Mastering Your Power 1| OPEN.

Jasen Belville took a deep breath as he walked into his classroom, staring at the empty darkness - switching on the lightswitch by the door the whole room seemed to flood with light and as he walked over to his desk and set his things down his body already started to tingle with the urge to create weapons as he sensed the students walking to his class. He felt a surge of different emotions rush through them, identifying each one as they became closer and closer.

Walking over to the dry erase board, Jasen took a marker and wrote in large cursive "Welcome to Mastering Your Power, My name is Mr. Belville."

Taking a seat at his desk, Jasen waited patiently as his students started to arrive.

The first student to walk through the door was Jupiter, she seemed anxious as her feet carried her into the classroom and Jasen looked to her with a faint sort of plesant smile - feeling that emotion tickling at his arm - itching to create a weapon to math this emotion. "Hello," the young girl spoke to him meekly as she took her seat near the front of the classroom.

Jasen nodded to the young girl, remaining silent as another walked through the door - this time a fairely tall dark skinned male. Daniel seemed to be excited about this class, his emotion of it echoing through Jasen's other arm - the temptation to create just as dominant as before. As Daniel took his seat, he sat closer to the front than even Jupiter did - an obvious sort of thing that suggested Daniel was very academically inclined.

Nova was on time for class, through some creative navigation of the school's campus. She hadn't been in a hurry until she'd received a phone call from her mother, who'd proceeded to explain exactly how much trouble Nova would be in if she was tardy or truant.

She was wearing dirt-smudged camouflage cargos; a tight, black longsleeved shirt; black boots; and a bomber jacket that was well-lined since she was anticipating cooler Fall temperatures. Her backpack was on the verge of tearing; it was held together with duct tape and safety pins. Nova did have the spare cash to get a new one, but she just hadn't gotten around to it.

Her cheeks were flushed with exertion and her mood was initially triumphant- she'd arrived with enough time to spare. Her eyes scanned the available seating and her smile faltered when she saw an individual near the front. Her entire demeanor grew guarded and careful. She noticed another familiar figure (she'd met Jupiter in the library a while ago) and went to sit next to the girl. "Hola, Jupiter," she said in a quiet and friendly voice. "How are you? I am so happy that you're in this class too!"

She proceeded to pull out a notebook and a pen, ostensibly to take notes during class.

---

Sam wound up signing up for Mastering Your Powers mostly because he knew his cousin would not. Whatever he picked up here, he would try to teach Lucy. His own biggest weakness was the fact that his power shut off when he stopped playing. So if he ever got distracted (it had happened during fights before), he'd be left in the lurch until he could focus again.

He wondered if Mr. Belville (for that was the name written on the board when he walked in) could teach him complete and utter focus to the exclusion of all outside stimuli. Then again, the ability to be distracted could be construed as a defense mechanism. Sam was still on the fence. His cousin was an example of a person completely cut off from perception of the outside world when her power was in effect. He worried that something would happen to her physical form while she was over doing her thing as a psychopompus.

His eyes flicked from individual to individual and he recognized the girls.... but not the boy. He preferred to sit near the front, even though something told him that he wouldn't be amiss in renewing his acquaintanceship with Jupiter. A moment's thought and he wound up going to sit next to the boy. He nodded a greeting, reached into a pocked of his waistcoat, and pulled out a well-worn card that said in distinct lettering, "Hello, my name is Sam. You?"

Anna-Marie ran to the door. She was running late and had managed to forget her notebooks. At least she had her fish handbag; a white and orange beaded koi designed to open at the mouth. It went well with her blue aline sundress, and because it was started to get colder, she had put on a white cardigan that matched her white slippers.

The reason she was running late was due to the fact that a certain curl just couldn't find a place in her orange flower clip. She shot her hand into her purse's mouth and dug out her cellular and texted her brother. He hated using text but there was no way Anna-Marie was going to start off a class by rudely talking on her phone. She wasn't even sure phones were allowed.

Surprisingly, Anna-Marie made it with enough time. Not knowing anyone in in the class, she gave a general "Hello!" and sat down near the door, hoping that Tobias would bring her notebook before the teacher started his lecture.

Zeke let out a small sigh as he strolled ever so slowly to the lecture on controlling powers. A typical class as the whole school was based on helping those will abilities that had no idea how to harness it in order to not let it run wild. "Bah! I don't even know why I have to go to this." He had learned how to use his power some time before coming to Foresta.

