>> “So, you have a bunch of guardian angels inside of you, fighting your battles?”

The comment was so quickly made that the runaway was caught off guard by it. For a moment she had no idea really how to respond to the girl’s question. The idea that looking at those things inside of her as “guardian angels”! Little halos, little wings, little harps? The whole idea, before Agnes could help herself made her start to shudder and quiver, when, before she knew it, she laughed.

The tears gone and her voice mixed in with that that of a small, mirthful laughter, Agnes could not help it as she placed her hands at her hips, stopped and turned to look back at the blonde.

She looked so apologetic for make Agnes cry that the notion actually touched her heart. So few times had she dealt with people who were apologetic towards her. What usually happened was that people simply did not care. They ignored her or treated her badly because of her mutation, or they tried to harm her. She was slowly coming to terms with the fact that the people here at this mansion were not entirely bad. That maybe, just maybe, there were a few of them that could be good people. That was a much needed relief to find out.

Agnes sniffled as she reached up and dried her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered honestly. “You seem to make me laugh and…it’s been awhile.” she admitted.

She sighed as she took another cool breath from the breezy afternoon air and smiled a bit as she looked around the garden. The grounds here really were beautiful. The trees, the hedges, the rows and rows of flowers, all of it was so peaceful and serene that Agnes really began to feel a peace. Maybe…maybe she could learn more about her powers here.

A glance back to Liz and she smiled calmly. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to blame yourself for what I’ve gone through. I guess…I have some issues I need to work out on my own. It has nothing to do with anything that you’ve said…honest. Thank you for being nice to me though. I really do appreciate it.”

She shoots, she scoooores! Elizabeth’s smile returned, showing off her pearly white teeth. What luck she had, somehow managing to hit the perfect comment to cheer Agnes up a bit? Some of Liz’ sudden cheeriness was as a byproduct of Agnes’, but much of it was directed at her success. It was pretty tiring though. Agnes was like an emotional roller coaster. One moment she laughing like a hyena on nitrous oxide and the next minute she’s wallowing in her tears and grief. Mood swings much?

But at least this was a nice mood. Laughter was the best medicine, right? The jubilation tapered off fairly soon, though. Probably because Agnes had already filled up her laugh quota for the week. But it seemed like the quiet, sincere, and longing for simple pleasures meter still had a ways to go. As Agnes removed all evidence of crying from her face, Liz resisted the urge to start sniffling herself. What kind of life did one live in which laughter is a prized rarity? As much as she wanted to know, Liz refused to ask, choosing instead to try to keep the conversation on cheerier topics.

“Well, what are friends for?” she said, dazzling Agnes with her smile. It was a little weird automatically calling herself someone’s friend, especially since she’d only known Agnes for less than half an hour, but it just felt right to say, you know?

Liz allowed her fortified positivity bleed out into the emotional spectrum of the animals around her. From a tiny nest in a tree only a few yards away, clearly visible from the lack of leaves, a robin began singing songs normally reserved for spring mornings. Other than that, there was no change amongst the animals in the area. For one, not many were in her range. Another reason she loved the cold and winter is that it chased all the animals away, giving her a couple of months all to her own emotions.

Elizabeth watched Agnes for a bit. The brunette seemed to completely relax, right before Liz’ eyes. The girl seemed much more at ease than she had when they had started talking. It was kind of cool, really, to know how you could affect someone in such a way. And yes, Liz was giving herself credit for the strides she thought Agnes was making.

The possessor established eye contact as Agnes spoke. She took a few steps forward, initiating their walk again. “Aww, shucks,” she said in decent impression of Gomer Pyle, pretending to kick a rock out of her way, “You’re gonna make me blush.” She smiled again, partly to hide the reddish tint that actually was on her cheeks. It wasn’t everyday (especially in New York) that people told you how nice you were.

“Well, anytime you want, you can always talk to me,” Liz said in return, seriously that time. Then she decided to switch topics completely so they could get away from anything that neither one of them wanted to talk about. “So,” she said with an impish smile, “meet any cute boys yet?”

Friends? To be honest Agnes could not answer the girl’s question about what friends were for because she had forgotten what they really were for. Before she ran away from home, before this whole mess with her exorcism and her mutation, her “friends” were just popular girls trying to make her fit in with their crowd because she was pretty. The second her powers manifested though, those that survived that horrible day, she was ignored, forgotten, shunned like just another freak. Yes, the time had been trying for everyone, but that’s when they should have been closest! Only they proved themselves to be the real shallow people she’d always expected them to be.

