Chapter Theme Music {Start of chapter}: Plot ~ (A Certain Scientific Railgun OST)111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnvehx72SM
Chapter Theme Music {Begin Mission}: That Which is Rumored ~ (A Certain Scientific Railgun OST)111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnAQf3u5hw
Chapter Theme Music {On the move}: Patridiots ~ (Cyberpunk 2077 OST)111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjAsAU7iBA
Chapter Theme Music {Cooldown}: Revelation and Regret ~ (Solar Empire OST)111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEE8eW6PnuZ
<05/01/2013 - 13:01 | Levanaught Middle School (Outskirts), Marietta, GA, USA>
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"Thanks." I carefully stepped out of the car after thanking my driver, slowly backing away a bit while waiting for the Uber to drive away. I worried at first that he might protest to the idea of letting me off to the side of the road, but I was still in visual sight of the structure anyway, and he didn't question me further.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4IgNpjkqcZ
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As I turned around to meet a new fate I've chosen to embark, I saw the large middle school in my sights, overlooking the few slopes I would have to traverse in order to get down in there. This is the place; this is Levanaught Middle School. I double checked my phone, which I've already placed on silence, showing me it had just turned one in the afternoon... I'm a little late, but still about thirty minutes early enough to continue.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GNSqtGVG5
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"Target location in sight. You there Lumina?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnXc8Rq2Hg
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"Yes, I'm here... I really wish you weren't there though. There's nothing I can do to talk you out of this, is there?" I could still feel her worry from within, a sense of danger Lumina wanted both of us to avoid.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1Ar0s2kbL
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If I could avoid what is about to happen today, I would without question. However, the situation is far from acceptable. Lives are at stake today, and because of what I know firsthand, it's my duty to try putting a stop to it. "There isn't. I want to help them Lumina. I know how you feel, trust me, but I am doing this, and I'll be okay. So, I need you here with me too. You ready to go through with the plan?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpsxglnEbY
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"Just be careful, okay? You're not a solider, nor are you a superhero. But if you really think you can make a difference in there, I'll trust you for now."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHWTKJHSRw
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I should probably take the few seconds I have to review the situation as it is right now. Days ago, despite being bothered by the powers of clairvoyance and clairsentience, I've resumed practice on these abilities, this time while trying to expand outward in range and random directions. This morning, my clairvoyance and clairsentience merged into the same invocation and revealed this middle school before me.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXZ9jcCC2U
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It wasn't Levanaught itself that was interesting, but rather a specific classroom of terrified students and their teacher, trapped inside the building. The same reason I left the Uber on the outskirts of the road to the school, is the same reason Levanaught is on full lockdown. Right now, right at this moment, there's an active school shooter in this building. The police already have the front and back parking lot blocked off, but they're not going into the school right now, nor will they for quite some time.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2qhAeR9Mw
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The vision of what I saw earlier today showed a bleak future within these walls, a broken maniac with a pistol and extra ammunition shooting up the place. I didn't get a great look at his face, but the shooter looked like he was freshly in high school. Be it a grudge against the staff or a full mental breakdown, I could care less about the motivations of this massacre. Clairsentience activated more strongly in that moment, allowing me to experience an amplified level of total fear from over twenty-four eight graders and their teacher. There are several classes and additional students randomly located inside, experiencing the same fear, but this specific class in Room 717 - is my primary evacuation target. They're the ones I need to save.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGsKhPBwNXL
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Lumina warned be before that I'm not a hero, and I agree. I can't protect or save everyone inside. I don't know the layout of the school interior, and for whatever reason, my powers only let me see in and around classroom 717 enough to know its relative location from the exterior to the interior. If I can't enter the front or back, I'll go into the side entrances instead. In lockdown situations, schools leave these doors unlocked, so that fleeing students can escape.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fLKKCqi5z
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Ultimately, given what I witnessed ahead of time, I knew I had to do something. When I affirmed what I felt and saw, combining parts of my vision with the matching name of the school, I was certain I had to do something. I was home when I used my powers around 9 A.M., since my school was on its last break about to be over in the semester. I drew a second lucky straw with how cold it was today for a day in May. The operation isn't simple, but the objective is; infiltrate the school and evacuate class 717. When I looked further ahead into my vision... Well, I don't have to spell it out, do I? Too many innocent people are going to die today, more than I'll ever be comfortable with, but if I can save just some of them, that will be enough for me.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mSAEKbGEh
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I tried contacting the school earlier to report a potential threat, but all they did with my anonymous information was sweep the school and turn up empty, since it was long before the attack would actually begin. I knew they weren't going to believe me about my clairvoyance with future-sight, and I'm still surprised how or why the police were not entering the school and taking this guy down. I can't lie, even I'm a little scared. Luckily, I've been able to mute some of my emotions whenever I feel them unnecessary, which might be the only reason I can do this. I'm the only one who knows where this specific class is, how to save them, and roughly how much time I have. I got here as quickly as I could using an Uber service, and my family thinks I'm out on a walk or something.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuNbvORdn1
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So that's the situation I'm faced with. I've never had a school shooter in my schools before, and I hope to never experience it. Kids? Don't ever try this at home. What I'm doing is both stupid and dangerous. I'm only giving it a try because I have a few special defenses on my side that nobody knows about, mainly, clairvoyance. "Let's begin the operation. Stay focused."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1sosLjoev2
