* - - Playful Conversation

[Autumn S. Benson]

On a typical day, Autumn Benson would be inside eating lunch with her friends right now. Today was not a typical day for her, however. She'd recieved a call from her parents this morning, one that informed her of the chance she'd be returning home soon. The school was her home now, as far as she was concerned. She didn't get screamed at her, and she had the freedom never given to her as a child. Of course, this threat was not a new one. Her parents had used it numerous times in the past two years and Autumn guessed it was just to make her life even more stressful than high school years already were. That was the reason she'd escaped to the courtyard today. She didn't want to act as her usual bubbly and talkative self when she was feeling so on edge. It usually ended up in her being questioned by her friends, which was the very last thing she wanted.

She quietly made her way towards the fountain that sat in the center of the courtyard, hugging her backpack closer to her side as she moved. A small smile found its way onto her lips as the calming peace of the place took over her body. It was refreshing, in a way. The silence. Normally her ears would be pounded with hundreds of voices trying to out talk one another, not drinking in the gurgling water and rustle of leaves. Autumn sat down, all of this running through her head as she settled herself against the fountain's side. She began to rummage through her book bag, looking for the sandwich she'd made herself in her dorm that morning. Very rarely did she buy lunch from the school, seeing as she was a bit tight on money. Her income came from her job at the cafe and the checks from her parents were as untypical as her eating outside. Autumn liked it this way, though, because she felt independent. It was a proud emotion for her, after being so used to having parents to support her, even if they never truly did.

Once her hands finally found the little plastic bag, she pulled it out and set it in her lap. Autumn then dove back into her bag, this time searching for a physics book. She had homework she could start on while eating, a pleasure she was deprived of more often than not. Autumn finally found it, snatching up a pencil before yanking them both out and setting them on the ground next to her. A notebook was stuck in the cover of her book, which was her way of keeping things organized, so she pulled it out, as well, and opened to a fresh page. Licking her thumb, the faint sound of foot steps coming towards her reached her ears. She blinked up in surprise, trying to see who else was smart enough to escape the jungle called their cafeteria.

TAG: Open :D
WORDS: 502!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Vann W. Michael-Vincent]

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Today felt like a good day to try something different. The weather was nice and the air was fresh. It made Vann want to try something different. So, instead of his usual routine of eating his bag of Doritos in the lunch room cafeteria, Vann decided to go on an adventure. Today's adventure wasn't far from the school, it was actually part of it. Letting his feet carry him in what ever direction they chose, Vann ended up in the courtyard of the school. Even though the courtyard wasn't dark and gloomy like he would have preferred, it was still a nice place to get away.

There weren't as many people as he would have expected out today. Usually, there ended up being a million recognizable faces everywhere he went. It was almost as if hardly anyone had the same idea as him, not that that was a hard thing to believe. The few people that he did spot out here seemed to be lost in their own little worlds.

Ever since the schools merged, Vann spent a majority of his time wondering who was gifted and who was normal. It wasn't like it mattered much, he just wanted to know who to be extra sure not to slip up around. He was constantly afraid he was just going to accidentally make skin contact with someone else and stick to them. It wasn't fun. He remembered back in his middle school one year that he had stuck to the girl that sat next to him. He got suspended for sexual harassment even though it wasn't his fault. But how could you possibly explain to a teacher that you just...well, stick to stuff accidentally? He would have probably got in deeper trouble for such an outrageous lie.

Vann's thoughts dissolved almost instantly when he finally spotted a familiar face. Oddly, it wasn't one he had expected to ever see again since he had no intention on going home except to get his sister in the future and save her from the screaming and heart ache.

No one other then Autumn Benson herself had ever had curly short hair like that. He was positive it was her. She was sitting only paces away on a fountain doing what looked to be homework or something. What the Hell was she doing here? He had never seen her amongst the Zeger kids before, so did that mean she went to the other school? What a small world it truly was. A smile played its self across Vann's face and he finished walking the distance between him and Autumn. It was nice to see someone whom he knew wasn't going to just brush him off and call him a freak. Even though he had hardly talked to her growing up, he knew she wasn't as judge-mental as most from here.

"Is this seat taken?" Vann asked in a friendly voice.

