Chapter 5
Sue's Diner was an old building, situated across from an abandoned laundry mat. The only light on the neon board that worked was the letter N, which cast a dim reddish-pink light over the sidewalk. Aileen remained hunched outside until she stopped crying, her strangled sobs echoing around her.
When she stepped inside, she kept her head lowered to keep any curious stranger from seeing her puffy eyes. Her cheeks were hot and sticky from her tears, and she tried to keep from gagging on the strong odor of fried food that hung in the air as she crawled into an empty booth, far away from the two trunk drivers that sipped their coffee. Neither paid attention to her held her head in one hand, feeling utterly lost. What would she do now? There was no way that she would ever go back to the Brotherhood, for now she despised them nearly as much as Xavier's preps. Pietro, with his condensing smile, Lance, who lusted after the pretty girls (Aileen felt bile rise in her throat as she thought of that particular fact), Tabitha, that bitch who complained about everything and saw her as a true freak, and Todd-oh, God. She had been so wrong about him. Aileen had put her trust in him, and now it felt as if someone had tore her heart, along with all her innards, out. Her eyes welled up again, and she bit deep into her lower lip.
Goddamn traitor.
Sue, the lady who owned the place, waddled up to her. She was squat, with bleached blonde hair and caked make-up, her tiny eyes watching the pale mutant.
"Ya all by yourself?"
"Yeah," she answered quietly.
Sue looked as though she was chewing something; perhaps it was the answer that Aileen gave.
"Are ya a runaway?"
In the owner of the diner's eyes, she certainly looked like one, her thick black hair tangled and her clothes worn.
The girl looked up, her intense eyes making Sue shudder. Each eye was like a glassy sliver of dark onyx, cold and hard.
"No," was the reply.
"Well, uh, can I getcha something?" Sue didn't know what to say and purposely avoided her customer; just looking at the teen's face was like staring at a scrawny owl with coal for eyes.
"A Coke."
Sue was eager to get away.
Aileen plopped her bag on the stained table, digging through it. She didn't think of grabbing anything as she stormed out, so now all her possessions were in this little knapsack. Her journal, a few crumpled one dollar bills, a half roll of LifeSavers, a broken wristwatch-those were the only things in there. The reality of her situation hit her fully now, for, when Sue closed her restaurant, she did not know where she would go. Going to live with her father was out of the question, as was fleeing to Xavier's. She still had a bone to pick with his goody-goodies.
The soda arrived, but she did not drink from it right away. Instead, she watched the bubbled float to the top of the glass, feeling utterly hopeless.
One by one, Sue's other customers left until Aileen and an old man were left. She reluctantly drank some of the flat Coke, wincing at the taste and not noticing the young man who entered the diner. Only when she caught sight of his shadow across the table did she look up.
He was the cutest guy that she had ever seen. Blonde hair, sea-green eyes, with a tall, trim physique. The stranger reminded her of the jocks at her old school, the kind who either outright called her a freak or tried to profess their "undying love" for her in sarcastic tones.
"Yeah?" Aileen demanded, her heart fluttering. If the jerk pulled anything, she would give him a scare unlike anything he had ever experienced.
"I saw you were alone." He slid in across from her without being asked. Aileen held the empty glass in one hand and raised a black eyebrow.
"Do I know you?"
"I don't think so."
"So why are you here?" She hissed, wary.
He shrugged, moving in such a natural way that it reminded her of the grace of a jaguar.
"I saw you by yourself-,"
"And you felt sorry for me," she finished.
"No, not that. Well, sort of. It's just-you look so bummed out."
Aileen smiled, more of a baring of her teeth than a real grin.
"Look, I appreciate your concern for me-," she stopped when she realized that she didn't even know his name.
"Joseph. Joseph Whitaker. But my friends call me Fritz."
Aileen sneered.
"Listen, Joseph, or whatever your name is, can you do me a favor and just leave me alone?"
He shrugged again, and her heart beat faster.
"Fine with me. Nice meeting you...what did you say your name was?"
Her mouth grew unnaturally dry as those green eyes looked with hers. God, he was handsome.
"Aileen Mason," she found herself mumbling.
"See you later." Fritz turned to leave, then looked back over his shoulder. She averted her eyes when he gazed at her, her skin crawling with shame. Better that he leaves, she thought. He'll just hurt me like everyone else.
Sue came waddling back to the table and announced that the restaurant was closing. Aileen paid her bill and left, retreating back to the dark safety of the alley. How long she was there before she sensed someone near her, she did not know. Startled, she looked up into the blonde guy's face.
"Would you like me to walk you home?" He asked.
She wondered where all his buddies were. They were probably behind a trashcan right now, snickering as he picked on the ugly chick. Why else would he be so nice to her?
"No." Her voice, much to her dismay, shook.
When he did not move, she stood up and hurried past him, looking at the cracked sidewalk. Aileen rushed straight to a nearby park and settled down on a bench.
Somehow, she knew that he had followed her.
