Stereo Hearts (François)

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

It was lunch time and the cafeteria seemed packed like never before. The news of her detention seemed to have spread like wildfire and no matter where she went, she could see people's judgmental and disappointed eyes. She didn't care though, most of them didn't even know half the story and since so few seemed to bother to ask, they could just glare all they wanted. Besides, they were met with a glare of her own.

Erika had decided to keep a brave face and try to stay positive, yet all the while doing her best to avoid Ellen. She really didn't need anymore drama added to her plate, and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to contain her anger, and if that was the case, well, then she'd simply end up ruining even more furniture.

Gazing around, Erika's frown turned into a smile as she saw a familiar face. She pushed herself through the crowd and through the open doors to the outside part of the cafeteria. This location was less crowded during this time of year and Franck seemed to dislike larger crowds a lot, and right now, that suited Erika just fine.

The brunette plumped down next to the dark haired boy and gave him a warm smile, ''Hiya Franck. What's up?,'' she asked and ruffled his hair. He was a pretty chill guy and Erika enjoyed being around him. There was never really any drama when it came to Franck. He always seemed so peaceful, but then again, Erika wasn't exactly the best people knower, obviously.

''You know, if you keep hanging out here, you're going to catch a cold,''

[François Laffont]

At first, Franck was tempted to eat at the cafeteria. He rarely did so but he knew it was good practice. But just getting his lunch proved so hard for him. Some days, people were quieter than usual, emotionally speaking, and it was easy. Today, things appeared in an uproar. He had no idea what happened exactly. All he knew was the pressure he felt against his chest as so many emotions flowing from so many directions tried to hit him all at once. It was enough for Franck to decide he’d eat outside again.

He often compared this feeling as a huge wave. When you’re at the sea and you jump with the waves, sometimes one is higher than you expected, and it comes above your head. You can’t breathe for a second but you know you must recover fast because another wave is coming at you and if you don’t, this one would drown you. It felt like that, like he was drowning in other people’s feelings. Plus, if he stayed long enough, he’d start to think those feelings were his own.

Sometimes, when the sun was up and the temperature was warmer than it was today, people were inclined to eat outside. But right now, they preferred the heat of the cafeteria, despite the noise and commotion. François liked it better here. He could take the fact there was no big summer sun on top of his head. He just wanted some serenity. If he didn’t mind being in small groups to control his power, the cafeteria right now was too much. You better learn to walk before running, no?

He startled a bit as someone took a seat by his side. He had been contemplating the nearly empty area around and didn’t hear Erika. He smiled though as he recognized the girl. “Hi Erika,” he greeted her. He didn’t mind her presence. One person near was not like dozens of people near, he could take it. Still, he bothered checking behind in case Ellen was following her. They were not exactly what you’d call friends and it was not his fault.

He laughed when she said he’d catch a cold. “I’ve got a strong immune system,” he replied with a shrug. He smiled again at her. “Besides, it was just too much today,” he added, nodding his head towards the building. She did know he preferred to stay away from large crowds. “I would’ve thought you’d eat in there though. Or are you trying to run away from the rumours on your account?” he asked. He overheard Erika got detention. He didn’t get all the details, people tended to contradict one another. But he got it was unusual of the girl.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

''Well, that's good,'' Erika nodded and pursed her lips. Franck's positive energy was enough to make her in a good mood and it was exactly what she needed too. Constantly pretending was getting rough and exceptionally tiresome. Man, Ellen just messed up her life in more ways than one, didn't she? Erika's eyes followed his towards the cafeteria and she nodded slowly in agreement, ''Yeah, I hear ya,'' Her eyes grew distant for a few seconds until he spoke again. Erika turned her head to look at him, grimacing slightly as she made herself more comfortable, leaning backwards with her legs pulled up and her cheek leaned on top of her knees.

''Not so much the rumors as the origin,'' she said with a faint smile, a sigh escaping her lips as she looked up again, ''What version did you hear?'' Erika was aware that there were different stories for exactly how she got the detention and even she had to admit that some of them were pretty cool and made her sound like a real badass. Though, others... Not so much.

Positive thoughts, positive thoughts, positive thoughts.

''Honestly? I don't really mind the detention all that much. It has its perks, y'know?,'' Erika said with a smirk. Like being around a certain somebody she probably shouldn't be around. But she was enjoying her time with him, even if he was both part of the staff and a creep, and that was the most important part, yeah? ''Besides, if I didn't take responsibility for my actions, I'd be a hypocrite and just as bad as Ms. Devil Spawn,'' she said with a shrug, the mere thought of Ellen made her blood boil.

