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Chapter 2: Secrets
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The concert had been over for a few hours now, the entire stage setup had been packed up and Alison had met all of the fans with backstage passes and signed autographs. She was now sitting in her dressing room, rubbing her temples as the roadies packed up the last of her clothes.
"Hey, you all right, kid?" Alison looked up at the doorway to see her manager, Tom Cooper, standing there, a look of concern on his features.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She bluffed, picking up a can of Cherry Coke off her dressing table and taking a swig, swishing the cola around in her mouth before swallowing.
"You seemed pretty beat after the show, was wondering what was wrong," Tom said, entering and taking a seat in one of the plastic chairs that had been provided by the venue.
"What, didn't you see that flash of light out there? What could that have been, do you know?" She asked, "it was very distracting," she mentioned nothing of the feelings of a power building up inside of her and then finally being released when the blinding flash occurred.
"It was probably a light bulb that blew," he said, "you know how those things flare up before they go completely." Tom shrugged, ducking under her table to access the cooler, pulling out a Diet Coke for himself.
"Yeah, a light bulb," she murmured, leaning back in her chair, tossing her golden locks back with a yawn. "What are the next few stops on the tour, Tom?"
"Uh... first one is in New Jersey, after that we're heading to Bayville," he said.
"Bayville... hasn't that town been on the news quite a bit lately?" she asked, sitting back up again to look at her manager.
"Yeah, home of the X-Men," he said, "buncha mutant freaks."
"Hey, some of those 'freaks' are paying to see me sing," Alison retorted, "now you can't complain about that, now can you?"
"Money's money, babe," Tom said with a grin, "just as long as the muties don't cause a ruckus! Now you get ready to go, we'll be leaving in a few minutes." He patted the teen star on the shoulder and left. She just sighed and grabbed her trusty old portable CD player and placed her headphones over her ears, touching play and sighing as she listened to some instrumental rock. After a few moments, much to her dismay, she began to feel the energy starting to build up inside of her again.
"Oh no..." she murmured, glancing around to see if there was anyone watching. She concentrated on the energies, drawing them to the front of her mind, then stretched out a hand almost instinctively toward her empty can of Cherry Coke. A soft white glow appeared around her hand, and suddenly a beam of light shot forth from her fingers, enveloping the can. She concentrated further, trying to explore this newfound ability, and the beam seemed to take up a substance, finally blasting the Coke can off of her desk.
"Uh... Alison?" She jumped out of her chair, placing her hands behind her back like a child trying to hide a cookie she had stolen. She looked at Lila Cheney standing before her, suspiciously eyeing her. "What were you doing there?" Alison bit her lower lip, stopping her CD player and placing it on the dressing table.
"Close the door," Alison said, checking nervously behind Lila, making sure no one was around to listen in. Lila came in and closed the door behind her, brushing her long raven hair back behind her ear. "I think I may be a mutant," she said in a hushed tone.
"What... that flash of light earlier?" Lila asked, "Tom said that was probably just a light bulb blowing out." Alison shook her head.
"No, watch this..." she picked up her headphones again, pressing play and waiting for the power to build up inside of her. The moment she felt ready, she stretched out her hand, firing a blast of light at a chair, toppling it over.
"Wow!" Lila said, "what are you going to do, though?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know how Tom feels about mutants," Lila said, leaning against the door, "if he finds out..."
"Don't tell him, Lila! Please, don't tell him... it would be the end of my career!" Alison pleaded, her eyes almost filling with tears at the thought of being forced to quit show business.
"Relax, Alison, I won't tell him," Lila said, patting Alison lightly on the shoulder, "you're the one who gave me the chance to perform on stage in the first place. I owe you at least that much." Just then, the door opened, revealing Tom on the other side. Both girls were given quite a start by this sudden invasion.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?!" Alison snapped.
