Hope You Got a Good Fumigator (Mirror)

>> "Hey there…Moving in?"

For a moment, Agnes jumped at the sound of the voice. She had no idea where it came from or who it was that spoke, but her questioning gaze was quickly responded to. With another startle, she watched as a boy, another teen suddenly appeared from, of all places, a mirror! It was the first time the runaway had seen a mutation like that and the sight of it was disturbing at first. After a moment, she finally composed herself and clutched her duffle bag a little closer.

Agnes could be stronger than this, but at the moment she was still pretty terrified. The walls were large and imposing and Agnes feared that every second she was only locking herself up deeper into a prison.

She calmed momentarily though as she glanced over at Svetlana. At least she would be with her throughout all this…


>> "I will be around…Find me if you need anything."

Wait…wuh?! Agnes looked back at Svetlana in surprise but it was too late. The Russian blonde had already started to head off, leaving the teen with this boy who she was not sure she could trust at all, in a place she did not know if she could trust. Agnes eyed her and made a mental know that she would get back at her for this. With no other alternative she turned back to the boy , eyed him up and down, and kept her bag held tightly against her chest.


>> "Hey…Welcome to mutant high. My name's Gawain, an' I'm gonna be your guide for the day."

Agnes watched his hand carefully but did not bother to shake it. Already her nerves were beginning to affect her and that low, warning buzz started in her chest. She must have looked like a terrified rabbit, but at the moment she did not care. She was scared and it did not matter however charming this “Gwain’s” smile was, this runaway girl, this bundle of nerves, was not going to allow herself to relax. Not until she was sure that she could exit out of this place and return to the alleys she knew so well.

Finally she gave him a curt nod in reply. After all, no need to be completely rude. “Agnes.” was all she said at first.

She stood awkwardly for a moment as she stared at him. She really had no idea how to drum up a conversation. With Svetlana, she felt she at least owed the woman that much for rescuing her from mall security. This boy though, that devilish smile, it was not something she all together trusted. So instead, she remained just a little icy, but willing enough to at least listen to what he would have to say though. Still…something nagged at her. A teen boy, with abilities to appear from mirrors? She eyed him closely.

“You’re…not like some peeping-tom who peers at girls when they’re undressed through the mirrors are you?” she asked bluntly. She had to ask! She was still a girl even though a swarm of disgusting insects lived in her chest.

>> "Lotsa weird powers around the school, but we try our best not to disturb the others…Let's get you checked in, and we'll find you a room. I'll introuse you to the boss later…He's a decent guy, don't worry. And we also have a guidance counselor, she's a sweetheart. But, I'll tell you about that later…So, what's your deal?... I mean, what ability have you got?"

The boy, Gawain, certainly liked to talk a lot. At least he was respectful enough to keep his distance as he started down one of the halls and nodded for her to follow. Agnes was a little wary to follow the boy. After all how could she at all trust him? Here she was, in a world that she knew nothing about, that she scared little to learn about, abandoned with him. Her cold, blue eyes shifted back to where Svetlana had disappeared to and practically willed her to appear. She was angry the woman who had brought her here in the first place had so quickly run off.

Still, as she watched the boy head off and urge her to follow, what other option did she really have? She was in the middle of the park, far from her regular haunts and she had no money for a taxi. The only thing she could do was follow and spew a swarm of insects if he tried anything funny.

Duffle bag in hand, Agnes finally continued to follow him towards another series of rooms. He had mentioned something about a “boss” and for a second she feared there was something illegal going on her. But she quickly chalked that up to simply being her nerves. The mention of a “guidance counselor” made her cringe though. Her only experience with them had been when she started public school. She had been called in after a positive parent/teacher meeting. They assumed she might need to talk to someone after learning how zealot her parents were. Boy were they right.

Still, she hated it when people were right.

Then she realized he had asked her the most basic of all questions a mutant would ask another…what could she do? Hmm, it was definitely a good question. She always revealed her powers through demonstration and normally that made people run. But it seemed as if the people at this school were used to some of the oddities that mutations can develop.

She shrugged meekly as she followed. “Bugs. My mutation has to do with bugs. Tell me ahead of time if this joint has fumigation days.”

>> "Can't say if we 've ever had one…But if we do, we'll make sure to let you know in advance…Bugs, huh? Awesome. I've got a friend, she's got spiders popping out from under her skin. Not as creepy as it sounds. Actually, she's made of awesome…An' Ive seen that pop star girl turn into a mantis, but she didn't take it so well. Anyhow. Care to elaborate?...I'll need to get you a room, and write down some stuff 'bout you. They keep a file on everyone here, that's how they know what to look out for. Like, who they need to warn before a fumigation day."

Agnes was quiet as she listened to Gawain go on about the other bug-related mutants that either he has heard of or passed through the doors of the school. For a moment Agnes was a little impressed by the type of people who have come through here. She did not feel so alone anymore…at least for the second. She glanced about and wondered where the these other bug mutants were. It seemed today that everyone had a story about one, she had yet to see any.

At least the girl with the spiders that Gawain mentioned might at least know where she was coming from. She sighed and followed him into the offices. Again she was asked to elaborate on her abilities. She briefly rolled her eyes.

She really did hate to have to explain them because it was such a disgusting thing to do. The way her abilities manifested, how they were used, she really did not like to get into it. But if the mirror walker wanted to know…she would have to tell him.

