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Post by Laurel Catre on Sept 25, 2009 19:08:22 GMT -5
Laurel walked along the shops, barely glancing in the windows when she passed the stores. it wasn't really the merchandise she enjoyed; it was the familiarity of the action. It was the way it reminded her that she was a normal teenage girl, not a human locked up in a mutants prison. As she was walking she happened to look in the window of a store she had not yet been in. She opened the door and hesitantly stepped inside. It was filled with books. There was nothing but dirty, old books. She knew she should leave ; there was obviously nothing here for her. It didn't even looked open, there were no costomers, no clerk.Nothing but books.
She turned to leave the store but as she did her eye caught something gold and shiny in the corner of the room. She whiped around and stood face to face with a harp exactly like the one she had at home. It even had a stool in front of it. It looked like it was waiting or her. Before she could convince herself not to, she ran over, sat down and began to play her moms favorite song, an old Italian love song called the Matinata. She started out just barely lucking upon the notes, hesitantly plucking the strings. But as she became more comfortable with , the melody came back to her and she began to play with more confidance; her body moving along with the music; physically throwing herself into the peice. Like a wave, the memories of her life before Freakopolis fooded beck like a mental ambush. She was so deep inside her mind that she didn't even hear thefootsteps behind her.
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Post by Maku on Sept 25, 2009 19:39:31 GMT -5
Maku didn't know what he was looking for. The shops all had random merchandise that no one would be wanting in the first place. It's like someone would say, 'One man's trash is another man's treasure.' But not all people would consider anything here treasure in the first place. Then Maku thought about it. What the hell do you trade here for crap like this? I haven't seen a single glimpse of anything that looks like money.
He was wearing something new today. A red T-shirt with a pair of cargo shorts he had 'plucked' from the market in the middle of the night. Someone was dumb enough to leave their merchandise out in the open, begging to be taken. So, that's what he did, he took it. It fitted him perfectly, and he didn't see anyone else who had his frame. Except his shorts were a little loose, but not that much. Maku rubbed his eyes. His contacts were dry and he felt that he may need to get some glasses soon. Children ran by and brushed against him. He took a step aside, and noticed a book store by chance. He shrugged and mentally said, 'Why not?"
He took a step through the door frame, the pungent smell of the old, musty books took him for surprise. He slightly winced at the smell, but walked on, perusing the selection of literature. Pride and Prejudice, Bore on paper. Sun Tsu's Art of War, not interested. Clifford the Big Red Dog, wait... Why would it- never mind.. He continued to walk, his head cocked to the side to better read all the titles on the spine of the books. But soon a sound filled his ears. It sounded like someone plucking gently at a harp. He was right of course, and followed the sound. From his taste in music, which happened to be all very old music, it sounded very.. European. He saw a girl dancing her fingers upon the strings of the golden harp. It had the look of being worn from use and movement, the gold beginning to peel. It was obviously painted on a steel or other type of metal, bent perfectly to the shape of a Harp.
Maku closed his eyes and let the notes of the song dance into his head. The sharps, the flats, the key and the song flowed elegantly into his head. He smiled and took a step behind the girl, grabbing a nearby chair to listen to her play, not wanting her to stop.
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Post by Laurel Catre on Sept 26, 2009 9:17:46 GMT -5
She ended the piece with a dramatic flourish, running her fingers across every string before she took them off he harp. Instantly she knew she wasn't alone. Her spine shot ramrod straight and her heart rate quickened noticeably. She didn't want to turn around but the suspense and curiosity got the better of her. she slowy moved her head around to face what was behind her.
She was relieved at who she saw. He was just a regular looking guy, he could've easily been one of the boys at her school, but the relief went just as fast it came went she thought about all the "regular" looking mutants she'd seen so far; the innocent looking girl that was praying in front of a grave who ended up screaming, ranting and killing a plant. Then was that one handsome intense lookng man that turned out to be some pshyco that cut everyone. They all looked so .....normal but they weren't ,none of them, which was what scared her about this guy. What was he really capable of.
But she didn't really want to be at this place being afraid all the tme. If she was going to stay here she might as well make a friend or at least an ali.How bad could he really be? So she mustered up her "impress the coaches' tone-of-voice and dove in.
"Hi! The name's Laurel'' she said, desperately trying to mask her fear even though she knew how fake it sounded.
She outstreatched her hand and immediately blushed when she looked down and saw that it was vibrating.
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Post by Maku on Sept 26, 2009 11:17:23 GMT -5
Even as she stopped, the extreme ending, pulling quickly and perfectly on each string, his mind continued on, imagining every note hang and swing then fade by. He opened his eyes finally, only to see the face of the girl playing the harp. Her face showed some confliction, and Maku bet it was her unsure feeling of mutants. He smiled to her, thinking the same exact thing, but knew better because she seemed to have the same thought process.
