Open Not exactly a rhythm dance

[Ana]

Mar. 23rd

---

There was much to appreciate in the vastness of Ark City. There were no limits on fun around here. There were always ways to fill an afternoon. Ana couldn’t find herself complaining about that, but honestly? The city was just T.O.O B.I.G. For a girl that grew up in a tiny mountain village where everyone was on a first-name basis with everyone else and most of the extracurricular activities that folks could afford were things like hunting and sledding, Ark City came with heavy doses of sensory overload and vertigo.

Getting turned around proved to be almost too easy for her. She could always teleport to Sunshine if she really needed it, but she didn’t like being reliant on her powers all the time. While Carrie was trying very hard to help her accept that part of her, Ana still didn’t want to lean on psychokinesis for everything in her life. By all means, she needed to learn how to get around this city easier if Pandora intended to hold her for a long time.

Man, though! Even the mall was humongous! Her roommates had mentioned a theme park existing in this exact same mall, so Ana had to imagine it being huge, but this? This was jaw-dropping!

“They even have an ice-rink here too,” one of them told her, nudging her in the waist with an elbow.

Without much ado, the child found herself admiring the olympic-sized rink as she wedged her feet into the skates. The last time she’d done this, it was during the holidays back home, back before she knew things like Starmen and Mooks existed, and that all there really was to life was going to church and school and helping Mom with chores.

Hopefully, I’m not too rusty, Ana thought before launching herself onto the ice and letting herself glide freely. Her imagination offered fantasies of figure-skating for gold, of ice-passing beneath her as she twirled in the air, sweeping a leg as she landed, Pollyanna blaring through speakers as crowds from across the world applauded such grace.

 

[Abra Stone]

Abra finished her last class of the day and decided she wanted to go exploring. She'd been in Pandora long enough to leave the relative safety of her school and the Crystal Vales behind. It would only be for a little while. She left Brownie in the care of a school mate with detailed instructions on how to care for him. He'd probably spend the entire time curled up with her friend. She wanted to make sure they were prepared for anything. As confident as she felt, she also had an awareness from her conversation with Luke that this world held its own dangers.

Abra carried her knapsack on her back as she travelled all the way to Ark City. Portals did make life easy her. Of course, it meant monsters could get to her quickly too. She decided to stick to public places with lots of witnesses around. The ice rink in the mall was perfect. She could sense people all around and having skates on her feet was very familiar, thanks to her childhood in Maine.

A smile appeared on Abra's face as she moved across the ice. There was a familiar, friendly feeling. She realised the source a second later. Ana was here! Did she know Abra would be here?

Abra skated closer and accidentally picked up on a stray thought. It was difficult to avoid around people caught up in their own imaginations. "Hi." She said out loud with a smile, not wanting to startle her with a zip-zip. She did sent an image telepathically, right after - a picture of a medal

and a sound of applause.

 

[Ana]

Another girl passed by Ana as she day-dreamed, offering a friendly smile that the adolescent returned in kind. She raised a hand in greeting, “Hi,” and thought to strike up a conversation with her, when she felt it.

It was subtle but undeniably familiar. A line of psychic energy streamed across her mind, taking root in the center and going to work instantly. Her fantasies of shimmering gold medals and an adoring audience intensified, suddenly very real in her ears and to her thumping heart. It was like being hit with BrainShock, but not quite that aggressive and far more welcoming.

Ana slowed in her skating, almost coming to a stop in the middle of the rink as she stared at the other girl. Her eyes went wide for a few seconds, mouth parting to ask the questions bubbling one-after-another to the surface of her brain, before she let her face relax.

“Did you. . .?” She’d ask of the girl, cutting herself off as she tried to find the right words. Suddenly, she remembered a phrase that her friend Abra had used once before and thought it too fun not to test. “Zip-zip?”

You know, telepathy?