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I began my movement towards the school, staying out of sight from any outside patrols that might be looking my way. While I moved, I could feel all of my physical senses sharpen, my reflexes speeding up slightly. This was one of the reasons I needed Lumina to focus on my own senses, because sometimes, her heightened reflexes carries over to boost mine from telepathy. It took me some time to get into position, crouching and moving through the rough and uneven hills connecting the side of the baseball field to the right side section of the school's brick walls. I had to sprint between there and to hide behind the edge of the wall, carefully remembering that the school has many divided hallways sections which present thin windows to view the sides of the outdoors. If I'm not careful when I move outside between one divided area to the next, I'll be spotted by anybody in the hallways, such as the maniac who set all of this into motion.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxIgMokS4q
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"Jesus! You weren't spotted by the police, right?" Lumina still wasn't calming down easily. Since this entire operation was putting my life in risk, I understood why she was unhinged.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6wkRpIo4E
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But it's okay. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I were to die tonight. Unlike those kids in class 717, I happen to have two lives instead of one. If something happens to me here, Lumina will just transperate me into her world. Yeah, there's not a 100% guarantee that process would work, but there never will be. The point is, I'm not as afraid to die as I should be, and I'll use that to my full advantage. "I'm clear." Lumina was still right to be concerned about any run-in with the cops. If they see me this close to the building, they may assume I'm the enemy and ask questions later. "Alright Lumina. I'm ready for phase two. Lend me some of that energy."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChKs16i1lT
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"Okay... Prepare yourself. Beginning telepathic amplification... now!" The moment Lumina activated her small ability, it quickly became easy to see into her world, while the entire connection strength itself boosted greatly.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ31hoxR8R3
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I of course had to keep my focus in my world as much as possible, and waited for the energy between us to build further. Telepathic amplification is the ability by which Lumina can boost the connection strength of an existing telepathic link between us, using her own psionic energy. It can come with a cost of stressing out her psionic load a bit, but I know she can handle it for more than a full hour in this temperature.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzUHL8538T
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"Amplification registered. In about a minute, I'm going to invoke clairvoyance again. Make sure you don't accidentally interrupt me when I do."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4dphlY62H
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"I won't."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSKMoDEgnv
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There is a good reason why I asked Lumina to amplify our connection. In the time I had to learn more about psionics, I learned a little more about telepathy too. Apparently, when Lumina and I are connected together, our Cora sectors actually share psionic energy, not just psionic information. Psionic energy isn't exactly physical energy or biological energy on its face, but it still interacts with the astral body, as well as stimulating that part of the brain. I can't fully explain how, but it leads to a small chain reaction of boosting mental energy, biologically speaking. Because of the telepathy, I feel more alert and awake when I'm connected with Lumina. The stronger the connection, the stronger the boost.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3wcTSK9cw
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No matter how much drain it causes me, the sensation of psionic exhaustion in telepathy is seldom experienced, until ten seconds after the connection is cut off, but that's not what's interesting. I found out, because of the sharing of psionic energy and Lumina's stronger supply feeding into my weaker node, I'm suddenly supplied with an extra amount of psionic energy that can be diverted to other abilities, such as clairvoyance or clairsentience. Simply by being connected to Lumina, my clairvoyance can power up and get a strong boost. If the telepathic link is stronger while I use it, the ability invokes with crystal clear vision, less fragmented visual data, and with a high success rate.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmynAMRvMJn
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An earth-shattering metal pop rumbled through the ground and the walls around us, making me jump in terror while looking around. The sound I just heard could not be mistaken for anything other than a muffled gunshot. The noise surprised me, but it defiantly came from a distance inside the school. On one hand, I was physically fine. On the other hand, hearing the gunshot at all meant people were already dropping in there. My eyes opened wider, while Lumina's fears quickly returned to her. "We don't have much time! Keep the connection alive and strong; that's all I need you to do."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtw0AsPqjXS
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Just great! This is all I need. I'm a few minutes behind schedule... Okay, I don't know that for sure. I've only used clairvoyance once today, and there's no telling what other details I may have missed in the first vision. "Invoking first round clairvoyance in ten." Even with how far I've come, invoking clairvoyance is still hard, more so if my mind is racing or distracted by my current surroundings. I quickly had to clear my head, concentrating with my eyes shut on the location within the school, and the person with the pistol. If I can get his current position to the immediate time frame reference, I'll be able to avoid him.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnV3yocG3m
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After the tenth second, I went all out on my projection, shifting the signature to clairvoyance and concentrating on the elements I needed to have, keeping the time reference as close as possible to the present moment before fast-forwarding the reference time. At first, I didn't see anything, but soon enough, I caught fragmented glimpses of the gunman through the glass of the windows, at strange skewed angles, but specific areas nonetheless. He was heading further away from class 717, towards the rear end of the building where the stairs could take him up a bit.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXVy1pPy2N
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I didn't learn much more about the guy, because suddenly, the overwhelming fear I felt before nearly swallowed my concentration and my mind, causing my body to tremble in synch. Their fear, their terror, their anxiety, I could sense all of it, so strong given the collective amplification of their combined moment. It was impossible for me to make out any visual details from there, but I managed to become certain of which direction this sensation was coming from, and how far away it was. I'd have to travel towards the rear end to reach them, but not nearly all the distance where the suspect was moving. It took another moment for me to snap out of the trance, the confusion these emotions put me in... I've never felt fear this strong before from anybody else!111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL96nToBpq9
