Shutterbug/A Home For All
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
A Home for All
by Lucy Jones - Special to the Paragon Times
Atlas Park - Behind an ordinary door lies a haven of extraordinary proportions. A place where superpowered children can live, learn, and grow into the Heroes Paragon City relies on every day. The school is called Maggie's Rock after one of it's founders, Maggie "Ireland" Love, a fixture here in Galaxy City. Together with her co-founder, Nick Kinsolving, she has established what is sure to be an important fixture of life in Paragon City.
A quick tour of the Rock reveals that it is uniquely suited to serve the needs of the children who reside there. In addition to the science classes, there are many resources for children who wield magic. A large library also serves to support research and entertainment.
The students also have a small garden where they can sit and study, if the common room is occupied. And with so many students, it's a good thing the [kitchen] is as large as it is. It gets swarmed regularily at mealtimes.
So who are these children? The future of our city, their stories are as varied as the decorations in their rooms. Karli, for instance, found her own way to the Rock. With her father off fighting in another dimension and her mother prevented from giving her the care Karli needed, it was natural that she would come to the Rock. It took a little research, but once she found the website, she fell in love.
"(I)t really seemed like a place to be a family for me. The other places I'd seen were more like schools, not homes," says Karli. It's a sentiment echoed by the other children.
Portal Corp discovers new worlds every day. Jason, though, has firsthand knowledge of one particular civilization. One so advanced that they took up their entire dimension. In trying to gain more space, they ended up destroying themselves. But not before squirreling all the knowledge of their race away into a super-computer. A super-computer that resides inside of Jason's brain.
"(I)t alienated me from my family something fierce. I couldn't be there with them like that," he notes. After leaving home, he roamed Paragon for months, trying his best to make a positive impact. "I joined the Rock mostly for being tired of sleeping outdoors. But this place gets you. Can't help but care about these folks. It's infectious."
Not all the learning is academic though. Arrarad, a descended Angel, has come to learn about humans and their interactions in the world. Found by a priest, he was brought to the Rock to further his education and to stay out of trouble. He also feels at home with the students and teachers. When asked what his favorite moment at the school was, he replied, "I discovered something here.....it's an amazing creation that shows the pure amazing feats humans can achieve....I had been here a day, and I walked to the kitchen, and found a thing called Hot Pockets...."
While many of the students are the first in their families to exhibit powers of any sort, others are well acquainted with the Hero life. Ben is the son of Maggie Love and the popular star of a Saturday morning cartoon, HEROID. A cyborg, he's been at the Rock since it opened. With a brother, a helper, and several older students to watch him, he still manages to have the usual childhood escapes, including drinking an entire jar of spicy salsa. But in the end, there's always someone keeping an eye out. "That's the best part. There's always someone to watch your back!" Ben notes. And give a hug and a cookie.
Maggie's Rock is more than a school. It serves as a home to these children, who live and study here. And that means chores. Sarah is frequently on kitchen patrol. With water-based powers though, it's not quite the tedious work it could be. There are bonuses to attending the Rock as well. Several of the courses here are not ones that would be found at a normal high school. "We have lots of classes. I'm taking Puns and Quips 101 as an elective, for instance,"says Sarah. "My favorite is still Mr. Stark's Xenosociology class. The field trips are awesome!" There are extracirricular activities as well. Sarah is partial to swimming and reading Stephen King. When she graduates, she plans to be a full-time Hero, and marry Polaron. Though ambitious, there's no doubt that the Rock will prepare her for the future.
Just as in any family, the older students at the Rock often find themselves helping to take care of the younger ones. Amelia has been at the rock for almost eight months. Prior to coming to the school, she lived at SERAPH. Afflicted with a strange wasting-like disease, she was monitored and cared for by SERAPH. She combats it by borrowing small bits of energy from the people around her. While SERAPH searches for a cure, she lives at the Rock and helps identify new students. She takes a full schedule of classes, and especially enjoys Mr. Stark's Xenosociology classes. "Xenosociology means 'blowing up aliens for justice,'" Amelia notes, pointing out that it's the most popular class at the school.
It's also a class that Jericho enjoys. Another one of the older students, he literally ran into the Rock. Pursued by several Circle of Thorns mages, the Rock offers him a safe haven as well as a controlled environment in which he can study his magic. He's currently learning crystal singing, in addition to his regular work load of mechanics, math, and literature. "And Applied Negotiations through Superior Force, one of our field trip classes." He hopes his classes here will help him become a child psychologist and counselor. "I kind of lived on the streets for a long time, and I'd like to help some of the others out there who didn't make it."
It's the sense of togetherness that makes Maggie's Rock unique. Despite their background and experiences, they've all come together to help and care for each other. A family in every sense of the word, they make up the future of our city.
