Who are you? (Open)

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrian was relieved when he dropped the painful subject. She didn't want to hurt anymore than she already did. Things were bad enough without thinking about her ill mother. Something about the way he had dropped it right at the perfect time made her wonder if he understood just how awful it was. She wanted to ask, but wasn't willing to bring up anymore depressing topics. That was what she was trying to get away from.

The light subject was much more fun to talk about. It made her think back to her life before. Things had been so different back then that it was strange to really remember it. She'd been so happy before, no drama, little pain involved in her life. It had been so much better. Not that she regretted coming to Hammel and making the friends that she had, it was just different. His comment was touching in a way, it made her smile wider than she had, with no force behind it. And he was right of course. She was a small girl, but when she was younger she had made a guy twice her size fall to the ground for making fun of her bodyguard, "It's true. I've learned from personal experience that even someone my size can do some serious damage." She laughed quietly.

Adri shrugged when he asked if she was okay because of her foot. It hurt, but not enough to stop her from gloating. She stuck her tongue out at him and laughed again as she twirled around him. She'd barely caught the blush on his cheeks, but when she did she bit her lower lip and giggled at his comment. At first she'd thought she had embarrassed him completely, but the flirtation was returned and made her relax. Her own legs protested at his comment and she shook her head frantically, "No no no, I beat you fair and circle." She smiled a little more shyly at her words. It was something that she'd said when she was real young and it always had just stuck. She had always gotten a circle and a square mixed up as a child.

She'd noticed him reach out to help her when she fell to the ground in a fit of laughter. Adrianna shook her head at his question and just continued laughing. Finally she got a hold of herself and took a few deep breaths. Until he'd started talking again. His joke had gotten her going again and this time she was sure she wouldn't be stopping. She snorted as she inhaled and covered her mouth and nose. Her cheeks burned bright red and she laughed even harder snorting once again.

When she was in her kindergarten class they had made a list of "Bests." She had won Best Laugh and Best Smile. Though she got made fun of for her laugh a lot. "You're so...funny." She forced out before snorting once more.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani laughed a little surprised by her statement. “I believe it,” he said with a grin. Maybe she could show his sister the ropes. That poor girl, she was still so young, but when Lani was her age he was working for a mob boss… well… still is, but that wasn’t the point. Truth be told, if she hadn’t gotten sick he would have been normal and aged slower as well. He wondered if the stresses associated with his job affected his power. He sometimes felt like he didn’t belong. Everyone else had been here since early adolescence and he was Lani his mind half blown open by his power and no closer to succeeding in controlling it than he was to becoming president.

He nodded a little smile forming on his face as he imagined her standing up for herself against a huge guy and the guy was cowering. Smaller people generally had to learn how to be creative in defending themselves. No one ever messed with Lani when he was at school. He had enough friends to watch his back but there were also too many rumors floating around Lani to make anyone comfortable. Why did he change schools so much? Or why did he always look exhausted? He had heard everything from the truth to his parents being international spies. He laughed at all of them faking like none were true but there was still too much uncertainty. The one time he saw someone messing with his sister because she was easier to manipulate and not nearly as scary as Lani. He had made them sorry. Soon after Hammel came and he was sure the rumors were more than flying.

He raised a brow but didn’t say anything when she shrugged off her limp. Perhaps it was something small for it didn’t seem to bother her as she danced and… did she just stick her tongue out at him? He laughed at that. He shrugged and sighed. “Good, I think my legs might be angry with me…. Wait… what?” He asked, “Fair and circle?” That was perhaps the strangest thing he had ever heard, perhaps not the strangest but it wasn’t what he expected. Fair and square, every child under the sun knew that saying. Her shy smile was adorable and mixed with her shape confusion he decided that made her all the more beautiful. He supposed every guy she met thought she was beautiful. Some people were beautiful and they flaunted it but every once in a while they did something that was truly beautiful. She certainly had the looks, there was no doubt about that, but Lani had a sneaky suspicion he had just seen another layer of Adrian.

He smiled, glad his poor joke had set her off again. He collapsed in laughter as she snorted. Her face became the color of a tomato and that only stoked Lani’s laugh. He was trying desperately to keep himself under control. He had this obnoxious hyena thing going on when he really got going. It was terribly embarrassing. The more she tried to stop laughing the more she snorted and Lani was nearly getting cramps over something that probably wasn’t all that funny in the first place. Just goes to show that laughing was like yawning. It just sort of spread.

A flash of heat warmed his ears as she complimented him. He searched his brain hoping for something clever to come up. It was failing him so instead he just said, “I try.” He laughed a little more and allowed himself to fell back so he was looking up into the cloudy sky. He spread his arms on the ground around him and gave her an exhausted face with his tongue sticking out to the side like a dead person. He successfully flattened his upper body onto the track and his legs were bent so that his feet were flat on the track. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Her smile brightened when he took her word for it. She hadn't been lying, but most people just laughed when they tried to picture sweet, innocent little Adri standing up for herself. The girl was so nice sometimes it was hard to picture her fighting or saying mean things. It was rare, but she could be brutal if she was filled with enough anger. She didn't enjoy hurting people which was why she'd usually be the one getting hurt.

Adrian looked down and chewed on her lip when he questioned her phrase. She had a feeling it was coming, after all most people knew by now what the expression was. And she did too, she'd just grown up saying her version. Amelia encouraged it because she said it made Adrian different, not to mention it was probably the most adorable thing ever besides snorting obnoxiously. She fiddled with her hair a bit out of nerves and finally looked up, "Yeeeah, um when I was little I came up with that and, well it sorta stuck." She smiled sheepishly. Not many people knew that part of her make-up. She'd struggled as a younger kid, luckily growing into her brain when she got older.

His laughing made her laugh more. They probably looked pretty strange from an innocent bystander's view point, but it was fun. Adrianna hadn't really been that happy for a while and this was just a way to let out and finally laugh at something that was well not that funny. The girl acted like a little kid sometimes with all of her enthusiasm and energy. She had a good maturity level and could be serious, but she liked being carefree better. This was one of those times that she didn't care how embarrassed she should be, she was actually having fun with him.

Her smile brightened further when he took her compliment. She giggled at the face he made and laid back on the ground folding her hands on her stomach. Her breathing began to slow and her abdomen unclenched from laughing so hard. She looked up at the sky and hummed quietly to herself. She glanced over at him and looked away quickly to hide the blush on her face. She had to admit, this whole running thing had turned out great. She hadn't thought once about her problematic best friend issue.

"It's so pretty out here," Adrian said absently as she breathed in a the fresh air and looked at the swirly and puffy clouds above her. California had its own beauty, but Vermont was different, it had more of a natural beauty.

