[Kenzi Nadir]

Once she felt she was sufficiently far away, she put her hands on her knees, catching her breath. ”Alright, now all we need to do is find the doorway that will lead us to the tunnel, and I think I know where to start.” She started walking off, a little skip in her step. This was turning out to be quite the exciting day. New school, new friend, new adventure. It was a lot to take in, but Kenzi was very good at digesting and accepting anything new. ”I remember passing by a what could safely be considered an intriguing looking door when I was taking a tour of the place. I think that’s as good a starting place as any.” In the meantime, she had plenty of time to talk and learn more about her new friend.

Kenzi’s heart swelled when Keke complimented her artistic ability. Her new friend was turning out to be a great ego boost. ”That’s the most important part, innit.” She replied. ”Bearing your soul. You do that, and you’ll have a great work of art regardless of your technical ability.” She turned around so she was walking backward, facing Keke. ”That’s what I mean with the adult coloring books. You know, art can be soothing, even if you don’t put any thought or skill into it. It’s a very versatile subject.” She said. ”Let me know if I’m about to walk into anything by the way.”

Kenzi smiled as Keke accepted her offer for emotional support. ”I’m here for you man.” She said, stretching out her arms. Her hand grazed a fellow student’s side. ”Oop, sorry.” She said, retracting her arms. Kenzi had an uncanny ability to absorb the emotional pain of others, or at least distract them from it. That was her literal superpower after all. She’d always been the least emotionally volatile of her friends, even if her emotions were loud and proud and all too obvious. She attributed this to her stable family life. Her parents and siblings had taught her how to process and cope with emotionally driven situations from a very young age. She was hardly anything other than overwhelmingly positive.

”She has SCALES!?” Kenzi exclaimed. ”Dude, that’s awesome! What color are they? Are they like rainbow? Man, that would be so cool.” She could just picture the image in her head. It would be so awesome to draw with her chalk pastels. It would be a challenge, but nothing she couldn’t handle. ”And she has cool eyes!? Man I really got the short end of the straw when it comes to my powers manifesting visually, didn’t I.” She grumbled. ”You gotta introduce me to these people. At the very least so I can draw them. They sound like they’d make great artistic subjects.”

”Hey, if you can be loud and proud and different in front of a group of people that hate you for it, I’d consider that a huge accomplishment.” She said. ”I understand people being afraid of that, but I’m certainly not. It’s on my bucket list to stand in front of a group of bigots and be my big, gay, non-white, metahuman self. Pride and love in the face of hatred.” She asserted, grinning wide. ”But like I said, I completely understand people not wanting to do it. I respect the dignity of being yourself to yourself, as long as you respect yourself.”

”Normal is being refined everyday man. We just gotta make sure it’s a good normal, one that accepts everyone, but one that can be challenged.” She gave Keke a lopsided grin. ”Postmodernism baby! Normal is an illusion! Or something like that. I’m still not entirely sure what postmodernism is. I don’t think anyone does. I’m pretty sure that’s the point. That’s why I love postmodernism.” Noticing they were getting close, she turned back around so she was facing forward.

”Dude, we should totally get a campaign going with those other people you mentioned. You can DM. I have like five different ideas for characters.” She let out a laugh. ”First day at school and I’m already getting into a D&D campaign. This school is fucking awesome.”

Finally, they reached a suspiciously windowless rusted metal door. ”Here we are.” Kenzi said excitedly. She took a deep breath and, with great concentration, created a bubble of sorts around the two, diverting the attention of anyone who walked past away from them in a fifteen foot radius. She felt an immediate pang in her head, but she ignored it. She took the ring of keys and stuck a key in the keyhole. It didn’t fit. She tried another. ”C’mon, c’mon… She muttered. That one didn’t fit either. Beads of sweat were forming on her brow as she forced the crowded hallway’s attention away from them. She grit her teeth. She tried another key. It slid into the lock. There was a click as she turned it. ”YES!” She announced. ”Come on.” She quickly slid behind the door, releasing the attention diversion bubble as Keke followed and the door closed behind them.

Inside was a dark, dank room lit only by a small light on the ceiling. There was a shelf stacked with various janitorial supplies, but what was far more interesting was an unlit flight of stairs leading down into the depths of the school. Kenzi gasped in excitement. She took out her phone and turned on the flashlight. ”Come on!” She urged as she flew down the stairs.

