Mutant School 101

[Dragon]

Clad in a traditional white gi, John Rhee stood, eyes shut in meditative contemplation, in front of a two-inch-thick plate of steel standing upright in a reinforced frame. He breathed steadily, inaudibly, matching his physical rhythms to the rhythm of his ch'i. Serenity settled over him like a metaphysical blanket, and the spiritual atmosphere of the room seemed to be holding its breath.

The movement was as swift and startling as a gunshot. One moment John was standing stock-still, hands clasped over his chest; the next, his extended fist was all the way through the steel plate, his arm buried halfway to the elbow in puckering metal. A chorus of gasps and whoops went up from the startled students gathered in the gymnasium.

Smiling, the Korean withdrew his hand, which appeared to have smoke wafting from it, and waved off the impromptu applause. "You think that's amazing because you've never seen it before. Each of you has unique gifts that are just as amazing. But to understand them, and to understand yourself, you need to spend time exploring them in a controlled environment. That is why we're here."

He spread his arms to indicate the whole gymnasium, which housed three basketball courts contained within a 400-meter track. It was liberally scattered with tumbling gear, punching bags, gymnastic equipment, and a potpourri of esoteric training gear unique to a school for mutants. There were also tables of scientific equipment like infra-red thermometers, voltometers, force gauges, radar guns, and other devices so specific there could only be a dozen or so in the country.

"This course is designed to help you practice your abilities, learn their limits, and improve your control over them. This is the place to experiment, to test yourself. Over the course of this semester, you will keep a journal of your training sessions, your discoveries, your landmarks. But for now, let's go around the group, talk about what you can do, and give a brief demonstration. You don't need to try to top me," he added, grinning. "No pressure on anyone. We're all friends here."

[Anja Drake]

Sitting silently, a golden-brown eye of curiosity watched in a hazy nothing. The fascination of the current presentation tricked the interest of her senses. She observed how easily he seemed to control his . . . ‘powers’. Every small and large movement appeared flawless; the massive hold he had made in the steel sheet looked so effortlessly done.
<o></o>
Anja sat front row and center within the group of many, many students. A girl she had met early in the week settled next to her, on the right. Her name was Melina Fiscer; an impecible girl in Anja’s book, within the first minute of knowing each other Mel had already discovered her blindness. To Anja’s knowledge only Mel had learned of Anja’s weakness on her own and only two people total were aware at all.
<o></o>
The pure curiosity that held Anja’s attention was no match for the oh’s and ah’s coming from the students around the gymnasium. Anja’s attention was easily diverted toward the everbounding Melina, who was patting Drake’s arm with rapid excitement.
<o></o>
“Oh wow! That was amazing! Wasn’t that amazing, Anja? Oh my God, that was so cool. I can’t believe he punched through that thing!” Anja Drake could only smile at the chatter-box of a girl. Melina was one of those select few that never cease to be perky or full of energy.
<o></o>
With her murky eyes facing forward the grin never left her features. “Yes, that was quite remarkable.”
<o></o>
“Oh my God, Anja, I should totally show what I can do. It’ll be so much fun!” With really no time for Anja to respond, Mel was up and literally bouncing from on foot to he other. “Hi! I’m Mel Fiscer and I can run extremely fast.”
<o></o>
With only that, Melina was off running numerous laps; so many that Anja couldn’t even count. She was pretty sure that she could hear Mel’s highly energetic laughter echoing through out the gym; one for every time she passed by. Merely a moment later, Anja heard the squealing of rubber soled shoes coming to a halt; she almost laughed as she heard Mel speak.
<o></o>
“Wow! My problem is I tend to get really, really, really jumpy and nervous and when that happens I tend to get out of control . . . or fall.” Drake could practically see the funny face Mel made when the tone of her voice dropped.
<o></o>
A moment of awkward silence filled the gymnasium before a ripple affect of low laughter sprang forth from many of the other students. Over her own giggle fit, Anja briefly noticed Mel take her seat again.

[Tess Abrahams]

There were nervous giggles as the students looked around at one another, urging with curious gazes for someone to go first. Tess looked about too, a slanted, shy grin lifting one corner of her mouth.