As she stepped into the office with him, she moved aside and watched him for a second before she finally licked her chapped lips and elaborated…

“Bugs…protect me,” she started as she leaned back against a wall, still hugging her duffle bag close to herself. “T-There is a swarm…a swarm of wasps, flies…and roaches. They live…inside me.” she looked away as she said this part and gently nibbled on her bottom lip. “They…treat me like a nest. If I’m in danger…they come out and attack whoever is bothering me. And…because I’m a walking nest…bugs tend to follow me around that do not live inside my chest. It’s disgusting really…always being surrounded by bugs.”

As if on cue, a fly buzzed into the room and gently began to circle her head. She sniffled a little at the sound but ignored it as she took a deep, calming breath. She only hoped that the boy would not ask for a demonstration right now. Then, as another pair of flies buzzed in, she hung her head a little in shame and ran a free hand through her greasy hair and still avoided looking at him.

“I’m sorry…it’s…a bad idea I came here.”

>> "Nah…I think it was a very good idea. Look, I know it's weird, but trust me, we've seen weirder. I mean, hello, I've never thought I'd be accepted anywhere either…So, we'll get you a single room, you can have all the bugs you want. I mean, wasps protecting you? Don't tell me that doesn't make you feel like someone important..."

My own room? Agnes thought to herself. The notion seemed a little alien to her. So far she had spent her nights sleeping in alleys or curled up in abandoned buildings. She carried everything she owned with her so there was really no need to plant roots, no place to really call hers. But as she thought about the opportunity she had here, the chance to actually have a room, a place she could call her own…it was enticing. She sniffled at the thought and quickly wiped away a tear.

She had to look tough. She was a street rat after all.

But then the boy had to go on and try to make her feel better about her abilities. She definitely wanted to slug him, directly in the center of his nose. She did not know that would make her feel better, but she knew it was something she hoped one day to have a reason to do. None of this showed on her face though…except for the scathing look from her eyes.

“Important? More like being used.” she grumbled as she continued to look away. “Listen, I know you’re just trying to help and relate. But this is not a gift for me. These…things only protect me because I’m a home for them. They don’t care or have any other emotion towards me.” She finally sighed as she slowly began to relax and dropped her arms, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “I thank you…if you have a room for me. Me…and my bugs won’t be in anyways way. I promise.”

>> "I'm gonna scribble down the essentials, and we can get back to it later. I'll make it quick, all right? You can fill that out on your own…I lied about those when I got here, but looking back now, I think it's easier to just tell the truth."

Definitely punch worthy, Agnes thought.

She really could not understand why she had such violent tendencies towards him. Maybe it was simply because he kept trying to relate to her, but Agnes could sense he really just could not. To her he seemed like the type of guy that got his way around girls with a flash of a smile on that pretty-boy face. Agnes had never liked those types of boys in high school. They reminded her of nothing but lies on two legs. She could have been wrong about Gawain, but she was willing to put down money that he had no idea what it was like to be a girl.

She eyed him closely as he went on and finally handed her an application to fill out. She glanced at it and realized that it did indeed look like something to be filled out when going to school. When she was looking at early college admissions she got a good idea what they were looking for. She saw this same type questions in this application here.

But should she fill in her real information? She had already stated that her name was Agnes so there was no getting away from that, but she did not want them looking for her real family, or for her registered name to suddenly get out into the world for her parents to track. She would not go back to them, by any means. A deep sigh and a sniffle and she looked over the application.

“Can I borrow a pen?” she asked before she went over to the desk anyway and snatched one up. Quickly she filled in what information she could: basic stats, age, etc, but her name…she changed the last part. For here…she would not be Agnes Nicholas…just Agnes Nicks. When she was done she handed him back the information and tried to appear a little more civil than the look she was giving him. “Uh, I was told that…I could leave here whenever I want. That acceptable?”

>> "Yup, no one's gonna hold ya back if you wanna walk out…But frankly, ya'd be nuts to do so, this place is as good as they come. I mean heck, they have traps to keeps uninvited guests out…I know it's too good to be true, all of it. But trust me, it's pretty darn far from a prison."

Agnes paused at this. Did she just hear Gawain say that there were traps to keep people out of this place? For a moment she only shook her head silently to herself. She had to wonder if he were sure that’s all they were for. Couldn’t those same traps be used to keep people in? The more she listened, the more this place had seemed like a prison. Maybe they lured in the dangerous mutant runaways and held in the more unruly of them in order to keep the world safe.

>> "Now comes the part when I ask you quesions 'bout how you ended up here and if ya've ever had trouble with the police, but I wouldn't answer myself either, so I'll save you the trouble of lying, and I'll let Sam and Mama T handle those…Bla bla bla, don't blow up the Mansion and don't let the bad guys in…C'mon, I'll show you to your room."

That second she was ready to come up with another lie, but Gawain seemed to beat her to the punch. It was true, had he asked, she more than likely would have not told the truth. But that was what got to her. The second he assumed that he could guess what she would do…that automatically meant that she would have to do the opposite. With a focused stare she waited until he took back the forms and led the way out of the room.

She adjusted her duffle bag and followed him out. She eyed her surroundings all around her, seeking out windows and other various escape routes. At least that was how she started, but then she slowly began to take in the mansion with a sense of awe. She had to admit that this place really was beautiful The architecture was nice, the décor was not overly lavish, and over all it really did have a home/school like atmosphere. But not an oppressive one.

She remained silent as she followed, glancing about at the rooms that they were slowly coming upon. Finally she steeled herself up and whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

“I ran away…from my parents. They…um,” she paused briefly before continue. “They just did some bad things to me.”

There, was all she thought. She was not going to allow herself to get pegged too early on. Though she knew her story was more than likely not the first time heard in these walls, at least she was trying.