PowerSwap:A Scary Truth and A Talking Bear?(Trav)

[Adaryn Breslin]

Waking up on the morning of Thursday, September 5th was expected to be another normal day. Well, as normal as it could get for Adaryn. She'd get up, wash her face and teeth, shower, and then get ready for the rest of the day. She would try and avoid overly emotional areas of the dorms and school, staying away from the areas that radiated any form of red or even green, as those were typically the troublesome spots.

She'd probably attempt to locate one of the few friends she had managed to have throughout the years of being at Hammel and stick with them, just so she really didn't have to be alone. But as she walked to the door to the restroom, she stopped. Everything about her was calm... and she felt nothing but... refreshed. Which never happened to her. Not since she had discovered her power.

Thinking nothing of it though, she continued with her morning routine. It had gone rather quickly, actually. And she was actually grateful for that. But there was something nagging at the back of her mind. Usually around this time of the morning, Adaryn could feel the annoyance of the entire dorms. But today? Nothing.

By this time, Addie was freaking out. What was wrong with her? Was she sick? What was going on. Why was her mind empty? She sought out her toy Corduroy teddy bear that she had ever since she was a child, for comfort. She scanned the room and found him on her nightstand, staring at her. Adaryn stood up and walked over to the bear, her eyes trained on the small figure. As she reached down to grab it, the toy moved.

Adaryn jumped back, holding back a scream. Her roommates were still sleeping, and she didn't want to wake them. The bear moved once again, and tilted it's head downward and looked at it's button. "Where is my button?" And then it went slack once more. Oh god. Oh god, what is happening?! Adaryn thought fearfully. Did the toy just talk?!

The brunette grabbed her phone and scrolled down to the number of a boy who she knew could possibly help her, even though she had no clue how he would. Travis. He seemed to have understood her better than anyone else, so she figured she might as well see if he could help her out in this... whatever this was. A toy just spoke to her. She could feel a slight headache forming in the back of her head.

Travis, Please Please Please be up. I need your help. I'm freaking out.

Once she was sure the message sent, her eyes glanced from the phone to the bear, who had yet to move again, until someone replied.

[Travis Morgan]

Travis was still in bed. This empathy thing was getting tiring, and it was becoming steadily more difficult to get going in the morning.

On his nightstand, his cell phone buzzed. Travis opened his eyes half-way and glared at it before rolling over and hiding his head under the covers. He assumed it was Michael. He was the only one who ever called or texted, and it was too early. Fifteen minutes later it buzzed again, reminding him that he had an unread message. Travis groaned and squeezed his eyes shut in defiance.

He didn't want to be awake yet. Being awake was stressful.

The phone buzzed a third time and Travis rolled over, reaching a hand out from under the covers to snatch it off the nightstand. With blurry eyes, he opened the message.

"Travis, Please Please Please be up. I need your help. I'm freaking out."

Travis sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. Adaryn? Frantically he texted her back, climbing out of bed and pulling on cloths with his one free hand.

"Where are you? I'll be there in 5."

[Adaryn Breslin]

buzz buzz

Adaryn jumped out of her seat on the bed and practically threw herself at the phone. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, but it wasn't because of somebody else's anxiety. It was purely her own, and that was what freaked her out even more than the talking bear did. Because here, she was used to the abnormal, being that the school was entirely filled with meta-humans with insane powers. But she was not used to feeling her own emotions and have no interference from other's. This was just so abnormal for her, she was going to cry.

I'm in my form, and I'm pretty sure there is a 'no' male allowed rule for the girls dorm... I just... I'll show you oh the common room?

She replied as quickly and as best as she could, but her hands were shaking, so there were some obvious mistakes. But she sent it before she could even read it over. She considered fixing it, but decided against it. He would get the picture, right? But even as she tried to collect herself to actually take herself down to the common room, she found herself staring at the bear again, the headache starting to ebb. And then it happened again, but this time, it said her name.

"Adaryn do you have my button?" It asked, and Adaryn looked away quickly, her heart beginning to feel as if it would explode from her chest.

She grabbed her phone again.

Oh my god, Travis. I'm legitimately scared. Oh god.

[Travis Morgan]

Travis hopped on one foot, pulling on jeans and opening the new message from Adaryn at the same time. God, she was seriously loosing it. Travis ignored the message for a moment to finish getting dressed, and by the time he had his pants buttoned there was another text.

"Oh my god, Travis. I'm legitimately scared. Oh god."

Travis sped out if his room barefoot, focused on his phone.

"On my way."

[Adaryn Breslin]

On my way

So he was going to be there soon. Good. But 'there' was not in her dorm, it was in the common room. Which meant she had to get downstairs as soon as possible. She grabbed her phone, and inched towards the bear, afraid to even look at it. She didn't want it to move or talk again, because that was just creepy. Toy story was supposed to be a movie, dang it! This was not right! She grabbed the bear by the arm and allowed it to dangle away from her body, as if it were a snake. She unlocked her phone and texted quickly.

"Thanks. Common Room. Hurry."

