All the Difference
All the Difference
All usual disclaimers apply. Sera, Terry, Charm and the Jannhansons are mine.
Half a day later and her nerves were still on edge. She had to admit, though, that it wasn't just Wolverine, it was everything. Xavier's suggestion she join the X-Men burned in her mind. In one day, they had completely turned her life around, spun her so far out of control that she still couldn't find solid ground to stand on. It wasn't that she disagreed with their, what would you call it? Their mission statement. It was just that they were looking at her in ways that she had never, ever looked at herself in. She was not a hero, or at least, not that kind of a hero.
Wolverine just added to the confusion. He was, in every way, the complete opposite of Charm, her boyfriend of three years. Wolverine was volatile, that was the only word for him, and he brought out that same behavior in her, made her wild and she had been trying for years to be calm. One of Charm's greatest appeals was his gentleness, his peace of spirit. Even if she did, by some chance, drop her shields around him, he was so at peace with himself and the world, it barely caused a ripple in her own emotions. He was the kind of guy you watched sappy videos with on a rainy day, while eating popcorn. She couldn't see any of that with Wolverine. No, with him, life would just be constant explosions that they couldn't control. Thinking back to this afternoon, and she just kept doing that, until she wanted to beat her head into a wall, she would bet they wouldn't even try to stop the explosions.
She had been busying herself with necessary work all day. The cops and Family Services had both been out to see Terry. Hank had used some kind of a thing that had changed his appearance to that of a normal man, albeit a big one; he explained he was more reassuring to authorities that way and right now what they wanted most was for people to understand that Terry was in the right place, a place where people would care for her and not hurt her. There were reports to fill out and charges to file, evidence and statements had been taken. Special for Sera was a firm talking to about taking a minor from her place of residence. Apparently she was lucky no kidnapping charges had been filed. Except, of course, that would have involved Terry's parents giving a damn and from what she could read of the policeman's feelings, that wasn't the case. She would bet money that they hadn't even filed a missing person report. What would they say? "Our daughter ran away after we beat her senseless?" That always went over well with the police.
As soon as all the paperwork had been taken care of and it had been agreed that the school would be a suitable place for Terry to stay until the criminal hearing for her parents, Sera sat down with Terry and, holding her hand, had fixed the rest of the damage down to the girl's body. Hank had reported that the other residents of the mansion had been curious about meeting the new girl and Sera didn't want Terry to have to deal with meeting new people looking like she had been used as a punching bag. Terry had always been so very careful at hiding the abuse. All day, Sera could feel her embarrassment, her shame at what had been done, the feeling so strong, so acidly painful that Sera could feel them through her shields, no matter how deep she made them.
Hank had decreed the best way to deal with the meeting was to just get it over with in one fell swoop, suggesting dinner. Terry had looked so panicked at the idea that Sera had to reassure her that she would be there with her. And they would find her new clothes somewhere, ones that were bloodstain free. Dinner with a whole crew of new people was actually not sounding real fun to Sera either and she looked nearly as bad as Terry by this point, but for this kid she would walk through fire.
On the whole, it could have been worse. There was a teachers' table, where Hank and Xavier sat with the woman Wolverine called Jeannie and the others that had been belatedly introduced as Ororo Munroe and Jeannie's man, Scott Summers. Actually, he hadn't been introduced that way but the bond between them was so strong, it was actually hard for Sera to think of them as two separate people. There's a fun fact to know and be damn sure not to share, Sera reminded herself. Everyone loves it when you comment on their relationships about five minutes after you met them. Scott still seemed displeased by her; apparently he was really that unimpressed to come in and see her biting Wolverine. Oh, well.
Wolverine. There was no missing the fact that he wasn't there. There were other tables in the room, sure, but no other adults. Sera looked around the room, guessing that this was probably the whole student population. About 30 kids, she figured, eyeballing them as about the size of her average class. All different ages here and no doubt, radically different abilities. Especially considering what kind of a school this was.
Sera choose to sit with Terry, who was still radiating panic but so well controlled that no one else could see it. Sera had been instantly engulfed by her tablemates, two girls- Jubilee and Rogue- and a boy, Bobby. They were talking animatedly to Terry and Sera felt pretty safe just smiling at the right moments and hugging Terry with one arm when the girl said Sera was her "bestest teacher!" With the other hand, she aimed a playful swat at the girl's head, but her eyes kept searching the room, though, hunting for Wolverine.
