Warning - Blood, Sweat, and tears
Paw Prints
Chapter 4 - Surprise
Abby awakened to find herself in a bed. Not an unusual thing really. Just a bed. Two comfy pillows beneath her head. A mattress so soft a body might just melt into it. Last were the blankets, so thick and heavy. So warm. Yup. A bed. It was a wonderful bed, the only problem with this bed, Abby realised, was that this bed was not hers. She sat up quite slowly, wanting nothing more than to not care, and just go back to sleep to her heavenly bed. But the nagging feeling of being somewhere she did not know forced her to rub her eyes of the morning crustiness and look at her surroundings. She was in a room. That much was for sure. If she had had her wits about her Abby might have guessed a boy had once occupied the room. The walls were a deep, uncomfortable blue. Her bed sheets were an ugly olive green and her stomach plummeted when she saw the vast amount on stains on them. From various foods and liquids to other unknown substances. Abby wanted to puke. Yup this was a boys room alright. The rest of the room was next to empty. The floors were hardwood and stained too. There were two average size windows, both with what looked to be paintball splatters on the panes. The rest of the room was almost bare. There was a very large, almost walk-in sized closet that was completely empty and a large wooded dresser with its drawers open. Other than that there were clothes everywhere, strewn all over the floors.
Abby held back the urge to begin hyper ventilating. 'It's okay Abby. It's just a boys room. No big deal. It's okay that you're not wearing the clothes you came with.' Abby had looked down at herself and realised she wore a big black shirt that was three times her size and nothing else but her underwear and bra. 'It's completely okay that someone stripped me and saw me practically naked. Yup. It's all good.' She thought falsely to herself. Abby might have panicked at that point, and was sure that that was a perfectly normal thing to do for anyone waking up to such a situation but Abby realised she was sick of having panic attacks. She was sick of her heart beating a mile a minute. On this new day Abby decided to go with the flow. Yup. She was not going to freak out. Nope, not at all. Abby turned herself around and slid off the edge of the bed to her feet. She was sock less too. Something Abby felt happy about. She liked walking around barefoot. It made her feel like she had a stronger connection to the ground or floor she stood upon. Abby ignored the fact that in bare feet it had always been easier to sense the vibration of her parents footsteps stomping in her direction. The floor was cold under her feet as she stood. She suppressed the urge to the little dancey dancey thing she would so when it was cold. Usually it helped her warm up a bit, and was always fun. Hey, when you don't have friends or games to keep you occupied you have to find some sort of entertainment to keep you happy.
'Ah to hell with it' Abby almost laughed and began to do her dancy dance. However her actions were almost immediately halted when her arms had swung high above her head in a stretch. A ripping pain brought Abby to her knees. She gasped as her vision swung a tears melted from her eyes. What the hell was that? Abby quickly scanned around the room one more time to make sure she was alone before she lifted her tent-like shirt past her thighs and then her hips. She lifted it high enough to see a bandaged waist with a dried red spot on it. Abby sighed at the sight and dropped her shirt. It fell and hung just above her knees again. She remembered the previous night and shrugged her shoulders. She wanted to stick to her self-made promise. She wasn't going to freak out, not even over the fact that she had turned into a bear, attacked a bunch of weirdoes and then had taken off. She would worry about previous events later.
Now consciously aware of her wounds Abby carefully made her way across the room, stepping skilfully over the mounds and mounds of clothes strewn all around the floor. As she made her way across the valley of dirty laundry her nose picked up quite a few scents as well. None of them sweet. ' Who ever occupies this room obviously hasn't heard of a washing machine.' she thought grudgingly, not even considering the thought that a teenager is mostly too lazy to do his or her own laundry. She had no idea that nearly every room owned by someone her age in the world looked like this. She arrived at the closed door and extended her hand to the golden-looking door knob. She really wasn't wearing much, if the wind blew in the wrong direction anyone would see everything. 'But the wind doesn't blow inside. I will wear this.' she decided firmly. 'Besides, my bag is no where in sight and I'm not going to search through these clothes for pants worn by a stranger.' She opened the door and was faced with a hallway. She felt a little shy then. She was alone after all. Who knew who lived in this strange place? Abby bet it had been those boys she had previously seen the night before.
