Chapter 2
Disclaimer: Yes, this chapter is short too! I suck at breaking things up into chapters^-^
Perched atop the ragged couch like some sickly bird, Todd Tolensky gazed down at the card game being played below him. He leaned slightly forward, his webbed fingers gripping the couch, and announced, "ya shoulda played that card, Lance. Ya woulda won."
"Shut up, frog-face," Lance growled, putting his cards down and standing up, "You made me lose."
Fred, his rotund opponent, just stared serenely as the taller boy tried to tackle Todd, who promptly fled. As Toad was fleeing for the decrepit stairs, both teenagers saw the scrawny figure appear at the very top. They both froze where they stood, Todd in mid-hop and Lance with his arms extended to strangle the other mutant.
She (at least to the two startled boys) looked like some awful thing, a female demon that lacked any beauty or charm. To say that she was hideous would have been an understatement, for her white skin, tautly stretched across a skull with sharp angles and gaping sockets, each containing a black eye with a swollen pupil, was enough to convince anyone that she had crawled out of a grave. It was the aura she gave off, one of cruel malice and sadism. Resembling some twisted version of Elvira, she slowly came down the stairs toward them.
"Haven't seen you for awhile, Aileen," Todd said quietly, as his girlfriend descended down the stairs, each long, bony finger grasping the dirty banister. This was true, for she had not left her room in days, probably brooding as she always did.
"Uh, yeah," Lance chipped in, avoiding the girl's vile gaze.
"Whatcha been doing?" Toad asked.
"Planning." It reminded everyone in the room of ice cracking-her voice, that was. Lacking any hint of kindness, Aileen's voice was hoarse and laced with venom.
"And what would that be about?" Lance inquired, arms folded.
"How to get back at Xavier's lapdogs."
"Why don't you lighten up?" Tabitha demanded from a chair near Fred.
"I wasn't talking to you," was the cool reply, and the blonde mutant smiled, standing up. She went straight to Phobia, who glared back with those unreadable eyes. With her hands on her hips, Tabitha cocked her head and stopped a few feet away. She was a complete contrast to Aileen; while she wore bright clothes that complemented her slim physique, Phobia's attire was dark and hung loosely off of her emaciated body. The few places where her skin showed was pasty white, the bones perfectly defined against the pale flesh.
"What's your problem, anyway? All you do is mope in your room," Tabitha told her, as Aileen's face darkened. Lance quickly stepped in between them, quite aware of how much Phobia loathed the newest member of the Brotherhood.
"Yo, Aileen," Todd said, "chill, 'k? It's cool."
Phobia didn't reply; her hands just clenched into tight fists. The expression on her face was one of pure hatred, and Boom-boom narrowed her eyes, taking a step back. The dark-haired girl pushed past her, ebony eyes gleaming with anger.
"Jeez, she is such a-," Tabitha started, before Lance shot her a I-am-the-boss-here-and-you-will-listen-to-me look, which made her close her mouth. Behind her, Fred picked up an empty bag of Fritos, oblivious to the prior confrontation.
"Man, I'm hungry," he whined. Toad, crouched on the floor with both yellow hands splayed out before him, rolled his eyes.
"You're always hungry," was Todd's reply.
"Am not! I just haven't eaten since breakfast!"
"None of us have eaten," Lance broke in, and Fred shifted his enormous weight to face him.
"And why not?" The obese mutant whined.
"Because we don't have any money," Lance responded. This was true; Mystique and Magneto, after abandoning them, had left them little more than the shack that they lived in. Anything like food had to be bought or taken from a store.
"This bites, yo," Tolensky declared, hopping back up onto the couch. Lance did not say anything; instead, he pushed back his long brown hair with one hand and disappeared into the kitchen.
Kurt flipped on the light and snatched the remote from the coffee table, switching on the television as he did so. He curled his furred blue tail around his legs and flipped the channel to cartoons. There was some stupid news broadcast on instead, and he sighed, disappointed.
A svelte reporter with short copper-colored hair was talking, holding the microphone close to her face. She was certainly pretty, and Kurt decided not to change the channel, not yet anyway. Propping his head on one hand and leaning back against the couch, he listened.
"...in further news, there have been reports of attacks against mutants by the so-called 'Fellowship of Humanity,' an organization known for its threats toward those possessing the mutant gene. Area officials have already arrested one man allegedly connected with the organization. Peter Kart, who is also thought to be behind one of the bombings last Wednesday, is being held without bail in a local detainment center. Many-," the woman said something else, but Kurt heard someone enter and craned his head to see them. It was Jean, her red hair pulled back.
"You were watching the news too?" She asked. Kurt nodded, and she sat down, her face pinched with worry.
"Vhat's vrong?" he questioned, concerned.
"It's just, well, there's been a lot about that Fellowship of Humanity lately. It bothers me."
"Vhy?"
"They're a really dangerous group. And they hate mutants."
"Oh."
"The professor's worried, too. The group's headquarters isn't that far from here."
Nightcrawler gravely looked down, understanding. He spoke, very softly.
"Jean, do you think ve might be in danger?"
The other mutant did not answer at first, then answered, voice tainted with nervousness.
"I really don't know, Kurt."
