The going was slow, but gradually Agnes began to feel more comfortable with leaving her room at the mansion to explore. She still felt the smallest bit of anxiety whenever she ran across somebody she didn’t know and she did not like the idea of having to explain to anyone why she was here. Mainly what that meant was that she simply did not talk to people. It may seem to some, then, that she was trying to come off as arrogant or better-than-thou, but that could not have been farther from the truth. In actuality, she was just scared to get in someone’s way, and definitely scared of getting to close.

Her mutation, after all, was not something that boded well with others. Practically everyone felt their skin crawl around a single insect. She could not imagine how they would react knowing that she housed a swarm of them inside her very own body.

But today, Agnes was feeling a little adventurous. Plus, she was hungry. After months of living on the streets, it was no surprise that the girl had suddenly developed an appetite now that she was around real and fresh, edible food. So, dressed in some of her old tattered clothing, which had been hand washed in a sink, Agnes found her way into the kitchen.

The 17 year old runaway, dressed in a old, pink long-sleeve shirt with a white shirt underneath and very worn and faded blue jeans, stood in the massive kitchen in awe. There was so much just lying around that she really did feel like a kid in a candy store. She would have to check herself from reacting this way around food while in the presence of other people. If there was one thing she could still hold onto was at least a little bit of dignity and not look like a complete drooling idiot.

“Wow,” was all she could mutter as she made her way towards a massive bowl of fruit on the counter. Quickly she snatched up an apple, shined it on her “clean” shirt sleeve and took a big bite.

Cruuuunch!

The sound was so satisfying to her ears that she did not pay attention to what was going on around her. Slowly…bugs began to make their presence known. A couple of roaches crawled in from the walls, flies flew about, one or two bumping into her head. But at the moment, she did not care. Instead she simply leaned against a counter in the kitchen and enjoyed the ruby red apple to her heart’s content and dared anyone to ruin her peace of mind.

Faye stomped down the halls of the mansion in a huff; she’d just got an F on her maths test. An F! That was so unfair as she’d studied, like, at least half an hour beforehand and copied the girl that she sat next to answers.
Pah!, Mrs Malone was clearly failing her because she was sojellin* of how young and pretty Faye was that miserable old sow!
Shoving through a group of middle graders she went into the kitchen slamming the door behind her, exhaling slowly she got a glass from the cupboards and poured herself some water from the sink before turning to see that someone else was also in the kitchen.

This someone else was someone that Faye didn’t recognise dressed in a tatty pink shirt and faded jeans.
Maybe it was washday? Faye pondered as she stared at the other girl as she drank her glass of water, but those jeans looked really faded and not in that awesome store bought brand new way but in a those are really old jeans kinda way.
Faye continued to drink the water as she watched the girl, was she a student? Faye hadn’t seen her around the mansion before. The mansion did however have a habit of letting complete randoms in off the street now and again which she didn’t agree with.
In her mind it was proper dangerous to let drifters stay at a school; who knew what kind of weird drifter stuff they did when no one was looking. Faye didn’t think that her parents sent her to a special boarding school to be exposed to weird stuff. No, this girl was no good and probably up to something if Faye was any judge.

Tilting the glass up to finish her drink she felt something knock into her lips and move around against them, spluttering Faye shut her eyes and pulled the glass away before slowly opening them again to look at the thing in her glass of water.
It was a cockroach, a big shiny cockroach just bobbing up and down without a care in the world in the glass of water she’d been drinking.

Faye screamed and dropped the glass on the tilled floor, shattered pieces of glass, water and a bemused cockroach scattering across the floor.
Grabbing a spatula from the sink Faye smacked the cockroach with it, causing the not so little insect to flip over and waggle its far too many legs in the air. Screaming again Faye hurled the spatula at it before pulling open the cupboard under the sinks doors and started throwing things out of it before she found the bug spray and yanked the cap off.
The poor not so little cockroach with far too many legs had just about gotten off its back when Faye sprayed it full on with the bug spray till it long past moving.

Coughing from the fumes as she stood up she turned the can on a couple of nearby flies which she thought was strange as it was December.
Slowly realisation dawned on her “You, You’re doing this!" she growled at the drifter girl in the not so new faded jeans.


