We Make it Up as We Go

Tess nodded in understanding with him being a resident. She wondered what there was to do on the island. Clearly he lived locally, probably in town where she heard there were apartments and shops. It sounded nice but she had her to go there. She was doing her best to be a great student. Oh so he was twenty three, he looked that age, and not much older than her at all. Perhaps, she had just made a friend?

"Sounds nice, I haven't been into town yet, bit I hear it's nice. I'm a senior in college at the academy. I know society says it's rude to ask a woman's age, but I don't mind telling. I'm twenty one and that's nothing to be ashamed of. If you ask me, society makes up a lot of dumb rules."

Alessandra hoped she wasn't talking too much. She did not want to be classified as a typical female. She was not and refused to be seen as such. She was her own person with her own characteristics and personalities. She stopped the little rant in her head and picked up the twig again. She took a moment to study 3817 again, so she could get a good mental image. She didn't like forgetting the faces of people she met. Very nice blue eyes, did anyone ever study hers line that? Or maybe it was different.

Alessandra smiled as he agreed with her statement. Woman bashed men s lot nowadays, and unless they were men who actually deserved it, she thought it was ridiculous. If everyone just acted respectful like people did in their ancestors days, they wouldn't have this problem. As the world brought on progress it lost respect. What a shame.

"Oh yes, Starlight Academy is a school for the gifted. I haven't met many people, but I've heard of dragon clans, speedsters, element controllers, and all sorts of the powers and magic."

She looked at the ground smiling before she wondered if he had any powers. Maybe he came here by accident? Or just didn't read terms and conditions. Tess usually read most of those. But she didn't really care if other people did. Either way, she was just glad to meet some one who hadn't terrified her.

38 spoke of a power, or something like a power that he had. He said he didn't like using it. That was understandable, a lot of people were unhappy about their powers, from what she has researched. She wouldn't what it was. She would ask him, but of he didn't like using it, it might be a touchy topic.

" Oh, I get it. When I first shifted unaware, I was a squirrel. I was so afraid that I'd be stuck as a talking squirrel. Fortunately, I learned to control it."

Looking back on it now, she could laugh at herself and how scared she had been. She remembered times when she had shifted into animals for her siblings. They had did not think she was any weirder and said she was the best, eldest sibling ever. She felt a little pang of loneliness sweep over her, knowing that she was no longer surrounded by family. She turned over small rock with her shoe and pushed it back and forth.

As 3817 spoke, Alessandra got increasingly sad. He sounded like one of those people who were test projects, forced to have experiments done on them and their lives were changed forever. A strand of anger rose in her as she thought about those kinds of "scientists." She was silent before she noticed him snapping the twigs into really tiny pieces. Being a compassionate person, Tess gently reached out her hand and placed it on one of his.

"I'm really sorry they did that to you. It makes me so angry and sad, I don't even know what to say. I hope you know, I'll never think of you in any way less than human. I hope you're safe now."

Her stomach flipped at the thought of his antagonists. Her mind was starting to piece together a puzzle that she didn't want to assume was correct but she had a feeling...

Tess felt relieved when he told her they had stopped chasing him. She felt a little... Skeptical, however, when he mentioned they had paid. She hoped that meant they had been put away. She listened as he mentioned his gratefulness for her perspective on him.

"I'm glad I can be there for someone...as they say. I couldn't have dealt with my powers if I didn't have someone who supported me. Having powers can be a pretty big deal."

It wasn't until after she finished speaking, that she realized she was still had her hand on his. She removed it casually but felt a blush creep up her neck. Whoops.