"Okay, here we go." Andy folded his legs under him so that he was sitting in front of me. "Introductions are always uncomfortable."

"Because he makes them so awkward." CC drawled with a goofy grin.

"Shut up, Chuppy." An eyeroll then a chuckle. "I do, I suppose. Anyhow, Alyce, we are the rebels."

I nodded, looking the group over.

"I don't think you're getting this. We are the rebels. We are the wild ones..." He repeated slowly. "Me. You. Sammi. We. All of us." He paused and looked me once over. "How about you tell us how you got here?"

"I was..." I bit my lip, "I hit my head...I don't remember anything but falling down the drain..."

"Jinxx..." Jake turned back to look at the other man who gave me a small smile and stepped forward.

"There are a few ways we can try this, sweetheart." He said softly, crouching down. "Will you give me your hand?"

I blinked and shakingly held out my hand for him to hold.

"Ms. Charpentier!"

"Hey, look who it is!"

"Come on, Mary!"

"Mary, sweetheart!"

"Oh, Mary, don't be like that!"

"Fuck off, Will!"

"Baby!"

"No! Let me go!"

"Sweetheart!"

"Fuck off, Will!"

"Mary!"

"Pity, isn't it? That we never got the chance to take this further?"

"Get off of me!"

A bell ringing shrilly in my ears. The sound of hollow footsteps down an empty hall. Running water. Spinning rooms. Light glinting off of a mirror. A flash of my face, streaked with tears.

"Oh, Mary…"

"What was that?" I gasped when I could see the others again.

"Sorry, I can't make it work so that you don't have to relieve it." Jinxx looked apologetic.

"I...what?" I blinked.

"He's a strange little man, Alyce." Sammi assured me. "It's just something he's gifted with, digging through memories had and memories to be made and projecting them like that."

"He--he projected them?" I bit my lip. "So...everyone saw that...what I did... How did he even...what was that?"

"It's like..." He frowned. "Have you heard of those psychics...the ones who can read objects?"

"Psychometry." I nodded.

"Or you know, normal people, who read books." Ashley snorted. "Because he seems to forget books are objects too."

"I like you. You know some pretty neat things." Jinxx smiled. "Yes, psychometry. It's a lot easier than digging around in your head. But it takes a lot more work, reading people. I can't always do it, and I definitely can't always project it."

"But you did..." I trailed off.

"Fortunately. Or I'd have to dig through your memories the hard way. That tends to be more pain inducing...and slightly more traumatizing because who knows what I'd drag up." He sighed.

"You're psychic." Slowly the words left my lips and he blinked, looking taken aback.

"No."

"What are you?"

"A mystic." He flashed me a grin. His teeth were eerily white and his gaze made me writhe in nerves.

"Is there a difference."

"Very much so."

"Good to know..." I bit my lip and looked down at my hands, now in my lap. He sat down, situating himself a little behind Andy.

"Are you psychic?" He countered.

"N-no..." I stammered. "I mean...I think I'd know, wouldn't I?"

"Maybe." He shrugged. "I don't think you know much about yourself, Alyce."

"Who are you, Alyce?" The man questioned softly. He had an edge to his voice, as if he were commanding me to search my brains for an answer.

"Mary Alyce Charpentier." I whispered. "People call me Alyce."

"No." He shook his head, eyes closed before opening them. His bright blue eyes stared into my own before he questioned me again. "Who are you?"

"I'm just...I'm me...I don't--I can't--what do you want me to say?"

"Who are you? What makes you who you are?"

"I'm nothing special." I shook my head.

"Everyone has something that makes them who they are, a special talent." He shook his head. "Who are you, Alyce?"

"I don't know!" I cried.

"Everyone here is known for that one thing that makes them special." He said firmly. "What is yours, Alyce? Who are you?"

"I--I--I'm--"

"Andy, stop it!" Sammi shrieked suddenly, "You're scaring her lifeless!" She wrapped her arms around me.

"Andy..." Jake's voice was soft-spoken and calming. "She's dead terrified right now."

I felt this insane flood of calmness sweep over me and I took a breath.

"Jake, stop." Sammi said quietly.

"You did something..." I trailed off, still shaking from stress with my eyes closed tightly and head resting on Sammi's open shoulder.

"I can't help it, she's getting me worked up..." He said. I turned my head to notice that he, too, was trembling. "Please, calm down, Alyce..." He pleaded.

