Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lila Bailey smiled shyly as she stepped into the kitchen of her new guardian's apartment, sending up a silent thanks that the woman was cooking. A meal in the morning would definately serve to make her feel at home; at least as much as she could just then. Everything was still too new to consider being totally at ease.

Sliding into one of the empty chairs at the table, the sixteen-year-old ran a nervous hand over the top of her head and down the right side, tugging carelessly at a messily braided pigtail. She hadn't done much in the means of getting dressed that morning and light brown strands whisped around her face in protest to their abandonment.

Lila blinked as she realized that Melody had spoken to her, and busied herself by playing with her fork as she answered.
"Uhh... yeah." She murmured, a little unsure of herself and what she was supposed to be doing. "That sounds alright."

Placing her fork back down, the girl stood and peered curiously at her guardian.
"S'there anything I can do?" She queried, relatively unaware of the sharp Southern twang in her voice. "Get the drinks or something?"

Lila caught her breath and felt her pulse begin to race.

"H-Hawaii?" She gasped, eyes wide as she digested the idea. The thought of her in a place like that nearly made her want to laugh. She'd never even left Arkansas until now. Here was a chance to go somewhere. Here was a chance to go across the ocean.

"I-I'd be thrilled to go." She stammered, still in disbelief at the chance presenting itself.
Remembering her manners, green-grey eyes lowered to the ground.
"That is, if it wouldn't be too much trouble. I don't want you to pay an arm and a leg just to get me somewhere like that. I'll be fine anywhere you need me."

Offering the older woman an encouraging smile, she reached for a glass of orange juice, took a small sip, and grimaced at the taste. The bitterness put a secretive smile on her face. She'd always hated orange juice. Since she was little. She still hated it. But she made a point to drink it when it was available. Not for any particular reason. Just because she could.

For a split second, Lila considered letting Melody in on her little joke. It was kind of funny, and she figured that the woman would laugh; if only to make her feel better. But, she wasn't quite sure that they were friends yet. Not the kind of friends that told one another about silly things like that. What was the word?

Ah. They were acquaintances. Maybe Hawaii would change that. Lila could definately use a friend or two of her own.

Lila blushed at the idea of buying a bathing suit. She rarely swam at all, and when she did, it was in the most clothing possible. The one time that she'd been persuaded into a one-piece, there'd been a T-shirt and shorts over it. Strangely, though, Lila liked the idea of buying one to wear in Hawaii. The hope of being at the beach sometime soon was so very exciting.

The girl found herself wandering to mental images of sand and volcanos and surfing. Surfers. Guy surfers. With long hair that'd make her granny have a cow. It was definately something she looked forward to, and she felt only the tiniest bit of guilt.

At hearing her own name, Lila dropped out of her musings and turned her eyes towards Melody.

"Yes, ma'am?" She asked warily, worried that she'd done or said something wrong.

Lila listened intently, curious as to what could distress her new guardian. When Melody finished speaking, the teen was silent.
Slowly, a grin spread across her face and lit her features. Her teeth, usually hidden, were bright as the smile grew wider.

"I've never had a sister." She said softly, bending her head down and cocking it to the side to meet Melody's downturned eyes. "It sounds right fun to me."

Lila was barely able to stifle her laughter as Melody chattered on, standing and helping clear the table and move the dishes to the sink. She'd just bent over to pick up a napkin she'd dropped when her guardian mentioned their abilities.

Her head shot up, crashing against the bottom of the table and causing the remaining dishes to clatter noisily. Her eyes watered as she tenderly rose, rubbing the place on her scalp that stung as she set the napkin back down on the tabletop.

She hadn't known that Melody was an evolved. She probably should've realized it sooner, but, in all the stress of leaving her home and finding herself in this new place, the thought hadn't crossed her mind.

And showing off her own abilities wasn't anywhere near what she'd pictured in a trip to Hawaii. Especially in front of other evolveds.

"You... You've got powers?" She asked, carrying the last of the dishes over to the sink and setting them in the water gently. "I mean. I guess you do. But, what are they? Am I allowed to ask?"

Lina took the string, holding it in her hand loftily as she studied it. Her expression was unreadable, though her eyes were wide. It was a tangible piece of string. That amazed her.

Looking up at Melody, she smiled, though it was strained.

"That's really something." She mused, pulling her index finger and thumb down the link of the golden length. "How long did it take you to learn how to do that? It's... it's crazy. Better than anything I could muster up."

Her cheeks were flushed as she said the last line, meaning it with her whole heart. She hated her ability. Her gift. Not only had it taken her away from her family, but now her whole town hated her. Even Sammy. And it wasn't even a useful power. Creating food; now that was nifty. Being able to control electricity could come in handy if there was a power outage or something. But beads? Exploding beads that caught things on fire. Absolutely... stupid.

"Well, of course, we talked about it. That's why you're here" Melody was surprised, then shook her head, "It's been a whirlwind of a couple of days, hasn't it? Hard to remember what's been said." She smiled, "Maybe we should start over. Like sisters meeting for the first time since being separated at birth or something?" She offered, then shook her head, "You shouldn't be so concerned. You're safe. I promised you that. I'll keep you safe."