Chapter 55
Of Stalkers, Secrets, and Misplacement
The week had seemed to fly by after Dazzler arrived. There had been two nights of insane karaoke singing, including a boy band battle between the Brotherhood and X-men. The girls claimed it was a tie, but the Brotherhood knew they'd won. Dazzler had left after two days, a bonfire blowup, tales of shifters and skin walkers in the woods, and several Brotherhood streakers. She claimed it was because she was headed to her little sister's graduation, but Todd thought otherwise. This had not been the only insanity to occur, in fact that was normal. What had then transpired was Pietro had been online and had apparently meant to message someone but instead had sent a message to Kiki, who took it as an invite. She said she'd taken a plane, but Todd was curious at how fast she'd gotten there. This had led Pietro to convince Zodiac to help him make her think they were a couple, which she'd reluctantly agreed too. This was only because Candy had invited Kiki to stay, mostly because Pietro had aided Pyro in destroying her favorite dress during the fire incident.
This was why at this moment, Todd sat on Candy and Zodiac's bed while Zodiac and Candy distracted Kiki with the binder and talks of school, which was a break from Kitty and Candy's wedding chatter that had taken over most of the week. He could leave and find the guys, but the reality was, he really wanted to hear more about the wedding and school as he was starting some classes online in a few short weeks, not to mention… hear Zodiac's strange made-up tales about her and Pietro whenever Kiki grilled her. She'd seemed rather okay with it, but he knew Candy was concerned…. The women was a bit… off.
"I like that," said Zodiac, indicating to something in a magazine.
"That's so not me," said Candy, "Todd do you see me in a boring classic dress?"
"Uh…" Todd thought carefully, he smirked to himself until two pillows hit him, "Ow! What was that for, yo?"
"I know what you were thinking," said Candy with a small smirk.
"So do I," said Zodiac with a grimace, "I shouldn't have broken that stupid necklace from my parents, it beats hearing things I don't want too…. Oh, that's beautiful!"
"Whoa, I like all the flowers and the pond," said Kiki as she flipped through Candy's binder, "So, Zodiac, what's you and Pietro's wedding plans?"
"Uh…. We just started dating," said Zodiac after a moment's hesitation.
"If you really loved him, you'd have that figured out by now," muttered Kiki, Todd fought back laughter before he spoke.
"Yeah, Z…. don't you have your dress picked out yet…. Candy had hers picked out before we actually met," said Todd, Candy covered her mouth from laughing but Zodiac shot him a dark look.
"How do you know?" asked Candy after finding her composure.
"I saw that date in there," said Todd, indicating to the binder, "Ask Pietro nicely and he'll make it for you."
"Oh god no, you've already promised him our first born child for a shirt, I don't know what he'd want to make me a wedding dress," said Candy with wide eyes.
"Your eternal servitude and a castle full of concubines," said Pietro swinging in, he saw Kiki and in the blink of an eye was sitting cuddled with a slightly disturbed Zodiac, who gave a forced smile, "Sorry I'm late dumpling."
"It's fine…. My little roadrunner," said Zodiac, Todd snorted, "Well I was going to call him my little cheetah, but he just had a bigger nose… and ferret doesn't make sense."
"Ooo, I like ferret," said Candy, Kiki looked bitter.
"His nose is perfectly fine," said Kiki sharply.
"It's fine… my darling little… Peacock Princess… is just making fun," said Pietro with a broad grin, Zodiac's eye twitched and Candy snorted.
"What's so funny, Toad Princess," said Zodiac, Candy beamed, this was not the goal of Zodiac.
"Correction… after I overthought… some people. It's Toad King and Queen, baby," said Todd, he gave Zodiac a playful smirk which she returned.
"Oh…. Treason and mutiny…. I can't wait to be married," beamed Candy, she changed subject quickly at Kiki's darkening look at the two on the other side of her, "So… Kiki…. Your last day is next week. Are you looking forward to school?"
"..Huh… oh yes," said Kiki, "I'm just hoping my savings, grants, and scholarships is enough for my last few years. A Genetic Engineering degree is expensive… but it's a good pay off… hopefully."
"I bet," said Candy, the other three looked at each other.
"What? Generic Engineering?" asked Pietro, his arm slipping off of Zodiac's shoulder.
"Yes, I've told you that before," said Kiki, "Your father said it was a fascinating subject when I talked to him about it…. Have you met his father, Zodiac?"
"Ohm… no," said Zodiac, "No, I haven't."
"Hmm," said Kiki with a hint of smugness, "Well… singing is lovely and all I'm sure… but what is your future going to be…. You can't sing techno pop forever."
"Yes she can," said Pietro quickly, "Right?"
