A New Career in the Same Town

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alexandra Lawson had lived on the campus for seven years.  She'd spent her days walking through the courtyard, up the stone steps of just about every building and wandered through the halls.  Seven years of calling this place her home, of it being the epitome of what 'normal' felt like.  When she first stepped foot on campus she was but a lost, scared and homesick fifteen year old girl.  The last time she left the outer gate surrounding the Academy Alex was a confident twenty-one year old woman.  Now that she'd come full circle and was walking back onto the Academy grounds over a year of being away Alex couldn't help but think one thing.

When the hell did the buildings of Bellefonte Academy become so huge?

The butterflies in Alex's stomach had made a jailbreak and were now fluttering around in her chest and through her mind.  She swallowed hard as she stood just beyond the courtyard, staring up with awe at the towering campus buildings before her.  Everything was different now.  She wasn't wearing the uniform of a student, but a modest pair of black jeans with a dressy top that were both hidden beneath a large winter overcoat.  Even her brilliant, crimson hair was tied in a neat tail behind her and covered with a bright pink, wool cap, complete with a fluffy ball on the top.  She didn't even have a student ID in her wallet anymore.  She'd traded that in for a badge that clipped to the coat with her name and picture on the front identifying her to any security staff that she was, in fact, Alexandra Lawson and she was here on campus because she now worked there.

"First day."  Alex muttered to herself, seemingly oblivious to the students and staff that were milling about around her.  She didn't know how long she'd been standing there staring at the intimidating buildings but it was time to start her new life as an employee of Bellefonte.  With a determined huff and a curt nod to no one in particular, Alex started forward, her sneakered feet carrying her closer to the harrowing start of her new future.

Thankfully for Alex her nerves lasted only long enough for her to take a few steps.  When she felt her feet slide out from under her she felt an almost familiar stab of fear as well as a tiny voice in the back of her head that seemed to only sigh with resignation as she once again found herself taking a tumble.  With a sharp yelp of surprised, Alex managed to control the slide well enough to keep herself from landing on her face.  Instead Alex promptly shifted her weight and ended up sitting down squarely on her butt in the middle of the courtyard.  She exhaled sharply, arms folding across her chest in an almost defiant manner as she remained seated.  Yes her rear hurt from the impromptu seat and she knew how ridiculous she must have looked but there was something almost therapeutic about it all.

It was nice to know some things never changed.

[Tiana Jackson]

”I swear I’ve got the worst person for a lab partner.”

Tiana muttered it while shifting her backpack on her back and dodging around other students in the halls. After the fiasco in the science room, she’d had to retry the lab with the same incompetent partner that had blown up the mixture in the first place. To say Tiana was not pleased was an understatement buried six feet deep. After essentially doing the whole lab herself while occasionally swatting her partner’s hands when they tried to “help,” all Tiana wanted to do was go lie in her room and bury her head in a pillow. She had to go outside into the courtyard at one point, which was when she noticed someone nearly miss falling on their face before planting firmly on their rear. it was an odd enough sight that tiana actually stopped and blinked a few times.

”Wait, what?”

She stared for a second or two as the girl didn’t move before eventually her mother’s words of “try to be nice” rang in her head. Slowly and carefully Tiana made her way over to the girl currently sitting on her rump with a defiant yet childishly adorable expression on her face. The effort Tiana put into keeping a smirk off her face was enormous, but a little hint of a smile still managed to worm it’s way into her features.

”Are you alright?” She asked first since the girl hadn’t moved an inch. ”Hey to your credit I don’t think they did a good job salting out here. If they did at all yet.” She offer her hand in help. ”Crummy maintenance or not, here; let’s get you up.”

[Alexandra Lawson]

"To my credit this happens a lot." Alex grumbled to herself before a bright smile flashed across her face and she turned a pair of bright, expressive brown eyes up to the young woman who was speaking to her. She thankfully accepted the offered hand and used to to help pull herself back up to her feet. She paused, glancing down to brush the bits of frost off her rear before issuing a short huff and turning her attention back to the younger, but taller, girl.

