Ivanna Testarossa "Isn't it obvious to you, Mister big shot? Grey Suits happened," the hobo said. Ivan glared at him. She didn’t mind the ‘mister.’ At least someone knew who wore the pants around here. What really bugged her was how he butted into her conversation. Even though Ivan did that sort of thing all the time, she absolutely hated when someone did it to her. "Give the kid a break," he said firmly. “They won’t give her a break,” Ivan said, pointing to the dead man, with his gray suit stained with blood. “Now that they’re after her, she has to toughen up and be strong. They don’t care how much you cry. They will kill you,” she said, glaring at Cheyenne. Ivan suddenly became aware of someone talking behind her back. She turned around and noticed Kami was on the phone with someone. Ivan stared at her with a strange mix or confusion and outrage on her face. Horrible time for a call, don’t you think? Less than a minute later, Kami hung up. "Dirk, I've got to get home, she said as she scribbled something down and offered it to him. “Here's my number in case you need to get a hold of me." Dirk accepted the number, but firmly grasped Kami’s arm, holding her in place. "I think we should all stay together, at least for now,” he said. All your activities have alerted every grey suit in the city, do you really want to bring them back to your home? I can take us to a safe place, you just have to trust me." Finally, something Ivan could agree with. She didn’t have a home, but if she did she sure as hell wouldn’t go there now. The gray suits didn’t let anything or anyone stand in their way. She had seen them set fire to a friend’s house to get at her. It was one of the reasons Ivan tried not to make many friends… Ivan looked down. She thought she saw something move up Dirk’s leg, like a dark snake. Must’ve just been my imagination, she concluded. But, for some reason, she couldn’t help but think of the strange shadowy hand that had snatched the sword from her earlier. She had an idea of what his ability was; she wouldn’t forget. "We'll all be in more danger if we continue to stand here," Dirk added. "Cheyenne and Marty are coming with me regardless; but as for you two, whether or not you come with me is your choice. If you decide not to come with me, you'll have to disappear, find a place to hide during the night." “We’ll see,” Ivan muttered in Russian, pretending not to care either way. She’d go with him. Thus far, Cheyenne was the only one who didn’t piss her off, and that was mostly because Cheyenne didn’t speak. The other three should take a hint, she thought.
Alexander Butler Alexander sped up his pace when he heard the gunshots coming from behind him. These men were crazy, and completely irrational to fire their guns in a middle of a civilian area. They’d have to contend with law enforcement now. And it also did confirm one thing; they were after him for his powers, not his criminal fraud. They would be trying to get him alive if they were after him for money. "The park! The park's up ahead!" shouted Cody. “Across the street, quickly!” called Alexander, swerving into the road. Most of the vehicles near the area had stopped, presumably after hearing the gunshots. Once they had made it across, Alexander noticed that the men in gray had stopped giving chase. The two paused at the side of the road to catch their breath. "What are we doing?" said Cody, looking behind him. “They’re not after us anymore.” “Incorrect. They’re going back to get their vehicle. If we continue down the street, they’ll catch up to us in no time,” replied Alexander. These men in gray… they weren’t ordinary people. They had to be an organisation, who knew about his powers. No, not just his powers. Their powers. Alexander glanced at Cody’s metallic arm. He wasn’t the only one with supernatural abilities anymore. And now that he knew there was more than one, he could safely guess that there were many individuals with strange abilities. Now that he thought about it, he knew that there was a faction opposing the ‘Exceptionals’. They were known to be dressed in gray outfits. Alexander hadn’t read up much more on them, since he didn’t believe the entire thing to begin with. But now… Now he was an Exceptional. And he was a target of the ridiculous gray-suited fairy hunters. “Marvellous,” muttered Alexander, disgruntledly. As if he didn’t have enough problems to deal with. Alexander looked over to see that the gray-suits had already acquired their vehicle, and was speeding towards them from the end of the road. They had arrived faster than he expected. “Into the park!” said Alexander, hopping over the low hedge that separated the park from the street. He continued to run downhill, nearly colliding with a couple of bikers. When he looked back, he saw that the fairy hunters had gotten out of their vehicle, and pulled out their weapons. Alexander hurried across the field, heading towards a small picnic bench. It appeared to be occupied.
Rebecca Woods "I'm sorry, Rebecca." Avery said softly. Rebecca laughed and put her arm around Avery's shoulder. "There is no need to be sorry. We are just having a very interesting day." As if to emphasize her point the sound of tires screeching on pavement drew her attention away from Avery. She stood and turned to see what was going on. Two boys and a cat ran towards them at top speed. Both of them had sweat sprinkling their faces however only one of them looked worried. The other didn't seem to have any expression. She looked behind them to see why they were running and saw two grey suits get out of there vehicle with drawn guns. Great more of these guys. The boys stopped next to her. Both were breathing hard and they were obviously out of options. Rebecca grabbed Avery's arm and pulled her behind her. Raising both of her gloved hands Rebecca concentrated on forming a sheild large enough to go around all four of them. Two seconds later a blue transparent shild went up around them. She'd never protected herself from bullets before. Hopefully it would hold long enough for them to figure out a plan. "Lower your sheild!" One of the grey suits yelled. "Or we will shoot to kill." Rebecca turned her head to face one of the young men behind her. "Well, I hope you have a plan because I can't hold this forever."
Martin Wheeler “They won’t give her a break,” Tattoo said, pointing to the dead man, with his gray suit stained with blood. “Now that they’re after her-" Marty stopped listening, his eyes and attention wandering. These people sure liked to talk. Now that the panic was wearing off, he was feeling more like himself. He wandered over to his shopping cart as the angry young man continued his rant about the Grey Suits. "Preaching to the choir," Marty sighed to no one in particular. He knew about the Grey Suits, better than most. And now at least three of them were either incapacitated or dead in Coventry. The others weren't likely to ignore that. "On the road again," Marty told himself.It was time to vanish again, to lose himself in some other little town where no one would notice one more homeless man on the streets. Without hesitation he began tossing junk from his cart. Old cans, torn newspapers, and other carefully randomized garbage went flying into the street. Marty kept digging down into the pile, down to where the past lived. Finally he pulled out three objects: a black duffel bag which he slung over a shoulder, an old coffee can that clanged and jingled as he removed it from the cart, and, last, a small rectangular object wrapped in brown paper and secured with miles of tape and knotted string as if the contents might try to escape. Marty placed the latter two objects within the first and turned to survey the street. He was considering which way to go when the man in the red scarf, whose name apparently was Dirk, interrupted again. "Cheyenne and Marty are coming with me regardless;" "What?" Uh... no." Marty stuttered, backing away from the group. "I think I'll take the disappearing option." He turned and started walking off down the street. Soon this whole thing would just be a memory, for him at least. As an after thought he called over his shoulder, "Take care of yourself kid.. uh, Cheyenne." It was a pointless gesture, but it made him feel better to say it. He set a brisk pace, in case Dirk had something to say about his departure.