[François Laffont]

Franck was an optimist. He preferred to take life with a smile. Sure he’s had some hardships, as did most people here, but he preferred to think he can overcome them all. It was far less depressing than keep telling himself he would forever struggle or that his mother would never accept him again. Someone was mean to him? He’d smile through it. After a time, the smile would appear genuine, even to him.

He lost his smile for a second though, frowning at Erika. Something was off. She was not feeling as well as usual. He didn’t like it, or maybe he didn’t like being able to tell, or maybe both. Whatever it was, he wished he could help her. When she asked what version he heard, he ran a hand through his hair, looking embarrassed. “All I understood from it is you made a fuss in the cafeteria and got punished. The details, they tend to change with every people telling the story,” he explained. He didn’t want to sound like he knew what happened when in reality he had no idea. He also didn’t want her to think he judged her. In another school, trashing a place would be done on purpose. In here, it could just be someone’s power going out of control.

He raised an eyebrow at her smirk, waiting for her to explain further what good could there be in a detention. But she didn’t develop there. He frowned again, puzzled this time. “Ms. Devil Spawn?” he asked. Who was she referring to?

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

As hard as Erika tried to conceal her emotions with fake happiness, she couldn't change what was really there. Sure, she could put on a smile and act as if everything was all right, but at the end of the day, she still felt miserable underneath it all. But at least she was trying and being around Franck seemed to help, if even only a little, ''I see,'' she said with a nod and chewed on the inside of her lip. Well, it was good to see that it didn't seem like he was judging her or buying onto the crap people seemed to adore spreading. It was oddly nice to be around someone like that.

''Oh right,'' she said and chuckled, ''I should probably explain, huh,'' Erika folded her hands together and looked at them for a few seconds, trying to decide how to begin explaining the whole thing.

''Well, you remember Ellen, right? Ellen has this power, hypnotism where she's able to hypnotize people into doing what she wants, like for example, break up with people, make people hate you, making you do things you perhaps normally wouldn't,'' She looked up, her expression serious as her eyes rested at the dark haired boy's face, ''Ever since she got her power she's been experimenting it on me. Taking my free will away, pushing people away, making me break up with guys, scaring people away whenever I went on one of my naive crush-raids,'' Why she had stuck with it for this long was beyond her imagination to understand, ''So, the other day, I finally told her that it wasn't okay. That she couldn't do it anymore, so she justified herself by saying that she only did it for my own good and that she could see me getting hurt a mile away, though, she never once asked me what I wanted. So, I got mad, she kept pushing my buttons and I sorta thrashed the cafeteria as a result from it,'' Once her speech were over, Erika took a deep breath and chuckled, ''So yes, Ms. Devil Spawn,''

Erika ran her hand through her hair and exhaled, pinching the bridge of her nose before once more turning to look at Franck, ''So yeah, if you see her, cry wolf so I can run away before she finds a way to pay me back,''

[François Laffont]

It pained François to see Erika feeling so down. The greatest downfall of his power was, to his opinion, the fact that if he could tell what others felt, it didn’t help knowing how they could make them feel better. The whole be patient, it’ll get better with time speech was so overused and, in the end, not that helpful. No one wants to hear that you’ll find a new lover after a breakup, even if you know it to be true. You want to cry and eat ice cream and listen to sad songs and cry again. Telling the person they never loved as much as they thought, although being true, was also not the solution. Nor was a sympathetic pat on the back. For now, Franck remained silent on the most part, figuring he’ll find something eventually. And then he would only have to pretend he really helped as much as she’ll lie to him. Yeah, who said empathy was a gift?

Franck nodded as she mentioned Ellen. He should have known. So she’s Ms Devil Spawn? There was something ironic in Erika calling her that. Weren’t they supposed to be friends? And as she explained further the kind of relationship she had with her, he questioned their friendship further. He never would do something like that on a friend! Testing your power on them? Worse, make them do what you want! He found it unacceptable. He knew he should speak but in the same time, what he knew of Ellen, and what Erika just told him, made him fear her wrath a little. Oh, to hell with her! He considered Erika a friend and as such, he had to speak his mind about this.