Abby wanted to scream, but it wasn't out of fear. She wanted to scream in pure joy. She wasn't afraid. Her bruises would heal, the yelling would stop. She was safe. Her parents were…Not here. Abby tried to grin but it felt weird, so she opted for a big, smile instead. She looked both ways down the hall as if she were about to cross the street. The walls in the hallway were a similar colour, a gray blue that was hideous in Abby's eyes. It was lined in a worn white trim along the same hardwood floors the previous room had owned. All along the hallway were doors, as many doors as her old house might have had in a regular hallway. One direction ended with a little staircase leading up to what Abby assumed was the master bedroom. In the other direction, much closer to her she saw another staircase leading down to what she assumed was the ground floor. She really, really had to go to the bathroom and so she walked along the hall. She passed by two different closed doors before she found an open one leading to the bathroom. One was painted a simple black. It had a picture of a naked girl on the front. Abby quickly passed that one by. The next door she had passed was chipped a little and had a taped paper sign on it reading "Todd's Room." Abby could see that someone had spit on the sign. Many times. Finally she found an open door. Inside was a bathroom definitely belonging to boys.
The toilet seat was up of course. Many male deodorant sprays were littered around the shelves, the sink hadn't been cleaned in what looked to be centuries and she could see a few stray hairs on the counter top. Razors and shaving cream flanked the sink as if to ward her from using it. The shower was the thing that mostly told her that no woman lived in the house. No body washes or loofahs, shaving gels or razors. Just two different bars of soap. Two different conditioners and three shampoos. All masculine. There was nothing in that bathroom indicating she would be welcome inside it. Still, duty called and so gingerly she put down the toilet seat (she half expected it to be covered in cobwebs) and did her thing - quickly.
Abby walked out of the bathroom, feeling satisfied despite the unsatisfactory conditions. She paused for a few moments debating her next goal. The house seemed silent and she had yet to run into anyone at all. She still felt quite weird. After all she was in a house that she'd never been in before, almost no clothing, the clothing she did have wasn't hers, and she had no idea who lived in the house or even where they were. She decided that she was in quite the predicament. 'Well I guess I can't find my answers just standing here.' She berated herself. It was time to be brave now. Abby could no longer afford to lock herself in her closet and cry. She had made her decisions. Abby had promised herself a new life where she would no longer be afraid. She had promised herself acceptance.
Abby took a breath and walked back along the hallway to the descending staircase. She stopped at the top and peered around down. She listened and heard what she was sure was either music or a television. 'Well I guess someone is home then.' Feeling a little relieved that she wouldn't be left to her own devices she lightly stepped down the stairs. When she reached the bottom of the wooden staircase her feet met a pukegreen carpet. It felt worn and old under her feet. Almost mouldy. Abby shuddered and kept walking. She didn't like what she saw; holes in the walls, chipped paint, splatters and stains. The place, she quickly figured out, was a complete dump. She wanted to release a groan. What the hell had she gotten herself into? She was then greeted by the site of an open kitchen area. If you could call it that. The place was even messier than the bathroom. The sink was absolutely full of dirty dishes. It was disgusting. The cupboards were empty and left open, some coming off their hinges. When Abby opened the fridge she instantly wished that she hadn't. It was close to empty but the food that was there was incredibly mouldy, and imiting a putrid smell. Abby felt bile rise and almost emptied the remains of her McDonald's. She closed the refrigerator door and walked out of the room, not bothering to look at it again. It was a sight she would forever be trying to forget.
Abby walked into the next room to discover the noise she had been hearing was coming from an old T.V. She looked at the screen and could barely make out the picture it was so fuzzy. So looked and saw old fashioned antenna on the top and did something she hadn't ever expected to do then. She laughed. It bubbled up from inside her and escaped her mouth happily. It was just so unreal. This whole place was just so fantasy. Did people really live like this? A head shot up from the couch a few feet in front of her. She was greeted by the sight of one of the guys she had seen the previous night. His skin was very pale and yet looked like it had a green undertone. His eyes were green and even his shaggy hair was green-toned. Somehow Abby had the feeling it wasn't dyed. She stopped laughing. He looked at her, glaring hard. Abby shifted.
