BitCook

Okay so assuming I want to do something with driving I roll here. At least that's what I assume. Driving to get a power up and interpose to prevent the Koopla's from getting one. Reflex Save 1d20 + 7 = 19 Let me know if that's successful and I can get a post up about it.

Magic 8 Ball Vicki nodded to Parker, "It was fairly recent. I mean, I've sort of been odd all my life. But things really just started being different three years ago. A lot different. Mostly in a good way. Although, I don't know, sometimes I'd kill just to fit in." Of course she had finished saying that, only just realized that she was also talking to a humanoid bug. She winced just a little, hoping she didn't offend him or make him feel bad. But truth be told, part of the reason she was so happy to be here was that fitting in would be nice. Not being an outside and having people and friends judge her on who she was instead of what she was. It was also then that she realized the question was more about why she was starting in December. Staring back at the tall blonde, she continued talking. "Oh! Why now you meant? Well... my father is very political and he sort of has a thing about meta humans. He's running on the platform that all of them should be registered so that the government knows who they are and can hold them liable for damages done or whatever else. He doesn't really know that I have... gifts... and I've sort of had a hard time fitting into all of the prep academies in the UK because of them. Well more like hiding them while there. So he found one of the best science academies in the country, the Atom Academy, and sent me there. Until he found out that it was a school for training meta's as much as a science academy." She gave a heavy sigh, "yeah... so after freaking out he asked some of his politician buddies in the UK where was a discrete place to put his daughter and here I am. I guess I have Lawrence's dad to really thank for that." She was just finishing her sentence when the ball had finally caught up to her again. Rolling along the ground it gently bumped into her ankle like a small child clinging to it's mother. For the moment she just ignored it, perhaps hoping that it would just vanish like it often did.

"Fascinating, wonderful, I'm rather chuffed really," she said replying to Parker and offering a sweater covered hand to shake. As they did, she saw the empty sleeve handing limply below where their hands met and giggled a little, "uh... I'm sorry about the sweater. It was cold and someone far bigger than me loaned me something to keep me warm. I didn't exactly expect snow." Then as Baz spoke she turned to the odd boy. His speech and movements were alien and strange, but then, as he even said, it appeared that he thought everyone else was strange. That was one thing that Vicki had learned; perspective was everything. Laughing a bit at what he said, she replied with a genuine grin, "I can't say that I've ever played in any radioactive smoke before, so I'll have to take your word for it... and if you want to change the weather so that it's not white outside... well I would very much be pleased about that. But yes, very swell indeed." Science classes. She desperately hoped that she would be able to continue her pre med track as she was drawn to that like a moth to flame. At the Atom Academy, she had done some very heavy work with life sciences and while she was a very long way from being a qualified doctor, she already was rather competent and diagnosing and triaging people with minor injuries. 'Going to have to expand my studies. Might not even be human anatomy that I'm called on to heal or help' she thought to herself.

As the tour had progressed, Vicki was feeling a bit more confident in meeting people and her chances of fitting in this amazing school. She listened to Lawrence describe his powers and felt a twinge of envy at being able to effect the flow of time. How wonderful that would be even for the mundane use of getting an extra hour or two of sleep every day. Lawrence had already mentioned the benefit to study time and the implications for binge watching were just off the charts. More important was that the students talked about these things with the same level of importance as they did talking about hobbies or weekend activities at her other schools. It was liberating in a way that was really hard to describe to someone who had kept this bottled up for years. Looking at the pair, she enthusiastically waved to them, the sweater flopping about as she did, "Cheers. It's nice to meet you both. Super excited by all this..." For once, she really appreciated her father's insistence on sending her to a prep school. While there, she had been schooled not just in reading, writing and arithmetic, but also in manners and how to conduct ones self in social situations. So while she was greeting the two, she only showed a just a little of her surprise at seeing the bug like boy. Certainly, her social situations instructor had not quite imagined this, but being able to hide her shock was a good tool to make people feel at ease. Which, considering she was the newcomer, was something she very much wanted to do.