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"Good to go?" Though Lumina was supposed to be mute, she commented only because she knew my eyes opened once more, while my body refused to move.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDnu6je3m0
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I'm not afraid of this guy... I know I'm not afraid of the enemy. Even so, experiencing fear from somebody else was enough to start messing with my head. I was lucky to have Lumina here to keep me engaged in the present moment. "Yes. I have to wait exactly two minutes though."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgcJUyXJ0Z
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"Why?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYYYfVD4Nj
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"Because, I got a location on where the guy is heading, thankfully away from us. However, the time reference I keyed for that vision was two minutes into the future. I have to wait a bit without changing anything before his decision becomes certain."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgu0Esz48W
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"Just be careful. I don't have to tell you nobody has ever done this before."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRU5YO5pv50
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I gently clacked my teeth in reply, as it was all I could say. Yeah, I doubt anybody has ever done this before. If it weren't for my clairvoyance, I would never have come here today to try and change things a little. Heck, I wouldn't even know about this until it was much too late. But I'm okay now. I have a plan.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZ17E7sogY
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Just like I demonstrated a moment ago, I can use my own clairvoyance as a magic scoping tool, revealing the enemy's position to me moments ahead of time. I'm not stupid enough to go after him, and I have no weapons. All I can do is steer clear of this violent lunatic while making my way to the class of 717. If I do nothing, they'll all be killed not long from now. They're hiding in that classroom with the lights off because they believe the silence and darkness of the room will disinterest any unwanted entry. I don't exactly know how it happens, but that room is not the safest place for them. They need to leave here, get out of this school and meet back up with the police force at the front of the school. However, they're not going to just walk out on their own, not if they believe the shooter is right outside or patrolling the exterior of the school.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxl7vHWPpET
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So that's where I come in. I'll find them, lead them out of this death trap, so they can live more days and return to their families. I don't have time to think about how cruel or disgusting this man's actions are, because I must maintain pinpoint focus.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLujt5lzWVO
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I have to be precise and conservative of my actions too. My clairvoyance, even in its boosted state won't grant me full immunity from danger. I can always invoke it again and again to keep track of the shooter's position, but the thing is, I only get three uses of clairvoyance per day, four this time since Lumina has the connection boosted, and that's only a daring assumption at best. I already know I can use it two more times today, but after the last one, I'll be blind, unable to invoke any other ability that isn't already running. I have to preserve my energy for critical moments only. Therefore, I can't afford any mistakes.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1q0fIjkm4J
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At last, minute two started. Even without checking visually to be sure, I know with certainty that there isn't anybody against me in the next few hallways, which means, if I start running from one segment to the next while outside, I won't be spotted through the transparent view to my position from those hallways. With no time to waste, I prepared to sprint on foot to the next location, to the next side door that would lead into the next hallway branch. I have to reach the fifth one from here, and it's best if I travel outside, so that I can run if something goes wrong.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFOFI23tuR
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"Time to move!" Lumina kept a timer going in her mind too, using what she could to help me. With both our confirmations, my legs took me fast.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuYewKFrGW
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I sprinted from one hallway segment to the next, staying on the exterior side of the school before I could reach the nearby doors of the next side entrance. Once there, I hid behind the brick wall once again, giving me just enough cover from the next set of glass hallways. I knew I was still clear for now, but I had to be careful too.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBj15T6a7t
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My heart was pounding already, much quicker given my short sprint over here. The continuous noise of occasional gunfire in the building didn't help me relax or stay calm, but I reaffirmed that I was still in a safe position for the time being. After a brief pause, I sprinted again to the next area, repeating the cycle until I reached the fifth side entrance I wanted to. Behind the wall now to the door leading inside, there wasn't much separating me from this area to room 717. However, some amount of time has passed since I last checked the position of the shooter and anything else. I'm so close to my destination right now, but I have to make sure I know what surrounds me. Thankfully, Lumina was keeping her voice quiet for me, just as I needed her to.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIN0yHYSAMy
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"Standby for another invocation of clairvoyance. Searching targets now." I couldn't do too much to block out Lumina's perpetual worry, but I managed to maintain focus all the same, closing my eyes once again while concealed to start the next clairvoyance process.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyS8I9xH69q
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Everything worked the same as last time, and I quickly managed to spot the immediate location of the shooter through tiny increments of split-second intervals. I wasn't able to make out perfect details, but the muzzle flash of his pistol revealed that he was currently finding and shooting the people hiding in the school, those who failed to escape in time. The relative location was still in the back of the building, but as I forwarded the reference time, he started changing position back in this direction, moving to an adjacent side-hallway one segment above the one I was in. In other words, given the span of five minutes, my immediate position, and that of Room 717 were still safe from this murderer.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIXwZk5avf
