Author's Note: So yea, here is a little story 'bout a little character I've been thinking up. She's defiantly not your run of the mill mutant, I'll give her that much. Yes I am horrible with tenses. Sorry, I'm an art student, not a literary major. As always review please.
Shiva's Forest
Chapter 1
"And it was not until nine months later that Queen Mary realized the swollen belly and morning sickness had not been the symptoms of pregnancy, of a blessed gift from God. It was in fact a large child-sized tumor growing in her abdomen." With these words the tragic lesson on Bloody Mary was over, at least for today.
Joy. Todd sighed, though not quite able to repress the sardonic grin on his too wide mouth. A tumor. A friggin tumor, yo. His grin faded as his eyes caught the brown haired boy's gaze to his right and was replaced by the humbled expression of one who suddenly realizes the sad irony of what has been placed before him. The parallels between one's own situation and that of a seemingly alien one can be harshly poignant when realized.
"For the next lesson you must try to realize the disgust and horror Mary felt when what she thought was her own child turned out to be nothing more then a parasitic glob of flesh." The teacher continued, her tone of voice not adequately reflecting the words she spoke, at least not for Todd or Lance.
Are we just like that, just tumors? Sick little jokes from God sent to punish the world? Seemingly normal until we are looked at closely, seemingly precious human beings until we are seen as atrocities extracted and disregarded from society's collective womb?
"We'll start with the downfall of Mary next class, and the beginnings of the Elizabethan Age next week," The teacher Ms. Township concluded, giving the class the greatest blessing she could bestow upon them…her silence.
Todd's cynical mind pulled itself out of its introspection and into the thoughts of the upcoming weekend, it was Friday after all. It wasn't that he didn't like the class. No, it was more that he liked being out of class so much better. Yes that was it precisely. No hard feelings towards Ms Township, it was just the freedom of the hallway was far more enticing then the monotonous droning coming from her disturbingly hairy face.
Altogether he was quite pleased when the bell rang out its song at 11:50, signaling the change from British History Class to the Science of Eating Class or lunch as some choose to call it. Teachers didn't even attempt to get another word in once that bell rang; they acknowledged its power; stripping them of any hold they might have had on the automaton students before them. None dared to stand up against that auditory cue turning the class's zombie like stares into a frantic race to the door.
Like a giant wave of smelly adolescent bodies they rushed the doorway, bottlenecking in its frame before splurging out the other side and dispersing to the open waters of the hallway. It was a dangerous path to take right after the bell rang and Todd wasn't one for crowds or being jostled about like a two-legged potato sack for that matter. No, he would let them madly rush to their escape and wait calmly for the rest of the class to evacuate the room before attempting to get out of his seat and follow in their wake. It was only a few seconds to wait anyways, no big difference.
To his right Lance sat solemn and impassive, long legs sticking out from under his desk to rest on the seat in front of him. It certainly wouldn't have been hard for the tall boy to push his way through the crowd. No one would push him back, no one would dare to. His dark looks and maniacal grins were enough to grant him first place in the line out. No, he didn't stay for fear of a little pushing or shoving, he stayed for Todd, his friend, his brother. It wasn't that he felt the need to protect him…no…or not really anyway. He just enjoyed the company of a fellow mutant with the outgoing personality he himself lacked. Friends were few for his kind, and for Lance they seemed to be even fewer and far more fleeting, so he spent as much time with the friends he did have as possible. Not to mention Duncan and his cronies always tried to beat Todd's lunch money out of him right before lunch, so it probably was a good thing he came along.
The last of the crowd finally exited the room and the odd pair sauntered their way into the hall. Of course, Todd wouldn't have been sauntering if Lance wasn't towering above him at his side. He was usually more of a slinking guy when it came to going through the hallway to the lunch room. Staying out of the main people flow to keep from getting pushed around. Walking alongside Lance guaranteed a welcome relief from bumps and shoves and "outta the way slimeball"s. People rant into him without acknowledgment all the time, but certainly not with Avalanche there. Kids stayed clear of him; especially after last month with that football player…Those who hadn't experienced his explosive temper had heard about it.
