searching endlessly

“sure…but super itchy when you don’t. it’s annoying to even just deal with this shit now. i’m gonna need a new window stat, or else somebody is gonna get seriously hurt. i might as well be able to, can’t do much else with moving shit right now. i don’t think i’ll be the last person to think you’re crazy either. but you could be onto something too now that i’ve had some time to digest your crazy ass ideas.”

“with how much they put into this town to make it look real, you’d think they’d be a little quicker on making it at least look presentable again. it’s going to look like we’re in some sort of post-apocalyptic hell before long...i guess that’s not far off with how this place feels already. see? might be crazy, but i’m a logical crazy.”

“no, i think getting sand up your ass is still probably worse…but they aren’t even helping us clean up or anything. and that’s actually not a bad idea. maybe they didn’t want you to uncover anything real, so they got rid of all your work in the first place. i still think you’re crazy, but a good crazy.”

“uncomfortable, yes. but at least that’s easy to clean. i’m hoping to at least get a new window sometime soon and not have to worry about the wildlife sneaking its way in. can you read minds now? you wouldn’t be the first person to think i was crazy. might have to change my middle name one day.”

“shit, don’t get me started about the sand being everywhere! sorry your little theory thing got trashed though…” dani shrugged back. “i really just don’t think we can trust this place anymore. it was all fun and games until shit got real.”

“i thought getting sand in random places at the beach was bad, but this might be worse. yeah, well maybe i got a little too close to something.” colson chuckled, “ah, so you’re starting to come over to the dark side. and you thought i was crazy.”

he hesitated, unsure if he was willing to confide in the other resident. but caden knew all too well the effects of bottling up everything inside. if he wanted to avoid a training repeat, then he really needed to figure out a healthier way of dealing with his emotions. pretending wouldn’t do any more. he supposed it was better than trying to find some sort of kind connection with one of the scientists prodding at them. “not really, but i probably should,” he answered. as he continued, he couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice. “i know that none of us are particularly more dangerous than the other, at least… not now, but we all are rather terrifying.”

colson waited, wondering if he could get the other to talk or not. he understood if he didn’t, colson didn’t know where to start himself if someone had asked the same question. would it be the strange turn of events of the storm? the way his room looked now with the windows broken. all of it ran through his mind in a carousel fashion that never seemed to stop. “talking tends to help. at least so i’ve been told.” colson nodded, although he wasn’t quite sure caden could see more than his feet. “no kidding. all of us in one room like that...even without the storm it was a recipe for disaster. you didn’t get hurt, did you?”

∘◦ ⋄ ◈ ◜open◞

caden stared blankly at the underside of his bed, letting the light senses of the people below brush against his peripheral range. there wasn’t a lot of input, and for that, caden was ever so grateful. in the wake of their first training, he’d been far too exhausted from passing out not once, but twice in one day. trying out fear with dani had been a mistake. touching asher and india had been a mistake, despite it being accidental. even getting close to jasper had been a mistake. there was no way around it. he’d fucked up. badly. but now, as he let himself extend his senses once more, he felt the phantom pressure of footsteps, and he figured that perhaps a conversation from a safe distance would be in order. “i’m in here,” he called, turning his head to face the direction of the door. “under the bed.”

colson knocked lightly at the door, hearing the faint voice before stepping inside. he looked around in confusion before hearing the last bit, kneeling down to look under it. “this seems like an odd place to be right now, but i can see why it might be comforting.” after everything that had happened, isolation was welcomed but he couldn’t stay in his own room. not until he could get it cleaned up after the windows were broken. colson made himself comfortable against the wall, sighing. “want to talk about it?”

your result: ferret

they fight the urge to straighten their back, show that their interest is piqued. instead, zig flashes a half-smile, their attention fully on colson’s words. “negative touch, huh,” they say, wondering what that power would look like if it were dialed it up a notch. “well damn. so you just knocked him out, just like that. well, if you’re ever annoyed with everyone here, or just bored of this place, i suppose i’ll lend my powers to the cause. i mean, that was me five minutes into this whole shit-hole.”

