Realistic or Modern (OPEN) Supers, High School Edition

[Brinni]

If we were to court? Ryan felt himself go red at just the thought. Don't be threatened? She's kidding right? He looks like he could squash me like a bug. He scares the heck out of me he thought to himself."Y-yeah. A good story. Probably. It could very well be nothing. I guess we won't know until we find out. So uh...h-how come you've never mentioned you had a brother at the school?" he said aloud.


----


Moe got closer to Nia and brought the field as close as he could to slow the bleeding from her leg. It was about all he could do until Lexi showed up with the principal. He stepped back as he watch Hapswell finally do something during this whole mess. About goddamn time.


@CosmicChangeling


----

 

[Willow Pillow]

"Are you mad?" Sarah looked at ryan like he was crazy. "I don't tell my brother about anything or anyone I enjoy being around. He's too overprotective and would ruin their lives out of spite."


And James had. Rip a shadow from someone and they died. When he wasn't at school, he enjoyed manipulating and using his powers how he saw fit.


For her brother there were no rules, just people or objects you cared about and you did what you could to protect them.


"It's a story. She was alone in a classroom not concerned about everything going on. She was relaxed. Most people in her position would cower....I want to find out why. Thats a story."

 

[Willow Pillow]

With Darke, Nat and Elastic working together, by the time Lexi had arrived back she didn't need to do much to help. She zipped through the herds of people Savolt was bringing and taking care the rest of the stragglers. Disarming, tying them up and tossing them into a pile. Three piles. Dead. Injured. Unharmed but tied up and ready to be taken care of. The three adults had dismantled the tanks. Before Tim could say 'speedy' the phoenix was on his shoulder as Lexi was in front of Nat tapping her shoulder gently. "Mrs. Blake? I went to the nurse like I was told. Nia she was..."she wiped her face. "The nurse was knocked out so I brought the principal over to use his powers. She was in really rough shape. Can you come with me?"


She left Nia like a horrible friend. But she needed to make sure the parking lot was cleared. Most of all...her mother needed to know. When Lexi was lying alone in the basement of the Prudential center....dead....only to come back vomiting and feeling like she was dying she was alone. She wanted her family....Nia deserved that too.


Elastic heard every word. He just stared at Nat his face going chalk pale. Turning into a rubbery ball he began bouncing as fast as he could possibly go. Speedy would get Nat there before he could even clear the forest.


@Homage

 

[Brinni]

"But wait, he didn't know about me." Ryan said, confused. Maybe she just forgot to mention me...or I'm that forgettable. Probably the latter. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. Now wasn't the time for that. "You're right. She did seem awfully calm about the whole thing, even when the two of us crashed through the ventilation system. A story like that could make you stand out to the newspaper staff. It'll be great for you Sarah!"

 

[Willow Pillow]

"Yes, exactly. And I would have preferred to keep it that way. I apologize for whatever shenanigans he will put you through. I did not want you to go through any of this."


Sarah contemplated what Ryan had said, about how this would be great for her. Yes, it would be. Between the mystery of a recruiter for the leagues hiding a dirty secret and whatever the Federal Agent was up to, she could land her mark here at this school...even better, outside of school. She smiled at the thought seeing 'by Sarah Lane' on the byline of front page news. 'by Sarah Lane' on something as great as the New York Times. That would be the dream. The Vintage View was just as great as well.


She shook her head to get out of her thoughts. "Yes, I suppose. But the real focus should be on uncovering this than the aftermath of us publishing it. What is a leagues recruiter doing with a man named Louis Briggs. Briggs sounds familiar, and its on the tip of my tongue why. Does this tie into the hero leagues? And if so...how? Why? We should do some research online on whatever we can come up with on the leagues and this Briggs...and Lisa Turner before we know exactly how we should tackle this."


She got to her feet and almost power walked out the door but stopped. "But maybe we should wait until the crisis is over....yes....that would be the proper thing to do, right?" she looked at Ryan almost pleading with him to give her permission to be reckless and start hunting this now.


After she got shot....and the whole school went to hell....clearly that's what she wanted to do.

