No Exit: Unhinged [Willow+Jesse]

[Event !]

BRIIIIING! BRIIIIING! BRIIIIING!
Finally. The last kid in the hallway that needed to be cleared. The security guard ushered the boy into the nearly-empty staff lounge. "You listen to her, kid." She said, nodding at the woman seated inside, "and Willow? You know the drill. He's yours."

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse really wasn’t interested in playing fire drill today. He never had been all that interested in the goings on of Hammel. Lately, that lack of interest had only increased. He knew the truth. These kinds of drills would be useless, with what he knew now. After all, how did you defend the school against one of their own? He’d watched Gabriel’s craft at his side, studied it. It was flawless. And soon, with training, he’d be just as good.

He’d been doing his job today, as usual. Playing nice (at least, trying to), all the while collecting information. Being a spy was hard work. He had to keep the teachers, officials, and Neville off his back, maintain his image as the reforming criminal, all the while finding out everything he could. So far, he’d done well. Gabriel was happy with his progress, both in the information he’d gathered, and his power training. Even learning how to extend it in a good way was proving useful. And his side effects weren’t nearly as bad when he used them for good. His own memories stayed sharp, and came back quickly. It would probably seem strange to an outsider. Just the other day, in training, he’d pulled a classmate’s happiest memory and replayed it for them, crystal clear. Only to turn around after class, and train with Gabriel. He’d manipulated a good memory into something decidedly twisted, and it had even remained that way for a few moments, before snapping back to normal. Oh, he’d been proud. Exhausted, but proud.

When the alarm had gone off, Jesse had been on his way from one class to another. He’d at least tried to look like he’d been paying attention in English. Now he was on his way to yet another training session. But, luck was with him. He stood in the hallway, feigning confusion. He’d been through this before, a few times. It wasn’t anything new. He just didn’t know where to head. Luckily, he didn’t have to make that choice. A guard came along, and nudged him into... whoa. The staff lounge. The off limits room. ... Cool.

What was not cool, however, was being shoved in there with an official. He knew of Willow, sort of. “Uh. Hi?” He had to remember to play nice. It wasn’t going to be easy, trapped in the dark with an official. But he was damn well going to try.

[Willow Kovacs]

Sometimes Willow really, really hated her life. Or at least the bumbling fools she was surrounded by on a daily basis. The only reason she was even in the school was because Sean had left the profile of the new recruit in the Staff Room - which was ridiculous, and he really should have been more careful. That information was private, and students did have the ability to walk through the door. They were just prohibited from doing so. So as the woman's hand rested on the manila folder, the distinct sound of sirens went off. Immediately her eyebrows drew in a menacing look of discontent. "Really?" She hissed, looking up toward the speaker over the door with an incredulous expression. She had to leave in six hours to fly to England. She hated that flight, it was absurdly drawn out. The raven hadn't even begun to pack, nor had she finished the paper work from the last recruit. Willow had been feeling a bit under the weather, and therefore was more concerned with not falling ill than completing the work six days before it's due date.

She was thankful, though, that the room was empty, as so if she didn't escape before the drill was over, at least she was in solitude. That didn't last long. Soon, the door was cracked open and a scruffy blonde teenager was shoved into the Staff room. The guard sent a fleeting message, slamming the door behind herself. Wincing, Willow pinched the bridge of her nose. The siren was giving her a terrible headache. Letting out a long sigh, her eyes immediately went to Jesse as he tentatively greeted her. Oh, she remembered him - how could she not? That was the ungrateful teenager that had caused her trouble a few years ago when she brought him to the school. Little bugger caused all sorts of mayhem in the airport. Eyebrows creasing into an intimidating look, her body going into her distinct stance that showed off her casual, dominant air.