Magic 8 Ball "Wait!" Vicki called out as Michael left, "You forgot your..." But he was already gone and she was still waving the ludicrously oversized sleeves in his general direction. Slowly putting her arms down she gave a quirky grin to Lawrence, "this happens to me a lot. People running off, that is." She exhaled, a puff of white in the cold winter air before turning back towards Lawrence. While the sweater might have looked ridiculous on her, it certainly was warm, however she was not about to turn down a chance to go somewhere out of the winter air. So she nodded and fell in step alongside Lawrence as they walk towards the next building. She spared only one small glance back to where she had thrown the ball, "Yes. Although it won't really matter. The stupid thing will come back to me no matter what I do. I've tried a number of ways to get rid of it with no luck. I think the worst was the time when I tried to flush it down a toilet. Which, it did..." There was a long pause as she relived that moment in her mind. Yes, she had been able to flush the ball down the toilet. Which was a testament to British plumbing and the pipe size of her father's mansion. That had been early on in her relationship with the ball. Unfortunately, as she found out, it tended to come back along a similar trajectory as it was disposed of. The resulting explosion of sewage had covered Vicki from head to toe and had certainly taught her to be a little more careful with how she tried to get rid of it. "... I think that was my last serious attempt to get rid of it. It uhhh... was a bit of a mess when it came back." As the pair walked, already the ball was starting to wiggle its way out of the snowbank, slowly rolling towards Vicki. At some point it would vanish and show up in her handbag, or somewhere similar. Despite the oddities, she was feeling pretty good and looking around as students filed out from whichever classes had just finished. A thought struck her, "you didn't mention what powers you had did you? Is that a secret? I saw you heal Michael's cheek which is absolutely brilliant. I guess I can imagine why you wouldn't want to advertise that too much."

Magic 8 Ball Quirk Kart (2) This Side of the Pond (17) Origin Story Holiday Cheer

As Lawence pulled away Vicki called out towards his retreating form, "does this happen all the time... and are we graded on this?" Despite her apprehension and confusion, it was pretty clear what they should do. With a little trial and error, she was able to get the car moving and chasing after the others. The pink Baby Buggy maneuvering far more like a racer than it's appearance might suggest. 'At least you are not dressed as a baby...' she thought to herself. First day being viewed in diapers? No coming back from that. Might as well just find another country to go to school.

"Shite..." VIcki said quietly, "it seems like such a better curse and description of what just happened." It was the first time that the very proper British girl had cracked the perfectly mannered and spoken aristocrat. How that had gone sideways befuddled her in a huge way. She had been regretting oversharing, but as it turned out, what had landed her in the kettle was not that she could rip information from their minds, but that it was powered by a $5 Hasbro toy. I mean, it was all strange and she barely understood any of it really. Other than working hard to control and work with the powers she had, she and the Ministry of Powers had made nearly zero progress on what the ball was. Theories ranged from bound extra planar creature to sentient relic. The one thing in common was that to date, all of the theories were just that. She looked after the strange flying girl for a moment, trying to muss through what she should have done. That was one of the real problems with being acutely self aware; continually evaluating how you could have made the situation better and the realization that sometimes nothing would have. Sighing she threw the ball as hard as she could away from the school. Granted, her experience in throwing was subpar, her hands were covered with an oversized sweater and she would have been far better kicking it than using her arms, but it did sail at least thirty yards away into the snow, sinking into a drift. "I don't really know what it is other than a pain. Well I know it's magical, but really that's about it. It causes a lot of trouble, but I've kind of accepted it. Syn... my mentor has been really good about that. Sometimes I feel she's more of a therapist than a mentor. Not that most therapists are really good at dealing with people like us."

With more than a little trepidation, Vicki pulled out the ball. The anchor and bane of her existence while also being the thing that had opened up her powers like a flower to the sun. Sitting in the knit covered palm of her hand with the sleeve of the sweater dangling down four or five inches past her finger, the ball looked exactly like a cheap dollar store toy. She was careful not to think of a question, careful not to shake it; no sense in having to try and make something happen that she didn't wish. No sense in giving it an opening to mess with her life further. "Well... this is kind of how I tell the future. Sort of. I mean, it's complicated. Sometimes there are visions and sometimes I have to ask the ball for clarification. Um... it also is kind of bossy," she said with a bit of a frown. "The worst part is when I'm just talking to someone or wandering around and then all of a sudden, there it is. Some intimate, or revealing portion of someone's life. Just sitting out there unbidden and unwanted. So not only do I kind of look like an idiot, going blank while it's parading their dark secrets, but then how do you talk to someone when you find out something um... strange about them." As her powers went, moving things was far more cool and far less controversial. As far as she knew, there was no unwanted movement that happened and it certainly had helped her solve some complicated or sticky situations without having to out herself. So she replied to Michael with a little more confidence in her voice, "well... yeah, I should be able to pick you up and move you around. Unless you weigh a LOT more than you look. I guess I can move a lot of stuff."

