[FF]Bad Idea

[Erin Hackett]

Erin should have known that this was going to be a bad thing to do from the start. She figured she would be fine because she never really had that much of an issue with fireworks before. Sure they were loud and the contact banging caused panic to set in and her mind to recall that time when she was trapped in her house during an earthquake. She was forever traumatized by that event but did her best to not give such information away. She didn't tell anyone, only her father knew. A few people might have known that she was fearful of lightning by the way she would quickly dash back to her dorm when she would hear there was a chance of a thunder storm.

Yet, other than that no one knew. At least no one should have known and if they did then Erin knew if she found out about it the person would come to regret knowing such information about her. Not that any of that mattered. What mattered now was that she was feeling that same level of fear again and not even sure why she had been foolish enough to come out here in the first place. She knew she should not have signed up for the whole ski trip but her father said it would be a good experience. Then she knew she should not have gone to the fireworks, but she did.

She went to the stupid fireworks to prove that she was fine with them, and yet here she was curling up into a ball on the ground. Shivering not from the cold but from fear as the panic set back in as her mind recalled to that time when everything was shaking. Shaking, falling around, and on her. That fear that she was going to die there and never see her father again was back as she covered her ears and closed her eyes. It was so hard to breathe and she could already feel her eyes starting to water as she tried to get control over herself.

"It is just fireworks. Not an Earthquake. Tough up Erin. Stop being such a baby. Open your eyes and enjoy them." Erin scolded herself through clinched teeth but she remained on the ground still in fear. She thought she could do this, but apparently not yet. She was still damaged from that day those years ago.

[Olivia Chance]

Olivia was walking around looking at things mostly. Being in a coma for so long meant there was so much left to see. She looked up and saw the fireworks and her eyes went wide with awe. Even before the coma, she hadn't seen fireworks very often. Her family didn't really do outings like that. Then Olivia saw the girl curled up on the ground. The position suggested fear. Olivia knew that much automatically. She knew exactly how that felt. She walked over and crouched down, putting a hand gently on the girl's shoulder.

"Are you okay? Well...of course you're not. But...the real question is whether I can help you I guess."

[Erin Hackett]

Erin didn't want to be here. She wanted to disappear. No. She did not want to disappear. In fact she quickly was checking herself to make sure that she was still here. Then she recalled that it would not matter if she could feel herself or not. She would always be able to see herself. It was if others could see her or not that would reveal if she disappeared or not. She wanted to go home. Back to Japan where her dad was. She didn't need to be here and try to make friends, she was fine with her no friend life back in Japan.

The sound of a girl's voice broke through Erin's panic and depression ever so slowly with each word. A girl was talking to her. Was it a cute girl? Erin slowly looked up, wiping at her eyes to make sure that she didn't have any tears trying to sneak out. It would be so lame to be caught crying by a cute girl, and the girl was most certainly cute. Erin relaxed a little more at the fact that the girl was talking to her which meant her power had not freaked out like she was worried that it was about to. If the girl didn't show up when she did, Erin's power probably would have triggered itself.

She is really pretty. Look how the firework light up her face. Aww, so sweet. She is asking me if there is something she can do for me. Well there are several things she can do for me. Ahaha, I'm so not smooth even in my head. Erin thought to herself as she rubbed at her eyes and calmed herself down to at least match with how her brain had seemed to settle down before her body did. "Think you could um...find me some water...or you could just stay here until the fireworks are done..." Erin muttered out, trying to speak up to be heard over the fireworks, but that shyness was creeping back.

In truth she was still scared to the point that she was not going to be moving from the spot anytime soon while the rockets were shooting into the sky and lighting it up in carious beautiful colors. Why did beautiful things have to be so scary? Erin was not just thinking about the fireworks in that regard.

[Olivia Chance]

The girl had been crying. Olivia knew that, but yet she was sort of fascinated by the tears at the same time. She didn't really cry much. Big girls don't cry was something her family had taught her. In fact, there had been times where she'd even been a bit jealous of people with tears. Suddenly she saw them floating off the girl's cheek.

