The dreaded counselors office.

Sam grinned. "Well, you wanted to know what you needed to know."

Will shrugged. "Didn't think it was that much though."

Sam shrugged. "There is more."

The echo of the school bell lingered in Cassie’s ears as she sat outside the door the to the counselors office. Even if she wanted to forgo the meeting she knew she’d be late for class and would be in even more trouble. Not that she believed herself to be in trouble as it were, she knew she’d done nothing wrong….well, technically she’d done nothing wrong.

Cassie never was one for good study habits. It’s not that she was lazy; she just didn’t see the point of it. She didn’t see the point of high school period. With the things she could do, she knew there were more important things to focus her attention on. But the simple fact that it was necessary that she stay in school or run the risk of being sent back to the group home was one idea she could not stand. She’d been through a few foster homes in her short 14 years and could honestly say that the current one was decent, aside from the fact that they were a little on the extremely religious side. They didn’t beat her, torture her, molest her, or otherwise make her life a living hell, so she had no reason to think anything but good thoughts about them. But they still were not family to her. No matter how well they treated her, she still could not see them more than a roof over her head and a sure meal. She’d never known that close family feeling and it was a complete mystery to her whenever anyone spoke of it. As indifferent as she felt about it, she couldn’t help but be jealous. She hoped someday she could find out what a real family was like, but, deep down, she knew it was unlikely, at least at this stage in her life.

“Cassandra? The counselor will see you now”

The voice of the secretary pulled Cassie from her thoughts and with a sigh of more annoyance than concern; she slung her book bag over her shoulder and entered the room. The counselor sat behind his desk and looked up briefly as she stepped inside.

“Ah, miss Peyton, have a seat”

His demeanor was friendly, yet serious and Cassie was more or less waiting to get this pointless meeting done and over with. She flopped down in the chair facing the desk and remained silent, a look of “Now what” upon her face. The counselor responded with his own look of annoyance at her lack of concern over the matter. They sat in silence for a few moments, each waiting for the other to say something.

“…Well?” he finally asked. Cassie maintained a look of innocence.

“ ‘Well’ what?” she asked in return, careful not to sound too arrogant.

“You know why you’re here don’t you? He asked again. Cassie shrugged. In all honesty she had no idea, but she knew it had something to do with her abilities, whether or not if anyone else knew about them.

“No.” she said simply. The counselor sighed and rubbed his temple out of frustration.

“It’s come to my attention that you are accused of cheating your way through your classes.” He paused to study her reaction, which didn’t change much. “Is this true?”

“Is it true that I’m being accused or is it true that I’m cheating?” she asked back. The counsel sat back in his chair and grunted.

“Cassie…don’t pull this smart-ass crap with me please. You are better than this. We’ve been through this ordeal before. We both know that you aren’t the most studious one here. So how is it that you keep getting perfect scores on all of your tests and assignments?”

Cassie tried to hold back a cheeky smile as she lowered her eyes to the floor. Indeed this wasn’t the first time she’s been sent here with the notion that she’d be cheating. The only reason why she hasn’t been expelled was the simple fact that it couldn’t be proved either way.

“I dunno..” she answered simple, desperately trying to hold her tongue, “ maybe I’m just uber smart.”

The counselor was not amused. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and thought for a moment.

“Look, Cassie, whatever it is that you are doing, it’s not fair to the other students. I know you come from a rough background and you deserve a good education, but cheating is not the way to go about it. If that’s how you think you are going to make it in this world you are sadly mistaken. You are going to have to do something for yourself at some point.”

Cassie rolled her eyes and sighed. He guy meant well and she knew the he was right, but it really didn’t apply to her, she didn’t cheat…technically. How could she not use her abilities to get ahead? What good are they if not exploited even just a little bit? She remembered the first time she’d realized she was…different.
It was during a test in 7th grade. She had just but her science book away as the teacher passed out the exams. Having worn open-toed shoes that day, she took no notice when he had made the slightest bit of contact with her science book when all of a sudden, in the back of her mind, she could ‘see’ it. It was as if it were lying open in front of her and she could turn the pages just by thinking about it. At first she was alarmed and freaked out. Despite her initial reaction, she wasn’t about to pass up the moment to read the words and ace the exam. It was from then on that her problems with cheating accusations started. She never really was good at science.

“Yeah, I know…but I’m not cheating, I swear!...I just…have a really good memory I guess. I dunno how else to explain it.” Again, she wasn’t lying. It wasn’t too long after her first manifestation that she realized that she remembered every word she had read. The same began happening with everything else. She could recall long sets of numbers after just seeing them briefly. She could remember dates and times of events years ago, right down to the second. At times it became so overwhelming she thought she’d scream. But she soon discovered that if she didn’t dwell on the information, it would store itself away, but be easily recalled if desired.

Again the counselor was silent in thought. He also knew that this meeting was not going to be anything different that their last meetings, but was necessary procedure in these matters. If they couldn’t prove she was cheating, then the situation was out of his hands. He stood up and walked around his desk, finally sitting on the corner, staring Cassie down.

“Look, Cassie, I don’t want to see you in here for this again. If in fact you are cheating – even if you have yet to be proven so – I advise you to stop. It may work for you now, but it will catch up with you later in life. You are a good, smart, girl and I’d hate to see things go downhill for you. You deserve better than that. I don’t usually beg students to clean up their act, but I think you have great potential and I don’t want to see it wasted. So, please try to stay on the right path. I trust you have better judgment than this.”

Cassie nodded. She couldn’t blame him, really, he was only doing his job and she knew he sincerely cared about her wellbeing. “I promise sir. I really will…..and thanks” She had to admit, not many people had faith in her, so it was hard for her to be bitter towards those who did. The counselor nodded and smiled in approval, satisfied with her answer. He motioned that she was free to go back to class and reminded her to pick up an office slip on her way out.
Cassie stood and rather hastily left the room. The secretary already had the slip waiting for her and handed to her with somewhat of a suspicious look. Cassie didn’t doubt that she believed the accusations. She merely smiled sweetly to her and thanked her for the slip. Cassie stepped outside the door into the empty and quiet hallway. She thought for a moment and looked down each direction.

With a shrug, she silently headed towards her class, but had the strange feeling she wasn’t the only one lurking the halls…