"You think something's funny?" It was a simple question sure enough. But the tone in his voice was incredibly hostile. It sounded almost as if he wanted to start a fight. He stood up then, and Abby saw how short he was. She, herself, was incredibly short. This guy was only a little bit taller than her, almost as thin too. Abby instantly had the feeling this punk was teased a lot. She made decision then. She could freak out, run away maybe. After all this kid looked tough, despite his scrawniness. Perhaps he would hit her. Abby faltered in her stance at the thought. She saw his eyes narrow further, picking up on her weakness. Abby inwardly protested. She wasn't supposed to be this weak! She needed to speak and convince this guy otherwise.
She offered what she felt was her best smile. "Not much, just the T.V. What's your name?"
He didn't say anything for a few moments. It was quite like time had stopped. Neither of them moved or said anything. The boy continued standing in his jeans and shirt, glaring at her while Abby continued to stand in her shirt, giving a smile. Finally it seemed time continued again as his expression changed completely. His eyes turned pleasant and his face neutral. He didn't return her smile. But his tone when he spoke next was neutral as well. He seemed to no longer count her as a threat.
"Todd. Yours?"
Abby smiled again. Todd. It was a cute name. Perhaps Todd would be her very first friend. She longed to have a friend. She had never had any. Unless you counted her teachers and tutors. They had belonged outside the family and so didn't know about her treatment. They had always been most kind to her but Abby longed to make a friend her own age. Longed to have companionship. Share laughs, and maybe just do stupid things. She held out her hand.
"My name's Abbygale, but you can call me Abby. It's nice to meet you."
Todd offered a gigantic grin, revealing yellow tinted teeth and then did the most horrific thing Abby would ever experience. He spit into her hand.
Todd lazed about on the couch not really paying to the T.V. It wasn't like there was anything interesting on the three channels they had anyways. He was completely bored out of his mind. Mostly kids enjoyed staying home from school when they got the chance but not the Brotherhood boys. Their house was shit, and so there was never anything to do. Todd wished he could have just gone to school. Picked a few wallets, made himself some cash. Bayville was home to a lot of rich kids. Rich kids meant full wallets. They were all mostly too young to own cards so cash was flowing freely, usually into Toad's hands. Suddenly Todd was shocked out of his reverie by a rich, high, happy laugh. He shot up, startled at the unfamiliar noise and saw where the sound had come from.
Oh. The girl. Todd inwardly shrugged his shoulders. He had been forced to stay home to make sure if she woke up, if ever, he could be there to make sure she didn't do anything stupid, waking in an unfamiliar place and all. He sat up and looked at her. He glared. What the fuck was she laughing at? Did she find his appearance funny? She, herself looked absolutely stupid. She was smiling this stupid smile that looked like it belonged on an asylum patient. Her shirt hung on her tiny frame like a parachute, ending just above the knees. Below he saw her calves were covered in dark bruises, her arms too, bore small bruises like finger prints. 'Abuse.' he viewed quietly. He, himself had gone through the same thing once. Todd asked his question and continued to glare in wait for her answer. The second she said it was him he was going to show her not to mess with the Toad. He saw her take a step back, making it clear he was intimidating her. So the abuse was fresh. She knew a threatening look when she saw one and she knew what would come after. Todd almost felt sympathy for her. Almost. He himself would have done the same thing; well he still did, just not to a girl who wasn't scary. There was no way this chick would last in the Brotherhood if she was afraid of even him.
The girl replied meekly and asked for his name. Todd couldn't help but feel shocked a bit. So she had been laughing at the T.V. not him. But then that was probably a lie anyways. There was nothing funny about the television. Todd wanted to roll his eyes. This girl was probably fake, her smile certainly said so. It had widened and become forced. He was definitely not liking this. They were the Brotherhood. The boarding house for misfit boys. Not the Sisterhood, home to stupid girls. Todd gave his name and watched for what dumb girl would do next. He saw her face relax and her fear dwindle a bit. Her smile lessened and became real. Friendly, genuine. She introduced herself as Abby and held out her hand.