"Ah crap. I'm automatically floating your tears." She looked at the small droplets hovering in the air and couldn't help but reach out to touch them. One by one they dropped and she shrugged. She heard the girl ask for water, or to stay until the fireworks were over. Olivia's mouth quirked up in a slight smile.

"At this point, I have no idea what would happen if I got someone a simple glass of water. However, staying to watch the fireworks sounds good to me. They're pretty." She was fascinated by a lot, she admitted to herself. And the fireworks weren't the only things around she found pretty either.

"So, you're scared of loud noises? You know, fear is the body's natural response to possible dangers. You really have no need to be ashamed of it." That was kind of the pot calling the kettle black considering her fears, but whatever.

[Erin Hackett]

Erin had tried to not to cry. She didn't really like crying in front of others but by herself she was fine crying her eyes out. Still, she had hope the other girl had not noticed, but that hope was quickly dashed away by the girl's words. Words that caused Erin to look confused for a moment because who spoke like that? Erin thought she was the unique on that spoke in a different way than others did, but this girl right here looked like she was going for the golf. "I take it you are a water manipulator then?" Erin asked as she smiled a little, but avoided making eye contact with the girl.

Rule number one, you don't make eye contact with a pretty girl for too long because then they would catch you staring. That was one of Erin's rules that she had just made up right now since she could recall how often she would end up staring. Erin smiled back at the girl, playing with the snow a little as the girl pointed out that she didn't know what would happen if she went to get some water. That meant that she was new into her powers, causing Erin to wonder how old the other girl was. She looked down at the space next to her on the floor but didn't say anything.

She didn't have the courage to offer the girl a seat next to her, she didn't even know if she could handle the other girl sitting right next to her. Erin just looked up to the sky and messed with the ends of her shirt and bit her lips. "You're pretty." Erin under her breath after the girl's words about how fireworks were pretty. They were, but they were scary because of how loud they were and how they would cause these to shake. Erin pulled her legs close to herself and didn't say anything at the question. She didn't want to talk about her fear or well admit to the fact the girl totally saw her basically at her weakest moment there.

"Fireworks are not even dangerous...so it’s so lame to be afraid of them. Not L33t at all." Erin responded back as she played with the end of her shirt some more. She took a deep breath, still calming herself down. Still each time a new one would go off in the sky she would shake a little when she would feel the slight vibrations caused by the explosion in the sky.

[Olivia Chance]

"I guess. I don't really know much yet. All I've done so far is make your tears float. Oh, and when I made it impossible to water the plants in the student lounge. That's about it." She shook her head with a bit of a chuckle. Then she thought she heard the other girl say she was pretty. She could have sworn she heard that. But...

"Did I say my thought aloud or was that in my head and you talking or...just...never mind." Olivia reddened slightly. Then the girl talked about fireworks and Olivia sighed.

"Sometimes things that other people think of as being completely harmless are really quite dangerous. The same thing applies to people. Some can look completely harmless, but appearances can be deceiving." Olivia couldn't help but think of her family, a perfect example of that.

"I'm Olivia by the way. Olivia Chance. I'm...kind of new. But not. I was technically here, but I was in a coma for two years."

[Erin Hackett]

"You guess?" Erin asked, super confused. How did you not know what your power was? The school at least gave you the basic information on what you could do when they brought you here. Unless there was something wrong with the girl's memory or her power was related to memories but that would not have explained how she was able to cause Erin's tears to start floating in the air for a moment. Erin listened closely as the girl started to talk about planets in the student lounge as well and how she had a difficult time watering them. "Yeah, sounds like you are a water manipulator then." Erin said, a million questions entering her mind now.

She kept them to herself for now and got really quite as the girl started talking about some out loud thought or something. Oh no, she is one of those pretty but crazy chic types. I didn't know my luck was that bad. Erin thought to herself. Then she started to have a small debate with her thoughts if she was okay with that. The girl was pretty after all and no one was perfect so perhaps a little crazy was okay here and there. There were medications out there to help with a lot of problems like that, Erin could afford them. It could work.

