Dreamers Die Young - Chapter 2
Riley sat through her classes that day with an air of feigned interest. She was the first to leave her last block class and was in top twenty to get out the front double doors. Her backpack was heavy with the books required to do the homework that had been assigned. Riley kept her eyes on the ground and wove through the people outside in an effort to catch her bus before it left without her, again.
"Riley!" a voice called from across the parking lot. She looked up, curious expression on her face. It was Cail. Riley rolled her eyes along with an exaggerated rolling of her head, and walked on, ignoring him. She could hear Cail's exasperated sigh and grinned inwardly. He was getting what he deserved.
It took her three times the amount of time to walk to her home instead of taking the bus. It had left without her, how typical. Riley pushed the front door open and was immediately confronted by a barrage of questions.
"Where were you, young lady? You scared Tom and me half to death. The bus showed up but you didn't. Do you know how worried we were?" Riley's foster mother stood only about a yard away, looking furious. Riley blinked at her and mounted the stairs to her room. Her foster mom, Tria, grabbed onto her arm and pulled her off the stairs, wrenching her around to face her.
"You will answer me, young lady."
"Where was I?" Tria nodded. "I missed the bus. Simple as that. Had to talk to a teacher after school and teachers aren't allowed to give students a ride home, you know that. So cut the act. Everyone knows you only took me in because you wouldn't have a kid of your own." Riley gestured to Tria's slightly bulging stomach.
"You're getting one now, so why should you care about me, huh? In a few short years, I'll be on my own and you won't have to pretend to worry. The adoption center only rigged your house temporarily." Riley pulled her arm out of Tria's grasp and started walking up the stairs. "If you don't mind, I have homework to do." She could have sworn she heard Tria mutter the word smartass after her, but couldn't be sure.
Once in her room, Riley threw her backpack into a corner and picked up her book, beginning to read where she had left off.
*~* *~* *~* *~*
"She hates me now," Cail muttered, at his own home as well. He lay on his bed in a pig-sty of a room, staring at the ceiling. No one else was in the house. His mom had gone shopping, his dad was still at work and his brother was out doing something with his girlfriend. Cail had raided the fridge as soon as he got home and taken his new wealth up to his room. He now tore into a Snickers bar, eyeing the glow-in-the-dark stars Riley had given him last Christmas. They reminded him of her, in a sappy corny way. He sighed, thinking that he probably shouldn't have said all those things to her before school started. He was the only friend she had after all, however weird that was.
Sitting up, Cail discarded the now empty Snickers wrapper and wrapped his arms around his knees. A look of intense concentration crossed his face for a minute then he sighed.
"What can't I ever get it?" he asked the empty room.
"Dunno, bro," his brother answered, apparently home from his 'date' or whatever it had been. If he was home, then that meant.Cail wrenched his door open and ran down the stairs, skipping the last four and heading to the garage. His car waited for him there, a black mustang with decal flames coming from the wheels. Hopping into the driver's seat, he opened the garage door and squealed out and down the road.
*~* *~* *~* *~*
"He's out there, Logan. I can feel him."
"I can too, and that's what scares me," a gruff voice answered. The first speaker was a serene looking man in a wheelchair. He had the look of one who is infinitely patient and gentle. The other, however, had no such appearance. Blue-black hair was mussed up on his head and long sideburns adorned his cheeks. A leather jacket was worn over a pair of ripped jeans and a T-shirt. His face appeared as a mask of slight anger to hide his real emotions. The first one, Charles Xavier, turned his wheelchair to face the other, Logan.
"We have nothing to fear from him. As long as he keeps to himself, no danger will come to anyone."
"Now, that's where you're wrong, Professor. He won't keep to himself. He'll want to see the extent of his powers and that's where Magneto comes in. He'll take the kid under his wing and teach him tactics that he can turn on us. It'll happen, Professor. You just watch," Logan growled.
Xavier wheeled about and exited the room. "I hope your wrong, Logan. This once."
[Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Riley. Cail I got from someone else. I'm not mentioning names though, so back off. I don't own them, never will and if you sue me, I sue back.]