Todd wanted to laugh right then. Man, this chick just didn't know anything. She was completely vulnerable and just waiting to be accepted. How stupid. Did she really think that just because they were both mutants, that he would like her? No. The Brotherhood wasn't like that. Perhaps this girl really did belong with the X-freaks. Pietro had definitely made a mistake. 'He should have just handed her off.' he thought grudgingly to himself. Either way, for the moment she was here. Todd decided he would show her just what he thought of her presence. He hacked up deep to the acid inside his stomach and spit his burning green slime right into her hand.
Welcome the Brotherhood.
Abby couldn't help it. She let out an ear piercing scream.
She dashed from the room. What the hell? What was this? 'What is this?! WHAT IS THIS?!' Her voice went shrill as she crashed into the kitchen. Her hand was beginning to burn as deep dark green slime oozed off of her hands. She quickly sank to her knees and began to wipe her hand on the floor while hysterically crying. This was not what she'd expected. She had been so sure that Todd would be nice! Especially with such a sweet name. Why would he do this to her? What had she done to deserve such a thing? She heard laughter from the room she'd just been in and felt anger well up inside of her. He thought this was funny?! Seriously?! And so Abby's promise to herself faded into nothing. So much for not freaking out.
Lance and the Brotherhood boys walked into their house after an easy day of school to a hysterically shrieking girl crumpled like a piece of paper on the floor, frantically rubbing her hand on the carpet. Lance wondered oddly if the new member was on drugs. Perhaps that was why she was unnaturally thin. He walked in and took further steps towards her to discover she was not tripping out but was trying to wipe green slime off of her hand. Suddenly Lance understood the situation and began to laugh. The rest of the boys filed into the room and began to laugh too, catching up on the scene.
Then Lance noticed something that made his laughs slowly die. Her hand was burning. Sizzling, he could hear it. Without even thinking he ran right over in three easy strides and immediately yanked her too her feat, careful to make sure none of Todd's deadly acid landed on him. He dragged her over to the sink as the Brotherhood stopped laughing. They also realised what was happening, well except for Todd, he still stood at the arch to the living room laughing his head off. The kid had a sick sense of humour. Lance shoved the mouldy dishes aside and turned on the tap, making the temperature as cold as he cold. No that it would ever be hot anyways, the hot water had been cut off quite some time ago. He would enjoy seeing her reaction when she tried to have a shower. If she stayed that long anyways.
Lance took her hand and shoved it under the freezing water and watched as the feebly struggling lunatic stopped spazzing out and slowly quieted down as Todd's slime came right off. He held on a little longer to check the damage, nothing serious. It would heal in no time. It seemed the boys had arrived right on time. Lance sent a glare over to Todd. Todd quickly stopped laughing. The girl quickly struggled out of Lance's grasp and cornered herself between the counter and the stove. She stared at her hand in disbelief and then noticed the amount of strangers around her. She looked as if she might piss herself she was so scared. Lance made to approach her but she backed away further from him, clutching her wounded hand to her chest protectively.
She looked rather pathetic really. She was incredibly small and her arms and legs were covered in bruises. So she was abused. Big deal, they had all been. Except for blob and Pietro anyways. But both of them had their own set of fucked up problems anyways. Her eyes would have been a sparkling green if they weren't hidden behind her long brown wavy hair. The kid looked like an absolute mess. He suddenly felt sympathetic to her. The Brotherhood was indeed, a rough crowd. He had a hard enough time trying to be with Kitty with out his comrades torturing him about it for days on end after. Lance frowned. Still, however bad he felt for her he couldn't show it. He knew his partner's feelings and not wanting his pride to be torn to bits, needed to treat this girl exactly the same as the other boys were going to. Horribly.
"I hope you're okay, because if you're not you should leave now." Lance told her arrogantly, in an almost taunting way. He was glad to have a new team-mate, and up his chances on beating the X-men, but it would be better if she just left. There was really no way she would survive, especially once she found out what Mystique had told her was a crock of shit.
