Ha! Two chapters in one day!
Anyway. R+R please. Don't steal my characters.
Chapter Three
Logan glanced at Raptor. She was sitting in the passenger seat again, Jubilee having fallen asleep in the back. She was drinking a Diet Coke and humming to the radio, some God-awful song by one of those blonde girls who all looked and sounded the same.
She hadn't admitted to having any more nightmares, and when he asked she said she was fine, but he'd heard her crying and talking in her sleep, words that sounded suspiciously like 'Mother' and 'Father'. Still, he didn't push the issue. He had his fair share of nightmares and knew that some demons had to be faced alone.
Raptor suddenly shrieked, "Logan, look out!" as a blonde woman lurched onto the road right in front of them.
Logan slammed on the brakes and, since he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, jerked forward and bashed his head against the dashboard. Stars clouded his vision and he vaguely heard Jubilee's startled exclamation from the back before he passed out.
He didn't stay out for long, probably only a minute or so. When he came to, Raptor was muttering, "wonderful. Wonder-fucking-ful! This is the last thing we need. Logan, if you want to be really lovely, you can wake up any time soon."
He slowly sat up, rubbing his forehead. "What's wrong? Apart from me braining myself; I told you I heal quickly. A bump like that wouldn't hurt me much."
"No, but I get the feeling she would," Raptor countered, gesturing at the road and unclipping her seatbelt. Her eyes widened. "Holy shit! That woman just disappeared!"
Logan sniffed. "She's still around here. I can smell her."
Raptor started giggling, probably more out of shock than anything else. "If you've got that good a sense of smell, you prob'ly can't wait for Jubes and me to get a bath."
Jubilee sat up behind them. "Someone want to explain what just happened?" she asked. Raptor replied, "some crazy chick ran in front of us, Logan braked and hit his head because he's too much of a jackass to wear a seatbelt, he blacked out for a minute, during which crazy chick stood up and turned silver, and now crazy chick has vanished but Logan can still smell her. That about sums it up."
She looked down at her Spandex leotard and frowned. "Plus, I spilled Diet Coke on my leotard. Man, if we ever find her that chick owes me dry-cleaning money."
A silver blade slammed through the roof of the truck suddenly, almost hitting Raptor. She and Jubilee screamed and ducked while Logan tried to grab the blade that quickly wrenched back through the roof before slamming back down in a different spot.
"Raptor, Jubilee, stay down!" Logan roared as the blade kept hacking down at them. The two girls cowered on the floor, looking up fearfully as the blade swung down again.
This time Logan caught it. Suddenly, it started writhing in his hands. It turned a poisonous green colour and grew long and thin. The end twisted up and a snake's head hissed at him. He yelled and let go, and it wriggled back up through the roof.
"Logan, we better get driving now," Raptor suggested. Logan nodded wordlessly and slammed his foot down on the accelerator.
He heard a thump on the roof, then Jubilee shrieked, "there's something sticking through the roof!"
Logan shot a quick glance back and saw a metallic-looking hook sticking in the roof of the back compartment. Another hook slammed in, about thirty centimetres closer to the cabin than the first, which was then ripped out and slammed in above the second.
"They're climbing toward us," Raptor whispered. Sure enough, a couple of seconds later the hook slammed in above their heads.
"Jubilee, can you drive?"
"Yeah, sort of," Jubilee replied, looking scared. Logan grabbed her and sat her at the wheel. "Drive while I see if I can't get rid of our hitchhiker," he said, standing up on the seat and looking up through one of the rips. A metallic face glared back at him, dead black eyes glittering. The mouth opened and showed glistening fangs.
A snake's tongue flicked out of the mouth toward him. He grabbed it, then cried out and let go. It had burned his hand quicker than acid. The metallic creature laughed a short, raspy laugh like the sound of metal on metal and hissed.
A drop of its spit fell through the roof and landed on the seat between Logan's feet and Jubilee. It hissed and smoked, and the leather was burnt through to the metal.
The creature suddenly ripped its hands out of the roof and flipped onto the front of the truck, in front of the windscreen.
It was humanoid, slender and lithe, the colour of silver. Its feet were like giant bird feet, digging talons into the hood of the truck for balance. Its arms ended in hooks that were continually morphing, changing shape from hook to blade to snake. Its eyes were dead black.
Jubilee swerved, trying to make it lose balance, but it merely dug its talons in deeper and held on, cackling. It swiped at the windscreen with hands that were actual hands now, ending in claws like Logan's. It hissed and drops of its spit landed on the windscreen, dissolving it instantly.
Raptor's hair was blown in her face as she tried to avoid the drops of acid. She flung out one arm to balance herself and came into contact with Logan's leg, since he was still standing on the seat.
Her mind was instantly filled with little bits of information about Logan. What his power was, where he'd been the past few months, what his favourite food was. And among all the irrelevant information was the thing she always picked up: how to call him when she was in danger.