"Hi! The name's Laurel''
He quickly responds, still holding true with his smile, "It's nice to meet you. My name is Maku."
This was definately the fastest exchange of names he has had so far. It made him happy to think there would be little conflict between them. He shook her hand firmly, but not hard enough to hurt. Maku didn't give much attention to her shaking, or her blushing, even though both were pretty obvious.
In a warm tone, he asks her, "So, what were you playing, just then? If you don't mind me asking.."
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Post by Laurel Catre on Sept 26, 2009 15:01:53 GMT -5
"So, what were you playing, just then? If you don't mind me asking.."
She relaxed her posture and returned his comforting smile.
"Uh..well.. It's called Matinata, Its some old Italian song. ....My mom really liked it." She didn't know why she added that last part. It seemed almost nessicary.
"So....What are you in for?" She cringed the second she heard the words come out of her mouth. Not only did she make herself sound like some kind of demented inmate but she'd probably have to answer the question too! What would she even say to that anyway? She could tell him that she was part of some mutant Mafia or she could make up some wild tale about being a mutant spy. She had always been good at making things up to make herself more interesting, or likeable. To her knowledge not one of her friends knew she was adopted....to her knowledge no one even knew she was here....
For some reason though, she really didn't feel the need to lie to Maku. maybe she was just so exausted from avoiding the mutants that it made it easier to open up to one of them.
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Post by Maku on Sept 28, 2009 21:33:13 GMT -5
Maku hummed, echoing her, "Matinata.. It sounded beautiful, despite the harp's condition." He laughed softly about his own comment. He continued to listen to her. "So what are you in for?" He grimaced.
He thought about it. Maku wasn't even sure. Imagining what happened that day was an ordeal. It was a blur of color, fury, and... It was too hard to think about. There was blood. It was on his face. It dripped slowly on his cheek, rolling down in the reflection of the mirror. His right hand was covered in red. It had instilled fear and horror. He didn't even recognize himself in the mirror. What happened that day!? His eyes averted to the ground, and his chin dipped. Darkness covered his eyes. He muttered, as if to himself, "I hurt someone. With the powers I don't even know about..." He showed obvious shame.
It was the truth, and he never wanted to hurt anyone in the first place. He would just hope that she wouldn't take his words in a bad way. Maku looked back up with hurtful eyes, only to ask her with a fake twinge of happy response, "What about you?.." It was so plastic how he said it. He couldn't stand how it sounded. But he tried to return to his original persona.
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Post by Laurel Catre on Sept 29, 2009 20:54:03 GMT -5
"I hurt someone. With the powers I didn't even know about"
Laurel watched the shame on his face but soon forgot about it when she heard the next part of his statement.Her heart lifted and new hope sprang up from within her. She completely forgot about the look of poise and confience she'd been trying to create for herself and let her excitement show through.
"YOU DIDN'T KNOW YOU WERE A MUTANT???!!!!" She exclamied happily, excited to have met someone in the same situation she was in."I didn't either!....we'll actually it's all just some huge terrible mistake. See Im not a mutant at all, this random dude just came and kidnapped me one day. Can you believe that?"
Maybe there were more people in her situation here...."Wow these guys are really dumb" she thought to herself "Do they just pick people off the streets and then throw them into to mutant internment camps?" For some reason she began to laugh uncontrollably, collapsing into helpless giggles.The situation wasn't funny at all but so much pressure and tension had built up that laughing was just a natural release of it all. After about a minute of giggling she composed herself and faced Maku again.
"What about you?" Maku had said
"That's the whole problem! I'm not a mutant, I don't know why I'm here. I've never even done anything strange enough to qualify me as one" She was very aware of how much she sounded like a "valley-girl" but she could really care less.
It wasn't until now that she saw how upset he looked. His once relaxed smile was now strained and his eyes blatently illustrated his pain. She didn't know what to say. It was easy to console teenage girls who got dumped. But this? This was different. He'd hurt someone else.
" Listen. I promise that when my dad comes to get me out of here, I'll take you with me. He should be here soon....I know it.'' She said this more for herself then for him.
"No one kidnapps the Senators daughter and gets away with it"
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Post by Maku on Sept 29, 2009 21:45:09 GMT -5
Maku was baffled. She commited to not being a mutant, and was happy to hear that he didn't know his own powers. It shocked Maku like a battery was linked to him. He then just shook his head sadly. He wanted to tell her that she was a mutant. He wanted to tell her that they don't make mistakes. But in the pit of his stomach, he couldn't tell her. His better half said for him not to break this girl's hope. He smiled at her naivity.
