3:42 PM

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The story of Academy 218 begins with the boat ride there. The fresh and old group of students were sent to a coastal city in Alaska via plane, before they were placed onto the boat. The boat was a large, white, luxury Cruise ship. With plenty of places to sit down, as there were chairs, sofas, and more, all littered throughout the three floors presented to the students. Students of all genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds were on the boat. The tall Academy building could be seen looming overhead.

Ready for paradise.

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Song: Lupe Fiasco - Superstar

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Listening to music was the only thing that kept Lupe from tossing herself off the side of the boat. Starting off with some relaxing R&B, back when she thought this trip wasn't going to be awful. Now she was listening to a particularly upbeat song, with her white Dre Beat Headphones in her ears. She was standing on the edge on the boat, leaning on the railing, with her arms being used to hoist herself up. Wearing none other than her lucky jacket! With a patch for every South American country (And a sticker of the American flag right over her heart). A white T-shirt under it, ripped blue jeans, a white ballcap, and black boots. She had hoop earrings on, aviator sunglasses, and several bracelets that jingled with every movement. Lupe was looking like her best! Even though she didn't have high hopes for the school, she just had to make a good first impression, just in case. No looking like trailer trash for her. She was hoping that this whole they're going to isn't awful. Lupe wasn't thrilled to be sent to the illustrious Academy 218! Like, seriously. She didn't want to live among a bunch of kiddies for a few months because of some stupid NEST rules. Lupe was fine with never using her powers again in public. She beat fuckers down with it all the time and NEST didn't bother her at all. Well, thankfully this place offers a college course in nursing. While her classes are over, it won't hurt to take a few extra classes to bide the time. That is if this school isn't as horrid as it seems. If there's just as much potential for her to party as everywhere else.

Well shit, she didn't think that one through. Well, whatever happens, Lupe is gonna make the best of it-

"Hey! Put me down!"

That yell pierced her ears. She turned towards it, and saw quite a curious scene. Some giant-ass girl (Jesus! She must be like seven feet tall!) just gripped up some little blond-haired girl (From a glance, Lupe didn't know that girl was actually a boy. What didn't help was that hat.). It was like a bear throwing around a rabbit. Lupe sighed, before cracking a sly smile. Bitch better be careful. Some white knight might decide to use her to assert his dominance - especially with how menacing she looks. Lupe wondered just how much this little boat could take. Heh. Hopefully a lot with this many people packing superpowers. Hell, she didn't know how many could flip this boat over with a flick of their wrist. This might be the most dangerous boatride of her life! That's what made it so exciting! Her life was in so much danger right now! One fight and things are gonna get interesting! Probably way more interesting than....

"Dammit..." Diego voiced from not too far behind her. Da-amn. She forgot about her lil' bro. What was he doing again? Lupe turned her body back towards Diego. He was wearing an all-black outfit, one that looked crazy to wear in a summer afternoon. That's the beauty of a high-resistance to heat. You can wear whatever you want! Moving on, Diego was wearing a thick black sweater, baggy jeans, with a leather jacket over the sweater. Heh, all that time in the joint made him lose his sense of fashion - that's why Lupe's here! She picked out his whole ensemble. Though, he could go without that cross around swinging around his neck. Here he was, sitting in a chair, with his guitar on his lap. He was apparently failing at playing it.

"Ooooh, you cursed." Lupe said as she skippeed over to him. While... she normally wouldn't be talking to him like this. There's barely any reception on this boat, and she's dying to talk to someone. Better Diego than some young sister. "You know Grandma Cecelia would smack the taste out your mouth if she knew that you were cursing WHILE playing the Guitar she gave you." Bless her soul.

Crap. Diego was perfectly fine in this corner, practicing his guitar. Unlike Lupe, he was content being alone, in the background. Where no one. Ever since he got out of prison, all he wanted to do was pick back up the pieces of his life. Starting with his passion with the guitar. At least it didn't hurt anybody. His eyes shifted to the side as he scratched the back of his head. "Um, yeah, sorry." He casually. "I'm just trying to figure out how to play the guitar again, but it's just so da- hard. It's hard." Diego barely dodged cursing.

'You're fairly concerned about that guitar, boy...' Agni's demonic whisper manifested in the back of Diego's skull. It made it hard to focus. Diego was ignoring Agni the whole time, but the Entity's voice... it kept talking. What made it all so surreal was what they said. They said the same thing, at once... more or less.

"How about you put down the guitar for a moment...? Meet some people, lil' bro! Hell, maybe get yourself a girlfriend!"
'How about you put down the guitar? Get some fresh air. Meet the people on this boat. Learn who your enemies are...'

It was hard to focus on each one, with Agni seemingly overwhelming Lupe's voice. He clenched his fist and closed his eyes tightly as possible. "Yes, sure!" Diego frantically said, he didn't even try to hide his emotions. He threw his guitar over his shoulder as he got up. He followed Lupe to find someone to talk to. It felt a classical struggle... An angel on each shoulder. The real question is: which one is the good one...?

... Or does he even have one?

Damn, he needs a cigarette.

---

Song: Advance Wars - Grimm's Theme

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Looks like this was what paradise looked like, huh? Here Michelle was, on some fancy cruise. Funny, a few years ago she was eating animals and stray pets, and preforming in a circus. She just couldn't believe it. Like Lupe, she was leaning on the railings of the cruiseship. Looking down into the ocean (Wondering if she could swim out here in an aquatic dinosaur form). The ocean air provided Michelle with one hell of a breeze. A far cry from the tropical summers at Florida. She liked those summers more than Alaska. The thought of how old this place will be makes her skin crawl. Michelle shuddered. Still, she was dressed up like she was expecting a sunny tropical adventure, rather than the cold and painful Alaskan coast. Wearing a rather tight brown shirt that was covered in diamond patterns, and a long skirt that showed the side of Michelle's leg, with sandals on her feet. She had on large sunglasses and a large sunhat... all without the sun. Jesus, Michelle already felt this trip was going to be awful. She pushed herself off the railing. It felt strange being here. Michelle easily the largest person here. That would intimidate some people. That, or leave them strangely curious. This whole boat ride and not one person talked to her. Perhaps it was because she wasn't "presenting" herself either. Perhaps she should fix that. Michelle started heading towards the front deck of the boat, hoping to find someone to talk to... What?

When she got to the very front of the boat, she saw some little thing on the bow of the ship. Had to be really young, it was hard to get a good look at their features because of the giant hat they were wearing. Michelle could tell that the person was blond(e), and was wearing a loose T-shirt, and light-grey sweat pants, with brown sandals. This person was casually lodging on the very front of the boat. On the other side of the railings. That was dangerous! One bump and this kid would fall right off the boat. What was the most concerning was the fact that no one else was getting the kid. Michelle could already feel the people here were going to be useful. Since no one else was going to do it, Michelle might as well go do it herself.

