An Unlikely Discovery (Jack)

[Ciaran O'Reilly]

Ciaran O'Reilly was lost. He still had no idea where anything was in the school, but wasn't going to talk to someone to find out. Instead he had taken it upon himself to find a way around the vast corridors of Hammel by himself. It was proving trickier than he had originally imagined.

A door opened to the warm outside and the small Irish boy noticed how warm he was. It was typical of Summer, him being overheated, due to the amount of clothing he wore. A green, zip-up hoodie and tight blue t-shirt was on his upper half today, with blue jeans and green plimsolls. He also wore a pair of thin black gloves, leaving only his face exposed. Needless to say, he was too warm.

He stepped outside and the second thing he noticed was the vast quantity of people on the grass outside. The majority of them seemed to be playing some kind of sport, whether it be throwing an American football around or bouncing a basketball in one of the courts. Ciaran found 'people-watching' entertaining, so he sat down in a sunny spot and looked out over the field.

[Jack McCarthy]

*Thud! Thud!*

Like a modern day Steve Mcqueen Jack bounced his baseball off the solid brick wall and expertly catching it with one hand from his position on the bench. How the hell was it possible in a school of people with super powers that Jack degenerated to the activities he used to do when skipped school back home?

Jack wasn’t bothered to join with the other kids game, thanks to his power, he pretty much dominated any sport he tries and people just got in his way. Besides, like he would ever get involved in a game as idiotic as American football?

So Jack was content to spend the rest of the day playing one man catch while “AC/DC” was blaring out of his Ipod speakers and a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Such is life

*Thud! Thud*

[Ciaran O'Reilly]

Ciaran's gaze travelled around the field. He spotted a game of American Football going on; basically just lots of testosterone filled teenagers in lots of padding running into each other. Like rugby but wussier.

The next thing the overdressed 11-Year-Old spotted were the basketball players. Predominantly black - Ciaran never understood that, it was like running aswell - and most ridiculously tall (although a lot of people on Campus had powers meaning they didn't have to be) they were playing a casual game which consisted mostly of passing and shooting.

As he panned around the field, he saw a ring which must have been used for Track & Field. There were a few people running around the 400 metre track. Even more people were in the center doing a variety of field sports. High jump especially caught his eye. He watched as a muscular teenage girl run up to what looked like a pole vaulting bar. He wasn't interested in how fit she looked (she was probably pretty attractive, but Ciaran's not old enough for that yet) but watching her jump was the most interesting part. She sprang up, like her legs were actual springs and leaped over the huge distance between the ground and the bar. It was fascinating.

Finally he spotted a boy bouncing a baseball off of a wall. He seemed to be quite a few years older than Ciaran, maybe 16 or 17, and looked pretty lonely, but that was coming from someone who was happy to spend his time on his own listening to music. Maybe not the cigarette or the baseball, but certainly the other two. The boy took Ciaran's interest and he became the subject of his watching eyes for a while.

[Jack McCarthy]

God even the damn ball wasn’t fun anymore. There wasn’t really any real challenge to it anymore, being infused with an endless supply of good luck tended to take the challenge out of pretty much everything. Now 99% of the time Jack didn’t particularly care about that aspect of his ability but on the rare occasion….

Jack trail of thought was interrupted by suddenly being aware that he was being stared at by some freaky pale kid way too overdressed for the weather.

Jack on the other hand came prepared for the hot weather as he was wearing a red and black striped t-shirt over jeans with his golden Celtic cross hanging over his neck.

Jack eyes narrowed in irritation at the little kid as he took another drag of his cigarette.

“What the fuck are you looking at, Shit-dick?”

[Ciaran O'Reilly]

As soon as the boy looked his way, Ciaran turned his own gaze, but he had still been spotted.

"What the fuck are you looking at, Shit-dick?"

A deep scarlet filled his cheeks and he looked back nervously. Another person who wasn't nice in the school. He didn't really know what to say (he wasn't familiar with swearing due to being homeschooled all his life) so resorted to one of his most popular. Apology.

