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Mod
People didn't like different. Sure, they were always willing to be up for the next best thing, the latest trend, the newest pass time, but people had a threshold. And if you were just a hair over, you faced total social repulsion.
Avris hadn't known this when she told her parents she could look just like them if she wanted. That had been one of the greatest mistakes of her life. She'd thought her abilities were the greatest thing because now she was like some kind of superhero. She could be as scary as the hulk or look as innocent as a babe in a mere amount of minutes. She could be a supermodel or the crazy old lady in the park feeding the ducks. She could be anyone.
And then she realized, no one could trust her.
A few dozen poor choices later and her parents didn't hardly trust each other let alone their daughter anymore. Avris had been becoming a better actress, her practical jokes becoming more and more serious. It hasn't been until she's caught her parents in a fight and her father accused her mother of actually being his daughter that she realized the damage was far too deep for her to repair. And so, she left. She packed her bags at 16 and never looked back. Forget school, what did she ever care to learn at that dumb place when she could just walk into any college and learn what she needed. Friends? Family? She couldn't ruin them any more than she already had and if she told her friends... Well they had been growing apart anyways.
Five years later and she could barely remember what she was supposed to look like anymore. She cared more than she would ever admit. Her once mischievous and bright personality and dulled but not faded. She used her powers out of necessity rather than luxury. If anything it would only cause her more trouble and draw unwanted eyes.
That was until she ran into a pale boy accompanied by suited men. His face was blank and mysterious, telling many and no stories all at once. He stared at her as though he was staring into her soul and she knew that her secret was already wide open for him to see.
"My name is Barren." He'd noted. "I'm here with my associate, Avery, on behalf of an organization dedicated to unlocking potential of G.I.F.T.E.D individuals."
"Gifted?" The word sounded familiar to her tongue. She was going to be an Xman now? It was the essence of the word comical. It's what she'd always thought she wanted.
"Have you ever wanted to be a superhero?" A taller man, Avery addressed. He grinned easily as if there was only one option.
"Why would I? I have a decent life, don't I?" It was true enough, though she couldn't deny that the idea had once held value to her. It hadn't seemed possible, though, for all those years. Her powers had only brought her more trouble than good.
"Your feelings are wavering." Barren stated blandly. So he knew about that too? "With our organization, you may not feel so isolated by society. At least, those feelings changed when we revealed ourselves. We won't force you."
With that, they turned, leaving her to her own devices once more. It felt like something akin to loss. Finally some people show up and they understand and she was going to let them just leave like that?
"I'll come." She grumbled, not wanting to show her fear mixed excitement. Barren would know, of course, so she ignored him. "But don't give me the superhero bullshit. We both know that's a lie." It was, she soon learned later. That's ok, she decided. Lying was what she was good at.
Mod
"Tell me," She spoke, her hair flapping in the wind carelessly, "Do you know how people move on?"
I wanted a car to drive by. I don't know how many times I prayed for those bright headlights to blindingly make their way through the darkness to the rescue.
"I guess... maybe they just stop caring? What does this have to do with anything? Let's go home. Please." I beg, waiting for prophesied miracles to rain down.
"Stop caring, huh? If we just stop caring, then it must not have mattered much in the first place." Her voice was calm and serene, almost transcendent. She moved like an angel, poised and easy. Or maybe she was more like a ghost.
"Of course it did! But there's only so much we can do, you know? You have to find something else more important to care about."
"Is there anything more important?" Her eyes glanced in my direction, glass eyes piercing my organs and shredding my resolve.
"O-of course! Like... like..." My mind couldn't think of anything that could possibly convince her, let alone myself. I knew I failed when she turned to fully face me. The soft, understanding smile was not mad I had failed, nor did it hold a grudge or radiate relief. It only spoke of acceptance.
When she flew away, I didn't want to follow.
I never wanted to.