[Lani Hunter]

As hard as it was for Lani to imagine Adrianna getting angry, he had only known her for a little while, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was like under all of her protective layers. Some people hid themselves with booze, others with depression and isolation, and others with happiness and jokes. Lani hid behind his arrogance and jokes. Sometimes it seemed that the only person who knew him was his sister, but he was working on that. Already with Cassie he had started to be himself again. He had been so angry lately and hadn’t even realized it until this moment when he was able to let go and laugh. He had too many big secrets to allow himself to let loose completely but it would be nice for once to just open up. His brain had a hard time with that and Lani figured he wouldn’t get too far.

Lani used her embarrassment as a way to get a closer look at her. He was hesitant to say anything to upset her, but it seemed like she was too happy for that. He would never have a mood like that. No matter how much he told himself to be happy, if he wasn’t he couldn’t do it. He hated it when things got to close, to personal Lani tended to shut down. Avoid the question with a story. She was direct and Lani couldn’t help smiling. It was cute how she held onto things from her childhood. Lani hardly remembered being a child. “That’s cute,” Lani said aloud and a smile spread over his face.

“It’s funny how much people our age wish to be children, but when we were children we just wanted to be old.” He chuckled a little at the thought. Oh what he would give to be carefree. The laughter brought out all of the happiness Lani had been missing. He felt like he could like this place for once. No longer a prison. Perhaps it was resignation. He didn’t really care as long as he wasn’t brooding on things he couldn’t fix. He loved the feeling of exhaustion. He had felt boxed in and every bit of him was getting antsy. His power especially. If he didn’t use it every day it got very finicky. He heard her shift next to him and he folded his arms under his head. He cracked one eye open to look at her and caught her looking at him. He smiled a little and relaxed relishing in the calm and the happiness. He found himself very much against the idea of moving. His position right here was comfortable.

He peeked at her again as she spoke then turned his eyes up to the sky. The sky looked so innocent and magnificent. One could imagine it went forever, and he supposed in a way it did. It was strange how the same sky that had dumped several inches of slow and blizzard winds could change and be so calm. The white cumulus flitted by and the high cirrus raced above like someone was painting them there. It was strange to see the higher clouds race along while the puffy cumulous towered and meandered their way along occasionally shading the sun. He couldn’t deny her statement. “It is,” he agreed, “It’s different, but it’s nice.” He hesitated for a moment then added, “I’m from Boston. We don’t get skies like this there.” That was unfair. Boston was nice, in the right areas. But the smog was everywhere.

He smiled a little turning his face toward the sky. “I wonder what it would be like to fly.” He said thinking aloud again. “To be free like that, no boundaries.” He shook his head a little realizing he was narrating a daydream. He would love to fly. If he could trade powers with anyone it would be for that. Then he could fly away from everything. His problems and worries, the rational part of his brain pointed out he couldn’t escape his problems but it was nice to imagine what freedom would be like. He looked at her a slightly questioning expression on his face. “So a deal’s a deal,” he said, “How does it work?”

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna had been changing so much lately. She'd once been so extraordinarily upbeat and excited, but now she was gloomy and isolated. Turning into this wasn't what she'd wanted, she wanted to go back to being that funny Cali girl that always smiled. She was getting frown lines and that was awful in itself. She just wanted to be herself again. No more tears, no more pain, nothing. Hanging out with him had brought back that shred of happiness she still contained. Shred was the key word. She barely had any happiness left.

His words made her blush a lot brighter, if that was possible and she smiled, "Maybe when I was like three, not so much at sixteen though." She laughed quietly and swung her hair over her shoulder braiding it absent-mindedly. She watched him. There was something so strange about this day. Just this morning she had been so anti-social and angry, but now she couldn't stop smiling. She wasn't sure if it was the thrill of meeting someone new, or if it was just him. Maybe it was both, but she couldn't be sure.

"It is pretty crazy. I remember as a kid I used to dress up as my mom and wear her makeup, which was not so pretty on me. I always tried talking like her and acting so grown-up. She always told me that growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be and just recently I've realized just how right she was. Being younger was so much easier," She sighed and went back to looking at the sky. She hopped up quickly and jogged over to her stuff grabbing a small sketchbook. When she walked back over she sat down and looked back up. Pencil in hand, she started sketching quickly. It took her a few minutes and she worked while he spoke. "Boston has pretty snow I've heard. California never snows. First time it snowed here I about lost my mind." She laughed and finished up her drawing. It was a quick sketch, definitely not one of her best that filled the book in her hands.

His thoughts turned wondrous and she smiled faintly, "Flying is difficult actually, at first. Once you get used to it though, it's amazing." Adrian rested her elbows on her sketchbook and looked up as she imagined the one time she'd gone flying with an older student. Power mimicry had it's advantages and fun moments for sure. He brought her back to the present and she bit her lip.

Adri sat her sketchbook down along with the pencil and turned towards him, "Okay, so this is going to probably sound a little creepy, but it works I promise. Alright, my power is strengthened by physical contact. The more physical contact, the stronger sense of it I get. It doesn't have to be a long touch or anything, brief will work too. It gives me the abilities and a faint flash of how to use the power. So um, first thing to do in order for this to work, we gotta touch in some way..." Despite her tries, her face burned and she chewed on her lower lip.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani was at ease and peaceful for the moment. He was glad for the change in mood. The conversation was pleasant and easy. His energy was low and Lani for one loved that. The less energy he had the less his power would act up. The clouds even seemed peaceful and Lani could imagine his troubles falling away. It was a wonderful feeling. He almost wanted to call Caroline and tell her of this wonderful person he had met. He wondered faintly if he had a chance. He was terribly shy when it came to things like this. Lani was also remarkably clueless when it came to things like this. When people talk about boys being clueless they generally define Lani. He was getting better, his sister was tutoring him. That was embarrassing but it was funny at the same time. He would take her to the mall and she would whisper that someone was looking at him. He just shook his head at her.

He smiled at her blush and ignored the fact that he had been so blunt. He shook his head at her. “Not true,” he said waggling his finger at her. “I’m actually jealous; I don’t remember being a kid very much. I kinda wanna go back.” His words faded away and he was lost in his thoughts. He looked up at the sky keeping her in his peripherals. Childhood, what a sweet time. Why did people think it was wrong to long for times when things were black and white, good and bad. But people, people were all good. He had been disillusioned too early. At twelve he had known the true definition of evil. He saw it all around him, and within himself. It was a terrifying thing for a twelve year old. Even now it scared him. Who was he? The question gnawed at him and he couldn’t find the answer.

