What a Loser [Open]

A slick black limo pulled up to the entrance of Beata Academy. It's surface was perfectly polished and not a blemish was visible anywhere on the sweet vehicle. The back door slowly swung open, and a boy stepped out. His thick, black hair lazily fell into his eyes in a shaggy mess. He wore a suit; the black jacket was wrinkled and carelessly hung open, the waistcoat wasn't buttoned quite right, the collar of his white shirt underneath was tight on his neck, and his tie was loose and sloppy. He wore black jeans, where his hands were buried into his pockets, and black dress shoes, which housed his feet. Honestly, Asher would rather be wearing his favorite hoodie and some sweat pants, but his dumb father wanted him to make a "good first impression". When has Asher ever made a good first impression?

The 15 year old boy was an inch shorter than average, and he was thin. His green eyes, which looked more gray than anything, blinked against the bright sunlight as he raised up a pale hand to shield them from the shining rays. A glorious sight sat before him; it was a large building that could only be described as beauty. A fountain squirted up beyond the open gates of the entrance, and students bustled about, creating a swarm of teens. "Holy crap," Asher mumbled with an angry sigh. He had never been informed by his dad that there would be this many students. Once he got his luggage--a single gray suitcase--out of the limo, it drove off and Asher stood there, all alone, looking like an idiot as he tried to figure out which way to go.

It wasn't often Ash passed by the front gate, since it was kind of out of the way and there wasn't very often anything to do there. The tall teen liked sitting around and reading but it was best done in the library or inside in general. But, it seemed, he was destined to stop by the entrance that day. Or, at least pass it while reading his book on his way to the library when a beautiful black limo pulled up and caught his eye. When Ash was busy, nothing caught his eye.

For a second he was enraptured by the grace and beauty and pure prestige radiating off the wonderful black vehicle, but the longer he stared the more awkward and worried his felt. Who was inside? Was it someone improtant? Did important people come to Beata? They had to be at least a little important to arrive in a sleek limo such as the one that had just pulled up. His hair began to static and shocks began to crawl along each strand of hair. Slowly he closed his book, knowing which page he was on, and began to put his hair up so it wouldn't draw the attention of whoever was in the limo.

People pushed passed Ash, bringing him back to reality as he watched a younger boy look up at the buildings beyond. What was he to do? Did the boy catch him staring? He never spoke to strangers but the intruige was like a good story and, like a good story, this boy and his limo were drawing him in. Ash played nervously with the hardcover book in his hands and approached the boy, taking shallow breaths as he anticipated the unscheduled interaction. "Uh, hello. Are you new?"

Oh, geez! Of course he was new! "Apologies, of course you're new. Um, are you lost?" Was he lost? He looked confused, but no necessarily lost. Ash felt extremely stupid in that moment and felt his static charge build up the longer he stood there.

Out of the corner of his eye, the boy saw movement. He looked over, his hair swooshing as he did so, to see a stranger standing there, staring. Quickly, Asher turned his gaze to the ground and stuffed his left hand deeper into his pocket while he gripped his suitcase with his right hand. "Yeah, I'm new," Asher mumbled. "No need for apologies. My name is...Ash, and uh...can you show me where I'm supposed to uh...go?" Out of a nervous habit, he brought his left hand up to his hair and ran it through his shaggy black locks.

He regretted it the moment he did so. Asher's ability was to control the hormones of those around him, and with even just a flick of his wrist could set off emotions, raise blood pressure, speed up metabolisms, regulate pain, and the list goes on and on. Once, Asher even accidentally caused a woman to...you know...do the thing that only woman do once a month or whatever. It was awful, and he hated that his gift was so stupid. A sharp pain pierced through his skull, sending ripples of throbbing all throughout Asher's head. Migraines were a side effect of his gift, and he winced in agony. Why was this day turning out to be so bad?

Oh no! Had he worried the younger boy? Ash didn't like worrying people because he knew what worry felt like and it wasn't really that fun. Worry made him fizz and pop and it was the weirdest thing ever and no one wanted to see that but he had no idea how to control it. Yet. He would learn.

