Heroes | ✓

· of hidden talents ·

"Do you know what the full name of Los Angeles is?" Faith stared incredulously at Fern Legend, the resident alleged 'freak' of Penton High.

She'd never talked to Fern in her whole life. But being the Head of the Yearbook Committee, it required her to (apparently) talk to every single student in her year.

Of course she had people under her (that was the way she liked to say it because it gave her a weird sense of authority) who also could help in her work (which they didn't take much seriously). The previous year , she was one of the people 'under' the then Head of the committee; and she knew that their only real job was to give the Head a list of names of all the students in her year. Occasionally marked with a 'Beware' in the margin beside a particular name. She knew, because she used to do that too.

The moment she was appointed Head, Faith had decided to not just 'interview' people, but to get to know them. Even make friends. Or at least acquaintances. She had a year in hand, and dedicating half an hour every alternate day was equivalent to studying for at least 2 hours everyday. she didn't mind it. It was like a breath of fresh air to her.

Fern had, what Faith liked to call 'a really good sense of fashion and dressing'. Apart from her right arm which was filled with tattoos (real or not real - she didn't know) , Fern dressed and looked quite normal. Why people had felt the need to call Fern a 'freak' ever since Faith could remember, she (Faith) never knew. Maybe she was about to find out.

"Um...No?" Faith asked. She had asked Fern about her hobbies.

Fern shifted her weight from one cowboy-boot clad foot to another and hoisted her backpack a little higher on he shoulder, "El Pueblo de nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del Rio de Porciuncula. That's the full name of Los Angeles." When Faith didn't reply, Fern continued, "It's funny how we don't know the full name of the city we live in, huh?"

Faith nodded vigorously, "Um...Yeah" and scrambled about her spiral journal reserved especially for Yearbook purposes; because call her a freak or not - she wanted to jot down the full name of the city she lived in.

Fern spoke again, a sly smile on her face - like she knew something everybody else didn't (she probably did), "My hobby? It's counting cards."

Faith looked up and blinked at Fern, "Counting cards? Isn't it illegal?"

Fern smiled once again, " It is illegal in some casinos, legal in others."

Faith nodded and wrote it down in her journal. She then asked her, "Your ambition? What would you like to do - someday?"

"Well, my hobby's counting cards - which I really can't go around showing because.. obviously. But.. why not admit it then? I would like to own a casino."

"You could make so much more money by counting cards. So why own a casino?"

"A way to find more people who can count cards - an army of sorts. Because, why not?" Fern shrugged.

"Okay thanks, see you around!" With that tone of finality from Faith, Fern turned around and walked away.

Faith turned her attention to her journal and wrote down for her own satisfaction -

She's a freak , but in a good way.