- When the conversation went no further, James turned back to the window. He had almost slipped back into his own mind when she spoke again. For a moment James was silent as he processed the statement. "And I can call down lightning from a thunderstorm," he stated. He said it so matter-of-factly that anyone should believe he was joking, and James meant it to be a joke, even though what he said wasn't false. He had accidentally electrocuted himself with a bolt of lightning.
It had been quite some time ago, when his mother hadn't allowed him to watch his favorite TV show. Furious, James had stormed out of the house. They had been calling for pop-up storms all day, and it just so happened that when James had come from the house, one of those storms was directly overhead. At the time, James hadn't realized what had happened. One moment he was ripping leaves off of the tree in anger, and the next his whole body felt numb. It was after that that he began to notice he was far from normal.
"Westwood High School..." Irene said slowly as if savoring the name. "I want to know everything about that school and what those teens may be involved in. Student body size, faculty, classes, clubs, activities, sports, get information on all of it. I also want you to apply for a job there within two days. Preferably as a teacher or nurse, but anything will do as long as you can get inside on a daily basis."
First things first, Irene needed to know what they looked like and how far along they actually were with their abilities. Secondly, she needed someone to earn their trust - that would be her assistant's job - and lastly, she would bring them under her wing and start training them in the way she saw fit. If this group was as powerful as the tests showed a decade ago, they were certainly worth her time.