Michelle walked over to the child, and effortly grabbed him, and lifted him up, by the back of his shirt - a display of her strength. "Hey! Put me down!" Luther loudly shouted as his hands went to the top of his hat. Holding it down. Hey! What gives!? Luther was only relaxing. Why are people putting their hands on him? Michelle heaved Luther from over the railing, and dropped him back on his feet. Luther firmly placed his hat back onto his head, and stared right back up at Michelle - which was a challenge, since she's so huge. Oh, she was one of those blackfolks his grandparents talked so much about. Luther quickly checked his pockets... before he realized he didn't have anything to steal on him. The child was quite irritated here. He stared straight up at Michelle, "Why'd you do that for, Ma'am?"

Looks like the lil' bit is annoyed. Michelle couldn't honestly tell if it was a boy or a girl. Androgynous... this child is androgynous. Does it matter? This kid was getting upset. Michelle shifted her weight onto one hip, and placed her hand on that hip. "I did that before you fell off."

What? Ain't she judging a book by it's cover here? Luther furrowed his eyebrows. "Ma'am, I wouldn't have fell off, and even if I did, I would be fine." He stopped when it dawned on him that this woman wouldn't have listened. So he merely stuck his tongue out at her and left. Perhaps he'll find somewhere else to kick back.

"Stupid brat..." Michelle rolled her eyes and went back to leaning on the railing.

---

Song: Parov Stelar - Hurt

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Having money allowed Mika to arrange an early arrival to the school. Having a father that owned such a large and wealthy company was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in the fact that she had enough money to afford the good luxuries. A curse in the fact that he works with the Saviors so openly... People around here, particularly the dumber students, don't exactly take too kindly to the Saviors. Even though the Baozai Pharmaceutical Company only wanted to cure Meta-humans - much like most of the Saviors wanted. Think of the possibilities! Metahumans who are horribly deformed. Metahumans who couldn't control. Metahumans who never wanted their powers. That said, Mika strongly stood by the actions of her Father, and the less... extremist Saviors. Still, Meta-People saw the organization as a whole as evil. Not inherently, but people hate what's threatening them. Without taking the time to reali-

Oh dear, she's rambling.

Mika was already in her assigned room. Waiting for everyone to arrive and the peace that she had so firmly gotten used to, to shatter. She was wondering who she got as her room mate. She wished that she could buy that one, but apparently you can't bribe your way through life. Hopefully it won't be someone too annoying. Or she could buy them away! No way some woman of stature like herself is going to be sleeping with some redneck that would steal her items. Whatever. Mika was sitting down in her shared bathroom, with her behind planted on a wooden stool. Stripped down to her underwear. She had a brush in her hand as she lightly brushed the bang that was over her eyebrow. She was more focused on her hand than her hair. Such beautiful hands she has. No one in the world could understand that. After her hair was brushed to her satisfaction, she gently placed the brush on the side of the sink. What else was on the sink was the variety of makeup and other beauty products Mika had. Not that she was the type to slather herself in makeup like some cheap whore from Highroller Heights. She's natural beauty. She always thought she looked a little better with some lipstick on. Mika grabbed onto the lipstick, and painted her lips a bright-red color. She pucked her lips together and stood straight up. She grabbed her glasses as she turned towards the door.

On the door, she had her outfit neatly hanging on the door. A long tan skirt, and a fancy white dress-shirt. She was really rocking that schoolgirl look. These are expensive, and nice looking clothes - unlike some people, Mika didn't like overdoing it. She wanted to look neat and classy. She grabbed the skirt, and slid it up her legs until it was around her waist. Then she grabbed the shirt and put it on, buttoning it up. She looked nice with these clothes on, they accentuated her figure quite nicely. She was missing something. Ah, yes. Her flower. She walked back over to the sink, and grabbed a flower, her Frangipani. Carefully placing it in her hair. She smiled meekly, but immediately wiped that smile right off her face. A woman of her status cannot be seen smiling like some child. Good thing there wasn't anyone to see it. She's all dressed. Now, what was she going to do now? Perhaps bide some time before the grand assembly. Hope to find some peace and quiet.

Mika grabbed her black designer purse, and stepped out the door. Being very careful to lock it behind her. While there were few students on the island at the moment, that didn't mean she had to be careless. Either way, Mika stepped through the halls of the Academy. She made her way to the center of the Academy - the Garden! The beautiful garden. If Mika had to say one thing about this Academy, it's that they kept the garden well maintained and beautiful. Not messy.

So, once she arrived, she merely sat on a bench, and enjoyed the view.

It felt like time had passed so fast. It was already time for another semester, and the vacation in between went by so quickly. It wasn’t all bad, but Casper didn’t remember going through the same trails in any other school he had been at. Sure, some people found him an easy target to pick on but as a whole, he was left alone. At the academy however, he had found himself in the crosshairs a lot more frequently. Why? One would think that an island of misfits was the perfect place to be but that was hoping for too much. Again, it wasn’t all bad. Casper liked the school in itself. The teachers were nice enough, the dorms were really pleasant and all the students had access to extravagance he had not been introduced to anywhere else.

Analysing the people on the boat, Casper tried to note every single face. Who was good to avoid and who seemed like an okay person to lower his guard around? There was one guy over in the corner playing guitar, yeah he looked tough. That added one face to the ‘caution list’. A girl was talking to him, they seemed to get along well enough. They had the same colours, perhaps related in some way? Casper couldn’t quite hear what they were saying but eventually decided to move his attention away from the due and was met by something which widened his eyes in shock. What the hell was that? An amazon? It had to be, nothing else could describe a seven foot tall, dark skinned woman with a body like that. Damn. The kid she was handling was wearing a hat sizing up to their entire body. Yeah, this place was already weird as hell.

Carefully moving towards the railing, Casper dropped down to the floor and slipped on his headphones, producing a red iPod Nano from his pocket. The heating sun felt wonderful against his skin, laying itself like a blanket over his exposed arms. As would be expected, Casper’s jeans were rather lose on him but stayed in place with a belt around his waist. His red t-shirt followed suit, flowing slightly with the wind brushing past him. It was easy to see the various leather bracelets on his forearms clinging against each other with the small, metallic pieces sometimes colliding. Unlike what usually sat upon his head, Casper decided to leave his beanie in the small, cloth shoulder bag by his left waist. It was way too hot to have that on his head today, and the black colour of his hair was already absorbent enough in draining the sun’s rays.

This would of course completely expose the boy’s hair, the bright pink streaks reaching down his bangs. They made him easy to pick out in a crowd and were the reason for a lot of unwanted attention. One could think that removing them was an easy choice but despite the hardships, Casper didn’t want to tone down his more creative side just because a few thick headed individuals couldn’t deal with it.