"Yes, hello." Curt and unamused, "Sit down, stay quiet, don't cause me any trouble. I really would rather not be in here any longer than I have to." It was the truth. Willow opened the manila folder and flipped through the records - school report cards, medical history, other important, yet completely useless information. She was across the entire Atlantic ocean from this potential student, so currently all the information served no purpose. The headache was growing.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse could quite easily, and happily, think of the things he’d rather be doing than a lockdown drill. He could be in his dorm, bitching at his roommate, Horus. He could be in Pilot Ridge, training by Gabriel’s side. He could be practicing his craft. He could be watching television. Playing video games. Writing an email to his sister, Sasha. He’d rather almost anything than play lockdown in the dark. When it came right down to it, it really was a useless drill. And a waste of his time. Still, it could be worse. He could be trapped in his dorm with Horus, Toru, and that baby, Niko. Or with that idiot, Vincent. Or with Dr. Neville. Yeah, no. That wasn’t happening. But he recognized the woman he was trapped with. His old recruiter. He remembered being a little bastard in the airport to her, but damn it, he’d been excited. He’d been a kid, a kid hopped up on the idea of being powerful.

Of course, he also remembered her reactions to his behavior. Vividly. She didn’t put up with nonsense for very long, and a part of him wanted to start pushing buttons. He wanted to see just how far he could push her. He didn’t have to be all that obnoxious about it. He was, after all, reforming his wicked ways. Dr. Neville was working his sappy, goodie-two-shoes way with him, and it was slowly working. As far as anyone within Hammel was concerned, anyway. But that didn’t mean he had to throw away his base personality. Just because he was learning not to be mean didn’t mean he didn’t have to stop making innocent, teenage trouble, right? And that was exactly his plan. Make trouble, without letting his temper get the better of him. That would blow this mission wide open, and he’d be fucked.

Ooh, she sounded irate already. Perfect. Jesse flashed an innocent little grin. Sit down? No way. “Aw, come on. Everyone knows these drills are such a joke. Like anyone would come attack us. No one knows we exist. I don’t see the point.” Instead of sitting, he glanced around the room, eyebrow arched. “So this is the staff lounge, hey?” He didn’t see why they weren’t let in here. The student lounge was a million times better. Still, there was the potential to be bad in here. He wandered over the fridge, glancing back at Willow. “Is there anything decent in here? I’m starving.” Yes, Jesse, that’s it. Piss off the lizard queen. Clever.

[Willow Kovacs]

The shifting of papers was a familiar noise - broken arm at age seven, slight case of depression at eleven, A/B honour roll student; copious amounts of information filing into the woman's brain as she scanned through the papers quickly. A sociable, fourteen year old boy, with super strength. This would be eas- The raven's eyebrow twitched as Jesse spoke again, breaking the near silence of the room easily. The muscles in her shoulders tensed slightly as she slowly looked up at him, the malicious smirk on his face was nothing less than wolfish. He was teasing her. Willow breathed out very slowly, snapping the folder closed with a flick of her hand. "Yes, and I am one of the people that ensured that this school is never found by outside persons." A snide sort of sneer as she said her piece, as if it wasn't obvious. It was one of her jobs as a recruiter to be aware at all times. Of someone following them, of someone dodgy on the plane, of someone using an ability outside of school grounds, and so on. "But these drills are for the 'what if' moments," Willow's expression mirrored her unhappiness with the situation. Truthfully, she didn't much like the drills either. They kept the school completely secured, and the chance of an outsider getting in, let alone attempting to attack the students, was slim to none. But it was always better to be prepared... Even if the drill did give her a bloody headache.

When the blonde began to snoop around the room, Willow was next to him in a flash - "I said sit down." Her voice was low, nearly at a growl. Her mood had taken a turn for the worse - not that she was ever really in a good mood... Ever. Moving past him swiftly, the raven moved to the small kitchen the staff lounge had. It reeked of coffee and stale chips, which the woman tried to ignore. Shifting through some of the obscure food items, she eventually pulled out a box of Ritz crackers. Tossing a roll in his direction, she moodily swung around, "Heads up." She said a moment too late.

