Canary in the Coal Mine *FIN*

[Isabela Sharp]

///// Isabela Sharp

^{phoenix, arizona}
_{chapter one: shadows}

She hoped that she had come to the right place. She had worried herself when there had been no response at the home, so she had wandered a bit, and found someone whom she thought might be the one she was looking for.

Isabela was looking for someone whom she didn't know the name of. He looked like a kid, and from the way things looked in her vision, he looked like a kid who was about to be in serious trouble. She had lucked out, and prepared for the vision like a good girl should, and it paid off. All she needed to do was find this boy.

She had caught his face well in her vision, and had burned it into her mind, despite that it didn't show well in the picture she had managed to procure. She felt fairly certain that her chances were good when she had wandered away from the doors and caught sight of one such boy playing basketball alone. Shooting hoops or what have you. She had to move in closer.

What was the worst that could happen?

If it wasn't him, she'd apologize for confusing him for someone else, and move on. This was no time to be a priss. Whoever this kid was, she needed to know that his course was changed before she could rest.

"Excuse me, can I have a moment of your time?" she asked as she approached from behind, wearing a brown suede long-sleeve shirt and flared jeans odd little designs inked along her thighs by their owner during idle times. She probably looked like a school teacher, the friendlier type, or maybe a social worker.

Looking him in the face, she knew it was him, and quickly began to put her words together in mer mind. "Listen, um..." she gulped, hoping she wouldn't frighten him off, "You're in trouble, and... I can help. Please, just hear me out."

[Jeremy Eric Lyons]

Jeremy had, had one of those bad days that no matter what you seemed to do, nothing cheered you up. Ever since his manifestation he'd had nothing but trouble, and today getting the booze shipment for the bar done. He had nearly zapped a Friend and work colleague, so he went home sick and spent all day at home accidentally frying half the shit he owned.

It had been dark for sometime and his body was still sparking when he decided to shoot some hoops. Putting on his most rag tag clothing, he'd found most of it didn't stand up to what he could already output, he headed out and into the park. When he arrived at the court none of the lights were on, that was soon fixed, with the one closest to the hoop getting as light a charge as he could give.

He'd been there for about half an hour doing layups when the woman approached. Jeremy didn't notice her approach and almost fried her when she approached, but internalised it and started sparking some more. 'You're in trouble, and... I can help. Please, just hear me out. Jeremy always having some form of humour and despite being in pain smiled, "You don't say, I'll listen but only because I'm shocked your not shocked that I'm a little charged at the moment."

And there he stood in raggy jeans and a shirt with a ball under one arm and his entire body sparking and glowing with electricity.

[Isabela Sharp]

///// Isabela Sharp

^{phoenix, arizona}
_{chapter one: shadows}

"Whoa..." Isabela grew still and cautious, as if she had just stopped inches shy of a giant spider web. Her hands went stiffly to her sides, and she looked Jeremy over carefully. "I didn't realize it was this bad already... I mean..." she shook her head to clear her thoughts, and decided to get to the point quickly, "What's going on with you... I can help you understand it, maybe control it." she suggested.

As she spoke the words, she had already played them in her head first, and begun to wonder exactly how she'd go about accomplishing this feat. "I'm Isabela, and I'd shake your head, but... we need to get that under control..." she looked him over carefully, as if studying him. He was already sparking with energy, she'd have to be careful.

She thought to ask him his name, but in actuality, she already knew. In her premonition, she had found Jeremy surrounded with people, and although there was no one to blame for it, the night was doomed to end badly.

She'd have to figure out a way to communicate with him and explain herself, despite how impossible it might all sound.

[Jeremy Eric Lyons]

Jeremy winced and closed his eyes, breathing deeply, the sparking dimming a little with each breath.

"I'm Isabela, and I'd shake your head, but... we need to get that under control..."Smiling over at the woman whom he now knew as Isabela, "My...name...is...Jeremy.", blinking as he came to a realisation. How did she know where to find him? Pushing that aside as the sparking was now dim and only happened every 15 or so seconds, "Man I feel like I'm close to exploding." His eyes opening wide, "I'm not gonna explode am I?" The sparking getting brighter again as he looked down at himself.

Looking up to Isabela, "Okay from what you can see and what I can figure, I'm a walking overcharged battery right?" Waiting an answer as his mind ticked over. If all he had was an overcharge problem with...well whatever this was. Then all he needed to do was find an earth for the excess.

[Isabela Sharp]

///// Isabela Sharp

^{phoenix, arizona}
_{chapter one: shadows}

Isabela's face contorted a bit as if she were expressing remorse, "I'm so sorry. I really wish I could say no..." she responded, taking a cautious step back, "Look, you're not like other people, and... it sounds like you're figuring this out pretty quickly..." she tilted her head a bit, "Come to think of it..." she chuckled and shrugged, "Yes, you're body it's... that's electricity. I think with enough practice, you'll be able to control it..."

Her face grew grim and she lowered her head, "Something bad is gonna happen if you don't learn how. I'm not sure when it happens... could be days... could be weeks..." she shook her head, "You have no idea how hard it was to find you. The vision put me someplace else. You were in public, surrounded by a lot of people and..." she held her hands up, and pulled them apart slightly as if describing an explosion, "Bam." she said quietly, so as not to provoke him, "Only like... bigger."

