[center][h2][color=9e0b0f]Cassie Anderson[/color] and [color=92278f]Sophie Castellia[/color][/h2][/center]
[center](With Guest NPC Meghan Lequal)[/center]
[h2][center]Boston, MA

Tuesday Afternoon[/center][/h2]


Sophie looked around her humble abode from the seat of her couch. Perhaps humble was too generous, she thought to herself; the place was a hole. The walls hadn’t been repainted since before she’d signed the lease, there were even a few holes in choice places from the previous tenant, and copious amounts of Febreeze was an allowance in her budget for the sake of the smell. But, she reflected, it was honestly the best she could do- there was only so much money someone like her could make.

And yet, here was a woman who said she might have a job offer for her, literally knocking on her door, and saying she could still have a chance to do some good in the world. Sophie had, of course, turned her down fairly flatly; even if she had the potential to, did she really have any right to expect anything benevolent of herself? [color=92278f][i]No,[/i][/color] she thought, [color=92278f][i]Not anymore.[/i][/color] And yet, somewhere in the recesses of her mind that had long since been forgotten, some part of her she would’ve been sworn was dead had been stirred by Cassie’s words. If nothing else, it told her, this was an opportunity that was not likely to come by ever again; she at least ought to give it consideration. It wasn’t long, however, before the memories of that warm June night surfaced in all of their cruel, crystalline clarity to crush it in the same way they had crushed every other hope she had ever dared to harbor. She silenced the TV that had been babbling away in the background with a disdainful flick of the remote, then set about trying to prepare for her two pending guests. Just as she got out two folding chairs that would doubtless be more welcoming than the two-thirds of the couch that wasn’t still hanging on to its support, there was a knock at the door.

When Sophie answered the door, there was Cassie, and another woman. The other woman’s blond hair was braided over her shoulder and she had a small smile on her face as she peeked into the apartment.[color=9e0b0f]“Hello again Sophie.”[/color] Cassie walked into the apartment and paused. [color=9e0b0f]“This is an associate of Sector X’s. Her name is Meghan Lequal.”[/color]

“Hello Miss Castellia. I’m Meghan, and it is a pleasure to meet you. Cass asked me here because she’s pretty sure she can help you. I’m working on getting my PHD in psychotherapy, but I am also a psychic with a really powerful telepathy talent. That is what I’m hoping to use to help you today. Now, I know you have questions, so please, don’t be shy,” said the blonde, whom had been introduced as Meghan. She was holding a file in one of her hands, but the name on the file was covered by the hand. She did stick out her unoccupied hand, obviously wanting to shake hands with Sophie.

[color=9e0b0f]”She’s one of the best there is. I’ve had a few sessions with her.”[/color] Cassie had already made herself at home, having plopped into one of the chairs that Sophie had set up. [color=9e0b0f]”But, she’ll only help if you want.”[/color]

“This is true. I will never do anything without your consent. If you are worried that Cassie is here, and might hear something you don’t want to be heard, then you have no worries. My form of therapy all takes place in your head, if you’ll allow me in.” Meghan offered a smile to Sophie, her hand still stretched out.

Sophie regarded the blonde woman warily. Telepaths were trouble, far more so for her than most others; while the mental shroud technique and common psychic etiquette were enough for most people, Sophie had no way of knowing whether or not she would accidentally give them the ability to completely override her shroud, whether they liked it or not. And if this woman was as strong as Cassie purported her to be…

It must have been her nerves that did it. As soon as she finished concluding that she would need to be extra careful with herself around Meghan, Sophie felt a sensation like warm, running water go down her spine. It was, she realized as soon as it began, the telltale sign of her ability triggering- and it was about to affect a particularly powerful telepath.

[color=92278f]“Brace yourself!”[/color] was all she had time to say before she felt something, or rather someone, picking about in her mind.

Meghan blinked and then realized what was going on and closed her eyes and started navigating Sophie’s mind, and was taking the young girl along for the ride. “I see… A booster. Hmm, there are signs of trauma… something associated with your powers. Something you don’t want anyone else to know. Why don’t we start by telling me how you learned about your ability?” Meghan was projecting directly into Sophie’s mind, and they had left Sophie’s living room and Cassie behind. The blonde looked at ease in Sophie’s mind, it was obviously not the first time she had done something like this. On the other hand, Sophie herself looked like she was about to breakdown at any moment. Her psyche’s representation stood with her arms wrapped around herself and shivering, her eyes darting this way and that in the dim, greyish colored plane.

