Another Crack in the Sidewalk

Lexy checked the time and smiled. Time to get ready for the party Wally had invited her to. She opened up her closet door, not having much trouble to find the correct attire. She chose a sleevless, dark blue dress that went a little bit past where her finger tips were. The dress glittered as the light hit it. Perfect. She slipped on the dress and examined herself in the mirror. Her hair settled in ringlets, extending past her shoulders.

Lexy smiled as she grabbed her purse and put her cell phone in it. She hadn't told her parents about the party, but they didn't really care about their daughter's current location. They gave up on keeping up with her after she kept on going to random places, not allowing their "strict" speeches on asking for persmission to go into her head.

Lexy grabbed the keys to her parents' convertable as she headed out the door. She hopped into the red car and put the kes in the ignition. It's always fun going to parties. So. Much. Fun.

John sat up on his bed, looking around his room. He held up the sheet he'd found on his way home last night, it spoke of a party. He wasn't sure what to wear...whether it be classy or...y'know what? Class'd be good...'specially since John had an actual dress suit in his possesion...and if it wasn't gonna be classy, then...he could just look like he was imitating the FBI, considering that's what he had used it for last halloween. He chuckled to himself as he got up and pulled it out of his closet.

After putting it on, he looked at himself in the mirror. It was a white shirt with a black tie and dress coat. Nice enough... He thought to himself as he picked up and lightly brushed off a black fur fedora. Putting it on he turned back to the mirror. He felt his necklace cold against his skin as he reached into his coat pocket. "One last piece..." He said, pulling out black shades. "Hm...hope this works..." He continued as he walked out the front door.

"Mom?"

"Yes, hun?"

"Uh, I was wondering, there's a, uh, party tonight, and could you maybe help me find something to wear..."

Alex's mother's will broke. Alex didn't have too many close friends-even in the haven of misfits they lived in, being blind made one a bit of an outcast. That, and the rumor someone spread a few years back, that the Ink Man was blind, and Alex was even more isolated. "No drugs or drinking, kay?"

Alex chuckled, but the idea presented was...interesting. If he took acid could he..see? Like normal people...my God it was tempting. Just for a little while, nothing serious like an addiction or a dependency...just to see....no. Alex shook himself out of it. That was a slippery slope to go down.

Alex was alright at getting on clothes without seeing them by now, even though it still took a little work and he had an alarming tendency to mismatch buttons. His mom was a bit behind on the style, but no one really judged the blind kid for what he was wearing. Well, most people. Alex slipped on the trench coat and jeans, a white shirt...what would everyone else be wearing? He couldn't anticipate a party thrown by kids to be a formal affair, and besides, it wasn't like he could read the fucking invitation. He could ask his mom, but he didn't care that much.

Alex was aware that he was standing before a mirror, and he looked at his own aura. It was curious, seeing himself this way. "Well look at you, big man. Going to a party. Being social..." Alex felt in the inner pocket of his coat, feeling the deck of Tarot cards. They thrummed with their knowledge, that only he could decipher-unless all those psychics were legitimate, and even the metahuman child was loathe to believe in them-but tonight was for partying. The mysteries of conflicts and battles to come could wait. Unless this party was to be such a major catalyst for catastrophe, which Alex doubted. He could handle himself, he thought, feeling the top edge of his blindfold (he had replaced it, getting a fresh one). He had not glared at many people before, but just enough. Once, on a bully. Younger, an animal. He was curious and regretted it, but had to know....it ran away howling. Alex still felt a twinge of regret, but he didn't like being taken advantage of.

Grabbing his stick he made his way downstairs, sheepishly asking his mother how he looked. He sensed that she was tearing up but couldn't be sure, merely gave her a hug and walked out his front door. It was a bit of a walk to where the party was-he had a vague idea of where it was, and was sure that he could follow the auras there. As he walked down the road, humming quietly, he basked in the emotions and presences of the people around him. He sensed a few others getting ready for a party, leaving, anticipation, excitement,

He turned and looked at where he thought the party was, and for a moment the building was ten thousnad miles tall and the skies rippled above him, the inky blackness that was not his clairvoyance lit up with what Alex saw as lightning as it crashed into the top of the structure.

