Lonely [TJ/open]

[soveliss]

29^th April, 2009

Life certainly hadn’t been the kindest to Elli Sonra. Since his escape from level 5 he had more or less simply been stuck in New York, unable to get out. He couldn’t drive out, didn’t have the money to get a air ticket, and on top of that he didn’t have his passport. He was more or less stuck, and was wishing that he had never trusted that weird guy with the glasses, who had been pretending to help him.

And now he was stuck in this city, finding no possible way of getting out, and no way of even being able to know if his family, or what was left of them was OK. Albeit he was the one who has chosen to leave them, in a search for answers when he had just about discovered his power, but still, it would have been nice to have the option to be able to see how they where.

So now he was sat in one of the many coffee shops around New York city, drinking his cup silently, and staring out of a window. He was trying to figure out his next move, what he even possibly was able to.

[tonya]

TJ loved living in Las Vegas, she loved being near her older cousins, they just made her feel so good about herself. In fact she felt like a princess when they were around. They treated her like one and to be honest TJ loved it. However all girls need a break away from the norm, and after getting a hold of teleportation from another Evolved Human she had touched and absorbed the power from, she decided to go on a shopping trip to New York and ended up in Manhattan.

TJ looked around in awe of the city, it was simply wonderful. The clothes she would be able to buy here. Cousin Brendan had given her a few blank cheques and told her to go and spoil herself to some new clothes. She loved Brendan, she loved all her cousins, but Brendan was the one she seemed to be closest to for some reason, not because he was always giving her blank cheques of course.

After spending about an hour shopping, because she knew she had to get back to Las Vegas before her power absorption disappeared, she saw a coffee shop and decided to go in for a quick drink before heading for home. She bought herself a muffin and a latte and then had a look around for a table, however most of them seemed fairly full apart from one. TJ went over to it, and with a warm smile, she looked down at the guy sitting there.

"Hi, ya mind if I sit here for a while do ya?" she asked, and then looked around, and back to him before continuing, "All the others seem to be a bit busy ya know?" she added, her usual typical combination of Canadian and Southern accents coming out in her voice.

[soveliss]

Elli had been staring out of the window, thinking silently, and wondering about life, about where it lead you, and where you where meant to end up. Whether it was a pre-determined journey, or your own choices. Either way, it didn’t matter that much anymore, all he had to do was his best to make whatever he possibly salvage from what was left, and what he had of his life, despite all the problems which he had suffered from recently.

This was when a girl, maybe a little older than he was, asked whether she could sit down next to him. She seemed to have a bit of an accent, “Um, yeah, I suppose so.” He said, half a smile, making sure that there was room for her to sit down. He looked out the window for a second, then turning back to the girl. “I’m Elli by the way.” He said, trying to be a little polite.

[tonya]

TJ hoped the guy wouldn't mind her asking to sit beside him, especially when to be fair they were complete strangers to each other. It wasn't every day a stranger came up to you and asked if you could sit beside them after all. But there really was nowhere else for her to go, otherwise she'd have just had to ask for it to be made take-away instead.

TJ was glad when he gave her a semi smile and said it was alright, or at least he supposed it was alright anyway. She smiled back at him, at least he hadn't said no. "Thanks, that's really kind of ya" she said as she sat down after he had made room for her. She took a sip of her latte and sighed to herself at how good it tasted before taking a bite of her muffin.

That was when the younger guy then spoke to her again introducing himself to her. She swallowed and then smiled before answering. "Sure is good to meet ya Elli, am Tonya Jaime, although most folks call me TJ." She replied being as polite as he had been with herself. Then to continue the conversation on, so they wouldn't be sat there for ages in what you could only describe as stunned silence, TJ spoke again, "So what brings ya to New York?" She hoped it wasn't a nosy question, but she just wanted to make polite conversation. Not that TJ was from New York herself of course, she had just come here to shop until she dropped and she just about done that.

[soveliss]

“No problem.” Elli replied, when TJ had said that it was nice of him to let her sit down. He was quite polite, compared to how a lot of people his age where. She sat down, and introduced herself. She had what seemed like a different, or stranger name, but then again, so did he, so why should it matter much.

Then she asked what had brought him to New York. Elli felt himself go a little pale, “Um, it’s complicated really, you probably wouldn’t understand, but why are you here?” He wasn’t really that confident with saying that he had been kidnapped, and dropped in New York, even although he actually lived on the other side of America, and it would most likely even prove to be a strange matter on top of that. It was just one of the things he felt he shouldn’t be telling people anyway, they would want to know why he was kidnapped, and then he would have to figure out some half baked lie, to avoid talking about his ability.

[tonya]

TJ smiled when Elli said it was no problem for letting her sit beside him. She would have had nowhere else to go but out the shop otherwise. Besides maybe this was an opportunity to make a new friend. After all, apart from Stephen, TJ didn't really have many friends. It was rather sad to be honest.

