I'll Never Leave Here

[megan]

Relief flooded her expression; she wouldn't have to go in. Of course, the idea wasn't one hundred percent comforting. If there really was a child trapped in that burning fire... She didn't want to think about it. Why? Because she was being utterly useless right then. Her power was neither good for offense nor defense and she was letting her fears get the better of her. But what could she do? Idly she watched Blake freezing the house's foundation. Megan was just not cut out for this superhero business.

"G'luck girls!" she called as the pair of blonds finally dashed into the house. She hadn't realized she was holding her breath until after they'd completely disappeared from sight. The she exhaled and ran a hand through her own brown locks, returning her sketchpad to her bag. For several minutes she just stood there, watching and waiting. Sitting still had never been her forte though. Before she knew it she was pacing back and forth in front of the burning building, trying to will another premonition to come. Something! Anything! She wanted to know that they would all be alright, and that she hadn't done the wrong thing by staying behind.

[Serinity Dawson]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/20hldp2.png,true] The heat was practically unbearable. Even with a damp cloth, smoke still filtered through and clung to her nose almost causing her to choke multiple times. This was not her idea of a good simulation. If anything, it was more of a worst nightmare. Serinity’s eyes flickered around the room while Blake went to work on the staircase freezing it up to make it sturdy enough to climb up. She had to watch it though; otherwise the ice might cause them to collapse faster with heavy weight and burnt beams. As Blake worked, Serinity hung back and tried to remain calm. Honestly, her mind was screaming at her to get out of here. It was so real, so like the time… Rini placed a hand on the wall to catch herself as she doubled over and gasped for air. She didn’t like being here. This simulation was a lot easier to do when she was on the outside of the burning out rather than being on the potentially trapping inside. What if they were trapped inside? Would her mind work enough to quit the program? Serinity grimaced and straightened up swallowing down the bile that rose in her throat wanting her to vomit. This was not a good idea after all. Already spent from her previous simulations and now this? What was she thinking?! Blake finally finished the stairway and went up the first with Rini following after. Her time as leader was over. Blake would take it from here. Serinity didn’t feel up to it anymore. Things were definitely easier to decide on the streets. Blake paused for a moment at the top of the stairs, which gratefully enough held their combined weight. On the way down, it might be safer to go one at a time. By then the ice would have melted. Already small rivulets of water streamed down the stairwell. “Try this room!” Serinity called above the roar of the fire that was far worse up here. It was assumed that the fire started down stairs, possibly in the kitchen, but the flames were always rising eating up into the floors and catching the top floor on fire quickly. The blonde had to swallow hard hesitating as Blake rushed into a room. She should follow, but her legs didn’t seem to work right. Standing there on the landing, the girl placed her hands on her hip and looked down at the ground panting. It was all too much. Taking in a sharp breath, Serinity pushed forward to follow Blake into the room. She couldn’t give up.

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[blake]

As Blake finished icing the stairs she could hear the creak of the floorboards near her, and looked to see Rini doubled over, trying to catch her breath. Smoke billowed around the two students, causing Blake's eyes to sting and throat to burn. Right before Blake was about to help Serenity to her feet the other girl straightened herself up. Hoping that Rini would be okay Blake made her way up the staircase, only placing her feet where she thought there was enough wood to sustain her. Heat pounded against her at all sides, making her squint and tense up. Her breathing began to get heavier but she continued until she had reached the top of the stairs.

She paused, unsure which room to try first and was grateful when Serenity shouted for her to try the room to her right. Blake rushed into that room, moving as fast as she could when she was trapped in such an inhospitable enviroment.

When she reached the room it was obvious that it was a bedroom. Or at least the remains of the bedroom. The entire bed was already beginning to smolder and Blake was praying that the little girl wasn't underneath it. Some areas of the wall were already burnt black and others had fresh fire creeping up them. If they were going to find this girl they were going to need to work fast.

