Hello everyone. So yeah, erm...I kinda got addicted to watching Pyro tributes on YouTube.
you're gonna have to bare with me at the moment because I haven't actually watched any f the x men films...I have sinned! Bum not kidding, I briefly remember going to see x men: the last stand (I was like six at the time, didn't even know the title until a few months back) and I got so freaked out that I refused to watch any of them.
since I've been getting into marvel and dc comics and films a lot more , I decided it was about time I got onto the x men wagon, and immediately liked pyro. I don't know why, his mutant powers and cocky attitude was interesting and I really want to learn more about him, seeing as Ive only really seen the comic version.
im hoping to get a better understanding of each character as I write but also watch the films, I got the wolverine origins comic a month back and I remember seeing him in last stand and yeah, another mini crush there. I'm trying so hard not to fangirl, but its difficult! I'm a nerd when it comes to marvel and dc, so hopefully this will turn out okay.
there will likely be major gaps between each chapter as I watch the films and do research, but I will try to keep them quite short depending what free time I get. That was a longer introduction then I was expecting O.O.
with that done, on with the chapter
So go on and scream,
Scream at me I'm so far away (so far away),
I won't be broken again (again),
I've got to breathe - I can't keep going under,
Evanescence ~ Going Under
I watched the water swirl around me, the clear blue calming all my senses. The swimming pool was quite large, even if it was inside Professor Xavier's school for the gifted, you could easily get a decent lap out of the length. Silently, I sat crossed legged at the bottom of the pool, my mind buzzing with happiness as the isolation calmed me, the chaos of school life deteriorating the longer I stayed in the water. Holding my breath wasn't hard, heartbeat at a steady pace as I slowly looked up, the water allowing me as we had a mutual arrangement.
Pushing my body upwards, I swam to the surface, taking a gasp as oxygen spilled into my lungs, gracefully breaking through the water. I heard clapping, with a smile I twisted my body ninety degrees to face my best friend. Johanna stood aghast at the edge of the pool, her brown skin and black hair making her one of the prettiest girls at school, getting loads of attention. I didn't really care, focused more on school work then relationships, work so much easier and less complicating.
"Twenty minutes, a new record." She exclaimed, still unable to believe that I could stay under that long. I performed breaststrokes to the nearest edge, hoisting my wet body to sit on the side. My fingers weren't even wrinkled, perfectly smooth without a single dry patch.
"I don't know why, I like water, its the only place I can think." I replied, kicking my legs in the water so splashes twirled on the surface.
"I swear you're part fish." Johanna commented, thinking herself smug as she turned her nose up at me with jealousy. Feeling mischievous, I spread my fingers and raised a hand slowly, willing the water to shape in a small bulged twisting mould. It did as I commanded, the strain not so hard as mastering the ability gradually got easier. Instantly I turned my hand in Johanna's direction, the bulge following it and splashing into her face. Instantly she was drenched in the liquid, hands raised in shock as heavy breathes escaped her mouth.
I cried with laughter, pranks not usually my thing. Johanna didn't find it so funny, her brand new clothes bought by her parents, all the expensive brands on every inch of her body.
"You're gonna pay for that Sam." She roared, my cries turning into bellows as I clutched my sides. "Stop laughing Samantha." That got my attention, hating my full name.
Eventually I did stop, apologising through smirking lips. Luckily Johanna took it lightly, smiling at my disheveled appearance. My black hair holding strips of dark blue, Johanna nick naming me Aqua due to the deep colour. It was completely drenched and felt crumpled, my swimsuit clung to my body as it usually does after swimming, but it doesn't bother me all that much.
"I'm gonna sneak off and have a shower before our next lesson." I concluded, not wanting the smell of chlorine following me for the whole day, Johanna nodded, agreeing with my intentions. I clawed to my feet and padded off in the direction of the girl's changing room, a trail of puddles following me like a lost puppy.
I assumed Johanna had gone to grab stuff out of her locker, hearing her bangles clicking together against her wrists, the noise irritable to me. Hastily I turned the hot tap on, fresh water slipping down my body, washing away any remanance of chlorine. I sighed happily, the sensation bubbling against my skin.
"Sammy wait! Mom says we're not supposed to go in the lake."
"Come on, it'll cool us down."
"But I can't swim!"
