Nautical Training (Caroline.)

[Kevin Bailey]

Kevin had only been in the school for about a month now, but already he was learning so much. It was so awesome that the school had its own pool, but he didn’t mind taking a walk to the lake for a swim as long as the weather held up. But it was good to know that once it started to snow, there would always be a place to train for him.

Lately, he had been reading Aquaman comics. It was just too exciting, to have powers! He never thought it was possible! It was almost as amazing as figuring out you were accepted to Hogwarts. Not that he knew what that felt like, but he bet it was a close second. But if he wanted to be anywhere near as good as his new favorite comic book hero, he was going to have to practice.

That’s what his trainer had said anyways. He had a number of breathing exercises to do in the water now, and, he had been given a very daunting task: he needed to figure out exactly how he breathed under water. Were there gills somewhere on his body? Was it in his mind? Did other parts of his body change while he was under water? Unfortunately, there weren’t any mirrors in the pool, and Kevin couldn’t tell.

Frustrated, he stomped out of the pool and sat on one of the benches on the side. Hammel was such a big school, and he was having a hard time making friends. This wasn’t fun, he wanted more people to know! It was his first year, weren’t there other new people here? Everyone seemed to know each other so well already... In an attempt to make himself feel better, he stood up and went over to the deep end, canon balled into the water, and decided to stay at the bottom for as long as he could. Or, until he got tired of it.

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline loved water. She loved the ocean and swimming and days on the beach. She enjoyed the feeling she got after did some laps, it was so refreshing. To her, water was something along the lines of an energy source. It just felt so good to be in, like she was home, no matter how many miles she was away from her house or her parents.

However, she still felt some fear around water. It had been literally days ago when she had discovered her special ability with water. Her ability to control it. She could will the water to do as she wanted. It was sort of scary knowing you had that kind of power. Not that Caroline had any idea how to control it. She could control very small amounts of water and had recently discovered that when she was in the water, her body didn't require her to breath. Despite all the fear that still surrounded the water, Caroline couldn't help but go for a swim. She was just getting settled in at Hammel and was starting to feel a little panicked, so she did what felt best; swimming.

Caroline had been in the locker room changing when she came out. She always felt a bit self conscious in her swimsuit. It was a one piece, from swim team, but it was still a strange feeling. But of course it was a natural awkward. Caroline was 12, getting close to 13, and her body was just starting to change. She was of fairly average height for her age but had a little more of a curve then some girls did, but not by much and if anything that fact just made her more uncomfortable.

When she walked out she saw another kid jump into the pool, canon ball style. She stood there, now feeling weird that someone else was there. As she stood there, she realized it was taking the kid a really long time to get out of the water. In fact, it looked like he wasn't coming out. Caroline felt panicked, what if he was drowning!? Not knowing what else to do she dropped her towel and dove into the pool. She swam up to the kid, who was simply sitting on the bottom of the pool. She gave him a questioning look. He didn't looked to be drowning. He was just sitting there. She pointed to her neck to ask if he was drowning or something. She had no idea what was happening or what to do.

[Kevin Bailey]

Swimming always brought Kevin a sense of peace and wonder. It was always something he could look forward to and didn’t have to feel worry over, not that he really felt worried over anything actually. But still, it was nice to have that comfort. For some people it was the stars, but for him it was the water. Give him some water to sink his hands into and everything felt alright again. Plus, it was fun being friends with the fishes in the pond!

Kevin was fourteen, but he didn’t really look like it. He was small for his age, and usually felt self conscious while swimming, but he tried not to let it get to him. Hopefully not everyone was like Romeo Buckland.

Someone else had jumped into the pool! Yes, maybe he would make a friend! She swam right up to him, and he waved a bit. She looked so confused. He gave her a thumbs up to say everything was just fantastic. Then he pointed upwards and began to swim. He hoped she would come with him. “Hi! I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here,” he offered, bobbing above the water, his bright blue eyes shone like sapphires. “I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything, I can breathe underwater!”