Wolverine hadn't been able to bring himself to go to dinner that night. It was hard enough, playing respectable adult around all those kids, being a good role model and all that stuff he never figured himself for, without having to deal with Sera. Jeannie had mentioned Terry and Sera would be at dinner and that had made his choice for him. No way could he look at her. Boyfriend! How in hell could she kiss a guy like that and then go and say she had a man already? And that kiss... she was like a drug, instantly addictive. He was gonna have to stay well away, if he didn't wanna get hooked. Course, after that kiss, staying away was pretty much the last thing on his mind.
He solved the problem of dinner by eating late in the kitchen, in solitary splendor. He had picked up some more beer in town that day, and even though drinking it reminded him of her, it was also the only way to deal with the fact that her car was still parked outside, proof positive that she still hadn't gone to wherever her home was. Why the hell was she still here? He kept getting little wisps of her scent, blown towards him by sneaky little breezes and it was driving him nuts. With an almost inaudible growl, Wolverine knocked back the last of his current bottle. Damn woman!
It was when he was rummaging through the fridge, trying to figure out where in the world the last of the six-pack had gone when Hank came in, humming happily to himself.
"Salutations, my good man," he said cheerily, passing the fridge on his way to the cabinet where the sweet snacks were stored. As he passed, a familiar scent once again tickled Wolverine's nose. The warm scent of Hank's fur, chemicals, and, yes, cinnamon.
It was like he had no brain. One moment Hank was smiling in an absent-minded professor sort of a way at Wolverine, the next moment, Wolverine had him backed up against the wall and was fighting the urge to pop his claws.
"You. Smell. Like. Her," he gritted out through teeth that were clenched so tight they hurt.
Hank stayed very still. Wolverine had no idea what would happen if he and the man who called himself the Beast actually got into a real fight, but it was clear the doctor was not planning to find out. "I can only deduce you mean the charming and ever delightful Ms. Jannhanson?" he asked carefully.
"Damn straight! And I think you got some explaining to do here, bub."
Hank seemed momentarily without words, which would be novel if only Wolverine could concentrate on anything besides the hideously clear mental pictures his overactive brain was showing him as ways Hank might smell like Sera. "Not that I think I have any explaining to do, my temperamental friend, but the young lady was merely helping me out in the lab this evening. Young Terry didn't feel quite about to leaving the medlab quite yet and so Serendipity was kind enough to stay and help me with some menial work I needed done in order to keep the girl company."
Wolverine took the scent in deeper and firmly told his brain that it sure didn't smell like any of the pictures his brain had gleefully provided had actually happened. Pissed at himself for giving a damn one way or another, at Sera for driving him nuts and Hank for having been close enough to Sera to pick her smell, he released the larger man and turned to stalk out of the kitchen.
"Wolverine." Hank's voice stopped him at the door. "Not to intrude on what is no doubt a personal matter, but perhaps Serendipity is the one you wish to be having this conversation with. And you may wish it to be soon; if she does continue on here, as Charles does so hope, you would do well to consider that she is a beautiful woman who knows her own mind and how to use it. I doubt very much she has a strong patience for testosterone driven displays of one's machismo."
Wolverine resumed his stalk out of the kitchen. There was nothing civil he could add to that. It was still early enough to find a bar that was open. Nobody there would smell like cinnamon. Or remind him of people who did.
He could have sworn he heard, as he stomped down the hall, the Beast add in a quieter tone, "And I'm neither blind nor stupid."
On the third day, Sera knew she had to leave. Terry was as acclimated as she was going to get while Sera was still at the school and all the police paperwork had been dealt with. There was no excuse to stay any longer. She hadn't seen Wolverine since she kissed him. Hank had mentioned only briefly that the other man was eating late in the kitchen. Obviously, Wolverine was avoiding her, which was just fine and dandy with her, cause she didn't want to see him either.
She did owe it to Professor Xavier to talk with him about his amazing idea of her joining his group. Even after a day, the idea didn't seem any less weird to her. She was a teacher; it was what she had always wanted to do. She had even moved out of the small, isolated town her family had lived in for generations, just to be what she wanted and not what everyone else expected. This job offer sure wasn't what anyone had expected, least of all her, but it made her head hurt to think about it too much.
