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Post by Kaylee-Anne "Shocks" Swanson on Oct 25, 2010 18:14:13 GMT -6
Kaylee-Anne was excited! One of her friends was coming for a visit and she was rushing around the kitchen to get things ready. She'd thrown a couple of frozen pot pies in the oven and pulled out the frozen cookie dough for dessert. She wasn't a cook at all, in fact when she used the electric stuff bad stuff usually happened.
In any case, she'd told Mark that she'd have food ready and she wasn't about to go back on her promise. As she mixed together some koolaid she hummed along to the music on the radio.
The clock chimed and she gasped, "Crap! He'll be here any second!" She hurried over to the oven to find the pies still frozen solid, so she turned up the heat, hoping that would help cook it faster...
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Post by Mark on Oct 25, 2010 20:22:24 GMT -6
"You'd think a Technopath could make the oven cook something."
The voice came from the door, and as Kaylee looked up, she'd see Mark standing there with a small smile on his face as he watched her fumble with the oven. He chuckled and walked over to her, taking his friend into a hug. He didn't visit the mansion that often, but when he did, it was almost always to visit Kaylee. She was one of few friends he actually kept in contact with after leaving the school. The two of them had been close during his time at the school and during that time, he'd taken to calling her by his own little pet name.
"How you doing, Kas? Keeping up with your classes?"
He stepped back and leaned on the fridge, smiling at her. He would have to admit, he'd had a bit of a crush on her for a few years. She was a pretty girl and whether she realized it or not, she had a real talent. He knew her well enough to be able to tell that. She just had to get a handle on that stubborn power of hers.
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Post by Kaylee-Anne "Shocks" Swanson on Oct 25, 2010 20:33:34 GMT -6
Hearing the voice Kay turned around and grinned. "Mark!" She chimed practically skipping over to him, her arms wide open. Kaylee was the sort of girl that didn't have many friends but the ones she did have were precious to her. Mark had always been that for her. She threw her arms around his neck, giving him a big hug.
"I missed you!" She said, loving the moment.
She cared a lot about Mark and worried about him too. For the few years they'd known each other she'd come to think of him as family to her and would do almost anything. But she'd always thought he viewed her as a little sister of sorts.
Grinning she stepped back to shove her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose and look him over. "Yeah, you'd think so. But i'm still trying to get a grip on all that."
Unlike most of the other students, Kaylee-Anne still couldn't properly control her powers. She avoided the question about how she was doing in school. Truth be told she wasn't doing all that great. It didn't help that she still got bullied a lot.
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Post by Mark on Oct 25, 2010 21:03:47 GMT -6
He chuckled as they hugged and he just watched her silently as she answered his questions. He reached out and gently touched her shoulder as she avoided the question about classes, then looked her in the eyes as he asked his next question.
"Are the other kids still bothering you, Kas? You need to tell somebody about them. Talk to Rain, I'm sure she can help somehow."
He hated the idea of her being bullied while he was off with the Avengers. It wasn't right. He had done what he could to protect her while he was there, but now he was off living his dream while she was still here, being bullied while she tried to get a handle on her powers. They were part of the reason why she hadn't figured it all out yet. He had always wanted to pound them into the dust, but he knew it was wrong. They had to do things the right way to make sure nobody got hurt.
Glancing at the room around them, he looked at her, and turned her towards the microwave. He often did his best to tutor her and he decided she may as well get a lesson while they were waiting for the pot pies. As he usually did, he took her arm and stretched it out, her hand on his so she could follow his motions.
"You can control this, Kas. I know you can. Concentrate. Follow the metal."
He curled their fingers so they were pointing and metal started to flow from his fingertips, stretching out to the microwave. This was his way of showing her what to do with her mind. Reach out with it towards the machine. He always told her to follow the tip of the metal 'finger' and do what it did. After a moment, the metal reached just millimeters in front of the microwave, this was her cue to press the 5 button with her mind.
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Post by Kaylee-Anne "Shocks" Swanson on Oct 25, 2010 21:33:07 GMT -6
Kaylee-Anne just smiled back at him and shrugged. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't so bad. Atleast she didn't find scorpions in her sock drawer or get locked in the broom closet anymore. Now mostly people just ignored her. Maybe it was because she was older now. Most of the kids that had made her life hard in the past had moved on now.
"It's okay." She said, "I dont want to get anyone in trouble. It's mostly just harmless anyway."
She turned with him, used to this excersize. She appreciated Marks help but more often than not she felt like a disappointment. Her hand rested on his and she watched at the metal began to grow. Her brow furrowed in concentration, nodding at his words.
