It had been a few weeks since Kendra took the job as Xavia's teaching assistant, but finally she had settled into a bit of a rhythm. Kendra was grateful for the distraction honestly. Her girlfriend Emily, was busy with classes and Kendra had found herself lost in a raging sea of endless boredom. Not that grading papers was some fantastic time, but it was something to do at least.

Kendra sat at a small desk in the back of the greenhouse. She was just finishing up some last minute grades. She came out to the greenhouse because she liked the smell of the flowers. It smelled like fresh air.  Xavia was off doing something and Kendra had told her that she would finish up on her own. 

Sitting at her desk Kendra's mind began to wander a bit.  She thought about her time in the mansion so far.  So much had happened already.  It was big city life she was still adjusting to honestly.  She was a shy simple country girl from Georgia.  Now she was open about her mutation and living among other mutants for the first time in her life.  It still felt strange.  She wasn't sure if that strange feeling would ever leave her.  Kendra stared out the window.  She watched as students ran by laughing, playing just enjoying life.  She still had papers to grade.  That's when a bird settled near a flower by the window.  It was a small blue bird and it seemed to be staring right at her.  Kendra smiled lightly at it. 

Kendra stared at the bird for some time.  Her mind continued to wander off to this or that.  She had a great propensity for daydreaming.  Her mind was so easily distracted.  She hadn't even heard that someone else had come in awhile ago.  Someone who was in the back of the green house working on their own project.  Kendra's rubbed her eyes a bit and yawned.  Sleep was taking over fast.  She was just so tired, and grading papers wasn't exactly keeping her awake.  Before she knew it she had fallen asleep at her desk.

Standing outside her body in astral form Kendra sighed.  She looked down at her slumbering form with envy.  Her body looked so at peace.  She was slightly translucent with a light pink glow enveloping her ghostly form.  She was asleep and now she was dream walking.  Well.... This sucks.  She thought.  She still had papers to grade, she couldn't even escape it in her dreams.  Kendra was invisible now.  She was still wearing the same thing she was when she fell asleep only now she had to grade papers with the urge to teleport away and be anywhere else but stuck in this greenhouse.

That's when she heard a clatter at the back of the greenhouse.  The noise wasn't enough to wake up her body.  Though, it did catch the attention of her dream walking self.  Kendra turned in direction of the noise.  She was supposed to be alone here.  Was it one of the students?  She thought about calling out to whoever it was, but something stayed her tongue.  Instead she decided to go take a look for herself.

Derek was had finally gotten into the swing of things while staying at the Mansion. He was getting adjusted to life in New York and had only gotten lost only once this week when trying to feel his way around. He started to work for Xavia as a lap assistant as well as maintaining the plants and animals in the greenhouse. Everything was going well for him and there was little to complain about.

Since Xavia was going to be gone for the rest of the day, Derek decided to make his way into the greenhouse where he could get some work down. Xavia was paying him a pretty penny which meant that he had to work extra hard and extra smart.

His first assignment that he gave himself was to water the plants and feed the animals in and around the greenhouse. With a smile he went to the back of the greenhouse to grab the watering can --causing a bit of noise in the process-- then went around fill the can with water from the water hose. After he did that, Derek walked back inside the greenhouse and started to water while humming to himself.

Kendra moved quietly. She was clumsy by nature, but if she really payed attention she could avoid falling on her face when it mattered. Kendra took tiny steps as she eased her way around the tall potted plants. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. It was probably a student, but she had been here all by herself for a long time. For some reason she was feeling like that dumb girl in the horror movie who went to investigate the noise only to never return again.

When she finally did see someone she saw a man.  He was a youngish looking man, probably about her own age actually. He was moving about the greenhouse and watering the plants. The hell? She wondered. She didn't know anyone else worked in the greenhouse. Then again she hadn't been working here that long herself. Kendra was decidedly nervous at first, but when she saw this guy her tension faded. He seemed about as harmless as a junebug.

A big smile spread across her face as she couldn't resist the urge to play with him a bit. Kendra watched him for moment as he went about his tasks. He seemed to be off in his own thoughts. Going about doing this or that with little conern as to weather or not he was alone. He probably assumed he was alone like she did. Kendra stood behind one of the plants. It was a large rare plant with blue spotted tulips. It looked exotic and it was rather large. It was light blue with dark blue spots and the bud of the tulips were about the size of a small infant. It was a very expensive and beautiful flower. Kendra crouched behind it and ran her hands up the stalk.