Pietro snickered, coming up stand beside Lance, using his height to his fullest to corner her even more "Yeah, and don't come back." He laughed out loud now, slapped Todd on the back, and made his way upstairs.
Abby stared in horror as the two tallest guys stood blocking her into the corner of the kitchen. She felt like she would melt into a pile of goo, and not in a good way either. Her hand still faintly burned but she didn't spare a glance at it, too afraid that if the second she did she would be attacked again. She knew her hand held damage, how serious she had no idea. She stared at the two boys but saw Todd out of the corner of her eye and wanted to do something. She wasn't quite sure what it was that she actually wanted to do, or how to describe the boiling, hot feeling that ran through her blood. All she knew was that whatever action she would commit on him wouldn't be nice. How could anyone be so absolutely horrible?
"I hope your okay, because if you're not you should leave now." The tall brunette spoke arrogantly. It was like he was teasing her… But worse. Like a bully. When he had helped her she had hoped it was because he was friendly and clearly thought Todd was psycho as much as she did. Clearly not. The brunette was tall and quite thin, though nothing compared to Todd. His skin was a little darker than the average light skinned person and his eyes were a deep brown, almost black looking. His hair was styled a bit strangely but kind of looked cute. If only this guy wasn't crazy too.
"Yeah, and don't come back." Quicksilver added. Abby felt extremely appalled. What the heck? This guy had saved her last night! Why would he go and say such a thing? He had seemed rough around the edges, sure, but not cruel. Perhaps he was joking? However the way that the silver haired boy sneered at her as he walked past chilled Abby to the bone. He was no friend to her either. The boys seemed to be finished with her as they all walked into the living room. Abby still stood huddled in the kitchen. She simply did not understand what had happened.
She began to walk back to the room she had woken up in. Were these people not supposed to be "good?" If so, was the cruelty she had just experienced aloud? How could they be fighting for goodness when they, themselves, weren't good at all? Everything felt like a haze as she lightly stepped up the stairs. Why did she have a crumbly feeling in her heart? Why did she feel so…disappointed? Perhaps it was because she had expected other mutants to be more like angels, instead of demons. Pictures of the events from the previous night played calmly in the back of her mind. They definitely seemed like monsters. 'Does that make me a monster too then?' Abby wondered to herself. Perhaps her parents had been right. Maybe she wasn't meant to exist. Wasn't meant to breathe the same air as regular humans. 'I killed them. I am the biggest monster of all.' Abby felt an invisible blanket of darkness engulf her as she walked along the hallways. She was the worst of them all.
Abby walked into the room she had stayed in and saw the silver haired boy already in it, his back to her, staring out the paint splattered window. Abby immediately went to turn around and leave but the boy turned and saw her before she could move. He stared at her hard and didn't say anything to her. Abby noticed his olive-coloured skin and how it looked nice against the shade of his hair. He was really tall, and broad shouldered too. Abby wasn't quite too sure what she felt right then. She was pretty sure she didn't like this guy. He had said something cruel in the kitchen and had laughed at her before that. Yet the previous night he had protected her. She saw him suddenly grin.
"See something you like?" Abby's face felt like it was burning, definitely on fire. She shook her head feebly, ducking her head to hide her face and her blush. The boy laughed something rich and haughty. 'Haughty.' Abby thought to herself. 'That's exactly how he seems.' She realised quietly to herself. The guy stopped laughing and turned away from her again. Abby stared at his back and wondered if she should leave now. She was just about the step away until he stopped her for the second time.
"You know, last night, you could have left me. I wanted to let you know your help was noticed. However if you think you can win any acceptance or respect from it think again. It will take a lot more than that." The guy turned to face her again. He was frowning once more and was glaring at her. Abby wanted to shrivel up like a raisin until she got the full meaning of what he was saying. 'It will take a lot more than that.' So this was a game, Abby realised. They were boys, part of an organization of good doers, but she needed to prove her dedication. Or something like that. 'It's like sororities and hazing.' Abby thought absently.