"Sorry," he cringed at what he said before continuing, "force of habit. Heh, really? I'm Ashton, most people call me Ash but you can call me Ashton if you'd rather. How odd, he had come across someone with a similar name. Although his name was actually Avery, he refrained from mentioning that.

"It'd be a pleasure." Ash said gesturing for Ash to follow him before feeling some awkward weirdness tingling inside of him. It wasn't what he normally felt when his static worked up so it was differenct and weird and Ash felt his static run through his hair in bright blue sparks. "Uh, where are you from? Ash asked awkwardly in attempt to make conversation.

Asher nodded once he heard the other boy's similar name. Ashton was the first person Asher met at the school, and they both went by the same name...what a coincidence. Well, Asher didn't believe in coincidences, but fate, rather. The boy didn't announce his full name, Asher, because his father was the only one who called him that. Everyone else just called him Ash, and he was alright with that.

After Ash gestured for Asher to follow him, the black haired fifteen year old noticed something change in Ash's face, like something had suddenly changed inside of him. He knew that it had been because of his screw up with his nervous habit of running his hand through his hair. Asher tightened his ferocious grip on his suitcase's handle, causing his knuckles to turn white, before he followed after Ash. For some reason, it didn't bother Asher that Ash's head was like the Fourth of July; exploding with bright sparks that Asher related to fireworks against a sky of red.

Quickly, Asher stuffed his hand back into his pocket and avoided eye contact. Even just meeting someone's gaze could set off a horrible hormone catastrophe. The boy pinched his eyelids shut briefly to try and block out some of the pounding pain in his head before he answered Ash's question. "Colorado," he croaked out. Asher wasn't very fond of sharing about his personal life. Even at his old school, where he had the chance to be popular because of his father's wealth, he built up walls around him and blocked everyone else out. Asher had been labeled a freak there, who was mysterious and shadier than anyone else in town. "What about you?"

Ashton considered that Ash had a longer name, it was entirely possible considering that was what he did with his own name, but there was no hard evidence so he called him Ash. It was better than asking about it, because of someone didn't give their real name there was a good reason for it. He knew that from experience.

Walking toward the office, fingers twisting together nervously as he lead Ash, Ashton bit his lip and thought about what he was feeling. It was new, though kind of familiar. It was as if he had felt this feeling only recently before he had moved to Beata. It reminded him of the time he had dropped his books in the hall and when he had leaned down to pick them up one of the popular kids leaned over to help him. Ash blinked heavily, trying to wipe the blush of embarrasment at the thoughts off of his face.

Sparks flew between his fingertips and Ash winced slightly. He wasn't entirely immuned to their effects, but they had numbed him over the years and he no longer noticed them as much. He was glad for the conversation he had started, but he had a feeling this boy wasn't much of a talker and where would he go if Ash stopped talking before they reached the office? "That's cool. I'm from Wyoming. Jackson Hole to be specific. What's it like living Colorado? Did you live near the mountains?" Ash had been able to see the mountains from where he lived, but they always seemed just a bit out of reach.

The other boy was digging too deep, prying for too much information. Asher turned his grayish gaze up to the bright sky above and took a deep breath, scared for what he was about to do. Asher was going to let someone inside of his walls, but just barely. It was like the trailer of a movie, or reading the back cover of a book. You didn't know too much about it, but but enough to be interested. "The top of a mountain. I lived at the top of a mountain." It had always been hard for Asher to breathe up there because of his Asthma, and he hated remembering the many Asthma attacks that could've killed him a few times. If he thought back hard enough, Asher could almost hear his strangled cries as he tried to gasp for air while he choked and coughed. Hidden under his white collar were scars where he had dug his fingernails deep into his skin from a violent Asthma attack that took place not too long ago.

"The town I lived in was built by my great great great grandfather." Asher left out the part about how the town was named after his family's last name, and that the street he lived on was named after a family tradition. The tradition was to name everyone in the family with a name beginning with Ash. There was Ashia, Ashley, Ashlyn, Asher, and many more. He also left out the fact that another tradition was to have everyone's middle name start with a "J". Clearing his throat, Asher continued. "My dad owns the town, and he expects me to be the perfect child because I am the first born son." For the sake of trying not to seem any more snobby, he didn't mention the fact that his dad was rich and that Asher was supposed to own the town one day because he was, in fact, the first born son....it was another family tradition to pass the town down to the first born son.

