The Greener Grass

Posted on Thu Feb 6th, 2025 @ 9:10 by Shauna Murphy & Almaz Awate
Edited on on Thu Feb 6th, 2025 @ 13:31

Chapter: Besieged
Location: Girls' Dormitory
Timeline: Feb 6th, Evening
3767 words - 7.5 OF Standard Post Measure

For as long as the Institute had been open, there were very few places within the castle in which the students could congregate once the first curfew was called. This started the process of gathering the younger students into bedtime routines, whilst the seniors were expected to wind down activities into something below a dull roar to avoid disturbing the process. The television in the student lounge remained viable, as did the study hall for those hoping to cram, which was adjacent to the library and subsequently required it to remain accessible for late-night scholars. Usually, this was supervised by a rotation of staff, and opinion varied on which night was the better option based entirely on who was reputedly in charge of the chaos. There was also the option to turn in for the night and read but that was less popular and tended to earn you odd looks once you reached the age to legitimately claim final curfew. Some liked to play cards, or chess, or more recently, discuss strategy for upcoming D&D campaigns. Impromptu competitions weren't unusual and, if it was the weekend, access to the Performing Arts area had seen more than a few of them take up the opportunity to attend 'Jam Time with Mr Temple.' It was a time of earned privilege, after all, the coveted later nights that made the upper grades seem so much more appealing. Evenings at the Institute were usually pretty convivial affairs.

It was not without its fair share of predictability, however. Bathing happened once the children were done with the bathrooms and, though food was never far from highest priority where teenagers were concerned, supper consisted mostly of making do with whatever could be scrounged from personal stashes. Warm cocoa was a rare treat, and tended to only be served in celebration of a birthday or other significant event. If it was a designated movie night, there was the possibility of residual popcorn, and people were very quickly best friends with whoever'd had the foresight to take the walk into town to stock up on candy. Eating late at night was mostly discouraged, however, which made the present situation all the more telling.

Tonight had been the third night since the madness had descended that there had been cake as well as cocoa. It also marked the third night in a row that there was only one curfew.

---

Shauna sat cross-legged on her bed, staring out the window as the girls from the rooms around hers grumbled and argued their way through nightly ablutions. As part of the student leadership, this was the first year she'd been given a private room, which definitely suited her better but didn't extend to her own bathroom. As much as it was likely expected of her to be outside helping to manage the movement towards bed, she instead leaned forward to rest her chin on her knees and furrowed her brow as any effort to block out the banter ultimately resulted in failure. Tension was high, that much was easy to understand, but it was difficult to forgive the pettiness of some of them, opting to fret about their dwindling supply of shampoo than focusing on the genuine injustice occurring right under their noses. Several minutes didn't improve the situation and so, with a frustrated scoff, Shauna pushed herself off the bed, grabbed her toiletry bag, and considered for a brief moment simply using her powers to avoid everyone. It never went well; people tended to freak out about floating toothbrushes.

"Oh, hey Shauna. Didn't expect you out here at this time," Almaz' voice was tired, matching her general appearance. Truth be told, she wouldn't';t be expected up and about at this time either, but she hadn't been able to sleep, and it showed. Hair a mess, wearing pyjamas, little bolts of lightning crackling around her eyes glowing in the twilight of the dark halls. She'd never been one for much socializing, preferring to keep to herself. One had a better chance of finding her in the gym, working out, or the library, studying, than any card game or jam-with-Mr-Temple session. Partially because of lack of invitation to join and not wanting to impose herself, partially because she preferred working on herself rather than imposing upon others.

Despite a reputation for being forthright and opinionated, and in recent years, just a tad intense with her convictions, Shauna hadn't struggled to make friends as much as someone raised predominantly amongst adults might have. In the early days, it was a popularity earned through feats of mischief and daring, and though her energies had been redistributed to arguably more productive pursuits, respect was still respect. Ordinarily, she quite enjoyed the sense of camaraderie, it made a change from the bleak emptiness of her family's estate. Social interactivity had always been at her leisure, however, being more than capable of just making herself invisible when introspection took over. It didn't feel right to hide right now though, and the sense of responsibility weighed heavily on the girl's mood. Having timed things to coincide with most of the dorm-rooms closing their doors for the night, the sound of unexpected company drew a frown from the redhead that barely dissipated as she turned to consider who it was still up and about.

