Probably A Bad Idea

Gerard scratched his dark hair nervously as he walked. He wasn't very interested in joining this school, but he was in need of food and shelter, and he needed to learn how to control his powers. It wasn't like he had anywhere to go, anyone to run to. All his family was dead, and if his oafish brothers had any descendants, it's not like he could simply approach them and say 'Hey, I'm your great-great-uncle. Do you think I could stay with you for a couple of days?'

All Gerard had was the 500 dollar bill that he'd arrived in Georgia with, but he'd gotten odd looks in a store when he'd tried to purchase something with it, and he assumed that they were no longer accepted in this society.

Gerard approached the nearest adult in the admissions office, not quite sure how this was going to work. Back in his own time, kids couldn't simply walk into a school and enroll themselves in it. hey had to have parents, identification, medical records. Things Gerard no longer had.

"Erm," he hated how weak his voice sounded from misuse. Even when he was home in New York, he rarely ever spoke. Who was he to talk to when he was locked in his third story bedroom? The meat-headed guards outside of his door that were to stop him from running away? He'd tried. They weren't ones to hold up a conversation. Gerard cleared his throat and started again. "I'd like to enroll, please...?" He kept his hazel eyes on the ground, not wanting anyone to see his fear and pain and dislike for himself and this new world, but he had a feeling they'd be able to sense it anyway. It practically radiated off of him. He just wanted to get this done and sleep somewhere that wasn't on the ground. Preferably a bed.

It was probably a bad idea to stay here. Gerard had problems staying in one place too long after his mother had started locking him in his room. He didn't want to be locked up again. He wanted to have the freedom he never did when he was younger. Maybe if there was one good thing about this world, it could be that Gerard would get his freedom back. Isn't that why he ran away in the first place?

Susan watched the moniter as a young boy opened the gate and walked towards the building. Being quite surprised that someone so young was coming to the institute, she planned to be ready for him when he walked in. Silently she watched him make his way into the school and down the hallway, putting a smile on her face as he opened the door. "Hello, I'm Pro. Susan. I'll do my best to make this a quick transaction so that you can go up and find a room. Name and date of birth please?"

Though the lady, Professor Susan, seemed nice enough, Gerard kept his eyes on the floor, his eyes tracing the outlines of invisible shapes. He frowned when asked for his name and date of birth, his stomach doing an uneasy twist. Gerard was known to lie when the situation called for it, he had no problem doing it. He briefly considered lying right then, but stopped in his tracks when he realized that they couldn't help him unless they knew the truth about everything.

Gerard lifted his wide hazel eyes to meet that of the woman before him. "Gerard Rémi Sébastien Chevrette," he said evenly. "March, 17, 1915."

Her smile widening, Susan moved behind the desk. "Ah, I see that we have another time traveler in midst, unless of course it's rather advanced healing or cell preservation." She looked at the computer screen, typing rapidly. After typing up the document, she looked over at Gerard. "Am I right? Or do I get to guess some more?"

Gerard raised his eyebrows slightly and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that there was another person like him. Or, at least someone who knew what it was like to lose everyone they loved. It was also somewhat of a relief when the woman guessed his "mutation" on the first try. Maybe they'd dealt with cases like this before and would know what to do with him.

The boy nodded at the professor and scratched his head. "Chronokinesis,I belive that's what it's called," came his soft voice. "I'm 13," he added, not sure if his age would mean anything.

"Interesting, I don't quite know how the other one got here, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't her fault. We're still investigating that case. Thirteen, huh? That's quite young to be traveling." Susan went along typing. "OK, so you're all set. If you need to go shopping, you might as well go do that now while the rest of the students are in classes. Do you need money?"

Gerard's heart beat at a steady pace as he heard this. Thirteen was too young to be travelling? If he remembered correctly, he started when he was ten. At the mention of him needing money, he shook his head, then paused for a moment. "I - well, I have this," he pulled out the crisp $500 dollar bill from his vest pocket and showed it to the woman. "But nobody seems to take it around here."

Taking the bill, Susan examined it carefully before handing it back. "That is an anique bill, so they most likely think you're joking. I would suggest selling it, or seeing how much the bank would give you for it." She smiled, hoping it would help.

Gerard bit his lip. Antique? Is that what he was now? Is that what everything he owned was? Antique? Gerard felt the metallic taste of his own blood from biting his lip too hard to keep from crying, but he ignored it. He nodded when he was told that he might have to sell his bill, it didn't mean much to him. He still had his lucky Franc and a few other items with him that reminded him of home, of where he belonged.

"Yeah," Gerard said. "Erm, yeah. I'll go take this to a bank and go, uh, buy some things." He wasn't exactly sure what he planned on buying, but he knew he just wanted to get out of that place as fast as he could. He didn't feel comfortable around all of these people, especially since he was very well old enough to be their grandfather. Gerard took a step back, tripping over his own feet before turning his back on the woman and hurriedly making his way out of the doors, muttering a quick "Thank you," behind him.

Susan smiled sadly as the boy ran out. She wished that there was something she could have done, but maybe being out for a bit would allow him time to recurperate before meeting everyone. As long as we can help, it'll all be alright, she thought. Maybe even a few sessions with a mentor could improve his abilities well enough to send him home. I guess we'll just have to see.