Chapter 2: New Arrivals and New Adjustments
((Ah... 2nd chapter already... I'll do my best!
Oh quick thing. It's important to tell you that the teachers I listed so far are not the only ones. That'd be... insane. There are many others but these are the main ones. If I need to bring in another teacher, I'll just sum up what's important like who they are what they look like and what they can do. Yeah... I think I may have gone overboard with those profiles... I'll try to tone it down... and I'll get rid of the history thing for the students because it's more fun that it's developed later on. Villains I'll give a brief synopsis of their life. Yadda yadda... okay. Please enjoy chapter 2 ))
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As the cold wooden doors opened with their soft creak that seemed amplified by the acoustics of the old estate and its hallways, for a brief moment that felt like eternity every time...
There was always a feeling of anxiety... that built up right until the door opened. It was the same feeling that one experienced opening the door to a new classroom for the first time, the feeling of coming home for the holidays; this feeling was the anxiety brought about by new beginnings.
And like always, they were unsettling at first. The anxiety built up until the very last moment where it all melted away in one instant. And it did like always.
The door opened and the sunlight became shadowed by students walking into a new place. A new world for them. After years and years of fear, distrust, and being misunderstood... this was the place they would soon regard as their sanctuary. Here they did not have to be afraid of others as they were with the normal people. Here they all had some sort of mutation, and though they were different, they all had one thing in common.
"Welcome to the Canadian Institute of Higher Learning. My name is Ms. Delaurie, or you may address me as the Priestess." She said as the children walked in, a bit tentative at first, but soon began to fill the foyer. "Some of you may know each other... some of you do not. Some may know who some of the teachers are, while others of you may be at a loss. But I assure you... in a short time, you will make new friends, and hopefully will find new friends in your teachers." The Priestess spoke with a kind of grace and eloquence befitting of her character... and though it was unsettling to see someone so composed like that when most people were not, it gave the students a sense of her nature, but also seemed to give them confidence in her as a leader. True, she had that effect naturally on people, but in some cases she really had to work to convince people of her leadership abilities.
"Now then... I would introduce you to the staff but since this is technically a school, after Ms. Rosalina shows you where to find your rooms, you will be given your schedule. Please attend your classes, but be aware that you will need nothing but yourselves for the first day. Supplies will be given out when classes officially begin. For now, we just want to get you used to facility. There are... three main people that you should become acquainted with above the rest of the staff, though it is wise to become acquainted with all..."
The Priestess was very good at this for someone who had been trembling earlier... it got easier once the doors closed again.
"First of all... our in-house doctor, teacher of French, and your Physical Education classes... Ms. Dominique Yvonne Rosalina. Ms. Rosalina...?" She gestured to Dominique with a dignified hand.
"Yes, of course." Dominique responded before taking a position in front. "Good day. My name is Dominique Yvonne Rosalina. But please, if it's easier than Ms. Rosalina, call me Ms. Dominique, or if you prefer my alias, Magi. Ms. Delaurie has told you what I teach already, but it is important for you to know where to find me." She said gesturing to the right wing.
"My office is the one with my name on it in the right wing hallway. Look for the plate with my name, or look for the room marked D 306." She spoke slowly so people would be able to keep track and commit it to memory. "Now... I know it's rather old fashioned, but it must be done..." She said and the students were quick to make a slight grumble. Apparently they knew what might be coming... well she was a doctor so it became obvious rather quickly. "You all will need a physical later today. This will be able to show us the obvious basic things, but we will also do a preliminary exam of what your powers involve. ...This will help us designate the extent of what you can do, how good your control is, and also what type of power training team you'll be put into." ...This just meant they wanted to see their height, blood, weight, any illnesses, see what they could do, whether they were a danger to anyone else or themselves, and how they should put them in little groups.
But as she finished speaking a small anxious looking boy, already going red raised his hand. Magi nodded and he began to speak. "But... what about... the boys..?" Somehow, it was slightly awkward to be seen like that by a female doctor, though it was perfectly understandable.
"Good question. Fear not, for this examination, there will be four people doing the test. Myself, Mrs. Reznik over there..." She said pointing to Demeter who gave a happy little wave. "And for the boys, Mr. Seong-Crane, and Mr. Castilla will be attending to you." She said pointing to Crest and Orion. Orion, had not been informed he would be initiating the test but had kept his poker face up.
Relax, Raphael... it was either you, or Horatio... The voice of the Priestess entered his head and he turned to her. The mental message was returned with a reluctant affirmation by Orion. How had he been roped into this? ...Oh well. If the Priestess wanted him to do it, it was alright.
"Finally, when we're done here, you will put your things in your room before going to the physical examination rooms. Boys A-M will be seeing Mr. Castilla in the right wing D 309, and boys N-Z will see Mr. Seong-Crane in right wing D 312. Girls A-M will be seeing me in left wing C 405 and girls N-Z will see Mrs. Reznik in left wing C 307. Thank you. Continue Ms. Delaurie." Dominique had sounded... almost unnervingly calm like the Priestess. Maybe that was why they got along so well. It was... strange...
"Thank you Magi. Now the next person of importance you should know is Ms. Blackwell. She is the technical mind that has devised and designed almost everything you see. The high-tech gizmos are all of her design. If you have any problems with any devices, please talk to her. Ms. Blackwell?"