Vicki is in trouble Mediocre reflexes... no skill. Mind powers better come in handy!

Oooof. That cat came screaming out of the bag quickly. Although, to be fair she had told them she had Psychic powers. Why did she even open her mouth about it? The small logical part of her mind was trying to explain that just saying Psychic generalized what she could do. That did not change the fact that while she had not told people what her powers were in the past, she had been around people when Psychics were discussed. Being incredibly sensitive to people's emotions, Vicki usually could tell how people felt around anyone who claimed they could read minds. Rarely was it good; most of the time showing fear, suspicion, or other indications of unease. She worked hard to suppress her power because she just didn't want to know what they felt, not yet at least. She was riding on a euphoric high after finding out the type of school she had ended up in and wasn't ready to face how people really felt about her and her sometimes intrusive powers. Giving a nervous laugh, Vicki shifted from one foot to the other, pulling on the hem of the overlarge sweater, "well... something like that. Mostly emotions. Mostly... and um... I get visions. They're really kind of annoying and they come at the worst times. I mean... I guess there's a bit more... uh... I can move things with my mind too." Even without her powers, Vicki was an astute judge of character, and she consciously focused on the remaining snow on the ground. Not wanting to see what she felt would be the signs of suspicion and mistrust.

Vicki looked around, taking a few moments to realize the fairly obvious unreality about the situation. The day so far had been amazing, getting both to know some of the students as well as sitting in on some classes. To say that she was very excited for the upcoming year was an understatement. Somehow her mentor and Lawrences family had managed to get her in a school that she had only dreamed about in her wildest crazy thoughts. She had been looking forward to heading to dinner with some of the people she had met when they ended up here. Wherever that was... although, bonus, it wasn't nearly as cold as the campus had been a few hours earlier, so Vicki in her British school clothes was at least comfortable. Which, left the matter of the strange cars. Thankfully, this was not some American custom that she didn't understand. This was some riff on Mario Cart, of which Nintendo was a universal language. She looked around at the Kart's that people had near them. Like many people her age, she had sunk a fair number of hours into the cute game and nodded as she saw the Karts others were getting into. Turning to hers, she sighed and frowned a bit, Booster Seat?!!! Really? "Oh come on..." she said resigned to her fate as she climbed into the baby stroller like pink Kart. As it only had one seat, at least she didn't have to worry about the controls on the wrong side...

At -2 or whatever the temperature was in the frozen hellscape that was New England, Vicki looked at the offered sweater. Her jacket was meant for for London winters, rainy and 10 degrees Celsius. Not deep cold and snow that one would expect in the Alps or some other exotic destination. Pure manners would have had her politely refusing the offer. However, the petite girl was quite cold. So it was with a grateful smile that she nodded and said, "thank you so much. I didn't really expect it to be so cold here. I think my father and I were worried about making a good first impression as opposed to showing up looking like the stay puft marshmallow Man." Between the casual miracle of healing the cut, and the simple question of what are your powers, Vicki's attitude an opinion of the school was changing rapidly. She had started to assume that powers were just accepted, but she was now starting to realize that they were common. As she tugged the comically large sweater over her head, the smile that poked out was both large and genuine, showing off two little dimples on either side of her mouth.. Much of her reservations and guard were starting to come down. "Well if you ask anyone else it's schizophrenia. I kind of spend a lot of time talking to myself. But I suppose I guess I would be classified as a psychic". She gave a little self-deprecating grin, "most of my other classmates would have called me a psycho." She then paused a moment, "does everyone here have powers?"