 

[Brinni]

Ryan wasn't sure what to make of her first statement. Maybe she's just nice and didn't want him to bother me, that's all. As he listened to her question he could scarcely believe her. "Of course we should wait!" he said, his voice going up an octave in disbelief. "You just got shot and had a bullet removed from you and there are people with guns everywhere. But...." Ryan sighed. He knew better than to try and dissuade her from a story. "I know I won't be able to stop you, so I may as well come along with you, if for nothing else than to make sure you don't kill yourself. Where should we start?"

 

[Penelope Burns]

Nialla began convulsing uncontrollably about a minute after her wounds had been healed. Along with the convulsions came fits of coughing over and over, as though her lungs were being forced out of her. If she hadn't been healed by Hapswell (Really the Nurse, let's not give that fucker any extra credit) she would have easily died a mere minute into her fits.


-----


Nat froze at the sight of her daughter. What Lexi said made her worried, terrified even, but seeing Nialla on a bed, her shirt and pants covered in holes and blood, made her still. She didn't do or say anything to anyone, she just held herself back from letting out an agonized wail.


Minutes passed, students spoke to each other and Nat didn't move. She stood in that doorway, shaking in horror and agony. "She saved our lives." A girl in a leotard said. She was taller than everyone else by a good foot, and was missing her right hand. "Lexi tied them up, but the two guys out there would have filled this room in bullets if your daughter hadn't shielded it." The girl sounded almost regretful, as if she had more to say, or had something she wanted to confess. Nat didn't respond, didn't shake her head or nod, did nothing. She just watched her daughter, her daughter who seemed to be dying before everyone's eyes, in silence.


-----


Tim wouldn't have to wait long. As soon as he hit Darke's line of sight, Tim would feel a hand on his shoulder, and he'd be teleported in front of the infirmary. Darke teleported back a minute later. Tim didn't get to see his first daughter when she passed. At least he'd get a few minutes with his second.


-----


Vi watched the events of the infirmary from her position in the hallway, standing beside the attackers who were tied up. She forced herself to disconnect from the only girl she'd loved, from the first person who made her feel something. If she hadn't, Vi would have been unable to move any more than Natalie Blake had, she'd be as useless as anyone else.


She couldn't do that. Vi pulled those two soldiers by their ropes across the floor, only not struggling because they walked along with her. When they reached the gym, Vi sealed the doors, and began her gory work.


Anyone paying attention would hear screams of agony coming from the gymnasium as Vi got the information she needed from them.


-----


Darke was the first one to find the bodies. He'd taken a side trip after teleporting Tim to Nat and their daughter, and decided he wanted a smoke. The gym seemed like a nice place to do it, what with the new roof installed. He didn't even pull out his cigarette before seeing the corpses, impaled like a shish kebab into the wall.


He teleported outside, to the parking lot after that, horror evident on his face.


-----


Somebody would eventually find the bodies of Naranna and Garth. They stuck together to the end, only finally breaking when Vi threatened to kill the other. She felt no passion for the deed, no sense of self worth or vengeance. She simply took the information she had, and called in a favor. Seconds later, Vi felt a hand on her shoulder and was gone, thousands of miles southeast, into East Texas. Funny, she had grown up only a few dozen miles from the location of the place that tried to kill every Super in the school. The place that killed so many people, including non-Supers. It had to be short staffed, low on hand since they sent hundreds to attack the school.


That was perfect. Vi would make sure any survivors wouldn't have a compound to return home to.

 

[Willow Pillow]

If Sarah was a normal girl, she would be bouncing where she stood unable to contain her excitement that she was going to look into this. This was happening RIGHT NOW. Arguably, if she was a normal girl, she might not be this invested in something that really had nothing to do with her. But, Sarah was not normal in many ways. Ryan gave her the permission she seeked and there was no readable emotion on her face as she smiled at him politely.


She turned towards the door, took three steps and stopped when she saw the computer on the teacher's desk. "Or maybe, we can do what we need to do and still be safe. Brilliant idea, Ryan." She mused walking over to the desk and sat on the computer. "What we need to do is first look up basic information any person with fingers and access to internet can find out. This will help us figure out what we need to piece together."


Sarah clicked on google and typed in "Louis Briggs", the NEWS icon seemed to blow up with articles, a picture of Lexi was shown as one of the images linked to the Vintage View BRIGGS CONVICTED OF MURDER. Her hands trembled, not out of fear, but...revelation. She turned to Ryan, her doe eyes round like goose eggs.


