Treble Clef
By Silver Falcon
Chapter Three
Pix sat under a tree in the courtyard, reading her Biology book. She turned the pages carefully, since the book was new and she didn't want to damage it and have to pay fifty dollars for a book this size. It was about two hours before school started, and she had arrived early to be alone for a while. She had walked to school and left a note for Marcie telling her where she was.
She loved listening to silence, especially when it was near trees. Then, the silence wasn't silence; it was an orchestra of raw emotions and feelings being drummed from tree to tree, flower to flower. The wind sang songs immune to human hearing, songs of remembrance, love, and life. The grass spoke in soft whispers that echoed each time the wind made them ripple in flowing waves of green. The stones spoke tales of times past and distant places far away. The earth that she sat upon sang with all the passion of the human heart and then some. It was the greatest voice that she heard out of them all. The love of God was a very beautiful thing.
Humans had neglected the Earth too much to hear the songs it sang. They had lost the ability when she was young, but she had heard it since she was just a baby. She remembered speaking about the voices to human children, who just pushed her around and left her to cry by herself. Humans had hurt her so much, yet now, she protected them.
Her mind drifted back to the stone angel that lived in paradise. The little boy named Jerry had been her only friend. He had taught her that the humans, although neglectful and cruel, could be kind and loving. He showed her that he had done all in his power to protect those who needed protection, even though they were cruel to him. Because of his mutant power, he felt a larger responsibility for their safety, although they did not always hold one for him. It wasn't revenge or death that he wanted to strive for, it was life and love.
'Life and love,' his words echoed in her mind. 'Protect them for they are the only way for us to truly live life completely.'
He had changed her forever. Since she had met him, the music of Gaia had been louder and clearer. He claimed he heard it too, and she believed him. He was the most honest person that she knew, and he never lied, not even to his enemies. He was a carrot top and a really cute one at that. He had big green eyes that just shouted innocence.
She missed the little bugger. She missed Jerry, but it would be a while before she would visit that particular marsh in Georgia again. There were too many memories there, and that's precisely the reason she had placed him there, but sometimes, visiting wasn't the best idea. She would get too emotional, and then she wasn't on her best watch. Being emotional also made her a very easy target.
She really needed to go to the library, since she was beginning to tire of her Biology book. Pix wondered what kind of book she wanted to get. Most likely, she would pick a good fiction book about dragons or unicorns. She loved what humans didn't believe. It was so interesting to read something that analyzed the things she knew perfectly.
She glanced up as she saw a bird chirp and land a few feet away from where she was sitting. Being very quiet, she turned the page slowly and pretended not to notice it.
'Hey!' it said. 'What are you doing?'
She looked up at the blue jay and smiled. Birds weren't timid creatures at all, but they were easily angered and very proper. Most of the time when they tried to talk to humans, the humans, of course, wouldn't answer them and this would upset them, so they would fly off. They didn't enjoy being chased by people either. It was highly annoying.
"Reading, kind sir," she answered, smiling and nodding her head politely.
'Reading?' it said, tilting its head to the side and hopping a few inches closer. 'What are you reading?'
Pix straightened her legs and put the book at the end of her feet about an inch away from the bird. "It's what the humans think about the world. I'll flip to the section about birds if you want me to, little master."
'Yes, please do!' the little bird chirped happily. 'And tell me what they say!'
She drew the book back into her lap and flipped through the places. She found the section on animals, and flipped to the subsection on birds. She turned it to the opening page and found the familiar picture of an owl staring curiously at her.
"Come here and look, sir," she said, offering her hand to it.
It hopped on her head, and she put it on the left page of her book, right under the owl picture.
'My, my, he looks silly, doesn't he?' it said, laughing.
"Yes, he does, kind sir. May I ask what you are called?"
The little bird looked up at her. 'Luspid,' he said. 'What are you called?'
"Pixie, little master."
The bird nodded and turned around to look at the picture again. 'What does it say about birds?'
"Birds, the colorful stars that fly in the sky by day and sleep at night, come in many different colors and sizes, but most of them have the same qualities. All birds have hollow bones and feathers…," she said, reading a part of the passage.