'Bloody hell, they make them a lot bigger over here, at least something dad said was right...' Vicki though to herself as she flashed Michael a wide smile, giving him her finger tips to shake and internally marveling as most of her hand seemed to disappear after taking the card and looking at it. '...and he was also right, they all are obsessed with business and work.' Of course, none of those were bad things. In fact, of the very long tirades that her father would often go on, his near dissertations on Americans was filled with contradictory platitudes and euphemisms which always left her wondering if he admired them or despised them. Although, given her father and his own brand of crazy, a mix of the two would not bother him and his rationale of how the world was ordered. After reading the card, and reclaiming her hand from, the large sportsball boy she opened her handbag and secured it in her wallet. Unlike her father, she was not about to turn down invitations... especially one's that involved shopping. "That's lovely, thank you very much Michael, I'm Vicki and it's very nice of you to join us. It's always nice to meet people at a new school... especially one so far away from home," she said with complete sincerity. She adjusted the thin coat that she wore over the simple skirt and blouse that would have sufficed for a uniform in nearly every one of the British private schools she had attended. Without knowing what the dress code here was, she had chosen, with some snide remarks coming in from her father, on dressing conservatively until she was told what she was expected to wear. Although given the reindeer girl, pretty much anything seemed to be accepted.

Vicki was about to answer Lawrence when the strange girl came flying in, removing the snow with magical efficiancy. For the first time in a very long time, Vicki's mouth just hung open in complete surprise. It wasn't that meta human's were unknown. It was the casual display of powers and abilities that stunned the British teen. Her father had done quite a job in making sure that she never attended a school where youths with abiilties were being trained. So while she logically understood that people like her existed. Her assumption was that they operated in the shadows like some kind of cartoon fence selling watches from their overcoat. After she managed to close her mouth, she hesitantly held up a hand and gave a little finger wave to the newcomer, wiggling her fingers, "uh... hi? I'm Vicki..." All of her life America had certainly dominated the cultural zeitgeist. TV shows displayed American culture. Music was dominated by American groups. Fashion seemed to be dictated by American trends. Still, even with that cultural perspective, the prevailing opinion was that American's were both strange and perhaps overly casual. The girl, with her antlers and red nose was both festive, strange, and perhaps everything that her father had warned about all at once.

Tilting her head she considered the good looking boy for a long moment. That had been the last thing she had expected to see in his eyes. However, realization came that she had intruded on his privacy in a very blunt and direct way. "I..." She stammered, "I'm sorry. I should not have done that. It doesn't matter who you are to me. Although... It's kind of nice to not be alone. I was sure my father was going to make it so I was in a place that excluded people like me... us..." It was starting to become reality. The Victorian English buildings imediately went from being oppressive to looking far more inviting and interesting. There were unrealized and unexpected possibilities which made her head spin. This really might be a great year.

She blinked a number of times trying to take it all in. What few people knew was that the British heroine Synapse had mentored Vicki ever since the ball had shown up three years ago. It had been done in secret to keep her father appeased and keep Vicki's life less complicated. That more people knew was mind boggling. That Lawrence was taking in the same stride as if she had mentioned that she liked pepperoni pizza was just a whole different kind of... relief? How long had she hidden her gifts? Even at the Atom Academy, she had spent quite some time trying to pretend she was just mundane normal. "So you know that I'm different?" She asked looking up to meet his eyes for perhaps the first time of the tour. "...and you don't care?" Now that she was looking at him, she appraised him, looking beyond the good looks and nice fashion sense. However, her black irises were a bit of a two way street. Inside them, Lawrence could also see glipses of a bright and wise mind behind the black haired girl.

Vicki stopped in her tracks, her eyes flashing wide open staring at Lawrence in shock. This is a metahuman school?!! That was not something she had expected. Her father's views on the subject were entirely clear in the matter. So how did he mess up and agree to send her here? "I'm sorry... Did you say metahuman studies. Like superhero training and things like that?" She said with a nervous laugh. "Why would I need those?" She continued with a horrific attempt at trying to conceal her nervousness. However, inside, she was nearly dancing. She had gifts and getting anyone to tell her how they could and should be used would be amazing on so many levels. Another small part of her was practically singing, 'people like me!'

Vicki giggled, "Don't tell my father that. He still genuinely thinks that you moved over here for financial interests. I'm not entirely sure that he understands that your father's political interests aren't necessarily aligned with his own." Truth be told they were not a whole lot of people that match the elder Adams politics. The young politician was heart charging and was pushing hard to make deep reforms in the way that metahumans were treated. Well he wasn't for outright bans or things of that nature, he was one of the leading proponents to making secret identities illegal and having a mandatory metahuman registration. "I don't mind uniforms too much. I've been known to spend a few hours trying to figure out what to wear to an event. I swear, guys have it much easier. You look good in anything." She shivered a little in the cold December air. That was something that was going to take some getting used to. She'd only really ever seen snow a few times in London. So even though it was a little cold, she grinned kicking at the snow at her feet. "So what kind of things do you study?"

