[CANADA] Time Warp: Conceal, don't feel. (Ella)

[Greg Mackenzie]

12 January 2014

“‘Four Weddings’? Really Randolf, really?” laughed the brunette as he woke up and saw what channel his step-brother had been on, throwing a crumpled tissue to grab his attention and narrowly missing his step-brother’s head. Judging by the half-empty box of cream puffs beside him, he’d say Randolf’s been on the same channel for more than two hours now. “And I thought I was the gay guy around here. Change it to TSN will you? There’s too much estrogen in this room I’m drowning.”

“You rude piece of shit,” replied Randolf, throwing the same tissue right at Greg’s face and grabbing the remote, “Later. I still want to see how low that Brittany bitch scores with her wedding. Seriously dude she’s like ‘3’, ‘4’, ‘2’. I’m like, your wedding ought to be better than the wedding to beat all motherfucking weddings.” Greg simply rolled his eyes, called his step-brother for being ‘so gay’ once more, but since he had no control over the remote, had no choice but to watch the idiotic reality show for the next two hours.

And ‘lo and behold, he actually liked it.

(Brittany, unfortunately, won. Not because her wedding was the best, but ‘cause she gave such low marks everywhere. And it seemed like the other girls liked her so much too. God, how Greg wanted to see those other girls’ faces when they watch the episode for the first time).

TV was a good distraction for him too. While he did get glimpses of thoughts here and there, they were nonexistent for the most part. It’s like life was back to normal yet again. Like the whole thing was just a bad dream.

Oh how Greg wished it was only a bad dream.

“Hey Mom, hey David. Oh, you brought Mariah too?” Nothing like the sight of his baby sister to make Greg smile like a loony. Her awkward wave would probably the only thing that’ll make him and Randolf aww in tandem. “Greg,” my mom said, grabbing my hand and kissing my forehead. She didn’t need to say anything more really – I knew. Someone was here to take me away. “There’s someone here to-“

His voice was firm. “No. I’m not going.”

[Ella Tate]

Ella hadn't had to suppress a telepath in ages. The last time she did, she almost had a mental breakdown. But she couldn't pick her assignments so there she was, in very very very cold Canada, about to pick up her very first telepath.

Dressed smartly in a light grey two piece pantsuit with a silky dark green blouse inside, all underneath a dark grey peacoat, she thought she looked presentable, someone a possibly scared teenager would look at and go, sure. I'll follow the strange lady to a foreign country where I have no friends, no family and no sense of belonging. Sure.

A few brief moments with the recruit's mother and soon enough, Ella had to activate her powers. It started with a tingling sensation near the balls of her feet before it rose to her hips. That always got to her before she shook her head and straightened her coat.

The voice from inside, stubborn and deep, made her frown lightly. How old was this recruit? She hardly glanced at the file, only ever needing location and power most of the time. She cleared her throat and peeked into the room. "Hey...Greg?" She called out, her voice a little raspy.

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg only picked up minor points from his mom’s memory, him being untrained and all. To be more specific, he got “recruiter”, “Hammel”, “gifted”, and “Vermont”. It’s not much, but he wasn’t a dumb teen. That, and he’s done his research prior – his research meaning at least three hours a day on Wikipedia reading about the X-Men. (Way more interesting than what he’s learning in Trigonometry, he’d tell you that).

“She talked to you for a minute and you believed her? How’d you know she’s even speaking the truth?” There’s a tinge of anger in his voice, which made his mother cower a bit and David step up and go “Greg, don’t go there”. It was firm and level, but it held so much power. How Greg wished he could hold so much authority in his voice too. “But David-”

He got cut off when the woman entered the room. You, he thought, face turning into a frown with eyes locked on the brunette. If he possessed the ability to fry things with his gaze, Ella’d be dust right now. “Gregory,” he grumbled, “Greg’s only reserved for close friends.” A lie – busted quickly by the snort Randolf did – but he felt like he needed to rebel somewhere. No way was he letting her take him without resistance.

Then it got to him. Maybe he could get in her head. Try to find that one secret, even one teensy tiny secret, that could discredit her and get his parents to let him stay. He’s only actively tried to look into another person’s brain once within the past days, and he while he did get in Mr. Graham’s head and got the answer to Part2 Number4 of the quiz, it left him with a headache that lasted the entire day.

