top secret [daniel]

[miller]

Miller was slouched back in his seat, one elbow balanced on his desk, propping up his chin, and the other arm carelessly hanging over the armrest of his office chair. His eyes listlessly skimmed over the bright computer monitor, currently displaying a stubbed-out profile of one of Silas Academy’s students. Dr. Miller didn’t have open access to all of the data about the students on campus, but this partial biography was plenty. It gave him access to a general overview of their course information, grades, and more importantly, listed their ability.

The computer mouse slid across the mouse pad and clicked up in the top left corner, and cooperatively, the monitor displayed a new student’s profile. Dean stayed motionless, except for his eyes, which zeroed in on the student’s power (“Underwater breathing”), and he finally broke out of his statuesque appearance. He let out an annoyed laugh, though an observer probably would agree that it sounded as far from a laugh as could be. Miller heaved a deep sigh and spun away from his computer, using the arm that had been holding up his head to instead rub the fatigue out of his eyes. He could feel the bristle on his chin from the lack of a clean shave. Oh yeah, shaving. He should probably do that, you know, take care of himself. Miller was aware that he most likely looked as if he hadn’t slept in days, and that was, in part, because he hadn’t—it had been near 72 hours since Miller had left his office for home, though he managed to fall asleep during some of the fevered note-taking he had done last night. Tonight he'd leave, he promised himself. Jenna always told you your work would suffer when you skipped dinner and sleep, Miller thought, almost fondly. And she was right, of course, Jenna was always right. But sleep and dinner were things that had to be sacrificed when there was a bit of a breakthrough in his research.

He gathered himself and watched as the mouse moved again, this time to close the student profiles. Daniel would be arriving soon—he should be, he better be, for Miller’s patience was quite stretched these days—and although Miller trusted Daniel almost entirely, he didn’t want the boy to see him rifling through student files. He had sent Daniel a text message to call him in for a meeting to give him some more specifications on his task. It was a little silly: a near-fifty year old man texting some kid about meeting to talk about a widespread student abduction. But this way they were in private, and their relationship wasn’t a secret, so there would easily be no misinterpretations. Just a teacher meeting his student.

As if for the first time, Miller’s eyes widened as he glanced about his office: there were books and articles and papers everywhere. He hadn’t realized last night’s excitement had caused such a mess. Still in his chair, the man nodded his head towards one particularly cluttered area, and the books began to shut themselves loudly and stack on top of each other. The pile of unarranged papers near the door began to follow suit, and soon half of his office was a flurry of papers and books flying through the air to their proper space on his bookshelf.

[satara]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-image: url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/oceanbreezebg.png); padding-bottom: 20px;] words // 633 // tagged // Miller boy with a coin, T H E N M A K I N G A W I S H , A N D T O S S E D I N T H E S E A Daniel crossed his ankles with his arms behind his head, thinking. For once, he was thinking more about the future than the past, which was quite a nice change. Four days ago had been such a strange day, filled with unhappy memories and ghosts of the past that, apparently, felt the need to haunt him every time he slowed down. As long as he kept busy, it wasn't too bad. He could distract himself with homework and friends and keep his skeletons in his closet. Today was different. Today, he was thinking about possibilities. He had finally asked out Serinity Dawson, and not only had she accepted, but she'd accepted enthusiastically which made him feel a bit like he was levitating. He knew that he probably shouldn't have asked her out given his situation with Professor Miller, but he couldn't help it. There was something about her that drew him in like a magnet. Lying there in his bed, he couldn't help smiling and wondering what it would be like to actually go on a date with her. Doubt started to creep in at the edges of his awareness. What if she didn't consider it a date? He'd only asked her to meet him for lunch, after all. He should have been more specific. With his brow wrinkled in thought, he tried to remember if the word "date" was used at any point in their conversation. In the middle of running the entire exchange in his head for the thousandth time, his phone vibrated in his pocket and he hastily dug it out to read the display.

