Sleep Filled Eyes (open)

[Kevin Venear]

His feet dragged the floor, his body moving at half the speed he normally did, which was not fast to begin with. Kevin was in a horrible mood, deprived of sleep and in major need of a rest. The night was not the besst night forkevin, waking up three times from multiple nightmares about his family was not how he wanted to spend his night. And now, after his hard day, he was tired and exhuasted. All he wanted was to find a nice dark corner and fall asleep.

The halls were loud and full of people, like they normally were. People shoving into him and nudgeing him, to the side. However kevin did not care, he was in no mood to start anything with anyone. So he just walked along the hall, eyes half open and out of it. Kevin's first goal was to get to his room, fall out and sleep, no careing what he missed. But as he walked he noticed the student lounge to his right. Here he could take a small nap, and still be close in case he needed to get to a class.

So pushing the door open he moved in. Not looking at anyone, or even careing if people were there. Some looked to see who he was, but nothing out of the norm yet. And thats how he liked it, just alone and quiet. But now he needed to find a place to lay down without interuption.

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle was already in the student lounge when she spied the disgruntled looking teenager slouch into the room and collapsed on the couch. Estelle tilted her head to the side, considering. She didn't think he would appreciate the interruption, so she turned back to her book. It wasn't as though she'd never read Lord of the Rings before, but it was a comfort book. She'd gotten a report back from her best friend that her older brother hadn't gotten a job because he was "that meta kid's brother". Estelle was very, very glad she got out of that town, but she could only imagine how her brother must be feeling. And somehow she suspected that didn't particularly endear her to her mother. And now her brother must hate her too. What a mess. Which is why she retreated back to her old favorite and pretended nothing was wrong.

It was entirely possible this was unhealthy or something and Mr. Rhodes would probably have a few things to say about it, but Estelle didn't care. He told her to do what she liked best. And what she liked best was reading. So there she was, curled up on one of the armchairs, leafing through the Battle of Helm's Deep and trying to use a story of victory to make herself feel better. Oy.

Finally, she sighed, glancing over at the boy. He looked pretty miserable. And he'd thrown himself onto the couch right next to her chair, so she decided to throw caution to the wind and twist around to rest her chin on the armrest closest to the couch?

"Rough day?" She asked, keeping her voice quiet and sympathetic so as not to startle him.

[Kevin Venear]

The couch was comfy, the soft fabric and its plush cushions were very welcoming to Kevin. It was like a sweet welcome to his restless body. His body slouched onto the couch and his eyes shut instantly. Blackness filling his sight, his mind drifting off into another realm. Sleep was right around the corner, as if it was waiting for him all day. Waking up at four in the morning was rough on a kid who liked to sleep. And the startling dreams did not help him at all. The last thing he wanted was to dream ill dreams of his family. His family had no clue of his power, to them he was still a normal kid or got taken to a private school cause he was smart. And maybe that was the best way to go. What if they did know, would they hate him, would they shun him and be glad that he was gone. These thoughts always filled his head while he slept.

But now, while he layed here upon this couch, his mind thought of nothing. Darkness was the only thing that filled his mind. The soft sensation in his eyes, the relaxtion feeling of not being open anymore. Curling up on the couch kevins small body frame was made even smaller. Looking like a small ball of human, all he wanted was to get a few minuets of sleep, and not be bothered. It went well for a while, minuets of unbothered sleep was just what he needed. All was silent in his mind, until a random voice began to speak. “Rough day?”
Were the words ringing in his head. But these were not words that belonged to him or anyone he knew. They rang out in his head, and for a moment he thought they were words belonging to his dreams. Made up by an imaginary thought. For some reason however he opened his eyes, the light from the room interrupting his dark paradise. As he glared up he saw a girl, about his age, with her chin resting against the arm of her chair. The words that were ringing in his head belonged to her.