But what the heck, it’s worth it.

“Wait what actual the fuck?” For some odd reason, there’s nothing. He’s focusing as hard as he could, but it feels like he’s, well, doing nothing. Like he’s normal. There’s no wayward thoughts running through his head too. It’s like they’re…blocked. “Are you doing something to me right now? ‘Cause that shit ain’t funny. You should stop.”

[Ella Tate]

The argument coming from inside was not something Ella was new to. She'd heard worst. At least this one seemed...

She was about to say respectful but when she peeked in, he was anything but. She didn't let her emotions betray her professionalism though. She kept the smile on her face and nodded. "Gregory it is." She stepped into the room and discreetly let her eyes catch anything important that could bridge the gap between herself and the boy.

When the boy caught on that his powers had been subdued, Ella pursed her lips and shook her head. "If we could just discuss this further, I think we can come to some sort of agreement?"

[Greg Mackenzie]

“Gregory James Mackenzie,” his mom said, careful to pause after every name, hoping it’d emphasize how, well, unruly Greg’s been acting, “Apologies Ms. Tate. Greg’s just a little rattled. He hasn’t been in a hospital since he broke his leg when he was eight.”

Unfortunately for Mrs. Mackenzie, it did nothing to Greg. He simply rolled his eyes, thinking about how cliché his mother’s acting, while Randolf all out burst into laughter. “Way better than ‘Keeping Up With the Kardasians’, just saying.”

But, as much as it’d pain Greg to admit it, his mother had a point. And to be honest, it was a little refreshing that the voices in his head were gone. It didn’t mean he’s ready to trust her just yet though. She’s just a little too pretty and a little too proper to be reliable. She must be hiding something.

“Fine. I’ll indulge you. I must admit I’m a little curious what exactly was that spiel you told my parents that they’re oh-so-willing to hand me over a stranger to be sent across the border?” He gave Ella a smile just seething with sarcasm. “And how do I know this isn’t just some internment camp or laboratory or something those sci-fi films always show?”

[Ella Tate]

"It's quite all right Mrs Mackenzie. It's quite understandable, his reaction to all this. I'm surprised he hasn't jumped out the window." She laughed a little, trying to ease the tension. It wasn't like it wasn't based off of actual events. Not at all. "Hospitals aren't exactly the Hyatt." She shrugged, looking at Greg pointedly.

The brother was lapping this all up and Ella was glad somebody was getting a kick out of all this.

"No spiel. Just facts. If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to you privately?" She looked at his family with an apologetic smile. "I assure you, Hammel is a safe place. Safer than most other meta schools."

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg simply rolled his eyes at her little dig at the hospital. He’d call her out for her not-funny joke, but his mother’s shooting him daggers enough as is. “Be nice, ok Greg?” his mother asked. Well, more commanded than ask, considering the way she looked at him. “I’ll try.”

“What? Why?” Randolf complained as David led him out of Greg’s room. He made a little phone gesture to Greg, to which the younger boy simply rolled his eyes and gave a thumbs up to. I’ll try to get you her number, he thought reluctantly – both because he wasn’t really in the mood to ‘set’ his step-brother up with this woman, and because he wasn’t so sure his powers were even working at the moment.

“Other meta schools? Say what now?” Now he’s curious.

[Ella Tate]

Ella looked on at the mother son interaction and couldn't help but smile to herself. It was clear how doting his mother was on him and he was just acting out because he didn't know what lay ahead of him.

The brothers' interaction was one she didn't quite get but was amused by nonetheless. She thought some people were lucky enough to get the right people in their lives.

Good thing Gregory's ability was still under wraps. That would have been an embarrassing thought to share unwillingly.

"Hammel is but one of many different schools that deal with the genetic anomalies of our kind." Textbook answer, something Ella didn't like. But it did answer his question.

"Basically what I'm saying is there's a lotta other different schools other than the one I'm going to be bringing you over. It's not a prison. I swear. I grew up in Hammel. I turned out fine...sorta." She shrugged with a little crooked grin.

"Listen...Greg." Ella let her abilities die down a little so she could send the mental note she hoped would ease his tension. "You don't have to do this alone." She offered a little reassuring smile. Back to her normal voice, Ella cleared her throat, which did nothing to get rid of her naturally raspy voice. "I don't want you to feel like there's any reason for you to be scared or angry that your parents decided to let me in."

