"Sorry Bobby is still on your ass there, Raz." I shrugged as Lili and I started making our way toward wherever Agent Nein's 'secret' lab was. "He needs to cut you some slack but I doubt he will."
"I'm used to it." I put my hands into my jacket's pockets as I kicked a small stone with my right foot as we walked together. "I am a little surprised that he's like that already though. I only ever had kids act that way to me when they realize my last name. I only told you, so I doubt he knows it."
"Are you ever going to tell the other kids though?" I snapped my eyes over toward Lili, who seemed to look nonchalant about the idea by how she had her arms crossed behind her head as she walked beside me. "You can't keep it a secret forever, after all."
"And get myself ran out of the camp before I even have a real chance to prove myself? No thank you." I rolled my shoulders a little to try to get the tension out of my system as we continued walking together. "I doubt I can keep it from the agents here, but I rather the other kids treat me like... another kid."
"I honestly completely understand." I gave Lili a confused look as she dropped her hands to her sides. "When I first came here, it was a breath of fresh air. For once I was seen as something other than the kid of the great Truman Zanotto. For once I was seen as another kid. Just another psychic in training." She looked over toward me with a distant look in her brown eyes. "It only lasted a week, but I would give anything to be treated like that again. Like my last name doesn't carry the weight of the world and all. After all, they treat my family like we're a line of martyrs." I couldn't help but smile a little as I pulled my eyes away from her for a moment.
"You want an escapee from being a savior and I want an escape from being the sinner."
"You're a lot kinder than I would be in your shoes though." Lili gave a short chuckle at the thought before reaching over and knocking me in the shoulder. "But hey, we're friends, right? We don't have to be anything we're not with the other then." I couldn't help but smile as a memory danced around my mind.
"Father?" I stared up toward the tall man with a curious gleam in my eye as I tried my best not to tilt my head too much as I presented him with a question. "Why do the other kids hate me? I didn't even do anything." I watched my father give a small sigh as he ran a hand through his auburn hair.
"Well, Razputin, you have to remember that our name is connected to pain. To the deaths of loved ones and the war of a nation." He kneeled down next to me before placing a hand on my shoulder. "That pain has been passed down through bloodlines. That fear along with it. Other children are going to be spiteful of it. Full of fear and distrust as they hear your name."
"How can I make friends like mama wants me to then?"
I snapped back into reality as I noticed the curious look Lily was giving me as she noticed I was silent at her side.
"You have to find the ones that are like us in a way. Those that carry expectations with their name as well."
"You good there, Raz?" She gave me a curious look as a smirk grew across her lips. "Don't tell me you're backing out of us having a heart-to-heart here."
"Or, to put it bluntly, find someone who just doesn't give a damn."
"What? Getting soft on me?" I gave her a smirk in reply as she just rolled her eyes at me.
"Again, it's called a moment, Aquato." She slugged me this time in a way that actually stung, but it was obvious she was still being playful with me. "Don't go around ruining each one we have now."
"Well, my nickname is Moment Killer."
"Here I thought it was Spazzy Razzy."
"Please never call me that again."
"Whatever you say Spazzy." Lili gave me a Cheshire grin as I decided to toy with her in reply.
"Whatever, Lilipad."
"Lilipad?" Lili gave a smile as she seemed to stifle a laugh. "That's the best you could come up with?"
"Hey! It fits!" I felt my face heat up a little as Lili just laughed joyously.
"But Lilipad?"
"Hey, it's better than what my family calls me!"
"And what's that?" I felt an embarrassed blush take over my cheek as I tried my best to ignore her question. I looked over the little lot of trees to our left to see an oddly shaped building not too far from our path. A bunch of fences and signs around it that made me rather curious to see if this was the 'secret lab' Agent Nein was talking about.
"Is that the secret lab? We should hurry and not keep Agent Nein waiting yeah." I started to walk faster as the girl beside me started yelling after me.
"Aw come on! It can't be that bad!"
"Nope rather die!"
"Come on, Raz!" I started running to the lab as I heard the hurried sound of running footsteps behind me. "I bet it's better than Spazzy!"
"I'm not telling you, Zanotto!"
"I'll get it out of you one way or another!"
"Never!" I started laughing joyously as I came to a halt at the opening of the gates. I turned on my heel just in time to have Lili playfully collide into me. It was just hard enough to cause us to stumble a little, but not hard enough for us to topple over. We laughed together for a moment as Lili then took the chance to hold my arms down my arms by wrapping hers around me from behind.
"Tell me your secrets Agent Raz!" I couldn't help but laugh as I playfully struggled against her.
"Never, Agent Zanotto!" I smiled to myself as I heard her laugh so happily in my ear. I decided to put my hands on top of hers before leaning forward so she was on my back.
"RAZ!" It was Lili's turn to struggle against me as she was trying her best to get back onto the ground. "Put me down, you asshole!" She laughed as she spoke which let me know she didn't actually mean her words.