He glared at her for a moment, then turned his head back and layed it down. He was not going to talk to her, how dare she interrupt his sleep, that’s all he wanted was a uninterrupted rest. But after a second of laying there, he realized how rude he was, and how he would have been upset if that happened to him. So he looked back up, a less aggressive look in his eyes now. He tried to play it off like he was only trying to regain himself, which was true to a point.
“Sorry, im just really tired, had a rough sleep last night”
Kevin closed his eyes, shook his head a little then reopened them. Sitting up a little, but still layin down he tried to see the girl clearly. His vision a little blurry from the small amount of rest he did get.

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle knew that it was probably a bad idea to say something the moment the words escaped her lips. So once he stirred and glared up at her, Estelle ducked her head a little in embarrassment 'til all you could see of her face was her eyes and the bridge of her nose. She shifted in her seat awkwardly and the thick fantasy book in her lap fell right off the chair and onto the floor with a loud thump! Wincing, Estelle leaned down and scooped the book up, hastily apologising: "Ahh, gosh, I'm sorry. I should have realized you were sleeping. Sorry, sorry."

She straightened up and pushed her bangs out of her eyes, looking apologetic. When the other teenager straightened up, Estelle flushed, "Oh, no, you don't have to get up. I'm sorry, you can go back to sleep if you want. Sorry." Estelle always sounded so awkward when she was tripping all over herself to apologize, but she felt as though the teen deserved some manner of explanation. She'd been rather rude. "Ah. Estelle. Flores. I'm really sorry to wake you." She bit her lip, embarrassed.

[Kevin Venear]

He was still so tired, and still in major need of sleep. But he did not want at be mean at all. Sure the girl should have checked to see if he was awake, waking people was a good way to tick someone off. But there were only a few ways to make him mad easy and waking him up was not one of those. So he couldn’t be to upset. However since he had a few minuet of sleep he was a little groggy now, oblivious to much around him. He did not even notice the book fall from her lap, nor the fact she leaned forward to get it. To Kevin she was still sitting there with her chin pressed against the chair. Sitting up a little more and rubbing his eyes he put on a small smile, to show he wasn’t upset at her.

“You don’t have to aplogize, it is perfectly fine haha. I should have found a more secure and close doff place to sleep. I was bound to draw attention laying here on the couch. “
He didn’t want her to fell bad about waking him up. She told him it was ok for him to go back to sleep and he didn’t have to get up. But he was up now, and as much as he wanted to sleep again he was interested in who this girl was. She stumbled over her own words, he wasn’t to sure if she was shy or just still apologetic for waking him from his nap. Her name sort of escaped her mouth, slowly but sure enough. Her name was Estelle Flores and yet again she was sorry for waking him.

Eyes still droopy and talking in a small grumble he replied.
“Its nice to meet you Estelle, I am Kevin. And don’t worry about it, I insist. I mean I do need some sleep, after waking up multiple times im kinda beat. But ill just go to sleep early tonight.”
He let out a soft chuckle, and rubbed his eyes wit his left hand, using the right arm to prop himself up on the couch. He laid on his stomach, legs now stretched out and propped up on his arm, twisted to see Estelle. He was rather comfortable like this, and it was a good viewing position to have a conversation and still be relaxed.

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle still felt bad, but she managed a crooked smile for Kevin, who still looked groggy. “It’s nice to meet you too, all things considered.” She watched him shift about to get more comfortable on the couch and she did the same in her chair, tucking her feet underneath her and scooting so that her book wasn’t going to fall anymore. She eyed him cautiously, waiting to see if he would just fall asleep on his own. But clearly that wasn’t going to happen, so she rested her chin back on the armrest and smiled at him.

“If you’re sure.” Estelle grinned at him shyly, “May I ask why you had trouble sleeping? If it’s insomnia, I have that a little bit, and I have some tea that will help. My room’s not far from here if you want some.” She offered, shrugging lightly, “At the very least, it’s soothing. I was thinking of getting some earlier. It’s Chamomile. But I usually put loads of honey and creamer in it so it’s not really tea anymore.” She gave him a sheepish smile, her nose crinkling, “I may cheat at drinking tea. Just a little bit.”