The Lightning Struck Tower. Alex stopped dead in his tracks for a moment, feeling the cards ripple against his chest like a second heartbeat. Slowly, as his visiion returned to normal, he made his way across the street, confident that no cars were coming. Even the visions of the Tarot were not intriguing to Alex, as all that he could see normally were the cards, but the rare occasions where he had such direct visions still impressed upon him. So this party would be of a bit greater importance...he reached behind his head and loosened the blindfold, only a bit.

Skyler sighed as she meticulously shuffled around her closet. It wasn’t really a big walk-in or anything, it was just big enough to step inside and turn in a circle, possibly put some shoes in a corner. Not that she did, she only had two pairs of heels and then a bunch of tennis shoes and flip flops. It’s not like she put a ton of effort into how she looked. Make-up would only draw more attention to her face, which is exactly what she wanted avoid. At least mom hadn’t seen her as she sprinted up to her room.

Yeah, that would lead to an interrogation session…

Her parents meant well, but seeing their faces fall whenever they heard that Rex had given her one of its painful lessons was also something she’d rather avoid. Her life was all about minimizing her impact and passing through the day largely unnoticed. It made things easier to deal with. There were less possible aggravators for Rex to react to. Of course that didn’t always work, some days she had as many as four episodes. She didn’t know what her body’s limit was, surely being subjected to agony through one’s nerves wasn’t advised. She’d probably have a high risk of strokes when she got older or something like that.

With a quick shake of her head, she picked out a simple black dress. It had crimson bands winding diagonally down its length, ending just above her knees. It flared out slightly after her waist; it wasn’t one of those ‘bandage dresses.’ Funnily enough, it matched her eyes and lines perfectly, and with its sleeveless design those lines would be easily visible. A pair of low black heels with red crystals on the straps going over the front of her feet, a little make-up, and a quick brush to straighten out her hair and she was ready to go. She strolled downstairs, trying to control her rapidly beating heart.

There was her mother waiting at the bottom of the stairs, questions clouding her gaze. Then her face lit up like a switch had been flipped on inside her mind. It was a relief to see, Skyler couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her mother truly and honestly happy.

“Oh, honey, you look beautiful,” she whispered, “What exactly is the occasion though?”

Skyler twisted her toe into the carpet nervously, “A… a party. It’s at Wally’s place, he’s from school, a bunch of powered kids are gonna be there.”

“Are you… is Rex okay with that?”

“Well, it only fre- yeah, it’s fine with the little parasite,” she caught herself before she mentioned the two episodes she’d endured today, doing so would only freak her mom out and might even cause her mother to keep her at home for ‘safety.’

“Ok, don’t stay out too late, make sure to keep your phone with you at all times.”

“Yeah, mom, got it. I’ll be careful, don’t worry. If Rex starts to get antsy, I’ll apologize and leave; I know how to handle it,” Skyler said, heading out the door. She got into her Honda and was on her way to the party, purse in the seat next to her. The others would either accept her or they wouldn't, might as well make her power known. Having others to lean on would make her load easier to handle... if tonight went well anyways.

((Wtf I thought I posted this like two days ago))

'Class and Style' wasn't something Lash was a expert in. But that was definitely something Wally's party would have lots of and she would stick out like a sore thumb wearing all these trashy clothes. The first thing she did once she arrived in her secluded home was head straight for her room. Inside of her room was very dirty, trash and clothes were laying around all over the place, which was odd compared to the rest of the clean house. On the adjacent side from the door was a closet, making her way through the filth by kicking it all the way across the room. Gently placing her hand on the closet door, she gently opened the door and the closet was completely desolate except for a single leather Garment Bag which had to be the same height as her, hanging from a hook. She looks over her shoulder and slowly unhooks the bag and
examines it. She then quickly unzips it revealing a large Sky Blue dress. It looked like one of those dresses that Disney princesses wear, she then looks over her shoulder again. She then slowly takes off her shirt...

--- One Dress up scene later ----


She was in the dress, complete with shoes, a bright white purse and gloves that went with the dress. She didn't like wearing dresses, since she loathes the idea of walking around looking like a princess, but she can suck it up just for one night. She turned around and slowly walked out the door making her way to the party.

((If Victor has his own car, then I'll change it ^^))

Lexy smiled, leting the wind beat against her hair as the convertable sped on in the night. The night didn't make her as happy as it did in the day time. It was a lot darker, though she was still happy. She was always happy.

Lexy perked up when she noticed someone. The guy she met at the deli was in a white and red suit. He must be on his way to the party. Lexy didn't like people walking, so she pulled over to the side, driving up to Victor.