Riley sat through her classes that day with an air of feigned interest. She was the first to leave her last block class and was in top twenty to get out the front double doors. Her backpack was heavy with the books required to do the homework that had been assigned. Riley kept her eyes on the ground and wove through the people outside in an effort to catch her bus before it left without her, again.
"Riley!" a voice called from across the parking lot. She looked up, curious expression on her face. It was Cail. Riley rolled her eyes along with an exaggerated rolling of her head, and walked on, ignoring him. She could hear Cail's exasperated sigh and grinned inwardly. He was getting what he deserved.
It took her three times the amount of time to walk to her home instead of taking the bus. It had left without her, how typical. Riley pushed the front door open and was immediately confronted by a barrage of questions.
"Where were you, young lady? You scared Tom and me half to death. The bus showed up but you didn't. Do you know how worried we were?" Riley's foster mother stood only about a yard away, looking furious. Riley blinked at her and mounted the stairs to her room. Her foster mom, Tria, grabbed onto her arm and pulled her off the stairs, wrenching her around to face her.
"You will answer me, young lady."
"Where was I?" Tria nodded. "I missed the bus. Simple as that. Had to talk to a teacher after school and teachers aren't allowed to give students a ride home, you know that. So cut the act. Everyone knows you only took me in because you wouldn't have a kid of your own." Riley gestured to Tria's slightly bulging stomach.
"You're getting one now, so why should you care about me, huh? In a few short years, I'll be on my own and you won't have to pretend to worry. The adoption center only rigged your house temporarily." Riley pulled her arm out of Tria's grasp and started walking up the stairs. "If you don't mind, I have homework to do." She could have sworn she heard Tria mutter the word smartass after her, but couldn't be sure.
Once in her room, Riley threw her backpack into a corner and picked up her book, beginning to read where she had left off.
*~* *~* *~* *~*
"She hates me now," Cail muttered, at his own home as well. He lay on his bed in a pig-sty of a room, staring at the ceiling. No one else was in the house. His mom had gone shopping, his dad was still at work and his brother was out doing something with his girlfriend. Cail had raided the fridge as soon as he got home and taken his new wealth up to his room. He now tore into a Snickers bar, eyeing the glow-in-the-dark stars Riley had given him last Christmas. They reminded him of her, in a sappy corny way. He sighed, thinking that he probably shouldn't have said all those things to her before school started. He was the only friend she had after all, however weird that was.
Sitting up, Cail discarded the now empty Snickers wrapper and wrapped his arms around his knees. A look of intense concentration crossed his face for a minute then he sighed.
"What can't I ever get it?" he asked the empty room.
"Dunno, bro," his brother answered, apparently home from his 'date' or whatever it had been. If he was home, then that meant.Cail wrenched his door open and ran down the stairs, skipping the last four and heading to the garage. His car waited for him there, a black mustang with decal flames coming from the wheels. Hopping into the driver's seat, he opened the garage door and squealed out and down the road.
*~* *~* *~* *~*
"He's out there, Logan. I can feel him."
"I can too, and that's what scares me," a gruff voice answered. The first speaker was a serene looking man in a wheelchair. He had the look of one who is infinitely patient and gentle. The other, however, had no such appearance. Blue-black hair was mussed up on his head and long sideburns adorned his cheeks. A leather jacket was worn over a pair of ripped jeans and a T-shirt. His face appeared as a mask of slight anger to hide his real emotions. The first one, Charles Xavier, turned his wheelchair to face the other, Logan.
"We have nothing to fear from him. As long as he keeps to himself, no danger will come to anyone."
"Now, that's where you're wrong, Professor. He won't keep to himself. He'll want to see the extent of his powers and that's where Magneto comes in. He'll take the kid under his wing and teach him tactics that he can turn on us. It'll happen, Professor. You just watch," Logan growled.
Xavier wheeled about and exited the room. "I hope your wrong, Logan. This once."
[Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except Riley. Cail I got from someone else. I'm not mentioning names though, so back off. I don't own them, never will and if you sue me, I sue back.]