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Post by Caroline on Jun 25, 2011 8:57:13 GMT -5
A moment later, I witnessed something I'd never thought possible. The girl was floating, suspended in mid air. I took a step back, staring in amazement as the girl rose from the ground, lifting herself over the fence. It was definitely a sight. Suddenly, she lost balance and crashed on the other side. I gasped and ran up to the fence, canning my slew of curious questions temporarily to make sure she was alright. "Hey, you okay?" I asked, entwining my small fingers in the chain-link, then began to crawl up, carefully propelling myself with my feet. I reached the top and swung my legs over, coiling as I landed on the ground beside Erika. "Hey, you need to get up." I told her, tugging on her arm. I looked around to make sure no one was lurking. "Come on," I prodded once again, knowing I was rushing her. But it wasn't safe, even within the fence. Especially not within the fence.
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jun 25, 2011 20:25:53 GMT -5
Erika rubbed her back. She was pretty sure she had broken something. The girl pulled herself gingerly to her feet as her arm was tugged on. "I'm up, I'm up," she mumbled. She seemed to become a little more concerned as thoughts from Kadence echoed in her mind. This place didn't seem to be all that safe... Or so Kadence believed. Erika shivered. Why would she be led here if it wasn't safe? What was this other girl up to? "W-where are we going anyway?" Erika asked as she looked at the abandoned factory.
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Post by Caroline on Jun 26, 2011 8:13:18 GMT -5
A surge of excitement passed through me, it had been months since I invited a guest into my home. Not to mention all the questions I had for her, it was becoming less and less frequent to find other people like me. My head was swirling. But I pushed all of that aside. "Just keep your voice down," I instructed her firmly, scanning the area for any sign of flashlights or feral canines. This side seemed to be clear. "Follow me, watch your step." I whispered as I approached the factory, pointing at pieces of jagged scrap metal and potholes in the crumbling pavement.
I slid up against the brick exterior of the building, a faint rustling in the distance caught my attention. I paused, listening for a moment, then it stopped. Just a bird. I fumbled around in my pockets, searching for my door key. "Hm... how good are you with windows?" I asked, pulling out my empty hands before turning to Erika, who looked a bit painful.
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Jamie
Junior Member
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Post by Jamie on Jun 26, 2011 21:14:31 GMT -5
Erika's eyes watched her feet closely the whole time they walked. The last thing she wanted was rusty metal in her foot or something. She started as she heard something rustling and looked around cautiously. She reached out to her surroundings with her mind, but nothing turned up. Erika's attention returned to Kadence as she was asked a question. "Windows?" she repeated. "How good am I with windows?" The girl thought for a moment. "I could probably remove the pane with my teke and then replace it... If I concentrated really hard," she said.
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Post by Caroline on Jun 27, 2011 8:19:18 GMT -5
I rolled my eyes and took her hand, lead her around the corner, then showed her the open cut-outs in the brick where windows used to be. They were raised about five feet from the ground and completely clean of any remaining glass. Me being the nimble acrobat that I was, along with crawling through these windows dozens of times, I effortlessly leapt up and climbed through, swinging myself safely inside. I got a feeling Erika didn't have as much experience breaking into places as I did. "Wait here," I said to her before disappearing into the dark, then returned momentarily with a large boxy flashlight. I placed it on the concrete floor, then held my hand down to Erika. "Up you go, Red."
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jun 27, 2011 21:05:14 GMT -5
Erika felt the blood rise to her cheeks as she realized she had misunderstood Kadence. Now that she knew what the other had meant, she wanted to explain that she was pretty lousy at climbing things. The girl looked at the window for a long moment. Her telekinesis was useless in this situation. The window was too small and she didn't have a fine control over her TK anyway. She looked back up as a flashlight appeared in the window and reached up to take hold of Kadence's hand. She scrambled up awkwardly, nearly falling onto her face once she had gotten inside. "Well that was fun," she said cheerfully. "Let's not do it again."
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Post by Caroline on Jun 28, 2011 8:48:02 GMT -5
I smirked at Erika's clumsy entrance. "I usually have a key, but I seem to have lost it." I apologized, scooping up the flashlight and waving it around to show her our surroundings. We were standing on the main floor; an enormous open room the size of a super market, littered with various pieces of broken equipment and industrial trash. There was also a thin carpet of moss and a moist, musty smell with notes of gasoline that lingered in the air as we made our way further in.