She watched the metal reach the microwave and stop. She knew that with her powers she should be able to manage the machine as if she were standing there pressing the buttons with her fingers, but the more she tried to focus the more it wasnt working.
It wasn't a matter of her mind, her powers were linked to her emotions. With a sigh she lowered her hand and shook her head. "Sorry. I guess i'm just not in the right frame of mind tonight." She said, avoiding marks eyes and feeling ashamed of herself all over again. She really was a crummy X-man.
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Post by Mark on Oct 26, 2010 15:12:29 GMT -6
He sighed a little as she said it was harmless. She always said that, but it was keeping her from learning about her powers. That was always harmful.
"Kas, you need to tell somebody. These people are hindering your learning process. That's harm. It doesn't have to be physical to be bullying."
They went through the exercise and she found she wasn't able to do it. He smiled a little and rubbed her arm comfortingly.
"C'mon, Kas, you can do this. Here, let's try this. Close your eyes."
He stepped back and watched her. When she closed her eyes, he turned her around a few times to confuse her bearings, then put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. They were standing facing the opposite direction they had been before he turned her.
"Alright. Now reach out with your mind. Tell me what you sense in the room and where they are. Don't try to manipulate them yet, just tell me where they are."
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Post by Kaylee-Anne "Shocks" Swanson on Oct 26, 2010 22:47:42 GMT -6
Again Kaylee-Anne just smiled and shrugged. He'd been saying stuff like that to her for all the time they'd known eachother, and never had she reported anyone, even that time when someone locked her in the showers and ran off with her clothing.
As he put his hands on her shoulders, she knew what he would do. Actually she was usually alright with this one and she trusted him fully as Mark spun her around. She took in a deep breath and thought about the room they were in. Slowly the room itself turned into wires and matter, and then a million little electrons whirling around nucleus's. For an instant, she felt herself in tune with them, the energy flowing like the blood that flowed through her own veins.
In that moment her appearance changed, she was calm, collected. The light above them grew brighter and began to buzz, the microwave kicked on, the television and stereo started, all this happening without her realizing. It wasn't until the bulb in the fridge suddenly blew (something that happened often with her) that Kaylee jumped and suddenly everything turned off, plunging them into darkness.
"Not again." She said with a frown, then a smell wafted into the air and she all but shrieked, "Oh no! The pies!" Smoke quickly started to spill from the closed oven.
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Post by Mark on Oct 27, 2010 22:20:26 GMT -6
He watched her as she closed her eyes and concentrated. He stared at her for a few moments as she changed from nervous to calm and confident. He liked seeing her this way. She always worried too much over her powers, in his opinion. She just needed practice with someone she trusted, which was why he always tried to help her when he came by. He was lost in her calm expression and just how pretty she was that he didn't notice everything starting to go haywire. He jumped and turned towards the fridge as the bulb blew and he looked over at her, then the oven as the burning pies came to their attention. He pulled the door open and darted over to the oven, pulling the door open as metal covered his hands to guard his skin from the heat. He pulled the burning food out and dropped it in the garbage. He flicked the lights back on and looked over at Kaylee, smiling a little and rubbing the back of his neck as the metal receded back into his body.
"Well... so much for lunch."
He chuckled and walked over to her, touching her shoulder and looking her in the eyes.
"Hey, don't worry. You'll get a handle on it. Have you tried meditating like I showed you?"
He cocked his head to the side. On his last visit a few weeks before, he'd showed her a meditation technique that had helped him master his powers growing up. He'd hoped that showing it to her would help her with her abilities.
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Post by Kaylee-Anne "Shocks" Swanson on Oct 28, 2010 9:11:40 GMT -6
Kaylee-Anne could only watch as Mark got at the pies, pulling the charred black things from the oven. She clasped her hands together infront of her and bit her lower lip, trying not to get too upset. Getting upset over things like this just lead to trouble anyways. "I'm sorry." Was all she could say, looking up at him.
When he asked her about meditating she considered before nodding slowly. She had tried... once or twice, but she just couldn't focus really. She wasn't the sort to just relax. If she wasn't doing something, she felt likes she was wasting time.
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Post by Mark on Oct 29, 2010 19:35:52 GMT -6
He smiled a little as she apologized and rubbed her arm a little to try and make her feel better. He shook his head a little and smiled as he noticed the cookie dough still thawing on the counter. Picking the package up, he pulled it open and formed his metal into several cookie cutters, starting to slice the dough into several cookies for them. He looked over at her and held out the raw cookies for her to take.
