Home without home? (Open!)

My name is Danae-Alisse Starlight Thornbridge. I'm sixteen going on seventeen. I've come to a boarding school. At this boarding school, we have powers. I was rescued from...from... Her thoughts ground to a halt along with her feet. Framed against a cross-barred window, the face of a young woman contorted with sudden pain. As if someone had suddenly began to grind a mortar against her skull. Struggling, she schooled her face back to one of placid neutrality before striding down the corridor and beginning the thought process again. Shadows from the bars crossed her face as her mind reached the exact same point and, just as before, her entire being ground to a halt. With a tired sigh, the braided redhead gave up. Moving towards the window, she gazed out at the city.

Larger than any she'd been to, which probably wasn't saying much, but its imposing mass still threatened to overwhelm her. Then again, almost everything seemed likely to overwhelm the teen today. The Guardian had left Danae-Alisse alone, for now. In fact, quite a bit of it seemed to be, "for now." Her accommodations were, "for now." Her not being in school, "for now." The fact that she had only minimal control over her power, "for now." That she had no idea what life would even mean for her. "For now."

Not that there wasn't work to be done. In fact, in her "for now" room were some papers that involved getting into one's "house" at a school that she was apparently supposed to attend. While Danae-Alisse wasn't one to shirk duties or requests, she just couldn't bring herself to do it right now. School, papers, strange powers, and, on top of that, I have no idea where I am in the world! her mind cried.

And staying in that room was, despite the window, too suffocating. The redhead needed out. She needed to walk somewhere. Do something! Despite the growing dark. Well, it wouldn't be intelligent to meander out in the dark. Deciding that she'd at least discover the lobby and, maybe, discover something to eat, Danae-Alisse kept her face schooled and pleasent and set off through the darkened halls.

One day.

That is how long she was going to stay there. Of course, Robin was not sure why. Her new father said something about 'paperwork', though she wasn't too certain what it was. Was it the same papers those scientists wrote about her? Did she do something bad? Her new brother who had saved her not too long ago seemed hesitant to leave her at the orphanage, promising that he'd see her the next day. Her new dad insisted the same thing after talking for what seemed like forever to the lady in charge.

Robin had lived in an orphanage before in Australia before she was stolen away by scientists that did many tests. Those days had blurred together for her, most of it was the pain, but also hope. She had sent the message to Beata to save her, and they had. Her new brother had walked into the containment cell with no suit to protect him from the radiation she gave out. Robin was told she was dangerous and was treated as such. Yet, Shepard protected her from the lady who wanted to kill her and promised her a home with his family.

The lady went back to River's Pointe with them for some reason. Robin avoided her the entire way back, sandwiched between Shepard and Joanna. As soon as they got to her new home, they put something in the base of her neck, and gave her a cool watch! Then suddenly, no one was scared of her anymore.

Feet pattered across the floor of Foundling House as their newest inhabitant explored the halls, energized by the idea of seeing something new, something further than white walls and ominous red lights. The dash across the house left the little girl tired and out of breath despite the short distance. Puffing, she slowed to a stop, leaning against the wall due to this it took RJ a long moment to realize another child occupied the space. "Hey..?" She tried, approaching the other child, poking at her with a hesitant finger. "Chairs aren't that comfy are they?" The seats on the plane to America were not that comfy after a while.

Danae-Alisse stirred. Opening her eyes blearily and peeling her face off her arm as both voice and finger nagged at her waking mind. Blinking twice, the teen focused in at the child in front of her. Who? she thought sleepily. Staring around, the teen found that sunlight was streaming into the window. Day had come. Must have fallen asleep. Collecting herself, Danae-Alisse focused on the girl in front of her.

"No, I suppose not," she agreed, "Guess I was just...really  tired. I'll try to avoid it from now on." Uncurling herself from the ball she slept as and stretching like a cat, Danae-Alisse stood up. And then, most embarrassingly, her stomach growled. Blushing slightly, Danae-Alisse said, "I don't suppose you know where to get a bit of breakfast, do you? Also, my name is Danae-Alisse. What's your name?"