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline didn't like dangerous things. They really scared her. She had already had her dance with death and did not wish to do it again. She valued her life, knowing that fact that she was there breathing that day was a miracle within itself. She did her best to avoid anything that was potentially life threatening or stupid, unlike many kids her age. Swimming in the ocean was probably the craziest thing she did.

As the guy give her a wave and a thumbs up, she felt her whole body relax. She had been so freaked out for a moment. She didn't know if he was in trouble or just fine and Caroline wasn't a big fan of unknowns. As he pointed up she nodded and kicked her feet to quickly get to the surface. She took in a big breath when she reached the top. Even though she could breath under water, it still was a scary feeling and oxygen in her lungs felt much more comfortable.

Caroline was very surprised when the boy said he could also breath under water. She couldn't help but smile a bit. "Really? Me too!" She said trying not to sound to excited. The kid looked to be about her age but probably a few years older. It was hard to tell how tall he was since they were in the water so all she had to go on was his face. "My name's Caroline by the way." She said deciding to take the initiative. Maybe this boy could be her first friend.

[Kevin Bailey]

Kevin wasn’t afraid of adventure, and doing stupid and potentially fatal things. The stuff Caroline had had to deal with, wasn’t something that had ever crossed his mind as a reality. He liked to be brave, he liked standing up for people who were bullied, and most of all, he liked having fun. And one day, he wanted to talk to a whale.

“That’s awesome!” He said, smiling like crazy. Kevin wasn’t afraid to be excited, it happened a lot to him actually. He was only a couple years older than her, but even if she was 8 he’d probably still want to be her friend. Their powers had some differences, but that didn’t really matter right now. “Hi Caroline,” he said, “I’m Kevin. Are you new here? ‘Cause I am.” He swam in one place and kept on smiling. It was really hard to put a cap on this kid’s good mood.

“Can you talk to fish too?” He asked, quite interested in his new friend.

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline sometimes wished that she could be more brave. She wished that she could feel more comfortable with doing something crazy. That she could just let loose sometimes and have fun. Getting cancer had drained away some of her childhood innocence. To her that was the worst. Not the weeks spent at the hospital or the terrible treatments. The worst thing the cancer had done to her was taken her feeling of safety. She was sometimes all to aware of her own mortality.

She was glad to see the other kid get all excited. He looked like how she was feeling on the inside. It made her smile a little more. When he introduced himself, Caroline repeated it a few times in her head. She wanted to make sure that she didn't forget his name. She was really happy to be making a friend and wanted to remember their name.

Caroline perked up a little bit when he said that he was also new there. "Yeah, I am. Just got here a couple days ago." She said with a bit of a nervous smile. Her arms and legs moved to keep her floating so just her head stayed above the surface. "Um, no." Caroline said with a giggle when Kevin asked about being able to talk to fish. "I can't do that. But I can control water." She said a little proudly. She wasn't trying to brag but the idea of having such a powerful ability made her feel sorta cool.

[Kevin Bailey]

Kevin wasn’t someone who backed down from something easily, unless it seemed rather stupid or impossible. But when Haley had asked if he wanted to be thrown into the lake, something that she hoped would intimidate him, he only became excited at the prospect. He honestly had wondered how far she could throw him. And to think, she was such a small girl! It just went to show you could never judge a book by its cover. Maybe one day Caroline would tell Kevin about her life experience.

“I’ve been here since the beginning of the summer, that’s when the recruits came to tell me what was going on.” He said with a broad grin. “I was so excited, but I was kind of sad too. I only have a couple friends here.” Yes, a couple wasn’t enough, and he really was doing his best to fix that.

Her laugh made him smile more. “Whoa,” he said, his eyes growing large. “You can control water?! Awesome!” It was always so much fun, hearing what everyone could do around here. “And I thought what I could do was cool. I can just breath under water and talk to fish. What else can you do?” He asked. “Oh!” He said, before she could answer. “Can you walk on it?”