"I'll be right here, nothing bad is gonna happen. I'm always gonna be around to protect my little brother."
I gasped, the warm water streaming down my throat. The memory had unwillingly appeared behind my eyes, sending a wave of fear through my body. I clutched the tiled wall of the shower with both hands, trying to steady my mind as my body shook violently. Inhaling and exhaling became gradually easier, these short panic attacks torturing me at any given moment.
Just calm down, turn the water off and get changed.
I ordered myself, forcefully doing it even with the memory still pulsating through my brain. The water stopped dripping down my body as I switched the tap off, making my way towards a locker, gripping the handle as I tried to force it open.
"Trust me to use the bloody sticky one." I moaned as my firm grip on the handle tightened, pulling as hard as I could. Still it wouldn't budge, so I slammed my fist against it in rage. I hissed as pain pulsed through my hand, regretting the brashness immediately
That day had started out as non chaotic break, just a chance to feel like I belonged. But no. I had to be reminded of what happened, of what brought me here in the first place.
Pushing the damp strands of hair out of my eyes, I again tried to yank the locker open, with it finally admitting defeat with a loud squeak. Mentally I fist pumped, grabbing my clothes as I slipped into a beige cubicle. A single mirror screwed into the wall, the reflected image stopping just above my shins, the lower parts of my body cut off. I'm never the vain type, but I couldn't help but take in my appearance. Black hair lying limply above my shoulders, the messy look that I know Johanna hates. Two beads of deep blue strips sitting both sides of my cheeks, a fashion accessory I was born with. Quite pale skin, considering I spent most of my childhood either in freezing lake water or inside in the dark of a farmhouse. Blue eyes that Johanna find dazzling, personally, I just think they're average. I'm reasonably slender, my taller than average height complimenting the slimness, making me look a lot thinner than I actually am.
"One day, one day I'm going to do something about this hair." I murmured to myself, the messiness something I can't seem to get rid of no matter what I do, it just always ends up looking unkempt. I slipped on a plain white t-shirt and black hoodie, blue jeans and plain trainers as the tomboy look hasn't changed since I was eight. People say you should be more diverse with what you wear, I wear what feels comfortable, what feels right.
Stepping out of the cubicle, I shook my hair like a wet dog, droplets of water flying everywhere. Using a towel, I had dried most of the water off my body, but it ends up still staying moist, like a constant reminder of what I can do.
Dumping the swimsuit into a plastic bag, I made my way to another locker in the corridors, grabbing my school bag before Science with Dr McCoy. Students of every size, age and mutation bustled through the corridors, a common sight though many normal humans thought it surreal. To me, this was everyday life, at the end of the day I can't change who I am and I might as well accept it. Though the nagging sensation never diminishes, the day at the lake still tarnishing me from excelling in life in general.
As I hooked the bag over one shoulder, I heard a click sound, like a metallic object. Scanning my eyes for the sound, I noticed a boy leaning against a locker a few metres away. It didn't initially hit home that I had heard the click with shouts and bustling feet, too immersed in this new face.
The object in his hand was a lighter, shaped like a shark's jaws as an orange flame sprouted from within. The boy didn't acknowledge me looking at him, his far off gaze as he clicked and unclicked the lighter. Honestly, he wasn't the best looking guy in school, but he wasn't ugly either. Brown hair combed back, plain brown leather jacket, beige t-shirt. By the way he kept making the orange flame appear, I quickly concluded that Johanna had mentioned something about a guy that had a lighter like that. Allerdyce I think she said, how his arrogance and snarky comments made him a total jerk. He did have that ignorant egomaniac aura about him, but he didn't seem all that bad.
I stopped staring, shutting my locker and making my way towards science, having to pass Allerdyce in the progress. Still he didn't notice me, which I was glad of, not wanting a conversation with the fire obsessive.
The class was already pretty full, claustrophobia apparent as I tried to slip into a seat close to Johanna. She had taken a seat in the centre of the room, me, having to sit behind her as the other desks had been taken. She smiled at me as I passed, her not being overly bothered about sitting next to me as a guy took my place, her flirty side brought forward.
I rolled my eyes, knowing all too well that Johanna would take him for a ride, able to persuade nearly anyone to do what she wanted. From what I've seen her do, it's like a minor suggestion, but it always ends up with her getting what she wanted.