While she was fighting her embarassment, a smile crossed her face. It was alway nice to her the accent of her country. It just sounded like home. Which, nothing against the States, but the people just sounded funny to her. "Yes, please. Thank you very much," she said quietly, turning to give a little finger wave to the headmistress. Then she paused, "oh... sorry, but what about my things? Should I leave them here?" The headmistress stepped in and nodded in agreement, "we'll have a couple of students bring them to your room." Vicki nodded, "thank you ma'am and thank you for the welcome." As the pair walked in the direction that Lawrence indicated, she stayed close to him, looking around at the lovely campus with rapt curiosity, "thank you for giving me a touring and... well I'm just going to ask. Do you like it here?"

"Hmmm?" Robert said looking back over his shoulder hearing the Head mistressea comments. "Right, right. Of course. I need to be off anyway. Dinner with the mayor and then back to London." He nodded to Lawrence, "I'll make sure they get in touch and whenever you or your father wish to join a growing party, let me know!" His smile was practiced and displayed what hundreds of thousands of pounds of dental work could achieve. Turning back he stepped past the Headmistress and nearly walked past his daughter before remembering she was there. "Ah, be good dearest and try not to do the things you've done in other schools." "I'll try my hardest father. Be safe," Vicki said before he walked away without another word, already lost in his phone. Sighing heavily, she walked over to Lawrence and gave him a shy but warm smile. Boys were not really anything she had much experience with and Lawrence's casual good looks were enough to set her a little on edge. "Hello Lawrence," she said looking down at his shoes, "it's good to see you again. I was very happy to hear you attended here..."

Robert was grinning like a shark in a school of tuna. This was a perfect way to get his daughter some time with good normal people. People from influential wealthy families and pedigrees. I mean, he could accept the fact that universities were filled with and overrun with common liberal rabble, but places like that Atom family were also rife with meta humans as well. "That's wonderful Lawrence. Looks like you've landed in a good spot. The States seem to be doing you well," he said looking the young man up and down. "But if you're heading back for the holidays, perhaps I could have my assistant make sure that Vicki gets on the same flight. You know how she is... I'd just feel better having someone watch over her while traveling is all. I can run it by your father if you'd like?" Meanwhile Vicki felt a strong sense of relief, she had been deathly worried that the folks at the Atom Academy had been upset that she had pulled out so suddenly. "Thank you Ma'am. If you could let them know that I very much enjoyed my time there. However, my father... um... he has certain beliefs and when he found out that they provided support for Metahumans, well... then he couldn't get me out of there faster," she said looking over to where her father was enthusiastically speaking to Lawrence.

Vicki was doing her best to look on the bright side of things; which from her perspective there were precious few. She was about to attend her seventh school in six years after just having stayed a few months at the Atom Academy. Her father, Robert Adams, MP, had found out that the Atom Academy was primarily geared to serving Meta humans, which had ended her tenure there rather quickly. Even if it was one of the top schools for Medical and Life sciences. Already, Vicki had cheeks of crimson as her father had not quite overtly said racist things, but certainly he had insinuated it; going so far as to say "at least this school doesn't just let ANYONE in here." Along with such wonderful hits as, "I'm glad we can get Vicki into a school where she'll learn propper things." Thankfully, the headmistress either was very tolerant or used to having to deal with parents who held questionable views. More than once, Vicki had mouthed 'I'm sorry' to the woman and was doing her best to try and crawl into any hole that would accept her. Which is why the elder Adam's was far out and ahead when they met up with Lawrence. Robert's smile for Lawrence was geniune as he strode over to him like a guided missile. The good looking boy was excatly the kind of material that the firebrand politican wanted to associate his daughter with. In any capacity. "Lawrence!" he said boisterously, "it really is good to see you again. How is your father?" Meanwhile Vicki, dressed in a conservative navy skirt and white blouse, stood back a moment with the Headmistress. When her father was out of earshot, she vocalized what she had been trying to communicate through the whole tour, "I'm very sorry Ma'am... my father is not afraid to speak his mind and he has... um... polarizing views at time. For what it is worth, I do not share most of them."