"Hey, uh... Victor, was it? Are you going to Wally's party, too? If so, do you need a ride?"

Making his way out of his quiet neighborhood, Victor didn't really consider the horrific things the people that harass him constantly might do if they spot him wearing his nice white and red suit.... he shrugs while walking. Hopefully he has enough kinetic energy to create a barrier, which can easily keep anything off of him. Much to his delight, that girl he met in the Deli yesterday pulled up in a nice convertible. She offered to give him a ride. Naturally he wasn't too sure about the girl, she was a bit annoying but not on a level Johnny was when he hit maximum ego. And he also has a resistance to annoying people due to the kids at school always harassing him. Oh yeah, he went off track a bit. He nods his head at Lexy and says "Ya' Lass, I would love ta' take dis ride wit' ya" He said while walking around the car slowly, and carefully. To be honest he was a bit nervous. He had one conversation with this girl and she's taking the kindness out of her heart to drive him there. While he would have loved to build kinetic energy throughout the long walk there and impress some of the girls with a few kinetic constructions, he loved riding in cars more. Once he arrived at the other side he opened the door and slide inside.

Lexy smiled as she turned the keys in the ignition. She drove a few seconds before she started talking, "I am sooooooo excited, aren't you? I mean, parties are so much fun. I could do without the formal section, though. I mean, it's a lot more fun when you wear whatever, ya'know?" She glanced at the invitation Wally had given her, checking the address, before quickly bringing her eyes back to the road. Though Lexy was normally reckless, driving was one of the few things she was careful at. She turned the corner, trying to repeat the address in her head.

John continued to walk, making sure to keep himself clean. He estimated he was about halfway there, so for being on foot he was making excellent time. John spent alot of the time walking thinking about what this party would be like. In the back of his mind he checked and rechecked, then checked again whether he was fully prepared or not, but he was sure he was. He had everything he'd possibly ever need...or at least he hoped.

Just stay calm...stay calm, you won't screw up anything if you just stay calm John. Don't think about screwing up and you won't... He thought anxiously to himself as he kept on walking. He saw some people passing by, most were probably on their way to the party. He stopped to look before crossing the road, taking in a deep breath.

((lul 'rode'))

Victor simply nods his head in response to Lexy. He says "Ya' Lexy. When I lived in de city, I went to many parties. De' boys n' gals like my accent" Well, he was still a bit nervous on the inside, but he's more than able to hide it. He place his hands on his legs then started tapping them gently. "Nice car, Lex"

((lol, I have too many dumb spelling moments XD))


Lexy smiled, "Thanks. Truthfully, it's my parents' car, but I treat it like it's mine since they never use it. I mean, what's the point of having something if you don't use it, right?" She paused, fully processing Victor's sentence. "You used to live in the city? That must have been so fun. What was it like? I mean, I've been to the city but I've never lived there. Nope. I've always lived here."

Victor remained silent for a few seconds and then he says "Ya', I lived in Dublin and Spielerstadt fo' a few years. Good ting is that you git ta see de' best and de' worst in people when ya' in the city. Out 'ere everything be nice and quiet... if ya' ask me... I liked the city more"

The great thing about living on your own was that you didn't need permission to do things.

Ever since Tess' parents had dismissed her as "mentally incompetent", they had basically dumped responsibility of her onto her uncle. He was somewhat of a distant relative, one whom she didn't even know she had, for that matter. Tess simply knew him as "Uncle Kevin", or "Uncle Kev". It was questionable whether or not Kevin was his real name.

Uncle Kevin had taken the job of caring for her with little complaint. He seemed to trust her to be on her own because he barely stayed in the apartment that they lived in, now. He was probably out at bars watching football or something when he wasn't home. Her uncle and her never really interacted with each other, but she liked him; she believed that they shared some unspoken connection. A mutual bond, if you will. Uncle Kevin respected her space and didn't ask questions, and she returned the feeling. He was a hard guy to understand and pretty quiet, but she felt that she knew more about him than anyone in her family. Well, he was her entire family, now.

Tess wasn't big on parties; she preferred to stay at home and read books, or go out and play some baseball. She stayed away from them because no party could ever compare to what she could conjure from her mind; she could have fun all by herself, and didn't need other people to tell her how to enjoy herself. Then again, this upcoming party was pretty popular. It wasn't like she had anything else planned, either. It wouldn't hurt to go. Much. Now there was the issue of apparel...