Sojellin= an expression of jealousy. “I can’t believe your dating him, I’m sojellin”

It did not take long for the peace and tranquility of Agnes’ single moment of eating an apple to disappear. Just as she was taking another bite and relaxing back against the counter, than a stranger stormed into the kitchen. The runaway jumped a bit at the sound of her loud entrance and said nothing as the girl roughly grabbed a glass, poured herself water and drank. For a moment it seemed as if she would go unnoticed, thankfully, but such a sentiment did not last long. Before she knew it, she locked eyes with the blonde.

Already Agnes didn’t like it.

It was not that she could see the future or that she could sense the inner evil in people, it was merely a gut reaction. After all, living on the streets, a person begins to develop a sense of knowing who you can and cannot trust. This was one of those incidents. Something funny twinged in her stomach as she stared back at the blonde, forgetting to even be polite and nod. But her opportunity would quickly be taken away from her.

The problem with being a mutant with Agnes’ abilities is the fact that bugs tend to flock to you, no matter then weather. She was a walking nest after all so on top of those that already hibernated within her, those in the outside world flocked to her presence. That was what happened now. Several roaches and flies had already found their way into the kitchen and sadly one of them got too brave and accidentally found itself at the bottom of a glass of water that was currently being drunk.

Agnes winced and jumped when the girl screamed, and then screamed, and then screamed a little more as she grabbed a can of bug spray from a cabinet and hosed down the unfortunate insect.

The runaway was surprised at herself that she actually shed a tear at this, and then looked at the menacing glare the blonde gave her.

>> “You, You’re doing this!”

“I didn’t do anything! I can’t control what they do.” she responded as she crossed her arms over her chest, the half-eaten apple in her hand as she looked over the blonde.

She was definitely the type that Agnes tended to avoid. Both in high school and living on the streets, girls like her were the types of people that made her life a living hell. They took no shame in believing they were the only correct people in the universe and did everything possible to pass that notion along to the rest of the people of the world. Agnes could not stand them walking around in their designer clothing, expensive make-up and way too gaudy jewelry for their ages. Apparently even mutants are not able to escape such things.

Agnes shook her head as she took another bite of an apple while a couple flies landed on her hair began to crawl about. Normally she would be quick to shoo them away, but for effect she decided to let them crawl.

“It was only a bug. Don’t you think you overreacted a little?” she said as she took another casual bite of her apple.

>>>“I didn’t do anything! I can’t control what they do.”
Faye watched as the girl in the not so new jeans glanced her up and down, clearly coming to an unjustifiable conclusion on the type of person that Faye was.
Deciding to be the better person, like there was any doubt in her mind about that, Faye put the can of bug spray on the counter and walked towards the door.

The girl took a bite of her apple and shook her head, was she mocking her? Faye stopped and clenched her fists; her fake nails biting into the palms of her hands.
Screw this why do I have to leave? I live here!

>>>“It was only a bug. Don’t you think you overreacted a little?””
Overreacting? Moi? She watched the girl take another bite of apple as some flies landed in her hair and started to crawl about making Faye’s scalp itch.
That’s gross, she thought wrinkling her nose. She mustn’t wash; no wonder her clothes are dirty.

Exhaling slowly to calm her voice she walked back towards the table, gesturing with her left hand as she talked and picking up the bug spray with her right before holding it behind her back.

“Don’t you think you overreacted a little?” she said mimicking the girls voice.
“This is a kitchen; kitchens need to be kept clean otherwise people get sick. Bugs are dirty and carry diseases. So no, I don’t think I’m overreacting. In fact I’m justrightreacting” she told the girl as she rounded the table and got into striking range.

“You got something in your hair love” Faye smirked as she brought the can of bug spray up and aimed a long squirt at the other girls head.

This'll teach her! Faye thought. No one looks down thier nose at me.

>> “Don’t you think you overreacted a little?...This is a kitchen; kitchens need to be kept clean otherwise people get sick. Bugs are dirty and carry diseases. So no, I don’t think I’m overreacting. In fact I’m justrightreacting”[/color]

Use a dictionary much? she thought as she shook her head.

