[color=red][h3]The Xavier Institute[/h3][/color][hr][indent][indent][sub]Westchester, New York   |   Issue 1.03: Anne   [ [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5414152]Previous[/url] / Next ]   |      [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_WTHkBuqbg]Post Theme[/url][/sub][/indent]
[color=silver][color=#ffffff]“Your transcripts arrived from your school.”[/color]

Miss Anne was their teacher. 

...and also their guidance counselor? To be honest, Toro was rather confused about this. But, this definitely wasn’t a normal school.

The boy sat across from the woman’s desk, his feet dangling as they didn’t quite reach the floor. The hoodie was flipped over his head, his eyes focused on the floor in front of his chair.. The classroom was empty, save for the two of them. 

Toro had actually never been in a school this small. There were only a handful of desks in the room. His usual schools had varied between twenty or thirty kids in a room.

[color=#ffffff]“Your math and science scores are good,”[/color] the woman continued, turning her attention to the laptop that was in front of her. When she’d looked back over at the dark haired boy, she remarked, [color=#ffffff]“I was surprised English and Spanish seem to be where you struggle.”[/color]

The boy just continued to stare down at the floor.

[color=#ffffff]“You don’t like reading, do you?”[/color]

The question prompted him to raise his head just slightly. [color=#f6b26b]“Like... a book?”[/color] he asked meekly, his eyes only briefly meeting hers before darting off to the side again. [color=#f6b26b]“I guess I never thought about it.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“Do you like Harry Potter?”[/color]

As though startled by the question, the boy looked up. His head went back, the confusion plain on his face as he answered with a question. [color=#f6b26b]“Like, wizards and stuff?”[/color] Now she had his full attention. Sitting up a little straighter, he looked back at her as he hesitantly answered, [color=#f6b26b]“[i]Ajá[/i], I guess..?”[/color]

Pushing the sleeves of her blouse back along her forearms, the woman leaned forward as she pressed the topic. [color=#ffffff]“Did you ever read any of the books?”[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“I saw the movie,”[/color] the boy answered.

[color=#ffffff]“Which one?”[/color] the woman countered wryly.

The boy just blinked. [i][color=#f6b26b]“¿Cómo?” [/color][/i]he uttered innocently.

Flashing a genuine smile, the woman leaned back and then reached down to open a lower drawer in her desk. A moment later, she slid a book across the desk. The title read [i]Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone[/i]. [color=#ffffff]“You can start with this, then,”[/color] she stated evenly.

[i][color=#f6b26b]“Eh!?”[/color][/i] the boy uttered, staring dumbfounded at the task.

That was a lot of book.  [i][color=#f6b26b]"¿Seria?"[/color][/i] he asked, looking up at the woman, but she’d already turned her attention back to the laptop screen.

Finally, the boy took the book in his hands. As he sat back in the chair, eyes downcast on the cover, a quiet voice asked, [color=#f6b26b]“Is this really a school?”[/color]

Pausing her typing, the woman turned her attention back to the boy. [color=#ffffff]“What else would it be?”[/color]

Pulling his legs up into the chair, the boy sat cross-legged as he seemed to hunch down, as though trying to make himself as small as possible. [color=#f6b26b]“I dunno...”[/color]

[color=snow]“Tomás, will you look at me?”[/color]

Reaching up with both hands, the boy pulled the hoodie over his head tighter. [sub][color=#f6b26b]“A prison?”[/color][/sub]

The woman cocked her head to one side, at first unsure she’d heard him. [color=#ffffff]“Why would you be in prison?”[/color] she asked patiently.

The child across from her didn’t respond.

Stepping out from around her desk, the woman dropped to a knee next to his chair, leaning down so that she was peering up into the hoodie. [color=#ffffff]“Tomás, why would you be in prison?”[/color] she repeated in a firm, but calm voice.

The boy shifted uncomfortably atop the seat, pressing his face against the cover of the book to keep from looking at the woman. 

[color=#f6b26b]“‘Cuz I set things on fire,”[/color] a whisper answered finally.

[color=#ffffff]“Tomás, look at me.”[/color]

It hadn’t been a request.

Sheepishly, the boy raised his head up. Tears were starting to run down his face, a mixture of fear and confusion is his eyes when he finally glanced up from the floor to meet the woman’s eyes.

[color=#ffffff]“You’re not in trouble,”[/color] the woman stated, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm and give it a squeeze. [color=#ffffff]“This school’s here to help you learn. About math. About English. And about how or why you’re able to set things on fire. And then, from there, we can work with you so that you’ll only do it when you [i]want to[/i].”[/color]

The boy shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking back down.

Rearing back up, the woman stepped back behind the desk. [color=#ffffff]“Its okay to be scared, but just like studying for a test, with a little work you can control your powers,”[/color] she offered, dropping back into her seat. [color=#ffffff]“They’re actually quite incredible. We thought you just had the ability to manipulate fire, or maybe just immunity to it. Creating fire is quite a complex process[b].[/b]”[/color]

Peeking up through the hood, a myriad of different emotions seemed to be playing out behind the boy’s frightened eyes. After a moment, he simply asked, [color=#f6b26b]“[i]¿Qué?[/i]” [/color]

Tapping in a few notes into the boy’s file, the woman remarked, [color=#ffffff]“Because you have to be generating not only the fuel for the process, but also the means of its ignition. And that’s just for the combustion.” [/color]

The boy just blinked. [color=#f6b26b]“Oh,”[/color] he answered simply.

No, he hadn’t followed [i]anything[/i] she’d just said.

[color=#ffffff]“The only individual that comes to mind with a power like yours is the Human Torch of the Fantastic Four,”[/color] the teacher offered, closing the laptop and then folding her arms down on the desk as she turned her attention back to the boy to ask, [color=#ffffff]“That’s cool, isn’t it?”[/color]

Instead of answered, the boy’s attention seemed to land on her forearm.

[color=#f6b26b]“What’s FoH mean?”[/color]

Quickly, the woman used her other hand to push the sleeve of her blouse up over the gothic cross artwork on her arm. [color=#ffffff]“That tattoos are a mistake,” [/color]she answered cryptically. Then, deflected the question by deadpanning, [color=snow]“Do you have any?”[/color]

[color=#f6b26b][i]“¿Qué?”[/i] [/color]the boy uttered, at last starting to relax and sit normally in the chair. [color=#f6b26b]“I’m [b]twelve[/b]!”[/color] he answered flatly, a slightly giggle escaping.

[color=#ffffff]“There is one thing,”[/color] the woman noted, gesturing at the boy. Or, rather, at the hoodie he was wearing. [color=#ffffff]“Each time you ignite, what you’re wearing ignites as well.”[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“[i]Si,[/i]” [/color]the boy answered, blushing faintly as his eyes darted away again. He'd already burned through three sets of clothes that they'd given him.

Des was starting to become adept at using a fire extinguisher.

The worst had been when they'd been in the cafeteria, and Toro had been trying to hold onto the charred remains of his clothing. Standing in the middle of the school with only extinguishing foam covering his bare butt. Or the rest of him.

[color=#ffffff]“That’s one way of avoiding doing laundry, but I don’t recommend it,”[/color] the woman offered in the same wry tone of voice. Then, she added, [color=#ffffff]“We can make you some clothing that won’t burn up when you ignite, but we’ll need to run some tests to measure the temperature at which you burn so we make sure its safe for you to wear.”[/color]

[color=#f6b26b]“Tests,”[/color] the boy echoed, confused. Inclining his head, he asked, [color=#f6b26b]“Like, a quiz?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]“Not... [i]exactly.[/i]”[/color]
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