Derek, who was standing near it hadn't heard her approach. She was completely invisible, but she could still be heard if she spoke. Things that she touched could still be seen moving, though they would look as if they were moving all on their own. Kendra moved her hands over the stalk of the plan and over to two big leafs that were on the sides of it. She grabbed them gently and made them flap like wings. "Hey! What about me? Ain't'chu gone feed me mister? I'm starving. I need some water! ASAP! Maybe a cheeseburger. Do you have any cheeseburgers?" She was trying to make it seem as if the plant was talking to him. Ridiculous? Probably, but she was doing all she could to make her voice sound serious and keep the laughter from rising in her tone.

She moved her hand up to the blue bud of the flower and pointed it down slightly so the plant appeared to turn it's 'head' to look at Derek. "Seriously man! Like I'll take anything... Some slim jims? A froy yo? Oh wait! Do you have an booze? Let's party!" This was so stupid, but surely this guy hadn't met any other invisible people right? Maybe he wouldn't know how to react to it. She couldn't resist a good prank when one was right in front of her and this one was pretty funny. She peered around the edge of the leafs and watched to see his face bubble over in confusion, panic or whatever leapt out and seized him first.

Derek was just minding his business while watering the plants in the greenhouse when he suddenly heard something, or someone talking. He jumped and quickly turned around with the watering can still in his hands. When he saw the plant move, a lot of things came to mind. First, why the plant wanted a cheeseburger, second, why did it have a southern accent, and three, why was it waving around like that.

"...Uh." Derek honestly didn't know how to respond to that. "...Either you're an actual talkin' plant or...someone is playin' a game with me." His southern accent lightly coated his words. "Okay, alright. I'm not feedin' you a cheeseburger because Xavia didn't tell me that you could talk. I'm sure this is all in my head." Derek turned back around and started to water the plants. "God, help me. I'm hearin' things." He whispered underneath his breath.

Well the joke didn't exactly stick. She might have accidentally made him question his sanity. She was hoping for a panicked shriek or something, but he seemed to shrug it off as just working to much or something. Either way he wasn't buying into what she was selling so Kendra decided to drop the act.

Kendra teleported over closer to where he stood. She reappared sitting on the table he was working at.  Her long slender legs dangling causally over the edge of the desk.  Kendra allowed her legs to swing freely as she leaned back on her hands.  He wasn't so bad, maybe  a bit stiff, but he seemed ok.  Kendra didnt' really feel bad for the prank, but she wished that it had be more worth her effort.  With an inward sigh Kendra allowed herself to be known.  Reaching down and plucking up a clipboard that she assumed was some of his notes Kendra gave it a glance over.  She was fully aware that by picking it up, he would see the clipboard floating all on it's own.  "So I'm guessing you're new then?"  She said as casually as if they were chatting about the weather.

She was just off to his left and sitting on the desk.  She couldn't really make much sense of the notes he had been scribbling, and tossed the clipboard back down on the desk with disinterest.  She turned her head to look at him as her question hung in the air.  "No you're not crazy.  I'm invisible.  I'm Ms. Xavia's teaching assistant Daydream...... And you are?" 

She couldn't help but allow the smallest bit of a smile spread across her face.  The thought of having someone else around here to talk to while she worked tirelessly on papers wasn't so bad.  At least she wouldn't be bored or lonely when she was working having someone else around to ease the dullest just the slightest.

"Ah!" Derek jumped again when he heard the feminine southern voice, but this time closer. He stared at the floating clipboard. He was greatly relieved that the voice was attached to an actual, alive person. "Invisible. Right. that makes sense. Complete and utter sense. Nice to meet you, Daydream. I guess." He smiled in her direction.

"I'm Derek. I don't have a codename yet, but I'm sure one is coming soon." Derek placed his hands down on the table. "So I'm guessing you can turn invisible when you wan to? That's pretty cool." He nodded his head a few times. "What else can you do? Like, ah, form force fields?"

There was genuine excitement in his voice.  She figured he was relieved to realize he wasn't going crazy. That caused her to smile brightly though he couldn't see it. "Kendra. Kendra Dillenger." She offered. She didn't want to be known only by her codename, though she had grown rather found of it and kept it as her own after a few of the mansion kids started calling her that.

Kendra continued to smile as she explained just how her powers worked. This part was always a little difficult, because it was complicated. "You see I'm not even really here right now. I'm invisible because i'm simply a dream. A projection. I'm as real as you are right now..." She said stopping to punch him playfully in the shoulder to show him that she could reach out and touch him. "But I'm just a dream inside my head. When I sleep I automatically become an invisible copy of myself with the abilty to teleport. All I have to do is think of a place and I am there." She explained.