[Serinity Dawson]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/20hldp2.png,true] The blonde duo burst into the first room. It was a bedroom, and by the looks of it, one that wasn’t really used much. The burning shelves were stock empty. Not a book lay upon their wooden frame, burnt or otherwise. Serinity cursed at their luck. Things just couldn’t be simple could they? “Not here!” Serinity managed to choke out. Her eyes were watering profusely. It was a feeling she despised. The roof over head suddenly began to give way. Pieces were falling. They were small at first, but as the seconds carried on, chunks started to make their way to the floor. Then, the whole roof caved in. Rini had no time to think. She just ‘did’. Grasping Blake’s shoulder, the blonde pulled Blake by her shirt back into the hallway where they were out of the collapsing roof, but still in the fire. With their backs against the wall, Serinity watched as the roof crumbled to the floor and the floor collapsed to the ground. Where they had been standing seconds before was completely gone. The only thing to show that that had once been a room and not some massively gaping hole in the middle of the house was the doorway. That was all that was left. Serinity leaned her head against the wall just wanting to break down. Her blue eyes observed the hallway and watched as a picture frame fell to the ground smashing to pieces. There were three doors left. If she knew anything about houses, more than likely one was a bathroom and the other two were bedrooms. The other bedroom closest to the bathroom would be the little girl’s. The last bedroom should be the parent’s. Tapping Blake’s shoulder, Serinity took lead from here. It was less fiery and seemed harmless enough to pass through a hallway. It were the other parts, the bedrooms and such, she couldn’t handle. Coming to the next door on the right, Serinity placed her hand against the wood and felt for its temperature. It felt warm, but not excessively hot. The doorknob came up with the same result. Serinity turned the handle and threw open the door. She was right. It was just the bathroom. A quick look around showed the little girl wasn’t here. Alright, now it was Blake’s turn again. Out in the hallway, it was now impossible to physically speak to one another. The noise was too loud and their throats would be burning with smoke regardless of the cloth. Using her pointer finger, Rini pointed to the door next to the bathroom. It had to be the girl’s. Blake had nodded and followed where Rini pointed. She copied Rini’s actions with the bathroom door and went in after deeming it was safe. Serinity walked in hesitantly. Yes, it was the girl’s room. Filled with pink and unicorns (the simulation was just being stereotypical) it couldn’t be anyone else’s room. The two girls exchanged glances for a moment before nodding. Serinity still hung back and let Blake do most of the stuff. All of the sudden, a piece of burning roof fell to the floor in front of the door. Typical. Serinity would let Blake take care of that, seeing as she could freeze it and all. Eyeing the other blonde, Serinity wondered if Blake ever ran out of juice. Shaking her head, Serinity chastised herself for letting her mind wander. Now was not the time to be thinking on the limitations of other people’s powers. Now it was time to open the closet. Inside would be the golden egg for this damned simulation which Rini should have never agreed to do. The child, young and blonde like the both of them, clung to her stuffed unicorn crying her eyes out. When they opened the door she shrunk back not knowing who or what it was. Serinity peered into the small room from behind Blake. She watched the small girl cry, watched her shrink back and call out for her mommy. A flashback hit her hard and fast. The setting was so similar, the actions almost the same. It was a different time and a different place, but the details were so alike. Serinity stepped back with a face as white as a sheet. Her foot tripped over the piece of fallen roof causing her to fly back onto the floor. Lying there, her eyes still looked at the little girl, but she did not see her. Instead, she saw herself. It was not some random child they were rescuing, it was her. Of course, Blake wouldn’t see any of this. Only Serinity. “I’m sorry!” Serinity shouted before clambering up from the floor hastily. Without another word, she rushed out of the room and down the hallway. Her feet slipped on the patches of almost melted ice on the stairway sending her flying down them unnaturally. She didn’t even feel the pain while she picked herself up and charged out the door and into the unsoiled air taking a deep breath. She didn’t bother looking at Megan as she tripped on the concrete and slammed into the hood of a car parked on the curve. Leaning against the car for support, Serinity broke down with tears streaking down her cheeks leaving tracks in the soot. The images of her trapped inside the closet while her house burned down threatening to take her with it stuck in her head like glue. Serinity pressed her forehead against the cool of the car not able to control her sobs. It took her a good several moments to calm down. The cloth she had ripped from her mouth earlier was used to wipe away her tears and clean off her face as best as possible. It couldn’t clean away everything, however. Not able to look at anyone, the blonde slid down the side of the car and waited for Blake to finish the stupid program so they could leave. With her knees hugged tightly against her chest, the girl simply stared at the ground shaking completely spent.

