Recent Posts

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 stood up and crossed the room. She was fighting back the need to shut down. She was trying to be open and everything in her head just screamed at her to close up shop. She knew that she needed to talk to someone. She wasn't foolish, yet she would steadfastly refuse the notion just out of spite.  She had never needed someone's help her whole life.  Her life had been tough, but somehow she always managed. The fact that she needed people now more than ever was a knife digging in.  She felt like Artair had taken her ego and kicked it down the street until he got bored with it.

It wasn't easy for her to admit that she was struggling.  She had her pride.  She might not be tremendously confident most of the time, but she did pride herself on her ability to take care of herself.  Though Kendra's version of taking care of herself was living stupid and reckless and hoping for the best.  She couldn't process everything all at once.  It wasn't just the gunshot or the disapproving looks.  It was the fact that she couldn't trust herself that bothered her the most.  The fact that her own judgement had been poor enough to allow for this to happen in the first place.  She had been foolish on that front.  An ill conceived attempt at trusting a drug dealer?  How stupid could one be.

Kendra stood in the doorway, her back to Artair.  She thought she could feel his eyes moving over her as she stood there.  The light from the window in the hall cast shadows along the wall.  The shadow was of the tree outside and it seemed to dance happily in the window.  Her eyes were sleepy as she watched the lazy motion of the branch swaying in the breeze.  Her eyes even began to close a little.  Kendra was leaning against the wall and silently letting Artair's words sink in.  There was the longest moment of just dead air.  Words that needed to be said put on hold so she could stare a a shadow and contemplate how nice it would be to slink away back to her room and just sleep. 

She wished she could sleep.  She wanted to locker herself back in her room and pull the covers over her head.  She wanted to close her eyes and escape the guilt, but that would do her no good.  She'd still be awake, conscious and replaying the gunshot in her head over and over.  The way a athelete might review a bad play.  She just wanted an off switch!  Was that so much to ask for?  Hell, if she had that maybe this wouldn't be so bad, maybe she could compress her trauma and lock it away in a box.  For pete's sake she just wanted a moment of normal. 

Kendra sighed and turned back around.  Her eyelids were heavy and she had to consciously keep her eyes open.  She felt drained, emotionally, physically.  She just wasn't sure that talking to someone was going to help her particular case.  What would it change?  The more she thought about it the more she rejected the idea.  She was stubborn as much as she was reckless and the idea of sinking into a couch and telling someone her deepest darkest fears just sounded stupid.  Kendra wasn't goin to do that.  Instead she smiled lightly at Artair and nodded.  "I'll talk to someone hun.  You don't have to worry."  A lie.  She wasn't sure if he would buy it, but she didn't stare into his eyes to give him a chance to read her.  Instead she moved across the room again and picked up a lighter that had been left on a desk. 

It was a zippo lighter.  Perhaps some student with pyro inspired powers left it there, or maybe one of the older mutants here.  Either way, she was jonesing for a smoke.  Kendra reached into her pocket and pulled out her cigarettes.  She didn't care that she was probably not supposed to smoke here.  She put one between her lips and sparked the flame.  She breathed a deep breathe of 'calm your nerves' and cast her eyes at the sofa she had been sitting on.  Still avoiding eye contact.  She wasn't sure what else she could say but she hoped that he would yell at her.  Scream at her, something.  Anything was better than trying to help her.  She didn't want help.  She just wanted to deal with this the only way she knew how.... By being alone with her thoughts like she always seemed to be.

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.

It was late in the evening. Kendra had woken up and puttered around a bit before growing bored. Her girlfriend was busy mostly and she had nothing to do but wander around the mansion. It wasn't ideal. It wasn't even close. She wanted adventure, she wanted excitement, but mostly she just wanted to bring the tempeture waaay down on her cabin fever.

Kendra was feeling tired, especially tired because she hadn't slept much the night before.  She moved around her room at the mansion in a fog.  Drifting from one corner of the room to the other, lazily straightening up.  The sun was still out and the sounds of kids laughing outside her window  made her thirst for adventure all the more.  Kendra stood there a moment.  She was dressed in a plaid skirt, leggings scuffed combat boots and a leather jacket over a t-shirt.  It was a usual look for the social outcast. 

Kendra weighed her options.  She could go outside, try and be active or she could sleep and still go outside and try and get some rest at the same time.  Kendra decided to sleep.  She slowly trudged over to her bed and laid down.  She didn't bother to take off her shoes, because when she slept she dream walked.  Her body made a copy of itself exactly as it was and her conscious thought was transferred over to her astral form.  She was invisible, like a ghost and gained a limited teleport ability.  It was how her power worked, but she wasn't sure why it worked that way.