Agnes rolled her eyes as she chewed on the apple in her mouth. It was definitely apparent that she and this girl were not going to get along. Well, she was the one who kept looking for something wrong in this place to give her an excuse to leave when the time came. It seems now that that she found that in the form of a blonde who nearly died whenever she so much as spied a single bug skittering across her path. She had to admit that the idea was a little disappointing that a girl like that had to occupy the same roof that she was crashing under. Sure, this was her home too and Agnes was only stopping by, but that did not mean she had to sneery and rude.

She eyed her, unsure of what the blonde was going to do next as she rounded closer to her. Agnes held her ground and didn’t say anything, but only glared back at the English Barbie in front of her. Then, in one quick motion, Agnes’ eyes grew wide with disbelief.

The blonde was actually point a can of bug spray directly above her head.

>> “You got something in your hair love.”

In a split second Agnes watched as the blonde pressed down on the nozzle, heard the hiss of poisoned mist spraying out, and felt the tiny droplets as they fell around her hair. In a panic Agnes covered her face and coughed and wheezed at the smell that invaded her nostrils. Blindly she flailed out and attempted to knock the can out of the girl’s hand, but before she could, her panic immediately incited another reaction from her. Before she could help it, that familiar, angry buzzing vibrated in her chest. She struggled to maintain herself, but before she could, she looked up and glared at the girl.

“W-Why? Why did you have to!?” she screamed as she held her hands against her chest but it was too late.

Before she could help it, the buzzing grew so loud that it was enough to drown out all sound in the enclosed kitchen. Agnes looked ready to retch and she did, but not what was expected to come out of her mouth. From between her parted lips a cloud of black flies and hornets poured out, buzzing in an angry mass directly for the nearest possible threat…the blonde. They flew together in mass towards her, all the while, several more black shapes crawled and fell her from her mouth, crawling down her neck or landing on the floor in a little heap. Several roaches immediately skittered directly for the blonde who was going to be bombarded with flying insects.

All of them were very, very angry…

Faye smiled a nasty little smile that had been not seen on her face in the mansion before but students at her old high school were quite familiar with it.
It was the smile of a bully, the smile that asks “Who runs barter town?” and is mirrored on the faces of everyone not on the short end of the stick in life.
For Faye in that moment watching the bug girl twist and flail about in the stream of pesticide that Faye aimed at her face she felt like she was back on top again, no longer the outsider in a new school in a new state.

The can rattled as it ran out and the sound of its hissing was replaced with the other girls coughing and spluttering before she cried out >>>“W-Why? Why did you have to!?” as she clutched at her chest, a loud buzzing noise emanating from somewhere within.

Because I nearly drank a bug?

Because I didn’t like your tone?

Because I could.

But before Faye could reveal why exactly she had emptied a can of pesticide in a girl that looked no older than her the girl in question vomited. Quickly stepping back in an attempt to dodge out of the ‘splatter zone’ Faye was shocked to see not the girls last meal but a dark stream of flies and hornets spewing forth and straight at her.

Screaming as the swarm of insects hit her she stumbled backwards into the table, knocking it over and sending her tumbling to the floor.
The insects flooded around her, flies swarming around her eyes and mouth as hornets stung her exposed skin again and again.
Scrambling up she ran screaming at the kitchen door.

Agnes watched helplessly as the swarm, the mass of living creatures that resided in her chest suddenly came to her defense. She practically hurled them out at the irritating blonde but when she was this upset, there was no holding them back…even if she wanted to. Instead, kneeling down in exhaustion since so many of them came out at one time, she watched as they buffeted and attacked the blonde from both air and the ground. It was obvious that she was not a fan of insects.

Barbie’s screech filled the small kitchen at the first sight of the bugs and then again after they caused her to fall backward over a table and then crashing onto the floor. The runaway could do nothing to help her. She was not going to destroy those of the swarm that were only trying to protect her and instead tried her best to calm down. If she were calm, they would return, sensing that the danger had passed. First though, she needed to get out of the range of the pesticide smell. So long as they sensed that, they knew danger was about and that would only aggravate them further.

