Hearts on Fire // *Rini*

[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 // 1272 // tagged // Serinity 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 shoved his Calculus book back in his bag before standing and stretching. He was rather skilled at math, but that wasn't always a good thing. It allowed his mind to wander. The teacher would explain something and as soon as he understood it, the rest of the lesson was spent pushing away thoughts of his past and the situation he was in. This class had been particularly hard, as the last fifteen minutes was devoted to silent study time. He knew he should have been going over his notes, but his mind had been determined to go over everything but them. He shook his head and tried to dispel the feeling of loneliness that came over him. When it came down to it, he had no one. His parents were dead, possibly by his own hand. His foster family didn't care. They were happy to have the resident freak out of their house. He had few acquaintances, and even fewer friends. Silas Academy was a blessing to him, but he hadn't had the chance to form any friendships yet. Most of his day was spent in silence, not really speaking to anyone other than polite conversation or to ask a teacher a question. Swinging his bag over his shoulder, still slightly plagued by his own memories, he turned to leave the classroom only to find his path blocked by his classmate, Jasmine. He smiled slightly at her. "Excuse me." Daniel tried to move around her, but she moved at the same time so he couldn't get around her without jumping a row of desks. Looking around, he realized that everyone else had left the room. He licked his lips nervously. Then out of nowhere, Jasmine reached up and put her hands on his shoulders and stared at him for a long moment. He swallowed and tried to take a step back, but she was stronger than she looked. Daniel didn't know what she was doing, or what her power was. It wasn't that he couldn't defend himself, but something about this girl made him think she wasn't going to hurt him. After a moment, he stopped trying to find a means of escape and looked into her eyes, though he was still a bit taken aback by her forward actions. He was even more taken aback by the look on her face. She had tears in her eyes and a small, sad smile on her face. Thoroughly confused, Daniel was about to ask her what was wrong, but she released on of his shoulders to lay her hand on his cheek. The gesture could have been taken in a romantic way, but he knew that wasn't her intention. He didn't know how he knew, but it was in the way she moved. It was the expression on her face. Daniel felt his cheeks go warm regardless, and Jasmine smiled. "You're not alone, you know?" There were still tears in her eyes that wouldn't quite fall, and Daniel stared at her, still confused, but silent. Jasmine shook her head as if she was arguing with herself, never taking her eyes from his. "You're breaking my heart. I've sat here, day after day, feeling everything that you feel." Daniel's eyes widened just a fraction. So she was an empath. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about someone prying around in his feelings, but she kept speaking and he didn't want to interrupt her. "You're so lost, Daniel, and you don't have to be. Whatever it is that you've lost; whatever it is that you've gone through... It's not your fault." Despite his best efforts, his throat burned with emotion and Jasmine's chin started to quiver. Daniel still didn't know how Jasmine's power worked and he didn't know how much information she got from him, but there was no way she could know for certain that he wasn't to blame for the death of his parents. That incident had changed his entire world, and if it hadn't been for him they'd probably still be alive. Jasmine's fingers tightened on his arm and he nearly flinched. "Stop that. Didn't I just say it wasn't your fault?" One of her tears finally fell, but she didn't move to wipe it away. Daniel could feel his entire body growing warm and he closed his eyes, trying to calm down. The last thing he needed was to lose control and light the classroom on fire. He took a couple deep breaths and Jasmine's hand slowly slid from his face. She released his arm and stepped back. "You don't believe me, but I wish you would. There isn't a... I don't know how to say it. I was going to say there isn't a mean bone in your body, but that's not true, is it? I'll say this: You're not malicious. You don't hurt people. You only think you do." Without another word or a backward glance, she left the classroom, leaving Daniel raw, heartbroken, and more confused than ever. Luckily, Calculus was the last class of the day. Daniel tried to calm down and stay focused as he walked down the busy hallway, trying not to run over people in his desire to escape the confining walls. Three hallways and a staircase later, his face was met with sunshine and a swift breeze. He breathed deeply with his eyes closed before opening them and setting off to go... somewhere. He didn't really know where he was heading, only that his feet were taking him there while his mind replayed his encounter with Jasmine. Despite her words, something told him that the death of his parents was his fault. They'd died by fire, after all. A fire that he'd probably started because he was panicking. Before he knew it, he was in the gardens which seemed to be blessedly deserted. There was a large