Her eyelids fluttered as she absorbed the information and for a moment Logan and Jubilee thought she'd faint. Then her eyes flew open and she steadied herself with the back of the seat.
The metallic creature swiped at them though the destroyed windscreen. Its claws caught Raptor's arm, cutting through her sleeve and leaving her arm bleeding. She stared at the wound for a few seconds before opening her mouth and emitting a cry that sounded like a hunting hawk.
An answering screech rang through the air, followed by another, and another. Raptor continued to scream like a hawk and real hawks, falcons and eagles answered her.
And then they came. They filled the sky, hovering above the truck like missiles. And then they swooped.
They all attacked the metallic creature with talons and beaks. It screamed and threw its arms over its head, trying to fend off the birds. Several golden eagles aimed for its legs and knocked it off the hood of the truck. There was a thump as the truck ran over it.
Most of the birds disappeared then. One remained, lighting on Raptor's arm. She stroked it and crooned something softly that made the bird preen. Then she gently kissed its head and sent it flying, before falling into a dead faint.
Logan glanced out the rearview mirror. The metallic creature wasn't dead; it raised itself and looked after them, but Jubilee had sped up and they left it far behind.
"Jubes, can you keep driving while I check to see if Raptor's okay?" Logan asked. Jubilee nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. Logan gently lifted Raptor's head and pulled her halfway onto his lap so he could examine her better.
Her Spandex leotard was ripped on her upper arm where the creature had caught her with its claws, and the wounds were bleeding heavily. She had some minor burns on her shoulders and arms, and her face was deathly white. Logan felt for her pulse. It was racing, as if she'd just run a marathon, but it seemed strong.
Logan reached back and grabbed one of the blankets. He ripped some strips off and bound Raptor's wound as tightly as he could without cutting off her circulation. Jubilee glanced at him. "Where are we gonna stop?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. He replied, "first place we can get a room. Does this always happen when Raptor uses her power?"
"I've never seen her use that power," Jubilee admitted. "I've seen her do some other simple stuff, like making a red shirt black when it didn't match her outfit, but I've never seen her call birds like that."
They pulled over at the first motel that had a vacancy sign. Logan sent Jubilee in to get them a room, since he didn't want to leave Raptor alone, helpless in the truck. Jubilee returned a few minutes later, swinging a keyring on her index finger.
"Room 14, second floor," she reported. "I told the clerk that one of my friends was tired so we'd be carrying her in so we didn't wake her. The real reason is too confusing, plus he'd never believe it."
Logan grabbed a few things from the back of the truck and handed them to Jubilee. "Take these for me, okay?"
He carried Raptor up to their room and laid her on one of the beds. Jubilee put her stuff down on the sofa. "I'll sleep here. It pulls out," she said. She came back over and sat beside her friend. "Is she going to be okay?"
"She should be. Raptor's a strong girl. It'll take more than a metal thing to take her down."
Aura picked through the pile of clothes Rogue had given her, wrinkling her nose. ((Girly. Girly. Girly. Ugh, don't the girls here wear pants or something?))
She finally found a pair of faded jeans and a white shirt. "That's more like it," she murmured. She picked up her new outfit and walked over to the bathroom, just as Sabrina was walking out.
"Hi Aura. Sleep well?" the Australian girl asked. She smiled and walked to her room, a few doors down from Aura.
((Ugh. How can she be so preppy first thing in the morning? And how was her hair so perfect after a shower?))
Aura stepped into the shower and let the hot water wash over her. She, Remy and Dreamer had decided to stay at the mansion, unless it seriously pissed them off anyway.
She grabbed her shampoo bottle and rubbed a handful through her hair. Let the bubbles get in her eyes and she rinsed, welcoming the sensation. Her pink eyes were weird that way; soaps and normal irritants merely felt… strange. Like when you got a painkiller in your hand, the hand felt far away, detached from your body.
She conditioned her hair then shut off the water and grabbed a towel. Rubbing herself dry, she went over her schedule in her head, trying to figure out what she had today, her first day of classes.
((English. And mechanics. Both with Mr. Summers. Am I gonna regret this? Everyone seems to feel sorry for me when they hear that.))
She got dressed quickly and went back to her room to dump the nightgown, put on her shoes and grab the books she'd been given for the classes.
((At least I get my own room. I can't imagine sharing with Sabrina. Or Kurt… but they wouldn't put a girl and a guy together anyway.))
She tossed her nightgown onto the bed and pulled on a pair of black sandals. She looked at the untidy bed, biting her lip.
((They have been nice to me. The least I can do is keep my room neat.))
She quickly made the bed and folded the nightgown under the pillow. Then she grabbed the books from the desk and went downstairs for breakfast. Not that she was hungry, but she had to be there or Dr. Grey would come along to see if she was sick.
