Log:High School Wishes, Scene 3

High School Wishes 2021/04/16 	 Bran Helen Linda Lizzy Angelina McGuinness Chas Richman Gabriella Knight Jolene Kinghorn Luke Froggett Ross Price Sandy Tillet Selina Clayden Stan Dunmore Mr Nielsen

3

The bell has rung, and students are rushing from one class to another. Outside room 217, people are gathering for senior English. A number of them, unusually, have their noses down in books or notebooks. Other arriving student, panicked, are suddenly reminded by this that there's a lit test today! Damn Mr Nielsen and the way he tells you about a test a week or more in advance and then never reminds you!

Linda respects the sudden frantic need for last minute study by other students and refrains from greeting those not in her home group as she usually does.

'Frog' manages to look green. "I forgot all about the test!" He fumbles for his notes. Not that he likely has much to worry about.

Lizzy says, "Luke, calm down. You got this."

Sandy shuffles past, avoiding stepping on the legs of older students who are sat in the corridor cramming, as she heads to her class.

Emerging from Mr. Nielsen's classroom, Helen is amused by the mass of those with their noses in the chapters they had been meant to read and study; she's emerging from a test of her own, having (deliberately) failed to fill in an answer so as to preserve her 'not perfect' A- average. "Good luuuck," she says in a small taunt.

Bran has managed to get the reading done, but barely. And late at night. Having to work impedes his study time sometimes. He makes he wave to the classroom, still looking a bit tired.

Jolene makes a failed attempt 'accidentally' to trip Helen as the latter smugly passes by.

Lizzy says, "Hey, Bran. Who are you taking to the dance?"

Selina Clayden seems neither worried nor engaged with anyone. If anyone looks her way, she stares them down.

Helen leans a bit more heavily on the crutch. "Now Jolene, really. Tripping cripples? Have you sunk so low?"

Chas and Gabriella, as usual, seem taken up in each other, and rather ignoring the lower social classes about them.

Bran shrugs and says to Lizzy, "Not going at the moment. Unless something changes with my work schedule."

Jolene says, "Like I'd waste my time tripping you," pretending, of course, she'd tried nothing of the sort/

Helen mms. "Well, remember to kick a puppy, and to take candy from a baby, just to complete the trifecta." She starts to clunk her way forward again, knowing full well it gives the other girl a chance to try again.

Linda hears and sees - everything. As Helen moves on Linda is paying attention.

Ross Price arrives only shortly before the bell. "Why's everyone here so early? Oh SHIT! Is the test today?! I totally spaced!"

Jolene doesn't risk a second attempt, given people are likely to be paying attention now.

Bran takes a seat and pulls out his book to skim the reading selection from last night. He needs the refresher.

Helen keeps an eye out for Sandy, giving her a head-bow in solidarity if she spots her.

As the bell rings and people start shuffling into class, Ross says, "God, I wish the test wasn't today!"

Bran raises a brow at the choice of words, and glances over at Ross.

There is a big surge of mental energy, for those sensitive to such things. Electricity arcs across the classroom, jumping between the many classroom computers, and above all into the teacher's computer, which blows up in Mr Nielsen's face!

Bran was barely paying attention, but the mental surge is enough for even him to sense it. He blinks...and looks around the room, trying to study faces and guage reactions.

The students who have already entered the room jump or shriek - especially any that get caught by a passing electrical arc. People out in the corridor peer in the door to find out what's happening. Mr Nielsen howls in pain and covers his eyes.

Lizzy is also looking around, catching Bran's eye.

Helen doesn't startle when the zappy bang kapow goes off behind her; she does turn around and immediately start taking note of each of the students present.

Linda hurries into the classroom and encases any resultant fires in ice. "Someone call the school nurse. Anyone here taken first aid classes. Mr Mielsen, how badly are you hurt?"

Several electrical fires had indeed started, notably at the teacher's desk. "My eyes!" moans Mr Nielsen.

Ross initially looks shocked. The looks relieved!

Lizzy says, "This makes twice."

Having encased the fires in ice, not an ideal way of dealing with an electrical fire, Linda hurries around the classroom unplugging the dahaged and burning computers. She, as least, isn't in danger fro electrical shocks.