He blinked and looked over at her when he realized she was speaking again. He chuckled a little at her memory, little girls got to have all the fun. He nodded at her conclusion. “How true is that,” he agreed, “You always want what you don’t have.” He fell silent and watched the clouds with a smile on his face. He glanced over when she moved. His legs throbbed and he envied her motivation. He sighed wondering for a moment if she was leaving him. But then she returned something in hand. Lani being nosy shifted so he could see. A sketchbook? He was distracted watching her hand move. He had no artistic talent at all. His power did but he didn’t. With his power he could sketch whatever he saw in his mind. In his hand however he got stick people and generally very strangely proportional stick people.

He nodded a little. “Yeah I mean it’s nice. I miss it; the snow is always crisp and clean.” He gestured at the sky. “The buildings reach the sky and the shine in the sun. It’s almost as if there is no sky at all. In the good parts of the city it’s like the whole place was made out of marble and glass. It’s beautiful.” Lani smiled remembering his mother city. He missed Boston. Even the slums. The slums so thick with gangs that people without any reputation would get harassed. Lani had street credit, people knew him and liked him, generally, at least he hoped. Either way they left him alone. He laughed coming from California to Vermont and snow would give anyone a panic attack. “I’ve heard California’s really pretty, don’t you have those huge trees that are, what? A hundred feet high, or something?” He sat up and leaned back on his hands. He glanced over her shoulder at her sketch. It was beautiful. It seemed to capture the calm of the clouds, and yet it also shadowed the freedom and power they held. “That’s beautiful.” He complimented genuinely.

He blinked at her in surprise. “You’ve flown before?” He asked confused until he realized her power probably would allow her to do that. He was jealous. “What was it like?” He asked eagerly. He heard from someone that he could probably fly, if he found something he could lift and balance on at the same time. He hadn’t gotten that much control yet. Usually he could lift a board about an inch then it would buck him off. He was very close to giving up on the idea. It would probably be the best thing for his health. Also if his power failed him from overuse and he was in the air that could be a really big problem. But then again, Lani wasn’t one of those people who learned from his mistakes. He would probably keep trying until he did something that got himself seriously hurt.

He flexed his hands a little and shifted and leaning a little less on his hands. He listened carefully and smiled at her warning. Physical contact, alright. He really hoped she was prepared for this. His power wasn’t a gentle thing. It arrived more like a roar than a whisper. Sometimes it was like reigning in a train with a piece of string. If her power would help her figure out how to use it that would be good, perhaps she could give him pointers. He wondered if it was only power specific or if it was also person specific. Would it act to her as it did to him? He hoped not. This was probably a bad idea. His power was strongly linked to his emotions he hoped she didn’t get any residual emotions from him. His anxiety and anger and happiness. All of it affected his power. He folded his legs and turned to face her. He grinned at her blush and shrugged. “That doesn’t seem so hard,” he said, “But please be careful, it’s kind of got a mind of its own.” He hesitated then extended his hand toward her. His own face started to heat. “Will it hurt?” He asked softly.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna was relaxed. Relaxed after everything that had been going on with her. This was one of the few times that she didn’t mind just lying around. It wasn’t the feeling of hermit-ness that she’d felt prior to coming outside. She felt at ease with her surroundings. And it all had to do with who she was with. The boy she’d met. It was the first time and quite a while that she’d just hung out and wasn’t throwing herself at him. Usually she got in too far too fast with a guy. If she found him hot, she went for it, unless he had a girlfriend. But she wasn’t going to think about those situations. This was different, she’d made small talk in the beginning and soon they got into deeper things, but nothing too deep. She hadn’t been all over him as she usually was with men. It was nice, lying beside him without the physical contact that she usually needed.

Bluntness was one of those things that Adrian could handle better than just about anyone. She was so used to it that it never bothered her when someone outright said what was on their mind even if it was harsh or completely crazy. His comment didn’t bother her at all, it actually made her feel even happier. The fact that he thought she was cute, but not in the appearance part of things. The way she talked. Ha, if only he knew just how funny her speech could be. The girl had a serious speech impediment, but never said the words she had trouble with. Not unless she completely forgot and tried saying ‘coconut’ or ‘cinnamon.’ Talk about butchering words. “I can understand why you’d want to go back. I wish I could too sometimes, I was so much happier then. It was so easy being happy as a child because the world was never pressing down on you, ya know?” She sighed lightly at the path her thoughts had gone to. The world was always pressing down on her, always giving her something else to worry about.

“That’s exactly how it was too. My mom thought I was crazy trying to be like her,” She smiled and when she came back with her sketchpad, she listened to his description of Boston. It sounded lovely and she could almost picture it in her head. The buildings were easy to picture because LA was much the same, but the crisp snow and the way the sun shined was a little different. The sun in California was harsh and brighter than it was here. The most beautiful part of California was looking out at the ocean. The way the moon glinted off the water at night. “The trees are pretty crazy and have a beauty to them, but it’s prettiest at night. If you think that picture is good, you’ll like this one better. I sketched it one night when I went out to walk along the shore line. My house is really close to the ocean, walk right out our back gate and the sand is right there. I went out there a lot when I needed to think.” She pulled out the picture and showed it to him, “The moon was so bright and full, I couldn’t stop myself from drawing it.”

Adrianna laughed quietly and nodded, “Yeah I’ve flown once. It was scary; I was only thirteen when I did it. The height part was what scared me the most because I’m terrified of heights. Once I got used to it though, it was exhilarating and freeing I guess. You use muscles in your body that you didn’t even know you had or that you’ve never used before.” She smiled brighter and looked up at the sky, “It was one of the best moments I’ve had using my power.” Adri turned to him and tilted her head, “As a telekinetic you should be able to do it once you gain enough control, well not with wings obviously, but on an object.”

When she started explaining her power her heartbeat started to race. It was an adrenaline thing she got whenever she was about to use the power. Physical contact made it stronger, but she wouldn’t need to keep in contact with him to use the power. She’d have a minute before it kicked in, some powers kicked in a little faster, some a little slower. She was about to find out with his. Telekinesis didn’t seem hard, but by his reaction to it, she was sure it would be a challenge. Adri chewed on her lip and nodded as she focused. “No, it won’t hurt, you may feel a slight zap type feeling when I touch you though. It won’t hurt, it’ll just feel a little strange.” He reached his hand out and she took a deep breath before taking it in both of hers.

The zap made her jump slightly, but she was used to it. Her eyes slid shut as the feeling, the essence of his power surged through her. It was like this whenever she touched someone for the first time. After that, a touch did nothing out of the ordinary. She could feel his ability level and the way the power worked. His skill level was low, but that was to be expected. She was sure that after a few tries she’d be able to handle it a little better than him. Not by much though. She reluctantly released his hand and opened her eyes once she got all that she needed, “Alright, are you ready?”