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My clairvoyance suddenly shifted to a different target in a nearby location on its own, merging with an element of fear, coming from the hallway behind the segment I was in. The details of the other man I saw was someone in uniform, a police officer. I had no time to ask what he was doing here or why he was by himself; all that mattered was that I avoid this guy as well, to avoid drawing any attention to this specific direction. I'll let the two of them fight it out if ever they meet.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6SCRwbERb
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Again, my clairvoyance shifted, this time switching from clairvoyance to clairsentience like before. The more intense collection of fear from the students was much closer to me now than it was previously, and I could exactly trace where I would need to move in order to reach them. In summary, I knew I still had time to do what I came here to do, but because of the shift, my ability invocation ended early. I don't have too much control of clairsentience activating on its own during clairvoyance, and I can't switch it back once it does. So, the ability ended with only minimal details of the future learned, my third instance used up.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWlipPs3KO
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"I got eyes on all of them. Moving in now." I didn't allow Lumina to try and protest, taking action only by what I knew would happen. When I entered the hallways, the lights to the building were still on, but the lights to most of the classrooms were dark and desolate, as they should be. I quickly tried to make my way down to Room 717, but as soon as I entered the hallway, I took my moment to quickly hide with my back against the wall behind some of the lockers, obscuring my view between this corner and the rest of the connecting hallway intersection.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOvqZDj9jO
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I couldn't see anything out there with my eyes, but I knew who I was hiding from. Right about now, the police officer should be walking through that intersection, moving on the main path towards the rear of the school. If he spots me, everyone will assume I'm the suspect and blow our cover. I can't make too much noise right now while I'm here, and I don't trust just one cop to protect us; this murderer unfortunately has a good aim.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1e2QqqoGmo
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Ten seconds passed while I waited, and I peeked my head around the corner to see if anyone was still there, taking a tiny risk. Luckily, my clairvoyant predictions and precise timing were accurate; nobody was in this part of the hallway but myself. Satisfied, I stepped back into the side-hallway, quietly walking down the right side until I could find the room I needed to. I already had a pretty good idea where these students were, based on the direction I sensed their fear a moment ago.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2oXtJIQXrg
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At last, I found the room I needed to. Here stood in front of me, Room 717, and the locked door. Based on my first vision, this door would not hold back the shooter, either because the door ends up getting kicked down, or because damage from the bullets breaks the locking mechanism. There's a new problem though; I have to get in there.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvCXGenvhJ
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I gave the wood a quiet but certain knock, keeping the total noise level down, while whispering to the door, "Let me in. I'm not the bad guy... Can anyone hear me? He's on the other side of the school." I knocked a few more times in desperation, realizing that I may never earn enough trust for the protective teacher to open the room.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVkiNDHJTM
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From the other side of the door, I could hear a response, a whisper from someone else. "How do I know you're not the shooter?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8x0xZFqfG
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"Please trust me. He's not nearby yet, but I have nowhere else to hide." I had to lie a little, whatever it takes to gain entry into this room. If I pretend for a moment like I'm a student here, the worried teacher should let me in, in fear I might become worm food. After two nerve-wracking seconds, I heard the lock of the door click, while the teacher behind it cracked it open to see my face. I didn't look too much like a highschooler in my age, so it wasn't hard for her to assume I was with the school. Still, the middle-age woman stared daggers at me.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2B1OCdD9dH
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After checking my surroundings swiftly, I tried to let myself in, showing both of my empty hands in hopes she would not assume I was a deceptionist.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUO4fWFwmt
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"You have to work faster!"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWZVDvLPRd
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"I know Lumina! Just let me work."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRofOb9zOSV
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"Uhm..." The teacher shut the door behind her, locking it again, but she didn't take her eyes off me. Even now, I didn't have her full trust. "So who are you? How did you get locked out in the halls without being seen?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVctn5kxlCg
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I relaxed a little though, since I knew I didn't need her to trust me for the same reasons anymore. I'm already in the classroom, which means phase three can begin. "Listen," I started. "What I'm about to tell you is extremely important. I can't get too far into the specifics as to how or why, but I'm not from the school. I came inside to help get you guys out, to evacuate."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32WcSMxn9H
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The teacher wasn't immediately convinced, her concerns of other issues rising higher. "You don't look like a response unit. If you do anything to try and harm—"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJheQqsK8h
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"I'm not here to hurt anyone," I interrupted. "I told you, I'm here to get you guys out."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43BhZQnFty
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"This doesn't make any sense. Why aren't the police doing that then? It's supposed to be safer to stay in our rooms and hide." As soon as she said that, all of us could hear more muffled gunshots nearby, followed by some panicked screams.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshe300wY4Q
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The sounds alone made me nauseous, and I could see it making the teacher muffle her tears too. "I already told you not to question the details. Look, I know how to get us evacuated out of this school, and I also know the exact location of the shooter too. I know this is scary, but I need you to trust me."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvrPBSzxu4
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"Is he here to help us?" One of the scared boys hiding under the many desks tried to inquire the situation, but his teacher quickly tried to shush him.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8m2ZGjgxF