Jolene was't in the room yet; she's now among those looking in to see what's up.

Angelina was on the way to her desk and was perhaps the loudest of the shriekers, though she doesn't seem to have been hurt.

Gabriella practically jumped into Chas's arms at the bang. Chas looked about worried as he held her.

Frog's hair caught fire when his computer went up. He was also a loud shrieker.

Stan stood stunned in the doorway till Linda said to send for the nurse, then he ran off to do that.

Selina seemed somehow neither shocked nor upset by the whole incident. Amused, if anything. But then, that might just be Selina.

Sandy (who isn't in this class) was out in the corridor. She seems not to be about now.

Linda manages to unplug the electricals before melting ice causes new problems.

Linda does not, however, put the fires out quick enough to stop the smoke alarm from going off.

The main fire alarm soon follows, although Linda has the fire out really by that point. So students begin traipsing outside. Those from this class, over their initial shock, largely sound relieved at the reprieve from the test. Though some do seem concerned for the teacher.

Bran quickly puts his things in his bag, in case there are sprinklers that are going to go off.

Helen makes several mental notes, then starts to try to move forward. "Excuse me. Pardon me. Pardon me."

Lizzy moves up to Mr. Nielsen, "Mr. Nielsen, can you walk?"

Selina head toward the exits as calm as if nothing were wrong. Ross is downright grinning. Chas is quick to 'escort' Gabriella from the room.

Mr Nielsen says, "I think so - it's just my face that got hurt..." It's not strictly true, since he has minor cuts from the broken screen.

Sandy leaves her own classroom only slowly, letting more assertive people evacuate first.

Linda frowns as she sees Ross grinning. The coincidence of the event occuring immediately after Ross' comment is not lost on her, but even if he wasn't responsible a teacher was hurt. That's no reason to grin.

Lizzy says, "Then come. I'll lean you to the nurse's office."

Linda says, "The nurse should be on her way here, although the fire alarm might divert her to the main rally point, Lizzy. Keep an eye open for her as you go."

Bran gets to his feet and slings his bag over his shoulder before saying to Ross, "Don't look so happy. The teacher got hurt."

Students are mostly clear of the classroom by this point. Stan and the nurse are heading toward the classroom, against the stream of evacuating students.

"Serves him right, after that F he gave me last time!" says Ross.

Lizzy leads Mr. Neilsen over to the nurse.

Bran snorts, "That's your own ing fault, Ross. Learn to read."

Linda takes a last look at the now melting ice before she leaves the classroom. The janitor is not going to be overly happy with her.

from behind Ross, Helen speaks. "Mr. Nielsen does not give undeserved grades. And taking joy in the personal tragedy of another has some -very- long-term effects. Causing it ... is worse. Did you cause it, Ross?" Her question is soft, almost threatening.

The nurse, on the other hand, is glad that Linda has handled the fire so she doesn't have to evacuate before treating the eyes. It seems that she thinks he was lucky, which isn't to say he doesn't need care.

"Learn to shut your face!" replies Ross to Bran. But doesn't proceed to shut it for him, having heard things from the other jocks.

Ross wheels round on Helen. "Cause it? Maybe I did. Maybe I can make things explode in people's faces." He grins. "Want me to try on you?"

Bran stares at Ross for a long moment, but doesn't use any powers. He then gets a thought, and says quietly, "I wish whoever did this here would reveeal themselves."

"Yes," Helen replies to Ross. "I would."

Ross glares at Helen, and screws up his face in concentration...

... or maybe constipation (it's hard to say). Nothing happens. "Nah. Your face is ugly enough already," says Ross, and turns his back on Helen again.

"It is always the insecure and incapable who are loudest, pushiest, and most flamboyant, for they cover up their incompetence and failures with fanfare." It sounds like Helen is quoting someone.

"Bullies," Helen adds, "are fearful and weak."

After a moment Linda picks up on why Bran made that comment, and nods in appreciation.

Bran looks around...and focuses on Chas and Gabriella, who seem to be hurrying away a bit more quickly. "Hmm."

