Classes Commence [Topic:Exposure; OPEN]

[Dr. Reid Sullivan]

____________________________
Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now

He cautioned a wary glance to the blank faces in front of him. It lacked the particular expression he was looking for, understanding. "Guys, we're not having an exam here. Loosen up a little…" He said with a slightly tenor voice that reverberated to the whole room. Still. Blank. They could easily pass in an audition, seeing the current appearance they had. Yeah, they would ace the audition. And the movie's title? School Zombies. Yeah, that bad. He tapped his finger patiently, waiting for some sort of reaction, and for a brief lapse in judgment he wanted to believe that the students had gone brain dead on him. Which is hardly appropriate for a supposed class of lifeless brain-eating zombies.

Seeing that he hasn't made progress, Reid…or Professor Reid, as his students called him, hopped off his table. He headed to the board and wrote the message he wanted to come across. In bold letters, just to make sure. "Exposure. For decades, people with abilities like you, you and you…" He started pointing several students in front of him before plowing onto his topic. "hid themselves from human eye. With good reason of course, as the worlds' not ready yet for people with abilities to equal a nuclear bomb. Thus, Sententia Academy was born. This school has made every individual from this room to a within the vicinity of St. Louis safe and secure." His voice seemed to ring higher as his monologue reached it's peak. "But I guess all of you guys know that by now. Bottom line here, is do you think that after years of keeping it all…" He paused lifted a brow and made a gesture with his hand, as if he was whispering something. "a hush…should we or should we not start in introducing what certain people could do?" He finished crossing his arms on his chest, satisfied at what he had said.

Looking through every face, sifting through their actions. He was finally glad that he was able to elicit a number of reactions. And to prove that, he heard a rhythmic buzzing, one which you usually heard within a beehive with dozens of bees. But you wouldn't see a swarm of bees hovering within the horizon waiting to attack you with their nasty stings. No one other than him…and other telepaths would hear what seems to be music to his ears right now. The murmuring sounds actually came from the thoughts of this kids. And by any weird chance that you missed the cue, Professor Reid Sullivan is a telepath. In fact, one of the most powerful that the breeds to walk the Earth. As if he was some sort of treasure excavated from a long lost empire. God, now he feels old…ancient even. It had some truth to that though as his appearance wasn't just for show. If you call black long-sleeved shirt and tight hugging pants a "show" of his importance. At an early age of twenty-seven, Reid already earned three degrees in college and could practically remember every single thing he had come across, from the breakfast he took last week to the color of the tie he wore a year ago. A feat that little could only perform but he seemed to do with ease. Alongside his telepathy, he also possessed total recall and suppresion, a rare mutation to breeds as he was the only one with two special skills. The ability to retain any information someone has come across and to suppress the powers of others. Either that or it just coincided with his telepathy…which he doubted really especially since he seems to be the only one among them who had it.

Taking a stray apple that a student had on her table and took a bite at the juicy fruit. Reid walked around the room, his voice ringing out. "So what's the final verdict? Should we expose? Or dispose…erm...I mean conceal? Should we show ourselves for who we truly are? Or stay hidden behind a mask forever?" It sounded theatrical even to him, but he had to be creative if he really wanted good reactions from his students. His eyes found the eye of the owner and winked at her making the poor child flush. He strode back to his table, propping himself on the edge as he waited for their reactions. He was sure that the desire to be accepted is a common frustration albeit a hidden desire they all had. Metaphorically speaking, their identities were like a forbidden fruit…tempting to taste and expose…but as the name implies…forbidden. He left the floor open, waiting his students to exchange their views...to express their thoughts about it. A smile of anticipation lighted his face. Let the battle begin.

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tagged: open for all! students at least
word count: 890
notes: don't feel obligated to post as long XD It's just me babbling XD

[Maia Celise]

'Another year.' Maia thought.

The young girl sat near the back of the class, studiously trying to focus on the professor before her which was no easy feat for her. Even though the girl was now a sophomore she was still in this class. It was a prerequisite for every student of Sententia from the frightened, nervous, fidgeting freshmans to the cool, collected, 'been there, done that' seniors. For your entire life at the Academy this course would be on your timetable, your name on the class list.