"Hey, you guys have plenty of time for chitchatting on the bus... now let's go!" Tom said, ushering the two girls out to the tour bus where they headed off for their next show.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To Be Continued
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Chapter 2: Secrets
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The concert had been over for a few hours now, the entire stage setup had been packed up and Alison had met all of the fans with backstage passes and signed autographs. She was now sitting in her dressing room, rubbing her temples as the roadies packed up the last of her clothes.
"Hey, you all right, kid?" Alison looked up at the doorway to see her manager, Tom Cooper, standing there, a look of concern on his features.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She bluffed, picking up a can of Cherry Coke off her dressing table and taking a swig, swishing the cola around in her mouth before swallowing.
"You seemed pretty beat after the show, was wondering what was wrong," Tom said, entering and taking a seat in one of the plastic chairs that had been provided by the venue.
"What, didn't you see that flash of light out there? What could that have been, do you know?" She asked, "it was very distracting," she mentioned nothing of the feelings of a power building up inside of her and then finally being released when the blinding flash occurred.
"It was probably a light bulb that blew," he said, "you know how those things flare up before they go completely." Tom shrugged, ducking under her table to access the cooler, pulling out a Diet Coke for himself.
"Yeah, a light bulb," she murmured, leaning back in her chair, tossing her golden locks back with a yawn. "What are the next few stops on the tour, Tom?"
"Uh... first one is in New Jersey, after that we're heading to Bayville," he said.
"Bayville... hasn't that town been on the news quite a bit lately?" she asked, sitting back up again to look at her manager.
"Yeah, home of the X-Men," he said, "buncha mutant freaks."
"Hey, some of those 'freaks' are paying to see me sing," Alison retorted, "now you can't complain about that, now can you?"
"Money's money, babe," Tom said with a grin, "just as long as the muties don't cause a ruckus! Now you get ready to go, we'll be leaving in a few minutes." He patted the teen star on the shoulder and left. She just sighed and grabbed her trusty old portable CD player and placed her headphones over her ears, touching play and sighing as she listened to some instrumental rock. After a few moments, much to her dismay, she began to feel the energy starting to build up inside of her again.
"Oh no..." she murmured, glancing around to see if there was anyone watching. She concentrated on the energies, drawing them to the front of her mind, then stretched out a hand almost instinctively toward her empty can of Cherry Coke. A soft white glow appeared around her hand, and suddenly a beam of light shot forth from her fingers, enveloping the can. She concentrated further, trying to explore this newfound ability, and the beam seemed to take up a substance, finally blasting the Coke can off of her desk.
"Uh... Alison?" She jumped out of her chair, placing her hands behind her back like a child trying to hide a cookie she had stolen. She looked at Lila Cheney standing before her, suspiciously eyeing her. "What were you doing there?" Alison bit her lower lip, stopping her CD player and placing it on the dressing table.
"Close the door," Alison said, checking nervously behind Lila, making sure no one was around to listen in. Lila came in and closed the door behind her, brushing her long raven hair back behind her ear. "I think I may be a mutant," she said in a hushed tone.
"What... that flash of light earlier?" Lila asked, "Tom said that was probably just a light bulb blowing out." Alison shook her head.
"No, watch this..." she picked up her headphones again, pressing play and waiting for the power to build up inside of her. The moment she felt ready, she stretched out her hand, firing a blast of light at a chair, toppling it over.
"Wow!" Lila said, "what are you going to do, though?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know how Tom feels about mutants," Lila said, leaning against the door, "if he finds out..."
"Don't tell him, Lila! Please, don't tell him... it would be the end of my career!" Alison pleaded, her eyes almost filling with tears at the thought of being forced to quit show business.
"Relax, Alison, I won't tell him," Lila said, patting Alison lightly on the shoulder, "you're the one who gave me the chance to perform on stage in the first place. I owe you at least that much." Just then, the door opened, revealing Tom on the other side. Both girls were given quite a start by this sudden invasion.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?!" Alison snapped.
"Hey, you guys have plenty of time for chitchatting on the bus... now let's go!" Tom said, ushering the two girls out to the tour bus where they headed off for their next show.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
To Be Continued
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-