They stumbled on gold. This was the story. "Ryan....Lexi is connected to Briggs. She's connected to the agent. This is not two stories. We are talking about the same story. Something big is going down, do you understand this?" Can they even comprehend this right now? The FBI, the leagues of supers that kept everything neutral (To the best of their ability there will always be anti power pockets floating around) to keep the un-powered from trying to wipe them out or use them as slaves...a billionaire....all tied to Lexi Clark.


She clicked on the first article and began reading. "Who are you really, Lexi Clark? And why do so many organizations care about you?"


--


Tim Shepherd didn't throw anyone out of the room to get to his daughter. He didn't scream at Hapswell to fucking do his job and save his daughter. Shepherd stood next to the mother of his child watching her convulse and feeling 200% helpless.


As Hapswell finished he grabbed his game boy again. "Now if you excuse me...I have IMPORTANT shit to do. Just wake up the Nurse-" The game boy music turned on over the name "if you need to be healed. That's what we pay her to do." He walked out.


Shepherd pulled a chair for Nat to sit by their daughter. He grabbed his own and sat in silence holding her hand.


--


Loretta found Darke in the parking lot when all of it was over. "Benjamin, I think it's time we start cleaning up the mess here. I need to begin my work with the parents and these men. Can you please bring me my father's box and inform the janitor he has a heavy mess to clean?"


The forest was burned to the ground, the school was in shambles and there were dead bodies everywhere. Much work needed to be done right now. Clara Turner had stumbled out of the woods looking like Carrie from Stephen King walking past the two of them. "Nice work as always, Ms. Turner."


Clara stopped and looked at the two of them. Her eyes looked almost hollow at that moment. She opened her mouth then shut it shaking her head as she limped away, holding her tunic. Arnold, who was healing what he could, stopped what he was doing and flew on her shoulder.


--


Clara dragged herself back to her office, opening the door only to smell the after aroma of dirty horrible sex. Her items, knick knacks and whatever folder or paperwork she had was tossed to the ground in shambles. Her lip quivered as she shut her door and fell on her knees trying to walk over. Dragging your body to your desk and placing your hand on a used condom was not the ideal way to try and heal yourself. Closing her eyes she cried letting out a whimper of pain and sadness.


This was her office. This was her personal bubble to protect her from the outside world. It was violated and taken from her.


But she managed to force herself onto her seat, opening one of the desk drawers to see Lisa's underwear sitting ontop of her healing bottles. She tossed it aside and drank the liquid. Arnold was sitting on her lap crying into her stomach. For now, the ditzy bird lady would just stare emptilly at the ceiling as it began to work.

 

[Brinni]

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief as Sarah changed her mind about going out there. He really didn't want to raise the risk either of them were facing anymore than they already faced. "That's crazy! Wait..." Ryan said, looking at the articles Sarah had brought up. "It says she died. But...she's still here. What's going on?" He wasn't a reporter, by any means. He never could have put himself out there like that, but even he was getting excited about this story.

 

[Willow Pillow]

Sarah finished the article and was already reading the second and third fro. Different papers going over all of it digesting it.


Lexi was an ordinary girl. She had died during a an explosion at the prudential center caused by Briggs Tech. And nefarious deeds they were up to. It landed the man in jail. The only evidence they had to stick the convicted guilty was her death.


She respected her. Nolan Graves. Sarah visibly blushed seeing a photo of one of her top reporters she worshiped. Lucky girl. To die seeing that speaking event, she would have snuck out of home and broke into that building as well to see it. Her worship for Rush only seemed to grow reading these articles.


Her calm smile grew into a sly one, her emotions hard to reign in. "You hare and I are going to Vintage next week....we are getting to the bottom of this."


She turned and looked at ryan, the devilish look in her eyes suggested that how she planned to get them there....he really didn't want to know.

 

[Brinni]

"I suppose we could go over the weekend. It's not like we have classes. But...We need to be careful....and get through this whole ordeal first." Ryan looked out of the doorway. "Everything is calming down. Do you think we should head somewhere and try to find other people?"