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[blake]

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words // 706 // outfit // too lazy to describe // tagged // Rini, Megan

I tried to do you right
WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GO AND TURN INTO ICE

“Not here!” Blake barely heard the other blonde as a cracking noise shattered the air. Her brown eyes stared up above in horror as the roof started to fall. She heard no wood breaking, no stone slamming down, all she could hear was the sound of her own heart thumping inside her chest. Everything was slow moving and quiet. Hands gripped Blake's shoulder, dragging her both out of the room and into reality. Well, at least back to the reality of the situation they were in. The sound snapped back to her, the crunching of wood and snapping of furniture could be heard from inside the room.

The floor crumbled inside the room and everything that was once in it hit the ground below. Dust joined the smoke in obstructing the students' view. The crunching of wood stopped and the room was now gone. A door barely stayed attached to the hinges, swinging back and forth before breaking off to join the rubble below.

Blake's mouth hung open underneath the rag of clothing tied around the lower half of her face. She stood there, shocked, until Rini tapped her on the shoulder and pointed towards one of the three doors. They quickly checked the bathrooms to discover that no girl was there and moved on to the next door. With her throat on fire and eyes watering, Blake started to wonder what it must be like to go to a normal school. Where P.E didn't cause you to almost be killed in a burning house.

She silenced her thoughts for a moment, pushing open the next door which after a quick inspection was silently declared to belong to the girl. It was as though they tried to cram everything girly into one small room. Blake would have laughed but feared that it would only make her throat hurt more. The cracking of wood reached her ears again and Blake turned towards the door, preparing for another roof avalanche. But instead only a small piece of the roof had fallen, which the nineteen year old promptly sprayed ice on until it looked not like wood but almost like an icy crystal.

With that small problem delt with, the blonde faced the closet and opened it. Her brown eyes took in the small girl huddled within, gripping tightly onto her unicorn. As she bent down to pick up the child a thump sounded behind her and she looked behind her to see Serenity laying on her back. Her partner had obviously tripped over the icy wood, but what Blake couldn't figure out was why she was staring with so much horror in her eyes. Her brown eyes glanced around, checking if there was any sort of physical danger but could spot none. Before she could ask what was wrong Rini dashed out of the room, shouting out an apology before she left.

The blonde was bewildered as to what had caused the sudden anxiety in the headmistress' daughter but tried to focus on the simulation's challenge. She picked up the girl, groaning slightly as she did so. The unicorn remained in the blonde child's hand, as though the toy itself was her life line. Blake ran out of the room, careful not to trip on the piece of roof. She then made her way down the stairs, each step both fast yet nervous. Smoke billowed around her and the girl, flames shooting out from the walls as they made a last attempt to drag the two back into the dangerous house. Fire licked at her heels as she came sprinting out of the inferno.

The house suddenly collapsed, as if the simulation had perfectly timed it. Blake shielded the little girl with her body, squinting her eyes shut as both the heat and smoke exploded out of the house now that it was free from it's crumbling prison. The dust and smoke slowly drifted away and the nineteen year old's knees buckled, causing the girl to flop down onto the ground and Blake to land on her behind. She tore the dirty piece of clothing from her face, panting for breath as she did so. They had completed the simulation, and Blake was silently overjoyed with their accomplishment.

notes // None

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[megan]

What happened inside the building she could not know, but that didn't stop her mind from jumping to the worst conclusions. Megan hadn't been able to stay still since the two girls had disappeared inside. Her pacing had evolved to include twisting her ring, tugging on her bracelet (which hid one of her wrist tattoos), kicking loose pieces of asphalt, and at one point she had almost worked up the courage to try and enter the house herself. Of course, she'd made it to the front steps just as a piece of the porch decided to collapse. The idea of being trapped in some tiny little hole, burning rubble enclosing her in, made her stomach churn. She'd promptly turned back at sat on the ground a good distance away, head between her legs to try and keep the nausea at bay.