"You have a point there..." Erin said, she wanted to say more but the fireworks were still going on and well pretty girl. She if she was dealing with a guy she probably would have been doing better by now, but she was dealing with a girl. She was attracted to girls and thus she was stuck at the moment debating several matters. Still trying to figure out why the girl didn't know much about her power and why she was on this vacation trip. The questions remained and Erin could not hide the worried look on her face when the other girl revealed her name and the fact that she was new but not new because of a coma.

Erin didn't think she could handle this at the moment. Not in terms of processing while trying to get over her panic attack. At least she was not having an issue breathing anymore because she had just stopped breathing for a moment as her mind tried to focus on working everything out. "Hackett. Erin Hackett...I'm new but not coma new. Transfer student a few months back from the mutant school in Japan." Erin said, hesitantly extending her hand to shake with the other girl. Where was something to hide underneath when she needed it?

[Olivia Chance]

Olivia shook Erin's hand with a smile.

"Japan huh? So you're fairly new. You probably think I'm absolutely nuts. Sorry. I just have a tendency to ramble and say whatever's on my mind sometimes. It isn't always very clear. Add to that the fact that you're pretty and...well this is totally my nervousness talking and I'm very sorry for that but I can't seem to help it-" She clamped her hand over her mouth with a wince. She just couldn't shut up, could she? The girl was probably going to run away faster than a...than a...gazelle in an elephant stampede? The hand clamped over her mouth changed to a facepalm on her forehead with that ridiculous comparison.

"I'm sorry. Even before my coma I never talked to people all that much. I was too busy reading books and listening to music."

[Erin Hackett]

Their hands touched. Erin was just thankful her hands were dry and well that she had not started sweating. Thank you, winter. Erin thought to herself before she started to go back to messing with the end of her shirt again. The girl was rambling again, in a way that was much like what Erin did when she was nervous. It was not the rambling that made her think the girl was crazy; it was more of what was being said. Who didn't know about their power in terms of at least what it was? Who went ahead and told someone they were in a coma for two years?

Was that something that was fine to talk about? Erin felt that it was personal and that was why she felt so odd after hearing it. It was not like she was going to tell the other girl why she had been freaking out when she had just met her. "Pr-pretty? I'm not pretty. You are the one that is pretty, beautiful even but I'm just an average girl. Just you know simple, not pretty...maybe a little attractive but not pretty. Pretty does not fit me and-." Erin quickly started to talk even while the other girl was talking as soon as she heard the words 'you're pretty'. Yet she stopped when the girl covered her mouth.

She certainly was different then the girl's Erin was used to meeting, meaning that Erin didn't really get out enough to actually meet many girls face to face. Erin didn't say anything, she didn't move. Moving was still not an option with the fireworks going on and it was still odd having the other girl so close to her already. The only way they would be able to hear one another was to be close and Erin had not realized that she had in fact moved closer in order to hear what the girl was saying better. "Uh...it's okay. I don't really...deal with many people in person so umm...I'm probably not the best person to try and get used to people with." Erin said, looking back down at her shirt and messing with it.

She wanted to hide. The temptation to use her power was there. It would be so easy to just hide and wait for a little out of sight. Yet, with the fireworks going on she didn't want to risk freaking out while using her power because that would have been just all kinds of bad.

[Olivia Chance]

Erin had been talking at the same Olivia had, hadn't she? Olivia hadn't really heard what she had said. Which was a shame. She had a feeling she'd find most of what Erin had to say interesting. She had a feeling it had been something along the lines of denying what Olivia had said. So Olivia would overcome her nervousness and say something. Hopefully fairly calmly.

"You are pretty. It isn't just outward appearances either, though you are attractive that way. But...it seems like you...maybe I'm imagining it but I think...it's kinda...a glow? Probably not the right word." Olivia sighed.