She game her best winning smile, but wasn't sure how it turned out. While not too eager for company, anything was just about better than going back to her room and waiting. Even if someone had decided to bring food.

The young girl took a few steps back, bringing her hands behind her back. "Breakfast is in the kitchen." She responded carefully, shifting her feet in the direction of food. She hadn't eaten anything yet either. "Robin. But don't call me Robin. Call me RJ, it's cooler." She chirped, forcing a confident grin that didn't quite reach her eyes.

She hesitated for a long moment. Then took Danae-Alisse's hand and pulled her along quickly towards breakfast. "I want eggs!" She told the other girl quickly, looking up at her though amber eyes that shone with excitement. "I like them with cheese in it. It makes it taste more interesting." Robin turned the corner to the kitchen, where other children already sat chattering away over a warm meal. Sitting down, she eyed the portions in front of her plate, a pan of eggs sat too far to her left for the girl to reach. "Can you put some eggs on my plate, please?" She asked, doing her best to give the older girl her best puppy eyes.

It had taken her a while to get used to eating more food, but she had learned that omelets and eggs were her favorite breakfast food. Apparently, they were very good for you!

Danae-Alisse was taken aback by the enthusiasm of the girl. Or, err, RJ, she thought. Still, the endearing manner of the child could not be ignored and she found herself being pulled along by the excited girl. The red-head would have found it strange to find someone wandering the halls alone, but, considering how hectic her immediate past had been, Danae-Alisse felt that everything would have to be complete madness for this to seem strange. Then again..., her train of thought began, but she cut it off. It would only spoil breakfast.

An unconcious, ever so slightly, endearing smile brightened her eyes ever so slimly as Danae-Alisse listened to RJ's desire for eggs. "Eggs you say? Well, I imagine there should be some..." Seeing the other children made her words stop short, but RJ's hand made no room for half questions in the form of frozen feet and the teen was dragged to the table. Staring around at all the happy children made her think that there could be at least some joy for some of them. Just catching RJ's request, Danae-Alisse smiled again. Too porcelain to be truly real but kept the spark from leaving her eyes, and dolloped some eggs onto the girl's plate before putting a mild portion onto her own.

Casting around for something to say, Danae-Alisse asked, "So...how long have you been here?"

There was not a moment's hesitation before the little girl was digging in, her head low to the plate to ensure faster eating. By the time Danae-Alisse had finished speaking, the eggs were gone, and the young girl was doing her best to swallow her last bite that got partially stuck in her throat. Clearing it, she took a long sip of her water, holding the cup with two unsteady hands. RJ was obviously not well versed in etiquette at the table.

Wiping any leftover food or water with the back of her hand, the young girl then looked up at the older one. "Just last night." She said, eyeing the pan of eggs once more. "I'm going home today. My new daddy is going to pick me up!" A beam of excitement crossed her face. Her older brother who had found her might come too, though he had missed a few days of school bringing her back and things. The idea of him not being able to make it disappointed the girl, though RJ knew that she could see him later, likely at dinner.

"What about you?" RJ asked, tipping back to look at the feet of the child near her who was kicking their feet and hitting her with them. "Do you go to Beata? Like my big brother? Oh! And Joanna. She goes there too. A-and Oliver, and Evander..." She trailed off, considering if Carolina went to Beata or the university. "Do you have a super cool power? My big brother can control stars, and my new dad is an angel, and my new mom can make earthquakes and my new older siblings are twins and they are like cupid or something. But I don't know what that means." She rambled, catching her breath as she plucked toast from the plate to her right. Quite as suddenly as she had stopped talking, her foot kicked out and the child near her cried out in pain. Karma.