Mod
Peter was great. So great. Nymme had known from the day she met him, that Peter was a precious person and did not deserve any harm or misfortune to fall into his life. Jun, on the other hand, could do nothing but drive her crazy since the day he arrived. He was loud and flirtatious and friendly and adapted well to any situation he was put into. The ex-heiress could hardly believe how calm he had been upon his arrival and how easily he had gone out and found some work within his first week on Earth.
Nymme had struggled, but came to terms with the fact that he was an easy going fellow and possibly more optimistic than he should be, but she couldn't really fault him for that. What she hadn't come to terms with was the man's fixation on Peter. Peter had been her safety nets and in a lot of ways, he still was. The way Jun flirted with him though, someone so gentle and soft, made her want to say mean things and forbid him from interacting with her person in such a way.
The small things like the way he so casually put his arm around the boy's shoulder when he greeted him, the blatant compliments of how adorable he was, the way he was always bugging Peter to spend time with him or help him with his chores made the girl's chest ache. She needed Peter more, so why was Jun getting all the attention? Were they going to become a couple? Had she not been a good enough friend to Peter? Was she going to lose him? The doubt fed her insecurities and only served to send her farther into her slump. She normally would have talked with Maryn about it, but she had a feeling she knew that the florist would just try and quell her frustrations with simple confirmations that she was a good person and Peter was a good person and they both deserved to be happy. But what questions did that answer? None, that's what.
"You doing alright?" The vet-to-be's soft voice sounded as he took a seat next to Nymme at the volunteer clinic.
"Peter, hey... uh... kind of." She mumbled. Peter just nodded, giving her a look that silently conveyed he was asking her if she wanted to talk about it because she was concerned. She shouldn't be so possessive, she knew. Peter deserved to be with whoever made him happy, right?
"I'm... concerned..." She started, "I don't like Junjie." Her eyes averted in embarrassment to a pair of school girls walking home down the street.
"Oh." Peter acknowledged, "Yeah, I've noticed you tend to avoid him. He's really nice when you get to know him better."
"I don't want to be around him, but I want to be around you and when it's the three of us it can be uncomfortable." She admitted in a sigh. She didn't need to look at the boy to know he was likely warring with himself internally. Peter cared about both of them obviously. But did he care for one more than the other? The girl was still learning to fight her insecurities.
"I mean, he's talking of leaving. What happens then? He just returns home after his crimes? Him with no sense of regret or punishment? Exiled earn their place here by hurting people around them back home. We deserve our place here and we make the best of it. We all want to go home but we can't, so what makes him so special?"
Too engrossed in her own rant, the ex-heiress fails to notice the young man's small flinch. "But maybe he just wants to get you attached and then rip your heart out when he leaves. That's what scum like us would do.
Mod
That scary woman, Marika, probably would have wanted him to report to her after he confirmed his device worked, but Ming couldn't help it... what if Jun returned and instantly realized Ming had betrayed the resistance and Zhi? He needed a moment to explain.
So, he sat, patiently beneath a tree, watching the colorful ducks swim across the glassy water's surface. The radar's monitor gave off a constant, soft pitched beeping sound to signal he was close to the drop zone, but rather than annoying, the whole atmosphere was rather... peaceful? Now he just had to wait for Jun... His eyes were closed before he even realized.
Wait! He had a job to do! The mechanic suddenly startles awake. The first thing he realized was that a lot of time had passed. The evening sun had descended past the horizon and now only the moon lit the shadowed park. The ducks had nestled in for the evening and the only sounds keeping him company were those of the chirping frogs and restless crickets. It took him a moment to realize the radar had stopped beeping as well.
"Huh?!" He flinched, reaching around for the metal instrument. "No!" He shook it, even smacking it a couple times. Still, nothing. Had he missed it? "Augh!" He cursed, falling back against the tree. He sighed deeply, looking up into the rustling branches to find milky skin, long brown hair, and loose fabric where there should have been bark and leaves. "Ah!" He hesitated. Who the hell was this person? Had... she been the arrival that the radar had predicted?