"Oh, uh... hi!" Alex said finally, standing straight so she could reach her full five foot height. To be fair the puffy ball that sat atop her pink, wool cap did add at least another inch, an inch she would insist counted. Sadly for Alex, even having a height of all of five feet one in her book did little to prepare her for how to talk to students like she was a member of the Academy staff. Granted she wasn't a teacher or anything, she was just there to work in the office answering phones and filing papers but she was still staff, an employee of Bellefonte. She was supposed to carry an air of authority about her, right? "I'm Alex!" She said cheerily before she paused and frowned. "I mean, Miss Lawson." But that only caused Alex to visibly grimace and shake her head. A hand came up to wave off her previous words. "Yeah, no. We'll go with Alex." She said, slowly nodding at that.

[Tiana Jackson]

"To my credit this happens a lot.”

With how close Tiana had gotten, she could hear the grumbled remark. She kept her mouth shut instead of commenting since that probably wouldn’t help. It definitely wasn’t helping Tiana try to keep a grin off her face, but she managed. With a tug the girl was back on her feet and dusting herself off. Tiana took the time to observe Alex curiously, wondering if she was a student or something else.

"Oh, uh... hi!”

The little greeting had Tiana’s smile increasing a tiny bit even though she’d had a rougher than average day so far.

”Hey there.”

She couldn’t help but notice the height difference between them, easily topping the girl by around six or seven inches by Tiana’s guess. The height alone was making Tiana debate whether the girl was actually a student or a natural pixie height. Besides, she hated assuming things.

"I'm Alex! I mean, Miss Lawson.”

There was something about the way that Alex said it that gave Tiana the feeling she was both unsure and uncomfortable with the second choice.

"Yeah, no. We'll go with Alex.”

Tiana smirked a little as her hunch was right, and nodded in her own greeting.

”Nice to meet you Alex. I’m Tiana.” She introduced before looking at her a little curiously. ”I’ve got to ask: do you go here or work here? I can’t imagine someone from the town casually popping in here without causing more of a stir then slipping.”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex had still been attempting to perfect her 'business face' before time ran out and she had to come to work. She'd spent no less than an hour in the bathroom in front of the mirror trying to contort her features into something that resembled what she envisioned a professional would look like. It went without saying she failed miserably. She wasn't aided by her almost comically oversized winter coat and bright pink beanie that was tugged on over vibrant, red hair. Eventually, she hoped, she'd stop looking and acting like a child that had eaten too much candy.

"Huh?" Alex had lost herself in her own mind even as Tiana had been talking. She turned her eyes back to the young lady and then shook her head, the question snapping her back to reality. "Oh. I used to go here." She explained with not small trace of nostalgia creeping into her voice. She had missed her time at Bellefonte, that was obvious even now. "I graduated about a year ago and-" She abruptly cut herself off and frowned. The series of events that had ultimately lead to her accepting a position in the Academy office were less than pleasant to remember.

"Sorry." Alex murmured sheepishly as she'd trailed off and drifted away. Again. "Today's actually my first day working in the office." She finally got out, shrugging in a 'what can you do?' sort of way before issuing a low sigh.

The apparently low moment lasted all of two or three seconds before Alex perked up instantly. "How long have you been going here?" She asked curiously, any thoughts that had brought her down moments ago seemingly long gone.

[Tiana Jackson]

"Huh?”

If it hadn’t been obvious to Tiana before, it was now painfully evident that Alex had gone of into a world of her own while Tiana was talking. Surprisingly Tiana didn’t feel as offended as she thought she would be.

"Oh. I used to go here. I graduated about a year ago and-“

Tiana raised an eyebrow slightly when the sentence was suddenly cut without warning. From the little frown Alex was wearing and the abrupt halt, Tiana had a feeling something had happened. Whether or not it had to do with graduation was a mystery, but what Tiana did know now was that Alex was a graduate.