[Lani Hunter]

Lani closed his eyes in the lull of the conversation enjoying just the presence of another person. He felt like he might be able to slip off into sleep right here, not because he was bored but because it was so comfortable. His body was physically tired and his power was content to mull around for a little longer. Part of him thought he should take advantage of it but he didn’t want to go back to his room on such a beautiful day. After a few moments he opened them again for fear his mind might drift away. It was such a nice day. A nice contrast to the chilly days. The sun warmed his skin and he could almost feel the chill disappearing. He hadn’t checked the weather beyond the present moment he was rushing out of his room but he hadn’t expected the cold to be so gentle. It seemed so peaceful. This moment, it should last forever, or if not the moment the feeling. He hated being so angry all the time.

Adrianna’s childhood words were the sweetest he had heard in a long time. He was careful not to let himself start thinking she was like Caroline, because they weren’t even close to being on the same maturity level. Adrian surprised him when she spoke the idea he had been thinking. He nodded a little and listened carefully. “Tell me about it,” Lani grinned, “Just to go back, before everything.” His eyes unfocused as he stared off into space lost in his own thoughts. How true was it? He often felt the world was on his shoulders. What was he supposed to do? His family needed him, Caroline needed him. So what if he had to face prison to make sure they were safe. The worst part hadn’t been helping his family financially but the strength he had had to have so young. He closed his eyes and shook the dark images of his mother sobbing while holding him and he was helping her. A child should never have to carry his parent’s burden so young.

He blinked and fell back into the present as she started talking about her mother again. He laughed a little, he felt like he would like her mother, if she was anything like Adrian. “We can’t help it I guess,” he said with a shrug, “I mean, we all want to be like our parents. They are our idols. I mean I used to want to be like my dad,” Lani laughed at the memory and made a face where his lips were exaggerated downward and his brow came low over his eyes making himself look comically grim. “I use to follow him around like that.” He laughed breaking his mask. “My mother thought it was just the most hysterical thing ever.” Lani’s smile faded out as his thoughts ran away. He used to want to be like his dad, but now his dad wanted nothing to do with him. Not because of his power, though that might have been part of it. He shook his head a little banishing the dark thoughts again. He was happy he was not going to get angry!

His distraction came from her description of California. He smiled closing his eyes and imaging the moon on the water. He then was able to imagine the trees so tall you couldn’t see the tops. He opened his eyes and leaned over to look at her drawing. “That’s beautiful,” he complimented. He smiled brightly and squinted at it. “Is that a person out there?” He asked pointing at a figure in the water. “That’s really good, where did you learn to do that?” He smiled and listened to her talk about flying. He would so love to fly. He chuckled as she suggested he could do it. He tapped his head where just under his hairline a short thin scar ran. “Been there, tried that. Landed on my head.” He laughed a little and ran a hand through his hair. “But maybe someday, I’m far too stubborn to give up.” He smiled at her and shrugged. He still remembered his trainer’s face. Lani had fallen and not even realizing he was bleeding until his trainer became white faced and decreed flying off limits.

He looked into her eyes and hoped he could impress upon her the need to be careful. Lani had a lot of power, more power than should be in the hands of one moody angry teenager. It was dangerous and he wasn’t worried about her hurting him, but hurting herself. He nodded when she said it wouldn’t hurt, but that it would be a zap. “Ok,” He said nervously. He bit his lip forcing himself to stay still. She took his hand in hers and a faint smile grew over his face. Her hands were warm and smooth, contrasting his callused and rough ones. For a moment nothing happened then there it was. It startled him and he jumped resisting the urge to pull his hand away. This was interesting.

It was a strange sensation. It was more like a transfer of knowledge than a transfer of power. It gave him insight he hadn’t realized before. It was a normally dormant part of the mind, it showed him the channels it went through still sore from the first time he had used the power but it was clear they were healing. It didn’t help him understand it much better but he now knew his assumptions were right, perhaps when those channels healed he could use his power with less pain. He blinked surprised when it stopped. He looked at her a little sadly when her hands moved away from his. There was silence for a moment and Lani was somewhat startled when she spoke again. He blinked and nodded. “Ye..yeah.” He shook his head and his focus came back. "Yeah," he said with more sureness. He smiled and grabbed her pencil and twirled it around it the air. "Catch," he said and let it go.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

The sun had gotten warmer, not by much, but enough to be comfortable. She enjoyed the sun, it reminded her of home. California was always sunny and if it wasn’t sunny it was raining and bad outside. It seemed as though the state had bipolarity with the drastic changes it went through. She was always ready for one or the other. Never an in between. Vermont was a lot different, but she could see herself living here one day, maybe once she could actually think of leaving her mother behind. Not that she hadn’t already left her, but it was different. More permanent. She wasn’t really ready to think of leaving her mother permanently yet. It scared her because she figured that her mother would be ‘leaving’ on a permanent level before Adrian really had to face the choice of Vermont or California. She wouldn’t think of that though. She couldn’t ruin her blissful moment. This was what she needed after having such a bad fight. Bliss. Warmth. And the presence of someone who didn’t know just how screwed up she was.

She frowned slightly when she spoke her thoughts aloud. He agreed with her quickly and she smiled half-heartedly. “Before everything became a problem at least…” She’d grown up at a young age. She’d been ten when her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, her ‘step-father’ had ditched and she was left the weight of helping take care of her mother in her illness. It wasn’t as horrible as it could have been. She could have been younger and she could have had a worse situation to deal with. Still, at age ten it was difficult to take care of those responsibilities with no one to help. The hospital hadn’t sent a home health care nurse yet, for Amelia was much better at that time than she was now. Sometimes it felt as if her mother was never sick, other times Adrianna could see it. She could see the weakness taking hold of her mother. Amelia wasn’t weak, but Adri knew she had her moments. She’d found her mother in bed one night crying and begging for someone to come back. Xavier. That had been the name of her biological father, but at that age she didn’t know.

She shook her thoughts away and smiled, “Yeah, they really are. At least one of them is for every kid. Maybe not both…” She cut off short so that she didn’t get onto the subject of her non-existent father. Adri laughed when she saw his face imitate his father’s, “I can see why she’d think that. It is pretty funny, but I’m sure at that age it was the cutest thing in the world.” She blushed and twirled a strand of her hair around her finger hoping he hadn’t caught onto her nervousness. She noticed his smile fade away and she wondered. What if he had problems with his father too? Would he understand how she felt? Or were his problems deeper than hers? She didn’t want to pry, so she looked down.