Avery Funkhouser Avery watched in fascination at Rebecca's hands, which were emitting what looked to be some sort of transparent substance. A force field? "Lower your shield!" One of the grey suited men yelled. "Or we will shoot to kill." Avery had a feeling he wasn't joking, these grey suits were no joke to begin with. She peered above Rebecca's shoulder, to see the men grip their guns tighter, their fat forefingers brushing against the triggers. "Well, I hope you have a plan because I can't hold this forever." Rebecca said in the direction of the boys, a tinge of urgency in her voice. Avery turned to get a good look at the two guys, which she guessed were around the same age as her. Avery hadn't any contact with boys in a while, since avoiding the obnoxious ones at her school. These two guys she had never seen before, though. One of the boys, with green eyes and silver hair looked nervous, and seemed to hesitate to give an answer. The other, a small guy with dark hair, only gave Rebecca a blank stare. Avery rolled her eyes. It was no wonder they were in this predicament. If these guys even had abilities, they sure weren't showing it. "Well, can't say we didn't warn you." The other grey suit shouted, followed by the crack of several gunshots. The bullets came barely an inch away from their faces, but all they did was ricochet off Rebecca's shield, like mere rocks. Avery knew it wouldn't be long before Rebecca wouldn't be able to withstand the extra weight of a dozen or more bullets. She could already see Rebecca's knees buckling. They were running out of time, and if those boys were going to stand and gawk; Avery wasn't. She could think of only one thing to do in this small space. She hadn't done the silly trick in years, but her other options; those would just get all of them killed. Avery took a deep breath, trying to drown out the sound of the continued gunshots. She focused on moving her hands in a fluid, circular motion. A small spark reflected in her sunglasses, and she watched it grow, until there was a blazing ball of fire sitting in her palm. Avery smiled, she hadn't forgotten after all. "Okay kids, don't try this at home." Avery said, before reaching her hand out of the transparent shield, and throwing the fireball towards the two grey suits with all her strength.
Adelaide Reynolds Holding the small shivering mouse form of her mother in the palm of her hand, Adelaide wiped the small tears that dotted her cheeks with the back of her sleeve. She knew she had to be strong, regardless of these new found powers that she had no idea her parents had. Is this why they left for Coventry? Maybe the whole.. bankruptcy thing was just some sort of distraction to get them away from the men in grey? They must have been following her mother Abigail and her father, Tosmas. But now.. her father was gone.. taken away by those awful grey suits, his body stashed in the carpet. They had disappeared in some sort of smoking haze and left no trace of her father with them. And now her mother.. could she change back and forth from this small mouse form? She was definitely a shapeshifter just like Adelaide, but Adelaide's was different to say the least. Did her father have a power? Questions swarmed through Adelaide's slightly dazed mind. Her mothers eyes like raisins, shone in the dim light that hung from the ceiling. She had to ask her and fast. "Mum.. how long have you been keeping this secret from me? Why has all these strange things been going on and why are they targeting our family of all people?" Adelaide asked, raising her mouse-mother closer to her face. "Dear, those men are called the grey suits. They capture.. kidnap.. men, women and youngsters alike for their own personal benefit. They are trying to literally destroy us. This is why we usually have to hide our powers. There's some sort of base in Coventry I believe which is why the out spark of men in grey suits has risen. My power is easily disguised, it's easily controlled.. but your father's.. his was.. what am I talking about? His IS not as controllable. Frankly, his power happens without any hint." Adelaide listened to her mother's long winded conversation with intense concentration. "What WAS Dad's power then, Mum? Was it something to do with the whole money loss? Or.. what was it." Adelaide mumbled. "Your father's power is difficult to explain. It's not harmful of dangerous to anyone, but in a crowd of the wrong people.. it makes for a lot of fright and panic. Your father's power is what I call a human vacuum. If he thinks about it.. deep enough even for a few seconds. If it's in reach it will almost drift itself into his body, ready to be dispelled and given out. Which is why your father was slightly overcome with greed. He cared about the money, the wealth, everything that made us rich and happy.. but it took over him one day.. in the vault with all the money.. that's how the industry became bankrupt, you see." Her mother's eyes glistened with wet tears. She cared about him.. Adelaide cared about him.. he was gone.. but he was alive. She had to think positive or they'd never see him again. Scooping up her mother between hopeful hands, she tucked her into the pocket in her cardigan. "Mum.. thanks.. for telling me the truth. It really helps.. but we can't stay here for too long, it just isn't safe. We'll go somewhere.. we might run into the people I met earlier even. They can protect us.. but I can't protect myself.. if I don't have you." Adelaide's voice trembled with uncertainty, but she didn't let it get to her. Jogging towards the front door, she undid the latch and stepped out into the evening sun. "The soup.. I completely forgot. You aren't hungry are you?" Adelaide asked her mother, keeping her voice down slightly as they walked across the road in front of two kids on bicycles. "Don't worry.. a piece of cheese was enough for me." Her mother squeaked, digging around in the pocket. Turning around the corner, she bumped into a very worried looking man with a scraggly beard. She gave him a weird look but said nothing. She just walked on past him and continued towards the shopping districts of the middle of Coventry until.. She could hear something. Loud and booming. Like.. construction? No.. gunshots.. Turning to her left, she could see across the park, two men firing off their guns, shot after shot and some sort of strange shield.. but inside the shield was even more interesting. Four fresh-faced figurines shrouded in blue aura. Adelaide knew it was her friends. Taking off into a run, she hid near a tree, her mother poking her head out from beneath the fabric. Then suddenly, the girl Avery who Adelaide met earlier fired out a large ball of fire towards the two men, the sound of searing flames pricking Adelaide's mothers ears up. The shield was battered by more gunshots and the shield seemed to quake under the pressure. Jumping out of Adelaide's pocket with a squeal of determination, Abigail flopped across the grass in a whimsical fashion. Adelaide almost screamed in shock, until she saw it. Her mother was changing shape. From a tiny little mouse.. into some sort of majestic eagle of some sorts. It had golden tipped feathers and a beak that'd shred through metal, no doubt. The voice that croaked out of her mother's beak was slightly.. strange to say the least. "Mouse is eaten by Eagle while the Eagle is pray for the mountain bear.. that is, if the Bear can reach him." She swooped down low, trying to distract the men. This was Adelaide's chance. She clambered out of cover and ran full pelt towards the barrier. Pushing her way in, she swooped her hand into the air which was now decorated with a small bracelet. The bracelet shone a cornucopia of colors, some in blinding blue and purple, others in soft pink and green. Rebecca watched in wonder as the shield flared into many other colors.. it was like as if the shield had buffed itself into a more powerful version. "This'll hold a little bit longer, hopefully." Adelaide grinned. Grasping the cloth between her fingers, she thought hard. She wanted to change shape, but now was not the time. She had to give someone else the spotlight, right?