With a forced laugh, the boy spoke again. "My family is a bit....different. They have a bunch of stupid traditions." He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders like he thought it was stupid. As he did so, his thick black hair swooshed back and forth. "What about your family?" From many years of experience, Asher had developed the trick of turning the conversation back to the other person so that he didn't have to get into too much detail about himself.

Digging was something Ash did. He loved to learn, though he had no idea these things were touchy for Ash. He just knew that this new kid seemed a little wary to even look at him, though he had no idea why. Wringing his fingers together he took a turn leading Ash to the office as the boy answered his question. On top of a mountain? "On top of it? That's really cool. What was the view like?" It had to be stunning, it was from the top of a mountain for goodness sakes! Ash couldn't imagine living on top of a mountain for lack of air and the temperature though he didn't have asthma and his body heat was better than most people. Ashton wouldn't live on a mountain because of those reasons, but he was entirely unaware of the reasons little Ash didn't enjoy it.

This kid just got more interesting and more interesting. "That's pretty awesome. I don't think any of my ancestors did anything that cool. I'd have to look into it though." All the other facts Ash left out were unknown to the sparking red haired boy. He just thought it was funny they shared a name, sort of, and that Ash lived in a town founded by someone he had been related to. There was so much Ashton didn't know about his family, the idea of knowing made him want to go to the library right then and jump on a computer and find out. There had to be something cool he could come back and tell Ash. And then Ashton guessed why Ash was so quiet. "So, you don't want to own the town?" Ash tried to ask it in a way that didn't sound like it would be totally cool to own a town (though he personally believed it would be fun to create his own organization other people had to follow) but asked in a way that was gentle and didn't explicity ask for an answer. Ashton might have been digging deeper than he thought.

Ashton nodded and he felt himself cooling off from the earlier heat attack. "Traditions can be fun. But I suppose if they're stupid." Ash had lots of traditions in his family too, though he enjoyed every single one of them. Ah! Now a question Ashton could answer for days! "I have six siblings and I'm oldest. It's me, Alex, Amber, Anna, Andrew, Analise, and August. August is two and Alex is fifteen. We leave in a small little house in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where my mom works a small farm and my dad works on a military base I don't actually know the location of. We move around a whole lot, but he says this is the last move. He says that a lot." Ash rambled, thinking of what else to say or ask. "Hey, if you don't mind my asking, what's your power?"

Asher shrugged at Ash's question about the view. "I stopped paying attention to it after a while. It may seem breathtaking the first few times, but after fifteen years, it gets old. The place was more like a prison than anything." He remembered back to how he felt like all the trees which loomed over the town seemed to press in on it, as if they were fencing him in and trying to suffocate all the residents.

"Why would I want to own the town? It's like a giant jail cell," Asher mumbled as they drew nearer to the office. He was relieved once Ashton started to ramble on and on about his family, and Asher nodded his head along to what he said to show that he was listening. The new kid's black hair gently swayed in a soft breeze that blew past and his dull eyes still stayed glued to the ground. "My power?" Asher asked in reply to Ash's question. "It's kinda stupid, but...I can manipulate hormones. What about you? I'm going to guess electricity?" 

It was too bad Ash felt like his home was a prison. Ashton still enjoyed Wyoming even though there really was nothing much there. He had moved around so often that when he settled down somewhere it was instantly home and the most beautiful place on Earth. Road trips to new homes made him claustrophobic. "That's too bad. I've never been on top of a mountain, so I wouldn't know." He supposed, there being nowhere to go, meant feeling trapped was likely.

"I bet you're just saying that because that's the only home you know. What I would give for a single home. Somewhere I can always call home. I supposed Beata will be that for a short period of time until I graduate." It suddenly dawned on Ash that he was closer to graduating even if he had just arrived. More moving, whoopee. Talking about family was something Ash enjoyed but he didn't want to make Ash feel too left out, so asking him a question seemed appropriate.