The conversation with the Professor went as well as she could hope. She had tried to give a flat out no, but the professor had to be at least as strong a telepath as she was an empath and she could tell lying wasn't going to work. Eventually, he extracted from her the promise to give the idea some serious thought. There was, he reminded her, no hurry. Certainly he saw the need for his group for quite awhile yet. In addition, he and the good doctor were still both very interested in understanding the whys and hows of her mutation.
It was only when Sera expressed her intention of driving home that day that an expression of worry crossed Xavier's face. "Are you quite sure that's safe?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Didn't you say that Terry's parents live quite close to you? They seem both violent and unstable."
"I've got to go home, Professor," sighed Sera. "I've got a life, you know, and it's going to take some fast work to explain my vanishing as it is, without staying any longer."
"Well, then, at least don't go alone." He thought a moment and finally brightened. "I know, Wolverine can escort you home. I don't believe he has any commitments today and certainly he is intimidating enough that Terry's parents, if they haven't been arrested yet, will certainly steer clear." Obviously pleased with his brilliant plan, Xavier was already calling Wolverine's room.
Sera felt all her insides tie themselves into one huge knot. Terrific. Lots of quality time with Wolverine. That was just what she needed. Aside from that voluntary lobotomy she was going to sign up for as soon as she got home.
Wolverine, when he heard the news, looked about as excited as she felt. Actually, she knew exactly how he felt. His weird ability to get inside her shields hadn't lessened with increased exposure to him. He was both fiercely pleased and totally dismayed to spend more time with her. Yep, that was exactly how she felt.
Except that Wolverine didn't have to go home and then start lying to his significant other about where he'd been. And then lie by omission, since it would never even occur to Charm to ask about whether she had kissed anyone who wasn't the man she had been involved with for years. Yep, lobotomy was sounding better and better. Could they please cut out the part of her mind that wasn't thinking of Charm, or lies or Xavier and his superheros, but only of Wolverine and how much she wanted him? She would have given anything to turn and pound her head against the wall but there was no reason to give Wolverine that much of an idea about how she felt. There was a light in his eyes that told her he had enough of a clue already.
"Fine," she muttered, seeing that she was totally outmaneuvered here. And, deep inside, just as glad to spend more time with Wolverine, so long as it wasn't as it wasn't either of their bright ideas.
"Tell ya what," suggested Wolverine. "I'll follow you on my bike. That way, I got a way to get home and all."
"Excellent," agreed Xavier. "Ms. Jannhanson, I do hope you will give my offer firmly in mind. I hope to hear from you soon."
"One way or another, Professor, you will," agreed Sera as she shook his hand. "And thanks again for taking in Terry. I can't tell you how much it means to me, knowing that she's going to be safe."
She and Wolverine left the study then, Wolverine with a brief nod to the professor as he left. Then it was down to the lab to say her goodbyes to Terry and Hank. Terry clung to her for nearly five minutes as she said goodbye. "This is my phone number," said Sera, after finally being released. "You need anything, you just call me, okay? Any time for anything. I'm going to miss you, girl. Here I was hoping I could get you back in my room for your community service credits."
"Maybe this school has 'em," suggested Terry, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes without anyone telling. It wasn't working, not by a long shot, but no way was Sera going to say anything. "Maybe I can suggest 'em?"
"You do that," agreed Sera.
And then it was good-bye to Hank, who had become a friend quicker than she could have ever thought possible. He looked surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck, the only part of his body she could wrap her arms around, to hug him goodbye. "I can't thank you enough, Hank, for taking such good care of her."
Was it her imagination or did Hank's eyes slide over to Wolverine as she hugged him? Certainly she could feel that Wolverine wasn't happy. A brief flair of anger and jealousy as Sera wove her shields as deep as they could go. Could she just not interact with men at all when he was around? The last thing she needed was him going all territorial on her. Like he had any claim on her at all.
"I do hope we will eventually meet again," said Hank gently.
"Me, too," she agreed and hugged him again.
The drive back to the city was much shorter than the one out. It helped that the weather had cleared over the last few days. All in all, Sera made good time, getting back to her apartment in just under an hour. Wolverine paced her car perfectly; there was never a time when he wasn't next to her or right behind her. The bike seemed very him, a huge monster of a black Harley, the kind she had always wanted and couldn't justify on her teacher's salary. He wore only a leather jacket for protection, and she would bet it was more for the look of it than anything else. Sure, it would be painful to regrow all his skin after shredding it off in an accident but apparently for him that wasn't a real problem. She snorted and was glad he couldn't hear her. What a man. She couldn't see Charm doing anything like that, even if he could heal anything. Which, of course, being a normal human, was totally outside the realm of possibility.