The woman groaned after Ming's short outburst, her eyes opening blearily. Her eyes were a warm, chestnut brown and once they finally landed on him, she screamed. A lot.
"Aaaahhhhh! What the -why am I- who-whe-ahhh!" Her wriggling had finally set her free and she plummeted to the ground. Ming protected her head from falling on her head. He didn't hold her long partly because he was wary of the woman and partly because she was flailing too wildly to dare hold on to.
"WHAT. THE. HELL?! WHERE AM I?" She's backing away, eyes wide and fearful. He can see her bare pale legs trembling before they buckle altogether. "And who are you? Did you bring me here?" Suddenly her eyes glare fiercely.
Why would she- oh. "What? No! No, of course not. That's no how this works." He held up his hands as if in surrender. "At least, I don't think so. Uh... Listen... I just thought someone from earth might show up here. I'm working on a sort of radar machine. It just senses when there's an arrival. It's not like I summoned you."
"Oh my god... am I dead?" She looks about ready to cry. This woman was clearly on an emotional rollercoaster and Ming hadn't the faintest idea what to do.
"So you are? From earth?" She nods at him hesitantly.
"Why? Aren't you? Why wouldn't I be from Earth?"
"Focus. Did you happen to meet anyone by the name of Junjie? Or he goes by Jun? About this tall, brown hair, stupid grin on his face like constantly?" Ming described his brother to the best of his ability, searching her face for any clues.
"Jun...? I...maybe? No... well actually- I think so! Peter introduced us briefly when they came to pick up Nymme from work."
Nymme? Peter? Who were these people? More Exiled? "What's the last thing you remember?"
"I was checking in on Joanne, bringing her some tea because she'd been staying up late, working on something... did I... I don't know what happened next but next thing I know there's a flash of purple and I'm waking up in a tree looking at some stranger!"
Mod
The look on Jun's face was a blend of surprise and fear when they opened the door. She'd gone to confront him. For Peter's sake, but also her own. Jun's behavior spelled trouble, gathering Exiled with promises of returning. Did he even realize there was a reason they had been sent there? Or that his very proposal threatened to tear Peter's family apart? She'd been furious and in the middle of comforting Peter when she decided that he needed to be stopped. Peter had gone after her of course, because that was the sort of guy he was, avoiding conflict as much as possible.
She should have listened to him.
The moment she opened the door and saw Jun's look, she'd turned to grab Peter and run, but then the familiar purple light surrounded them and she'd only had enough time to hug him tightly before the tingling light hit and they were gone.
~~~
It was warm when she came to. Sunlight flickered across here eyelids and the rustling of leaves reached her with the kiss of the breaze on her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, there was green. She recognized grass, the smell of dirt, and the familiar blue sky with the moons chasing one another in the distance. She pushed herself up to better take in her surroundings. She was dropped along some riverbank, meaning she'd arrived on Makires. Perhaps Culosk's Forrest?
Where was Peter?
She looked along the riverbank, not a soul in sight. "PETER!" She called, her heart beginning to pound in panic. "PETERRRRR!!!" She looked to the line of trees, seeing nothing but shadows and trunks and leaves. The sudden gasping behind her accompanied with splashing clued her in. She all but dove into the water after him, holding him tightly as she helped him wade over to the shore. She helped wipe away the hair sticking to his face and pulled him into a hug.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," He panted, "I'm fine, but... what just happened?" His brow was furrowed, confused. "There was the weird light and this tingling sensation..."
Nymme shook her head. "We," She took a breath, "we left Earth."
Mod
"So Peter's got a new friend, huh?" Maryn commented after Jun and Peter dropped off Nymme on their way to volunteering.
"Yeah, I guess so." The ex-heiress muttered distastefully. The flower shoptress clapped some dirt off her hands before moving over to her new employee.
