With Her Head Stuck in The Clouds (Open)

[Belle Harrington]

It was early. A lot earlier than Belle was used to. The sun was just beginning to rise, and Belle was waking up. Sitting up now, Belle stretched and threw a dirty look over to Amelia. That bird, how she loved it so, but she was so loud. Her early morning songs almost always woke Belle up.

Getting up now Belle made her way over to Amelia’s cage, part of her wanted to grab it and shake it to shut the bird up, but she knew she would never be able to do that. She loved the bird too much to ever hurt it. “Morning mom,” Belle smiled, opening up the cage, and putting her hand into it. Amelia greeted Belle happily, and hopped onto Belle’s hand. Every morning it was the same way. Belle woke up because of Amelia, she let the bird out to fly around for a bit while Belle changed, and got ready for her day. Amelia landing on Belle whenever Belle was still enough, and singing to her any chance she got.

As Belle changed she watched herself in the mirror, every now and then turning a bit to look at the wounds in her back. How she hated them so, she just wished they would just go away, but she knew that would never happen. She was cursed. A monster in her own eyes. Everyone here told her that she was just different. “Special”. But she knew it was a lie. What kind of person had giant wings growing out of their backs? A monster did. Letting out a sigh, Belle put on her favorite blue summer dress, and of course a sweater to cover her back. God forbid, she ever let anyone see them.

After slipping her little feet into her favorite pair of black Mary Jane's. Belle went to her dresser and pulled out her two favorite belongings, both she had received as gifts from her father. A pair of Bushnell “Powerview” Zoom Binoculars, and her iPod Nano. The perfect combination for some good bird watching, Belle thought to herself, giggling, as she hung the binoculars around her neck, and tucked her iPod buds into her ears and began playing Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”, before stuffing her iPod into her satchel along with a pen and her notebook, which she kept her bird watching notes in.

With a small smile on her face, Belle began to make her way to the Courtyard, keeping her eyes on the ground the whole time she was in the Institute until she was outside in the sunlight. Once that sun hit her eyes, Belle’s face went to the sky. Her eyes searching for the birds. She knew that once she reached the Courtyard she would have a much better chance of seeing anything so she made her way over there as quickly as possible.

Sitting on the grass with her legs placed elegantly to the side, Belle smiled as the song changed, Debussy’s “Clair De Lune”, Belle’s absolutely favorite song. Letting out a gentle sigh, Belle brought the binoculars to her eyes and began to look around the skies. Smiling at all the different birds she was seeing, it was such a perfect day for her to be bird watching. Claude Debussy playing so elegantly in her ear only made everything so much better. Belle was in her own world, no one else was here. It was her own perfect and happy world.

[Talen Trahan]

“Moves Like Jagger” was a good song to finish an awesome run with, Talen thought to himself as he approached the entrance to the courtyard, his iPod snug in its armband around his biceps and the ear buds snug in his ears. He was shirtless, as he was prone to do when he was running so early in the morning, and his skin glowed with a light sheen of sweat as he slowed his steps and stopped inside the courtyard. Taking deep breaths to slow his heart rate, he slipped his tank top back on and did some stretches to keep his muscles limber.

The chatter of songbirds filled his ears and he looked up into the sky, smiling as he took out his iPod and switched it off. Following their flight, he noticed someone sitting under a tree, looking through binoculars. She was pretty, from what he could see from his distance. He also had never seen her before, and he was a person to help someone that he had never met. He walked slowly in her direction and stopped a few feet away, smiling.

“Enjoying the birds?” he asked softly, not wanting to startle her. “They’re all coming back from the south, from the sounds of it.”

[Belle Harrington]

Belle had focused her attention on a black and white warbler, and was following it now with her binoculars. Such a beautiful bird, she thought to herself and smiled happily. Her hands gently dropping her binoculars, so they hung from her neck again, and she turned to her notebook to quickly write something down.

"6:45am - Black and White Warbler. Approx. 10cm long. Looks almost like Amelia, but a bit bigger. Must tell her about it."

She closed the notebook, and put the pen down, her hands bringing her binoculars back to her eyes now. Her iPod now changing songs again, it was now playing "Belle's Song" from her mother's favorite movie, Beauty and The Beast. The movie she had been named from. Belle happily hummed along with the song, thinking that she was alone when she heard someone speak.

"Enjoying the birds?" The voice said, and Belle turned her attention and her binoculars to the boy. Zooming in way too closely to his face, which she would never say was decent looking. "They’re all coming back from the south, from the sounds of it." Belle nodded slowly and then turned her attention and her binoculars back up to the sky, her face a bright pink now.