I pressed my lips together.

"I--I--I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Andy sighed. I could tell he was frustrated though, just by the way he was tense.

"She's an empath." Jinxx and Jake both spoke at the same time and looked at each other.

"That's not possible..." Andy disagreed.

"We've never had two talents exactly the same." Ashley agreed. "That can't be it."

"I haven't met many others, besides Jinxx." Jake trailed off, "And even he's more of an empathetic mind-reader, not a true empath. We must be rare. Who's to say she can't be?"

"That's never happened..." Andy repeated Ashley.

"I don't see why it can't..." CC smiled at me and I had to smile back. "She should follow Jinxx and Jake around tomorrow, see if she can learn anything."

"I just...I don't think it's right..." Andy trailed off.

"She's right here, boys." Sammi sighed.

"She can follow both of us tomorrow." Jake said softly. "I was taking Xander out anyhow. And we need Jinxx."

"Her first day here, you're taking her to F.E.A.R?" Sammi sounded angry. She had already let go of me, but now I wish she hadn't, because she looked ready to strangle someone. "Not to say she's incapable of going, but she doesn't know enough yet. Just hold on."

"I wasn't planning on going there." Jake soothed. "I thought we might need a better map of the area out east."

"We just moved camp here." Andy informed me.

"And we should scout more."

"We have a natural well not too far away. And we have a source of food. We don't need to move again."

"Not if we win."

Andy stood up and dusted himself off, the others did the same--with the exception of Jinxx, who remained seated.

"Good night, Sammi. I'm sorry we've disturbed you." He apologized.

"Not a problem, Andy. I didn't mean to get so worked up." She sighed, curling a piece of her hair around her finger.

"She gets cranky when she doesn't sleep." Jinxx teased lightly.

"I do not!" Sammi shot back, but she was grinning.

Oh... I realized. They must be together...

"Married, actually." Jinxx smiled proudly at me.

Andy shook his head, amused, and I realized he was the only one left.

"Goodnight, Alyce."

"Night..." I watched him leave.

"He's a sweetheart, really." Sammi promised. "He's just...a little incompetent sometimes, when he needs to be social."

I nodded.

"I think we all need to sleep." Jinxx stood up and helped me up. I brushed myself off as he helped Sammi onto her feet and pulled her against him.

And third wheel.

I averted my eyes and scuffed my foot at the dirt, waiting for a direction.

"You can sleep where you were earlier. I'm sorry it's not all that comfortable..." Sammi apologized.

"No, it's fine!"

She opened her mouth and closed it, shaking her head. Before she walked to the other side of the shelter with Jinxx, she gave me a hug. I smiled to myself a little as the pair walked away. The sheets around me were cold now that I'd left them, and the night was frigid as it was. I snuggled up without a sound and closed my eyes, trying to get some sleep.

But sleep didn't come easily.

The thought of Andy and Ashley's shared words bounced around my head, despite my unwillingness to allow them to bother me.

I didn't fit in.

In a group of people where everyone apparently had some amazing, and strange, talent, I was the one to ruin the order and normalcy.

How is it, I'm just walking through life, noting special, and I always find myself being the one left out. There's nothing about me that even suggests that I'm different. I dress the same as everyone else. I'm in the musicals and the dramas and the concerts like everyone else at my school was, and apparently I've found myself here in some world where everyone was outcast by society and I still don't fit in.

The real world is hell when it comes to people like me.

But this heaven for the lost isn't safe either.

I really don't belong.

Notes

This isn't the best...I wrote this at Governor's Awards today (aka...when I was distracted by doing something else...whoops). Apparently I play a mean Antigone. I didn't place in my duo, but I'm so happy that I got complimented in such an amazing way by my judge.

AND YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE?!
Your compliments made me smile too!

Mrs.Biersack, thank you! :) I'm glad you like it so much that you're awaiting more!
ThoseBigGreenEyes, I'm glad! I try very hard to make everything I do unique in its own way! :) So that's really an amazing compliment too!

I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint any of you!

Comment and all that jazz! I know I said I wouldn't be updating quite this often, but I've been having some luck with my scheduling...
Except for right now, I need to sleep...I have to wake up at like...3 am... (in four hours...after only getting four hours of sleep last night before governor's awards...because i had work and then saw Wicked the day before...whoops...I've been having a weird/weirdly good weekend!)

**EDIT! The italics didn't work :/ 1/27/13