Mild bemusement colored Danae-Alisse's face as she watched RJ tear her way through the food. Wondering as to what she felt the rush was. As if the girl was worried that the food would suddenly disappear if it wasn't eaten quickly enough. The red-head herself simply picked at it and ate only occasional bites. She wasn't even a quarter of the way done before before the girl had cleared the entire plate. "You know," Danae-Alisse said, "you'd be able to taste it longer if you ate slower." Peering quickly when she heard sounds of choking, the teen made sure that the girl was able to clear her airways before taking her next bite.

The raw excitement of the child was quite endearing. So she's new, like me. And adopted, unlike me. Danae-Alisse softly smiled. And the rest of what RJ said couldn't have painted a different picture from the teen. The smile never faded as the girl talked and talked about everything she had just gained. Everything Danae-Alisse had just lost. Composure was key, and teen kept it to a T, seemingly learning with ever growing speed how to mask her emotions.

Her response, however, lacked the precise control she had so far managed. "I.." she started and then stopped. I'm never going home. her mind unhelpfully supplied. Shoving the thoughts aside, Danae-Alisse continued, forcing the bright smile to shine through it all, "I'm happy to hear that! You're family sounds amazing. What does it look like when your big brother directs the stars? Being an angel sounds amazing. I bet your Dad is a guardian angel who'll protect you no matter what. Although, you're Mom sounds a bit scary, if I'm honest. Wouldn't want to anger her. So you'd best do any chore she asks you to do without complaint! Twins are pretty cool. But I don't really get cupid either." She had a guess, but if nobody had explained it to RJ yet, Danae-Alisse wasn't about to start. She's a bit young for romance. she thought, And, well, I'd guess there's a bit of compulsion in their power.

"And, well, I don't don't my power's too cool." she said. Then thought, especially next to angels and people controlling stars.. Continuing talking, "what's yours? And, err, I don't know exactly what Beata is. Perhaps you could tell me about it." Sure, the name sounded familiar, but she hadn't been paying too much attention to what the Guardian said on and after the flight here.

Slower?

Eggs, she should eat slower? Her? RJ considered this for a long moment, her eyebrows knitted. That idea had not occurred to her before. And the idea didn't stick as she stood as tall as she could to reach the eggs, piling them onto her plate. As she ate, the girl considered Danae-Alisse's comments on her new family, nodding vigorously at the comment of not making her mother angry. RJ wanted to make her mother proud, and not regret taking her in even when she had another child on the way.

RJ did not notice Danae-Alisse's avoidance when it came to her powers. As soon as she had asked about RJ's powers, the girl stopped. A fork part way to her mouth, wide eyes staring back at her. Then silence. In a quiet voice that she hadn't used in a while, the girl put her fork down. "Beata is a high school for kids with powers." RJ cast a glance toward the door as if hoping for something. "My power is too dangerous for me to use. So they turned it off." She told the other girl, not meeting her eyes.

As RJ continued to eat with almost unwholesome gusto, Danae-Alisse kept her small smile. Not much sense in trying to reason with her, I suppose, she thought. But the child's sudden pause gave the red-head a pause of her own. Internal panic suddenly gripped her as Danae-Alisse had already the worry that she'd ruined a simple conversation with a child. Oh no, it was the powers, wasn't it. I shouldn't have asked her about her power. It's probably something you shouldn't ask kids like offering them candy from white vans, but kids can do it because it's cute and now she's remembering everything her parents told her about creepers and I should just leave and..

Her train of thought was blessedly interrupted by RJ's soft reply. So soft that she nearly didn't catch it over the din of her mind. "I..see," Danae-Alisse replied with equal meekness. Finding herself unable to look at the child as well, the teen was only able to mutter, "sorry." Danae-Alisse pitied the girl. Sure, her own power was, well, finicky was the most positive word for it. Useless was the other one. But at least it wasn't a danger.

Still, I should say, well, something. Anything! she thought, then, finally after a pause of her own, said, "But, I bet it's not forever. You'll grow up big and strong, just like your family and be able to use your power without worry." Danae-Alisse brought back her smile, trying to convey full faith in the child.