"We're pretty safe now. Just, outside can get a bit tricky because of the patrols and dogs and such that protect this place at night. But I think we beat them time wise." I said to Erika, peering out the window. Now, typically I wouldn't bring strangers into my home. I was usually pretty cautious about that sort of stuff, but this girl was different, and I highly doubted she was working for anyone. However, David would not be pleased with my decision. I huffed at the thought, my older brother was always so stuffy and over-protective. The girl did seem to be pretty trusting of me so far, for just meeting, though I figured if something were to happen she had the confidence behind her to just zap me with her telekinesis and call it a day. I weighed the thought for a moment, deciding I was the one who got the short end of the stick. Honestly, the risks I took on a daily basis didn't bother me too much, but David would be another story.
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Jamie
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Posts: 61
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Post by Jamie on Jun 28, 2011 20:31:08 GMT -5
Erika looked around the interior of the factory with interest. The smell of the gasoline caused her nose to wrinkle, but after the first couple of minutes she became used to it. "Doesn't anyone notice you in here? You and your... brother?" Erika asked as Kadence's thoughts of someone named David drifted around the back of her mind. The girl walked around at the place a little more, wondering how crazy the state of the world would have to be to drive people into places like this. Not that she was any better off, really, but the whole scene forced the truth of things into her face.
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Post by Caroline on Jun 29, 2011 6:50:30 GMT -5
We came to a heavy metal door, I cranked the handle and pushed in, holding it open for Erika. Inside was a narrow hallway and a shabby stairwell. I quickly accepted the fact that she heard David in my thoughts and didn't comment. "We're pretty careful. Neither of us spend a whole lot of time here during the day anyway, so as long as we get back between dusk and when the patrols begin their shift..." I explained before bounding up the stairs, which creaked and moaned in protest. "This is just one of many bases, by the way."
I entered the control room, or better yet the 'living room'. The old operating panels lined the front of the room beneath a large window that overlooked the main room where we had just come from. It was peppered with dirt, making it difficult to see through. The room had been recently refurbished with two second-hand couches; one brown, the other a cheery yellow floral pattern (which I despised), and a coffee table with a metal pipe replacing one of it's legs. I made sure to shut the curtains before switching on the light. A single dim ceiling bulb flickered to life in it's a rusty socket. "Welp, welcome to the fairytale palace." I said, then loaded my stolen goods into the mini-fridge in the corner. I wondered why Erika hadn't questioned my stealing yet. "So, tell me how a pretty girl like you wound up in a shit-hole city like this."
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jun 29, 2011 21:40:16 GMT -5
Erika's eyes widened at the thought of other bases like this one. She knew the Alternates had to live somewhere, but condemned buildings wouldn't be the first thing she'd think of. It was so obvious it should have been, but it wasn't. Erika eased herself onto the yellow couch, taking an immediate liking to the quaint piece of furniture. She watched Kadence unload her stolen goods and leaned back on the sofa. The girl's nose wrinkled at the question that was asked of her. "Where do I begin?" she wondered aloud in a tone that made it clear she didn't want to start her tale. "My family moved to Wixam City when I was super young, so I didn't have much of a choice." She laughed. "Everything was all right at first. The anti-gifted, if you will, movement didn't really bother us. Then my twin brother's and my powers manifested when we turned six. He was taken away soon after." The girl fell quiet for a moment, rumpling her hair. "Things went from bad to worse after that, really, but it's pretty easy for me to live on the streets. You get used to it, I suppose. Plus, people generally don't ever remember me, if you know what I mean." The girl fell quiet, figuring she'd said enough--if not too much. "What about you?" Erika asked. "How did you and your brother end up here?"
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Post by Caroline on Jun 30, 2011 7:34:49 GMT -5
I closed the refrigerator door and rummaged through the old locker that had become our pantry. "Forgive me, we're running a bit low on steak n' mash." I apologized, pulling out an unopened sleeve of plain crackers and a can of EZ-Cheez. I knelt down and grabbed two bottled waters as well, passing one to Erika before plopping down on the couch opposite her and kicking my shoes off.
I listened to the girl's story, swirling a bit of the cheesy substance onto a cracker. I had a difficult time showing sympathy, let alone faking sympathy, and I hoped Erika wouldn't take my lack of it the wrong way. I wasn't sure what to say, but weakly came out with "That's quite tragic," and pushed the cracker into my mouth. I briefed my story next. "Well, David and I were born and raised here, six years ago my parents sacrificed themselves for us... They were taken away, probably murdered, and us kids were tucked safely beneath the floor boards when it happened. It was the most awful thing in the world to hear my mother's screams..." I explained, absently watching my feet as I remembered the day, but decided not to go into painful details. "So after that, David looked after me. He took care of me, taking on the responsibilities of a parent at fourteen. And we've lived on our own ever since, I guess. We're pretty good at it now, and I suppose the only reason we stay is because we don't have any desire to leave. At least I don't... I've adapted quite nicely to the life of a street rat, plus it would feel wrong to abandon this battle we're all involved in. To run away from it would be to surrender. And I kind of enjoy the thrill, personally." I finished, stretching across the couch length-wise and tucking my hands behind my head. "But yeah, fun times." I smilied at Erika to show that I wasn't upset. I'd had my share of tears and it was all in the past now. It took a lot more than sad memories to bring me down. "So your brother, what is his name?" I asked, changing the subject.