"Sorry. I wasn't..." He felt extremely uncomfortable shouting down, so edged toward the other guy. When he was a little closer he started talking again, keeping his eyes on the grass.
"I didn't mean to... To stare." His Irish accent was very obvious when he spoke. "It's just you are on your own. You kinda..." His voice dropped further until it was barely audible. "You kinda interested me." He then just stood there awkwardly, not sure whether to leave or not.

[Jack McCarthy]

Jack raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the young kid. He was “Interested” In jack?! There was……odd not to mention ringing a few alarms bells in Jacks head but that was overtaken by a sense of surprise after hearing the kid talk

“Oh hi, you’re Irish?! Cool man, your from the north right? I’m from Dublin born and raised.”

Jack nodded his approval before continuing.

“So umm…You’re interested in me…You’re not one of those crazy little kids that are in horror movies all the time? Because no offence or anything, but you’re throwing serious “Twins from the shining” vibes at me?”

[Ciaran O'Reilly]

Ciaran nodded. Maybe the boy wasn't as bad as he had imagined after all.

"I'm from Derry. In Northern Ireland. Near the sea." He kept his sentences short, but had less stammering, so that was good. "I'm not a crazy little kid." The ghost of a smile fluttered onto his lips. "Not crazy. I err..." He was a little embarrassed, and still very uncomfortable. "You're the only one on your own. That I can see. That's... Interesting."

[Jack McCarthy]

Now this kid was starting to get on Jack’s nerve…

What business of his how Jack choose to spend his time? He was sorry that he wasn’t aware that spending time on his own was such a shocking way to be. Well excuse him for trying to clear his head for one small moment. Was it so wrong that Jack for just one moment to avoid the bullshitters and get some well deserved “Jack time”

God, he would love nothing more then a “People- repellent”

“..Nothing gets past you does it small fry?”

You can practically feel the sarcasm radiating off Jack.

“But yeah, the reason I’m alone is because I have a rare disease,that gives anyone who says stupid shit to me, a bloody anal cavity…yeah I know crazy right? It’s called Suchthefuckupeosis.

Jack let a few moments past before he leant forward and began to speak in a mock whisper.

“Pssss…That’s your cue to piss off”

[Ciaran O'Reilly]

Ciaran remained still and silent while the guy spoke, his blue eyes peering out. He had been hoping them both being Irish would help in some way, but apparently the older boy was just as antisocial as the other teenagers Ciaran had found so far. There was a certain word he had heard before, a bit like hippogriff, came to mind. It meant criticising people on things that you were guilty of, like being antisocial. So Ciaran nodded slightly forlornly and looked back to the door, through which were the stuffy corridors.

He could figure out what 'piss off' meant, the same for the other words he used (although he had no idea what an 'anal cavity' was) so he opened his mouth to speak, a slightly sad expression filling his face. "I'll go back up the hill then." In the last act of bravery - for Ciaran that's what it was - he spoke again. "I'm Ciaran, by the way... Ciaran O'Reilly."

[Jack McCarthy]

Was this kid still here?

Jack seriously needed to invest in some kind of headache medication, because talking to this kid was seriously giving him a migraine. This kid really couldn’t take a hint that Jack wanted to be left alone, away from all so called in intelligent life, Yeah, like he gave a crap about his name.

But Jack’s opinion changed drastically when Ciaran gave him the sad puppy dog look on his face and started to walk away with his tail tucked inbetween his legs. Great, that’s just what Jack needed. A reason to feel guilty. He didn’t really need the flashbacks to his own traumatic childhood where people would shun him for no good reason. Sometimes Jack was a real asshole…sometimes.

Rolling his eyes with a grimiest, he reluctantly beckoned Ciaran towards him.

“Look…just..just…Sit down and shut up before I change my mind. Ok?”

Once Ciaran sat down Jack offered him his cigarette.

“The name’s Jack.”

[Ciaran O'Reilly]

The sad expression was replaced by a more neutral expression, but inside Ciaran was half relieved and half dissapointed. A part of him thought he could have gone back inside, spent more time by himself, but the other part thought it was probably best to start making friends, even if the first one he made was an antisocial, cigarette-smoking 17-year-old.