Robin nervously took center stage and smiled before giving a slight nervous chuckle. She was... much shorter than most of the people there and her glasses were a sight to behold. At least she put people at ease. "Ehehe... nice to meet you. I'm Ms. Robin Blackwell." Somehow... she hated saying Ms... it just made her seem so single and lonely. For a moment she paused before continuing. "You may call me Ms. Blackwell or Sonic. ...Oh but you'll see what I can do later. Haha.. oh right!" She said in a spacey sort of way. "Well. If you need anything technics-wise I'm the person to talk to. And don't worry, after your physicals, we'll put your DNA in the system and all you'll never have to worry about being fired upon by lasers in the courtyard or any of the other security devices..." Somehow there was a general feeling of fear in the way she put that they'd be fired at by lasers... if they didn't take the physical. That was some nice insurance... Well really it just made everything easier in the end. "Um... I'll turn things back to Priestess. She knows best!" Robin said before scurrying off stage.
"Yes... Well the last person you'll need to acquaint yourself if Mr. Castilla. Here, he is my second-in-command and my top adviser. He knows the place inside and out, almost as well as I do. If you have any problems, you should see him..." She motioned for Orion to take the stage now. ...Well it was more just the floor but same principle applied.
"Yes. Hola. Bienvenidos y felicitaciones..." He said speaking in Spanish for a moment. A few people could understand at least that basic of Spanish but some (who probably took other languages) did not. "Here you may call me Mr. Castilla... or for some of you it will be Sr. Castilla, or if it makes it easier, Orion. Some of you will see me for Spanish, and others for World History. If you have problems fitting in or problems with your powers in any way, or things of that nature, please see me. This is not the place to be ashamed of your gifts. Gracias." He said respectfully before the Priestess took control of the floor again.
"Now please take your things and search out your rooms. Then report to the rooms assigned for your physical. Dinner will be at 7:00 pm sharp. Lights out will be at 11 pm and 1 am on weekends. Please do not roam the hallways at night unless you really must. There will be no visitors in any room not specified as your own past lights out. Failure to comply... well just don't do it, I'd rather surprise the people who disobey... Please make it a habit of not being late. Punctuality is one thing I try to enforce." The Priestess spoke with a mysterious air about her and turned away before making it back to her office.
And with that, the students were allowed to leave and go to their rooms. Their names were posted on the door. As students went back and forth, some gliding, some running, some zooming, some actually flying, their voices began to echo the hallways. After about 45 minutes or so the voice of the Priestess emerged on the PA system.
"Students, it is time for the physicals to begin. Please stop what you are doing for now and go to your appointed rooms. Once again it's: Boys A-M report to D 309. Boys N-Z D 312. Girls A-M C 405. Girls N-Z C 307. Please hurry now..." She said before the PA system made a soft click. At once, lines of young students began to pour into the hallways. They soon found their rightful rooms and four lines of students emerged in the hallways. There was a sign posted on the door that said to get undressed behind the curtain upon entering.
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Soon it was young one boy's turn. He tentatively stopped at the door and read the sign. A sudden surge of anxiety began to slowly not his stomach. He had to see Mr. Castilla... the one called Orion. He convinced himself that it wouldn't be too bad and that it'd be over relatively shortly. He hoped anyway...
As some of the boys in line grew rather impatient and some dreading their own turn, the boy stepped into the room and closed the door. The room was set aside as sort of like an infirmary type room. It was an examination room. The actual infirmary was something like that and located nearby but this was the room where patients were first analyzed to see what was wrong with them... sort of like a nurse's office before the nurse let the person lie down... He saw Orion, surprisingly not in a labcoat like he'd expected.
Orion was not a doctor, though the teachers were licensed to perform small exams such as this and other life-saving techniques, on account of them being formed into a team where it could be used when fighting the alien invaders. He was wearing his training suit... or at least it was something like it. It was in fact a training suit, but Orion was not fond of it and the Priestess allowed modifications to fit the person's needs so long as they were approved. Sometimes it was easier for people to breathe if they split the suit into 2 parts, or things like that.
In fact, Orion's was black (as was the mandate) and looked like he had alterred it quite a bit. In fact he had, Orion in the olden days was still controlling his powers and his arms would ocassionally throb because he didn't know how to control them completely. So to compensate, he'd gotten rid of the sleeves except for the top where they met his shoulders. It was designed so he could rub his arms or put medication on them if they began to hurt. The suit was also split into two parts, one was the top, and the other was the bottom. The bottoms looked like regular black slacks and he wore black boots that matched the pants. The top looked like it was probably armor-plated somehow and gave the boy a sense of what Orion's physique was by seeing his arms.
"Ah yes. Please..." He said pointing to the curtain. "Don't worry. This won't be very hard or very long..." He said in a reassuring way. The boy nodded and complied, stepping behind the curtain and began to undress as was specified. When he stepped out, he was flushing a bit. Well, granted it was unnerving to be in front of anyone in just their underwear. "Okay... please get up on the table and lie back for me. Don't worry. There's only one painful part and I'll save it for the end when you can go..." Orion surprised this boy... he had expected that Orion was as cold as the Priestess seemed but really he was much more kind than he'd thought. He complied, feeling the initial anxiety go away, though it returned a bit wondering what was painful... he could only imagine.
