nextgen_holiday:

There's a piece of paper and a pen attached to a bulletin board. Across the top is written:

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Anonymous entries accepted.

nextgen_holiday:

The air was warm and the sun was bright making it a perfect day for a cookout to celebrate Labor Day. Classes would start on the 7th (for those going to college they started a week ago) and it was the last chance to kick back and cut loose before hitting the books.

At Xavier's Institute For Higher Learning tables had been placed out around the pool and the large grill fired up. Burgers, hot dogs, sausage, ribs, corn on the cob, pasta salad, salad and fruit salad were just some of the food available to eat. Soda, water, fruit juice and other beverages were on ice.

It was a day of rest and relaxations for those who put their lives on the line for others.

kidfuzzy:

So, apparently, she had a sister.  Well, a second sister.  There was already TJ, though she wasn't exactly sure what had happened to her.

The sheer size of the Mansion and various demands had kept Mina from meeting with her until now, but everything had finally lined up.  She'd thought about the best way to do it, and finally had left a message with Gretchen to meet her down in the gym for a time honored Wagner tradition: fencing.

Mina possessed a fair amount of skill at it, or at least she thought so, and besides, what she lacked in skill, she made up in quantity.

kidfuzzy:

The chapel at Xaiver's was smallish, but functional.  And it was where Mina found herself now, kneeling in prayer.  She was still in shock, truthfully.  And her father was like the walking dead himself.  He barely spoke, barely seemed to acknowledge the rest of the world.  At least her mom was home now, trying her best to help them both.

"God our Father,
Your power brings us to birth,
Your providence guides our lives,
and by Your command we return to dust.

Lord, those who die still live in Your presence,
their lives change but do not end.
I pray in hope for my family,
relatives and friends,
and for all the dead known to You alone.

In company with Christ,
Who died and now lives,
may they rejoice in Your kingdom,
where all our tears are wiped away.
Unite us together again in one family,
to sing Your praise forever and ever.

Amen. "

Her poor brother, who had never quite seemed comfortable in his own skin, who had seemed so frightened and skittish so much of the time.  Her brother.  She never thought of the fact that they hadn't shared the same mother.  He had been her brother and that was all that had mattered.  And now he was gone.

An accident, they said it was.  She wanted to believe that.  Wanted to believe it with all her heart.  But none of it changed the fact that her brother was dead. 

"Faultless Lord, enduring death for me,
You have consummated the debt of my sins:
Your sacrifice of forgiveness was absolute!
Grant me the strength to also forgive others,
To excuse their transgressions against me.
So I may truly reflect this spiritual fruit,
Obliterate any persistent feelings of malice.
Let each trespass end as a closing chapter,
My continuing on the road of righteousness.
Forgive my sins as I aspire to forgive others.
You are truly archetypical of forgiveness.
You are a most forgiving Lord! "

_tsunami_:

Cait left a basket of Sylvie's favorite baked goods in her room along with two pairs of leather gloves and a necklace. Cait usually didn't have much money, but what little she did have she always saved for gifts for her friends.

kidfuzzy:

Today, Mina could be found in the gym, putting herself through what could probably be called a fairly intense workout, but what she just called normal.  Numerous rings hung by cables from the ceiling, each at a slightly different height.  She grasped them with hands, feet, and tail, something with just one of those, sometimes with some combination.  Sometimes she would swing, sometimes, she would treat them more like monkey bars. 

Finally reaching the end of them, she flung herself through the air toward the wall, kicking out her feet at the last second to rebound, grabbed the lowest slung ring, and started back the other way at just as frantic a pace.  At the end, she flung herself at the opposite wall, but this time adhered to it, rather than bouncing off.  She took a deep breath, pushed herself off, executed a mid-air flip, and landed on the padded floor below in a crouch.

She stood and took a bow, just in case anyone was watching.