"By the way, this is your room. Do what you want with it, I'm sure you wont be here long enough to get comfortable in it." The guy finished smoothly, as if a business man speaking to one of his clients. After that he walked out without sparing her another glance and sharply closed the door. Abby stood in place again. This time not in shock, but in confusion. What was she to do now? She looked around the room, the belongings of others still littered on the floor. 'Where is my bag?' She wondered curiously to herself. She explored the room a little bit, getting her bearings straight and looking to see if her bag had been placed somewhere she hadn't seen earlier, it was no where to be found Abby quickly discovered. Just a lot of dirty clothes and garbage. Some old pizza too. Abby had felt like throwing up when she had seen it.
Suddenly there was crashing about downstairs. Abby quietly went to her door, opened it just a tiny bit and leaned her ear close to the opening, trying to listen. She could hear muffled voices, men, and with a little gasp Abby realised, a woman. Could it be Mystique? Deciding to forget about her appearance Abby quickly made her way down the stairs and into the entry way. Sure enough there was the blue lady, Mystique, glaring at the boys who all stood at attention in a single, straight line. Abby continued to walk down the stairs, making sure not to make a face about the feeling of the carpet on her feet, and went to stand beside the brown haired guy in the line. She wasn't exactly sure what it was that she was supposed to be doing but she figured when in Rome do what the Romans do.
"Ahh Abby, I trust your stay has been comfortable so far?" Mystique had taken notice of Abby and while she had been previously glaring at the boys, she offered Abby a cunning smile while her voice poured out buttery smooth, like it had the night before. A part of Abby wanted so desperately to tell Mystique about the boys and their treatment to her but something inside of Abby told her that would be a bad idea. Or maybe it was simply the fact that Mystique didn't look like the kind of person who would actually care. Abby openly looked down at Todd, who stood at the other end of the line. He looked at her, fear clearly written in his eyes. Maybe Mystique was the type of person who would care after all. She then looked at Quicksilver and saw he was smirking in Todd's direction. As if he clearly expected her to squeal.
"Yes ma'am, I don't mind it here." The calm, easy words rolled off of Abby's tongue and Mystique accepted her unbelieving words in an instant. Abby was used to lying. She had done it all of her life. Every time she had seen a teacher or tutor, every time she was sent to the hospital. Lie, lie, and lie. Covering up pain and mistreatment was second nature to Abby. It had to be. Abby felt her expression tighten and then become smooth. She allowed her eyes to become emotionless. She had spent too much time concealing herself and her emotions from others. She could confidently say that she had mastered the art of it. There had been times when her mother or fathers hand had come flying at her at the most unexpected times. While she was eating cereal, while she was bending to pick something up, while writing a letter, walking, breathing. Abby had learned to continue on doing whatever it had been that she had been doing as if nothing had happened. She had found things worked out better for her that way than to cry, make a sound, or wince.
She heard Todd let out a breath down the line and felt a quiet triumph. His fate had been in her hands, and she had chosen not to be a rat. She spared a quick glance at Quicksilver and saw to her delight, or disappointment, she wasn't sure, that he was frowning. Mystique smiled, almost evilly. "I'm sure my polite boys have already introduced themselves but In case they haven't- This is Lance, codename Avalanche." She motioned to the her brown haired guy who had helped her earlier that evening then motioned to the large guy wit the blonde Mohawk. "This is Fred, codename Blob." Abby had yet to make interaction with Fred but she was sure he would be just as mean to her as the others. Next Mystique waved towards Quicksilver. "This is Pietro, codename Quicksilver and last is Todd, codename Toad." her words ended in silence as no one bothered to speak. Now Abby knew all of their names.
Mystique cleared her thought after a moment and spoke to Abby once again. "Welcome to the Brotherhood of Mutants. This is the boarding house where you will be staying. I trust you were smart enough to attain one of our many rooms." Abby nodded quickly, still wearing the mask of a rock. This woman was definitely harsh. She clearly had no tolerance for stupidity. She smiled her smile again and nodded in approval.
