Prologue: Welcome to PSIC

First days are tough, especially at a school where everyone can "get to you".

Finally, I was 18. Finally, I could get away from that awful place they called a school. I could finally be somewhere I could be me; and maybe my... ability, wouldn't keep me from making friends. I had honed it over the years of high school after all, maybe I could keep it in check.

I had never heard of the Filoan School for Innately Gifted Children, nor had I ever heard of it's university; the College of Psychological Sciences (or COPS), but one day during my senior year at high school, I received a letter of acceptance from them in the mail and even though I didn't remember even applying, I appeared to have a full ride. So, that was what I did. I took the acceptance, and a few months later I was moving in to one of the ten small dorms on campus. 

The name of the dorm was Pattel, and when I walked through the intricately decorated, glass double-doors a plump woman greeted me from behind a desk. 

"Hello!" She said in a chirpy voice. 

"Uhm, hi, I'm here to--"

"To sign in. Receive your room key." She said, like she read my mind. Then again, classes did start in a few days.

"Right." I nodded sheepishly.

"Here you are sweetie. Your roommate's name is Emma." The woman handed me a key on a simple black lanyard with the school's emblem embroidered on it.

"Thanks."

I hadn't even told her my name. So I wasn't sure how she knew my roommate's name without looking at a list or something. I assumed whoever she was had already moved in and maybe we just had the same room number on our keys. Yeah, that made sense.

The door to the room was open, and music was playing; a sure sign the girl I was to be living with for the next year was already happily moved in. I stood just outside the doorframe for a little while. My roommate was at her desk so she couldn't see me, and I thought about turning around and leaving.

Come on, Rya. You do this all the time. You'll be fine. She's just a girl. Make a friend. 

I tried to make myself take those first couple steps. The first few that would pull me into a world where I could no longer be on my own; a world where this girl would know everything about me. As I contemplated everything, I failed to notice that I had already walked into the room. When I came to, I realized that I wasn't nervous anymore, somehow I had just calmed down without noticing.

"Hiya!" The curly-haired brunette who was my roommate chimed.

"Uh, hi." I waved at her, like an idiot.

"I'm Emma."

"Yeah, the lady at the desk told me your name."

Stupid. 

"Sorry, I mean... It's just..." I had already screwed up, it couldn't get worse. "I'm Rya."

"Well, that's a pretty name." Emma put a hand under her chin like she was contemplating something life-changing. "Rya... Rya... Rya... Okay! It's committed to memory."

"Great." I sighed. 

Emma and I talked as she helped me unpack my things and we started to get to know each other. Apparently, there was a high school for the School and that was where she had gone to school. I told her about where I had gone, and she seemed puzzled; like it didn't make sense to her that I was going to school with, as she put it, "those kinds of people". I tried to ask her what she meant, but she just said I would find out later.

We started making my bed and a song came on her computer that she jumped at and ran to her computer and turned it up as loud as it would allow.

"I LOVE THIS SONG!"

I did too. I had heard it many times before. I knew the words by heart.

Emma returned to helping me make my bed and happily and joyfully sang along to the lyrics. I joined in half-heartedly at the chorus, and when she noticed my lips moving she pulled me away from my bed; pulling me into a dance she seemed to be choreographing as she went along. We danced like idiots for the rest of the duration of the song, and when we were done, there was a boy in our door.

I was embarrassed.

Emma got excited.

"Kevyn!" 

She threw her arms open, nearly slapping me in the process, and threw her arms around him in an overtly-friendly kind of way.

"Oof!" The boy named Kevyn  fell against the door as he struggled to keep himself upright. "Hi Emmy."

Emma let go of him and pulled him into the room. "This is Kevyn! We went to the high school together, and now we're both in the college. Not many classes together though."

"Hi, as she said, I'm Kevyn." He extended a hand to me.

"Rya." I said, gingerly offering him my hand. This was, admittedly, a little new to me. A boy showing me attention more than dirty looks, and snickers with his group of friends when I walked past.

"Wonderful to meet you." Kevyn said with a smile.

He had a nice smile. I wanted to keep looking at it, but he turned to Emma.

"So, Emmy, why are you in Pattel? I thought you wanted Paytems? To be with other girls like you." 

"Yeah, I did. But I heard some really awful stories about all the crazy emotional switches that go on there. I know I'm not supposed to be with these girls, but hey, it beats changing moods every five minutes every day for five months."

"Crazy emotional switches?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"Yeah. All the girls there switch the entire floor they live on's mood to suit them. It's super-duper annoying."

"Hey, you could have survived." Kevyn poked Emma's ribs.

"How would one girl change that many girls' moods at once?" I asked.

Kevyn and Emma looked at me like I was stupid.

"Well, cause everyone who lives in Paytems is an empath. They harness emotional frequencies and expand them." Kevyn informed me matter-of-factly.

I still didn't know what they meant. It sounded an awful lot like an ability similar to my own, but that just didn't seem possible.

"Wait, Kevyn. I really don't think she knows." My roommate looked at me wide-eyed.

"Know what?" I asked, feeling really dumb now.

"Well, you can't get in to the PSIC without having some psychic ability. I, myself, am a telekinetic."

"You... move things with your mind?"

"Yups!" Emma chimed in.

Kevyn finished making my bed for me, without lifting a finger, to demonstrate.

"Emmy's an empath, as we previously explained what that means. That's why she should be in Paytems. It's the dorm for empaths. Pattel... well, what's your ability?" Kevyn turned to me. Smiling again.

"Well... I..." I didn't know what to call it. I was still wrapping my head around the fact that there were other people like me. People with different abilities, but like me.

I wasn't alone any more.

"I can... I can hear things people say... without them ever actually saying it."

"Ah, so you're a telepath. That makes sense. Pattel is the dorm for telepaths." Kevyn acted like it was totally normal, of course, he could move things with his mind.

"So, this whole dorm... everyone is..."

"Yup! A telepath. Everyone can read minds. Well, except for me." Emma said.

"And everyone at this school... can..."

"Well, everyone has some sort of ability. But, yes. Everyone is psychic." Kevyn smiled.

Woah. 

Reviews

[SweetNutmeg]

You've got me hooked. I like Rya and want to know what happens next. Emmy is maybe a bit exaggerated. Most people, even exuberant ones, don't throw themselves at other people. Other than that, I can find nothing to fault. Your dialogue is natural, the introduction to the characters is adept, and the secret of the school is revealed slowly. I like that we figure it out before Rya does. Good job.

[The Butterfly Writer]

Thanks! I'll probably be posting the next chapter later this week. And maybe she is a little exaggerated, but I'll explain the reason for that later. I might tone her tone her down a little too.

[Cleavlnd Groves]

Me gusta. Me gusta mucho. Great grammar, a promising story, GREAT pacing... What else can one ask for? :D Can't wait to read more!