[Kevin Venear]

Kevin watched as Estelle adjusted herself in the chair, and now finally noticed the book she had in her lap. He liked to read to, and he tried to catch a peek at the title, but was unsuccessful. She went back to facing him with her chin propped on the arm of the chair, they were now almost eye level. He could tell she was still a little upset about waking him up, but the fact the he was ok most likely reassured her. He didn’t want her feeling bad on his behalf. Truth was he liked meeting new people, there was always a chance of making a new friend. So he was kind of glad she woke him, even if he was tired as mess.

After she had adjusted herself, she began talking. Honestly he did not expect her to start talking so much and so fast, not that he had a problem with it. It actually woke him up more, having to pay attention to her words. He hated appearing to ignore people.
“Well I have nightmares sometimes. Most of the time I dream about my family, and well I had a lot of them last night. They kept waking me up, so I lost a lot of sleep.”
He paused for a moment, moving his gaze from her to the wall behind the couch. A blank stare in his eye. But he snapped back to attention as she went on about tea. He didn’t want to be rude, Estelle seemed so excited to possibly help, but he did not like tea.

“I appreciate the offer, and im sure it woulda helped me. But I don’t really like tea. Iv had it maybe like three times and cant say that I enjoyed it to much. Sorry about that”
He didn’t want to let her down, and if she still brought him some he would most likely drink it to please her. Whats the worst it could have done, kill him?

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle was aware she could come on a little strong, and despite her best efforts, it would appear that she’d done it again. But Kevin didn’t seem to mind so much aside from being a little confused at her insta-babble she launched into whenever she was feeling awkward or guilty. Her friends back home frequently teased her about her motor mouth. She pressed her lips together to stop her steady stream of words and flashed him another sheepish grin. But when Kevin mentioned that he had nightmares about his family, her smile slid off, giving way to a wry expression, “I’m sorry. If it’s any consolation, I know how that is.” Even when she didn’t dream about her mother per se, all her nightmares all stemmed back to her mother, she didn’t need her psychologist to tell her that part. But that would probably be overshare as far as Kevin was concerned so she left it at that.

“That’s cool.” Estelle grinned, “Not a whole lot of people like tea. I can’t really drink it unless it’s practically drowned in other stuff, so you know.” She flashed him a smile, showing she bore him no ill-will.

[Kevin Venear]

Kevin was rather enjoying the babbling of Estelle, he just layed there and listened a she went on. Most of the time Kevin was the one who sat around and listened, paying attention to others but not really bein the active one in a conversation. This was mainly due to his shy side, always afraid and scared to take a lead in anything. But it was all good right now, he was comfortable here talking with Estelle. It was kind of comforting that she knew how he felt about the nightmares. She didnt go into much detail, but he did not blame her at all. He himself hated thinking about them.

His legs started to feel numb, from just laying there most likely. He had no idea how long they had been there talking, so his body was most likely falling asleep on him. It felt kind of odd, the strange sensation flowing through his body. so the teen swung his legs over and sat up. Leaning forward he placed his face in the palms of his hands and wiped at his eyes. He was still some what sleepy, but awake enough now to actually function. His body had woken up and he was actually feeling ok.

With a sigh he turned back to Estelle, who was still sitting in her chair. Most people got bored of him and never really stayed around, so he was glad to see someone actually stayed to talk. Kevin turned his attention up to the light above his head, for some reason he started to stare at it, just sitting there now, looking at the light. Then out of no where kevin yawned, streatching his arms out and leaning back. However something odd occured, the light that he had been stareing went out, causing the room to go dim. Now instead of the room glowing from the light in the ceiling, kevins arms were giving off light.

He stared at his arms for a second, turned back to the ceiling bulb, and caused the light to turn back on. His arms no longer glowing. He let out a small chuckle and looked at Estelle.
"Sorry about that...."
He left out a small apology as most of the room went back to what they were doing after looking at him strange.
"Im so sorry, i must be alot more tired than i thought, i lost controle. "
He looked down as if ashamed of messing up.