Worsening her mood any further would result in something quite... immature, in her position. Willow had never used her reptilian form outside of training and defense, but if the teenager continued with his bothersome antics, she was bound to become... a bit scaly.

[Jesse Adams]

If Jesse was any more of a prying little twat, he might have taken a keen interest in the file Willow was looking through. As it was, he was still trying to err on the side of caution. If he acted up badly here, word would travel, and he’d probably end up right back in Dr. Neville’s office. Somewhere he really didn’t want to be. He’d have to play nice enough, watch his step. Be just obnoxious enough to pass for teenage rebellion, not bad guy in training. It was a delicate line to walk, but he felt he’d got a good handle on how to balance things. Besides, Willow seemed like she’d be fun to poke at a little. The fact alone that she slowly exhaled, and the closing of the folder let him know he was on the right track to disaster. “Well bravo. We’re safe. And this is a big waste of time.” He knew what sort of “what if” moments she was talking about. The funny thing was, the way Gabriel operated, everything would be under the radar. No one would be the wiser until it was much too late. The smoking remains of chaos would be all that was left. He couldn’t wait to be a part of that kind of chaos. Spying was getting to be a chore. “We all know if someone breaks in, we run for it. Follow instructions, blah blah blah.” Obviously, he wasn’t all that impressed by this whole thing.

She was fast. Jesse would give her that. The growl should have made him think twice about what he was doing. But it didn’t. He just smirked. He’d played this game not long ago, with the shrink. It had been fun then. It would be just as fun now. “Make me,” he replied smoothly, with the barest hint of teenage arrogance. He watched as she slipped past him, into the kitchen, he simply crossed his arms. The staff lounge wasn’t so special. It kinda stank like generic coffee, not good coffee. Like Starbucks. And because he was so wrapped up in thinking about how nice a Starbucks latte sounded right now, he got nailed in the head with the crackers.

“Ow. Bitch.” Yes, he just called Willow a bitch. Probably not clever. He rubbed his head where the roll had hit and glared in her direction. If she hoped for cooperation, it wasn’t happening. He didn’t even bother to pick up the roll. He just moved back and stood more or less in front of the door, his hand reaching for it. “I’m so out of here. This is fuckin’ stupid.”

[Willow Kovacs]

Willow wasn't the kind of person that let her emotions get a hold of her - she rarely indulged in anything, and was hardly distracted by everyday things. But spitefulness was something she had dealt with since she was young - spite toward her family for seemingly pushing her away because of their obvious differences, spite toward the stupid people in her class, spite toward anyone who thought they were better than her. The raven was incredibly easily annoyed, and let it show. Though she usually never did anything rash. Which was why when Jesse muttered the curse word meant to insult her, only a tremor went through her eyebrow in bother before shooting him a harsh look.

"Bloody teenagers and their idiotic speech restrictions," Her mind hissed - Willow had always thought there were far more colourful terms that could be used for insults. Why just go with the obvious.

A jolt went through her as Jesse yelled over his departure, reaching for the door handle. Mind reeling at a million miles per hour, she thought of the consequences: She was responsible for every student on campus, and this was a simple drill. If he was discovered, the guard would know for sure that she had let him out, and that would get them both in trouble. And as much as she did not like the blonde, she knew he had to stay in the room. A flash of anger over her smooth, angled features, and stepping forward in a flash. Her reptilian form had allowed her many things - enhanced hearing, sight, smell; flexibility; and especially agility. Just as he cracked the door open, Willow's hand slammed it shut again. A twitch shook through the skin along her jaw and neck, momentary shininess of scales suddenly showing through the dark, mixed heritage skin before disappearing again.

"Sit your infuriating, bothersome self down before I make you." This time, it was a growl that escaped the back of her through as she spoke, her normally chocolate brown eyes shifting to gold, as she stared him down. The pupil expanding into an inhumane shape, the look on her face terrifying enough to make just about anyone back down.

