A Break In The Weather (Key)

[Karalie Heise]

Spring was in the air.  Finally.  The weather outside was still much cooler than Karalie would like, but she found herself not rushing quite so quickly once she hit the fresh air.  The sun felt good on her face and the snow was now in patched on the moist spongy earth instead of blanketing it as it had been for the last several months.  There was only one real problem.. Ice.

The ice was melting, which was wonderful, but it had been a cold, harsh winter and most of the buildings had tall towers of ice attached.  It wouldn't be a problem if the break in weather didn't come so quickly and drastically.  Within a two day span it went from low twenties to mid forties and today it would hit the fifties.  Karalie was always surprised by how warm the fifties seemed after a hard Vermont winter, but she could she wanted to wear only a sweatshirt out in that weather, or at least a thinner coat.  The ice was melting at an alarming rate though, which meant icicles and the ice towers were falling from the sides of buildings and crashing to the ground below.  Warnings had been issued, but no one really thought they would get hit with an icicle. 

Karalie was making her way through the courtyard.  She had a free period and was going to grab some lunch and then work on her World History report in the library.  May as well get it done with during the day so she had her free time at night to hang out with friends.  Marnie mentioned maybe doing some SAC stuff and she was considering tagging along.  All this was going through her mind when there was a large crash from behind her.  She turned to see a rather large chunk of ice had fallen from the roof of a building, shattering into a million pieces, and from the looks of it the tower of ice beside it was starting to wobble.

Karalie saw everything happen in slow motion; the ice separating itself from building and crashing down vertically, before starting to fall forward like a fallen tree.  Someone was screaming "Watch out!" In the distance and Karalie finally moved aside as the thin structure toppled to the ground.  She wasn't the only one moving to get out of the way, though.  Other students were scrambling and in her hurry she tripped over a rock, toppling over it and landing on her hands and knees before someone tripped over her, pushing her whole body down into the mud.  Luckily, they were just far enough out of the way to not be hurt by the ice, even if everything she wore was now covered in mud.

Karalie laid there stunned before the realization of everything hit her.  She turned over onto her back, looking up at the sky and panting, the wetness from the ground seeping into her jeans and the chill from the sidewalk creeping up through her thin coat.  She sat up a little dazed, her hands and knees bruised and scraped, looking over at the boy she'd run into before surveying the disaster they'd narrowly escaped.  Ice littered the ground like broken glass and she'd survived with only a few minor abrasions.

"Are ya'll okay?" She asked in a shaky voice, shivering as she suddenly felt cold all over again.  She was soaked from head to toe.  So much for that free period..

[Keaton Derrickson]

((ooc: sorry this took so long Pam dear!))

Spring was right around the corner and Keaton could not have been happier. The boy hated the cold with passion, for many reasons of course. This cold however, was something he could deal with. The kind of cold that was right at the end of winter. It made the air feel fresh and clean, and though there was still a bite to the air, he found himself outside more frequently. 


Besides, if he got too terribly cold, he could always use his powers to warm up a small area for a brief moment. Though, with the towering ice peaks everywhere, he thought better of the idea. No telling what would happen if he did. These pillars of frozen possible death were looming over him that day as he wandered around outside. It was really a "nothing special" kind of day. In fact, he had almost two whole periods free, which was why he had wandered outside in the first place. Less crowded there. 

It wasn't that Key minded people, on the contrary, he loved being around them. He just felt awkward when he didn't understand what they were talking about, and having to write on his board was sometimes tiresome. He found that most teenagers didn't really want to read, most didn't make fun of him, but there were a few. In fact, a few that seemed to be heading in his direction. So, the young man decided to turn around and head the other way. 

Not long after turning the corner back into the courtyard, there was a loud scream. Someone had yelled for everyone to watch out. Looking up for a moment, he saw the ice falling towards the ground and he just stood there. Key was far enough away, so he figured he would be safe. That was of course until he saw the rush of people coming towards him. The dark haired boy tried to brace himself, but soon found himself tangled in the mass of human confusion. Then, someone knocked him down. As he landed, he heard a little crack and quickly felt inside his inner jacket pocket. Sure enough, his board had broken. 

Key frowned a bit as he managed to sit up. It wasn't terrible, but the board was small, so the crack was very obvious. No need to dwell however, the girl that bumped into him looked a bit worse for ware than he did. Slowly standing he made his way over, and right as he did, she asked if he was okay. All he could do was give a sweet smile and a nod. Then he held out his hand to help her up.

[Karalie Heise]

((**TW: Violence, child abuse))


The boy nodded and she sighed, thoroughly annoyed about this situation.  This was the last thing she felt like dealing with today!  It wasn't the kids fault or anything, she wasn't angry with him, just in general.  He got up and offered a hand to help her.  Karalie had always avoided taking strangers hands.  Well, anyone's hands, really, and for good reason.  She had little control over those hands until recently, and even now she lacked a certain amount of control, but she was becoming more comfortable and more confident in her ability to stop the memories from seeping through their hand to hers.  

But she wasn't thinking about that now.  She just wanted out of the mud and didn't take into consideration her sour mood before taking the hand that was extended to her.  Karalie began to pull a little with him, getting her feet under her when the memory hit her hard and sharp, throwing her back onto the muddy earth.  Her eyes glazed over, her heart suddenly pounding as her body trembled slightly with a fear and pain she'd never known..

The belt came down again and again, the welts causing blinding pain. He was so cold.. so frightened.. it was so terribly dark and the screams that came from his mouth were barely audible with the cross shoved practically down his throat, held there with a belt.  "Every living substance that I have made will I destroy." The holy water stung as it trickled down the freshly made wounds.  What had he done wrong? Why did God hate him so?

Karalie began to convulse as the memory really sank in, eyes wide as she pulled her hand back.  She gasped for air, staring fearfully at the boy who'd only just tried to help her up.  She couldn't move, couldn't breathe.. It was a memory.. just a memory.. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, desperate to rationalize what she'd seen.  It wasn't real, not to her, but God did it feel real.. so real.. Her back stung from the lashing that didn't really happen, but oh was the memory there, fresh and clear in her mind.  

No sounds escaped her lips, trapped there in horror until the tears finally sprang.  She'd never felt anything like this before, so hopelessly lost and frightened.  Her hands came to her face and she pulled her knees up, curling her body forward as the silent hysterical crying began.  How could anyone be so cruel?