Oh Yes, We are Gifted.

[ashiko]

René held up two fingers. He was headed straight for the Red Bulls this morning. Good luck trying to get him to laugh. He didn't even smile that much.

Sparky grinned as a wonderful thought came to him. He knew how to get René to laugh! He grinned at the girls, he'd have to tell them when René wasn't around. As for now, the smell of breakfast overcame them as they reached the cafeteria.
________
Jerry stood on the fourth floor, inspecting his new 'tools.' Mops, buckets, brooms, dustpans, dusters, cleaning products, rags.... You name it, it was in the closet. He sighed. Maybe he could shirk off today. After all, it was his first day. But, then again, it was his first day. And they always work you harder on the first day.

He groaned a bit and leaned against the door. Everyone was heading to breakfast right? He'd already ate this morning, so he didn't need to. But after everyone was fed, he'd have to clean up the cafeteria. Crap. He grabbed a broom, mop, bucket, and dustpan. Then he thought about it, and grabbed a rag to wipe down tables with as well.

He put the dustpan and the rag in the bucket and picked that up. Then, he touched the mop and the broom. They glowed green for a second, then the light faded. Jerry turned and headed for the cafeteria, a floor down. The mop and broom bobbed after him, moving of their own accord.

[anarchyheartless]

Mat pushed back from the table with a grunt grabbing up her tray and empy bottle and stormed straight to the trash bin. She pulled her jacket around her and then paused slightly as the motion hurt her left hand. oh crap. She thought as she slowly flexed her left hand. Something was wrong with it. It felt....weak. And her fingers moved slightly slower than they should be moving. She scowled and stormed towards the door.

And, because this is the best morning in the world, she ran into the very boy responsible for her freshly-healed broken wrist, René. She stumbled back and tripped over the bottom hem of her pants and fell. And thanks to her instincts, her hand shot out to nreak her fall. Her left hand. She felt the freshly healed bone crack, almost in slow motion. But it didn't hurt, thanks to the combined healing song of the art teacher and herself (forgot her name; to lazy to check it). She groaned slightly as she looked at her pathetic wrist. Why her? Why the first day of school?

"Mat? Mat?! Are you okay?" Kida asked from the table that was several feet away, she sprange to her feet, Jakobe only a few strides behind her, " I saw you fall! How is your wrist?" She asked, her voice still concerned.

[ashiko]

René blinked and quickly stepped forward to see if Mat was ok. Crap, it was the second time he'd hurt her today!

Sparky's eyes widened. "Hey, are you ok? René, what'd you do?". As Kida and Jakobe came running forward, he stepped back. René must have been too tired to see Mat as she came walking towards them. Usually, he could avoid things like this.
_________
Jerry stopped at the door of the cafeteria. Right in front of him there was a girl on the floor, and a bunch of kids around her. He thought a moment. Should he interfere? Nah, they could handle it. He fiercely remembered his teachers getting in the way all the time. So he turned and headed for the nearest wall so he could at least keep an eye on them if things got out of hand.

[anarchyheartless]

"Don't touch me!" Mat hissed at Kida as she stood slowly, cradling her wrist in her hands, she turned and faced Rene, obviously P.O.ed. "Did I do anything that offended you?" She asked scathingly.

"Now, Mat, it was just as much fault of his as it was yours." Kida murmured, looking down at her hands. Mat was just too rude for her own good sometimes.

"Don't even start with me, Khetela." Mat looked over her shoulder to glare at her. Twice today Mat had been completely humiliated. Twice! And within an hour to boot. This year was going to go by wonderfully. Obviously.

Jakobe put his hands lightly, but firmly, on Mat's shoulder to hold her still," Mat is sorry she blindsided you, and she also appologizes for her behavior." He said calmy, looking down at them with his thick golden eyes. He chuckled to himself, even if she didn't mean to or want to, Mat was always getting herself into strange situations.

[ashiko]

René pulled his shoulders in in shame, trying to make himself a smaller target. He wasn't hungry anymore. He desperately wished he could say sorry, but. . . he couldn't. Damn his eyes!

