Explanation?

Posted on Wed Dec 7th, 2022 @ 9:44pm by Jaclyn Morrison & Unawakened Kai Irving & Head Mistress Absynthe "Syn" Drake

Mission: Drake Academy
Location: Drake Academy - Medical facility
Timeline: Current

Kai sat on the slender bed kicking her bare feet back and forth as she held tightly to Artemis's collar as they watched the sleeping form of Jaclyn. They had been there hours now, and Kai had slept as well but she had spent the past hour sitting up and watching her friend. Yes, Jaclyn was her friend, that was true, she had also saved Kai from the Reverend. And she didn't want to lose her friend.

Kai's eyes took in the changes of her friend. The physical changes were amazing. Gone was the total black hair, it was now pure white on the left hand side of her head. Not even kick arse bleaching could do that. The actors for the Game of Thrones TV series would die to have their hair that white.

Jaclyn shifted slightly on the medical bed, the blanket over her form shifted as she did so.

Kai had been given instructions on what to do if Jaclyn looked like she was waking but she was not sure if that was what was actually happening. When Jaclyn’s hands, laying on the blanket, twitched, Kai reached and pressed the call button for the medical personnel.

Jaclyn's eyes fluttered open slowly. The first thing she saw was lights and a white ceiling. And her nose smelled antiseptic. She clenched her hands on the blanket as she felt the hospital gown against her skin.

"Hey" Kai said, sliding to the floor and padding over to Jaclyn’s side.

Jac turned her head to face the voice. "Kai."

Kai smiled.

It only took a moment before a brief knock came on the door and a young nurse in flowery scrubs stuck her head in the door. “Ah, I see you have awoken!” The red-headed young woman entered the room and approached Jaclyn’s bedside, grabbing the water pitcher and pouring both girls a drink from it. “Good job,” she said, as she handed one of the cups to Kai, then turned back to the girl on the bed.

“How are you feeling? Your injuries were relatively minor, but awakening does take it out of ya,” she explained softly, evenly, giving the young woman a knowing smile.

Kai nodded and sipped the water silently.

"Awakening?" Jaclyn asked as she swallowed the water. "What do you mean? And.. umm... where are we?" She hoped they were not back at the Reverends compound.

“You are currently at the Drake Academy medical facility. You were brought in last night by our fearless leader’s team. Some whispers about you turning something into some kind of mech, big light show,” the friendly nurse chatted as she sat the bed up, helping to shift Jaclyn’s pillows. “And an awakening is what we meta-peeps call it when our powers make their grand entrance. Most of the time it’s more like an eruption, but I suppose calling it an awakening makes it sound better.”

Jaclyn listened and she tensed as the woman settled the pillows. Mech.. the van.. her memories of the night before were messy... but she remembered the van... "oh..." she managed. "Um... so.. this is a school?" What type of school had this type of medical facility? And how would she pay for this? Her things were in the van...Mech. Worry was starting to fill her gut.

“It is, all grades, up into the university level. But it’s much more than that,” the bouncy red-head said, easing away from Jac as she showed discomfort with her attention. “Drake Academy is a safe-haven for people like us, and those that care about us. A place where we can still be people, while we learn to harness our powers and how to safely interact with the less than meta-peeps among our kin.”

Before the nurse could go on, another gentle knock came at the door, and when it cracked open a small Asian woman slipped through and closed it behind her. Before approaching, the black-robe clad woman bowed. “I am Absynthe Drake, Headmistress of Drake Academy.” When she looked up, she opened her red-reptilian eyes and offered a gentle smile.

Jaclyn stared for a moment. The eyes, she remembered. From the night before. "Ma'am" Jaclyn said politely as Kai drew closer to her friend's side. "You.. you were there last night?" She asked the small woman.

The nurse smiled and stepped around the diminutive dragon lady, offering the dog a quick pat, and the girls a little wave. “Just let me know if you need anything!”

The small woman waited for the friendly nurse to leave, then approached the bed, her height increasing as she neared. Syn watched the young woman closely as she did so, saying, “I was there, as were others. I’m glad to hear that your physical injuries weren’t too severe.”