So when Todd's stride was broken by the impact of another guy's body he was quite taken aback. The guy had appeared out of nowhere, racing down the hall, clipping Todd's shoulder and knocking the Toad down in the process. Todd was far more startled when the blond perpetrator turned back around on a dime, red faced and apologizing profusely.
"Gee, ah god, um I'm sorry! I was just…in a hurry, wasn't watching were I was going and all." The boy reached down to pick up the fallen books Todd had dropped. "I'm real sorry." He said again, handing a biology 2 book to Todd's moist hands. The boy was still quite pink in the cheeks and nervously pushed the shaggy ash blonde hair out of his eyes before stepping back a bit away from Todd.
The guy looked pretty embarrassed, so Todd tried to assure the kid all was cool. "Uh…it's okay yo, no worries here." Todd flashed a slightly yellow smile of forgiveness towards the teen, a rather unconvincing smile to say the least. Though not because he wasn't alright just that he was a bit surprised. Todd wasn't used to apologies; he was the Toad after all.
The boy seemed to take the smile as one of ill will and made a hasty retreat, calling "Sorry again! Uh…bye!" over his shoulders and turning around a corner to disappear from view.
"Well. That was kinda odd yo." Todd said slowly with a cocked eyebrow at Lance. His friend looked puzzled as well.
"Huh. Never seen him before. Maybe he's new." With that Lance put his calloused hands in his jean pockets and kept walking towards the cafeteria. The whole situation out of sight and out of mind for the rock tumbler. He didn't much care whether a kid was new or not. He had pretty much met everyone he wanted to know.
Todd glanced at the path the boy had taken and turned to follow Lance. "I guess. Leastways he got himself a little bit of courtesy." Todd said more to himself then to his tall friend.
Lance grinned sardonically. "Must really be new then. I'm sure once he learns who we are he wont be so damn polite." Lance said with a hollow laugh that rang all to true.
"Yea, you're right. People never are."
"So, what's on the menu today ladies?" a silver haired lady's man cooed, leaning forward on his elbows to move his flitting eyelashes closer to the lunch ladies across the buffet. "Anything special for me?"
The new lunch lady blushed against her will and self consciously adjusted her hair net unnecessarily. She stuttered at the senior's winning smile, "Uh well we-"
"Sugar free only boy. Special orders from the principal, all sugar free. You aint sweet talking your way to the sweets this time kid." A large woman in a stained apron scolded him with a voice like a cheese grater and a face to match, interrupting the younger woman and setting out the fresh puddings. The sugar free puddings. She gave a final distasteful look at the albino teen before waddling her way back to the kitchens.
"Eh well. Better luck next time I suppose" Pietro straightened his back with a crack and a wink towards the abashed lunch woman before donning a dejected look and walking back to his friends table. Of course not before using his "god-given talent" to nab a few jellos and puddings right under the nose of the distracted lunch lady.
Walking back with the stolen goods was easier then you might think, especially when you have a jacket you sewed 50 or so odd inner pockets onto.
"Ah, gelatin, food of the gods I say." Pietro said with his usual dramatic flair before plopping down on the stool next to Freddy.
"Hey Pie, got something for me?" Fred questioned with a playful push at his smaller friend.
Pietro groaned as he rubbed his arm after Blob's unintentionally harsh shove. "Jee Freddy, forget you strength much?"
"Uh…sorry Pietro." Blob twiddled his pudgy fingers, "…so?"
"yeayeayea, here." Pietro slide some jello Fred's way with mock disgust. His attention quickly shifted Todd and Lance's way. "So, ready to party tonight fellas?"
"Thank god it's Friday, yo. That's all I'm saying!" Todd laughed.
"Were gonna rock this city tonight guys!" Lance chided in with his usual stunning vocabulary.
The guys grinned at once at the pathetic rock pun. Even the stoic Lance chuckled at his own expense.
Lance cleared his throat after the brief moment of mutual amusement, "seriously though, you got the booze right Pietro?"
The speedy mutant feigned a deeply disappointed face. "Seriously now, you aren't actually questioning wither The Pietro did his job, are you?" He shook his head slowly saying "I feel so disappointed in your lack of faith Mr. Alvers."
"Okay, okay! I gotcha." Lance rolled his brown eyes and lifted his hands in defense. Pietro smiled triumphantly.
