Disclaimer: I own Lucy Bridgewater, AKA Taser, AKA Taze. The other writer of this series owns Jinx, who is not in this chapter but hey, trust me, you'll know her when you see her. In fact, there are probably going to be quite a few original characters. Everyone else we obviously don't own. Including the song in this chapter; "Hello," by Oasis (which I own only on CD).
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We live in the shadows, and we had the chance and blew it away...
"Lucy!"
And it's never gonna be the same...
"BRIDGEWATER!"
Embarrassed by failing to notice the manager was right next to her, Taze yanked off her headphones, hoping fruitlessly to stash them under her shirt before he saw them. It didn't work. The manager glanced coldly at the headphone-shaped bulge in the fabric before continuing. "So. I guess there's no point in asking you if you saw the girl, since you were too busy having your little party over here."
"It helps me focus," Taze insisted. She quickly turned back to the cans of creamed corn beside her and began shoving them, one by one, atop the metal shelf in front of her. Just like she was getting paid minimum wage to do. Like a good girl.
The manager's hand shot out, snatching a can from her in mid-stack. "It's against store policy," he told her firmly, looking utterly disgusted. "Damn it, didn't we go out on enough of a limb just hiring you in the first place?"
Her gaze dropped to the battered linoleum floor. Taze's eyes, too bright a blue to be found on a human's face, made her an easy mark for people like this. Every other shelf-stocker in this grocery store made twice what she did, they didn't have to worry about being fired on a whim, and they didn't have to worry about being turned away by other prospective employers before they even began their job interviews. The manager was right. She'd been insanely lucky to...
"...probably one of your friends, wasn't she?" The manager sneered.
Taze's stomach churned. He was enjoying this far too much for this just to be another of his "your kind doesn't belong here" sessions.
"Guess you didn't see her little display in the produce section," he drawled, waiting for her to try making a comment. "We caught her trying to slip a package of blueberries in her pocket, and next thing we know, her hair's standing on end, her eyes are grey instead of blue..." He shoved his face in front of hers, staring straight into her own electric blue irises. "...and we can't get to her 'cause we're tripping all over ourselves. Poor Jimmy even had the entire section of berries come toppling down on his head."
Taze bit her lip, forcing herself to stare back. "It's not my fault. It's not like we're the only two..." She hesitated, then added the word in a barely intelligible whisper. "...mutants in the world. For all we know, Magneto's back in the States and he sent her down here to replenish his snack supply."
"Yeah, and who knows what you're doing here instead of with them, mutant!" Unlike Taze, the manager practically shouted the word. "Look, I don't need this kind of hassle. It's time for you to get out of here, freak. For good."
Taze opened her mouth to argue, but gave up on the idea immediately. For one thing, it was futile; the man hated her. More importantly, she was going to start crying if she tried to talk. Pressing her lips together, she pulled her headphones back on. The song picked up where she'd left it as she marched toward the door.
'Cause the years are falling by like the rain...
On impulse, she paused by the pile of fallen fruit. Feeling slightly guilty but too vengeful to care, she stuck a package of blueberries in her pocket before walking out.
...'til the life i knew comes to my house and says hello.