Chapter One: Personalities and Abilities

The first night at the school was really interesting. I had decided to let loose my ability and get to know the other girls on the floor, in a sense. A couple had boyfriends who they thought about constantly, others were the exact opposite; just lonely. I found I had a lot in common with a few. They had been girls who had gone to "normal", as they put it here, high schools where they had been the only ones with a "unique" ability. Then, they had found PSIC, and transferred to the high school; it made me wonder why I hadn't been one to find it sooner like those girls had.

Something to do with my parents maybe.

*     *     *

It was the first day of the weekend now though, and Emma and Kevyn had promised they would introduce me to some of the other kids in our grade. They had also warned me to keep my eyes open; apparently, some of the abilities were a little more than... "mind tricks", as those with "different" abilities called what each of the three of us could do.

Kevyn showed up around ten thirty that morning. Emma and I were already dressed and ready to go. She was nibbling at a breakfast bar, and I had been writing an email back to one of my only friends at my old school. I was kind of happy Kevyn showed up though, I had started to run out of things to say.

"Hey Kev." I greeted him when he walked in the room; I was finding that I was more tuned in to certain people's thoughts than others. With Kevyn, it may have been since both of our abilities centered on our minds.

"Hey, you." He laughed back. "Heard me thinking as I came in, did you?"

"Yeah, I've been more...open, with my ability since I've been here. I like it. I can be me." I said, almost a little embarrassed that I had opened up so easily to him.

Since I met him, I had kept wondering if I liked him; I sort of hoped I didn't. I had overheard some of Emma's thoughts, and she really liked him.

"You ready to go?" Emma suddenly spoke up. 

"Yeah, just let me..." I was going to say that I wanted to finish the e-mail to my old friend, but decided it wasn't really worth it. So, I just closed my laptop and pulled my purse strap over my shoulder.

"We'll introduce you to some of the other kids around here. Show you some of the other abilities. There are things going on at the House right now.  A meet-and-greet sort of thing." Kevyn said.

Cool. I wonder what else there is around here. I can't wait to see what they are.

*     *     *

The "House", as expected, was like a gathering place for the students. A "union" as the colleges for "normal" people might call it. There were all sorts of tents set up. A lot of them had "tests" for people to display their respective abilities at and try to win prizes.

Kevyn, Emma, and I found a small iron table to sit at. I saw that it was bolted to the ground, and covered in an unique plastic coating.

"To keep telekinetics from throwing it and energy manipulators from melting it." Kevyn explained, when he saw me examining the table.

"Energy manipulators?"

"They're like... Another word for them could be 'pyromancers', but those would be the ones that specialize in fire manipulation. Others specialize in earth, or air, or water manipulation. Actually, here come two right now."

The three of us turned around to look at the couple who had just joined the activities at one of the booths. The taller of the pair, a boy with dark red hair, clicked a lighter on and pulled the flame into his hand and crafted it into a perfect ball, then tossed it nimbly at a target in the tent. As the three of us watched from our table, we saw the flame grow and expand into a sort of sculpture, and when it died down, there was a perfect, glass figurine of the girl who was with the boy. 

"Fire boy is Ignazio, he's a fire manipulator; a 'pyromancer'. His sister, the one with the electric-blue nails and the near-white blonde hair, is Sharyl." Kevyn explained, as we continued to watch. "She's... interesting. She can manipulate both air and water, but neither to the full extent if she was only a mast of one or the other."

"She's basically a 'storm master'." Emma cut in.

"Yeah, that." Kevyn agreed. 

We watched them from our table a little while longer. I found Ignazio kind of fascinating. He cared for his sister. That was easy to find out. He thought about her fervently. I knew I probably shouldn't have been in his mind, but I couldn't help myself. 

"Hello?" a charred-sounding voice suddenly said. "Do you want my attention?"

"Huh? Oh!" I hadn't realized how quiet Emma and Kevyn had gotten. "Uhm... sorry, you just... that was really cool, what you did, with the sculpting."

The longer he looked at me the darker his eyes seemed to become. 

"Ok. Whatever."

The siblings walked away.

"What. Was. That?" Emma glared at me.

"What?"

"You don't... Uhg... Ignazio is, touchy." Kevyn said. "Just, keep your distance from him."

There was a warning undertone in both of their voices. I didn't understand why; but, being new to this world, I figured they knew more than I did and I should heed their warning.