[Autumn S. Benson]

Autumn could tell you one thing about the merging of the two schools: she didn't know what to think. With all the rumors that reached her ears, it was kind of hard not to be speculative of the whole thing. She'd loved her freshman year over at the other school, but this was was just as nice. The merge also gave her an opportunity to meet new people, which was always welcomed on her part. But it also meant new teachers to deal with. She could get along with students just fine, and that was about it. Her shy side always dominated when around a new adult. It was probably because she'd never had one to trust, therefore she didn't give out that trust to any adults at all. Actually, she didn't give out her trust to anyone at all. She had a nice group of friends who she was very close to, but not close enough to to reveal her entire past to them. Nobody really knew where she'd come from, only that she hadn't grown up with them in their cushy middle class suburbs.

Well, maybe one person did know that. Autumn blinked in shock as she took in the boy walking towards her, trying to believe that he was actually here. Sure, she'd only spoken to him a whole two or three times the entire time they'd lived by each other, and yet she'd still developed a crush on him. "Uhm, no. N-No. Sit down," she answered, biting her lip and quickly picking up her text book. She hastily shoved her notebook back under the cover, tucking both into her backpack again. Autumn fiddled with her unopened sandwich in her lap, trying to figure out something to say. That was a little hard with the way her heart was pounding in her head, but she managed something. "When did you get here?" she questioned, still looking at him like he was some sort of ghost. For all she knew, he could be. She could've hit her head on the fountain and now was seeing things. As she looked at the bush of hair and gorgeous smile she remembered so, so well, Autumn knew he wasn't a ghost or creation of her own mind. He was real. And sitting right next to her.

Her hands continued to fiddle with her sandwich, toying with the corners of the ziplock bag as a distraction and excuse to not gawk at him any longer. She took a deep breath, shoving away the nerves that so rarely popped up in her system and calming her mind down.

TAG: Vann :D
WORDS: 454!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Vann W. Michael-Vincent]

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Vann sat down next to her as if there was nothing at all odd about this. His expression looked as if this had just ran into someone he'd expected to meet here. It wasn't that he wasn't amazed to find her here, it was just that he always tried to make sure he never gave to much away. It was fun to keep people guessing at what he was thinking, and weirder things have happened to him other then bumping into Autumn just now. Life was full of surprises like that. The unpredictable is what made living an outrageous adventure for him.

"Uh, well, I got here when the school's merged like everyone else," Vann answered her question with a smart-ass expression that meant he was joking. "I went to Zeger Academy before the schools merged."

Pulling on both sides of the Dorrito bag, Vann opened it harshly. It was a good thing he actually managed to remember to put his leather gloves on today so he didn't have another accident. Not being able to put the bag down or something stupid like that would probably crush his mood, and he was filling too good to let himself get crushed. Vann held the red bag of nacho flavored Dorritos out toward Autumn.

"Want some? These are the best, they're gonna make me fat one day."

He knew that Autumn was probably going to ask more questions, but for the moment, he didn't have any for her. It didn't matter why she was here, because she was. Going with the flow was one of his many talents.

[Autumn S. Benson]

Autumn watched as he sat down, her eyes still a little wide from the fact that he was actually here. She hadn't figured on anyone from her old neighborhood going to a decent school like this. Especially not Vann. And his very Vann-ish expression reminded her of just how strange this little meeting was. Talk about a small world.

A small smirk tugged at her lips when he answered her, having half expected something like that as a reply. From the various times she'd watched him, Autumn had been able to gather that he was a bit of smart alec on occasion. "Well no duh," she replied with a shake of her head and a smile.

The moment he said he'd gone to Zeger, one of Autumn's eyebrows rose. That was the school who apparently had freaks for students. "Zeger? Really?" she questioned again. "Aren't the kids there aliens or something?" This time, it was her turn to joke. Her voice was teasing as she spoke, eyes glittering with fun as she looked at him.

A quick blink of surprise was on her face as he offered her the Dorritos. This was the most they'd ever really spoken to each other in the whole time they'd known one another. Hesitantly, she reached out a hand to grab a chip, hoping they weren't posioned. "Thanks," she smiled with another laugh at his words. Her teeth chomped down delicately on the chip, making it vanish in a few seconds. It'd never been her nature to inhale things like some people, but she didn't take five hours to eat one meal, either.