When no one had stood up after five minutes, Tess began to steel herself to volunteer. She was just about to stand up when a much more confidant girl took the lead. Tess watched, relieved that someone had broken the proverbial ice. And the student--Mel something-or-other--had just the right combination of amicable openness and bubbly excitement to put the rest of the student body at ease.

Still, as soon as she sat down, the baited looks began again. Tess waited a few moments and then the girl hesitantly rose to her feet, tucking brown hair behind ears nervously as heads swivelled in unison to look at her. "Um," Tess half-raised her hand at Mr. Rhee before continuing. "I'm Tess and I can... I'm pretty flexible. Like, more than usual."

She scanned the gymnasium and, spotting a balance beam, nimbly stepped over feet and made her way down to the floor. She smiled shyly at the teacher as she passed and went to stand by the piece of equipment. With a practiced leap Tess mounted, pausing for a moment in a standing position to take a breath and find her center of balance. She inhaled deeply again, extended her arms to either side and twisted her wrists up so that her palms faced outward.

With a small hop Tess upended herself, moving her weight from her feet to her hands. She balanced for a few seconds in the handstand, then slowly lowered herself in one smooth, controlled motion until her body was parallel to the beam surface, belly-down an inch above it. Tess closed her eyes in satisfied concentration. The taut, extended strain on her muscles was somehow cathartic.

Slowly Tess brought her legs up, keeping her hips and waist motionless. Her thighs bent up and over until they were flat against the curve of her back, calves resting on her shoulders. The girl looked as if someone had folded her in half like a piece of bread. Beads of perspiration were starting to form on her forhead; the actual contortion wasn't a strain, but it had been some weeks since Tess had practiced a routine and the effort of holding herself up and maintaining her balance was a challenge for her arms.

Tess held the position for a few more seconds before pushing her legs further upwards and twisting her body over in a neat somersault so that she was sitting upright on the beam, straddling it. One arm was dragged across her forhead and the girl offered a wry smile. "It can go further but, y'know, it starts looking kind of... gross." She shrugged before skittering back to her seat.

[Carlos Calaveras]

The group in the gym loitered about awkwardly, watching as the first of the students introduced themselves and gave a display of their powers. It was mostly the new students that had turned up, but a couple of them had been around since the previous semester were hanging about at the back of the class. Some to avoid being noticed, others – like Carlos Calaveras – to avoid causing any trouble. “Man, I hate these ice-breakers,” he muttered, shaking his head.

A scrawny looking kid standing by Carlos grinned. “Hey Calaveras, I'm sure you could warm things up.” Carlos' lips pursed into a tight, unamused smile. Before he could protest, his eyes met with those of the teacher. Rhee was giving him a look that said he should either keep quiet or address the whole class.

“Hola, all. I'm Carlos,” he tapped an open palm against his chest. There was a little jeer from those students who were already familiar with Calaveras. “-aaand I can do this.” The others watched with some confusion as the boy shrugged off his heavy sweater. Underneath he wore a white beater. With the sweater removed, it became apparent that the fingerless gloves he wore did not cut off at the wrist, but rather stretched up to his elbow and appeared to be made of some thick, leather-like material. Their necessity became apparent within seconds, as two roaring balls of fire engulfed Carlos' hands, their flames spreading across his forearms.

[Anja Drake]