fountain in the center and he flopped down on the ledge, staring at the water. His throat was still burning and his chest ached. How could the words of a stranger effect him so much? How could she possibly know? Or had she just pushed his buttons on purpose? No, that was stupid. There wasn't anything for her to gain by it. Still, his mind didn't stop replaying the past. Unconsciously, Daniel fingered the scar along his arm. He could see the flames around him from the accident. The explosion had been brutal, but what came before was worse in his opinion. The fire had crept along the pavement as if it was alive. The seats had burned quickly, evaporating the tears on his face as he cried for his parents, mere inches away from him, but completely out of his reach. He could remember screaming, even though the flames hadn't hurt him. Even then, young as he was, some part of him knew he'd been about to lose everything he cared about. He thought of his time in foster care; the ten years he'd spent being beaten and nearly starved. The time he'd spent not using his abilities at all, for fear that it would ruin everything even more. And now here he was, playing spy for Professor Miller just so he could pretend to fit in somewhere. The Daniel of the present didn't notice the tear that escaped his control. He didn't notice the faint smoke rising from his clothes where his hand rested on his knee, or the tension in his shoulders. He wasn't aware of the bushes behind him that burst into flame. For this moment, the past had consumed him, as surely as his "gift" had consumed his life. notes // psh, I have no notes. XD

[/td][/tr][/table]
TEMPLATE BY KHRISTIAN OF CAUTION 2.0, LYRICS BY IRON & WINE[/center]

[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] It was such a lovely day for a walk with your faithful companion, especially since most classes were over. Hewie’s nose was attached to the ground taking in all the scents from where students walked to and from the dorms. Unlike a lot of the dogs, he was off his leash free to roam like Old Jack, the school’s unofficial mascot. Hewie was raised at Silas and Rini trusted him enough not to go running off and never come back. It did scare the crap out of her the first time he did run off, though. The darn dog didn’t come back for a full day and half. Of course he had found something rancid to roll around on in the forest, too, so not only did she have to scold him as well as love on him, she also had to bathe him. The bath came before loving on him. Rini refused to give his stinky butt a kiss. Anyhow, back to the actual story. Tagging along behind the white German Shepherd, Rini had her hands in her beige cargo pants. Her red Aeropostal t-shirt stood out brightly against the green of summer’s grass. A clear plastic bag stuck out of her pants pocket waiting to be used to clean up a rather disgusting mess. Having a dog was amazing. Picking up its poop was not. Shading her eyes against the sun, she looked around until Hewie was in her sights then lowered her hand. “Hewie, can’t you just go to the restroom? I should really get back and do some homework.” Frowning, she trailed after the dog who didn’t appear to have heard her. Typical. By the looks of it, Hewie was leading her to the courtyards. At least it was a pretty place. Rini loathed Hewie when he tried to drag her off into the forest. It could be a creepy place sometimes, especially when she was alone. Nothing had ever really happened in the forest, but still, precautionary measures should be taken. Her shoes stepped into the courtyard with a tap. The place was simply beautiful. It always cheered her up to come here. The grounds keepers kept this place floweringly beautiful all year around. Her eyes fell to the ground when clusters of pink entered her vision. “Ooh, these are pretty.” Bending down, Rini observed the flowers. The leaves were dark green and close to the ground. The pink flowers grew straight up through the middle clustering together like a bouquet. She had no idea what they were, but she imaged they would make a beautiful picture. Rising and continuing after Hewie, the girl looked at all the flowers blooming. Normally, heat would kill most of these plants, but the grounds keepers ensured their survival. Rini had always been glad they took such care of the flowers. There were purple bell like flowers here with golden rods in the center. Those, too, would make great pictures. Pink flowers with spiky edges had Rini grimaces and staying clear. They were kind of scary looking, despite their girly color. As Rini came closer to the center of the courtyard, the bubbling of the fountain could be heard. All of the sudden, Hewie started barking like he did when she lost control of her powers. Serinity’s eyes widened as she raced after Hewie. Entering the center just in time to see Hewie knock a guy into the fountain, Serinity gasped her mind readying her mouth to apologize. That was when she realized something wasn’t right. The bushes were on fire. Rini reacted as quickly as she could not bothering to harness her control properly. Grey blue eyes looked up and into the sunny sky. Lifting her hands, she tensed up concentrating on bringing in a storm powerful enough to put the fires out. The result was a sudden downpour that soaked not only the bushes, but everything else in the courtyard. Focusing hard on the grey skies that rolled in, Rini panted, and then lowered her hands. The