Two little brown eyes peered over the countertop in awe. She watched
tentatively, trying to contain the excitement within her. "Are you almost
done, mommy?"
"Almost," a beautiful Native American woman said as she put the finishing touches on the cake.
"How most is 'almost'?" the five-year-old asked.
"Just…one…more…" She made the last spread of the frosting across the cake's surface. "…Second. There. It's done." She picked up the cake and carried it into the dining room, her daughter skipping along behind her.
"Can we eat it, now?"
The woman giggled. "Not now, silly. Wait until daddy gets home."
"An' how long izzat gonna be?" the child slurred.
"Well…" The mother kneels down to her daughter's height. "Why don't you watch for him in the window while I finish up in the kitchen, okay Marnie?"
"Mm-hmm!" Marnie nodded and skipped over to the window. Her mother went and took the roast she cooked from the oven. She set it on the table next to the cake. Then she went to change into something that looked nicer than what she had on.
Marnie saw her mother disappear into her bedroom and walked over the birthday cake her mother made. She double checked to make sure her mom didn't see her, and when she was sure, she dipped her finger into the frosting and licked it clean. She stopped when she heard a car coming up the road by her cabin. She ran to the window and smiled brightly. "Daddy's here! Daddy's here!" she yelled as she opened the front door and ran outside. She waved her arms in the air as she ran. "DaddyDaddyDaddyDaddyDaddyDaddyDaddy!" she wailed.
Her father picked her up and swung her around. "Hey pun'kin!" he said with a smile. She gave him a hug and great big wet kiss as he held her in his burly arms. "What're you so excited 'bout?" he asked.
"It's your birf-day! Me an' Mommy made a cake for you." She wiggled, "Now let me down!" He put her down on the ground and she quickly grabbed his right hand into both of hers and tugged on it, walking backwards. "Come! Come! I wanna show you!" Her father laughed in delight.
She led him into the cabin and into the dining room. "SeeSee?" she said as she pointed at the cake. "Just for you!" Then she remembered something. She ran to the closet and pulled out a fine, black leather jacket. It was about twice her size, so she carried it over her head to keep most of it from trailing on the floor. "Mommy got this jacket for you."
Her mother overheard what she said and came out of her room dressed in short, deep crimson dress with the neckline exposing her shoulders before becoming long sleeves and her hair up. "Marnie!" she scolded. "That was supposed to be a surprise!"
The child looked at her mother and then to her father. "Suh-pwise!" she said.
He chuckled fussed her hair. "It's okay," he said. He turned to his wife and grabbed her around the waist. They kissed as a young couple would. "You look nice," he said as a calm growl came from his throat. She smiled.
"I wanna look nice!" their little one shouted. She ran to her room. "I'm gonna put on my pretty dress!"
The woman rolled her eyes. "I should go help her."
Her husband tightened his grip around his lovely wife. "She's been getting' dressed by herself since she was three, Fox. Let's just have the moment for ourselves." They held each other and kissed passionately for a few minutes.
Unexpectedly, a knock came from the door. They reluctantly parted from each other. "I'll get it," Fox said.
Her husband stayed in the dining room. He saw the finger marks in the cake's frosting that Marnie had left. He followed her example. Suddenly he heard his wife gasp. The average person wouldn't have heard it, but with his enhanced senses, he could hear anything. His keen sense of smell detected a stink—one he prayed he'd never smell again. He ran to the front door. His eyes confirmed his worst thoughts.
A man twice the size of him stood at the door, wrestling with his wife while keeping his hand over her mouth. "Hiya, runt," he said evilly. "How come I wasn't invited ta the party?"
"Leggo o' her, Creed," he said. This time, the growl reverberating in his throat was one of rage, fright and hate.
"Whatcha' gonna do if I don't, huh runt?" He punched Fox in the face and tore her dress off with his razor sharp claws, making sure he drew blood from the defenseless woman.
"Logan!" she screamed. Creed held her by the neck and ran her head as hard as he could into the cabin's wall. She fell to the floor unconscious.
Enraged, Logan leapt at her attacker. Claws emerged from the back of his hands, his blood dripping down them. He slashed Creed across the face, missing his eyes. Creed countered and ripped some flesh from his opponent. Each were mutants of similar abilities. Each began to heal at miraculous speeds. Each were holding their ground and circled each other like two scorpions in a bottle, waiting for the other's defenses to go down.
Little Marnie came running from her bedroom, down the hallway and into the fight. "Mommy, can you put my hair into…" The toddler stopped dead in her tracks. Her brown eyes widened as she took in the sight that lay before her.
Logan prayed for Marnie's safety, hoping he could take down Creed before anything else could happen. Parental instinct kicked in as he turned to her. "Marnie! Run! Run away! HURRY!" Creed took that opportunity to attack Logan. He flew back into the wall, being injured seriously even for his state. Creed further approached him, to finish the job.
Marnie had taken off. She ran to her parents' room and opened the window. She climbed out and ran into the dark woods. It was night. There was no moon out. The thick brush of trees blocked out most of the light the stars provided. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Small branches pulled the pigtails from her black hair. Her dress ripped as it caught on the bushes. Bruises and abrasions scarred her. She would have cried, had she not been so terrified to do so.
She tripped and fell headfirst onto the stony, thorny forest floor. She painstakingly tried to pick herself up. She looked up and saw Creed grinning evilly and laughing. She had time to scream.