But this was different. When she looked into Liz’s face, she saw someone who really did seem the care. Yeah she was a bit goofy and she seemed to be take a lot to heart, but she had a life energy about her that was simply infectious. Agnes could not help but feel just a little more cheerful and at ease around her. It really was almost addicting to the point that Agnes just had to say something. That was why she was so appreciative of her fellow teen.

After all, with her history, niceness in people came few and far between…

>> “Aww, shucks…You’re gonna make me blush.”

Agnes could not help but chuckle at her response. “Well, if you blush, go for it. I’m only telling you the truth.”

She smiled again as she walked on with Liz, happy to for once just feel normal, like an everyday teenager simply out talking with one of her girlfriends. It felt good, almost like she could believe that she really was normal. But…as she strolled along and suddenly a lady bug flew onto her shoulder, Agnes was reminded how just how unnormal she was. Liz was nice enough to not notice the “smell”, the scent that she unconsciously released that attracted many of the vermin towards her. She knew that regular people could smell it, not just insects, but it was not as savory a scent to the human race. She had grown to know that herself. Futilely she had hoped that the smell would go the second she found a shower and felt comfortable enough to actually use it, but she was mistaken. The scented soaps and shampoos barely covered it up.

Still…it was nice of Liz to feign not noticing. Then again, they were outside, maybe she really couldn’t smell it. Whatever the case, Agnes was pleased that she had met such a nice, fellow mutant here. She enjoyed her company even though she had just met her. And she did not run away the second she heard about Agnes’ powers.

Finally though, as they strolled, their conversation finally seemed to shift away from mutations and into what Agnes barely remembered as normal “girl talk”.

>> “Well, anytime you want, you can always talk to me,”

“May, take you up on that,” Agnes agreed sheepishly. She had the makings of a friend here and she liked the notion.

>> “So…meet any cute boys yet?”

Agnes blushed and shook her head as she stared down at the ground. The whole notion made her feel silly. First all, she mistrusted most men because she has seen what their baser instincts were like when she was living on the streets. The cat calls, the promises of a good night, a warm bed, etc., etc., so she rarely found herself seeking a boyfriend. Especially now that she was here at the mansion, she could not think of that at all. First of all, she did not want to ruin her time here by getting with someone who could make her bitter about this place; and secondly, she doubted most boys her age had the stomach fortitude to handle the scent and the idea of bugs possible crawling into their mouths because they make her heart race.

She sighed and shook her head.

“Nah, I’m not really paying attention,” she said with a small sigh. “Never really been something on my mind, I guess.” That was followed by a nod as she glanced at Liz. “My parents were very strict. Never even been on a date…”

A small breeze blew Elizabeth’s hair across her face, covering it for a moment in a golden sheet of webbing. A few quick sweeps with her hand brought the problem under control but she still had to spit a strand out of her mouth. She flipped her flowing hair over her shoulders and tucked it behind her ears, attempting to keep it at bay. It wasn’t cool hiding behind hair when attempting to talk to people.

“Hmmm, well then, wake up and smell the roses, morning glory!” Liz cried, spreading her arms and twirling around for emphasis. Unfortunately, a dead rosebush just happened to be three feet to her left on the side of the path. Oh well. It was the thought that counted.

“Never been on a date, eh? Reasonable enough. I never went on any either, at least any that counted, before here. But that’s all in the past, Agnes!” Liz shifted into a pretty good imitation of a car salesman from TV commercials. “We’ve got tall guys, short guys, smart guys, hot guys, frozen guys, telekinetic guys, cloning guys; you name it, we got it!”

Back in her own voice, Liz continued in a teasing manner. “I’m sure you can find a guy, if you really want to. Surprisingly, not every guy here is a jerk. Unheard of, right?” She stuffed her slowly chilling fingers in her jacket pockets and flashed another grin at Agnes. “Not to mention how more than a couple of them have steady allowances or jobs.” She winked conspiratorially. She wasn’t really that shallow or anything, far from it actually, but it just added to her salesperson routine.

>> “Never been on a date, eh? Reasonable enough. I never went on any either, at least any that counted, before here. But that’s all in the past, Agnes! We’ve got tall guys, short guys, smart guys, hot guys, frozen guys, telekinetic guys, cloning guys; you name it, we got it! I’m sure you can find a guy, if you really want to. Surprisingly, not every guy here is a jerk. Unheard of, right? Not to mention how more than a couple of them have steady allowances or jobs.”