job was done. Slowly, the flames that licked and ate the leaves diminished until there was smoldering ash. Soon, the rain even washed that away. Serinity’s carelessness to properly use her power caused a true thunderstorm to roll in. Lightning streaked across the sky hot and angry just as she turned to peer at the guy in the fountain. Oooh, she had almost been sorry for him, but he was trying to set the damn place on fire! “What’s your problem, huh!?” she snarled water running off her chin. A wicked thunder echoed her fury. Her chest heaved with the effort of calling in the storm and trying to calm herself down. It never did the place any good for her to completely loose her temper. “The grounds keepers keep this place looking so pretty and here you are trying to ruin in!?” Growling, the blonde whistled to Hewie who trotted to her side and licked her hand with a whimper. Feeling the warmth of his tongue against her fingers, the blonde closed her eyes and concentrated on the opposite of earlier. Casting her eyes to the sky once more she gritted her teeth and brought up her hands. It took a lot more effort to send it away than it had to bring it here. By the time it was finally gone and the sun was shining again, Serinity was almost completely out of breath. “Thank you Hewie,” she whispered to her dog and bent down to hug him tightly. Truth was Hewie wasn’t just a companion to Rini. He also acted as an anchor for her temper. If he was close by and she got out of hand, all he needed to do was let her know he was there and it would help her calm down. Hewie had been taught to lick her hand or press against her leg to show his support. Rini had to learn that these signals meant she needed to calm down. The idea had been her grandmother’s and so far, it seems to work. Properly calmed down, the soaked blonde glared at the guy standing near the fountain. Heeee was gonna geeeeet iiiiiit~! Recognition suddenly showed on her face as Serinity realized exactly who it was, “Daniel?” Her voice held her confusion as brows knitted together. The red shirt she wore stuck tightly to her body making her feel self-conscious. The rain had did a number on the both of them, though. It had been quick, but powerful.

[/justify][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[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 // 1076 // tagged // Serinity 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 Christy Marner had been his first foster mother. She wasn't entirely horrible, but like most foster parents, there were too many mouths to feed, too many bills, too much stress, and not enough time or energy to pay attention to all the children she was housing. Daniel had been allowed to roam as much as he wanted and was generally free to do anything, but he didn't. At that time, he was too lost in his grief to care much about slashing tires or breaking windows in abandoned buildings. Then his "siblings" had started teasing him for not joining in their activities. He hadn't cared much. Not then. A broken arm and a bloody nose later, he was sent to the next family three states away. Joe Fivecoat had been a brutal man. All the kids were under strict guidelines and had a mountain of chores that had to be done to exact specifications. He'd treated the kids in his care as no more than slaves. The list went on and on in Daniel's mind and his fingers twitched against his leg. The next thing he knew, he was falling backward into the fountain, having been plowed into by something. He hit the water with a splash, instinctively throwing his hands out to catch himself which didn't help very much as there was nothing to hang on to. Water seemed to come at him from every side and he tried to pry himself up enough to see who had pushed him. That's when he smelled the smoke he hadn't noticed before. Daniel sucked in a breath as worst-case scenarios danced in his mind. Water got sucked in as well, and he coughed, still disoriented and trying to lever himself into a sitting position. What had he lit on fire? All thoughts of who had pushed him were tossed out of his mind as he pictured a student running around in flames. Had he really lost control that much? Before he really had a chance to find out what was going on, a massive storm rolled in. Rain poured down in great sheets and lightning forked the sky. It wasn't natural, and he knew that someone had to be causing it, but who? His fingers scraped against the rough stone of the fountain's edge as he finally found it, not that it did him much good. As he pulled himself up, his eyes roamed over the area, seeing nothing but the rain around him which blurred everything into one gray sheet in front of his eyes. There was a faint glow off to his right which was getting fainter. Whoever the weather manipulator was, they must be trying to put out whatever fire he'd lit. Daniel's heart raced, hoping the damage wasn't too serious. He hadn't lost control like that since... not since the accident. The last time something like this had happened, two people had died. His parents had been killed. And now he was doing it again. Daniel pulled himself out of the fountain with some difficulty, but he didn't know what to do. His breath came in great heaves and water soaked every inch of him. After coughing a couple more times, he heard a voice over the rumbling of the storm. “What’s your problem, huh!?” It was hard to hear, and he didn't shout back, his throat still sore from