"Actually… I'm in school… its hard being on tour and stuff but I ohm… I have studies done in Psychology…. You know for the future," said Zodiac, somehow it had turned a little personal it seemed, "So yes… I am prepared for when I choose not to sing for a living anymore."
"What type of psychology?" asked Kiki sharply, Candy slowly slid away from in between the two, "Generic Freudian I suppose… blame it on people's mother's…. charge people thousands to talk to themselves?" said Kiki, Pietro had started sliding away as well.
"The Psychologist that will deal with the people your genetic games end up psychologically traumatizing," said Zodiac.
"Shots fired, shots fired," said Todd as he grabbed Candy's hand and yanked her out of the room, "I am not sticking around for whatever is about to go down, yo."
"I don't know, Pietro doesn't seemed threatened by it," said Candy as she glanced in the room as they headed down the hallway.
"He's just sticking around to see if a catfight is gonna happen…. Or until it turns," said Todd with a smirk, "Besides, why are we sitting in a room looking at a binder when we could be outside… enjoying the sunshine with everyone…. Nevermind."
"It's raining, sweetie," said Candy as Todd opened the doors to see a downpour, "And the Brotherhood went into town with the X-men."
"I forgot," sighed Todd as he leaned against the doorframe, Candy leaned the opposite of him before walking out, "What are you doing?"
"Also I was trying to find out a good date for our wedding… then you started falling asleep… Come on," said Candy as she started sprinting in the rain towards the barn on the far part of the property.
"Wait up," said Todd as he hoped quickly and easily caught up with her, "Now, why are we going to the barn?"
"You'll see," said Candy as she grabbed his hand and they went around to the back of the barn towards the old silo and opening the side door, "I remembered it the other day from when I was out here a few years ago… and if I brought you here any other time, the Brotherhood would follow."
"They have a strong sense of curiosity," said Todd as he ducked out of the rain and through the side door with Candy.
The silo was tall and wide, it hadn't had anything but hay in it for a very long time, mostly because of the vent shaft had been replaced with an opening to the barn and not for meal or corn. There was vines woven from outside that seemed to climb up its sides, flowers still in bloom before they would eventually fade with the seasons. Todd could see that a little farther up there were windows that let the small amount of light from the storm outside in as they only light in the silo. He was going to ask Candy if this is what she'd wanted him to see but he realized Candy was gone. He looked up to see her legs disappear into the part of the silo that was attached to the barn. Her head popped back into view, her hair draping her face as she smiled down at him.
"Are you coming?" she asked, an arm indicating to the vines that covered small pegs.
"Pft, like I need those," said Todd, he lept up with ease, his feet and hands holding onto the edges of a medium sized opening, "What's this?"
"I think it was part of an old wider shaft," shrugged Candy from where she laid on her stomach, facing towards the silo.
It was a decent sized opening, it was long, but Todd could barely crouch in it, which was why he laid next to Candy and looked out towards the silo with her. The windows looked out over the woods and mountains, framed by the storm clouds and rain. It was a beautiful sight, even though he personally preferred the views of small towns and cities, but it was calming. They lay there in silence for a few minutes as Candy rested her head against his shoulder. It was peaceful but Todd's mind wondered, he smirked.
"How long do you think it would take to plan for the wedding, yo?" asked Todd, "You know…sense it'll probably be elaborate considering your dad's paying."
"A year…" Candy was silent for a moment, "Or a week…. It depends really… I mean I'm pretty sure my dad's already got things on standyby since we first started dating."
"Yeah, when I talked to him about it…. You know asked to marry you… cause Lance encouraged that aspect… You know… I'm pretty sure he thought I was proposing to him, it was a little weird…. And he didn't exactly say no," said Todd with a raised brow.
"Stop seducing my father with your seductive way," said Candy with a smirk spreading across his face.
"I can't help my natural charming charisma, babe," said Todd with a confident grin, she snorted, "How about September?"
"Two months?" smiled Candy, "Got a date?"
"Must I do it all," sighed Todd dramatically, "If I must…."
"Oh shut up," smiled Candy as she kissed him.
Todd kissed her back, his arms sliding around her waist as he pulled him closer to her. Her arms snaked around his neck as they ended up moving a little ways into the strange former wooden vent. Todd ended up moving his arms as they'd rolled a little so he was straddling her. A clap of thunder caused them to stop their kissing momentarily as they both looked out the opening from where they could still see it, the rain was coming down harder. Todd's gaze lingered for a moment until Candy's lips moved along his neck and her hands drifted, he looked at her with a raised brow ad she tried to look innocent about her current ventures.
"You know… we're alone… no Brotherhood… no one even knows where we are… secluded in a storm," said Candy with a small smirk.
"I hope you're just trying to seduce me and not kill me… because the last one would be a real bummer," said Todd, he smirked, "You know unless it followed after the first…." His rant was cut off by lips hungrily meeting his.