Picking herself up as quickly as she could, Agnes ran for the opposite corner of the kitchen, away from the empty, fallen can of bug spray and as far as she could get from the blonde. Once she was there, Agnes paced, back and forth, trying…willing herself to calm down. Her heart rate slowed as tears stung her eyes.

She had to! She just had to ruin this! To make this worse! she screamed in her head. But that was not helping to calm her down.

She despised the blonde and wished she had left the kitchen the second she had walked in. But she could not focus on that. No, instead she focused on something, anything else to calm herself down. It was then that she saw a magazine, some nature periodical that a careless student must have left behind. She stared at the nature scene in front of it, noting that the blonde had now picked herself up and, screaming, ran for the kitchen door. Agnes did her best to ignore her.

Come on, Agnes, calm down, calm down! 3….

2…

1…

With a steady, calming breath, the buzzing of the swarm slowly died away and she glanced back to see that those that did not perish flew back towards her…their home. Sniffling, she opened her mouth and let them crawl back in. Flies and hornets return, roaches crawled up her legs and disappeared back down her throat. She was immediately filled with a sense of warmth and wholeness and she sighed as the last of them disappeared back into their nest within her.

Wiping a tear away, she returned to staring at the magazine…hoping and praying that the blonde learned her lesson to simply leave her alone.

Gema heard the scream all the way from the kitchen up in her room. One of the girls was screaming her lungs out. Oh, great As if she didn't have a zillion other things to deal with before Christmas.
Running dowstairs and into the kitchen, she looked around to see what the matter was. In the doorway, she got run over by a screaming and leeing Faye.

"Hey!" she winced, grabbing Faye by the arms before she could collapse, or run away. She looked hurt, and scared. "Calm down! Faye?" she said in a steady voice "Faye, calm down, look at me, and tell me what happened.

There was another girl in there, reading a magazine. She could see no signs of immeditate danger. In fact, the whole scene was just a bit too calm for her taste. 'We did not to anything' calm.

>>> "Faye, calm down, look at me, and tell me what happened
Faye half collapsed/half hugged Mrs Taylor and broke down, a stream of half sobbed words tumbling out;

“She, she stung me! I wasn’t doing anything.... I killed a bug and then she made ......some bees sting me!” she wailed, showing off the stings all over her bare arms and face “she made bugs everywhere! I didn’t do anything wrong.... I hate it here, I want my mom!”

Her body wracking from the sobs she tried to wipe her eyes but more tears spilled out and drown her cheeks, looking back into the kitchen she could see the bug girl casually flipping through a magazine like she’d not done anything wrong which made Faye angry.

Half angry and half sad she just held onto the guidance councillor and let it all out.

Agnes heard the screaming, the commotion, and the interfering of another voice but she did nothing other than stare down at the peaceful images in the magazine. Yes she must have looked like she was trying to deter blame for something bad from herself, but the truth of the matter was that she was simply trying to keep herself calm. She had to otherwise they would know. They would sense that Agnes still had anxiety about the Barbie girl still being here and they would want to attack her. They would want to make her pay for threatening the nest in such a dangerous way.

The poor runaway had to do all she could to keep herself composed. She still could not believed that they had attacked the girl so viciously. Yes she has had to rely on them before to save her butt, but that usually entailed saving her from leery men or other types of dangerous folks…never some blonde with a snooty attitude. For a moment Agnes felt sorry. She wanted to get up and apologize to her for what had happened…

>> “She, she stung me! I wasn’t doing anything.... I killed a bug and then she made ......some bees sting me!... she made bugs everywhere! I didn’t do anything wrong.... I hate it here, I want my mom!”[/color]

…that moment of pity quickly disappeared.

Agnes had to try hard not to get angry again. She had to focus to keep herself from losing control because in the end, she knew what that would mean. The Swarm would get riled and they would want revenge. She could not have that. This was not the place for something like that. Maybe that was her cue though. Maybe it was time for her to leave. She stayed as long as could be expected…that should satisfy Svetlana. After all, she promised her she did not have to stay if she did not want to.

