DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Alternate Reality PHX: Phoenix Reform Academy Girls common room.

Anne

"Alarm? You mean we are bugged so that if we use our powers they will know? I haven't tried, but..." her voice trailed off as she considered the ramifications of the new information.

Ultimately she decided it didn't matter. It wasn't like the house wouldn't have protections, and she could have gone straight to The Hole.

Boake:

She wrinkles her nose.

“I don’t know, maybe they do, but I meant alarm clock.”

Cadence

The mention of an alrm shifted Cadence's attention. Truth be told, when Anne connected the word alarm to the idea that they were all monitored and locked into the house's security and surveillance, cadence easily accepted that as true. She had been told the house had a dampening system(probably along the lines of the massive system used at the Black Hole) but the idea of being 'bugged' was disconcerting and easily believable to her in this state of mental off-balance she felt.

But Blake corrected her and Cadence's exhale was audible, and that was followed by a chuckle that only accentuated the laugh.

"Alarm clock... good one Blake..."

"Anne, ya'll had me going there... I mean... it sounds real an' all. So you're not alone there... but sheesh, I jes' figure we're all jumpy an' on edge, right?"

But the mirth faded quickly as Cadence's expression lost that essence of the part of her that was 'Cadence Before' and the more reserved and dour 'Cadence After' returned.

She raised her leg and pointed to the cuff that was snugly wrapped about her ankle, "I figured this was supposed to be security enough... not cameras and surveillance and whatever else too... But who knows."

Blake:

“Oh I’m sure they’re monitoring ‘Invisigirl’ - me - somehow. Otherwise I could just walk right outta here. They have Rich Boy cuffed up too. That telepath of theirs could probably tell if we just decided to up and leave and our brain was no longer around here.”

Cadence


"Is that your... ' Name'? Not sure what to call it... Invisigirl? Did you choose it?"

Blake:

“Nah. I’m just Blake. Never called much else before coming here, and I was lucky if I was called that rather than ‘hey you get over here’. I don’t think I’m likely to be a cape and tights sort, no? Nicknames are a weakness of mine, I use ‘em on everyone, myself included.

Cadence changed the topic before Blake told her the nickname she had chosen for her. She didn't need any more names right now.

"I saw the one on Ben," Cadence mumbled as she looked at her anklet. "I think he was the only other one besides me. On his wrist though, like a bracelet actually..." Her voice regained some clarity and volume. "...maybe more specific than mine."

[b]Anne{/b]

Her eyes wandered to the ankle unit. It was clear she had an interest in it, but she said nothing. Really what was there to say? She had to let go of that. She had been used to doing what she had to do to survive. There was more here, how much more, or what more? She wasn't sure. But there was more. The iron hand of her mother wasn't pressing her down all the time, or making her do things that frankly Anne wasn't comfortable doing. There was more to life, than death.

Anne

She walked back into the girl's parlor with a light step. She clearly had more energy in her stride.

A coke bottle floating in midair indicated the other presence in the room. It seemed that Blake liked leaving at least some indication she was there.

Dash, it seemed, must be elsewhere or at least wasn’t sitting in her usual seat.

“Yours took a little longer’n mine did I wager. I mean, I think I’m pretty obvious. Or non obvious. Obviously non obvious?”

Anne

"Mine wasn't overly complicated. I touch living things and they die. Pretty simple. We experimented a bit which is what took longer.

"Other than that, how are things going?" She asked the floating coke bottle.

Blake.

“Doubt it’s simple as that. Never is, you know. Even me, it took me forever to have my clothes come with me. Saves a bit of embarrassment, that does. It’s been a somewhat borin’ day.”

Her face swims into view sans the rest of her head,

“Bet you... “

She pauses.

“Well, darnit. Not much I can bet you, Hoover. On account of me having no real property but the clothes I’m wearing. Bet you me being right That it’s less easy than that anyway. Betcha.”

Anne

She shrugged. "I suppose your right, life is never as simple as we might like." She went to set up another cup for tea. It may be as much as a way to keep calm as actually something she wanted to drink.

"This is just all so weird," she finally admitted.

Blake

“Weird. Good’n, that. Well, yes. But you sayin’ your life wasn’t weird before? Know mine was. Mother was who knows, father is who cares, midwife was the hands of a man who calls himself somethin’ mythy. Chore to see myself in the mirror each morn, if I even bother. Can’t ‘magine yours was any more normal. Things are jus’ whatever is in front of you right now.”

Anne

She was silent for a moment while the tea water did its thing in the microwave. Still quiet while she put the green tea bag into the now hot water.

"Life was weird, I grant you. I can't even begin to explain my mother. As far as a father? I have no idea. I could have been brought by the stork for all I know.