It was the best she could do at this point. She could tell him everything once they were down there, and maybe the bear would move again. Maybe she wasn't going to find out she had gone crazy. With that final thought, Adaryn sped out of her room, careful not to wake her roommates and fled down the hall and to the common room.

[Travis Morgan]

Travis raced out of his dorm, bare feet padding quietly through the hall and quickly down the stairs. As he approached the common room, he could feel his anxiety growing. No, not his anxiety. Adaryn's anxiety.

He cast his gaze wildly around the room. "Adaryn!" He hurried to her when he spotted her and took in her appearance. "What happened? What's wrong?" His eyes were wide. Alert. Adaryn's anxiety added to his own sense of urgency, and he was eager to know what was going on.

He hated when his friends were upset, but at the same time he enjoyed being able to help. Underlying the tension and panic was a sense of thrill that Travis didn't feel very often.

[Adaryn Breslin]

She had reached the common room before he had.

Adaryn placed the bear on the couch and tried not to look at it. If she wasn't paying attention to it, it wasn't there, right? At least, she hoped that was right, because god knows she didn't need a little stuffed thing tugging on the back of her cardigan.

The common room was entirely empty, being that it was far too early for anybody to really be awake. And even if they were, they were getting dressed and things like that. So it was the only other place Adaryn could think of that would supply some privacy, despite the name.

"Adaryn!"

Addie turned toward Travis, glad he was finally here and she could ask someone if they saw the damn thing move as well, but as she looked at him, her eyes grew wide. Nothing. Adaryn covered her mouth with her hand and backed away slowly, trying to come to grips with what her mind was registering, or rather, what it wasn't.

Adaryn could see the fear and anxiety written all over his face, but where was the pulsing green surrounding him? Where was the gut wrenching feeling that came along with standing in close proximity to it? What was happening?!

Addie wanted to collapse right there, but she held herself up with a bar stool that sat in the corner. She was scared now, terrified that something was wrong with her. She had never had a break with seeing or feeling emotions, but now she couldn't see his? She couldn't even feel his emotions.

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she responded to his question. For a moment, Adaryn had forgotten about the bear, and now it was just this. "I-I can't see it, Travis. Your emotions... I can't feel them or see them. S-Something's wrong with me!"

[Travis Morgan]

"What?"

It wasn't really a question, Travis was just startled. She couldn't feel his emotions? How could that happen? What did that mean!?

Her energy was all over the place, and he flinched when it hit him. Adaryn's panic was just slightly overwhelming, and Travis took a deep breath.

"Alright, breathe," he told her, reaching out to place his hands on her shoulders. Physical contact made the empathy stronger, but that hardly mattered. Contact was often grounding to the one freaking out, and Travis wasn't one to avoid helping just because it made him uncomfortable.

"It'll be okay," he murmured, "we're gonna' figure it out, and it'll be okay."

[Adaryn Breslin]

"Alright," He told her. "Breathe.

He closed the distance between them by placing his hands on her shoulders. This caused her to flinch. No matter how many times she shook hands or things of the like, she would never be used to human contact. Especially when she didn't initiate it. But that wasn't the only reason she flinched. Adaryn knew more than anything that the closer you got to strong emotion, the more it began to consume you. And right now, she was freaking out, which meant it would not be good for Travis. Because of this, she attempted to slow her heart rate and calm herself down.

"It'll be okay. We're gonna figure it out, and it'll be okay."

Was it really going to be okay? She couldn't see or feel emotions anymore and then her bear is coming to life.... Wait. The bear! Adaryn suddenly moved away from him and darted toward the couch, not a work being spoken. That is, until she grabbed the corduroy bear and dangled it from her hand with two fingers. "A-And this. This... It started talking to me this morning. T-That's why I called you. I didn't know if I was crazy..." And upon seeing his confused expression, her panic began to rise once more.

"I swear it did, Travis... It asked me where it's button was and then it said my name! What is wrong with me?!" Adaryn suddenly sunk down into the couch, clutching the bear that she once dangled close to her chest, burying her face in its synthetic fur. "What's wrong..." She mumbled.

[Travis Morgan]

"Okay, okay--" Travis raised his hands, palms out, motioning downward. Placating. His voice was soft and he approached her slowly. "I believe you," he said. Enough weird things happened around here that he didn't really doubt anything until he saw proof to the contrary.

"So.. You lost your empathy.. And your bear was talking to you.." He looked from Adaryn to the bear, trying to think and having no success. He moved closer to her, and slowly reached out a hand. He poked the bear, his finger pressing into the things head and withdrawing again. Travis looked at it curiously.

"Did it seem threatening?" He asked, looking at Adaryn's face. Really, one of Travis's secret fears was inanimate object coming to life. Baby dolls freaked him out because he always imagined that they would come to life and, like.. eat his soul or something. Thank god the toy in question wasn't a doll, or Travis would be having his own set of issues, regardless of whether the animated toy was nice or not.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Addie’s heart was racing, but she tried calming herself down, which she found was significantly easier than it had once been. A few deep breaths and Travis’ voice allowed her to slowly come back to reality. Sort of. Her reality was not what it once was. Adaryn’s reality was filled with pain and fear.. and this was just filled with confusion. “I just… I’m not used to this. Ever since I manifested, my empathy has been my entire life. N-not in a good way, but it was the only thing that seemed familiar anymore. Now that’s just… gone.”