TAG: Vann :D
WORDS: 288!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Vann W. Michael-Vincent]

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A laugh came out of Vann's mouth when she spoke of the Zeger kids being aliens. He had never really talked to a student while being aware that they were from the other school. He couldn't believe that this is what outsiders thought of them as. With all the weird stuff going on, Vann was surprised that the other school hadn't come to an even weirder conclusion. He didn't blame the normals for thinking about them in this way. It was only natural to be freaked out by the unknown.

"Yeah, and at night, when the kids from your school all sleep, we peel off our skin to the green under-layer. Our eyeballs come out too and get replaced with black, glittering ones," Vann laughed as he explained this is an extremely sarcastic voice. "It's pretty outrageous."

Although he wasn't very accepted by his family members, Vann had not once ever wished he was normal. Normal seemed a bit boring to him. Sometimes he wished he could take Autumn or another person like Autumn into his world and show them the impossible. He was aware that that could just end badly, but there had to be a few who'd be intrigued by the things some people could do. All Vann could do was stick to things though. That was only good for climbing trees fast or crawling on walls. But, in one of his classes, he'd met people who could blow up the room with one sneeze. Some of that was pretty awesome stuff.

Vann then took a chip for himself and threw it into his mouth. It was only when he remembered that he was around a girl that he shut it while he chewed. As care-free as he was, he didn't want to be disgusting around a girl he considered very attractive like Autumn. He'd always thought she was a good sight for his eyes, he'd just never put much effort into talking to her in the past. Things were a bit complicated back home, and he didn't want to risk the chance of getting to know another person. People always left and betrayed him. But here it was different. The risks were low, because life was easy. All he had to do was sleep, eat, go to class, and fill his free time. No screaming parents. No worries. Well, aside from his worry for his little sister back home.

[Autumn S. Benson]

Autumn's teeth bit gently down on the inside of her lip as she listened to his laugh, drinking in the sound for a moment. It was one she'd never heard before from him, even though she'd practically lived next door to him most of her life. But, then again, there wasn't too much to laugh about on their block, which was probably why she'd never had the chance to hear him laugh. And, gosh, did she like it now that she'd finally be rewarded with that special prize.

"For all I know, that's exactly what you guys do," she teased again, sticking her tongue out at him as he laughed once more. "Though, there's crazier things being spread around than that, trust me." Autumn shook her head in slight disgust as memories of rumors came back to her. The alien one was a lot less insane than some about them having "magical powers" and being "some freaky goverment experiments." Sure, they sparked her never dying curiousity, but she figured none of them were true. The students were just that: students. And they were the same as anyone from her school. Well, as "same" as defiant high schoolers can ever be.

Autumn blinked herself back to the present, finishing her chip and swallowing before looking down at her still closed sandwich. She carefully opened it, pulling out a half of the PB&J she'd made that morning in her dorm room. The dorm building's kitchen was usually crowded and cramped with girls all trying to make their own lunches at the same time, so Autumn preferred to just keep a little something up in her room and avoid the morning rush. It saved her time and the chance of getting food dumped onto her clothes. That would definitely be embarrassing. "You want half?" she smiled warmly at him, holding the piece out to him and waiting for an answer. While she was hungry, she wouldn't mind sharing a little. Afterall, he had given her a chip.

TAG: Vann :D
WORDS: 352!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Vann W. Michael-Vincent]

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There was no doubt in Vann's mind that there were even crazier rumors about them going around. He'd heard a few him of them, but he laughed about those too. He wondered what people were going to think once the truth got out. Were they going to lock them all up like animals? And if they were going to, could they really do it? Some of their powers were too amazing to stuff in a box. They'd probably end up having everyone's minds erased with someone who had the ability to do that. It would be chaos until then. Most normals were unaccepting.

When Autumn asked if Vann wanted half, Vann starred at the sandwich for a good ten, long seconds. He knew that the polite thing to do would be not to steal her food, but he just couldn't help it. He loved to eat. Calories were his favorite word, because they did nothing to his body. And even if they did, he probably wouldn't give a crap anyways.

"Sure, thanks," Vann smiled. "And, you can have as many awesome Dorritos as you want too, of course."

He put the bag of chips in the middle of them where they could both get at them. The thought of her maybe not liking the chips never crossed his mind, because he couldn't believe any human could not like the taste of Dorritos. They were like chips from the over lord, as weird as that sounded.