A new fascination brewed as a girl named Tess stepped up to the challenge of showing her abilities. She had said she was ‘pretty flexible’ but from what Anja was sensing; this girl could bend in a circle without even breaking a sweat.
<o></o>
From behind a veil of gray haze, Drake watched in a startled attraction as the girl’s darkened figure folded and flipped in bizarre movements. The motions her body turned in seemed practiced, even performed. This, Tess, had had practice, she was no amatuer at this show.
<o></o>
When she finished, Anja had the urge to applaud; the near perfection of the unusual performance was a show to be encouraged. No sooner had the girl sat down and there was already another willing to show their skills. This one was strange, the gut striking uneasiness she received as she focused on the boy was something she feared.
<o></o>
The Angel was reminded of something. . .
<o></o>
The moment Anja felt the temperature change in the air; she was slowly getting up from her seat, she knew what that reminder was. She felt the burning already starting in her chest, her eyes were gradually leaking to the same fire that was surrounding that boy’s hands.
<o></o>
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<o></o>
I smell that god forsaken smell; the burning is here again. I want to come out, but I know that it hurts her, though. The hot sizzling heat is bringing back horrid memories; oh how I want to come out; to get rid of that burning, those bright crimson flames!
<o></o>
Hades! You will pay for the pain you caused me.
<o></o>
But I will not hurt her now, not all the way. But I will show you that I am here.
<o></o>
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<o></o>
The elbow high motorcycle gloves she was wearing were tightening; her nails were growing at an incredible rate. She faced the boy with the fire arms, her gloves were shreaded now, but strangely the feeling was already leaving.
<o></o>
Anja’s eyes were beginning to feel like normal. The Angel was giving calming down.
<o></o>
She gasped shortly and fell to one knee. Her breath coming in hard, raspy heaves. Her body was shaking from the short event. She looked up at the flame armed boy and was immediately thankful that the Angel had stopped.
<o></o>
“Thank…you…Angel.” She whispered.
<o></o>
Her senses traveled lamely from the boy to Mr. Rhee. Her voice was dipped low in embarrassment and her cheeks burned bright red.
<o></o>
“…Sorry…”

[Dragon]

As each student showed off his or her talent, John thanked them - he actually had started to say, "Thank you, Mel," several times on successive laps before the girl finally slowed to a visible blur. He was about to praise Carlos for stepping up as an upperclassman should when the spiritual atmosphere in the room changed.

It was a vague impression - his preternatural senses were nowhere near as acute as Francoise's - but it was hard to mistake a spirit of pure vengeance. And while most of the students were still fixated on Carlos's fireworks, only one was rising to her feet and - changing.

John hurried toward her and reached her just as she wavered and fell. He caught her under the arms and eased her back to the floor. "Easy! Anja, are you all right? Tess, why don't you run and get a cup of water?"

Whispers traveled in waves through the body of students. Most of them had been turned around to see Carlos, in the back, and had missed the minor transformation.

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien, with his unusual features, stood out like a sore thumb in the crowd. Or better still, he would have, had it not been for his diminuitive stature. With his size, Damien was a little easier to overlook, which sometimes irked him. Perhaps this is why he was so high strung and energetic, to balance out with the lack of normal size.

While the other students were turned around, Damien hadn't done so. Simply because he had seen a similar trick before. He was more impressed with the girl doing laps around the room at blinding speeds. She was energetic, peppy, and fast....he liked the speed, but knew that it could be more troublesome that what was realized. Speeds like that, on certain objects, namely shoes and skates, would have to be constantly replaced after they give out. At least Damien, much faster than the average human, had a speed fast enough to not be too destructive.....save for when jumps or tricks went wrong...

After following her for about five laps with his eyes, Damien rocked back and forth on the desk, dizzy from watching, like counting the lines on the road while driving really fast. Shaking his head, he focused, just in time to watch the unusual events occur in front of him.

The girl, with an unusual look transfixed across her face, had gotten up, fire dripping in strange tears from her eyes, claws ripping through her black, leather gloves. But as sudden as it had all began for the young girl, it had stopped. And things were back to normal. Or as normal as it could be for a mutant like that. While others watched the fire-flinging boy, Damien pulled up his backpack, and jumped down, walking quickly to the girls side. Opening up the drink pouches, Damien produced a bottle of water.

"Water I got, Mr. Rhee."

Quickly opening the bottle of water, Damien pulled out a small hand towel and wet it, dabbing lightly around the girl's eyes to perhaps bring any swelling down from the burns, if she was burned at all. Damien couldn't tell. All he knew is that he wanted to help. While he was working on her eyes, Damien wrapped his tail around the bottle of water, and without spilling or crushing the bottle, held it up to the dark-haired girl's hands.

"Want some?"