Orion looked him over before checking a device on the table. "Five feet... nine inches... weight is... one-hundred twenty six..." He said writing it down. The table was actually a measuring device... designed by Robin herself who personally thought the idea of standing on a scale was humiliating for anyone so a table was much more... comforting at least. It seemed to work and the boy looked surprised that Orion was reading his measurements like that. "Now then. Your name please?"
The boy paused for a moment pushing all thoughts to the back of his mind. "Ren. Ren DuTour." He said in a quiet voice. Ren had brownish blondish hair and green eyes and looked a teeny bit nervous. Though... he always looked a teeny bit nervous.
"Ah I see. Mr. DuTour. That's a French name but I remember seeing your name on my class schedule for Spanish. Is just your name French?" He asked as he wrote the name down.
"Well... my dad is French but I always liked Spanish better. I can spell it better than French... We're American. I moved to Montreal when... my powers developed... though we moved again after... some things happened..." Ren decided to say things all at once hoping to avoid more questions. Being on an examination table was actually kind of creepy in a way.
"Ah I see. You can sit up. I need to take your blood pressure and check your breathing now..." Orion said grabbing a stethoscope and put it to Ren's chest to check his breathing. The shock of the sudden cold was enough to trigger something in Ren and without meaning to one of the lightbulbs sparked and flickered out. Orion looked up at the light.
"Oh! I'm sorry. My powers are... electric... sometimes when I get surprised or scared they activate and short things out..." Orion marked it down nodding. Somehow Ren was a bit nervous about that... writing was okay but he didn't know what he was writing. "They're... pretty powerful... I'm not very good at controlling them."
Orion nodded. "Yes I know. I remember reading the report on you from Montreal. Stratus is your codename... correct?" He could see Ren's face pale a bit. "It's okay. I've been there too with my powers. They get easier to control with practice. But I think you may be one of the more powerful mutants with electrokinesis ((A/N: ...I'm not sure if that's the technical term. Bear with me ne?)) that I've seen in a while. Canadian government wrote it off as a widespread electrical surge... thanks to Ms. Delaurie's intervention." He said quietly.
"She... did that for me? I thought it was just them covering it up..." Ren said a bit embarrassed that he had judged the Priestess like that and she had already done a lot for him.
"Oh yes. She took a special interest in you. You're one of the ones that are in the special group. The group is mainly for the ones with powers their bodies can't completely control but they're very powerful and presumed somewhat dangerous or... unnatural by society." Orion said checking Ren's pulse.
"Special group...?" Ren repeated a bit confused.
"Indeed. This group is involved in special training missions... as well as a few special missions themselves. While the Institute is for helping the control of powers in mutants... the ones with exceptional skills become something of guardians. But you're lucky, your powers make you special. Now hold still.. this is the painful part..." He said and before Ren could ask what it was, he began to quickly rub rubbing alcohol on the junction between his arms where his elbow was. Ren knew a needle was coming... of course... and before he realized it, Orion had stuck the needle in with a slight twinge of pain. Ren looked away... for fear that he would faint like the last time he saw his own blood like that. "And... good." He said taking the needle out... somehow the needle going out was more painful for him. "Now this is partly for us, but it's also how we input your DNA into the system." ...So that was what Robin had meant.
((Inspiration: ...Ren is 100 mine and the first character I'd thought up. I betrayed my little oath about elemental characters first with him. Haha... but really lightning is fun... Though it was partly based off Storm (my all time favorite) I left out the weather type thing... I figured that'd be just a kind of spin-off of Storm. Somehow it's easier just to call him Ren rather than his codename which is Stratus... Moving on then...))
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After Ren left, a new boy came into the room. He moved behind the curtain quickly and undressed as well. Orion had not been paying attention to the figure behind the curtain but once it stepped out, Orion couldn't help but be slightly shocked. The boy was... different. Now, granted, all the students were different but only a fraction of those were mutated on the outside somehow. "Nice to meet you. Your name?" He asked gesturing for the boy to sit down and then lie down like Ren had done.
"Miguel. Miguel Delgato. My codename is Quetzalcoatl or just Quetzal..." He said with a slight accent.
"Ah. I see." Orion said as he checked the name off his list... because of how long it would take to organize the boys alphabetically, it was easier just to check them off as they arrived. "Your Brazilian I see. Your accent is Portuguese but your transcript says Brazil not Portugal." He said marking down his obvious powers and abilities.
"Sim..." He said in Portuguese to Orion.
Orion smiled some. "É um prazer conhecê-te." He said speaking a bit of Portuguese. Being raised in Spain, Spanish and Portuguese were widely similar. And Portugal was a place, he and his family had visited many times because they were so close. "Let's stick to English shall we? My Portuguese is rather rusty..." He said admitting.
He wrote something down on his pad about his mutations... and there was a lot to write. True to the name of Quetzalcoatl, or rather Quetzal, the boy had an appearance... that could not be forgotten. First and foremost, he had a pair of wings attached to his back. They were nothing like Crest's being they were multi-colored and appeared to be attached rather than retractable. Next, Orion noticed his snake-like eyes.. as well as the fangs in his mouth when he spoke. The fangs didn't look too big but would definitely hurt. Next was the white snake-like tail that was present. But unlinke a snake, this boy did have legs. The hole for the tail was in all of his pants and clothing that went on his lower body, and was usually covered by a trenchcoat that Miguel had deposited when he first came in.
