I own Aravis and nothing else! Enjoy and review!
The girl could feel the eyes of every man in the bar upon her the moment she appeared in the doorway. She moved gracefully to the nearest unoccupied seat and quietly requested a glass of water. She lifted her small, delicate hands and lowered the hood of the maroon cloak she was wearing. Her silver, shimmering hair fell in soft waves down her back. She could feel the bartender studying her closely, but would not meet his gaze. A few moments later, a tall, muscular man wearing worn jeans and a leather jacket stepped through the door and took a seat at the bar. The girl smirked inwardly; so he had been following her. She had noticed him hours earlier, lurking behind her at every street corner. Always at a distance, yet always present. The girl had tried to lose him man times, weaving in and out of the busy occupants of New York City. Nothing she did, however, seemed to faze him. This man knew what he was doing. 'But, then again, so do I.' she thought to herself. Sliding quietly from her seat, the girl made her way toward the women's restroom; glancing behind her as she entered, and noting that the man was watching her. 'Please let there be a window...' she silently prayed while closing the door behind her. She smiled in satisfaction when she saw it, high on the wall and directly over the sink: her escape. Placing her left foot gingerly on the sink and clinging to the door frame for support, she hoisted herself up and forced the window open. Smiling at the thought of the man waiting for her in the bar, the girl lifted one leg and placed it over the window sill. Ducking her head out of the window, she pulled her other leg out as well and leapt a good eight feet to the ground. She landed softly on her feet, but immediately lost her balance. She turned quickly to keep herself from falling, and in doing so wrenched her ankle fiercely. Crying out in pain, the girl fell forward onto the dirty alleyway pavement.
"You alright, kid?"
She looked up, startled by the deep male voice. She swore aloud, realizing that it was the man who had been following her. She stood up quickly, wincing at the severe pain in her ankle, and turned her back on him. Limping as fast as she could, the girl made her way toward the end of the alley.
"Hey kid!" he called, walking after her. "Kid, wait!"
She refused to look at him, and merely walked faster, grimacing in pain. In an attempt to stop her, he reached out and took hold of her upper arm. She wrenched it away angrily.
"Don't touch me!" she hissed fiercely. He took a step back, surprised at the force with which she spoke. "Who are you?" she demanded.
"Its okay, my name's Logan."
"Well, Logan, do you mind explaining why you've been following me all day?" she replied angrily, trying to ignore the pain in her ankle.
"I was sent to help you."
"Sent? And who, exactly, sent you to help me?"
"A man named Charles Xavier. He runs a school in Westchester, and he wants me to take you there." Logan responded, taking a step closer. Noticing this, the girl to a step away, still limping from her fall.
"A school?" she sneered. "Why would I want to go to a school?"
Logan raised an eyebrow, noting her sarcasm. "Because its for people like you and me. Its a school for mutants."
She stiffened. "How did you-" she began, but Logan cut her off.
"The Professor. He's a telepath, one of the most powerful ones on earth, and he's connected to every mutant through a machine called Cerebro." Logan stopped to let the words sink in before continuing. "He knew that you needed help, so he sent me."
"I don't need any help." she said boldly.
"Yeah? Well, while I'm sure you're living a life of luxury on the streets of New York, I think you'd regret it if you didn't come with me."
She snorted. "And why is that?"
"As much as you hate to admit it, you need help. You're all alone in the city with no way to support or protect yourself. Do you even have any money for food?"
"A little." she admitted, not meeting his eyes.
"And when it runs out?" he questioned.
She shrugged. "I'll think of something. I always do."
Logan stared at her. Though her face was contorted in what appeared to be determination and bravery, her midnight blue eyes held only fear and pain. "Look, just come and check it out. You'll see that the people there only wanna help. And, if you don't like it, we won't make you stay." She studied him for a moment, clearly unsure of what to do. "Beats living on the streets." he remarked, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "Fine, I'll come. But if anything gets weird, I'm leaving right away."
"Fair enough."