He nodded again as she finished her story. “Looks to me she doesn’t understand what friendship is all about,” he began to say. Hey, she might not like what he had to say but he agreed with Erika, it was time the girl understood it was not right to do such a thing. “There’s a difference between protecting a friend when you fear they’ll get hurt and forcing them to do things they don’t want to,” he added. In a way, he knew why she was protective. She liked her friend a lot, more than a friend normally does. But on the other hand, this was not the way to show it. “She’s showing her love to you the wrong way. You did right to tell her,” he agreed with Erika.

He laughed a bit when she asked him to yell out if he ever saw Ellen around. “I’m not exactly on her friend list so I might hide with you. She didn’t get detention too?” he replied. He didn’t fully get why the girl chose to count him as an enemy. He would be more than happy to make peace with her, or at least be civil. But she chose otherwise.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

It didn't matter how many times Erika had to tell her side of the story, every time she did, it felt as if a heavy weight lifted from her chest. Good, so she wasn't crazy for feeling the way she did, that surely was a good sign. To think that Erika had actually felt bad for saying the things she did, ''I know,'' she agreed silently and sighed, ''But the problem is that whenever someone goes against her or speaks up, she pays you back ten times worse. I don't even know if she's going to go for someone I care about or go directly for me,'' It was rather ironic, actually. Here Erika had opened her heart to Ellen and told her that using her power that way was wrong, and how would she pay her back? By doing the exact same thing all over again.

Well, if Ellen thought that was the way to get her friend back, she was sorely mistaken. It would take a lot for Erika to be friends with her again, let alone trusting her.

Franck's response had her laughing, nodding in agreement before his last question had her somewhat frowning, ''No,'' she said with a sigh, ''Those who know what she's doing are too afraid to do anything and the rest she's probably hypnotized to forget. Besides, even if they all did know, it's not like any of us have any proof and if she gets punished without proof, she'll just run home to daddy and we'll all have to deal with a huge ass lawsuit,''

Ellen was manipulative, selfish, arrogant and spoiled rotten. She was the worst kind of person and Erika felt slightly sick by the fact that it had taken her twelve years to finally grow a spine.

[François Laffont]

Well, at least Erika knew now that she was not the only one to think it was enough manipulation coming from a friend. Why was Ellen acting this way? He couldn’t help but wonder. She did care deeply for Erika but that sure was a terrible way of showing it. He knew boys, when little, pull the girls’ pony tails or make fun of the ones they like, but this was beyond that point. He got the need to protect your friend but that should be as far as it goes. Manipulating them for the fun of experimenting your power or because you were mad at them, that was not friendship. Maybe Ellen had a screwed up life, he didn’t want to judge her too badly without knowing her better. But she should was doing nothing for him to like her, or to be liked by anyone for that matter.

“That’s a funny way of showing your friendship. If she likes you like she claims to, she should prove it and let you be happy,” he said as she explained that the girl was not only manipulative, but resentful also. “I get she wants to protect you, but if you don’t try, you don’t live. You’re big enough to deal with a broken heart if it fails,” he added. Then again, Ellen was probably also possessive because of her love. But bringing it back by accident once and suffering her wrath ever since was enough for him not to bring it back again.

He kept frowning hearing Ellen got no detention. Hypnotized her way out of it? And hearing what would have happened should they get her in detention, that was unbelievable! “That’s... that’s unfair,” he said, lost for words at one moment. He hesitated as he extended his arm. Not that he wasn’t sure she’d welcome it. But he feared to get more sad vibes from her. Well, it couldn’t be worse, could it? He placed his hand on her arm but left it there only for a brief moment. “You know what you need? To forget about it and do something fun. Shopping, or check out the guys or whatever. I’m your man whatever you choose to do,” he said. He hoped that could help her get past that. He supposed the two would talk eventually. And if Ellen was to come to him like a fury because he spent time with her best friend, he’ll tell her to talk to Erika and apologize and perhaps grow up a little. He’ll probably be hypnotized to do something awfully humiliating and painful for it but perhaps it would sink in that blonde head of hers.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika shrugged and let out a faint sigh before letting her eyes wander through out the courtyard, ''I think I am at the point where I just don't care what her reasons were or what she really should have done, because it doesn't change the fact that she did it and she didn't take responsibility for it, and that's not really...,'' she paused and looked at him, ''That's not really someone I wish to be friends with anymore, you know? I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt because she's petty about it,'' That was the worst part, Erika had no idea what would happen next or who Ellen would target.

She knew it was coming in one form or another. Which was why Erika was such on edge. She cared about her friends and family far too much to let them fall under Ellen's spell, but what could she do about it? All Ellen had to do was catch her off guard and she too would be an easy target.