Keaira Matthews

[Keaira Matthews]

i wake at the first cringe of morning

and my heart's already sinned

Kenzi's revelation that  she knew where to begin their search for the elusive under school tunnel prompted the brunette to quirk a brow at her adventurous new friend. Particularly, as she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary during her own tour of the school. Then again she had been quite taken with the modernized scientific equipment in the labs  and blown away by the vastness of the library. Suffice to say, that she was immensely distracted by what the school could offer her academically. Keaira considered Kenzi's words carefully as she explained that art in its truest form was really about baring your soul.

"Well, I suppose then by that logic as you said before, anyone can be an artist. Or at the very least anyone has the ability to create art. I suspect that the reason that not everyone actually is an artist is because baring your soul requires a form of bravery that not many possess. Well, that and the lack of technique and natural ability determines whether you can make a living off of it."

While Keke had never really viewed art as a form of relaxation, the teen couldn't deny that there weren't likely some people that found the artform soothing. After all, therapists had conducted numerous studies on the subject and found there to be at least some truth to the theory.  In truth, the teenager had attempted once before to utilize painting to 'unwind' but found that she had simply been too much 'in her head' as her mother called it to really be able to relax. 

A wry smile crossed, the teenager's face as she replied "Not putting any thought or skill into it is simply not an option for me, I'm afraid. That's probably why it doesn't work for me. When it comes to soothing activities, I'm much more of a meditation or yoga type person." While Keaira definitely had meant what she'd said regarding Kenzi's generous offer of emotional support, truthfully, Keaira preferred logic over emotion and often made a conscious attempt not to be overtaken by emotion. Although, much to her dismay there were definitely times in which she had been unable to reason her way through a tough situation as was evidenced by the sadness that had briefly consumed her just minutes ago.

Keaira couldn't help but to find Kenzi's excitement both adorable and infectious as the other girl gushed over Ivy's scales. Grinning, Keke replied "No, they aren't rainbow colored though I do have to admit that would be pretty cool if they were. They are actually purple for the most part but I have noticed them taking on a dark bluish hue at times as well. She says that they tend to change color based upon her mood. The sixteen year old pursed her lips together thoughtfully for a moment before responding "Well, I don't think Ivy would mind posing for you, but Mel on the other hand... well... she seems to be a bit sensitive about her eyes. I don't think it's likely that she'll want to be your artistic subject."

It was strange to hear a metahuman, a person whom from an evolution standpoint was already designed to stand out amongst their peers seeking ways to stand out even more so. How much attention did a person need, Keaira wondered. Or was that a side effect of her ability, the teenager mused. Smirking a little, the technopath added "Well, some of us don't have a choice but to be different. It's etched in out DNA to be different as meta whether we like it or not. Being loud and proud about it is definitely optional. I guess if it was just a matter of bigots calling a person ugly names, taunting, or harassing them it's one thing but I've seen bigotry take some really nasty and dangerous turns. You're never sure which kind you are going to get. The type who will give you a hard time through unkind words, name, gestures, and just full out discrimination or the dangerous sort that will allow themselves to be so consumed by hatred that they would seek to do you harm. People fear what they don't understand and hate what they fear and that's a pretty dangerous transition."

Keaira had heard the term 'postmodernism before as well, however, just as Kenzi had said she was also unable to clearly define it. To be honest, it sounded like a lot of philosophical gibberish. As Keke imagined starting a D&D campaign with her friends, the teen couldn't help but to giggle a little bit. "Well, Ivy would be down, I think. If she was intrigued by LAARP, I definitely think that she'd be willing to give tabletop a go. Ed would likely be up for it as well, but somehow I think Mel would think herself too cool for something like that." As the pair came to a rusted metal door, Keaira studied the structure with curiosity. She definitely didn't recall having ever seen this door before.  As her mind drifted off to what could possibly be behind the door, Kenzi busied herself with testing every key on the chain that she'd swiped from the janitor until one of them fit the lock.

Slipping into the room behind Kenzi, Keaira shifted her gaze to the room that she now found herself within as the door closed firmly behind them. Initially, disappointment washed over the teenager's face as it appeared that they'd simply stumbled upon a janitor's closet. However, before she could suggest that they take their leave, Kenzi's gaze fell upon something in the far corner of the room prompting the brunette to follow her gaze. Without hesitation, Kenzi had taken off in the direction of a mysterious unlit staircase. Switching the flashlight on her cellphone on and started down the stairwell indicating that she should follow. Torn between being her natural pragmatism and her curiosity, the teenager reluctantly following commenting as she did so "You realize this is how most horror movies start, right?"

