Emergence
a Sky High fic
Chapter 2: Nostalgia
She calls me from the cold
Just when I was low, feeling short of stable
All that she intends
And all she keeps inside, isn't on the label
Fuel, "Shimmer"
"So you make people horny?"
The library was their meeting place. He met Aurora Wells there every other day after school to discuss his progress as he reentered the Sky High community. He also met Lydia there, every day. They both had a free period before lunch and since that first day Lash had never failed to show up to talk to her while she re-shelved books.
Honestly, he was lonely. He'd seen Speed and Penny a few times in school but their schedules were so different. He and Speed had lunch together and he had History with Penny, but it wasn't the same. No longer popular, Lash was forced to take his friends where he could find them. That included Lydia, who had told him about her life at Olympus Academy in upstate New York. They talked about their families, their hobbies, favorite movies, etc. He complained about school work and she complained about being new and out of the loop. She told him about the power vacuum that had resulted from his and his friends' absence, which had lead students like Aurora and Garrett Holden to the top. Speaking of Garrett Holden…
"I don't mean to! It's not even the only emotion I can invoke, it's just one of the easiest. It wouldn't be so bad if guys like Garrett Holden weren't around."
"Guys like him?"
"Oh, you know. Hot, charming, resistant to pleas for the cessation of attention…"
"How do you know he doesn't really just like you?"
"Too unlikely. We're such extremes. And he doesn't know me at all, which makes his interest pretty suspect."
Lash nodded, absently toying with the little blue-haired troll atop her desk. Personally, he didn't consider Holden to be the most sincere admirer. He was a guy after all and knew how those things went. But still, he was curious as to why Lydia sold herself so short. Emotional manipulation aside, she was a very pretty girl.
She was dressed that day in a pair of dark blue jeans and a black zip-up ribbed sweater over a white camisole. With her hair swept up and twisted within a butterfly clip, the slightly curling ends spilling out of the plastic restraint, she looked charmingly academic.
"Anyway," she said with a huff as she hauled the rolling ladder over to the section she wanted, "big guys on campus and me are not mixable. Can you hand me those green books there?"
In the past, Lash had taken a lot of things for granted. His friends, his popularity, his freedom…All of those things were riding on his second chance and what he made of it. So he was grateful for the shy girl in the library. Grateful for her soft voice, grounded personality, and sincere smile.
He had never made friends so close or so fast. At least not female friends. Penny had been the closest, but even then, there was a sense of guardedness. His friendship with Lydia wasn't like that at all and he was loath to overanalyze it. He was just glad for it. So glad that he experienced quite a bit of agitation as he watched her carefully unveil her birthday present from him.
Despite an abundant ignorance regarding herself, Lydia knew other people. Perhaps a by product of her power or a natural perceptiveness, the fact remained that she was completely aware of Lash's rising anxiety as she opened her gift. Releasing an aura of calm as subtly as she could, she gave him a reassuring smile as she discarded the wrapping paper left on the small gift box.
Opening the box, her smile turned into an appreciative grin.
She was addicted to her mp3 player, which was a constant companion during her stints as a hermit while in the library. Lash had heard her complain about on of her ear buds which had recently ceased operation. Figuring that a new pair was hardly enough for a birthday present, he'd added a package of transparent cases as well as a handful of decorative pins, many featuring skulls and crossbones, a trend of his that she had openly admired. They both had the same messenger bag though hers was a dark gray as opposed to his plain black, and they were both fond of stitching patches and attaching pins onto the front of their bags.
"Thank you Lash," she said, giving him a sincere smile.
He felt uncomfortable for a few seconds but nodded anyway.
This was okay.
The day was certainly one for surprises. A card and candy from Aurora. Birthday wishes from her lab partner Layla and Ethan, a library regular. Attempted birthday licks from Zack in the cafeteria. The gifts from Lash. And then there was the matter of the small bouquet of gardenias in her locker...signed—
"Guess who."
Lydia wasn't one for dramatics. But her heart. Just. Stopped.
Placing hesitant hands upon the ones covering her eyes, she took a moment to collect her thoughts.
"'Nara?"
Quickly spinning away from her open locker, Lydia beheld her friend of six years. Same as always. Jet-black hair, copper eyes doing their best to pass for brown. Blue jeans, white tank, dark gray zip-up hoodie with the screen flower on the left hand corner. And a resident of New York, if memory served correctly.
"What are you doing here?"
Lydia didn't know why she whispered/hissed the query or looked about the hall so wildly. Perhaps it was the mischievous gleam in her friend's eyes. She could inspire caution in anyone…
"Long story," the interloper drawled, completely unconcerned. Pulling something from her back pocket, she proceeded to peel a Sky High name tag from its backing. Smacking it down over the right side of her chest, she grinned at her friend's astonished expression.
"What are you waiting for, Birthday Girl? Welcome your new classmate."
"I cannot believe you burned down the gym for me. I can't believe you did that just so you could go here!"
"What can I say? You're worth it."
So this was Sky High. The place that had taken her best friend away from Olympus Academy. Away from New York. Away from her.
Not bad.
That Medulla guy was going to be a bitch to put up with. 'Course, what mad scientist wasn't? The other classes weren't so bad. A little more upbeat than she was used to (Did they really think that the hero would always win?). The coach was an ass. She would handle him easily.
The food was alright as was the company that her friend had introduced her to (though the glowing kid could be a little off-putting). Lydia had done alright for herself in the first two weeks of school. Speaking of which…
"'Lyd, who's that guy and why does he keep lookin' over here?"
Lydia looked up from the book list she was perusing, her eyes scanning the library. Upon finding her target, her eyes immediately lit up.