Kendra exploded into an invisible cloud of red and pale colored hues. She reappeared on the other side of the room near a watering bucket.  Picking it up she started to water a flower that looked like it might've gotten overlooked. It's soil was bone dry. She watered the flower casually as she continued. "I'm actually in the other room sleepin at the desk honey. Was supposed to be grading papers. I heard a noise in here so I thought i'd come take'a gander at'cha."

Daydream set the pale down and teleported again this time over to the door and she peered out into the hall.  Yep.  They were still alone.  She allowed her shoulders to slump a little as she turned and looked at Derek once again.  "I can bring thangs back from my dreams too.  Like...." Kendra picked up his pencil from next to the clipboard. "If'n I was ta wake up holding this..... It'd be in my hand when I woke up."  She explained.  Kendra didn't go into full detail of how everything worked.  It was kind of a lot to wrap your head around.  She didn't explain to him that if she hurt herself in a dream that she'd wake up with bruises and scars, she didn't explain that she sometimes got restless and her personality really depended on her state of rest at any given moment.  Instead she left him with the simple explanation.

"What about'chu honey?  Are you gifted as well?"  She asked with her sweet southern drawl.  Her voice sounded like melted honey dripping out of a cloud made of gold.  Her voice was soft and sweet and genuinely curios about the new person in the greenhouse.  He didn't seem overly surprised at the notion of an invisible girl... She guessed he was hiding some amazing talents himself.

"Kendra? That's a pretty name." The other mutant complimented. It really was. He had a friend back home who's name was Kendra. She went by Kenny to most of her friends and family. "My last name is Menes. Nothing special or important." He shrugged his shoulders nonchlantaly and decided that he should start watering the plants again.

Derek made an "awe" expression when Kendra explained her powers to him. That was amazing. She was sort of like the Greek god of dreams, Morpheus. That would be a good nickname for her. Anyway. "So it's like astro projection?" He asked curiously. The only reason why he knew what the was is because he watched Charmed when he was younger. The punch surprised Derek. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "So do you ever sleep or does your 'soul' automatically form when you close your eyes?"

"Well thank you for introducing yourself." He smirked, shaking his head. "Your accent? Where are you from? I wanna guess Tennessee, but I feel like that's wrong." For a second, Derek thought that he was the only southerner here. But then again, that wouldn't make any sense since mutations didn't discriminate based on region. He watched the floating watering can for a bit before turning his attention back to his work. When Kendra went on about another aspect of her powers, Derek simply nodded his head. "So, how far can you go from your body? Like is there a certain radius that you have to be in?"

"Me? Well, I can communicate and influence the behavior of animals. It comes in handy when you're working outside or at an animal shelter," Derek explained, "there ain't much explainin' to it."

Derek seemed to be full of questions.  It honestly made Kendra smile.  She always felt a little awkward explaining how her power worked, she didn't like to bore people with all the details, but since he was interested she sat down on a stool beside him and started to explain.

"I suppose it's a bit like astral projection, but I can't control it.  Whenever I sleep it jus sorta happens.  Even if I get knocked out I come back this way so there's really no off switch for me.  I can't even begin to tell ya what it does to your mind bein constantly aware and conscious 24/7.  I always feel fried, but lots of coffee helps."  She explained.

  Kendra's body in the other room shifted a little.  Her head was still on the table resting comfortably against the hard grain of the desk. As she spoke in her astral form, her mouth moved on her physical body and she talked in her sleep mumbling bits and pieces of what she was saying to Derek.  It was like an internal two way walkie talky.  Kendra always thought of her astral form as just a dream in her head.  It was really the only way she knew how to explain it really.  She was just a dream that her Daydreaming mind thought up and she was the world's longest reoccurring dream at that.

Kendra continued.  "I grew up in Georgia.  Mutants are kinda discriminated more there.  It being the south and all.  People feel like we're freaks because they're all a bunch'a bible thumping Neanderthals.  Civil rights for African Americans might be a thang there now, but mutants have next to no rights.  That's why my work is so important to me. "  Kendra blushed a bit as she realized she hadn't told him what she did for a living.  "I'm a photographer, for a mutant rights magazine in Georgia called The Divide." 

Kendra was tired.  Her mind was a bit daydreaming no pun intended.  She was trying hard to concentrate one the conversation and not letting her mind wander, but it was tempting with so many distractions.  Outside she heard a bell signaling the beginning of the next class, and the bird from the window actually flew further into the room and landed on the table in front of them. 