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"Not right now. We can't be sure it's safe to leave the classroom on some random guess. We have to stay quiet."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGbz8oXCRi
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"You want to save your students, right? I can't promise to help everybody else, only this class. But I can promise you one thing. If you stay hiding in this classroom, you're all gonna die. Police backup isn't getting here soon enough, and we don't have more than one single chance to make this work." I stared straight into her eyes, trying to get the teacher to understand their situation. "I know this is freaking everyone out, but I need you to trust me with your lives. I'll get you all out of here." Some of the increasing whispers among the students made it a little harder for either of us to focus, but my words were reaching deep into her.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuiFZVVR0z
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She had a choice to make. Stay here and risk it, or leave now with me and take that risk instead. After several seconds following a couple more gunshots, she made up her mind. "Okay. We'll follow you. Just tell me what to do."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsS5aN3mGP
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I nodded, glancing between the cluster of students and the door again. "Okay. Here's what I'm going to need you to do. I'm going to unlock the door and wait for our chance. I'll know exactly when the right moment to run is. When I give you the signal, not a moment before, I need everybody to make a mad dash for the exit, the one on the side of the hallway. It should be the closest door to us. Once outside, you're going to lead everyone to the front parking lot area of the school." I've thought this part through well enough. If the police suddenly see us as a large group of people outside of the classroom area, they won't shoot at us; they'll assume we ran from the situation as fast as we could.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYAVNmJgIp
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"That's your plan? You just want to run for it?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXS5mSh1O4o
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"You have a better idea? I told you before, I'm not misleading you. If you make the move on my signal, everything will be okay. I need your students and yourself ready to run, and everyone on the same page. Can you do that for us?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzGTtNTr9k
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"Yes, yes I can." The teacher did as I asked, turning to her students and signaling for them to come out without making too much noise.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpPAbwYwvJ
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My plan was working at last, but I knew we were still on a timer. If we wait too long, the shooter will come to this room with me still inside it. If that happens, we're all dead. "Keep everyone quiet, and then gather right behind me by the door."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhq4PxDrk4
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"Are you sure you thought this through?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjpmJYXUzj
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"Yes, I'm sure. I'm going to invoke clairvoyance one last time, making sure we move at the right moment. If the shooter has a line of sight on this hallway before we try and run, we'll all be gunned down. My clairvoyance can help determine if we're clear, and for how long."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡglHa6DAdnZ
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"What if they don't follow you?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnukq8ZleJ0
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"I'm going to be the last one behind them. The teacher knows where to go; I made sure of it. The students will follow her too. These aren't kindergarteners Lumina, they know to follow authority in this situation, since their lives literally depend on it." As I assured Lumina everything was still okay, the teacher and all students were tightly compacted behind me. I unlocked the door, but kept it fully shut to explain once more. "Remember. When I give the signal, you follow your teacher to the side exit. Run as fast as you can and try not to yell. I'll be following from the rear."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6BJBd0ruv1
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"How are you going to know if it's safe to leave the classroom?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgWaaCvj8J
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I expected this question, even though it came from one of the girls looking at me like I was some kind of enigma. "Don't worry about that for now." There was one more element I needed, so I looked to the teacher for her continued assistance. "Alright, I'm about to run a scan of the area. I need you not to question what I'm about to do, and I need all of you to be totally silent for a several seconds."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDp1PPeoEa
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She nodded, relaying my message to her class while I prepared myself for the final ability usage. "Once we get the signal, I need all of you to follow me directly. No stopping, no turning around."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAX8s7VSDDf
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As soon as I had my silence, I turned towards the door, hoping it would conceal my expression a bit. I needed to concentrate like before, and if anyone interrupts me with noise, this could all backfire horribly. When ready, I shut my eyes and tilted my head forward a little, caring not what anybody thought of this. Before long, I projected the right signals once again for my final clairvoyance invocation of the day, revealing to me all nearby positions of the school. The exterior of the school we would be running through came to me first, and was relatively clear, except for the presence of ourselves if I fast-forward the reference time.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRH0K6IW5U
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I then shifted the focus of the location to some of the adjacent halls. I immediately saw that lone officer I noticed earlier, only he was hiding, trying to find his own way out with bullet holes in his vest. The man was okay, but he had been shot at by the enemy, and wasn't looking to go another round too soon. I then saw from the front entrance a much larger response force entering. It would take them two minutes to get anywhere near this position, but the official infiltration to stop this maniac was finally beginning. From the corner of the rear adjacent hallway, I could see...111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlTD2iJvoh
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"Shit! He's coming this way!"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraCDPhS5vn
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"What?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pRt4BAVJC
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"What?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRS0yr4nqdO