The young girl pursed her lips, then shook her head. "I can't ever ever use it. Because if I do, everyone will die." Amber eyes peered up at the other girl, sorrowful yet determined. "I keep it at bay." She explained, her hand felt the beads of the unity link, which aided in keeping her powers off, completely restrained. RJ felt safe with it on her wrist.

Suddenly, those same eyes widened. "Wait! If you are a big kid and have powers, why aren't you at Beata like Shepard?" RJ questioned any sadness she had before was gone as she sat on the edge of her seat. It was a big mystery! Like, if she was going to get to go to Beata because she couldn't use her power.

"I see..." but she didn't at all. Danae-Alisse had no idea what sort of power would kill everyone if ever used nor any idea as to the kind of pressure that would cause a small child. In that moment, Danae-Alisse felt very small and very ignorant. She had no grasp as to the world around her, one that the teen had been thrust into without warning. It was as if she'd walked into a super-hero comic and everything had been flipped upside-down. Children had power to ruin the world and she, herself, had only the barest inklings as to how to control it. None of it made sense and none of it was fair to any of them!

Calming her raging thoughts, Danae-Alisse responded to the eager child. Amusement whiplashing her emotions back towards a mild positive as she read into the child's wonder at the secrecy, which really wasn't much of one at all. "Sorry to say, but there's no great secret to it," Danae-Alisse said, "I only got here last night. They probably haven't gotten around to sorting me yet." That said, red-head wasn't sure she wanted them to. After they dealt with her, she'd have to try and fit in. Danae-Alisse didn't want to face that yet. She wasn't ready to face that yet. All she was ready to do was simply sit around and try to live with her situation.

Voices came from the door, a woman and a man talking. The man's voice was soft, but it carried through the room the two were in. At first, a murmur of conversation, then louder and louder until two adults entered the dining room. First was the caretaker, then a tall man with blond hair. Instantly, RJ seemed to recognize this man. She leaped to her feet and scrambled over to him barreling herself into his legs. "Dad! Do we go home?" RJ pressed, snatching his empty hand, the other held two files in it. The man bent down and picked up the overly excited girl, a smile of his own on his face.

"Soon!" Leo promised, blue eyes leaving his new daughter to meet Danae-Alisse's eyes. "Let me do something first. Why don't you finish your eggs, RJ?" The girl hesitated for a long moment, as if leaving her new dad's arms meant that she couldn't ever see him again. Yet, she slipped from his arms, and pulled him over to the table and chowing down as fast as she could.

"That's my friend Danae-Alisse!" RJ shared between mouthfuls, pointing over to the girl. "She doesn't go to Beata like Shepard. She has a gift, though!" She shared, nodding vigorously at her dad, kicking her legs swiftly as she chewed.

Leo smiled and got down to both of their levels. "That's also why I'm here, Danae-Alisse." The headmaster began, flipping open another file with Danae-Alisse's info on it. "The guardian who picked you up didn't take you to Beata like he was supposed to. All new Beata students come directly there, even if they haven't been sorted yet." He explained, flipping through her file. "So, I'm also here to take you to campus and get you sorted out. If you don't mind the detour, RJ."

The young girl considered the thought for a moment then shrugged. As long as she got to go home, she didn't care.

Danae-Alisse watched RJ shoot off and collide with the man. Her father, her mind corrected, I suppose she'll be heading home soon. The thought didn't cheer her. Then turned back to her plate of eggs. To her mild surprise, it had mostly disappeared. Casually, she spread out what remained.

Focusing back in on the conversation when the man said her name, she simply replied,"I see," not fully understanding but not really feeling the need to. Whatever protocol had been breech was of no matter to her, nor was it her fault or problem to deal with. Just a simple matter of rolling with the consequences of other's decisions. "When will we be going to campus," the red-head paused as it occured to her that she didn't know the man's name. Casting around for an appropriate word, Danae-Alisse simply settled upon "sir?" and left it at that.