"Stop comparing them!" she muttered aloud to herself as she pulled up at her curb, with Wolverine right behind. "That won't solve a damn thing." And, she added silently, seeing a very familiar car parked across the street, it's going to actively get you in trouble. What was Charm doing here? She counted the days in her head again- she spaced sometimes, in the summer, when there wasn't any need to keep track of them, but still came up with Thursday. She could have sworn Charm wasn't due back until Friday, but there he was, long legs swinging out of the car and hurrying him across the street to her. Wolverine had gotten off his bike and was just in front of her, obviously protective. It occurred to her, dimly, that he might think Charm was a threat; it wasn't like she had mentioned what Terry's dad looked like.
Seen together, the contrast between Wolverine and Charm was even more painful. Although there was something about the former, some sense of life and vitality that drew her towards him, she could never call Wolverine handsome. Built, yes, and every inch a man, but not handsome. He looked like what he was, more wild than tame. Charm, on the other hand, looked every inch the Prince Charming that had earned him the nickname years ago. Tall, with dark blond curly hair, green eyes and a face out of a picture book. She had always been surprised that Charm wasn't more self-centered, the way she had always expected beautiful people to be, but he was as pretty on the inside as he was on the out. More often than not, Sera caught herself wondering what he was doing with her, but since she never felt the least bit of dissatisfaction from him, she tried not to let it get to her. Really, he was almost too perfect.
Wolverine was glaring and she could see his knuckles flex, could feel the desire to attack grow in him. Charm was looking at both of them funny as he crossed the street.
Putting a hand on Wolverine's shoulder as she passed him, hoping that would be enough of a non-verbal hint that this man was no danger to her, she ran up to her boyfriend. "Charm!" she cried as he wrapped his arms around her. Now she could feel Wolverine's jealousy clearly, much stronger than with Hank and hoped like hell she could keep him in line. "What are you doing here? You're back early!"
"Yeah, the meetings went much better than expected. I've been waiting for you, on the off chance you would come home soon. I got back yesterday and I've been calling." Letting go, he was now eying Wolverine with some curiosity. She could have read his feeling without an ounce of empathy. Who was this man and why was he with her? Bloody hell, could this get more awkward?
"There was a situation with that old student of mine, Terry. Remember, you met her? The one I was worried about?"
"Yeah?" He kept an arm around her and an eye on Wolverine.
"Yeah, turns out all my suspicions were right. They, her folks, beat her up bad the other night and I took her to this private school, out of the city, that I thought would be good for her. I'm just getting back."
"Right, okay," Charm answered. "So this is...?" and here he looked square at Wolverine.
Sera was still trying to figure out how to explain that this guy called himself Wolverine when Wolverine himself surprised her by gruffly saying, "Folks call me Logan." They did? Who the hell knew? "I do some security and self defense classes up at the school," I bet you do, "and the prof asked me to see Sera here home safe, just in case Terry's parents were around. The girl was hurt pretty bad, we didn't want 'em taking out their mad on Sera, if they couldn't get their hands on their kid."
"Well, nice to meet you," returned Charm a little stiffly and Sera hastened to make introductions, hoping to smooth the moment over.
"Um, Logan, this is Michael Warren, my boyfriend." Yep, there was that telltale jealous rage again. She guessed she could count herself lucky that Wolverine wasn't coming up swinging. She shot him a look, telling him without words to cool it.
"Yeah, nice to meetcha, too," was Wolverine's- Logan's?- answer. It didn't escape Sera's notice that neither man offered to shake the other's hand. Great.
"Well," said Charm coolly. "She's safely back so I guess your job here is done."
"Nah," said Wolverine, his voice just as expressionless. "If its all the same to you, I'll see it done when I see her in her apartment safe and sound."
"Right then!" was Sera's desperate interjection. "Let's all get up there, then." At this rate, she was almost hoping Terry's dad was lying in wait. At least then they would all have something new to focus their attention on.
No such luck. She would bet money Wolverine hadn't needed to walk her whole apartment like he did, to see it was clear. She had seen him take a few deep breathes and she could swear she saw his ears, almost invisible under all that hair, perk up as he listened for sounds that didn't belong. But still, he walked the whole place, Charm glaring at him the whole time, following close by, determined to be no less of a man. And raise your hand if your having fun yet, she thought, watching the show from her couch.