"Let's try something without heat, shall we?"
He chuckled and took a bite of one of his dough cookies. When she answered him about the meditation, he raised his eyebrow skeptically, set his dough down, and crossed his arms over his chest, giving her a look that said 'I know you're not telling me something.'
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Post by Kaylee-Anne "Shocks" Swanson on Oct 29, 2010 23:27:43 GMT -6
Kay gave a small smile as she watched him. Mark was so sweet to her, she really appreciated the fact that he didn't belittle her or make her feel stupid. "Thanks." She said as she took the cookie dough and started to nibble on it.
She'd hoped he'd just accept her nod as an answer and they could move on in the conversation, but when he turned around and folded his arms, he gave her the look that always seemed to make her confess things she didn't want to confess. Looking away she muttered, "Okay, so maybe I haven't done it all that much. But I can't really find the time. I'm pretty busy with classes!" She added hastily, "And besides, there are things that need to be done in the world, and they don't get done if everyone just sits around meditating all the time..."
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Post by Mark on Oct 30, 2010 0:29:58 GMT -6
He listened silently as she confessed, watching her with a calm gaze. He wasn't upset, he understood why she didn't do it, but he was wondering how much she had tried to find the time. He just waited silently until she finished speaking and closed his eyes, thinking for a few moments. He wasn't angry, and that was obvious. He was calm, thoughtful, and all he wanted to do was help her figure things out. Smiling a little, he opened his eyes as he decided on a solution for her.
"Well, you sleep at night, don't you? Before you go to sleep, sit on your bed, and try to meditate."
He reached out, putting his hand under her chin and lifting her eyes to look up at him.
"Things do need to be done, but there are other people to take care of those things. You're still just a student, Kas. You don't have to do anything but learn what you can do."
He stared into her eyes as he said this. He wanted so badly to kiss her, but he didn't know how she would react to that. He wanted so much to tell her how he felt, how much he believed in her, how much potential he saw in her. If she could just focus, she could be so great with her abilities.
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Post by Kaylee-Anne "Shocks" Swanson on Oct 30, 2010 0:35:16 GMT -6
Kaylee returned his gaze, but her thoughts were on different things. Her soulful eyes were soft but determined. She had in her a fighting spirit, it just hid behind her fear and anxiety.
"I want to be more than that." She said softly. She wanted to be more than a student, but someone who could make things better in the world. She wanted to be someone her father, the man who never knew she existed, would be proud of.
The way he looked at her made her feel a little more powerful, and she had to check herself to make sure she wouldn't turn anymore appliances on. His touch on her chin seemed to linger and she could only just look back at Mark, wondering why he'd always been so tender towards her...
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Post by Mark on Oct 30, 2010 1:19:27 GMT -6
He nodded a little in understanding as she expressed her desire to be more.
"I know you do. I understand, Kas. But you can't be a hero when you can't control your powers. I know how badly you want to go out there and fight, but you know it's dangerous. The best thing you can do to help the world right now is learn how to control what you can do. And once you've figured that out, then you can be the greatest hero anyone's ever seen."
He understood more than she could imagine. When he was learning about his powers, he wanted nothing more than to take to the streets and be one of the greatest heroes ever. But he knew if he went out without proper control, he'd hurt an innocent person. As he stared into her eyes, he smiled a little, then leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers. He just couldn't help himself anymore. She was so beautiful and thoughtful, he cared so much about her. He wanted to show her how much she mattered to him.
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Post by Kaylee-Anne "Shocks" Swanson on Oct 30, 2010 1:33:48 GMT -6
She knew all this, and even though it was disheartening to hear it again she knew he was right. There had been whispered rumors among the staff that perhaps Kaylee-Anne would not be leaving the academy the next year unless she could get her emotions in check. Secretly, she thought it more likely she'd just go into hiding somewhere and try to keep to herself as much as possible. But then perhaps she wouldn't get to see the people who mattered to her anymore, and that was something that could break her heart.
As she mulled over this she realized suddenly that Marks expression changed slightly. About to say something, she noticed him moving towards her. Her heart leapt in her chest in the instant his lips touched hers. It was so unexpected, she couldn't believe it was happening.
Her eyes closed as she experienced the soft kiss, and suddenly the lights in the school went out. Almost instantly they turned on again due to the backup generator, but in the second of darkness, Kaylee-Annes hands rose up to lightly rest on Marks shoulders.
Again in the light, she looked up at him in surprise, had that really just happened? Why did he do that? And why was her heart beating so fast.
"Mark?" She asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She wanted him to say something. Her hands remained on his shoulders.
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