"Sorry.”

Tiana waved off the apology nonchalantly, shrugging.

”Forget about it. You’re good.”

She wasn’t exactly looking to bring up bad memories for the girl with her questions. Tiana had only wanted to know what kind of person she was dealing with.

"Today's actually my first day working in the office.”

Tiana did raise a brow at that, glancing Alex over swiftly.

”No offense, but you didn’t really strike me as the type.” She remarked bluntly with a shrug. ”For some reason i had you pinned down for a recruiter. You would’ve been a hell of a lot easier to talk to then the ones who I got.”

There was that twinge of bitterness that forced Tiana to smirk a little. She still wasn’t completely happy with her “encouraged” attendance to the academy, but she figured she’d get over it with time.

"How long have you been going here?”

Tiana had to actually think on that one, pursing her lips.

”How long? Let me think now.” She paused and did some mental calculations.”I think this’ll make it year three. What about you? How long will you have been at the academy now?”

[Alexandra Lawson]

"Me? Recruiter? Nooooo." Alex stretched out the last word and let it trail off, her head shaking hastily causing the pink puff atop her beanie to bob back and forth. Just the mere idea of her having more responsibility than what she was being given was mind boggling. She didn't think she'd ever be able to handle something like that. Traveling all over, telling families she was taking one (or more) of their children away. She'd cry too much and chicken out half the time. "Thanks for saying that but I don't think I could do that." She admitted frankly. "I can't imagine being a recruiter is easy." But she'd never given it much thought until now and, yes, she was drifting off into her mind to ponder just that.

"Oh, so you're pretty settled in by now." Alex said hopefully. She knew first hand how long it could take to get used to being at the Academy. She'd been a scared, homesick little girl for the first few years of her stay at Bellefonte. Sometimes she still felt like that same little girl even after having graduated and moved on. "Me?" She thought it over for a moment. "I came here when I was fifteen so... seven years now?" Alex's brow furrowed at that. Had it been so long? "I graduated from college a little over a year ago." Alex mused, her hands finding their way into her coat pocket while she looked up at the towering buildings in front of her. "And here I am, right back where I started."

[Tiana Jackson]

"Me? Recruiter? Nooooo. Thanks for saying that but I don't think I could do that. I can't imagine being a recruiter is easy.”

Tiana smirked a little as Alex seemed to drift into her thoughts again. Regardless of what Alex said, Tiana kept her own opinion. She definitely thought the girl would’ve made a better recruiter than the ones who got her.

”Fair enough.”

Since Alex had pretty much ended that topic, Tiana was fine switching to the next one. She wasn’t in the mood to argue.

"Oh, so you're pretty settled in by now.”

Tiana pursed her lips, the new subject a tad touchy and odd for her. Still, she shrugged and didn’t display any ire.

”Yeah, pretty much. Still not exactly ‘happy’ that I had to come here. It’s a good enough school I guess.” She glanced up at one of the buildings with an unreadable expression. ”It’s getting better. Although that’s not saying much. I was a right sour terror when I got here initially.”

She glanced back at Alex and observed her. By the girl’s demeanor in their short interaction, Tiana figured she was more along the lines of someone who was “frightened” when they first had to go to the academy.

“Me? II came here when I was fifteen so... seven years now? I graduated from college a little over a year ago.”

Tiana looked a little surprised, but not exactly stunned. She only nodded her head and followed Alex’s line of site back to the building.

"And here I am, right back where I started.”

A small smirk made it’s way onto Tiana’s lips and she shifted her eyes to look at Alex. She shrugged.