She'd gone back to pacing after a while, sending furtive glances in the direction of the front door. The woman felt so useless. Here were two young students risking their life in a simulation to save the life of another and she couldn't even bring herself to set foot inside the burning building. She hadn't forgotten that they were technically in the lower basement with no hope of seeing sunlight until they resurfaced two levels up, and she quietly cursed herself for coming down here in the first place. Next time she needed to talk to the simulation's professor, she'd make him come to her.

Megan was just about to start on another lap when a figure burst out of the house. Serinity looked worse for the wear as she ran smack into a car and collapsed against its hood. Concern instantly flooded through her veins. She may not have been able to assist in the mission, but emotional support had always been something she excelled at. Megan could be as protective as a mother bear and seeing a student in distress, even if it was not one of her own students, had her instincts kicking in.

She gave Rini several minutes to herself, keeping an eye on the house for any sign of Blake and the little girl. If one as out, the other couldn't be too far behind, right? But she could see the roof sagging and support beams giving way; the place was going to collapse in on itself pretty soon. So keeping a watchful eye out for any signs of the other girl, Megan made her way over to a slightly more composed Rini sitting against the side of the car. Without asking she sat down next to the girl, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and offering her a shoulder to cry on. Her voice was low and soothing, sounding like the mother she wasn't. "Shh. It's okay sweetie. You're all right. I've got you."

Minutes later, Blake burst through the door with a little girl clutched in her arms. A Labrador puppy was hot on her heels (though in the chaos Meg was pretty sure she was the only one who'd noticed it), chasing after its small master and bursting into the freedom of the city streets. Moments later the house caved in on itself completely, no longer a freestanding structure. Blake released the little girl as she fell to her knees and Meg watched the dog bound happily towards its precious child, licking her face and hands with love. Blake looked to be in slightly better condition than Serinity, but Megan would check on her in a few minutes too just to be sure.

It was mission complete.

[Serinity Dawson]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i56.tinypic.com/20hldp2.png,true] To say that Serinity was oblivious to everything around her would have been an understatement. The only thing the blonde seemed to be capable of doing was getting lost in her thoughts. Visions of the past whizzed before her eyes as things long forgotten resurfaced. She had no idea how long she sat there against the car wanting to sob or throw things or just something. Every sort of emotion took its temporary hold before another one pushed through and into the lime light. At first it was fear. Rini feared seeing the girl trapped inside. It reminded her of when she was little and how close she had come to death. Repressed memories strengthened her fear. Would a phobia of fire come from this? Fire claimed not one but both of her parents. Her own father had started the fire. Granted, it had been an accident. Grimacing, the girl gasped and clutched at her hair with eyes squeezed tightly together. An arm encircled Serinity’s shoulder. Opening her eyes, the girl stared at the concrete with a vacant expression. She was so emotionally drained now. Feeling hollow and tired, Rini allowed Professor Zamorski to comfort her. It helped a little but a surrogate mother was not what she needed. A real mother would have been better. Serinity had to settle for Professor Zamorski or her grandmother instead. Beggers can’t be choosers. Blake suddenly burst from the house seconds before it came crashing to the ground. The little girl, and her forgotten puppy, had been successfully saved. It was the end of the mission. Whoohoo. Celebration. Whooptiefreakingdoo. Not bothering to budge, the girl made a mental note to never help a ‘clueless’ student again. If they wanted to know how to work the simulator, she wasn’t going to be the one to show her. There were classes for it after all. The simulation went black for a moment before returning the three occupants to its normal state of a simple room with a console. Serinity glanced at Megan for a moment. It seemed to be the only kind of thanks she could muster. “Bye,” she said once she was up and already heading for the door. The blonde didn’t bother wasting time on true, heartfelt goodbyes. All she wanted was her own bedroom where she could cry her heart out. A pity party was in store for Rini. Once outside the door, the blonde let go and tears streaked down her cheeks. It was in times like these when knowing back roads to the dorms was handy. She wanted to meet no one on her way back. Inside the safety of her dorm, Serinity plopped onto her bed and let both past and present events wash over her engulfing her entirely.

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