“Yeah one of our neighbors always went out at night. I don’t know what he did, but he always came back late. I think sometimes he was attempting to get away from his wife,” She laughed softly and pulled her hair around her shoulder. “Mags. She’s this woman that my mother was real close with, kind of like a grandmother. She works at this small diner right down the road from us and she gave me my first sketchpad. Gave me a lesson on everything she knew about art, which was a lot.” She smiled at the memory as the face of the older woman flashed in her mind. It was the closest thing to a grandmother that she had. She never met her father’s parents and her mother’s parents weren’t so pleased with their daughter. Nor did they want to meet the mistake she’d made. Adrian looked up at his scar and hesitantly reached out to touch his temple. Curiosity always got the best of her, “It looks like it was painful. You’ll need to train pretty persistently in order to master that one I have a feeling.” Her fingers dropped down to her lap and she smiled shyly trying hard to focus on what he was saying and not on how cute he was and how much she wanted to reach out again.

Looking into his eyes Adrian got the message loud and clear. Being careful was just one of those things that came naturally to her. She had to be careful with everyone’s power really. But his was a new one, one that she’d never encountered firsthand. Unfortunately, Adrian was known for overusing her powers. She had trying to help control another friend’s power. Ended up passing out in the pool, almost drowning and going completely unconscious. Not a great memory. The feel of his hands was different. She was so used to Craven’s, his were a little larger than hers, but not by much. Lani’s were slightly bigger than Craven’s, rough, calloused. And yet she couldn’t ignore the leap in her chest, that wasn’t from the power.

Once Adrian was refocused on the present she looked up at him and waited until he was ready. She smiled reassuringly and took a deep breath. She watched the pencil twirl and as it came towards her she focused on it closely. She’d slowed it down considerably, but couldn’t get the grasp on it quite right. It fell in her lap and she frowned in frustration. This time she picked it up and it lay in her hand. She closed her eyes briefly, centering herself again. As she opened her eyes, the pencil lifted in the air, shaking slightly, but floating. She smiled brightly and slowly it made its way back towards Lani. “Wow, that’s harder than I figured it would be. I give you props,” She laughed softly as it twirled slowly in front of him.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani glanced over at her frown and considered it for a moment. He chuckled a little and nodded in agreement. “Very true,” he commented. There something deeper there, perhaps it was just her mother’s illness but it seemed like there was more. Lani’s brow came together as he watched her face. Casually he started out, “Yeah, it can be really hard having to take care of someone when they’re sick. Especially when it’s someone you love, or someone who should be taking care of you.” His heart throbbed at the memories. They say that shared pain is better than secret pain. Perhaps she just needed someone to talk to. Lani hadn’t talked about his sister’s illness, save in passing. He never went into details about how he took care of her and his family broke apart. He was sure the only reason he and his father hadn’t already had a falling out is that they were trying to stay a family for Caroline. His mother too, his father and he could get along long enough to make his mother happy.

After the silence had stretched Lani decided to continue. “It makes you feel so helpless. Like with all of this power at your fingertips you still can’t keep people from slipping away.” It wasn’t empathy Lani was speaking from, but experience. A shared experience. “I’m sorry; this is such a depressing topic.” He shook his head banishing the bad thoughts. But his thoughts were too strong. So instead, a little distracted, he called his water bottle to his side. He caught it and took a drink wetting his parched tongue. He dried his palms on his sweatpants rubbing them over his thighs. He pulled up his knees and rested his elbows on them. The fatigue was starting to leave his limbs and though the conversation had turned dark it hadn’t turned sour. If anything Lani felt like he could talk to her for hours.

He watched her smile and was glad to hear her laugh again. Laughter was such a sweeter sound than tears. He laughed and a blush formed on his cheeks. “I’m not so sure; I think I was just as funny looking then.” He laughed. “It was better than the time I decided to shave my head though.” He waggled his eyebrows at her allowing her to imagine that. “I thought my mom might die.” Of course she was more so happy he was helping his sister than actually thinking it was funny. She hadn’t laughed at him, well at least not until later, instead she had caught him in her arms and spent a few hours crying as Caroline went into surgery. Lani was able to smile thinking back now, for Caroline was happy and healthy. He would do anything to keep it that way. Anything. It was almost unsettling how much they had in common. But if anything Lani felt like he could talk more freely now than he had in a long time.

He joined her in laughter about her story. He was distracted as she ran her hand through her hair. He pushed down the desire to touch her hair too. That was weird wasn’t it? She was a really pretty girl, but it was her personality that intrigued him. He smiled broadly listening to her. “How nice,” he said, “She gave you good lessons. I wish I could draw like that. Are you taking any art classes or anything?” He paused after having shown her his scar and his mind backtracked wondering if that was a good idea. He froze his eyes following her hand then looking down at her face when her hand touched his temple. It had a calming effect but at the same time it sent a thrill of excitement thought him. He shrugged and let out a little laugh. “I have a thick skull, I hardly felt it.” He explained lamely. He nodded, “Yeah its way out of my league right now.” A little bit of guilt bloomed in him. Perhaps he should go to power training more than a few times a week. His trainer was beginning to get very annoyed with him. Her fingers left and Lani found himself smiling like a loon.

A chill ran down his spine. It was strange he couldn’t tell if the excitement was from the power transfer or if it was the fact that she was holding his hand. He blinked a little confused with himself. He thought about how he had never had this type of reaction before. Or rather he had never stopped to talk to anyone at school really. He had always been too busy, rushing here and there and not really paying attention to what was going on around him. Most of the people he had dated had ended up not having much substance beside the face they were pretty and they thought he was cute. He simply shrugged and that usually made for a really long, boring and awkward dinner. He wondered if he should ask her to dinner. He mused about it for a few moments never really coming to a decision when the conversation on power continued.

Lani blinked in surprise when she failed to get a grasp on the pencil. She frowned at it and Lani frowned at it. Confused and more than a little upset with his power, he thought his power might be failing her. He watched her pick it up and forced himself not to grab it. It shook in the air as she moved it toward him. Her smile troubled him and he shifted a little as it moved. She made it twirl and his brow came close together. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he barely heard her when she commented about his power. “How strange…” He commented. “It’s different.” He touched the pencil gently with his power and it steadied. “Do that again,” he said with a smile and gently pushed his power against hers moving it back in front of her. “It’s strange, you’re having to work to move things, I have to work to not move things.” He explained as he drifted off into his thoughts and watched the pencil. “Is that how it’s supposed to go?” He asked thinking out loud. He shook his head and looked at her smiling eagerly. “Try to open your mind more. Telekinesis is a power for the curious, it wants to touch everything.” At least his power did.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

His words changed her expression to one of curiosity and caution. Were they really that similar? She shuddered slightly and tried to focus on him and not her experiences. She’d always been so used to closing herself off from the emotions that led to tears in front of people she didn’t know well. It had taken her years to open up to Craven. She wasn’t a girl who cried at everything, she was the girl that cried with purpose behind it. Her tears were shed out of grief for something real, something that wasn’t completely ridiculous, something with meaning. Her mother’s illness. Her fathers’ abandonment, both of them. Her fear of never being accepted, of being abandoned by every man in her life. Her fears of only ever being accepted as a toy, a play thing for the male gender. Her fears were the things that she cried most about. And very few people knew her deepest fears. The fear of abandonment by everyone she loved. Adrian just couldn’t talk about those things with everyone.