Sparky stepped forward. He nudged his friend. "Yeah, he's sorry too." He recognized René's behavior. He did this every time he did something wrong. And since you could never get a peep out of him, Sparky would take over the situation.

"Anything we can do?" he turned to Mat. "Want him to do your homework for the month? He's smart. Or, you know, do anything to make up for it?" René looked up and nodded.
________
Jerry watched the group, mildly interested. The girl who had fallen down seemed like a real spitfire. It also looked as though she had broken her wrist. He debated, once again on whether or not to step in. Again he chose not too, but he did edge a little closer so he could hear their conversation. And to let them know that he was there.

[anarchyheartless]

"No, I don't want your help! This is where its gotten me." Mat retorted in a scathing voice raising her wrist at him. She was being over the top, and she knew it, but this was just proof of how having friends was a waste of time.

"Mat..." Jakobe mummbled. She looked over her shoulder with a full on glare, but after looking into his eyes for five seconds softened her up to a more sensible being. She turned back around and looked between the boys. "I can do my own homework. Thanks." Although a poisonous viper's hiss would sound more sincere than that.

Kida reached inside her pocket and pulled out the bandage Mat had thrown at her earlier," Do you need this again?" Kida asked, looking at Mat's wrist with concern.

"No." Mat barked at her. Her patience (however small it was) was completely gone. " I don't want your stinkin' sympathy either! I already told you to leave me alone!" She tried to step away from Jakobe and the rest of them, but Jakobe kept his hands on her shoulders.

[ashiko]

René flinched as she yelled at them. He instinctively covered his stomach and took a step backwards. He wanted to run. Be anywhere but here. He knew what happened when people yelled at him, and got angry with him. They would start to hurt him, it happened all the time.

"Hey." Sparky stepped forward. "Are we done here?" Mat was starting to scare him. He didn't know what kind of ability she had, but if it was something that activated when she got angry, it wasn't going to be pretty.

[anarchyheartless]

Mat's eyebrows furrowed as the boy winced and held his stomach. Did he think she was actually going to hit him? She wasn't about to do that for several reasons; one beacuse she didn't want to take his power, she has had enough of pain tday; two, it would break the number one rule and she would be sent straight to Lian and have to listen to his bad jokes; and three, surprisingly Mat wasn't a violent person and wouldn't hit anybody unless they hit her first. So what was his deal?

Jakobe pulled Mat backwards and she thudded against his chest at the sharp movement. It was obvious that this boy was scared of her. But he couldn't help wonder why? Mat was all talk and he knew it, she knew it too. But she was good at convincing otherwise.

"Oh dear, are you hurt?" Kida asked stepping from the right side of Mat and Jakobe and stood next to Rene, her hand paused in middair a few inches about his shoulder. Ever since her run in with Mat, she was careful not to touch people without their consent.

[ashiko]

Crap. René shook his head. He didn't need attention drawn to this. He forced himself to let go and stand upright as though he was fine. Then he gently brushed Kida's hand away.

Sparky grinned. "René's fine. I've used that tactic before! Whenever my cousins try to beat me up, I make myself look pathetic and they give up! No offense, man. So, are we done? Breakfast is almost over."

René nodded. He wasn't hurt. He had realized that she wouldn't hurt him, after seeing what had happened with the teacher on the carriage. But instinct sucked. Well, at least he wouldn't need his Red Bulls. This was enough to wake him.
__________
Jerry frowned. That René kid wasn't using any tactic. But he was pretty good at hiding it. The kid with the smoking sleeve was pretty duped. But, overall, they were handling themselves pretty well. He turned his attention elsewhere. He glanced at his watch. Almost time to start cleaning up.

[anarchyheartless]

"Whatever." Mat scoffed, side stepping out of Jakobe's hold she stormed down the hallway, careful not to bump into anybody she marched down stairs to her room. Jakobe shook his head as he left.

"Sorry about that. It's because of her power that she acts like that." Jakobe explained. He ruffled his spicky hair and chuckled awkwardly, "but she really is a cool person once she drops her front." He shrugged at the skeptic look that Kida gave her, although she remembered the room Mat was putting together on her first day and rubbed her brow.

"But are you okay? Really?" Kida asked Rene, concern still in her voice, even though she hardly knew him, she could tell something happened to him to make him so timid.

