Thank you very much to Arrowkid21 and AncientSTORM for support! LY!
The only person at Diana's table was Caine. Drake most likely had already had his breakfast and was probably pillaging the local villagers by now. Caine appeared to be disinterested in his food as he moved his spoon in circles above the bowl. He was still processing the revelation of last Friday; Emmy had a power. What Diana didn't get was that Caine hadn't realised that based on the others, telepathy couldn't be a two bar ability. Diana was a two bar and all she could do was gauge power levels. Nothing compared to what Caine or Emmy could do. But Caine often liked to hear what was convenient and treat that as the truth.
"Morning," Caine said as Diana sat down.
"Morning," Diana said with a mischievous smirk. "Do you know what I realised?"
"What?" Caine asked.
"You never told me how the great date with Piper went."
Caine scowled at her, "Don't you think something more important happened that night?"
"You think Emmy's little power is more important than love?" Diana said as she wiggled her eyebrows.
Caine set his spoon down. "How do you know?"
"I met Emmy last night in the corridor." Diana paused as she put her hands over her heart. "She told me the magical story of how two young soul mates declared their love for one another in the most beautiful spot on earth."
"Shut up!" Caine snapped. He returned to his food, but stopped when Diana continued to smirk at him. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I thought if she ever said it I would let her down gently. But when she actually did say it, I was silent for a long time and she looked as if she was about to start sobbing. And I cannot deal with a stupid girl sobbing like an idiot. So I said it back."
"So what's the plan?" Diana asked. "Stay with Piper for how long? Or maybe even do the whole marriage and kids thing? All to spite Emmy. That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"Don't worry," Caine said as he waved his hand casually, "I'm getting rid soon enough."
"How come? Did Emmy finally give you her blessing so now Piper's lost all her appeal?"
Caine shook his head, "Nah. I was hanging out with her last night and suggested we have some fun, using the 'we love each other' thing. Turns out, Piper is a good little catholic girl."
Diana let out a short burst of laughter. "So she's definitely not your type then?"
Caine disregarded Diana's comment, choosing instead to move on to his agenda. "What we do need to talk about is Emmy and my discovery."
'His discovery?' Diana thought to herself. Yet she only responded with, "I guess she's going to have to be part of our little group now to improve her powers."
"No," Caine said. "With a power like hers she can practise it covertly anywhere. Plus, she can be our secret weapon."
"Secret weapon?"
"Think about," Caine urged. "We can use her as a spy, even for those in the group to find out what they really think. Because people censor what they say, yet not their thoughts as they think they're safe inside their own head. But not when Emmy's around." Caine gave a satisfied grin to Diana.
"Which means we better watch what we think around her," Diana reminded him. "So maybe try and stop yourself from thinking how much you love me?"
Caine's demeanour instantly turned hostile. "Shut up Diana," he said coldly, leaving his unfinished breakfast behind.
Diana sat alone at the table, ignoring anyone who was looking at her. Most girls would feel self-conscious about being alone like this, but few had Diana's confidence. She didn't need to be surrounded by fake friends to feel good about herself. Diana hadn't had any real friends in a long time. Just people that she could hang out with at parties or use in whatever way she wanted. When she was done with her breakfast Diana took her tray up to the hatch and walked to her first class: Biology.
Her usual seat beside Caine at the back of the room was free, though her earlier remark was possibly too close to the bone. He would undoubtedly let Drake say whatever foolish thing he wanted to annoy Diana. Diana could normally get Caine to side with her, unless whenever she damaged his delicate feelings. Also, Caine wasn't going to help her with her incomplete homework.
Diana sat beside the class genius. "Hey Computer Jack," Diana smiled kindly at him. Computer Jack reddened deeply and averted his eyes away from her. "What's the problem?" Diana teased when Computer Jack didn't respond. "Cat got your tongue," she said as she poked Computer Jack in the arm.
He jumped at her touch, but smiled.
"Hey Diana," he finally said.
"How was your weekend?" Diana asked, twirling a strand of hair.
"Normal enough," Computer Jack answered with minimal eye contact.
"Mine was so busy," Diana moaned. "I actually never got a chance to do Biology homework. So," Diana leaned in closer to him, "would you mind letting me copy yours?"
Computer Jack immediately handed her his book. "No problem."
"Thanks," she said with a wink. She expertly transferred the answers onto her page before the teacher came in.
They were learning about genetics and alleles that day. Caine chose to pay minimal attention, and even that was hard with Drake beside him cutting into the wooden desk with his Swiss army knife. Yet Caine was smart enough to understand it all. It was only when he was set to work on the task that he things no longer clicked. "Miss," Caine called.
"Yes Caine," the teacher asked warily. She was a new teacher who was still struggling to hide her fear of the pupils.
"You know the way you said for a person to have brown eyes one of their parents has to have brown eyes?"
"Yes," she said, clearly relieved that this was something related to what they were learning. "It's because the gene for-"
"No," Caine cut her off, disregarding any respect he should have for a teacher. "I get it. But I have brown eyes and neither of my parents do. How can that be?"
