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Dave makes a point of finding Matt at lunch (if he's there), "I'm sorry about what happened to your friend.  If you need a ride to the service or anything, don't hesitate to ask.  I used to see him down at the Vortex, but he wasn't into RPGs.  He seemed alright though."  Then he heads over to secure a table for the growing mass of people he knows.

At lunchtime, Sammy attempts to sneak out of the building by mingling in with some upperclassmen.  She doesn't want to be around her friends right now.

"Hey."  a voice says.  She recognizes him from her art class, Elrod.  He's tall dark and handsome, in a scruffy way that makes most people nervous.  "Sneaking out, not traditionally a band kid thing."  He moves closer to her, "Stick close to me, no one will ask any questions."

Sarah catches a glimpse of the lunch makeout session just before it breaks up.  What???  That's as weird as anything else I've seen this week.  When the cheerleader slaps the other kid Sarah starts to wonder if maybe is just like everything else that's happened this week.  A tiny tweak of manipulation of emotions can send most any teenager running around like mad.  A concentrated mental push of it?  Could make someone do most anything.  "I wish I could just look into everyone's head and see what was going on in them." 

After the monitors and security are cleared away she sees Megan standing near the scene of the ...well... scene.  Wasn't exactly a crime.  Was it? 

She takes a few steps over to Meg and says, "Hey.  Haven't talked to you since the weekend.  Glad they let you out and you're okay.  I think it qualifies as the only good thing to happen this week." 

Sarah gestures towards the empty spot on the table where the french connection occured.  "What was that all about?"

Just as she had finished talking to the school cops about the scene between Fern and the boy when she heard Sarah’s voice and looked over at the other girl.  “Oh, hey Sarah.  Yeah, its been a crazy time, first that ice girl in the locker rooms, then that boy yesterday and now this.”

“We have no idea what got into Fern, she definitely hadn’t mentioned being interested in that guy before.”  Megan replies at the question about the makeout scene that had just taken place.  “I still owe you a shopping trip for some new shoes, maybe we can do that today or tomorrow after practice, will help get our minds off all this insanity.”

Colin bursts in the lunch room and looks around for Matt. He doesn't see him, but he notices Sarah, so he waks to her and Megan. He's got red eyes as if he had just been crying, disheveled hair and a bloody hand, and he seems to care at none of this things.

"Sarah, have you seen Matt?"

Sarah grins, "Was that guy the sort that any of you would ever date?  I mean have they been hanging out together or something or in the same class?"  She shrugs.  In response to the shoe shopping trip, "It could be interesting.  Sure.  Just let me know later if you can go today or tomorrow..."  She is about to continue when Colin bursts in, breathless and bleeding. 


"Huh?  What?  Why?  And what happened to your hand?"  There is obvious concern in her eyes for this boy who leaps into a burning lab to help people but doesn't bother to take care of himself. 

"I haven't seen Matt this morning but if you wrap up your hand I'll help you look.  Here..." 
She reaches into her bag and pulls out an old shirt she brought in for art class.  "Wrap this around your hand until the bleeding stops so your at least not stopped by security.  Remember they're a little jumpy today and I don't think they're going to be letting things slide.  You look like you were just in a fight.  Were you just in a fight?"

Colin looks at Sarah as if she's making no sense, then he looks at his own hand and understands.
"Ow. No, I wasn't in a fight, I was just being stupid." he says as he takes her cloth.
"Thanks. I guess it's a good thing I'm not the one who breaks things with his mind."

Megan crinkled her nose slightly at the thought of dating a guy like the one Fern had for some reason started kissing.  “Eew, no way I would date a guy like that, and I wouldn’t have thought Fern would either.  But I guess you never can tell.”

When Colin came over, Sarah became focused on him and his bleeding hand.  “Hey Colin.”  Megan said in greeting as she looked back to Sarah.  “Well, I should be going, see if we can’t find out anything about Fern and what the heck is going on.  Today after practice should be good, I’ll try to call my mom soon and let you know later.”  The blond teen then made her way back over to where the other cheerleaders were gathering around Lisa.

It comes to Colin that there is something he should tell Megan, but isn't sure how...

"Megan..."

She is getting away.

"Sarah, excuse me for a moment."

Colin rushes after Megan.

"Megan, excuse me, have you got a minute? There's... something I should tell you."

"Well I don't know if you can bust yourself with your own brain..."  Sarah watches Colin run off again, now chasing after Megan.  "But he might find a way..." 

