Stronger. Better. Power. (Open)

[Hadley Roarke]

Skullcrushers. Set one, rep three. "And I will find the enemy within, cause I can feel it crawl beneath my skin." Breathe in. Breathe out. Rep four. She had been working out for almost two hours now. Although she had worked up her stamina, she was getting tired. The thought of controlling her powers, getting a job at the academy, and adopting her brother fueled her. She took the anger towards her mother and turned it into positive energy.

Set two, rep one. "Love pull me up. Hate lift me down." Her music was probably louder than it should be. She knew this, because people told her so. And she was so worried about it. Obviously they were not focused on their workout like she was, or they wouldn't even notice her music. The barbell was getting heavier. If she wasn't careful she would actually crush her skull. Which was not a goal of hers.

Set four, rep two. Her muscles were screaming. Sweat rolled off her face and on to the floor. Her breathing staggered as she struggled to lift the bar. She held it up, with her arms straight and elbows locked. Breathe in. Breathe out. Hadley brought the bar back down and breathed out. Rep twelve. Done. She sat up, and dropped the bar. A grunt fell from her lips as she wiped the sweat off her face and on to her tank.

With excitement, she held out her hand, and focused her energy into her palm. Focus. Fire. "Still got something left to prove. It tends to keep things movin'" She felt her body heat up, and her palm caught fire. The fire kept a rhythm that matched her heartbeat. Her power was an entity of her; it was alive. Fire was temperamental, just like her. When she released it she had no idea what it might do. Years were spent honing it, and her specialty wasn't controlling it, just making it. Funny how similar she was to her own power. Perhaps that was why it chose her. She felt like powers chose their controllers. The theory had no basis, and she didn't understand the technicalities. It was purely an idea. A hope that there was a reason for it.

lyric cred to Breaking Benjamin and A Day to Remember

[Deleted]

It was raining outside. Or it had been, last time Addison checked.
If it wasn't there was no way she'd be in the gym running on a treadmill. Heck no. She'd be running outside, or doing something far away from the cloying stench of sweat. Now by no definition was Addy 'girly', but there were simply a few things she could not tolerate. Bad smells was one of them.

Still, she'd had energy to burn and nowhere to burn it properly but here. Pounding away on the treadmill nearing the end of her interval program, Addison's breath was coming out in heated pants and the rhythmic thud of her runners on the tread was all-encompassing. It was actually a little maddening.

As the machine beeped and slowed, Addison skipped the last few steps on her toes before jumping onto the side ledges while the treadmill slowed from it's fast pace. Bowed over, she breathed slowly through her nose, attempting to blink the sweat from her eyes. It wasn't working too well by the time she stood up, and instead used the neckline of her shirt to wipe it away, reaching for her bottle blindly. By the time she lowered her shirt, her eyes were clear and she distinctly saw a girl, sweaty and damp like she was, with a flame humming in her palm.

Taken aback by such an open display, Addy rested her forearms on the panel of the treadmill and leaned forward, curiosity in her gaze. "I feel that I'm obligated to ask in this sort of situation but......You're not going to set the gym on fire are you?"

[Hadley Roarke]

The fire grew as she exhaled, and shrunk as she inhaled. She felt a little brave (like always). Hadley bounced the fire to her other hand. This was not safe. Not safe at all. But.. Who cared? She could feel someone staring at her, so it was no surprise when she heard a voice. A grin formed on her lips. "Set fire to something? No. Never."

Had focused on the flame. It was the only type of fire that did not burn her skin. When people ran their finger over their palm, it tickled the nerves; that was what it felt like for her. Fire did not just sit in her hand, it danced. Her power was so awesome. She looked at the girl, "Working out helps me control my power better. If I waited until I got back to my dorm I wouldn't feel as pumped up." Her words were soft and delicate, as if she was afraid the flame might become scared.

"You're here, so I'm assuming you have powers?" This was what made being here worthwhile, meeting others with amazing gifts. There were so many special people. She wished they could get the school together and have a group session; where everyone would share (show off) their abilities.

