Static* on hold

lemonade out of lemons

Song:
starry eyed Lana del Rey
Karlee had been staying at the underground for a few weeks now they had given her a bed, warm food and she had even managed to make some friends.She still had no clue how they found her though.

"You know sometimes, I think you're just using me," said the boy sat across from her Pulse, he worked with the underground and was one of the first friends Karlee made there.

"Well, you're are nice to look at" Karlee teased, pulling at the grass as if she had no clue what he was referring to. Like her Pulse was "gifted" he had the ability to disrupt mutant abilities,and for once he was right in a way Karlee had been using him. She would come to him in distressed sparks shooting from her hands and beg him to make it stop. Recently she had been coming to him before the electricity even had a chance to leave her body.

"So you admit it you find me attractive" Pulse smirked, with all the time the two spent together people had started to talk and unlike Karlee, Pulse was dead set on keeping the rumours going. Karlee's comment had only boosted his ego more.

"I never said that, but ...if we were on campus you'd be the jock that all the cheerleaders would fawn over. Unfortunately for you I was never one of those girls."

"Keep telling yourself that "pulse winked

"You're so annoying you know that" She leaned over and jokingly punched his arm. It was in these small moments she could forget w her she was capable of.

"On a serious note, don't you think it time you learn to control it yourself" Karlee had hoped her flattery would be enough to distract the make from the topic but Pulse was back at it again. The teen couldn't work out why everyone cared so much, as long as Pulse was here she would be fine, he would control it for her

A realisation hit her hard " does it hurt "she whispered, almost to herself, as she thought back to the aching pain she felt the first time her power erupted from her body.

'No that's not it" The boy sighed, he liked that she cared but couldn't understand why the girl was so naive to realise the problem was bigger than them." It just takes a lot of focus. I can't control your gift and mine forever"

Karlee's hated that they called it a gift, the power within her felt more of a burden than anything else.

"Well if it'll make you happy, I happened to use a hair dryer today without blowing the circuit of the house." She said as if it would push the problem further and further away." Look, can't tell difference I don't look like a wet dog anymore" she said wafting her dyed dark hair like the girls in the shampoo commercials

"Baby steps I guess" Pulse sighed looking back at the house, where his friend would be waiting to give the same speech to the girl except better and probably rehearsed a few times.

"Exactly baby steps" The girl smiled throwing herself down on the grass oblivious to the discontent in her friend's voice, or at least that's how she wanted it to seem. The longer I hold it off she thought maybe, just maybe it'll fade away.

"Come on John must be searching for you,"Pulse said pulling up the girl despite her effort to stay clinging to the ground.

"ugghh, you know for such a nice guy you have a bad batch of friends That best friend of yours is a complete jerk can't you just teach me"

"Johnny is the best at this sort of thing , I wouldn't even know where to start "

"Simple you just tell me to focus on something I love then get pissed off when it doesn't work, "Karlee said mocking Johns terrible attempts at teaching her to control her power.

"So you're telling me focusing on food doesn't work, " Pulse said with mock horror, "you needed to focus on something bigger."

"Maybe your right but I'm not sure what I love more than lasagne."

"hmm maybe just try thinking of me" Pulse smirked.

"ha ha good one, you can count on it blondie" at the end of the yard stood John glaring at the young girl. " I guess that's my cue to leave" Pulse said before darted through the back door then into the house.

****

"So hows your day been, watched any good movies? met any nice girls? Come on John"

"You're not going to distract me, Karlee," John said unfazed by the girl's attempt at small talk.

'Okay whatever it was worth the try "She huffed

"I know you seem to think we have forever but we don't you cant just have days where nothing happens and days where your frying the house it puts everyone at risk."

"I know full well about the risks," she said thinking back to the boarding school.

"If you did you wouldn't be abusing Pulse's gift like that. he isn't the answer to your problems that's with you, he's not here to refract your powers "

She looked across the garden to the back door and knew Johnny was right. With no argument left in her, she caved
"You're right "
it had been a long time since she had uttered those words. In fact had she wasn't sure she had ever said them. Either way she had never imagined to say them to John of all people. Don't get me wrong, she thought he was a nice guy. But he could be harsh and impatient, in his eyes what he was asking was simple but for her, it seemed as if he wanted the world.

Could he not understand the pain she felt when she tried to focus the surge of millions of electrical pulses hammering throughout her body? "focus in something you care about " he'd say; everyone she cared about was something too painful to think of, she either had been abandoned by them or had pushed them away.The only person she cared, for now, the only person she could trust; was herself. Was that worth more than a lasgane fresh from the oven with extra cheese oozing with tomato sauce, she hoped so because that's all she had left.

"I'm right?" to say he was surprised would be an understatement he had tried endlessly for weeks now and all she had managed was a single spark or a haphazard blast of energy neither of which had been expected or asked for. The electric girl was more of a time bomb but for some reason, Polaris had wanted her to stay."Yeah of course I am"

The electric girl looked towards the target at the back of the yard. it had been placed there by John over several weeks ago but had remained unscathed, Karlee knew today that would change .Something in her had changed today, she no longer wanted to feel helpless.

Karlee set her eyes on the target, an old dusty archery board which looked as old as herself.Stretching out her left hand she aligned it with the yellow center, the energy surged through her body and hitting the circle. "Bullseye!" she screamed as if that would distract from her now raw and burning hands or the buzzing in her brain. She slowly shifted her hands to her pockets ignoring John's look of ore. "Worth the wait?" she gleamed.

Sprinting from the tattered mansion, was Lorna and as always Marcos was right behind the green haired female looked at the archers board now resting on the grass burning than the wooden post in which had originally stood. "I told you the girl could do some damage" she grinned "I never doubted that " said Marcos facing the dark-haired girl,"Now all you need is training, self defence and all that."

"Thanks," she said, smiling trying to ignore the feeling of despair weighing down her stomach as she looked around at the smiling faces.

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