Looking at the display on his iPod, Casper dangled his feet down the side of the boat as he leaned against the railing. The warm breeze was superb, something he couldn’t get enough of. He turned to the song Changing Winds by Scorpions before moving his large eyes to the constantly moving water below his feet. It was safe to say that the boy’s music tastes were incredibly varied. He could listen to anything, depending on his mood.

After a few moments, he allowed his back to gently fall against the floor, his eyes now moving towards the blue sky. Yeah, mood. That would probably shift back and forth like a roller coaster over at the academy. He didn’t want to think about it too much, but he was sure that at least one person on that boat was going to make life difficult for him.

Most people on that boat probably had incredibly flashy powers, able to melt your face off by just willing it. Casper wasn’t capable of something like that. He was very average in that regard. Having a power like his was however beneficial in a lot of ways. If nothing else, it couldn’t ever accidentally harm anyone, could it? Not really. What was he going to do? Replicate someone to death? Hardly.

The song reached an end and automatically shifted to Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters. Now this was where his power could really come in handy. That iPod? The battery lasted for a very long time because the original thing was safely tucked away in his traveling bag, turned off. Well, that’s a plus, isn’t it? Casper rarely ever carries with him something of worth that isn’t replicated. It’s usually his phone but on a trip like this, an iPod works well.

A few songs later, Casper stretched his arms up with a yawn and ascended back to his bright red converse shoes. Falling asleep on the ship’s floor, with all those people around, was a very bad idea. At the very least, he could try to get to the academy unscathed before shit hit the fan.

Rubbing his eyes, the boy turned and saw yet another person. This one was close, much closer than the rest. It took a moment to fully register the sight as Casper’s eyes were still adjusting after having stared into the sky for so long. Funny, this guy had the same haircut as Casper’s father. He was smoking, something Khalil didn’t do but the man had actually admitted that he had tried weed more than a few times. It didn’t quite stick and he always told Casper to be careful if he ever wanted to try it. A free spirited father to say the least. Though, Casper never found any interest in drugs or alcohol of any kind. His thoughts seemed to travel back to the old, new age man back home. Casper had hoped that he could deal with this better, but the home sickness struck anyways, in the shape of an induced longing.

---

Mason gazed out over the blue surf, leaning on the railings of the boat's top deck. The weather was bright and warm, but the firm coastal breeze was only exaggerated by the ship's consistent speed; it was decidedly windy. He drew a long smoke-filled drag from his cigarette (Marlboro White Menthol), then exhaled slowly; watching curiously as the silver fumes dissipated into a fine mist and vanished into the canvas of blue sea and sky. Mason had always been able to find beauty in the simplest of places. The past week had been a whirlwind of activity and emotion, and the young man was appreciative of this moment of serenity. He'd always felt calm around the sea, and hurtling through it towards a new future was somehow soothing. It gave him a chance to reflect; he winced as that word entered his mind. He had been through enough self-discoveries and survived enough crises to not let his recent discovery defeat him... But it was still going to take some time to get used to. He had to adjust.

His phone buzzed with urgency in the pocket of his dungarees, but he took a slow and deliberate moment before checking it. Though he knew what he was going to see, it still upset him: "Raja - Miscall (2)". It was the most recent installation in a week-long string of attempts to contact him by the friends - no, family - he had left behind in Berlin. As he stared blankly at the notification, another appeared over it. A message:



Mason was not an outwardly emotional person, but he knew the desperate message would have stirred something in him had he not shoved the phone back into his pocket, pressing his finger tightly on the 'Off' button. He had to forget about the messages and the calls - and the people who were sending them. It was not that he didn't want to speak to them; in a situation of so much confusion as his life shifted around him, Mason would have given anything to chat with the men who threw him a lifeline when he most needed it over two years ago. It was simply not safe for them. Germany did not have the same history as America regarding metahumans, whose existence was first announced to the world from the White House. In a city like Berlin, where there was such a history of separation and judgement, Mason simply could allow himself to put his friends at risk. As an openly gay couple of drag queens, they had enough on their plate. They couldn't afford to be accused of harbouring a mutant freak.

He took another drag on his cigarette, and turned away from the water to survey the rest of the passengers. It was an eclectic group, to say the least. Mason had considered himself near enough desensitised to all the oddities the world could present to him, having spent many nights in the art discos of London and the Berlin Berghain. But this crowd was truly something else. Sure, there were more mild eccentricities: a Hispanic-looking boy eyed his cigarette longingly, wrapped up in knitwear as though he were expecting a snowstorm; a towering Amazon of a woman picked up a small boy, who clung desperately to a sunhat that didn't look quite like it belonged to him. Mason figured he had stolen it from the woman. A pair of twins bickering amongst themselves was perhaps the most normal thing on the whole boat.

For a moment, he almost forgot that these quirks were certainly not the most unusual aspects of each of the people he observed. Every single person on this boat had some kind of ability... It was an intimidating thought that Mason chose to discard with immediate effect.

He turned his back on the crowd of misfits; not out of disgust or disapproval, he was simply drawn towards the horizon. He drew a final breath from his cigarette before flicking the short stub out into the waves. As he exhaled, flashes of bright pink flickered in his peripheral vision. He turned, and spotted a younger-looking boy, his black hair streaked with the bright colourings that had caught Mason's attention. He was looking directly at Mason with a spark of youthful curiosity in his eyes, his red shirt and shoes brightened by the sunlight. Mason smiled.

"Nice shoes," he said, gesturing towards his own, slightly more battered, pair of Converse.

---

Mason laughed and thanked the boy. He saw something of himself in the guy; his pink-streaked hair was quite clearly an act of defiant self-expression, a concept he was all too familiar with. Something about him told Mason that, like himself, this boy had never been one of the most popular kids in school. "You look a little lost, are you on your own?" he asked, his voice full of ease and laxness.


Mason smiled as he watched the awkward young man stumble through the conversation, exactly as he had done at that age. When Casper introduced himself, Mason extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Casper," he said, sincerely. "I'm Mason." he added, shaking Casper's hand firmly. "How are you feeling about starting a new school? Are you excited?" he added, trying his best not to sound patronising.


Mason smiled understandingly. "Don't worry about it, dude. People grow out of that sh-," he stopped himself from swearing, and coughed. "People grow out of that crap. But you'll always be you, and when they're older they'll see you were the coolest guy they knew." he assured Casper. It might have seemed cliche and insincere, but Mason meant every word. "I mean, with hair like that, you have to be pretty awesome, right?" He chuckled at Casper, smiling.

---

_{Magnets & Batteries, by Mark McAdam}

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Harmon dropped the shard into the plastic bag and set it aside the sink.



The time had come again for a bit of grooming. Just one or two shards this time. The question; was another necessary? He held his camera up to the bathroom mirror, scanning his own head for any unsightly appendages. And, lo and behold, one on the right side of his crown was getting up there in size.