"There's no sense trying to shower when everyone else is fussing with their hair."

"Yeah, for real," Almaz agreed. She didn't like showering when there were many other people around either. The girl still felt very self-conscious about everything, really. Not just her mutation but also because of her rich upbringing with private tutors, staying outside of the public eye, surrounded by luxury. The institute with its old walls and cheap but sturdy and functional equipment for the large student body was a far cry from what she was used to. She wasn't out here for showering, though. "Say, you're the - whatchamacallit, for the students, right?"

Since Cavendish had decided, in her apparent wisdom, to make Shauna Head of House, there was no denying the girl had at least tried to embrace representation. That she'd interpreted this as a need to lead songs of protest and other such revolutionary suggestions was more in keeping with expectations, but at least it was no longer mischief for the sake of it. Having been raised by mutant parents and suffering the unusual anxiety over not manifesting powers of any use, Shauna didn't balk at the idea of standing in the frontline but it was fair to say a lot of that confidence stemmed from an understanding that nobody needed to know she was even there unless she chose to show herself.

There had been a new difficulty to struggle with just recently, however, the challenge of embracing leadership over those who chose vastly different pathways to what she considered to be right. Cavendish had been very vocal about people's right to choose, and about supporting mutants no matter which side of the current political pissing contest they chose to place themselves, but Shauna lacked the older woman's grace and had grown increasingly more irritable when her vigilant surveillance of the registration camp revealed yet another turncoat opting for the path of least resistance. To date, there was no better first-hand source of information for which members of the student body had chosen to register, and it was for this reason alone that she folded her arms across her chest whilst eyeing the younger girl warily. Representing those who played right into a situation that made it unsafe for the rest of them certainly didn't come naturally.

"I'm a lot of things." This, rather than a boast, seemed to be a pragmatic acceptance of reputation. Shauna raised her eyebrows. "You mean Head of House?"

Almaz could read enough of Shauna's initial reaction on the other girl's features. It was just more of the time. More of why 'Sparky' (as some had come to nickname her, a moniker that amused as much as it annoyed her) had been avoiding other kids as much as she has ever since she'd gone out to register. "Yeah. You know what? Nevermind," she scowled, shaking her head and adding "Don't need any of that shit from you too," as she turned around to talk away.

"Is there a reason you're having trouble being specific?"

Even as the words left her mouth, Shauna could feel Cavendish's disappointment. The woman wasn't even on the grounds anymore and yet her damn sanctimonious ideology was like a noose, effective for no more complicated reason than the fact she had put an enormous amount of partially-unfounded trust in Shauna to step up in her absence. A huff of impatience at the long-distance admonishment was at least followed by an attempt to smooth out her tone as she continued to call after the annoyed girl.

"We're all dealing with shit here, flinging it at each other isn't proving anything. Just say what you're thinking."

"You think I'm a traitor too, don't you," Almaz answered, her voice quiet, without the normal strength or any venom at all. She turned back around, looking meek rather than feisty or spirited. "Unless I misread you. Sorry if I did," the girl added in that soft voice before speaking up a bit more. "They talk about unity, about standing together, and then they call me traitor behind my back. Look at me like I've got some disease or something. Because I registered. And none of them ever thought to ask me why."

Even six months ago, Shauna would have had an immediate retort, brimming with the opinion of one who had never viewed mutant status as a flaw, nor been particularly adversely affected by those that did. Now, faced by the downcast resignation of one of the specific students Cavendish had asked her to look out for, the Head Girl hesitated despite her frown. Almaz certainly wasn't the only mutant still residing at Avalon who had made the slow walk out to the tents beyond the perimeter. Most, as far as Shauna could tell, had been forced to by their families. How possible that was in this case, she wasn't sure.

"People are scared." There was a guardedness to the redhead's tone that at least admitted in advance she wasn't very good at this kind of chat. "There's reports all over of mutants being used to round up mutants, which is doing exactly what they want it to by creating mistrust amongst the community. There's only really a problem though," Shauna attempted to be diplomatic, "if you did it because you intend to spy on the rest of us and sell us out."

