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(Sadie)
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With the cab now long gone, the driver spooked by the fight he'd witnessed involving what he thought would be his next fare, Sadie decided?to take the car. Fortunately, it was still running with the keys in the ignition. She jumped behind?the wheel, closed the door and raced off down the street.
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In a holder mounted on the dash was the goon's cellphone, a Google map displayed which she immediately reset to take her to the place she wanted to go to. A school for people like her, those with special powers.?
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Several minutes later, Sadie watching her rearview the whole way, the car pulled up outside the Academy for the Extraordinarily?Gifted. She got out, grabbing the man's phone as she stepped out of the vehicle. As she stood up, the phone rang and she looked at the display.
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"Agent Gray" was the name that came up on the phone. Glaring at it, Sadie swiped the answer button and held it to her ear, "I'm sorry, the asshole who owns this phone just had his face beat in. Can I take a message?"
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"Killing that man was a big mistake, Ms. Logan," the voice on the other end of the line replied, calmly yet with a cold overtone. "We know where you are thanks to the GPS on that phone. You think you'll be safe there?"
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"I do," she said, walking toward the entrance of the school. "You won't come here. They won't cooperate with you. The government is no friend of people like me."
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"Perhaps," Gray said. "Perhaps not. You'd be surprised what some people, even people like you, will do when properly motivated. Money. Blackmail. Threats. Anything is possible, Sadie."
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Sadie was quiet a moment. Maybe she should have run farther away. But this had been her plan and she wasn't going to abandon it now. Raising the phone back to her mouth she responded, "Perhaps."
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She clenched her fist and crushed the phone in her hand. Once it was destroyed, Sadie dropped it into the street and walked up to the main door to the academy and knocked...
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Delphine "Del" Montclair
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Del was used to knocks on the Academy door late at night.? Sometimes it was some young mutant on their own seeking refuge, and sometimes it was the police dumping what they felt were "mutant problems" into someone else's lap so that they wouldn't have to deal with them.? But it rarely involved violent encounters like the one she just witnessed on the surveillance record.??
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Unlocking the door, she quickly ushered the dark-haired young woman inside, urging her with a hissed "Quickly!? Quickly!" and then shutting the door behind her.?
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"Calm down!" Del ordered, using her empathic power to overcome the stranger's evident agitation.? "My name's Del.? You're safe here.? For now, anyway." Keeping an eye on the screen showing the Academy's front exterior, she looked back to the unexpected guest.? "Was anyone else following you?" she asked quietly, her eyes meeting the young woman's rather striking blue ones as she exuded calm in soothing waves.? "Should we be expecting trouble?? If so, how much?"
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Delphine "Del" Montclair ? Del was used to knocks on the Academy door late at night.? Sometimes it was some young mutant on their own seeking refuge, and sometimes it was the police dumping what they felt were "mutant problems" into someone else's lap so that they wouldn't have to deal with them.? But it rarely involved violent encounters like the one she just witnessed on the surveillance record.?? ? Unlocking the door, she quickly ushered the dark-haired young woman inside, urging her with a hissed "Quickly!? Quickly!" and then shutting the door behind her.? ? "Calm down!" Del ordered, using her empathic power to overcome the stranger's evident agitation.? "My name's Del.? You're safe here.? For now, anyway." Keeping an eye on the screen showing the Academy's front exterior, she looked back to the unexpected guest.? "Was anyone else following you?" she asked quietly, her eyes meeting the young woman's rather striking blue ones as she exuded calm in soothing waves.? "Should we be expecting trouble?? If so, how much?"