Adaryn honestly didn’t know if he’d understand that part, since his empathy just manifested, but she had been living with her own for almost four years now… It was all she knew. And if it was gone, what would that mean? Maybe mom might let me see Carly… maybe she’ll love me again…[/i] With or without the empathy, those thoughts never seemed to fail. Adaryn was depressed, whether she liked it or not.

For a moment, she found herself smiling, despite the despair within her. Travis was just as confused, but when he poked the bear… well, she found it funny. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was the face he made, or maybe it was what she heard come from his mouth a few seconds later. Threatening? “No… just confusing. I have had this bear since I was two years old, and never once has it spoken to me. And then I wake up and this happens? Every time it happened, I was seeking it out. I had all my attention on it… maybe it will do it again..?”

This scared her slightly, because it started sounding as if she had another power entirely. But how…? She went to bed with the empathy, and woke up with this. Putting aside the nervousness, she began staring at it, thinking of all the times she enjoyed it. When she was with her best friend, they used to have tea parties and played---

“Hm?” The bear shifted in her lap, and Adaryn resisted the urge to scream. Covering her mouth, she watched as her corduroy bear turned to her, and pointed to his button. “Have you seen my button..? It’s missing.” His fuzzy face contorted into a look of sadness at the loss of his prized button. That was what the book was about, anyway. Him attempting to look for his button.

Without looking at Travis, she spoke cautiously. “W-What is your name..?” She asked. The headache from this morning was beginning to come back, but she didn’t look away as it spoke. “Corduroy,” It replied before going limp in her lap. Addie closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples before looking at Travis. She did that… it was her… What was going on..? “See…?” She said simply.

But Adaryn had a feeling she knew what had happened. Her empathy was replaced with... this. Whatever this was. And she had no clue how to feel about it.

[Travis Morgan]

Travis gasped audibly and took a swift step back when the bear moved. His eyes were wide as he watched it, and his ears twitched slightly when it spoke. He looked, perhaps, a bit frightened.

The bear went limp again, and Travis crept forward. "That," he said slowly, "is pretty creepy... I.. I don't... know what to say.. about that." He cautiously poked the bear again, pulling back much quicker this time, as if it were hot or something.

"...what button?" He asked, looking at Adaryn. He wasn't sure what was going on, and frankly the whole talking toy thing weirded him out more than he thought it would.

[Adaryn Breslin]

It didn't take much to see that Travis was now just as freaked out as she was, considering he seemed even more cautious about touching the bear now. There was even some fear in his eye, or was it fear? She couldn't really tell now that her empathy was gone, because she had never been good at reading faces. She was only good at reading the Aura's around them.

"You don't know the story of corduroy?" Adaryn asked incredulously, momentarily forgetting why he was asking the question in the first place. Addie loved Corduroy, and wouldn't fall asleep for about two years unless that was read to her before bed. "Corduroy is a story of a bear who goes on this adventure through a department store because he lost his button. It was the cutest story ever. Remind me to find it on my kindle and read it to you sometime?" She asked, but as she said this, she remembered the bear on her lap.

"So yeah... that's why it was asking that. Um, but yeah. I was freaked out. I still am... Travis, have you ever heard of powers being changed like this, because I haven't. I just can't think of any other conclusion..."

[Travis Morgan]

"I.. no." He'd never heard of that happening before. Granted, he didn't know that much about this whole meta thing yet, but he was pretty sure this was weird. It didn't seem like it should even be possible! Wasn't it genetic or something?

Travis looked at the bear for a moment, then decided it was safe to sit on the couch next to Adaryn. He rested his elbows on his knees, and looked sideways at the bear. Thinking.

"Should... Should we tell someone?" Maybe a trainer or a teacher or something? This seemed like the sort of thing an adult should know about, but at the same time that seemed a bit scary. Talking to adults was intimidating, and Travis tried not to unless it was absolutely necessary.

[Adaryn Breslin]

"I don't know..." Adaryn admitted.

If she told someone, would she be put under series of tests like she had when she was a child? Adaryn had never told anyone this, but the tests she was put under when they tried to figure out if she was bipolar or not, were terrifying. She was shoved into an MRI scanner numerous times, told to do many mentally draining things... and she just couldn't handle doing that again. I mean, if she did have the power to control these toys, then would those tests be even more strenuous? She was already getting headaches from doing whatever she was doing...

"No." Adaryn ultimately decided. "I can't go through any tests again. The first time was awful enough. I just... I don't know. I need a distraction. And you were the only person I could think of asking for that. I hope that doesn't sound weird or stalkerish..." She trailed off. Damn her for being such a shitty conversationalist.