Glancing at the boy every now and then from the side of her eye, she slowly opened her mouth to speak, "N-N-Not all of them go away to the south for w-winter... S-some stay." She spoke nervously, her voice almost a whisper.

[Talen Trahan]

When she looked at him, color spread over her cheeks like a sunrise and Talen couldn’t help but grin at her response. She was adorable. He slowly sat down beside her, listening to her words as he looked up and watched the birds. This was an activity he could get into, if drawing wasn’t his first passion. Perhaps he could draw the birds he saw; he had drawn squirrels, fish, plants, other students…this could be fun.

“So which ones stay up here in Vermont year round?” he asked politely, looking over at her before looking up at the birds again. He leaned back and laid under the tree, sprawled as his body cooled and he enjoyed her company. “I mean, I’ve never paid attention before, since I draw things, but now that you’ve said something, it makes me curious.”

Remembering his manners, he rolled onto his side and offered his hand. “My name’s Talen, by the way. A pleasure to meet you, miss bird watcher,” he said, smiling gently at her.

[Belle Harrington]

Belle continued to pretend to stare up at the sky with her binoculars, but really she was watching the boy approach her, and then watched as he sat down beside her. What was he doing? She thought to herself, refusing to put her binoculars down. Because if she did then she would have to look at him, and that made her almost as uncomfortable as talking to a person.

"So which ones stay up here in Vermont year round?" She heard him ask, and then watched him sprawl out on the ground. She was going to put her binoculars down, but when he lay on the ground Belle became flushed again. He was getting so comfortable, and she was sitting there on edge. After thinking to herself a bit on how to answer his question, Belle moved one hand off her binoculars, opening her notebook, and then gently throwing it at Talen, having it land on his stomach. Pointing to the open page, Belle quietly spoke, "Th-Th-Those b-birds stay in the winter..."

"I mean, I’ve never paid attention before, since I draw things, but now that you’ve said something, it makes me curious.” Belle smiled softly to herself, she liked the idea of making people interested in birds. There should be more people interested in birds in Belle's opinion. She wondered how he'd react to bugs? Her mind began to wander, and her urge to start digging kicked in. So now bringing her legs in front of her, and dropping her binoculars, her eyes went to the floor, and she began to dig with her feet.

Belle's eyes went to the boy again as he rolled to his side, and looked at her. "My name’s Talen, by the way. A pleasure to meet you, miss bird watcher," He told her, his hand out for her to shake. She looked at his hand, and then back at the floor, her arms wrapping around her knees now as she continued digging her Mary Jane's into the ground. "B-B-Belle..." She said after a moment's struggle.

[Rhett Goddard]

Even though Rhett had a couple of pretty odd weeks lately, things had finally settled back to normal. Or something like that. He had continued, though, the gym routine as a way to release the occasional stress, not leaving behind, though, his parkour training. He kept the gym routine mostly to cardio, though, with the occasional weight lifting, he was not attempting to gain weight or muscularity. It was good. It was also a low-headache season, his powers were softly fading into the background, and even though there were no signs of him gaining control over it, at least they weren't bugging him much lately. It was a start, and a very good one: he could now leave his dorm without headache pills and not worry, too much, about it. It was good too. Life was, perhaps, finally good.

But even though Rhett did know, he had forgotten that no-one ever gets to be too happy, or well, for too long.

He had been walking his way back from the gym towards his dorm the name 'Talen Trahan' jumped into his mind. Then, fact after fact about the black-haired boy started to bounce in and in, one after the other. The location of a couple of moles in his body, the name of his parents, his exact height, the first word he ever spoke, the brand of his shampoo. It made him stop walking as he assimilated the information, and by reflex, knowing the boy had to be close for his power to activate, he looked around. Rhett identified him easily a couple of meters away by his haircut and shape of his shirtless back, he was talking to a blonde girl. Even though he couldn't see, he just knew that Talen most likely had his signature smile in his face. Hideous. Rhett couldn't stand that all those not-welcomed-at-all feelings were coming back at the sight of one simple boy's back. This is pathetic. I am pathetic.

He started to keep walking as more information jumped into his mind. Rhett now knew all the girls Talen had been talking to lately. An awfully big number. He knew her names. He knew the fact that Talen had been joyfully flirting with each one of them. Mostly girls he had just met. Just like he had flirted with Rhett weeks before. Because we did flirt? Right? And just like this one. Rhett now knew her name too, and he knew that Talen thought she was pretty, just as he thinks of every other girls that happens to cross his way.

He growled.