[ashiko]

René nodded, trying to reassure Kida that he was fine.

Sparky grinned. "That's something that they have in common, I guess." he said, jerking his thumb at René. "He never talks 'cause of his power. It's ironic really, because his power is being able to talk to animals." Sparky grinned nervously at the glare that René was giving him. He just didn't understand why René wanted to keep it a secret.
___________
Jerry glared at his watch. When was breakfast going to be over? He wanted to just get on with his cleaning already!

[anarchyheartless]

"Mmm. Whenever she touches someone she takes their power, even though she doesn't want it. The person who touches her don't feel a thing but I suppose it is very painful to her because of her reactions." Jakobe explained.

Kida looked at him skeptically. A nod was hardly enough, especially because she knew he had a voice, he had used it before. But she should probably leave well enough alone.... but sometimes she just can't not care. Like this time. Kida could just tell something was wrong. "Well...if you ever do decide to speak to humans, you can talk to me. I promise to listen." She said her face caring but also very serious. She really mean what she said. She would listen to anybody if they needed something to talk to. No matter what.

[Icefire]

Blair had just stared the whole time, not really understanding what had happened. "Woah... Okay, so lets just go and get breakfast now. I dont do good with these kinda things." She started off towards the line, her stomach rumbling.

Unfortunatly, Desra had chosen that time for one of her rare daydreams. She could just smell all of the food, and it really made her mind wander. Too bad it was such bad timing, her power was perfect for times like this. She woke up just in time to hear Sparky mention that Rene could talk to animals. "Seriously? Me too!" she smiled. She had always wondered what Rene's power was, but never really knew. "Its really nothing to be ashamed of. Its pretty awsome, and plently of people know I can talk to animals. They never treat me much differently. I just have a lot more friends than I normally would, since I can talk to animals and humans." she paused to laugh. "Although the animals I have as friends do think its a little strange that I can talk to them and humans." Desra decided that even though everyone seemed to be a bit calmer, she should still try and help just in case. She spread her aura out, even though she knew it was probubly too late to help Mat.

[idyllian]

Vincent sighed putting the screwdriver behind his ear. “It won’t take much to get them running. Just a faster processor and a bit more RAM and it’ll be up.” he said picking his satchel back up off the counter before walking back around the desk before heading out the door. He still wouldn’t eat breakfast. It would take someone tying him down to a chair and shoving it down his throat. He was never really a breakfast person anyway.

Apollo bean to process of stuffing his clothes into the dresser. Socks in one Underwear in another and everything else got the final drawer. He wasn’t really much for organization, this was the extent of his ability to do so.

But his multiple shoeboxes were another matter. CD’s were soon scattered around the room and he went about placing them into the correct tower, soon the plastic racks were filled to the brim with CD’s, mostly rock with a few Techno mixed in, but the box in his closet held 3 Classical, Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. He kept thoes hidden for obvious reasons.

Ethan walked over to an empty table reaching for the newspaper. He had some time to kill, might as well do something productive. He sat down unfolding the paper skipping right to the Middle where the Obituaries were. The good news was that there were no strange deaths to report on this day so he then flipped back to the front and leafed through the paper casually stopping to skim a few articles to pass the time. He would be heading off here soon anyway.

[ashiko]

René hesitated a bit, then nodded. To tell the truth, he did have more animal friends than human, but that was simply because of his eyes. Normal humans didn't really like it when people's eyes turned purple every time they said something.

Sparky grinned at Jakobe. "I can guess I sort of relate to her." He pulled off one of his gloves. "Every time I touch something, or someone, with my bare skin, I can 'see' the future of it. It kind of sucks when I touch the ground! 'Cause then I feel people stepping on me, 'cause that's what's gonna happen to it in the future. That's why I wear these gloves, so I don't get a futuristic overload." He pulled the glove back on.
_________
Jerry sunk to the ground, bored out of his mind. He wanted to do something, and the end of breakfast was slow in coming. The group of kids by the door had lost his interest. The broom bopped him on the head. He scowled and stood up again. Stupid broom was jealous of not being able to crouch or anything like that.