he straightened up a little, glad to be talking about something he had some sort of knowledge in. “kind of! it’s a journal of one of the tutors of this really hoity toity upper class family. they were writing about how they feel sorry for the kids.” caden offered an apologetic smile. “nothing that really would help in this… mystery though,” he replied. “i’ve only really seen the so called owner twice, and i’m fairly sure it was some government agent.”

his head nodded as he listened to the other, humming softly. “here’s the thing. is it actually real or placed here to make it look like a real antique store. you should take it with you, see if you can uncover something between the lines.” it didn’t hurt to at least try, and if one thing could lead them to some answers, maybe there was more around town. he chuckled lightly, “i think they might all be. but they do know how to cover it up pretty well if they are. it’s still something i’m trying to figure out.”

“power augmentation, they call it. i can help others control their powers or make them more powerful.” there was something about colson - it was colson, right? - that eased the stiffness in his shoulders, made his muscles unwind. perhaps it was their affect, or the fact they were lingering outside with them. still, zig remained steadfast to the outside of the center as they explained the other part of their powers. “the catch is i gotta… er… fuse with them. share a body and shit without any will. so what about you? what did the doctor diagnose?”

“well now we’re here, and being studied like real lab rats, which definitely isn’t something i signed up for. at least while we’re in town, we can keep pretending like we have normal-ish lives.”

“they didn’t real have exactly have a sign up list before any of this anyways. i don’t see why they would have one now. wish they’d at least make all of this a little more normal. we’re just thrown into one room and told to just go.”

“we’re random people from all over, but we didn’t get the short end of the stick, at least, i didn’t. you can speak for yourself maybe. but even though we’re freaks, at least i can move shit with my mind. i’d say that’s pretty freaking awesome.”

“alright, guess i’m the one with the short end of the stick. i can’t even shake someone’s hand without them passing out. it wouldn’t be so bad if they just told us what they wanted instead of making it feel like we’re trapped.”

“that’s exactly what someone like you would want me to believe.” he stared over him, slight smirk edging at this lips. “whatever…there’s obviously more happening here than meets the eye. perhaps you’ll be the one to find out the real truth.”

“i hope i am the one to figure it out. i can’t do it on my own though. so if you want in, i’m sure you know where to find me. it’s not like we have many places to go.”

proximity seemed to make things… worse, but not to an unbearable level. so caden managed to suppress the flinch that he knew would come. “uh well, no, i usually come in here just to read this thing,” he gestured to the diary he’d been looking at earlier. he shook his head, refocusing on the newcomer. “i come through here a lot, so maybe i can help you find something?”

colson looked down at the diary the other seemed to be looking at, impressed he’d found anything that might be valuable in this place. “anything interesting in it?” maybe that’s what he needed to be doing, looking for more clues within the pile of stuff. “i was looking for the owner. just wanted to ask him a couple questions...have you find anything to help figure out why we’re here?”

they linger outside the community center well-knowing they’re very much late, eyes closed as they let the sun pepper their hairline with beads of sweat. it’s so unlike the perpetual fog of the bay area, the constant backdrop to an urban jungle of boba shops and shitty ass corporate buildings. no. this is really it. the middle of nowhere. and it’s strange to say, but it kinda unsettles Zig, as much as they’ve always wanted to escape to a place unlike the city. as they draw in and inhale the warm, dry air, running their hands through their hair, they try to ignore whoever is near them. they want to try and have this moment alone. “yeah, yeah, guilty. i know i’m late. i’ll be inside in a second. or do you need my powers, like, that bad.”

“i don’t even know what your powers are to know if i need them or not.” he just wanted to get away from everything happening inside the community center. colson didn’t like using his powers and already having to show them what it did made him want to runaway as fast as he could. “one of them might come looking for you though.”

“civilized? yeah, i’ll be fucking civilized once we get the hell out of this damn mandatory training shit. i thought we were gonna be doing this shit with people who actually knew what they were doing.”

“were you really expecting them to know what was going on? i don’t know how many of us were really roaming around for them to study before now.”

“next time i’ll aim for your face, how about that?” the flame remained in the palm of his hand as it danced along with his immense concentration.

“come on, dude. this is supposed to training only. at least be a little civilized.” colson didn’t want to use his power if he didn’t have too. one of his instructors still passed out on the side.