"What's wrong, Sweetie?"
"Jun!" She all but rips the petals from the flower. "Ah-oh my gosh-I'm so sorry."
"It's alright. Let's grab some tea while you cool off."
~~~
"Do you want to talk about it?" Maryn asks tentatively as she pours the howling pot.
Nymme groans, shaking her head. "He's driving me crazy, Mar."
"And why is that?" She pools up a stool.
"He- he's so thoughtless! He's always hanging around Peter and blatantly flirts with him, but of course Peter is too nice to set him straight. Or he's too oblivious to realize- no, well maybe he's interested- which is totally fine, but-I mean- He got a job so quickly, but doesn't seem to have any intention of moving out."
"But you also have a job-"
"And I'm trying to move out! Because I know it's not easy on their finances having to feed two extra mouths, especially since Peter is in school."
"And you're upset he's not trying to move out too?"
"Yes! Because he shows up out of nowhere, not a drop of insecurity about him and he's making a home here so much more easily than I ever had hoped I would be able to. And in the meantime, I've been here for months longer than him and I'm still-still such a burden!" Nymme starts sobbing.
"Oh, honey." The florist pulled her into a hug. "No one thinks of you that way."
"B-but Jun knew how to wash dishes when he got here. And everyone likes him, even Mira. My internship hasn't even started to pay me good money yet. I'll never be able to support myself at this rate. And you can't afford to pay me much either, but I spend almost all of my time working and I miss the time I used to spend with Peter but he's busy with his own life and shouldn't need to babysit me anymore." Maryn handed her a towel to wipe her eyes and nose.
"It's going to be alright, Sweetie. You're doing amazing. Better than amazing. You're going places. my business has been doing so much better since you set up my website. And if your boss isn't paying you enough, then ask for a raise. From what I've seen, they can't afford to lose you and you could get better offers elsewhere once they see how talented you are."
"You can't mean that..."
"Oh yes I can. I am a grown woman and I don't know nearly as much about computers as you do."
Mod
She was going to die here. Alone. In the street. Covered in blood that wasn't hers.
"Doc?" She could almost recognize the voice, but it sounded far away, that it was hard to pinpoint the owner. She felt arms encircle her and squeeze tightly. She struggled at first, unfamiliar with the owner who she couldn't see through her overflowing tears. "Shit, Doc. Breathe. You're going to be ok. Deeper breathes like this. In..." Luli hiccuped through the inhale, struggling to focus. "And out.... again. In..." The person continued repeating the phrase, never releasing his tight hold of her. After what felt like an eternity, Luli could finally feel her heart beat slow as she gained control of her breathing.
"I...I can't... can't..." She panted heavily, her limbs feeling heavy and dead.
"Shh, Doc. Take a break. You worked hard." The voice sounded clearer now.
"Darcy."
"The one and only."
"Mmm."
"You scared me. I was just throwing out some troublemakers only to find Bloody Mary coming for our souls."
"Shut...up."
"Today must have been tough for you. Don't worry. Tasha will get you fixed up. The stay won't be cheap, but I can't imagine you'd prefer the street. Come on."
Luli remembered the feeling of being lifted up. She had missed the feeling of Darcy's warm arms holding her like this. It was too bad he was incapable of being this warm to non-orphaned individuals. She fell asleep soon after.
She panicked briefly when she woke up naked, only to realize Tasha was just trying to help her out of the bloody dress and draw her a hot bath. The chatty girl helped her clean and scrub and lent Luli a nightgown.
Luli spent the most of the next day sleeping and recovering, eating some when Tasha brought food from the kitchen. Darcy didn't show up after that. It wasn't his style to comfort those past the critical moments. He was off on some business errand when Luli finally ended her stay two days later. It felt nice to be taken care of. Despite his warning, she knew her stay would be discounted and he wouldn't hear a word of apologies or thanks. She'd have to find another way to return the favor.
Mod
Nymme warning Jun about being a good date to Peter.