She heads off to The Table and pulls out a lunch of carrot/celery/broccolli and hummus and a bag of Cheetos. 

Megan looks back as Colin comes after her, not sure what he could have to say to her.  “Right now?”  She asks quietly, glancing back over at the other girls before looking back at Colin.  “I was really wanting to go with the others to see what we can find out about Fern and this mess.  Can it wait till later?  Maybe you can come by practice, take some pictures that the paper might be able to use or something and then you can tell me?”

"It's just a moment, really. And... it's rather private. I don't think talking of this at the practice would be a good idea."

Colin seems to have disappeared, so Donnie snags his bag from the library and sneaks out again, heading to the lunch room. The bell rings and he gets there as the mad rush of students hits the halls. I'm turning into a regular delinquent thanks to my new friends.

He spots Sarah reigning over The Table and flings his bag into a chair. "CHEETOS! Never a more beloved gaming snack can there be! Oh, how many pristine character sheets have been joyously marred by the distinctive stain of orange on their edges?"  He smiles broadly and goes to buy his lunch, as he does every day. His parents were far too busy to pack him lunch, so they just gave him money each week for his lunches. It did not help his potbelly, but he occassionally tried healthier alternatives. Today was not one of those days, as he drops his tray of hot ham-and-cheese and five bags of cheetos in the table. Sarah and Donnie share a grin and share the unspoken thought of everyone must have cheetos. Donnie thinks to himself Especially Sylvia.

Megan sighed quietly, not exactly sure what it was that was “private” that Colin wanted to talk about.  Looking back over at her shoulder to Lisa and the others, she called out.  “I’ll catch up with the rest of you, just be a sec.”  As the rest of the cheerleaders made their way out of the lunchroom, Megan moved over to the side away from the crowd that was still talking with the school police or standing around gossiping about what had just happened.  “What’s up?”  She asked as they were off away from the groups of people.

"I'll get to it briefly. Have you noticed how people around the school seems to pop up strange powers lately? I... I'm one of them. I have this power... Well, I can heal people, and sometimes I get to feel something in them. Do you remember at the labs when you woke up and I was holding your hand? And you weren't cut, or hurt or anything? That was me. But there's something more. When i touched you, I felt... something in you, like a... warmth, your hand was warmer that it should have been. At first I thought you had a fever, but it was something different, something that was right, not a disease or anything. I wondered what it could be and... please, don't freak out, but maybe, just maybe, it could be that you have talents too. After what happened to Rory, I didn't want you to be taken by surprise by them, or anything. If they show up. I was worried. That's it."

Megan listens as Colin explains what is going on, slightly surprised (though she doesn’t show it) to hear he can heal people, but it does help explain why she was not physically hurt at all by the fall.  Giving him a warm smile she replies, “well thanks for healing me, but I don’t know what it might have been that you felt.  Maybe it was something to do with those stupid chemicals that were spilled on me and just washed off?  But regardless, I don’t think I am going to be doing anything crazy like throwing bullies down the hallway anytime soon.  Thanks for your concern, but I am feeling just fine, in no small part thanks to you I guess.  Right now, I am concerned about Fern, so I am going to go see if we can learn more.  See you later.”

The blond teen then starts back off towards the door the other cheerleaders had exited just a bit ago, hoping to catch up with them before they get to the office, but making sure she was walking at an accelerated, but normal, pace.

"Uh... later!" he stammers as she runs away.

The chemicals? I'm pretty sure it came from within her. Then again, it' not that I have mastered this "magic touch" yet.

He trots back to Sarah and Donnie.

"Oh, you're eating. Well, I'll take another look around for Matt, then I'll be back too. "

GRETCHEN walks into the lunch room and over to the table.  "Hey Colin, where you heading?"  when he explains he's going to look for Matt she shakes her head, "He's not here today.  Hasn't been to any of his classes according to the attendence sheets."  She sits down with the others.  "I don't suppose you got any pictures of what happened in the hall yesterday?  I'm guessing Sylvia and Kel will want to do a story on it, someone said you were there and I thought maybe you got some pictures."

"Once again you are a master at knowing the right words to say Donnie."  She smiles at the boy.  "It is difficult to stay troubled in a world filled with Cheetos.  So how's it going?  Attacked by anything yet today?"

Colin comes back with Gretchen to the table.

"He probably knew it yesterday, and he didn't come to school at all. Yes I have a picture, but I wouldn't like to use it. I didn't knew him that well, but I'd prefer Rory to be remembered as he was, and not as some kind of red monster."