"You struggle like a worm!" I chuckled as I thought of how Mirtala would wiggle just the same whenever I put her on my back. "You're doing the exact same thing as my baby sister!"
"Put me down, Razputin!" Lili was laughing still as she struggled on my back like a turtle that's been flipped onto its shell. "I'll make you regret it if you don't!"
"What ya gonna do from up there, huh?" I felt a smirk spread across my face as I decided to lean forward just a bit more to make it feel like we were tipping over. "When I can do this."
"RAZ!" She started to struggle a little more as I felt her arms tighten around me. "Don't do that you asshole!" I started chuckling at her as I leaned back a little.
"Exactly how my sister gets when I do that to her," I decided that Lili was messed with enough as I stood up straight so her feet could touch the ground again. "Though without the swearing." Lili dropped her arms from me before a hard punch met my shoulder. "OUCH! Jesus!"
"That's for being a dick!" I looked over toward Lili to see a flushed look on her face, which made me smirk in reply.
"Is Lili Zanotto a little embarrassed?"
"Am not!"
"I think she is!" I spoke in a sing-song voice as she just huffed in annoyance at me.
"You're an ass."
"It was fun though!" I smiled wide as she just crossed her arms over her chest.
"Do it again and die." I couldn't help but snicker in reply as the embarrassed look was still on her face.
"Whatever you say, Captain Zanotto." I smirked once more as Lili huffed once more and decided to start walking toward the entrance to the lab. "Still funny though."
"Shush!"
"Aw, but it great-!"
"Shush."
"You struggling about like a toddler and everything!"
"Raz, I will kill you myself."
"In your dreams, Zanotto." I smirked as we entered the main padded area of a dome-like little structure.
"Shut up and put the button in the Geodesic Psychoisolation Chamber." I gave her a curious look before looking around the little padded room.
"His lab is in a Geodesic Psychoisolation Chamber? We have those? Why do we have these?"
"Let's just say," Lili gestured around the room before continuing. "Some of the kids that show up here need a bit of isolation and nothing to hurt themselves with."
"I honestly didn't know some of the younger psychics our age could be struggling that deeply with their powers." My eyebrows knitted together as I took a look around the chamber.
"You'll be surprised honestly." Her voice was soft for a moment, but it went to a teasing tone as she continued. "Though we haven't used these since the '50s. Which explains why Dogen gets to wander around freely." Her voice came closer as I continued looking around the little room to see where a button like the one Sasha gave me was missing. "Though kids like Bobby also like to stuff others in here like it's some kind of prank that won't mess with a person." My eyes went wide as I snapped my attention toward her.
"Really?!"
"Yeah." She drew out the word as I watched her lean against the padded wall behind her. "It's messed up."
"To say the least." I turned to put the button in the middle of the floor, as I saw that's where the missing spot was. "I was isolated once like that when I was younger." I kneeled down to put the button in place before giving Lili a soft look. "That stuff messes with you." I looked back to the floor as I felt it shift to see that the padding moved just enough on the floor to showcase a hatch that I opened without a second thought.
"You were put into an isolation room? For what?" I cringed a little as some of the memories came back to me.
"You put my son in some isolation chamber like some kind of unhinged animal?!" My father screamed at the police officer in question as I hid behind his right leg. I remember how my body shook and trembled. I was in there for hours as my folks spoke and fought the police on a false allegation that occurred at our latest circus performance. Someone was trying to claim that I picked them up and dropped them seven feet off the ground. But honestly, the fellow performer fell off his stilts and I used my telekinesis to grab him before he fell too hard and softened his landing.
Yet I guess explaining to his boss there that he was dropped by the local psychic instead of not practicing like he should be less embarrassing than explaining he just wasn't fit for the job.
"He's a psychic, how would we know that he wouldn't have used his abilities on us?"
"Because he's a child."
"He's also a damn Aquato, just like you. Be happy that there are no charges. Anyone in their right mind would happily lock you bastards away."
"Did you just threaten my family?" My father growled as the office just narrowed his eyes at him.
"You should leave before it becomes a promise."
I shook myself out of the memory quickly. Though the damage of it was done with how my hands were trembling just a tad.
"It's-." I sighed as I tried my best to calm my nerves. "It's not the most fun in the world."
"I didn't think it would." I looked over toward Lili, who was now right beside me as the opened hatch was before us. "But hey, I promise nothing like that will happen here, alright?"
No one can promise that. Everyone reacts so horribly when they hear my name. Everyone makes me out to be the villain in the storyline right as they find out something went wrong and I was around. She can't promise that no one would want me locked away or that they wouldn't try to.
I watched as Lili held her hand out toward me to help me up from my kneeling position. There was a kind look on her face as a determined gleam danced around in her brown eyes.
But she's proven to be the exact opposite of what I've known so far.
I reached out and took her hand without a second thought.
So who am I to say that she can't?