 

[Willow Pillow]

Sarah was no longer listening to anything Ryan was saying. She was off in her own little world reading article after article about Briggs, his technology, the tycoon...who he was and the court case. "Hmm...yes...sounds perfect," she said lost in thought as she began writing notes in her notepad. She would need to find out more information on the Clark family. So Lexi wasn't a super after all, she wasn't even one of the outliers where people just happened to be born with powers.


There were many top researchers talking about that phenomenon that eventually the whole planet would have powers, evolution was slowly happening but that argument was like telling a normal non-powered person global warming existed. There was an unsurmounting amount of evidence to support global warming but you were always going to have the masses believe the lie.


Same with genetics and super powered people.


It looked like Briggs believed it and tried fast tracking it. "Isabel went out of her way to hurt Louise for hurting Lexi's boyfriend. I wonder if she's connected in this as well." She mused completely ignoring anything Ryan had said. Her pen tapped on the paper. "No, even that's a stretch of the imagination. The feature on school violence and what it does to the school is still a separate piece.


But I wonder....





She wrote her thoughts down and whatever fact she could muster. five pages of notes. A bomb could explode in this room right now and as long as the electricity was still running and she had power no misfortune would happen as she would stay on that computer digging and digging.

 

[Brinni]

As she took notes and research Ryan made up his mind. The worst she could do is say no right? I'm sure she will, but it's more about trying to do something for me. I can't always be like this right?


"Um S-Sarah? If you don't already have someone...and assuming we make it through this and it's still on.. w-would you let me go to the dance with you? W-What I mean is, I'd hate to go alone and even if it's just as friends I'd be fine with it"


....Nothing. Not even a tilt of the head in his direction. Ryan hung his head in despair. I was wrong. This is worse than being told no. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Maybe I'll just see what I've taken. Although a fluff piece on the dance is probable. I could go take pictures. It's not like anybody is going to want to dance with me anyways so I can't get distracted.





"Hmm...yes...sounds perfect"


Wait...what? She said yes?





"R-really?" He squeaked out. "I'll come get you right before it then!


Maybe there's hope for me yet

 

[Willow Pillow]

What was Crush's connection? Did she have a connection. What did the agent do with all of this. Principal Hapswell knew as well. From what she could gather Lexi was still alive, and in most cases if you were an outlier to the family genetics you developed your powers early on. You were also incredibly powerful, Mr. Elastic and Clara Turner both fit these categories. They were both stronger supers in their age groups but they had no genetics to tie in their history. But, if you looked at their history, Elastic was the Rubber Band, a sidekick at the age if five and Clara won the tournament twice in a row. (Sarah didn't know about her past but it would fit her assumptions)


Ryan was speaking as she was drawing lines to names to see the relationships to who they belonged to. Crush was the outlier. And if Ryan was talking to her, he was most likely telling her that if she was stuck on this point then introducing herself in person to the deadly super was the best option.


"Hmm....yes...sounds perfect." she nodded biting the tip of her eraser.


Coming, something...something...whatever it was. Pictures. Yes, pictures were a great idea.


"Brilliant." she smiled.


She could always count on Ryan to stay focused on the goal. If he took pictures of her maybe they could see her thoughts, what she was thinking at that moment. Lisa Turner would still be hear with other recruiters and pictures of her WERE mandatory to get in that woman's head. They had a lot of work to do.

 

[SirDerpingtonIV]

Elastic stretched his arm and grabbed Lexi by the shoulder. "Speedy. Grab the nurse, the pheonix or someone with medical attention. Back to the parking lot as soon as you can. Ok?"
"But you almost died, what if you-"


"Now."


Lexi flickered out of his sight as he bounced back to the parking lot. Another tank shot a bazooka at him, but he was prepared, catching it in mid air and firing it back with his rubbery flexible arms. Men, body parts and other debris went everywhere. It was fucking time to show these twats who ran this school and not to fuck with people like them. They had powers. They had a right to live.


--


Lexi slipped into hyperspeed running back to the school. The world was silent, immobile and still like a picture frame. This was something, no matter how often she would allow herself to go to her natural body state now, that she would never get used to. Making it to the nurse's room, she noticed it was locked. she shoved her body weight against it but it wouldn't budge.


Fuck it.