Harmon set his camera down and positioned it to view his upper body. He grabbed the pliers on the restroom counter and raised them up to his head. He’d gotten used to controlling his movements from varying vantages long ago. He gently clipped the pliers around the shard, taking care not to accidently snap it in half. Once he was sure he had a good grip on it, he pulled his hand away, tugging at the shard. There was a gnashing sound accompanying the movements as the shard quickly began to loosen. Harmon grunted a bit as he gave the pliers another few, quick tugs. That familiar sensation of unwinding a string from his skull returned, and his mouth hang agape as he mustered his strength into one final pull. With an audible snap, the shard rose from his skull, along with a bit of blood. His ears rang a bit, and the skin on his head shimmered some, rippling with faint flashes of what looked like static.

That always happened. It was normal.

He paused for a moment after the ringing and rippling resides, panting, examining the shard in front of the camera, turning it some. Quite the root on it. Definitely a good one for Ruben’s prototype Brainvault. He pulled some paper towels from the nearby dispenser and dabbed his head some, wiping away the blood. He grabbed the same plastic bag from before and dropped the second shard inside. He zipped up the bag and grabbed his camera.



Harmon headed for the door with his belongings in his arms. A little dizzy, but nothing to worry about. Just two shards. He’d walk it off. He exited the restroom and proceeded across the hallway, right where Ruben’s classroom was.

He was playing that song again. One of the ones he liked. Helped him relax while plucking shards.



Harmon entered the classroom. He was met with a white, tiled interior, with double-desks and various forms of equipment strewn about the room. The air was cold – Ruben kept it like that to soothe himself, something like a meat locker – and there were thin, icy veils over the row of windows. Truly one of the more unique classrooms. At least, to the two who occupied it most often.

“Harmon.”

That familiar, synthesized voice sounded from across the room. Ruben was seated at a desk, out of his usual pseudo-humanoid shape. He was a huge pile of meat wrapping around a stool, tendrils protruding from the mass and poking through the internal mechanisms of the pristine, obsidian orb resting on the desk. The Brainvault Type 3 – “Cranial Eclipse”, as Professor Tarblatt branded it. This was what Harmon’s plucked shards were going towards. The latent, cerebral-resistant composition of the shards was just what Ruben needed to give it a suitable level of defense against psychokinetic assaults. Not impervious, but it would definitely be able to stand up to most violent minds.

The stereo was on the next desk down. Ruben reached out with another tendril and lowered the volume as Harmon approached him.



“Here you are.” Harmon said softly, placing the bag with the two shards on the table. Ruben immediately reached for them with the same new tendril and examined them. “Acceptable. Quantity.” He said, turning the bag. “Are you. Well.”

“I’m fine...” Harmon replied with the same soft voice, “It’s… it’s better to get a… a clear head, be-before… the new… students, arrive…”

“Indeed.” Ruben responded, nodding his currently adorned Brainvault.



“Do you… do you mind? If, if I leave to, maybe… find a seat, for the… welcoming, a-assembly? A little… early?” In truth, Harmon wanted to get some fresh air as well. Bit stuffy in here. And maybe… watch the new wave of students arrive. Possibly meet someone. Make a friend. Ruben had been encouraging him to do so as of late.

“Certainly.” Was Ruben’s reply. “I. Will join you. Later. In. The assembly hall.”

Harmon nodded, giving away the faintest trail of a smile across his cracked lips. “Th-thank you…” He said, before turning away and proceeding towards the classroom door. He didn’t make it out the door before Ruben called something out though.

“Inform. Some new. Arrivals. Of my. Classes.”

“I-I will!” Harmon called back across the room, “I will…” And with that, he turned and exited the room. As he made his way down the hallway with his camera in hand, he thought for a moment… maybe not the assembly hall right away.

Maybe the garden. For some real, fresh air.

---

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Kana nodded her head slightly to the overly loud music playing in her ears. The headphones were cheap ones you might by from a Wal-Mart, so the music could be heard vaguely if you stood close enough to her. Kana stood by the bars of the boat her hands lightly grasping the edge of the ship. The wind blew strong and Kana's tan beaded earrings dangled. Her black dress hung down to her knees and the spaghetti straps kept falling down off her shoulders. There was a small jingle as Kana bobbed her foot up and down to the beat of her music. Her black mid calf high boots had fake buckles running around them.She looked out on the ocean its waves breaking against the ship. It reminded her of home and the way she used to sit on the beach and watch the waves.

Alaska wasnt all that much different then Florida though. It was sunny today and Kana hoped that is how it was going to be all the time. Thankfully Kana had packed for warm. She didn't know too much about Alaska's climate, but she guessed it would be very very very very....very cold. She had decided previously she would buy some clothes for the weather once she got to the school. Kana thought maybe she wouldn't have to spend her money after all. It wasn't five verys cold. It wasn't even one very cold. After tossing over the correct adjective cold it was Kana heard a voice in her head.

"Thief" It said calmly "nothing to steal" followed it rather quickly. Kana held her head for a moment. It wasn't a bad one, but it still felt strange to hear a thought that wasn't her own. Kana noticed the voice sounded young. She was surprised because she didn't think anyone on this ship could be as young as Kana had decided the owner of the voice was. She turned around looking over the deck till she spotted a young maybe boy looking up too a very tall black girl. Kana frowned. She then understood the context of the thought. 'That....that's racist.' Kana told herself nodding slightly.

Kana continued to look around the ship. She took out one headphone. Kana felt a bit embarrassed finally noticing how much her music could be heard. She quickly turned it down. When she looked back up she noticed not to far from her a boy with pink streaks and a boy in dungarees. Kana smiled a little. 'They look pretty cool' Kana thought. She turned back towards the ocean not wanting to stare. Kana couldn't help but over hear their conversation. 'stop listening to them Kana that's creepy' She thought reprimanding herself. Kana mauled over whether or not to engage them in conversation.

Eventually she worked up the nerve. "Hey" Kana started walking closer to them. "You have to tell me the story behind the Dungarees and the Pink streaks, unless of course there isn't one and you both just have cool style for the sake of cool style" Kana finished with a soft giggle. Kana wore a kind smile. Behind that smile Kana's heart was racing hoping that her comment would be met with an equal amount of intrigue in her.