TAG: @user | WORDS: ### | NOTES: HERE

MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY

[Kenzi Nadir]

The light from her phone illuminated the long flight of concrete stairs leading down into darkness. As she ran, she tripped over her feet, exclaiming ”Woah!” as she managed to grasp the walls before she could fall. She laughed, ”That was a close one!” She grinned back at Keke before continuing down the stairs, a bit slower this time.

Kenzi grinned slyly to herself. Keke’s comment gave her a great idea. ”Well most people in a horror movies are stupid and don’t have superpowers. Luckily, we are both intelligent and superpowered, so I don’t think any jump scare monsters are…” Directing Keke’s attention away from her phone as strongly as she could - she took Keke's powers into account, making her forget the phone was even there, making her focus purely on the light - Kenzi started turning the light on her phone on and off very quickly. ”What? What’s going-” She turned her flashlight off. Then, directing Keke’s attention away from her, she slowly crept up the stairs toward her. Her head started to pound as she got closer, but she managed to keep her attention away. Finally, as soon as she was right in front of Keke, she turned her flashlight back on, held it under her chin, and released her hold on her attention. ”BOO!” She yelled, eyes wide, then cracked up laughing. ”Man, I hope this shit never gets old.” She said as she continued her descent down the stairs.

”You really gotta introduce me to all those people, they sound like fun.” She said. ”I don’t care if Mel thinks she’s too cool for D&D, nobody’s too cool for D&D. You’re only not cool if you’re too cool for D&D...if that makes sense.” She shook her head. ”Whatever, point is, we all gotta get together for a D&D group. Maybe even LARPing. Dude, that would be so awesome with actual superpowers. I’d make a pretty kickass rogue.” She grinned.

”Oh, look!” She could finally see the bottom of the stairs. It was just a plain, concrete floor, but Kenzi was excited nevertheless. ”C’mon!” She ran down the stairs.

”Woah.” She said as she looked around. Her voice echoed “Woah...Woah...woah...woah…” The tunnel was large, as tall as a one story house, if not taller, and just as wide. The floor matched the tan concrete of the walls which curved into a ceiling. Apart from a few cracks and blemishes, the concrete was spotless. The whole thing was pitch black, Kenzi found herself surrounded by darkness save for the light of her cellphone. The tunnel extended far in both directions. ”This is awesome!” She exclaimed, her voice echoing. ”ECHO!” She shouted. “ECHO...Echo...Echo...echo...echo...echo…” The tunnel responded. She laughed. ”C’mon, let’s go, hm…” She looked left, then right, then left again. ”That way!” She announced, pointing her flashlight right. ”C’mon!” She started marching down the tunnel.

Keaira Matthews

[Keaira Matthews]

i wake at the first cringe of morning

and my heart's already sinned

The exuberance with which Kenzi approached....well... everything was as admirable as it was exhausting, the brunette thought to herself as the dark haired girl ran so fast that she tripped over her own feet forcing Kenzi to reach for the walls in order to avoid falling. The action prompted a soft chuckle from the sixteen year old as Keke found it refreshing for once to not be the clumsiest person in the room. In a manner that was somewhat motherly the teenager replied "Be careful. It's dark and we can barely see where we are going."

Keaira had to admit that Kenzi had a point about the victims in horror movies being stupid and non- powered. It was something that she often lamented about while watching them as sometimes the decisions that were made by the people running from the serial killer were so ridiculous that the teen became more focused on the absurdity of the film then the so called fear factor.  She'd been just about to agree with Kenzi that jump scare monsters were unlikely to get the better of them, particularly when Kenzi could simply divert there attention when something weird started happening with the lighting seemingly catching both Keaira and Kenzi off guard. 

"What the..." the technopath exclaimed as the stairwell grew darker then brighter then darker again. Perhaps, a bulb somewhere was about to blow, Keaira reasoned as she reached out into the darkness with her ability seeking the source of the light. Keaira frowned as much to her chagrin, the only device that she could lock onto was her own cellphone which she knew not to be the source of the malfunctioning lighting. It was odd. Her ability had never failed her before even back when she was still learning how to control it. Keke supposed that she could just turn her own cellphone flashlight on so that didn't have to linger in the dark any further.

However, just as she had been about to direct her phone to turn the flashlight feature on, a light appeared directly in front of her as Kenzi screamed "Boo" at her. Rolling her eyes, a smirk appeared on the brunette's face as she answered snidely "Cute. Real cute Kenzzi."