Agnes simply stood back and watched as the young mutant, acting more like a pimp than a student, began to list off all the types of boys that the school had. She had to admit that school did seem possess a plethora of able-bodied male students of all sizes, shapes, colors, and powers. Some of them even seemed to have money! But in the end, the young runaway could only laugh and giggle at Liz’s antics. Just the idea of her pimping out all these young men made Agnes both blush and laugh hysterically. It was a funny concept to imagine.

Giggling uncontrollably, Agnes shook her head and held out her hand to stop Liz.

“Hahaha,” she laughed until she could finally regain some composure. “Thanks for your concern. But…I’ll just wait and see what happens.”

She chuckled as she shook her head, still trying to keep the giggling down. It was all just too funny. To imagine that she could have a date with anyone here to begin with. So far the only boy mutant she had met in school was Gawain and to be honest he did not interest her in the least. She did not know if it was the devilish grin, or the fact that he was prankster that irritated her, but she did not really seem him as boyfriend material. She wondered how it was all possible he had a girlfriend at all! But then again, who knows, Liz could be right, maybe there was someone here for her.

Definitely not the right time to be thinking about that thought. After all, she had not been at the school long and she needed to get her studies done. She is being offered this great chance to complete the education she never finished so it is simply better that she not think about the realm of love. There was no sense in that at the moment. Still…that did not mean she could not live vicariously through others…

“Liz?” she asked quietly. “What about you?” she asked with a tiny grin. “You got a boyfriend? Can he turn things into green jello?” she joked.

Elizabeth twirled around again and searched Agnes for her reaction. It pleased her to see the brunette smile and laugh. It always made Liz feel good, cheering others up. Besides, she could be very egotistical when it came to her impersonations and antics. Her cheeks rose in a wide smile. “Fine, I’ll let you get by this time…” she said, pretending to be disappointed. And there’s going to be a next time.

Liz threw the end of her scarf over a shoulder, securing it firmly around her neck. The way the wind was blowing, the frosty breeze kept clawing at her throat. That wasn’t one of the things she liked about the colder seasons.

Caught up as she was in her own amusement, Agnes’ question to her came as a surprise. “Hu-wha?” She nearly sputtered. “He doesn’t do that, he—er, no, I mean, I don’t have a boyfriend,” she babbled. Her cheeks began to burn. Carrick wasn’t really her boyfriend. He was a boy, yeah, and a friend, but not a boyfriend! Just a really good friend. A really, really, really good guy friend. And it’s not like they had feelings for each other….right? Well, maybe Liz liked him a little bit, but…

“No, no boyfriend for me,” she repeated, just a hint more determined. Her cheeks were still flushed and nothing she could do could change that. Her smile turned exasperated and she quickly glanced around the path to make sure nobody could’ve overheard and to possibly give her an excuse to get off topic.

“Nice weather we’re having, huh?” she said a bit quickly. “Doesn’t the wind feel wonderful?” The blonde jerked her hands out of her jacket and skipped a few steps. “Favorite time of year.”

Okay, so next conversation, do not ask if she has a boyfriend again, Agnes thought to herself as she wandered next to the obviously flustered young mutant.

Apparently this was a touchy subject for her since a blush immediately appeared on Liz’s cheeks and she was stammering over her words. Whatever the reason was, Agnes knew it must have been big. Maybe she had a friend she had unresolved feelings for? The runaway could not guess though. Yeah, in high school, before her mutation, she used to have a small crush on a student or two, but she never went through with it. Her parents taught her while growing up that these emotions were bad and that were the work of the devil! She needed to stay strong and resolute.

But after everything that happened and now that she was away from their influences, this opened up her world a lot more. She began to see and experience more in the almost year since she left, then the whole of her years living under the same roof. It was truly and eye opening world.

She sighed as she smiled warmly at Liz, the happiness and mirth from the day had truly lifted up her mood. She felt good, very good to have met another understanding and possible friend. Gina was sweet and Liz just had an infectious laughter about her. It really did seem to make her world seem that much brighter.

Agnes, with a grin, watched as Liz immediately changed the subject.

>> “Nice weather we’re having, huh? Doesn’t the wind feel wonderful? Favorite time of year.”

The runaway nodded in agreement.