She managed to get Wolverine out quick enough after he couldn't put on anymore of a show. "The prof'll want to hear from ya," he reminded her as he left.
"Yeah, yeah," she agreed, steering him towards the door. Just at the door, and with Charm still watching- she didn't know who to damn more- he added, in a voice she seriously hoped only she could hear, "You belong with yer own kind, darlin'," and she did her best to shove him out, amazed at how heavy he was.
"Pleasure meeting you, bub," he called back to Charm as she shut the door.
They were alone now: she, by the door: Charm, on the couch, looking real displeased.
"So, she began gamely. I missed you."
So this was what screwed felt like.
Him? She's with him? Wolverine didn't know whether to be thrilled or amazingly depressed. Sera's boyfriend was a gentleman. A gentle man. Polite, soft-spoken even when he was green with jealousy, caring. What the hell did she see in him? The woman who stole his beer, who bit his leg, with a man she actually called Charm? Wolverine growled to himself, speeding the bike as fast as the traffic would bear. He needed a drink and he needed to be far, far away from Sera. Charm! It was enough to make a man sick.
"So," said Charm in a careful, controlled voice. "What was that?"
"As an English teacher, I've got to correct you; he was a who, not a what."
"I didn't mean the man. Not yet at any rate. I meant the whole situation. I go away for a week and you get delusions of grandeur?"
Sera almost laughed at the Star Wars reference; their first date had been to go and see the movie when it was re-released. "I told you, Terry needed help. There was this private school, I thought it would be good for her. So I took her."
"Why not the cops, Sera?"
"I did call them. Just, from the school. Look, trust me on this, I did the right thing."
He sighed, clearly far from convinced. "Okay, it was the right thing. Excellent, you're a hero. That's great. But what's up with this guy Logan?"
Maybe those lies wouldn't be by omission after all. "Just what he said, that the headmaster of the school wanted to be sure I was safe when I got home."
Charm stared at her. "What am I, blind? That may be the what but its sure not all of the why. I saw how he looked at you and I saw how he looked at me. That guy wants you and I don't think he's real keen on me standing in his way." He paused, clearly thinking about what to say next. "He looks like a dangerous kind of a man, Sera. Not one you want to play games with."
Sera had a lousy temper and she knew it. It was one of the reasons she was with Charm, since nine times out of ten, he had a calming effect on her. Obviously, this was that fatal tenth time though, as his words started her teeth clenching and her eyes narrowing.
"What game do you think I'm playing here, Charm? The game where Terry gets the crap beat out of her or the game where its a realistic concern that I might be in danger from her parents, especially since the legal system is notoriously bad at keeping people like that behind bars? Were either of those the games you were thinking? Cause, I don't know, neither of them sound like that much fun to me. Wo- Logan was here for my protection, that's all. It wasn't either of our ideas but it also wasn't an idea either of us thought was bad. Okay, so maybe he thinks I'm good looking, what's the big deal there? It's not the first time its happened since we've been together and I'm sure that it won't be the last. You never cared before." She was keeping her voice calm with effort; what she wanted, irrationally, was to yell, and scream and tell Charm he was imaging things. But she couldn't bring herself to do it, seeing as how it would be such a huge lie.
"You really want to know what the big deal is?" and his voice was as calm as hers despite the fact she could tell he was just as upset. "What is the big deal is how you looked back at him. And that this Logan, this man you barely know, looked like he wanted to beat the crap out of me for being with you. But he didn't and I think it was because he could tell you didn't want him to. That's not a strangers helping each other out reaction there, sweetheart. I don't know if I want to know what that was."
All Sera could think for a moment was whether or not she had been looking back. There was no doubt the man fascinated her but she had been seriously hoping it didn't show. "I'm sure it wasn't what you think. Look, can we talk about something else now?"
"No, not really. I still have a few more questions. Such as who is the professor and why does he want to hear from you so badly?"
Sighing in relief, knowing it would have been a lot worse if Charm had overhead Wolverine's remark about staying with her own kind, she answered carefully. "The headmaster of the school and he offered me a job. He was very serious, says I'd be an asset."
"And what was Logan's reaction to this offer?"
"Why would he have one?" Careful now, although, come to think of it, that was a good question. She thought she could make a real good guess though, and it wasn't positive.