TJ just gave Elli a weak smile when he said his reason for being in New York was complicated. That meant he didn't want to talk about it, and TJ wouldn't push it. Instead he asked her, what she was doing in New York. "Oh, my cousin, writer of The Chronicle newspaper, you know that one for Evolved Humans, gave me some blank cheques and told me to spoil myself, so I've been buying some new clothes." TJ explained away her reason for being in New York, and then realised she had just mentioned the newspaper for Evolved Humans, she began to wonder if Elli would know what she was talking about and if he'd be one of the ones who wouldn't understand.

"And you know, I might understand, you should try me, I'm betting there are things about me which would probably surprise ya." TJ added with a warm smile. Usually when people said they wouldn't understand, it was because they were special like TJ was special.

[soveliss]

Elli listened to TJ explaining why she was in New York. It turned out that his theory might have been right, that she certainly wasn’t from New York either. A couple of words stuck out in his head though. ‘The Chronicle newspaper, you know that one for Evolved Humans’ Was she like him? With an ability? It seemed to him like there was a good chance that she did actually have an ability, which would actually be interesting.

“Did you say, ‘evolved humans’?” He asked. ”What do you mean by that?” He really shouldn’t just blurt out that he could absorb air right away, considering what he had been through, and what he still had the potential to go though anything which could be either just as bad, or worse. That said, since his escape, he had been a whole lot more calm, and in control of him power, which was good for both him, and just about anyone else nearby, so he wasn’t killing them.

[tonya]

TJ almost choked on the bit of muffin she had taken when Elli questioned the 'Evolved Humans' thing and asking what she meant by that. She kept forgetting that not everybody was like her, although just about everybody she had met so far, were just like her. If he wasn't like her, then she had just spilled her secret to a normal human. She gulped a little and then wiped her mouth before speaking.

"Evolved Humans, people with abilities, you know like the X-Men?" TJ said quietly as she leaned across the table, so she knew everybody else around them couldn't hear what she was saying. "Well my cousin works for the newspaper for people with abilities, like me." She added, now she had told him the truth about herself, she just had to hope and pray he was like her, or if not, that he at least understood and wouldn't go all weird on her.

Once she knew he understood she would tell him about her power and how it worked. She was making sure she didn't touch him, unless she was touching him with his clothes on, it was why she didn't shake hands with him, because she didn't have a pair of gloves on her, she obviously didn't want to lose the power of teleportation before the time was up for her to go back to Las Vegas.

[soveliss]

Elli was able to listen to TJ’s explanation of what she had meant by ‘Evolved Humans’ To him it seemed to actually be a little careless to simply go around blurting out about them, without the complete certainty that would only really be possible if you knew whoever you where talking to actually had an ability. “I think I know what you mean.” He said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

Now the way he saw it, there where two, or maybe three paths he could go along, or would end up it. He could completely drop the subject, and change it to something else. Or he could carry on with it, which would lead to something else. Either she was from the company, and trying to track him down, or the other option, which was that she wasn’t, and he was safe, or safe enough. In his mind he really only had one choice, it was a chance, but if he turned it down, then he was going to be stuck in New York for another good while.

“I can absorb air.” He said quietly, but just enough for TJ to hopefully be able to hear him. That was easy, and now what would come was the difficult part. He was certain that TJ had a power or knew about them to a good degree, but now came finding out whether or not she was going to help, or be against him. He had made his choice, but if it came to it, he could hopefully be able to fight his way back out of the problem.

[tonya]

Tonya really couldn't believe she had blurted out about Evolved Humans the way she had with the newspaper, but it was too late now to go back. But she felt she could breathe a slight sigh of relief when Elli said he thought he knew what she meant. His voice had dropped to a whisper but it was loud enough for Tonya to hear. She leaned in further and nodded her head. "I'm glad ya understand." She replied, and then wondered if he was going to tell her he had an ability himself.

It would be awesome if he did. She knew there were people out there without abilities, but almost everybody she had met so far since she had discovered her own all had abilities. But she knew there were people out there who hunted people like herself. Then he spoke again quietly, which made Tonya look deep into his eyes. So he was like her.

"Ya do?" She asked quietly, "I've got an ability too." She added and grinned, "Mine's called Power Absorbing, I can absorb anybody's power by touchin' them." She said quietly, explaining her own power to him. "I hafta be careful around some people, can't go shakin' their hands unless I've got gloves on, unless I'm alright with losing my current ability, which right now I ain't, gotta get maself back to Las Vegas." She explained some more, the whole time keeping her voice low.

It was great to meet someone near her own age who had an ability as well. Maybe she and Elli could become friends Tonya thought to herself.