"Yeah... Mistake... I'd like to get out too..."
He spoke like he said an open truth, yet hiding a lie he didn't tell. He just echoed her, still collectingh is thoughts. The walls suffocated on the lives of mutants. It tore old lives apart, and sew new ones on the faces of the innocent, the weak, the strong, the ruthless, and the oblivious. She didn't want the new life. But now it would soon be her everything until the Rebellion finds a way out or the system to break down. But maybe he should comfort her.
"So... What did you do in your old life?"
The words didn't quite yet fit together. He just hoped she wouldn't notice the implications of his words.
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Post by Laurel Catre on Sept 30, 2009 20:15:46 GMT -5
"So what did you do in your old life?"
She began chattering endlessly about her life before Freakopolis. Her Parents, Gymnastics, Her boyfriend, Gymnastics, Her friends, Gymnastic.....and ....Gymnastics! She talked endlessly and probably would've kept on talking had she not finally realized the meaning behind the tone in his voice.
She shot up angrily "You think I'm one of them don't you?! You think I'm a freak?! I can't believe this! I am not a Mutant. I am the farthest thing from a mutant! I am TOTALLY, ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT, NOT A MUTANT!!!!!!" She yelled. Teenage tantrums were her speciality. Had she not been so angry, she probably would've enjoyed the drama of it.
Suddenly she was hit with an intense pressure. It felt like someone had dropped 10,000 pound weight on her head. She screamed and grasped the harp for support but the second she laid her hand on the harp, she and the harp crashed through the floorboard.
"Okay....That was weird" she yelled up right before she blacked out
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Post by Maku on Oct 1, 2009 16:42:33 GMT -5
Maku sighed as her incessant chatting reached a point where he began to try to drown out Laurel's words. Blah blah blah... Gymnastics this and that... Bleh bleh bleh... Boyfriends this Best friends that... He didn't really care, because he was trying to let her feel better about being stuck in Freakopolis. Letting her express. But he didn't show it. He had the intentive eye contact and the occasional laugh and nod. It felt plastic; fake.
Soon she became.. quiet. But there was a second of tension, before she blew up at him. Her shouting caused Maku to cringe. He wasn't one to be a dramatic, let alone deal with flaring tempers. His preference was to mentally curl up to avoid conflict, but he found humor in the girl's anger. She had noticed the implications of his question. But the yelling didn't make him feel any better. She soon looked distressed as she was fuming, and leaned against the harp to support herself. The ground buckled then broke, seemingly smashing under it's own weight. The girl tumbled to the ground, falling under and through the floorboards as well.
Maku jumped to his feet, making sure the girl was still okay. She blacked out, lieing limp on the floor. He winced in fear for her safety and how she might feel if he were to move her from her current position. He crouches and carefully enters the hole. He makes an innocent attempt to move her above the floorboards. He lies her on the ground, next to a bookshelf. Hopefully no one would come running in response to the loud crash the harp and girl made. He warily looked around, before plopping beside her with crossed legs, awaiting for Laurel to awaken. Maku couldn't be entirely sure, but something about her powers must have caused the crash... But he was indecisive. Maku just waited beside her, preoccuping himself with the twaddling of his thumbs.
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Post by Laurel Catre on Oct 7, 2009 20:28:03 GMT -5
Laurel felt like a stack of bricks had been loaded on her head. It was all she could handle just to breathe. Her whole body throbbed rythmically and her brainpulsed along with it. She groaned weakly and opened her eyes happy that the lighting was dim in the bookstore. She lifted her head but quickly released her neck muscles because the pain was to much to handle. Her head dropped down, bouncing twice before finnally resting on the floor. This time she tried moving her eyes as far as they would go so tha she could see her surroundings. To her right was a gaping whole in the floor and to her left was a knee and a pair of twiddiling thumbs. He must have pulled her out of their because she certiantly didn't remember getting herself out......
"Thanks" she said horsely.
She racked her brain to see what she still remembered. She was talking....then she got angry ....then?......She knew she'd fallen through the floor but what she didn't know was how it happened, the books were old but the store itself was pretty sturdy. The floors were made of linoleum and underneath that was about two feet of concrete. Concrete doesn' just buckle and break for no reason....
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Post by Maku on Oct 15, 2009 17:00:23 GMT -5
Maku sat preoccupied with himself. What if she doesn't wake up? What if she's injured? What if I get blamed for her injuries?! What if they start to think I'm a monster?!... His brain was wracked with thoughts of fear and unsureness. He was afraid for Laurel. She was nice, and had some optimism. It was a good thing, but Maku was afraid he was going to have to break it to her that she was a mutant. She had already gotten angry at him for even suggesting otherwise. Sighing audibly, he hears a voice.
