Everything You've Built

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina was swimming laps in the deserted pool, enjoying the cool water. She had been restless recently and the water helped her to clear her head, as it always did. She usually went for a long hike up the mountain and to her favorite creek when she felt like this, but she’d been feeling lazy this time around and had decided that the pool would suffice. She pulled up when she reached the edge of the pool and looked up at the ceiling, slightly put out that she couldn’t see the stars above her. Her mind was still racing a million miles a minute, but she didn't mind as much. There wasn't as frantic a twist to them anymore, and she was content with that for now.


    Her simplistic and comparatively modest red two piece suit was well worn, but comfortable since she’d had it for a few years now. Then again, not much that she owned was new, or if it was, it was merely new to her as she’d bought it second-hand. She’d waited until 2:00 am, not because she was ashamed for her second-hand suit, but because she’d wanted to be alone. It was so worth it. So much had been going on recently, and so much of it was foreign and brand new that being surrounded by what was familiar was a comfort she’d desperately needed. She pulled herself up out of the pool and sat down on the ledge of it with her legs still submerged in the water. Even if it wasn’t outdoors, the pool was calming and she appreciated it for what it was.


    Selina leaned back on the concrete, with her hands behind her head and closed her eyes, confident that no one else was around… and even if they were, so long as they didn’t bother her, she wouldn’t bother with them either. She didn’t often go out of her way to engage with others, and right now, she just wanted to be alone for a while. 

Ricky Caruso

[Ricky Caruso]

It took a toll on Ricky, being a walking fire hazard, causing fires everywhere he went.

By some miracle, he hadn't burned himself yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time. And that scared him, not that he'd ever admit it. He didn't even like admitting it to himself. He didn't want to be another one of those students who were afraid of their own powers; he wanted to own them. Master them. Use them. Like, really use them without having to worry about losing control and hurting others... or himself.

He needed more training, but it was two o’clock in the morning – and he didn’t want to wake his roommate up. And he couldn’t practice anywhere else in the mansion without burning something… and getting in trouble for property damage. Outside, yes, but it was dark out. Far too dark to see, even with a flashlight. There could be snakes.

No, no, no, training is not an option, Ricky thought, shifting uncomfortably under his covers. Ugh, the most logical solution would be to go back to sleep, but he couldn’t. He was too worried. Too nervous. It was frustrating; he hated feeling so… insecure. He never had this problem before. Stupid powers. 

He loved them; they made him feel powerful, as destructive and dangerous as they were, but right now, in this moment, he needed to get away from them - and what better way to do that than by submerging himself in a pool of refreshing water? Fire's natural enemy.

Plus, he liked swimming.

Without giving it a second thought, Ricky slid out of bed, slipped into a pair of board shorts, grabbed a towel, and sneaked out of his room. Odds were that everyone was sleeping, so walking around the mansion dressed as though he was going to the beach, wearing nothing more than a bathing suit and flip-flops, wasn’t going to matter. Besides, even if someone did see him, he could care less.

All he cared about was not burning anything on his way there.

Ricky breathed in deeply through his nose and out through his mouth, trying keep his cool as he walked toward the gym with a towel thrown over his bare shoulder. Upon arriving, he took another deep breath in, smelling the chlorine in the air, and a smile rose to his face. He couldn't even remember the last time he went swimming. Soccer. Classes. Work. And more soccer. That was his life before coming to the Bellefonte Academy. 

And it was times like this when he wasn’t sure which life he preferred.

Tossing his towel onto the floor, he slipped out of his flip-flops and walked up to the edge of the pool, eager to dive in when he noticed someone was already there. A girl. She was... pretty. Really pretty.

"Hey, what's up?" he greeted her, offering a maybe-too-friendly smile. “Couldn’t sleep, either?”

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina absent-mindedly swung her legs back and forth in the water, occasionally amusing herself by freezing and unfreezing the water droplets in her hand. It wasn’t really possible to see from another’s perspective as her hand was still supporting her head against the tiles, but she wasn’t focused on anybody else. Sometimes she did mindless exercises like that in an effort to increase her ability to focus despite potential distraction.

    Her absolute control over her power was something that she’d worked hard to master, and it was a constantly evolving process. She still slipped up on occasion, but only in incredibly stressful or startling situations. Other than that, her power wasn’t much of a nuisance at all. She’d never harmed herself with it, unless through overexertion, and she’d only harmed others when she’d intended to… mostly.


    Selina eventually heard someone else enter the area but she was too lazy to open her eyes. Besides, she could keep track of their movements through hearing alone, so she wasn’t going to bother keeping a watch on them as well. It didn’t serve much point anyway unless they got within a certain radius. Selina heard them approach and barely cracked her eyes open after he spoke, “Something like that,” she offered with a smirk in response to his query before closing her eyes again. His expression was so easy to read. Perhaps she would even play with him a little bit later since he was interested. Besides, he certainly wasn’t too hard on the eyes and a quickie before bed never hurt anyone.


    Selina kept swinging her legs back and forth, still listening for his movements and not letting her guard down. She wasn’t one to ignore her surroundings when others were nearby, but she wasn’t going to make any effort to do much more than that either. It was peaceful here, and sometimes even she just wanted to relax. She wasn’t tired in the slightest, and she wouldn’t be falling asleep anytime soon, but the sound of the water moving against her skin and the feel of it flowing around her legs was calming.


    “So what keeps you up? Nightmares? Poor life decisions? Girl trouble?” she asked with a sardonic grin, her eyes still closed. Part of her wasn’t all that interested, but another part of her knew that keeping him engaged now would likely result in a positive outcome later. Even if others would accuse her of using him, she didn’t really mind. In the end, everyone made selfish decisions, and she wasn’t going to worry about hers. Besides, if he agreed to it, he would likely be using her for the same reason.