""Tha wampa bouch witty, jou wonna bwite er?" Spittle flew from Freddy's' immense maw like so many saliva filled bullets.
"What you saying Fred?" Todd shouted from under the table where he had ducked to take cover from Fred's spit attack.
Fred swallowed the mess of green jello down to his substantial gut before speaking again, clearer this time. "So what about Kitty, you gonna invite her to the party tonight?"
Todd and Pietro winced in unison, the former maintaining his position of safety under the table. Safety from Lance's all too volcanic emotions.
"No." They heard Lance say after a long pause, with enough ice in his voice to pose a real threat to Iceman himself.
Oblivious to the tonal indications of his friend Fred continued on the dangerous road he had chosen. "Huh, why not, though you always wanted her around and stuff. If Jean was all goo-goo eyed over me like she is for you I'd have her around all the time."
Pietro cleared his throat and turned purposefully in his seat to avoid looking at the dark haired youth across from him. With a whistle of 'I'm not listening, I'm not involved, don't get me into this conversation," he took refuge in checking out the Junior girls walking to the table across from him.
Todd stepped hard on Freddy's foot from under the table to hopefully exterminate the situation before it got out of hand.
"Umpf!" Freddy sputtered, looking up from his jello for the first time, catching Lance's cold stare and realizing his stupidity. "Gosh, sorry buddy," Fred squeaked, running a thick set of fingers over his mohawk in embarrassment. "I forgot man."
The big boy's sincere shame melted Lance's frigid mindset and he gave Freddy a simple smile. The guys new Lance and Kitty were…well, dynamic at best. Sometimes they were okay, hanging out and enjoying each others company. Sometimes things were a bit bumpy, yelling and fighting about this or that, even if they never truly 'dated'. Right now though, things were rough. Lance had wanted to date the valley girl, ignore Xavier and Mystique's warnings and threats and just go for it.
Basically what the guys got from it was Kitty wasn't down with the whole idea, to hung up on what others thought about her associating with a 'hoodlum' to risk it. They had never seen Lance so dejected before, and the two hadn't spoken since.
The uneasy silence of the usually rambunctious table was broken by an excited exclamation of "Hey!" from Pietro. "Check that shit out." The Brotherhood lifted their heads and turned to where Pietro was pointing a well manicured finger. To a place they all knew too well, The X-men's table.
"X-geeks Pie, so what?" Blob growled with furrowed brows.
Pietro shook his finger with vigor towards the 'gifted students' again, pointing out the tall decently built student sitting between Evan and Scott. "That."
"Hey," Todd leaned forward to get a better look at the guy. "That's the dude that ran into me in the hall Lance."
"Your right. Fuck, that's all we need now, another X-geek to preach at us." Lance spat out.
"Maybe he's not a mutant, maybe their just chatting him up." Todd suggested as he watched the table closely. The subject in question sat quite awkwardly at the table, his eyes shifting nervously, looking anywhere but at whoever was talking to him. Todd couldn't make out what was being said, but the boy seemed to be reluctantly nodding his head at Scott, his hands clasped tightly in his lap, his Rainbow clad feet tapping a rhythmless beat on the tile.
Kitty batted her eyelashes in what was her attempt at seduction of the new blonde visitor. This caused Lance to frown in jealousy before quickly turning his head aside when he realized Pietro was grinning in his wicked way at his discomfiture. "Like hell they're chatting him up! He's sitting at the loser's table, and that can only mean one thing. Those guys are too high and mighty to bother themselves with anyone outside their little 'training school' unless they want to recruit their ass."
No one spoke up to dismiss or object to Lance's statement. The matter was settled for the guys now. If he was an X-Man then they'd give him what they gave to all the X-Men. They'd give him hell.
The bell rang all too soon for the Brotherhood and the rest of the student body. Todd watched as the young man with the sharp nose and nervous blue eyes stood up too quickly and nearly tripped over his own feet as he waved a hasty goodbye to his table. Todd proceeded to hop from his chair and yell a "Catch you later," to his friends. He was off to math class now, unfortunately with no Lance at his side. Bummer.
End of Chapter 1
AN: The Bloody Mary thing is true and kind of freaky…okay. So the main character hasn't been really introduced yet. She will next chapter though. It's finished. The title's a clue about her...