Saint Joseph School

Joao and his friends came in and cleaned up the group that Jimmy was fighting with. They had already bailed him out once, when Malta had captured him. Jimmy could tell Joao's friends didn't like him. They glared at him, watched him, tried to intimidate him. He couldn't blame them. They hadn't met in ...

Joao walked through the crisp night air of the Row, his senses sharp having just cleared out a Skull haunt. He had one stop left before he returned to school for the night. As he opened the door to the abandoned El Super Mexicano when Hermando and Estiban lived, his greeting caught on his lips ...

Joao leaned against the rail of the pier on Talos Island, watching the sunset. His heart beat quickly, thought whether it was nerves or anticipation, he couldn't tell. He knew Jimmy would be there soon, so he checked in one last time. There was no one around, so he signed off.

"I'll be careful ...

Hermando grabbed Joao by his shirt in excitement, almost knocking the fresh propane tank out of his hands. "The rats are gone. The rats are gone!"

Startled, Joao took Hermando's hands, gently prying them from his grasp. Hermando was having a bad day again. Things weren't getting better. Joao wished ...

Estiban di Silva thanked the kind lady as she dropped a five dollar bill into his battered Pawtucket Red Sox cap. It had been a great day; the sun was shining, and there was a cool breeze coming off the ocean. It was the kind of day that made people optimistic just to be outside. In short, it was a ...

Joao walked through the row, upset with himself. He had hit more Hellion haunts than he cared to count, but no one knew who had called the hit on Casey. It was late, and he needed to be back at school before he was missed. He had just enough time to check in on Hermando and Estiban at the restaurant ...

Atwood turned to a new page, sitting in Conrads' office. "I don't usually sit in on your private sessions, David."

"I know, Valerie, but this is a special case. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I think it might be important."

"Of course."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door as Joao ...

Conrads smiled as Joao sat with his eyes closed. Joao was very good at visualizing places he had been before. It fell in line with is aptitude for memory and recognition. Still, Conrads was proud of the boy, and how far he had come. He knew Joao was getting help from outside the school, but he still ...

Conrads rubbed his temple. Joao tried, but the guided meditation just wasn't working with him. This was the third attempt, butnothing seemed to be working. Still, every night, Joao reported to the bunker, and trained hard, until he was tired enough to sleep. He had regained his appetite, and it was ...

Staring at the ground, Joao watched himself put one foot in front of the other. His mind raced with everything that had happened that day. True to his word, he had been giving the hero thing an honest try, and it had started conflicts within him. What he was doing was no different than what he did ...

"Easy stuff first, sera." Joao pointed to the staircase winding its way up to the old textile mill. "I'll meet you at the top."

Joao jumped up and caught the ledge of the second landing, and pulled himself up. He climbed the third flight, taking three stairs at a time, then jumped off the end ...

Joao dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch. He stood, smiling at the people who joined him. "Free runnin' is about speed, timin', endurance, and havin' a good sense of distance. You ain't can be afraid to take risks, and if you doubt, you miss. But if you runnin' right, you may well be flyin ...

Conrads sighed and rubbed his temples. "Let's start again, Jonny."

He and Joao had been working for about half an hour on meditation practices. Joao, however, did not seem to be taking it very seriously.

"Close your eyes, and picture yourself on a forest path."

"Like in the park?"

"Yes, like ...

Conrads looked up from his desk as he heard a tentative knock on his door. He stood up, coming around to the chairs set up in the front of his office. "Come in."

Joao walked into the office, seeming easy going and unflappable, but Conrads could feel the apprehension Joao was hiding.

"You wanted to ...

(( This thread is open for anyone who joins in the free run of the old textile mill in King's Row. This run takes place every morning before classes. ))

Joao looked down from the roof top at the group gathered for the free run. He had come a different direction so he could see how many showed up ...