As always Dr. Sullivan had started the first class of the year with the same question. Expose or hide? It was an important and stimulating question but at the moment Maia thought that maybe it was a bit too stimulating. The whirlpool of emotions of the class that the young girl felt were now even more ina frenzy; each student feeling at least five things at once as they considered the question. Though she understood her classmates reactions to the question, for it had a personal bearing on each and every one of them, it didn't make the emotional upsurge any less annoying.

It was in slight frustration and desperation that Maia raised her hand and spoke, hoping that by giving them something to focus on they would calm at least a little.

"I think understanding has to be gained first," the girl said, raising her voice so that it could be heard over the loud buzzing of her classmates, "We are forced to hide because we are feared; because our very existence is not understood and tests the laws of nature. History shows that the human race is not quick to accept that which is new and that they cannot immediately explain but that that doesn't mean that it is impossible. In the past it was thought that the world was flat but now we know better. Although it took a great number of years; thinking was eventually adjusted and it was finally accepted that initial beliefs were wrong and that the world is in fact round. Why should this be any different?" She paused, "If people can see that despite our abilities, in fundamentals, we are just like them. If they can see that we aren't here to hurt but just live our lives like anyone else and, for those who choose to, help others where we can. If they can see that we don't need to be feared. Then hopefully understanding will be gained and from that understanding, acceptance can stem and finally who we are rather than what we are would be what is judged. So no, I don't think we should conceal ourselves forever but instead we should gradually introduce ourselves, showing them the truth so that the day can come when the mask you speak of wouldn't only not have to be worn any longer but also wouldn't even have to exist."

[Addison Harther]

As Addison walked into class she tried to shrug her daughter and current events going on with her off of her mind, she didn't want every telepathy or empath in the school to know everything on her mind. By now she was use to blocking out her thoughts, she hated the stupid gossip that was always spread around.

As the question was exposed and everyone started talking at once, Addison thought to herself. Of course they should conceal themselves! Addison always had very strong opinions, but she always listened to others, As Maia started to speak Addison knew right away she disagreed. As soon as Maia had finished she raised her own hand to speak out to her classmates. Addison was very intelligent and there was much others could learn from such a bright young girl.

"That is just like asking us if we want to live or die!" Addison came off strong at times, it was odd because she had such a sweet personality. "Everyone is going to see us as our powers, not humans, when we are very much so. Just as much as anyone who isn't like us. The public would try to get red of us. I think that much is obvious. They do fear us, Maia is right." Addison said giving Maia some credit. "But it doesn't matter if we aren't going to hurt them, the fact is we have the ability too, and no body wants someone around who has more power then their self, especially when they have no defense to us. This is just the beginning of a long episode of problems. There are already members of the public who I'm sure have seen one of 'us' using our powers, there ARE people out there who are suspicious." Addison paused not sure how the class was reacting to her. She was a strong speaker and always had been. "The truth will get out one day, we wont be concealed forever. And when it does, there WILL be continuous problems between us and humans unlike us." With that Addison sat down, she didn't want to look around too scared that others would disagree and be giving her rude stares.

[Ian Hart]

What are we sneakin' around for?
Who we tryin' to please?
Shruggin' our sin,
apologizin' like we're spreadin' some kind of disease
I'm sayin' no way, no way.
-Newsboys ~ I'm Not Ashamed

Ian felt the buzz of emotions raised by the question presented by Professor Reid. It was the same question he'd asked every year Ian had been here. Exposure or hiding, the constant debate of whether their powers should stay a secret. Ian felt anger and other emotions bubbling all around him like water in a pot, the teacher had "turned on the heat" and now everything was boiling over.

First Maia spoke, saying that eventually people could learn to accept them. Then Addison spoke about how exposure vs. concealment was a life or death move. He felt a need to speak, something that he didn't do much in classes. He slowly stood up, eliciting a reaction from the people who knew how much he kept to himself commonly.

"There's no way to know which of you is right. I'm not saying you aren't, one of you has to be since your opinions are the opposite. But Addison's is a view of self-preservation and Maia's a view of hope for a better future. Whichever of these the real reality is, it's going to take several generations to get there."

He glanced around the room as he took a breath and continued "Humans are a very rational species. As Maia said, we don't like to accept the presence of that which we cannot understand. Addison's right that people have seen some of us use our powers or have had our powers used on them. But currently there's not enough of these incidents for anyone to make the connection, so they'll choose to believe in whatever 'rational' excuse they can come up with to disregard our existence."