T.J walks in with a bag slung over his shoulder. He doesn't seem paticularly distressed or sad about what has happened to Rory and sits down at the table and waves. "Hey Donnie, Sarah, Gretchen, Colin. Anything I should know about? Any superheroes call who can teach me how to explode in the correct way?" He smiles lightly and takes a sandwich out of his bag.

"Me? No. As usual, I am at the edges of things."  He sees Gretchen sit down. "Hi! I'm Donnie. Want some cheetos?"

"Uh, TJ, have you met Gretchen yet?"  Donnie says, eyes wide with alarm.

"Yeah, I met here near the beginning of term. Why?"

Donnie still looks uncomfortable, but says "Uh no reason." He was unaware that Gretchen knew about the powers the kids had recently started exhibiting. TJ mentioning it in front of her had worried Donnie, that he was talking about it openly in front of strangers..

Gretchen looks at Donnie.  "Donald Douglas?"  she asks.  "Mr. Monnitoff was hoping I'd find you.  He wants to know if you'd be interested in beuing a staff writer for the school paper?'

Gretchen puts a hand on Colin's, "I understand.  We can get his picture from the yearbook team.  I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry."

Sylvia breezes into the cafeteria just in time to see Gretchen planting her flag on Colin's hand.  She stops long enough to raise an eyebrow, but she's been a little snippy with Colin lately.  Wherever he is, she finds her way to the opposite end of the table and plants her bag lunch (teriyaki wheat gluten, brown rice, and steamed brussels sprouts) amid the cafeteria trays.

"Hi."  She looks at Donnie and Sarah.  "Your tongues look like traffic cones."

Kel strolls in at a leisurely pace, and settles down across from Sylvia, he looks around the table, giving a nod to everyone as his greeting before he begins to dig into his lunch.

"Yours needs a taste of this devilish snack food!" Donnie slowly slides an unopened bag of Cheetos across the table until it touches her brown bagged lunch. "C'mon try some.. all the wierdos are doing it!" He plucks one up from his tray, muching on it as if it were ambrosia, fluttering his eyelids as if in ecstasy. "Heaven!"

"Hi Kel. Want some cheetos?"

All the weirdos?  Sure, Sylvia's one of those.  She takes a Cheeto and pops it in her mouth.  Mmm, puffy, pseudo-cheese goodness.  "Thanks."  She chews and chews.  "Ever notice how Cheetos pack onto your molars and stick?  One Cheeto's good, like, all day."

"That's why they are so beloved! One bag can provide hours of fake-cheesy goodness long after it is emptied!"

I need another drink. Anyone need anything else?"

Kel smiles a bit and says, "Sure, who can resist cheetos."  He then proceeds to open up one of the many bags of cheetos that have overflowed across the table and munch away at them.

Greg comes in and finds a seat.  "Is it winter break yet?"  He pulls his notebook and lunch out of his bag and begins making notes.  "The drama drama is continuing.  Now they're certain they want me to write a script.  so, not I have to bring my buttom cam to school all the time so that I can get my expose docu-drama made about this fiasco."

"I'll take cheetos too. Definitely a weirdo here. But I think Donnie is getting paid to advertise them."

"Greg, have you found your Meg Ryan yet? Kel, Sylvia, Mr. M would like Donnie on the paper too."

Sylvia shakes her head, smiling at Donnie with genuine admiration.  Donnie seems to live his life in defiance of convention, or at least in defiance of MTV and the Style Network.  "Anything going on?" she asks Kel, and the way her eyes rest on his face, it's like she means to ask about something more specific.

Donnie stands up and pointing at the newspaper people, pulling an Al Pacino:  "Just when I thought I was out, they puuull me back in!"
Donnie's Perform skill (1d20+5=14) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=615514)

He goes to get another drink.

Kel laughs as Donnie makes the Al Pacino impression, before turning his attention back to Sylvia, "No nothing really, why?  What's up with you?"

GREG: "Excelletn Pachino sir.  Bravo"  he claps his hands.

DAVE: "Get Donnie to do the lead and make him do it as Pachino."

GREG: "Do not tempt me."

As Donnie gets back, Colin asks him "Donnie, do some Forrest Gump for Greg. He's looking for a Tom Hanks. Can you sing and dance too?"

Greg drops his head to the table with a loud crack, "Someone, please shoot me."