Sadie Logan
Sadie brushed back a strand of long black hair from her face, now oddly at peace after her ordeal with Gray's men, and she turned to Del with a confused look. "I..I don't know. I wasn't followed, but the car I was driving is one of there's. The men who were chasing me," she told this stranger who with her very presence seemed to have calmed the nearly frantic girl. "They trace it here. But I doubt they'll try anything. Not here. Not right away. They don't like witnesses." Sadie looked around, then turned her gaze back to Del, "They want to use me as a weapon. They will wait until the time is right." She closed her eyes, then put on a half smile and extended a hand to Delphine, "I'm Sadie Logan."
tag Del
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(Sadie Logan)
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Sadie brushed back a strand of long black hair from her face, now oddly at peace after her ordeal with Gray's men, and she turned to Del with a confused look.
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"I..I don't know. I wasn't followed, but the car I was driving is one of?theirs. The men who were chasing me," she told this stranger who with her very presence seemed to have calmed the nearly frantic girl. "They trace it here. But I doubt they'll try anything. Not here. Not right away. They don't like witnesses."
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Sadie looked around, then turned her gaze back to Del, "They want to use me as a weapon. They will wait until the time is right."? She closed her eyes, then put on a half smile and extended a hand to Delphine, "I'm Sadie Logan."
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(Del)
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Del took the extended hand.? "Hello, Sadie.? I'm Delphine Montclair.? My partner and I founded this academy, for people like ourselves and you.? You are welcome here."
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"It would help though if you could tell us more about your situation," she went on.? "To start with, just who are 'they' that you're referring to?? We're aware of a number of groups - and individuals - who seek to control or manipulate mutants to serve their own purposes.? We'd like to know if this threat is coming from one we know about or is an unknown source we haven't been aware of."
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Tag - Sadie
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(Del) ? Del took the extended hand.? "Hello, Sadie.? I'm?Delphine Montclair.? My partner and I founded this academy, for people like ourselves and you.? You are welcome here." ? "It would help though if you could tell us more about your situation," she went on.? "To start with, just who are 'they' that you're referring to?? We're aware of a number of groups - and individuals - who seek to control or manipulate mutants to serve their own purposes.? We'd like to know if this threat is coming from one we know about or is an unknown source we haven't been aware of." ? ? (Sadie)
Sadie sighed, "They are government, I think. A man who calls himself Mr. Gray and agents who seem to work for him. Gray tried to recruit me to become a soldier for this shadow agency he serves. Said they could help me control my abilities, to use them to make me a weapon. When I refused, they came after me.? "My parents disowned me when I was 16. I have lived the past year on my own, working odd jobs, traveling?from place to place. During that time Gray approached?me for the first time. When I refused to work for him, he tried to have me kidnapped. Twice now they've come for me...both times I got away.? "I hoped I could come here, learn how to control my abilities...to understand them," Sadie said. "But I don't want to make trouble for you or anyone here."
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(Sadie)
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Sadie sighed, "They are government, I think. A man who calls himself Mr. Gray and agents who seem to work for him. Gray tried to recruit me to become a soldier for this shadow agency he serves. Said they could help me control my abilities, to use them to make me a weapon. When I refused, they came after me.?
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"My parents disowned me when I was 16. I have lived the past year on my own, working odd jobs,?traveling?from place to place. During that time Gray?approached?me for the first time. When I refused to work for him, he tried to have me kidnapped. Twice now they've come for me...both times I got away.?
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"I hoped I could come here, learn how to control my abilities...to understand them," Sadie said. "But I don't want to make trouble for you or anyone here."
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(Del)
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Del frowned in thought at the name.? "We've heard that name before.? Like a lot of these quasi-government groups, it's hard to know how much is real and how much is just stuff they want people to think."
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"As for making trouble for us though," Del waved the thought away with a dismissive gesture, "we've been in trouble since we were born.? And we're stronger together than we are all on our own."
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"You must be tired," she went on, looking sympathetic.? "I can give you a temporary room, just for tonight.? We can find you something permanent tomorrow." She led the newcomer down a hallway.? "Do you prefer a room to yourself, or would you like a roommate? We have a few students who aren't currently paired up with anyone.? It's up to you."
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"Also, just out of curiosity," Del went on, "why did your parents disown you? Was it the whole mutant thing, or was it something else?"
