Magic's Pride (Caroline Hunter)

[Lani Hunter]

Lani couldn't even imagine this happening. Well perhaps he could, if he had the time to extend his thoughts far outward. When his parents hall called him and asked him how he was doing it was proving to be just a normal conversation with Lani assuring them he would try to do his homework and such and that he was doing better, significantly better than the last time he had seen them. He wasn't quite himself yet but his sleep schedule had gotten back to normal, of course normal being irregular anyways. But Lani was feeling more together than he had in a while and he was starting to get used to being honest (well kind of honest) and having his secrets exposed. And then they finally got to the point after beating around pleasantries for a half hour. Lani had very nearly dropped the phone. They were coming. Tomorrow morning. Why? Caroline. Yes, Caroline was coming to Hammel. To stay. He hadn't even had breath to ask what her power would be and had only numbly agreed to meet them in the morning.

Needless to say sleep didn't come easy and at around eleven he was sitting on the steps of the dorms one of his legs bouncing with agitation of waiting. He had been here for what felt like hours when his parents called to say they were a few minutes out. Lani was ecstatic to see his sister. If felt like it had been forever and every rumble of an engine had him jumping to his feet with anticipation. But waiting seemed to be his fate today. However happiness wasn't the only thing he was feeling. A small amount of anger was rising in him. Not at anyone in particular but at the universe. Lani had wanted Caroline to have a normal life, well as normal as she could. But having her being saddled with a power as well, Lani felt like it was another thing he couldn't protect her from. Life as a meta wasn't easy and he had not wanted that for his little sister. Apparently he and the universe were in disagreement again.

Lani also was having a hard time swallowing a little pill of jealousy that their parents were dropping her off, they had just tossed him into a car with a stranger to be brought here. He kept forcing himself to realize that when he had left he had been older and he probably had terrified the hell out of his parents with his power. After the fact his parents had not abandoned him and had become very supportive, so he was very glad they had decided to make the journey with Caroline because that meant he would get to see them as well. Hopefully he and his father could hold off on fighting for their short time together. The sound of a motor interrupted his thoughts and he looked up jumping to his feet as he saw their family van. He waved a hand over his head smiling more than he had in weeks.

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline hadn't been this scared in seven years. The last time she could remember shaking this much was before her first chemo treatment. And even though this situation wasn't life threatening she thought she might just die. She had such torn emotions. Extremely torn feelings. This feeling of joy and dread was so overwhelming she really didn't know what to do with herself. It was like two different people were pulling on her arms, threatening to rip her in half. The only thing holding her together right now was not talking.

It had only been two days since her power had shown up and Caroline was already on her way to Hammel. Her parents were in the car with her and it was only adding to the stress. They had just kept on talking and talking and talking. Caroline hadn't said anything though because she knew that if she broke her composure she would just fall apart. She hoped that she could get away from everyone soon. She had barely had two minutes alone in the bathroom since her power had showed up. She just needed to think. Somehow process all this.

Caroline sat behind her mom and dad as the blabbered on about things she could care less about. She was staring at the ground when she noticed the car become suddenly quiet. She looked up and saw them all looking out the window. At first all she saw was the campus of her new school but then she saw it. The only good thing that was coming of this mess; Lani. The car stopped and she saw him waving. A smile began to play at her lips as her parents climbed out of the car. But Caroline found that she was still sitting in the car, not moving. It felt like her feet weighted a million pounds. She wanted to run over and give Lani a hug but suddenly the reality of everything was setting in. Caroline had a strange ability, was being shipped off to an unknown place, and she would be without her parents.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani trotted down the rest of the steps as the car pulled up. His parents came out of the car and his mother swallowed him in a tight hug releasing him only after he assured her that he was absolutely fine. Lani had started to pick himself up thanks to some smacking in the right direction, but then Odion had returned and Lani’s heart had been torn in a million directions again but he had started working with the redhead and it almost seemed like a frail friendship might be in the future but that future was far. Lani’s directionless state was starting to scare him a little bit. Lani had never been one to direct his own future and he felt like a mad man with too much power in his hands. The fact that Adrianna was still strongly beside him had helped as well but what really knocked him out of his funk was the idea that he needed to be strong for Caroline.