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Daniel swallowed hard, feeling as though a lead ball had just been dropped on his stomach. Professor Miller had helped him in more ways than one. Even the phone in his hand could be credited to the man, but it seemed that he was now repaying the favor. All Daniel knew at the present time was that he was looking for students with certain powers, and he was supposed to be keeping an eye on them while reporting back his findings. Why Professor Miller wanted the information was a mystery to him. With a fair amount of anxiety, Daniel opened the message to find a request to meet in his office. He sighed, sat up, and ran a hand through his hair which was already sticking up in odd places.

Ten minutes later, he had his bag flung over his shoulder and was striding down the hallway to Professor Miller's office while trying to remember everything he'd learned about the students of Silas. He had tried to observe as much as possible, not knowing how specific he was supposed to get. What he really needed was more information. Perhaps he would ask the Professor about his plans even though there was no guarantee that he'd get an answer. If there was one thing he knew, it was that Dean Miller was a private man. Still, Daniel needed at least some answers if he was going to be doing side jobs on top of his other school work.

Daniel stopped at office number 302A and knocked gently before peeking his head inside slightly. Books and papers were swirling all around the room, seeming to straighten themselves out in their appropriate places, but he knew it was only Professor Miller's power of telekensis. It was a power that Daniel would have liked to have instead of fire. It had to be easier to control. His blue eyes finally focused on Professor Miller sitting behind his desk and looking like he hadn't slept in days. "Professor? You wanted to see me?" He stepped hesitantly into the room, letting the door click softly closed behind him.
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notes // Sorry it took so long. Internet issues. -__-

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[miller]

At the sound of the knock, the books slowed in the air until the last few were tidied up. Miller glanced at the door to see Daniel’s head peering around the edge and his face broke out into a slight smile. ”Yes, Daniel, have a seat,” Dean motioned towards the chair behind his desk, which began to swivel slowly towards Daniel in almost a sort of greeting. He was about to close the door but Daniel had already done so. Good boy, there was a reason Miller saw potential in him. The man used his telekinesis to flip the lock of the door instead; wouldn’t want any unplanned company. Just an extra precaution: it wasn’t like locks could stop everyone, here at Silas.

”How’s school been?” he started very conversationally, which wasn’t common of him. ”I was thinking we should...” a slight pause, as Miller considered his words, "catch up.” While he was interested in Daniel’s life so far, right now there were more pressing matters, and he felt that any personal talk could wait until after the briefing.

It had been a few weeks since he’d set Daniel free in Silas, with the vague mission to just keep his eyes out for any students with exceptional abilities. Dean hadn’t specified any more than that at the time, because enough research hadn’t been done. There were a few obvious abilities he’d been looking for, but since Daniel didn’t know the reason behind his task, Dean had decided to withhold them until he’d done more delving into the makeup of mutant genes. However, after some ambitious late nights at LifeCore with a few of his colleagues, Miller was able to narrow down his search and finally get his scheme rolling. Part of him was guilty at the amount of time it had taken to get this far; in his mind, all he could see was Jenna’s face, pained and weak, but smiling. But at the same time, Miller almost felt a bit of excitement at how close he was at reaching a discovery. The plan may be difficult to pull off, but he was confident that Daniel and those at LifeCore would not let him down.

Miller pulled his chair in so that he could rest his elbows on his desk. ”I wanted to give you more specifics on your task, now that you’re more settled in. But before that, have you met anyone interesting? I know that these summer months have the classes a little sparse, but perhaps you’ve seen something good.” Miller spoke vaguely about Daniel’s spy duties, intentionally not choosing any words that would be too revealing of what he had asked of him. It could be that he was paranoid of telepaths and the like listening in, or perhaps it was because there was a lack of professionalism in talking about spywork that Dean didn’t want to exude.

He was quite eager to hear Daniel's answer, but understood that with such little to go off of, the boy may not have anything to share.