Calm and even words. He didn't speak much, but when he did he held their attention like flies on flypaper. "Ultimately we either will have to choose to reveal ourselves or wait for the day when they can't rationalize us away anymore, when they realize it's no coincidence and that we really do exist. So the choice remains as this, which will make it worse. Will it be like a child lying to their mother, where the longer we hold this up the madder the world will be? Or will it not make a difference either way? Will telling the truth give us just as much trouble as letting the normal humans find out about us on their own."

He paused, let that sink in, and then continued to the end of his thoughts. "I think it's too early to know. Either of these futures are possible, but from an insider's point of view it's hard to really know how someone who doesn't have these abilities will react. We know we want them to eventually learn to accept us, but we also know the other result is just as likely an outcome. That the future where we have constant trouble for being what we are is just as likely as the one where the world learns to accept us just like it accepted the idea the the earth is round and it revolves around the sun."

He leaned down on his desk to and emphasis to the ending. "I for one would like to hope for the happy ending, but I also don't believe that happy endings are real. I think this decision needs to be made eventually though, before it's made for us." With that he sank back down into his desk. He was neutral, and that was a valid stance as far as he was concerned.

[Steven Mathias]

For most of the time that had elapsed he just sat there, slouched in his seat, pencil in his hand, eyes glued on the door, wishing, waiting to get out of here. It honestly didn't matter that they were taking about abilities, it didn't make a difference that everyone in that room had abilities...school was school and he hated it nonetheless. Being forced to sit here and learn something you deemed uninteresting or useless wasn't exactly 'living the life'. Then, it was his parents forcing him to sit through this and be normal, now...he was forcing himself to because he had no other choice; he didn't exactly have a condo on the beach he could escape to. Nah, this was it. Sad, huh?

Don't take it the wrong way. Because he hated school and because he wished he was elsewhere, it didn't mean he was inattentive, he was quite the opposite. As his gaze lingered over the threshold, his mind was firmly set in the classroom, listening ever so intently to the professor, taking in the question that he posed to the class and as he listened to his peers discuss he was mulling over it. Not that there was much to think about, he already knew where he stood on the matter of Hide or Streak. But still, it was interesting to hear what they had to say. Maia, the girl he met at the Ball, she had a good point, the blond who spoke after seemed on the same page as he was and the other blond dude seemed neutral but hopeful for some positive change still...at least that's how he took it in.

When he had said his piece, Steven was feeling compelled to say something. Hey, at least the professor got what he wanted, a class with some life into it. Now, time to pour on the negativity. He thought as he shifted in his seat. He cleared his throat. "Yeah...Professor...to be honest, they are afraid of us. It's like, if you aren't one of them, that is, normal and 'supposedly' human to the bone marrow and lets throw in what the blond said, the fact that we are walking weapons of destruction to whatever degree...well, it doesn't sit too well with some people." Yeah he was fired up now and in his mind, he could see the two great examples he was referring to. "You know that saying, if you can't count on family, who can you count on? Well, my parents feared me the day this curse started acting up, when i tried to control it on my own, they freaked, probably thought I was trying to nuke the whole planet or some shit like that...but still, the way they looked at me, the way they looked at me every day for God knows how long...if the people who made you, the one who gave birth to you, the ones who raised you hate you for what you can do, bare in mine you're still human, if they hate you like that...what's to say a total stranger won't start casting stones, trying to either exile you or kill you, my bet is on the latter."

Shit. Even going over everything he just said he sounded horrible and the way his voice wavered close to the end...it said something about him. Jeez, he was one messed up guy. And so what if he wasn't as factual, or as philosophical as the others, in his own words, he said what he had to say...and think about it. If the people who were supposed to love you most in this world hated you, it would be a bit of a stretch to expect acceptance anywhere else...well, expect for a place like Sententia where those like him were exiled to.

[Maia Celise]

After Maia finished her speech she listened closely to the others and wasn't suprised that her view was being opposed. However, the response that caught her attention the most was Steven's. He had just described exactly what had happened to her almost word for word.