Her artistic companion then started down the stairwell as she followed along behind.  It was strange to Keaira to be asked to introduce Kenzi to others and she supposed this was because she'd never really had so many friends before. The commonality of being metas just seemed to reduce the difficulty of making friends somehow.  Offering a casual shrug that she was sure that Kenzi wouldn't actually see , Keke replied "I'll definitely invite her and who knows maybe if she is bored enough she may actually agree to it but I'm just not expecting it. In a school where everyone has superpowers, cool has been redefined to be honest. Though I have already considered setting up a LARP because it would be pretty epic."

Soon enough the pair descended the stairs into an actual tunnel which much to Keaira's surprise was relatively structurally sound aside from some blemishes and cracks. As Kenzi played with the tunnel's echo, Keke commented "It's got pretty decent acoustics. It must be even wider than it looks from here. I wonder how far it goes. Or why it's even here in the first place. Seems like they should have filled it in before opening the school." For a moment, the sixteen year old considered suggesting to Kenzi that they split up since it was quite possible that the tunnel would eventually lead them to a point where the paths intersected. However, she quickly thought better of it  and fell in step with Kenzi whom had started marching off to the right.

TAG: @user | WORDS: ### | NOTES: HERE

MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY

[Kenzi Nadir]

Kenzi was disappointed at Keke’s lack of reaction, but she didn’t let it show. Kenzi didn’t like to display any genuine negative emotion around other people. She didn’t want to bring others down. Plus, she felt it was very off brand to be anything other than energetic and upbeat, and she didn’t want to give the wrong impression to her new friend. Sure, once she got to know somebody - as in spend more than an hour or two with them - she’d be emotionally truthful with them. But for now, she’d just be happy go lucky Kenzi.

Kenzi made her way down the tunnel, looking around in awe. It was dark and mysterious and altogether exciting. Kenzi always considered herself quite the pioneer. Any new territory she was quick to explore. She craved knowledge and had a love/hate relationship with the unknown. On one hand, it excited her. On the other hand, it needed to be conquered. The conquering was the fun part, but once she acquired that knowledge, it became quite boring. Once you’ve explored the abandoned warehouse, it was explored. You could never recapture that magic.

“You know, this place needs more graffiti.” She said, shining her light at the empty walls. ”We could fix that!" She exclaimed, turning around to face Keke. ”My parents will send me any art supplies I ask them to. Just gotta ask for a couple spray cans, some stencil paper...It’ll be awesome!” She turned back around. ”Do you know how to make stencils? They’re kinda tricky at first, but you get the hang of ‘em. Have you ever done graffiti?” She asked without pausing. ”It’s real fun. Most harmless way to break the law, really. And the most enjoyable.”

She walked down the tunnel a little farther, swinging her flashlight from side to side. ”They probably used this building for something else before it became a school. You know, it was probably just cheaper to leave it here than fill it up. They probably assumed no one would find it. Dumbasses.” She grinned. ”As for the LARPing, I could totally use my rogue character. Do you want to hear about him?” She didn’t wait for an answer, and rambled on and on about her character’s backstory, personality, and abilities. She talked endlessly for ten minutes, twenty, thirty. Meanwhile, the tunnel stretched further and further and further. Finally, her light shone against a solid concrete wall, blocking any further exploration. ”Aw man.” Kenzi lamented. She turned back toward Keke. ”You this place would be awesome for LARPing. It’d be like a challenge level. What do you think?” She asked.

Keaira Matthews

[Keaira Matthews]

i wake at the first cringe of morning

and my heart's already sinned

The prank that Kenzi had just played on her would likely have scared the crap out of anyone else that she had pulled it on, but truthfully Keaira simply didn't scare that easily. Especially when it came to jump scares which the teen just thought was a cheesy, predictable, and honestly lazy method of freaking people out. Watching horror movies was actually one of her favorite past times with her mother as the older woman appreciated her amusement with excessive gore. This wasn't of course to say that the brunette couldn't be frightened at all, but rather that she was more unsettled by movies involving evil spirits, possessed people or objects, and life or death scenarios that challenge one's mortality.

While old, the tunnel at least appeared structurally sound which was intriguing to the sixteen year old as it suggested that while it was currently unoccupied saved for themselves, it might still possibly be in use. The fact that a school had been built atop it might also indicate that its existence was either unknown to the builders or it was very much known and a conscious effort was being made to conceal it, but why? They hadn't even bothered to fill it in. Did they want students to find it or just hope that no one would come across it. The technopath had so many questions and as the ventured further into the tunnel, Keke grew irritated that none of what she was seeing seemed to provide any answers.