Kami DeSoras Kami heard the shots ring out not far away. Despite what Dirk had said, she was getting tired of hiding. Who knew how long these guys had been following her, watching her? She was getting payback on these guys, and she wasn't going to stop using her powers to do it. Why run and hide when she had something the grey suits didn't... power. Sure, they had guns, but with Kami's ability, along with the other Exceptionals, Kami couldn't understand why Dirk was so afraid of them. Maybe he'd had a bad experience with them, or he was really just afraid. Either way, Kami wasn't waiting any longer. Ignoring Dirk's yells in protest, Kami took off from her current group and headed to the park. On her way there, she slid her hand along the side of a brick building, smiling as the plan went through her head. Her grades in school were only average, but when it came to thinking on the spot, she was no dummy. She knew how to use her powers, and showing up miss "I'm better than you because I'm older" had been proof enough of that. Reaching the park, Kami saw a group of what she assumed were other Exceptionals facing down some grey suits. One of the Exceptionals was holding up some sort of translucent shield, and another had just launched a fireball at the suits when Kami arrived. There was an eagle flying overhead, and another Exceptional with a bracelet that was changing into very bright colors. And... there was the guy from the school, the one who had destroyed the lab. And... Cody! "Cody!" Kami ran in, and one of the grey suits saw her wide open and undefended. "Hey, stop!" He brought his gun up and pulled the trigger, aimed perfectly at Kami. The bullet hit Kami square in the side, and stopped, making a crack as though hitting a brick wall. "Bite me," Kami yelled, smiling at the grey suit's confused face. She turned back to the group and ran to Cody. "Cody!" She ran up and hugged him, and then was suddenly aware that some of the rest of the group were staring at them. "Uh..." She let Cody go, and smiled at him. "Hi, how are you? Guess we sort of set off a bad series of events..."
Alexander Butler "Okay kids, don't try this at home," said the girl, her hands bursting into flames. She hurled the ball of fire towards one of the men, causing him to jump to the side. Even the other gray-suit reared back out of surprise. Alexander was also somewhat disappointed. This girl’s use of fire completely destroyed his theory of electromagnetism. His own power involved the altering of electromagnetic radiation, Cody’s power involved magnetism, and the older girl’s ‘force field’ power seemed to depend on electromagnetic fields. Alexander had thought the pattern was secured, until the younger girl started throwing fireballs. That made no sense at all! He shook his head. There was still much to learn, especially in this new world of superpowers and magic. The gray-suits had regained their posture, and had started to fire at the group again. Their bullets continued to bounce off of the force field, but each time they impacted, they left a large, splintering crack in the field. Its integrity wouldn’t last very long if this continued. Alexander decided it was his turn to act. He remembered the knife that he had picked up from Cody’s home, and pulled it out of his back pocket. His ability wasn’t quite as fantastic as the ones displayed by the girls, but it could still be deadly. “Try not to hit me,” he said to the fire-girl. By the time she could have looked over, he had already faded out of view. He cautiously stepped out the side of the force-field, and started skirting around the battle. Step by step, Alexander approached the left-most gray-suit, with his knife at the ready. Suddenly, the man abruptly turned to the side, and started shooting at something else. "Hey, stop!" At nearly the same point in time, an eagle started swooping down on the other man. It was the perfect distraction. Alexander rushed up behind the man, and pressed the knife against his throat. He grabbed the man’s hair with his free hand, and wrenched his head backwards. At the same time, he placed the man between himself and the other gray-suit, and faded back into view. “One false move and your friend chokes on his own blood,” he called out to the other man. Hopefully, the fire-girl would take the cue to attack.
Cody Deluca [HR][/HR] "An energy shield? So I guess everyone's powers are different... and what the hell?! This is getting way out of hand! Those grey suits are opening fire in a park! I guess we're lucky there aren't any bystanders but still... if someone was drawn out here because of the noise..." Cody and Alexander were standing behind two girls, one of them generating a blue shield covering the group. "Well, I hope you have a plan because I can't hold this forever," said the girl to the group, her voice straining as bullets crashed into the shield. "A plan? I... I'm not really sure what I can do... I haven't tried to attack with my powers before. I still don't know if I can hurt someone like that... When it happened last time they died... I really can't do anything! Even now, when we're getting shot at! Am I really this weak?! Damn it!" The other girl sighed, almost as if she was disappointed in Cody and Alexander. She moved her hands in a circular motion. A spark grew into flame and soon there was fireball in the palm of her hand. Cody's eye grew wide as the girl smiled. "Okay kids, don't try this at home." "This... this is a joke to her? Well I guess as long something gets done... I'm not really doing anything so I guess I can't really say anything. But with powers like that... and that smile... I wonder if she's killed people before. It's almost if this world is kill or be killed at this point..." She blasted the grey suits with flame. Cody averted his eyes, feeling very uncomfortable. Suddenly a golden eagle swooped down and began assaulting the grey suits and another girl ran into the force field with the group. She held her hand out and her bracelet, causing the shield to glow multiple colors. "A-Another one?" mumbled Cody. "It looks like she's reinforcing the shield... her powers seem useful. But why is she here? Does she know about the grey suits too? Maybe she's friends with these other girls. Am I the only one who's a total novice here? At least I'm the only one who's acting like one... Alexander is calm and collected, like he's been through this kind of stuff before. Then there are these girls... I really can't do anything." Cody touched his cold metal hand and put it behind his back. He let out a sigh when he heard a familiar voice. "Cody!" yelled Kami, running towards the group. Cody turned to to look over to her. "Kami?! What happened to her earlier? Why was she hear now? Well... to honest at least she's a familiar face. And... even she isn't wavering because of the grey suits..." Just as she yelled out to the him, one of the grey suits pointed his weapon at her, "Hey, stop!" He fired, a bullet hit her in the side. But that's all it did, there was a small crack but the bullet fell to the ground, and Kami was left pretty much unharmed. "Bite me," yelled Kami with a smile at the grey suit. "Whoa... that... how?... what? I don't even know where to begin," mumbled Cody "Cody!" she yelled again as she got close to the group. She took Cody by surprise and hugged him. He could feel his face getting red, and he wasn't really sure what he was supposed. He kept his metal hand behind him and awkwardly hugged her with his other arm. "I'm being shot at... but is this making me more nervous? What the hell?! I really don't know what's going on. I... I thought that I would try to ask other 'Exceptionals' about how these powers worked... maybe if there was a way to get rid of them. But now with this... I have to do something. I have to say something..." "..." Cody couldn't say anything. He looked around, Kami doing the same. Alexander was gone. He was holding one of the grey suits at knife-point. "He's good.." "Hi, how are you? Guess we sort of set off a bad series of events..." said Kami, smiling. "Y-yeah..." "She's totally calm... I'm failing hard here... Am I really the only one who doesn't feel comfortable getting shot at? How does Alex do it?"