---

@Apokalipse

---

Ooooh, look what we have here. One second of "looking for someone to talk to" and Lupe has bagged the big one, right. A pretty blonde haired girl. Not as good looking as Lupe of course! Still, a runner up, in her eyes. Some Russian lookin' gal (Not that Lupe could really tell herself.) with really blonde hair, and rockin a leather jacket. That's all Lupe needed to know. A good looking face, that's talking to her. She seemingly forgot about Diego as she took center stage. She took one step in front of Diego, as she tried to present herself. Rolling down her sunglasses a bit, she eyeballed Piper. She wasn't the type to admit it, but she was a bit nervous. What? With meeting her first person here. Someone that could be her super duper friend! At least she could spice up things. "Hey there, girl! You rockin' that leather jacket, eh?!" Lupe said, her thick Spanish accent. She clapped her hands together, with a warm smile on her face. "Lupe Bellasquez, glad to meet 'cha!" She wasn't really a fan of giving out her last name (Who gives out their last name in their introduction other than some prissy white bitches)

'Hehe...' Agni whispered again, Diego tried to ignore him, but he knew that the Entity has a point, 'It's funny how quickly she disregarded you. Perhaps you should assert yourself and take the stage? Put her in her place for once....' Just as a show of power, he infused Diego with a bit of his power - not to attack Lupe, but in a way to bring attention to himself. As, the second he was infused with power; the symbols began to "glow". Briefly set alight with a flaming light, and at the same time.

Diego clenched his fist, closing his eye. Before he calmed. The flame inside of himself could only be calmed with temperance. 'Enough, Agni.' He replied to the demon in his head. 'I do not need your power, nor do I need to top Lupe. She was made for this, I wasn't.'

'Hm,' Agni started off, 'Need I remind you she was asking you too?'

Ah, crap. That was enough to snap him back to reality. She asked who they are. Though that was probably more of a question for Lupe. Diego's hand found it's way to the back of his head. He casually scratched it as she calmly answered. "Diego.... I'm, Diego." Great he probably screwed that one up. Hopefully, Lupe won't bite his head off.

Smooooooth. Lupe rolled her eyes. Jesus, Diego was a wreck now. Whatever happened in that prison sure turned him into a real man. Heh. Real man. Hehaha. Rape jokes. Lupe cracked a smile- wait, no. She was supposed to be annoyed right now. Diego was cramping her style! She hate to dump him this early, but she had no choice. Her status! It was too important to be ruined by her lil' bro this early! She took one more step towards Piper and smiled, "So what brings you over here? My pretty face? Haaha!"

Right off the bat, things were going so much better than last year. Mason was a wonderful start to something that could have gone off the rails before it even started running. Casper kind of wanted to thank the young man, but that would just have been creepy. ‘Hey, thanks for being nice to me, I haven’t gotten a lot of that at the Academy.’ That if anything would put a clingy stamp on Casper’s forehead, nothing he wanted to carry around. In fact, Casper didn’t want to count on Mason being around, either way. He was a wonderful guy it would appear, but once they hit the shores, anything could happen. Mason could pack up and leave to hang out with other people and forget about Casper all together.

Being the asocial kid Casper was, one could perhaps think that he hated close contact or being around other people. That is far from the truth. Shy and reserved never did equal the desire to be alone all the time. In fact, Casper loved close contact. He loved being hugged, he loved hugging others. He loved being with others. It was just that he was very shy and cautious. He was afraid. Behind the reserved exterior dwelled a person eager to free all of his colours, something that quite clearly seeped out in small doses. His hair, his bright coloured shoes and the rainbow bracelets he sometimes wore, they were all small parts of his inner self that managed their way through the shell and carefully shone with a faint light. It could perhaps have been clear for someone able to read others, but otherwise Casper would seem like nothing but a colourful but reserved kid who was alone all the time.

Mason approaching him the way he did unlocked a door Casper assumed would be closed. It was a welcomed but highly unexpected addition to this semester, something that filled him with both longing and fear. One should always be cautious around people because half of them are out to get you, right? Well, that might be an extreme generalisation but better safe than sorry.

Casper would realise that he was lost in thought yet again as he heard a second voice, this time belonging to a female. Snapping him back to reality, he noted her compliment and found himself blushing again. He wasn’t used to comments like that, what did you call them…oh yes, compliments. “H-hello…” He gulped, looking at the new girl. “Uhm…no story.” The boy shook his head slightly in response to her question. “I just…like pink…” Casper managed a faint smile, though tried to avoid looking her in the eyes due to the heat in his cheeks.

---

Mason smiled, but didn't say anything else for a short moment. He pulled out a pair of round sunglasses, in tortoiseshell and gold, which he slid onto his face delicately. The sun was indeed glaring on the water, but the act was more a force of habit; an urge to don some form of protection as he grew pensive. It wasn't Casper's fault, but speaking to the boy took Mason back to a time when he felt lost and alone; a time which, he now realised, was not all that dissimilar from what might lie ahead. He had no idea what life at the academy was going to be like, and it made him feel vulnerable.

"Hey," a female voice said, dragging Mason's thoughts back to the deck. She was a heavy-set girl, but particularly beautiful. Her features were all soft and curved; she had a consistent sleekness to her form that appealed to the artist in Mason. Her face was precious and delicate, like a porcelain doll but without the milk-white complexion; this girl's skin was deep and warm. "You have to tell me the story behind the dungarees and pink streaks." she said, with barely enough cracks in her chirpiness to let on that she was nervous. Heck, we're all nervous, Mason thought to himself. It's just some of us are better at hiding it.

Casper was not one of these people, Mason observed as he watched his new acquaintance stutter his way through the conversation in the same way he had when they had first spoken moments ago. Casper clearly had some confidence issues, as it seemed like it took every ounce of his being to force out words when introducing himself, but Mason guessed the reason for the boy's unpopularity was rooted in misunderstanding. After giving Casper a chance to say his piece, Mason laughed.

"What Casper is trying to say, is that we're pretty much the coolest people on the boat." he said, winking at the girl to let her know he was joking. He smiled, and extended a hand to shake. "I'm Mason," he said, noticing the thick crust of clay under the girl's nails as he introduced yourself. "Ah, the sign of an artist," he exclaimed, "What kind of sculpting do you do?" If Mason's attire didn't give away that he was creatively-inclined, a more observant eye might spot speckles of paint on his dungarees.

The idea of meeting more creative people at the school was one that had thus far been foreign to him. Coming from such an artistic background, it didn't occur to Mason that there might not be many creatives at the academy. He wondered if Casper, too, was a creative spirit; he would make sure to ask him later. After all, he assumed most people didn't come to a school for metahumans to learn about early surrealism or the influence of Greek sculpture. They were all here for one reason: they were different.

This was a thought that unsettled Mason, and he was thankful his eyes were masked by his retro sunglasses. Mason's own power was decidedly lame, and he could find very little use for it other than ensuring he could spend time alone without any possible interruption. If this was, indeed, the true extent of his abilities, he would learn how to control them to stop his night episodes, and then leave the school. He didn't see much need in staying to earn a NEST certificate for a power that would not be particularly useful in public.

But what about the other students? What strange and wonderful abilities did the people on this boat possess? Perhaps Casper could shoot lasers from his eyes, or the girl could fly. What if they had abilities that could kill Mason in the blink of an eye? Or invade on his privacy? Mason shuddered at the idea of being watched by an invisible classmate, or having this thoughts perused like a catalogue. The latter would ruin him. He stayed externally calm and returned his focus to the conversation.