In the back of her mind, the raven momentarily wondered why exactly she was reacting this horribly. But there was a nagging sensation that held the room in an icy clutch - as if she had to be on guard around him. As if her mind and body had to be at it's strongest to handle him.

[Jesse Adams]

Like most teenagers, Jesse was, in fact, ruled by emotions. And, like most meta-teenagers, when he was angry, his powers tended to come out to play. He’d been worse before his chance encounter with Gabriel Underwood. Before he’d met him, he’d been bordering on out of control, and it was that reason alone that had landed him with weekly sessions with the old man. Gabriel had called it. It was his own fault that he was in the position he was in now. And fixing it was proving difficult. It was hard to act like a reforming criminal when, behind the scenes, he was only becoming darker, more twisted. But he was trying. At least that was something. Before Gabriel, he might have lashed out by now. Or at the very least, left the room. He had to tread carefully, or his attempts at being “good” would have been wasted.

Aw. A harsh look was far less fun than a snappy comeback. Willow wasn’t nearly as fun to poke as the little blond had first hoped.

Oh, he knew they would both catch shit if he escaped. He also knew that she’d probably get in more trouble than him, for letting him out. He didn’t expect her speed, but he did expect her to stop him. Well, there went that game. He was lucky he didn’t get his fingers caught in the door. Now, he had no idea what Willow’s ability was (hell, he didn’t even remember her name), but the little flash of scales made him think it wasn’t good, whatever it was. As if accepting defeat, he lifted his hands up in mock surrender. He wasn’t going to get away with escaping today, apparently. So, on to the next game. Which happened to be a favorite of his. Who could possibly be more stubborn? Him, or Willow?

“Ooh, big talk. But I ain’t impressed. You’re not my teacher. I don’t have to listen to you.” She might not be a teacher, but she was still staff, and still to be respected. At least to most people. He backed away from the door, searching for something else to do. Using his abilities were out. That was a risk he could do without. But he was an expert at being a jerkface. “I’d like to see you try and make me.” Jesse, don’t challenge her. Please. He shifted back into the kitchen, fully ready to rummage in the fridge. “Don’t you got any booze in here? To spike the coffee with an’ shit?” If Willow wants to eat him, I don’t blame her in the slightest.

[Willow Kovacs]

Willow could only shut her eyes, leaning her back against the door and forcing herself to take in deep breaths. Breathe in... breathe out... breathe in... breathe out... Long, drawn out breaths that came from her diaphragm, pushing away the anger she was feeling very slowly. She tried to block out what he was saying, because by this point it was obvious he was only trying to get to her. Trying to make her angry. Unfortunately, he was succeeding. The back of her head leaned against the door, and she heard distant footsteps of the guards rushing around to make sure the doors were all closed and the room secure. She hoped the drill would be over soon, but honestly there wasn't any way to tell. They could be there for five minutes, or three hours. It all really depended. But all she knew was if this was going to continue for much longer, either she was going to snap, or she was just going to up and leave. Sure, she doubted her boss would be very pleased with that, but she did have good reason to leave... sort of.

As the blonde claimed he didn't have to respect her because she wasn't a professor, Willow banged the back of her head against the door. "Don't kill the student," She muttered, squeezing her eyes shut in annoyance. The headache was throbbing behind her eyes, she really needed to calm down before something bad happened. That flash of scales was her loosing her temper, and if Jesse went anything further, he would definitely be meeting her other side quite soon.