*     *     *

A while later a much younger girl came up behind Kevyn and placed her hand on his shoulder and started to say something before he quickly stood up and pinned her hands to his chair.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Rya, this is Isa... My little sister." Kevyn explained, seeming like he was going to throw up any second.

"Hiya. I'd shake your hand, but, I'm kinda stuck right now."

"Why are you holding you hands to that chair? It'd be polite of me to shake her hand, since we've now just learned each others names."

"Oh, you don't want to shake her hand." Emma laughed. "Isa's a persuader. She can make people do anything she wants, but she has to be making physical contact with them."

"And it's the most annoying thing in the world when you're the sibling of one." Kevyn grunted.

"Can you let me go?" Isa pleaded.

"Behave your self and I will."

Isa sighed. "Fine."

Kevyn let her go and she took a seat between his and myself.

"So, now you know what I am, what are you?" The young girl asked me.

"I'm a telepath."

Wow. That came out easily. 

"D****t, Isa. Take your hand off her back."

"Well, sorry."

I hadn't even noticed she was touching me. 

"Don't you have friends to meet or something?"

"Yup. Much more fun friends than yours too."

The girl happily walked away.

"Sorry, Rya. She's still learning how she should use her abilities. She's in the high school. And persuaders aren't common so, it's... a little difficult for her." Kevyn explained.

"It's okay. I still kind of need to get used to the idea that a lot of people here are like me." I said. "It's... It's nice be able to kind of let go of my anxieties about my power."

Kevyn and Emma smiled at me. Then two kids came up to our table and greeted them like they had known each other forever.

"Hi you two. I thought I heard your thoughts." A handsome boy with dark hair said.

Another telepath?

"Hi Raymon, and Oriana." Kevyn greeted the couple.

"Hey PSIC's 'Most Likely to Stay Together Forever' couple." Emma teased.

"Oh, hush, Emma." The girl said, sticking out her tongue.

"Who's this?" The boy, Raymon, directed all the attention over to me.

"This is my and Em's new friend, Rya. She's a telepath too."

"Nice to meet a fellow mind-reader." Raymon offered his hand to me joyously.

"Likewise." I said.

"I'm dating this girl standing next to me and holding my hand." He suddenly said.

Okay. That's weird.

"Oriana, I'm just meeting her." Raymon scolded the girl.

"Yeah, whatever, let's go."

"Sorry, Rya. Nice meeting you, but it seems I have to go. Maybe I'll see you in a class?

"Yeah, bye!"

He was off before I could really get the words out of my mouth.

"What was with the...?"

"The 'substitute' talking? Oriana's a ghost-speaker. Like my sister, she has better control if she's touching the person she wants to...use. She basically makes the person's voice and body her own. It's...annoying, for someone dating her. Knowing she's the jealous type." Kevyn explained.

"But, get him alone, and he's such a wonderful guy." Emma swooned.

"He seems really nice." I said, turning my head in the direction the couple had walked.

I made eye-contact with Raymon for a short time. And it was weird, it was like we were reading each other's minds at the exact same time. It gave me a bit of a headache.

Author's Note

I should have uploaded this last week. So sorry! I'll try to get another chapter up this week in addition to this one too. Sorry this is a much longer chapter. And all the dialogue, it helps to explain all the abilities though.

Reviews

[Cleavlnd Groves]

Awesome ideas for abilities! However, the chapter seemed a bit... Isolated to me. While you could see what was happening in the chapter, most of it took place in The House, wheras your first chapter took place in a few places, each with a more even time frame. Also, Rya seemed to adjust a bit fast, from "Jesus Christ, I should keep my abilities hidden" to "I'll just tell everyone and use it willy-nilly." Sorry if I sound like a jerk or something, but usually, these things require some time to adjust to. Now, had this taken place a few days after the first chapter rather than a single day, it would (To me, at least) make more sense for the psychological change to take place. However, it is your writing, and therefore, it is your artistic choice on what you should be doing on that field. However, the chapter was still REALLY good! Can't wait for the next one!

[SweetNutmeg]

Those are some interesting abilities. I like the fire thing. Long is ok, if there is a purpose to it. I don't think any of your dialogue was frivolous or pointless. I feel like you stayed on track. Good job.

[The Butterfly Writer]

Thanks! And I'm sorry it's taking me forever to update, sometimes it's hard to get focused with this with NaNoWriMo going on and all the work I have for college.