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Post by Midnight on Jun 16, 2006 22:12:09 GMT -5
It was dusk on one of those long summer days. The light had begun to fade but everything was still visible. The air was close and warm, but finally cooling down after the heat of the day. Crickets were chirping and the woods behind the mansion were shrouded in the shadows of the night. It all had a peaceful feel that most of the days around the mansion lacked. Usually, everything was hectic and everything important needed to be done. School needed to be learned and training to be taken. Every day filled with activity. But now, the night was coming peacefully to the mansion.
Out in the backyard, Midnight was running, trying to catch fireflies. She had done that a long time ago, when she was seven. Such an innocent activity.
She knew she was alone, and so she didn't care what she looked like. She was smiling brightly, joyful in the small pleasures of these beautiful glowing insects that filled the backyard like stars would fill the sky once night fell. Catching one, she watched it crawling on her hand, circling it until it reached her fingertip and then flitting off again.
Catching fireflies was easy. She could still see them, even when their glow blinked away. Her eyes glowed like embers, her powers naturally activating in the darkness.
The night seemed perfect. Calm. The lights from the mansion actually seemed like home, safe behind her.
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Post by Chance on Jun 16, 2006 22:50:42 GMT -5
Quietly a girl emerged from the shadows. She had been sitting by the pool all afternoon sketching the back of the mansion and hadn't realized how dark it was becoming. Now, in the dusky twilight, Raina walked steadily forward, her eyes trying to adjust to the change in time of day.
"Oh...umm, hi," she said as she suddenly realized she wasn't alone. Man, the mansion was so big and so full of students, Raina felt like being alone was an impossible feat.
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Post by Midnight on Jun 16, 2006 22:55:14 GMT -5
Midnight glanced up quickly when she heard the voice, then gave a sigh. "Hi," she replied, blowing on her finger to give the firefly some lift. It soared into the air, lighting up like a star to join the others floating around the backyard. So she wasn't alone. There didn't seem to be anywhere other than her cramped room she could go.
Midnight settled down in the grass and looked over the girl. She didn't seem familiar, so she must have been one of the many new students. But for the sake of conversation, Midnight thought she would ask anyway: "You new here?"
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Post by Chance on Jun 16, 2006 23:22:37 GMT -5
"Yes actually, is it that obvious?" Raina asked, a slight smile crossing her lips. She hadn't realized how desprite for human contact she had become. But, as she started to get comfortable her body shut down. It didn't like being put in awkward situations. "My name is...aaa...my name is Raina."
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Post by Midnight on Jun 17, 2006 0:05:33 GMT -5
"It's not 'that obvious'," Midnight replied. "I just haven't seen you before, so I'm guessing you are new. I've been around for a while." Even though half of the time she had been enrolled in the institute she had actually been floating in endless black nothingness and then part of the time she was captured and then part of the time she was possesed. But enough rumors were flying around the institute about the 'crazy goth girl' that she didn't feel the need nor the desire to add those details. "Raina. Pretty name," she said kindly. "I'm Midnight. What are your powers?"
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Post by Chance on Jun 17, 2006 0:11:52 GMT -5
"Midnight, now that's a pretty name." Raina smiled, moving a little closer. "My powers aren't really anything that special. I mean, compared to what other kids here can do." She sat down on the grass and took off her backpack. She opened it up and slipped her book inside. Then she removed her water bottle.
"I can move water, I don't really know how or why, I just can," she uncapped the bottle and suddenly the water danced out, like a snake charmer's snake, the water coiled up and floated about amoung the many lightning bugs. All the while Raina camly rotated her finger, the water following her commands.
"It's more fun than actually useful." Raina smiled sheepishly.
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Post by Midnight on Jun 17, 2006 0:34:20 GMT -5
So, the girl hadn't heard that she had attacked the institute and terrorized her friends along with randomly absorbing another guy while being completely crazy. Well, it wouldn't be long. "I think your power looks useful. You have more control over it than I did with mine when I first started. And there is a lot you could do with water. People, even with all their technology, still have problems with floods. You could command the ocean itself. You could cut off oxygen to people, threatening to drown them. You could..." she trailed off, suddenly realizing that everything she listed involved harm to others. "Sorry," she said, looking at the ground with a mirthless smile. "I guess I've been fighting so long I can't see anything else you could use it for. I'm sure there are things, I just find fighting the most important to me."
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Post by Chance on Jun 20, 2006 16:08:41 GMT -5
Raina smiled back. She guessed that being an X-Man meant she had to fight, but she was still a little uncomfortable with the idea of it. She had never faught anyone before...
"Well, right now all I can do is move it," she said, forming the water into a tiny dragon that danced its way back into the bottle. "I guess I'll learn how to do more...eventually." She twisted the cap back onto her water bottle and stowed it in her bag.
"What about you?" She asked addressing Midnight. "What's your ability?"
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Post by Midnight on Jun 20, 2006 23:31:36 GMT -5
Midnight gave a mirthless smile. "I control darkness," she replied simply. Then with a sigh, she resigned herself to explain. "I can create it," she began, holding a palm open in front of her and watching a black thread of smoke spiral out of nothing. It did not respond to the wind like smoke and continued its silent dance unhindered. "I can manipulate it." The thread coiled down into a mass of blackness hovering over her palm as it formed itself into the heaving sides of a horse. The black horse tossed its mane, almost invisible in the coming night. "And I can do other things, none of which are good. I can block the light, I can block mental signals such as telepathy, and I can absorb things into a demension of endless darkness." Even being so calm, she shivered. "I'm afraid I got stuck with the bad end of the mutant deal," she murmered a little sadly. "Oh," she said as if she just remembered, "I can also see in the darkness," she pointed to her glowing eyes. "But in the demension of endless night, there isn't anything to see, so it really doesn't help me there." She gave a wry grin and looked away, then said softly, "I like your power better."
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Post by highlander on Jun 21, 2006 9:30:17 GMT -5
Druid was walking around the grounds when he saw Midnight talking with a new girl, so he decided to say hello, "How are ya Midnight? I didn't realize you were the welcome commitee for all new students," he joked, his scottish accent somewhat slurring his words.
Looking at the new girl a smile crossed his face, "Midnight welcomed me when I arrived at the mansion not long ago. My name's Druid."
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Post by Midnight on Jun 21, 2006 9:58:55 GMT -5
The heat rose in Midnight's face as McKay wandered into the backyard and spoke to them. She remembered his ability of pre-cognition and had guessed at the vision that he saw there. It was embarassing to be caught skinny-dipping when she hadn't even removed her clothes.
It seemed a little strange for a mutant who she hardly knew to greet her like they were old friends, even with a joke. Some people must be more outgoing than she was, just something she wasn't used to and didn't understand. As a foster kid, everyone had always seemed surly to her, never really going out of their way to make her feel welcome. As a street kid, you either welcomed someone as brothers or as an enemy. Living a somewhat normal life was different to her.
"Hi McKay," she murmered softly, still not meeting his eyes. She hoped her blush did not show up in the thickening darkness. "I'm hardly a welcoming comittee, I just talk to people who talk to me." If she was a welcoming comittee, they would probably lose more students than they gained.
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