[Greg Mackenzie]

Like Ella, Greg didn’t like the ‘textbook explanation’ as much – but his wincing and lip-biting was less of the dryness of the words and more along the use of ‘genetic anomaly’. Or to be more specific, the word ‘anomaly’. It’s just a very negative word. Couldn’t she have used another? But when he thought of a possible euphemism for it, he came up blank.

Darn the English language.

He was ready to dismiss Ms. Tate – and chastise his parents for falling for such a dry and empty promise of supposed care – when she let him in. It wasn’t really much, but it was personal. And as much as the brunette tries to be a grouch, letting him in was the easiest way to, well, make him throw the façade away. “They didn’t succeed in messing with your head then? So are you like a double-agent, pretending to be their pawn while actually planning their demise?” asked Greg with a grin, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “Let me guess, you chose to come for me specifically, didn’t you? I should be happy or something.” So he’s watched a little too much of YA movies. Could you blame him?

The brief telepathic message she sent (or at least, the one that she let him catch) wasn’t enough to get his trust though. But it did buy her some more time to convince him. “I’m not scared or angry at them. I’m scared at angry at me,” he confessed, “I mean, why me?”

[Ella Tate]

The change in Gregory's demeanour meant more to Ella than anyone could imagine. She wasn't a lover of children, at any age; she just didn't know what to do with them, but the little things that she managed to coax out of a child, she kept it close. She was sure she would need it later in life.

The smirk turned into a joking grin and she shrugged. "I might be. But of course, if you already know that, my cover's been compromised and I'm sorry but you will need to be terminated." She nodded solemnly before snorting at his little speech. "Okay, I'm not gonna lie and say being in Hammel is gonna be all daisies and sunshine and cool powers in the quad like that X-Men franchise would lead you to believe." Ella rolled her eyes a little. "But, I can assure you...you're not gonna feel like an outsider because there will always be someone new coming in and someone will always know exactly what you're going through."

His question was something Ella had heard too many times. She could never get the answer right. She breathed out and pursed her lips before shrugging. "Why not you?" She asked. "You didn't choose this, sure but don't you think you owe it to yourself to at least try and live with it?"

[Greg Mackenzie]

At least she admitted that Hammel won’t be a huge kumbaya of let’s-get-along-cause-we’re-all-different-and-we’re-all-we’ve-got. A flaw always makes perfection look more real. Greg approves. “High school’s going to be high school right?” He himself hadn’t experienced his fair share of high school drama, but his friends had, and boy was it something he wouldn’t wish on anyone. It’s just too…petty. “Is there any other school other than Vermont? Anywhere closer? Hate American money – they’re all one colour. It’s annoying.”

So he’s well on his way on being on Ella’s side. Sue him.

“Ever thought of a career in motivational speaking?” laughed Greg, running his hand through his hair, “Because that line over there is perfect. Perfectly vague yet perfectly empowering. Like seriously. Bullshit wrapped in a gold tin foil that Donald Trump would pay all his fortune for just to get.” He wondered how many naïve kids fell for that little spiel. “Or is that all part of the recruiter pamphlet you get before you swoop kids in and destroy what plans they have for their lives?”

[Ella Tate]

"Tell me about it." Ella chuckled raspily. "Although good looking boy like you...reckon you'd be the positive talk of school within minutes of your arrival." She figured a little pandering wouldn't hurt. He seemed like the type to appreciate a little flattery every now and again.

Ella smiled apologetically before responding to his question. "I'm afraid your next choice would be Kocher. It's in Switzerland and eighty-five percent of the people there don't even speak English." She shrugged, not knowing too much about Kocher other than it was under the European jurisdiction.

Laughing along with him, Ella shook her head in amusement. "Do I look like a highy motivated person to you? Because if I do, I might need to do a personality transplant." She joked before shrugging at Greg's assumption. "I get it, you're still iffy on the whole being taken away thing. But look at it this way. It's a place where you won't feel like you're being judged by your extra abilities. People will understand you on some level and I gotta honestly say, their extra curriculars are pretty awesome. I ran track myself when I was a kid. And Karate. Or was it jujitsu? I don't know, everything was mixed up." She took a breathe and continued. "You're a jock, am I right?" Ella asked.