It didn't take long for the fiery redhead to find herself asleep.  She stood there outside of her body staring out the window a moment.  She still felt tired, but as she dreamed she would gain more and more energy.  She was the Benjamin button of sleep disorders. It was funky.  Kendra yawned and stretched before exploding into an invisible cloud of red and white smoke.  Teleporting herself outside to the mansion lawn she could feel the sun on her pale skin.  Now...What to do with all this free time.  She wondered. 

Just then some kids walked past her.  They didn't notice the invisible girl as they walked right by her.  She heard them talking about some new store in the mall.  She hadn't been to the mall yet.  The mall wasn't really her thing.  She wasn't the social hang out kind of person, but she figured she could kill some time people watching at the very least.  It was the first suggestion that leapt out and grabbed her attention so she shrugged and rolled with it.  Kendra began to walk across the grass.  Every couple of steps she took she exploded again and reappeared a few feet further.  It was quick.  A mixture of walkin and teleporting that she called 'Blinking.'  Blinking was the only way to travel.

After some time she found herself standing in the food court.  Kendra looked around a moment and saw that it was bustling with life and people.  Ordinary people going about their daily lives.  A slackjawed tired expression washed over her face like a tidal wave and her shoulders slumped.  Oh what I wouldn't give to be ordinary sometimes... She thought as she began to walk through the mall.  She didn't have a destination in mind.  Kendra was operating solely on impulse now.  She was like a little bird.  She would flitter away and follow whatever seemed the most shiny and the most interesting in the moment.

Kendra hadn't expected the question to be fired back to her. It almost hit her like a slap in the face. She was stunned. As the words left his lips she took in a deep gasp and let out a soft sigh. Why? Her reasoning wasn't so cut and dry either. She had her reasons, but for the life of her she was struggling to put them into coherent thought. Kendra looked at Artair, right in the eyes. Her stoic mask began to crack. Soft lines cut into her face as her expression changed. Her face grew tired. As if she was tired to from the effort of trying to not break down.

Kendra's eyes slowly lowered until she was staring at the floor. Her voice wasn't full of flippant bravado. It was meak and unsure. As if she wasn't just trying to convince Artair but herself as well. "I needed...." She started before quickly growing quiet. Kendra chewed at her lower lip as she found the courage to look him in the eyes again. Looking at his concerned face she continued. "I needed to know that I could make a difference." Sounded stupid when she said it out loud, but for the most part that was it. She allowed her words to settle in the tense room. She spent most of her life in fear. Fear of being discovered as a mutant, fear of her father. She feared life in general. It was demoralizing to feel such constant fear.

When she discovered she was a mutant she didn't do anything to help anyone. Mostly she just walked around at night. Exploring the lonely surroundings of her impossible isolation. She didn't try to use her powers for good, she used them to entertain herself. It was the only thing she could do to keep her sanity. Most people just didn't understand what it was like to be constantly awake. It changes you.  When she first started dream walking Kendra fell head first into a self destructive path. She broke into people's houses to rummage through their personal things; just wanting to be nosey. She would go through photo albumns and locked drawers. She found herself in restricted areas. She did whatever she wanted. And for awhile it was kind of freeing.

That was the old Kendra. Sure, she's been known to be a bit of a prankster still from time to time, but she was no where as bad as she had been in her teen years. Kendra thought that she had grown up quite a bit since then. She still didn't believe that she could make a difference, not until she came to the mansion at least. Being around all these mutants who used their powers to change the world really inspired her. It made her self reflect and wonder why she wasn't doing more. She had her job at the magazine that promoted mutant rights but that was slow change. Kendra just wanted to feel like she could do something, anything that would help someone. At first she went on crime patrol looking for crime to stop in her astral form. That first experience with muggers had left her with strangulation marks and some broken ribs.

Then why did she keep trying? That was a question she didn't have an answer. At least not one she could put to words. Kendra was still staring at Artiar. The moments between when she spoke and now only made the tension thicker. "I've done nothing with my powers but be selfish with them my whole life. I wanted to try and use them for positive for'a change." She felt her chest tighten as she knew judgement was coming next. That bitter poison that swam into people's eyes when they were disappointed in you. She didn't know why, but she hated disappointing Artair especially. Something about him made her want to be better. Be a better person. He was far from role model, but he was someone she aspired to be.

Someone strong. Someone confident. Someone who didn't take sh*t from anyone. He was the anti-Kendra. Her polar opposite in almost everyway and yet here they were. They found themselves tangled in each other's lives like a couple of flies in a web.  Yes, it was true that for the most part Kendra was forcing her way into his life. She was becoming quite good at sucking people into her crazy, but it didn't change the fact that he followed her into that crack house of his own free will.  Kendra looked back down and processed everything he had said. His words stormed through her mind as she spun it every which way til Sunday.  He thought she was foolish, but he was also worried about her.  It was a strange feeling to have a near stranger worried about you.  Kendra wasn't used to anyone being worried about her at all.  Except for Emily. 