[color=92278f]“Wh- what are you…[/color] she started to frantically ask, [color=92278f]“Out… I need you to get out! Now!”[/color] she practically screamed as her hands flew to the sides of her head and clutched it, an action she felt sure her physical body was mimicking in her living room. As she stood in such a pose, however, her voice sounded again- but not from the lips of the Sophie standing in front of Meghan. Instead, it reverberated from the very air of the space, as though through a PA system, but only as loud in volume as a whisper.

[color=92278f][i]“She wants to help,”[/i][/color] it said in a comforting tone, [color=92278f][i]“Why not let her try?”[/i][/color]  

[color=92278f][b]“Because she can’t!”[/b][/color] bellowed a louder, clearly more powerful variant of her mezzo-soprano voice, [color=92278f][b]“Nobody can, because there isn’t anything that can be fixed![/b][/color]

Sophie shuddered in the wake of the loud voice, as if she was a schoolgirl being reprimanded by her mother. And yet, she still hadn’t enforced her desire for Meghan to leave.

“Sophie… it is alright. Please, let me help you.” Meghan looked at Sophie and then around. She did look a little lost as Sophie started debating with herself, but she seemed firm in her resolve to help.

“Talk to me. What is it that can’t be fixed?” Meghan reached out her hands, gently putting them over Sophie’s. “Talk to me, please.”

[color=92278f][b]“NO!”[/b][/color] boomed the titanic voice, [color=92278f][b]“Make her leave!”[/b][/color]

[color=92278f][i]“But if she has even a small chance of helping-”[/i][/color]  began the tiny voice in the octave reserved only for desperate pleading.

[color=92278f][b]“FOR THE LAST TIME, NOBODY HAS ANY CHANCE OF-”[/b][/color]

[color=92278f]“Both of you, SHUT UP!!!”[/color]

Silence followed immediately. Regardless of how strong or weak either of the voices seemed, both of them heeded Sophie herself when she put her mind to it. Still trembling, she slowly lowered her hands from her head and stood up to meet Meghan’s eyes directly. There was something in her eyes, something that was neither reluctance nor resolve, but something in between. [color=92278f]“You want to know what happened? Take a look.”[/color]

As she spoke, something like a movie theater screen faded into existence just behind her. For Meghan, it wouldn’t take long for her to realize that the “movie” in question was a memory- and she was watching it through Sophie’s eyes. [color=92278f]“I just hope you’re allowed to forget it.”[/color]

It was unusually clear, for a memory. As soon as most got more than a few days old, they faded a little; details were smudged, the background blurred, and often times the words spoken by those present had a tinge to them, like they’d been hastily edited in. Not this one, though. This memory had retained its clarity ever since its conception. It was in a typical high school gym. Tall dome ceiling, criss-crossing support structure with athletic competition banners hanging from it at set spots, and metal bleachers surrounding a large basketball court. It was well into the evening, 8:00 pm at the earliest, and six teenagers stood around in a circle. Sophie’s sight swiveled around, finding each in turn. Three of them were women, three men, and all of them were dressed in casual street clothes. All three girls were of about the same height, the tallest being only a few inches more than Sophie herself. Two of them were blonde haired, one with long golden locks that draped around her and the other with short, carefully maintained curls about her face, and the third was a glasses-sporting, bookish brunette. The three boys were varied in height; one very tall, one average, and the third on the short side in a way that oddly complimented his dark brown skin. All three of them had an air of athleticism about them, but none of them behaved like the stereotypical jock. 

[color=92278f]“This was two years ago,”[/color] Sophie explained, [color=92278f]“Our school had finally gotten to the point where psychics weren’t getting the crap beaten out of them for being freaks. Just in time for us to graduate. We’d all decided to get together in the gym one last time before we all went our separate ways.”[/color] Meghan nodded, keeping silent as she watched.

The movie continued, with the focus going around the circle. In turn, each of the teenagers held out their hands, closed their eyes, and made something extraordinary happen. For most, it was simply the act of telekinetically passing an old basketball around. Some of them were able to add some flair to it, like when Moriah- the curled blonde- spiraled it around herself before passing it off. For a time, they simply passed the ball around the circle, their faces full of laughter. Occasionally someone would open their mouth to speak, but no words could be heard. It was as if they held no significance in the memory. Which was why it was startling when the taller boy’s voice rang out. 

“Pretty good passes guys,” he said as he spun the ball around on his fingertip, “It’s almost like you’ve been practicing!”

“Oh, like you haven’t been, James?” chimed in the brunette, giving the ball a quick bump from across the gathering. James took the bump in stride, catching the ball and physically passing it away.