Though he did have the rest of his body normal. He was tanned from being Brazilian and had brownish hair and yellow eyes.
After much of the same tests he'd done with Ren, Miguel was ready to go. "Oh yes, before you go. We had your training suit custom made for you. Also, you are apart of a special team for your mutant abilities. But we'll give you more information later on." He said as Miguel nodded and dressed and then left.
((Miguel is not mine... ;; No he belongs to one of my friends. So if I find some way to thank them I will... but for now it's just worth saying that Miguel's not my creation.))
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For Mr. Seong-Crane, or rather Crest, his job was the same as Orion's... maybe a little more difficult because of his appearance. But still, his amiable nature soon took over. "Please take a seat once you've..." He turned his head to see a boy in a black bodysuit. He had shed his other clothing but that and his gloves and a black pair of socks, and then took his place on the examination table. "You read the sign didn't you?"
"I can't take this off... or..." He said before taking his glove off. He pressed his bare hand to the wall and within a matter of seconds the small portion of the wall began to dissolve. He quietly put his glove back on his hand and sat on the table. "My name is Mordred Rowley... the codename is Vitriol." He said quietly waiting for Crest to write it down.
"So you're the one they were talking about. They said someone this year had acidic skin. Nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Seong-Crane. Call me Crest." He said quietly.
In actuality, Mordred Rowley's skin was acidic... though in his hands was the highest concentration. The rest of his body was acidic (besides his feet) as well but only his hands could dissolve something and eat away at it in little to no time. For the rest of his body, the acid skin wasn't quite as drastic. He wore a specialized suit to keep the acid from burning through anything and everything and specialized gloves that would be worn at all times and had special sorts of vents to keep his hands from getting sweaty and relieve discomfort.
"You've been assigned to a special team. You'll hear more about it later." And after the same sorts of things that had occured with all the boys so far was done... though it was rather difficult to obtain Vitriol's blood, he was allowed to leave.
((Vitriol is not mine also. Mordred was created by my other friend. ...I did have to look up Vitriol and found out it's a sulfuric acid. ;; Funfact... okay then...))
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Next to arrive was another young man but after he laid back on the table, he was wearing a pair of sunglasses.
"Before you say anything... if I take them off, you'll relive your most painful memory only way more painful... I'm Craig McConnel. They sent me here because the other room was a bit behind." He said in a confident sort of way. He was about a year or so older than the other boys who had come by.
"Ah so you're Reflect. You're also part of a special group. You'll hear an announcement later... but the transcript says that your main power is not your eyes but in generating shields and repelling things with them... and also mirror traveling. Correct?"
"Yes." Craig said as he sat up after Crest had said it was alright to. "I can control the powers except for the one with my eyes..." He sounded rather bored as he said this, having said the same thing many times before.
"Alright... hold still. This may sting a bit..." He said before taking the blood sample. Reflect's natural reaction was to form a barrier and he did, making the needle crack.
"I'm sorry... You... caught me off guard..." He said a bit embarrassed.
"No problem... I don't like them either. Now please brace yourself this time...?" Crest said before sticking him with the needle again. This time nothing happened and Reflect was allowed to leave.
((Still not my character... ;; The one who made this one also made up Miguel. ...Though I have kept one rather crucial thing about this one secret... it will be revealed... soon... haha... ))
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On the other side of the building, Demeter was having her examinees do the same as the boys. They had to undress and lay on the same kinds of tables. One of the first girls to be admitted in was a sheepish young girl, much too shy to really say anything or do anything besides comply with everything. She stepped behind the curtain quickly and undressed slowly, finding this part to be the worst. The girl was very self-conscious about her body, though there was nothing really to worry about it. She was actually sort of scrawny. After the initial measurements were done, Demeter began her real exam.
"Oh sorry, I forgot your name, sweetie what is it?" Demeter said with a warm attitude.
"Uhh... it's Amy... Amy Johnson... Oh! ...Prism?" She said not sure if she wanted her real name or the codename. She crossed her arms over her chest a bit embarrassed.
"Oh nice to meet you Amy. Call me Demeter. Oh! Here you are. You're apart of a special team... says here you're a telekinetic.. and an empath? Nice to meet someone of your powers. We don't get many telekinetics besides Ms. Delaurie and a few others. But I think you may be our first empath."
"Oh... really...?" She asked trying to be polite. Demeter's warm attitude was rather comforting to the young nervous girl.
"Yes. I believe so. Well... one last thing before you go. Sorry it may sting a bit. But try to focus on something else..." Demeter said before she began to rub Amy's arm with rubbing alcohol where the needle would go. Amy knew what was going to happen so she did her best to brace for it. But when the needle went in, things started to float a bit off the ground. And not until the needle came out did the things set down with a loud sound. "You take needles like the Priestess used to... You can get dressed now. We're done, sweetie."
((Amy is not my character either. Her creator was the one who made up the Priestess. Thanks Crayola. If I find you to thank you I will... I definitely get a Jean Grey sense from Prism. And I am not really sure how she picked the codename... oh well. ))
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Meanwhile in Magi's examination room another girl was ready for her physical. She felt lucky she had gotten the actual doctor but still a bit nervous.