Magic 8 Ball Origin Story Link to TOC Sunday April 12th, 2020, Knightsbridge, United Kingdom Vicki sat on the edge of her bed, feet dangling just above the floor, looking at the three outfits laying on her dresser. All of them were nice, as was everything in her beautifully appointed bedroom. All around her was classic Victorian era furniture all meticulously maintained and priceless. Yet there were plenty of feminine touches in the 12 year old girl’s bedroom; from the Jonas Brothers posters to the festive pink and white wallpaper. She tugged at the hem of the oversized night shirt she was wearing, debating on what to wear tomorrow. ‘It’s not every day you turn 13…` she thought to herself, locked in the eternal clothes debate. It was getting late, nearly midnight, not that her parents would care at all what their daughter was doing. Her father was downtown London at a fundraiser and her mother was with some socialites. If it wasn’t for her Nanny, she would have had nearly an unfettered run of their large and lavish Knightsbridge home. Well… other than four or five maids and cooks who were likely already in bed. Tomorrow, on her birthday she was going to Le Gavroche, one of London’s most prestigious restaurants. It would be the first time she had seen her parents in over a week and she wanted to look her best. Besides, some of London’s other socialites would be there and it never hurt to try and make a good impression. She never wanted to be the laughingstock of London’s Elite, but fate rarely gave people what they wanted. This would be a good chance to be seen and perhaps make up for some of her ‘childish’ issues. Of course, what all of those judgmental girls and families didn’t know was that Vicki’s tendencies to talk to imaginary people and hallucinate things which weren’t there was not some undiagnosed schizophrenic condition, but rather the gift, or curse depending on your viewpoint, of second sight. It was something that she had since her ill timed birth on Friday the 13th. This gift granted her unbidden visions of things which were and things which had yet to be. Of course, they came at the worst times. Of course, she had a hard time discerning that reality had shifted around her so while she was interacting with the visions, everyone else saw her talking to nothing. While it might have made cosmic sense… tween Vicki hated every moment of it. So this choice of outfit. It had to be perfect. To be accepted and to make her parents proud, that would be a huge weight off her shoulders. Normally, things like brands and the latest fashion didn’t really matter to the young girl, but it had been impressed on her that this was a chance to make a new impression. This dinner would open social doors and peel back years of negative social interactions with her peers. At least according to her parents and the few friends that weren’t just friends with her out of sympathy for the crazy girl. Her reverie was interrupted by a gong sound which echoed through the palatial home. Someone was at the door, which at this hour could not be a good thing. It was nearly midnight! However, she only gave it a moment’s thought. The guards and staff would take care of it, which left her to ruminate over her decision further. She was deep in thought and scanning her phone for the latest styles when there was a knock on the door. “Miss Adams?” came the voice of Alice, her nanny, breaking her out of her deep contemplation. She made sure that she was decent, which, her oversized night shirt, which came down to mid thigh did a reasonable job of, before replying, “yes?” “There was a package left for you at the door.” Well that was strange, “a package?” “Yes Miss, would you like me to bring it in? The note on it was very specific. It was a birthday present for you and only to be opened by you. Although security did a scan and verified that it had no chemical or biological threats. I’m sorry, they were quite insistent,” Alice replied through the closed door. “Yes please. I’m sorry, you just surprised me,” she said. As the door opened, a woman in her early thirties, fit, attractive, and completely professional, walked in. Even at midnight, she still looked like she had just spent several hours getting ready for the day, which was a skill that Vicki envied. The tall leggy blonde woman held a small present, ornately wrapped with colorful paper and beautiful ribbon and bows, in her hands. “Happy birthday Miss Adams,” Alice said as she handed the small gift over. “It appears you have an anonymous admirer. They rang and left the gift at the door. Strangely enough, security did not catch it on camera, although every scan of the gift has returned that it is benign.” Then she winked at Vick and gave her a small smile, “so should we be expecting a young gentleman calling with more frequency now that you are officially a teen?” Vicki giggled and blushed, taking the offered gift with a smile, “no! Or if there is, I certainly don’t know about them.” “Also, you should wear the maxi from Free People,” Alice said, nodding to one of the dresses Vicki had been contemplating. “It’s trendy, stylish and something your parents will approve of.” Of course. The answer had been staring right at her and Alice’s simple explanation made her hours of deliberation seem silly. She sighed before looking over to her Nanny, really more mother than her own parents, “thanks