"Thanks"
Maku looked over at the girl and sighed in relief, "Laurel! Thank god you're okay! You scared me. Do you feel alright?.." The boy hovered over Laurel with a look of concern. Did she even understand that what just happened was from her lack of control? Maku think he understood a bit of her power. Something to do with weight or pressure. One or the other. He just assumed from the impression left into the floor. It couldn't have done it by itself because the floor was well built. The composition of the floor was mainly concrete, it couldn't have just broken...
Maku was checking the girl for injuries, not realizing he did it rather invasively. He carefully looked for blood on her body or even blood stains, but didn't catch a glimpse of any injuries. He sighed as he leaned back from over her. "You look okay. Nothing injured. I hope the worse is a few bruises. You have any idea why that happened?"
He said it directly to her, but hid the undertone of accusing her of it being her fault. The boy waited for a response, still wondering is she had realized it was her influence that caused it.
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Post by Laurel Catre on Oct 19, 2009 20:00:09 GMT -5
"Laurel! Thank god you're okay! You scared me. Do you feel alright?.."
Laurel felt his hands moving across he body. It was sort of awkward but she was too tired to object so she let him continue his "check-up". Her headache had subsided and she began to feel less confused. She got up slowly and crawled over o where the hole was.
"You look okay. Nothing injured. I hope the worse is a few bruises. You have any idea why that happened?"
She opened her mouth to answer but befre she could ell him that she had no clue what caused this her memory kicked in.
She could see herself in a van. She was hunched over and was dry-heaving badly. There were two men in the front and if she strained she could hear their conversation.
"So what's this one got?" the first one says
The second one leafs through some papers "ummmmm....looks like gravity control"
'' So what? She can float?"
" Yeah, sort of. She can also put pressure on things but we've only see her do it in small amounts" the man looked back at Laurel and shook his head.
" It seems like the second we put one in we find another...who turned her in?"
"This one's different. Senator Catre's been having her studied for years now, would've kept at it if there hadn't been a campaign coming up"
It was at this point when Laurel fell over and began sobbing uncontrollably. The second man walked over and hit her, causing her to black out.
She opened her eyes. She was back in the bookstore still looking over the hole. Her eyes were wet with tears.
"Crap..."
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Post by Maku on Oct 22, 2009 17:37:43 GMT -5
What Maku wouldn't give to know his mutation. Not to use it, but just for the sake of knowing. Everything after being caught was a blur and black. His memory skipped. A terrible pain and shocking sensation erupting through him. The next set of memories was regaining his consciousness in Freakopolis. He felt sore waking up that day. Ever since, he's been trying to collect some form of memories that happened between the lapse. But now, he was concerned with Laurel, hoping that in her collapse, she wasn't internally injured.
He pondered his course of action, as he let Laurel get her bearing. Passing out could be a shock on the body. Maku was happy to have taken health class. Not to mention his actually taught about basic first-aid. He fumbled, pulling out a small plastic bag with scattered colors of pills out of his pocket. Maku's hand clicked open the bag and pinched a small, round, pink pill out of the bag. As he pulls it out, he looks over to Laurel with tears streaming down her face. He blinked with a confused expression. She murmured, "Crap..."
His eyebrows raised in concern. As he held out the pill he bit his lip. "Laurel?.. Take this. It's some aspirin. Is there something wrong?.." Maku was afraid. Either the pain had finally coursed through her, or she might have just realized something important. The boy just looked at her with worried eyes.
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Post by Laurel Catre on Oct 23, 2009 20:26:06 GMT -5
[blue]"Laurel?.. Take this. It's some aspirin. Is there something wrong?.." [/blue]
She took the pill out of his hand but waited a second before swallowing. A million things seemed to be coming together at that moment : the endless doctors appointments, the constant testing, the way she would wake up in the morning and ,for some reason, couldn't remember a thing that had happened before or after her "surgeries". She used to ask her mom why she had to take so many tests even though she felt perfectly okay, but she woud never get an answer. Her mom would just burst into tears and hug her until her ribs hurt. now it all made sense.
She was just an experiment.
Laurel looked up at Maku and sighed. She leaned up against him and stayed that way for a moment before opening her mouth.
"There not coming to get me are they." She didn't wait to hear his answer "What am I supposed to do?" ths time she puased and looked up at him, waiting for some kind of advice, some answer because now she knew for a fact that she was a mutant, she really did belong at freakopolis
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