meet. "Yeah, this is better than all that." he thinks.

Only a little further to his room now, Steph pops her head out and smiles at him. "Hey.. Found me a new pillow." Flynn says lifting the bag in his hand slightly. "What have you been up to?" he asks. "Oh nothing, just playin games, came out for some fresh air." she responds. "So how are your eyes? Did the doc say you were fine? You seem pretty upbeat." she asks with a little concern on her face. "As it turns out I can see in the dark! Well it's more like a better sense of sight than 'night vision'. On the plus side, you won't be the only one spying from now on." he says with a little laugh.
 
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