And if staying here meant dealing with snotty, demeaning blondes all day…she would rather take the streets.

Steeling herself up to keep them in control, she picked up the magazine and headed towards the door where the blonde bawled her eyes out in front of a stern looking woman. Agnes was intimidated but she did her best not to show it. She sighed as she held tight to the magazine and approached them.

“Don’t worry about having to call mommy. I know when it’s time to leave someplace I’m not wanted. “ she brushed past the pair of them and headed out the door. “Next time, I would suggest that you don’t spray bug spray in someone’s face.” With a teary eye she turned away, praying, hoping that they would just let her go. If there was one thing she did not want to do right now, was talk out feelings.

>>“She, she stung me! I wasn’t doing anything.... I killed a bug and then she made ......some bees sting me! she made bugs everywhere! I didn’t do anything wrong.... I hate it here, I want my mom!”

"Sssshh, it's okay, Faye, calm down" Gemma murmured, holding the girl, party to calm her down and partly to keep her from flailing more "You're going to be okay. I am taking you to Doc, and he is going to heal you, all right?"

The other girl was reading a magazine as if nothing had happened; it was strange behavior, and Gemma would have guessed she was doing it on purpose.... but there was something else about the look on her face, some immense concentration. The look of someone fighting to keep things in check.
And then, she walked out.

>>“Don’t worry about having to call mommy. I know when it’s time to leave someplace I’m not wanted. Next time, I would suggest that you don’t spray bug spray in someone’s face.”

"You stop right there, miss" Gemma said; she didn't reach out to stop the girl, her voice was more than enough. "You are not going anywhere until we have sorted this out. That means, right now, you are coming with us. Let's go."

She turned around, one arm around Faye's shoulders, and, glancing back to make sure the girl was following, she walked down the corridor towards the infirmary, stopping every once in a while to comfort Faye. Once they had made it to the Infirmary, she walked in with the girls.

"Doctor?" she called out "I'm sorry to say that, but I have got some work for you..."

Faye let Miss Taylor guide her through the halls to the doctor’s office, the second time in as many months that she had made the trip and sat down on the doctors table before taking an in-depth study of her shoes, the floor and the scuffmarks on it.

“Now then what seems to be the problem this time? Another knife fight perhaps?
Asked the kind eyed old man that served as the mansions doctor, his eyes taking in the three of them.

“Got stung” mumbled Faye, not looking up from the floor. The last time she had been here had not been a pleasant one and while the psychical scars had healed she was still a bit touchy about the subject of Halloween.

“Ah, stung eh? Well let’s have a look then said DocProf, lifting Faye’s chin and turning her arms over to assess the extent of her injuries “Looks like you’ve been kicking over a beehive young lady”

“I didn’t do anything” Faye mumbled, her eyes focusing back on the floor.

The old man looked over to Gemma and raised an eyebrow quizzically before looking over at the teenage girl stood behind her.
“All right dear I’m going to need to have a look at you too, Have a seat here up next to missy here he beamed cheerfully, patting his hand on the doctors table next to Faye.
"So whats your name and how can I help?"


((Feel free to carry on with DocProf you two))

>> "You stop right there, miss…You are not going anywhere until we have sorted this out. That means, right now, you are coming with us. Let's go."

Agnes stopped…rolled her eyes…but did not turn around. Instead she waited. She did not like the tone of that woman’s voice, but she also knew better than to talk back to certain authority figures. The woman may not have had a uniform or any official kind of badge, but she did have the air of a woman who did not take any guff. So for the moment, Agnes would have to comply…though she was already pretty sure of what the outcome of this little incident would be.

Sadly she had to deal with girls like the Blondie before. She knew that by throwing a temper tantrum, no matter how wrong they were, they would never get in trouble. It would have been better if the swarm had never attacked her, then maybe luck would have fallen on Agnes’ side. The problem is that was not how things played out. Because the girl was attacked and there was not a mark on Agnes’ body, except for the mild smell of bug spray, the blame would fall squarely on her. After all, who were they to believe first? The person who lived there or the runaway girl who was simply crashing here?