"What the hell do you want?" She screamed, reaching a tendril into his mind, until her concentration was shattered by his voice. There was genuine surprise in it.
"God, I just wanted to help you out. Stop being so defensive! Is everyone so high strung here?"
She burst into tears. She didn't plan on doing it, and the fresh tears streaming down her face surprised her deeply. Even more shocking, she saw that he sat down the bench beside her, soothing her like an old friend would.
Perhaps it was his gentle touch that drove her to it.
Aileen confessed everything. Not everything, really-she purposely referred to the Brotherhood as "her friends" and did not mention her powers.
"Jesus, that's rough. Do you want to spend the night at my place?"
She wiped the tears from her face, and before she knew it, she was in a tiny apartment, scarcely furnished and with many boxes.
"Why-why did you follow me?" Aileen questioned again, after he had gotten her a tall glass of orange juice.
He sat down on a wooden stool across from her, his eyes serious.
"I really was concerned about you. An-and I saw that you were like me."
"What?" She suspiciously watched him.
"A mutant."
Aileen nearly spit out her juice.
"How?"
"Pretty obvious." Everything about his manner, the way he gazed at her with those eyes...especially his silky voice...Aileen tried to stare back defiantly, but was intrigued.
"I should know what you're going through." That silvery voice was all that she could hear.
She said nothing.
"I'm one too," Fritz told her, his voice low as he reached for one of her bony hands.
"I-I-,' she mumbled.
"I know that you hate what you are. I can help you."
The whole room, with its heavy boxes and dim lightning, seemed to possess a dreamlike quality. All Aileen could hear was her own breathing, and that handsome boy's reassuring voice. Like a man dying of thirst, she had found her oasis, her haven.
Mirage, all a mirage...
He lightly touched her hands, running over her fingers with his own. Startled, yet also full of desire, Aileen studied his face as he closed his eyes, and she felt a warmness...nothing more. When he removed his hands, she was startled by the appearance of her own.
The sickly whiteness had vanished, replaced by a healthy pink-brown. Each finger now had flesh, the long claws replaced by pearly nails.
"Jesus." That was all that she could muster as she stared, alarmed, at her arms, now slender and as normal as any teen's. Without thinking, she ran for the nearest source of reflection, which happened to be a toaster.
She nearly collapsed when she spotted her face. The gauntness had given way to flesh, her eyes a deep-brown inside of that ghastly black. Hardly aware of the fact that Fritz stood behind her, grinning coldly, she laughed with joy through her tears.
Sue's Diner was an old building, situated across from an abandoned laundry mat. The only light on the neon board that worked was the letter N, which cast a dim reddish-pink light over the sidewalk. Aileen remained hunched outside until she stopped crying, her strangled sobs echoing around her.
When she stepped inside, she kept her head lowered to keep any curious stranger from seeing her puffy eyes. Her cheeks were hot and sticky from her tears, and she tried to keep from gagging on the strong odor of fried food that hung in the air as she crawled into an empty booth, far away from the two trunk drivers that sipped their coffee. Neither paid attention to her held her head in one hand, feeling utterly lost. What would she do now? There was no way that she would ever go back to the Brotherhood, for now she despised them nearly as much as Xavier's preps. Pietro, with his condensing smile, Lance, who lusted after the pretty girls (Aileen felt bile rise in her throat as she thought of that particular fact), Tabitha, that bitch who complained about everything and saw her as a true freak, and Todd-oh, God. She had been so wrong about him. Aileen had put her trust in him, and now it felt as if someone had tore her heart, along with all her innards, out. Her eyes welled up again, and she bit deep into her lower lip.
Goddamn traitor.
Sue, the lady who owned the place, waddled up to her. She was squat, with bleached blonde hair and caked make-up, her tiny eyes watching the pale mutant.
"Ya all by yourself?"
"Yeah," she answered quietly.
Sue looked as though she was chewing something; perhaps it was the answer that Aileen gave.
"Are ya a runaway?"
In the owner of the diner's eyes, she certainly looked like one, her thick black hair tangled and her clothes worn.
The girl looked up, her intense eyes making Sue shudder. Each eye was like a glassy sliver of dark onyx, cold and hard.
"No," was the reply.
"Well, uh, can I getcha something?" Sue didn't know what to say and purposely avoided her customer; just looking at the teen's face was like staring at a scrawny owl with coal for eyes.
"A Coke."
Sue was eager to get away.
Aileen plopped her bag on the stained table, digging through it. She didn't think of grabbing anything as she stormed out, so now all her possessions were in this little knapsack. Her journal, a few crumpled one dollar bills, a half roll of LifeSavers, a broken wristwatch-those were the only things in there. The reality of her situation hit her fully now, for, when Sue closed her restaurant, she did not know where she would go. Going to live with her father was out of the question, as was fleeing to Xavier's. She still had a bone to pick with his goody-goodies.
The soda arrived, but she did not drink from it right away. Instead, she watched the bubbled float to the top of the glass, feeling utterly hopeless.
