feels like new shoes

[Jensen Brown]

Holding his sisters at arm's length, the curly headed young adult laughed away their fears. The girls had obviously been rather upset by the sudden removal of their brother and, scared he had committed some sort of crime, had protested strongly when it came time for him to vamoose to the Institute. Alia, the more emotional of the two, had been crying, he eyes swollen and ruddy from the salty tears. Her frown lightened only slightly at her older brother's comforting words for she was still unconvinced that he was more than willing to commit to a life so far from home with people he didn't know to train powers he was already learning to control on his own. In short, she was not pleased. Not one rotten bit. Tori, her twin sister, who was alike in everything but personality, was tossing her head and snorting at her sister's unease. She had no qualms about telling her sister what a silly, crybaby, prepubescent idiot she was being and made sure to mention it more than once.

The parents of these three vastly different children watched on drolly, knowing that soon enough the eldest would give Tori a good scruffing, settle Alia down, and make sure both were more relaxed with his departure. After all, as the elder boy assured them, it wasn't like he was going to be gone forever. It was only for two years, maybe three, and then he was free to go. It was just like high school, even if the high school only contained meta-humans who were being taught to control their various powers. Yes, he would be sure to send letters and pictures. No, he wasn't in trouble with the law. Yes, he would undoubtedly have breaks and be able to come home. And, finally, no, he hadn't put any of their stuff into his drawer, as tempting as it might have been.

At last, with those last worried questions, his sisters were calmed and content to let him say his final farewells to their parents. His mother Alli in tears herself nearly tackled him with her ferocious hug and made him promise several times to write and call whenever possible, make sure he was eating properly, and to, please, please, please, not lose too much of his schoolwork. The boy laughed pleasantly and promised to be very careful, though with luck the teachers here would be able to show him how to retrieve his stored objects without having to stand in the same place every time. His father Erik was much more stoic, giving his son a brief hug and a manly handshake before telling him to be safe, not get into fights, and to keep up on his studies. Oh, and, of course, to not read until two-thirty in the morning. His son smiled sheepishly and scratched his head with a nervous laugh, but promised to do that as well, though he had no clue if he would be able to keep to that promise.

At last, the family began to drift away to the car while the lone eighteen-year-old shuffled slowly toward the Main Office to get settled in. He reached the door to the interior rooms long before his family reached their black sedan and turned to give them a half-hearted wave before disappearing into the air-conditioned hallway.

Letting out a slow exhale, he way up to the main desk. A red-headed secretary was directing several people before him to various locations, so he settled back into the line and waited patiently. Another family, this time just a mother and daughter pair, were being ushered toward the office of Hammel's officials, no doubt here because the daughter had shown some sort of meta-human ability. As they walked off and passed the small potted plant on the secretary's desk, the plant grew considerably, the young girl giving a little gasp and sputtering apologies. It seemed the secretary was used to this as she accepted the apology with a smile and reassured the girl that it was fine, she would learn to control her powers later. Finally, two students later, it was his turn. The African-American teen stepped up to the counter and politely addressed the lady.

"Hi, um, I'm a new student here. I have my transfer papers with me," here he reached into his pocket and offered her a folded sheet of paper, "and I'm looking for the main office so I can get my schedule and maybe get a map or tour of the grounds."

The secretary unfolded the battered paper, giving him a rather irked look that such important papers should be mistreated so, and scanned it briefly before saying, "Ah, Jensen Brown, is it? Thankfully your school faxed me a copy of your transcript, this is hardly how you should care for such a document. Tsk, tsk, young man. Still, at least you didn't lose it. You can find the main office down the hallway on your left. It's very clearly marked, I doubt you'll miss it. If you do, it's the second door on the right."

Thanking her for the tip, Jensen headed down the hallway. It was a rather long, wide corridor with handsomely tiled floors. Artwork, most of it student-produced, Jensen noted, was placed at even intervals along the walls. Though most of these paintings or drawings were not related in anything except perhaps color, they all seemed to convey the same sort of excitement that he felt. This was a place of new beginnings, a place to leave behind all of your old worries, doubts, problems, and unhappiness, but also a place to pick up a new life full of hope, peace, and promise. It reminded him of when he would buy a new pair of shoes, put them on, and feel like he could conquer the world.

As Jensen found the second door on the right, marked with a rather obvious "MAIN OFFICE" sign on the front of the door, he smiled. His hand turned the doorknob and he nearly laughed at his thoughts. It was absurd and he loved it. This hallway feels like new shoes, he thought with growing excitement, and eagerly opened the door into the main office. There were new things to discover and enjoy here and Jensen aimed to find every last one. How he loved going new places and seeing new people!

--word count: 1065
--music: rise against & foo fighters
--comments: not the best thing i've written, but alright for a first post. writing style was a little shaky, need to figure out a better way to introduce characters. liked the lack of name for jensen until the secretary read it off of his transcript, but might be confusing for others.