"All of you have valid points." she said speaking up again, "but," She turned in her seat to look directly at Steven. "if there was a chance, no matter how small, that we didn't have to hide anymore. That we would be accepted at last by those who turned their backs on us; betrayed and hurt us. The chance that we would no longer have to fear persecution if what we are was revealed. If the possibility of that chance exists isn't it worth the risk?"

That belief was all that kept Maia going because despite everything her parents had done, she couldn't help but still love them and she wanted desperately for them to once again love her too.

[Serena Elwood]

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we're all okay
And not to worry because worry is wasteful
and useless in times like these
--------------------------------------------------
-Jewel

The day had started off good. Serena had awoken to find herself in a particularly happy mood, smiling as she readied herself for the day, taking her time and thanking the great powers that she had the gift of teleporting. Unlike most fellow students, she didn’t have to waste time walking over to the classrooms. And that time she kept she could use for extra sleep. She applied her make up happily, smoothened her hair out, and even had time to play a song before heading out. And in a flash, she was there, standing outside the classroom. She had entered happily, ready for the new day. She took her seat, and after a few moments, class commenced. From that moment out, her happy status was gone… She didn’t know how it happened, really. With every word her professor spoke she sort of fell more and more into a trance…she just didn’t have the desire to pay attention. Every once and awhile she’d force her mind back into the classroom, but overall her mind was gone. If only she could just leave….literally. But what kind of thinking was that???

To make matters worse, the topic of conversation turned into something Serena simply did not want to discuss: exposure. The topic itself was very tearing and complex, and to Serena…useless. What implications was it going to have anyways? Personally, Serena felt better here, protected at the school, than ever before. She didn’t want to change that, and she didn’t want to discuss it. But there was something more about this topic…Perhaps it was the fact that it made her feel...uneasy. Perhaps it was the fact that it made her feel…sad. But most importantly, perhaps it made her feel…. afraid. She undoubtedly always seemed to form a knot in her stomach whenever severe matters like this had to be discussed. She just didn’t like the feeling it gave her. So, she resolved to blank out the conversation. It probably wasn’t necessary to pay attention anyways, and she was already tired and weary. She recognized voices of friends and classmates as they spoke up, but Serena hardly listened. She didn’t want to. In the back of her mind, she may have been keeping track of how her classmates viewed society, but up front she was completely out of the conversation. While resting her head on her arm, she resigned herself to tracing over the letters of one of her assignments with ink.

And then, something snapped her out her trance. It was a voice; unrecognizable and unknown. She quickly put her head up and looked around to discover where the voice was coming from. She soon found her source. He was handsome, she’d give him that- dark hair, green eyes, a nice build- but at the moment that wasn’t what was drawing her in. There was something about him-she couldn’t point it out-that made her want to listen. There was something about him that made her want to think. And she found herself hanging on his every word. For truly, although not entirely grand in speech, his story was thought-provoking. She knew it was out there. She knew there were kids that lost their parents because of their gift; some quite literally. She knew that some would forever blame themselves for what they had accidentally done. But Serena did not know how that felt. Her story was something different entirely. Yet something, she too did not like to think about. But she was here now, and that was what mattered. Here she was, safe and blissfully free.

Yet she found herself somehow connecting with the unfamiliar, dark haired guy who spoke. It was odd, for she didn’t even know who he was. But she didn’t think about that now. She was too sucked into his story, lingering on what he said. She felt bad, and she felt sorrow for him. But there was also something else. Her mind instantly told her something was wrong. He was wrong. She wanted to correct him, for his own health. Then when Maia spoke up, Serena remained in her attentive state and listened to her friend’s words, yet her eyes lingered on him.

“If the possibility of that chance exists isn't it worth the risk?"

“No.” She said abruptly, quickly realizing that she had spoken without meaning to. There was a quick embarrassment that followed. She really didn’t mean to disagree with Maia; it just came out like that. She’d lost herself too much in the conversation and now she was expected to explain herself. “I-I mean.” She hesitated to find her words. “I don’t think there is a chance, and even if there is…” She sighed. “I don’t know if there should be.” She looked down, ashamed, and knowing that she wasn’t finished. And then, with a sudden leap of courage, she lifted her head up, firm with confidence. “It seems like we have this moral belief that if someone is born a certain way, then society should accept them. I don’t know if that’s right. Some people…some things are created dangerous. Some things are created vile. People have the right to be afraid of someone or something that could hurt them…And honestly, we’re dangerous- all of us. I mean…” She paused. “If I wanted to…I could…I could do terrible things. I could murder, and steal, and do all kinds of awful acts and never get caught for it- ever. We’re dangerous.” She paused for but a small moment.

