dad hated caffeine. even if oliver bought his own coffee and left it in the kitchen, labeled and everything so his siblings didn’t take it, it would likely be thrown out by pogo, because their father never dared step foot in the kitchen. he paid people to do that. oliver, on the other handed, needed caffeine to survive. he didn’t do well without it and the throbbing migraine behind his left eye was a testament to that. it wasn’t a hard decision to get coffee but getting out of bed despite the pain was where it got tricky.
after sending a quick text to his siblings asking if they wanted anything from the coffee house a few blocks from the academy, he left and had already made his mind up that if they didn’t reply by the time he got there, they weren’t getting anything.
or at least, he tried to be firm in his resolve. waiting for a reply from everyone, he stepped off to the side, watching his phone anxiously. feeling someone else standing near him, he didn’t look up. “you can go ahead, i’m not in line.”
"Oh, hey, thanks, but I'm not really sure what I want yet."
She looked around for any kind of inspiration or sign. Her indecisiveness was always problematic, even when she wasn't about to potentially change the whole trajectory of her life.
"I could get something with caramel, right? That's always good. Standard, sweet drink. But it could be overpowering. Regular with cream? Less sugar, less jitters. And do I really need more sugar, really? Probably not. But do I need caffeine at all for that matter?"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She redirected her attention back.
"Sorry, I rant when I'm nervous. I may or may not be using a coffee break to avoid doing what I need to."
Standing in front of the academy, she went through it all in her head; worked out that it was for the best. She needed this change to her life. This could be the purpose she was missing. But, damn, it still didn't make that first step any easier. She took a deep breath, a step forward, and stopped.
She was finding it hard to refocus. "Maybe I need coffee with a kick of something stronger."
Lila just did a complete upheaval to her world and plunked her here with no real information. She didn't know anybody here. What would they think of her? Should she just barge in there and be all chipper. 'Hey, I'm Kayleigh, I'm like you!' No, that's stupid. Defeated sigh. She needed a better game plan. Stalling it is...
She shook her head; probably shouldn't be sloppy for first impressions.
She forced herself out of her head. "I'm Kayleigh, by the way. Sorry about unloading there. My life just took some strange turns recently."
⌈ JENNA COLEMAN , 29 , CIS FEMALE , WOUND TRANSFERENCE ⌋ oh , have you heard about KAYLEIGH DAVIS ? they showed up at the academy 1 DAY ago all the way from PENNSYLVANIA ? i got the impression that SHE is CONDESCENDING & BULLHEADED , but they might be PROTECTIVE & COMPASSIONATE for all we know . they remind me of holding hot caramel apple cider by a bonfire in fall , casually dancing to a favorite song with a glass of wine and a nice buzz , a book that is creased down the spine and worn around the edges from frequent rereads , and a patched up stuffed animal dripping wet from being left outside in the rain , but maybe all this chaos will change that . i can’t wait to see how this pans out !
Kayleigh stood in front of the door to the academy hesitantly. She rubbed her arm as her nerves kicked in. She seemed to be stuck in place and lost in her thoughts.
It wasn't that she thought she shouldn't be there. She knew she was different. Her mother tried to hide it as best she could, but it always made itself known. Her emotions would get the best of her, she'd just want to help, and she'd lose control.
She was three when it first came to light. Her mother had sliced her hand cutting up fruit for snacks. She cried out as anyone would, but stopped abruptly. Kayleigh smiled a toothy toddler grin at her mother's perplexed face until the pain in her hand took hold. Screaming ensued, and blood smeared her mother's pants her little hand had been steadying herself. Her mother patched her up, and put her in her room. This was the start of the separation between them. The bitterness and anger and resentment would soon follow. It was better than the sadness that overtook her sometimes though; that was the worst. And she felt responsible. She was responsible.
She tried to bury the uneasy feeling in her stomach as she stood frozen in her spot. These thoughts were not helping. She closed her eyes tightly.
It wasn't that this was a new setting either. She was always on the move throughout her life; keeping her ability hidden meant picking up and moving at the drop of a hat.
She remembered how angry her mother had gotten after an incident in school. She was feeling down, and her friend decided to be a joker for her entertainment. While the intentions were good, the chemistry lab was not the best setting. The burner caught his sleeve quickly. Kayleigh acted on instinct to put out the flame. He was clearly in shock, and his face tore her apart. She quickly grabbed his hand. Steering pain coursed through her as the marks began to appear. She was packed to move by nightfall.
Maybe it was the openness of it all. She had grown up repressing this for all those years. An unknown threat always lingered and she needed to be vigilant. At least that's what her mother told her before she passed.
But she was found now. Exposed without incident. By somebody special. Different like her. And now...
Maybe this would be for the best. What did she have to lose? An entry level desk job that she kept to pay bills. A dingy apartment with nothing but a few boxes she never bothered to unpack. The stray cat she fed by the dumpster.