“Nah,” James replied, “Not me. Not that, at least. I’ve been working on something WAY better.”

[color=ed145b]“Oh?”[/color] Moriah asked, crossing her arms in front of her body, [color=ed145b]“And what would that be?”[/color]

“Check it out!” James said in return as he extended his arm outward. A few seconds later, small sparks began to form in the air above his palm. They grew in number and in sparkiness, snapping and glowing louder and brighter until they formed a small, reddish firework floating inches above his hand!

“Whoa!” exclaimed the young black man- Will was his name, “You have a Uni-Psych?”

“Sure do,” James said as he began to walk around with the little psychic pyrotechnic, “Found out about it back in December. Been working on it all year!”

 [color=92278f]“Isn’t that hot, though?”[/color] came Sophie’s own voice, resonating from the memory.

“Nope!” James exclaimed in response as he danced with the spark toward her, “It just kind of tingles. See?”

As he extended it toward the camera, so to speak, Memory-Sophie shirked away from the little ball. 

[color=92278f]“Ahhh!”[/color] she cried out, [color=92278f]“Don’t do that! You know I don’t like that feeling!”[/color] 

“Oh come on Sophie, Sparky here just wants to be friends…” James said as he made to playfully close the gap and tease her again. Each time he approached, she backed a little more away, until finally…

[color=92278f]“I said, get that away from me!”[/color] she cried as her hand came into vision to slap his arm away. As soon as she made contact, however, something happened. The little firework flared suddenly and started to grow hot. James, noticing it immediately, backed away and started trying to focus. The spark started pulsing as it grew larger and larger, brighter and brighter, and the look on James’s face made it plain he had no idea what to do!

“James, what are you doing?!”

“This isn’t me! I don’t know what it’s doing, this has never happened before!”

“Turn it off!”

“I can’t!”

“Well, get rid of it then!”

With little choice left, James hurled the spark upwards into the air, where it flew high up to the gym’s ceiling. The view of memory flew down to look at Sophie’s hands as she turned them over and over, trying to confirm if that had been her or not. 

[color=92278f]“Did I just…?”[/color]

Then there was a blinding light, a deafening blast, and the entire building shook! Sophie’s gaze flew around, too fast to make sense of anything.

And then the screams came. Horrible, agonized screams in her friends’ voices that curdled the blood and froze the air in the lungs of all who heard them. The screams of dying people. 

As the memory’s lens snapped to the source of the noise, all that could be seen was the falling concrete and steel as the burning roof collapsed. Sophie froze with fear, unable to move an inch, and her gaze locked upon the burning wreckage. 

[color=ed145b]“Sophie!!!”[/color] cried out a voice in the chaos. She turned toward it and found Moriah still standing, still breathing, staring wide-eyed at her.

[color=92278f]“Moriah!”[/color] Sophie responded and started moving toward her. Suddenly, Moriah’s eyes snapped upwards, over Sophie’s head, and her mouth opened wide before closing in a snarl. 

[color=ed145b]“Look out!”[/color] she yelled as she extended both hands toward her friend. Great telekinetic force, the kind only attainable so quickly by those with a specialty for it, struck Sophie and launched her backwards. She tumbled and rolled on the ground, finally getting to her feet a dozen yards away from the steel girder that nearly crushed her.

[color=92278f]“Mori!”[/color] she yelled as she ran around to see her best friend. When she found her, Moriah was on the ground, pinned from the waist down by part of the demolished infrastructure. She was immobile, but she was conscious- and under a lot of stress. 

[color=ed145b]“I’m okay!”[/color] she yelled through gritted teeth, [color=ed145b]“I cushioned it with my TK. Sophie, get out of here!”[/color]

[color=92278f]“I’m not about to leave you like this!”[/color] Sophie cried as she started to run toward Moriah’s position.

[color=ed145b]“Yes… you… mmph! ARE!”[/color] Moriah returned as a much weaker force pushed against Sophie briefly, [color=ed145b]“I can shield myself until help gets here! You’re still moving around, you need to leave before that changes!” [/color]

[color=92278f]“I can’t just-”[/color]

Another crash echoed across the gym as more of the roof turned to rubble.

[color=ed145b]“GO!!!”[/color]

One last moment of hesitation occurred... and then Sophie whirled around and bolted for the nearest unblocked door. Once she was outside, she stopped to catch her breath and review what had just happened. And then she promptly threw up on the ground. A seeming eternity passed as tears fell and mixed with the remnants of Sophie’s dinner on the ground. 