[Greg Mackenzie]

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Ok, so maybe Ella was likeable. She might seem like a gruff – scratch that, she was a gruff – but that brand of sense of humour’s hard to fake. “Not sure the boyfriend would appreciate that though.” Richard’s almost too possessive for his own good, but for some reason the brunette loves it. So despite his friends constantly telling him that Richard insisting they hung out almost every afternoon a red flag, Greg and him somehow worked out. “That’s the closest one? No school in the tropics or something?” That was the brunette’s plan after all. Graduate high school, get a sports scholarship and move on to a university in the tropics – or Australia. He’s done with the cold.

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes when Ella seemingly misinterpreted his jab at her. Was his sarcasm not evident? (He’s not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing though). “Most people would say I am, yeah,” Greg shrugged, absentmindedly scratching his head, “But that’s the thing. At least here, I’m, well, better than most people. How am I supposed to compete against kids with, I don’t know, the ability to run faster than a speeding bullet or leap tall buildings in one bound?”

“Will I still be able to see my family?” Randolf and David’s only been in his life for three years – and Mariah’s been for about two – but he couldn’t imagine growing up without them now. It’s weird and cheesy and he wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he did care about his little ragtag family.

[Ella Tate]

Ella held back a smile when Gregory responded in the positive. The continuation to that had Ella chuckling though. "I wouldn't appreciate it if I were your boyfriend either, I reckon." She smirked. So she had been right, the boy likes compliments. That's a good thing. And she wasn't lying either so there was that.

"Uh...I don't know if you would consider Japan or Jordan the tropics but those are your other options. Although, Fasl is more of a research center than a school." Ella answered.

She glossed over the eyeroll, letting him have his little victories. His question did make her feel bad about him. "We have power suppressors on call if there was any cheating involved. But if there was power play, aren't you a telepath? Couldn't you just intercept their play?" She raised an eyebrow with a small smirk. She was really making a bad impression.

"Of course you are." She answered, though there was nothing affectionate in her voice when she responded. She never wanted to leave Hammel when she had been a student. She had no reason to. But she had to always remind herself that there were people who had a connection with their families. "I told you, Gregory. Hammel is not a prison. There are some students whose families live near Hammel who opt out of staying at the dorms even. They just have to go to school for training and classes."

[Greg Mackenzie]

Greg merely grinned. He’s long abandoned the notion of lying to himself – if it feels good, he’s down for it. That’s how he lived life the past six years and so far, he’s had nothing but good things come his way. (People were, unsurprisingly, drawn to his unapologetic ways. No matter how obnoxious he becomes sometime). “Actually like it when he doesn’t appreciate. I mean, ego boost and all,” he replied with a wink.

When Ms. Tate mentioned Japan his eyes widened just a bit. He hadn’t admitted it to himself yet – even more, vehemently denied it despite his friends’ constant insistence – but the brunette had caught a slight case of the yellow fever. So the notion of studying surrounded by an army of them, well, let’s just say it’s a good thing Richard didn’t share the same powers as him. “I have no idea where the fuck Jordan is, or that there’s even a country named as such.” Academics had never been his strength. “And as much as I’d love to go to Japan, I don’t think Mom would be thrilled about that.” Vermont wasn’t so bad as his grandparents – her parents – hailed from Quebec. So it’d just be a trip to Poppop and Grangran if ever. “This sucks.”

“At this level, no.” He figured she knew he has as much control as a puppet was of its own actions, but hey. “I mean, I know that the French doctor in here is well on her way to becoming a cat lady: three cats already – named Marty (the calico), Archibald (a Siamese), and Sebastian (Grumpy Cat’s look-a-like) – and she’s thinking of adding a fourth one. Hasn’t had a date in three years. Tinder wasn’t too kind too. But her name? Not a clue.” He tapped on his forehead and shrugged his shoulders. “I’d look for it but it’ll probably send me in another coma. Not that I’d dive into that shithole of a mind anyway.”

The telepath was pretty pleased with regards to visitation rights. But that didn’t mean he’s fully convinced just yet. “Are we forced to serve in the military or something?” He has a strong anti-war stance. And there’s no way in hell he’d enlist in the American armed forces, of all places.