Nymme taking care of her drunk boys.
Mod
What....?
...
...
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Nymme's lips began to throb painfully as they began to bruise from their sudden collision with Peter's face. They... tripped? She could only remember the puppies running around their feet on leashes briefly before her legs were suddenly swept out from under her as she turned to ask Peter a question.
"Eehhhhhh?!?!?!?" Nymme covered her mouth, scrambling off of the boy, stumbling and fumbling along her way. "I wa- y- ah- hm- uh- wh-" Her face was redder than a tomato and she felt lightheaded from embarrassment. Peter chuckled, coming up to a sit and smiled back at her.
"Are you alright? Your lips look really red. Are you bleeding?" His voice was calm and concerned, which made no sense to the frazzled girl. They just- with the faces! And the lips and the contact!
"No!" She exclaimed, though she actually had no idea. She touched her lip tenderly, feeling the ache of the bruise still, but thankfully no blood. She looked back at Peter and realized his face was also pink with embarrassment as he watched her unsurely.
"I was-"
"The dog-"
"Do y-"
"I'm so-"
The two ended up laughing at how silly the whole situation was.
Nymme let Peter go first.
"Sorry, I should have been more careful to not let the dog run around with his leash still on."
"It's fine. After having a fiancé, I really shouldn't be freaking out over the whole first kiss thing."
Peter's eyes widened in surprise, "First kiss?" He hadn't expected that. Not that there was anything wrong with saving the first kiss, though since she had been engaged, he had assumed she had already passed that memory marker in her life.
Nymme blushed again, feeling as though she had just said something strange, "Is that not- I mean- With arranged marriages- Oh, but you're not married! I'm so sorry! Was this your first kiss too? We can just pretend it didn't happen if you want. Your future wife will never have to know." She assured him, though her worries faded as he started to laugh.
"No, it's not but, this might be one of those cultural differences. Here, kissing isn't reserved for those who are getting married. It's just for people who care about each other. Or I guess people kiss for a lot of reasons. I had to kiss someone for a dare once." Peter explained, a gentle smile on his face as though he were remembering something.
"Oh..." Nymme nodded. Before he could go on further, she leaned back in close to him and placed a light kiss against his lips. "I care about you so that's correct, right?" Peter's face had turned red as a tomato and he was momentarily unable to respond.
Nymme panicked, mortified. "Oh no. I got it wrong?! I thought- I'm so sorry!" She ran away promptly, leaving the young man's heart thumping much faster than normal.
Mod
The day hadn't been anything special. Espen had just arrived home after walking home from school and flopped on her bed to watch some television. Unfortunately, when she reached for the remote, the screen didn't blink on. Odd, but not alarming. Blackout had been occuring more frequently recently, anyways. Sighing, she slumped off the mattress and turned to her homework. She really should start her homework... but there were so many more fun things to do! Like anything else... even staring at the ceiling...
A tinkling jingle came from her phone, signaling the teen that her friend was calling.
"Hello?" She smiled, hoping they had something fun in mind.
"Hey, Pen!"
"T-tim! What a surprise." The rosie haired student turned bright pink, shooting up into a sitting position. The boy was from her class, true, and they were friends, sure, but never had he actually called before. Not to mention, she'd always had a bit of a crush on the boy.
"Oh, did I catch you at a bad time?"
"No! Of course not- I mean it's a good time- I mean what's up?" She stuttered, pacing the small room.
"Well, everyone was thinking it would be a fun day to get some studying done at the coffee shop down on Low Street. We've got a physics test on Monday."
"Yeah! I was actually just thinking it would be nice to study with other people." She lied.
"Great! We'll see you there in a bit, then?"
"See you there."
Espen grabbed her bag, racing out the door, ignoring the shouts of her parents, she waved her phone at them, insinuating she'd be reachable. Today would be a good day!
At least, that was what she was thinking before the bombs dropped.