Author's Note: Written for the Fanfic100 25 – Strangers. Set vaguely into the future but could be nowish, I suppose. It's not too tied down in any particular way, though the scene described by Dani is from New Mutants v1 #13. (Not that that specific is actually necessary.) Thanks to my wondrous beta—I love you forever! And… that's all I got. On with it!
Disclaimer: Characters mentioned are used without permission and are trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. I do not own them and am simply borrowing for my purposes. Please don't sue.
Strangers Behind the Glass
by, Caliente
There's a picture. It sits in the second drawer of her nightstand. Buried beneath books she doesn't have time to read and papers she hasn't looked at in years. Still inside the cheap plastic frame with peeling silver paint she bought at the dollar store. She didn't have very much money back then. But the frame was never important, anyway.
There's a picture. It's filled with smiling faces. With laughter. With friends and crushes and a childhood long since passed. With innocence that none of them have possessed since. It was another time. A time when life was different. When she was different. When she felt safe and loved. When her home was where her heart was.
There's a picture. It shows a memory she loves. Bobby slyly suggested an adventure by the pool. Amara was confused but agreed to come. Rahne blushed a lot. Sam as well, though he was easily distracted by a different kind of cannonball. And then they'd had a barbeque. Like they weren't mutants. Like the world didn't hate them. Like they were just another group of teenagers.
There's a picture. It's a picture she took a long time ago. A picture of the past. A picture of a family. A family broken into pieces that moved in different directions. A family that was gone before any of them knew it was happening. They're no different than strangers now. Strangers she knew long ago. Strangers she ignores along with memories that don't ring true anymore and pictures that lie.
There's a picture. It has everything she misses most. The things she lost along the way without even noticing until they were gone, and the things she knew she was losing. Things and people. And, even though it's just a picture, she can't quite bring herself to pull it out. Not yet. But she looks forward to the day that she can.
There's a picture. It might just break her heart to look at it. But the strangers in it—the family she once had and the friends she might still find if she looks—give her hope. Even when it's just sitting all but forgotten at the bottom of the second drawer in her nightstand (which is most of the time). So, she figures she'll keep it. For the day it doesn't need to be forgotten anymore.
Reviews are loved. :) And, I love my reviewers… so leave one!