[soveliss]

Elli felt himself breath a sigh of relief, after he had spoken about his power. It seemed to give a pretty good certainty that TJ was on his side, or at the very least she wasn’t going to be against him. That made him feel safer, and his muscles didn’t need to tense up incase he needed to run away very quickly. Since TJ hadn’t reacted, it had really lifted his nerves, and even calmed him a little – which meant he was far less likely to have his power activate suddenly.

She even told him about her power – power absorbing. “I suppose that is kind of cool.” He said, even if it could also be a little dangerous as well. What made it a little more interesting was that really she didn’t seem to actually have much control and was just taking the next power which came along. It was less control and even made it a little like his power in that he had no possible way of knowing when his power was going to kick in.

She had also mentioned that she was going back to Las Vegas later – most likely via teleporting. After she had said that he spoke again. “You couldn’t like – maybe take me with you please? I’m not really meant to be in New York, I sort of got kidnapped here, and I can’t get back.” It was more of a plea – he didn’t know what he would do in Las Vegas, but at least he would know someone there – and if the company who had come for him where looking for him – well he couldn’t really actually see them even expecting him to have managed to get nearly across the country – he would be safer there.

[tonya]

Tonya grinned when Elli said that her power was kind of cool. She thought it was awesome, but she wasn't daft, she knew it could be dangerous as well. "I think it's awesome maself, but I know I gotta be careful." She said still in her hushed voice. She remembered when she had hugged Brendan and gained his weather manipulation, she had caused it to snow without even knowing it. Brendan had given her such a look. His power was too big for her. She made sure never to absorb that one again, at least until Brendan taught her how to use it anyway.

The next thing she knew Elli was asking if she would take him with her, back to Las Vegas. She wondered why at first, but then he explained about being kidnapped, and Tonya's eyes grew wide open. Of course she had to take him back with her. "Hold a sec." She said to him, as she took out her cell phone and sent a text to her mom and dad, explaining about the young guy she'd met who need help, and could she bring him home with her.

Seconds later, she got a text first from her dad, she grinned as she read it, he had said any Evolved Human was welcome in their house, and then her mom text back saying, as long as it was alright with her father. She then looked up at Elli, "Sure, I can take ya back, and ya can stay with us, just checked with ma mom and dad." She replied grinning at them.

The Fords had a big house, there was plenty of room for guests, and Elli would be treated well with her parents, of that she was certain.

[soveliss]

Elli watched TJ bring out a phone, texting away right after he had asked whether she could take him back with her to Las Vegas. He slightly wondered what she was doing, or what was up, considering that all he had asked was whether or not he could be taken to Las Vegas, but it would be answered a couple of seconds later.

The phone rang, signalling a reply, and Elli was confronted with the news that not only could he go back with them, but he would be able to stay with them as well. “You mean it?” He asked, slightly unable to believe it. He was really not the most common person in the world to have some luck, and now he was. Well he did have luck, but normally bad luck – this was better news.

He smiled, turning into a grin. Maybe he was still slightly doubtful this wasn’t a massive dream, but otherwise, it seemed to be brilliant, better than anything else he had ended up with before.

[tonya]

Tonya had a feeling that her parents wouldn't have had a problem with Elli coming back to Las Vegas with her. She knew that Elli hadn't meant staying with them, however, she knew that the minute an Evolved Human was in trouble would have her dad saying he could stay. He was just like that, he had a thing about Evolved Humans, well not a thing, but he would help any one of them. God, he hated her older sister because she was, as they said in the Harry Potter world, a squib.

"Yeah, I mean it, dad never likes to see people like us in trouble." She said quietly giving him another smile, she noticed how his smile turned into a grin. Which was obviously a very good sign. Tonya liked to think she could help people, and she knew her dad felt the same way.

She finished up her latte and muffin and then looked at the time, she would be losing her ability of teleportation soon. "We can go soon if ya like, to be honest, I think I've only got about fifteen minutes to get us back or I'm stranded." She said in a low voice, and raised her eyebrows, hoping that Elli would understand what she meant. She hadn't exactly told him that every power she absorbed only lasted for a few hours.

[soveliss]

Elli listened to the answer, or how TJ’s family didn’t like to see people with abilities in trouble, and he got it, or though he got it. They liked helping them out, probably had a preference to them, or something like that. Either way, it didn’t actually matter much really, he felt like it would be better for him to go, it would be much nicer than the way he had been living out here in New York.

Then she said something which did surprise him a little more, that they would have to go back pretty soon, as she only had about 15 minutes left. He began to realise how it must work, she could only hold onto a power for a small amount of time, probably a couple of hours.

“Sure.” He said after then, finishing the contents of his cup, and looking round a little. “I assume you need to find somewhere a little quieter to teleport then?” He added after. After all it would be rather strange to everyone else, if two people simply vanished, wouldn’t it.