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Tag - Sadie
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(Del) ? Del frowned in thought at the name.? "We've heard that name before.? Like a lot of these quasi-government groups, it's hard to know how much is real and how much is just stuff they want people to think." ? "As for making trouble for us though," Del waved the thought away with a dismissive gesture, "we've been in trouble since we were born.? And we're stronger together than we are all on our own." ? "You must be tired," she went on, looking sympathetic.? "I can give you a temporary room, just for tonight.? We can find you something permanent tomorrow." She led the newcomer down a hallway.? "Do you prefer a room to yourself, or would you like a roommate? We have a few students who aren't currently paired up with anyone.? It's up to you." ? "Also, just out of curiosity," Del went on, "why did your parents disown you? Was it the whole mutant thing, or was it something else?"
(Sadie)
Sadie shrugged. She was normally reserved and even introverted, but she wanted to fit in here so she nodded, "I don't mind rooming with someone."
Then she took in a sharp breath and continued, "I'm sorry. I lied. My folks didn't disown me. I left them. I caused so much trouble for them. Gray and his goons, they tormented my parents to get at me. My father was framed for tax evasion and he's in prison. My mom lost the family business because of me. They would have done anything for me, but I couldn't let them continue to suffer because of me...so I ran away." So many mutants had been disowned by their families, so she thought it sounded better than the reality that she ran away leaving her parents with their lives in shambles because of her. But it was the truth...her truth...and she needed to own it. "Crazy, huh?" she frowned.
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(Sadie)
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Sadie shrugged. She was normally reserved and even introverted, but she wanted to fit in here so she nodded, "I don't mind rooming with someone."
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Then she took in a sharp breath and continued, "I'm sorry. I lied. My folks didn't disown me. I left them. I caused so much trouble for them. Gray and his goons, they tormented my parents to get at me. My father was framed for tax evasion and he's in prison. My mom lost the family business because of me. They would have done anything for me, but I couldn't let them continue to suffer because of me...so I ran away."
So many mutants had been disowned by their families, so she thought it sounded better than the reality that she ran away leaving her parents with their lives in shambles because of her. But it was the truth...her truth...and she needed to own it.
"Crazy, huh?" she frowned.
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(Del)
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"Not crazy at all, unfortunately," Del sighed.? "Too many people think that the ordinary rules of basic decency don't apply to us because we're not human.? Not in their eyes, anyway."
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"We try to keep a low profile," she went on as they continued on down the hall.? "We try to let people like ourselves know we're here without being in-your-face about it with the general public. And most of the time that's enough to avoid any trouble.? But then there are always the Grays out there, lurking and watching for anyone they think might be of use to them, whether willingly or unwillingly."
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"I can handle some of them if I see them coming.? I simply make them have a bad feeling about where they are and what they're doing, like a sixth-sense is warning them to go somewhere else.? But my abilities aren't much good against someone who's aware and determined on finding us."? She turned to give Sadie an inquiring look.? "We can always use people who're good at alternate means of persuasion when they're needed."
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(Del) ? "Not crazy at all, unfortunately," Del sighed.? "Too many people think that the ordinary rules of basic decency don't apply to us because we're not human.? Not in their eyes, anyway." ? "We try to keep a low profile," she went on as they continued on down the hall.? "We try to let people like ourselves know we're here without being in-your-face about it with the general public. And most of the time that's enough to avoid any trouble.? But then there are always the Grays out there, lurking and watching for anyone they think might be of use to them, whether willingly or unwillingly." ? "I can handle some of them if I see them coming.? I simply make them have a bad feeling about where they are and what they're doing, like a sixth-sense is warning them to go somewhere else.? But my abilities aren't much good against someone who's aware and determined on finding us."? She turned to give Sadie an inquiring look.? "We can always use people who're good at alternate means of persuasion when they're needed." (Sadie Logan)
Sadie nodded, "I get it. I can help out there." She then continued, "So, who am I rooming with? And who will I have to speak with about staying here?"
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