She stood up from the table, hands lightly clasped in front her. The very image of calm respect and patience. "I'm prepared to leave immediately." Beyond what was on her back, there wasn't a belonging to her name. Due to the nature of leaving her home, there hadn't been an opportunity to grab anything. Even the clothes on her back had to be given to her. I suppose I save time on packing.

The blond man offered the best smile he could, though there was a strong feeling of pity in the man's eyes. No matter if she wanted his pity or not, she had it. "Well, if you both are ready?" The man stood once more, closing the file, and waving to the other children who watched. Beckoning the two with him, Leo strolled out of the room with a few parting words to the lady in charge.

RJ, who finished inhaling her eggs, leaped to her feet pulling Danae-Alisse with her. Her excitement had turned to a nervous glee, and RJ kept herself to the other girl, having formed a quick attachment to her, quite similar to how she formed an attachment to her new brother. The walk there was rather long, though, not long enough to warrant getting a taxi.

If both the girls were small enough, Leo would have just carried them and flown to Beata but didn't want to make Danae-Alisse feel too uncomfortable. Yet, soon enough they were at the gates of Beata Academy. The very same ground that Leo walked not 15 years ago. The fountain had been refurbished in those 15 years, flowing faster. Pennies littered the bottom of the fountain, which didn't shock Leo, as most places didn't use American Currency as Credits were the currency of choice in River's Pointe. They passed by it, RJ dipping her hand into the cold water, which elicited a squeal of glee.

Bounding back to the two, she wiped her wet hand on her clothes and took Leo's hand, looking around at the old brick building. It was very pretty, RJ decided. It was prettier than most buildings in Australia. Well, most buildings looked better than those in Australia that she had seen, and she had only really seen the orphanage and the lab she was experimented in. As they entered, the warm air flooded around her, and the girl let go of her father and bounded into the offices where others worked. They waved to her new dad, greeting him with smiles, then getting back to their work, double-taking when they spotted the two girls who trailed after him.

The office seemed warm in a mental sense. Pictures of family and friends adorned the wall next to the blond's desk. Warm colors of the walls seemed almost comforting to RJ in contrast to the cold bitter walls of the laboratory. She took off from Leo to stare at the pictures on the wall, bouncing from one foot to another. She hardly watched Leo gesture for Danae-Alisse to sit in a plush leather seat that faced his desk. "Here, Danae-Alisse. Answer this test as honest as you can." RJ heard him say, turning to watch him give a paper and pencil to the girl. "The placement test for what house you go in." Her father explained, sitting down behind the desk and turning to the computer to type.

Throughout it all, Danae-Alisse turned mute. Not a word she spoke through the walk across the portion of the district. Not a sound at the dancing fountain. Each greeting to the director fell to a mute mouth. Unless looked at, Danae-Alisse's face with flat. Blank as her mouth and empty as her eyes. The pity Leo felt for her hadn't even registered to her. But, as soon as the eyes turned upon her. As soon as she was being seen, a soft smile spread upon it. False light shined from them that only turned to gentle endearment whenever RJ pulled her in different directions or got excited by the attention garnered to herself or her father.

The red-haired teen appreciated the office. It was as a principle's, Headmaster's, office should look. Inviting and friendly with enough love and devotion scattered across it to encourage one to relax and be welcomed. She wondered if that held true for the rest of the school. With the paper placed in front her, Danae-Alisse considered it seriously for the first time. Having no idea what it meant to be in one's house, she filled out the paper with care. And care lead her to falsify two core questions, despite the request at honesty. When finished, the teen mutely returned the materials. Looking nervous, but docile.

The blond man did not pay much attention to the honesty, sometimes it was best to let them do as they wished when it came to taking the test. The housing system was put in place to organize the students into groups more similar to themselves. But if they didn't want to go by that, Leo wasn't one to care. Once the newest student was finished taking the test, he scanned the answers and glanced up with a smile. [color=lightyellow]"You are a summer. Congrats~"[color] He turned away, typed something into his computer, then stood up.