"My name is Colette... Colette Mason. I can.. manipulate time. Oh! ...Pendulum." She said trying to start it off.
"I see. Well welcome Ms. Mason. Now please hold still..." She said administering the same tests to her as the others. Colette had golden blonde hair and brown eyes. Her hair was long and wavy as well.
After the tests were over for Colette, Dominique checked her name off.
"Ah... Ms. Mason, you will be apart of a special team... please listen to the anouncements regarding it." She said as she took the needle filled with Colette's blood and emptied it into a vile. "Alright Ms. Mason. You're free to go. You have some free time before dinner. The library is open today if you wish to go there..." Dominique said making a slight suggestion.
"Thank you. I'll check it out." She said with a slight smile. Colette wasn't a library bookworm but it was a good idea to get a feel for the place anyway.
((Colette... is mine. She's a modification though. At first I thought of giving Robin her power to freeze time and manipulate it so that it looked like she was fast because everyone else was slow... but I decided that it was better just to give super speed to her, and let Colette have time. Besides, I didn't like the name Pendulum for Robin... Hmm... I don't really like Sonic for her either. I was considering Metronome for Colette or even Chronos... but that sounded weird.))
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After the tests and physicals had concluded, Dreamscape and Golem were given the duty of inputting the data. Golem and Dreamscape were... assistants at best. They weren't teachers but worked for Robin and also for Magi. The two of them were twins but Dreamscape had the power to influence dreamlike illusions for anyone he chose and Golem had the power to turn herself into a gigantic rock giant.
The two were skilled in medicine and in technology but mainly input data or worked to attend to a patient. They were always bickering though... the two looked exactly alike... except Golem's hair was much longer... but other than that they looked the same.
"All finished Priestess..." Golem said waving to the Priestess and Orion as they entered the training room.
"We input all the files and DNA into the system. We also updated your special group's information special for ya." Dreamscape said with a nod.
"Good work you two. You're free to go... just please don't break anything."
"Yes, ma'am." The twins said at the same time before walking.. exactly the same way, right next to each other. They were even wearing the exact same colors. They both had white t-shirts on and Dreamscape wore navy jeans, while Golem wore the exact same color navy only as a jean-skirt. After the two left, the Priestess and Orion made there way to the control room.
"So now what's in store for them?"
"Well... for today I'll let them adjust. But tomorrow they will have a special training mission. I'd like to see how well they work as a team. That's the most important thing right now." Priestess said before bringing up the file on the team that Dreamscape had alluded to. The file showed the members of the group and their powers.
"Why just these ones? Weren't you considering Crest's girl Nora Seong-Crane in this group as well?" Orion asked a bit confused looking over the ones she had picked. "And why these ones in particular? ...Or is there even a reason?" Orion asked skeptically. Usually, the Priestess organized them in her own design... which meant sometimes there was a specific reason for balance... or she put someone of each talent in a group to blend talents.
"Well. Nora is very good at nullifying other's powers. Even my own if I'm not careful. But... her powers have a random effect. The range has not been perfected and she cannot use them and leave out the members of her team... Meaning she uses them and hurts her own team as well. She's in a group for range control and powers that affect both sides." She said quietly.
"As for your second question... There: Ren DuTour... electrokinetic and a technopath. Though he lacks a bit of control... you've seen the reports from Montreal. When Ren develops his powers, he could possibly bring an industrialized nation to its knees in a matter of hours. Amy Johnson. Though I do enjoy having someone to share my expertise of psychic powers with... her powers are more advanced in telekinesis than mine were at that age... granted she's moving at a slower pace than I did but... she can lift up to 500 pounds with her mind, and 200 pounds for extended amounts of time. Thinking in terms of that, she could easily flip over tanks and cars... she may even be able to cripple an army." She said quietly.
"Then there's Mr. Delgato. Though he has no long-ranged attacks... his speed and strength are higher than any of the others with just his bare hands. With his claws and tail and teeth, he could easily be the best and hand to hand combat. Mr. Rowley acidic skin means there is nearly nothing that can stop his path. He could dissolve metals of all different kinds. Then there's Mr. McConnel. He has the highest defense of the team. He could deflect bullets, rockets, lasers, and even physical attacks with half the damage returned. Not only that, but he can teleport the others if they are in immediate danger so long as there is a mirror. Finally, Ms. Mason... her chronopathic (time... kinetical? ...ehehe... chronopathic sounds smarter though) abilities make her one of the ones to anticipate attacks better than anyone. She could freeze a barrage of bullets and enable the others to escape or launch a much faster physical charge if she needed to. They all compliment each other... Much the way our team does." She said quietly.
"Uh huh... Well yes but we don't know how well they'll work as a team. Even our team had one... malcontent. And look what happened to him..." Orion said quietly.
"Yes... well we'll keep an eye on them. ...Speaking of which, any word on what he has in store for us...?"
"Well... it's probably true that he knows we're accepting members again. That means he'll probably be starting some sort of attack soon. ...But I have heard that in his ranks he has the Russian boy who phases through things and has the touch of death... and also... he recruited Marcelina..." Orion said nearly faltering on the last part of the sentence.
"He recruited Marcelina? ...Orion... you must be very careful. It's probably you she'll be after..." The Priestess said standing and turning the computer off.