The bird began to laugh. 'Hollow bones? How intriguing! We do not have hollow bones! Our bones are just filled with flight air.'
From past experiences with birds, she knew that flight air was helium, and when the bird died, the helium would dissipate from its bones, exiting through any orifice it could get to.
"It is intriguing, little master." She nodded and held her hand down for the little bird; he hopped into it and watched as she turned the page. "Lots of birds have a diet consisting of berries and seeds, while others eat insects and sometimes even other birds."
At this, Luspid cringed. 'Hawks,' he said immediately. 'Just the other day, there was this horribly rude hawk after my nest mate. It was terrible. Thank goodness that she escaped him. Our nestlings are due sometime next month.'
"Congratulations, little Luspid. I hope you and your nest mate are very happy with your nestlings. How many are you expecting?"
The blue jay opened his wings. 'Four, Pixie. Four beautiful nestlings.'
"Four. Sounds like you and your nest mate will have your wings full for a while, correct, little Luspid?"
He shook his head. 'No, this is our second nest. We know how to handle them, yes.'
"Are ya' talking t' a bird?" a bored voice asked from across the courtyard.
Pixie's head snapped up, and she spied a girl sitting across from her with a book in hand. The girl had a southern accent but a gentle voice.
"Yes," Pix replied, shielding the tiny creature with her hand. "Don't worry, I won't squish you."
The girl stood up and walked over to her, curiously looking at the bird she had under her hand. "Mah God. It's a real bird," she said, kneeling down in the grass.
'Hello, human,' Luspid said, spreading his wings.
"He said hello to you," Pix said, removing her hand.
The girl looked down at it. "Well, uh, tell it Ah said hi t' it, too."
Pix nodded and looked down at the blue jay. "Did you hear her?"
He looked at her and chirped, "Yes, ask her what her name is."
Pix looked up at the girl. "He wants to know what your name is."
"Call meh tha' Rogue."
He squeaked. 'That is her name? Odd name for a human…'
"May I tell her your name, little master?" Pix said, stroking his back with her fingers.
'Yes,' he said before purring, 'Feels good…'
Pix smiled at the girl. "His name is Luspid, and my name is Pixie. Please to meet you, Rogue," she said, offering her hand.
Rogue shook her hand hesitantly. "Can…can Ah hold 'im?"
Luspid flapped his wings and landed on Rogue's shoulder. She rubbed his chest, and he chirped some more.
"He says he likes that."
"Ya' really can talk t' animals?"
Pix nodded and closed her Biology book. "Hey, uh, do you have an extra book with you that you could loan to me? I haven't been to a library, and I'm already set acing Biology anyways."
Rogue smiled. "Ah course Ah do," she said, reaching into her bag. She took out another book and handed it to Pix. "Lost Essence," Rogue said, quoting the title. "One o' mah favorites."
Pix turned it over and read the back. "It sounds like a really awesome book. Thanks!"
Rogue sat down next to her, making sure the bird on her shoulder wasn't about to fall off. She watched Pix put her Biology book in her bag.
"Ah got Biology. What class ya' have?"
"First," she answered. "What class do you have?"
"Third. Uh, why do ya' read y'r Bio book?"
Pixie laughed. "Definitely not for the action. I just have nothing else to read, and I love books."
'I must take my leave, ladies. I do wish we shall meet again,' Luspid said, flapping up to a tree branch.
"Luspid says bye," Pix translated. "Bye, Luspid. I hope you, your nest mate, and nestlings have a nice day."
"Bye!" Rogue said, not really believing that she was talking to a bird. "That was cool. Ah neva' had a bird land on mah shoulder before."
"They are very proper creatures. Humans can't talk to them, and they talk to everything that moves. It insults them when humans don't speak back."
"Are ya' a mutant?" Rogue asked. "Ya' talk lak ya' are."
Pixie nodded her head. "Yes, foresight and a little extras to the side."
Rogue smiled. "Good friend o' mine has that. I lak ya' hair."
"Thanks. I think yours is very nice too."
"Ah neva heard a' someone dying their hair pink. Ya must be very…uh…very…"
"Different," Pix said. "Yeah, not many people has the guts to have pink hair. It's worse than being blonde," she said, laughing.
