A/N: Warnings- violence, character deaths (major and minor), implied sexual content, and language; Pairings- MakaXHarvar, SoMa, hints of TsuStar, AsuraxLiz, JacKim,
To say she was nervous was the understatement of the century. Maka Albarn was just fifteen-years old when she left the comfort of her home. She was terrified. The looks she got on the bus were enough to make her on alert. Did they know? Was it possible to tell mutant from non-mutant now? It was not every day that a fifteen-year old boards a bus with a suitcase in hand. Was she too obvious? All of these thoughts, questions, and concerns flitted through her hyper-stimulated mind as she had her nose buried in a novel that she had grabbed from her bookshelf before booking it out of her house. She should not have had that coffee before she left; she was far too jittery to relax and enjoy the eloquently written words of Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She longed to escape her reality and replace it with the universe that she yearned to be in, one where she didn't have to fear death at the blink of an eye. However, the excess of caffeine made that impossible, so she closed the novel with an irritated huff and directed her attention to the ever-changing scenery that could be seen through the window. As the trees rushed past, she reflected on her decision. She had heard that Shibusen was a wonderful place, a safe haven even, for her kind. However, was it a wise idea to abandon home for this Academy? What if the stories she heard over the years were a cover up and mutants were murdered there behind closed doors? What if she got there and realized that she did not fit in there either? She wrung her hands nervously, her fears starting to get the best of her. She was tempted to pull the stop request rope and run off the bus back towards her house, territory she was familiar with. As she was struggling with this internal conflict, she felt the weight of the accusatory stares and curious glances that were directed her way. She felt herself flush from being put on the spot like this, embarrassment and panic clouding her thoughts and judgment. She could not do this, there was no way. Her hand inched toward the rope, intent on tugging it, when the voices of the passengers around her started overcoming her thoughts.
'Boy, that girl is a strange one.'
'I hope she is not a runaway… should I call the cops now and alert them?'
'Do not look her way…she looks like trouble.'
She pulled her arm back from the rope and pressed her hands to her temples, trying to will away the voices. This, this was why she needed to escape to Shibusen. If she did not, she would never learn how to truly master her "gift." With as frightened as people were of the gifted now, one not able to fully control his or her abilities meant certain death. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her resolve; she needed to go there, fears be damned. It was best for her to get a new start rather than pressing her luck by remaining in Aurora; it was only a matter of time before her fellow Kansans learned of her secret and decided to persecute her. Decision made, she pulled her iPod out, popped in the headphones, and cranked up her music to drown out any lingering doubts she had, as well any stray voices. A change was definitely needed in her life, and this was the perfect opportunity. A ghost of a smile danced across her lips as she cracked open her book once again, ready to get swept up in the intricacies of Austen's work as she waited for the bus to make the final stop for her: Death City, Nevada.
Whatever her expectations of Death City had been prior to her arrival, they all paled in comparison to the beauty of the city. As she was caught up in its marvels, she shook her head, reminding herself why she was there. She had to find Shibusen Academy; it was the only reason her father was letting her get away from her wretched home in the first place. She had been promised protection from the cruel world in exchange for learning how to use and control her abilities. She wandered the streets for a few minutes, enjoying the farmer's market in the town square until she was able to hail a taxi.
"Where to?" the man asked as she stuffed herself in the small backseat.
"Shibusen Academy," she replied in a daze after getting comfortable. He gave a low hum and began driving. She was lost in the scenery; the mountains that surrounded the plaza were beautiful and provided a much more interesting landscape than she was used to back at home.
"That will be 25 dollars," he said gruffly, pulling over. It startled her out of her daydreaming as she reached into her purse, trying to scrounge up the money.
"Thank you," she replied in a breathy manor as she handed over the money, eyes already focused on the sheer size of the Academy. He grunted in response as she pulled herself and her luggage out of the cab before tearing off, wanting to be as far away from the Academy as possible. Her jaw slackened as she took in the sheer magnitude of the building; the staircase seemed like it went on for miles!
