[COLOR=GRAY][INDENT][INDENT][i][color=silver]"There's the witch! Get her!"[/color]

The memory was firmly etched into her thoughts. It wasn't her fault, she'd frequently try to assure herself. It [b]wasn't[/b] her fault. But no matter how much Haleigh stressed or tried to convince herself, the reality was that she was the reason people had gotten injured—people that could've very well died. 

Haleigh's gut figuratively twisted. Part of her wanted to die. She didn't want to be a "freak", stomping around like she was the Hulk or some other character from Absolute Comics. She wanted to be normal; to be just another regular, everyday person. Yet those days were long gone, perhaps since Haleigh had been buried alive far in the Cascadian mountain range. What could be considered "normal" was now replaced with people who could launch explosive light orbs out of their hands, scream loudly enough to sweep someone off their feet, or other such things that would've seemed unnatural to the everyday populace. And now, perhaps in a cruel twist of fate, these very type of people were the only ones willing to help her in her moment of need.

She'd rather run away, never to be seen again, as difficult as it would've been with her hyperhuman powers. But deep down, Haleigh felt that it'd been foolish to turn down willing assistance. These people, H.I.T., or Hyperhuman Investigative Taskforce, seemed to have the tools and people to help her, or at the very least understand her condition.  After all, those who have likely lived similar experiences probably had some of the answers she was seeking. 

Maybe it was a worth a shot giving H.E.L.P. and their superhuman Hogwarts a chance in order to figure some things out. Haleigh still had her doubts, but anything that could keep her from hurting anyone else was worth trying.[/i][/INDENT][/INDENT][hr][CENTER][img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/1070792705547980842/1080131799591686314/Haleigh_Banner.png[/img][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=SILVER][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]Kitchens & Auditorium[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal College - [/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=SILVER][b]The Homecoming Trials #1.05[/b][/COLOR] [I]Quaking with Fear[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][sub][hr][/sub][INDENT][sub][color=SILVER][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [I]Cassander (indirectly)[/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=SILVER][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [I]N/A[/I][/right][/SUP]
[INDENT]Peeling potatoes.

Haleigh was told that H.E.L.P. and the P.R.C.U. had the ability to help her. Yet here she was, peeling potatoes for a food service-sized breakfast. Admittedly, she felt it was a slap in the face; to be told they had the tools to to assist her hyperhuman condition only later to be ordered around like she was a poorly-paid line cook at a fast food joint. The menial work was definitely preferable to plunging toilets or other disgusting work, but it nonetheless still felt insulting, like she had somehow got the short end of the deal they had made here.

Looking across the room, she watched a fellow student peel away at the same potatoes they had been carving away at for what seemed hours. Cassander, Haleigh believed his name was. Supposedly they were to be on the same team, Team 21 or otherwise known as "Team Blackjack", being grouped up with another nine students attending the university until graduation. The nickname certainly sounded a little corny, Haleigh thought, but it wasn't that much of a big deal.

Peeling another potato, Haleigh felt tempted to chat Cass up, to make small talk about the endless pile of potatoes they had been told to peel and mash up or some other topic before deciding against it. She wasn't ready to open up to her fellow teammates or other people in general just yet; the horrifying thought of her power accidentally maiming or even killing someone, even more so someone she could call a friend, still hanging over her head. It'd break the last bit of hope she still had if it ever happened.

Eventually finishing up with her part in the daily food prep, Haleigh went to wash up and exchange her apron for her blazer. Had it been any other day, she would've already disappeared off into the school gardens; the closest her wheelchair allowed her to the nature she loved but also the somber silence of solitude. But today was different. Today was to be the start of the Homecoming Trials, a supposedly grand event to further help the students of P.R.C.U. find their place within the school's community. She'd have rather skipped it if the option was there, finding it a bit too dramatic for her tastes from what the faculty had told the student body. Given everyone was required to attend, however, Haleigh decided to roll with the exotic fanfare and followed a large pack of students towards the western side of campus where the opening event was to be held.

Taking a more wheelchair-friendly position once inside the auditorium, Haleigh sat in silence as she waited for the event to commence. She glanced around the building in boredom, looking for anyone that was to be part of her "team", but with so many students in one area, it appeared impossible to pick out a singular face that she knew.

[color=white][b]"ATTENTION!"[/b][/color]

Haleigh snapped to attention, focusing on the booming voice coming from the stage as it filled with faculty representatives and other members of the school.

[color=white]"All stand for the national anthem!"[/color]

A moment of panic overcame Haleigh, as her body moved to stand up in reflex. Her heart raced, droning out the Canadian anthem and the subsequent speech, while her hands gripped the handles of the wheelchair, firmly planting herself within the seat before her power hopefully had a chance of activating.

[i][color=D94A3F]No, no no no no,[/color][/i] She begged herself, her eyes clinched shut in fear. [color=D94A3F][i]Please not here, not here![/i][/color]

[color=white]"All incoming students! You are to return to the Intake House before proceeding to the Southern Plateau. New students should proceed in their assigned teams. You will find a package on each of your beds containing everything you will need for this weekend, including your physical activity uniform. You are to report to the Southern Plateau by 1500 hrs and in this uniform. I wish each of you luck and look forward to seeing which House calls you home!"[/color]

Haleigh opened her eyes, looking around the auditorium. Everything seemed to be in place, and no one seemed to be hurt. She looked down, realizing that she had still been buckled into the seatbelt, a simple safety measure to help keep accidents like this happening. Breathing a sigh of relief, Haleigh sunk back into the wheelchair.

[i][color=d94a3f]Fucking hell. Just... fuck me.[/color][/i][/INDENT][/INDENT][/color]