The group splintered shortly after the gray suits were defeated. Marty went one way, choosing to be alone. Dirk and Cheyenne followed, while Kami went another way entirely, running off toward the sounds of distant gunshots. Distant, but not distant enough. If there were more gray suits hunting nearby, Ivanna wanted a piece of the action. She wasn’t going to let Miss Popular have all the fun. Maybe she’ll fall and break a leg, Ivan thought as she ran off after the girl. Dirk and Marty would take care of Cheyenne. The way Ivan saw it, that girl had more sense than Kami and the two men combined… even if she was a little too timid for her own good. But if what Ivan had seen inside the trailer was Cheyenne’s doing, the girl was more than capable of defending herself. When she finally caught up with Kami, the girl had, unsurprisingly, reached a group of four exceptionals under siege by two gray suits with guns. Ivan hung back, watching from around the corner where she couldn’t be seen. One girl seemed to be projecting a bubble shield, while another used some sort of mystical power bracelet to boost its defensiveness. Another girl tossed a fireball at the gray suits. Your aim sucks. Maybe you should take off those damn sunglasses, Ivan thought when the fireball harmlessly missed. At this rate, the group’s chances of survival didn’t look so great. And then the tables turned. A boy materialized behind one of the gray suits with a knife to the man’s throat. Ivan wasn’t sure if he’d teleported or simply gone invisible, but compared to the others, he was clearly the ballsiest. The only other boy in the group hadn’t done a damn thing. In fact, he looked as if he might soil himself if this kept up much longer. I better intervene before he wets himself, Ivan thought as she stepped out. The way he was looking at Kami, maybe she was too late to prevent that. Ugh… teenage boys and their hormones. She casually strolled toward the other gray suit; the one not being held hostage. The man raised his gun, but Ivan simply waved a hand and the weapon became encased in a solid block of crystal, capturing both of his hands with it. He couldn’t even pull the trigger if he wanted to. He turned and tried to flee toward his car, but she formed a block around his feet as well. The man fell flat on his face, immobilized. Ivan was on top of him half a second later. She turned him over and punched him in the face until his nose bled and one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut. Then she took him by the collar and hauled him up. She enjoyed the look of desperation and fear on his face as she made him look at his comrade, who was still being held at knife-point and could be killed at any moment. “One hostage or two?” she asked the boy with the knife. “There's room in the trunk for both... but I'm not feeling merciful today. So, you gonna kill yours or should I kill mine?” She was going to take their car. Maybe drive it out into the middle of nowhere and set it on fire with the two gray suits inside... after she beat some answers out of them. Or maybe take them to Dirk's people and see what he has to say. Taking both men alive was an option, but Ivan loved to mess with their head. She liked to make them feel the same fear they had made countless other exceptionals feel. She liked to look them square in the eyes and let them know ‘I could kill you right now, you son of a bitch.’
Cheyenne Fear Cheyenne watched the goings on with confusion. Why was this all happening so fast? Why now? She tried to hand the cellphone back to the tattooed woman, but she had run past to where shots could be heard. The younger girl had already run off, and Dirk was shouting at everyone. "Don't separate, don't separate!" He yelled after the two women, turning to see Marty getting further away. "Damn it all!" He hissed, hurrying to Cheyenne, "Can you run?" He asked irritably. Before Cheyenne could answer, she had already been scooped into Dirk's arms, and he had begun chasing Marty. Despite being terrified, Cheyenne was grateful to be off her feet. There was blood pooling on her knees where she'd made contact with the cement. "Marty. Marty!" Cheyenne jumped, as Dirk barked after the retreating man, who appeared to have no intention of stopping. Wsh! Cheyenne's short hair was thrown back by a sudden wind, as something flew ahead of them toward Marty. Cheyenne suddenly sank in Dirk's arms, as whatever had been supporting her back vanished. Dirk continued, but he was panting now, a fierce and worried expression on his face. Cheyenne looked ahead at Marty, and became aware of a large shadow growing on the ground beneath him. What? Cheyenne jumped, almost tripping Dirk, as a pair of wispy shadowy hands with black nails flew out from the pavement, and curled around Marty's shoes, pulling his feet to the ground. A moment after contact, a piercing howl ripped through the air, and Dirk lurched as if he'd been struck. "I!" I? Cheyenne was alarmed, and one thought raced through her head, forming air about her body. *Don't hurt Mart-* She was cut off, as Dirk tossed her to the side, into a patch of grass. She landed on her bum with a thump, and looked up in shock to see Dirk shove Marty off of the large shadow on the ground, tucking his hands under his shoulders after impact as if he'd been burned. He shouted something at the ground, that Cheyenne couldn't make out. His bearded face was a red mask of anger and worry. He bent forward, and placed a palm on the pavement, and the shadow began pooling up his arm like a sponge. Dirk flung his other hand into his jacket, and pulled out his second phone, dialed and put it to his ear in one fluid movement. "Arnold! Get over here, now!"