Walking into the classroom, Zeke recognized the man in the front as Mr. Belville according to the board behind him. It wasn't surprising in the least that he had no idea who this was as he hadn't taken many classes since his arrival. Scanning the room, the only face that he knew slightly was someone by the name of Sam who he had met with Lucy. It was normal to want to be near someone familiar but Zeke always preferred to sit closest to the door so he could leave once the class ended without an hindrances.

The seat he had chosen was vacant so Zeke had taken his place, resting his head on his arms until class started. He had thrown on whatever clothes were laying around while his hair was disheveled. It didn't help much that he only had only a couple pairs of clothes. It was fairly obvious that Zeke had grabbed a pair of old clothes. "I hope class is going to start soon."

Mastering Your Power? Two days ago, it had seemed like such a nuisance for both of them. They had decided to skip it and just take a failing grade for the school year. When Camille had run into her brother, the way he looked at her had only brought the feelings of anger rushing back to her. “What did you do now, Camille?” he had asked her. She’d matched his scowl perfectly, but couldn’t meet his gaze. “Nothing at all,” had been met with a slap to her face. Her hand went to her face and she growled. “Don’t lie to me, Camille. You know better. We’re going to that class before you do something reckless again.”

Maurice followed Camille, his hands shoved in his jean’s pocket and reeking of cigarettes. Camille had smelled him before she’d seen him, and had grimaced at the way he looked: tired and downright frightening. He was the palest she’d ever seen him, and wore torn jeans and a ripped hoodie. Camille had opted for a maxi dress and flats, her wild hair pulled into a braid. “Let’s get this over with.”

The two walked into class with stoic faces, not looking at anyone and taking seats in the back. Maurice leaned back in his chair and threw his legs onto the desk in front of him while his sister sat beside him, her arms crossed over her chest. Her cheek was still slightly pink from where Maurice had hit her, but anyone who was unfamiliar with them would see it as uneven skin tone. Neither of them recognized anyone; in a silent conversation, they decided to stick together. Camille might have been closer to Vivian, but she was more like Maurice in almost every way.

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Clara had wanted to stay in Amy’s room for the rest of her time here. She hadn’t wanted to face anyone after that whole incident, and especially not a classroom. Hadn’t it been bad enough to lose it in front of Jared? Apparently not. Now even Amy didn’t think she was capable of keeping control over herself.

With skinny jeans and a long sleeved shirt, Clara tried to make sure she wouldn’t stand out in the class. Ever since she’d been…stabbed…she had been having problems with things breaking around her. It was embarrassing; going to this class was like admitting defeat. If her cousin hadn’t threatened her with detention (and calling her parents), she would have skipped it all together.

She walked into the classroom and found a seat towards the middle of the class, close to the cluster of students already seated. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to do some stupid introductory thing, where they’d have to stand up and introduce themselves. That was the worst part of going to school in general: having to make friends and become close to people.

Rosemary easily slid into the classroom with a curt "Good Morning." to the teacher there before she took her place, that was unfortunately right at the back of the class, and took out her books and pencil case.

She could see some people that she knew like Jupiter, Nova, Sam and Zeke so she smiled warmly to them in greeting as she waited for her breath to return, considering she almost ran here despite being told by the nurse not to exercise her leg vigorously but now she was in class, she relaxed and had a look about her person at the room.

She wanted to get up and talk with the others some more, but her leg was already stinging slightly by the semi jogging she had to do to get to class so she didn't want to tempt fate anymore.

Jasen watched patiently as more students walked into his classroom, a flood of emotions overwhelming him as he looked around at the faces of these children. His arms began to itch more as the children continued to walk into his classroom.

As Nova sat next to her, Jupiter seemed surprised at this and smiled politely at the girl, "I'm a little excited, I hope this teacher will be able to help me with my power more," she whispered to Nova with a hint of anxiety in her tone. Jupiter was silently glad that Nova had come to sit next to her, it seemed as though she was slowly making progress with making friends.

Daniel noticably tensed up as he spotted Nova walking into the classroom, but as she seemed to go to Jupiter a boy instead had come to sit next to Daniel and the young man was surprised at this at first. As he looked down at the card Sam held out for him, Daniel tilted his head curiously before responding "I'm Daniel, do you want me to write or can you understand me?"he asked the other boy insquistively.

Erin walked into the classroom with a distinct look of displeasure on her face, she had expected Jared to come with her... but instead he had decided that he was better off with this class and despite having full knowledge of how her power worked - she was expected to learn even more about it from a teacher who probably had never interacted with her power before. Needless to say, the young woman was slightly irked. Looking around the classroom to see if she noticed anyone that looked familiar, the only person that stuck out to her was Jupiter who seemed to be chatting with someone else for the moment.

