The streets were calling his name and he was straying from the only family that he had, the family that had rejected him when they found out that he was a mutant. He didn't have the perfect life, but he was still alive. That was the curse that he had to live with that he'd stay alive. He was a kid in a black hooded shirt and a pair of blue jeans, hands stuffed into his pockets. The streets of Los Angeles were so quiet at night. He found refuge by a burnt out street light and a trash can. "You're my only friend now." He said as he pulled out his lighter from his pocket and flipped it open, closed it, and than flipped it open again. The light above him started to flicker like it was trying to come on, but it didn't. It simply gave up and just flickered off.
It was a very cold night and Los Angeles seemed to be dead except for a few people that were up and roaming around. They were probably junkies looking for another fix at 2:30 a.m. The women, "professional lovers" no doubt, never slept either. It was annoying; he didn't like to be around people, well not anymore. It was annoying the way the human race was. They shun anything and everyone that they find superior to them. Now the human race was trying to kill all the mutants because they were different and in more then one way, better. Mutants didn't fucking do anything to the human race, yet they still wanted to kill them. It was like the mutant society was a bug on their windshield.
That was enough to get under the skin of the outcasted mutant. He flipped his lighter open once more and up sprang the flame. John held it in front of his face, the orange-reddish glow hypnotized him. There was a smile on Pyro's face as he could feel the heat coming off of the flame. He closed the top of his lighter again and put it in his pocket as he sat on the sidewalk, watching people and cars go by. He had a family; it was The Brotherhood that was lead by Magneto. For some odd reason he didn't feel at home there either. The streets couldn't be much worse.
At least he wouldn't have to listen to Magneto preach about The Human Race and it's evilness nor would he have to listen to Xavier preach about peace between both Mutants and The Human race. It was nearly fucking impossible to have peace on both sides.
"You'll never be like us!" Kitty Pryde's voice echoed in John's head. "You betrayed us, remember, John? You joined The Brotherhood, our sworn ENEMIES!" Kitty's voice got louder inside of John's head. It was going to drive insane; it was going to drive him to drink, something he really wanted to do right know but probably wouldn't. He could see the pain on Kitty's face, the stupid vision. It didn't mean anything; it was just a blasted memory, one that he wished he could fucking forget.
It wasn't the first time that he'd heard voices. Oh no, and it probably wouldn't be the last. It was guilt no doubt. He felt guilty about leaving the X-Men and Kitty Pryde. But that guilt would die down as he suppressed his feelings, his feelings would soon lead to anger and he would than lash out at the people around him. He would even lash out at the people he once loved and cared for, the people that he now hated and was disgusted by.
His brother, Bobby "Iceman" Drake was on the other team. That disgusted John, hell, in John's eyes he had no brother. Whoever aligned themselves with people like The X-Men became his enemy. He heard a noise in the back of an alley. So he peered his head around the corner and looked down it. It was probably nothing, he determined as he slowly stood up. Taking his lighter out of his pocket he flipped it open, the red-orangish flame shooting up as he made a small ball of fire in his hand as he started walking down the alley with his fireball as his guide.
"Hello?" John shouted. There was no answer as a reply. John continued to walk down into the alley. It was probably a raccoon or a rat looking for food, he decided. Walking to the end of the alleyway, he shined his fireball over towards three or four trashcans but there was nothing there, so he figured it was just a 'Coon or a Rat looking for food. He shot the fireball at the wall, the wall took the fireball with grace and it left a small burn mark there.
"Fucking 'Coons." John said as he turned his back to the brick wall and started walking to the entrance of the Alleyway. He had this insane feeling that he was being watched. He rolled his shoulders in a shrug and kept on walking. Getting to the entrance of the alleyway, he walked out and took a seat on the curb of the sidewalk. "I gotta stop being paranoid." He told himself as he stuck his hands into his pockets and leaned back against a "Do Not Park" sign that was illuminated by the working street lamp.
It had been a long bus ride from New York City to Los Angeles, California. He was surprised that he hadn't been picked up yet. He'd been here for a day and no one had really recognized him yet. Needless to say, he was surprised since they flashed his face all over the television every time they got a chance. He was a mutant so he was Public Enemy #1 right now. But even mutant's needed their sleep. He got up and walked over to the street lamp he was sitting under a minute ago. His clothed back slid down the edge of the brick wall and he looked up at the stars, or what he could see of them. For a brief moment he didn't feel alone, he didn't really feel that angry so he shut his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.