"You must be the new girl that the Professor was telling us about," a voice called from her right, causing her to jump slightly and focus her attention on him. "The name's Harvar, nice to meet you," he said politely, extending his hand for her to shake.
"Maka," she responded as she gave him her hand, her eyes narrowing to scrutinize him. He was of medium height and had dark hair that was slicked back into a neat ponytail; he did not seem like much of a threat to her. The only thing that she found unsettling about him was that his eyes were hidden by what appeared to be sunglasses to her; she had always believed that a person's eyes were the key to his or her soul, and it always made her uneasy when she was not able to see them.
"Well," he said as he relinquished his grip on her. "We should not keep the Professor waiting, he is a very busy man." He turned around and began to lead her up the mile-long staircase.
"Are you blind?" she blurted without thinking. Once she realized what she had asked, she slapped her hand over her mouth as her face turned beat red. What a way to make a great first impression. How could she be so stupid? A hearty chuckle broke her out of her self-deprecating thoughts.
"Do not worry, you are not the first one to ask me," he grinned. "However, no, I am not blind, though I do tell most people I am to keep them from asking anymore questions. But since you are going to be a student here at the Academy, there is no use in hiding it from you."
"Do tell," she replied, interest piqued at hearing about another person's gift.
"The glasses, visor really, help keep my powers in check. Without them, I have to keep my eyes closed at all times or I risk ruining anything that is in front of me."
"W-what exactly is your power?" she asked shyly, not wanting to come off anymore rude than she already had.
"To put it simply, I emit a blast of energy, almost like a laser beam if you must, from my eyes. The visor helps control it because it blocks the energy from shooting out randomly." He pointed to the side of the visor and she peered over to see a small button. "This right here is what unleashes the energy," he smirked, taking in her awestruck face.
"That… that is so cool!" she squeaked, shocking him from her statement. She could only wonder what other abilities students of the Academy possessed.
"Well, that certainly is a first for me," he laughed. "I cannot wait for the Professor to meet you." They continued their walk in silence for Maka was giddy with nerves. This was going to be her chance; her chance to escape from the hell of torment, her chance to meet others who shared her unique talents, her chance to be free, and dammit, she was happy. As he led her through the halls, she noticed others expressing their talents freely, which made her heart swell with joy.
"Well, here we are," Harvar spoke, breaking her out of her reverie as they stopped in front of a large oak door. "My advice to you is be upfront and honest with him; he has a way of knowing if you are lying," he chuckled.
"Gee, thanks for making me even more nervous," she retorted dryly, glaring lightly at him. He gave a hearty laugh and rapped on the door with eight swift knocks, which puzzled her slightly; why eight times?
"Come in," a suave yet gruff voice called from inside. She gulped visibly; this was it. Her knuckles tightened on the door knob, going white from the tension.
'Just breathe,' she thought as she started pushing the door open.
"Do not worry your pretty little head off, you have got this. Good luck," he whispered as he walked off, leaving her to handle this on her own. She took a final shaky breath and made her way into the office, ready to have this be over.
The first thing that caught her attention when she entered was how perfectly the room was put together. Everything on the left mirrored what was on the right. It was unnerving in a way; some chaos was always good in a person's life.
'It's almost like symmetry,' she mused as she looked around the room with wide eyes, waiting for the professor.
"Why yes child, it is symmetry," a voice chuckled, causing her to start and panic. Her eyes scanned the room for the source of the voice and they landed on a figure looking out the window that overlooked the front yard. Was this the Professor? And she didn't realize that she had said her musing aloud.
"Such an intuitive child," he spoke, turning his chair around to face her; golden eyes seeming to pierce through her soul. "Sorry to be so rude; let me introduce myself. I am Kid, the Professor of this wondrous Academy. Most of the students refer to me as Professor K, however, so call me what you deem appropriate. I have heard much about you, Miss Albarn." As he finished his rapid succession of a speech, he approached her, his chair gliding towards her with ease.