“Exactly. It’s scary, the thought of losing people you care about,” She forced the words out, before she could rethink her choice. This was her chance to talk to someone who really understood. Who was nearly the same age as her when they’d been put through it. “It’s fine, actually it’s sort of a relief. I can’t really talk to anybody else about this sort of thing. No one else seems to get it.” Adrianna said quietly as she watched him, the pain in his eyes was real. She knew, whether he’d said it out loud or not, that he knew exactly what it was like. Talking to him was different, she wasn’t afraid of being judged by her past, not like she was with most people.

She smiled and shook her head, “Unlikely because you aren’t really funny looking, you’re just good at being silly I think.” She giggled and her eyes widened when he continued. She couldn’t picture it. The boy in front of her…bald. “Bald? You shaved your head?” She asked in exasperation. Why would someone do that if they knew just how ridiculous it made them look? Adri understood that some people had no choice, like soon her mother wouldn’t. But for those who had a choice, she didn’t understand what would make them choose being bald. She chewed on her lip and tilted her head to the side, “I can almost picture it.”

Bringing up Mags was another thing rarely done. Very few people knew about the older woman. The fact that she was talking not only about her mother and Mags, but also that she was showing off her sketches was crazy in itself. What was making her open up like this? “I’m trying to fit it into my schedule. Dance puts some strain on that though.” And yet another thing about her. She was just slipping these things casually into conversation. What would be his thoughts of her as a dancer? When she traced his scar she felt him watching her, but she didn’t get a bad feeling from it as if he thought she was totally weird. As she dropped her hand, her fingers brushed down his cheek and she laughed quietly, “Thick skull huh? Well if I were you, I’d take a little more precaution, we wouldn’t want that thick skull of yours to meet its match.” She smiled brightly and her hair fell in front her face as she tried to hide the burning of her cheeks. She felt ridiculous for blushing so much.

Adrian was a flirty girl. She got along well with a lot of people and was just good with guys. But usually she fell hard and fast, leaving her heart open to get destroyed in the process. Trusting blindly and being totally oblivious didn’t help her much either. This, she planned on taking slow if anything was going to happen. She did not want to be cheated on for a second/third time and she didn’t want to be left again. If she took it slow, she wouldn’t get hurt as much. She just needed to keep that in mind. His personality was so different from what she usually went for though. Usually she went for the stereotypical prince charming type. He was cute, but he didn’t scream hero from first glance. Once she got deeper into his personality is when she noticed that he was a hero, someone who tried to do what he could to help those who needed it. And that was what she liked most. Besides the fact that they had a lot in common.

Adrian bit her lip, “That is weird. Usually I pick up on a power easily.” She wondered if it had to do with the total lack of focus. Her mind was on him, not on the pencil. So, she took his advice and opened her mind further, it was almost as if she were wrapping her thoughts around the pencil. She grasped the pencil and sent it flying through the air, faster and much steadier. “I did it! Yes!” She did a small happy dance as she sat there and laughed quietly.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani was glad she didn’t just shut him down when he started babbling like a lunatic. He thought he perhaps might have been too bold in his statement but it seemed to have the opposite effect of shutting him down. There were so many secrets in Lani’s life sometimes he lost sight of what was real. There were things that no one would ever know and then there were thinks that were ok to tell people. Like he would never even hint about talking about his profession. It was nice to talk about things like illness without fear of sounding like you were asking for attention. It was strange, Lani reflected, why should he keep his sister’s illness a secret? It just didn’t come up in normal conversation and he didn’t want people to feel sorry for him or for her. It was rare indeed to find a person that you could just talk with without the fear they were going to look at you differently.

He looked over at her and nodded solemnly in agreement. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them again and smiled when she said it was a relief. “Yeah,” was all he said in agreement, “Like a weight you can finally share with someone.” He said cautiously. It was strange, here he found someone he could talk to about his sister’s illness and his worries and fears and yet he couldn’t bring himself to do so. He knew she wouldn’t judge him but it was almost as if it were taboo and saying something about it would make it come back. “It’s almost like you’re afraid that people will judge you, or worse, pity you for what’s happening. And you can’t say anything because there’s nothing to be said, nothing to be done.” He shook his head, where was this coming from, his clear head was getting muddled again, he might have to do a few more laps.

He laughed and bobbed his head. “Now you’re just being nice,” he accused with a sly grin. He waggled his eyebrows at her and the lost control and shook his head laughing. He raised his brows and nodded at her disbelief when he told her he had been bald at one point in time. “You’re gonna think this is ridiculous,” he began and waved his hands as he spoke. He had opened his mouth and now it was his turn to share something personal with her. “I have a little sister, Caroline. She is the cutest thing, when she was five she got cancer, brain tumor. When we were finally able to afford the surgery Caroline was so freaked out that they would shave her head so…” He laughed a little and looked at Adrianna his eyes bright with a mixture of sadness and happiness. “So I told her I’d do it with her.” A trivial thing that had held such a strong message. He laughed as she tilted her head. “You can? Pretty bad huh?” He winced jokingly.

He nodded when she said she was trying to fit it into her schedule. His brow rose when she mentioned dance. “You’re a dancer too? Nice,” he said with a smile, “I can do the Macarena.” He offered with a shrug and laughed at himself. “Oh! And I learned that if I get on my head and someone turns me I can break dance.” Yeah, Lani’s talents were rather limited to the realm of thievery. He had the balance of a cat and could scale walls with no problem. Now dancing he had two left feet, and singing… well he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket. The only real talent he had was storytelling, but he wasn’t about to admit to that. His mind practically went blank for a moment as her fingers brushed his cheek. He was pretty sure he was radiating heat at this point. He shrugged and gave her his impish grin. “Psh precaution, what’s that?” He laughed and gave her a little wink. “Don’t worry about me.”