The class chattered amongst themselves, waiting impatiently for Dr McCoy as the warning bells rang through the school. I stared around the room, wishing I could just slip away and back into the swimming pool, needing the feeling of water against my skin. I'm very hypocritical in that respect, Allerdyce maybe obsessed with fire, but I need water to stay sane.
The classroom itself was quite squished, seeing as so many students had to be crammed in. Plain cream walls with the old vintage polished wood beams above our heads, still, it was keeping up with the modern ways. I spent most of my stargazing out the window, winter frost covering the once luscious green grass, sending a bitter cold breeze around the grounds, bare trees tilting and shimmering in the early evening.
"Apologies for my tardiness, settle down class." Dr McCoy's intellectual voice addressed the class. His blue fur form holding a suitcase, everyone oblivious to the fact he had walked in. I obediently waited for the lesson to start, quite happy to let Dr McCoy's monotone voice help me fall asleep on the desk.
He slammed the suitcase onto the table, everyone quickly became quiet, eyes firmly locked on Dr McCoy. He smiled, revealing two rows of sharp white teeth, nobody in the room wanting to anger him further.
With the class quietened, he turned to the chalkboard and began scrawling with a piece of chalk, the all capital writing exceptionally neat. I found myself intrigued as the letters formed a basic word; usually I instantly lose focus, but the word read something that I knew would benefit for me.
Water
That was the single word he had written on the chalkboard, all the letters perfectly lined in a straight line and adequate spaces apart. I felt eyes bore into me, a few heads turning as they knew my ability was, in fact, managing to manipulate water.
This was embarrassing.
I don't blush with red, but the room seemed to become a lot warmer since the word had been written.
Water and I have a complex relationship, we despise yet need each other, or I need water more than it needs me. Either way you look at it, water will always be a part of me in more ways than one, I can't part from it, I can't properly control it, but at least we can share an understanding.
"Water or H2O is often perceived to be ordinary as it is transparent, odourless, tasteless and ubiquitous. It is the simplest compound of the two most common reactive elements, consisting of just two hydrogen atoms attached to a single oxygen atom. Indeed, very few molecules are smaller or lighter. Liquid water, however, is the most extraordinary substance." Dr McCoy explained, all his scientific analysis and planning boring most students into a coma, me included, but like a dog wanting a bone; I listened intently.
"Although we drink it, wash, fish and swim in it, and cook with it (although probably not all at the same time), we nearly always overlook the special relationship it has with our lives. Can anyone tell me any disasters that might occur without water? Or possibly too much?" His questions were met with silence, nobody in the class willing to raise a hand.
He waited a few more seconds, probably to give us a break from his voice, before answering his own question.
"Droughts cause famines and floods cause death and disease. Those are just a minority of reasons why water is so important, after all, it is half of what we are...and more for some." He added, undoubtedly directing it at me, even if he didn't look at me.
Before he can carry on talking, a boy lazily stumbled into the class. I quickly recognised him as Allerdyce, the egomaniac and the guy from the corridor. I didn't even know he was in this class, unless another teacher had told him to leave their classroom as a warning. Either way, he stood at the door, seeming to be already bored by just entering the room.
"Ah Mr Allerdyce, better late than never. Take that seat over there by Miss King, and no more tardiness." He scolded, quite hypocritical but nobody argued. I silently cursed, me being Miss King. Allerdyce stomped over to the seat, ignoring me completely as he leaned back in the chair. I took no notice, concentrating on Dr McCoy as he continued on the importance of water.
The lesson had gone on for eternity, or so it felt anyway. Admittedly, I had learnt some new proprieties about water I hadn't known, which in turn would help me further understand what I could and couldn't do with it.
Instantaneously, I packed my textbooks and coursework in my bag, ready to get to my room and block out the universe. Glancing over at Johanna as I zipped the bag up, I saw she was in deep conversation with the guy sat next to her; I concluded I would be in our dorm alone.
Standing up, I hooked the bag over my shoulder and began walking towards the exit. Only, a sturdy object caught my foot and nearly sent me flying to the ground, I just managed to grab a desk chair and regain my balance, heartbeat quickening for a few moments.
With blazing eyes, I turned around to face the culprit, looking at none other than the smug Allerdyce.