And then, she was moving again. It started as a slow, tottering walk, but it soon turned into a jog and then a full run. All the while, the same sentence echoed in increasing distance as the memory came to a close.

[color=92278f][i]“It’s all my fault… It’s all my fault.... It’s all my fault…"[/i][/color]

The memory faded to black as the Sophie in the memory ran away from the scene as quickly as her legs would carry her. Meghan’s attention rounded back to the present-day Sophie, who sat on the ground with her back turned away from where the memory had been playing.  [color=92278f]“Well.”[/color] she stated, [color=92278f]“There it is. That’s how I found out what my ‘special power’ was.”[/color] She pronounced the two words with such cynicism it was palpable. [color=92278f]“By murdering most of my best friends. Moriah was the lucky one. She’s still in a coma, last I knew. But the doctors don’t know if she’ll ever wake up.”[/color]

Then she turned her head around to see the telepath. There were fresh tears in her eyes. [color=92278f]“Still think you can help me?”[/color]

Meghan was frowning and she looked at Sophie. “Well, one you didn’t murder your best friends. Murder usually implies intent. However… Sophie, this was not your fault, first and foremost. A lot of accidents happened like this, especially when powers started awakening. I mean,” Meghan paused, and looked aside shamefully, “I started mind hopping a bit when I awoke. Did some serious damage to some friends. However, Sophie, what you went through, that’s not going to go away. What I can help you with is the guilt. That is if you will let me. I doubt your friends would want you to just keep yourself holed up in your shabby apartment.” Meghan offered out her hand to Sophie, and looked at her. “Also, if you want a hug right now, I don’t blame you.”

Sophie maintained her thousand yard stare, even as the hand was extended. [color=92278f]“No offense, but I don’t think any of their parents would care if I had intent or not. They’re all dead or dying, and [i]it’s all my fault[/i].”[/color] she almost yelled as she came to a standing position, [color=92278f]“I know more than anybody that it isn’t [i]ever[/i] going away. Part of the reason I work the graveyard shift is because I can’t ever sleep at night. Any time I close my eyes the memories come flooding back, as clear as they were just now. The screaming is the worst part. Once that starts, I just…”[/color]

She turned her head away and wiped some of the tears away. [color=92278f]“ I overloaded that fireball. My closest friend had to rescue me instead of saving herself. And then I left her to die. If they would even think of me as a friend anymore, I’m pretty sure what they’d want most is for me to make sure I never hurt anybody like that again.”[/color]

Meghan looked at Sophie, still frowning softly. “Sophie, we can help you with your gift. We have technology and others who can teach you how to control your power… but…” She seemed to pause for a moment, almost picking up something. She looked back to the younger girl. “Would you like me to include Cassie in this conversation?” She tilted her head a bit curiously, looking at Sophie, awaiting a response. 

Sophie shook her head, not to answer Meghan, but to try and clear her thoughts. [color=92278f]“I don’t know. I’m sick of feeling like this. I’m sick of the nightmares, I’m sick of the guilt, and I’m sick of living in isolation like I have a disease.”[/color] She sat down again, bringing her knees to her chin. [color=92278f]“But what else can I do? Accident or no, I destroyed the lives of everyone I ever cared about. What right do I have to live a decent life after denying it to them? If I didn’t think I’d be cheating my rightful sentence I’d just kill myself.”[/color]

[color=9e0b0f]”You shouldn’t think like that. Moriah wouldn’t want that. She risked her life to save you, and honestly when she wakes up and if you were dead, she’s be rather sad.”[/color] Cassie interjected, having been slipped in at some point. [color=9e0b0f]”I was one of the people who investigated the incident at your school Sophie. I didn’t know that you were a part of it yesterday. We have a healer working with Moriah, so one day she’ll wake up. As for what you said… I know that feeling too well kid. I was a marine. I did… things… that I’m not proud at times. But, we can help you. She can at least. I know I sleep well at night now thanks to Megs here. You have to be willing to let us help you first though. No progress starts without making that first step.”[/color]
 
Sophie’s head turned to where Cassie had suddenly appeared. She didn’t respond to the ex-marine’s words. She didn’t say anything at all for quite some time. And then, both Cassie and Meghan felt her shroud go up.  [color=92278f]“Would you mind giving me some time in my own head? Please?”[/color]

Nearly a half hour later, Sophie opened her eyes in the apartment again. She exhaled slowly, as if letting go of multiple things in her chest, then looked at Cassie.  [color=92278f]“Okay,”[/color] she said at last, her tone neutral but not as cold as it was, [color=92278f]“Tell me more about Sector X.”[/color]