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[b][code]Grand Ridge Academy to Café Sucre.[/code][/b]
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Martin was glad that Grant didn't question him because the scenario was bordering on hectic, and time was kind of short. 


He was also grateful that he was willing to join him on this impossible mission. He may have been [i]determined[/i] but he wasn't [i]prepared[/i]. If Grant hadn't been outside the room then he might have took off on his own instead of bringing support. It was important to have back up on these things, especially with the infamous Scott Reese. He had faced off once with that creature on his own, and once had been more than enough for him. The anxiety of facing down that path again was very overwhelming.


It was haunting, he was stuck in this endless loop of remembering how that [i]thing[/i] had laughed when it thought it had sunk it's axe into him. It wasn't ever going to sit well with him and talking about it, even briefly was going to upset him a little. He knew that it was important though that Grant knew exactly what they were up against. He drew in a breath, nodding and leading the boy quickly out the door, he kept his phone open in preparation of Grant's responses, keeping the screen from going black.


He wasn't walking and he wasn't jogging, it was just a very brisk and determined pace. "This isn't my car, mind you," said the boy, grimacing. "[color=c4df9b]It's my mom's secondary car, I try not to use it too much because spite is stronger than common sense but I think we need it now.[/color]"


The boy quickly unlocked the door of a dingy silver Prius, hopping into the driver side and unlocking Grant's door for him. "[color=c4df9b]Your sister went to Café Sucre, she was.. She was being followed by Scott Reese.[/color]" he adjusted the mirror, starting the car up. "[color=c4df9b]Scott Reese is the guy that committed the camp massacre, I was there that night. I.. I.. It's not easy to talk about but he nearly uh- he nearly hacked me in half.[/color]"


A laugh that sounded slightly bitter somehow, "[color=c4df9b]I provided a distraction and I nearly paid for it because stupid people die the easiest.[/color]"


Grant kept up the pace as he followed Martin to his car, or rather, his mom's car. Despite his mind racing he still recognized the tone in his friend's voice as he gave his concise summary of it. He had gotten the feeling that Martin's relationship with his mother wasn't the best through past conversations, so he understood what he meant when he explained why he usually didn't drive it.


Nonetheless he quickly got in on the passenger side once the door was unlocked, and as Martin prepared to drive off he explained the situation with Jasmine. Grant was glad that his friend was telling him everything aloud, since that was definitely much faster at the moment, yet he couldn't help but feel his heart rise up into his throat as he realized just what was going on.


[quote][b]To:[/b] [color=c4df9b]Martin[/color]

[code]We were supposed to meet up at the Cafe later...[/code]

[/quote]


He had no idea why Jasmine was followed and attacked, she didn't even have anything to do with what was happening in this hell hole town. But now more than ever he was beginning to feel like it was his fault. He came back to this town when he [b]knew[/b] something ominous was hidden deep within it, he [b]knew[/b] it was likely going to be dangerous but he came back anyway, thinking that he'd only be putting himself in harm's way. But now his sister was in danger, pursued by the killer they'd discussed just earlier that day. And judging by Martin's description of Scott Reese, this wasn't any ordinary serial killer.


But he also got a sense of self-deprecation from Martin, who seemed to having a hard time talking about what happened at all. A look of concern fell onto Grant's face; he could understand what it felt like to have his life threatened by dumb decisions and then having to look back on it later.


[quote][b]To:[/b] [color=c4df9b]Martin[/color]

[code]You're still alive. Can't really be that stupid.[/code]

[/quote]


"[color=c4df9b]It was pretty stupid, brave but stupid.[/color]" he responded, adjusting his phone so it was propped up on the dashboard. "[color=c4df9b]I ran like hell afterwards.[/color]"


The likelihood of his phone falling to its doom was increasingly high as he pulled the car out of the parking lot. He wasn't really in the place to worry about possibly losing sight of the road. He was pretty much driving a bit carelessly as it was, kicking the car into high gear with reckless abandon. "[color=c4df9b]Anyway, there's a lot of bad shit in this town, but I'm sure you know that. It doesn't take so long to start seeing all that's really wrong here.[/color]"


He kind of got the feeling that Grant had more than enough interest in what was wrong in Farmerhill. The guy had always struck him as intuitive, asking the right questions at the right time. He was sharp, that was one of the reasons that Martin liked him so much. He liked a person that was willing to dig a little deeper, that was willing to go the extra mile. He was honestly glad that Grant was his friend, he couldn't have ended up with better backup.


The car took a sharp turn as Martin blew through a stop sign, mostly lucky that another car didn't clip him. "[color=c4df9b]After the camping thing, me and a few other kiddos started developing these powers, I guess. Kind of like magic.[/color]"


Then, as if realizing how absurd that statement sounded, he laughed. "[color=c4df9b]Sorry, I'm not sure if you'll believe that or not. I can't really display it while I'm driving but I promise that I'll show you soon.[/color]"


Grant could feel himself holding on tightly to his seat as Martin took a particularly sharp turn after speeding past a stop sign. While he was afraid that they could get into a wreck at any moment, he was still glad that Martin seemed to be in as much of a hurry as he personally felt in reaching the Cafe. And besides that, they hadn't wrecked yet, so Martin had to know what he was doing. Grants trusted that he would get them both safely to the Cafe, he was sure of it.


Speaking of trust, Martin soon revealed to him something that Lynette had, understandably, been hesitant to outright state. So then, Martin was another one of these students from the camping trip to develop super powers, huh? That would explain the neck tattoo then, he'd never asked about it since no one else seemed to comment on it anyway, but Lynette had mentioned something about a mark earlier and it was possible she was talking about something like that.