the water he'd tried to inhale. “The grounds keepers keep this place looking so pretty and here you are trying to ruin it!?” The voice was female which was all he could tell, but her words made him sag in relief. Plant life. He'd been so afraid that he'd hurt someone, and she was worried about the flowers. It was almost enough to make him laugh, but not quite. The shock of what had happened--what was happening--was still too fresh. There was a whistle, and then the storm started to clear as quickly as it had appeared. The first thing Daniel did when he could see properly was survey the damage. Roughly six bushes had been damaged, and two of them were mostly obliterated. He couldn't take his eyes off of the scorch marks on the concrete or the soggy ash that coated the ground. He stood there, dripping wet from head to toe, embarrassed and ashamed at himself for letting his powers get the better of him. He wanted to blame it on Jasmine, but he knew it wasn't her fault. Not really. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm down. If he could handle the guilt for killing his parents, he could handle murdering a couple shrubs. Still, he hated that it was in his nature to destroy. Fire was volatile. Sometimes it seemed like it had a mind of its own. It was dangerous. More than anything, Daniel just wanted to be safe. His eyes snapped open at the sound of his name and he looked over to where Serinity stood with her dog, Hewie, by her side. They were both as soaked as he was, and he knew immediately who had been responsible for the shove in the fountain and the storm. Heat flooded his cheeks and he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He should be apologizing for what he did and thanking her for catching it, but the words stuck in his throat. Her clothes were stuck to her body in the most distracting way, and he tried to focus on Hewie instead. It didn't work, and his eyes kept getting pulled back to her, soaking wet and looking thoroughly disgruntled. He couldn't blame her. There was no reason for him to have lost it, and he mentally kicked himself. His breath still coming faster than normal, he looked at her again, apology written all over his face. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen. I just... I'll speak to Professor Palmer about it." He took a couple tentative steps toward her. "Are you alright?" Serinity Dawson was the last person he wanted to be afraid of him, and he might have just screwed up in that department... royally. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair, flipping water everywhere. "Someone should just lock me in a fireproof room and leave me there." He didn't know if she heard him or not, but the statement was heartfelt at the least. notes // psh, I have no notes. XD

[/td][/tr][/table]
TEMPLATE BY KHRISTIAN OF CAUTION 2.0, LYRICS BY IRON & WINE[/center]

[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] Daniel finally focused on Serinity. He opened his mouth, most likely to apologize, but seemed incapable of producing said apology. Serinity watched him expectantly. He didn’t seem like the type to be rude. Then again, Serinity wasn’t really the person he should be apologizing to. Sighing, she looked into his eyes, his beautiful blue, blue eyes. Suddenly, she realized Daniel wasn’t all that focused on her face… Oblivious, she looked down to see what he was looking at. Her shirt! Or rather, her boobs! Serinity’s cheeks flared with a bright red as she crossed her arms over her shirt with a squeal. Angrily, she glared at him only to notice he was trying hard to look at Hewie instead. Casting her eyes to the side, Serinity bit her lip. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. He always certainly seemed to be nice. Give him a chance, Rini. You don’t know his story. Blue eyes fell onto the charred bushes. Maybe it was an accident? Serinity allowed her eyes to sweep over the full extent of the damage. The grounds keepers wouldn’t appreciate this. The courtyard flowers were their pride and joy. So he’s a fire manipulator… just like my father. Frowning, the blonde looked too her feet only to raise her eyes and gaze at Daniel who began his apology. So he was sincere after all. Serinity found herself looking into his eyes again. Realizing it, she looked away to Hewie who sat by her side losing interest fast. He sounded so displeased with himself, so angry at himself for loosing control. Serinity couldn’t blame him. “Don’t worry about my grandmamma. I’ll tell her I was passing by and found them like this. She doesn’t have to know.” Why was she sticking up for him? Rephrase that question: why was she going to try and lie to a woman who could detect when people lied? Serinity almost did a real face palm. Oh well, it was her problem now. Daniel asked if she was alright to which Serinity gave a small smile. “Yes, I’m fine. Cold and wet, but fine. Ahh, sorry about Hewie dunking you in the fountain and me causing it to rain. I was just trying to put the fire out.” Bouncing on the heel of her feet, she kept her arms firmly across her chest. This was a just slightly awkward. Here she was standing in front of the one guy whom she had the biggest crush on after she had made it rain on them both while trying to put out the fire he accidently created that caught the bushes on fire. Just slightly awkward. Where the heck could their relationship go from here?! A silence fell between the two. It was soon broken