Alexander Butler “There's room in the trunk for both... but I'm not feeling merciful today. So, you gonna kill yours or should I kill mine?” said the woman, hauling the now helpless gray-suit up to face their direction. Alexander grinned. “Well… two hostages seem quite redundant. It’s irrational to keep both of them around, isn’t it? Bothersome as well.” He could feel the gray-suit start to shake in front of him. The man slowly lowered his arm and dropped the gun to the floor. “Please, don’t…” said the man, straining to keep his throat away from the knife. “Unfortunately, the only weapon I have is this knife. The blood from his death will attract law enforcement. That could be problematic,” said Alexander, lowering the weapon. “I suppose I will have to let you live.” The man gave an audible sigh of relief. Then Alexander reached back up and swiftly slit his throat. The man managed to let out a surprised gurgle before sinking to the ground and suffocating in his own blood. “Just kidding,” Alexander crooned. He looked back at the group of people – the Exceptionals, and watched as they started to relax after the attack. He recognised the girl by Cody as the one who he had encountered in the school. But the rest were unknown to him. There were far more Exceptionals than he could have imagined. He would have to be careful. Then he turned back to the woman in front of him. She appeared to have snared the gray-suit in some form of ice. He would have to study that later. “On the bright side, you’ll get the trunk all to yourself!” he quipped to the man, as he stooped down to pick up the gun.
Rebecca Woods Though realisticaly Rebecca had only been supporting the sheild for a few moments it felt like hours. The moment she had put it up she could feel what little energy she had draining. The impact of the bullets didn't help. She wasn't sure what to think when Avery had thrown the fireballs. On one hand she was happy that those grey suits were getting a taste of their own medicine....on the other hand she couldn't imagine watching anyone burn to death. Even if that person was trying to kill them. Rebecca strained under other the pressure of the sheild and just when she thought she couldn't hold it any longer Adelaide somehow gave her a burst of energy, re-enforcing the shield. She had never been so happy to see someone. Adelaide was safe and well. About the same time that Adelaide showed up and eagle had as well, and it began attacking the grey suits. To her right a young woman ran towards them. Rebecca opened that part of the sheild to let her in and the girl embraced the boy behind her. So said something to him but Rebecca was concentraiting to hard on supporting the sheild to here what she had to say. Then the boy to her right disappeared and re-appeard behind one of the gray suits. “One false move and your friend chokes on his own blood,” he yelled. Rebecca wanted to tell him not kill him but she didn't. The 2nd gray suit pointed his gun at the attacker only to be thrown the ground by a crazy woman who began beating him. With both grey suits nutrilized and Adelaide's buff worn off; Rebecca half fell, half lowered herself to a sitting position on the ground. She'd never been so tired in her whole life. She supported her head with her gloved hands and noticed that something red was dripping on her pants. She took off her glove and touched her nose. Ugh. Another nosebleed. What a time to have one. Darn, Hemophilia. Rebbecca grabbed her backpack which was next to the bench and pulled out a green cloth. She pinched the bridge of her nose hoping it would stop within the period of 5 minutes rather then the typical ten or more. Rebecca looked around at the group gathered. Were all of them special? Did all of them have powers? How did they all gather so quickly? Why now? Perhaps fate knew that they would need eachother in the coming days. Somehow that thought wasn't comforting. What was going to happen now?
Ivanna Testarossa This one’s got a few screws loose, Ivan thought as the boy ruthlessly slit the man’s throat. Not that she was the most stable person in the world, but at least she didn’t use murder as a punchline. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the young sadist now had a gun. Gotta keep an eye on this guy, Ivan thought. With the bloody mess, hanging around the park was no longer an option. Unwanted attention would be closing in soon, especially after the gunfire. And there was also the problem of the boy with Kami; he would definitely need a change of pants now… Ignoring the others for a moment, Ivan hauled her prisoner toward the black sedan. She hunted in his pocket for a moment before realizing the keys were still in the ignition. After popping the trunk she brought him around back. The man tried to resist, but a stiff punch to the face settled him down. Ivan shoved him into the trunk and freed his hands just long enough to pry the gun from his fingers before shackling them in crystal once more. “I’ll hold on to this, if you don’t mind,” she whispered to the unconscious man as she slipped the gun under her belt and slammed the trunk shut before turning her attention to the others. “C’mon, let’s get the hell outta here,” she said as she climbed into the driver’s seat. She wasn’t sure how many of them could fit, but it was a decent-sized car. They could make it work somehow. “And you,” she pointed directly at Kami, “get your ass over here and gimme your phone. That stupid deaf girl has mine.” Deaf, mute, whatever. Ivan didn’t care. “I need to call Dirk and tell him I got somethin’ for him.” Half a dozen exceptionals and a gray suit? He ought to pay me for this, Ivan thought as she started the car.
Martin Wheeler Gun shots echoed from somewhere close by. Marty heard them and was glad he was already headed in the opposite direction. "Don't separate, don't separate!" Dirk's voice called out. Apparently some of the others were off to fight more grey suits. Good, Marty thought. He could do with out their kind of crazy. With any luck, Dirk would join them. Marty hadn't gone far when he heard footsteps running after him. "If it weren't for bad luck," he muttered and walked faster. He was nothing special, as far as special people went. What did this guy want with him? "Marty. Marty!" Dirk barked from behind him. "I'm nobody," Marty yelled back as he broke into a run. "Just leave me alone, I'm nobody!" He was nearing the end of the street, just a little further and he would disappear around the corner and out of this crazy mess for good. Without warning his feet stopped where they were while the rest of him flew forward. "What the-" Marty blurted out as he began to fall. Something had hold of his feet, he could feel cold fingers wrap about his bare ankles. It couldn't be dirk, he was too far back. On instinct Marty's mind began to buzz. He let it happen, it was his only defense against this unseen attacker. Images flew to his mind, but something was wrong. The things he was seeing weren't memories like usual, they couldn't be. At first there was only blackness and a voice, ringing through the dark and a dull, incessant thump, like a heartbeat. The voice was speaking but he couldn't make out the words. Then, the scene changed. Images of people began to appear. No not people, Marty realized in horror, bodies. Dozens of them flashed in his mind, their death screams reverberating in his head. Marty tried to break contact but the scenes kept coming, popping into existence one moment and vanishing the next as they were erased forever, only to be replaced by another grisly image. A piercing howl ripped through the air and the next thing Marty knew he was being shoved aside and the awful presence fled his mind. His whole body felt cold, no frozen and he lay on the ground rocking back and forth, unable to form a complete thought. He heard Dirk yell... something and look up to see a black shadow melding into the man's arm. Was that what had grabbed him? Marty scrambled backward, eyes wide and starring. Dirk was red in the face and breathing hard. Marty opened his mouth, but all that would come out was, "So... many... so many dead."