Lani was having so much fun just talking. It was a nice change, he had gotten into a lot of trouble lately and most recently his father had threatened him for his grades and behavior. He didn’t care there was nothing he could do to him. And after all when he turned eighteen they wouldn’t be able to keep him here anyways. At least he hoped so. Well, he certainly had more enemies here than friends. He needed to change that. Lani was so afraid of his secrets that though he spoke easily to a lot of people it was hard for him to open up and talk about himself. His secrets were held too tightly to his heart. He risked opening up to Adrianna and just hoped she wouldn’t take advantage of that. He didn’t expect her to but it was a reflex to never take anything at face value. Like when he had gotten in trouble with Taitum that one night. He had been given a good deal and probably should have taken it but he couldn’t bring himself to believe that he was really trying to help him. So Lani had dug himself into a hole.

He cocked his head and shrugged in bemusement. “Maybe mine’s just being difficult.” He grinned when she grabbed the pencil and it flew in a steady line. He laughed as her joy of success came with a little dance. “Yes!” He cried just as enthusiastically. “Great! Try it on something else.” He looked around, the track was pretty barren and all that was really around that could be grabbed was their stuff. He extended his mind broadly and his mental hands bumped against hers that were holding the pencil. The touch was brief but it was odd because he recognized it. Last time he had gone up against a telekinetic he had been able to feel their force but not really identify it. Perhaps it was because it was his power but he still felt a little chill. His power passed through the grass and came to their stuff. He felt around a little. If he were to close his eyes he could describe the area with little problems.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna was used to the pity party. She ended up talking about her mother a lot and once people caught onto the sadness in her tone, they asked. She told and the pity party began. Pity was one of those things that Adrian didn’t like at all, she didn’t want people to feel sorry for her, and she didn’t like feeling sorry for herself. It happened though, more times than not. Everyone was always so sympathetic, and yet they had no idea that it wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want sympathy, she just wanted someone to understand. She could never find someone like that though. Even Craven gave her a pity party over Amelia’s illness at times.

“That’s exactly how it is and nobody understands that the pity is only making things worse unless they’ve gone through it,” She agreed with a frown. The way he described things was so dead on that it was as if he was reading her mind. Or her feelings. Most people she knew never understood that their sympathy wasn’t what she needed. They often thought they were making her feel better because she always put on that fake smile and thanked them. But in reality, it was all fake. She didn’t want any of it.

She stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her eyes as she did it, “I am not just being nice, I’m being honest.” She smiled and narrowed his eyes when he began with his reasoning for being bald. A little sister. That explained a lot. Adrian’s smile turned slightly sad, but hearing his reason, she couldn’t help but smile. It was sweet of him, completely adorable and it just made her like him that much more. That little girl was lucky to have an older brother that would do something like that. It was times like this that she wished she had a sibling to talk about. Younger or older, she didn’t mind. She just wanted someone to protect. For all she knew, she could be a sister. Her ‘father’ could have been the biggest man slut in the world so she could have several siblings all with a different mother. “It’s not too bad,” She smiled and looked down. “It was sweet of you to do that for her, you must really love her a lot.”

His response to her dancing was expected and she shrugged nonchalantly, “I’ve been dancing competitively since I was three. Started off as a tumbler/tap dancer.” She laughed when he admitted to being able to do the Macarena, “That is quite a difficult dance.” She teased with a smirk. “Break dance huh? Interesting?” She laughed. Dancing was something she’d always been good at. Even in the way she walked, one could see how graceful she was. When she danced it was just enhanced, much like her emotions were. The warmth of his cheek made her smile to herself, maybe he was just as nervous as she was. It could be possible. “Precautions are important, and I’m the type of girl who worries,” She laughed shyly and hid behind a veil of thick dark hair.

Adrian enjoyed being able to just talk. No intense emotions were involved, just innocent talking. She was glad she’d gone out to run. If she had stayed locked up in her room, she never would have been able to relax like this and meet someone so nice and easy to talk to. But she was still being careful. She’d shared as much information with him as she had with most people that talked to her for a while. She hadn’t gotten into the deeper stuff. The next bit of information she’d share with him, if he got closer to her, would be how her father had left her when she was little. She wouldn’t get into the fear of abandonment, not yet at least. The last bit of information would be how scared she was of being used as an object of lust. But he wasn’t close enough for that just yet. He still had a little while before he could get through to that part of her.

Adrianna smiled wider when he expressed his enthusiasm. She followed his eyes towards their stuff and was reaching out when she felt the brush of something. It wasn’t physical, at least she didn’t think it was. In a way, it was much like how she felt when she was reaching out to a power. She could feel the essence of him through the power and her eyes widened slightly wondering if he’d felt it too. Adri watched him closely and her eyes went towards the objects laying a few feet away. Reaching out with her mind, she slowly made her way towards the stuff. She could almost feel the presence of his power, it was strange, something she only felt when using telepathy or another thing that had to do with the mind. “So what are we going for now? Flying bags?” She asked with a small smile.

[Lani Hunter]

When understanding was all that could be given it was usually not something that could be said with words. Things like that force children to become adults and forces them to look upon the world with a different light. It tends to lead to thoughts of a philosophical nature. Lani had been rather obsessed with death for a long time. He had asked his priest over and over and when the priest asked him why and Lani told him about Caroline the priest promised prayers and a shoulder if he needed it. Slowly as Caroline had declined Lani had lost all faith. Especially after he started to break a commandment. Why was it that he was here healthy and his sister who had never done anything bad in her life was ill? It was then Lani had decided there was no God, for if there were he would be ill not Caroline.

He nodded a little bit with relief. “It’s not their fault,” Lani said absently, “But sometimes I could just scream.” He rolled his eyes at the memories. Most of his friends at home never knew Caroline had been sick, unless they came over and saw the picture of the two of them bald. If it came up most people were shocked and upset he had never told them. Usually with more than a little snappishness he would reply that it wasn’t their place to know. “You’re right. It is kind of a relief to talk to someone who understands.” He smiled at her warmly. Who would have thought that this chilly morning run would turn into something like this? And who would have thought his mood would do a complete one eighty from where it had been before just because of a conversation with Adrianna. It really made him wonder but he kept his wondering to himself.

He laughed when she made a face back at him. He raised his hands in consent. Adrian was really funny he had to admit she nearly had him rolling with that face. “Well I guess we’re both pretty good at that,” he winked referring to their silliness. Usually with people Lani had one face, and the person assigned to that face would rarely see him break it. With his sister he was his entire self, with his mother however he had the strong protective face, his father the angry and disobedient one. Cassie had the benefit of seeing the silly side of Lani more than most people did. Right now Lani didn’t feel the need to mask parts of himself and with the mask shed he felt both liberated and a little vulnerable. He smiled at the thought and resolved to get her phone number before they parted today. He raised a brow at her and laughed. “Ok, now you’re being nice. I looked like an alien.” He smiled accepting her compliment and shrugging. “I do, I mean sometimes she gets on my nerves and I just wanna lock her in a closet, but she’s…” He stopped, Caroline meant everything to him, but he didn’t know how to say that. He thought for a moment before continuing, “She’s my little sister; I don’t know what I’d do without her.” He admitted and gave Adrian a smile catching her evading his gaze. “Do you have any siblings? If you don’t mind me asking.” He asked interested.