Letting out a faint laughter and a smile, Erika shook her head, remaining silent for a little while longer as Franck continued to speak, ''It's unfair yes, but in the end, karma will come get her,'' Erika said again, smiling. Shopping was only a simple excuse people used to fill a void that couldn't be filled. She had never been one of those girls who loved going on shopping sprees. If anything, she hated going from store to store. Erika preferred to go in, get what she needed and leave again. And as for checking out guys... Naaah. She didn't know why, but she was content with... Ok, she was so not going there, ''I appreciate the offer, but this detention has been a good way to blow off some steam and...,'' she trailed off as a soft smile replaced the smirk.

Erika bumped his shoulder and grinned, holding her thumb up, ''I'm okay,'' At least for now.

[François Laffont]

In a way, François pitied Ellen a bit. But she also asked for this to happen. You can’t just force people to do as you please and expect them to like you. He wasn’t surprised that she chose to do it on him, or other people she disliked for one reason or another. But he heard they were friends, more, best friends, the kind that you don’t play like that. He fully understood Erika’s decision to back away from the girl. “You’re right. She’s hurt you. She needs to understand this is not what friends do to each other,” he agreed with her. Hey, he didn’t like the girl much to begin with, so it was not like he minded really.

“I don’t get her way of loving people. Was she always like that?” he asked as he shook his head. Then again, her past can’t explain it all, right? Still, he couldn’t help but to think that if someone made her understand that no meant no and not that she could make them say yes, maybe she wouldn’t go as far as she seemed to go. Couldn’t the staff here do something, bind her power or whatever, until she learned to use it properly? He knew it was not how it worked but he was ready to make an exception for Ellen.

At least Erika seemed to think she’d get her fair reward for alienating everyone. Surely one day she’ll go too far with the wrong person. Still, he hoped she wouldn’t suffer too much. As much as he disliked her, Franck never wished evil on anybody. He wasn’t sure if Erika would like to spend some time with him. They have not known each other since a very long time. But he knew a lot of girls liked to shop, or eat ice cream while complaining about their misery, or simply go out and meet some cute guys. He could do any of that if that could make her feel better. He hated feeling her pain.

He raised an eyebrow though as she talked of her detention. “Don’t tell me you met someone during detention?” he let out. So now you could find a guy during a detention? No surprise he was single, he was not looking at the right places! He smirked a little. “Do tell.”

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

It didn't matter how many times Erika tried wrapping her mind around it, in the end, it always left her feeling exhausted. Erika also knew that there were a lot of people who disliked Ellen and her ways of doing things, so she couldn't help but to feel sorry for her. They had known each other since they were children, and as much as Erika wanted to justify Ellen's behavior, that too, didn't seem right. Ellen was downright spoiled and was used to getting whatever she wanted, one way or another.

And up until now, Erika had played along with it like the good girl she was. Maybe that was what bothered her the most of all. Though, when Ellen first told her she used her powers on her, Erika kind of already knew the answer. And even then, she didn't react. It had taken some time, a lot of thinking and meeting people she didn't want to see hurt for her to realize just how wrong all of it was.

Better late than never, right?

''Well..,'' Erika began and rubbed the back of her neck, ''Even without the power, Ellen is used to getting what she want. Her father always spoiled her, and unlike my own parents, my impression of hers was that they didn't really expect a whole lot from her. I think she's used to getting away with everything,'' Erika admitted with a gloom expression. Just thinking about it made her feel sad, and it made her wonder if she had done something back when, would things have been different?

Maybe, maybe not.

Without realizing it, Franck's question gave Erika a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Well, maybe she noticed, she simply didn't want to admit it to herself. Things like that were supposed to be a no-no and she had been naive enough as it was in the past, ''Not during,'' she pointed out with a chuckle, ''I was just lucky enough to spend it with someone who makes things a little less shitty,'' she said with a smile and cocked her head to the side, ''But enough about that, what about you? Found anyone who's grabbed your attention yet?''

Maybe Erika could help out with that as she knew more than enough people.

[François Laffont]

So Ellen was spoiled? That mustn’t have helped. When you’re normally used to get everything, being told no must be infuriating. Not using your powers then to get what you want might be even harder. Still, he didn’t excuse everything. After all, she chose to use her powers and even on her friends. If François was doing it, it was because he couldn’t help it, not because he purposefully chose to know all of their feelings.