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I blurted the truth aloud, not wanting to startle anyone, but my clairvoyance didn't lie. It ended pretty shortly after I saw the shooter, mainly because he was coming directly into this hallway next to kill us, as if he were looking for someone specific. The reference time for him to reach this part of the hallway was only thirty seconds from now! Eventually, he finds this room, blasts the door down, and kills everyone inside. "Alright, I have his position, but we need to move right now!" I pulled the door open, forcing the teacher back some while I gave them the signal."Go! Go!"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsw7O93hVzE
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Everybody was hesitant to make a move, including the teacher. News that the enemy was coming over here didn't give them any more courage than before, but at least she still managed to move and trust me. Apparently I was still somewhat behind on time, but we would still have just under thirty seconds to sprint to the door and get the hell out of here.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXN8DXUoJt
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"Reed? You need to move too!"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeRbQNQhfN
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"I know!" I watched the teacher quickly leap out into the halls, checking her surroundings to confirm her immediate space was clear, and with the wave of her hand signal, her class started pouring out in sprints as we planned to, while I followed closely behind.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwiNvaeEYfM
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"Move it!" I softly whispered to the few slowing down to look behind them, but I didn't approve of any hesitations. The group kept sprinting to the only available exit, as time quickly ran out on us being clear of the enemy. With me in the rear, I could see that all of them were leaving as instructed. In a matter of heart racing seconds, the teacher and the cluster of students pushed their way through the exit in a panic, while I followed behind doing the same. However, as soon as I got close to the doors, it all hit me at once.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxG9Sl3sav
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A defeating pressure wave of fatigue and total mental exhaustion took over immediately, slowing my movements to a total crawl, while I struggled to balance and stay conscious. The people ahead of me were already out, not waiting for me at all, which is what I wanted them to do, but now I was in trouble. All of my senses kept going bright and dark, fading in and out while the dizziness intensified. I knew what this was about, though figured it would not hit me this hard or this soon. This is psionic fatigue, the symptoms that happen when someone overuses psionic energy over a short period of time. It's what happens if I reach my total limit on clairvoyance invocations in a single day without spacing them apart well enough, the reason there is a limit in the first place.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWllEA1bduV
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"There you are!" I could hear the grinning evil blurt of the gunman far behind me, lining me up in his sights, while Lumina freaked out.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfJCvkOeTp
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"Move Reed! Snap out of it and run!"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTf4Az9i0Q
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"Right..." Hearing her voice helped me somewhat, as I fought to keep my senses fully engaged. It was fairly challenging right now not to fall to the floor and pass out, but I wasn't totally out of it either. The connection was still running, which helped to some degree. I knew I would have trouble maintaining it later, but all that mattered now was that I could escape.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl3zll5V1QR
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Recovering my senses, I snapped back to my knees and ran through the doors as everyone else did, while the sudden blasts of gunfire from behind me caused Lumina to scream. Dizzy or not, I kept running despite what I could hear around me. The guy luckily wasn't a very good shot from his distant range, and it gave me enough room to get the hell out of there and back outside. I turned to my right as soon as I was outside, still hearing the gunshots, though safe from any angle of attack. Even so, I kept sprinting as fast as I could, trying to make it to the same location as the rest of the group I evacuated. The new problem is, the guy might chase us now.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wlCb4mzXX
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On my way there, I heard several more gunshots, this time the amount seeming much more than a single pistol could handle, though I didn't question it. I kept moving through the terrain, shifting closer towards the area I started from, though I leaned to the side front of the place the class went to, finding my personal safety among the group. Nothing else mattered to me in the moment other than keeping myself safe and out of the action. With my psionic energy used up, I was still fairly weak. Lumina had to end the amplification in the process, since my weakness put enormous strain on the connection for both of us, but after another minute of running, I made it to the group, where officers swarmed around us to provide protection.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHNcQnpQk7
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We were safe at last, and now, only now, my entire body was shaking and trembling like it was with everybody else. We had people coming over to beg us for any important information, and I somehow fit in with the group of students and their teacher, who were happy to see that I was safe as well.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7aVxcZqOe
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"Reed? I know it's too soon for me to say this, but you will never-ever do that again!"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47tbqRPpsE
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"Understood." It's hard to argue with her now, especially since it was too close of a call.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQnq06chLG
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"Understood," the officer reported over the handheld radio, before looking at us for answers. "Are all of you okay? Was there anyone else who didn't make it out?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbIywZPN5N
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"You're kidding right?" His question pissed me off, since he should know just how slow his involvement here was. "That man shot at countless amount of people inside. We're the only class that made an escape... Please tell me you got him by now."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGJ7ieHxyK
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"Yes, we got him."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHtzfYS66D
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I sighed so hard I could feel myself deflate, with Lumina as well. The shooter was finally apprehended, or killed. It was much later than it should have been though.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstB9GwGiQr
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"I'm going to need to take a statement from some of you. Please wait here for a moment." The officer turned around to check up on something else, leaving our group to itself, with a calming atmosphere.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbcTglppOL
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Still, with everyone safe, the curiosity of the teacher intensified directly on me. "How did you know that the killer was coming towards us like that? And how did you even find us?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZikhyO71G
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I couldn't get any words out as quickly as I wanted to. I couldn't answer either question as she wanted me to. "I can't talk about that... I'm just glad you're all safe. Think you can get some water from one of those guys for me?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAXuXLyYnm
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The teacher nodded, hesitant to even look away from me given the mystery, though I used the opportunity to carefully sneak away from this spot. Luckily, we weren't spotted yet by the external camera crew, and despite the protocol the officers wanted to follow, it was my time to leave. I came here to save them, and I did. I was never supposed to be here in the first place though. At the very least, I don't need my folks knowing what I've been up to lately, so I can't stay here.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDQQesvjm3
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As quickly as I arrived, I made sure to retreat back towards the hills I came from before, winding behind the road and hiding in the thin forest behind the other side. As soon as needed to, my presence from them was removed. I'm sure the students took notice of me leaving, but it wouldn't matter.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7HR7XbL5o
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Eventually, I got far out enough to the point where I requested an Uber using my GPS location as the starting point, my destination to go back home. As long as I'm not interviewed, it will be as if I was never there. Still, it was a tiring wait for the ride back home. Whatever that last clairvoyance fatigue did to me really put me down. It got bad enough to weaken the entire connection despite a good temperature outside, but I didn't need to invoke anything anymore.
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<05/01/2013 - 15:20 | 1010 Link Street, Marietta, GA, USA>111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8bfhN3UG5
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"I'm home from my walk." I shut the door gently behind me, as normally as ever. All of my family were home as well, and they were paying particular close attention to the TV, though they acknowledged my presence as usual. "I miss anything?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCxSqhBNcz
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"Yeah, look at the news." My mom had apparently been watching TV for some time, but when I got to see what was keeping her interest, I noticed it too.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rxXMIGuuG
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Right there on the screen, the events that transpired today made the top headlines. Part of me wanted to not think about anymore; it took everything I had earlier to stop shaking before I could enter the front door. Everything I felt earlier about what I had done came crashing down, only after my mission was over for the day.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1eqNoDfKTT
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"Some asshole shot up a school again." Peterson said this as if the instance happens all the time, but this school wasn't very far away from here, which makes the situation alarming for everyone involved.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5JsqYMbII
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I heard the people talking on the program as I watched, the people who were there being interviewed by the news crew for what they went through, specifically the teacher I saved. "How did you manage to escape?" the reporter asked the teacher.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXCxTk7M6Q
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"I don't really know. It was the craziest thing. This other person, someone from outside the school came to our class and got us to evacuate. I don't know his name, but he seemed to know what was going on more than any of us did."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4xCOjt8ZV
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"So then, some stranger led you all out of there safely?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEBmyRN4Rh
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"It was a close call, but whoever this man was saved all of our lives." The teacher couldn't hold back the tears of her trauma after her response, but then the feed cut to one of the officers being interviewed right beside her.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡExkyb93E6W
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"Um, whoever went in and got this class out is someone we're still trying to find. Apparently, he left the scene before we could get any name or ID. At this time, we don't have any leads on the other suspect."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Bnq4AC1GD
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"He wasn't a suspect," the teacher interjected. "That man saved our lives. I don't know how he did it, but he's a hero, not a suspect."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3r4VFwCINZ
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"That's weird," my mom blurted.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJAXIjAl68
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All I could do was nod in agreement, though I denied her assumption that I was some kind of hero. All I did was what I was able to. "At least they're safe, for those who got out I mean."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TLzVWwTtx
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"How about it Reed? Should I call you hero now?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEX3Mn4Pj0
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"Stop it."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBy0iyPnpZK
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"Don't tell me you're actually embarrassed by this."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJs6KeDqZD
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"I'm just glad I'm in the clear. This is exactly the reason I had to leave the scene, before my face or name showed up on that TV. If it did, I'd be grounded for life."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLv7Ws3UFx
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"You know, I'm still mad at you for putting your life in danger like that."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd8Pwm0Ryc7
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"Well think of it like this Lumina. That teacher you see on screen, her and her entire classroom of innocent students faced certain death today. If it were not for my intervention, I'm sure my first vision would have come true in the end, and they would have all died... I'm just glad I managed to help them, even if it wasn't all of them."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYWBHXmYEU
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"You did more than I imagined you were capable of. Reed, other scions don't ever do what you tried to do. Upset as I still am, I'm also proud of you too, which I guess is a little confusing."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0mR4XMRah