Since she was doing so well, she stood up and juggled it. This was what she wanted. This was what she had waited for. Now, if only she could do it anytime she wished. A fireball dropped on to the floor and she bit her lip hard. Yeah, this was dangerous. Somehow she had managed to stay out of jail this long, and she wanted to keep it that way. Hadley relaxed and let go of all the energy she was putting towards her show. She suddenly felt extremely tired. The blonde plopped back on to the seat, and sighed. "That was fun while it lasted."

[Deleted]

Addison grinned, infected by the apparent exhilaration of the other girl. She wasn't holding the flame herself, she never had before and likely never would, but there was something about the sight of such raw power that excited her. Made her jealous...? No, she didn't think so, it wasn't jealousy. Maybe just a bit of envy. She laughed. "Didn't think so, but well, you gotta check these things, you know?"

She cocked her head and leaned forward, interested despite herself. With the information she was being given, it seemed that the power relied on accurate and intense concentration to control. Addy could definitely use some of that herself. "Your fire, is it powered by emotion, or can you do it whenever you want?" she questioned eagerly, thinking back to her own power. She lacked the ability to generate weather unless she was feeling some form of strong emotion. What form the weather took and how long it lasted were completely out of her control.

"I have abilities" Addy confessed with a nod. "I can influence the weather around me. Or well...I'm supposed to be able to." she laughed, though it was a relatively hollow sound, to match her relative hopelessness in the situation. She was quite content to forget about any kind of special 'gift' she may have; she didn't want them and in the end all they did was spell out danger for her. That, and a life of misery in a situation eerily similar to enslavement.

Addison jumped off the treadmill and circled around as the juggling began. She moved to stand beside the sweaty girl as her fire dropped, and shuffled back a step despite herself, alarm in her raised eyebrows. She didn't relax until the stranger had supposedly given up and sat down, when she turned and fixed her with a worried stare. "You ok? You weren't doing it for long....I didn't realize fire was so draining."

[Hadley Roarke]

The girl's questions made Hadley grin. She loved talking about her power to people that genuinely wanted to learn about it. It made her feel like less of a freak. And who wouldn't like fire shooting out of their body? It was neat thing to have, even if it made her an outcast in the normal human world. Hads shook her head. "No, I haven't learned to summon it by just willing it to. I usually have to get pretty pumped up to make it appear. Adrenaline, be it working out or getting pissed, seems to work. My blood pumps and I get really excited. All I have to do is show my energy a way out, usually through my palms, and concentrate for it to appear."

It sounded like a lot of word to her. But it was very worth it. Being able to manipulate such power. It was a bit maddening. Fire could be very destructive. The more she learned about her gift, the more she believed her theory that people were born with their powers personality. The vicious element didn't care who was in its way. From buildings to people, it cut them down without a problem. Mean ol' Hadley was that way as well. If she wanted something she went for it. No questions asked.

"That sounds amazing!" That was so unique. Hadley loved learning about the people here and their abilities. Now, to see if this girl's power matched her personality. "You don't seem exactly sure of your power. Do you doubt your ability to control it, or do you not like having it?" Hating powers was a common thing here. Some people didn't like being different. They just weren't as uncaring as Hadley.

The blonde shrugged at the girl's questions. "I could have kept going. It's odd.. I can keep fire going for a while, and it takes time to drain me, but once I let it go, all the energy I have disappears with it. I'm not sure if I'm just not used to having it yet, or of I'm not strong enough." She sighed and swigged from her bottle of water at her feet. "I still have a lot to work on with it."

[Deleted]

Addison cocked her head, nodding along as the girl explained the concepts of her generation. "That doesn't sound like such a bad thing, I bet you're mighty fit, and all that exercise has to be good at getting you focused," she mused aloud thoughtfully. If only her own abilities were directed in that way, as it was emotions seemed like so much more of a live-wire, compared to adrenaline.

The weather could take any form and most of the time was reflective of her emotions. Far from being pumped up, the best thing for Addy to be skilled at was calming down. Running was a good way to burn energy, but it was the steadiness of her pace that created the agonizing tediousness that allowed her to focus. It was also why she was skilled in meditation. Having no emotion was more difficult than it sounded.

Still, when her power was complimented Addison was flattered, and slightly bitter. After all, if it weren't for her abilities she wouldn't be in such a depressing situation right now, but she had to wonder, without her father hovering over her head, would she enjoy her mutation. "It's definitely interesting to deal with," she admitted with a laugh. "I..." She paused, not even sure of her own answer. "It is difficult to control, but I don't regret being born with it. It's just hard sometimes, you know?" she ventured with a shrug, unable and unwilling to go into more detail.

