Finding the Silver Linings (Key)

[Alanna Darlington]

Things had been difficult lately. 

It was still hard really. But she was trying. Despite the times that made it seem like trying was hopeless... she was trying to believe she could have at least some semblance of normal. 

After all, even amongst all the bad... there had been good. She had people in her life now. Oliver and she had been roommates for awhile now, but now she at least felt like they were friends maybe. At least, they talked more now. He was nice to her. 

Most of all though, there was Jasper. He was her first friend really. But it was more than that. During that awful time where she couldn't so much as leave her room... when she was absolute worst... he had found her and he hadn't turned away. He had stayed with her, helped her... They had gotten closer and that meant everything to Alanna. 

Those were the things that kept her going. She hated her ability so very much. But now she had something - someone - to motivate her through it all. 

Which is what lead her to the cafeteria now. It was past lunchtime so it should be pretty much empty which meant that her mind wouldn't implode upon walking into the room. Indeed, as she entered the large room, it was mostly empty, and everyone was spread out enough that she could block out their thoughts still. It was strange really, to have people around and yet not hear anything. It was enough to put a smile on her face. 

So she went about getting her food and as she glanced around looking for a place to sit. Normally, she ended up calculating what put her near the fewest people, but today she felt good, so she didn't think too hard about it. Alanna couldn't help but think that it might be nice to meet someone new. Instead she approached a table where someone was already sitting - a boy who looked around her own age. She paused before sitting down though. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked, her voice soft. 

[Keaton Derrickson]

Even though the young man had been at Hammel for a little while now, he still found things strange. Being away from his parents and being around normal kids was odd enough, then to suddenly be a meta. Yes, to say things were still a bit confusing to Key was an understatement. At least most of the people he had met were nice enough, even if some of them didn't understand why he wouldn't talk.

In fact, that was the reason he chose to sit so far away from everyone in the cafeteria today. As he set, he picked idly at the food, for today had been a rather rough day. A group of kids were talking about parents, perfectly innocent chatter really, but one of them had turned to Keaton and asked about his. Thoughts of his father fled into his mind and he froze, which of course made them all the more curious. Truth was, it was honest and kind curiosity, but still it was a subject that made his stomach turn. Which is what had led to him just picking at his food with a fork.

Though he wasn't a tremendously social creature, he did like to watch people. It was fairly easy at the moment, so that's what he was doing. He watched girls giggling about this and that, the more athletic boys smacking each other, the other quiet kids, all in their own little cliques at all the tables. Granted it wasn't exactly a busy day today, but they were there. After awhile, his attention started wane and he glanced around and saw a girl walking towards him. He didn't think much of it and glanced down at his food again, but then a voice caught his ears and he glanced up again. It was the girl he noticed.

The moment she spoke, he smiled and pulled out his little white board and started to write. Of course he was also thinking what he wrote. "Of course I don't mind. Please, sit down?" The words were there on his board and in his mind.

[Alanna Darlington]

As she approached, Alanna couldn't help but notice the way that the boy was picking at his food rather than eating it. In truth, it was a lot of the reason why she was drawn to his table. Well, that and she found it a lot easier to introduce herself to an individual than to interject herself into a group. Still, she couldn't help but feel that he was upset about something. After all, for many years, it had been her sitting off by herself, watching others, fiddling with her food, trying to hide in plain sight.

Much as she still tried to isolate herself, she hated to see others feeling the same way, and today she was feeling good enough to try to do something about it. Of course, he might want to be left alone, which is why she hesitated to just sit down.

He glanced up at her and the smile that appeared on his face was reassuring. He replied quickly, and it wasn't until she had sat down across from him that it finally occurred to her that his lips had never moved and it was then that she noticed the board he had written the same phrase. But she had distinctly heard his voice...

Unless she had been listening with her mind rather than her ears.

Alanna hadn't intended to mentally eavesdrop and yet apparently she had left herself open to it. Perhaps because she had thought he was upset and wondered why. She hadn't done it on purpose - she hated to impose on someone's privacy like that after all - yet she had learned long ago that meta powers didn't behave as one necessarily wanted them to.

Then it occurred to her that her silence was rather rude. She didn't try to shut off her mind though. After all, if he was writing rather than speaking... well, she wanted to see if she was right about that. "Thank you," she responded with a smile of her own. "I'm Alanna, by the way," she added.