He nodded when Ash echoed what he said, a few strands of hair falling into his face as he did. His hair was the awkward lenght between too short to put all the way up but too long to leave down all the time. Especially with his power. "Interesting. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, there really isn't such a thing as a normal power around here. Uh, kind of. It's more like static than full on electricity. Though I've heard there are a few people here who can manipulate electricity."

Asher bit his tongue to keep from retorting back to Ash. Maybe if he could talk some sense into the red-haired boy, Ashton would understand how Asher felt. He was always expected to be so great and perfect, but Asher was never able to live up to those standards, and his dad wasn't too happy about it. That was why it felt like a prison, because everyone had a special picture of what they wanted Asher to be, and he couldn't be that person. It was holding Asher back from who he wanted to be, and so when he was in his home in Colorado, he felt like he was locked up in a cage. Once the topic changed to powers, Ash was glad, and he took a deep breath to loosen up the heavy weight of anger in his chest from the topic before.

"That's cool. My gift is practically useless, but I guess since hormones can do different things, I have a wide range of opportunity. Take the Enkephalin hormone for example. It releases controlled levels of pain in the body, but if I can control it, I'll be able to induce large amounts of pain. Or, if I had control over the Growth Hormone, I'd be able to shrink anyone and make anyone taller." The boy smiled slightly as he suddenly realized that his gift may not be useless after all. "But, I can't target specific hormones yet, because I need some practice." Asher couldn't use his gift on himself either, but maybe he could, if he practiced enough.

Ashton would understand if Ash didn't want to talk about his home if he didn't want to. Ash would just have to say something and Ashton would drop the subject without asking any questions. He was all about effeciency and there was nothing efficient in an argument where one said didn't want to give any more information. Ashton wouldn't fully understand the whole 'high expectations' to the extent that Ash did, but he was the oldest of six and would be the first to graduate. He was expected to set the best example for his siblings. So far he figured he was doing an okay job.

It was true that different gifts could actually have bigger effects than people originally thought. Ash smiled at the other boy as he listed off the different things his gift could do and realized, with what appeared to be satisfaction, that he could do more than he thought. "I suppose static can do much of the same stuff electricity can. But I don't think I would be able to exceed anything more than electricities lowest setting. Or medium setting." Ash mused aloud, the sparks in his hair dying a little as he thought about it. Talking with the black haired boy allowed him to relax and think about what he could possibly do in the future. "And that's what we're here for. To learn what we can do and get better." Ash said, a strand of red hair falling into his face. They rounded another corner and came into view of the office as he tucked it behind his ear.

"That's the office up there. Is there anything else you need?" Ash asked, pointing to the office and slowing down to get ready to move on. He kind of wanted to continue walking with Ash, but he wasn't sure if the other boy would agree.

Asher nodded to what Ashton said about static's strength. Some feeling had settled inside of Asher's chest...but what was this feeling? He hadn't really felt it before. It felt like acceptance, or friendship. Ash was Asher's first friend since second grade, and Asher had forgotten what it was like to make a new friend.

"Oh, thanks, Ash," Asher said as Ash pointed out the offices. "I think that's all I need." Asher was reluctant to leave Ash, because even though Asher hadn't really let him into his walls, he still thought of Ash as a friend....somewhat. "I mean, you can stay if you want, but I don't want to be holding you back from schoolwork or anything. If you have something you need to do then go ahead and do it." Asher shrugged and nervously shuffled his feet on the paved ground.

Making friends was easy for Ash since he had moved around a lot. Though, depending on the person, it could also be very difficult. Ash had had a few friends at every school that, despite the short length that he was there, he would become extremely close to. So it was only natural for Ash to be good at making friends quickly and he was more than okay if Ash felt like he was friends with Ashton.

"Not a problem." Ash said with a smile and a nod. A small hair fell from behind his ear but he didn't readjust it and it didn't spark. Something about Ash's words made Ashton want to stay behind and talk to him. Ash had been going about his day and he normally had a very strict schedule he followed, but he was very close to the hour he had sectioned off for free time. Maybe he could stay longer. "Um, I don't really have anything important. I could go study. I know they give you maps and such, but if you want I could lead you to the dorms too?" He asked, semi-hesitantly.

He hoped he didn't sound pushy and clingy, he definitely wasn't, but he enjoyed his conversation with Ash and kind of wanted it to keep going.