Jono had not at all expected there to be somebody else down there, and it took him a moment to take in what he was seeing. Before he really saw the girl, he saw the glass. It reminded him a lot of the hospital room he'd spent the last year in. He'd taken to keeping the blinds shut, and requesting that nobody open them, because he'd felt like he was in a fish tank, a pretty little beta there for the amusement of others. Dangerous but novel.
The girl on the other side of it did nothing to lessen the impression of familiarity he was feeling, and Jono was overcome with shame for just standing there and saying nothing. For doing exactly what he hadn't wanted others to do to him, staring.
What? Jono shrugged a bit. Far too startled to think about communicating with this stranger in a more polite way. Technically speaking, I suppose I am what everyone else here is, a mutant. But I suspect you mean something a little more complex than that, don't you?
It was difficult to pull away from the feeling of fraternity he was feeling toward this person he didn't even know the name of. She was obviously kept here. The glass keeping her apart from the rest of the school. Secluded in the basement. It gave him the idea that she was dangerous, and he could commiserate with that.
I'm Jonothan Starsmore. Jono. What about you has you kept down here? The tone of the voice in his head was not accusatory or - he hoped - anything approaching rude. Curious. Understanding. Non-judgmental.