[Derick Mitchell]

<sub>The time had finally come. It had been only a couple weeks since Derick learned that he was a meta human and had the power of precognition, but ever since he found out about his power and the special institute he'd be going to, it was all he could think about. So, for someone as impatient as him, two weeks was an extremely long time, and at first it didn't even seem likely that he would be allowed to go to The Hammel Institute.

The morning after Derick's power manifested, he was dead set against telling his parents. He knew how they would react. They didn't like anything out of the ordinary, and a son with glowing eyes and visions in his head was definitely out of the ordinary and Derick thought his parents would not be able to handle it. They could barley handle it when refused to play sports like polo, or eat seafood at their fancy dinners, so he was sure this news of him being a meta-human would cause them to implode. Robert, on the other hand, disagreed.

Robert was Derick butler and best friend. He was there when Derick's powers manifested and he saved his life. Robert also had a secret that he kept from Derick and his parents. Until now, Robert had no intention of telling anyone who didn't already know about his meta-human status, but circumstances had changed and he felt that he had no choice but to tell at least Derick, about his power and that being a meta-human was not something to be afraid of.

Derick was all for going to The Hammel Institute after Robert had told him so much about it, but he wanted to go without telling his parents. He wanted to keep it a secret between the two of them like just like the other secrets they kept from his parents. Robert insisted that this was not a secret that should stay between them and eventually convinced Derick to let Master Marvin and Madam Jasmine in on their secret.

"Master Derick, would you like anything to drink?" Derick turned to look at Robert who was sitting across from him. The adolescent boy glared at Marvin who was smiling back at him. "Robert, it's just me you and the pilot on this plane, why did you call me Master Derick?" Derick hated being called Master Derick and Robert knew it. Around certain people Robert had to use stupid titles but when they were alone Robert usually called Derick by his name. "Derick, I've called you three times with no response. What's on your mind?" Derick glare expression lightened and he turned back to face the window. "My head just hurts." Derick lied. His head did hurt, but that's not why he had not been paying attention. He was still thinking about what had happened that day two weeks ago.

Derick had gotten completely dressed before going down to breakfast. He usually went to breakfast in whatever he slept in, but his parents hated that so he figured that he should at least not make them so angry before he told them what he had to tell them. Derick threw on a pair of black cargo pants, a crimson red t-shirt, his red hooded jacket. It wasn't what they would have wanted to see him in but it was better than PJ's.

They had a decent breakfast, Derick kept his comments to himself and stayed silent. Robert served them and made several hints at Derick to say something before breakfast was over and his parents went off with their business. Jasmine Mitchell, Derick's mother, made a comment about how nice breakfast was that morning and his father, Marvin Mitchell, dismissed everyone from the table. Derick's parents stood from the large table, but Derick stayed seated. "I need to tell you guys something!" He yelled. He was louder than he intended to be. He lowered his voice, "Can you guys sit back down?" His parents hesitated but eventually sat.

"Derick, the plane has landed we're getting off." Derick followed Robert off of the plane and the two of them loaded Derick's luggage into a cab. Before the flight, Derick was concerned about taking his parents Private plane to the Institute, but Marvin assured him that they wouldn't fly the plane to the school. They would get off the plane at a nearby city and take a cab the rest of the way.

Robert was concerned about Derick's irregular behavior. The boy had been quiet for to long. Robert was considering staying near the Institute with Derick but he hadn't said anything about it to Derick in case he decided not to stay. Robert was now deep in thought as well. It was a quiet cab ride.

After telling his parents what had happened they were speechless, and when they did speak, they accused Derick of playing a joke on them and began to get upset. Robert say that Derick wasn't able to convince them so he took over and explained what needed to be explained without giving away his own secret. When Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell were finally convinced and had proof that their son could see the future they were were afraid and unsure.

After that day, they didn't talk to Derick much, they didn't know what to say and neither did he. A few days went by and a representative from the school came and explained even further about meta-human and The Hammel Institute. Derrick's parents agreed to let him go, and Robert was to escort him to the school.

Once they arrived at the Institute, the cab driver was to wait for Robert to drive him back to the airport so at the time Derick just left his luggage and thing in the cab, he'd get them before Robert left.

Derick's mood changed a bit as he and Robert made their way to the main office. It had occur ed to him that he was finally there, he was at The Hammel Institute. A week ago he had had a premonition, or vision, he hadn't decided on what he was going to call them yet, of he and Robert walking up to the school and even though he knew this would happen, it was still amazing.