“But that doesn’t mean we’re cursed. I think it’s quite the opposite. We’ve been blessed. Think of all the good things that we could do for society. We can make a real difference; do things a normal person never could do to help the world. And when much is given, much is required. I’m not saying what we have is easy, for some of us it’s really hard. But we’ve still been given remarkable gifts. And with those gifts comes responsibility. We have to be better than the rest. We have to endure things. Even if we don’t want to….” She sighed, “Even if that means understanding and loving those that don’t love us back.”

Status: Complete!
Word Count: 1,180
Notes: Yay! First in-character post!

[Steven Mathias]

"That's bullshit." He shot out, maybe a little too loudly but it was already said. No sense backing out now. This blond had him boiled up. All her talk about this being a blessing, the responsibility...and the fact that we shouldn't be accepted because they were different. It was all straight from the horses ass. "You can't honestly believe that. You can't honestly expect us to believe that you don't mind the fact that society, as you put it, sees you differently...that they look at you like you're a freak." He said, laying layers of emphasis on the last words. "That...that you're some carbon-based weapon of mass destruction bred in a test tube and dropped into a womb? That doesn't sit with me too well. You're human, I'm human, we're all human. We weren't dropped off from Mars or some shit like that." He went on, changing his posture from relaxed to interested as he leaned across his desk, his hands gripping the sides of the table.

He glanced at her sideways...then he smirked. "You know this responsibility you're talking about. I tried that in a sense. Tried to get it under control so I don't do something stupid...again. Know what happened? I accidentally launched a car into the air...it travelled so far I was shocked...and what was even more shocking is that it almost hit a house. I didn't know anything about that until the next day, after I woke up from passing out." He looked at her, then to the rest of them. "If that's you're definition of a blessing then we must have two different Gods, because this shit, it's all a curse. Nothing good will come of what we can do. Even if we can control it, and do some good...won't change a thing because the stigma is gonna stay there like a mustard stain on a white shirt. And besides...this isn't X-men. This is the real world. No place for us in it."

He leaned back in his chair. After having cooled down a bit he looked over at Maia. "You ask if the risk should be taken. What if exposing leads to some kids stoning you as you walk home from school. Teachers out there being too afraid to teach you shit...parents...parents that pack up and leave you. Dumping you off at some place you don't even wanna be...and the friends that you once had before you got there. Go tell them you're a freak...see which ones stick by your side and tell me, how many of them is willing to except the fact that you can move shit with your head...or that you know everything in their head." He said, glancing right at the Doc. "That's all." He muttered, returning to his relaxed state.

He looked out the door for a minute then he looked aver at the blond who spoke before him. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, he felt a pang of guilt inside him. Maybe he was taking things a bit too personally...maybe he was getting too riled up over nothing. Maybe he should have been a good boy, sit there and shut up. Keep quiet like he did back at his old school. Would do a world of good, but he just couldn't let her go on thinking that way. It was like she believe one thing but was striving for the next...and that's how he felt. That's how conflicted he truly was in his head and it wasn't getting any clearer with this messed up discussion. He picked up his pencil just for the sake of having something to do, and he started to twirl it, looking right at her...right now his mind was void of anything significant. He was just..looking at her for the sake of looking.

[Serena Elwood]

The depth of frustration in his reaction was not something Serena expected, if she had expected anything out of him at all. She didn’t think he, or anyone for that matter, would have reacted so personally. Yet again, sometimes she wasn’t the best judge of character. And she should have anticipated someone would have been angered by her opinion that people’s fear of them wasn’t necessarily wrong. People didn’t like to hear that those that hurt them shouldn’t be blamed for it. It was a natural, defensive emotion. But there was a difference from angry and being out of the line. And as Serena listened, that is exactly how she felt about this knew guy. At first it had hurt her. His harsh words cut her sharply, like being backstabbed by a close friend. It took a lot to just remain calm and refrain from showing hurt in her face. But quickly she realized her error in emotions; he was not a close friend at all. He wasn’t even an acquaintance. He was just some new guy convinced that he was right and she was wrong. There was no reason to be hurt. There was only reason to be angry, and her emotions turned exactly to that. Anger. And Serena didn’t experience that often.