”I guess the circle’s complete huh?” She chuckled slightly and shook her head. ”Anyways, how’s about we head inside instead of freezing our butts off out here? I’m in the mood to curl up in a blanket and sleep the rest of my day away.”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex turned her eyes up to the young woman and nodded. She caught the faint traces of bitterness that were in Tiana's voice as she replied. So few current or former students of Bellefonte Alex had met has actually been excited to attend the Academy. It was only the rare cases where recruitment pulled a youth from a terrible situation and gave them more of a chance in life that Alex had heard of it all being met with relief. Alex, on the other hand, sympathized with Tiana. "When I first got here I sneezed while my math teacher was helping me and it, uh, burned his eyebrows off." She frowned at the memory. "They made me stay home when I caught a cold." Which, given that she was used to the sunny, mild winters of California, happened to be a lot.

Still, the diminutive office assistant refused to lose herself in the few bad memories. She offered a smile before casting a long glance toward the buildings ahead once again. She nodded in response to Tiana's question and slowly started toward the main administrative building. "You know, it's really not that bad." She said quickly. "For years after I got here I couldn't wait to go back home. I counted down the days." Alex fell silent for a moment as she scaled the few steps leading up to the doors and pulled them open, waving Tiana inside. "Now... I don't think I can imagine being anywhere else."

[Tiana Jackson]

"When I first got here I sneezed while my math teacher was helping me and it, uh, burned his eyebrows off.”

Tiana couldn’t hide the snicker that left her lips. The image of Alex doing something like that, regardless of the fact Tiana hadn’t known her prior to a few minutes, was amusing. It also essentially told Tiana that Alex’s powers were definitely fire based.

"They made me stay home when I caught a cold.”

Tiana shook her head and grinned widely, clearly entertained.

”A deadly case of the sniffles for sure.”

It was said with a teasing tone, but Tiana hadn’t put any bite into it. She was merely amused at how Alex’s power obviously held it’s fair share of side effects. Sometimes Tiana was glad her power was so mundane and unflashy. Tiana’s side effects weren’t nearly as bad as some kid’s could be.

"You know, it's really not that bad.”

Tiana glanced over at Alex as they walked, raising an eyebrow slightly as the girl spoke.

"For years after I got here I couldn't wait to go back home. I counted down the days. Now... I don't think I can imagine being anywhere else.”

Tiana pursed her lips in thought. She gave Alex a grateful nod when the door was opened for her, but she still felt a slight veil fall over her when she entered the academy. There were very few places Tiana could go inside the academy and now feel a hint of a grudge; the kitchen and her own room were the only ones so far. Still, Tiana could see Alex’s point of view even if she didn’t share it.

”Maybe I’ll end up like that. But for now? I’m definitely still in the ‘rather go home’ phase.”

[Alexandra Lawson]

"Ugh." Alex rolled her eyes and gave a knowing nod. "I remember those days." She said sympathetically. "I just couldn't think of anything other than going back home." She scrunched her nose up as she stepped in through the doorway and let it swing closed behind her. She paused a moment to look at the snow covered courtyard they'd just escaped from and she issue a low sigh. "Every winter, especially, I get reminded of how much Montana is not California." She said, now turning back to Tiana and starting along down the hall. "You know, snow is something we go to for, like, a weekend or something. It's not something we live in."

Alex fell silent for a moment as she tugged off her pink beanie and tucked it into the front pocket of her large, oversize coat. "Do you belong to any clubs or anything?" Alex asked suddenly as if the question had been blurted out the moment it had popped into her mind. "That was huge in helping me get used to being here."

[Tiana Jackson]

”Yeah sounds like me right now.”

Tiana shifted her coat once they got inside, glancing back at Alex when she looked outside.

"Every winter, especially, I get reminded of how much Montana is not California. You know, snow is something we go to for, like, a weekend or something. It's not something we live in.”

Tiana had to snicker at Alex’s comment and flashed her a knowing smirk.

”Oh believe me, I’m from Florida. Snow is something we only hear about. When I came here, it was the first time I ever saw it.” Tiana glanced outside as well. ”It’s pretty, but too cold for my taste.”