She grinned, cocking her head in amusement. "Don't we all?" Addy laughed. "At least you realize when you start shooting fire everywhere, sometimes I can't even tell I’m doing it and then wonder why I'm so exhausted."

[Hadley Roarke]

Hadley chuckled at the girl's words. "Yeah, a little too fit. It get's me a lot of attention, but honestly, I like it." A lot. She liked it a lot, because she loved to tease. Hads was like that.

"Hard? Yeah, I understand. I think if I didn't have my power, little things wouldn't upset me so much. My temper is horrible," the blonde admitted with a grin. She knew how badly she blew things out of proportion. "But that's what we are here for. It's nice to know that there are people here that are similar to us. Makes me feel like I'm not such an outcast." When she was going to a regular school, kids made rumors about her, and she became feared by everyone. Saying that she had a hard time making friends was an understatement.

"How long have you been here? I still can't control my powers sometimes, but I've gotten better. I hope I can get out of here next year. It would be nice to come back to the school out of my own free will, and to have fun with my powers instead of exhausting myself trying to hone them."

"So, I have a request, could you make a constant cloud over a few people for me? It would give me great happiness," she grinned and leaned back on the bench. "Unfortunately, I cannot make people suffer without killing them.. so let's find a person that can transfer energy, and we can make a group out of it. I'll feed you energy to help me make people miserable." This was why she didn't have many friends. Her humor was dry and dark. She would probably scare the poor girl off.

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"Too fit? Nahh," Addy laughed, stretching her arms above her head with a groan. "You'll be the one jogging past the nursing home and laughing when you're ninety years old." She informed her with a humored smile.

The school was important. She knew it, and was grateful for the academy, for everything. Yet a part of her couldn't help but resent it even when she knew that it was misplaced. "I know. It was a relief to find more people like me, I admit." Addison sighed, running a hand through her ponytail.

She shrugged one shoulder, mind churning. "It's been about a month, I'm new," Addy admitted. Internally she agreed with Hadley, it was a wish of hers to be able to come back to the academy, either as a working teacher or just a visitor. She knew though that it was very unlikely, even simple freedoms seemed far away to her gloomy mind. "I just hope it's worth it."

Cracking her knuckles absently, Addy looked left and right, keen to escape the stuffy gym. Flinging her towel over her shoulder, she prepared to be off, hoping she'd be able to take her company with her. Grinning, she replied, "A constant cloud? Hahaha, I could, but honestly it sounds more fun to light their hair on fire and see how long it takes to notice. Then I can bring my clouds in." She laughed and paused thoughtfully. "Hey, I'm jetting; did you want to tag along?"

[Hadley Roarke]

Her humor made Hads smile. "That would be pretty great. I could bring the male nurses home with me," she gave a wink to the girl. "I'm Hadley, by the way. Sorry for spilling my guts before introducing myself. I'm not necessarily known for my manners." That was for sure. People knew her by her quick temper. More or less.


Hadley nodded at the girl's words. "I've been here so long that it just feels like home now. I guess for those of us with no where else to go, it's the only place we have, you know?" The blonde gave a shrug. "At least when people make fun of each other here it's about something petty, and not an abnormality. It can be pretty harsh out there." That was why she hoped her sweet little brother didn't develop any abilities. The last thing she needed was to worry about him.

"Well, please. Allow me to be your guide on this amazing journey." She opened her arms wide on the 'journey' part, but rolled her eyes while doing so. "It will frustrate you to no end. But don't give up! Look forward to making people suffer!" Hadley added with a grin. She hoped this girl didn't take her seriously, but her next words made Hadley feel better.

"Sure! I would love to. I'm tired, and ready to get out of this sweaty place. I have to look my best when strutting around campus." At this, she stood up and walked around, sashaying her hips with as much sass as she could muster. "That sounds excellent. I'll have to try that. Do we have any classes together? That would be interesting to play out," Hadley grinned. "This will be a beautiful friendship. I can feel it." She loved making so many new friends. It stomped out some of her anger she kept built inside of her from her past. "What dorm?"