[Autumn S. Benson]

Autumn sometimes wondered what the Zeger kids thought about the students at her school. Were there rumors of them being aliens spreading around like wildfires, too? She doubted it, seeing as there never had been any before the schools merged. But there had to be something going around, right? It was only fair, after all, that both groups of kids had their little questions about the other. Even though things had gone off relatively well so far, it was only a matter of time before that bomb went off. As far as she knew, there hadn't been any fights this year. And she hoped there wouldn't be any in the future. She hated animals like that, especially when they were female.

Her teeth continued to chew her lip as the silence between her and Vann grew heavier. Was he going to take it? Get up and walk away? She fidgeted with the bag in her lap some more, trying not to show how nervous she really was. This wasn't like her at all, though. Normally, she'd be laughing and Miss Sunshine, not nervous and fidgety dork. And then he finally took it. A small flash of relief spread over her face, turning into a smile the next moment as he set the bag of chips between them. "That's definitely a fair trade," she replied with a nod, reaching down to grab another chip from the bag.

TAG: Vann :D
WORDS: 243!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Vann W. Michael-Vincent]

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When Autumn took another chip, Vann smiled. He was glad that he offered her something she actually seemed to like so he didn't feel like a total jackass while shoving some of her food in his mouth. Damn, this sandwich was good. Of course, he thought that about anything edible usually. Vann was such your typical boy, but yet, he was so different. He was the weird one who drew pictures of flesh eating zombies and half-dead people. That was a side of him he usually waiting to express to people just as a common courtesy.

"So, I hear there's some kind of school dance coming up. Like, homecoming."

It wasn't like Vann to talk about a school dance, but he wanted to strike up a conversation. And girls like dances, didn't they? Usually, chicks had ton to say about dances, and they wouldn't shut up about dresses and matching ties. Dances weren't usually his thing, but he was sort of hoping to ask Autumn as a way to get to know her better. Of course, the thought of asking her only bumped into his mind about two seconds ago though. He wondered what she'd even say. He wasn't really into the whole rejection thing, and he had never asked a girl out in his life.

As sad as it is for a teenage boy to admit, Vann had never had a girlfriend in his life. He had girls that have openly flirted with him and showed an interest in him, he just never gave effort from the other side. There was just something about the way Autumn seemed to talk her few simple words that drew him to her. He already wanted to know her better.

[Autumn S. Benson]

When Vann smiled, Autumn couldn't help admiring the way it lit up his face. Then again, smiling usually had that effect on most people. It was why she wore the expression so much. She'd been told by various people that she looked prettier when she had a grin on her lips, and therefore tried to have one as much as possible. While she didn't exactly care if other people thought her nice looking or not, it was a confidence booster to know they did. Every teenager had their insecurities, and she wasn't excluded from that. Any extra confidence that could be found was usually welcomed heartily.

"Yeah. Isn't the soccer team playing before it?" she answered to his statement, butterflies twisting her stomach all of a sudden. Was he going to seriously ask her to the dance?

Autumn figured if she waited long enough, another boy would ask her. It wasn't as if she was one of the wall flowers and unnoticed by them. Besides, if nobody did end up inviting her along, she could always go with her friends. That would probably be more fun than ending up with someone she barely knew. Though, she didn't consider Vann to be in that category. They had grown up on the same street, even if they hadn't talked to each other too much. Heck, she was lucky she knew his first name.

That made the possibility of him asking her seem less and less real. She guessed that he'd already snapped up some other girl, maybe even had a girlfriend. He was decently cute, afterall. Definitely datable by her standards. Maybe she could ask him... or would that be weird? Probably. Ugh. Why couldn't it be "normal" for a girl to ask a guy?!

TAG: Vann :D
WORDS: 305!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Vann W. Michael-Vincent]

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Truthfully, Vann had no idea if the soccer team was playing before it or not. He didn't have much interest in the sports here, and he wasn't very good at them. Once, his freshman year, when he was kicking around the soccer ball in gym class, the teacher made them all take off their shoes for some stupid reason. The ball ended up sticking to his foot, and he spent the rest of class flailing his foot around like an idiot while everyone laughed at him. He hated soccer since then. Usually, he would just make a dumb joke and laugh it off, but that was before he had the sense to. He was only just learning to be a care-free spirit.

