Issue 1 Downtime

After the intervention in the dining hall Nailah steps outside and lights up a cigarette, taking a drag and blowing the smoke out with a sigh.

Haley burst out the doors of the cafeteria, crying, walking quickly towards the maze.

Nailah quirks an eyebrow as Haley rushes past her and drops her cigarette to follow her, trying her best to not look too horrifying as she follows Haley.

"Miss Crusek?"

Through her tear-blurred eyes, Haley only saw a large cat chasing her, and she screamed in fright, a surge of TK exploding outward from her in all directions.

Nailah slides to a halt to brace herself for the TK wave that slams into her, shoving her back a foot or two.

"Haley, calm down."

"P....Professor Weaver...s...sorry" she sobbed, falling to her knees. "Th---this day is the worst day ever!"

"Things have been a little tense lately, haven't they? What's wrong?" she asks, walking over to her and trying to straighten her wings out a little.

"Everything!" she cried

Oh gee...

"Okay how about you start at the beginning, hmm?" she says, doing her best to sound kind.

"It all started when Regan showed up and started being....Regan," she said, the tears temporarily interrupted by her story tumbling forth at rapid pace. She explained how nearly every interaction resulted in insults to her, or to Cal, explained how she'd before that, gotten lost on the Astral, and Vicki didn't help at alllllll, and then recapped the detention.

"So...so I wake up this morning, and Regan had snuck into our room, and painted our door with this....ghost paint. Sh...she fucking painted me naked riding a god damned unicorn. I try to...like get rid of it with my tk...because she like...looked hurt when I hit her with my tk. Only I missed. All I did was blast the door off the hinges, and it landed in the hallway, and now everyone's seen it, and everyone just looks at me like it's all my fault and I'm tired of it, it's not my fault, and I just wanna get left alone, and not get headbutted by my roommate, or her stupid friends or have more power accidents..."

"Alright, first of all, it's perfectly normal to have power accidents. No one blames you for that, I'm sure. This is not an easy time for anyone, especially Regan. And no, that doesn't excuse her behaviour. Trust me, she gets on my nerves too and I'm very tempted to restrict her to her room at night. But you have to understand that she feels she's trapped. I'm not picking sides here but it is very hard to even punish her because of what she is." she says, walking with Haley. "But it's important you understand that it's nothing you're doing wrong."

"Words are the only way she feels she can even make any kind of impact. Just imagine it. You can't touch anything, you can't use a TV or a phone or even sit down. You can't eat or drink, you don't feel the sun on your skin or the wind in your hair. She couldn't even have decorated your door if I hadn't given her the paints to do it. I'd just hoped she would use them to express herself in a less destructive way." she sighs.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer for that. I'm not sure why she picks on you, but I have a feeling it might be because you're one of the few people here who can even reach her. Physically. She doesn't care if it's negative attention as long as something connects her to this world."

"Even if all that crap happened to me, I wouldn't be that much of an asshole to people," she grumbled.

"Naked. Even if its just a painting and not really real, it's still like...way violating. So embarrassing, and I got so mad..."

"Please don't think I'm trying to excuse her behaviour. If she keeps going after you then let me know right away. In the meantime you and Calvin should probably stop provoking the angry ghost, even if you have every reason to insult her."

"I guess....I can try at least..."

"Oh believe me, I know it's not easy. Regardless of what people might be saying about me I used to be where you are. I believe if you talk to Sam you might hear the same from her." she chuckles.

"I'll ask her next time she tutors me," she sniffled.

"It's just hard...I feel like the whole school hates me and likes Brigid and her friends instead. And now it's just getting worse. She's so god damned perfect, and hot, and doesn't break shit with her brain when she's angry, or sad, or PMS-y. No one will ever like me and Cal, especially now."

"No, she breaks things with her hands. But Brigid and Regan aren't the only people here. Not everyone hate you."

"Steve. Kay. Alex. Theresa. Aisha probably...that's a good chunk of us."

"Tommy, Christie, Ashlie, Nash, Mercy... And hate is a strong word. I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems. Trust me, things will get better."

"Christie probably does. And I'm sure the others will hear shit from other people and already have their minds made up about me."

"You're too harsh on yourself, Haley. Don't let Brigid and her friends make you think that everyone hates you."

"I guess...it's just hard to think that when I live with one of the people who hates me."

"If it is that bad I can see if we can do something about it. To be honest, we'd hoped it might help the two of you see that neither is all that horrible."

Haley sniffled. "I don't know. We just sort of coexist, not really say much of anything. Unless we're fighting. Maybe you don't have to do anything. Not like anyone else is gonna like me dreaming with them, or sharing my dreams with them, or having nightmares and waking them up."

"If the dreams are a problem there'd be a solution, but I'll leave that up to you."

"Well. Dreaming that I'm bringing a boy home to meet parents in a house the looks like the Flintstones is....weird. And I don't want to know what I dream about that she might have dreamed about too....there's...something that we could do while i'm sleeping?"

"No, but there's people who are immune to that kind of interaction who we could room you with."

"Really? I would hear her thoughts, and she wouldn't get mine? Wait. Not Regan, right?"

"Goddess no, not Regan. Ashlie."

"She seems nice..." she said, her interest piqued. "Should we like....make Brigid and me sit down and talk with the counselor together before we do something like that or something? I guess...I mean. I dunno. ......Sounds like something one of you teachers would want me to do or something..."

"I suppose we could force you, but you do sound like you'd rather talk things out with her a bit, hmm?"

"...I don't like hating people. I'm not very happy here, and maybe that's why. So yeah. I'd like to. I....just don't really know how to start. When I try in the room things just go....awkwardly and then we both clam up and say nothing, or we find something to get into a fight about."

"I'll ask the two of you into my office then. Or would you prefer someone else?"

"I think anyone who can keep us from fighting is probably fine," she said quietly.

"Tomorrow afternoon then?"

Haley sniffled, "Okay."