"I'm not really sure about my limits as far as distance is concerned.  I never had'a problem with it, but I've never traveled out of state in astral form either.  Mostly I just wander around and take photographs of the city at night, alive with the bustling life that only 2 in the morning can bring.  I guess that's an advantage for a would be photographer."  She admitted. 

Kendra watched Derek as he explained how his power worked.  He could talk to animals?  She was amazed.  She could see how that could come in very handy in a lot of situations.  A lot more handy than being an invisible teleporter she supposed.  Derek could control an army of animals to help out.  Not really an army.  Derek had his limits, but Kendra didn't know what those were.  "Do you have any pets then?  I mean, I would imagine the title man's best friend could really be more than an expression with you hun."  She said in her soft kind voice.  The second bell sounded and this one was a bit more shrill.  It caused her body in the other room to wake up and Kendra's astral form simply vanished in the blink of an eye.  Kendra woke up back at her body. 

Leaning up she wiped the drool from her chin a bit embarrassed and stretched a bit.  "Hey! I'm in here.  I woke up sorry!"  She called from the other room.  It must be weird having a conversation with someone one second and then they just poof the next.  "I'm back at my body now hun."  Kendra said.  She was suddenly a little bit more nervous.  He seemed sweet enough, but she was awkward in person.  She rubbed at her arm nervously and chewed her lip as she waited for him to join her.  Kendra did her best to straighten her hair so she didn't look like an electro shock patient and waited for the face to face meeting.

"I can't imagine always being up. I'm surprised your brain hasn't tried to take itself out yet." Derek didn't know a lot about human health (okay he did, but he's trying to stay humble), but without sleep the body could start breaking down. It must've been something in her mutation gene that allows her body to regenerate and remain healthy.

When Kendra said that she was from Georgia, Derek knew especially what she was talking about. "Kendra, you don't gotta tell me. I'm from North Carolina so I know all about the fun stuff." He put the watering can down and turned to look in her general direction. "We ain't natural, girl." He mocked in a southern accent. "First 'em negros get rights, then the gays. We ain't handin' out no mo' rights, you hear?!" Derek shook his head and started watering again. "Lucky for me, I'm all three." He mumbled underneath his breath. "Well, if you ever want help or assistance, please don't hesitate to call me."

"But wouldn't people see a camera floating around?" Derek asked, "I would be scared as hell if I say that." He said with a chuckle.

Derek didn't know the limits to his own powers which is going to be a problem. He needed to know them so if he needed to defend himself, he would be able to.

The mutant was about to answer, but was stopped when he heard Kendra from the other room. He actually took steps toward it, following her voice until he saw the girl standing there. She looked to be around his age with brown hair and large brown doe eyes. "...It's nice to officially meet you. In the flesh, I mean." He said with a warm smile.

Kendra smiled shyly. She nodded and sort of blushed. She wasn't great at meeting people in the flesh, but she supposed it wasn't so bad. Derek seemed to be a really nice guy from what she could tell of him so far. Kendra hadn't been seen until now.

  Her astral form was invisible except for in reflections. If he had seen her, he would have seen she was wearing a light beige willowy sweater that was just a little two long on the sleeves. They engulfed her hands completely, but she loved that sweater. She was wearing a pair of jeans with rips at the thighs and a pair of heavy boots. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

Kendra's astral form existed exactly as her body did. If she fell asleep with her phone in her pocket, she would bring an invisible phone with her into her dream, the same was true for her clothes, her camera and anything else she fell asleep physically touching. It made those things and extension of herself as she entered astral form. That was good though. At least she wouldn't wander around in her astral form naked and barefoot avoiding any and all mirrors like the plague.

Kendra looked at Derek a moment more before she finally spoke. "Well... These papers can wait til later tonight. I'd love some fresh air if'n you don't mind taking a colleague out for a walk." She suggested. Truthfully she was feeling a little couped up in here and she would love for a chance for Derek to demonstrate his power to her.  Though she wouldn't ask outright. She didn't want him to feel like a preforming monkey doing party tricks. Kendra smiled brightly at him before she added "I'd love to stop by my room upstairs, get my camera first."

  She was hoping he said yes. Though in her head she wasn't sure if her straight forward asking of him to go for a walk was considered weird. Social cue, and socially acceptable behavior just eluded her, she always felt like an outsider looking in on something she just wasn't a part of. It was much easier to get to know someone in her astral form and then meet them afterwards.

"Sure! I'd love to go on a walk with you." This would be a perfect opportunity for him to get to know his fellow assistant as well as hear more about the great work that Kendra was doing. He also liked her sweet, southern voice and her delicate demeanor and stature.