Instead, Erin went to go sit near the door which resulted in her sitting the closest to Anna-Marie and Zeke. Looking up and around the classroom for a moment, Erin briefly noticed a dark haired female sitting near the middle of the classroom. Erin recognized this girl as the female Jared had momentarily talked to her about. She frowned curiously and turned her attention back to the place she was sitting, looking to Anna-Marie she offered up a small smile - "Hi, I'm Erin," she said to the girl - seeming to be uncomfortable with being personable.

Standing up as everyone was seated and talking quietly, Jasen made his way across the classroom - his limp seeming almost awkward in a sense as he placed one hand on the door of his classroom and shut it. Making his way back to the front of the classroom though, Jasen simply stood there for a moment glancing over all the faces in the room.

After a few seconds passed, Jasen held his left hand out and from that hand grew a large triumphant looking sword that looked to be about six feet in length with a curved handle and golden lines tracing around the blade in a random pattern. All in all the sword appeared to be representation of pride and excitement.

Holding out his right hand, another weapon grew from his palm - this one was about the size of his finger with what appeared to be a broken handle and the other end of it pointed like a toothpick. This weapon was purely silver with random engravings about the handle.

Holding the two weapons out, Jasen was well aware that they were already calling for their owners to hold them. "When you look at these two weapons, which would you prefer?" he walked around and held the two out for all of the students to see. "Which weapon seems like it would be more capable of killing? Would it be the larger one that could cut through a limb with destructive force, or would it be the smaller one that if hitting the right mark could potentially cripple someone?"

Kazimir stalked down the hall to the closed classroom door. He was late, yea, but whatever. He peeked through the small window in the door before steeling himself. He pulled his hood low over his icy eyes before pushing open the door. His dark jeans brushed the floor as his sneaker-clad feet propelled him into the room.

He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, the old black creation becoming his comfort, his safety blanket. His unruly black hair brushed across his bright blue eyes as he looked around the classroom. He glanced up at the teacher, feeling alone and insecure.

"Sorry. Got.. lost." His voice was little more than a quiet whisper. He slipped past the teacher before slinking his way to an empty seat in the back of the classroom. As he sat down, he felt an irritation at the back of his mind.

That's just like you, Kazimir. Be late for your first day of class. You worthless fool. You don't deserve to be alive. Kazimir grit his teeth, attempting to ignore the dark voice in his mind, the voice of his father. The voice that always struck when he was weakest, always trying to break him down. He tried to focus on the teacher's words, but it was hard.

'Don't listen to him, Kazimir. You are great, the greatest of them all. After this class, we shall hunt, and make him go away.' The second voice, the evil hiss, broke in, silenceing the cold voice of his father. Kazimir nodded every so slightly, a barely perceptible motion. He would hunt later, satisfy his need for blood. But now, he had to focus.

He took a closer look at the other students before focusing all his attention on the teacher.

Sam quickly jotted down, "Speaking is fine. Nice to meet you." Then the teacher started talking. He listened with rapt attention, but was still wondering what weaponry had to do with mastering one's powers. To him, this was beginning to feel like a self-defense course rather than a straight-up control course. But what did he know? He was just a student, one who had been tutored and self-taught for most of his life. His brief stint in private school had come to an abrupt end when he'd discovered his power.

The lesson was interrupted by several new arrivals. The first was a kid who wound up sitting in the back of the class after making his apology/excuse for being late. Sam could understand that, the school was pretty big.

The second interruption was his cousin, slipping in through the door and making no excuse whatsoever for her tardiness. Sam was surprised that she even registered for this class... and his startlement was deepened by the fact that she'd come to class of her own volition. It wasn't a common occurrence- she spent most of her waking hours trying to play catch-up with past lessons or taking spirits to their rightful places. She took a seat near to the back of the class, but not the last row. She seemed mortified to be late (and rightly so) and terrified of people taking note of her presence. Once seated, she opened a notebook and practically hid behind it.

Then another surprise arrival.

"Mr. Bandon, there is no excuse. If you're having so much difficulty keeping your powers from making a mess of the school's plumbing, then you obviously need to be in this class," Caroline Harlequin (vice principal) said to the boy in question. He was taller than her, very muscular, and clearly annoyed with the entire situation. His mood fluctuated slightly when he spotted one of the girls sitting next to the door, but the vice principal grabbed the back of his shirt. "Uh-uh. You're going to sit right in the front."