She sat with Remy and Dreamer. Sabrina was sitting with some girls at another table, and Kurt was sitting with Kitty, that girl who'd made eyes at him their first day.
Aura sat down and stared at her friends. Remy was wearing jeans that actually weren't two sizes too big and a black shirt, and Dreamer was wearing khakis and a gold shirt that matched his eyes. He looked embarrassed. "Stop lookin' at me like Ah'm a guy model," he hissed. "This was th' least gay outfit Ah could make of th' clothes they gave me."
Aura shrugged and went to get a coffee. She never ate before midday; it just made her feel sluggish and slow. Coffee, however, was always good.
She returned and sipped her drink, watching the other students. Dreamer and Remy were talking about something — either girls, cars or both — and she really couldn't be bothered making conversation.
When the guys were finished eating they all stood up and returned their dirty plates and cups. Then they headed to the classrooms where their first classes were.
"What've you guys got?" Aura asked. Dreamer made a face and replied, "chemistry."
"Dat first aid course Dr. Grey was tellin' us 'bout yesterday."
"Well, I have English with Mr. Summers. Then mechanics. With Mr. Summers," Aura said. "Everyone seems to think that's a bad combo."
The guys shrugged and they separated to go to their classes. Aura went inside the classroom assigned for English and sat down at one of the unoccupied desks. Not all the kids were there yet; the class was only about half-full.
By nine o'clock, the class was full and Scott began. He said, "all right, we have that test today. You'll have the lesson to complete it, based on the work we've been doing this term. Aura, you don't have to participate in this. I'll give you the outline of what we've been doing and you can catch up a little."
"Actually, sir, I'd like to do the test."
There was silence for a few seconds. Then Scott asked, "you want to do the test, even though you don't know the material the test is based on?"
"Yes. I'd like to do the test."
"Well, if you really want to," Scott said, sounding doubtful. He handed out the papers and they got to work.
Aura scanned the questions quickly. The class had been studying Macbeth, a play she knew very well. ((Hey, no one said a street kid couldn't be smart,)) she thought, smirking, and began to write.
Eighty minutes later, Aura handed her paper to Scott and shoved her pens into her pencilcase. ((Piece of cake.))
She was about to leave the room when she remembered she had no idea where mechanics was. She said, "excuse me, Mr. Summers? Where's the mechanics class?"
"In the garage," he said absently. She grinned and went to the garage.
Rogue, Bobby and Remy were all in this class. Aura sat next to Remy and waited for Scott to come in.
When he did and saw her, he looked slightly confused. "Weren't you just in my English class?" he asked. Aura nodded. "Yes sir. I'm your stalker," she announced cheerfully. The class broke into laughter and even Scott chuckled.
"Well, you can stalk me later. We have a lot to get through today."
As they worked, one of the students sidled up to Aura. "Hey, congratulations. You actually made Mr. Summers loosen up."
She shrugged. "Yeah, so? You got a point? Cause if you don't, please get out of my face before I have to break yours."
She went back to work on the engine she and Remy were taking apart. Rogue and Bobby worked a metre away, close enough to hear anything they said but Aura didn't think they'd listen on purpose. Besides, it wasn't like she and Remy were going to discuss national secrets or anything.
"So, Remy, you like this place still?"
"Oui, chere, it's okay. Could be better."
"Yeah? How?"
"If we didn' have t' go t' school it'd be perfect, chere," he said, his eyes dancing. She chuckled and punched his arm. "Goofball. Stop making me laugh or I'll accidentally blow up our engine."
Rogue looked over, her eyes wide. "Can ya actually do that?" she asked. Aura burst out laughing. "No! I was just kidding!"
During that lesson, every time she looked at Rogue she was reminded of the 'blow up the engine' remark and burst into giggles. Remy watched her, shaking his head. "An' here I t'ought you weren't an airhead," he muttered.
After the lesson finished Aura and Remy met Dreamer coming out of his class. The first thing he said was, 'Ah gotta get outta here."
Aura nodded. "That's what I thought. Didn't you tell them?"
"Tell'm what? That Ah don't lahke it insahde? They wouldn't believe that. Hell, Ah wouldn't believe that."
The three walked outside and Dreamer relaxed. Aura sighed. "Dreamer, you have to tell them you're claustrophobic. I mean, if it was only with really, really small places it'd be okay, cause there are no tiny rooms here. But the way you are, you hate just being inside!"
"Ya think Ah don't know that it's awkward? Ah've had ta live with it for all mah life, Aura. But Ah c'n deal with it. Ya deal with stalkin' ya mechanics teacher."
"You heard about that?" Aura asked, surprised that word had spread so quickly. Dreamer grinned. "Ah figured ya'd do somethin'. Jus' didn't know it'd be stalkin' ya teacher."
TBC. In Chapter four, the metal thing comes back again, this time with some nasty friends. Logan, Jubes and Raptor finally make it to the mansion.