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle was glad that Kevin didn’t seem so upset anymore. She’d genuinely felt bad that she’d awoken him, but now he seemed content to lean back and listen to her talk. And Estelle was fine with filling up the silence. She was okay with talking incessantly. As she did, Kevin shifted into a sitting position, still listening vaguely. His stare was bleary-eyed and Estelle wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t quite take in anything that she said. But it wasn’t as though she was saying anything important.

But then something strange started happening.

Estelle jumped a little bit as the light in the ceiling went up, dousing the room in shadow. “Huh.” Estelle started to say something about the faulty wiring when she turned to see Kevin’s arms glowing with light. She tilted her head, fascinated. She wanted to say something about it, but then Kevin was apologizing and looking a little ashamed.

“Oh no!” Estelle shook her head, grinning, “No, don’t be.” She tucked a stubborn strand of hair behind her ear, “It was kinda cool. D’you have light manipulation or absorption?” She was still trying to work out the different types of metapowers. She leaned forward, not wanting him to feel badly about what had happened, “If it makes you feel any better, I have trouble with control sometimes too. But mostly when I get upset.” She gave him a crooked grin, “I’ve got metallikinesis. So I can control like… anything that falls under the metals category in the periodic table.” Which included trace elements such as potassium, iron and other things found in the human body, but there was no way she was gonna tell anyone that.

[Kevin Venear]

He was glad to see that Estelle was not bothered in the least about the lights going out. He hadn’t had an accident like that in a while, his powers under control for the most part now. But every now and then he still had trouble keeping them at bay. Today was a fluke, a mess up most likely due to his lack of sleep. He knew nothing good could come from being tired out of his mind. But atleast Estelle didn’t mind. However some of the other students in the lounge appeared to be annoyed at the sudden disturbance. It wasn’t on purpose, not like he wanted to annoy everyone by taking the light from the room. But he was glad Estelle wasn’t upset, he didnt care about the others. After jumping slightly, she seemed interested now. She had stopped rambling on about other things though, a conversation Kevin was enjoying oddly enough. Now she had changed her attention, and seemed content talking about what had just happened.

She told him not to worry about it, that even she had problems controlling her abilities sometimes. It made him feel a little better that someone else had issues with their abilities. But he still felt kind of bad, not wanting to be the center of attention.
“Yea…”
He said in a dull tone. Kind of afraid to talk now, keeping his eyes away from hers.
“I can absorb artificial light and place it into other objects. It seems my lack of sleep has caused me to go a little crazy huh…”
He forced a soft smile and looked up, still avoiding her gaze for now. It was hard for him to make friends, and he felt like he had just screwed up his chances with befriending Estelle.

He thought about her ability a little, the power to control metals, it was a unique power that he had not seen yet. After thinking about it for a moment he thought about how much cooler she was. She could move metal, control objects that could potentially hurt someone and even create magnificent things. All he could do was absorb light, a lame ability in his mind.
“you power is so much cooler though. I mean id love to have control of metal and such. Its kinda hard to make friends when your shy, and all you can do is suck light out of things”

[Estelle Flores]

Estelle listened to Kevin’s descriptions of his power interestedly. “Ah, it happens,” She shrugged kindly in response to his lack of sleep, “I mean, that’s why we’re here, right? Learning how to control powers and stuff. Do you do power training?”

Estelle kept the smile on her face as she listened to Kevin talked about how cool her power must be. She didn’t want to bring all the negative on their conversation, so she kept quiet. Sure, her power sounded kind of cool in theory, but it was all too easy to hurt someone, break things and to say nothing of what her mother thought about it. “Heh. It’s all right.” She settled on weakly, “It’s a lot of work. And I think the light was kind of pretty.” She grinned crookedly, not knowing how some guy will react to being called pretty. But it was true.