[Jeremy Eric Lyons]

Jeremy winced, "Do I die in said explosion?", walking to metal a pole he put his theory to the test and just let all this...energy he felt in his body out. Both he and the pole glowed for an instant, then he seemed fine. "Well that's a temporary fix." he said smiling at Isabela. Thinking, "What am I wearing and where is it when it happens?" He was hoping it wasn't at work.

While he thought over what to do he looked at the pole and just flicked his hand, nothing happened. Jeremy tried again, still nothing, getting frustrated he just through his hand out as though throwing his anger. A small arc made it halfway and diverted to the ground. "So emotions do influence it.",he stated as he looked at Isabela for some form of guidance.

[Isabela Sharp]

///// Isabela Sharp

^{phoenix, arizona}
_{chapter one: shadows}

"Well, I really don't know..." she replied quietly, looking down a bit in her thoughts, "I don't always get to see the ending..." she offered a simple explanation for her lack of a solid answer, and listened as Jeremy asked his next question, and she tilted her head and shrugged meekly, "I have no idea. Could be days, could be weeks, could be months... but I know the cause. You have a gift, but it's a particularly... unstable one." she tried to explain.

"Hey, maybe you shouldn't--" she quickly changed the subject when Jeremy extended his arm and began to try to expel the energy that way. She had meant it more in a 'let it go' sort of way, but perhaps it could only be discharged violently. When an arc flashed briefly, she jumped, and covered her mouth, "Wow..." she quietly huffed.

"Well, that's a start..." she nodded, lowering her hands to her jacket pockets again, hanging by her thumbs. "You know..." she started, "I will say this... frustration... anger... that's not a good place to make a habit of going to access your... you know... specialty..." she tried to offer some sound advice. "Hah," she began to chuckle a bit, "I must sound like a whackjob just for knowing so much about it. I can't imagine how strange I seem to you." she realized, much to her own amusement.

"I suppose I have a lot to explain, but... I worry if this is a good place for you to be doing that," she spoke with additional concern, and she inwardly took a step bad as she realized she was being a bit too much of a mom about the whole thing. "I mean, I guess it's okay, but... you can't tell too many people about this thing. On the other hand, as much as we should probably get you someplace quiet so we can um..." she briefly pointed, "de-fuse the bomb..." came the figure of speech, "I'd rather not end up getting barbequed in the camaro if we can help it.." she made a light laugh, and realized the humor really wasn't... very funny at all.

It was merely awkward. How does one approach a total stranger? Isabela thought, I think I'll ever get used to this...

"I mean..." she added, "It's a pretty nice car."

[Jeremy Eric Lyons]

Jeremy listened to all Isabela had to say and smiled, "Cooked in your Camaro, huh? Well I can see how that would be a concern, but I can assure you of two things. A) I've discharged a enough that I'm not sparking, and by that extension of thought not exploding. And B) While in the car I am not earthed thus I am going to assume that my power is going to be weakened, if not unusable all together." Jeremy was mainly putting fourth ideas, he didn't know what he could and could not do and was basing it on what he knew.

Stepping toward Isabela slowly, so as not to alarm her, he extended a hand. He was trying to extend a sign of trust and was hoping she would return the favour. "So where is this pretty car of yours so we can go somewhere, where I can get rid of the rest of this built up energy? Thus hopefully preventing this event you foresaw.", Just mainly wanting to get back to some semblance of a normal life. He had a job, he had friends and his ability was getting in the way of that. He was hoping Isabela could at least help him make it possible to hide his ability at least, control would be preferable however.

[Isabela Sharp]

///// Isabela Sharp

^{phoenix, arizona}
_{chapter one: shadows}

Jeremy's response was promising. He seemed confident that he had it under control, but he also seemed quite confident in his understanding of how his ability worked. Sadly, there was the possibility that he could be mistaken but, it would depend on how sharp he really was.

Regardless, Isabela knew that in general, some people just had a good gut instinct for their gift. Smiling and shrugging a bit as she extended her hand, she gave him a firm handshake and accepted the gesture, "That makes this easy, you being ace in science class. You got me beat," she admitted, "We all have our favored subjects," she added with a nod, suggesting that she wasn't without her own.

Turning toward the direction of the car, she gestured, "Right there, hon, around the corner. I didn't pay the parking meter, either, because I didn't plan on being there for too long. They don't watch too closely out here, do they?" she asked as she briefly faced Jeremy, shrugging again. She started in the direction indicated, prepared to lead the way, and walked at as slow a pace as she needed to for Jeremy to keep up. Her first aim was to get him someplace quiet, and help him get a better hold on just what he had.

Surprisingly though, his understanding of what he could do seemed to be uncommonly good for someone who had just discovered their gifts, she thought to herself. It would certainly come in handy in her task to lead him down a different path.

One that didn't end like the one in the photograph tucked away in the interior pocket of her suede jacket.

[Jeremy Eric Lyons]

Jeremy just followed and thought to himself, 'somewhere and someone to help me with these gifts, someones answering my paryers.' Being wiccan, Jeremy did not pray to one god, he prayed to many, his patron being Bastet. As they got closer to the car the actual question of, "Where are they taking me?" , arose and he voiced it aloud.

He felt safe around Isabela, he just had to air his caution to make it sound like he wasn't blindly arrogant. As soon as the car came in sight Jeremy nearly started drooling, fast cars were one of his lesser known turn ons, and this girl looked like she could go real fast. "Can I drive please?!?!?" , He asked with a childish gleam in his eyes.