Linus Young
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Volition
Real Name: Linus Young
Age: 15
Identity: Secret
Birthplace: Cleveland, OH
Date of Birth: March 20, 1995
Known Relatives: Claudia Young (mother), Harold Young (father), Stephanie Young (older sister), Adrian Young (twin brother)
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 148 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Grade: Sophomore
Dorm: Taylor

Linus was a middle child, but only by a technicality.


Disclaimer The information contained on this page may NOT be taken as IC information without the expressed and written consent of the player.


"Can I get you anything, Mr. Weiss?" My mom was doing what she always did: Entertaining company, making people feel at home. She was quite good at it. In fact, she was a professional, having helped support the family for ten years as a professional caterer. It was hard work, but it paid the bills.

"No. That won't be necessary, Ms. Young. I-" "Please. Call me Claudia."

"Mom!" I called out. I was already nervous and uncomfortable, and she wasn't helping. Dad was at work. He, at least, was staying out of the way. I had no idea where my siblings were, but I knew they couldn't be far. Mom got up and shook her head, "I'm sorry, dear. I'll leave you two to talk about things. I'm sure there's a lot to talk about." When she opened the door to leave, I got the answer to my questions. My twin brother, Adrian, spilled right onto the floor. He must've been leaning against the door to hear what he could. My sister, Stephanie, at least had the good sense to stand a few feet back, but she was no less busted. Mom gave them a look, and then closed the door behind them.

"You've got a wonderful family, Linus. You should be proud."

"Yes sir." The air felt like stale rice cakes and tasted just as bad.

"You don't need to call me sir." The man smiled. He was well dressed and had a file an inch thick. Dimly, I realized it had my name on it. "I won't mince words with you, young man. I've read your file. You've attracted a lot of attention to yourself with this 'Burning Man' awfulness."

Attracted a lot of attention to myself. The words bounced around in my head, delicious irony. He sounded like a principal. Was he a principle? I'd heard this sort of talk before, though it was the police chief who gave me the talk. The police chief. I had no interest in doing this again. "There's a first for everything, Mr. Weiss. I, uh… didn't mean to get involved. I didn't even know."

Mr. Weiss wasn't buying it. "Your abilities started to manifest when you were 12 years old, yes? It wasn't obvious, but after the fire, you caught our attention and we knew what to look for."

"Yes, s… Mr. Weiss, s-sir." Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. "I… I brushed against someone on a bus and-"

"And you turned invisible." "I… turned invisible." "What did you think about that?" I shrugged.

"Did you understand what had happened, Linus?"

"N-No. Of course not." I looked at the floor and suddenly wished I was on the other side of the door where Adrian was probably still listening. This sort of thing -never- happens to Adrian. Some twin brother. He was the track star, aced all his exams, got all the attention. If I'm a Neohuman, then is he, too? What's his superpower? Overshadow your twin brother? Figures I have a superpower and it's just to copy other people's powers. I don't even get my own power!

"But do you understand now?"

"Y. Yes." "Did you know what would happen when you touched the burning man?" I shrugged again, afraid to answer. I wasn't going to answer. To my horror, he laughed. I mean he really laughed. Was he laughing at me? Dimly, I admitted to myself that in spite of everything that was happening, this was the first bit of attention I was getting since… well since forever. It felt really good to be the one people were watching, instead of my stupid brother. I've heard that the youngest is supposed to get all the breaks. I missed out by three minutes. That's the story of my life.

"M… Mr. Weiss? What's so funny?"

"Linus, that man you touched… the one who was on fire, killed six people that afternoon. You're exceptionally lucky that it worked. He would've incinerated you on the spot. It was irresponsible and foolish of you, and you could have made your mommy and daddy very, very sad." He was talking down to me again. Mommy and Daddy? Who talks like that?

I protested, "But-" I didn't get far before he cut me off, "You were standing with him on a bridge. He'd stopped traffic in every direction. Fifty people saw you burst into flames. Two of them were your classmates." My stomach twisted in knots. I closed my eyes and whispered. "But he was going to jump." A tear escaped my gaze. Mr. Weiss nodded. "Yes, he was." "He didn't want to do what he did." "I'm sure he didn't, Linus. He wasn't a bad man… just a very confused man who didn't mean to kill anyone. Did you know who he was?"

"No."

"His name is Tyler Martin." Mr. Weiss pulled out another stack of papers and my eyes started tearing over. He had his file, too. "He dropped out of high school at sixteen. When you met him, he was high and unable to contain his powers or his depression." He dropped the file onto the table, letting the pages spill forth. "What did you say to him?" And then he leaned closer. "What did you do?" I tried to look him in the eye, but all I saw were my own tears.

"I just wanted to show him that he wasn't the only one. That it's.. confusing. And lonely. And he wasn't as unique and distant as he thought." He looked at me and didn't say a word. I thought he was going to scream at me. I didn't know what I thought. "You saved his life, Linus, and at not inconsiderable personal risk. In doing so, you attracted a lot of attention to yourself, which is why I'm here. We have a school for people like you. Classes are ending soon, but I'd like to take you on a tour of our facilities…"

Concept Summary

Linus was never good enough at anything to stand out. It seemed there was no point in trying. He'd never be the fastest, or the strongest, or the smartest. Those laurels went to other people… generally, it seemed, to his twin brother. At the onset of puberty, he gained the ability to mimic the powers of neohumans via physical contact. And although he may still not be the fastest, or the strongest, or the smartest all the time, some of the time he can be anything at all.

Personality

Like a kid coming in from the rain. He's been so exceptionally unexceptional for as long as he can remember. Being different is a thrill for him, even though the exact nature of his powers are a lesson in scrumptious irony. He doesn't come from a legacy of superheroics, but a simple suburban family. All of this is new to him, and he's still trying to wake up.

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