His brow came together in askance. “I’m sorry, what exactly is tumbler?” Lani was rather clueless when it came to things like this. His sister tried to educate him but he had proven a rather incompetent student. He lifted his chin and grinned bobbing his head. “I’ve got skills,” he laughed rolling along with her tease. He tried to keep a straight face when she laughed about break dancing but failed miserably as his laugh burst out with a little hiss. “You know you should show me some moves sometimes,” he grinned, “And maybe I’ll show you my mad lack of break dancing skills.” He smiled widely his eyes alight with humor and joy. He felt genuinely touched when she said she worried and he nodded a little in understanding. “For your sake I promise to be careful,” he said and raised his right hand in a solemn swear. The solemn effect broke by his sly grin but he hoped she would get the message. He had a really hard time taking people’s advice to be careful. You only fall of so many roofs before you start ignoring people’s warnings to watch your feet on slippery stairs.

Lani was curious to know more about her. There was a little bit in him that knew that the more questions he asked the less he would have to reveal about himself. It wasn’t really fair but Lani couldn’t bring himself to trust someone he just met, no matter how well they seemed to mesh. Most of the people Lani knew had a hidden agenda. “I’m really jealous, I have to admit,” Lani said, “Did the old woman, Mags? Teach you to dance too?” It was interesting to see how other peoples live were. His life was so complicated and generally confusing that it was kind of nice to know how other families worked. Her family situation he had already gathered was probably less than perfect, but then whose was. His grandparents didn’t know him fully and they still thought he was an angel. However they had joined his father on the bandwagon of nagging him into getting better grades.

He felt her power against his and smiled a little to himself. He saw her catch his drift and reach toward their stuff. It was just like if two hands were to brush, if a telekinetic knew another telekinetic was around and they could reach out across whatever plane their power resided in and interact with each other. It was like the fight he had gotten into in the library. He could feel the man’s power but he hadn’t been able to figure out how to grab it. He smiled back and nodded, “Exactly. Now be careful, these aren’t gonna be easy. The thing about bags or containers of any sort is that they have uneven weight.” He advised. He wondered if that was why he had been unsuccessful at flight, perhaps he was too unbalanced. “Go ahead, I’ll help you if you need it.” While he spoke his power felt around for something heavier that would challenge her.

[Adrianna Carstyn]

Adrianna wasn’t a religious girl growing up, she didn’t go to church, she wasn’t baptized, nothing. Amelia had struggled to get away from religion because she’d had a bastard child. Her parents said it was a sin and to never bring the living sin around them. Adri had figured that out once she was older. It wasn’t that her grandparents were being kept away, it was that they wanted nothing to do with her because she was a sin. As things got progressively worse in her life, she started to lose the last bit of faith she had. Her father leaving her, her mother getting sick, her step-father leaving her, and becoming a freak of nature. If there had been a God, why was he torturing her? Was it because she was a living sin as her grandparents had said? She didn’t know, but part of her didn’t want to think of it. She never judged people that were religious, but if they were, she didn’t bring up that her mother had given birth to her at only sixteen.

Adrian looked down at shook her head slightly, “It may not be their fault, but they don’t exactly pay much attention to what’s hiding between the lines. If people actually looked deeper, they’d see that they aren’t helping and that dropping the subject would be better.” She sighed quietly and chewed on the inside of her cheek. The first year that Amelia had been sick, not many people knew. She’d quit her job, but had said it was for some other reason. She stayed home and Adrian took care of her, if anyone came over, they’d think she was just really sick. They never suspected cancer. It was different now, mostly because she was on so much medication and didn’t act like herself. The nurse that practically lived there didn’t really help much either. Instant red flag there. His smile brought back hers and she nodded, “It really is nice, no sympathy, just understanding.”

She smiled wide and giggled again, “Psh, I’m so not silly.” She folded her arms across her chest and nodded like a small child would. Adrian had always been the happy, bubbly girl that was never serious. Never upset. Things had changed recently. Now she was more serious and upset than she was bubbly or happy. Acting like this with him was nice, it reminded her of how she was with her best friends. Always smiling and acting strange. No one really saw her like this now, she was always off in her own little world thinking of things that were upsetting, a harsh reality. With him she could actually open up and be serious and fun at the same time. It still scared her though. What if he used this against her later? Was he that type of person? She didn’t think so, but her judgment had been off before. “Isn’t that how all siblings feel to each other? You love ‘em, but they drive you crazy.” She asked quietly, hearing Robbie and Craven talk about their siblings had given her some insight. “Um, no…” She looked away hoping that he wouldn’t catch onto the hidden message. The additional none that I know of.

“Tumblers are mini gymnasts more or less. They do cartwheels and somersaults while twirling around and doing little kid dance moves,” She laughed quietly as she explained. “I’m sure you have amazing skills.” The teasing had lightened the mood a lot and she was thankful for that. She’d rather talk about hobbies than her sibling situation. “I’d be glad to show you, I’ve taken several dance classes. I could teach you hip/hop or the tango.” She blushed when she mentioned the tango, it was one of those dances that involved a lot of contact and a lot of passion. She wouldn’t mind teaching him though, not one bit. She rolled her eyes at his sly grin, “Somehow I think it’s inevitable for you to be reckless.” She laughed quietly. She was the careful one out of most people she hung out with. Always thinking about the outcomes of situations and always taking cautionary steps. She had to be with a mother like hers. Amelia was the type of person that liked doing crazy things without thinking them through. Her reasoning behind it…you only live once, and my time is limited.

Adrianna was cautious of answering too many questions. She didn’t want him to know much about her, not yet. Her lack of trust was making it hard for her to really open up, but with him she didn’t really have much of a problem with it. She wanted to talk to him and see how much they had in common, but she was still afraid. “Mags didn’t, but my mom did. She could have been a professional dancer until she got pregnant with me.” She said with a shrug. It seemed as though she was a huge problem in everyone’s life, but she wouldn’t say that out loud. That would make her sound pathetic.

When he spoke she kept her focus on the objects, only faintly listening to him. She didn’t want to get distracted again so she just nodded slightly. She reached out further and tried to get a grasp on her bag. It wasn’t so much that it was heavy, but for a beginner, she was having a difficult time getting a hold on it. She lifted it up a few inches and felt as if she was dragging the bag instead of carrying it. Her head started pounding, but she ignored it. She was determined to do this. No matter how hard it was.