"So, we're all here for the same reason, right?" he said, trying to make the question sound casual. "What can you two... Do?" he asked, hoping the question wasn't considered rude or intrusive. He didn't really know what the social norms were when discussing things like this. There was only one way to find out.

---

---

Kana put her hand up too her mouth. She couldn't believe it. Casper's reply must have been one of the most adorable things she had ever heard. Kana just wanted to get on his level and hug him. She just wanted to calm all those frazzled nerves. Kana could tell that there was probably someone very big underneath the tight shell Casper wore. She bet he was funny and that he had many things to say, but couldn't find the right words to say them. There seemed to be much to many people who don't know how to really communicate. Kana thought over how important the correct words were before she heard the other boy explain Casper's response in better words.

Kana laughed a bit it coming out the sound of a small child's giggle. Kana was delighted. Even though it seemed Mason was only joking Kana was glad she found someone with a sense of humor.She extended her hand to Mason shaking it rather formally "My names Kanala, but call me Kana". "Ah, the sign of an artist," Kana heard mason say causing her to look up at him instead of their shaking hands. "What kind of sculpting do you do?" Mason added. Kana bobbed her head back and forth for a second thinking over the question. "Well uhm I guess you could say I do anything involving clay, and if I don't know how to do it and it involves clay then I'm sure as hell gonna learn" Kana explain first extending her hands like a question, then shrugging and dropping her hands back to her sides.

Kana couldn't help but keep a bright smile. Her lips stretched across her face thinning them out a little. Looking over both the boys Kana noticed tiny specs of paint on Mason's clothes. 'Oh' She thought it coming together that Mason also did some form of art probably painting. She hoped there was some sort of art class at the school. Kana created a small scene of her and Mason chatting it up in an art class. Joking and laughing Kana would be throwing out a slab and Mason would blend some colors. The idea seemed nice to Kana. Maybe this new place really wouldn't be too different from home.

Kana tuned in again just in time for Mason to ask about her and Casper's abilities. Kana couldn't decided the best response. Does she explain how she could invade their privacy at any moment, that their thoughts were never safe from her, and that she had absolutely no way of controlling it so they would never know what she knew and what she didn't. The other option was of course to lie, make their first interaction one of deception, and keep up a facade of only having one power in front of anyone and everyone. Kana quickly realized that she didnt have the ability to keep up a lie like that. Teachers would probably already know , and she doubted they would work with her to keep up the clever ruse. That left the truth as the only option.

"I sort of I guess the best description is control animals. I say jump they say how high" Kana joked lightheartedly. Kana put her hand on the back of her head "and I can also read minds. You know like people think things and I can hear them, but dont worry I havent heard anything from either of you. I cant really control it. Every now and again I just hear peoples voices in my head. You know at first I thought i was going crazy" Kana ended in a laugh.

---

The garden was always a nice place to stroll. The vibrancy. The serenity. The day was bright and clear, which was well and good on its own. But Harmon especially liked when a veil of fog rode through. Reminded him of the peaceful isolation of the Ivory Deer Community. The gates. The stone fence surrounding the area. Wumberak, that giant, lovable dog-monster, hobbling on his three legs.

Memories.

Harmon marched along the stone trail weaving in between the brush, swaying his camera ever so subtly to take in the scenery. All this at the heart of the academy. What a place. His second year here would hopefully turn out to be an enjoyable one. The first was just getting used to all the machinations. The classes, the staff, the students... not a lot of the latter two enjoyed his presence much. In fact he was the subject of a rumor among some of the younger that the son of the Slender Man had enrolled. He didn't pay that one much mind. In fact, the whole ordeal got him interested into internet horror mythos as a whole. So no harm done.

He crossed into another trail. To his left, a young woman was seated, simply enjoying the scenery. Harmon attempted to recall if he'd seen her before but... his memory has always been so terrible. As he walked by, he slowed a bit and waved meagerly with his free hand. And a scant thought inched through his mind.

_{Pleasedon'tbemean...}

---

@Mr Allen J

Casper turned and leaned against the railing as they started talking about art and craftsmanship. Apart from an interest in mythology, the boy knew nothing about art. He couldn’t draw, he couldn’t play music and he certainly couldn’t sing. Unable to participate in the conversation, his eyes found home on the soothing waves stretching out in the ocean before them. He didn’t feel left out, not at all. In fact, he felt more included than he had at the academy before. While it filled him with mixed emotions, both fear and joy, it most of all manage a smile across his lips.

Kana seemed like a nice girl, just like Mason had managed to get on Casper’s ‘good people’ list, she was making her way onto the page as well. Was this too fast? It felt like it was going too fast. Casper could barely make one friend in a whole freaking year and now he’s making two in a day? It was hard to believe and almost harder to accept.

How old was Mason? He was probably older than Casper and the chance of sharing a dorm with him was slim. Who would he share a dorm with? Last time Casper was stuck with a pig who couldn’t even clean up after himself, let alone act like a descent human being. If Mason took his place, everything would be perfect, wouldn’t it? Hell, they didn’t even need to talk. Anything was better than what he used to have. “M-my power…?”

Mason’s question brought a thought to mind that hadn’t been present before. Funny, given how familiar Casper was with other Meta-humans, one could perhaps expect him to ask that question as an everyday choice of words. It had however not developed that way. Casper knew that one day or another he would see everyone’s power, preferably from afar.

While it was always a fascinating discovery, learning of others' powers was an incredibly scary dig. Some people were able to pull your bones from your body and make them dance to a tune. The amount of power in one person’s mind could surpass everything thought possible. “I…I can replicate things…” Casper turned around to see the other two again. “Uhm…” He reached down for the iPod and held it up in front of the others, allowing it to vanish from existence before them. Dissolving from tip to bottom, the iPod was no more. The headset soon followed and left Casper without his music. It was okay, he could just walk to his bag and get it back.

To further display his abilities, the boy produced his iPhone and placed his right index finger on the top. He conjured an exact replica which built itself into existence as if building blocks from the point which he had touched down to the lowest edge. With a phone in each hand, Casper looked at the other two with a soft, sheepish smile on his lips. “I-it can be a cool magic trick…I guess…”

---

---

Kana's eyes widened. Other then her grandmother she had never met anyone with abilities. She knew they existed, but seeing them in person was cooler then she thought it would be. "Wow no way" Kana exclaimed dropping down to balance on the balls of her feet. Her dress fell over her knees thankfully. "just a magic trick" Kana gawked. "Think of everything you could do with that. I mean if you think about it you could be the greatest thief in the world. people wouldn't even know that anything was missing,oh oh you could create organs for people low on the waiting list. Well okay maybe not that I'm not sure if your powers work long term or how that works but like no way i would call your power a simple magic trick" Kana explained excitedly.

