Emergence
a Sky High Fanfic by Wandering Xanthe
Chapter 1: Just Act Natural
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me
No one knew me
Hello teacher tell me whats my lesson
Look right through me
Look right through me
Gary Jules, "Mad World"
Just act natural…
That was what Principle Powers had prescribed for the first day of school.
It was almost a blur, the hearing, the decision…
"Reformed…benefit of a doubt…nose clean…"
No rule breaking. No canceling parole meetings. No consorting with super villains.
Riiight.
3 o'clock found one Lash Sandvig outside of Sky High's library, a veritable trove of knowledge— scientific, paranormal, and otherwise. At the moment, it was the site of his first conference with his, for lack of a better term, parole officer. That was what his presence was after all, a conditional period of freedom. And it was up to a student counsel member, academic honoree, and all around white hat to decide if he deserved it.
Swell.
The library was empty, save for a few students among the stacks and one at the central desk.
Sitting down at the nearest table, Lash let out a sigh, ignoring the few speculative glances from his peers (or at least those brave enough to take their noses out of their book) in favor of staring at the lone figure at the central desk. He watched the librarian's assistant putter around a bit, noting her unfamiliarity.
"You're new, right?"
She looked up then, a startled look in her wide, brown eyes. Her hands, so previously animated, stilled, an anthology of Tennyson poems between them.
She was pretty. Very pretty, in fact. Slightly tan skin, dark auburn hair…He found her slightly parted lips, and the shy tongue edging out to wet them particularly endearing. Adorable even…
She blinked, once, then looked down.
"Sorry," she murmured.
When she looked back up at him, a slight smile hiding the smallest flicker of unease in her eyes…her eyes, which were suddenly less enchanting. Her outfit, a fitted black screen tee featuring the Gorillaz's Demon Days album cover over what he could only assume would be jeans, was a little less fetching. She was still pretty. Still adorable. Only now, he remembered how he'd felt about adorable things…
"You're waiting?"
It took a few seconds for her words to register. Brushing his momentary confusion aside, Lash quirked a smile of his own.
"Yeah," he drawled. "For the first of, I'm sure, many blissfully agonizing parole meetings."
Her eyes widened again, just a fraction in surprise. Didn't she know?
"You're new." It wasn't a question. He'd just noticed her name tag, "Lydia" scrawled smartly over her heart.
"Yes."
He nodded, smiling wryly.
"Figures. The only one to give me the time, and you're a newbie."
"I know who you are," she said, eyebrow raised at his evident surprise.
"Really?" He looked around them before edging closer to the desk.
"Well," he said lowly, "shouldn't you be avoiding me?"
She held his gaze only for a second before looking down again and continuing her shuffling amongst the books littering the desk.
"I doubt they'd let you out if you were a danger…"
She trailed off as she glanced at him, noting the graveness that had settled over his features. A smile, a little bigger than the one previously given, inched its way out.
"Right?"
Aurora Wells wasn't sure of what to expect. Certainly she had known Lash since freshman year, but obviously not well enough if the Royal Pain incident was any indication. So she certainly wasn't sure of him when she entered the library to see him conversing with the school's newest student.
Her first reaction was wariness.
Lydia was a nice girl and it had been her duty to not only escort the new junior around the school, but also welcome her to the community after her move from New York a few weeks prior to the start of school. She was instantly pegged as thoughtful and bookish, as well as almost criminally shy, in part due to her powers.
It was kind of ironic really. Lydia was the daughter of the super hero population's most notorious flirt. Rahda Ardor-Ingram, or Femme, was an empathic manipulator with the ability to read and control emotion. Especially arousal.
Lydia had inherited that gift, though she considered it more of a curse. It was because of her withdrawn nature that she had learned to control her power fairly early in life, which earned her the designation of Hero at school. That, and perhaps the alleged tryst some odd years ago between Couch Boomer and Lydia's mom…
But that was just a rumor.
Still, there were times when some..."allure" slipped out and Lydia found herself the receptor of some unwanted attention.
Aurora frowned, and began to make her way to the central desk, where Lash was smiling amicably at Lydia, who was looking a bit more relaxed than Aurora had seen her yet.
"…like My Chemical Romance?"
"I love them— don't look so incredulous!"
"Alright. Favorite song?"
"Depends on which album. I like 'Demolition Lovers' the best from the first and I can't say about the second. I like them all."
"Well, what song has the greatest play count?"
"That would be 'The Ghost of You'. Couldn't get enough of that when it first came out. That, or 'Helena'."
"I like that one too."
The musical debate was cut short by the clearing of a throat. Two pairs of eyes fixed upon a new presence in the mostly deserted library. Dropping down from his perch on the desk, Lash took in the honey blonde streaked brunette with the intense chocolate eyes, hands on delicate hips, and the officious aura. Oh yeah…
"Lydia. Lash. Hope I'm not interrupting."
Lydia's eyes opened with realization while Lash met the council member's gaze head on.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep him," Lydia said, eyes darting to the clock above the entrance.
"It's alright," Aurora assured, giving the new girl a slight yet kindly smile before motioning Lash to a nearby table.
"Lash I'm here as your advisor—"
"You mean parole officer."
"If you prefer. But you're not in jail. If you fail to show improvement, you're not going back to Detention."
Lash couldn't help showing his surprise. He was sure that would be the outcome.
"You'd be expelled."
Oh. Of course.
"No one's going to be breathing down your neck, Lash. You will be monitored, but no one's going to be holding your hand. There'd be no point to redeeming yourself if we dictated your actions."
He nodded and she continued.
"To be honest, I think you'll get the cold shoulder for a while."
She didn't say that the entire student body considered his and the others' betrayal of the school a direct betrayal of themselves, even if they hadn't been present at the dance. She didn't have to say it. He knew.
Their discussion didn't last long. As he gathered his bag to go, he was stopped by Aurora's firm hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, and one more thing," she said lowly, pausing to spare a glance at the farthest row of shelves, where Lydia was busy replacing books.
"Lydia's a nice, shy girl. She's new, which means she only knows you through hearsay and will probably give you more of a chance than others."
"Okay…"
"So don't mess with her."
Seeing his oncoming protest, she raised a hand.
"I'm not saying don't talk to her," she clarified, "I'm sure she'll be a good influence on you. Still, her powers makes her naturally attractive, especially to strangers. So just be careful."
He nodded, wondering about the specifics of the new girl's abilities.
"Okay. That's it."
With that, Aurora Wells made her way to the library doors before stopping and turning, intent on a couple last parting words.
"Lash?"
"Yeah?"
"Welcome back."
A/N: The end.
Not really. Just the end of chapter 1.Good? Bad? I didn't do this by myself, oh no. I am but a humble scribe. No, you can thank my friends and musesInara Reynolds and Grasshopper. It was the former who prompted me to write this and the latter who listened to our fractured ramblings about it. You can thank them for letting me butchertheir personalities for my sadistic amusement. Hope you enjoy.
P.S. Leave your Mary Sues at the door.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High. You don't own Sky High. Let's all be sad.