One by one, Sue's other customers left until Aileen and an old man were left. She reluctantly drank some of the flat Coke, wincing at the taste and not noticing the young man who entered the diner. Only when she caught sight of his shadow across the table did she look up.
He was the cutest guy that she had ever seen. Blonde hair, sea-green eyes, with a tall, trim physique. The stranger reminded her of the jocks at her old school, the kind who either outright called her a freak or tried to profess their "undying love" for her in sarcastic tones.
"Yeah?" Aileen demanded, her heart fluttering. If the jerk pulled anything, she would give him a scare unlike anything he had ever experienced.
"I saw you were alone." He slid in across from her without being asked. Aileen held the empty glass in one hand and raised a black eyebrow.
"Do I know you?"
"I don't think so."
"So why are you here?" She hissed, wary.
He shrugged, moving in such a natural way that it reminded her of the grace of a jaguar.
"I saw you by yourself-,"
"And you felt sorry for me," she finished.
"No, not that. Well, sort of. It's just-you look so bummed out."
Aileen smiled, more of a baring of her teeth than a real grin.
"Look, I appreciate your concern for me-," she stopped when she realized that she didn't even know his name.
"Joseph. Joseph Whitaker. But my friends call me Fritz."
Aileen sneered.
"Listen, Joseph, or whatever your name is, can you do me a favor and just leave me alone?"
He shrugged again, and her heart beat faster.
"Fine with me. Nice meeting you...what did you say your name was?"
Her mouth grew unnaturally dry as those green eyes looked with hers. God, he was handsome.
"Aileen Mason," she found herself mumbling.
"See you later." Fritz turned to leave, then looked back over his shoulder. She averted her eyes when he gazed at her, her skin crawling with shame. Better that he leaves, she thought. He'll just hurt me like everyone else.
Sue came waddling back to the table and announced that the restaurant was closing. Aileen paid her bill and left, retreating back to the dark safety of the alley. How long she was there before she sensed someone near her, she did not know. Startled, she looked up into the blonde guy's face.
"Would you like me to walk you home?" He asked.
She wondered where all his buddies were. They were probably behind a trashcan right now, snickering as he picked on the ugly chick. Why else would he be so nice to her?
"No." Her voice, much to her dismay, shook.
When he did not move, she stood up and hurried past him, looking at the cracked sidewalk. Aileen rushed straight to a nearby park and settled down on a bench.
Somehow, she knew that he had followed her.
"What the hell do you want?" She screamed, reaching a tendril into his mind, until her concentration was shattered by his voice. There was genuine surprise in it.
"God, I just wanted to help you out. Stop being so defensive! Is everyone so high strung here?"
She burst into tears. She didn't plan on doing it, and the fresh tears streaming down her face surprised her deeply. Even more shocking, she saw that he sat down the bench beside her, soothing her like an old friend would.
Perhaps it was his gentle touch that drove her to it.
Aileen confessed everything. Not everything, really-she purposely referred to the Brotherhood as "her friends" and did not mention her powers.
"Jesus, that's rough. Do you want to spend the night at my place?"
She wiped the tears from her face, and before she knew it, she was in a tiny apartment, scarcely furnished and with many boxes.
"Why-why did you follow me?" Aileen questioned again, after he had gotten her a tall glass of orange juice.
He sat down on a wooden stool across from her, his eyes serious.
"I really was concerned about you. An-and I saw that you were like me."
"What?" She suspiciously watched him.
"A mutant."
Aileen nearly spit out her juice.
"How?"
"Pretty obvious." Everything about his manner, the way he gazed at her with those eyes...especially his silky voice...Aileen tried to stare back defiantly, but was intrigued.
"I should know what you're going through." That silvery voice was all that she could hear.
She said nothing.
"I'm one too," Fritz told her, his voice low as he reached for one of her bony hands.
"I-I-,' she mumbled.
"I know that you hate what you are. I can help you."
The whole room, with its heavy boxes and dim lightning, seemed to possess a dreamlike quality. All Aileen could hear was her own breathing, and that handsome boy's reassuring voice. Like a man dying of thirst, she had found her oasis, her haven.
Mirage, all a mirage...
He lightly touched her hands, running over her fingers with his own. Startled, yet also full of desire, Aileen studied his face as he closed his eyes, and she felt a warmness...nothing more. When he removed his hands, she was startled by the appearance of her own.
The sickly whiteness had vanished, replaced by a healthy pink-brown. Each finger now had flesh, the long claws replaced by pearly nails.
"Jesus." That was all that she could muster as she stared, alarmed, at her arms, now slender and as normal as any teen's. Without thinking, she ran for the nearest source of reflection, which happened to be a toaster.
She nearly collapsed when she spotted her face. The gauntness had given way to flesh, her eyes a deep-brown inside of that ghastly black. Hardly aware of the fact that Fritz stood behind her, grinning coldly, she laughed with joy through her tears.