Kai frowned as the woman grew taller as she approached. She rubbed her eyes as if she needed to refocus.

But Jac was even more puzzled as her eyes registered gaps in the women's movements. She blinked but then tried hard not to stare and her eyes strained as she watched the woman's height change in spits and spurts. The Headmistress was now a lot taller when she reached the bedside. "Ah... Physical injuries?" She asked and then her eyes dropped to the long hair that hung over her shoulder. White on the left and black on the left. "More than this?" She asked as she lifted a hank of hair and got a proper look at her hair but then her gaze hit her hands. Her eyes widened as she took in the pale blue scars on the back of her hands, some trailed up her arms. She stared in shock. Her mouth opened and closed as she struggled to make a sound.

“Stay calm. I was testing something that I noticed last night,” Syn explained, then sighed, watching a bit sadly as Jaclyn noticed her new appearance. “When awakenings happen, sometimes physical changes occur to go with it. It can be alarming. Your hair and markings may seem strange for now, but they are a mark of your powers, rather than scars, it seems. And you have no reason to be self-conscious here. Many of us bear such marks.”

Kai placed a hand on Jac’s shoulder as the older teen struggled to breath and take in the situation.

Jac clenched her eyes shut tightly. “I...” she tried as she was trying to grasp the realities of the situation. “Powers?” she managed to get out.

“I wish that this kind of news was easier to deliver,” Syn said, sighing softly. “Last night you awakened to a new life. You are what most mortals call a mutant. Many of us use metahuman around here, though no matter what you call it, it is very often a traumatic, world-shattering, life-altering event. Yes, it changes everything, but the academy is here to help ease that transition.”

Jaclyn heard the words, and she nodded blankly.

Kai, who had had a while to come to terms with the situation, slid onto the bed beside Jaclyn and clicked her fingers. Artemis jumped down from the other bed and then up onto the other bed beside her owner.

Jac’s fingers clenched into the puppy’s fur. She took a shaking breath. “...The...other lady...she said this was a school...to university level?” She was focusing on something that made sense.

Syn sat down at the foot of the bed, gathering her dragon-embroidered black robes up slightly, and looked into Jaclyn’s eyes, saying, “Yes, we are a fully accredited academy, including university level. I understand that all of this is shocking, and we don’t have to rush through everything. I have time, ask whatever questions that you wish. I can’t promise that I can answer all of life’s questions, mind you, but I will do my best.”

Jaclyn took a breath. “I am not sure what to ask first,” Jaclyn replied honestly. “I...was heading to California when...I came to that...place...”She looked up. “Are... is... he dead?”

“Of course that’s the first question that you lob at me,” Syn said, chuckling a bit darkly. “Well, I won’t lie to you. The van that was transporting his body was found in smouldering pieces this morning. It’s still under investigation, so I can’t tell you anything more than that right now.”

Jac nodded. “He.. was evil. And he trained others to be evil.”

Kai bit her lip.

Taking another steading breath Jaclyn said softly “Do...you need to tell my parents where I am?” She hoped not.

A slender brow arched over one draconic eye curiously. “Is there a reason that I shouldn’t contact your parents? Family is a complicated matter when it comes to all of this. Their lives could be in danger if any one finds out what you are.”

Syn paused, held a finger up briefly, then glanced over to Kai. “Is there something that you wish to say, young one?”

Kai took a breath. “The.. Reverend, he used to take in people... if they... showed powers, he would sell them. To people who claimed that they were going to help them.” She looked at Jaclyn. “Had... you been at the compound and showed any signs, the truck would have come for you.”

Jaclyn nodded and said softly. “Is that what happened to your mother, do you think Kai?”

Kai shrugged. “I do not know. She never told me if she was a... meta?” she looked at Syn for confirmation of the word usage.

Syn listened and watched the two girls as they spoke. Once they fell silent, she said, “Meta is just less insulting than calling someone a mutant. If you tell me your mother’s name, I can do some digging. I can’t promise good news, but I will try to find out what happened.”

