Dreamers Die Young - Chapter 3
As to fan comments: Spicy - this is more of an OC fic than Pyro, but you'll have to wait and see what happens.
Riley put her book down only with she was sure her foster parents had gone to bed for the night and were actually sleeping instead of waiting up in an attempt to catch her at some mischief. They never had, but then again, Riley had never done anything to deserve them catching her. She walked down the stairs slowly and quietly, skipping the creaky one three stairs from the bottom. The house was totally silent, save for the rhythmic ticking of the cuckoo clock in the other room. Riley grabbed her windbreaker and slipped out the front door into the night.
The only light on the street was a pair of streetlamps positioned at either end of the small road. Crickets chirped and fireflies danced around, giving an almost movie-ish feel to the whole thing. Riley wouldn't have been surprised to hear the director shout 'cut'. But, as it was, it was just an ordinary old street and there were no directors or actors anywhere near there. She sighed and pulled her jacket closer. If it wasn't for these late night meetings with Cail, she never would have made it through the first couple years with her foster parents.
The community park was the only place the two could decide on that wasn't too far for either of them to travel at night. Of course, both were worried about the other, though they never showed it. Riley entered the park through the smaller west entrance and made her way to the fountains at the center of the park. There was no one there and for a moment Riley thought Cail had decided not to show up after their argument. But no other argument had kept either of them from the park any other time, so why should it have now?
Riley walked around the fountain twice then sat down on the rim. A siren went off somewhere in the downtown area, a normal thing these days. She reached over and trailed her fingers in the water, debating whether to go home or to wait for Cail. Her mind was made up for her when she heard the familiar whine of his car's engine. The whine stopped and in a matter of seconds, Cail was at her side, holding her to him. She relaxed and returned his hug, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I thought you might not come," she told him, pulling away. He looked at her, his eyes serious for once.
"I couldn't do that to you," he said, sitting down. "I know how much it means to you." Riley nodded.
"Thank you, Cail. You're the only friend I've ever had." She sat down next to him and leaned against him. "Do you still want to know what that dream was about?" Cail nodded eagerly and Riley grinned.
"Alright, I'm warning you though. It's a little on the freaky side and it probably won't make any sense. It doesn't make any to me, anyway.
"I was standing on the roof of a mansion when a couple helicopters came into view. A couple people exited the mansion and stood on the front lawn, looking like they were waiting for the helicopters. One of them, an old looking guy in a wheelchair put his hands to his head and a lady with white hair put her hands up to the sky. It started to rain, then hail and the choppers struggled against the wind that had sprung up with the hail until finally they were blown back.
"Then I was inside the place, in the hallways. A man with sunglasses on was talking to the guy in the wheelchair. I couldn't hear what they were saying but then the wall was blown to pieces and like CIA commandos or some such unit came through the hole. They put a bullet through the sunglasses guy and carted the guy in the wheelchair off. It ended there." Riley looked at Cail. He had an odd look on his face.
"Told you it was weird," she said. "I gave you fair warning." Cail nodded distractedly and stood up, glancing at his watch.
"Don't know about you, but my parents would throw a fit if they peeked into my room now. I'd better get going. Looks like your dream took a little longer than you expected." He tapped his watch and Riley spared a look at her own wrist. She cussed and stood up, already heading for the west entrance. Cail caught her arm and turned her around.
"I'll give you a ride. I'm out all the time and my 'rents know it. Yours on the other hand." he trailed off, not needing to say what both of them knew. Riley nodded and they hopped into Cail's car. The ride to her house was silent but not an awkward silence. Cail was thinking, Riley could tell by the look on his face and when Cail started thinking hard, it was in your best interest not to disturb him. He dropped her off and zoomed away, still lost in his own world. Riley crept into the house, avoiding Tria's room as much as she could and snatched a few hours of sleep before her alarm clock woke her up an hour early. Too tired to complain, she got up and did a little of her homework before Tria poked her head in and told her breakfast was ready.
Riley skipped breakfast entirely, telling Tria that she had a before- school study hall with her history teacher. Tria let her go, seething. For that, Riley gave her an extra perky smile when she left the house to get to the bus stop which probably made Tria even madder than Riley could ever have hoped. She made it to the stop before the bus got there for about the first time that whole school year and gained a few glances from people likely wondering if she was alright. Cail only gave her an amused glance when she sat down next to him.