Disclaimer: Yes, this chapter is short too! I suck at breaking things up into chapters^-^
Perched atop the ragged couch like some sickly bird, Todd Tolensky gazed down at the card game being played below him. He leaned slightly forward, his webbed fingers gripping the couch, and announced, "ya shoulda played that card, Lance. Ya woulda won."
"Shut up, frog-face," Lance growled, putting his cards down and standing up, "You made me lose."
Fred, his rotund opponent, just stared serenely as the taller boy tried to tackle Todd, who promptly fled. As Toad was fleeing for the decrepit stairs, both teenagers saw the scrawny figure appear at the very top. They both froze where they stood, Todd in mid-hop and Lance with his arms extended to strangle the other mutant.
She (at least to the two startled boys) looked like some awful thing, a female demon that lacked any beauty or charm. To say that she was hideous would have been an understatement, for her white skin, tautly stretched across a skull with sharp angles and gaping sockets, each containing a black eye with a swollen pupil, was enough to convince anyone that she had crawled out of a grave. It was the aura she gave off, one of cruel malice and sadism. Resembling some twisted version of Elvira, she slowly came down the stairs toward them.
"Haven't seen you for awhile, Aileen," Todd said quietly, as his girlfriend descended down the stairs, each long, bony finger grasping the dirty banister. This was true, for she had not left her room in days, probably brooding as she always did.
"Uh, yeah," Lance chipped in, avoiding the girl's vile gaze.
"Whatcha been doing?" Toad asked.
"Planning." It reminded everyone in the room of ice cracking-her voice, that was. Lacking any hint of kindness, Aileen's voice was hoarse and laced with venom.
"And what would that be about?" Lance inquired, arms folded.
"How to get back at Xavier's lapdogs."
"Why don't you lighten up?" Tabitha demanded from a chair near Fred.
"I wasn't talking to you," was the cool reply, and the blonde mutant smiled, standing up. She went straight to Phobia, who glared back with those unreadable eyes. With her hands on her hips, Tabitha cocked her head and stopped a few feet away. She was a complete contrast to Aileen; while she wore bright clothes that complemented her slim physique, Phobia's attire was dark and hung loosely off of her emaciated body. The few places where her skin showed was pasty white, the bones perfectly defined against the pale flesh.
"What's your problem, anyway? All you do is mope in your room," Tabitha told her, as Aileen's face darkened. Lance quickly stepped in between them, quite aware of how much Phobia loathed the newest member of the Brotherhood.
"Yo, Aileen," Todd said, "chill, 'k? It's cool."
Phobia didn't reply; her hands just clenched into tight fists. The expression on her face was one of pure hatred, and Boom-boom narrowed her eyes, taking a step back. The dark-haired girl pushed past her, ebony eyes gleaming with anger.
"Jeez, she is such a-," Tabitha started, before Lance shot her a I-am-the-boss-here-and-you-will-listen-to-me look, which made her close her mouth. Behind her, Fred picked up an empty bag of Fritos, oblivious to the prior confrontation.
"Man, I'm hungry," he whined. Toad, crouched on the floor with both yellow hands splayed out before him, rolled his eyes.
"You're always hungry," was Todd's reply.
"Am not! I just haven't eaten since breakfast!"
"None of us have eaten," Lance broke in, and Fred shifted his enormous weight to face him.
"And why not?" The obese mutant whined.
"Because we don't have any money," Lance responded. This was true; Mystique and Magneto, after abandoning them, had left them little more than the shack that they lived in. Anything like food had to be bought or taken from a store.
"This bites, yo," Tolensky declared, hopping back up onto the couch. Lance did not say anything; instead, he pushed back his long brown hair with one hand and disappeared into the kitchen.
Kurt flipped on the light and snatched the remote from the coffee table, switching on the television as he did so. He curled his furred blue tail around his legs and flipped the channel to cartoons. There was some stupid news broadcast on instead, and he sighed, disappointed.
A svelte reporter with short copper-colored hair was talking, holding the microphone close to her face. She was certainly pretty, and Kurt decided not to change the channel, not yet anyway. Propping his head on one hand and leaning back against the couch, he listened.
"...in further news, there have been reports of attacks against mutants by the so-called 'Fellowship of Humanity,' an organization known for its threats toward those possessing the mutant gene. Area officials have already arrested one man allegedly connected with the organization. Peter Kart, who is also thought to be behind one of the bombings last Wednesday, is being held without bail in a local detainment center. Many-," the woman said something else, but Kurt heard someone enter and craned his head to see them. It was Jean, her red hair pulled back.
"You were watching the news too?" She asked. Kurt nodded, and she sat down, her face pinched with worry.
"Vhat's vrong?" he questioned, concerned.
"It's just, well, there's been a lot about that Fellowship of Humanity lately. It bothers me."
"Vhy?"
"They're a really dangerous group. And they hate mutants."
"Oh."
"The professor's worried, too. The group's headquarters isn't that far from here."
Nightcrawler gravely looked down, understanding. He spoke, very softly.
"Jean, do you think ve might be in danger?"
The other mutant did not answer at first, then answered, voice tainted with nervousness.
"I really don't know, Kurt."