The Asian woman smiled at the girl, then looked back at Jaclyn, continuing, “I was given specific details, but it seems that someone got word out. It wasn’t great intel, but it was enough to get the right attention. I wish that we had known sooner. I just so happen to know someone that enjoys taking those types of twisted psychos down.”

Kai nodded. “My mother’s name was Miranda Irving, and there are other compounds where the Reverend sent people to ..’spread’ the word. Your friends might want to look into that.”

“Word out...” Jaclyn said softly. “It might have been the doctor there. She helped us.”

“Doctor Haylee Jones” Kai supplied the name. “I always thought she was nicer than Monica and the others.”

Jaclyn looked up at Syn. “I...have medical insurance.” she said trying to figure out how to explain that she would try to pay them back.

“I will see what I can find for you,” Syn said, then put her hand up to stop the involuntary laugh that tried to escape her. “Young one, there is no insurance plan in the world that will cover you anymore. Rest easy, though. I’m not going to ask you to pay for anything. I do this to protect people like us, and our loved ones, our world. I have investments in other places for profit.”

“Oh.” Jaclyn felt foolish. “And please do not contact my parents. Well it's really my father and his second wife. I left their home.. My home... months ago.”

“I will not contact your parents, though I am going to send a team to make sure that they’re safe,” Syn said, her voice still calm, as she explained. “I will also contact a lawyer friend that specialises in legal work for metahumans. Perhaps we can assist in obtaining an emancipation order. We will have to look for Kai’s family as well, but I will keep it discreet if at all possible.”

Jaclyn nodded. “Thank you” she said softly. There was still a lot to process, and she realised that their belongings were probably still in the van. She looked at Kai who, like her, was in a hospital gown. “Did any of our belongings survive the .. event?”

“The clothes that you were brought in wearing have been laundered. A bit worse for the wear, I have to admit, but they did survive,” Syn said, nodding slightly. “We have not attempted to get into your...creation as yet. We did inspect it to make sure that it was safe, and it may take some work to pry some of the melted panels and parts off. Apparently mundane materials don’t stand up so well to your powers.”

Jaclyn looked at Syn, “What exactly are my powers? Because I do not remember much of it.”

Kai gave a small smile. “A lot of lightning, that's what I saw.”

“It wasn’t technically lightning. To be honest, we aren’t entirely certain, as yet,” Syn admitted, sighing a bit. “We are still going over the data that we gathered, and you will need to perform some tasks that can demonstrate them more fully for us. There’s a learning curve for all of us when each of us pops up. We’re all different in some way.”

Jaclyn nodded slowly. “But I do not even know how I did it.” she said softly “Is that normal also?”

The small Asian woman laughed softly and nodded again. “That is far more common than you might imagine. Many people wake up and have no clue what happened, or how. Which means that they have very little control over it at first. Though, once things have quieted a bit, and you’ve had some time to process this world-changing news, it’s something that you should be able to feel. The necessary thoughts, actions, it’s all in there. We just have to figure out how to tap into that.”

Syn slid off of the bed and straightened her robes, walking towards the door as she continued, “You’ve all been given a clean bill of health, so you do not have to stay here. We have assigned shared quarters for you, in the facility for others around your age. Your clothes are on the shelf in that corner.”

Stopping at the door she said, “Let the nurse know when you’re ready. I will retrieve your guide and return as soon as I’m notified.” Then Syn left the girls alone, closing the door carefully behind her.

Kai, who was over the hospital gown, went and retrieved their clothing. She handed Jaclyn her clothes and said “A bit singed there.”

Jaclyn took the shirt and nodded. “Oh well, they were temporary, I was planning on changing into jeans when we got somewhere safe.” She glanced at the skirt. “At least it's shorter now.”

Kai giggled at that and set about getting dressed. Jaclyn slid from the medical bed slowly, testing her body as she did so. She took her time, got dressed slowly, glad that the clothes, while singed, still covered her body, and that was important. She looked down at her arms and sighed. The shirt was short sleeved. Shrugging it on, she finished dressing and folded the hospital gown. She had her share of those over the years.

Kai was finished as well, in long pants and tee shirt. Kai waited until Jac was finished and Artemis was sniffing at the door before she went out and got the nurse and told her they were ready.

TBC

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