"As for dealing with people, you've already shown you know what fear's like. Only someone with fear is someone I can talk to more easily. Because they know what it feels like." Olivia shrugged.

"Maybe it isn't the absolutely crippling fear I feel inside sometimes. Or maybe it is. I dunno." She rubbed the back of her neck.

"Besides, you're a person. Therefore, being around you is being around a person. And therefore I can officially be around at least one person. It is progress, and I will take it." Oh crap she was going into the speech patterns with no contractions again. She actually had reasons why she did that sometimes, but it was hard to explain.

[Erin Hackett]

Erin shook her head no repeatedly as Olivia continued to insist that she was pretty. Erin didn't want to hear that, she didn't feel pretty, and didn't feel like the word fit her. It fit other girls, the ones that were pretty, attractive, and beautiful to look at or had a great personality. Erin didn't feel like she fit into any of those categories but also felt like she could sit here all night disagreeing with the other girl and they would not get anywhere. So for the sake of not wanting to hear that she was pretty she decided to go for a compromise.

"Okay...you're right but then... if I'm pretty then...you are beautiful...and uh lets le-leave it at that." Erin managed to get out, fumbling a little bit here and there. It was so hard to talk to people, especially girls. Was it getting hot outside now or was it just her? Erin felt like she was about to faint or just vanish from sight completely. Erin didn't fully understand what the girl was talking about fear and dealing with people.

She did slightly, but she was still trying to calm down and dealing with a panic attack from not only the fireworks but how this girl was being. Erin was just not used to it, at all. It was hot in a way that the girl was...bold? Yet, at the same time it was scary and just too much at once for a first meeting. Damn. Why did I have to meet a pretty girl when I'm already freaking out? This is not going well at all. I'm going to end up messing everything up. Erin thought to herself while she was still half paying attention to what the other girl was saying to her.

Erin did have a habit of checking out when someone was talking to her, especially when her mind was having a million and one thoughts. She liked to think she was a super computer, but she was not when she was dealing with a person face to face. On a computer, sure. Not in real life. Not like this. "I uh...you...this is..." Erin tried to get out a proper sentence but just could not. She felt her eyes dilate and knew that in that instant she would vanish from everyone's site. She was still there; just no one could hear or see her now.

"Damn it!" Erin yelled out, but no one would hear her. She just pulled her legs closed to her, squeezing them and taking deep breaths and wondering what the girl was going to do now that Erin was seemly gone. If she was touched it would stop her power, but for now Erin was out of sight, how she liked it sometimes. Especially times like this when she was dealing with a pretty girl and a panic attack.

[Olivia Chance]

The girl thought she was beautiful? Olivia looked down, quiet for once. She had no idea what to reply to that. Then the girl stuttered and the next thing she knew, Olivia looked up and the girl was gone. She sighed, laying down on her back. Maybe the fear had been too much and the girl had run away?

"Or maybe I was just too much of a freak. Stupid Olivia. So stupid. Of course no-one would want to talk to you if they had a way out." She shook her head and sat up again, looking at the spot where Erin had been sitting before sighing again and looking at the sky, the fireworks still going on.

"As if I wasn't a big enough freak without my powers." She'd thought the girl was pretty cool to talk to, as well. A shame continuing the conversation wasn't possible anymore.

[Erin Hackett]

Erin was still there, sitting right there, and curled up against herself giving herself a pity talk while the fireworks made their way into the finally. It made it harder to hear the girl but she still was able to pick up enough that she peeked up from her curled up state. At least the fireworks were not causing her power to spazz out. In actually it was because she was focused on something other than her fear now. She had felt bad for making the other girl say that about herself because she probably figured Erin ran away.

In truth, Erin probably would have run away if she didn't have her power. A lot of the times she still ran away after using her power but at the moment she was still around. Her gazed looked towards the girl as she the girl sat up and looked at Erin. Well, the way she was facing was looking at Erin but didn't see her but that didn't help that fact that a small blush started to spread across Erin's face. "It's not that. It's just a lot to take in at once. The fireworks and then the sorts of things you were telling me. It was just too much at once." Erin said, having no problem speaking now. That was because no one could hear her; she was her bold-self then.