"Lash, come over here!" Lydia whispered loudly.
Almost reluctantly, the tall, striped boy made his way over.
"Hey," he said lowly, sparing Inara a glance.
"Lash, this is Inara. My best friend. From Olympus, remember?"
Lash did remember. Lydia had talked fondly of the girl, reflecting on her days at her old school. It had been obvious how close they were and how much Lydia had missed her. That wistfulness hadn't been as apparent lately…
"Hey," he greeted noncommittally. She nodded her head in kind.
Silence fell. Lash was close to bolting.
"Sit down Lash," she said quietly, giving him one of the small, friendly smiles he had, somehow, gotten used to. It was almost frightening what two weeks could do to a person.
Without protest, Lash sat.
"So, what are your powers?" he asked the new girl. Or was that new new girl?
"I'm a tactile visionary."
Lash's blank expression sent her eyes heavenward.
"I'm clairvoyant," she said pointedly, "I touch it, I see it. People or things. Mostly the past and strong emotions."
He nodded, understanding. Looking down, a puzzled frown appeared.
"No gloves?"
Looking down at her hands, Inara smiled self-consciously
"Yeah, I'm pretty good at blocking. Don't know how I managed that," she said, giving Lydia a significant look.
"She receives, I project," Lydia explained, "I guess some of my restraint rubbed off."
"Well, I'd curb myself too," the clairvoyant said, "if I made people horny."
Ah, lunch.
As they made their way down the line of food, Inara decided to put her interrogation skills to work.
"So who is this Lash guy?"
"He's just a friend. He's missed a year of school."
"Why?"
"Well, he allied himself with a villain and tried to turn everyone into babies."
"You sure can pick 'em, Lyd. So he's a bad boy, eh? Cool. He is reformed, right? I mean, they wouldn't let him come back otherwise, right?"
"Yes."
"He's cute."
"Hn."
"As is the hot number in black and red."
"Hot. I get it."
Tray laden, Inara followed Lydia past tables and students before coming to the group by the window. The motley crew, as she liked to call them, was made up of six do-gooders. A prodigy, a tree hugger, a firebug, a glowworm, a rodent, and a puddle.
Pick 'em indeed.
To be fair, Inara's best friend was with this particular crowd due to the influence of their latest addition. A time bender, Aurora Wells was the plant chick's lab partner in chemistry. Inara was in that class herself, working alongside the pyro. Not a bad state of affairs on that score.
Knowing Lydia as she did, Inara was sure that her friend was cool with these people. So she was cool with these people. So she would try to be cool too, for her. They weren't that bad, really.
"Is it just me," she asked as she sat down, "or is it Medulla's time of the month?"
"I know, man."
That was Zach, wresting with his milk carton, which was promptly taken by Magenta, who opened it with casual ease.
"Well, he's got that project to present to those International Science guys. Maybe it's not going so hot?" reasoned Layla.
"Still, ten pages on the use of chemical weapons by at least five prominent villains? With foot notes?"
This from Will, who was in Medulla's afternoon class.
"I can help!" Lydia piped up. "I've got tons of data on pheromones and mind control.
"You would," muttered Magenta.
For an instant, Inara was tempted to snap at the shape-shifter. But Lydia had explained that Magenta was one for cynicism, not cheer. And the tongue Lydia stuck out at her belied and menace within the comment.
It was fine. Everything was cool.
The rest of the day went without incident without any sign of Inara after lunch. Lydia still couldn't believe that her friend had really burnt down their old school's gym just for her. At least she remembered to spare the library.
As the school bell shrilly beckoned Sky High's denizens to leave for the day, Lydia made her way through the throng to park herself by Inara's new locker where the former delinquent was packing up for home.
"So what is the verdict?"
"Wha?"
"Hero or Sidekick?"
"Oh that. Hero," Inara said, a thoughtful look on her face as she shut her locker door. "Someone needs to tell the coach that short shorts are not meant for middle aged guys," she said gravely.
" 'Nara."
"He told me to power up and I told him it didn't quite work that way. Then he started to yell at me. I grabbed his pen and recited his underwear choice for the last three days. That shut him up," Inara said, then proceeded to chuckle proudly.
"You shouldn't antagonize the faculty," her friend chastised.
"It's fine. Now he knows not to get on my bad side. Anyway, he told me that I was a hero and scampered away, sans the snarkage. So what are we going to do for your birthday? I was thinking maybe a party this weekend. My house should be ready by then to have guests and stuff over. I made sure to make the hot tub and pool top priority."
"Inara, you just got here. And my birthday, which very few people were even aware of, has already past."
"So."
"So, I'm sure your parents would not appreciate playing hosts to a bunch of strange kids who would have to read the cake to know why they're even there in the first place!"
"Nah, it's cool. They're hitting LA this weekend. Mattress shopping or something," Inara said derisively. "Besides, no one cares about date accuracy any more. Look at all those belated birthday cards they've got now."
"Still, no friends! Present company excluded."
"So it's just your lunch table posse then?"
At her friend's sheepish nod, the clairvoyant rolled her eyes.
"Lydia, isn't that group the same that saved this school and everyone in it?"
"Yeah."
"And doesn't that group include the son of the two most prominent heroes on the West coast?"
"Yeah."
"Well then, guest problem solved!"
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A/N: Look, I updated! See?
Yet another stirring chapter. Please be kind and rewind. And review while you're at
Thank you horsebookwork, .Neon.Love.Monkey., and Inara Reynolds (you shill, you) for your kind words! They get this lazy bum of her...bum? '
Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High. You don't own Sky High. Let's all be sad.