by Daniel who muttered something about being locked up. It was one of those instances where Serinity wasn’t sure if she should smile or frown. So, she did both. With a short lived, uneasy smile that fell into a deep frown, the blonde turned and looked at the back of Silas. “You see that classroom? Third from the left?” Serinity aided his gaze by pointing, “I can’t remember what class it was, but I remember the teacher graded my paper unfairly. He gave everyone else As. I was the only one who got an F.” She looked at the classroom remembering that day with a slightly pleased smirk. “Well, needless to say I got pretty mad. So, I flooded… kinda the classroom.” Her words were so nonchalant and matter of factly. To this day she didn’t feel bad about doing it. He was an asshole who got fired that same year. “You know Daniel, you’re not the only one who looses control of your powers. That’s why you’re here after all. To learn control.” Serinity turned back to Daniel with a friendly smile. “At some point in our lives, we make things happen we don’t want to happen. Sometimes, it’s bad and other times it’s really bad. But it’s normal. For all of us.” Hewie yawned loudly at that moment breaking up Serinity’s little life pep talk. The blonde gave him a look but pet his head anyhow. Little terd. Suddenly, Rini laughed at her words. “Geez, I sound like my Grandmamma in one of her Power Acceptances classes.” Chuckling a little, the blonde rubbed the back of her neck still smiling. The blush was still present on her cheeks, but Rini wasn’t all that embarrassed now. The red was just a lingering reminder of previous events.

[/justify][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[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 // 1472 // tagged // Serinity 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 sun was back out, shining brightly although Daniel was dripping wet which made the air feel cool against his skin. Absentmindedly, he fingered the blackened hand print on his jeans which gave him something to focus on other than the gorgeous girl in front of him, who had hasily attempted to cover herself when she'd caught the direction of his gaze. If he wasn't making her uncomfortable in one way, he was making her uncomfortable in another. It seemed today was turning out to be one of those days where he could do nothing right, and he resigned himself to it. He stood there, not knowing what to do to make up for what he'd just done. It seemed twelve years was his limit for not doing something completely stupid. He knew better than to let his emotions get the better of him. It seemed that every time he did, bad things happened. Rather than to let himself get sucked back into the past, he sat back down on the edge of the fountain with a sigh. He just needed to stop thinking in general. He looked up, and was about to apologize once again, but Rini's words stopped him. She wanted to cover for him? Before she even finished speaking, he was shaking his head. "I couldn't let you do that. I mean, I haven't lost it like that since I was a kid, but if I'm going to go around starting fires and such, it's only fair that Professor Palmer knows about it." He'd never been one to duck out of the concequences of his actions and he wasn't about to start now. There was no way he was going to let Rini get in trouble for something that shouldn't have happened in the first place. Once she told him that she was fine, he felt a bit better, but still thorougly ashamed of himself. He rubbed the back of his neck wearily, but he was oddly touched that Serinity would have been willing to lie for him. She was the Headmistress's granddaughter. That one simple thought was enough to make him think twice about what he was doing out here in the gardens with her. They were both dripping wet, Daniel a bit scorched, and Rini a bit red around the edges. He didn't know if it was from actual heat or embarrassment. Probably both. He tried hard not to sulk most of the time, even given his past. He was one who tried to make the best of the situation, but Jasmine's words were still ringing in his ears. She had probably only been trying to help, but what she'd said to him had started this fiasco. No, that wasn't true. He couldn't blame others for his own actions. He'd been the one to let his guard down. He'd unknowingly turned his powers loose without even thinking about what the possible reprecussions could be. Looking up at Serinity finally, he caught her expression which was caught somewhere between a smile and a frown. He wanted to look away from her, but at the same time he didn't. Shaking his head with a sigh, he decided he should go back to his room and get some dry clothes before seeking out the Headmistress. The last thing he needed to do was go to her office dripping water and ash all over her floor. He made to stand up, but Rini's voice stopped him. Curious, his blue eyes followed where her finger pointed as she spoke. “I can’t remember what class it was, but I remember the teacher graded my paper unfairly. He gave everyone else As. I was the only one who got an F.” Daniel turned his eyes back to Rini with a small frown. "That's highly unfair." Still, he didn't see what the moral of the story was but the slight smirk on her face told him there was more to come. Then she continued. “Well, needless to say I got pretty mad. So, I flooded… kinda the classroom.” That startled a laugh out of him and succeeded in