Her gaze had returned to Alex once she finished speaking. The girl had gone silent and Tiana was curious what was going through her mind.

"Do you belong to any clubs or anything? That was huge in helping me get used to being here.”

Tiana raised an eyebrow at how Alex basically blurted the question out, but she didn’t mind. She flashed Alex a smile.

“I am. I’m in the culinary club. I figured since I wanted to be a cook I might as well. I’ve been considering gymnastics too since I used to do it, but,” Tiana shrugged, ”Not too sure about that one. Last time I did it I hated my instructor.”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex shuddered in response. Try as she might the diminutive redhead simply could not get used to the weather in Montana. She may not have lived right on the coast or anything but it was still far warmer than it was around here. "I don't know, I don't get it." She admitted with a shake of her head. "My boyfriend grew up around here and he's just..." She trailed off, issuing a low, playfully contemptuous grumble as she pieced together her next words. "He's probably walking around right now in shorts and a t-shirt."

"See? That's good!" Alex replied, her face lighting up with a bright smile. She understood more than nearly anyone how much of a struggle adjusting to life at Bellefonte could be. It wasn't just the whole being pulled away from family thing but contending with a volatile, sometimes dangerous mutant power brought along an entirely different set of trials and tribulations. "You should go out for it." She said with a curt nod. "Give it another shot. I was did cheer in high school and college and I'm still friends with some of the girls today." One of them just happened to be Alex's boss, but she wasn't going to bring that up just yet.

[Tiana Jackson]

"I don't know, I don't get it. My boyfriend grew up around here and he's just… He's probably walking around right now in shorts and a t-shirt.”

The little grumble that left Alex managed to bring a smile to Tiana’s face. It was plain as day to Tiana that Alex had a good amount of affection for this boy of hers. Although she assumed that probably came with being in a relationship anyways. Tiana herself wouldn’t really know.

"See? That's good!

The enthusiasm in Alex’s expression was almost infectious, but Tiana could restrain herself. It was almost like seeing a five year old stuck in a tiny but grown woman’s body, although Tiana doubted the comparison would go over well with Alex.

"You should go out for it. Give it another shot. I was did cheer in high school and college and I'm still friends with some of the girls today.”

Tiana honestly considered it, glancing away for a moment. She found it ironic that both the adults she’d spoken to recently were trying to get her to relax more and socialize. A small smirk grew on her face.

”I might, seeing as someone else suggested I start being more social.” She shook her head and laughed a little. ”I’d be fine with the culinary club. Even if I don’t make a lot of friends there it’ll be nice seeing other recipes. As for gymnastics, I’ll check it out but I’m not promising anyone anything. My last instructor burned me pretty bad, so I’m not exactly excited to go at it again if that’ll happen.”

[Alexandra Lawson]

Alex nodded a little bit, mostly to herself, as she took in Tiana's response. Alex would never consider herself a mentor of any sort or even a proper role model to the younger generation of students that were now inhabiting Bellefonte. It was strange to walk around campus and recognize a single face among the student body. Sure the staff hadn't changed much but to realize that everyone she went to college with was long gone was a weighty occurrence, to say the least. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out." She said finally, glancing up to the taller girl and giving curt nod. "If you give it a chance this place isn't as bad as you think." She said as a bit of a final thought on the entire subject. The last thing she needed to do was grill this girl on the merits of Bellefonte mere minutes after they'd met.

Alex came to a stop and let out a long, slow sigh. Her eyes slowly lifted to a marker posted above a door marked 'ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE'. She could instantly feel her blood pressure rising and her heart begin to thump in her ears. A wince accompanied the swallowing of a lump that had formed in her throat. She reached up and pulled the end of her ponytail over her shoulder and began to toy nervously with the crimson tendrils. "Well, uh..." She stammered, her voice and demeanor suddenly growing timid and almost fearful. "I guess this is me."