With a handshake for his father and a strained exchange on wellness he looked around for the little girl. He smiled a little at the oblivious nature of his parents, they were trying to be cheerful though Lani knew when the time came they would have a hard time letting go of their little girl. Spying Caroline sitting in the car Lani’s smile faltered. Poor Caroline, Lani hadn’t realized how hard this was going to be for her. Leaving everything behind. Lani went to her door and opened it smiling at the frozen person in the seat. How had she gotten so big without him knowing!? “Hey, bug,” he said affectionately, “Why the long face? Surely seeing me isn’t so terrible.” He teased with a bright smile as he welcomed her to share in his good humor. Lani’s eyes flickered out the back window where his father was pulling out Caroline’s baggage.

Lani’s smile didn’t fade but his seriousness returned. “Hey, it’s not the end of the world,” he said softly reaching out to brush some of her hair out of her face. “Things will be great here, you’ll see.” Caroline looked great, Lani smiled every time he saw her, though he would have liked a little more of a smile out of her. To think he almost lost her, his baby sister, the one he swore he would always protect. But cancer could not have her, she was strong but she had yet to realize how strong. She looked healthy and Lani knew his parents had already set up for her medications and appointments to be done here. Honestly Lani wished he could be more like her, she had had to fight to keep her life and she was still so cheery, well usually.

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline sat there, frozen. Of course she missed her brother but seeing him after a year suddenly brought back memories from when he had left. She missed him so badly. She wanted to run to him and hug him and be excited for this next part of her life. She wished she could be happier about all of this. Feel more joy for getting to see Lani. Feel a better sense of adventure or power or something for discovering her ability. But that other feeling of dread, sadness, and fear were keeping her from feeling that joy or happiness.

Caroline jumped a bit as the door slid open. She turned her head to see Lani as he spoke his hello. As she saw him and heard his voice again, she could feel her heart breaking. It was breaking for the fact that it had been so long. The fact that he had been taken from her. The fact that they were both now going through this whole ability thing. Her heart ached for so many reasons, and it showed on her face. She tried to smile but the fear and sadness was still clear, though she tried to hide it. Tried to show Lani how strong she was.

As he reached out to move her hair, and his finger brushed her cheek, Caroline broke. Her smile faltered and next thing she knew her arms were wrapped tightly around Lani's neck, her face buried into his shoulder. Tears started slip from her eyes as she barely managed to get words out. "I.. Missed. You.." She cried softly to him.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani was very grateful now that Caroline wasn’t going on this alone. At least Lani was cursed along with her, but no, that wasn’t the wording he should use with her. A gift. Sometimes maybe. Lani’s smile didn’t falter but the meaning changed, he was happy to see her but he was empathizing with what she was going through. New powers, new places, new people, it was all so terrifying he was surprised at how well she was holding up. She looked so scared and Lani felt a bitter surge toward the universe, he cursed it silently for what it was doing. Caroline had been though so much already she deserved a normal life, not one labeled as different. Lani wasn’t going to snub her pride by coddling her right now, not when she was trying to put on a brave face.

However when she threw her arms around him he broke that and hugged her tightly wanting to protect her from the world and all of its darkness. He felt her shoulders shake a little and he hummed a little smoothing her hair letting her cry. “I missed you too,” he told her and held her tighter. He did his best to sooth her, oh he had missed her so much. “I love you so much, it’s so good to see you.” Lani took advantage of having his arms around her to remember all those years ago when they had both been so little. It was a little refreshing to know that at least this time she wasn’t facing death or any other means of impending doom. This was a new chapter in her life, and she was young she could learn her power very well by the time she was done here at Hammel.

Lani pushed her away a little bit to look into her eyes. He wiped away her tears and smiled at her. “This is a grand new adventure for you,” he said, “I’ll be here the whole time. We’ll get through this together.” He bent a little so he could look up into her eyes instead of down into them. “Think of all the possibilities,” he said grinning, “What is it that you can do that no one else can?” He asked her allowing her to start to think of her power in a positive light. This was a new life. Metas didn’t chose this but they couldn’t go back and change it. It was their life now and it took adjusting to. Though the sooner one resigned themselves to it the better. Caroline had one advantage over Lani, she was young, she was still growing very much and her possibilities were endless.

[Caroline Hunter]

It felt so good to have Lani's arms around her. Caroline felt so safe. Like it was years ago, before all this power stuff and after she had beaten the cancer. It was like everything was as it should be, and she was going to be just fine. She rested her head softly on his shoulder as he spoke to her, his words like medicine. She hadn't felt safe like this since Lani left. Her parents had been there but it wasn't the same. They always treated Caroline like china, watching her every second. You would have thought she was a time bomb the way her parents monitored her every move.