She gave him a shove (Sam considered this a gutsy move- he'd seen Alex in action before) and nodded at the seat next to him. Sam swallowed- it was one thing to be in a class with a bully and another thing entirely to be sitting right next to the guy. "Sorry to add a last-minute-er, Mr. Belville." She gave the weapons he held a surprised glance, followed by a more nervous one. Sam wondered if the teacher had cleared the weapons thing with the school administrators. His question was dubiously answered when she left with a smile and a wave.

The guy sitting next to him gave off an aura of mingled hatred, fury, and leashed power. His arms were folded across his chest and he leaned back in his chair. From this vantage point, Sam couldn't see if the guy's eyes were opened or closed, but he would not be surprised if they were closed.

Sam sat a little straighter, nervous now.

---

No time to reply to Jupiter before the teacher started speaking. Nova had watched the weapons form with a sense of awe. It was really cool and... and it felt like that bigger weapon was calling her name. All she wanted to do was to pick it up and get a sense of its balance. "Es mio," she murmured to herself.

Suddenly, she was imbued with horror. Weapons were bad! She was a weapon on her worse days and she didn't need any help to be deadly. The girl forced herself to remain seated, to stay quiet. Clearly, this was a test. She had self-control. She didn't need to wield the sword.

Good thing the class was interrupted because she really didn't like this introspection. She knew what sort of monster she was, bound into human form. She watched the newcomers with a sense of relief- she could ignore all of these thoughts when there were distractions around. Lucy was definitely a welcome sight, though she had no idea why the girl had not sat next to them. They'd all met in the library and she thought that they were friendly acquaintances, if nothing else.

The boy with the white hair seemed dangerous, at least in the way he carried himself. It was very out of place in a classroom.

Miller had a hard time navigating through the hallways, he never really had a good grasp on where certain places were in this school. “ah, why must we be out during the day?” he asked himself “because I have a class to attend to” he answered himself as he stumbled upon the classroom door. Before he entered he had to tell himself one last thing “I don’t want any outbursts from you today” “fine we’ll keep quiet”.

He entered the classroom and gazed upon the other students, some he knew, others he didn’t. He immediately brought his blade arm above his eyes to shade them from the light in the room. He looked around the room for any seats that had the most amount of shade, he couldn’t find any that lacked light. Instead he picked one close to the right wall, sat down and blocked the left side of his head with his sword arm to keep his light sensitive eyes within its shadow.

He didn’t exactly get a good look at whoever he sat beside and didn’t exactly know who was beside him. He did not mention he was late nor did he acknowledge it because he’s not aware of it and going to school was new to him altogether.

"Hi Erin!" was about all Anna-Marie got out before the teacher had started talking and she quickly quieted herself. She turned off her cellular and tucked her fish purse under her chair. Maybe she wouldn't need her notebook after all, but was determined to listen extra hard all the same.

Dumbfounded by the teacher's question, Anna-Marie looked around the room. It was certainly an interesting mix of people that were in here, some of whom were not looking to pleased. She offered Erin a small 'I have no clue' smile and wiped her hands nervously on her skirts. Were weapons something she would have to learn now? Was she supposed to speak out of turn, or raise her hand?

Then Tobias appeared just outside the door and Anna-Marie scooted as quietly as she could to retrieve her note book. A silent argument arose between them, ending quickly with Tobias snapping his fingers, jaw set, and pointing back to the classroom. Anna-Marie trudged back in quietly. She didn't want to be a part of this class anymore, if weapons had to be involved. How could she wield something big or small if she couldn't even master her own power?

Zeke couldn't help but grumble as class began. It wasn't long before the sudden appearance of Ms. Harlequin, the vice principal, followed the arrival of the latecomers. He now sat up in his desk as he felt no need to incur her wrath this early in the day. Zeke didn't need to look to tell that there was another student who despised coming to class. Now that Ms. Harlequin had left, he felt no need to feign any interest in the class.

The new kid that entered slightly after the danger period had passed looked very peculiar with his arm that was not an arm. Zeke tried to pay attention as Mr. Belville began his lecture but he was not interested in things he already knew. Even if there were bits he didn't know, he simply filed it away silently. "I'd prefer my own sword, thank you very much." Zeke silently muttered to himself.

The girl next to him, Erin, gave off a pleasant atmosphere but Zeke learned never to judge a book by it's cover long ago. Tired of simply 'sleeping', he decided to make the lesson interesting. "How on earth does this relate to using our powers, sir?" Zeke spoke in a low but firm voice that seemed beyond his years.

