The Family Grows Evermore

Samuel walked off of the bus, rolling his eyes. Why did he have to be here? It's not like anybody here could teach him any more about his power than anyone else in the world. There was also the issue of his siblings. Larissa was always kind to him, and he liked her. But Danny, on the other hand, never got along with him. They had some fights in the past, and when his younger brother went off to Beata Academy, he was glad to get away from him. But now his parents had sent him here, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they met each other again. He made his way through the entrance, noticing that there was a lack of activity. He couldn't hear many noises coming from outside, except for the gurgling of the fountain. 'So I guess I'll have to find my own way in. Not that it matters.' he thought.

"Sam?" From the door to the office, Larissa's voice echoed. She couldn't believe that he was here. Sure, she had heard from their parents that he was going to be coming to Beata, but she was sure that he would have fought tooth and nail before that ever happened. He was always so independent, so this was weird that they managed to get him here. As she finally registered that it was, in fact, her older brother, excitement surged through her before she ran out the door towards him. "Sam! What are you doing here?" she asked as she finally grew closer, slowing to a stop when she got a few feet away from him.

Sitting by the fountain, her stuffed rabbit danced around at her feet. Although her power wasn't much yet, she would love Rex no matter what. Clenching her fist, Bridget looked up at the sudden commotion, noticing two vaguely familiar students. One seemed new, the other she'd seen in the halls before. Rex dropped to the ground and Bridget picked up the stuffed bunny. Might as well see what they're up to... The small girl walked to the two, a somewhat bored look on her face. "I don't mean to interrupt your reunion, but might I ask who you are?"

Sam gave his sister a small smile. "Hey Sis! Didn't expect to see you so soon." he said. "How's Beata been treating you?" he asked her. Before he could get an answer, however, a girl holding a stuffed rabbit walked up. "Yes, well, maybe you should think about that before you barge in on siblings who haven't seen each other in a while." he told her, the smile dropping off of his face. "And my name's Samuel."

The summer turned to the girl with a curious look that quickly turned into a small smile. "Larissa," she introduced before she turned back to her older brother. "It's been, um... different," she told him, her excitement ebbing off and being replaced with uncertainty. "I'm glad I'm not alone here is all I can say." With a quick breath, though, Larissa was smiling again and looking at Bridget. The girl looked somewhat familiar, but she had no idea who she was. "What's your name?" She asked.

It was nice to see someone with a snippy attitude such as herself, but unfortunately, Bridget was in no mood for games. Staying quiet, she listened to their conversation. Siblings? Larissa was a Wicker, which meant she was related to the Amells and Hawkes, correct? Although she'd spent so much time studying her family history, it was so big that keeping track of relatives was a pain in the ass. Great, one more family member to deal with. Looking from the boy, she turned back to the girl who'd asked her for her name. "Bridget Amell." She replied in a very uninterested tone, her stuffed animal resting in her arms.

"And unfortunately, I'm assuming that it technically makes us family. You being a Wicker and all." Bridget had heard about the Wickers and how they were looked down upon, which was understandable, being her family was very picky about their bloodline.

"Unfortunate being an understatement." he replied. Was he really related to this stuffed animal-toting girl? How unfortunate indeed. His jaw tightened as he asked Larissa his next question. "So, how's Daniel?" As much as he fought with his younger brother, he was still family. Well, direct family, not the diluted gene pool he was attached to. He wondered how many other gifted students here he was related to. Hopefully they wouldn't make themselves known to him. Danny and Larissa would be enough family to last him a lifetime here.

Amell... That rang a bell. When Bridget mentioned that the three of them were related, the only place Larissa could have possibly heard that last name was at a family reunion at some point. The summer smiled at Bridget up until she said something about 'unfortunately' being related to them. Was that a bad thing? Larissa's brows furrowed for a moment before Sam's voice caught her off guard, but she didn't say anything until her brother asked about Daniel. "Oh, he's good. We live in the same dorm!" she said with a bit of excitement. It was really nice that the school didn't separate them. "He's been busy with attempting school work and being a recluse."