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"I know, but I won't call myself a hero Lumina. Just look at the news. Based on what we know, many others died, simply because I couldn't convince the school to shut themselves down for the day. I wanted to prevent more from dying, but it just wasn't in my ability."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0ObiU2Dh7
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"You're not responsible for any of them Reed. You did your best, and that's what matters."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0e9MWIwBB
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"Yeah... I bet after today, they'll take small hints like mine more seriously in the future. At least I hope they do, cause I'm not doing that again."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSZTLRQsHO
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"Had enough insanity for a day?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGTuo8Vook
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"I was talking about the clairvoyance stuff. I'm taking another break from it. I don't know if I can ever use it again after what it dragged me into."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIr6jdMtnq
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"Oh... I understand if you want to cancel using the ability you know."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAZhl5K47a
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"You sure that wouldn't ruin the whole superpower thing I have going on for you?"111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIo6BKmNoZj
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"Come on Reed. I told you before, those powers aren't what make you special. You do that just by being you. Actually, you told yourself this just the other day... I'm proud of you, you know? You wanted to save them because it was in your nature to do so, and even without all those fancy abilities, you're still really cool to me."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ipZbhVwGF
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"I'm cool?" Even though I was used to the two of us flirting in a variety of ways, Lumina's view of me made me blush a bit. I guess I haven't paid much attention so far to how she sees me. I've always thought that being cool required someone to be an asshole, or to be popular with everyone else, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe, if I do what's right by me and the people I love, it's good enough to be myself.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPhqwkLxSp
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"Nobody else would have dared what you attempted. I'm amazed by your lack of fear actually."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6xVrJDK0x
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"I see." It was all I could say, since I knew some of that wasn't true. Over the months, I've been thinking a little more each time about transperation, and what it will mean for me when I die. Based on what I know, psychologically at least, I don't fear death like I used to, but my body protested to everything I've done today. Biologically speaking, the fear of death isn't something that can be conquered.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FBIvcngnM
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Even that isn't what bothered me in the background through. Am I really without fear, or is it something else? It doesn't happen too often, but there are days that I feel emotionally numb to every sense entirely. It was like this more on the second summer, and it might happen again soon when the third summer officially begins. If that's true, if I have a problem with feeling the emotions that I should when I need to, then I might be in for more drama later, but this shall go unspoken for now.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXl1dnEeu6w
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"I know you're set up for transperation, but I don't want you dying just yet. You have a whole Earth experience ahead of you, and you can make it as good as you need to, if you try."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCrend6mIf
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She makes it sound so easy... But the conversation I had with myself in the past reminded me that faith in myself was ultimately important. What I've learned is, if I can't find what I need, I'll make it instead, a thought that can apply to any situation. "I won't die that easily Lumina. Promise... Now if you'll excuse me, I need a shower."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyL1Xp7A84V
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"Take your time."111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrMHukcjTs
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I left the room, going to do as I stated earlier, but the thoughts of today weighed very heavily on my mind. Mostly, I thought about the prospect of clairvoyance and clairsentience, and the way in which I used it. Theoretically, a scion can technically be considered a superhero if they were to fully master enough of these abilities, using them to help others, by seeing distant events that normally cannot be seen, or tracking people down by their very emotions. Still, it wouldn't be all too practical. I barely managed to do it right today at all, and only because I knew what was coming ahead of time in the first place.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8cadlyWHMz
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Not too long ago, I wished for something like this to happen, for some crazy yet controllable tragedy to occur, just so that I could invoke my powers and save the day, so that I can somehow prove to other people that this other world is real... What a fool I was!111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uLnroxpiX
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I know they say to be careful for what I wish for, but this is ridiculous. I knew these powers were making me too arrogant earlier. What's the point of wanting to be a hero if it requires tragedies to happen in the first place? This would make me a monster, not some saint. I never wanted anybody to get hurt. Even with my ability to save others, it wasn't at all like I imagined in my mind; it's far more difficult and dangerous than I ever could have realized.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiQmCiEMjH
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I can give myself some credit; I've got a very cool head when I need to have one, a calm and collected mind. Even so, what I did today was a fortunate fluke. I won't be part of this again. Clairvoyance and clairsentience are amazing abilities, and they can reveal to us amazing things. However, at the end of the day, I'm required to constantly practice these abilities at least every other day just to keep having access to them. In the end, the cost is mostly my peace of mind, and the inherited responsibilities of what I may accidentally stumble across. It isn't worth it to me anymore... I quit.111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwd3l5RLAq3
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<Chapter Disclaimer: The events and plot to this specific chapter, with exception to most other chapters and with exception to the functions of psionic abilities portrayed, is not based on true events. This chapter only serves to demonstrate a possible example of how psionic abilities could function in the wild.>111Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxexhV6aWE
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