Spiking the coffee, "Don't kill the student, don't kill the student, don't kill the student," She kept repeating like a mantra, pushing away from the door and glowering at him. "No, there is no bloody alcohol in the staff lounge," There probably was, thinking about it, but she wasn't going to mention that to him, "Do you think the teachers are really that incompetent that they would leave a drug so close to where the students are?" She questioned him haughtily, accusation in her voice, speaking down to him as she did most people. Jesse wasn't the brightest bulb in the bunch, so she really shouldn't be arguing with him. But it was hard not to. "Jesse, stop being so disruptive." Eyebrows drawn, "The sooner you start cooperating, the sooner we get out of this. Got it?" She snapped impatiently. This was really not her day.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse watched the recruiter breathe. A cocky little smirk had appeared on his face. It was fun, watching adults try to maintain composure, when all they really wanted to do was yell and scream until they were red in the face. It was the struggle for internal control he found fascinating. Why adults didn’t just let loose and yell at them, he didn’t fully understand. His father did it. All the time. So why didn’t other adults? Not even Dr. Neville had lost it on him that first day, and he’d certainly had reason to. Willow, he imagined, might be better. She was younger than Dr. Neville, and from what he’d heard around Hammel, she had a temper on her too. And hell, even better. If he tested her to the point that she used her powers, he could report it back to Gabriel.

See? It was worth it to be an ass sometimes.

The little bang on the door made his sadistic smile grow that tiny bit wider. Watching her unravel would be the most fun he’d had since... well... probably since Tuesday, when Gabriel had let him play with a sleeping victim. He hadn’t slept that night, partially from the adrenaline in his system, the happy rush from doing decidedly bad things with his powers, and partially because he knew what would happen if he did sleep. Night terrors would plague him. ... It was better he didn’t sleep.

He caught what she was saying intermittently. Don’t kill the student? It sounded like a challenge. He didn’t back down at the glower. No alcohol? Seriously, how did the teachers survive, then? But the incompetent comment made him grin. “Yeah, actually. I fuckin’ do. Most of ‘em are complete ‘tards. Don’t fuckin’ know nothin’.” That really wasn’t clever, poking fun at the staff members. But after what he’d learned from Gabriel, even in these early days of their relationship, he knew it to be true. Their powers could be used for so much more, yet the teachers refused to let them give in to that. No. They had to play nice with the humans. Well. The Hammel graduates did. The rules said precious little about Hammel dropouts.
Oh. He was being disruptive? “That’s bullshit. If I behave or not won’t affect how long the goddamn drill’s gonna be. What are you gonna do about it, anyway? Go tattle to the shrink that I misbehaved? How many students do you think are taking this seriously anyway, hey? Prob’ly none.” That was his story, and he was sticking to it.

[Willow Kovacs]

This had to be the most annoying, disruptive, idiotic teenager that she had encountered all year. And she wasn't even recruiting him. No, the uneducated twelve year olds were better than him. Hell, at least they generally followed what she was saying - she couldn't blame them, while in an airport, one really wants to have someone bigger to hide behind. The security guards were quite intimidating sometimes. But Jesse... hell, he was a handful even when she recruited him. "Don't kill the student," She repeated again with a low exhale.

His sentiments caused a sneer to cross her sharp features; distaste towards his words and his whole being. And the whole bloody situation for that matter. "That's completely insensitive of you. By 'tard' I suggest you mean someone possessing a form of mental retardation?" A bite in her voice, she did not handle discrimination well. All around she hated put downs and insensitive comments, which makes her workplace quite... unideal. A raise of one eyebrow, staring him down with a stony glare, obviously showing her unimpressed attitude toward his weak insult. "And that was a double negative. By "don't know nothing" you're actually claiming that they do know something. You really ought to think these things through." A snarky voice, arms crossed beneath her chest, hip jutted in a haughty, dominant stance. He was so beneath her, she could almost laugh. Almost.

"For your information, this situation very much rests on you behaving. Actually, the whole bloody point of this thing is so that you know what to do if somebody gets into the school. What are you going to do in that situation? Start a fight with the only person who could probably save you if that person got too close? You aren't trained in combat," She spat. It was the truth, the students are taught to control his or her abilities. Not to use them against other people and other things. That would be absurd, teaching children violence like that. "Now if you would just sit down, and be quiet, we might actually get out of this sooner than expected. I'm sure you don't feel like sticking around here with me," A huff at the end of her words, showing the annoyance she felt toward him fairly obviously.