I seriously need to learn his first name. I mentally noted, having to keep using his second name becoming increasingly annoying. He looked up at me with a tilt of his head, still seated in the chair with one outstretched foot which I had tripped over.
"What the hell was that?" I snapped, tiredness attacking me suddenly, making me aggressive, a characteristic I didn't think I had.
"Your foot was in the way of mine, maybe you should've moved it." He suggested arrogantly, knowing exactly what he had done, taunting me to no extent. I bit the inside of my cheek, holding back curse words as Dr McCoy was still in the classroom. Allerdyce found my forced silence amusing, slowly stepping out of his seat. Luckily everybody else had left in a hurry, nearly nobody seeing the confrontation. He made the point of extending is full height so he towered above me, smirk plastered on his face.
"Look where you're going next time eh?" He whispered, the smug tone complimenting the smirk perfectly. He snuck past me, making sure I saw his wink before slipping out the door. I gripped the strap of my bag tighter, my knuckles whitening.
"Miss King, isn't it about time you got on with your coursework?" Dr McCoy's voice rang out, I looked in that direction and found him scrawling notes on the whiteboard for his next lesson.
"Yes sir." I replied rather melancholy.
"You seem to be rather distant recently, is there a reason for that?"
"No sir, just the extra homework has been a bit piled lately."
"Very well, but be sure to tell a member of staff if there is something wrong, we are all hear to listen." He answered with empathy, never turning his furry face away from the chalkboard.
"I'll keep that in mind sir." I said, knowing he wouldn't let me leave without an answer. I took this as my chance to slip out of the classroom, suddenly feeling down, I practically jogged towards the dorm.
Having to slip through crowds of people was irritating, but I couldn't do much else as the corridors were filled with people. Casually I made my way to the lockers, making sure everything I needed for coursework was put in my bag. Luckily Allerdyce wasn't leaning against the locker like before, in fact; there was no sign of him. I took it as a miracle and slammed the locker closed, again swimming in the waves of students as I purposely targeted on getting to mine and Johanna's dorm.
"Sam you fell asleep again." The voice made me grumble, the hard table slightly made comfier with a pile of opened textbooks. Rather indignantly, I sat up with a piece of paper stuck to my face. Johanna's giggles sounded from the couch, my vision blurry from the rude awakenment. I yanked the paper of my face, it peeling off slowly.
"I hate this coursework, and it has to be given to Professor X so it needs to be perfect." I moaned, envious that Johanna didn't have to do it. I looked over to the couch and found her wiping on fresh makeup, she was going out, having fun with her new boyfriend.
"Stop being so sorry for yourself and get some party clothes on, we're going out tonight."
We, since when was I invited?
I thought mentally, normally finding myself alone in the dorm when Johanna went boyfriend hunting.
"Where are we going?" I asked, intrigued to be going out for once instead of doing work.
"There's a bar just outside school, all the older students go there. That guy I was talking to in science is going, they serve alcohol and everything. So go get ready." She said quickly, not even giving me chance to decline the offer.
I lazily zombie-walked towards my bedroom, still groggy from the uncomfortable power nap. Opening the oak drawers, I searched through every clothing I had, finding nothing that seemed sexy or attractive. It was alien putting on anything other than casual clothes, I had so little party clothing, that I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion.
"Johanna, could help me?" I called towards the main room, hearing an exasperated sigh escape her throat.
"For christ's sake! What would you do without me?" It was more of a statement than a question, though I could tell it was just a bit of fun for her, she always liked giving me fashion advice. She stormed in, high heels and half finished makeup, and yanked clothes out of the drawers one at a time.
I patiently sat on the edge of the bed, the maroon sheets lumpy and unmade as neatness never seemed to be in any aspect of my being.
"Ah here we go! Now this is perfect!" She exclaimed, turning to show me what she had found. I face-palmed, this perfect outfit she had found I hadn't worn in over two years, and it made me cringe just looking at it.
This is set before the first x men film, not sure if I will include them or not, probably will due to Pyro's switch and that. Im hoping this is okay, please review if I've madeany spelling errors or if the characters are OOC or just anything you think can be improved, I love getting feed back as it helps me know what you want from this story.
Anyway, until the next chapter.
~gothgirlstrikesagain