She wondered what happened to this kid that made him so down on himself. Kana only assumed that maybe he was taught that behavior. She guessed he had been bullied in the past. 'or right now' Kana realized. She wondered if Casper could have bullies right now. If he did they better watch out. while Casper may be shy Kana was far from it, and she wouldn't hesitate to retaliate. She's not sure how she would seeing as Kana isn't a fan of mean words or violence, but still things would be done!

Kana didn't understand bullying. It just didn't make sense to her to be mean for the sake of comedy or anything else. Kana had gone over the whole system of bullying. She sort of understood how someone hurting would want to make others hurt in the same way. Though to be clear she understood it not condoned the action. On the other hand Kana could never wrap her head around the action of bringing someone else pain. It just doesn't make sense to her. In the end Kana simply hoped that Casper could overcome the bullying if that's what was happening to him currently or in the past.

Kana switched her sitting position to criss-cross apple sauce. She placed her hands on her shins pulling down her skirt to make sure it didnt fly up due to the heavy wind. The wind kept blowing Kana's hair around. She would lift her hand to push it back behind her ear only to have the wind blow it in her face not two seconds later. Eventually Kana pulled out a pony tail holder and put her hair up. she threw the long mass of hair over her shoulder, and started to fiddle with it as others talked.

---

Mason was fascinated as Kana told of her ability to control animals. He loved animals, especially cats, snakes and exotic birds; but he also owned a small collection of fur coats. It was his belief that, as the furs were all vintage, it was better they be put to use instead of festering in a cupboard in someone's attic. He decided he would keep this information to himself.

Or rather, that was his intention; Kana dropped the bombshell as if it was an insignificant piece of information that she was only mentioning to decorate her story. Whilst she assured the boys that she hadn't heard any of their thoughts, Kana's affirmation that she "couldn't really control it" gave Mason little solace. In some ways, it made it worse; at least if she had control of it, Mason would be able to trust her not to use it against him. She could hear anything. She could be listening to me right now... Mason tried his best to clean the thoughts from his head, not wanting to offend her.

"Every now and again I just hear peoples voices in my head." Kana said. "You know, at first I thought I was going crazy!" she joked, and Mason forced a chuckle. He still felt very uncomfortable, but he wasn't going to let it show. There was no need to cause any tension. He turned his attention to Casper, who had grown quiet since Kana's arrival. He seemed uncomfortable with the question, and Mason almost felt guilty for asking it. They had only just met, after all. However, he could see the wheels turning in Casper's head, so to speak, and it seemed as though the awkward boy was formulating a response. Mason wondered what power Casper might possess; good things often come in small packages.

"I…I can replicate things…" the timid boy said, before deciding a demonstration would be more effective. As Casper rummaged through his pockets, he captured Mason's entire attention and forced him to forget that the girl beside them was able to read minds. Replication... he thought to himself, almost giddy. Now that's a useful power! Sure enough, he watched as the boy worked like a magician, causing his belongings to disappear and then weaving new ones out of thin air. It was both magical and captivating, and Mason caught himself with his mouth agape. "It can be a cool magic trick, I guess...", said Casper. He was not wrong.

As nobody had asked him about his own power, Mason felt it was best to keep it to himself. His ability was not much to shout about, and in comparison to the abilities of these two he would feel silly explaining to them that he sometimes wakes up on the wrong side of a mirror. What good is that? Here is Kana, able to bend animals to her will and raid the thoughts of anyone she pleases. And Casper, a potential billionaire with his cloning capabilities. No; his ability was but a quirk beside these. It was humiliating.

It was a strange turn of events. Mason was not exactly thrilled to be in the position he was in; forced to leave home and start a new life. But the extremes of the other meta-people he had encountered on this boat made him question whether it was even worth doing. His ability was more of a party trick than a life-changing blessing or curse. For the first time since discovering them, he didn't wish his abilities away. He wished they were something more impressive.

He sighed internally, then turned back out over the waves. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he mused absently, not really aware of whether the others were paying attention to him. "The sea. It's so big, so vast... It reminds you just how small you are." He probably sounded like a lunatic, but didn't mind. He simply watched the waves dance for a while, until he spotted what looked like a large island on the horizon; shrunk to minuscule proportions by the distance between them.

He nudged Casper. "Hey, is that it?" he asked, before gesturing towards the island that was slowly drawing closer.

---

Each more-loose-than-it-should-be hiking boot climbed its way toward the sky above, step by step they drew their owner into the ongoing wind - one that proved to be of some irritation and minor inconvenience to those above deck. It wasn't the voices that had awoken the owner of the boots, nor were they the reason for each step closer to deck; certainly not hostile, not rushed, just plodding at their own pace, as if they had nowhere to be. Given both they and the owner were aboard a ship at sea, such was a more obvious truth.

Each response wasn't a clear exchange among the others aboard the boat, not that the sea was roiling and rampant, or anything of the sort, but that the listener was awakened from his slumber. What stirred him was perhaps just the inability to sleep for any extended period where he didn't feel entirely safe, or perhaps it was just a timely coincidence. Mark Tybalt didn't believe so much in the latter... all the travel of the past few days to get this far, to this lonely ship among students, that was where his fatigue had set in.

Rubbing his eyes with his palms, keeping his balance with little ease despite not having a true sense of self amidst the sea - certainly no sailor at any point in his life - Mark sighed slightly, removing them from his face and replacing his large, dark aviator glasses. Settling them on his face, he noted a small gathering of students. From what he gathered, they were the same that had boarded the craft initially - none had disappeared... yet.

The company before him - Mason, Kana and Casper - seemed to be actively engaged in lively conversation, with the girl bundling her hair in a tie before tossing it casually over her shoulder reminding Mark to fix his hat; taking it in his hands, he approached close enough, but at an angle to view over the railing. He said nothing, not willing at the moment to intrude upon the three. At least not now.

Crimping his hat firmly, returning the curve to the bill, he glanced over casually as the taller of the two boys spoke about the ocean.

Yeah... in a way it is a good reminder.

Fitting the cap over his closely cut, squared hair, he thought, pausing only to watch the speaker nudge the smaller student a bit. Given the angle of the vessel? Mark rationalized it probably was.

"I figure it would be." He remarked, looking out to the water and the distant island beyond.

This wasn't - none of this from the moment he learned of what he really could do up until now - was what he expected, not in the slightest. When he heard "secluded island", Mark really heard "isolated prison", or so he wanted to believe. Maybe his expectations were off? He had spoke with counselors of sorts on their opinions. Certainly their opinions of were jaded, that Mark didn't doubt, but this didn't appear to be the cage he imagined himself being stuffed into for what he was - at least not yet.

These kids seemed, well... pretty happy, excited even.

Mark idled for a moment having been lost in drifting thoughts as to what his "cage" would be on this island, remembering only later that he probably should introduce who he was at least.

