The New Girl in...School

What a fascinatingly old building. There are so many possibilities for it... Yet a school seems rather..fitting. The floor could be redone, it's cracking and the pattern is driving my eyes crazy. And the walls are an ugly color, a touch-up wouldn't be so bad. Surely it's in the budget... Of course, who am I to say anything? I'm simply a student here. But I'll soon work my way into something much more...

A shorter-than-average girl stood in the entrance to the opening hallway of the school. She had wisely chosen to go without her heels today, and instead wore simple ballet flats with a bow on the toe. Her white pleated skirt actually reached to her knees, and met her blouse with a belt. A simple blue shrug sat on her shoulders, keeping her thin frame warm. Her pale eyes were emphasized by the dark liner drawn around them. Her lips were naturally pale, and she hadn't bothered to change that this morning.

Lizzie Kelly, you are truly gifted. The girl began walking down the hallway slowly, gazing about at the columns and details in the walls. They really were gorgeous. For the early 1900s. Lizzie held onto the bag strap that hung over her shoulder; it held her every day items. Her other bags had already been placed in the dormitories. She hoped they wouldn't be searched; there were some very personal belongings in them.

Finally noticing that she was holding up the flow of students in the hall, Lizzie moved to the edge, tucking herself behind a column on the side. She watched all of the students in the hallway move quickly, some calling out greetings to each other, many talking loudly with their friends, and others keeping their heads down. Curious, and wanting to try her gift again, Lizzie smiled slightly, thinking happy thoughts. Flowers, sunshine, summer, friends, hugs, small and fluffy kittens...

She could feel the mood in the area immediately brighten. The other students began smiling as well, even those walking with their heads down. She could almost read the thoughts in their minds, and a smirk played on her lips. Good job.

Jason had been minding his own business, leaning up against one of the windows in the hallways and enjoying the light's warmth as it came shining through. He hadn't had particularly much on his mind at the moment, not paying attention to any of the people passing by. He hadn't particularly had the best last few days and felt like keeping to himself - that is, until a certain girl felt like making her presence known; as subtle as it was. He suddenly felt happy, almost elated, a grin growing on his face. He kept his hands stuck in his pockets and looked around, knowing this sudden lift in mood wasn't him - and he had certainly felt a change like this before. His dad wasn't around as far as he could tell, though...

It was about that moment that he saw her, a slightly shorter girl with straight black hair and a curious smile on her face. Now, normally, it wasn't in his nature to jump up and introduce himself... But hell, he was in the mood for it now, so why not? "Hey, there." Jace pushed himself off the wall and walked aside her, looking down at her with a smile, "I haven't seen your face around here. You must be new." He hoped he didn't scare her off. The young man wasn't always as smooth as he wanted to be.

When the tall boy approached her, Lizzie felt her smirk falter. Wow, he's pretty cute. The girl shook her head slightly and returned his smile, pretending to be under the same trance the rest of her peers were under. She redoubled her grip on her backpack strap and looked up him.
"I just arrived," Lizzie answered. "It sounds as though you've been here for a while."

Something about this boy seemed different from the rest of the students. He appeared more relaxed and comfortable, as though he were at home. It intrigued her, and she wanted to find out more. Look at you, already making friends.

Well, if it was of interest, he didn't think she was bad looking herself. The smile he had on his face wasn't all too far out of his usual behavior, and did enjoy meeting new people normally. Jace shrugged, hardly watching where he was going as they walked through the halls, casually switching from putting his attention on the stranger and staring out the window in an aloof manner. "Compared to most, yeah. I know my way around." The young man answered, pausing his walk and looking down at her, his golden eyes shining in curiosity. "Jason." He said, holding his hand out for her to shake, hoping that she would return the favor - and he could learn the name of this pretty girl... Whom he didn't even know was three years older than him, but eh~ /shot.

She could tell he was being truthful, but it still seemed as though he was holding something back. Choosing not to press him, she widened her smile a little. Returning his kind gesture, Lizzie shook Jason's hand.
"I'm Lizzie," she told him. The girl took her hand back, continuing to smile.