Grant wondered if he should tell him what he already knew, but figured now might not be the best time. He did want to tell him, but it would be a long story and he didn't want Martin to have to read a small essay while also trying to drive. Keeping his eyes off the road like that would be too dangerous, but he could get into detail later once the dust had settled and they had more time to talk. Still, a response was in order.


[quote][b]To:[/b] [color=c4df9b]Martin[/color]

[code]I believe you. You're not the kind of person to make shit up. Plus...I think I might like you.[/code]

[/quote]


There was a pause, before Grant's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull as he quickly typed up another text.


[quote][b]To:[/b] [color=c4df9b]Martin[/color]

[code]*I might be like you[/code]

[/quote]


Holy fuck, now was [b]not[/b] the time for awkward typos.


"[color=c4df9b]Why Grant,[/color]" the boy joked, despite the anxiety that he was feeling. "[color=c4df9b]If you wanted to go on a date, all you had to do was ask-[/color]"


A choked noise of fear as the Prius bumped the curb but he quickly steered it back onto the right path. There was a wide-eyed fear that was settling over the boy, but he was maintaining a very tight grin. "[color=c4df9b]I can make shadows and darkness, I'm uh, it's a useless power. It's good for shutting up classrooms though.[/color]"


After a moment of consideration, he offered. "[color=c4df9b]Though, if you [i]do[/i] ever want to go on a date, I'm free pretty much any time after we check up on this hellscape.[/color]"


He was shaking down to his bones but he wasn't stopping the car and that was what mattered. He couldn't help the growing fear inside of him and the revelation that Grant had gained abilities as well was one mark through his theory that it was just the camp kids that had gone screwy. He was madly curious though, he wanted to know what Grant was capable of and he was definitely going to ask when he wasn't operating a motor vehicle.


He jerked the car into the parking lot of Sucre a bit haphazardly, throwing open his door and leaping out. He opened Grant's for him as well, mostly on habit. 


For once, Grant was glad he couldn't speak, because he was sure he would've been babbling out a response that would be desperately trying to backtrack on what he'd meant to say. But alas, he couldn't say a single word, and Martin had replied quicker than he could even attempt to type. Thankfully he was at least giving him an out by playing it off as a joke...right? It could be interpreted as a joke, but at the same time it was entirely possible that it was actually a serious offer. Well, Martin [i]was[/i] pretty cute-


A sudden bump on the road broke Grant from his thoughts. Damn it, why was he even thinking about that? This wasn't the time or the place; Martin was his friend, and Jasmine was in [b]trouble[/b]! He knew his mind could wander but this was serious! Yes, maybe he did like- wait, no, he had to focus.


Instead he paid attention when Martin described his power, nodding in acknowledgment. Shadow manipulation...interesting. His friend didn't seem to think too highly of his power, but Grant found it fascinating. If he could control shadows, then did that extend to being able to make images and illusions with them? Could he steal other people's shadows? Cause distractions and mind games? And when he controlled darkness, did that essentially allow him to blind people? Could he even remove darkness from an area? He wanted to ask him about all the possibilities, though he supposed they didn't really have time to get into those details right now.


They made it to the Cafe right about then. As they parked and Martin hurriedly got out of the car, Grant quickly typed up a message for him, showing it on his own phone's screen once his friend opened up his door for him.


[quote][b]To:[/b] [color=c4df9b]Martin[/color]

[code]I can remove sounds[/code]

[/quote]


He got out of the car after that. He nodded in thanks to Martin for taking him there, then looked over at the Cafe building. He was about to run inside, but then he saw...something, a monster of sorts, leap through the roof and away from the area. He stood there, too stunned to move after seeing that and only barely realizing that they weren't the first to show up.


[i]'Oh God. Please, let Jasmine be ok.'[/i]

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[b][code]Grand Ridge Academy - Conference Room.[/code][/b]
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Aliana Agüero was [i]not[/i] happy. 
She was pretty much muddling through the growing negative feelings that this group had brought up for her, and the fact that it was quickly disbanding was even worse. When Lynette returned to her and asked her for a rundown of the situation, she couldn't help the passionate anger that flashed across her face. She held up one hand, adorned in gaudy rings and well manicured. 

She began to tick off on her fingers, the ways in which this went horribly wrong. "[color=8882be]First off, this was some kind of fucking set up because it [i]obviously[/i] wasn't a support group.[/color]"

She [i]hated[/i] this and everything that happened was more than enough to make her wish that she had never left Florida. Obviously something was real fucking screwy in Farmerhill and she wasn't built to deal with this kind of stuff. Something about watching her world crumble around her was enough to set her into that very rare aggressive state. She stood, gesturing around the mostly empty room. 

"[color=8882be]All of us, that were here a moment ago, all of us have some kind of messed up power,[/color]" she said this with an overly dramatic flair, "[color=8882be]Shadows, fire, and drawings coming to life, oh my![/color]"

With a punctuating point to the door, "[color=8882be]And then we all shared a vision with some kind ass backwards fledgling God saying that we should all work in [i]harmony[/i] through the power of [i]friendship![/i] Like we're all going to hold hands and start singing together. It's ludicrous. Scott was on the move, we got to see that, so Penny and Count Dorkula and the whole super squad rushed out the door to get him. I'm stuck here because I can [i]barely process this![/i][/color]"