Caroline didn't want to let go but when Lani pulled away so he could see her face, she reluctantly moved back. It felt good having him right there to take care of her. But she was gonna show him how strong she could be. That she wasn't a helpless little girl anymore. She knew she would need help sometimes but she was learning how to stand on her own. How to be her own person. It might take her a while but she was going to be brave for herself, for her parents, and for Lani.

Caroline gave him a small smile as he spoke, feeling a little better already. She didn't have to face this alone. It was a huge blessing. It took her a moment to respond to him as she tried to gather her thoughts again. "Well, I have power over water." The words sounded so strange on her lips. It had barely been days since her power had shown up. She wondered if she sounded crazy. Maybe it all was crazy, but this was her life. At least it was a life that involved Lani once again. That was a good part.

[Lani Hunter]

Caroline’s smile was all that he needed to have his day turned brighter. His sister and best friend. Lani’s eyebrows jumped a little when she told him what her power was. It took him a moment to register that in his brain and work through to a positive in that. He hated water, ever since that one time he had never been back into any large bodies of water. Hell, he didn’t do boats either. He had never even learned to swim, but Caroline, now she was a fish. He smiled and chuckled a little. “Well, that’s wonderful,” he said encouraging her to smile more. “There is so much there. Maybe you can breathe underwater. Or make a wave or something. That’s so cool.” He shook his head a little, how powerful was she?

Lani’s heart stung, Dalton had had that power. He shook that off, Dalton was gone, run off somewhere Lani couldn’t find him. Taking her hand he drew her from the car and into the sunlight. “Welcome to Hammel,” he said with a broad gesture and made a face that he hoped would get her to laugh. “I’m sure you’ll be the new star of the swim team,” he added, and he would try to be at every race. Certainly he would be against the wall in the farthest corner away from the water but hey he could sacrifice his fears for Caroline. He smiled at her, he felt her pain, the whole thing was strange, having a power and thinking that you had the ability to do something like control water.

“What do you say we help mom and dad with the bags, eh?” Without waiting for an answer Lani walked forward waving their father and mother off of the bags. He could life them no problem when they needed him too. He put his arm around Caroline’s shoulders marveling again at how she had grown. She was creeping up on him, chances were she’d give him a run for his money, but then again Lani was tall and he was still growing as well, and he was creeping on six feet, if he breached that he would officially be taller than their father. And that was worth all the gold in the world.

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline had only learned of ability days before and still wasn't exactly sure of everything she could do. So far all she had done was throw water everywhere with absolutely no control. It was a powerful ability but she had no idea how to use it. She felt more like the power was in control of her then she was in control of the power. Maybe that was how most metas felt around this time but just because a bunch of other people are going through the same thing, doesn't really make it much easier. Pain is pain no matter how common the pain.

"It makes drying off after a shower really easy too." Caroline giggled a bit. Even though she was still really stressed about all the change she had been able to think of some very fun things she could do with her ability. As Lani pulled her out of the van, Caroline took a moment to fully take in the her new home. It was so big, and a little intimidating but part of that was a good thing. It meant there were lots of people here who she could be friends with. It would be hard to be lonely.

Caroline got a bit caught up in looking around and took her a moment to register what Lani had said. When she did she gave a small nod and walked around to the back and grabbed the last bag, trying her best to be helpful. She wanted to be as strong as he could. As his arm slipped over her shoulder, she relaxed into Lani feeling safe once again. "I'm gonna be okay..." She said softly, more for her own benefit, still trying to convince herself of it.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani smiled at Caroline he knew what it felt like to not know what one’s power was capable of but he had to admit that one thing Caroline was going to have to do on her own was her training. It was true that if need be Lani would jump into water for Caroline but until that day he was quite happy being on dry ground. He took a deep breath, that incident had been before Caroline had been born, he was glad for that. The memories were enough to freak him out, but Caroline knew the stories. She knew how to get him out of the waking nightmare, she had seen their mother do it enough times. But thankfully it seemed like Lani had finally grown out of that.

Lani laughed and his mood lightened exponentially with her laughter. “I’m sure it does! I’m jealous!” She started looking around and Lani’s smile softened and he looked up at Hammel with her, it really was a strange new place, but it was full of new people and interesting things. Lani wished he had appreciated it like this when he had first come instead of being a hermit. It was big but she wasn’t in this alone. Not by a long shot. And though Lani was hoping for a peaceful transition he was more than prepared to let anyone who harassed Caroline know exactly what he felt about that. Lani had become a lot more combative since he had come here, but perhaps that was just because he was done being stepped on and used. He didn’t put up with things and he certainly wouldn’t put up with someone making Caroline unhappy.