"Amazing. You're on time. That's got to be a first, what'd you say?" Riley grinned.
"Alarm woke me up too early and I saw no point in going back to sleep when I had homework to do." Cail stared at her.
"Wait. Did you just tell me that you voluntarily did your homework? Two firsts in one day, I never would have believed it could happen." He whistled approvingly then switched the subject.
"Have any weird dreams last night?" Riley shook her head.
"Not a one," she said happily. "First time in a while so you can add that to your list of firsts." Cail nodded as they got off the bus.
"See you after school. I'll give you a ride home if you'd like." Riley nodded and left him to go to her first class, in a happy mood, another first, Cail noted. He too, went through his classes with an air of who-gives-a-crap-what-other-people-think. It surprised him how good it felt. He hadn't felt that good in a long time.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Logan prowled through the halls of Xavier']s institute, causing some students to shy away and others to shake their heads at his mood. His wanderings found him at the kitchen, funny, because he had had no intention of going there when he had started walking. But food was food, and he opened the refrigerator, looking for something to eat. He decided on a soda and some cookies he found in the cabinet and sat down at the table to eat. A voice from behind him caused him to jump and slice through his soda can with his claws.
"Can I join you?" There was a southern twang to the words and Logan grinned, turning around to face the girl. Her hair, brown with white in the front, was all messed up from a long night's sleep. She wore jeans, a tank top, and a pair of gloves. Logan gestured to a seat next to him.
"As long as you don't mind getting me a new drink. You made me kill my last one." She smiled and pulled another can from the fridge, setting it down as she sat next to him. "Whad'ya want, kid?" Rogue sighed and played with her hair.
"Do you think he's really as dangerous as the Professor makes him sound?"
"Who, Pyro? Yeah, I recon so. Charles's never been wrong before. No reason to doubt he is now." Rogue nodded.
"But I used to know him, I mean really well, and I just don't think that he's capable of doing all that," Rogue said, matter-of-factly, her accent ringing with her every word.
"Yeah," Logan conceded, "but you saw that display back at Bobby's house. Judging from that, d'ya think he's capable of the things Charles says he is?" he challenged. Rogue sighed again and closed her eyes.
"I guess he could be, but I really don't know. You don't think he'd come back and try to hurt one of us, do you?"
"I'd say it's likely," Logan said bluntly, oblivious to what Rogue thought about that comment. "Why d'ya ask?"
"I don't know. Guess it's paranoia," she said, laughing slightly. Logan raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Rogue got up from the table and forced a smile at Logan. "Thanks anyway." She turned on her heel and walked out, leaving a confused Logan behind. He shrugged after she left and turned to his cookies. Wasn't his problem what people though after all, was it?
"Logan?" He looked behind him and nodded at the kid who had just entered the kitchen.
"Yeah, what am I running here? A counseling service?" he asked no one particular as the kid took the seat opposite him.
"Do you know what you made Rogue do?" Bobby asked, staring Logan down. Logan arched one eyebrow at him.
"Naw. What'd I do this time?"
"Rogue's up in her room crying because of you. Because of what you told her about John." Bobby, along with Rogue and Charles, were the few people who still called 'Pyro' John.
"I told her the truth. You expect me not to do that?" Logan growled, taking a long drink of his soda.
"No, I expect you to be a little more receptive of what other people are feeling. You're not the only person in this school, you know," Bobby stormed, standing up and tipping over his chair. "Just because you had a lost past doesn't mean you have to take it out on other people." With that, Bobby left the room, leaving behind an even more puzzled Logan. He shrugged it off again and took another sip of his drink.
"He's right you know," a calm voice said from behind Logan. Logan rolled his eyes and nodded sarcastically to Xavier.
"And you're on their side," he said, splitting a cookie in half.
"No, I am merely observing and stating the facts, Logan," Charles said, moving to sit next to him. "You were a little too unobservant to Rogue's mood. If you had stopped to look, you would have seen her distress with your words."
"And I suppose I hurt Bobby's feelings as well," Logan muttered. Charles smiled.
"You're learning. Slowly, but you are learning. Try watching others around you. You'll be surprised," he said, wheeling out. Once he was gone too, Logan slammed his head on the table, upsetting his pop can.
[Aren't you proud of me? I updated. So now, no one can complain, until I take too long writing the next chapter, which I won't because I'm writing it right now.]
