Destiny
Chapter Four
Hello everyone. I'm Paige Guthrie. Well, okay, some people now call me Husk too. I volunteered to tell this part, because Jono didn't want to tell it. Oops, I said too much. I'll start telling the story now…
After Angelo ran out, most of the rest of us decided we should go home too. I stayed around Kurt's place for a while, because I had husked to show my team my power, like Storm had. So, now I looked like a tree. It was odd, feeling through skin that was more like tree bark than anything else. I don't really have control over my power, so I had to wait a bit until I turned back to normal, before I went home. Finally I changed back, and could leave. When I got home, my dad asked me where I had been.
"I was out with Jono." I said, which wasn't entirely a lie. It was no secret that I like Jono, so I could tell them.
"With a group, I hope?" My mom asked.
"Yeah. Angelo and Bobby were there too."
"Good." Just like normal parents, they didn't want me to be out alone with a boy. I wondered momentarily if three boys were any better. I went up to my room and started on my homework. It felt odd, doing something so normal after what I had been doing earlier. After a while, there was a knock on my door.
"Yeah? Who is it?" I asked.
My brother, Sam, poked his head in. "Mom says it's time for dinner."
I closed my math book. "Good. I'm starved." I followed my brother down the stairs, and we all started a nice meal together.
"So, wha' did you do in school today, Paige?" my dad drawled. Of all of us, my dad was the only one who really had an accent still.
"Um, well, not much." I said, not really wanting to tell him about the FoH assembly.
"Ah was talkin' with Mr. Xavier today." My dad went on.
My heart caught in my throat. "What did he say?" I managed to ask.
"That ye're on the Grad Decorations Council." He looked at my relieved expression. "Are ya okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I gasped.
"Ah think that's great, honey. It's good that ye're gettin' actively involved
with graduation like that."
"Yeah." I
managed to say.
The topic wandered away from me, and towards my
brother. Sam was in University, and my
parents were both very happy about that. They very rarely stopped asking him questions about what it was like,
and telling stories that started, "When I was in University…"
After supper, we all headed into the family room to
watch some TV. Sam found a deck of
cards, and we started playing two-handed poker. I was about to win when the doorbell rang. My mom went to answer it, and a moment later
she came back in the room.
"Paige, its Jonothon."
I got up off the floor and headed towards the
door. It was indeed Jono.
"Hey, there." I said to him. "What are you
doing here?"
"Can we go for a walk?" He asked. His voice was
increasingly sounding more disembodied. It was becoming very unsettling.
"I'll have to ask my mom."
He nodded, and I headed back into the house. I asked my mom,
"Uh, Jono wants to know if I can go for a walk with
him. Can I?"
She glanced up at the clock. It was 7:35. "Be back before nine."
I went back to the door. Jono was still standing there. I grabbed my coat, and shut the door behind me. "I have to be back before nine." I said as we went down the front steps. We were halfway down the block before Jono
said,
"Have you been thinking about what might happen if
we go to Outworld?"
"No." I
admitted. "I haven't really given it
much thought."
"I was thinking about what Ange said, about us dying
and all."
"We aren't going to die."
"How do you know that?"
"I don't know." I said. "I just feel it in my
gut, that we're going to be alright."
"I sure hope you're right." He looked down the street. "Oh, bloody 'ell."
I followed his gaze. There down at the corner was a bunch of guys with t-shirts
bearing the FoH logo, harassing a couple of kids, who were obviously
mutants. One, a girl, had really white
skin, and yellow hair that shone in the streetlights. The other was a boy who had reddish gold skin and long black
hair. He also had bat-like wings. Then Jono started running down the street,
just as one of the FoH guys tripped the girl up and started kicking her. I ran after him, and arrived as they grabbed
the guy and started punching him in the stomach. I didn't want to husk, because then I'd look strange for a while,
so I tried running into the FoH guys hurting the girl. I pushed one of them back, and was tripped
up by another one. I looked up and I
saw Jono had unwrapped the bandages from his chest, and was blasting away the
FoH guys. My attention was drawn back
when I was kicked in the side. Somehow
my power knew it was coming, and I shed my skin to reveal some kind of stone
underneath. The guy who kicked me
screamed in pain, and hopped away holding his foot. I stood up, and went to check on the girl. She was cut in some places, but she would be
okay. I offered her a hand to help her
to her feet, and then she ran over to the boy, who was now laying face down on
the asphalt. He sat up and looked at
me.
"Thank you." He said, and then he and the girl took off into the night.
I looked around for Jono. I couldn't see him anywhere, which wasn't all that surprising,
what with his traditional black clothes and black leather jacket. I couldn't even see the glow from the energy
that comprised his body.
"Jono!" I
called. "Jonothon Evan Starsmore, where
are you!"
Then I heard something. It was sort of like someone crying, but not quite. It was wrong. Too loud, and… strange. I
can't really describe it. I headed towards
the sound. Eventually I found Jono
hiding in a plastic slide in a nearby playground. He was curled up with his back to me. I touched his back, and he recoiled, hitting his head on the
curved roof, then curled back up.
"Jono, what's wrong?" I asked.
He didn't say anything.
"Jono, please talk to me." I pleaded. Then I noticed
the glow inside the tube. "Jono, what
happened?"
:I'm gone:
It sounded like Jono's voice, but it didn't come
from him. I could hear it all around
me, in the air. It was as odd as the
crying sounds I had heard earlier.
"Jono, was that you? Did you do that?"
:I'm gone: He repeated. He turned to face
me. I stiffened in shock. Where before the energy had only made up his
stomach and chest area, now it had spread to his face. The bottom half of his face was gone,
replaced with roiling energy.
"Oh, god." I
said.
I'm sorry, I can't continue. I have to stop now. Now you see why Jono didn't want to tell
this part? Husk out.
Author's Note: I'm sorry for that, but I had to do it. I hope it'll get better. Up
next, get ready Wolverine fans.
Flashgriffin