Erin took a deep breath, gripping the ends of her shirt tightly for a moment before a slight breeze caused her to shiver. After taking a moment to zip up her jacket she took another deep breath and stopped using her power. Her eyes returning back to normal and while they hurt, she at least didn't have to worry about any side effects affecting her right away. The benefit of using her power instead of it doing its own thing out of her control. "You're...not a freak and I'm still here." Erin pointed out. She hoped that she didn't give the girl a heart attack.

Erin personally knew that if someone was there one second and not there another second, only to appear back; she freak out. Even with having the power that she did, it was just scary to be popping up like that on people in her opinion. "It's just...a lot at once." Erin said, trying to speak louder than the fireworks, but it was not working out so well and she was basically speaking in a whisper now, muffled out by the finally clashing of explosions and colors in the night sky.

[Olivia Chance]

It was silence, and then she heard a voice. When she turned to see where it came from, she saw the girl reappearing and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"What. The. Hell." She arched an eyebrow.

"That was so cool! Did you just...were you invisible?" Then she realized what that meant. And what Erin was saying about freaks...Olivia turned bright red and went into a bit of a nervous coughing fit. When it died down, she sighed.

"You heard all that, huh? Let me just say that if you can be in denial about the fact you're pretty, then you are also in denial about the fact that I'm a total freak. You may not know it yet, but I totally am." She shrugged. Now it was time for the cover up bravado about not caring about something like that. Olivia really did care what people thought about her, but she tried not to show it.

"And...you mean your panic attack? Is your fear of fireworks that bad?" She was sympathetic, she really was. After all, Olivia had crippling fears of her own. But it was something she was curious as to its origin.

[Erin Hackett]

The other girl's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. For a moment Erin was worried she was about to scream but thankfully that didn't happen. Instead she got a 'what the hell' and a raised brow. At least the girl was straight to the point on the matter. Erin did start to blush a little at Olivia's words about how what Erin had done was cool. Erin did think her power was cool, but why she had used her power was lame. She hid because she got scared and it was just too much for her to take in at once, but she came back because she felt bad for upsetting the other girl. Girls just looked so sad when they were, well sad and Erin could not take it.

"Something like that. It's more of I completely concealed myself. From being seen and heard." Erin explained, keeping it simple. She didn't want to go into details with her power unless the girl really wanted to know. Erin had a pretty good understanding of her power and she didn't want it to seem like she was better than nor had everything under control when it came to her power when talking to a girl who seemed to still be trying to understand and control her own power. The subject about freaks had Olivia blushing and coughing, clearly embarrassed that Erin had heard her but Erin heard a lot of things.

Score for mutant powers. Erin thought to herself for a moment, it brining just a small smile to her face. Erin didn't know what to say in response to Olivia saying that she was going to deny that she was a freak and admitted that she was. Well...being a freak was not a bad thing depending on what kind of freak you were talking about. Freak as in mutant, well Erin was that so she could not say anything there. Freak in the bedroom, well that was hot but Erin was not going to say anything on that either. As in freak with just being weird...well...words. "Everyone had uh…things that make them a bit like a freak...it’s not bad...I don't think." Erin managed to get out, looking away.

Damn, not smooth at all Erin. You are supposed to be all; babe, your hot, just smile and everything will be fine. Yet, that sound sexist. Why is it so hard to talk to girls? I am a girl! Erin went on a small mental tangent in her head for a moment, loosing focus. Erin nodded her head yes and then no at the question about her panic attack and fireworks. "Yes I had a panic attack and no, I'm not afraid of fireworks. It's something else but don't worry about it." Erin said as she unzipped her coat to try and cool off from overheating with that panic attack. "Mo-more importantly...what are you doing out and about after waking up from a coma?" Erin asked, feeling like that was the most important thing to be concerned about at the moment.