The teacher scrunched up her face as she thought. "Um… that's very unusual, are you sure?"
"My mum has blue eyes and my dad has green," Caine told her.
The teacher looked back down at her desk. "Perhaps you should get back to work?"
Drake nudged Caine. "Maybe you're adopted?" he laughed.
Caine maintained a calm composure apart from raising his hand underneath the table. He was the one laughing, as Drake's face grew redder while he struggled for air. "Don't you dare say that," Caine threatened, before he let go of Drake's throat.
…
The school day had dragged on relentlessly for Emmy, and doing homework with Piper who was still on cloud nine didn't help matters. Sadly, Shelley and Alexa were only encouraging Piper's monologue. They requested hourly recounts of Piper's date with Caine, as if time could completely change something that happened in the past. Piper was in the midst of one at that moment.
"The meal was fantastic," Piper boasted, "and it was such a fancy restaurant. I saw the prices and was like 'Caine! This is place is way too expensive! It's too much!' and then-", at this point Emmy was restraining herself from talking along Piper as she had heard this story so many times she knew it word for word, "-Caine said, 'Nothing's too much for you'!" Piper squealed and clapped, as if she were a seal.
She stopped when her phone emitted a special bell noise, signifying a text from Caine. "That's him," Piper said. She opened the message with a delirious smile but it quickly turned into a confused frown, then an utter look of despair. Piper dropped her phone and covered her hand with her mouth "No," she whispered. "No," audible this time. "No!" Piper screamed. "No! No! No!" Piper got up quickly from her bed and ran into the bathroom.
Emmy, Alexa and Shelley were in a stunned silence as they heard the aching sobs of Piper. Alexa picked up Piper's phone and read the message aloud. "Hey babe, you're amazing but I'm way too busy for a serious relationship like ours right now. So it's over, sorry. What?" Alexa yelled. "He broke up with her over a text? And he finished with a frowny face?" Alexa held the phone up for Emmy and Shelley to see it.
"The nerve of him!" Shelley was equally livid. "No offence Emmy, but you're brother is an asshole."
"I told you," Emmy reminded them.
Piper burst out of the bathroom, her eyes and hair wild from crying. "So," she shouted as she paced from the bathroom door to the hall door and back again. "I tell him I love him after he gives me all the signs he feels the same. And he says it back. Yet, three days later he dumps me! If he loved me he would not dump me just because he was busy. It's not as if I expect him to devote every single second of his life to being with me! And over text! What pathetic low-life does that? Especially if they love you?" Piper slowed down in her pacing. "Unless, he never loved me. That must be it. He just lied, probably hoping I would instantly drop my pants or whatever afterwards! I HATE HIM!" Piper snatched her phone off Alexa and threw it at the wall, briefly looking proud as it smashed to pieces. Though she crumpled down into a crouch ad hugged her knees. "But I don't hate him," she said through her tears, "I love him!" Shelley and Alexa swiftly moved in to embrace her, while Emmy awkwardly remained on the bed.
She didn't want to be there to deal with Piper, but she couldn't exactly ask to be excused. The only choice was to do what all emotionally distraught people despise; say a stupid cliché. "Look on the bright-side, plenty more fish in the sea."
Piper cried even louder. "I think we'll be able to look after Piper ourselves," Alexa said.
Emmy nodded and exited the room. She smiled to herself once in the corridor. She didn't know what was making her happier, Caine no longer with Piper, or Piper rightfully being taken down a peg. It was only just after dinner and Emmy didn't want to go to her room already. She got out her phone to text Diana but there was a message from Caine, "Come to my room now."
Emmy walked to Caine's room quickly, curious to what he wanted. She knocked on his door and he opened it. Emmy gave him a sympathising look, "I'm so sorry to hear about your tragic news."
Caine smirked dryly, "That makes one of us. Come in."
"What's wrong?" Emmy asked when she sat on one of the desk chairs.
"Apart from Diana and me, who knows about your power?" Caine asked.
"No one," Emmy answered.
"Not even your friends?"
"If they did, then you would have known about it a lot sooner via your ex-spy- I mean, ex-girlfriend," Emmy said condescendingly.
"I suppose so," Caine admitted. "Just make sure to keep it that way." Caine stood up to indicate the conversation was terminated.
"But," Emmy said, "Diana told me there are others, a whole group. Aren't I going to be a part of that?"
"No, I mainly do that to remind those people that I'm in charge, but you already know that, don't you?"
Emmy rolled her eyes and got up. Before she got to the door Drake opened it as he came in.
"What is she doing here?" he scowled.
"We were just chatting," Caine said casually.
"About what?" Drake asked suspiciously.
"Boring family stuff," Emmy lied. "If you want I can stay and discuss what we're getting Granny Soren for her eightieth." Emmy glanced at Caine.
"Good girl," Caine was thinking.
"Thanks," Emmy said to him without speaking. Caine seemed surprised, but there was a touch of pride too on his face. "Bye," Emmy said as she left.