Avery Funkhouser Avery felt numb. She wasn't sure what she should feel at the moment, relief...or horror? She had been a witness of a real life murder, a crime. That guy could go to prison! Avery thought, but she somehow couldn't take her eyes off of him, still holding the knife dripping with blood. It was hard to process, to think he had just taken a human life. Even if that gray suit had tried to kill all of them, was death ever a 'good' thing? The sound of shuffling and a zipper opening in the deadly silence broke Avery out of her daze. She turned her head to find Rebecca sitting on the ground, pinching her nose with a cloth. By exerting such an excessive amount of power, she must have popped a blood vessel. Rebecca seemed slightly disturbed about the situation; looking around and having to steady her shaking hand. Avery felt for her. She crouched down to the ground, and managed a small smile. "Good job, Rebecca. To me, you're the real hero in all this." “C’mon, let’s get the hell outta here.” The insane woman's shrill voice shattered the sweet moment. Avery wondered if for the first time in her life, she actually fit into the 'normal' category. Compared to some of these people at least. That woman in particular, with her awful haircut, tattoos in weird places, and dark makeup; but what Avery was most repelled by was her power. She had to be more opposite to her than any of them. Despite that, Avery found herself agreeing with her. “Yeah, I would hate to be accused of someone else’s murder.” Avery said with an edge in her voice. To prove her point, Avery stood up and with the snap of her fingers, ignited a blue-white flame. She casually flicked it onto the man's corpse, and in an instant it began to eat away at his flesh, leaving behind ashes. Avery thought it could be somewhat ceremonial, like cremation. Who knew, the man might have had a family, maybe even a daughter. Avery heard the woman talk again, now directing harsh words at the preppy girl. Apparently, the other boy's girlfriend, the way they looked at each other. The woman demanded for the girl's cell phone, wanting to call somebody. Then she started up the black car. A stolen car. Avery tried to put that fact out of her innocent mind. If she had to associate herself with criminals, acting naive wasn't an option. "I call navigator." Avery said loud enough to be heard over the noise of the engine. No way am I being sandwiched with a murderer. Avery couldn't help but look over at the boy again, now fingering his new gun.
Adelaide Reynolds Adelaide gagged a bit as blood dripped from the open wound that had severed the man's neck. She was awfully disturbed, but no more than her other new found friends. Avery shook her head slightly, a dazed look of either.. relief? No.. horror in her eyes. Adelaide couldn't really tell. She looked to her left and saw Rebecca crouched against a bench, holding a tissue daintily against her nose. The woman with the tattoos.. was she a criminal? And the boy.. he didn't seem to show any remorse for the fact.. Adelaide shook these wild thoughts from her head, and whistled for her mother. Abigail flapped her wings a bit and landed on top of Adelaide's shoulder with a slight caw. All that had happened has ridiculed Adelaide of all her innocent mind.. they had witnessed a murder.. but did the man really deserve it no more than they did? After all, they had powers.. they must be seen as monsters.. specters.. some sort of beast. If anyone had saw this unfurl, they were long gone. The entire park was cleared of civilians and there was nothing left but the warm bodies of freshly dead grey-suits. “C’mon, let’s get the hell outta here.” the woman with tattoo's covering most of her body spoke after Avery comforted Rebecca, snapping Adelaide out of her daydream. Avery stood up with a slight sparkle in her eye, “Yeah, I would hate to be accused of someone else’s murder.” The edge in her voice showed she didn't let the whole incident get the better of her.. but deep down, Adelaide knew she was still a scared child. No one deserves to see a brutal murder uncover in front of their eyes. No one.. With a click of the fingers, a small flame showed up in Avery's hand. She flicked the flame outward and ignited the man's body. Soon enough, it burnt into the ground, only a pile of ashes.. it was gruesome. Avery looked back at Rebecca and Adelaide who were now standing together. Rebecca gripped Adelaide's hand. It was sweet.. for the moment. She let it loose and the woman with the tattoos revved a black sedan that was parked just on the main road. Avery jogged towards the car; "I call navigator." she called out. Rebecca stared at Adelaide, who nodded in reply. Her mother that was resting in eagle-form on her shoulders, slowly switched back into her human form. Rebecca was slightly shocked, but just smiled. The three girls headed for the car and clambered into the backseats. "They're might not be enough room, so maybe you should turn into mouse-form, Mum." Adelaide asked. Her mother switched back into mouse form, hopped up her leg and climbed into the pocket of her cardigan once more. Where were they going? They couldn't run forever.. or drive for that matter.
Joe Williams Joe sat inside the shield as he watched events unfold. Well I'm clearly not as unique as I would like. Joe wondered as a girl behind him threw a fireball at one of the grey suits. The fireball missed and they continued to fire at the sheild. More people joined now, one seeming to recharge the shield. God I hope someone here is a bit more useful at killing. Joe's prayers were answered as Alexander appeared behind one of the men, knife at his throat. “One false move and your friend chokes on his own blood," Alexander called out. The other one lowered his weapon only to have it encased in crystal by a woman. Joe let a few sniggering meows as the man attempted to run and had is feet encased aswell. The woman leapt ontop of him, punching his face until it bled. “One hostage or two?” she asked Alex with a slight Russian accent. “There's room in the trunk for both... but I'm not feeling merciful today. So, you gonna kill yours or should I kill mine?” “I suppose I will have to let you live.” Alex said. The grey suit sighing with relief. "Just kidding." He said as slit his throat. So someone here can kill Joe followed as the Russian woman put the grey suit in the trunk of his own car. “C’mon, let’s get the hell outta here,” She said climbing into the drivers seat. After a brief delay two girls and an eagle headed over to get in. Joe could feel cat like instincts surfacing as the eagle turned into a mouse. Quickly he hopped into the car and curled up on one of the girls laps. Do not eat the mouse. Do not eat the mouse. Do not eat the mouse. Joe repeated as he waited fot them to move out.