Serena wasn’t a contentious person. Rarely did she participate in anything of the sort. But there were times when the occasion truly called for it. And this was one of them. She listened to him insult her. She listened to him rag on her. She listened to him attempt to make a mockery of her belief. And the whole time her anger just boiled up more and more. She wanted to add sarcastic remarks to little things he said, here and there, but she didn’t want to get in trouble with the teacher; and there would be a time for her to speak later. In the back of her mind something told her that she needed to stop this nonsense and realize that he just was over sensitive about the matter. He’d already admitted to having his parents turn on him and this was obviously affecting his negative stance. At the moment, he was a lost cause, and bashing him won’t help him or Serena. But Serena didn’t listen to the small voice. She was too busy replaying his words over and over in her head.

In Serena’s mind there were two types of people; there were the kind that sorrowed so unwillingly and then there were those that sorrowed for the take of being sorrowful. This guy seemed like he was the latter. He was only miserable because he made himself so. Straightforwardly, he was weak. He didn’t want to happy because initially it required more effort than being miserable. Or, perhaps he liked the attention. Perhaps he was trying to make a martyr of himself. Either way, he just slumped back into being miserable, on his own accord, and apparently, was trying to take everyone down with him. Misery loves company. How aggravating.

But it her anger only got worse when he moved on to tell his story about how he had “tried” to be responsible and it had just ended in failure. And that little smirk he gave when he said it just set her off all the more. She wanted to say “Oh, go cry in a corner” or something along the lines of telling him to grow up and realize that the world didn’t revolve around him. The world didn’t care about how you felt or if you got your feelings hurt, no matter to what life you were born. It was very sad, and often times we had friends to help us along the way, but when it came down to it everyone had two options: You could be happy and move on, or you could be miserable and hate the world for it. It was your own personal choice. And misery never profited society. Those that chose to hate the world just polluted it. Her mother had at least taught her that.

He moved on to reply to Maia, in a noticeably calmer tone which also aggravated Serena. What was Serena’s crime? He hated her because she’d spoken the truth? Now Maia got special treatment? Well, she supposed she was glad. If he had reacted to her friend the same way he had reacted to her she would have been livid. Yet still, her eyes filled with anger and she tried to not speak yet. She didn’t even know what to say. Perhaps she should think it through before jumping into something…the fact of the matter was that Serena hated conflict and wasn’t experienced at it. There was no telling what she would do next. So she waited…tapping her pen on her desk she waited.

And then her time came. Silence. He was done. Yet, at the time, she couldn’t even bring her angry mouth to open. It was almost as if he had forced her into a new kind of anger that was so powerful she couldn’t even act normal. Since when was Serena a quite person? She spoke her mind. She wasn’t silent, she was outgoing. Yet here she was. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, either. She just stared straight at the board, gripping her desk with her hands, her jaw clenching. But the more she sat there, the more she realized that someone could beat her to the punch and speak before her. That triggered a relaxation in her body and the desire of her mind overrode all emotions restraining her from looking at him. And she did, only to find he was looking at her. Their eyes locked, and Serena’s muscles loosened, almost to the point where she was entirely relaxed. Then, with a sigh, and even a slight smile, she spoke. “You’re right. We do have two different Gods.” Her voice quickly turned cold and edgy. “At least mine keeps me happy.”

That was it. That is all she wanted to do. At this very moment she wanted to leave. In the back of her mind she was even tempted to teleport out. She was done with this conflict and wanted nothing more. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She just wanted to go back to her dorm and cool out. She turned back around to face the teacher and hoped that class would end soon and she could move on.

[Steven Mathias]

That moment when their eyes locked, his eyes softened slightly and the desire, to honest desire to open his mouth and apologize to her was beyond sincere. Yeah he definitely took it to far, he knew it and she felt it, clearly she felt that way because that look on her face wasn't one that read "It's cool." There were killer-instincts behind that cold gaze he was being so nicely treated with and he couldn't deny that he deserved it but seriously, that crap she spat out some minutes before, it wasn't worth listening to, far less mulling over, he was human...he deserved better than he did...no child deserved what he got. Fuck that he was seventeen already...he had some shit going on and it would have been much appreciated if he got a bit of understanding...and help, coming his way from the people who raised him.