Alice.” “You’re very welcome young lady. Now are you going to open that up or not? I am still betting on it being a profession of love and request for courtship from a gentleman.” Vicki laughed, folding her legs underneath her and scooting to the side so her nanny could sit on the bed with her. Alice gracefully sat down, and waited as Vicki started to pick at the beautiful wrapping. “It certainly is pretty,” Vicki said as she carefully undid the gilded ribbon. Alice nodded in agreement as stunning paper came off revealing a very carefully made wooden box. There was no visible way to open it and the polished sides revealed nothing of what might be inside. “Huh… do you think that it’s just a very cleverly made box?” Vicki asked, turning it around in her hands. “No,” Alice said tilting her head in curiosity, “I don’t… although I can’t say that I can fathom a purpose for it either.” “Oh well,” Vicki said with a smile, “at least someone remembered my birthday, so that’s ni…” The words died in her throat as the box suddenly started to open. Perhaps she had touched something, or solved whatever enigmatic puzzle the plain wooden structure had concealed. But a panel slid open revealing the oddest thing; a plain, cheap looking plastic Hasbro Magic 8 Ball. While she had some various cheap toys, most of the things which graced the Adam's home were artisan products and certainly not the sort of cheap manufactured things often gracing the shelves of Tesco. Of course, Vicki did immediately wonder if someone had recognized that she had visions and was taunting her. Vicki looked at it, then to Alice, who simply shrugged that she had no input on the situation. “Well… I mean, strange and confusing, but never look a gift horse in the mouth, right?” she asked, pulling out the toy. “What should I ask it?” Alice crossed one of her long legs over the other, then tapped her chin before saying, “ask it if you will find happiness and longevity.” Vicki giggled, “that’s a good start. Well ball, will I find happiness and longevity?” She shook the plastic toy which took a second before the cheap plastic widget in the liquid revealed its disappointing answer, “outlook uncertain, ask again later.” “Well that was disappointing, but she still smiled before asking, “okay… am I due for an adventure?” She shook the toy again, waiting patiently for its simple answers. As the widget pressed against the glass, Vicki felt a little chill, “Yes.” Alice grinned, “well that’s exciting. Even if it’s strange, whoever gave that to you apparently wanted you to have a little bit of a laugh. Anyway, get some sleep, tomor… no, today will be a big day. Would you like anything before I leave Miss Adams?” “No thank you Alice, have a good night.” Monday April 13th, 2020, London, United Kingdom Vicki fidgeted in the seat of the Bentley, although it was not due to the beautiful dress that Alice had suggested she wear. Instead, it was the strange morning which had placed the 13 year old girl into a state of near panic. It had first been a series of strange events; her visions, of which she had a very prolonged and confusing one. Then while taking a shower, she found after dropping the soap, that it had floated back to her hand. But worst was that whatever that stupid 8 Ball was, no matter what she did, the thing insisted on being close to her. Which, for a toy, was seriously freaky behavior. Alice had dutifully locked it in a closet, and yet, a few minutes later, it had shown up next to her on a table. Even now, it was hidden in her handbag, which was just the strangest thing. However, as long as it stayed with or near her, the thing didn’t seem to have any adverse effects. “So,” her father asked, “you seem nervous. I know a night at Le Gavroche is a bit nerve wracking, but you’ll do well. I haven’t paid for all those years of private school for you to fail at social events. Had this been a couple of hundred years ago, you would have had a coming of age event at court where you would have been presented to the nobility.” “Wonderful dad,” Vicki said with a resigned sigh. “Dear, don’t make her more nervous than she already is. We wouldn’t want one of her episodes to come on, now would we?” “Fine, fine. Just trying to make small talk with my daughter,” her stepfather replied. Vicki remained quiet, acutely aware of the ball in her purse and not wanting to ruin the evening, knowing how important it was. As the car stopped, a valet opened the door and helped her out of the beautifully appointed car. “Welcome to La Gavroche Miss Adams,” he said without missing a beat before helping out her mother and stepfather. “Mr. Adams, your table is already prepared. It’s very good to see you again.” “Yes, of course,” Robert replied as the family walked into one of Britain’s finest restaurants. Inside, the intimate but richly decorated restaurant was filled with a few dozen of London’s who’s who. There was a pause in the conversation as patrons assessed the newcomers and recognized the popular right wing firebrand Member of Parliament, went back to their food and conversations. That is other than the half dozen or so girls of Vicki’s age who were scattered throughout the eatery. She could feel their eyes judging the clothes she wore, her hair, the way she walked and everything. While she personally didn’t care that much, she didn’t want to disappoint her father and if she were being