As Keniz's light splashed across the bare walls, Keaira's gaze followed. Curiously, the teenager's hand reached out to run her hand across the wall examining it's texture. Laughing softly at the dark haired girl's enthusiasm about vandalizing the structure, Keke shook her head saying "No, you can fix that. I'm no artist or tagger for that matter." Removing her hand, she continued "It's rough and uneven you're going to want to make sure you don't use anything that cold bleed or run. Not quite how it will hold up to the moisture or humidity either, but it certainly couldn't hurt to give it a splash or two of color. Especially since it's highly unlikely you'll get caught since most people have written this place off as just a rumor."

Shaking her head, the brunette added "I don't know the first thing about stenciling. That's not something that my mother dabbled in so we never covered it. Kenzi's explanation as to why the tunnel remained in existence did make some sense, the teen noted as she answered "I guess so, but it could be much more costly to leave it unsealed than to fill it in. I mean if there are any parts of this tunnel that are weak and could cave in there's a lawsuit waiting to happen. As Kenzi prattled on about her rogue character, Keaira couldn't help but notice the irony of a person having the ability to control one's attention but having the attention span of a seven year old herself. Keke had been interested in hearing about the rogue character, but it would have been nice if the other girl waited for confirmation before continuing on.

Eventually, they reached the end of the tunnel which was blocked by a large concrete wall. So, they had sealed it off. Well, sort of. Partially anyway. For the first time since they had entered the tunnel, the technopath's face lit up at the suggestion of using the location for LARP. Nodding eagerly she responded "Challenge level indeed. It should hold about 8-10 people easily. At least the first half should anyway. That's a great idea, really. " Even as she confirmed the assertion that it would make an excellent LARP site, several other usages for the space were already running through the sixteen year old's head.

TAG: @user | WORDS: ### | NOTES: HERE

MEL @ ADOXOGRAPHY

[Kenzi Nadir]

”Dude, this is a prime graffiti environment.” She said, briefly running her hand along the wall as well. ”It’s got tooth, but not too much. It’s flat enough to be manageable, but it’s got enough curve if you wanna be fancy. It’s enclosed, so it won’t be subject to the wear and tear of weather.” She grinned back at Keke. ”And best of all, only a select few people would be aware of it. It’ll have an audience, but an appreciative audience. I doubt any of the staff would wander down here and see it. We’ll make sure that only those who truly appreciate the art would have access to it.” She gave Keke a wink.

”I could teach you, you know.” She offered at Keke’s admittance to her lack of knowledge or skill. ”I could make some stencils, then show you how to use the spray can. Start off simple, build our way up. Then I could teach you how to make your own stencils. You’ll be a graffiti master in no time!” She said excitedly. ”I’ve been tagging things since I was, like, thirteen or fourteen so I have a lot of experience in the matter. I could probably go around the school and pretty it up a bit without getting caught given my powers-” She let in a sharp, excited gasp. ”That’s an amazing idea! I’ll be like an art vigilante. Don’t tell anyone about it though, I want it to be a secret.” She told Kenzi.

”Eh. It seems structurally sound enough.” She gave the wall a knock. ”Ow.” She said, shaking her hand. ”Hurt my knuckles. It really does have some tooth, don’t it.” She rubbed her knuckles, scratched ever so slightly by the wall. ”But yeah, I wouldn’t worry about it. A structure like this ain’t coming down easily.”

Reaching the end of the tunnel, she grinned wide as Keke agreed with her idea. ”I know right! We really gotta get this thing off the ground. I’ll make flyers, hang them up around the school. And I’ll be sure to tell everyone I know about it!” As in bother everyone she knew about it, but that wasn’t how she saw it. ”Ooh, I’m so excited. This is gonna be fun! I knew coming to the school was a good idea! Awesome powers, awesome people,” she pointed at Keke, ”just an awesome adventure all around!” She giggled. ”Excuse my excessive optimism, I know it can get a bit cheesey but,” she shrugged, ”that’s just how it be.”

She looked up as she heard as distant, muffled ringing. ”Well, I guess that’s the next class.” She said. ”As much as I’d like to hang around a bit longer, I probably shouldn’t miss too many of my classes on my first day. Wanna exchange numbers? We can plan the LARPing and I can teach you how to graffiti and just general friend stuff.” She held her phone, ready to acquire Keke’s number.

Keaira Matthews