"Yeah... Um, do you have a date to the dance? Because if you don't, you should go with me. It can be as friends, if you don't want it to be a real date. I mean, it could be a real date if you want that, of course but no pressure. And if you don't want to go with me, that's fine too. I was just asking considering the fact that you're here, and I'm here... And we, in a way, grew up together and there's a chance that we just might hit it off or something like that... But then again, I could be totally wrong now. Oh jeez, I'm a freak. Shutting up now."

Vann laughed almost nervously at his long speech he hadn't meant to ramble off. Wow, he so wasn't used to getting that way around people. He felt almost like an idiot. He could've said "Hey Autumn. You, Me, and the dance? How bout it?!" Anything would have sounded cooler then what he had just done. Oh well, it wasn't as if he had the ability to go back in time. Minus well just leave it alone before it got worse. The worst that could happen is her saying no.

[Autumn S. Benson]

There weren't too many activites at school that Autumn was involved in. She was aware of them, yes, but between studying and working, there wasn't a lot of free time. And the spare moments she did get were usually spent with her friends at the mall or just hanging out around campus. But, the soccer team was of slight interest to her. A few of the mentioned friends' boyfriends played on it, so of course she'd gone to games last year to help support the team. Besides, it was good for her to get out and be around people, though she usually deprived herself of the pleasure. She loved to talk, but getting a good education was important to her. She didn't want to take the risk of ending up like her parents. Raising a child in that situation would be pure torture, as she knew. It'd be difficult with anyone, but maybe the right person could make things easier. Obviously, with the fights she'd witnessed, not every couple could be perfect. Autumn just hoped she and whoever she eventually ended up with could be somewhat close.

And maybe that "whoever" would be Vann. She'd day dreamed about it numerous times as a child, but they'd faded since he'd mysteriously left the town. Of course, she realized now that he'd come here to attend school, just like her. Seeing him brought those fantasies back to the present and she had to admit she liked it.

She listened to him ramble, a smile tugging at her lips as he finished. Autumn couldn't help laughing, though she knew it was rude. "I didn't have a date about thirty seconds ago," she smirked playfully. "I'd like to go with you. On a real date, not just as friends. Besides, we've got a lot to learn about each other before we can be real 'friends.' A date might just help with that."

TAG: Vann :D
WORDS: 336!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3

[Vann W. Michael-Vincent]

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Vann's confidence faded when she mentioned not having a date thirty seconds ago. Did she actually manage to text someone while he was talking just to get a date so she could turn him down? He hadn't seen her reach for a phone, but maybe he was just dense. It was a relief when she spoke past the first pause of the sentence. It was him she was referring too. Vann couldn't believe he had that many doubts within a short pause. He felt incredibly stupid and had to brush the very short redness from his cheeks away before he could regain his confidence and speak again.

"Awesome... But uhh, I don't dress up."

He felt like he should add that in just in case she thought that he was going to be in the cliche suit and tie. He was going to dress up, just, it was going to be in his own way. He prefered clothes that had a bit more of an edge to him.

"I think we're going to be the best of friends," Vann spoke in an insanely cheesy voice like a child's cartoon character on purpose and he put his arm around her shoulder to give her a friendly, cheesy hug.

He had to regain himself somehow after blabbering like an idiot only moments ago. Being sarcastic was his way of trying to do just that.

[Autumn S. Benson]

Autumn wasn't confident. Not at all. But she wasn't one to go around bashing herself and making up insane things just to force herself into crying. Sure, she had a ton of material she could use for such an activity, but she wouldn't be that negative. It just wasn't her nature to be. It was her nature to be smiley, cheerful, and definitely teasing, though. Which was why she was being just that with Vann. And, from the looks of it, he was enjoying the little conversation just as much as she was. That could be her misinterpreting the situation, though. How embarrassing would that be?! What if he found her teasing annoying? Oh, gosh. The date would be completely horrid then.

"As long as you don't come in swim trunks or something else ridiculous, I won't complain," she giggled gently after he spoke. Honestly, she found it kind of cute when guys got all dressed up in a suit and actually bathed for a girl. But she wouldn't voice that opinion now. Maybe later...

The feeling of his arm slipping around her shoulders forced her not to get lost in thoughts of him in a tux, which was a bit depressing. Autumn figured he'd look pretty darn hot, even if it was just in her dreams. Not like he hadn't been in those before. "I believe I said a real date, not as friends," she answered with a laugh, bumping her shoulder into him.

TAG: Vann :D
WORDS: 260!
NOTES: <3 <3 <3