Derek smiled kindly at Kendra. Maybe it was her southern charm or the fact that they both came from the south that he felt this connection with her. "Do you want me to walk you to your room or do you want me to wait here for you to come back?"

Kendra smiled. "It ain't far. I'll just be a tick." She hurried off to grab her camera.  As she did she thought about how nice it'd be to have someone to talk to while she graded papers. It wasn't exactly the most interesting job in the world sitting in a greenhouse correcting biology scores. Emily, her girlfriend wouldn't mind her going for a walk.  Emily  to her knowledge wasn't the jealous type.  And Kendra was mostly interested in women anyways.  She had no problem with men, and had even thought about it once or twice.  Surely something she would have been open too, but for the most part she was very much attracted to women.

Kendra grabbed her camera and headed back downstairs.  She took the steps two at a time and was surprise at how excited she was about the idea of seeing his powers in action potentially.  She would have to think of some subtle way to bring it up in conversation.  She didn't want him to think that she was just trying to get a free show, but it was still something interesting.  He could talk to animals for crying out loud how cool was that?  Her power wasn't something you cold rightly snap a photo off.  How do you take a picture of an invisible girl?

Kendra rejoined Derek at the bottom of the stairs.  "Ready.  Shall we?"  She asked in a quiet tone.  She was surprised with just how comfortable she was around him already.  It was his soft spoken presense and his southern charm she supposed, but he felt more like an old friend than a complete stranger.  The warm sun felt good on her skin as they stepped out into the afternoon.  The day was just dripping with all kinds of possibilities and the light would make for some fantastic photos should ne opportunity arise.

When Kendra went upstairs, Derek decided to go back into the greenhouse to finish watering the plants. After he did so, he stocked the closet that was in classroom, recorded the quantity of the different beakers and elements that were now in stock. He made a little note for Xavia to get more sodium and fertilizer.

As soon as Derek finished, Kendra came downstairs with her camera. Derek smiled widely at his fellow southern mutant. "We shall." He nodded his head and followed Kendra out.

After a while of walking, he turned his attention to Kendra's face. "So, do you cook? I love cookin'. It's relaxin'. I've been cravin' a peach cobbler." He told her a grin. "I've been also been craving shrimp 'n grits."

Moving through the halls with Derek Kendra was mostly quite. She just listened and smiled as he talked about good old southern home cooking. Kendra was never a fan really. She didn't get great home cooked meal growing up. Her home was broken. Her dad mostly bought what he liked and she had to make her own meals, when she could sneak into the kitchen without getting yelled at that was. Her dad was mostly a bastard, and a drunk. He blamed her for killing her mother who died in childbirth. Kendra didn't have fond memories of sitting around the dinner table like most people from the south. She couldn't wait to get away from Georgia and everything it stood for.

Kendra thought about her life before she got here. She thought about the fear, the sadness.  Kendra thought about her ex girlfriend back in Georgia. Libby was a sweet girl. Kind, compassionate; or at least she had thought she was. Kendra had no one that even cared about her until Libby had come along and Libby broke up with her when she found out she was a mutant. Kendra was crushed. It was the reason she fled Georgia to begin with. She just wanted to get as far away from all the pain as possible. What Kendra never knew was that Libby was a mutant herself. She just couldn't handle it and she pushed Kendra away when Kendra revealed herself to be a mutant.

Kendra never found out that Libby was also a mutant. Libby kept her shame a secret as she shoved Kendra out the door.  It seemed like a lifetime ago, but in the end Kendra mostly wished she could thank Libby.  Not for her cold heartless act of ditching the mutant freak.  But because her breaking up with her caused her to make the best change of her life.  She had friends now, family even.  She had a girlfriend who really cared about her in Emily and she felt for the first time like she wasn't alone.  Kendra admittedly zoned out on what Derek was talking about.  She had bad habit of getting lost in her own thoughts.

Looking Kendra just said yes to whatever Derek had said last.  She wasn't even sure what she had just agreed to, but they had walked a good bit already.  They were standing by the edge of a wooded area.  They were in a little clearing at the edge of the mansion grounds.  Kendra looked at Derek with curious eyes.  Why'd he bring me to the woods?  She wondered.  Oh hell it'll just ask she thought.  "So....  We're go'in over the river and through the woods to grandma's house then?"  She asked with a slight sarcastic tone.  She had her camera hanging from around her neck.  She didn't realize that he was bringing her to a spot where he could have access to a bunch of different animals.  The thought hadn't even dawned on her that he might be trying to show off his ability.