cheering him up a great deal. It amazed him, really, how the school dealt with the various powers of the students. In a normal school, they'd probably call the gardeners out to replace the damaged bushes with fresh ones by hand. Here at Silas, it was quite possible for them to call a student out to simply regrow them. It made him feel strangly at home, as if this place might be able to contain him when he wasn't strong enough to contain himself. It was a bleak ray of hope, but some hope was better than none. On the other hand, he had Professor Miller breathing down the back of his neck for more information on the students which could possibly bring it all to a sudden, shuddering halt. More and more, Daniel didn't want that to happen, but being friends with Serinity Dawson, the Headmistress's granddaughter, would only make things more complicated. Rationally, he knew he should be making some excuse to just walk away; to put some distance between them. Instead, he sat there, listening to her talk to him. “You know Daniel, you’re not the only one who looses control of your powers. That’s why you’re here after all. To learn control.” Daniel scoffed and shook his head, even as she turned to him with a smile that he couldn't look away from. "When other people lose control, they levitate or... or... go invisible or something. They don't destroy things." And Daniel had once destroyed everything. It was part of his history that he was terrified of repeating. “At some point in our lives, we make things happen we don’t want to happen. Sometimes, it’s bad and other times it’s really bad. But it’s normal. For all of us.” That part made him pause as he stared into her eyes. He knew he wasn't the only student who had issues in their pasts. Still, how many could there be who were probably responsible for killing their own parents? He nearly asked her that before he stopped himself, his mouth halfway open around the unformed words. He wanted desperately to confide in her, but he'd told no one of his part in the car accident. It was a secret he'd kept for twelve years now, and he wasn't about to tell the Headmistress's granddaughter and get himself kicked out on the streets once again. Luckily, Hewie yawned and Serinity gave him a bit of her attention. Enough, perhaps, that she hadn't noticed Daniel fail to speak once again. It seemed to be a recurring habit around her. Suddenly, Rini laughed and he could feel himself ready an explanation for what he'd been about to say. “Geez, I sound like my Grandmamma in one of her Power Acceptances classes.” Daniel tried not to let his relief show as he stood up, rubbing his palms on his sopping wet jeans. "I actually just signed up for that class." It would be awkward taking a class taught by the Headmistress, herself, but he thought it might be worth it. Part of him hoped Serinity was in it, too, but it seemed she was quite comfortable with her abilities. He looked at her again, his gaze lingering longer than it should. Get a grip, Dan. She's the Headmistress's granddaughter. Don't even think about it. Despite the internal scolding, he couldn't help himself. He knew he looked like a fool, soaking wet and scorched, but he allowed himself a smile. "We should probably get cleaned up." His laugh was light, showing his relief that this incident hadn't turned into something much worse and his amusement at their current state of appearance. If someone had walked by at that moment, he might have dived into a remaining bush until they'd passed. "I never did say 'thank you,' did I?" His smiled widened a bit before becoming more serious. "Honestly, thank you." He didn't want to know how long it would have taken him to come to his senses if she hadn't stopped him. Daniel licked his lips, trying to find the words he wanted to say. "Do you... I mean, would you like to perhaps get lunch sometime?" He shook his head at himself. This was the absolute last thing he should be doing. Mentally, he steeled himself against the rejection that might follow. "We could go into Willowbrook and grab something this weekend, maybe?" His insides churned with his nerves. As if he hadn't had enough drama for one day, he had to go and hit on Serinity. Still, no amount of nerves or mental scolding could make him take it back. Now he just needed a car. notes // Omg, sorry. This post is huge. O.O

[/td][/tr][/table]
TEMPLATE BY KHRISTIAN OF CAUTION 2.0, LYRICS BY IRON & WINE[/center]

[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] “If you say so,” was all Serinity could muster after Daniel refused to allow her to cover for him. It didn’t matter what he said, really. She would make sure that her grandmamma knew it was an accident. Although, given her power, she would already know the moment he spoke to her more than likely. No one could lie to the Headmistress. It was because of that that she was such an effective head of the school. After assuring Daniel that she was fine, the blonde readjusted her arms across her chest. The position was uncomfortable but completely necessary. … Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to let her arms down, though? It’d give Daniel a show after all! That could be exactly what she needs to make him ask her out. Ahhh the power of boobs. Serinity almost snorted out loud and mentally kicked herself good and hard. She was not that desperate. Yet. While the blonde spoke of her story, she could hardly keep her eyes off him. His clear blue