"So who's Marcelina? Orion's got a girlfriend...?" Viola said as she and Robin stepped into the room.
"Not quite, Viola..." Orion said quietly. "Marcelina Aragon... or the Contessa... I knew her back when I was in Spain." He said quietly.
"So... what's so dangerous about her?" Robin said with an inquisitive look.
"When I was traveling in Spain with my parents and had just acquired my powers, we had made it to Alicante... a resort city with palm trees etc... Well anyway, I was one of the kinds of people who wanted to see the sites and on the island of Tarabarca, I met Marcelina. Marcelina has the power to hypnotize and create illusions. By placing her hands on a person's head or face, she can manipulate what the person thinks or feels, and the effect is as long-lasting as she wants it to be... unless the hold is broken over the person. She used her powers all over Spain so many people knew of the Contessa.
When I met her, she apparently knew of my powers and wanted to make me her husband. I was not in love with Marcelina, and I did not know of her powers. She attempted to hypnotize me but... I resisted learning of her powers. I did not want to fall in love with someone because she manipulated my heart. That is not love." He said quietly.
"Oh so she's got the hots for you?" Robin asked... respectfully. The Priestess knew this story already and Viola put her index finger to her chin as she heard it.
"...I suppose so. But I did not love her. Not the way she wanted me too. ...And I doubt I ever will. I left it at that until Marcelina decided to raise an army of Spaniards under her control. It took Kiera and I to stop her finally. But... it appears... he recruited her..."
"He...?" Robin asked quietly before understanding. This caused her to nervously put her hand to her face.
"He... you mean...?" Viola asked a bit afraid. Orion gave a solemn nod. "Yes. He recruited Marcelina to his side."
"We had best be... on our guard. Marcelina is no pushover... and on his side... We don't know what to expect from her but Orion, you must be the most careful of all..." The Priestess said with a slightly anxious hair twirling but her face was emotionless.
((Marcelina is my creation. We needed an evil woman... it just... must be done. And she's a mesmerizer. Think Mesmero. That's Marcelina... and she's evil. And in love with Orion. Hah. ...Oh and it was a pun on their names. Raphael Castilla and Marcelina Aragon I mean. Castilla and Aragon were two territories of Spain brought together by Queen Isabella of Castilla, and King Ferdinand of Aragon. ...It's ironic that Raphael and Marcelina are pulled apart and not together... well Marcelina would want them to. ...Marcelina's personality is a modification of my old character who was obsessed with one character of mine... though they secretly loved each other. It's much more fun this way haha.))
---
Elsewhere, in the library... dangerous things were about to happen.
Miguel and Colette had enterred the room together. They didn't exactly know each other but had awkwardly bumped into each other (literally) in the hallway. So they had begun small talk.
Mordred was reading The Alchemist alone at a table by the balcony. Ren was floating by a bookshelf on the second floor trying to pick out a book to read.
But this particular adventure starts off with Amy.
Amy, who was carrying a large stack of books that... made it actually above her head, so she couldn't see, was looking for one last book. She was wearing a purple sweater with a long black skirt. Amy could pass as a flower child if she wanted. Her hair was a brownish red with more red highlights in the light and her eyes were a hazel color. She put down her precarious stack of books and checked a bookshelf, next to where Ren was.
"Just... a little more..." She said whispering to herself. And before she knew it... the book came tumbling down. She made a blind movement to catch it but failed inevitably. It hit the ground with an echoing thump. This thump made, the now floating Ren, who was closest to the noise, be startled... and covered his head as his hands sparked and a few of the lightbulbs that lit the library exploded and sparked. Amy looked to Ren realizing she had startled him and caused him to use his powers by accident.
"I'm sorry!" She announced gathering her books and making a mad dash. She was very mortified by now. The lights had flickered and sparked a bit after Ren's surge of power. Mordred who was reading to himself, while walking, was bumped by Amy and her mountain of books wobbled. "I'm sorry!" She said not staying long enough for him to grumble or be annoyed at her.
Though... Amy, not being able to see over her books didn't realize she was heading for the balcony...
The library was two floors. The floors were connected by a spiral staircase and had a balcony overlooking the first floor. Colette and Miguel were talking underneath the balcony, but Amy in her blindness, hit the balcony railing. The books spilled out of her hands and it began raining books, but Amy because of her momentum, had flipped over the railing and began to fall.
Mordred saw her and immediately charged after her to stop her but he was unable to prevent her fall. So instead, he grabbed her wrist as she nearly fell. Mordred grasped the railing with his free hand tigthly and dug his heels into the floor, though it was carpet so there was no real resistance to stop him.
On top of that, Mordred was wearing his gloves... which had next to no grip. So slowly, his hand slipped from her wrist and then grabbed her hand. Amy's hand began to slip and she knew it. She had both hands on his hand, and actually pulled his glove off before resuming her plummet. And she was falling... falling... just falling. It all seemed like slow motion to hear people gasp and Mordred's helpless expression.
Ren had been nearby and saw her lose her grip with Mordred and immediately dove over the balcony to get her. Another gasp by the people watching. Ren was able to get a hold of her waist before she hit the ground and began to float. So Ren had saved her and gently descended for the ground.
Colette and Miguel had another problem to worry about. The shower of books was coming straight for them. Colette gasped and froze the books in place with her powers and Miguel grabbed them before they could crash to the ground.