Well, at least he felt the same way that she did. But then again, most Amells, Wickers, and Hawkes had this snippy attitude. Listening to their conversation, she tried to connect the new guy with Larissa. He looked almost nothing like her yet he called himself brother. Guess the Wickers just adopt anyone these days. "So, I hate to break up your wonderful little reunion," She started, shifting Rex to a more comfortable position in her arms. "but I think he should get checked in."

Sam nodded. "You and he were always hard to separate." he told his sister before turning towards Bridget. Her attitude was getting on his nerves. "I do need to be checked in. Why don't you and your little stuffed bunny lead the way, if you're so anxious for me to be registered." he told her impatiently. Wasn't he allowed any time to spend with his sister before he was whisked off?

Larissa nodded back with a cheerful smile. She was so happy to see that Sam had joined them. She didn't exactly look up to him, but she loved all of her family and it was nice to have someone else here that she knew and liked. Maybe he could make this terrible school just a little bit better. Suddenly Bridget caught her attention again and all the summer could do was look at the girl with a confused expression mixed with slight dislike. Larissa didn't want to judge the girl right away, but she couldn't figure out why Bridget had such an attitude. "Maybe... I can come with you guys? The office isn't very far from here and I don't have any classes coming up."

"Yes, well, you'll have plenty of time to catch up." He needed to check in someday and Bridget was just helping him along. Nodding to Larissa, the smaller girl started walking towards the office. She'd caught the hint of dislike in the girl's face before she turned around but decided to stay quiet about it. Besides, why should she care what some Wicker thinks of her? Well, she kind of did, but that was besides the point. Maybe the reason she disliked them was because all her life, Bridget had been looked down upon for her power and now she had the chance to look down at someone else, if that's how it worked.

"So Samuel, what might your power be?." Bridget didn't bother turning around while she talked.

"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?" he replied, digging his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he walked alongside Larissa. "If you must know, it is the same power that my dearest brother and Larissa have." he said, lifting one hand out of his pocket. He lifted the hand to about head-level, and made it glow with energy for a few seconds. He let the light fade as he released a deep breath. He hadn't realized that would've taken that much concentration and energy.

Larissa followed along behind the two silently, listening to their conversation. She still wasn't quite sure about Bridget, but at least now the girl was trying to have a genuine conversation rather than picking on the two of them and being rude. However, when Sam responded, Larissa didn't know whether to try to elbow him in the side for his snide comment or just leave it alone. In the end, she chose the latter but didn't save him from a slight judgmental look and a light sigh paired with an eye roll. "It's basically energy blasts. I think that's what the administrators called them on paper. I really don't know what else they could be, but the name just sounds silly..." Her voice trailed off as she found herself rambling a little. The summer wasn't quite sure where she was going with that, so she fell silent and watched her brother mess with his power for a moment. It was so cool to watch him have so much control over it. The last time she tried something like that, she shot off a treetop and half of campus smelled like burned wood for the rest of the day.

"I wish I could do that..." she muttered as they grew closer to the buildings. Eventually, she stopped at the front door of the large building that loomed over them and opened the door, looking intently at the two accompanying her.

Watching Samuel show her his power, she wondered how boring it must be to all have the same power. All doing the same thing, how generic. Now I understand why the Amells didn't want them in their bloodline. She could tell he was trying to show off his "wonderful" light blasts, but Bridget wasn't that amused. Honestly, she was never easily amused. "Interesting. Must be fun." She lied as they reached the door. "By the way, something I've learned since my first day at Beata," Bridget turned around to face Sam, standing on a step that made her as tall as him. "if you run into an Amell or Hawke, be prepared for a fight." It was kind of odd statement, but in the end, it would save his dignity and maybe his life.