eyes seemed to pull her in the longer she stared into them. She wanted to melt into them with their seductive power calling to her. It was a calling she didn’t want to ignore. Daniel’s dark hair was wet with the rain droplets dripping down. His hands had run through the strings causing them to spike up. That action ended up giving him a certain look, a serious and mysterious look that Serinity found herself even more drawn too. The girl had to suppress a shiver that wanted to work its way over her body. Instead, goose bumps formed along her arms, but that could easily be written off as an after affect of the cold. Daniel seemed purely adamant on keeping his mindset that his power was a destructive force only. With sad eyes, Serinity watched him wondering what exactly his past was. It had to have been something tragic with the way he acted. Rini almost said something nasty when he cut down his power so mercilessly. However, she bit back the comment not wanting to offend him. Anger was not the way to get through to him, she could see that. “Oh Daniel…” she whispered under her breathe. Fortunately, the wind picked up and took away her words so that his ears could not hear. What if Serinity tried to help Daniel? Could she even do that? Serinity thought over it for a moment. She could hardly control her powers herself. So, she wasn’t exactly the best person to help. Yet she was good at giving logical advice even though she rarely followed it. From there, the mood lightened significantly. Her grey blue eyes had turned to Hewie taking in the white dog who was so bored right now it wasn’t even funny. All of the sudden, something caught his eye. Serinity looked to where he did and realized it was a squirrel. “Ah… Bye Hewie,” she muttered with a roll of her eyes just seconds after the dog tore off to chase the squirrel. “Guess I’ll be seeing you later.” Frowning she gave a small snort in his direction. How could he ditch her at a time like this?! Daniel got to his feet, the movement of his wet clothes caused her attention to fall onto him once more. God he is so sexy, she thought suppressing another shudder. He replied to her comment about being like her grandmother which provoked the blonde to smirk cryptically. “Ah, I see. I guess it sucks to be you,” she said in a playful manner wiggling her eyebrows at him. Giggling, she looked down with a charming smile. A lock of her wet, golden hair fell to slightly hide her face. “I’m just kidding. It’s a good class. I’ve already taken it,” under her breath she added, “just like I’ve taken almost every other class here. Anyhow, I think it will really help you, Daniel. Um, as a head’s up… don’t try to lie to my grandmamma. It won’t go well for you.” Giving another smirk, she looked back into his eyes. She just really could not look away. A serious, serious realization hit her. Daniel was dangerous. Ah who cares! This is me, throwing caution to the wind! I could look at him for hours on end and never get bored. Suddenly, Serinity narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, “You’re not… telepathic are you?” Although having two powers was extremely, extremely rare, it had been known to happen once or twice. That would… seriously… suck if he was. Another round of red flared into her cheeks. Oh god what if he heard me! AH! He could be listening to me right now! Oh god what do I do?! Flustered, the blonde looked down at her shoes. He couldn’t be. Could he? The guy suggested that they should get cleaned up. That would mean she would have to leave him, though. The idea made her give Dan a small, sad smile. He was nice to talk to, although he was a bit stubborn when it came to his powers. Then he thanked her genuinely. Serinity allowed the small smile to stay on her lips as she nodded to him. With all this smiling, she was bound to get crows feet! Like, some serious crows feet! Another mark against Daniel to be put on the ‘Dangerous’ side of her list. Good thing she threw caution to the wind. “It’s no problem. Honestly. Always happy to help.” So, that was it. What a crappy ending to their interesting meeting. He thanked her. She said no problem. They walk off in separate directions. The end. She was just about ready to leave when Daniel spoke up again. Happy to give him the attention, Rini listened to his words. It took several moments for them to sink in. In those moments, Serinity stared at Daniel with an open and closing mouth as if she wanted to say something but forgot how to speak. Finally, it all came back to her. Ooh how she wanted to punch herself for looking like such a fool in front of him! It was a wonder he wanted to ask her out! God, I bet he’s regretting the decision now. Quick before he changes his mind! Serinity smiled. It was a large smile that completely gave away how happy she was that he asked. “Of course!” Great, my super enthusiastic reply probably creeped him out… Good job, Rini. “I mean, that would be lovely. Let’s meet at Willowbrook Diner. Does 12:30 work for you?” The smile really was a dead give away, but she couldn’t help it. It was like a dream coming true for him to ask her out! “Excellent!” she nearly purred after he agreed. Walking backward to the girls dorms, Serinity Dawson flashed Daniel another smile. “I’ll see you soon, Daniel. Bye!” Turning around, the blonde paused for a moment to squeal before continuing her walk to the dorms to get changed. At least she didn’t have to worry about taking a shower.