He sat down. The boy held out the cigarette he had been smoking and, hesitantly, Ciaran took it. He had seen his dad smoking all the time, so surely it wasn't that bad. Placing it inbetween his lips he sucked in slightly. It was like licking charcoal mixed with petrol. He coughed and spluttered, squeezing his eyes shut and handing it back to Jack.

"How do you..." He coughed again, a bit of smoke leaving his mouth. "Do that?" It was the worst thing he had ever tasted, even worse than mushrooms. How did they all do it, all the people with those things in their mouths almost 24/7? Ciaran couldn't even manage one puff.

"How old are you?" He asked when he had fully recovered.

[Jack McCarthy]

Jack looked on amused at Ciaran’s reaction to smoking, it’s looked like he just busted his cigarette cherry and seemed less then appreciative of Jack’s friendly gesture. Jack didn’t see anything wrong with giving an addictive substance to a 11 year old. Jack himself started to smoke around the age of eight because…well as much as it pained him to say this but at the time he idolized his father that happened to smoke like a chimney (These were during the days where Jack naïve and stupid enough not to notice how much of a dick he was). Jack shakes his head ruefully at his attempts to smoke.

“Jesus Christ, grow a pair already kid! The trick is to smoke slowly. Get a little bit of smoke in your mouth and then fully with your lungs. Once you can handle smoke being in your mouth you can take larger and larger drags?

Jack eyes narrowed in confusion at the question.

“How old I’m I? I’m 18 in a few months....fascinating I know…So what’s your thing? Super Speed? Invisibility? Awkward topics of conversation?”

[Ciaran O'Reilly]

Jack seemed amused by Ciaran's discomfort. He scowled slightly, but could only imagine the older boy was right. If he ever smoked again (he was slightly dissuaded now) then Ciaran would follow his advice.

“How old I’m I? I’m 18 in a few months..." Ciaran was close enough. Jack seemed to like the use of sarcasm and Ciaran was pretty sure he understood most of it. Maybe he should it before too long, so he didn't get confused when people talked.

"No, I err..." It was a slightly touchy subject. His power was pretty useless, more of a hindrance than a help. When he saw people with cool abilities, like Invisibility or Super Speed, he got kind of jealous. That's why he didn't like to share it: it was a bit embarrassing. But Jack had asked, so he had to answer.
"I glow. In the dark. Bright blue. That's why I wear all these clothes. It's... kind of a pain actually." He hoped his discomfort wasn't obvious.

[Jack McCarthy]

It was all Jack could do to suppress a giggle after Ciaran revealed what his ability was, he’s seen some pretty wimpy powers here but that takes the biscuit. It kind of makes Jack think why was Ciaran even in this school? It’s not like glowing needed a lot of control or needed to be developed.

“What? Seriously?!!

Jack groaned slightly as he shook his head

“Small, awkward and glowing…you were dealt a crappy hand weren't you?”

In all honestly Jack felt sorry for the kid, high schools usually fed off the shy and awkward kids alive (Jack had first hand experience of that) and then it hit him.

“You know something? You need someone to teach you the ropes, y’know a role model you can look up to and aspire to be and all that shit. Like Luke sky-whatever and that green puppet dude. You get me?”

[Ciaran O'Reilly]

Jack basically summed it up in one. "Yeah, I guess you could say I'm not particularly lucky..." He sighed slightly. He wished he had a useful power.

“You know something? You need someone to teach you the ropes, y’know a role model you can look up to and aspire to be and all that shit. Like Luke sky-whatever and that green puppet dude. You get me?”

Ciaran looked up, finally making eye contact, his blue eyes a little brighter. He gave it a moment's thought. In one hand, Jack probably didn't seem like the best role-model, but he was quite a bit like Ciaran. Maybe it would be a good thing.

"You would be my yoda?" That sounded stupid even in his own head. "I mean... You would like... Yeah. Err... Okay." It was half a question, that okay.