Running two miles out over to the obstacle course she concentrated on slowing back down to normal speed but stopped somewhere halfway inbetween as she sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her. She was a blur, wind picking up at her movements, objects breaking out of her way. She ran INTO the door, the hinges breaking off.


"Nurse-" her name cut off from the clatter of the door falling. "Mr. Elastic sent me to...." she saw Nia lying on the bed and flickered out of sight. Before anyone could respond Hapswell appeared with Lexi besides Nia's bedside. He was still playing his gameboy and looked at everyone confused as Lexi was putting pressure with her bloody dripping hands onto one of Nia's most noticeable open wounds trying to keep the blood in as much as possible.


"You better have a good excuse, Ms. Clark I'm on the last pokemon and I'm about to win this thing."


"My friend's dying. The nurse is on the floor. Everyone here looks hurt. You can use other people's powers. Can you use the nurse's to heal Nia?"


"When I finish-" he gasped as Lexi kicked him in the stomach.


"Rude."


"Fuck you."


"Aggressive...but you and Brick did bring in 50 million with your obstacle battle show...so...if I have to." He pushed Lexi out of the way and placed his hands on Nia, hands glowing gold as the girl began to heal.


Lexi saw her friend nearly dying and looked at everyone. She needed to stay with her friend. She needed to help at the parking lot. She needed to find Aidan. Her eyes welled with tears as she grabbed the pheonix. "tell Nia I'm sorry.....I want to be here...."


She flickered out with the bird.


What Lexi hadn't realized at the time....her blood was already in Nia's system, Nia's cells were changing as Hapswell began her work.


--


Sarah hadn't realized she was still holding Ryan's hand. She just looked at her brother as he berated her. "I am safe here. Go do your duty, James. You bring me to the parking lot everyone will have misfortune and there will be more deaths. I have Ryan here with me and the two of us can handle ourselves."


"Is he one of you-"


"I live my life how I choose to. You have no right to pass judgement. If Ryan and I were to court eachother you have no say in this. Or any other person I date. Go to the parking lot. I am fine."


James gave a stare at Ryan, pointing at him. "Watch your back. I catch you doing anything to her I'll kill you."


As he dissapeared Sarah looked at Ryan, noticing their hands and pulled it away, placing both on her lap. "He says that to anyone of the opposite gender. I wouldn't be threatened. I think I have my power under control. What we need to figure out is Ms. Turner and who Louis Briggs is, what that connection would be. That's a story."

Ember Brook



​

Ember let out a shout and ducked, just in time as the filing cabinet crashed into the opposite wall with an entirely unpleasant symphony of noise, as the girl who did it just started talking to... Someone, as the door fell down as well. Ember let out a sigh, rubbing her temples. "Could you atlea-" mid sentence she stopped, seeing the rude little redhead had just flickered out.


She watched Nia begin to writhe in bed, and Ember couldn't shove off her guilt as she continued moving filing cabinets to the door... Until other supers started flooding in and she presumed that the fight was over. As all the chaos of people coming in and out, trying to save Nia, a teacher and some super woman staring at her body, Ember allowed herself to slouch down against the wall, and wonder why she wasn't able to do more to protect Everyone

 

[My Pet Poro]

Jean frowned a little bit as he watched his brother try to stand up, it wasn’t as much fun to watch him in pain if it wasn’t by him. Hopefully he doesn’t die here. It has to be by me, no one else. He thought as he watched his brother come over and struggle to pick Min up and move her to the empty cot next to him I have to give him credit though, he is doing everything he can for the one he loves, wouldn’t it just be so sad if he lost his little girlfriend to me Jean chuckled to himself, I can’t lie to myself though, I would probably try to steal her even if it wasn’t from him. He looked softly over to Min as she wrapped herself around Léon’s arm. It’s probably going to be hard, but I think I can win her over. He jumped as the one armed girl spoke to him, something about medical training. He didn’t fully listen, he was drowned in his own thoughts and he froze up only to jump as a filing cabinet went flying across the room into the wall. “What was that?” He said only to notice Rush in a split second before she disappeared again he blinked and Principal Hapswell was in the room with that girl again. I haven’t seen him since I was admitted to this school. I wonder why she brought him here. He watched as the principal put down his Gameboy and began healing the girl who was hurt. I really should have helped, Grandfather would be disappointed if he could see me now. The truth was Jean did have some medical training, his Grandfather used to be a doctor and had taught him everything he could before he passed away. His Grandfather was the only person who hadn’t abused him since he began living with his stepfather. He wanted to make him proud. He knew he was being watched over by his grandfather from heaven, he just knew it. The day his grandfather passed away from the grief of losing Anna Jean cried at his grave from daybreak until the sun went down only to come home to his stepfather drunk and was beaten for not being a true man. Jean didn’t even know what it meant to be a true man. He began to tear up over his thoughts and the sight of the girl in agony. I should have helped. I should have helped her he said over and over in his head until the exhaustion from his earlier use of his powers caught up with him and he blacked out. The last words he could remember himself thinking were I’m so sorry. I wish I could have done the right thing.