RJ seemed to notice this, and leaped to her new father's side, having been looking at a picture of Shepard, Eve, and Adam at an arcade. She blinked, watching Leo hand a Unity Link to Danae-Alisse, owlish eyes then looking down to her own unity link--though it looked more child-safe compared to Danae-Alisse's.

"All students get a unity link. It is essentially a phone, with various apps that you can get. Pretty handy. Though," Leo paused and offered a softer smile. "Please don't take it off. Otherwise, guardians will be called to your location. It is completely waterproof so you can take it with you in the shower, or with any uses of your powers." The headmaster explained, fetching something from a filing cabinet that folded out into many pairs of keys. Plucking one, he handed the brass end to Danae-Alisse.

"Your dorm key, and the dorm room number is on it. " Leo explained, beginning to usher the two of them out of the office. "I am sure you will need to get necessities and to account for that, credits have been placed into your account. Enough for food, a new wardrobe, and some other musts. If you run out, let me know." They were heading towards a large building, the dormitories. Some students wrote out things with stickynotes, reading a '<3' others with talk of movie night in 'E301'. Of which Leo knew to be his son Shepard's room.

"Thank you," she replied to his congratulation, still having no idea what it meant to be in Summer house. Or if it really mattered at all. She supposed she'd find out at some point if there was any important point to it and turned her attention to her unity link. The Headmaster's words struck her as rather strange. Why do they need to know where we are at any given time? she thought. Vocalizing the question, she waited for him to give what she guessed to be the typical reflection. To make sure that no one with teleporting powers got into too much mischief. However, a worry hugged the back of Danae-Alisse's mind, whispering that, despite having escaped what she once called home, she was by no means safe in this strange new city. As if she had been plucked from a nightmare and, instead of waking up, found herself dumped down the rabbit hole and into a fairy tale. And the redhead had certainly read enough to know that they were no safe havens.

The inclusion of the ability to make payments on top of everything else confirmed to her the suspicion that the unity link was basically a stylized, mildly compact, cell phone. What did surprise her was that she was expected to pay for, well, it seemed everything beyond housing and attendance. While the man spoke as if the "credits" would be filled if she ran out and she certainly didn't intend to buy more than the necessities, Danae-Alisse didn't much like the idea of having to possibly explain why she ran out. Idly checking her key for the room number and hoping it was a good distance away from any room that was an active hub for movie nights, or any possibly boisterous social gatherings, she asked "is there anything a student can do to earn more credits?"

Leo nodded as they entered the building, RJ let go of Leo's hand, skidding to the nearest elevator. "Shepard lives here! Can we go see him? Please?" The young girl dragged out the last bit of her plea, giving the blond the widest puppy eyes. The button to go up was already pressed, and the elevator arrived with a soft ding.

"Yes, RJ. We can. Let's drop off Danae-Alisse first, okay?" He pressed, ushering them both into the elevator as they went up. "To answer you question, yes. You could get a parttime job at one of the many stores in town, or you could do missions. Missions pay well, however they can be dangerous." Leo explained, watching Danae-Alisse as he explained. "But, I put enough in your account to last you a bit. " The door opened, with another ding. Soon enough, they were standing in front of D207.

"And here it is. Do you have any questions? Your class schedule will be dropped off tomorrow morning."

"I see, sir," she said, "thank you for the, uh, stipend? And the information." The redhead then faltered for an instant. Through her head rand questions regarding her family, her friends, and what had happened to them after...after. The teen shut down on her thoughts. Clamping them tightly beneath her heart. She didn't want to know. She couldn't know. Wouldn't be able to stand, knowing. Not yet. Not ever, she thought, then said, "no sir, not at the moment. It's quite a lot to take in. But, if my guess about RJ's almost bursting excitement, she's about to start rushing down the halls shouting for Shepard." She tried to inject a bit of rueful humor in the end, playing that she was trying to feel alright.