"Well that's just - I'm not gonna do that!" Almaz huffed. As much as Shauna had meant it as an example and not an accusation, the much younger girl still took it personally. Tempers were high indeed, and everybody was dealing with shit. Some perhaps a bit more than others. Still, that was no reason to be angry at someone who wasn't at fault. 'Sparky' took a deep breath to calm herself down, before continuing. "I did it to try and protect everyone. Though - I suppose that maybe requires some explanation."

For once, Shauna allowed the quirk of her eyebrows to express her surprise. She'd been accused on more than one occasion of having too high opinion of herself, but even she hadn't arrived at a point where she believed that handing herself over was going to do anyone else any good. There had still be no word from her parents, who had clearly acted on the usual advanced intel and taken themselves neatly out of the picture, which was all very well and good except for the fact it didn't help their daughter at all. Chances were, if anyone wanted to know about her mutant status, it was probably already in an official dossier somewhere. Cooperating wasn't likely to make being around her safer, if there was any danger to begin with. "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"My father is Awate Dawit, the lawyer. Militantly anti mutant. Deeply involved with Cavendish and the anti mutant movement. Thinks we're all - ... sub-human beasts. That's not just me interpreting and drawing conclusions, those are the actual words he's used to describe - ... us, when we were still a 'them'. Before I - " she trailed off, steeling herself before continuing. "I wouldn't be surprised if he were deeply involved with the legal side of this whole registration thing. It's been in the works for months and months. He'd talk about it, back home."

"Anyways. He hates mutants and knows I'm one. He knows I live here now, since he dumped me here on the driveway. That means that he knows for a fact that there's one mutant here. Which means that if I defy the registration act, he can organize a warrant to have the police raid this place. Now, I'm not going to be his excuse to do that. I'm not going to be the reason everyone else here gets in trouble. I simply, vehemently, categorically and absolutely refuse to be the cause of people here getting hurt or getting in trouble. Now - I know it's probably not going to help, because if they want an excuse to raid the castle they're going to be able to find one - but it's not going to be me. Just - ... Not going to have that on my conscience," Almaz deflated. That took a lot out of her to vocalize all that. "Plus, me defying and refusing to register won't help anyways, since they already know about me. And I'm hoping that maybe he's expecting me to defy, so by registering I'm actually defying his expectations. I know, it's a silly thing to hope."

Shauna's features had a way of conveying incredulity that often passed as a natural distrust of information she hadn't personally verified. Mostly it involved a deep furrow that didn't try to disguise itself as anything other than a frown, but behind the wary hesitation was a thought process that actually permitted a lot more consideration than her constant readiness to disengage ever let on. On the matter of childhoods, the pair couldn't have been more different. Whilst Almaz had been sheltered for a while from rejection and included in the family bigotry, Shauna was the product of two intensely intelligent adults who loved her but had no real interest in raising her. Even before her powers had manifested, she had cultivated the art of slipping in and out of places quietly because often the only way she got to see her parents was from the shadows. There was little doubt that they had genuinely believed Avalon to be the safest place for their daughter to weather the oncoming storm but even that had been left to inference. She hadn't spoken directly to either of them in months.

It was a little difficult not to be envious at the idea of either of them caring enough to provoke a police raid.

Coveting affection, or at least attention, was something Shauna had invested a lot of energy in squashing out of herself, however, and in the face a common-sense, which she preferred in any case, there wasn't a lot to Almaz's situation that was actually desirable. As was so often the case when confronted with a need to extend sympathy, Shauna bunkered down behind folded arms and didn't so much as speak an apology on behalf of the student body as leave space for it to be implied.

"It's not as if you're the only one who's registered. They'd have tried to force their way in already if they didn't think they were wearing us down. They will likely try eventually though." Shauna turned her head just slightly to make sure the hall behind her was empty and lowered her voice. "Which makes it more important that we spend this time figuring out how to ruin that for them."

At first Almaz was slightly taken aback by Shauna's complete lack of any response to the situation she'd just explained, how her father was intimately involved with the whole registration thing - but then, perhaps the other girl's lack of direct response was in itself a response; at least she apparently hadn't heard anything so illogical or plain wrong that it warranted discussion. So Almaz chose to take it as understanding and, perhaps, agreement.

"Yeah there have been a few others. But they don't deserve the talking behind their backs either. On the one hand they say we need to all band together, on the other hand they treat us like outcasts for - ... Not seeing another option," 'Sparky' (she really needed a better nickname) sighed, shaking her head a bit. "If there's any ruining things to be done, I want in," she added, her voice lowered as well. Her eyes flashed with the crackling electricity, as they tended to do when emotions flared.