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Jamie
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Post by Jamie on Jul 1, 2011 20:17:04 GMT -5
Erika silently fought with the water bottle through all of Kadence's story. The tale was much more tragic than hers, it seemed, but what gifted didn't have a horrifying past? Still, she didn't understand how the girl could enjoy living like an snimal, away from populated areas and cities. What she wouldn't give to be normal somedays...
A small sigh escaped Erika's lips as she stared at the offending water bottle. To give up would be to surrender, she told herself. Taking a deep breath, the girl focused on the cap of the bottle. It began to grow a hazy green as she attempted to use her mind to twist off. Unaccustomed to using her powers for such a small task, Erika accidentally sent the cap flying off the bottle. Water soaked both girls as the bottle shot into the air and then hit Erika in the head. The girl groaned and rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry about that," she stammered as the blood rose to her cheeks and neck. The blush didn't leave her pale face as she was asked the name of her brother. "You'd just laugh if I told you," Erika said as she emptied the plastic bottle of the remaining water.
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Post by Caroline on Jul 2, 2011 17:12:26 GMT -5
I watched quietly and unsure as Erika's focus locked onto her water bottle. Whatever she was doing, she appeared to be incredibly serious. What was she doing? Was there something wrong? Did I accidently give her my disguised vodka? Then, all of the sudden, the cap rocketed off bottle, spraying water everywhere. I let out a gasp of surprise and shielded myself with my arms protectively as I was drenched. Oh, it was just one of her mind tricks. I sat up, looking around cautiously before answering. "Oh really? Try me." I challenged, finger-combing my dampened black hair away from my face.
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Jamie
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Posts: 61
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Post by Jamie on Jul 3, 2011 20:24:52 GMT -5
Erika blushed and looked over the water bottle absentmindedly. After a long moment to consider it, she finally caved. "All right," she mumbled. The girl looked up at Kadence and took a deep breath as if about to preform a difficult task. "It was Erik," she admitted. "My parents thought it would be cute or something..." Erika shook her head, putting the water bottle down before she crushed it. "I loved him though," she mused. "As much as a six year old could possibly love her brother." She rubbed her eye with her finger as it began to tear up and sighed. "Sorry about turning into a mushy mess," she apologized. "Maybe we should talk about something other than this so I don't get all weepy on you."
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Post by Caroline on Jul 4, 2011 8:24:30 GMT -5
Just as I was about to attempt soothing words toward Erika (which I probably would have screwed up anyway) a loud bang sounded from floor below, followed by angry footsteps crashing up the stairs. A moment later, that handsome brother o' mine entered the room, spewing profanity and clutching his arm, blood trickling through his fingers. He was battered, slashes covering his body, clothes torn and splotched with mud.
I stood, feeling my jaw drop, I rushed through the back door and returned momentarily with a dampened towel. "What the hell happened?!" I exclaimed, pushing it into his hand. David hissed in pain as he pressed the cool cloth onto his arm, then spoke. "Fucking druggies," he growled, muscles rippling as a fresh dose anger surged through him while he reflected. "They're fucking mental at the west end of town." David paused, wiping his face. He waved his hand dismissively as if it wasn't important, then changed the subject. "Are you okay? How was your nigh--" his words were broken as he spotted Erika on the couch. I winced and prepared for a shouting as his lips twisted and his nostrils flared with a forceful exhale, his expression similar to that of a raging bull.
He looked to me, wordlessly opening his hand in Erika's direction as if the say "who the hell is that?". I followed his gaze and I tried my best to display a reassuring smile to her. "That's um, Erika." I answered weakly. "She's a water-manipulater... She needed a place to stay for the night. And yes, I checked her. Everything is fine." I lied. David grunted and shook his head, then disappeared through the back door. I knew he was doesn't done yet, but his wounds required the better of his attention at the moment. It wasn't uncommon for my brother to get into street fights, so over the years I had become quite handy in first aid. However, I figured at the age of twenty he was capable of bandaging himself up today.
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