Emily's name was another dagger twisting in her injured shoulder.  Emily was just one more person she had disappointed.  Kendra had also become very good at kicking herself when she was down; and you know what?  Kendra kicks pretty dang hard!  Kendra leaned forward.  The distance between them was much less now. 

 Without warning Kendra's hand reached up and seized his.  His hand was soft and clammy.  He was nervous.  She felt the warmth of his fingers brush against her skin.  His rough hands caressed in her much softer ones.  Kendra lightly squeezed the tips of his fingers and drove herself to look at him once more. This time she didn't care about the disappointment.  She didn't care about his judgment.  Kendra just wanted to make one thing clear.  "I guess the biggest reason I did what'I did was cus I was just tired.... I was tired of being afraid."  Her voice trailed off as a few students wandered through the living room.

Kendra had said what she wanted to get of her chest though.  She even smiled a little as she nervously looked over at the new person in the room.  She didn't want to pour her soul into Artair's guilty conscience if there was some evesdropper sitting within earshot.  Knowing Artair's temper she suspected he would run the kid off.  Heck, she knew about his temper even in the limited time that she knew him.  It was fairly noticeable as a defining trait about the fellow redhead.  Kendra's hands let go.  She pulled them back into her own lap and leaned back on the couch.  For the first time, in a long time; she felt unburdened by her choices.  After stating her reasons out loud, she actually felt a little better about it.

Kendra didn't have time to protest. Becca stepped forward and wrapped her arms lightly around her.  Kendra was a little apprehensive. It was a strange feeling to know someone and not know them at the same time.  Becca felt familiar and new in the most absurd way.  Kendra's arms found their way around the other woman.  She was soft and warm.  She was and old friend and a perfect stranger.  Kendra felt the warmth burning in her cheeks as her face nestled slightly among Becca's hair.

Stepping back from the embrace Kendra watched as Becca's eyes danced over her.  Becca reached up and began to fix Kendra's hair.  Kendra just sat there and let it happen.  A little smile pushing it's way onto her face as she stared.  It was an oddly intimate moment in her mind.  It was something that she felt was shared among two people who were close and shared a connection.  She certainly didn't think her and Becca had earned that level of closeness, but she didn't mind.  She smiled lightly.  "It’s nice tae meet ye, Kendra. Officially.”  Becca said.

"Nice ta meet'cha."  Kendra said in her sweet southern Georgia drawl.  Her voice was a little shy and timid.  She wasn't sure why but she was suddenly filled with this overwhelming self conscious feeling.  What is she thinking?  She wondered as Becca's eyes moved over her.  She did all she could to avoid eye contact.  Instead Kendra found herself doing little things, like findin a second mug or finding creamer.  Her back was to Becca now.  No doubt Becca would notice her modest surroundings.  Kendra's room was devoid of any family photos or personal effects. 

Kendra finished fixing the coffee for both of them and sighed.  Turning around she handed one to Becca and kept one for herself.  Her fidgety hands held onto the mug as she leaned against the desk.  Kendra brought the mug to her lips and blew on it softly.  Her eyes dared to look up at Becca.  She didn't know why this person to person meeting was so intimidating suddenly.  What if I don't measure up?  She thought.  She never considered herself very special.  She had a mutation that made her special, but if it wasn't for that she felt like she was mostly invisible anyways.  She was always the type of girl who was doted on for her looks, but often faded into the background.  She was the type of girl who was often so quiet and shy that you wouldn't even notice her in an empty room.

Becca had said that she showed promise.  She locked her gaze on Becca.  Kendra studied her face for as long as her fragile nerve would allow.  She saw looking back at her someone kinda and caring, someone she knew, but still had an ocean of curiosities to learn about.  Kendra chewed on her lower lip a bit.  She brought her attention to the heat of the mug in her hands.  She took a sip of her coffee and her nose crinkled a bit.  It twitched like a little rabbit.  There was a question on her mind.  A question that she was a little nervous to ask but it leapt out at her and was dancing on the front of her nosey mind. 

"I...."  She started.  Then at the last moment Kendra backed out.  Instead of asking what was really on her mind she asked something else.  "Do ya want any cream or sugar, sugar?"  She aside quietly.  The smile was gracing the corners of her lips again.  It was a nervous smile.  She didn't know what the rest of the day would hold, but it was already starting out interesting.  Outside her window The sun was starting to peak it's head out over the horizon.  The first rays of light started sparkling over the tops of the trees and caught her eye.  Kendra looked over briefly and marveled at how long they had actually spent together tonight.  One cup of coffee.  That was it and then she would let her get some sleep, Kendra thought to herself.  She took another sip of her coffee and waited for Becca to answer the question.  The question that she really wanted to ask was still lingering on her thoughts.