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[satara]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-image: url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/oceanbreezebg.png); padding-bottom: 20px;] words // 666 O.O // tagged // Miller boy with a coin, T H E N M A K I N G A W I S H , A N D T O S S E D I N T H E S E A The door had no more than closed behind him when Daniel heard the unmistakeable sound of the lock clicking resolutely into place. It told him a great deal about the nature of the upcoming discussion. Apparently, this was more than something that Professor Miller didn't want overheard. This was something that should probably be labeled "top secret" and he found himself rather excited. Professor Miller seemed to be a good man and a respectable scientist so Daniel was itching for more information about this "mission" he was being instructed to carry out. Hopefully it would help someone who needed it. Too often Daniel was the source of chaos and hurt. It would be a nice change to be responsible for something that benefited others. It was a moment before he noticed that Professor Miller had finished cleaning up his office and was offering him a seat. Daniel eyed the chair for a moment before sitting down and swiveling it back around so he could give Miller his full attention. "How’s school been? I was thinking we should... catch up." Interesting opening, but Daniel hid his surprise at the conversational tone. Usually the Professor was more business than pleasure. Still, it would be rude to tell him to get to the point, so he answered briefly. "It's been good, sir." His response didn't reveal much, but he got the feeling that hadn't been the point of the question. It was simple manners, and he understood that. He probably could have told Professor Miller that he'd been working on dressing monkeys up as ballerinas in first period and had it not make a difference. Something told him that the brunt of the conversation would be much more indepth than that. Waiting patiently, Daniel rubbed his palms on his thighs as Miller leaned forward to rest his elbows on the desk. The body language indicated importance which meant they were getting closer to the meat of the matter. "I wanted to give you more specifics on your task, now that you’re more settled in. But before that, have you met anyone interesting? I know that these summer months have the classes a little sparse, but perhaps you’ve seen something good." This was one question Daniel had been ready for, and he rifled through his mental list. His task was made a bit more difficult as his mind was still on what the specifics were about his task. Possibilities rolled around in his mind along with the information he already had, but he forced it to the side. "Well, sir, there's one of particular interest in my Power Acceptance class. His name is Killian and he does something with a person's life force. I don't understand it myself, but it sounded like something you'd be interested in." Daniel paused, not knowing how much detail Professor Miller wanted him to go into. Deciding that he could give additional information later, he continued. "A girl, Blake, from Control I manipulates ice and she seems to be..." I don't want to call her stupid... "... impressionable. There's a guy named Seth who can absorb the powers of others but he honestly strikes me as a bit dangerous. There's an empath named Jasmine in my Calculus class who likes to spontaneously 'help' people." He grimaced at the memory of the girl cornering him after class and trying to convince him that he wasn't nearly as alone as he felt. That confrontation had led to him burning down half the gardens outside, but he wasn't about to admit that. "There are a few more but nothing that stands out to me. Oh, I almost forgot. You mentioned that you were particular to finding healers. There's one in my control class who seems very amiable. Her name's Shia." He hoped that Professor Miller would be satisfied with the information he had gathered thus far. In all honesty, there wasn't much to do but to observe. Daniel took a deep breath and waited. notes // British accent. *swoon*

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[miller]

Dean watched Daniel intently as he began relating his observations. He was quite pleased with the first student he’d brought up. It gave Miller some resolve in the slight bit of apprehension he had had in putting much of the control for this phase of his undertaking in someone other than himself—though he had a close connection to Daniel, Miller rarely trusted anyone to get his work done for him. In his opinion, he could always get it done better, and quicker. But this situation wasn’t something he could accomplish alone, and insider help had been necessary. Student files would take forever to go through, and there was an added bonus to getting details from hands-on experiences.

His mind pondered a power about life force as he relaxed and sat back in his chair. Miller’s eyes were fixed on the ceiling, slowly digesting each word Daniel spoke. He made mental notes in his head: life force, manipulation, power absorption, an empath, and… a healer. A dark eyebrow twitched up at the last one. That would be the second healer he was aware of; the other was a very bright girl from his Biochemistry class, who he’d already had his eyes on. Dean stayed silent after the boy had stopped, continuing to think. He brought his elbows up to the arms of his desk chair and thoughtfully pressed the pads of his fingers together. While a few Daniel had mentioned didn’t have abilities that seemed relevant to his cause, they weren’t necessarily going to be ignored, as there had to be something about the students that made Daniel bring them up. Finally, when the silence had swelled up to a point where Miller had nearly forgotten the boy was there, he picked his head up and nodded affirmatively.

