Post by Gabriel Mendes on Dec 10, 2015 11:26:12 GMT -6
"What?" He laughed incredulously. "I can't do that. I'm not a teacher." He said in an amused tone of voice. "Okay, that's it. No cats for me." He sighed exaggeratedly before smiling widely to indicate that he was joking.
When Poppy began to come down from the cheerful demeanour she had just seconds ago, Gabriel felt bad. He knew how hard it was to accept being ripped away from family.
"There's definitely a lake there. I spent a lot of time skating over it when it gets really cold in winter. Do you skate?" He asked. And then Poppy started pleading. Gabriel almost panicked, trying to come up with a way to ease the girl. All he could come up with was a question.
Post by Poppy Lockwood on Dec 10, 2015 11:57:03 GMT -6
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Of all the things he could had mentioned, the little girl resented him for bringing up the academy. Reminding her that he was there to take her. Take her away from her home, lake, parents, familiar surrounding. The only upside to it was that Coca-Cola would be with her every step of the way.
She liked knowing there would be a lake because it would definitely be her favorite place. Poppy was sure of it. "I can skate. It's so much fun!"
If she had known then what she had grew up to be in a few years time, twelve year old Poppy might not have been as scared as she was now. Now still felt too soon for the confused child.
"Everything is so...overwhelming. I just manifested a week ago. And my parents...they were so happy when they called you guys. I heard them. Why is that, Gabriel?" Did they just could not wait to ship off their only daughter to boarding school?
Post by Gabriel Mendes on Dec 11, 2015 12:04:51 GMT -6
"There you go, we can go ice-skating whenever you want. You could bring Coca-Cola with you too." He reassured. It wasn't a big promise to make, and he was sure he could keep it.
It always surprised Gabriel when children younger than he was were wiser beyond their years. Her question sounded far too grown up, at least for a twelve year old. Once again, he struggled to find the right words to say.
He hadn't known about his abilities until the recruiters came at his door. Even then, it hadn't been too hard of an adjustment as his whole family uprooted to go to Kalispell. Well, it hadn't worked out the way he had hoped it would, but it went far better than he expected.
If he could, he would always ask the parents to consider moving to let their kid be adjusted in this transitioning period. But it wasn't his call to make unfortunately.
"Sometimes, parents let their fear sort of conquer their whole being. They're sometimes thrown so out of their comfort zone that they just do the first thing that pops into their heads. It's the job of their children to sort of brave through it. Show them that fear can be a good thing."
He tried to look at Poppy with a smile on his face. "You can be brave for your parents, can't you Poppy?"
Post by Poppy Lockwood on Dec 11, 2015 13:19:45 GMT -6
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A frozen lake. A little girl on purple skates slowly came onto the ice, finding her balance. Then a man swooped in by her side and held her hand. It was a memory of a four year old Poppy with her father. But this time, the man looked like Gabriel and Poppy looked her age now. And Coca-Cola struggling on her legs. Laughing at the image she conjured, she agreed.
Since the day she could remember, Poppy Lockwood never once felt neglected by her parents. Perhaps it was because she was an only child, but still she was loved. Now however, she began to doubt it. Was she not a good kid that they wanted her gone so quickly?
Was Gabriel right? If so, what were they afraid of? "Oh, so the first thing was to get rid of me. Yay." Deep down, she was sure that could not be true. But at the moment, it worried her. What if it was?
When the older man spoke of bravery, Poppy felt better about her situation. Biting her lip, she grinned up at him. "Yeessh..." The girl looked away from him to hide a smile. "So why do I have to go to a school. I watch superhero movies. Spiderman got his power and start saving people," she questioned Gabriel. Her doubts momentarily forgotten but still lingered in her head.
Post by Gabriel Mendes on Dec 13, 2015 8:58:42 GMT -6
Poppy's laugh gave the twenty-one year old recruiter a sense of accomplishment. At least he knew she could see some form of positive outcome from this big change. But within seconds, Gabriel sighed inaudibly when Poppy took the worst possible interpretation of his statement.
"Of course they're not getting rid of you, Poppy. They just want what's best for you." He responded after a long moment of thinking. "And Bellefonte is what's best for our kind." Sales pitch, nail it Gabriel.
The fluctuating emotions of the young girl confused Gabriel so much but it was part and parcel of his future career, he knew that. He had been lucky in that his parents took charge of the situation and he didn't really have to think too much about it. But here was a middle schooler who was thrust into a situation she didn't understand, with parents who didn't know what to do. He didn't blame her but it was a little tiring and his patience was running thin. He maintained the smile on his face, even illiciting a little laugh at her statement.
"Spiderman also did a lot of damage on himself and public property trying to get a good grip on his abilities. Bellefonte offers a controlled environment where you're surrounded by people who know exactly what works for you and your abilities. You can know your limits, know your side effects...all while having someone you can trust with your abilities."
Post by Poppy Lockwood on Dec 14, 2015 1:53:23 GMT -6
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Twelve year old Poppy Lockwood was experiencing conflicted emotions and feelings. Whilst her parents may want the best for her, she could not help but felt being pushed away. One week! That was how quick it had been.
Furthermore, her manifestation had left her scared because she was a part of the minority of the population but at the same time it intrigued her because she was not ordinary. Then of course she needed to attend the school to have better control over her power but that would mean leaving the comfort her home provided.
Poppy was split into two. The more Gabriel talked about the ability, the more she knew what she had wanted her decision to be. Spiderman was a good example. He had trouble at first but he learnt on his own over time. That was because there was no school for him.
But here there was one for Poppy. One for all of her kind. Similar to the mutant school in the movie X-Men. This made the little girl realized that she needed the help she received. There was no time to learn on her own. This was not a movie. This was real life.
Before she could think any further about it, she made her decision. "Okay," whispered the brunette. Looking up at the adult, Poppy smiled. "You're right, Gabriel. I wouldn't want to accidentally endanger Coca-Cola's life again." She stroked the kitten.
Post by Gabriel Mendes on Dec 16, 2015 12:53:51 GMT -6
The breakthrough came at the most opportune moment. His phone buzzed again and it was Michael.
Her parents are kind of getting crazy here. Forget about taking your time. Get back here with her now.
Gabriel couldn't help but snicker at the urgency of the message. Even seniors had their problems, he thought to himself.
"She's far too cute too." He pointed out teasingly before standing up and holding his hand out for Poppy to take. "If you need me, for whatever reason, I'll be here for you." He promised. Even though he didn't know just how well he could keep the promise, he knew he had to make it. Poppy was his recruit. There was no way he wasn't going to keep her safe. Or at least attempt to.
Post by Poppy Lockwood on Dec 16, 2015 22:36:44 GMT -6
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Taking Gabriel's hand, she stood up beside him. This was it. Her little hand clasped in his big hand. The little and the big. Poppy felt better with the promise he made.
It was not much but it was more than enough for a twelve year old who would be in an unknown place filled with unknown people except for her kitten. And now Gabriel. "And if you ever need a cat sitter, you know I'll be there! Payment or not."
Taking another look at the place she considered her safe haven, Poppy felt a wave of sadness to part with it. "I'll miss this place," sais the optimist, "but at least there'll be one there." She took the last breath of the fresh lake air. It was wonderful. Who knew when she would be back.
Picking Coca-cola off the ground, the little girl held her kitten in one hand and the man's hand in the other. "Come on, I know the way." Tugging on his hand, she lead the way home.
FIN
Last Edit: Dec 17, 2015 19:49:37 GMT -6 by Poppy Lockwood