[Anja Drake]

Through a horrified daze, Anja could make out next to nothing. She knew someone was keeping her shaken form from falling to the floor; she knew because she heard someone talking to her. The voice was a familiar one; she had heard it before. Of course she had and sort relief fueled through a worry sick faze. Anja listened as Mr. Rhee, told the Tess girl to retrieve water; the shame was boiling over the recent relief that she had felt moments earlier. This wasn’t suppose to happen, the Angel had never been so random.
<o></o>
“I…I..sor…I’m so sorry, Mr. Rhee.” Her voice was strained and sounded of grinding rocks; even these ‘half’ transformations cause major wear and tear on both Anja’s physical and mental state. The fire boy on the opposite side of the room was still burning alive; she could feel the heated temperature on the side of her face. “That should have never happen.”
<o></o>
And it was true, she would have explained more but she found herself flinching harshly away from a cool wet substance that was being padded around her eyes. In not even a moments time Anja’s eyes and her senses snapped to a new arrival; she usually never allowed anything come close to her face. Her blindness was only one cause of her skin sensitivity.
<o></o>
There to her side was a small creature, or at least that’s what she could make out. The small mutant had its hand extended in a gentle manner; his touch was careful and just as gentle. She allowed him to continue; the cold water soaked in the cloth felt good on her warm skin. She was mostly thankful that the blazing tears didn’t burn her; even though she knew that the Angel’s fire could never hurt her.
<o></o>
Her senses were so transfixed on the strange mutant next to her that she nearly missed his offer. Anja reached out with a shaking hand and grasped the bottle from the boy’s . . . tail.
<o></o>
“Thank…you.” She tried to smile but it came as nothing more than a pathetic raise of her lips. Taking a small sip of water; Anja merely pushed herself back into her seat on the bleachers. Her head had slowly cleared but her body still ached; she would be alright. These small transformations were utterly embarrassing for her. She thanked the boy again before turning her head to Mr. Rhee with a whispering voice.
<o></o>
“I should have controlled that. I’m sorry.” Her voice sounded like a child’s, apologizing for playing in their mother’s make up. “I’ll be okay.”
<o></o>
She lied but for now, she would have to be okay.

[Carlos Calaveras]

The flames on Carlos' hands vanished in a puff of smoke. A few of the slower classmen applauded, but most were busy sizing up the girl who had just stolen Carlos' moment in the spotlight. The scrawny looking kid who had egged Calaveras on earlier now looked at him accusingly.

“Hey,” Carlos held his hands up, protesting innocence. “Nothing to do with me, man.”

[Dragon]

"Thank you, Damien."

John spared a brief glance at Carlos, but his attention was focused on Anja at the moment. Her well-being was his first concern. When it seemed she could support herself, he drew his hands away.

"It's all right," he said gently. "It's not the first time a student has had a dizzy spell in this class."

He let the ambiguity hang there in the air, but his keen eyes said he understood. He wished he could tell Anja just how much he understood. Unfortunately, that would have to wait for another time.

Once he was certain she was herself again, he gave her a reassuring smile and stepped back in front of the class. Much as he didn't want to use Anja as a teaching point, he could see from the anxious looks on the students' faces he needed to address what had just happened.

"Some abilities are more difficult to control than others," he said simply. "Mine, for example, are very sensitive to my emotions. I grew up in a very poor village in North Korea. There was a lot to be angry about. And when I got angry, all that negative energy took over. For several years I was so frightened of losing control that I tried to bury my gift. But the more I did that, the less I understood it, and the less I was able to control it when it surfaced again. So, the moral of this story is," he wagged his finger at the students, "you kids better not make me angry!"

He quickly cracked a smile, and was not just a little relieved to see some of them did, too.

"No, the real lesson is, the better you understand your gifts, the more you practice them, the better you'll be able to control them. And we're all different, we'll all progress at different speeds, but this isn't a competition, and there's never any reason to be shy about your gift here."

[Jacinda Blake]

Jacinda stood motionless on the opposite side of the gymnasium doors. She had opted to come on her own rather than have a teacher walk her to class and introduce her. She felt it would draw less attention that way. In her hand she carried a penned note, presumably regarding her addition to Professor Rhee's class.