"All good things I hope," she smiled, extending her hand for him to shake. He took it gingerly in his own, his grip stronger than she had previously thought based on his appearance. 'Idiot… never judge someone based on appearances,' she scolded herself.
"Dear child, it is quite alright. No need to scold yourself. You cannot help your thoughts," he grinned and that was when she got it. She had not spoken aloud earlier; he could read her thoughts. Just like she could. "I see you understand now. I hope that you will find this Academy to be one where you can fit in just right," he said as she caught a peek into his mind, full of all the wonders of the school and of the many friends she was destined to make.
"I have a feeling that that will not be a problem at all," she laughed. Her trepidation about the Academy was lessening from her encounter with the Professor, and that delighted her. To be able to have somewhere that she belonged made her extremely giddy.
"Well, I figure that you must want to be shown to your room by now. It has been a long day for you, after all. Sid, could you please come here?" Her head cocked to the side slightly, wondering who she was going to meet now. She heard his mind before she saw him, so she directed her gaze to the door, and was shocked by the person who greeted her. He was tall, muscular, and had tattoos covering his skin. But that was not what shocked her; what did, however, was that he was blue-skinned and had features that resembled a zombie from her old comic books rather than a human.
"This is Sid; he is my right hand man and legs," Kid chuckled. "He will be showing you to your bunk now. I wish you a good night's rest and I await to meet with you later this week to delve into your abilities." She nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat as she followed the massive man out of the study. She was a tad nervous being around someone of that size for the only men she had ever been around in her life were scrawny like she was. She tried to not let her fear show though, because she wanted to be as friendly with everyone as she could possibly be. This was her new start and she would be damned if her fears messed it up for her.
"Let me properly introduce myself," he said, his deep voice startling her. "My name is Sid Barret. I have been with the Professor since the beginning of the Academy. It is nice to meet you Miss…"
"Maka. I am Maka Albarn," she introduced shyly, slightly in awe of the man now. From what she had heard, the Academy was founded in the late '60's, so to meet one of the founding members made her head spin slightly. It was a lot to take in at once.
"I like that name, it suits you. So, Miss Maka, what power has brought you here? I do enjoy learning about the different abilities that our kin have bestowed upon them."
"I-I can read minds, and if I-I concentrate hard enough, I can move objects with it as well," she admitted with a blush.
"Telepathy and telekinesis huh," he murmured, intrigued that another telepath had been found. "That means you are similar to the Professor. That explains why he wants to work with you personally." That statement confused her slightly; did the Professor not normally work with new students? Pushing that thought aside, her curiosity got the best of her.
"What is your ability, if I may ask? I have to admit, I have never seen a blue man before." He just guffawed at her admission.
"It's okay, Miss Maka. It's not every day that you see a blue man roaming the streets. But to answer your question, my ability is super-human strength and agility. The blueness to my skin is just an adverse effect of the mutation. It wasn't until recently that I embraced my true self; it was Kid, I mean the Professor, who made me realize that there was no need to hide my gifts." Her eyes sparkled in wonder from his words; this place got more and more extraordinary with every person she met. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't realize that they had arrived at her designated room.
"Well, this is your room. If you need anything, my room is upstairs. Do not hesitate to find me, alright?"
"Okay. Thank you so much Mr. Barret," she smiled.
"You can just call me Sid," he assured her. "Sleep well and I hope the Academy will be a great home for you as it is for many others." He left her side and walked down the hall as she entered her room, lying her suitcase down and flopping on the bed. Unpacking could wait until tomorrow; she just wanted to get some rest. As she reflected on the events of the day, her eyes fluttered shut and a grin broke out across her face. She did it; she finally found a place where she belonged. She couldn't wait to see what wonders the Academy would bring to her life.