They eventually made it to the main office after seeing the school Secretary. Derick was walking in behind a boy, that looked a little older than him and Robert was following right behind him, Derick wished Robert wouldn't have worn his suit. Derick had seen the boy in the secretary's office but had paid much attention to him before because of his headache. The curly haired boy laughed and Derick was wondering why, he had noticed anything funny. "Hey, what's so funny?" Derick wondered if maybe has super hearing or something and happen to hear a joke from the other side of the school. If that was the case, Derick couldn't wait to hear what the boy had heard.


word count: 1169
comment: usually don't make posts this long but was a nice little challenge. Tried to make the post like a flashback story. Hopefully everyone gets it. And I made the font small like Jensen so I wouldn't take up so much of the page.</sub>

[Jensen Brown]

The Main Office was an unremarkable place when you thought about it. It was in the middle of a hidden institute for the magically gifted that the government were trying to corral and test, but so far everything looked utterly... normal. There were already a few students in there, looking just as nervous as Jensen felt, getting their schedules and dorm assignments. They hadn't yet adjusted to this big new world of magical abilities and strange happenings. Vaguely, he wondered why all the older students who kept sneaking in to steal tape or glue were all female and seemed more than a tad scared of the receptionist. In all honestly, she didn't look like that scary of a person, but he guessed that in this school looking harmless didn't always mean the you were. He scratched his head with deep thought, eventually giving up trying to think of what powers the other people in the room might have and instead turning on his personal "radio".

Remembering the song New Shoes by Paolo Nutini, he danced in place to the music. The people in front of him were giving him weird looks, he knew, but didn't much care. What else was he going to do in a stuff little room crammed full of files? He had just started the real bee-bopping effects and more technical moves when Jensen heard himself being addressed. He glanced behind him, arms raised in a ridiculous pose, surprised expression quickly turning into a friendly smile. The boy had the same dark skin as he did, but had shaved his hair short and was several years younger. He looked like an alright guy, though maybe a little wealthy judging from the brand-name clothes he wore, but an overall friendly kid.

That was what Jensen thought until he saw the butler. Dressed in an impeccably suit and standing straight at attention, he was the most extravagant display of wealth Jensen had ever seen. His smile faded a bit, becoming more reserved and slightly wary. His time in New York City had taught him to be cautious around the wealthy, though never hostile. They could, and often would, sue at a moment's notice for the smallest of infractions and there had been multiple times when Alia had come home crying because some snobby girl in her grade had called them filthy and worthless not just because his was family was middle-class, but also because they were black and, as the little girl had put it, were only useful for working her great-grandfather's plantation in Georgia. While he highly doubted such racist comments were about to come out of this kid's mouth, the higher-on-the-totem-pole attitude could certainly show itself if his family was wealthy enough to own a butler.

To be honest, though, the boy looked like he was in a bit of pain. Jensen had often seen the squint-eyed, pained expression on his mother's face. Alli suffered from occasionally migraines that would put her on the couch with all the curtains drawn for hours. He and his siblings had always been put on strict no-noise orders for these trips and, despite a few mishaps, were successful at being quiet while their mom recuperated. Jensen wondered if this guy had the same problem.

"Huh? Oh, nothin'. I was just thinking of the song "New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini. It's about how when you get a new pair of shoes you feel like everything is perfect in your life because of the change. I was just thinking that this school felt like new shoes. Doesn't make much sense, right?" he laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, hey, I'm Jensen by the way. Got here just before you did, it looks like. You look like you'll be a... sophomore?" He frowned briefly and asked with much concern, "You alright? You look like you've got a nasty migraine or something, I recognize that expression from when my mom would get them back when I was in middle school."

--word count: 668
--comments: more my style and an average sized post for me. nothing special either, really, a little disappointed in it. jensen is proving harder to write than i thought he would be

[Derick Mitchell]

Derick thought it was pretty funny when the boy who seemed to laugh for no reason turned to address him in such a ridiculous pose. It made Derick laugh and grin. The boy looked like he was a pretty fun and interesting guy. Derick liked how he danced along to his radio without caring who was staring and scowling at him. The noise coming from the radio did make Derick wince in pain but he did his best not to let it show. He hated how much his migraines effected him.

When the other boy's smile began to fade, Derick made sure to continue looking friendly and he kept grinning. He knew that the boy had taken a look at Robert, and it looked like he was intimidated by him. Derick hated his wealthiness, and he didn't like that Robert was following him around in a suit at the moment. He wished Robert looked less like a butler.

Derick laughed again. "Never heard that song before, but I do know what you mean. New shoes are the best, and this school definitely gives off that new shoes kind of vibe." Derick rubbed his head, laughing didn't really make headaches feel any better. He knew rubbing it wouldn't make his head feel any better but he couldn't help it. "Hey Jensen, the name's Derick and yeah I'll be a sophomore." Jensen seemed to be pretty perceptive, hopefully he'd be able to tell that Derick wasn't some snobby rich guy. "Uh, yeah I'm alright." He lied. "Just got a small headache. He says," Derick pointed back at Robert. "that my headaches are because of my power of precinotion. This is Robert by the way, he's... a friend of mine." Derick smiled.

Robert stepped forward and extended his arm to shake Jensen's hand. Derick almost died when he realized Robert was wearing his white butler gloves. "Hello Jensen, it's nice to meet you." Robert said formally. "And that's pronounced Precognition, Mast~ Derick." Derick hoped with all his might that no one noticed that Robert almost called him Master, but he knew someone had to notice and that someone was probably Jensen. "So, whats your power, what grade will you be in?" Derick asked nervously, trying to quickly slide over Robert's slip of the tongue.