”This Killian,” he began, sitting up in his seat and rolling a few inches to the right to access his laptop. ”Last name, Quinn? Do you know?” Miller’s fingers reached over to the keyboard and quickly typed in the name into the profile search. The name had come to him quickly because it sounded familiar, and sure enough, when the student’s file loaded, he noticed he was going to be in one of Miller’s classes for the current term. His tired eyes rested on the ability field on the screen: ‘Life Force Manipulation’. The man’s head slowly nodded at the computer screen before turning back to his company. ”Interesting…” he trailed off, tapping his chin absently as his mind raced. He could do something with this. With all of these. When he went over to LifeCore in a few hours, he’d have a bit more research to do now that he knew what he was up against.

Miller’s mind came back to the present moment and he straightened out his striped blue tie, speaking in a humbled tone. ”That was a lot better than I expected,” he admitted, referring to Daniel’s findings. ”You did well, Daniel.” Dean’s stubbled lips curled into a sort of pleasant smirk; he was quite impressed with the report he’d just gotten and only hoped Daniel would be able to continue on with the same amount of quality observations.

There was another long pause until Miller spoke again. ”I’m very interested in any manipulators you know of. Especially if they seem to have a good sense of control over their ability, it doesn’t matter what they manipulate. Those that can change the state of something—anything at all—or change the state of themselves, are quite valuable.” He had found that something in the genes of those who could control and influence matter to be very promising in the test phases of his research. As an addendum, he said, ”However, even if they don’t fit that criteria, I’d like to know about anyone particularly unique or extraordinary…or any classmates of yours who appear to be very strong with their ability.” He watched Daniel in silence to let his specifications sink in. A few moments later, Miller asked, ”Any questions?”

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[satara]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-image: url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/oceanbreezebg.png); padding-bottom: 20px;] words // 789 // tagged // Miller boy with a coin, T H E N M A K I N G A W I S H , A N D T O S S E D I N T H E S E A Daniel sat still, hardly daring to move in the oppressive silence that Professor Miller had created. The seconds dragged on, each one seeming to be longer than the one before until he thought Miller might not speak, react, or move at all. Three times he opened his mouth to say something, and all three times, words failed him. He wondered if that meant he was dismissed, but his desire for answers kept him firmly rooted to his seat even as the silence dragged on and built to a nearly unbearable level. He resisted the urge to fidget, not really wanting to draw the Professor's attention any more than necessary, but his mind continually sought ways to puncture the suffocating standoff. Daniel opened his mouth once more and Professor Miller looked at him in the same moment, causing his teeth to snap shut with an audible click. "This Killian, last name, Quinn? Do you know?" Relief flooded through Daniel now that the awkward moment was over and he nodded as Miller scooted over to his laptop. "Yes, sir." He'd been unable to think of Killian's last name on his own, but Quinn sounded right in his mind. Hoping the silence wouldn't be so long this time, he watched quietly as Professor Miller apparently looked up the student's file. It was only a guess as he couldn't see the screen for himself. Idly, he tore his eyes away from Miller and gave into his urge to fidget, twisting a strand of thread from his jeans between his fingers. He really shouldn't be nervous. He knew that Dean Miller was a good man, especially after all the help Daniel had gotten from him. Perhaps it was just the prospect of finding out what all this research was for that was making him antsy. Then again, the long periods of silence that stretched between them didn't help in the least. "Interesting..." Daniel brought his head up, but Professor Miller wasn't looking at him. It was another moment before he did so, straightening his tie and seeming to pull himself together from a long way away. "That was a lot better than I expected. You did well, Daniel." He didn't want to admit it to himself, but a bit of that tight tension within him loosened at the approval. It made him feel like he'd done something right, and that perhaps his life wasn't destined for destruction after all. Added to that, maybe he also had some vague hope of repaying his debt to Miller before he turned eighty. A small smile curved his lips. "Thank you, sir." There was another long pause, but it didn't feel so bad this time now that Daniel knew he had done alright with his information. Then the silence was punctured once again with more instructions. "I'm very interested in any manipulators you know of. Especially if they seem to have a good sense of control over their ability, it doesn't matter what they manipulate. Those that can change the state of something—anything at all—or change the state of themselves, are quite valuable. However, even if they don't fit that criteria, I'd like to know about anyone particularly unique or extraordinary…or any classmates of yours who appear to be very strong with their ability." Daniel's brain immediately went on overdrive, examining each of the people he knew and how they might fit into Professor Miller's research. "Any questions?" Daniel blinked and focused his eyes on the man in front of him. Any questions? Of course he had questions. The problem was voicing those questions. Daniel took a moment to organize his thoughts. He trusted Professor Miller and believed him to be a good man, if a bit overworked and overly focused at times. However, it had not gone unnoticed to his eye that Miller seemed more stressed than usual lately. Was it because of his work in general? Or was it because of something else? Curiosity burned in him, but he forced himself to think first, knowing that not all of his questions would be answered in the first place. Considering that, it was best to make the questions he did ask count. There was one basic query that seemed to encompass his general thoughts and it would also allow Professor Miller a bit of room to not go into detail if he didn't wish to. Daniel took a deep breath, stopped playing with the thread on the seam of his jeans, and looked the Professor in the eye. "Sir, if you don't mind my asking, what is all this research for?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he swallowed and hoped he wasn't crossing a line. notes // psh, I have no notes. XD