Ross may be stupid, but not stupid enough to engage in sophisticated verbal fencing. He just tells Helen to F off.

Linda makes a mental note of speak to Ross later if he turns out to be innocent of the incidents.

People head outside and (mostly) to their proper collection points.

Bran heads outside and tries to track down Chas and Gabriella. Maybe to eavesdrop a bit.

Chas and Gabriella have actually drawn aside from where they're supposed to be: the meeting point is in the parking lot, but they've gone over next to his car rather than sticking with the group.

The nurse thanks Lizzy, Linda and Stan for their help, and tells them to join their class outside.

Bran finds himself wishing he could read lips. But he does try to sneak up on where the couple is, using cars as cover. Just to get within earshot.

Helen smiles faintly -- 'is that the best you can do?' -- at Ross, but soon enough is clumping on her wooden crutches out to her rally point. Late, but better that than never.

Linda heads to her class' assigned rally point.

There is much excited discussion while people are waiting for the all clear to go in. The heroes aren't the only people to have noticed that two 'wishes' have come true!

Helen checks in, then wanders a little, looking and listening.

Bran leaves the parking lot, sneaking back over toward the school proper to speak with the couple of other known metas that he knows.

There's not a little speculation that someone or something about the school must be granting wishes! There are more than a few sidelong glances at Selina. At Bran too, come to that, who seems to have popped up again from nowhere. After all, he's (somehwat) known to have some sort of uncanny powers.

Lizzy heads toward the parking lot, where he rally point is located.

Bran says to Linda, "It's either Chas or Gabriella, I think. Based on what I sensed. And heard." He then tracks down Helen and lets her know as well.

Linda follows Bran to speak with him. "Whichever it is, do you think he or she is consciously doing it? I saw their reactions when the lightning went through the computers. They seemed as shocked as anyone. Uh, no pun intended."

Helen gets a distant look in her eyes, as she does when she is thinking. "My first forays into magic were very draining," she thinks out loud. "Was it that way with you as well?"

Bran says to Linda, "One of htem seemed to sense when I used a mental power near them. And Gabriella mentioned somethign about 'needing to be careful' and that 'Bran seems to know something'."

Chas and Gabriella rejoin the group once roll call begins to be taken. Selina remains standing a little way off, like she can't be bothered to join everyone else, though she does says 'here' when her name is called.

Linda nods. "Bran, you need to be careful then. Whoever it is, they don't seem to be concerned about hurting people."

Lizzy joins Linda and Bran, "It seems that something - or someone - is granting people's wishes in a way that causes more problems than it solves. I wish I knew what was doing it."

Helen looks at Brandon for a long several moments, and then at Linda. "That makes this deliberate. And undoubtedly not the first time using the power." She smiles as Lizzy comes up. "Bran may have something," she says, and lets him explain.

Bran says to Lizzy, "One of Chas or Gabriella can sense mental powers. And when I wished for the culprit to be made clear, I saw them hurrying away more quickly. They also seem to think I know something. It's enough to at least ask them about it."

Linda nods to Bran.

"They'll deny it," Helen predicts. "They need to be caught in the act."

Bran nods. "Sure. I would too in their shoes."

Linda half smiles, "That's not me then. I don't have an Atlantis Guardian team with me."

Linda looks at Bran and Helen and Lizzy. "Or maybe I do."

Helen makes a wry face. "Of sorts, maybe. Bran, who do you know who might be able to train you to better perceive other mental powers?"

Linda grins, "Starguard Psi division. I'm training with them to harden my mind against intrusion."

Bran frowns at the idea of working with the government.

Helen looks a little uncertain. "Before the dance?"

Linda says, "I can ask if they would give you instruction if you like, Bran. Of course they'll probably try to recruit you. But you can always say no."

The all clear is given, and people are instructed to return to their classrooms.

Bran shrugs, "I don't think I'm going to get trained in time either way to be able to detect it better than I can now."

Linda says, "Starguard isn't some shadow black ops organization. They have Victory and Spirit. Neither those would be involved in anything shady."

Bran says, "I considered asking Chas and Gabriella directly. But...well, I figured backup might be good."

Linda nods, "I'll be there whenever you want me to, Bran."