As he felt there was no point in him coming to this class, there had to be something he could get out of it. Maybe they could even get around to actually using their powers.

The other students’ thoughts swarmed Clara. Leaning her head down, her hands resting against her forehead, she let out a shaky sigh. A cloud of anger and resentment, like an army of furious wasps, hummed around her. Most of the students in the room didn’t want to be here for the same reasons she did; it felt like an admittance of vulnerability, of weakness. The others felt they were too good for it; their pride and selfishness were the smaller bees in this swarm of harsh emotions. These were the more annoying ones. Clara wanted to growl and swipe at them. She knew she could bring most of these people down if she were to ever fully lose control. Her playing field was much different than the others. They relied on physical powers for their strength. She did not.

These late arrivals only brought more wasps and bees to annoy her. Grinding her teeth, she let out one long sigh and raked her fingers through her hair. Bringing her hands together on her desk, she brought up a mental wall to keep the others’ feelings and thoughts from her (as well as keep her own thoughts to herself). It was already bringing a headache with it, but that was better than having to listen and feel everything everyone else did. Her choice of seat had paid off; hopefully nobody had paid any attention to her. It wasn’t as if she was a major spectacle. If anything, it probably only looked like she felt ill. People were oblivious to their own kind, at times.

It was at this time she glanced at the weapons Mr. Belville held. In the right hands (her hands), that little thing could destroy a person. She could just see it now: guiding it from person to person, lacerating their most vital arteries, leaving them like those people in the alley had left her. It was practically her; small, not as intimidating as the sword, but with equally damaging results. She wasn't a frightening person physically; back her up against a corner (or torment her enough), she has the possibility to break every bone in your body.

Looking around the room, she listened to the boy with red hair and let out a sigh that could have easily been a growl. “There’s obviously a point, or else he wouldn’t have brought it up. If you don’t wanna be here, leave so the rest of us don’t have to deal with your attitude.”

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Camille snickered at the dark-haired girl. The first time she decided to speak, those were her words? At least there was no guessing with the girl; you’d know how she felt about you. With a swift kick to her brother’s shin, she wiggled her eyebrows at him, which gained her a smirk and a chuckle. She knew her brother was all about the feisty types. You know, those girls who nobody ever seemed to catch. Maurice had a way with girls like that. He was appealing to them because he was like them; “misunderstood”. At least, that’s what he told them.

Maurice wasn’t here for the lectures or lessons. He was here for Camille. He knew there was something off about her, assuming it had to do with Vivian. So what if the girl had a boyfriend? She was eighteen, for Christ’s sakes. They all were. As far as he knew, he was the only one who wasn’t a virgin. The other two… They were practically lost causes. Shaking his head, wanting never to think about his sisters’ virginity ever again, he focused on the two weapons Belville had. He’d go for that little thing; sure, it’d kill somebody, but it could probably pick locks too. If it came down to survival, that little piece would definitely provide the most for him.

His sister, on the other hand, didn’t want either of them. She’d just turn into some animal and either kill whatever was in her way or run. Her gift gave her many options. If she couldn’t kill whatever was in her way, she could turn into a fly and hide. She had no need of weapons. She herself was her own greatest asset.

Rosemary tilted her head to the side in contemplation as she thought deeply, 'Is this a trick question?' She thought to herself as she first studied the sword with her eyes. 'That one is more decorative and more likely to cause harm and pain no matter where you hit...' She then turned her gaze to the pick. 'But that one could potentially cripple someone if hit in the exact spot...'

Plucking her courage she raised her hand in the air and answered, "Personally I would pick neither for weapons never help situations... Only make them worse.... But if I had to make a choice..." She continued her ponder for a nano-second before adding "The smaller one as, if used with the right amount of control and precision... Could potentially cripple someone... But as I stated beforehand, I would pick neither."

AND SO, THE ADMINS WERE INVOKED TO END THIS THREAD WITH SOME THOUGHT TO CONTINUITY...

Suddenly, the fire alarms went off, blazing lights and blaring sirens aplenty. Class was over, for the time being.

One of the first to rush out was Nova, who was more than relieved to escape. In her haste, she left her notebook behind. She pushed past the angry boy that Ms. Harlequin put in the front row. He growled something nasty after her, but she really didn't notice the obscenities.

Lucy gathered her things at a more sedate pace, still confused about the material. Still, she reasoned, things would probably be explained next class.