Esther was still beaming to herself, laughing inwardly at how mundane and even boring the world around her was.  Gossip, food fights, cliques, drama, all of it looking more and more like a farce.  It was as though she was a member of a rat maze and had found out she could simply climb over the walls.  Three dimensional thinking.. she pondered absently just how good an analogy that may be.<br/><br/>She waited in line, tempted to use her ability to pinpoint weaknesses and flaws in the others standing there.  Just this morning, she had destroyed someone's life.  And she had felt guilty, truly guilty.  And for most of the morning, her entire nature was given to finding the other ones, those other class mates that hadn't yet destroyed anyone or anything, and warn them.  But gradually, the fear and the guilt had been replaced with different questions, different perceptions, and different abilities.  She felt the Old Esther, the girl she had been yesterday, chiding her, warning her that feeling guilty was good.  That she should try feeling that more.  But that voice was whispering right now, against the growing confidence she was experiencing.  A whole new level of reality for her to learn, explore, and adapt to.  It scared her, but fear was giving way to intrigue.  And her old reality, she thought as she looked around, made her feel like a wolf that had suddenly appeared in the middle of a mass of sheep.  She still felt guilt for Dorothea, but as the day had gone on, and especially after Art Class, she had to look for it more.<br/><br/>She went and sat down at a booth, picking at her food, wondering what she wanted to do next.  She allowed herself to contemplate whether or not she felt bored enough to simply play hookie the rest of the day.  It did seem like the others she wanted to catch had found other priorities.  She also contemplated this whole affair with Amalia, how exactly to deal with it and, sadly, whether or not her Critter would need to order in when she did.  It was this train of thought that was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Number Muncher.<br/><br/>"Hey there!" she said, honestly surprised to see him.  She smiled and politely motioned for him to sit down.  "You want some 'tots?  I can't eat them today." she said, pushing that part of her tray over to him.<br/><br/>Esther was very curious about him.  She'd want to ask where he transferred from, what he did with his smarts at home, that kind of thing.  "I mean, I don't know if you mind a girl looking over your shoulder, but I was about to get curious if you had a sister named Dee Dee or something.  You're really something!"  Esther would want to make him laugh, but she had to probe for his funny bone a little.<br/><br/>However, the bigger question was also the stupidest sounding one.  "Why'd you thank me back in class?  I wasn't exactly sticking up for you, for all the offence I don't mean by pointing that out."