Sam's Office - Headaches

[Samantha McManus]

The headmistress sat down behind her desk after shutting the door behind them. Given the age of the building, her office wasn't wired for CCTV, nor had she any real desire to get it put in. She regarded Haley.

"Make yourself comfortable."

[Haley Crusek]

Haley's eyes were red from crying, her face puffy. She sat down in one of the chairs in front of Sam's desk, slouching and crossing her arms over herself, not saying anything, but elaborate scenarios of strange mental punishments and tortures clearly running through her head at lightning speed.

[Samantha McManus]

"What do you think is going to happen, here?"

[Haley Crusek]

Haley sniffled, wiping her face with the back of her hand, and looking down at the edge of Sam's desk rather than her face. "I...I dunno. I...got really angry and I...didn't mean for that to happen." she replied, avoiding the question.

Her mind wasn't, as a mental image of Haley's nose bleeding, and then her head exploding while Sam used some awful super telepathy on her was currently playing out.

[Samantha McManus]

"I don't think I'll be doing that," she said with a warm smile.

[Haley Crusek]

"Oh shi....shucks....you...sorry." she said, forgetting that said super telepath could probably very easily see all of her fears laid out in front of her.

Haley sniffled again, looking up at Sam, still somewhat petrified. "I don't know...call my parents? Send me home? Make me stay in my room alone with my stupid roommate for a week?"

[Samantha McManus]

"You might not be aware, but I know a few things about what it's like to grow up with telepathy."

[Haley Crusek]

"It sucks," she frowned. "I have a headache every day, and shi...crap.... like this happens when I get angry or sad, or excited."

"I've woken up screaming in the middle of the night from having a nightmare, or having someone ELSE'S nightmare, break a water glass with my brain, and make my roommate hate me even more than she already does."

[Samantha McManus]

"And you're never sure if what's in your head is coming from you, or just reflecting everyone around you."

[Haley Crusek]

"...yeah," she sniffled, grabbing a tissue from the box on Sam's desk, wiping her face a bit, and blowing her nose.

"I...well I'm not sorry for getting mad at Regan. She said awful things about my boyfriend. I...just didn't think *that* would happen. I mean. It's happened when I've gotten angry before in like. The Danger Room and stuff....but it's always been *things* that have gotten smashed."

[Samantha McManus]

"At the same time, is it safe to say you've been... well, let's just say reluctant to see me?"

[Haley Crusek]

"....maybe." she replied understatedly.

[Samantha McManus]

"Why is that?"

[Haley Crusek]

"Well. It's kinda...intimidating talking to someone else who can do what you do, but like way better, and can read your thoughts and stuff..."

[Samantha McManus]

"We were all bad at it once, Haley."

[Haley Crusek]

"It seems kinda hard to believe that from this end. Even when I try and do the right things, I screw it up and wind up getting sucked into the astral plane and have to get saved by a freaky pasty white chick with an attitude problem."

[Samantha McManus]

"I ended up picking up everyone's nightmares for years."

[Haley Crusek]

"I have enough of my own, without dreaming about being terrified of bringing a boy back to meet parents that look like they belong on the set of a Flintstones movie," she grumbled.

"And I keep finding new things to be afraid of. First it was the whole mansion giving me nightmares, but Professor Weaver helped me fix that with this necklace she did some sort of a spell over, so now I don't have to dream about this crazy lady blowing up a lighthouse. But now I'm having dreams about the crazy stuff I saw when I was on the astral and I'm terrified I'm going to wind up back there, but with no one to come save me from the creepy stuff that got me last time," she rambled.

[Samantha McManus]

"Do you want to know the simplest advice I can tell you?"

[Haley Crusek]

"Don't meditate or you'll get sucked into the Astral?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Easier than that."

"You see, the reason telepathy hits young mutants so hard is because it manifests at a time when you're struggling to define yourself. You don't quite know where your own wants and needs start versus those of your friends and others around you. You don't quite know what sort of person you consider yourself, in most cases."

"When you can broadcast your thoughts and hear those of others, that's a dangerous mindset to be in. You don't know what not to let in, and what not to let out."

"If you want your control to improve, you need to think more about what you are, and what you aren't. The better you learn that about yourself, the easier this will become."

[Haley Crusek]

"....to get better at not being a headcase, I need to think about who I am?" she asked skeptically.

[Samantha McManus]

"It helps nearly everything else. It strengthens your defenses."

[Haley Crusek]

"That sounds easy...but....like really hard at the same time," Haley said, deep in thought.

[Samantha McManus]

"Takes awhile to work at it. Sometimes writing it down helps."

[Haley Crusek]

"Maybe I'll have to do that...start keeping a journal or something," she pondered aloud.

"And that'll like...help with the random blasting things when I get angry too?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Less with that, but it should make you more aware of what you're doing."

[Haley Crusek]

"So how do I stop making things explode when I get angry...which is probably the main reason I'm in here?" she asked, still confused.

[Samantha McManus]

"That I'm afraid is going to involve figuring out what's got you that stressed."

[Haley Crusek]

"The nightmares. My horrible roommate and her crappy friends. Hormones. History class....what Isn't stressing me out," she smirked.

[Samantha McManus]

"I can't wave a magic wand, Haley. Mutants of all sorts have to watch their tempers."

[Haley Crusek]

"What about all of the people here who do seem to have magic?" she smirked.

[Samantha McManus]

"Not quite as useful for the things that really matter."

[Haley Crusek]

"Was worth a shot at least"

[Samantha McManus]

"I know powers complicate things greatly, but as often as not the things that are at the root here are simply human."

[Haley Crusek]

"Everyone deals with this? Well. I guess that's what you mean by complicated by powers..."

[Samantha McManus]

"There's a reason we pay the counseling staff here very well, aye?"

[Haley Crusek]

"And is this where I find out ill be in therapy for the rest of the year to keep me from having another power accident?" she sighed.

[Samantha McManus]

"No, this is me making you aware that we're here to help you, not just punish you every time you've had a bad day."

"We were all of us there once, and perhaps some day there's going to be a girl who thinks you're the one who's got it together."

[Haley Crusek]

"R...really?" she asked, seemingly confused by this.