[Jesse Adams]

If there was an award for being obnoxious and disruptive, Jesse would have it down, without even trying. Heck, this wasn’t the worst he could be. He was still watching his step. He didn’t want to give anyone a reason to send him to the shrink any more than necessary. Back when he’d been recruited, he’d messed around in the airport because it had been fun. Willow hadn’t wanted to give him his way, so he’d sought it out himself. Yes, it had caused a commotion, but he’d gotten his way.

Ooh. Willow was clever. She’d figured out his lame insult. Bravo. “Yeah, it’s what I meant.” And no, he wasn’t sorry. But it looked like he’d hit some kind of nerve in her. Was he proud of himself? Oh yes. If she didn’t do well with put downs, she would have a hard time being around him. He tossed insults out like they were a second language. It was just how he’d learned to deal with people. His father did it. Why not him, too? “... Whatever. You know what I meant.” He didn’t like the way she was talking down to him. Like a kid. Gabe didn’t do that. Gabe treated him like a goddamn adult. His fists balled up slightly.

Jesse had a delicate temper. One that recently, he’d been learning to keep in check. Learning how to maintain a poker face, as Gabe had put it. But Willow was slowly ebbing away that shaky control. He was trying to keep it in check. Really, he was. But she kept poking, and he couldn’t help it. He was snapping back at her before he could stop himself. “I know more than you think. I know how to fight. If someone got in, I’d probably turn my back on this stupid school and fight with them.” And there it was. The little slip. He glared. He had to think fast, invent a cover up. “That’s what everyone thinks, anyway.” Even before he’d come to Hammel, he’d learned to fight. Just with his fists, not his powers. Which made him smirk. “’Course, everyone knows I’d be useless in battle. My powers aren’t suited to it.” There was that hint of charm Gabriel had been teaching him, along with battle tactics, and how to extend his powers. He moved closer to Willow, so sick of her ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Time for a change. Gently, he touched his hand to her arm, an innocent smile on his face. And then he began sifting through her memories, trying to find the right one to play with. And once he found a good one, he twisted it.

He was going to be in trouble. But it would be worth it, just to see her reaction.

[Willow Kovacs]

She didn't even grace his response to her comments with so much more than a slight raising of her eyebrows, as if to show her lack of impression toward his comebacks. The slight twitch of her upper lip, momentary snarl, a look of conceitedness. He was bothersome, but that's all he was - there was nothing of interest in his personality, just another troublemaker, attention seeker, child. His lack of maturity in this situation proved it, his words and attitude toward her superiority further dug him into a hole. Her opinion was made, Jesse wasn't worth her time. He shouldn't feel too put out, there are many students on campus with the same title. Probably only a small number that Willow even bothered with anymore, and by that, it meant she actually sorta, kinda cared for. On occasion, she'd recruit a rather nice teenager, maybe a bit skittish and shy, and actually help them out more than her job entitles her to.

Her thoughts were suddenly broken as her ears strained to drink in the words Jesse said, committing them to memory - that was a... threat, to the school? He sounded so bloody sure of himself. Her brow creased, mouth opening ever so slightly as she stared him down intensely. "What." She seethed, it wasn't a question. It was a demand. Shoulders pulled back, tipped chin, "Everyone, yeah? Every last person in this school believes that in an emergency situation, you would be the one to turn against the school?" She rose her eyebrows at him, showing him how incredibly idiotic that sentiment sounded. "That's a bit disturbing, Jesse." An edge to her voice, but of real contemplation. She knew he had been a problem child beforehand, but after he visited Dr. Neville he had quieted down for a while. But by the sounds of it, something else was going on.