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[miller]

Miller’s gaze narrowed on Daniel unintentionally. That wasn’t quite the type of question he’d been expecting.

There was silence for a moment while the professor thought about how to answer Daniel’s question. He didn’t want to use any words like ‘experiment’ or ‘testing’, which would surely set off the boy’s suspicions as to the intentions of his spying. Miller wondered how vague and how accurate of a response he could give that would satiate Daniel’s (well-justified) curiosity. Leaning back in his chair, the man pursed his lips and nodded.

”No, that’s a warranted question.” He watched Daniel as thoughts raced through his mind. Finally, Miller sighed quietly before he decided on a response. Though he was essentially now using Daniel as a tool for his research’s success, he did care for the boy, and didn’t want to lie to him any more than necessary. He didn’t want to have to do this, but Miller wasn’t sure that withholding information would get him very far. Either way, whatever he answered, he was mostly certain that Daniel wouldn’t question it anytime soon.

Looking at Daniel, Miller spoke. ”You know of Ralin’s Cancer, correct?” A pause permeated the air. ”Our genetic research has shown that mutant DNA could be the key to a cure or at the very least, a treatment,” the professor explained shortly. He knew he had offhandedly mentioned Jenna to Daniel, but couldn’t remember if he had ever shared the reason she was sick. Here he looked down at his hands, apprehensive about the lie he was about to speak, but maintaining a calm exterior. Miller laced his fingers together and rested his hands in his lap, as if this somehow enhanced the validity of his words: ”We’re looking for blood samples of qualified individuals.”

Well… not quite a lie. But blood samples weren’t the only thing they were looking for. DNA played a part, it was true, but recent discoveries had shown a type of blood cell that was best experimented with in live subjects. While Miller wasn’t excited to have to test out certain combinations of these cells in this manner, it was necessary. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to anything that resulted in fatalities. Even so, in Dean Miller’s eyes, the lives of a few sometimes needed to be sacrificed for the greater good. A cure for Ralin’s Cancer would quickly develop into a cure for other cancers. The benefits of just a few unethical experiments would be enormous.