Rhett stopped walking towards his dorm and instead started running towards Talen. Close enough to him, he lowered his upper body, pointed his right shoulder towards the black-haired boy's side abdomen. It was a rather weak attempt to tackle him.

Only an instant before contact, he wondered about his actions. What... the... fuck?

Perhaps, life was not good yet.

((sorry for the randomness oh, and if jam happens to read this: sorry for stealing your trademarked silly apology after posting))

[Talen Trahan]

Talen easily caught the book she threw at him and flipped through the pages, whistling softly at all the notes she had taken. Looking at the most recent additions, he looked up into the trees and watched the birds she had been watching, identifying some of the ones she had seen. He looked at her, about to ask some more questions, but she told him his name, and he smiled gently, closing the book and setting it by her feet when she dropped her binoculars. She truly was a pretty girl, soft and innocent around her face.

“Belle…doesn’t that mean beautiful in French?” he asked, leaning back on his hands. “It certainly fits you.” Corny, sure, but it was the only thing that he could come up with at the moment. While he sat under the shade and cooled off, he felt the earth move and looked around, seeing someone running towards him. Recognizing the boy as Rhett, he stood up, about to greet him. What he got was the boy’s shoulder into his abs, hard enough to pin him against the tree and get the wind knocked out of him.

“Nn!” Talen grunted in pain, his hands clutching the boy’s shoulders as he was pinned to the tree, the back of his head connecting with the tree. He tilted his head back and saw dark spots marring his vision, but he felt the drop in his stomach as his power worked on healing himself. Soon the dark spots faded, but he still couldn’t breathe.

[Belle Harrington]

Belle sat there looking at the floor, her attention on her feet as they gently pushed aside the dirt, as she continued to scavenge for the insects below. "Belle... does that mean beautiful in French?" She heard him ask, and she looked over at him smiling and nodded, it did mean beautiful in French. It was also the name of her mother's favorite Disney princess who was said to be very beautiful. "It certainly fits you," he added in, and Belle immediately brought her attention back to her feet, her face now a bright red.

Feeling the ground shake, Belle looked up to see a large boy running towards them. Initially she thought nothing of it until he kept coming closer, and didn't seem to be changing his direction. He was heading straight for them. Or trying to go straight through them.

She watched Talen stand up, as she moved to stand up as well. That's then the boy tackled Talen into the tree, and Belle jumped backwards, a small cry leaving her mouth in fear. But as soon as she stood up she was immediately brought back to her knees again, this time in horrible pain, as her wings ripped themselves out of her back and through her sweater. It was her main defense mechanism. A very painful defense mechanism, but it usually worked with protecting her or scaring her assailants away.

Slowly standing up now, her wings now spread open to make her appear larger. Like many animals did in the wild. Belle slowly began taking a few steps back. She wanted to turn and run, but she also wanted to make sure Talen was okay. As long as the other boy stayed away from her she wouldn't run, but if he turned in her direction she would be gone.

[Rhett Goddard]

They hit tree. He felt it through his body and it did not feel good, mostly like a shoch through his body, from head to toes. By inches his head did not hit the tree, Rhett was one lucky bastard. Maybe not.

After the commotion was done and Rhett regained control over himself, pain, shock and adrenalin still rushing through his veins, he took a couple of steps back blushing furiously while looking at Talen's face. Random enough, things just took a step higher in the random stair as Belle sprouted large wings from her back, ripping her clothes in the process. The soft pink color in his cheeks faded quickly away. Mon Dieu... It was clearly beautiful. Rhett did not know that there were these kind of meta-humans. Angels. The image, although scaring him, was very pleasant to him. He took a step back and looked astonished at the image, forgetting for a moment about Talen's existence. Oh, if he could do that at will.

He looked at back at Talen. He kept wondering, what had just happened? This was not Rhett acting, it just wasn't him, but who was, then? It had to be him, it was him, just a part he did not know of. He liked Talen. It was a crush, it was clearly one even if Rhett had been trying so hard to deny it to himself. He had a crush on the black-haired boy. Talen, in the other hand, did not return the feelings, or wasn't showing it so far, at least. He had all the rights to flirt with any girl, or boy, he pleased, so why was Rhett to, so randomly, tackle him? He could not take it. Rhett was a novice, it was his first crush ever, and learning about all of the other boy's womanizer adventures all over the place in a split second. By far, too much for an eighteen year old kid with no experience to handle. Too much for him. He was an animal for a second, his primal instincts got the best of him and he was defending what his instincts wanted for himself. He was so naive and he didn't like it.

Now what am I to do? Apologize? I did nothing bad, he deserved it. For this or for something else, anyway. I'm not apologizing Talen Trahan. If someone should apologize is your-effing-self.

