All's Fair in Love and War

Chapter 3 Disappointment

Evie closed her eyes – mostly so that she couldn't see the others' intent gazes – before she took a deep breath as she conjured up an image of the sea in her mind. She layered the deep ocean colours in her mind's eye, adding vibrantly coloured fish that swam amongst the reefs while in the distance was a shimmering underwater castle.

There were gasps from all around, and Evie peaked out to see the others apparently staring vacantly into space; but she knew they were all witnessing the vision she'd cast onto their eyes, tricking their minds into thinking what they were seeing were real.

"So, yeah." Evie shrugged as she released them from the vision she'd cast, and the others refocused on her in awe. "That's what I can do."

"That's beautiful." Raven said admiringly as she clapped again, the others joining in as they nodded.

"How did you make us see that so vividly?" Lisa asked curiously, and Evie shrugged again.

"Well, it's just my mutation." Evie answered. "And I love art, so it wasn't too difficult to detail the image in my own mind."

"Even then, you must have a natural creativity to create such a realistic world." Darwin observed.

Evie blushed, embarrassed by the attention, while Hank agreed, "It was like a matrix - an environment that you molded into your own image."

He tacked on the explanation at Sean, Alex, and Evie's blank expressions; and the three nodded as they understood while Raven interjected brightly, "Matrix! You should be called 'Matrix'!"

Evie shrugged, not really minding what she was called at the moment. It was so... different to have people in awe at what she could do, to praise her and compliment her. It felt like she belonged – something she hadn't felt in ten years.

So it was with a rather warm happiness that Evie smiled back at the others, before she turned to Hank as she asked, "What about you, Hank? What can you do?"

Hank blinked, before looking away awkwardly as Raven piped up, "He's got really dexterous feet and really cool agility; plus, he's really strong."

"Wow." Evie answered enthusiastically, possibly a little over enthusiastically as she sensed Hank's insecurity.

"That's incredible." Lisa enthused, clearly also sensing the sensitivity of the subject. "I'm really not physically strong, so I envy that."

She gestured to her own, admittedly bone-thin limbs, and Hank gave her a small, shy smile in thanks.

"So, what do you want to be called?" Angel asked, when Alex piped up mockingly between laughs, "How about Big Foot?"

Evie shot the blond male a look; as did Lisa and Raven, the latter of whom also added scathingly, "You know what they say about guys with big feet. And, uh," she glanced down at Alex's pointedly, "yours are kind of small."

"Oohhhh." Sean laughed, while Darwin interjected as pacifist, "Okay, now."

Angel was laughing with Lisa, and Evie suppressed a smile as she saw Raven and Hank glance at each other shyly – there was something potentially growing between these two; something sweet.

Clearly it was new and as yet unspoken, however, so Evie kept her observations to herself as she instead turned to Darwin as the eldest in their group asked, "Alex, what is your gift? What can you do?"

Evie turned to Alex again, curious, especially as Alex hesitated.

"It's not..." He answered evasively, scratching his head a little nervously. "I just... I just can't do it. I can't do it in here."