[h2] Lucie Valentine [/h2] 

[h3] Auditorium [/h3]

Captivity often gave off the illusion that time flowed differently, for even a gilded cage no matter how lovely and comfortable was still a cage in the end. 

The days seemed to crawl by at a mockingly slow pace until finally, an entire week had passed. It felt strange for Lucie to think of a week as a long time; since back home, a week seemed to pass her by in so little time as a blink. Their keepers required precious little of their time, asking only for an hourly session with their mentors each day. 

As such, Lucie had been given far too much time to dwell on - or rather, wallow in - less than pleasant thoughts. The others, her fellow inmates, appeared to be doing alright, some of them even having adopted regular routines. Or perhaps like her, they too had put on a façade of normalcy. The red head couldn't know for certain. She didn't interact with them overmuch and hadn't really made any friends or enemies during that time. The most she had done was to make an effort to learn their names and the powers associated with them. Not someone to be overly social even in regular circumstances, the French girl preferred the silent company of a sketchbook provided by Ms. White. 

The hope that she had been so desperately clinging to - her only hope, as it were - was the fact that she had yet to show any signs of possessing powers. 

In no particular hurry to rush to the auditorium as required by Elisa’s announcement, Lucie dressed at a comfortable pace and stared into her own, unhappy grey eyes reflected in the mirror. 

The conversation with her aunt hadn't gone at all how the spoiled teenager had expected. For once in her young life, she had been refused something by her guardian. Though her tears - which always worked in the past - had obviously affected her, the woman remained resolute in the fact that Lucie had to stay at the institute for her own good. Using a different tack, Lucie had turned to hurling cruel accusations at the woman, attempting to guilt and emotionally blackmail her guardian. That too, had failed. With nothing left to say - nothing pleasant, at least - and convinced that she was being horribly wronged, the sullen red head had ended the call even as her aunt pleaded with her not to. 

Shaking her head to free herself of the unpleasant thoughts, Lucie set her jaw and put on her poker face before heading out. 

Most of the others had gathered and were making small talk by the time she managed to walk into the auditorium. Opting to sit at Abel’s left side, one chair between them for personal space, Lucie muttered a quiet greeting and waited for whatever it was to happen.