She had absolutely no idea what to expect when she stepped through those doors. Aside from nearly killing Carlos on the stairs this morning, she hadn't met any other classmates. In truth, she was looking forward to being around people like her, letting down some of the walls she had bulit around herself and maybe even finding some acceptance.

She could still hear the screams and mean spirited slurs that had been cast her way only a few days ago..in another gymnasium. She wondered what the students would think if they knew what had happened to the last gym she was in. Would they be terrified of her too?

Her shakey hand went to the door handle. Jacinda took a breath and tried to remember that she was safe here, these were people like her. In fact, her abilities might even be on the pale side of the spectrum compared to whatever she was about to face. She took a breath and stepped inside.

Her eyes didn't even scan the room, they settled immediately on the man in the gleaming white gi. Schools were something Jacinda could latch onto, she was a good student and mutant or not, she intended to remain that way. She walked forward bravely, even though she felt anything but at the moment and approached who she was assuming was Professor Rhee.

"Professor Rhee? I'm sorry for the intrusion." She held out the note.

"I'm Jacinda Blake."

[Artisn]

"Ya late!"

The door shut, echoing through the gym as he entered. Late was a word synonymous with Artisn. Days had strung out into nights that webbed a tale too long to unfold before teachers, only to be painted over by tall lies. Yet, lately he had grown more troubled over lying. Even the slightest misleading, or false witness could unravel into too many problems for him.

Candace provided an all new characteristics he had grown to love.

Hands shoved in his pockets, bandanna dangling at his neck and a designer hoody hanging over his blank white t-shirt and jeans, he was all but professional for his first day to class. Introduction had probably long pass, and with the word spreading on the subject and teacher he rather not go down such a road to deeply.

Long before he entered the door he had heard about the "special talent" that would be asked to be put on display. All of it was a bit too much for him, and with the late night conquest he had little reason to wake up on time for his first day. There was far more important things, such as sleeping, to do.

"Imma....late too."

He smirked, following Jacinda up to Mr. Rhee. The first impression wasn't exactly a critical thought for Artisn, but he could care less. He saw Anja at the bleacher, and wanted to talk before he listen to anything the professor had to say.

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien, after helping where he could, sat on the bleachers near the fainting girl, with a smile on his face. He fit right in here. He had helped her, which he felt good about. Plus, Mr. Rhee took note of him, though he didn't mention anything about Damien having great control in his mutant talents. Then again, most didn't have their talents for near as long as Damien had, though many were older than he. He couldn't just turn off his powers or have them go inactive like most; he was always a devilish kid. A long time ago, this realization would've hurt. But buy now, he had found his niche, his positive center, and understood that everyone had a qualm or quirk that made them different. Such was the way of the world....

Figuring that he should stick around just in case someone should need his help, Damien settled in, propping his feet on an empty seat in front of him. He looked over to the girl, and offered his hand. His gloved, black-furred, and clawed hand.

"I hope you're okay. My name's Damien."

[Tess Abrahams]

The crisis was seemingly over. Tess drew a breath and walked back from the door, where she'd managed to run to in the quest for a glass of water before Damien had proffered his bottle. The girl listened absently to Mr. Rhee as he spoke, heart thumping, while she climbed the bleachers and sat down next to Carlos' empty spot, rather than returning to her own seat. After that little excitement, Tess wanted familiarity.

Two other students had arrived and Tess gave them a quick once-over before resting her chin in her hands and studying the back of Anja's head. The girl seemed alright, and Tess wondered if she ought to say something to her; she'd sounded mortified. Perhaps afterwards, when the crowd had petered out.

[Carlos Calaveras]

“Man, always with the drama.”

Carlos sighed under his breath and slumped back down onto the bleacher, beside Tess. A couple more latecomers – including Jacinda – had just turned up and were all looking a little wide-eyed at Prof Rhee and Anja.

“Guess a school's a school, mutants or not.”