As to fan comments: Spicy - this is more of an OC fic than Pyro, but you'll have to wait and see what happens.
Riley put her book down only with she was sure her foster parents had gone to bed for the night and were actually sleeping instead of waiting up in an attempt to catch her at some mischief. They never had, but then again, Riley had never done anything to deserve them catching her. She walked down the stairs slowly and quietly, skipping the creaky one three stairs from the bottom. The house was totally silent, save for the rhythmic ticking of the cuckoo clock in the other room. Riley grabbed her windbreaker and slipped out the front door into the night.
The only light on the street was a pair of streetlamps positioned at either end of the small road. Crickets chirped and fireflies danced around, giving an almost movie-ish feel to the whole thing. Riley wouldn't have been surprised to hear the director shout 'cut'. But, as it was, it was just an ordinary old street and there were no directors or actors anywhere near there. She sighed and pulled her jacket closer. If it wasn't for these late night meetings with Cail, she never would have made it through the first couple years with her foster parents.
The community park was the only place the two could decide on that wasn't too far for either of them to travel at night. Of course, both were worried about the other, though they never showed it. Riley entered the park through the smaller west entrance and made her way to the fountains at the center of the park. There was no one there and for a moment Riley thought Cail had decided not to show up after their argument. But no other argument had kept either of them from the park any other time, so why should it have now?
Riley walked around the fountain twice then sat down on the rim. A siren went off somewhere in the downtown area, a normal thing these days. She reached over and trailed her fingers in the water, debating whether to go home or to wait for Cail. Her mind was made up for her when she heard the familiar whine of his car's engine. The whine stopped and in a matter of seconds, Cail was at her side, holding her to him. She relaxed and returned his hug, resting her head on his shoulder.
"I thought you might not come," she told him, pulling away. He looked at her, his eyes serious for once.
"I couldn't do that to you," he said, sitting down. "I know how much it means to you." Riley nodded.
"Thank you, Cail. You're the only friend I've ever had." She sat down next to him and leaned against him. "Do you still want to know what that dream was about?" Cail nodded eagerly and Riley grinned.
"Alright, I'm warning you though. It's a little on the freaky side and it probably won't make any sense. It doesn't make any to me, anyway.
"I was standing on the roof of a mansion when a couple helicopters came into view. A couple people exited the mansion and stood on the front lawn, looking like they were waiting for the helicopters. One of them, an old looking guy in a wheelchair put his hands to his head and a lady with white hair put her hands up to the sky. It started to rain, then hail and the choppers struggled against the wind that had sprung up with the hail until finally they were blown back.
"Then I was inside the place, in the hallways. A man with sunglasses on was talking to the guy in the wheelchair. I couldn't hear what they were saying but then the wall was blown to pieces and like CIA commandos or some such unit came through the hole. They put a bullet through the sunglasses guy and carted the guy in the wheelchair off. It ended there." Riley looked at Cail. He had an odd look on his face.
"Told you it was weird," she said. "I gave you fair warning." Cail nodded distractedly and stood up, glancing at his watch.
"Don't know about you, but my parents would throw a fit if they peeked into my room now. I'd better get going. Looks like your dream took a little longer than you expected." He tapped his watch and Riley spared a look at her own wrist. She cussed and stood up, already heading for the west entrance. Cail caught her arm and turned her around.
"I'll give you a ride. I'm out all the time and my 'rents know it. Yours on the other hand." he trailed off, not needing to say what both of them knew. Riley nodded and they hopped into Cail's car. The ride to her house was silent but not an awkward silence. Cail was thinking, Riley could tell by the look on his face and when Cail started thinking hard, it was in your best interest not to disturb him. He dropped her off and zoomed away, still lost in his own world. Riley crept into the house, avoiding Tria's room as much as she could and snatched a few hours of sleep before her alarm clock woke her up an hour early. Too tired to complain, she got up and did a little of her homework before Tria poked her head in and told her breakfast was ready.
Riley skipped breakfast entirely, telling Tria that she had a before- school study hall with her history teacher. Tria let her go, seething. For that, Riley gave her an extra perky smile when she left the house to get to the bus stop which probably made Tria even madder than Riley could ever have hoped. She made it to the stop before the bus got there for about the first time that whole school year and gained a few glances from people likely wondering if she was alright. Cail only gave her an amused glance when she sat down next to him.