 

[Willow Pillow]

Forty parents and children had been killed.


Fifteen students had lost their lives.


There had been just above one hundred students, faculty and family members that had been injured from small scraps and bruises to critical condition.


The school was in shambles, classrooms had fallen apart, walls completely down. The forest surrounding the school had been singed and burned to the ground. War had been fought here while the horseman of war was passed out cold from a Hare and a Louise somewhere in that school. The walls, floor and ceilings were coated with blood of the enemy and the innocent.


This had been a detrimental day.


But Ridgeview had scene worse. In just under two hours (One hour, fifty-seven minutes and twenty-eight seconds to be exact) Loretta Hapswell had organized the teams to clean up the school where it had looked just as it did this morning, pristine, and good as new. Not a crack was shown on the foundation and the school itself was spotless. Not a body would be found. It was almost as if the attack had not happened.


There were faculty members on staff who could repair buildings in seconds. The janitor had left the grounds and went into the forests, touching the dead trees bringing them back to life. The blood, guts, bone matter, everything was cleaned up from body parts by Loretta. She walked around, holding a small black box in her hands, when she opened the lid a vacuume like suction would occur picking up the bodies of the attackers. Living and non-living, using her powers to affectively erase their existence from the globe at all.


To Loretta, if these children had decided that attacking a school of super powered beings just to get rid of them based on their genetics...she was doing the world a favor by erasing that type of stupidity from the minds of the public. Public records would be destroyed during the weekend with Darke's help of course, but for now just the memory was all she could control.


Bodies of the students and family, and yes a teacher or two, were not victims to the box. It was placed in a safe spot inside her office once she had finished.


On the third hour, there was a list posted on who survived, who didn't. It seemed cruel and detached. A Hapswell was a Hapswell after all...but the woman with the white hair bunned perfectly neat, two pencils inside as she wore a very concservitive blouse and pencil skirt believed it was better for the people to have a chance to see who was gone and who wasn't. If they had questions (And she was a mind reader she would hear all of them) she would be glady to help them and send them to the proper councelling.


For now, at the twenty minute mark on the third hour the woman sat down at her desk rubbing the temple of her head as hundreds of people's thoughts ran through her mind. She went to take a sip of her cold coffee.


"LORETTA! WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF SKITTLES! YOU NEED TO RUN OUT AND GET SOME."


The secretary sighed. Her work was never done.

 

[Willow Pillow]

Aidan sat on his bed and stared off at nothing, his cheeks stained with tears as he just seemed lost in thought. It had been three hours, the dance was happening in less than one but he was still in his RECALL costume covered in blood.


Lexi had run into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank God! I couldn't find you. I thought you were-"


He grabbed her face as she vibrated in his arms. Both their eyes began to glow gold as memories passed between them, Lexi unable to comprehend what was happening but they kissed. And for five brief minutes...everything was going to be ok again. He hadn't lost her to some attacker. She hadn't lost him in the large casualty count.





He knew he needed to move. One step in front of the other to get to his closet and find his nice suit, not one of the school uniforms. (There were no school uniforms) But he couldn't seem to move. Aidan felt frozen in thought and in time. His mother was dead. His father was talking to the faculty assigned to handle parents with the bodies, to find a way to get her home for the funeral....to be burried properly. He couldn't move. Lexi had wanted to stay by his side, but he told her to leave, get ready for the dance he would be there. It took fifteen attempts for her to finally leave.


And now he couldn't move.