Tess was certain that the party would be oriented around formal-wear and classy outfits. She didn't own any of these; all of her clothes were ones that she used when she went out and worked or played sports or trudged through mud. Tess could care less about what people thought of her, but it did matter to her how she showed herself.

It was a party and she'd need to dress appropriately.

Hang on...Uncle Kevin had a son that used to live in this apartment before he went away to college. She could borrow one of his suits or something. Tess didn't mind wearing boys' clothes. They were comfy and fit her fine. Going down the hallway, she went into his old room and started going through his closet. Near the back she found a set that oddly resembled a magician's outfit. What the hell was it doing in here? A Halloween costume, maybe?

...Huh. A magician. A coincidence, but it was perfect. Tess couldn't help but smirk as she removed it from the closet and tried it on. When she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror; it fit her extremely well, but not well enough to look tight. Just well. It had the black pants, the black coat with the buttons and the fanned tail-thing on the back, a white shirt underneath with a black tie, and came complete with a black top hat. She had even found a walking stick and a pair of black dress shoes, along with a fox-mask. One of those things that people used at masquerade balls. Tess put it on-it covered the top half of her face, leaving her lips visible.

Preparing to walk out the door Tess looked over at the couch and saw Uncle Kevin, sitting and eating some barbecue wings. He was a plump man with a beer belly, an unshaved face and a lazy but all-knowing countenance. He looked up at her, and she at him, and the two gave each other slight nod. With that, Uncle Kevin went back to his food and Tess walked out the door with her stick, heading for the party.

Lexy nodded, "I think I like the city more, too. I mean, there's a lot more parties with more people, more entertainment, and more lights at night time. As long as there's plent of light, it keeps me super happy." She smiled, imagining the bright lights eminating off of large skyscrapers, the lights from cars lighting up even more of the dark night.

Skyler was driving along, head floating in the proverbial clouds as the lights on either side zoomed past in a blur. It wasn’t that she was speeding; Rex would never allow that in a million years, she was just kinda zoned out right now. That would be dangerous for a normal person, but one of the few perks of having another mind living inside you was that while you might not be paying attention, they were. It wouldn’t put her through an all-out episode while she was driving; it had tried that once and nearly killed them both.

Her parents only knew about the car accident when she was ten, mainly because they’d been there, but there had been one other. Well, it had really been more of a near-accident, but that near-accident had almost ended with her car ramming into the side of a semi. She hadn’t, of course, or she wouldn’t be here now to think about it, but it had been too close for comfort.

I wonder if anyone else has a backlash to deal with as a result of their… abilities.

Just then her phone decided to ring, music blaring out of the tiny speaker holes in its back and completely shattering the haze she’d been sifting through. Glancing up at the road, she grabbed the phone and put it up to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Hi, honey,” it was her dad, she should have known he’d want to talk, “So, you’re going to a party? You sure that’s a good idea, you’ve never seen how your… power would react to other powered children like yourself.”

“There’s not li- yeah, yeah I want to go,” the hand still on the wheel tightened, knuckles now white, “It’s something I have to do. I already met a few earlier today, Wally and John, and they were both seemed nice enough.”

Her father’s voice seemed slightly more at ease, “Oh, that’s good sign then… was Rex alright with them?”

Skyler hesitated for a second and said, “Yeah, Rex was okay with them. I really need to go, dad, I’m driving.”

“Right, right… just- you know what to do if Rex begins to get… agitated? Just get out of there, it doesn’t matter if it’s rude, just get away from the source of the problem.”

“I know, I know. I can do this, don’t worry.”

“Okay, I trust you. Have fun, Skyler, and be careful.”

“Got it, bye dad.”

“Bye.”

((Anyone's free to see here, if not the next post will probably be her arriving at Wally's house.))

((I'll gladly take that offer. ^^))

Walking along the sidewalk, looking at the trees and the grass and the illuminated houses, Tess felt no need to imagine anything different about the scenery. She liked nighttime; it was always more peaceful and quiet and warm. It made her feel calm. Relaxed, even.

Tess saw a car pass by with a girl behind the wheel (Skyler). She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that she was also headed to the party. It was a big event, after all. Tess wasn't entirely sure where she was going so she waved at the driver, using her freehand, hoping that the car would stop.

"Excuse me!" She called, still waving, "I need directions."