[/justify][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[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 // 936 // tagged // Serinity 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 tried not to let his nerves get the better of him. Most of the time, he and Serinity were in class together, surrounded by other students, and this was the first time that he'd really been alone with her. It was hard to keep his eyes off of her, but he tried. It wasn't really a modesty issue on his part, but more because it felt like if he looked at her too long, he wouldn't be able to look away. Considering the position he was in, Serinity Dawson was the absolute last person he needed to have feelings for, but there wasn't much he could do about it. In his mind, it was like she had this inner glow about her; this certain vitality that drew him in. He glanced back at the classroom that she'd flooded just to give his eyes something to do as he stood there, dripping onto the already wet pavement. There was an unmistakable click of canine toenails on pavement and Daniel turned to watch Hewie dive into the bushes as Rini bid him farewell. He couldn't help smiling at the two of them, who were obviously close. It did a great deal in lifting his spirits and easing a bit of the guilt he felt from lighting the gardens on fire. It was a simple distraction, but still effective. Pity it didn't do a single thing for the butterflies raging in the pit of his stomach. He watched for a moment to see if the dog would be coming back, but Rini's voice brought his eyes back to her once again. It was a terribly easy thing to do, to look at her. A strand of hair had fallen into her face as she gave a shy smile, and he itched to tuck it behind her ear. Rini indicated that she'd already taken the Power Acceptance class and that she thought it would be good for him. She was probably right. He'd gone a long time without using them because it was so dangerous. But how could he accept something that... that might have killed his parents? "Um, as a head’s up… don’t try to lie to my grandmamma. It won’t go well for you." He smiled at her slowly as he realized what her words implied. Lie detection would definitely come in handy in Professor Palmer's position. "I'll definietly remember that." Then the bottom sank out of his happy little bubble. His arrangement with Professor Miller would all but require that he lie. At least he was forewarned now. Perhaps he could avoid the Headmistress altogether. No, crap, he was taking her class. Well, he'd at least try to avoid any direct contact with her and if he had to talk to her directly, he could keep the conversation steered away from anything important. It was a risky plan, but he couldn't come up with a better one. He came back to the present just as Rini narrowed her eyes at him, and he blinked at her. “You’re not… telepathic are you?” What had prompted that question? It made him more curious than ever to know what she was thinking about. Obviously something she wanted to keep to herself, but what? He wouldn't pry, though. Slowly, he shook his head at her, his curiosity evident under his amusement. "Not at all. Half the time I don't know what I'm thinking." He chuckled good-naturedly and shifted his weight on his feet slightly, feeling suddenly self conscious but he tried not to let it show. It seemed they were about ready to part ways, but he had one last question for her. Once he asked, she seemed to flounder a bit which made him feel better and worse at the same time if that made any sense at all. At least he wasn't the only one who was trying to catch up to what he was doing, but on the other hand, it only increased his apprehension that she'd turn him down. His butterflies gave a nervous twitch inside him which he ruthlessly ignored. Despite what had brought him out here and what he'd accidentally done, he was enjoying himself with Rini and he wanted to see more of her. Please agree... please agree... please agree... He didn't even realize that he was holding his breath until she smiled, then his breath left him in a rush, leaving him slightly light headed. "Of course!" At those words, his face broke into a grin that he thought would split his face no matter how hard he tried to subdue it. She seemed to be thrilled, which re-inflated his happy bubble until he thought he'd burst with it. "12:30 sounds great!" He sounded like an idiot, but he couldn't help it. His butterflies were doing happy dances now and he didn't know which felt more awkward. Then again, he was too delighted to give it much thought. He'd just successfully arranged a date with Serinity, and all was well with the world. He couldn't stop smiling as she turned to leave and he ran his hand through his hair again. “I’ll see you soon, Daniel. Bye!” He looked over at her, grinning at her smile and he waved. He thought he heard her squeal as she continued on her way, but he couldn't be sure. He watched her until she disappeared from sight before sitting down roughly on the fountain once more, astounded at the afternoon's turn of events. If the sun had gone out in that moment, he was confident that he could have re-lit it. notes // Almost 1,000! So close!

[/td][/tr][/table]
TEMPLATE BY KHRISTIAN OF CAUTION 2.0, LYRICS BY IRON & WINE[/center]