Issue 1 Downtime

On Veronica's side of the room, there's hardly anything. Not one to be materialistic, basically all that can really be seen is her phone charger, a few notebooks for school and in her wardrobe are a small amount of clothes. Her bed is always made and she keeps things very neat and organized.

This morning, she is sitting at her desk, writing in her journal quietly. At this moment in time, she has the window open, letting the sun shine in and the sounds of the birds be heard.

Theresa's side of the common area seemed to still be a work in progress. Though the pile of boxes had certainly diminished, there were still a few. Her bedroom was plastered with posters for various rock bands with a few video game posters thrown in. She had a laptop and several other electronic devices scattered on her desk. Oddly enough, she had not laid in a supply of Mt. Dew like she had last year.

After writing a bit, she takes note of the time, then heads to the window. Taking a breath of the fresh air, she smiles to herself. Things were looking up. She would learn to control her power better (though she was unsure how), and she'd be able to feel more comfortable around people. These people around the grounds were like her, and she was slowly beginning to realize that they probably weren't going to judge her as quickly as her parents and 'friends' had. It made her happy to know she would be accepted; gave her a sense of comfort that she hadn't ever felt before. She was more thankful than she could ever describe.

That's when Theresa wandered into that bubble of contentment, setting her backpack next to the outer door of the suite. She flopped down in her desk chair and sighed.

As she hears Theresa enter, she turns and gives her a friendly smile. "Long day?"

"Busy. The first few days are always busier than you expect them to be."

She nods in agreement and takes a seat back on the chair of her desk. "Did you need help unpacking? I am free for zee day. It would be no trouble." She offers.

"Mostly I'm downsizing. I had a lot of stuff that I don't need to keep around anymore. Sorry it's taking so long."

"No no, zis is not what I meant." Her eyes widen a bit. She was worried she may have offended Theresa. "Take as much time as you need. It does not bother me, I promise you zis. I just wanted to offer to help should you need it." She sinks back in the chair a bit.

Theresa smiled, "Where are you from?"

"Nice, France. And you?"

"Foley, Alabama," she said, slipping into her 'Southern Girl' accent for a moment. "I was in France for a while this summer. I didn't make it down to Nice though. What's it like?"

A soft smile. "It is beautiful. I sink my favorite part is zee shore. Very relaxing. It is no Paris, but it is beautiful enough, I sink. What is it like in zee states?"

"I lived near the southern coast, so it was sandy and swampy in places. But we were close enough to go to the beach for the day during the summer and Gulf Shores has some really pretty beaches. It would be really nice if it weren't for the rednecks."

"Red-necks..." She looks confused for a moment. Since being taught English, she hadn't really learned slang terms. It was like that for any language, really. Unless someone goes to the country they don't really learn certain terms. "You will have to excuse me...is zat some sort off animal?"

Theresa looked like she was searching her brain. "Umm... bumpkins, hicks. Shoot, I don't know if there is a word in French."

"Bump...kins?" She had to laugh at that word. It sounded silly.

Theresa looked thoughtful, then hauled out her phone and did a quick search. "Any of these words look familiar?" She tossed the phone to Veronica. The phone was displaying a English to French dictionary with several possible equivalents for the term "redneck".

She caught the phone and looked over the words. "Ohhhh! Un péquenaud!" She laughs again, nodding. "I can understand zat, yes. Mais, I imagine zey were not everywhere, non?" Tilting her head, she curiously inquires.

"Not everywhere, no, but far more common than you'd think. But enough about trucks and country music," she said with a chuckle. "What do you do? I mean... ability-wise."

She paused for a moment. This was always weird to her, coming from not telling anyone at all what it was she was capable of. "I...it um..." She tried to think of the best way to explain it. "Ah. You know how it is possible for some to tell zee future?"

She nodded, "There are a couple of people here who do that sort of."

"I do basically zee opposite. I am able to see zee past. From what I have researched off it, it is known as psychometry. Um...where did zat quote go..." She flips through the pages of her journal. "Zis is a good explanation off it, I sink." She clears her throat and recites.

"Zee Past is entombed in the Present. Zee world is its own enduring monument; and zat which is true off its physical, is likewise true off its mental career. Zee discoveries off psychometry will enable us to explore zee history of man, as those off geology enable us to explore zee history of the earth. Zere are mental fossils for psychologists as well as mineral fossils for zee geologists; and I believe zat hereafter zee psychologist and zee geologist will go hand in hand — zee one portraying zee earse, its animals and its vegetation, while zee other portrays zee human beings who have roamed over its surface in zee shadows, and zee darkness of primeval barbarism. Zee mental telescope is now discovered which may pierce zee depths off zee past and bring us in full view of zee grand and tragic passages of ancient history."

She finishes the quote, looking a bit embarrassed at the long windedness of it. "Sorry, it is hard to explain, I suppose."

"That seems to be a pretty good way of explaining it. I've encountered the term psychometry before. Never met anyone with that ability though until now."

"It's...interesting." Her tone doesn't sound negative about it, but she's certainly not sounding excited about what her powers are. She quickly turns the tables. "What is it you can do?"

"I manipulate the weather," she said before holding out an open hand where a white, fluffy cloud formed briefly and then dissipated.

A look of amazement crosses her face and she lets out a little squee. "Zat it amazing! You can make it snow? Rain? Sunny days? All of zese sings?" She sounded excited about it.

"With enough effort, though some things require more effort than others and out-of-season precipitation has... consequences."

"I have to admit, a power like zat is truly beautiful. It is almost like you are a daughter off Moser Nature, non?"

That caught Theresa off guard, but she gathered herself quickly and replied with a smile and nod, "There are days it seems like that."

"What a wonderful gift." She smiled genuinely. It was clear she meant every word. "You have been here long?"

"I finished high school here, so yeah, for a little while. This is my first year of university."

"How are zee professors?"

"Pretty good, but people like anyone else, so they have their good days and bad days. Eccentric is probably a good way to describe all of them."

"Good, good. I am looking forward to all off zis. You said you came here during high school. So you moved? How did you find out about zis place?"

"I went briefly while the Institute was still in the States. My parents pulled me when the school moved. Then I was busted for MRA violations and it was either come here or go to juvie... um... juvie is like prison for minors."

"Zey would have sent you to prison?" She furrows her brow. "Zat seems a bit overboard, non?"

"Welcome to the United States of America. Land of freedom. I refused to register under the Mutant Registration Act." She shrugged, "In another few years, I'll probably work on British citizenship and renounce my US citizenship, but renouncing is expensive."

"Expensive in many ways, non? I would imagine saying you no longer want to be a citizen would have it's repercussions besides zee cost."

"Oh, I've said as much online, but people say all sorts of shit online, so people probably don't take me seriously."