"Your right though, at this point I am on a whole new path. One foot in front of the other." She threw away the tea bag which had steeped for two minutes. She took her creation and went back to her lone straight backed chair she had sat on earlier.

Cadence

However long it takes for each testing of the new arrivals, and however long conversations take in a girls dormitory common room, that was about the length of time it took for Cadence to return. She was the last of the new girls to report for the testing. She entered the common room with an obvious sour expression on her face. It was also clear that she had battled some emotions along the way. Whether or not she won the battle was not as clear.

Straight to the refrigerator, with a nod and a subdued "Hey" for Blake. She took a bottle of water, holding it tightly in two hands, and then offered a nod for Anne... her cousin, it seemed... as she headed for her own room.

Blake

“Hey chika...”

She said to Cadence. She seemed to get that her particular nickname might not be the best one to use at this time.

She looks back to Anne.

“Yeah? Myself, I guess it’s a new direction. Dunno. Guess I’m not hiding from everyone and trying to spy on people and hoping I’m not asked to kill anyone. That’s a plus, yah?”

Anne

"Not having to kill is certainly a plus," she agreed. She nodded to Cadence as she breezed through. She didn't know what to say. They were undoubtedly associated, potentially related by all accounts. So much going on, it was almost too much to think about.

Cadence

The blonde cheerleader turned 'monster' didn't know what to expect. They didn't make her use her power, and that was a postive since she never wanted to use it again. Miss Mariel seemed genuinely concerned, but to the others... she was just a puzzle to solve. No longer a human being. Truthfully she had taken some of those steps in that direction herself, and admitted as much in the hopes the 'Heroes' would end her nightmare permanently. Grey made it sound like she was taking a stand to advocate for her, but whoever or whatever this Eidolon was... well, to them she was just a risk assessment equation. They had the power to dictate her fate and do it without her consent and that made them no better than Alchemy and Nyx.

Cadence continued to her room where she could rage her anger away and maybe cry herself to sleep and just wish the day away, wish that night outside the prison away, wish the last nine months away... Wish her whole life away at this point.

Dash enters the room, walking with a ‘normal’ pace, it looks odd on her, like someone else walking in slow exaggerated steps save at normal speed.

Blake:

“Well. Welcome to the new world right?”

Anne

"Yes, a new world." She agreed. She said "Hi," to Dash. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be so out of sync with things, yet she was out of sync in her own way.

One ‘Dash’ sat in the room, hugging her knees, flipping through channels, and every now and again flickering as if the channel being changed were her. Blake had just left the room, and everyone else seemed occupied, so she was by herself. She liked watching tv. She could try to absorb herself in the plot and slow her brain to match. Well. At least sometimes.

Cadence

Cadence entered to girl's common room with her head down. She carried the weight of her emotions, tangled and twisted as they were, on her shoulders like the proverbial albatross. A curse she had to bear, one she seemed inclined to manifest upon herself as some form of penance. But hers was a crime for which she wasn't sure she could ever find forgiveness, not even to forgive herself.

And yet this self imposed pity party was convenient and self indulgent. She knew that too. Somewhere she realized she possessed many traits of the woman who was her biological mother. It all came down to choices though. That's what she was told. Inherently she was brilliant but never applied herself in that way. She had read and absorbed every book and youtube video, and intellectual paper she could find concerning the nature of her abilities. And yet, she didn't want to be the brain type. Sure, she had a 4.0gpa without trying that hard. But she was just a girl. She loved being a cheerleader. Of course she was the captain of the squad... and that too was a trait she realized came from her mother as well. She liked to be the center of attention. She enjoyed being the captain, being in charge of the squad.

She drifted into the room and sat in a chair that also faced the TV, near to Dash.

"That was a lot of heavy," she admitted aloud, referring to the meeting she had. "I got Carver... I guess that's better than Sanderson though."

“Carver. S-s-s… weighty. Thoughtful? Odd. Anything h … aid? Eric not bad. I know Eric … many long nights trying to figure me out. Ask questions, up all night, ask more next day. Can’t get people. Not at all.”

She pauses a long bit.

“Never mind. Can’t get out thought. Not important one.”

She sighs and rubs her temples.

Cadence Marie Weathers




Cadence shifted in the chair, tucking her legs underneath her as she now faced Hadasha.

"Hey... don't say that. Your thoughts are important to ME. And yes< Carver was heavy... But I felt like he was trying to help me... make me see who I was and who I wanted to be. Sanderson? I feel like a science experiment to him, one that maybe disturbs him... Judging me on some level. I get enough judging from myself. I don't know what to think. Carver made sense to me, like he figured out my wavelength and tuned in..."

Cadence moved from her seat to to sit next to Dash.

"What if...."

She reached out to touch the girl next to her, as she watched Dash rubbing her temples. She hesitated though. It would be rude, right?

"What if I could... I don't know... help you?"