Who: Vanessa and OTA When: Early Tuesday morning Where: Living room What: Getting lost in a good book
Vanessa didn't like to eat in the dining room because it got so hectic in there. When she could, she avoided large crowds. They made her head hurt, and her shifting was usually noticeable. A change of hair color here, a bit of a tan there, bust growing or shrinking depending on who she was around - she stood out sometimes. And that was pretty much the opposite of what she was supposed to do. Blend in, copy the others, take notes, report back. Staying in the background remained paramount to her.
But she enjoyed being out and about in the morning, when fewer students had managed to drag themselves out of bed. It helped her to feel a little more normal. So as early as she could, she brewed a pot of coffee, poured as much as could fit (with creamer) into a large thermos, toasted some bread, and made her way to the living room to curl up on the couch and read with a pretty consistent supply of hot coffee. Because she had no studying to do, she had The Echo Maker, the book she'd borrowed from Dr. McCoy, open on her lap, completely engrossed in the novel. She had spent a lot of time to herself in the past week, reading the book. She had, in fact, already finished it once, and was now rereading it. Partially because it was Dr. McCoy's book - so she didn't want to buy a new book to read because then it wouldn't have belonged to Dr. McCoy at all - and partially because she was too nervous to go by again and ask to borrow another one just yet.
Her isolation should have left her more herself, more solidly Vanessa than exhibiting traits of the students she observed. But her powers itched to exert themselves past the molding of her "normal" form that she kept up at all times. It left her much more susceptible to copycatting others, not less. At least the book was really good. She hoped she could just be left in peace.