honest, it really would be nice to be accepted. After sitting down at their table without incident, Mr and Mrs Adams went about talking about their social events from the prior night; the discussion more akin to a general determining how to deploy troops than any discussion of the events themselves. It was all about advantages and who could be counted on for social or political favor. Vicki hated it. So she wasn’t paying very much attention when a poised and beautiful girl stepped up to their table, “Vicki, it’s good to see you. It’s been a while… what… oh, since your last episode. I hope your treatment is going well.” Vicki turned to see Abigail Cadogan, the daughter of the Earl of the same name. She was a social climber and had been at Vicki’s last school. She was measuring Vicki again, of that there was no doubt. “It’s wonderful to see you Abigail. There was no treatment, but I am doing well thank you,” Vicki said politely, trying not to engage the girl as per her fathers extensive orders. “No? We were all sure you were heading that way. Well I hope that life in Westminster School isn’t on par with Benedictine order that founded it,” she said with a trilling laugh. Vicki did not rise to the bait, “no no, but I do love the grounds and it’s so perfectly situated to be around London.” Out of the corner of her eye, Vicki could tell her stepfather was listening to every word and every hidden slight and insult. “Well that’s true. You should take advantage of that sometime. We so rarely see you at any of London’s events,” Abigail replied. “Still I suppose you have all of your imaginary friends, so it can’t be that lonely.” The last comment hurt. It was also a statement which basically said, ‘you will never be accepted as one of us’. The night was already a failure. She felt a buzzing coming from her handbag and dared not look down at it. “Perhaps I will,” Vicki replied, trying to recover any sense of dignity. “I understand that Bethany has a party coming up next week.” Abigail looked at her for a moment, assessing the conversational calculus like a master tactician reviewing their troops, “you heard about Bethany’s party?” Vicki nodded, “she invited me to come along.” There was another pause as the nasty socialite assessed this piece of information. All the while the sensation coming from her handbag started to actually get physically uncomfortable. “Oh, that’s very nice of her. I didn’t know the two of you were friends. Bethany’s parties are the best aren’t they? Naturally, we had talked in depth about the guest list. She trusts me with everything and of course I had to push for your inclusion. I’m glad she saw my way of thinking.” That was a bald faced lie and Vicki knew it. Just as she could read the mixture of shock and envy which boiled off the pretty girl who had been taunting her moments before. Between her unbidden reading of Abigail's mind and the compulsion coming from her handbag, she was nearly physically ill. “That was so nice of you,” Vicki graciously replied. “I’ll have to thank you properly some time in the future. Perhaps I could take you for Italian Ice or something?” Abigail nodded, appearing mollified that Vicki had not thrown the lie back in her face. Yet the negative emotions sliced off the socialite like sewage water; jealousy, anger, contempt along with the clear intention of doing something ill. Never before had Vicki been able to read emotions so clearly. She would have been surprised if she wasn’t fighting the burning push to do something. “Well I will leave you with your family, it’s lovely to see you out in public again, I hope that’s not as short lived as your stay at King’s College,” Abigail said, turning to leave. Then it snapped. That sensation and need to do something. Vicki’s mind surged and she could practically feel everything in the restaurant. It was then that she noticed Abigail was sticking her foot just in the path of the waiter walking by, the intention clear to have them trip and spill the contents of their dish all over Vicki. Noticing and doing something though were two different things. The waiter, not looking down, tripped on Abigail’s Prada pumps and started to pitch forward. Time seemed to slow as Vicki saw him falling forward towards her. Her mind pushed instinctively, there was a warm glowing sensation from her handbag and for the briefest second, she was holding the waiter, his tray, and every item on it with her mind. A gentle nudge and both he and his meals were back upright and in place. The waiter blinked in surprise, paused just a second in shock, but shook his head and continued on his mission. Abigail looked puzzled and irritated. However, she knew better than to make any scene over her failed sabotage. Without another word, she turned back to her table and strode away. As suddenly as it came on, the strange feeling vanished. However, Vicki’s knowledge of what happened did not. She had prevented that catastrophe with her mind and her parents had not even noticed. Something had changed for sure, and Vicki knew that she would never be the same again. While she had always had strange visions and intuition, never had they been so clear… nor had she ever had any ability to do anything about it. Now, apparently she did and it would take some thought as to what she should do with this new found gift.

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