"Amazing. You're on time. That's got to be a first, what'd you say?" Riley grinned.
"Alarm woke me up too early and I saw no point in going back to sleep when I had homework to do." Cail stared at her.
"Wait. Did you just tell me that you voluntarily did your homework? Two firsts in one day, I never would have believed it could happen." He whistled approvingly then switched the subject.
"Have any weird dreams last night?" Riley shook her head.
"Not a one," she said happily. "First time in a while so you can add that to your list of firsts." Cail nodded as they got off the bus.
"See you after school. I'll give you a ride home if you'd like." Riley nodded and left him to go to her first class, in a happy mood, another first, Cail noted. He too, went through his classes with an air of who-gives-a-crap-what-other-people-think. It surprised him how good it felt. He hadn't felt that good in a long time.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Logan prowled through the halls of Xavier']s institute, causing some students to shy away and others to shake their heads at his mood. His wanderings found him at the kitchen, funny, because he had had no intention of going there when he had started walking. But food was food, and he opened the refrigerator, looking for something to eat. He decided on a soda and some cookies he found in the cabinet and sat down at the table to eat. A voice from behind him caused him to jump and slice through his soda can with his claws.
"Can I join you?" There was a southern twang to the words and Logan grinned, turning around to face the girl. Her hair, brown with white in the front, was all messed up from a long night's sleep. She wore jeans, a tank top, and a pair of gloves. Logan gestured to a seat next to him.
"As long as you don't mind getting me a new drink. You made me kill my last one." She smiled and pulled another can from the fridge, setting it down as she sat next to him. "Whad'ya want, kid?" Rogue sighed and played with her hair.
"Do you think he's really as dangerous as the Professor makes him sound?"
"Who, Pyro? Yeah, I recon so. Charles's never been wrong before. No reason to doubt he is now." Rogue nodded.
"But I used to know him, I mean really well, and I just don't think that he's capable of doing all that," Rogue said, matter-of-factly, her accent ringing with her every word.
"Yeah," Logan conceded, "but you saw that display back at Bobby's house. Judging from that, d'ya think he's capable of the things Charles says he is?" he challenged. Rogue sighed again and closed her eyes.
"I guess he could be, but I really don't know. You don't think he'd come back and try to hurt one of us, do you?"
"I'd say it's likely," Logan said bluntly, oblivious to what Rogue thought about that comment. "Why d'ya ask?"
"I don't know. Guess it's paranoia," she said, laughing slightly. Logan raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Rogue got up from the table and forced a smile at Logan. "Thanks anyway." She turned on her heel and walked out, leaving a confused Logan behind. He shrugged after she left and turned to his cookies. Wasn't his problem what people though after all, was it?
"Logan?" He looked behind him and nodded at the kid who had just entered the kitchen.
"Yeah, what am I running here? A counseling service?" he asked no one particular as the kid took the seat opposite him.
"Do you know what you made Rogue do?" Bobby asked, staring Logan down. Logan arched one eyebrow at him.
"Naw. What'd I do this time?"
"Rogue's up in her room crying because of you. Because of what you told her about John." Bobby, along with Rogue and Charles, were the few people who still called 'Pyro' John.
"I told her the truth. You expect me not to do that?" Logan growled, taking a long drink of his soda.
"No, I expect you to be a little more receptive of what other people are feeling. You're not the only person in this school, you know," Bobby stormed, standing up and tipping over his chair. "Just because you had a lost past doesn't mean you have to take it out on other people." With that, Bobby left the room, leaving behind an even more puzzled Logan. He shrugged it off again and took another sip of his drink.
"He's right you know," a calm voice said from behind Logan. Logan rolled his eyes and nodded sarcastically to Xavier.
"And you're on their side," he said, splitting a cookie in half.
"No, I am merely observing and stating the facts, Logan," Charles said, moving to sit next to him. "You were a little too unobservant to Rogue's mood. If you had stopped to look, you would have seen her distress with your words."
"And I suppose I hurt Bobby's feelings as well," Logan muttered. Charles smiled.
"You're learning. Slowly, but you are learning. Try watching others around you. You'll be surprised," he said, wheeling out. Once he was gone too, Logan slammed his head on the table, upsetting his pop can.
[Aren't you proud of me? I updated. So now, no one can complain, until I take too long writing the next chapter, which I won't because I'm writing it right now.]