"You will come with me tonight and we will get started on your training. Now." Her tone was commanding and demanding. Like a queen no one dared disagree with. She went to turn but seemed to suddenly remember something. "Oh, and you might want to change. Something allowing more movement perhaps." Mystique reached down to her feet and picked up Abby's bag and held it out to her. Abby knew her bag had not been there before, which meant that Mystique must have had it all along. Abby gratefully took her bag from Mystique and without sparing another glance at the boys stilled lined up beside her, took off up the stairs. She ran to her room and ripped open her bag. Everything was still there, nothing was missing, the money included. Abby looked closer and saw that even though nothing was missing, her bag had definitely been searched. She shrugged her shoulders. She had nothing to hide and as long as nothing was stolen she decided not to make a big deal about it. She had bigger problems to think about.
Abby shuffled through her bag trying to quickly find something suitable for the "exercise" she would be participating in. In the end she picked out a pair of black caprice and a tight but not too tight purple tank top. She rushed back down the stairs where Mystique still stood waiting for her. The boys had left somewhere and she found she couldn't continue to wonder where they were because she suddenly felt like there was a hand squeezing her stomach. She was really nervous. She would be with a stranger, alone. Abby wondered what they would be doing, and how much Mystique expected of her. She quietly followed Mystique out the door and into the back yard. Mystique stopped and the turned to her.
"Any questions?" Abby almost thought that question itself was stupid. Of course she had questions! Too many, and none of them she was willing to ask out loud. She merrily shook her head, opting for silence. Mystique shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright then we begin. Show me what you can do." Abby in turn shrugged her shoulders, feeling more and more nervous by the second.
"There isn't much I can do."
The Brotherhood boys watched out one of the windows over looking the boarding house backyard. There Mystique and Abby trained. Progress was incredibly small and Pietro was disappointed not to see the same fierceness in the girl that he had seen the previous night. Clearly it had been a one time thing. He was wondering what Mystique and his father had possibly seen in her in the first place. She didn't show much power from what he'd seen so far. They watched as Abby grew a cat tail and cat ears, complete with whiskers and then watched a very slow, very painful process of her turning into a panther. It was incredibly slow and the boys whitenessed every limb and feature crack and morph slowly into something beastly. It was almost vomit worthy.
Changing back into a human after a few minutes Pietro saw the girl sway on her feet and sit down. Mystique walked over and began her lesson, clearly instructing Abby with precise class and retrain. 'Wonder how long that's going to last.' Pietro thought to himself. He knew Mystique couldn't be nice forever. Finally after an hour and what only lead to a slightly faster but still sickening transformation the women went inside again. Pietro zipped downstairs to meet them.
Abby walked in and without taking any notice of Pietro trudged up the stairs. He managed to catch a glimpse of her face on the way up and saw that her face was covered in sweat and her eyes were glazed. It looked as if she was close to passing out. After she was out of earshot Pietro looked at Mystique. "So what's the deal with her? She seams pretty weak." Pietro watched Mystique hoping to get information. He had to admit he was quite curious. Mystique turned her ugly gaze upon him.
"She is a new mutant; her powers have just started developing. She will be more reliant than you lazy miscreants. Magneto seems to think she will become powerful quickly. I agree. Now make use of yourself and attend our newest member." Pietro shrugged, not taking any of her petty bait and walked up the stairs as he heared Mystique leave to do her business somewhere else. As if he would play servant to anyone, especially the new recruit. No way. He walked up the stairs and into his room, closing the door quietly.
Abby somehow made it back to her room, her gaze swimming. This 'training' session had taken the wind right out of her. She knew she couldn't do much yet. She had seen the disappointment and anger on Mystique's face despite her calm words. Abby herself was frustrated. It was so much harder to transform when adrenaline wasn't pumping through her system. Each transformation into a panther she had made that night had been excruciatingly difficult and painful. Abby sank to her knees at the end of her bed frame. Being a panther and taken a tole on her. She felt as though she could still taste her parent's blood in her mouth. Abby curled into a ball and closed her eyes, desperately trying to get the flashes of her parents out of her head. She didn't want this. She didn't want any of this.
Why did she have to be a mutant?
Xavier examined his students, hiding his disappointment. "I understand none of you expected Abby to become aggressive. Mystique must have convinced her of the wrong intentions from us. For now we will let things breath. I am most sure we will get another chance to recruit her again."
Chapter 4 end