He could still see them. He could still see the way they looked at him from across the table, he could still feel the eyes on his back when he sat at his desk in his room trying to do homework...he could hear their whispers at night when he listened at their bedroom door. And he could sum up the many days he spent trying to pretend they weren't acting like he was some freak, freeloading in their spotless house, getting it all dirty with him being what he was, what he always would be. Once he heard his mum ask his dad if there wasn't some operation to get whatever happened to him reversed or taken out. He expected his dad to scoff like always but his reply was beyond shocking. He said he already tried that option...and then he suggested suing the hospital for their defective offspring. Offspring. That's all he was...nature with a mishap in the design. A flaw that couldn't be rectified by any other means except termination.

He snapped himself out of it just in time. At the time he was so riled up that he snapped the pencil in his grip into two pieces. Setting the remnants of his necessary distraction down on the table, forgetting that he was previously holding a staring contest with the blond, he turned his gaze back out the classroom door, dreaming, wishing, wanting to get out just to be free from this discussion and this classroom in particular. But he knew it wasn't over yet, and sure enough the blond started to speak again. He rolled his eyes as his frustration of this never-ending plague of boredom became so much more real but hearing what she just said woke him him. His head snapped in her direction, his eyes looked at her with curiosity...then wonder...then dislike.

"At least mind keeps me happy."

That's what she said...and that's what you get when you let your head and your heart take control of your mouth. You said what you were feeling even it it hurt others and what do you get? Bitch slapped, that's what. He shifted uncomfortably until his entire body was turned to her, his gaze still locked on her. If he could do anything right now he would have loved to launch her sky high...maybe hit the ceiling, maybe send her out the window...something to make that malicious remark seem so much less painful than it was.

"Happy." He said, his voice sounding so far away in his own ears. He glanced down at a second as his anger whittled away to be replaced by...nothing actually. He looked back at her, flashed her a brief smile then he spoke. "I'm glad you're happy." He began. "I'm so fucking happy for you...no really, I am. Don't misinterpret the way I sound...I am glad that between you and me, your life came out better. I mean, someone had to end up in the dysfunctional family with all the issues." His voice was calm and it didn't suit the way his face looked...indescribable. God? Yeah he believed in God to his very core, but he and God weren't on speaking terms right now. How could they be when his world was a downward spiral from day one and no one bothered to lend him even a finger. How could they? He was too afraid to tell anyone what he was. What would his too-proud-to-accept parents do if another sole knew of their defective progeny? Well, we all knew the answer. He was here and not home. They were home and happy and free of the burden.

He looked at her for a second longer, then he grabbed his bag on the floor and shoved his books and his ruined pencil and his pen in without a care at being gently. Gentle wasn't what he wanted to be right now. He looked at her once more, keeping her face to mind just for future reference. He pushed his desk away as he got to his feet, heading out as casually as possible, but he couldn't resist the urge to use his ability to slam the door shut behind him. Never had he been so far beyond pissed in his life...and never had he been so calm about it. This meant that the bitching was going to start in a few hours...he needed to relax and forget. He needed some music.

[Connor Reid]

Connor's eyes looked around, almost constantly. He was a good student, and he enjoyed conversation - despite a certain point of view held by a single person, he wasn't nearly as cold or as standoffish as one might expect. He was 'popular' in his own right, but that never even phased him - there were more important things in the world than high school, even a high school like this.

He'd been almost surprised when Professor Sullivan did this bit again - no matter what year you were in, you heard this from someone, it seemed. And the debate never cooled. There was never someone in the middle, vying for peace between the sides, that perhaps, maybe, little by little, an exposure here or an exposure there might make the world a better place.

He'd thought about trying to take that stance once, and couldn't bring himself to foot the fence long enough. Connor had his own way of thinking when it came to the hiding game, and he preferred to keep it on his own. But for the sake of argument, he leaned forward on his desk.