"Almost," a beautiful Native American woman said as she put the finishing touches on the cake.
"How most is 'almost'?" the five-year-old asked.
"Just…one…more…" She made the last spread of the frosting across the cake's surface. "…Second. There. It's done." She picked up the cake and carried it into the dining room, her daughter skipping along behind her.
"Can we eat it, now?"
The woman giggled. "Not now, silly. Wait until daddy gets home."
"An' how long izzat gonna be?" the child slurred.
"Well…" The mother kneels down to her daughter's height. "Why don't you watch for him in the window while I finish up in the kitchen, okay Marnie?"
"Mm-hmm!" Marnie nodded and skipped over to the window. Her mother went and took the roast she cooked from the oven. She set it on the table next to the cake. Then she went to change into something that looked nicer than what she had on.
Marnie saw her mother disappear into her bedroom and walked over the birthday cake her mother made. She double checked to make sure her mom didn't see her, and when she was sure, she dipped her finger into the frosting and licked it clean. She stopped when she heard a car coming up the road by her cabin. She ran to the window and smiled brightly. "Daddy's here! Daddy's here!" she yelled as she opened the front door and ran outside. She waved her arms in the air as she ran. "DaddyDaddyDaddyDaddyDaddyDaddyDaddy!" she wailed.
Her father picked her up and swung her around. "Hey pun'kin!" he said with a smile. She gave him a hug and great big wet kiss as he held her in his burly arms. "What're you so excited 'bout?" he asked.
"It's your birf-day! Me an' Mommy made a cake for you." She wiggled, "Now let me down!" He put her down on the ground and she quickly grabbed his right hand into both of hers and tugged on it, walking backwards. "Come! Come! I wanna show you!" Her father laughed in delight.
She led him into the cabin and into the dining room. "SeeSee?" she said as she pointed at the cake. "Just for you!" Then she remembered something. She ran to the closet and pulled out a fine, black leather jacket. It was about twice her size, so she carried it over her head to keep most of it from trailing on the floor. "Mommy got this jacket for you."
Her mother overheard what she said and came out of her room dressed in short, deep crimson dress with the neckline exposing her shoulders before becoming long sleeves and her hair up. "Marnie!" she scolded. "That was supposed to be a surprise!"
The child looked at her mother and then to her father. "Suh-pwise!" she said.
He chuckled fussed her hair. "It's okay," he said. He turned to his wife and grabbed her around the waist. They kissed as a young couple would. "You look nice," he said as a calm growl came from his throat. She smiled.
"I wanna look nice!" their little one shouted. She ran to her room. "I'm gonna put on my pretty dress!"
The woman rolled her eyes. "I should go help her."
Her husband tightened his grip around his lovely wife. "She's been getting' dressed by herself since she was three, Fox. Let's just have the moment for ourselves." They held each other and kissed passionately for a few minutes.
Unexpectedly, a knock came from the door. They reluctantly parted from each other. "I'll get it," Fox said.
Her husband stayed in the dining room. He saw the finger marks in the cake's frosting that Marnie had left. He followed her example. Suddenly he heard his wife gasp. The average person wouldn't have heard it, but with his enhanced senses, he could hear anything. His keen sense of smell detected a stink—one he prayed he'd never smell again. He ran to the front door. His eyes confirmed his worst thoughts.
A man twice the size of him stood at the door, wrestling with his wife while keeping his hand over her mouth. "Hiya, runt," he said evilly. "How come I wasn't invited ta the party?"
"Leggo o' her, Creed," he said. This time, the growl reverberating in his throat was one of rage, fright and hate.
"Whatcha' gonna do if I don't, huh runt?" He punched Fox in the face and tore her dress off with his razor sharp claws, making sure he drew blood from the defenseless woman.
"Logan!" she screamed. Creed held her by the neck and ran her head as hard as he could into the cabin's wall. She fell to the floor unconscious.
Enraged, Logan leapt at her attacker. Claws emerged from the back of his hands, his blood dripping down them. He slashed Creed across the face, missing his eyes. Creed countered and ripped some flesh from his opponent. Each were mutants of similar abilities. Each began to heal at miraculous speeds. Each were holding their ground and circled each other like two scorpions in a bottle, waiting for the other's defenses to go down.
Little Marnie came running from her bedroom, down the hallway and into the fight. "Mommy, can you put my hair into…" The toddler stopped dead in her tracks. Her brown eyes widened as she took in the sight that lay before her.
Logan prayed for Marnie's safety, hoping he could take down Creed before anything else could happen. Parental instinct kicked in as he turned to her. "Marnie! Run! Run away! HURRY!" Creed took that opportunity to attack Logan. He flew back into the wall, being injured seriously even for his state. Creed further approached him, to finish the job.
Marnie had taken off. She ran to her parents' room and opened the window. She climbed out and ran into the dark woods. It was night. There was no moon out. The thick brush of trees blocked out most of the light the stars provided. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Small branches pulled the pigtails from her black hair. Her dress ripped as it caught on the bushes. Bruises and abrasions scarred her. She would have cried, had she not been so terrified to do so.
She tripped and fell headfirst onto the stony, thorny forest floor. She painstakingly tried to pick herself up. She looked up and saw Creed grinning evilly and laughing. She had time to scream.