She sighed as she finally did turn and noticed that the woman was walking and comforting the blond towards some unknown location. She had made mention of a doctor. Agnes could only shake her head, drop her gaze down and follow them. The whole way though she stayed back, not wanting to make herself know, almost wishing she could just disappear into the walls.

When they finally arrived at what seemed like doctor’s office, Agnes stayed near the door, arms crossed over her chest as she stared down at the ground. She did not like where this was going.

Serves me right though. That’s what I get for wanting an apple. she thought to herself as she stared at the floor and simply waited for what would happen next.

That was when the “Doctor” appeared. The older, white haired gentlemen that looked as if he could be anyone and everyone’s grandfather. For a moment she wished for a second that he really was her grandfather. She would love to have just one person in her family with a face as kindly and wise as that and was not completely overtaken by religious zealotry.

>> “Ah, stung eh? Well let’s have a look then…looks like you’ve been kicking over a beehive young lady”[/i]

>> “I didn’t do anything”

Agnes scoffed but not loud enough for anyone to hear. If only they knew what that blond had done. She sprayed bugspray at her head! As if it were nothing dangerous at all! Even if she were not a mutant, she had no idea how dangerous that could have been. The poisons, the side-effects, she really could have hurt someone if she had gotten careless for just a second. And Agnes knew that look in the girl’s eyes. This was not her first time being a bully and she doubted that it would be her last.

Still…she was basking in the attention. She could see that.

>> “All right dear I’m going to need to have a look at you too, Have a seat here up next to missy here…So whats your name and how can I help?"

Agnes quickly shook her head. A doctor’s inspection meant she they were would inspections and records, and that would mean that they all would see the marks on her. The old scars of a life and a time she desperately wanted to forget. The last thing she wanted was for these strangers to discover the large, crucifix brand on her stomach, or the ritual cuts and lashes she had received only months ago. She could not handle it if that got out. It was the last thing she wanted to feed that blond to use against her.

She shook her head against and remained at the doorway, looking between the tall woman and the old man. “N-No, I’m fine. Seriously. Look, I did that to her, okay? I did that, I admit it. Can you please just let me leave this place in peace now? Please?”

Faye kept insisting that she didn't do anything; Gemma didn't comment on that. If she was telling the truth, the other girl either attacked her without any reason, or she did something she did not expect to be wrong. Looking at the other girl, Gemma was not sure she was the agressive type. She had met quite a few of those.

Doc got down to healing Faye; Gemma kept an eye on the other one. She did say something about bug spray. And Faye insisted she was attacked by bees. Things were starting to fall into place.

>> “N-No, I’m fine. Seriously. Look, I did that to her, okay? I did that, I admit it. Can you please just let me leave this place in peace now? Please?”

"No." she shook her head, then sighed "Don't worry, we are not going to hurt you, okay? We have seen all kinds of mutations at work here, this is not the first accident that happened."

She glanced at Faye, then back at the girl.

"So, your mutation deals with insects, right? That's how she got stung." she asked "What's your name?"

Faye stayed silent as Miss Taylor talked to the girl who vomited wasps. Not saying anything at this point was the best course. The girl had already said she was going to leave and speaking up would only cause Faye to get into trouble.

The doctor came back with some salve and started applying it to Faye’s stings. The skin on which he applied it stinging a little before numbing.
Wincing as he turned her arm over to start on the other side she asked him “Why can’t you, y’know poof” making a lay on hands gesture with her free hand
“Because there is a medical solution and besides if I just ‘poofed’ it away you wouldn’t learn not to do it again”

Faye managed a half hearted shrug before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her lighter with its chipped and faded spar spangled banner design on both sides and ran it over her jeans causing the flint to spark as the catch open and closed.

“Will it leave a mark? she suddenly asked, looking up at the doctor.
“No, as long as you don’t scratch the stings they’ll heal right over”

Satisfied by his answer looked over at Miss Taylor and the other girl. Sighing she chewed her lip, She knew she’d gone too far but she wasn’t about to apologise.
She still had her pride, slightly stung, and Roberts don’t say sorry.