Skyler saw a form moving out of the corner of her eye as she set her phone back on the tray that sat between the driver and passenger seats. Usually she tried to put it on silent, her mom didn’t like the idea of her daughter talking on the phone and driving, but in this instance it was probably good that she hadn’t. A few shouted words reached her through the cracked window and she glanced behind her, signaled, and pulled over near the girl.

She rolled down her window and nodded in acknowledgement, red glimmers snaking across her coal-black eyes; Rex hadn’t given his signature warning, so in its mind the girl must not post a real threat. “I’m guessing that by ‘directions,’ you mean to the party, right?”

She’d offer a ride if it became apparent that this girl, apparently a powered girl if she was going to the party, needed one. If not she would simply see her at Wally’s. Rex wouldn’t object to simply being helpful.

"Yup." Well, she had been right about the girl. She had a tendency of being right.

She could easily just take the directions and walk the rest of the way, but Tess had a sudden overflow of laziness. She didn't want to walk anymore. Besides, being driven there would be easier and take less time.

"Since we're going to the same place, do you mind if I hitch a ride with you?" Tess asked, her eyes quietly scanning the girl from behind the fox mask.

Skyler had a brief 'double-take' moment, how had she not registered the strange mask the girl was wearing? She was either way more tired than she'd first thought or was becoming accustomed to strange happenings. Either way though, she needed to be more alert. She didn't need to reach the point where Rex needed to remind her to do so.

"Sure, no problem," she said, smiling.

She might as well make the most of the opportunity to get to know yet another powered person. Skyler hit the button on the door that unlocked all of the others and motioned with her hand that the girl could get in.

"I'm Skyler, by the way, Skyler Johnson."

"Tess," She introduced herself as she made her way into the back seat, the nearest collection of seats to her. Tess couldn't help but think about how fitting her costume was; she was dressed as a Magician, who dealt with all things magic, and her power was to create illusions. That could pass as magic. The difference between her and a magician was that all of her magic was real.

"...So, do you have any idea of just how many people are gonna be at this thing?" Tess asked, casually. She was genuinely curious.

"Ya' lass. Though the food is better 'ere N' tings are more... laid back. If ye' catchin' my drift" He said with a hint of ego and nervousness. While saying this he leaned back in the seat and put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He was trying to relax and not say something stupid to the girl that might get him thrown out of the car.

Maybe a question that never goes wrong in any way what so ever... well unless she you know. Has no friends. He inhales and says "Ya, Lex, don't cha got any friends or family dat lives in de city? I gots two friends N' lots of cousins N' aunts dat lives dere"

Skyler hit the door lock button once the girl, Tess, had gotten in and shut the door behind her. She'd chosen the back seat, did she not want to look Skyler in the face? No, it was probably just convenience, no reason to read too far into anything. With a smile to reassure herself, she pulled back out into traffic after checking that everything was clear.

"Nope, no idea," she shrugged, "I've only met two people besides you, Wally and John. I know it's a party for all of the kids with... abilities though, so probably quite a few."

Tess could control the conversation, Skyler would answer and keep it going. She wasn't a truly talkative person, so the careful art of a flowing conversation always seemed to escape her. Hopefully this wouldn't get awkward.

"Hmmm...Wally? Oh, right. The guy who gave out the invitations." Tess recalled seeing him a few times in school and again when he was polluting the sky with his fliers. She didn't like him, much, on account of how showy he seemed to be.

So it was a party for the supers? Huh. She thought that it was just going to be some normal party. All those super-humans in once place...it wasn't the best idea, and Tess felt a bit suspicious of it. She didn't voice these suspicions.

Tess wasn't one for conversations, either, so striking up a conversation was something she hadn't even considered. So she remained relatively quiet for the rest of the car ride.

----------

She could see lights; bright lights of houses and other buildings. She saw the cars speed by on paved, tar roads with their headlights blaring and piercing the night with their brightness. The trees towered high above her, the grass felt unusual even through her shoes, the air was crisp, the darkness was too dark and-it was all too much. Way too much for her to handle, after having been confined to a basement for years.

There was just so much space and freedom that she wasn't used to. It made her feel dizzy. Lenore leaned up against a nearby tree and shrunk to the ground, pulling her knees close to her head. She needed to think.

Lexy frowned as she shook her head. "Most of my family lives in towns. I've always wanted to spend more then one night in the city, though." She smiled cheerfully, "So what are you planning on doing at the party?"

Victor shrugs and says "What eva' dere is ta do."