“Yes, it is very beautiful. It’s a lot different than from where I used to come from.” Immediately she quieted down after this.

Agnes was not usually the type to constantly bring up that she lived on the streets for half a year before she came here. The last thing she wanted from people was sympathy, a pat on the head, and to look at her like she was some charity case. The runaway survived on her own for a several months, dodged nefarious acts, ate out of garbage cans, etc., so she knew she had it in her to stick it out through most things. The last thing a person like that wants is someone to belittle them by constantly calling her a “Poor deeear.”

But she doubted Liz was like that. At least she hoped. Instead she smiled a bit deviously and watched Liz as they walked. “What’s his name?” she boldly asked. “You know, that person isn’t your boyfriend?”

Additional, clichéd words died in her throat. Elizabeth’s mouth froze and fell open. Her blush flourished into a brilliant scarlet, not unlike that of a shiny apple. Were her ears deceiving her? No! The Unthinkable Topic had popped back up. Liz looked at Agnes in disbelief. “Uuh,” her voice cracked. “Well….I’m sure you’ll meet him eventually. I’ll introduce you then.”

She flashed a smile and turned back to the path, praying that something would intervene and prevent that particular course of conversation from popping back up. It’s not like she was really embarrassed to talk about Carrick, just….she didn’t want Agnes to get the wrong idea, you know? Clearly, Agnes thought Liz was dating Carrick and there was nothing she could do about it. But at least Liz wouldn’t toss down a bread trail. No sirree, Liz was ending the conversation there, before she started messing with birds and stuff just to cause distractions.

“Um, different weather, you say?” she queried, switching back to her preferred subject. “How so? Soggier?” The plainly evident and extreme interest written all over her face was only partially faked. Perhaps Agnes would stick to the safer topic if Liz seemed fascinated by it. It was at least worth a shot.

Her eyes kept flashing around, very shifty-like, as if she was hiding something, and she kept stealing glimpses of Agnes’ face. Was it just her, or was the brunette looking a bit impish? Her eyes flickered away like a butterfly, so she didn’t get caught staring.

>> “Uuh…Well….I’m sure you’ll meet him eventually. I’ll introduce you then.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Agnes said with a smile.

She really was beginning to loosen up and the feeling was great. As for this, she would indeed hold Liz to her word. She was going to make sure to meet this “none-boyfriend” that she had, if only to fluster Liz more. Hey, at least she was getting some of her old sense of humor back.

It was then that the conversation shifted and Liz pulled something from what she had just said:

>> “Um, different weather, you say? How so? Soggier?”

Agnes winced only slightly. She had never intended for the conversation to shift back to her or anything about her past, but inevitably it did. She was going to have to think of some way to steer the conversation back around to Liz. But just then she cracked a smile to herself. She could tell that Liz was also trying to avoid conversations about her own life as well, especially the romantic aspect of it. How funny that one of the girl’s she hit it off with also happened to be shy about her life. It really was going to fun to see them attempt to hold up a longer conversation.

Still, Agnes was glad to have met this young mutant. She was fun to be around and they were already having a good time.

“You could say that,” she muttered in response to Liz’s questions. “And…dirty.”

She finally paused in their walk as she turned back around to face Liz with a smile.

“Are you hungry?” she asked directly. “Not promising anything, but I used to be a good cook before I showed up here,” she beamed.

Liz momentarily closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer to anything that happened to be listening. Agnes had been effectively derailed and Liz sensed no future junctions that would return her to that particular track. She crossed her fingers just in case.

“Ah, okay,” she nodded, “you lived in L.A. Gotcha.” She winked to imply her lack of seriousness and to betray her tiny slander. She had nothing against the City of Angels, in fact she’d never even been there, but she’d heard the air was bad. It had nothing to do with the conversation at all, except when Agnes mentioned her former place being dirty.

Her face brightened considerably at Agnes’ next words. Yes! Another change of topic! This could have nothing to do with anything she didn’t want to talk about! Her eyes twinkled merrily and she dazzled Agnes with a return smile. “Why, Ah do declare,” she said in a cheesy southern drawl, “Ah believe that my stomach is alikening to your way of thinkin’!” Liz switched back into her normal voice, striding straight up to Agnes. “And if you make the delicacy, I’ll make the desert. I bake a mean cake.”

“And then we’ll see what kind of chef you really are!” she laughed, looping her arm around Agnes’ and began skipping toward the mansion, practically forcing the girl to skip as well or lose an arm.