[Anja Drake]

“Damien . . .” The Italian in her nature broke through as she tested his name; as if tasting a new food for the first time. It wasn’t so much that his name troubled her, but it was his rather unusual appearance that distracted her. Through her handicap, her senses were picking up a figure that was nothing like she had seen before. Details were missing but still the shape of this mutant was absolutely bizarre.
<o></o>
Maybe a moment or two of shock passed because Anja couldn’t seem to move. It took no longer than a awkward second, though, for her to accept this creatures . . .boy’s hand. A beaming smile shone through the still troubled features of her face; her mind still lingered strongly on her mishap earlier.
<o></o>
“Hello, Damien. I’m Anja.”

[Damien E. Dervish]

Damien smiled.

"Don't worry about it. We all have kinks and quirks with our powers....For example, I have a bad tendency to tumble through things. And freak people out....let's just say that I've spent quite a bit on baggy clothing and hoodies, and then spent more just to have them tailored to my form. I remember tripping over my tail constantly when I was young...and getting my wings caught in things. But with patience and time, I was able to overcome it. You will to, Anja."

Ever so optimistic, Damien continued smiling, as he produced two cold, glass bottles of Coke, and slowly opened them so as not to let the hiss of carbonation interrupt the class. He offered one to Anja.

"Coke? It's in the old style glass bottles..."

[Tess Abrahams]

"Be nice." Tess whispered, moving to nudge Carlos in the side with her elbow. By some miscalculation she missed and instead whacked the edge of the seat behind them. A sharp tingling shot up her arm and Tess winced, grabbing the wounded bone. "Ow. Smacked my funnybone."

The girl shot a wounded look at Carlos, who rolled his eyes. Rubbing her elbow with one hand, Tess looked at the newcomers and then spotted Damien and Anja. "Hey, why do they get soda?" She nudged Carlos, successfully this time, and motioned at the two with her head. "Do you have soda?"

[Carlos Calaveras]

“Dog-boy down there's got a monopoly on the soda, I'm afraid. I'd ask him to throw one up, but you know... it'd probably explode mid-air and shower us all in cola.” Carlos shrugged, as if to say c'est la vie, and gave a small smile.

“Anyway, what do you need soda for, when you've got me for company, huh? I'm just as sweet as that syrupy slush.”

[Tess Abrahams]

"Oh, be still my heart. Carlos you wordsmith, you." Tess clutched her chest and fluttered her lashes manically, before rolling her eyes and casting the teen a lofty grin. "But I can't be won that easily."

Mr. Rhee cast them a significant look, and Tess bit back a nervous giggle that was too telling of the fact that she'd never been in trouble before. A small boy was centre stage now, and flicking his forked tongue out in some odd acrobatic dance. A few kids his age--friends, she assumed--were chanting and cheering. Tess sighed. With eyes locked firmly on the performance below, the girl whispered to her compadre. "Is it totally self-centred of me to not want to sit here anymore? I mean, we see most of these guys every day, I think it's pretty probable we'll find out about them eventually."

[Anja Drake]

<o></o> Anja accepted the drink graciously.
<o></o>
“Grazie, Damien.”
<o></o>
Her head was hurting and for the moment all she wanted to do was lie down; or disappear for a little while. But, none of those seemed to be an option. Instead, she silently watched the new display of talent in front of her; though she couldn’t see specifics, she saw the general idea of all the previous and now present performances.

She set the Coke in her hand on the floor just aside from her sandaled feet; truthfully the liquid really held no interest to her, not at this moment.
<o></o>
All the while, even during her little spaz, Mel had been awkwardly and uncharacteristically quiet; but Anja really didn’t blame her. Being up, close and personal when she transformed or even partially changed was a bit scary. The performance before her was rather boring and maybe now Mel was slightly less shocked.
<o></o>
Rather lamely, Drake gazed over with all her sense to Melina. By her posture, Anja could tell that she was staring directly at her. The two of them just silently starred for a moment before Mel’s form softened and Anja could tell she was breathing again.
<o></o>
“ . . . Woah!” Mel bubbled out; the way she spoke signaled she was smiling. “That was intense! Anja, why didn’t you say you could do that?!”
<o></o>
She didn’t know how to respond, so a mere shrug erupted as a embarrassed smile came to her lips.