Giving Caroline a smile he grabbed the luggage with his hands. Physical work was a relief sometimes. He glanced at Caroline and smiled, she had grown up so fast. Lani led them up to the steps and into the dorms. He smiled as his parents chattered on their mother’s southern drawl in contrast with their fathers quick Boston accent. “Do you remember the room number?” He asked. Holding the door open with a thought he waggled his eyebrows at Caroline unusually proud to show how much he had improved from when they had last seen him use his power. He heard Caroline mutter and just hugged her closer. She was going to be okay. “So, this is the dorm, I’m on the top floor in 503 if you ever need to find me. And the dining hall is that direction,” he said gesturing with his head as they made their way to the stairs.

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline wanted nothing more to be happy. At the end of the day that was all she wanted. She didn't want some big fancy power or some big fancy school. She didn't need a perfect family or a perfect life, she just wanted to be able to go to bed each night with a smile on her face. Life doesn't always make it easy to do that but she would try. She would do her best to find joy in her new life, to see it as an adventure not an unfortunate event. And of course, she had Lani now. Her big brother. Her protector. He was right there for her every step of the way. She had nothing to worry about because he was there. Life wouldn't be simple but at least it could be good.

As they walked into the building, Caroline took in every single detail. She wanted to know as much as possible. The last thing she wanted was to get lost. That would really suck. Just wandering around the building like an idiot. She made mental notes as Lani pointed out the locations of everything. She mouthed it all so she would remember better. Maybe she should get a map.

"Room 406 I believe. My roommates Ayla." She said in response to his question. She was quite impressed by how he had learned to control is his power. Caroline could only hope she would be able to handle her ability in a similar fashion, making it work for her and not her work for it. Caroline was still sort of scared out her mind by this new place, but having Lani by her side, hugging her close, helping her find her way, she knew that she would survive. Somehow.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani's smile filtered into a neutral state of happiness, his eyes bright but the smile not obvious on his face. Honestly he was happier today than he had been in a long time, and he was very glad he was holding it together today. Last time he had seen his family he had been a wreck and well he was working on making it up to them. He didn't like them seeing him that way, he had been the stable one in the family, the one that all others could turn to, even his mother and father, though the latter often ended in a fight. Oh well, today hopefully they would refrain for Caroline's sake. But one glance at their father and Lani could almost feel that an argument was going to take place today. Well, when they couldn't be in the same room without fighting such things were not unexpected either. Lani sighed hopefully it wouldn't be something major though.

Lani nodded and looked off to the side trying to figure out if the person sounded familiar. He came up with nothing. So he shrugged and led the way up the stairs. He paused giving Caroline a smile, "You doing alright with that?" He couldn't help asking, and if it was too heavy for her he would feel terrible about not helping. The fourth floor wasn't too bad, but when one was used to running up and down several flights of stairs it could be a pain. He smiled at his mother's comment about how they should build an elevator. Lani held the door open as they filed through and a thought occurred to him that they probably hadn't paused to get a key. Oh well... "406?" He echoed and paused at the door. "Do you have a key?" He asked his power already examining the lock to undo it if not. They could always go back for a key.

Lani really didn't want to let Caroline leave his side and it felt so good to have her so close within reach. "How was the drive? Smooth sailing?" He wondered, whenever he took the bus or something it was rather clear until one hit Boston, then it was faster to walk. But it wasn't too bad. He hoped Caroline didn't forget anything, but perhaps she would go back more often. He had been back so much, and most of the time without even visiting home because he needed to get a job done. Now that that was over it was time he started visiting more often. But it was strange, being at home. He had both more and less freedom here, more because he held very little respect for the authority here, but less because they had security and his parents didn't.

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline glanced at her parents and gave them a smile. She loved them so much but at the same time, they often felt really far away. They had never really connected with her the way Lani had. Of course they had been there for her when she needed them, but somehow it was different with them. There was of course the fact that Lani and their father didn't always see eye to eye. When she was younger they tried to hide the fighting but she still knew. She was a smart girl.

As they stopped at the door, she carefully looked it over, trying to memorize it or something. She wanted to make sure she could find it and wouldn't get lost. Wandering around the dorm building for an hour trying to find her room was not on the to do list. When Lani asked about the key, Caroline realized that they hadn't gotten it yet. She felt a little stupid and shook her head. "Oh no... We forgot." She said looking to her parents for a moment before back to Lani.