Kami DeSoras Kami rolled her eyes, turning to Cody. "I'll be right back." She walked over to the annoying woman who she was getting tired of. "Here," she said, handing over her cell phone. "Tell Dirk I'll meet up with you guys later. I've got to go home to see my parents. We've already attracted enough attention, we don't need more police out looking for me. And I know, mommy and daddy might worry about their little princess. For your information, I'm not like that. Just because my parents have money, and I wear some fancier clothing doesn't mean I'm like that. I've been through the streets, and I've dealt with a lot of gangs who give me trouble. So drop the subject!" With that, Kami turned back around, heading back to Cody. "Come on Cody," she said, grabbing his arm. "There's not enough room in the car. You can come meet my parents." She saw that his face was red, and she felt hers turn the same. She did like Cody. He was quiet, quite the opposite of her own personality. Maybe he was shy, or maybe he just couldn't think of anything to say. As they walked away from the rest of the group, she could feel everyone's eyes on them, especially that woman's. Let them think what they want. I know what I feel... "So Cody, uh..." Why is this so hard? Jeez, he's just shy, that doesn't mean he's not a person Kami, she thought to herself. She laughed nervously. "Life or death, huh? Kind of freaky, right?" Come on stupid, she told herself. Stop acting like a shy little schoolgirl! "Where do you live anyway? You have parents, right?" Oh my god! FAIL! Get your head out of your... "I mean, of course you have parents. I mean, you were born. Unless you were created by science or something." STUPID! The guy's already shy, way to make him feel like more of a freak! "I'm sorry," Kami said as the were walking down the street. "I... I've never had a boyfriend. I mean, I'm not implying we're dating. You didn't even ask me out yet. Not that you have to." Kami was so lost. She could kill people, bury dead bodies, fight alongside the best of Exceptionals, but when it came to this kid who she'd just met, who hadn't spoken so much as ten words to her, she was completely lost. BREATH KAMI! Taking a deep breath, she started over. "Cody, why don't we just go to my house, and we'll pretend I didn't say all those stupid things."
Alexander Butler Alexander studied the weapon carefully, turning it around in his hand. He lacked any experience with a gun, but it couldn’t have been that hard. Once he had noted all the moving parts, Alexander placed the gun in his back pants pocket, concealing it under his shirt. He managed to find an extra ammunition clip on the ground; the rest had been destroyed when the fire-girl burned the corpse. He considered staying with Cody and the girl for a moment, before remembering that the tattooed woman had the other gray-suit hostage. The best way he would get the information he wanted, was through that man. Alexander turned and headed towards the car, placing himself in the backseats. The two girls that already occupied them seemed severely discomforted by his presence. No doubt from my previous actions, Alexander thought to himself. It is as if I never even helped them from critical danger, and instead killed an innocent civilian. He had always been quick to adapt to his environment and situation. He had always managed to pull logic into everything he did. But he would never understand the mindset of other people. What was he missing? Alexander shook his head. Right now, there were more important things to attend to.
Ivanna Testarossa The girl with the ability to wield fire was the first to approach the vehicle. To Ivan’s surprise, she hopped in the front seat. Great, looks like I’ve made a new ‘friend,’ Ivan thought with an angry scowl. The other two girls hopped in the back seat, one carrying a mouse… which had been a woman a moment ago… and a bird a few moments before that… and she was calling it ‘mom.’ Ivan sighed. This was getting out of hand. Were there any normal people left in the world? She slapped her palm on the side of the car, urging them to hurry up. Kami approached. "Here. Tell Dirk I'll meet up with you guys later,” she said, relinquishing her phone. “I've got to go home to see my parents. We've already attracted enough attention, we don't need more police out looking for me. And I know, mommy and daddy might worry about their little princess. For your information, I'm not like that. Just because my parents have money, and I wear some fancier clothing doesn't mean I'm like that. I've been through the streets, and I've dealt with a lot of gangs who give me trouble. So drop the subject!" “Whatever. Do what you want,” Ivan said as she began dialing a number. Lots of little rich girls thought they knew how the world worked. Nothing Kami could say would change her mind. At the end of the day, Kami had a warm, safe, place to call home. Real gangsters didn’t have that. It wasn’t a lifestyle you could step halfway into. Then again, Ivan’s dad owned a multi million dollar industrial company back in Russia. She was hardly qualified to accuse anyone of being a ‘pampered rich girl.’ But this ain’t Russia and daddy never gave me a single cent, she thought as Kami and her boy toy walked away together. Everything she had, she'd kicked someone's ass to get it. No handouts. But Ivan had to stay focused. If she didn’t, the crystals shackling the gray-suit in the trunk would vanish. And then we might have to kill him. How sad, Ivan thought. The boy who’d slit the throat of the other gray suit finally got into the car, joining the two girls in the backseat and Ivan drove away, with the phone to her ear. It rang for a while before someone finally picked up. “Cheyenne?” Ivan said. “It’s Ivanna, the crazy Russian. Is Dirk there? Tell him I’ve got a captured suit and some new friends. Where does he want to meet?” She turned onto another street. Even if she wasn’t sure where they were going yet, she had to get away from the crime scene before the cops showed up.