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline was happy to hear that she wasn't the only new person around. She had figured she wasn't the only one but meeting someone else who was in a similar boat as she was made her feel a little better. Not that she was happy that other people didn't have friends like she did but at least she had someone to empathize with.

"I have only been here a few days. So far the only friend I have is my brother." She said kind of shyly. She loved her brother to the moon and back again a million times but at the same time she wished she had more friends then just him. Friends who were closer to her age especially. Caroline gave a smile to Kevin. Maybe he could be that friend for her.

It made her beam a little when Kevin freaked out about her power. This was probably one of the very first times she felt excited about her ability. Maybe this whole power thing was gonna be better then she thought. She was about to tell Kevin that she still didn't know exactly what she could do with her power when he asked about walking on water. She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I really don't know yet. I have only had my power for about a week." Caroline was still a little nervous about using her power. She didn't really have much control over it at all.

[Kevin Bailey]

“Well that’s better than nobody,” Kevin said with a small smile. Really, he was always going to look on the positive side of things, it was in his nature. “Who’s your brother?” He asked curiously, because he was curious, and because he really wanted to get to know his new friend. Caroline seemed rather shy. “I hope I’m not talking too much...” he said, with a sheepish smile that was a mix between good and sly.

“Well it’s a good thing you’re here then,” he said, swimming backwards and away from her. He supposed she might want him out of her personal bubble. “But you should try it, I would if I could,” he said, making to float on the top of the water, staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t very pretty to look at, so he was soon by Caroline’s side once more. She was nice to look at.

“Where are you from?” He asked. “I’m from the capitol city here, so I didn’t have to move very far. I’m still in dorm though.” He was still getting used to everything here, but as long as he knew where the pool was, everything else didn’t matter that much.

[Caroline Hunter]

A big smile grew on Caroline's face when Kevin asked about her brother. To her, Lani was a superhero. She looked up to him and was so glad to have him back in her life. "Lani Hunter." She said sort of proudly. Caroline gave him another smile, "No, your not talking to much." She said with a little laugh.

She watched as he saw around for a minute and then back again. Caroline liked this kid. He was nice and friendly and fun to talk to. He made her feel better about being at Hammel. "I guess I will have to try sometime. I'm barely use to the breathing under water thing. I haven't really tried much beyond that. Last time I tried to control water, I got soaked." She looked down a bit, wishing she could say she had been able to do more but she knew in time she would get better. That was why she was there after all.

"I'm from Boston. So not terribly far but definitely not a short trip either." She said a little sadly, thinking about her parents. She missed them a lot but she had Lani. That made up for a whole lot.

[Kevin Bailey]

Kevin frowned a bit in concentration, and then shook his head. “Can’t say I’ve met him, but I bet he’s the best.” He offered. Obviously Caroline loved her big brother very much, and there had to be a reason for that. He smiled at her, glad he wasn’t annoying her. “I have a brother too, but he’s not in Hammel. I don’t even know if he’ll have powers, but he’s like, my best friend.” They had lots of fun together. “Does Lani swim too?” He asked. Kevin was always eager for more people to know.

“Barely used to it? What do you mean?” He smiled slightly. “I mean, for me, breathing underwater just happens, I don’t really have to try. My trainer thinks I have gills or something somewhere on my body, but I can’t check every part to make sure, but he also said it could be these things in my lungs.” Kevin tugged at her hand when she looked down, trying to get her to smile again. “Well you’re wearing a swimsuit now, it doesn’t really matter if you get soaked. You should try again some time.”

“Boston? Wow! I’ve never been to Boston,” he said, wondering what it would be like there. Maybe they had awesome museums, and Boston always came up in movies and stuff. “Do you miss it?” He asked. Maybe she was a little homesick like he was. “I miss my parents,” he confessed, a tiny frown inhabiting his face, but it didn’t last long as he thought of them. “They said they’re going to visit me though. I can’t wait!”