"We should probably get back," sighed Candy, they had been laying watching the sunset that was currently breaking its way through patches of clouds.
"We could do that," said Todd, but neither made a movement from where he rested his head on her shoulder as they watched the skies beyond the silo.
"Did you hear that?" asked Candy as she sat up, looking back towards the barn.
"Hear what?" asked Todd, he didn't hear anything, perhaps the wind against the building or swinging a barn door, "Have you seen my shoe, yo?"
"I think it fell down the silo," said Candy as they started casually grabbing the items of their clothes that they had discarded, "Have you seen my shirt?"
"Maybe," said Todd as he held the purple tank top, "I mean, do you really need it? I kind of like the whole topless in shorts look, just sayin' yo."
"Todd, give me back my top," said Candy, she looked back towards the barn, "What is…. I think it's my sister… hey!"
"Have you seen my over shirt?" asked Todd as he threw the tank top at Candy, the last thing he wanted to do was be caught by Nature with a half-naked Candy in the attic of her barn.
"Hey, I think you can see in the barn…" Todd looked around to see Candy headed farther down the shaft and looked down, she whispered, "Todd… come here…"
"I'm coming," said Todd as he followed behind Candy to look down in the barn bellow, he could see Nature and Sharka talking right beneath them, "Think we could make a break for it?"
"Shh, I want to hear," said Candy, Todd shrugged and listened in as well, it seemed they were quietly arguing.
"Sharka, why didn't you tell me about it," said Nature, "If I would have known that, I wouldn't have brought them out here."
"Don't worry, me and the others have it under control. My brothers and I will take care of it, we didn't know another pack would be fighting over territory so close by," said Sharka, "We have it handled. Besides, unlike them, we can control ours."
"That's what worries me… maybe we should leave tonight. I don't want to try and discuss this with everyone, right after finding out about aliens. Especially Zodiac and Candy…." Nature was cut off.
"Don't you think I can handle it, I have before in the past. That's the reason we keep around these parts for you," said Sharka as he sighed, "Let's not dwell on it, there's nothing to be afraid of. Besides I think Zodiac and Candy would understand…. However I don't think telling the Brotherhood's a good idea… or at least not Pyro… he might burn down the forest just to see…. And it's just getting back to normal since the last time you were out here and got the flu..."
"He might, actually," said Nature, as she turned back to look through the barn door towards the ranch, "We should invite their friends to stay with us tonight… just in case, a bonfire maybe?"
"Maybe, but I would much rather talk about something else," said Sharka as he walked towards her.
"What are they talking about?" asked Todd, this sounded like another problem headed their way.
"No idea," said Candy, though Todd noticed her nose was squinted like it did when she was thinking deeply, "I mean, there's stories she's told me about here but there just stories… like at the campfire the other night."
"Why do I have a feeling that the 'stories' your family tells for fun has a lot of truth," said Todd with a light groan, he looked down, "But perhaps it's not too much of a problem… they don't seem to think so, yo."
"What?" asked Candy as she looked down to see a rather heavy make out session happening between her older sister and her ranch hand and best friend, "Whoa…"
"When did that happen?" asked Todd, Candy shrugged and started to back up from the area, there was a creak as Todd followed, "Oh shit…"
The weak boards that surrounded the hole they'd been spying through gave way from under them and before Todd could catch his baring the two crashed down on Sharka and Nature bellow them. Todd's fall was softened by the fact he landed right onto Sharka, however Candy and the boards falling on him was not as softening, especially the knee to his gut. The awkward and painful situation didn't get resolved by the time Bobby came flying around the corner of the barn and froze, as if taking in the situation.
"Interesting," said Bobby, "Kitty's right, it's always questionable with Brotherhood members."
"Will you ALL get off of me," groaned Nature, who was at the bottom of the pile.
"Ohm, not that I'm not curious, but we kind of have a problem," said Bobby quickly.
"Add it to the list," said Sharka as he helped Nature up and looked at the ceiling, the horses still reacting from the loud commotion that had happened.
"I kind of… misplaced Scott," said Bobby, with a shrug.
"Uh.. what…" said Nature, Todd sighed and stumbled slightly towards the doorway as Bobby ran off, Candy followed.
"I… I don't understand these last few minutes…." Said Sharka, looking in confusion as the Brotherhood and X-men scrambled about near the ranch and seemed to break off into teams.
"I don't understand the last month," said Nature with a groan as she headed out the door, "What else could possibly happen?"
"Uh….." Sharka cringed as the sound of wild animals filled the night air, "That…"
TO BE CONTINUED
COME on… you GOTTA know who Kiki is by now…. I'm throwing direct hints out here…. One last guess before it's reveled in the future chapters… and one last hint. In the comics.. she was directly related to the Brotherhood of Mutants… and she first appeared in 1999.