"We all have our own pasts that make us a little different, or mess with our outlooks on things. His finger lifted, and he pointed at Serena, absently. "Whether good, or bad." Finger shifted to Steven. His hand dropped back to his desk. "Not saying that my perspective on your pasts are right, mind you - but look at it this way. You say we've got power, so we need to be better than everyone else. I agree with him. We're human - you, me, the boy down the street with a prosthetic leg. We may be innately capable of more destruction, sure. I could strangle someone without ever laying a finger on them. But that doesn't make me more dangerous than the guy who will strangle someone with his bare hands. Someone who can set a fire with their mind? I can set a fire with a match just as easy. The scariest ones... are the ones that can do things no one else is capable of; and in their own rights, are the least dangerous by some schools of thought." His eyes faced the Professor. "The ones that can read your mind. The ones that can know your feelings. But anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that even if we can do things that other people can't do without a little bit of assistance, it doesn't make us better. "

He leaned back in his chair, fingertips reaching on the desk for the opposing edge.

"I think hiding is a mistake. The thing is, if we wait, what will we be waiting for? Some magical sign of acceptance of something they don't know exists? Are we waiting for someone else to go all Magneto on the rest of the world, so that the rest of us can step up to save it, and force people into thinking we're more dangerous than we are?" He just had to add an X-men reference, after Steven's quip. He'd even smiled a little at it.

"We're going to have to make the first move. There is no 'finding out on their own', because they won't find out as long as we don't want them to. So it's not a question of how, but when. One day we'll have to show ourselves for what we are. I think if we wait too long, it might come as a surprise. You don't want to surprise a hunter in the forest, do you?"

Lions didn't take kindly to being bumped down a notch on the bottom of the food chain - especially since they never saw it coming.

[Serena Elwood]

It happened too fast. Before she knew it, he was reacting to her. Him; whomever he was, the new guy with the dark hair and green eyes. The distance in the way he looked alarmed her. She knew she had struck him good, but knew not how or to what extent. And for a moment, it frightened her. Conflict like this wasn't her thing. And something told her that he was going to take this whole thing to a new extreme...but how? It only took her a few more seconds to find out. His bitterness shocked her. But what's more, she was shocked with herself. Had she really just said that? She felt guilt in herself rising up as the guy she didn't know proceeded address her. She wanted to look down in shame. Perhaps she really should have been more sensitive with him, as maybe his whole family issues where a little more extreme than she would have predicted. But at the same time, she was angered that he so bluntly implied that he had it worse than she did at home. Who was he to say that? He had no idea what her life was like at home! He had no idea what sort of "family" she had. It was aggravating. This...guy...who did he think he was? Besides, maybe she was guilty of behaving inappropriately in class...but now, he had taken it way too far. He already had when he had reacted to her first, innocent, opinion with disrespect.

Yet, when their eyes met, something else occurred. That sharp anger was yet again gone; replaced by an empty and hollow feeling. That was how he made her feel…empty…like she was missing something. And it wasn’t something to be angry over; it was more of something to sorrow over. She honestly was glad he was leaving…it prevented her from feeling even more hollow. He just…he just…he just made her feel uncomfortable, and she honestly would have preferred to be experiencing anger than a feeling of incompleteness. And when he left, she got her wish, yet that only snapped herself back into her senses. She suddenly felt naked.

This had happened publicly; everyone in this class had seen it. That meant it would only take minutes after class until the story would spread throughout the school. And once again, everyone would be “reminded” that it wasn’t just her friendliness and fun-loving tendencies that maintained her title as an “Elitist” in the school. She wanted to kick herself. She wanted to bluntly say, “I’m not like this. I’m not mean, really, I’m not.” But the damage was done, everyone had seen it. And that made her angry; angry with herself, angry with him. She wasn’t this type of person, and she didn’t want people thinking that she was…And then there was the fact that she felt extremely guilty for driving him to leave the room. She felt bad that he obviously had trouble with his family. She felt bad, and the guilt would stress her out for days. But the worse part was…when it came down to what she had said…she felt justified.

Someone else started talking. She barely listened. She was too preoccupied wrapping her mind about what had just transpired between the unfamiliar guy and her. But she did soon realize that he was disagreeing with her, merely taking a big breathe and ignoring it. She had done enough already. Everyone else could disagree with her all they wanted, she was done. And to think…she hadn’t even wanted to talk about this to begin with. Well, that’s what she got for speaking up. Some new guy, a complete stranger, now officially hated her. And the worse part was, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.