"Well, hon, I think I'd like him to have one. I think I'd like him to feel something. Because I would hate to think that you're thinking on throwing away three years on something that took three days."
"Charm, you're imagining things. First, I told you nothing was happening," she was going to burn in hell for telling lies like this, "and second, who says I'm throwing anything away?"
"You do." There was a pause. "In three years, you never once said you loved me. Do you love me, Sera?"
"Don't do this."
"Don't do what? Wonder if this relationship is going anywhere? Wonder who the hell this guy is and what you think when he looks at you like that? Wonder if you're thinking of this job and what that might do to us if you are?" His voice was lower now; an inside voice, she called it when talking to her kids. That was the Charm she had fallen for; quiet, able to pull himself back real quick, even if he lost it. But with effort now, she saw that.
It was like acid on her heart, the look on his face. There was so much he didn't know, so much she had never told him and here it was blowing up in their faces. Would he still be having this conversation, so desperate and so damn loving, if he knew she was a mutant? The pain in herself doused her anger faster than anything he could have said or done. Their fights were rare, but when they happened, they were always like this; fast and furious and always with the feeling of things left unsaid. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter. Maybe she had lost some of that voice, pushing it past all the things she couldn't say.
"Charm, this job offer, it isn't about you or about Logan. This is just one of those times in your life when you reach a crossroads. When you've got to choose." Choose and lose, one way or the other, her mind whispered.
"And what's your choice?"
"Oh, Charm, I surely don't know." Sera collapsed on the couch, feeling drained. "I wish I could tell you, cause that would mean I knew."
"I know. Your choice, I mean. I know you. You keep that Frost poem right by your bed. You're going to take the road less traveled. You always have." Charm's voice was curiously flat. "But has it made any difference, Sera?"
No answer for that. She was quiet, still, watching him.
"You never answered my question, Serendipity. Do you love me?"
"I love you, Charm." As much as I can. Who knew, she wondered, that lies would taste so much like ashes, that a man who just heard the words he had been waiting three years for could look so defeated? How had they come to this, she went on thinking as he kissed her and murmured a goodbye, saying something about work, how had it reached this place where she had to choose? Why couldn't things just stay the same?
She was a mutant. Terry was the first person she had ever said those words to, not even her own mother. Where Sera grew up, when she was growing up, that word had no meaning. But now, here, it did, and no little bit either. So here there's Xavier's school, where she could be what she always was, and it would be accepted, admired. Where she could show kids like her how to accept and admire themselves. And here's the world she lived and worked in, where it was a hypothetical question to be talked about with hushed voices in the staff lounge. "What would we do if there was a mutant attending our school?" they asked each other, never knowing they were asking a mutant, Sera's eyes hiding her feelings, like she had to learn to do when she moved to the city.
And Charm on one side, so quiet, so calm, so much what she always wanted to be. Hell, even down to the nuclear family, so different from Sera, who had grown up with a mother, a grandmother, a sister and later, following Jannhanson family tradition, a niece and still no men in sight. Charm thought she was normal. Charm loved the woman without knowing the truth to her. And in the other corner, there is Wolverine, Logan, who could hide what he was if he wanted to but didn't. Who knew what she was and let it piss him off, not because she was a mutant but because of how she was one. Two separate worlds, those two. Two separate roads to choose, just like Charm had said. If she chose the school, she didn't think she could keep Charm; just like if she somehow chose Wolverine, she didn't think she could keep the public school just a few blocks down, where she had worked for 6 years. There was just no way one world could fit inside the other, no way she could choose without turning her back on what she hadn't chosen.
There are some questions that have no answers and there are others where you simply don't want to know the answer. They were, she had always thought, impossible to tell apart.
Sera looked at her hands, resting next to her. Concentrated, looked at the blood flowing through her veins, looking so human but carrying such very different genes. It was only through her own mutation that she could see deeply enough to see the difference. Without being different, there was no way to tell that she was. She could pass. She had passed for ten years. There was nothing in her twenty-eight years that had prepared her for this moment.
What's it going to be?
Who are you?
What are you?
Which road will you take and what difference will it make?
"'Nother drink, buddy?"
"Keep on pouring 'em till ya run dry."
"Drinking like that will kill ya, you know." Not a question, that.
"I should be so lucky."
"Women troubles?"
"Shaddup."