Also, considering he always had to prove his worth to earn even just a cookie or a nod of appreciation from his mother, being told that someone was given everything without condition kind of bugged him. Yes, he was a bit envious. Not that he wished he had been raised differently. He knew the value of things, unlike Ellen most certainly. It wasn’t like he had it rough, far from that. His parents were always comfortable, financially speaking, and Franck never lacked of anything in his youth. But he understood he had to do chores or be good at church or go play with a left alone neighbor if he wanted things. It was the basis of work, right? He didn’t even want to think how Ellen would react if she had to work.

He was glad though to stop talking of her. The happiness coming through Erika as he asked what happened during the detention was really nice. He hated feeling negative emotions coming from people, even if he knew it was only natural to feel down from time to time. Could you really blame him though? He nearly chuckled with her as she explained what happened. So she did meet someone. “Good for you,” he said. Yes, after what happened with her best friend, having someone who made things easier was a blessing. And she deserved it. Erika had been nice every time they met so the whole Princess etiquette people labeled her with, he didn’t get. He always thought princesses to be snobby. And she had not been snobbish to him.

He chuckled for real though when she inquired about his love life. He looked down, cleared his throat. He could feel his ears burning which probably meant they were turning red at the moment and it had him scratch one. “Not exactly. You know when you girls complain about all the cutest guys being gay? Not true,” he first said. Hey, he would know about that! But he understood why so few would like to tell their sexual orientation. Maybe they were all freaks here, with powers, but it was still like adding more for people to mock you about if you added having a different sexuality. He knew some people had trouble with homosexuality, mostly men. Maybe because they imagined girls cuddling and kissing while two men together gave them images of prison or ancient time sailors. He had no idea. But he did find it hard to meet people interesting.

“Besides, my power isn’t always helping,” he added. He waited a few seconds before elaborating on this. “I’m an empath. I can feel every emotion a person goes through. And sometimes, it’s not that great. When you find out the person you like is ashamed of liking you back...” he explained, trailing off as surely she could understand why such a situation was not pleasant. Who thought knowing exactly what others feel was nice? Sometimes, he did wish to be a little ignorant.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Honestly? In a way, Erika wasn't exactly surprised at his confession. She had been around enough people who were both bisexual, pansexual and even gay to know that there were nothing surprising about it. In fact, being under one of those classifications herself, maybe it made it easier for her to understand. Putting her hand on his shoulder, Erika gave it a rub before giving him a warm smile, ''Oh, I wouldn't say that. I know a few guys who swing that way, and they aren't exactly horrible to look at,'' she said with a laugh, ''My brother is a pansexual, and as far as I know, he's single too. And I also have another friend you'd might enjoy if you like Koreans. Just say the word, and I'll get you hitched in no time,'' she said with another rub against his shoulder before finally letting her hand drop.

No one should ever be left feeling ashamed about anything about themselves. Certain things couldn't be changed and were meant to be embraced. People would always hate on others, and letting it get you down (Yes, she was very aware she was being a hypocrite thinking this) and instead walk with your head held high. Hater's gonna hate, right?

Hoisting herself up to sit on the table with her feet on the seat, Erika cocked her head to the side as Franck continued to speak, frowning at his words as she slowly nodded, ''I can imagine,'' she said silently, chewing on the inside of her lip, ''You'd make one hella psychiatrist though, imagine all the people you could help! Every power has it's downside, right, and I guess you just gotta take the good with the bad,'' she said, the frown turning into a gentler expression. It was a shame that people felt uneasy about their powers, and having the ability to read everyone's emotions? She could barely imagine the stress.

Lifting her hands above her knees, she gave her ability free reign and it instantly set it's direction towards Franck. It settled on his legs, slowly moving upwards and pulled onto his clothes, running along his features before finally resting on his shoulders, ''At least you don't have a power that can get you accused for molesting people,'' Erika laughed and reigned her power back in and with a last thug at his clothes, it caved in and settled around her own body, like a pet rat, curling up behind your hair, nuzzling into the warmth of your skin.

Jumping up, Erika turned to face him again, pulling him by the wrist as she leaned in, ''Come on, I gotta show you something,'' she whispered and yanked his arm, grinning like a fool.