Caroline shrugged her shoulders. "The ride wasn't terrible but we hit some traffic I think. I wasn't really paying that much attention." She said quietly. She had still been thinking about and taking everything in. She still was of course but having Lani right there with her helped in so many was she wasn't sure if she could really explain it. Life was gonna be good, maybe not perfect, but still good enough for her.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani smiled, “No worries, we can go get it later, we’re already up here.” He held out his hand and touched the lock and felt it for a minute and when everything felt right he snapped it and turned the handle. “Lani…” he heard his father growl. “What?” He protested, “It’s not like we’re breaking in. Caroline lives here.” He glared and he knew that his father wanted to say something more but then both men glanced at Caroline and his mother who put a hand on either one of their shoulders and fell silent. Lani pushed the door open the rest of the way and motioned them in. He and their father exchanged glares as they passed. This was going to explode later, he just knew it.

It was so frustrating to look at his father and almost see a mirror. They were both tall and blond with serious expressions. They even wore their hair the same way, and had the same gray eyes. The tension didn’t subside once they were inside and made their way to Caroline’s room. It looked very plain, Lani wondered absently if he should clean more, but then his room looked very lived in. He looked back at Caroline as she spoke again. It wasn’t too long of a drive. He nodded glad they hadn’t run into a lot of problems.

He ruffled her hair and set her bags down by the door. “Do you want to unpack first or explore?” He asked his eyes bright and ready to help her with either. Honestly she should probably go to the office and get her schedule and getting a key was a must. Honestly Lani hoped he could stick close to Caroline for the time being, not only to help her but to avoid getting a tongue lashing from their father. He smiled at Caroline, how was it that they were both meta and neither of their parents were? Perhaps a relative somewhere along the line, he wondered if any of them were telekinetics. Or could control water like Caroline could. But then was the whole thing random? Were meta’s really just mutations?

[Caroline Hunter]

Caroline was really impressed with how easily Lani opened the lock. She was about to let him know that when she heard their father. She quickly shut her lips and looked away. It was like there was this invisible string of tension. She waited for it to explode but thankfully her mother was there to calm them down. Caroline knew that her dad and Lani didn't get along but she hated hearing them fight. She really hated it.

She wished that everyone in her family could get along perfectly. She didn't want there to be fighting and yelling and disagreements. She just wanted them to all be able to be happy together. Of course she knew that was very unlikely. There probably wasn't a single family out there that got along all the time. Caroline just wished her family could get a long a little more often then not.

Lani's voice broke Caroline's train of thought. She glanced around her new room. She didn't really need any help unpacking and figured that could be something she could do later on her own time. She would much rather spend some time seeing there rest of the campus with her brother there to show her around like a tour guide. "I say exploring." She said beaming up at him. "Oh, and do you think we could get some food. I forgot to eat breakfast." Caroline said with a little laugh.

[Lani Hunter]

It was a sad fact that indeed Lani’s first self appointed task had been to learn how to use his power to help his skill. The strain in the air was strong but thankfully nothing sparked. Lani just matched his father’s glare before he was the one to look away. Their father had one of the best death glares ever given to a human being. Lani really would prefer that they didn’t fight, not now. There were so many more important things but unfortunately they both knew what buttons to press to get the other to rise to the occasion. A fight would happen before the day was out, Lani could just feel it.

Lani wished as well that they got along better, but that was not to be and he had accepted that long ago. Perhaps their father had his best interest at heart but his boss had convinced him otherwise and some things were just too hard to unlearn. Oh well, his father was not here to harass him and he was going to do his best not the press those buttons. So they dropped off the bags and Caroline needed a key that should most certainly be their first stop. Lani smiled sympathetically at Caroline, hopefully she wouldn’t run into too many of the faculty that knew him or they might just assume that she was like him. Or in the very least feel the need to rant at her about her brother. Oh well, perhaps he should be a better role model but…

Grinning he was glad she chose to explore. Exploring was better he could show her the ins and outs of Hammel, where to go when avoiding people and where to go if she needed help. Lani put his hands on his hips and shook his head at her and the mention of missed breakfast. “Of course, we should get the key and then breakfast.” He nodded and looked up at their parents. “Do you need to get back yet?” He asked of them really hoping that they would agree to stay a little longer, he really missed them despite all of their issues and he would love to show them around the school.