WHO: Charlie McGee (OPEN) WHAT: Exploring her new surroundings. WHEN: Mid-afternoon WHERE: Welcome Center and a bit beyond STATUS: In Progress
If there was one stereotype about people who possessed pyrokinetic abilities, it would be their tempers. Most every pyro known had a short fuse - literal 'hot heads', as the case may be - and Charlie was no exception. Granted she'd spent most of her teenage years learning to keep her temper in check, but the fact remained that there were certain times when she simply couldn't.
This was definitely one of those times.
The door to the room she'd arrived in was melted into all but a puddle. There were scorch marks across the hallway, on both ceiling and floor. And that was just her initial reaction upon arrival. By the time the video had finished playing, it was taking everything she had not to quite literally burn the building to the ground.
As it was, there was a wave of heat that rolled from her as she left the Welcome Center before she really did catch it ablaze. A thin sheen of sweat covered her forehead and her hair was swept back from her face by a breeze of hot air felt only by her. Stopping at the top of the stairs, she peered out at the desolate street before her and did her best to calm herself.
Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides as Charlie forced her eyes closed. She didn't want to go on a burning spree, but the indignant rage she felt at being forced into this situation was enough to almost take the choice away from her entirely. Sometimes she simply couldn't keep herself in check no matter how hard she tried.
Unfortunately, if she had a water source on hand, she might not be in such a state. That wasn't the case, though, and finally Charlie realized she was fighting a losing battle. It wasn’t a matter of if she was going to destroy something, it was a matter of when. And, more importantly, what.
Her eyes slid open and she focused her gaze on a series of benches just to her right. A waiting area, she presumed, designed for those who wanted to sit outside. Within seconds, it was reduced to little more than fine ash. Instantly, sprinklers began to spray from nozzles along the side of the building. A low-pitched siren sounded somewhere and she paused, wondering if this place had a fire department.
Somehow, she doubted it.
The water source, however, helped. For a good thirty seconds, nothing more than steam emerged from the sprinklers as Charlie did her best to soak up every drop of liquid that spewed forth. "Back off," she muttered softly, fingernails digging into her palms as she eyed the sprinklers as though they were the only thing in the world. "Just back off!"
It worked, finally, and the blond exhaled in relief. She turned her gaze from the destruction with an anxious bite of her lip and silently stepped away from the Welcome Center. Her footsteps were light down the stairs, but her heart hammered in her chest with the hope that no one had witnessed her mishap.