[satara]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-image: url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/oceanbreezebg.png); padding-bottom: 20px;] words // 741 // tagged // Miller boy with a coin, T H E N M A K I N G A W I S H , A N D T O S S E D I N T H E S E A The question had no more than left Daniel's lips than he had the unerring sensation that he'd crossed a line. Professor Miller's eyes hardened as if to drive that point home, and Daniel stuggled not to twitch, fidget, or apologize for his question. Despite those efforts, he shifted his weight in his seat and folded his hands in his lap. The last thing he wanted to do was cross a line with the man in front of him; the man who had, for lack of a better explanation, given him a future. Dean Miller had paid his tuition, bought him new clothes, a phone, his books, everything he would need to stay at Silas Academy. He owed Professor Miller a great deal and he didn't intend to pay it back by being pushy about what he was being asked to do. However, he had asked the question out of a need to soothe his conscious. Reporting the powers, personalities, and activities of his fellow students wasn't a bad thing, nor was it particularly difficult, but he wanted to know that his observations were being put to good use. "No, that’s a warranted question." Daniel relaxed visibly, but he also noted that Miller didn't say he was going to get a truthful answer. At the moment, he was just thankful he wasn't going to be asked to leave and would, at least in part, get some more information. Miller sighed as if thinking about his answer, and Daniel waited patiently. He honestly didn't know what he'd do if Professor Miller's plans were unethical. He owed his man so much, how could he refuse to help him, even if it was a bad thing? On the other hand, there hadn't really been any evidence that the scientist was anything other than curious. Then again, he was a scientist. Scientists didn't just come up with theories. They tested those theories and adjusted their actions accordingly, seeking new theories to prove or disprove. Professor Miller's eyes found Daniel's. "You know of Ralin’s Cancer, correct?" Something in Daniel clicked at that one simple question. Professor Miller must be looking for a cure! Of course the answer might lie with gifted people! "Yes, sir. I've heard of it though I haven't known anyone diagnosed with it, myself." He didn't know enough people to have seen the effects of the cancer himself, though he had heard rumors. The cancer was reported to be viscious, incurable, and completely resistent to treatment. Professor Miller confirmed that he was looking for the cure or a possible treatment within the students and their abilities. The information made Daniel a bit more excited about the work he was doing, though he restrained himself from showing it. If Miller could find a cure, it would benefit so many people. "We’re looking for blood samples of qualified individuals." Daniel finally allowed himself a small smile. That was nothing bad, and he wondered why he'd been so worried. If he couldn't put his trust in a doctor, he couldn't put his trust in anyone. "Thank you for answering my question, sir. You didn't have to." He ran through the list of what Professor Miller was looking for in his head. Healers especially, and manipulators who had a decent level of control. Ideas formed in his head as his thoughts turned to his classmates. Now that he had a bit more to go on, he was sure that he would have much more to report the next time he was called to this office. He was in a much better mood than he had been in, and he almost blurted out his question of borrowing Professor Miller's car for his date with Rini, but he stopped at the look on the man's face. Daniel watched Miller carefully and his mind circled around a few key points. Dean Miller was stressed out. Even the most unobservant person would have been able to see it. He was looking for a cure to Ralin's Cancer. He was--at least partially--confiding in a student in order to produce results which meant he was getting more desperate. Daniel's eyes narrowed slightly and his brow wrinkled for a moment. Then his eyes opened wide and his lips parted in shock. "Sir... it's not your wife... is it?" In that moment, Daniel's heart broke for the man and he told himself that he'd do whatever it took to help him. notes // psh, I have no notes. XD

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[miller]

Miller’s eyes came back to Daniel as the boy thanked him, and he nodded in response with the faint hint of a smile on his face. His explanation, which was riddled with half-truths and lacking a lot details that would surely make Daniel uneasy, had gone far better than Dean had planned. He was a little torn between feeling delighted things had gone so smoothly and feeling guilty he was lying to Daniel. He had to remind himself that he was essentially using the boy… but Miller was able to rationalize it if he thought of it as Daniel’s thanks for all of the things the professor had done for him. Not that he had started out with the intention of keeping Daniel as his own personal spy-assistant—but the idea quickly formed in his head soon after he found the boy.

