ORIENTATION DAY, MINERVA! pt1

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

At seven on the dot, Minerva awoke to Catherine's buzzing alarm.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes sluggishly as Catherine sprang out of bed, newly refreshed. "What a beautiful morning, isn't it, Minnie!"

"I wouldn't know, seeing as the curtains are still drawn."

"Oh you grouch. You don't have to actually see the sun to know that it's there."

"Oh really. Who would have thought."

Catherine rolled her eyes aggressively and sashayed towards the bathroom. "I'll deal with your attitude after I have a shower. Don't fall back asleep now, or you won't get ready in time for breakfast."

Minerva sunk deep into the covers and pulled them around her. Despite her sour morning attitude, she was incredibly excited. This was her first school day at Molecule Academy, the famous school that helped young manifests control their powers. She was already nervous, thinking of the alien hallways and corridors, and classrooms she would encounter. The strange, new people she would have to relate with and the unfamiliar curriculum. And then there was Virgil-

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

Minerva's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She stuck a hand under the covers and pulled it out. Her mother was calling. She tapped the answer icon.

"Hey mom. How are you?"

"Hey honey! How's the new school? I hope you haven't got yourself into any trouble yet, you little munchkin!"

Minerva smiled, relieved to hear her mother so cheerful. She must have been doing well at the hospital. Speaking of which...

"Is everything good at the hospital, mom?"

"Oh yeah! In fact, I'm getting dismissed today. The doctors just want to run a few more checks, and then I'm good to go!"

Minerva heaved a huge sigh of relief. She wasn't sure she'd be able to live with herself if she was the reason her mom couldn't use her hand again.

"Sweetie, don't worry about the hand. Right now I want you to focus on being the best you can be at a school like this. I know you don't see it, but in reality your powers are a gift. Because of them, you're going to a top school with high flying students, for free! And as a bonus, you get to be taught how to control your powers! If I were you I would be grateful for my abilities."

Minerva smiled in spite of herself. That was her mom; always able to clearly see the positive side of things. No matter what happened going forward, she had to make her mom proud. She had to master her powers.

"I'll make you proud mom, I promise."

"I trust you."

"Talk to you later, mom."

"Sure thing, sweetie."

The line went dead. Minerva put down the phone just as Catherine bounded out of the bathroom, covered only in a fluffy white towel. "Your turn, Minnie. I'll save a seat for you at my table at breakfast. Hurry up and meet up with me later." Catherine plopped down on the bed and pulled on her underwear as she walked into the bathroom. She pulled out her toothbrush and squirted a healthy helping of toothpaste onto the bristles, humming as she brushed. She gargled and spat and watched the foam wash away with the tap water. Hanging her towel on the rack beside the shower, she stepped in and turned the hot water on.

Immediately after her shower, she sat at the edge of her bed, dressing up and watching the morning news. She was jolted by a loud thud coming from the room beside her. "Probably just fooling around," she muttered to herself, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she walked out of the door.

She strolled out of the door, turned a corner...

And slammed straight into Virgil.

Surprised by the collision, Virgil lost concentration. The ring on his pinkie vanished into thin air, and immediately Minerva felt the atmospheric pressure drastically increase. But only for a moment, and Virgil found his bearings willing the ring back onto his finger. The pressure returned to normal, red rushing onto Minerva's cheeks.

"Oh geez, Virgil I'm so sorry! I really don't watch where I'm going sometimes."

"I'ts okay."

"I'm really sorry, I noticed you lost concentration! I could have caused an accident!"

"It's fine, really."

"I could make it up to you. I'll save you a seat at breakfast if I get there first."

"Seriously, don't worry about it."

Virgil turned and strolled off causally humming a song to himself. Minerva watched him go, embarrassment still present on her face. Someone with so much to bear, but so simple and easygoing...

Ding-Dong! Ding-Dong!

Minerva watched anxiously for Virgil. Despite his insistence, she had saved him a seat at the breakfast table. Out of the corner of her vision, she watched Catherine whisper something to Amelia, who laughed. Klaus was willing a spinning ball of air to levitate on his index finger, casually making it expand and contract repeatedly. Phoby and Damon were taking turns twisting and forming a lump of rubidium, while simultaneously snacking on a plate of chicken strips. Malik just watched everyone, absentmindedly fidgeting with a napkin. She could tell they were all nervous. Suddenly, she saw Virgil, sauntering over to meet them. Minerva smiled...

And her smile faded when she spotted a ginger haired boy stalking towards him purposefully, malice in his eyes. Oh no. Daimen. He sneakily slipped out his flask of mercury from his trouser pocket and flipped off the lid. Minerva wanted to shout out Virgil's name, to warn him of the danger. But she couldn't. She would be making a huge scene, and even worse, she was a newcomer, people who didn't know what was happening might label Virgil and her as weirdos, and she was not read for a term of unnecessary torment. Besides, Virgil could very well handle himself.

It was Daimen she was worried about.

He faked a trip and a fall, lunging towards Virgil. Minerva could see his intent, to slip mercury somewhere on his person and control it from a distance. Luckily Virgil noticed just in time. The air around him shimmered and Daimen bumped against an invisible barrier.

Virgil stretched out his hand. "You okay, man?"

Daimen nodded, sneakily willing a sliver of mercury to coat his hand. "Yep. Just fine."

The two grasped hands, and Daimen's confidence faltered. Virgil had formed a barrier of air all around his hand, like an impenetrable glove of oxygen. The mercury recoiled from the fast moving particles. Daimen's hand began to sting with the air pressure.

"You sure you okay, Daimen?" Virgil asked, a scary smile plastered on his face.

Daimen tried to jerk his hand away, but the glove of air wrapped around his own hand in a split second, sealing both hands in an inescapable barrier. "I'm f-fine, really, man. You know my name?"

"I know all about you, Daimen."

Fearful silence.

"You seem to have spilled some mercury on your hand during the fall. I'm sure it was a harmless accident. Right?"

"Y-yes sir, mister V-Virgil, sir."

Daimen trembled. He might have been hot stuff, but he was no match for Virgil's sheer force of will. Finally, the barrier vanished, and he sped off, vowing never to cross Virgil's path again.

Minerva suppressed a sheepish smile. She shouldn't have been worried. Virgil defused the situation without any violence whatsoever. One day, she would get to his level of mastery.

He sat down and took a sip from his juice box. "That Daimen kid's a piece of work. Next time we meet I'll use force."

Catherine burst out laughing, one of her most frequent habits. "That was hilarious Virgil! You got him totally scared!"

"You took care of him better than I did," Klaus butted in.

"That was really cool, Virgil."

"Amazing!"

Minerva just sat and smiled.