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline smiled. They both had brothers. That was cool. He probably knew then what it was like a little bit. Having an older brother was a really special relationship. Especially for Caroline. He was her protect or and hero. He was the one she always had to count on. However, she wanted to be able to show Lani how she could take care of herself. She wanted to prove to him that she could be strong.

"That's still really cool though." She said, feeling a bit sad for Kevin that he couldn't have his brother with him. "No. Lani's not a big swimmer but he is always there to support me in my swimming." Caroline said happily. Lani was not a fan of water but he never said anything bad about it around Caroline. Though she knew that it was definitely not his favorite thing.

Caroline shrugged her shoulders. "It's just a weird feeling. It doesn't feel weird to my body but in my head it still freaks me out a bit. I guess I should try again soon. I just don't really know how to do it. The first time I did it, it happened because I was scared." She wished she could say that she just knew how to use her power. That it came to her just as naturally as Kevin's did but it didn't for Caroline. At least not yet. She looked up and smiled as Kevin tugged her hand. It felt good that he cared.

"Yeah, I miss it a ton." She said with a sad smile. It had always been her home and now she was no longer there. "That's cool. I don't know when my parents will be back again." She said with a shrug but kept smiling, trying not to get herself to upset.

[Kevin Bailey]

Kevin had an older brother too. It was a great relationship. Yes they fought sometimes, but they were generally good to one another and made sure that if anyone got under the other's skin, someone knew about it.

"Oh, he doesn't like swimming?" Kevin asked, interested, but not willing to assume things. Kevin always had a hard time trying to understand why people didn't like swimming. To him it was like breathing, literally and figuratively.

"That makes sense, 'cause your power is also connected to your brain," he said, pointing to his own head in reference. "That would be weird." Kevin was suddenly very glad that when he went under water, he just breathed. "Mine's kind of like a muscle, but I bet you can do more with your power and water than I can do with mine," he said, smiling enthusiastically. Caroline was going to do great things with her power.

Kevin just kept on talking, unaware of how he was making her feel. "Maybe you can meet them when they come. And my brother too." He said with a nod like it was already decided. His parents should meet all of his friends when they come. "Are your parents meta? Mine aren't, they totally freaked out when the recruiter came to get me."

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline gave a small shake of her head. "No. He's not a big fan of water. Except for me." She said not really sure how much she should exactly share. It was Lani's business and she wanted to protect him just as much as he wanted to protect her. Caroline couldn't protect Lani physically the way he could be just always tried to be there for him emotionally and in any other way she could.

Caroline shrugged a bit. "Sounds like you have your ability figured out. Wish I could say the same. I have no idea what I am doing so things don't often go so well..." She said swishing her arms back and forth in the water. She liked the way it made little waves.

"That be nice." Caroline was sort of happy that he had thought to already invite her to meet his family. It made her feel like she already had a best friend. That was a really good feeling to have. "No. My parent's aren't meta. But since Lani already went through this last year it wasn't quite as big a shock. At least I don't think it was..." She really hoped that it hadn't been that hard on her parents. Of course she knew it was difficult but hopefully not that terrible.

[Kevin Bailey]

“Aw, so I guess you guys don’t swim together,” he said with a frown, “I always have the best time with my bro. We play games and stuff.” Kevin smiled. “Hey if you ever need someone to play games with, I know a tonne.” He offered with a nod. Yes, Caroline needed someone to swim with, definitely.

“I guess I have some of it figured out, the basics I mean.” He said with a small smile. “But your power is way more complicated than mine, so, it’ll take more work. But you’ll get a handle on it, especially since your brother’s here and he can help you.” It made sense to him.

“Cool! We’ll have to show them the whole school, they haven’t even been here yet.” Kevin ducked under the water to rewet his hair, coming back with a little grin on his face. “And then when my brother gets here, if he ever does, then I can show him everything.” He was quite proud of this potentiality.