Sylvia shrugs, disappointed.  She's gotten a taste for adventure, and Kel's always her ticket to it.  "I'm looking for a gym team."

Kel arches an eyebrow a bit surprised and confused by his friend's statement, "A what?"

Sylvia's words remind Colin of something.

"Any of you guys like cycling?"

"A gymnastics team.  I'm missing it.  And I've been out of training so long I'm starting to lose some of my flexibility.  I used to be able to pull a pretty good straddle swing, but now my thighs are all tight."

Dave begins to raise a ahnd like he's going to ask a questions but Greg slaps his hand down, "Not a word."  Dave grins and goes back to reading.

Kel nods, and gives a small 'ahhh', he then shrugs, "I don't think we have one, if we did, I'm sure there'd have been at least some announcement or something."  He then seems to stop and think, and his eyes glance all the way across the cafeteria to a small gaggle of pretty young girls all bursting with school spirit, he chuckles, "The only people you ever see doing gymnastics is them."  He juts his head off towards the cheerleaders.

Colin for a moment tries to picture Sylvia in a cheerleader uniform. The thought is so... wrong and scary he has to shake his head to get rid of it.

Sylvia eyes the cheerleaders as if they represent the nine circles of the Inferno.  "Gymnastics in a skirt that short is just kind of--"  She shrugs.  "--dirty."

DAVE: "It's a skory or whateve you call them.  Trust me, I've made a four year study of it."

GREG: "we tried to convince him to fiel for a grant, but he never did."

"What do you think about the school making us see psychologists?"

"Gosh Rob would love this conversation... Dirty cheerleaders and tight thighs.  Where is that boy?  Doesn't he eat anymore?"  Sarah looks at Dave and Greg for assistance. 

DAVE: "Hey, he's spending time with that girl from his math class and her friends.  I wont knock the boy for trying to be a player."

GREG: "I'm just glad he's learned the rules.  His mom's been asking me for like three years if I think he's gay."

Sarah looks aghast, "Seriously?  That's terrible.  I never knew.  Who cares anyway?"  She shrugs.  "Well as long as he's happy I guess.  We really all have to get together at the Tasty Dog again sometime though.  Unless he's attempting to upscale his friendships with this new girl?  Maybe we're not classy enough?"  Sarah wiggles her cheetos stained fingers for emphasis. 

Sylvia isn't so annoyed with Colin that she won't answer him.  "It makes me wonder if they're looking out for our well-being or just trying to catch the next psychotic break before it happens."  She's well aware of what she's saying about Rory, and it makes her tone more somber than her words.

Kel nods, "Syl's got a point, I highly doubt they're looking out for our well being.  Sure they'll help where they can, but I don't see any true mental healthcare happening here.  Just going to try and weed out who might go super-powered next probably, see if someone will spill that they're like that or something.  Or you know, who might just go nuts in general."  Kel shakes his head, "I don't trust it for one second.

Donnie gets back to the table in time to hear Sylvia's comment, taking a drink at the same time. Suddenly he has a coughing fit, and Dave is standing, slapping him on the back, grinning. "You ok there, Don?"
*kaf* "Yeah. Went down the, uh, wrong pipe."

He sits down, blushing to his ears. He cannot look at any of the girls and stares off into the cafeteria.

GREG: "How many times do I have to tell you Don.  One is for liquids and solids and one if for gases.  Try not to mix them up."

Donnie seems to recover some of his compusure. "But Greggy, it's carbonated pop. It is, by nature, a liquid and a gas. Ponder that!"

Colin is still obliviously keeping his left hand under Gretchen's, as if he was stroking her palm.

"So what you're saying is that it took a poor boy to literally explode before they noticed that there is a problem with violent bullies, and, now that they're noticed, rather than deal with it they're unleashing an army of shrinks to make sure no one else explodes? That we shouldn't tell them of our talents?"

A Colin in a brighter mood would have never believed something like that. Today, though, everything seems so dark...

"I'm sure they noticed the bullies but I guess for them it would have been to much trouble to deal with them. Although if Don and Matt did see those ninjas then I guess they might not have to do anything soon." He puts his notebook in his pocket and smiles at the others

DAVE: "Like they're gonna let a bunch of ninja run around school kicking the shit out of bullies.  Remember, they have a strict policy against violence on campus.  They'll be after those ninja too."

GREG: "It's a CYA (Cover Your Ass) situation, they can't afford to let one bunch of students bully another.  Besides, ninja are not an approved school club or activity."