"That remains to be seen." As much as Shauna had accepted a certain amount of practicality should the need arise to make good with the information she and Alistair had unearthed, that didn't leave her necessarily inclined to divulge details too far ahead of time. "I can't see them just packing up and leaving quietly though." She paused for a moment, studying the younger girl with wary curiosity, and at least managed to hesitate long enough for some filters to kick in before she drove forward with unfettered inquiry. "It seems strange that your father would be so anti-mutant given your own mutation. That kind of coincidence is not completely without precedent," she continued, recalling the rather public nature of Cavendish's family strife, "But there is an interesting irony to it. Is there any basis for his problem? Bad experience?"

"I wasn't a mutant, though. Not until a few months ago. At least, not that anyone knew," Almaz explained, shaking her head a bit. Although the memories still hurt, she knew that speaking about them openly was key to dealing with them. "As far as we knew, I was just a normal girl. I can't remember a time my family - ... my father, mostly, didn't hate mutants. Stories of people who could hurt others just by thinking about it, kill you just by looking at you. Of evil people, who'd just as soon eat babies as steal your bank account," Beat. "Nevermind a complete lack of any missing babies in the news, mind you. No, what puzzles me isn't that we were - ... are - ... my family is anti mutant despite of me and my - ... condition, that they hate people for something you can't control and are born with, despite being black."

"You've always been a mutant," Shauna corrected, though her motivation was perhaps more along the lines of accuracy than the sense of camaraderie that acknowledgement invited. "You didn't just suddenly acquire the gene mutation, it just took a while to manifest. It happens a lot." This was said with the quiet confidence of one who had been developing her skill since a reasonably young age; the benefit of dual inheritance. "As for why people hate us, I'd say fear and inadequacy make up most of it. Maybe your father should know better but a persecution complex isn't going to be improved by the realisation that you wouldn't stand a chance against someone who can actually shoot lasers from their eyes. The powerful expect us to try and challenge them for control, and the problem is, some of us try."

"You know what I mean - I hadn't manifested yet. I looked normal. They - we all believed I was. Far as we were concerned, I wasn't a mutant," Almaz sighed, deflating a bit. Part of her still had trouble accepting what had happened, part of her still thought - hoped - that it was all a dream. But could she really go back to the way it was, knowing what she knew now, after all that had happened to her in the past few months? "Normal people without powers can be dangerous too, though. They can have weapons. They can have training. And many mutant abilities aren't even dangerous. Like Colin," a classmate who's 'power' was that he could turn to sand, "or Sindri," a classmate who's power was that her hair was plants and flowers, "or even Miss Isebeart, you know, the night time janitor? They're not dangerous, but people still hate them."

There was a wryness to Shauna's expression that acknowledged the hypocrisy as something she had taken issue with for most of her life. "Welcome to humanity." She hesitated then, not because the topic wasn't vital, but because it was past curfew and the dull thud against the wall behind her threatened to become a full-blown protest if they continued to chat in the middle of the hallway. "Which we are still a part of, regardless of whoever wants to have a problem with it." Pausing again, this time to arrive at some kind of unspoken decision, Shauna exhaled and, in the process of sighing, relented enough to lose some of her caution. "Some of us are hitting breakfast half hour early in the morning so we can talk without the children screaming in our ears. You can join us if you want."

"I don't feel like a human," the admission was spoken in a low voice, almost under her breath, as Almaz began to turn away. A moment's hesitation though, as Shauna added the invitation. A brief pause as she considered, knowing that it wasn't very usual for someone as young as her to be included in things like that. A nod though, she took the opportunity serious. "I will, thank you," a faint smile which fell almost as soon as it had appeared. "I should probably head to bed. Good night, Shauna," 'Sparky' said, as she headed back to her bedroom.

Watching the girl leave, Shauna substituted a returned farewell for a moment's consideration. Another thump from the wall beside her broke the reverie and, with a roll of her eyes, she leaned sideways to bang in response. "Go to sleep!" Ignoring the muffled retort, she slipped down the hallway to the bathroom and, finding it empty, deflated slightly in relief. Any night where she didn't have to break curfew to get a moment's peace was an improvement.

 

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