His mother's last memory of him would be him snapping at her to let him live his own life. She was gone. Their entire relationship together ended with bitterness....he wasn't sure how he should feel, feel about anything right now.

 

[Willow Pillow]

Clara sat, staring up at the ceiling as Arnold had pushed play on one of her tapes inside her old boom box.

Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup, baby

Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around

And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby

When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still

I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin'

You know that I have from the start

So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don't break my heart

​

She glanced down at the thong on her desk. Picking it up with one pencil she dropped it in the trashcan thinking of her twin sister. She didn't understand where the hate came from. She did....but she didn't understand why it was so deep, it was all things she couldn't control or try to fix. As she stared at the laced garments she realized she would spend the rest of her life punishing her...and maybe she deserved it.

To you I'm a toy, but I could be the boy you adore

If you'd just let me know (bah-dah-dah)

Although you're untrue, I'm attracted to you all the more

Why do I need you so

(Hey, hey, hey!) Baby, baby, try to find

(Hey, hey, hey!) A little time and I'll make you mine

(Hey, hey, hey!) I'll be home

I'll be beside the phone waiting for you

Ooo-oo-ooo, ooo-oo-ooo

​

Arnold flew on her desk, picking a piece of mango with his talons as he cocked his head at her. "I'm not torturing myself." She said, her breath hitched with pain. "I enjoy the song, it's not just about Lisa." As the bird bit into the mango and had not blinked once she sighed. "ok....it is just about my sister. But I am allowed to brood. Every year she does something, the school goes to shambles and I have to do what's necessary...I can have twenty minutes of brooding before I go back out there and smile at parents acting like everything is fine."


He took another bite and stared.


"What do you want from me?!"

Why do you build me up (build me up) Buttercup, baby

Just to let me down (let me down) and mess me around

And then worst of all (worst of all) you never call, baby

When you say you will (say you will) but I love you still

I need you (I need you) more than anyone, darlin'

You know that I have from the start

So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don't break my heart

I-I-I need you-oo-oo more than anyone, baby

You know that I have from the start

So build me up (build me up) Buttercup, don't break my heart​

 

[Brinni]

Leon had woken up a couple hours after the attack stopped. Min was gone. Unfortunately that meant his ribs were still cracked. Instead of getting healed from the nurse, he doubted she'd do anything for him for some time, he left the office. He was told there was a list of casualties and survivors. Reading it he was glad that none of friends had died. His dad was also along the survivors. Aidan's mother however was not. Oh...Aidan


Leon made his way back to their room.it was slow going with his ribs, the stairs were a nightmare. When he made his way into the room Aidan was struggling to get dressed. Leon made his way over and helped his friend, not saying a word. What could he say? There was one thing. "I'm here I'd you need me" he said. He changed out of his costume, but instead of a suit he put on sweats and a t-shirt, then sat on the edge of his bed, watching his friend.


-----


Ryan was excited. He got dressed in a suit and made his was out the door, pausing briefly to look at his camera. Tonight, I'm not a photographer. Let one of the others take pictures for the paper. He walked out the door.


---


Harriet paused at the nurse's office, just out of sight at the door. I could give her one dance. And I would if I didn't think the pain would be be aggravated by it.


She smoothed out her dress and left instead.

 

[Willow Pillow]

Aidan slowly turned his head and looked at his roommate's yellow bright aura with blue sparks....his brother had the blue with yellow swirls. He didn't smile at his friend or show any indication of a thank you at his remark to the boy who took his OWN MOTHER'S life. Aidan didn't know the reasons, and it was probably more complicated than the snippet of memory he had seen from Jean....


But his own mother was gone, he was taking a flight back to South Carolina on Sunday with his father to handle the funeral and wake. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to be talking to anyone right now.


"You never told me you had a brother." He said finally. A brother who roomed with him. And now this one. If this was some manipulative game...Aidan wasn't clever enough to figure out what would happen next...but if it was...he wanted no part of it.


--


Sarah looked at the list of names, knowing that someone would cover the loss of death. Every senior on the Ridgeview Review would want this story. It wasn't worth sitting in that classroom monday morning and fighting over it. She had bigger fish to fry. This wasn't just a school paper story. She was going to submit this out to whatever newspaper organization would grab it.


She'd be just as famous as Nolan Graves with this piece.