Amy and Ren slowly landed on the ground and the crowd, who had been watching breathlessly, gave a deep sigh of relief. Amy landed on the ground, still clenching her eyes shut, but once she opened them to reveal her clinging to Ren's waist out of instinct she looked up and everything went back... another gasp.
---
In the infirmary, Colette, Miguel, Ren, and Mordred waited for Amy to wake up. Once she finally did, their faces, besides Mordred's lit up.
"Are you okay?" Ren asked quickly.
"We were so worried..." Colette responded as well.
"...Can I have my glove back please?" Mordred responded quite... annoyed actually. Ren and Colette had stolen his words and there was nothing left to say. Amy glanced at her hands and saw she was still holding the glove.
"Oh. I'm so sorry." She said handing him the glove back, which he took, a bit slowly so she didn't get the wrong impression and he placed it back on. "What... happened...?"
"You fell from the balcony in the library. Ren saved you. Remember?" Ren blinked for a moment.
"Oh... that's right... I'm... so sorry for the inconvenience..." She said looking to them all. The others had apparently introduced themselves after getting her to the infirmary. "Oh! I'm Amy... Amy Johnson."
"Well, Ms. Johnson. You're lucky. That fall could've been quite a dangerous one. One that would've made my head throb..." Magi said quietly as she emerged in the room. "Are you alright? Nothing bruised? Ms. Mason and Mr. Delgato were able to save your books for you. Next time, ask for a bag." Magi said trying to be disciplinary and compassionate... it was amazing that it worked.
"Yes. I understand..." Amy said getting up a bit wobbily. Mordred was able to catch her before she fell again. "...Sorry." She said getting her land legs again. Her dizziness soon passed and she stood on her own.
"I must say... I hadn't expected five out of six of you to meet until tomorrow. Well... you five are all apart of the special group you've heard about. Such a coincidence. It must be... Destiny..." Dominique said cryptically. "Dinner started fifteen minutes ago. You should all hurry along and get something to eat. If the Priestess asks why you're late, just tell her I kept you..." Magi said with a nod.
---
The five of them walked through the hallways... well four did, Ren preferred floating along to walking. It wasn't to show off but it was less tiring on his left knee which was perpetually limited.
"Is this the way to the Dining Hall?" Colette said as they made it to a hallway stretching in two directions. Colette was pointing to the left.
Go left and then take your second right. Look for the large wooden doors. That's the Dining Hall. Hurry up. You don't want to be any later... The voice of the Priestess echoed in each of their minds causing them to jump. Ren covered his hands before something sparked out of control.
"You all heard that?" Miguel said quietly.
"Well Ms. Delaurie is a telepath..." Mordred said in a 'duh' sort of way.
---
The dining hall was huge... there were about ten different tables with one two main tables. One was the teacher's table where they all sat and ate together. It was a bunch of round tables but many of them were spacious. In the middle was something of a buffet table. The tables were divided by groups and they were encouraged to sit there, though it wasn't mandatory. It was mainly so they could socialize with their own group.
The five of them entered and spotted their empty table as the only empty one left. There was only one person's things on a chair at the table. They looked at the little note on the table that listed who would be sitting there.
Miguel Delgato
Ren DuTour
Colette Mason
Craig McConnel
Amy Johnson
Modred Rowley
"Ah... so this person's things must be... Craig McConnel's?" Amy said quietly before claiming a seat. They all claimed a seat before realizing they needed food. There was a small group of people at the food line. They all went up together and decided to get some food.
There were things from crab legs to meatloaf to kung pao chicken to shrimp... a large variety of food was there in fact. Almost exactly like a buffet. Ren floated along with his plate. His plate was mostly covered with seafood and pasta type things. Those were his absolute favorites. Amy's plate consisted of a large antipasto salad and a cup of clam chowder. Mordred was apparently one who liked chinese food and had different types of noodles and chicken on his plate. Colette had claimed Italian and French food ranging from baguettes to different types of pasta in marsala sauce and marinara for others. Miguel was all about spicy food and had things from spicy chicken, to spicy pork, and had found mexican food which was always good.
Ren navigated his way to get a soda and accidentally bumped someone. Their tray rattled but nothing fell.
"Oh I'm so sorry..." Ren said putting his tray down to see if he had hurt anyone.
"It's alright. No harm done." He said putting his tray down. "Craig McConnel. What's your name?" He asked figuring he was one from their table. Craig had darkish brown hair and wore his sunglasses even now.
"Oh. Ren DuTour. Oh we're in the same group." He had discovered that everyone had returned to the table already. "Come on." He said picking up his tray after getting the soda finally. He was followed by Craig and led back to the table. "This is Amy, Miguel, Colette, and Mordred." He said very happy he had actually learned their names so quickly. Everyone but Mordred gave a slight wave and a hello. Mordred was concentrated on his food.
---
After dinner, it was time to do... whatever they felt like basically.
The girls had gone to their rooms, Colette because pasta made her sleepy... and Amy because she wanted to read her books. Miguel went back to the library to pick out the book he'd meant to before all the insanity had happened. Mordred just left on his own presumably to his room.
Ren and Craig however began to talk as they went back to their rooms. That night everyone just wanted to take everything in and go to sleep basically.