[François Laffont]

If François was content with who he was, it didn’t mean he was screaming it all around. He came from a highly religious family. Homosexuality was a sin. Had he not seen his mother turned into a fanatic because of her beliefs, perhaps he would be ashamed of this part of him. But she made him evil because of powers he never asked for, so certainly making him evil because he loved guys was as irrelevant. Besides, his father supported him. He accepted who his son was, knowing he nearly lost him one and wished it not to happen again simply because he could not understand. It was not like it was that big of a deal. What he chose to do in a private room with a consenting guy was his and the guy in question’s business only. He couldn’t care less what others may think, although he should would reply if they chose to educate him on their opinions.

He smiled at her as she tried to be sympathetic while putting a hand on his shoulder, like he did earlier on her arm. He started laughing though as she was already playing the matchmaker. “Calm down, now. I like the attention but let’s not go too far here. How do you say? Let’s not sell the fish before it is hooked?” he said. He sure appreciated that she wanted to make the effort. But in the same time he didn’t want for her to just throw him at her brother and make it all too obvious what it is intended there. He preferred to let things follow its natural course. Although a little hand might not be bad. Maybe just meet them, say hello, get to know each other a little. He didn’t want it to be some sort of blind date or whatever.

He smiled as their conversation turned over powers and their down and up sides. He nodded at her words. “That’s what I’m trying to do. I just don’t like feeling like I’m prying in people’s most private thoughts, you know?” he replied. He was well aware that in terms of downsides, his weren’t so bad. He was not drained by his power, people could touch him and he was not destroying things the second his temper was not in control. “You know, I’m actually interested in psychology. I don’t like feeling other people’s pain, so if I could help, I’d like to,” he admitted. Sometimes, he feared it might be the opposite, that being able to tell every feeling would make it harder for him to be a psychiatrist as he’d feel empathy, no pun intended, towards them and be hurt every time they were.

He startled a bit when he felt something holding onto him. Looking at his legs he saw nothing though but he recognized it. It was the same feeling he had when he met Ellen. So she was the one doing it? He stared at Erika. It was not like he minded. He gave her a little smile once her demonstration was over. “It’s pretty nice though. I guess we only need to control it better. It’s not like we don’t have the rest of our life to do so,” he said. They were still students, kids in one word. They had plenty of training left to do. Surely they’d master their power over time. If their teachers could, why not them?

Dragged by Erika, François barely had the time to grab his things before following her. He looked at what remained of food on his tray. He didn’t like when people let their tray like this instead of putting the remains in the garbage but it was not like he had much of a choice. Oh well, it was not that great of an offense. “Where are you taking me?” he asked, curious.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Grinning at him, Erika shook her head before shifting her position once more, ''I know, but that doesn't mean you can't take a look at what's out there. Besides, if anything, it's a great opportunity to just meet people,'' she said with a smile. She had no plans on embarrassing him by throwing him directly at the wolves, but giving him a little shove couldn't hurt, right?

Erika had learned that certain powers, even has handy as they seemed to be was just as much trouble to others as her own ability was to her. They all came with troublesome side-effects and issues. Like being a hormonal teenagers with regular issues like any teenager normally would have wasn't enough. Nope. They had to deal with superpowers with sometimes painful side-effects too. It was a pain in the ass.

''Well, if it makes you feel any better, at least you can't read people's minds directly, yeah? Besides, it's not your fault you got the power you got, and I honestly don't believe people can blame you for it,'' she said with a faint smile, ''I also think that your power can be used for much more good than bad. Feeling other people's emotions is one thing, but imagine all the things you can do when you learn to pin point them one hundred percent... Imagine all the lives you can save,'' She really envied it. Her ability wasn't really good for much, unless someone locked their own keys inside their car or something, ''You're such a good person,''

Erika didn't reply to his question as she continued to drag him along. She only looked at him with a mischievous smirk as she dragged him back into the schools and remained silent as they walked down the many hallways before finally entering the lounges. Looking around for a second, Erika turned to face Franck before clapping her hands together, ''Just a little bit more and you'll see,'' she said with a grin as she opened a door leading to a staircase going upwards, ''Up here,'' she said before disappearing through the doorway and with light feet she skipped up the stairs.

The rooftop was the most serene part of the school that Erika could think of. It had a great view of the mountains, the forest, the lake and everything surrounding the academy. It was truly beautiful, and all though it was colder here and more windy, Erika didn't mind it, ''This is my favorite place in the school. It's always so quiet here, gives you a lot of room to just calm your thoughts and..,'' she trailed off, assuming he had followed her up the stairs and actually heard her talking, ''Whenever things and people get too much for you, you should come here for a breather,''