"You, I don't know..." He pointed at Belle. "...Much. So I guess social rules say that I should apologize for..." For what? Interrupting you? "...Scaring you or something. Nice wings by the way. Scary, but original. But no, I'm not apologizing. I do apologize for making you believe I would, though." Rhett now pointed at Talen. "You, I don't know much either." He took a step closer towards Talen and poked him strongly with his index. The primal instincts appeared to be back. "Brooklyn. Adrianna. Belle. I could go on and on..." STOP! STOP! "I know everything you man-whore. God I know everything. Every...thing." His voice was getting softer. He had totally lost train of thought with what his epinephrine wanted him to say. He removed his right hand from the black-haired boy's proximity and looked back at Belle. "You know, I would give up about everything for you to be a time manipulator and send me back in time..."

He closed his and covered, in shame, his face with his right hand.

[Talen Trahan]

Talen finally gathered the strength to look down, and the first thing that caught his eye was Belle’s wings. Beautiful, glorious, soft enough that his fingers itched to touch them. They were the wings seen on the archangels in the oldest of cathedrals back home in Louisiana. His eyes, wide as saucers to show her the darkness of his iris, traced over those wings while his body regained its breath and strength, his fingers curling on Rhett’s shoulders.

When Rhett started speaking, Talen slowly began to push the boy back, needing the room to draw in a breath. However, his subtle pushing was thwarted when Rhett pinned him with his index finger and began going off on him like a jealous girlfriend. Incredulity colored the younger boy’s face, darkening it in his anger when he was accused of being a man-whore. Faster than the blonde could blink, Talen had pushed him off his body and wrapped a hand around his throat, fingers digging in as angry black eyes literally sparked with pent-up anger. No one accused him of such a thing.

“When you gain the right sense not to accuse me of such a thing, then you can talk to me again,” Talen said in a low voice, sounding much like the person Belle should not be seeing. “Just because you can see that I’ve been meeting girls instead of boys these days does not make me a man-whore. You think you know everything, but you don’t.” Trembling now, he released the boy’s throat and stalked off towards his room, where he needed some peace and quiet.

[ooc: sorry, guys, he’s really angry ^^’ so now I’m out of this thread]

[Belle Harrington]

Belle stood there, her wings spread wide, watching the two boys in front of her. She didn't know what was going on, she had just wanted to sit here and watch the birds, but then Talen came around. And now this boy was here, the crazy one. She had no idea what these two had against each other, but Belle didn't get involved.

When the attacker turned to her and called her wings scary, Belle got upset, she didn't want to get upset. But she couldn't hold it in. She knew she was a freak, and she was so used to hearing it before she came to Hammel, but now that she had been here she didn't expect to hear it from the people here.

Tears running down her eyes now, she continued to watch the confrontation go on in front of her as her wings began to go limp. She hated these things. They were so ugly. Such a stupid curse, she thought to herself. Listening to the argument between the two now, Belle was not only surprised but slightly confused at what was going on. Were they lovers? The attacker seemed to be genuinely upset, while Talen seemed to be offended. Talen was a man-whore? Belle thought to herself and then shrugged it off. She didn't care. Yes, he was good looking and seemed to be a sweet guy, but either than that she didn't know him.

When Talen pushed the attacker off, she watched as he walked away towards the school. Now she was left with the attacker and didn't know what to do. Immediately her protective mode took over, and she began to turn around to leave. She didn't want to be left alone with someone who had just assaulted someone else.

But then something came over her, she turned back to the boy, her wings ready to protect her if need be, and she starred wide-eyed and confused at the boy, "Wh-wh-why did you d-do that?" She asked her voice hurting. She didn't want to hear his answer. He had insulted her. She just wanted him to think over what he had caused. And with that Belle turned on her heel, and walked away.

[Rhett Goddard]

The world against Rhett. He was not used to it, but it somehow felt familiar. Too familiar. Neither the words or actions or the black-haired boy hurt, Rhett was deep in thought and reflection. What had happened to him? And most importantly, why. He couldn't listen anymore to his talking and even less to the other girls words afterwards, and after both left, he stood there in the same spot, eyes set miles away, for about two minutes before coming back to his senses. He straightened his clothes and placed his hand in his neck to tell if there was damage, but it wasn't. It barely felt a little sore, but then again, most his body was sore from the gym already, so it perhaps didn't matter much.

Just the fact that there was a gym comparison made Rhett close his eyes in disgust. He didn't feel like himself, who was him?

With no way to answer his own question, he softly walked away.