She continued walking again, still slower than the student body around her.
"Since you know your way around," Lizzie started, "Maybe you could give me a tour? Or just show me where I should leave my things. That would be really nice." All right, maybe she was flirting a little. But somebody was talking to her, and she really did need to know where she was supposed to go.

Stuffing his hand back in his pocket, he smiled, seemingly satisfied. "Lizzie. That's a nice name." The young man said, not watching where he was going and almost running into someone in an obvious hurry. At her request, he said nothing for a few moments, seemingly thoughtful. "I think I could give you a quick look-around." He said, "The dorms aren't too far from here. And all your big cases should be there already, if memory serves." Jace explained, knowing the standard procedure. "If I do this for you, do I get something in return - like your number maybe?" He asked with a crooked grin, winking at her playfully.

Lizzie looked down at her feet for a second at his comment about her name. She looked up in time to watch him nearly get bowled over, and held back a laugh. That's right, my big cases are in the dorm. Silly me, I forgot. Lizzie's eyes widened when Jason asked about a favor in return. She almost stopped dead in her tracks, but walked forward as though she wasn't fazed by this at all.
"I suppose I could give it to you," she answered coyly, smiling. That was very smooth of him. I didn't even see it coming.

Jason tried to shrug off the little collision, rubbing his arm without noticing - it was easily forgotten when he saw her surprise, or what he thought what was it. It came and went in less than a moment with little hesitation. "Then it'd be my pleasure." Jace near sang, stepping ahead of her and twisting around - beckoning her forward with his index finger. "This way, Miss~." He called, turning a corner and heading out of the hallways and into the outdoors, holding the door open for her.

Stepping light on her toes, and feeling light as a feather, Lizzie followed Jason, trying to hold back her wide smile. She was glad to have made such a quick friend in so little time. The girl thanked the young man as she stepped out the door into the outside air. It was slightly chilly, but felt nice after being in the hallway for a long time.

Once Jace had joined her, she asked him, "Is the school very large?" That was a stupid question. Obviously, it's large.

Luckily for her, she wouldn't have to feel the chilly breeze for long. The dorms were only a short walk away. Jason shrugged the cold off and let the door close on its own, following after her and frowning. "I suppose. It does seem pretty large at first, but after you've been here a while, its not that big of a deal." He admitted, knowing the place with the back of his hand at this point. "That town you passed on the way here, Rosebury, its about the fourth of the size of the entire campus. Does that answer your question?" He wondered, looking down at her with a smile.

The girl had to keep her jaw from dropping. That's an impressive size... Lizzie smiled up at Jason, nodding.
"Yeah, I suppose that answers my question all right." She chuckled slightly. It really was an exciting place, much larger than she expected, but comfortable and welcoming. So far, the people seemed rather friendly and willing to help. This will be a fun place to be. Returning her attention to Jason, the girl asked, "How often to people get to practice or use their abilities?"

Jace noticed the clear surprise on her face and held back a light chuckle. Her surprise would wear off eventually. And hey, maybe he wasn't half-bad of a tour guide~. He shrugged, figuring her next question was coming sooner or later, "We have a class just for training your gifts, but you're welcome to practice on your own time wherever it doesn't cause trouble."

Lizzie nodded. Of course they would have a class for that; that's the whole reason most of them were here, wasn't it? Deciding to push it a little further, she asked her next question with a bit of hesitation.
"At what point is it considered to 'cause trouble'?" she inquired, looking up at him a little more carefully now. Some questions could be taken the wrong way.

The young man said nothing for a few moments before smiling coyly, "That all depends on what you're doing exactly. Alone, or with others..." With a light tone, he let himself trail off, taking a quick step forward and holding the door for her again. A bit more seriously he asked, "Whats your power?"

At Jason's comment, Lizzie's cheeks burned red. She looked at him with her wide, pale eyes. Then he continued as though the comment had never been made. My power? Nothing spectacular.
"I can manipulate emotions," the girl said, shrugging as she stepped through the doorway. She waited just inside for him to come in after her. "And yours?"