When the hell had he gotten that close to her? She flinched, a growl escaping from her throat, but his hand had already reached her arm. A sort of haziness passed through her eyes, unfocused as she stared at him. A sharp inhale, seeing flashes of memories coming and going - college, eight grade science fair, the trailer park.. the hospital. She gritted her teeth, the memories twisting within her own mind, screams falling within the confines of her sub-conscience; disgust, hatred, anger. She seethed out a slur of words in an undetermined language - she needed to break out of this. Willow felt the bones popping in her jaw, a slick feeling on her skin, the odd sensation of one's body being twisted into the anatomy of something similar, but different. Jesse didn't even see it coming.

His body, now seeming small and frail compared to her, was against the wall with a loud "bang!" in seconds, the elongated, clawed fingers curled under her throat, pushing against his chest with force. Yellow eyes stared into his own, the creature's jaw tight with anger. A hissing, low growl coming from the large reptile that towered over him, her tail swishing lowly. "Who do you think you are?" The words were slow, menacing, hissing through sharp teeth. This was Willow's other form, her ability, something Jesse had never seen before. The dark green scales were smooth, yet rough against his neck. No one, literally not one student, had tried their powers on her with such blatancy. That was assault against a school employee. Another growl, still holding him pinned against the wall, but not harshly enough to hurt him. Just enough for him to get the idea to never, ever try something like that again.

---

Lizard-y-ness

[Jesse Adams]

Yes, one of Jesse’s problems, as so pointed out by Gabriel on numerous occasions was that he lacked maturity. When he threw fits when he was frustrated, he knew he sounded like a kid. And as far as what Gabriel was teaching him, he needed to be mature. He needed to wise up. But back at Hammel, the ruse of the shit talking, piss poor attitude teenager that was slowly coming around to being a functional member of society, powers intact, was crucial. He did well at keeping up the act. It was acting like he gave a crap about his classmates that was the tricky part. After all, he didn’t. He had bigger and better places to go once he was finished here. If he even bothered to finish. At this point, he was seeing more reasons to abandon the school. Especially if the shrink got wind of what he’d done to the silly time jumper. Just in case, he had Gabe on speed dial.

He knew it had been stupid to say. Really stupid. Gabe would probably yell at him for that, later, if he ‘fessed up. He didn’t shy away from Willow’s intense gaze, though. He just smirked at stared right back at her. “Prob’ly. I got a rep, don’t I?” He shrugged, like it wasn’t a big deal. “’Course, it wouldn’t happen in a million years, hey? We’ll be herded like cattle to a safe place, and all the teachers ‘ll keep us safe.” In other words, unless he was very, very crafty, he’d never escape to stand against the school anyway. ... Unless he was already on the outside. Like he planned to be. Gabriel was powerful. No one stood against him. So if anyone was going to be infiltrating the school, it was going to be him.

The flipping through another person’s memories was always a strange thing. Like flipping through a photo album, or home movies. Willow’s were nothing special, but fun to mess with all the same. At least, until she suddenly changed. The popping bone noise was bad enough, but the fact that she was now huge, and had her hand against him was just a tad unnerving. Back against the wall, he struggled to stay calm. Panicking wouldn’t do much good here. Even if he was faced with a monster. His heart pounded in his chest. Okay... already. He was faced with Godzilla. Things would be okay. She couldn’t hurt him, regardless of what a little shit he was being. And that was the only good point in his court right now. “Easy,” he managed to get out. “I’m a mean little sonofabitch that doesn’t know when to quit. But it ain’t my fault. It’s how I grew up, and Dr. Neville’s tryin’ to fix it now.” His eyes narrowed. “Get your hand off me, before I call assault.” He was brave, but he knew the rules. Yes, he’d get in trouble for his ‘innocent fun’. But Willow would be in worse trouble if she kept this up. And he knew it.

[Event !]

Thank you for your participation! No Exit is now closed.

The alarm went off again, just once, giving the all-clear. Within two minutes, a security guard poked her head in, nodding at the people inside. "Thanks. Lockdown's been lifted. You can go now."