She slipped on her

Spoiler

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/e9/e0/e7/e9e0e7b4f126ea0b5086db2bb07fde61.jpg, her hair was done in a loose french braid, Claire's 'rinestone' clips were placed througought giving the illusion she had diamonds in her hair. Her dress was just under twenty dollars, her heels from a five dollar bargain bin. But, as she looked in the mirror and smiled, she looked just like any other girl who had money to their name to dress for success.


You didn't need money to get anywhere, you needed creativity and ingenuity....and a hell of a lot of pluckiness. All three Sarah had in spades.


(Her brother just stole his suit, didn't even look at the price tag...well over a few hundred bucks)


When Ryan knocked on the door, she opened it smiling at him as she was placing her steno pad in her pink rose purse (2 dollars on sale) "Where's your camera?" She asked. "Oh, if we have to go back to your room, we should grab extra film, we have a lot of work to do tonight."

 

[Brinni]

"A brother? What do you mean? I don't have a brother. At this point you're probably the closest thing I have to a brother." Leon said confused.


----


"Camera? Why would I have my camera tonight?" Ryan asked. "I'm here to pick you up as my d-date...unless you've changed your mind since the classroom?"

 

[Willow Pillow]

"I saw Jean today," He said. He looked exhausted and whatever tone of optimism Aidan usually had was not there. "He was my roommate the first day of school, Leon. He's your brother and I'm not here to judge whatever you two have going on, but I don't want to be in the middle of it."


He already lost his mom. Yes, he found out she wasn't the perfect mother he believed her to be but she was still his mother. Whatever mess these two had over their own mother....he wasn't sure he could handle it. Not if Leon actually did the awful deed....because despite how monstrous our parents are you love them, and if his was ever murdered by someone he knew and cared about he'd want to seek justice to.


"He wants to ruin your life. He REALLY wants to ruin your life. I know that hate. That hate nearly killed me today. I'm not in the mood to do it again over moms."


--


Sarah raised her brow at Ryan tilting her head confused. "We were talking about profiling our main prospects for the story weren't we? Ms. Turner will still be there, possibly the agent, Crush. We're working tonight...."


That's what she believed anyway. She tried remembering the conversation but all she could remember was reading the articles off of Google that afternoon.

 

[Willow Pillow]

@Homage


Tim didn't move for most of that time. Three and a half hours felt like eternity and one second all at once as he watched the labored breathing of the daughter he never got the chance to know. In this moment there was no anger. The cracked broken abusive personality that was Mr. Elastic was not in this room, it was just Tim Shepherd feeling utterly powerless. He was not STUPID enough to incite the nurse.


He was afraid to seek treatment from her himself. There were people of all kinds of life at this school. Many of the teachers here had their own redemptions they sought (He was FUCKING RELIEVED he wasn't one of them) but a bitch from the pit of hell itself was not someone he wanted to touch him let alone try to heal him. Seeing her passed out on the floor only meant that she had a bad day. Like an alcoholic who had two sober years and went on a binger bad day.


No, attempting that to get Nia to wake up was the worst thing he could do.


He leaned back in the chair, silently praying to whatever God that existed to help her pull through. To keep himself from spiraling down the dark hole in his soul he finally spoke. "What was she like...as a little girl?" Favorite movie, color, food, did she throw tantrums? Anything? He needed to cling to something.

 

[Brinni]

"You...you weren't even listening to me were you?" He said. "I asked you to the dance, even said it could just be as friends. I asked because I wanted to prove to myself I wasn't completely pathetic. And when you said yes I was ecstatic. But now...to find out that the one person I thought I could rely on to listen to me for a change wasn't even paying attention?" His voice cracked as his eyes watered. "I guess I should have known better. But yeah I'll go get my camera and we'll work tonight. Your big story awaits." He turned around and started walking towards his room.


---


"I'm telling you Aidan, I don't have a brother. Even if I did there's no way he could be here at this school. I was an only child when my mom left my dad and I, and I was four then. So even if she had another kid he'd be twelve right now at the oldest. You're on edge, maybe I can help you relax before Lexi gets here. Why don't I show you how the City of Light got it's name?" He held out his hand while thinking of his hometown at night, waiting for Aidan to take it.


@CosmicChangeling