Cody Deluca [HR][/HR] Kami turned to Cody, "I'll be right back." Kami walked over to another women and began talking to her. Cody stared off into space, he couldn't move at all. "I... I guess he is a killer. He... he killed him. He made a joke and then killed him... And... everyone is moving past that? The other women said one of the grey suits should die... Has she killed before? Has everyone? Is it alright? Is it acceptable...? Is that the only way to defend ourselves...? I don't want to kill people. I don't want to hurt anyone..." Suddenly Kami grabbed his arm, snapping him out of his thoughts. He looked to her, startled. "Come on Cody. There's not enough room in the car. You can come meet my parents." "I don't really think I'd be of much use anyway... Would I even want to go with them? Killing... blood... I don't want to think about that anymore! All of this is happening way too fast! Today was supposed to be a normal day, I was just supposed to go on unnoticed... Wait... Did she say meet her parents?" Cody felt his cheeks getting red, his eyes widening. "Meet her parents? So soon? I mean, was I even supposed to meet her parents? I actually talked to her for the first time today, right before a psychopath set our school on fire and chased me home. What am I supposed to say to her parents? 'Hello! I witnessed a murder with your daughter?' That's not going to end well! What do I say now? Do I go along with it? I don't really talk with people much... Crap... I've been quiet for a while now, I wonder if she's offended... Wait... her face is red? It's pretty cute... Does that mean she's embarrassed? Maybe I'm just over thinking things... Yeah, we're probably just going to hide out at her house until everything calms down. She's just being nice. Yeah, this is just a safe house situation." The two walked away from the group quietly. Cody looked down to his metal right hand. He tried to keep it out of sight from Kami. "So Cody, uh..." said Kami, finally breaking the long silence. "Alright, alright. She's trying to talk. This is good, maybe we can talk about something normal. Something that normal people do. Like school? Yeah she's popular, she's probably great at socializing and getting conversation going. Right! I'll do my best to talk!" "Life or death, huh? Kind of freaky, right?" laughed Kami nervously. "..." "Where do you live anyway? You have parents, right?" "... I live with my uncle. My parents d---" mumbled Cody, when Kami continued, "I mean, of course you have parents. I mean, you were born. Unless you were created by science or something." "I guess I don't need to say much. It's probably stupid anyway... My parents are dead... That'd just be depressing to talk about." Cody forced a smiled and reached into his pocket with his left hand and took out a few iron capsules. "I'm sorry." "She doesn't have anything to be sorry for. I'm intruding right now... Going to her house for safety... I'm not much of a hero." thought Cody as he swallowed his pills. "I... I've never had a boyfriend. I mean, I'm not implying we're dating. You didn't even ask me out yet. Not that you have to." Cody stumbled, caught off guard by her last remark. "Boyfriend? I didn't think stuff liked this happened that quickly! I mean, this is straight out of a movie or a book. Maybe I'm just misreading this situation too. A lot of stuff has happened today, earlier I thought I saw a cat getting shot. And then all of those powers... I'm sure the stress is just getting to her too. There's no way she'd legitimately say that. No one would..." "Cody, why don't we just go to my house, and we'll pretend I didn't say all those stupid things." "I knew it... It's just the stress. No one would say that otherwise..." "Y-yeah. Let's just try to get to safety right now," said Cody as they walked down the street, "I want to try a figure out what's going on..." he mumbled afterwards.
Cheyenne Fear "So... many... so many dead." Marty mumbled shakily to the panting Dirk, who was sticking his phone back into his jacket. Cheyenne trembled in her patch of grass. What had Marty meant? What had happened. "What did you do?" Cheyenne jumped, as Dirk withdrew his hand from his jacket, pointing a gun in Marty's face, "I will blow your head off your fucking shoulders. You're the only one to ever escape the suits, you must have a damn good ability. Countless have died, because we couldn't find them, but you know where they are; and you want to run?! Countless more could be saved, and you still want to run? What did you do just now, what did you do?! Tell me!" Cheyenne covered her ears, and got unsteadily to her feet, as Dirk waved the gun around. He seemed to be in hysterics. What could have happened? Cheyenne thought to herself. She jumped wildly, and her heart leaped into her throat, as the cellphone in the pouch on her dress gave a blood curdling scream. Temporarily distracted, Dirk eyed Cheyenne, who's pocket was now shrieking what sounded like satanic Russian metal music. As Cheyenne met Dirk's gaze, she saw that he looked worried, even scared. His face was purple, and he looked close to tears. "If you move," He said shakily, pointing at Marty with his free hand, "I swear-..." He broke off and marched to Cheyenne, who took a couple hesitant steps backward, but stopped as Dirk shook his head, and pocketed his gun. He leaned forward, and pulled the bellowing phone from Cheyenne's pouch, then examined the number. Gingerly, he flipped it open, and put the phone on speaker. “Cheyenne? It’s Ivanna, the crazy Russian. Is Dirk there? Tell him I’ve got a captured suit and some new friends. Where does he want to meet?” Dirk took a steadying breath, then closed his eyes, "Meet us at Queen's and North by the old art studio." He closed the phone, and put it back gently into Cheyenne's pouch, patting her shoulder as he rose to his full height, and began scanning the road signs surrounding them.
Rebecca Woods Rebecca looked at the boy who was holding the grey suit at knife point just in time to see him murder the man. Rebecca gasped in horror. How could he do that!? He was barley a teen and he was killing people senselessly, and joking about it! The tattooed woman who had beat the other grey suit stuffed her captive in the trunk of her car then said, “C’mon, let’s get the hell outta here.” Rebecca fully expected Adelaide and Avery to shy away from the viloent russian but instead Avery said, “Yeah, I would hate to be accused of someone else’s murder.” Then she and Adelaide got in the car. How could they do that? That woman was dangerous. More so than the grey suits probably. Rebecca used the bench to pull herself to her feet and shouldered her backback with the hand that wasn't holding the cloth against her bleeding nose. Her legs were wobbly and she was tired but even more so, she was scared. There were grey suits stalking them, teens killing without remorse and a their only means of escape was a ride with a tattooed russian woman. Rebecca walked towards the car. She couldn't just let Avery and Adelaide ride along with this woman without some sort of adult supervision and protection. No matter how scared she was...there were others more frightened. Rebecca finally forced herself into the car and slid into the middle seat beside Adelaide. Suddenly out of Adelaide's pocket peeped a mouse head. Oh no! A mouse. Oh...mice...I hate mice. Oh. Rebecca tensed, desperatly trying not to scream in fear. She was distracted when a cat jumped in her lap. Where had this guy come from? She had never know a cat to be so friendly. Especially in a car. The cat eyed the mouse, and for a moment she hope the cat would eat it but it didn't. Which was another strange thing for Rebecca to put on a growing list of strange she'd seen in the past few hours. She then remembered she was holding her nose to keep it from bleeding. She lowered the green hankcherif, which was more of a brown now because of the blood, and touched her nose to see if it had stopped bleeding. It had. Amazing. Only a 4 minute nose bleed. I can't remember the last time I had a nose bleed that lasted less than 6 minutes. She stuffed the cloth into her backpack which was at her feet and felt for her syringe and medicine. Good. They were still there, unbroken. A few moments later the mouse dissappeared out of sight into Adelaide's pocket and a new terror entered the car. The young teen who had killed the gray suit slid into the car next her. He was way too close for comfort and his face was completly expressionless. Rebecca was tempted to kick him out and let the cops arrest him for murder but he shut the door and the russian took off, talking into a phone as she did. “Cheyenne? It’s Ivanna, the crazy Russian. Is Dirk there? Tell him I’ve got a captured suit and some new friends. Where does he want to meet?” Well, at least she admitted she was crazy.