The man was about to ask (reluctantly) if there were any more questions, but before he opened his mouth, Daniel spoke. His mention of Jenna caused a flash of her happy, but weak face to appear in his mind. Silently, Miller’s gaze slowly shifted away from him and onto his laptop, where Killian’s profile was still up on screen. Reading over the student’s ability again brought him back to the present, where Miller looked back to Daniel. ”Ah, yes,” he answered solemnly, the slightest bit of sadness hidden in his voice. ”It’s been nearly ten years now. She’s a strong woman.” It was the only information he was willing to share. Only a few colleagues of his really knew about his wife’s health problems. It was… kind of Miller’s weak point.

There was another silence, and the professor heaved a thick sigh and used his power to move the laptop’s mouse and close out of Killian’s profile. Still looking at Daniel, he said, ”Right, are there any more questions? I’ve only got another hour before I have to be down at the lab, or I’d have you stay and chat.” It was sincere; Dean hadn’t spoken to Daniel since the semester had started, and he was curious about the boy’s stay, in ways other than whatever powerful students he met. It was difficult not to grow an attachment to someone who you basically picked off the streets and gave a new life to.

With this plan set in motion, he’d alert his partners at LifeCore so they were up to date. Perhaps he would have a team start looking at a few of the abilities Daniel had reported to him, as well.

[satara]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 400px; background-image: url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/oceanbreezebg.png); padding-bottom: 20px;] words // 510 // tagged // Miller boy with a coin, T H E N M A K I N G A W I S H , A N D T O S S E D I N T H E S E A Daniel sat dumbfounded that Jenna Miller had Ralin's Cancer. He'd never met Professor Miller's wife, and had only known her name in passing. He'd learned early on that while Miller was generally kind-hearted, he was also a very private man. He didn't give away secrets that he didn't want to tell, and Daniel could see this was (obviously) a very sore subject. It was a warning not to push his luck, so he remained silent as Professor Miller spoke quietly about how long it had been since Jenna was diagnosed. Ten years was a long time, even without considering where the cancer was or how fast it was spreading. It made sense now that Professor Miller would enlist help, and Daniel was determined to do whatever he could. Realizing he was still gaping slightly, he closed his mouth slowly and folded his hands in his lap. Unbidden, he thought about the death of his parents. Saddened though he was by the loss, at least they had gone quickly. He couldn't imagine sitting back and watching them wither away while knowing he couldn't do anything to help. Even the guilt that he might have been the one to take his parents' lives couldn't overshadow how helpless he would feel if one or both of them had been in Mrs. Miller's situation. Never in his life would he imagine that he would feel thankful for the way they had died, but in this moment he almost did. Almost. Guilt still gnawed at him from the deepest part of himself and it was only made worse by the knowledge that there was no way he would ever know if he really had been responsible. At this point, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. "Right, are there any more questions? I’ve only got another hour before I have to be down at the lab, or I’d have you stay and chat." Daniel snapped back to reality and blinked. It took him a moment to piece the words together, but once he did he nodded in understanding. Professor Miller seemed genuinely regretful that they didn't have more time to talk and Daniel regretted it too. Odd as their relationship seemed, Professor Miller had literally given him everything here at Silas--even the clothes on his back. Generosity like that created a sort of bond between them, even without Daniel's extra "homework" as he liked to think of it. However, there was enough on the man's mind without having to sit around and listen to Daniel complain about classes and such. He stood up and adjusted the chair back to where it had been before. There was no way he was asking to borrow the car now. He owed this man a great deal and knowing what he now knew, he wouldn't be asking for more. "Thank you for telling me, Professor. I hope your research goes well, and I'll do what I can to help." With half of a hopeful smile, Daniel turned and unlocked the door before striding out of the room. notes // Thread done unless you feel some insane need to respond. XD

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