"So... Ren... what's your powers... besides flying?" Craig said looking to him.
"Me? Oh electrokinesis and I'm a technopath. That's what the Priestess said anyway."
"Electrokinesis... oh so you're... were you the one from Montreal?"
"...You... heard about that?" Ren immediately got very quiet. The whole incident with Montreal was the worst memory of his life.
"Yeah. We... lived nearby and some of our power got turned off but they said Montreal got hit the worst. That was really you? Your power level's amazing..." Craig said with a slight smirk.
"...But it's dangerous. And I'm not good at controlling it yet..."
"Well that's why we're here right? So... what exactly happened in Montreal?"
"...I blacked out so I don't really know." That was a lie. He just didn't want to talk about it.
Ren's worst experience was with Montreal. He had already known about his powers, so his family moved from America to Canada where they were less cruel about having powers and being a mutant. However, Ren's powers had begun advancing at a faster rate than most.
Ren was an electrokinetic and a technopath. While walking the streets of Montreal, to get home, Ren had been feeling a bit sick all day. Medicine did no good and the headache began to worsen. Finally, it became too much and Ren was left to clench his head and crouch down feeling an immense pain throughout his body. His body began to spark and a huge shockwave was emitted from him.
This was no ordinary shockwave. His powers advanced at the same time... meaning he could not control them both as they advanced. His electrokinesis attracted a lightning storm that began devastating skyscrapers in the area and random violent bolts of lightning were emitted from Ren himself. This of course caused widespread destruction and injuries. His technopathic powers sent another shockwave that disabled every appliance or anything running on electricity within a three mile radius after the city of Montreal. Though when Ren awoke, blacking out after the incident, he saw there were major fires and he knew he was the cause of it. The government was going to release that it was the cause of a mutant, Ren, after they salvaged a video from the satellites orbiting and taking pictures over Canada. However, the Priestess felt the massive power surge and went to Montreal. She convinced the Canadian government not to take those measures and release it as a widespread electrical surge caused by an explosion. Her reasoning was that releasing it was a mutant to the public would mean that all mutants would be regarded as dangerous.
After some lobbying, the Priestess was granted this favor, as long as she took the mutant who did it and trained him from doing it again. After that, she tracked down Ren's parents and offered to help Ren control his powers. Ren, however, was unaware because his parents said they had found it and wanted him to control them, not mentioning the Priestess's encouragement of his parents.
"Oh really? Sounds rough. But do you know why it happened?" Craig asked continuing to poke at it.
"Eh... well the Priestess thinks that because my powers were growing at an accelerated rate, the size of Montreal and how many electrical things might've agitated them and... it happened." He said quietly.
"Hmm... sounds interesting. I'm gonna go to sleep now. See ya, Ren." Craig said as he yawned and made it to his room, which turned out to be a few doors down from Ren's room. Apparently, the rooms were also organized to be close to the other members of the group.
Ren yawned some realizing it was now getting late. He spotted Mordred walking towards his room and Ren blinked. "Wait! Mordred!" Ren said landing and walking over to him quickly. "I... wanted to thank you. If it wasn't for you, Amy would've gotten really hurt." He said smiling some.
"Don't look at me. You saved her." Mordred said before closing the door to his room after slipping himself inside, anti-socially.
"But..." He said before the door closed. "...I wouldn't have made it in time if you didn't get there first..." He said in a slight whisper. He wasn't sure what to do...
Ren shrugged quietly and decided that sleeping was probably a good idea. And with that, the first day had passed.
---
The next morning...
"Will Miguel Delgato, Ren DuTour, Colette Mason, Craig McConnel, Amy Johnson, and Mordred Rowley - please arrive in the training room. I repeat, Miguel Delgato, Ren DuTour, Colette Mason, Craig McConnel, Amy Johnson, and Mordred Rowley to the training room. The Priestess would like to start your first training mission. Please report by 7:30 a.m. Thank you, and good morning." The voice on the PA system said in a delightful robotic little monotone...
---
Chapter 2: New Arrivals and New Adjustments
Next Chapter: First Training Mission and the Face of Evil Emerges
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2nd Chapter done. ...I like this chapter better. After the introduction of most of the teachers and students, thing'll pick up. I hope to introduce some of the villains the way I did with Marcelina.
Please keep reading. Reviews are always appreciated.
Okay then... here's the chapters I'm working with so far...
Chapter 1: Beginning of the New Year (COMPLETE!)
Chapter 2: New Arrivals and New Adjustments (COMPLETE!)
Chapter 3: First Training Mission and the Face of Evil Emerges (IN PROGRESS!)
Chapter 4: How Do You Catch a Falling Star? (SCRIPTED!)
Chapter 5: Reunion of the Constellation (SCRIPTED!)
Note:
COMPLETE! - A chapter already completed
IN PROGRESS! - A chapter I am currently working on
SCRIPTED! - A chapter that I have already planned out but I need to write
BASIC IDEA! - A chapter I have the basic idea for but need to write it
THINKING! - I'm thinking of ideas... Be patient
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Okay. 2nd Chapter. ...Wow I said that already. Hmm... Well I hope you liked it. Chapter 3 will reveal my big bad main boss dude, Chapter 4 and 5 will do with Orion and Marcelina... and I'm not telling more than that but it's going to be very dramatic. Please don't miss it!