"I'm Mark, by the way."

---

@SepticGentleman

---

Oh dear, what does she have here? It appears that Mika was joined by one of the stranger denizens of this island. She didn't know his name... she never bothered to take the time to ask it. Not that anyone really would. Mika wondered what her father would think of Harmon. Oh wait, Harmon would be a prime example of the Savior's pure cause! Someone who's life was ruined by Superpowers. Heh. Every time she heard the words "superpowers", she just couldn't help but crack a smile. She grabbed her cup of fresh, hot, green tea, and took one, long, sip. A slight grin on her face. She kept drinking it for several long seconds, going into the tens. With Harmon in her brown eyes, she didn't break eye-contact with Harmon for one second. While it looked like she was staring him down, she was actually poking into that mind of his. How her telepathy worked was that she would have to dig into his mind, shift through his thoughts, until she found what she wanted. It was like the mind was a library, and she wanted to find a specific book. Only thing was that every library was different, and Harmon's was... "crowded".

_{Pleasedon'tbemean...}

This thought was far more intense than his other surface thoughts. So, like a loud sound, it drowned out his other thoughts. Mika put down her cup of tea, mildly annoyed that this fool would interrupt her progress - she also had drunk almost all of it. Though, that grin got even bigger. What? I don't bite. She quietly laughed to herself. Though that smile quickly turned upside down once she got a good look at his hands. Never mind the fact that he looked like a freak, those hands. Atrocious! Simply offensive. Those hands are disgusting. I should cut them off. Mika mused to herself. She was going to continue prying into his mind, ignoring the insult presented to her. She shifted through his mind (Fortunately he didn't have any disgusting sexual thoughts - he was strange, however), until she found what she was looking for. A name.

Harmon Rottlage.

... Nope, no. Mika has never heard that name before. Odd. It was so.... unusual... that it sound have stood out. Perhaps Mika could find someone with perfect memory so she wouldn't have to deal with these problems. Either way, she had a strange and unusual person before her (With ugly hands). That's what arose her curiosity the most. It was the biggest oddities that held the biggest secrets. "Hello, Harmon..." Mika casually stated. Forgetting the fact that she just told him information that she extracted from his brain. Without permission. "I'm simply just waiting for the assembly to begin. What brings you around these parts?"

Mika detected a faint psychic presence nearby, but choose to ignore it.

She had nothing to hide, and if they weren't willing to show themselves, then they were most certainly not worth Mika's time.

"Wow no way" Kana exclaimed dropping down to balance on the balls of her feet. Her dress fell over her knees thankfully. "just a magic trick" Kana gawked. "Think of everything you could do with that. I mean if you think about it you could be the greatest thief in the world. people wouldn't even know that anything was missing,oh oh you could create organs for people low on the waiting list. Well okay maybe not that I'm not sure if your powers work long term or how that works but like no way i would call your power a simple magic trick" Kana explained excitedly.

Casper couldn’t help but smile wider at their approval. They really liked his power, didn’t they? Compared to everyone else’s power, Casper never felt like he was so special. Kana could read minds, that was something that could make her a billionaire. No secrets were safe from where. Another guy was probably able to throw fireballs with his mind and a third person could probably freeze the ocean with a snap of her fingers. Kana’s and Mason’s astonished expressions brought a warm sensation to Casper’s chest and it made him feel special, in a way. “I-it has a lot of restrictions though…” The replicated phone in his hand vanished in very much the same way his iPod had before. He then slipped the original into his pocket. “I can only copy one thing at a time…” He continued, through couldn’t stop thinking about what Kana had said. The greatest thief in the world, huh? That was true, and it was a thought that had crossed his mind more often than he would want to admit. Of course, he never really wanted to use his powers to hurt others like that, it was just an interesting thought to know that he could.

“They do last…” He continued to respond to the rest of her questions. “One at a time, though.” Throughout the years, Casper has learned to master his powers and knew his limits. One of his favourite pastimes was experimenting with this ability. “I can’t use it on organics…” He shook his head. “Sorry…no transplants.” He managed a soft, quiet laughter. Maybe later, at some point. He had a long time on his hands to see this power grow. One day he’d be able to replicate organic material, perhaps. Did he want to, however? There were probably going to be a lot of complications related to that.

A long time…yes. He still remembered what that doctor had said a year ago. Casper’s cells weren’t like other people’s. They didn’t deteriorate because they didn’t split normally, and according to that meta-human specialist they had visited, once Casper completely matured he’d stop ageing. What did mean, exactly? It had crossed his mind more than once but he tried to shut it out. Perhaps the doctor was wrong, but if he wasn’t, how would that affect Casper in the long term? There were more than likely other meta-humans out there that didn’t age. Some of them were straight up immortal and regenerated lost limbs if they happened to lose them. This was nothing new.

Shaking the thought out of his head, he returned his attention to Kana and Mason. She could probably hear everything Casper thought but he honestly didn’t care much. She was welcomed to prod, he had no big secrets. In fact, he had lived a boringly behaved life. “A-and…thanks, Kana…” It wasn’t a magic trick, but if he was to gain money from using his powers, he’d rather it be from entertaining people with it rather than using it to steal.

Throughout their conversation, Casper had not noticed the fourth individual stepping into the conversation. It was starting to feel a bit crowded and the boy felt himself growing slightly uncomfortable. He did love being around people as had been mentioned, but crowds were another thing. “H-hello…” He greeted, though the anxiety showed more than it previously had. He could deal with this, but hopefully a fifth person didn’t come and join them. That would be too much. One person to hang around with was perfect, two people were okay but three was starting to get a bit scary.

---

---

Kana listened eagerly to what Casper had to say. 'huh nothing organic....I wonder why' Kana tossed the question in her head. Can powers evolve into greater skills. If they can then maybe one day Casper could create organs for people. Maybe one day Casper could have multiple things duplicated. could he one day duplicate people? Furthermore what could Kana do? She always hoped that one day she would at least be able to turn her mind reading off. If should could turn it off then Kana could also learn to read minds better. Would she even want to do that though?

Kana wasn't sure. While it would be nice to be able to know what people thought if she felt the need wouldn't that be a serious invasion of others privacy. Kana didn't want to take that away from others. She wasn't that kind of person. She wasn't the one to decide whether or not she deserved to know something. That was the owner of the thoughts choice. That was that then Kana decided she just wanted to learn how to turn it off not on.

A new voice caught her attention and Kana looked up to great it. "Hello Mark" Kana said in a friendly voice. "I'm Kanala, but you can call me Kana" She added smiling up at Mark. "This is Mason, and this is Casper" Kana introduced the two pointing to first Mason then Casper. Kana hoped they didn't mind her introducing them. She didn't want to be rude to Mark, but at the same time didn't want to invade the privacy of Mason or Casper. "So I'm guessing your new too?" Kana suggested to Mark.