Rogue nodded. "Well, back t' readin'."
Pix opened the book that Rogue had loaned to her, and both of them began to read. It was quiet, except for the flowing song that the wind tossed around her ears. She listened contently to it, sometimes even closing her eyes and bobbing her head to the sound.
"Yah have ears like someone Ah know," Rogue said after a few minutes. "His name's Kurt. Maybe Ah could introduce ya' t' him."
Pix looked up from her book and nodded. "That would be good. Is he nice?"
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Nice, yah, but sometimes, he gets a lil' too mischievous fo' his own good."
Pix laughed. "Yeah, sometimes God deals us wildcards. I met one, but he wasn't mischievous. He was more like a saint."
Rogue sighed. "Better a saint than Kurt. Wha' was he lak?"
"He was a mutant, as well, but he was cursed, as he put it, with eternal life from that age of ten."
Rogue rolled the idea around in her mind. "What's so bad 'bout that? Besides bein' ten."
"He was ninety-six when he met me. He had seen so much, but then, a month before his one hundred second birthday, he had been killed in the middle of a shootout. He was a Godsend, a real angel."
Rogue saw that a cloak of sadness fell across her face. "He was y'r friend? A good one?"
Pix nodded. "He was an angel. That's all I can say. You're probably like him if he was still alive. He was such a gentleman and always knew what to say."
"Sounds lak a keeper."
"You have anyone like that?"
"Well, no. Ah have friends, but not intimate."
Pix smiled. "You have a boyfriend?"
Rogue seemed confused and puzzled by her question. "Ya' and no."
"Both?"
"Ah have this guy…but he isn't really mah type."
Pix grinned. "Opposites attract."
Rogue shook her head. "It's not…that Ah don't lak him, it's just that Ah can't."
"Oh. A forbidden passion. Well, I won't ask anymore, but I wish you and him the best of luck."
Pix lifted the book again. "And thanks for the book."
"Not a problem."
They commenced reading, but Rogue seemed to fidget too much. At first, Pix didn't notice it, and then she did notice it and pretended not to. Finally, Rogue slammed her book shut.
"Ah feel lak Ah've seen ya' somewhere before," she said, awaiting the answer. "Ah just can't seem t' shake it."
Pic closed her eyes and, for a moment, was completely silent. She searched through her memories, the long chain the seemed to be never-ending. She had seen and known many children, almost too many to count, and sometimes it was hard to find the memory of a single one.
"You have, Marie," she whispered.
Rogue's eyes opened wide. "How…how do ya' know mah name?"
Pix rubbed her head. "I have seen you before, when you were little. I remember you, as well."
Rogue shook her head. "But…Ah'm seventeen. How can ya' remember something so long ago?"
Pixie closed her eyes. "Seventeen years isn't a long time, Rogue. It may seem like it, but it really isn't. You'd be surprised how time flies."
"Well, at least Ah got that off mah senses. Nice t' see ya' again, Pix."
Nice to see you again. How was she supposed to say that she had known Marie since she was a baby? She hadn't realized that Rogue remembered her from the deepest part of her infant mind. It was very rare when someone could remember without seeing her as she truly was. It wasn't as if she showed her human form to babies, so a moment like this was spectacular.
"You too."
She was something else. Pix already knew that. It was too rare for her to let something like this slide.
After a few minutes, students began to arrive. Some would go inside, while others would sit outside and do homework that they neglected the previous night. The song of God faded as the students came and created noise. It wasn't sound, song, or beauty; it was noise, plain and simple. Pixie didn't like it at all, but she wasn't one to complain.
She saw Kitty, the sunglasses dude, and Jean arrive in a shiny car. They piled out, and Kitty walked over to Rogue.
"Hey, I see you two met!" she said.
"Yah, just helpin' a fellow bookworm," Rogue groaned, her nose still buried in her book.
Pixie closed her book and offered her hand to Kitty. Kitty shook it happily.
"It's nice to see you again. Did your first day go okay?" she asked, clutching her books to her chest.
Pixie nodded. "Yes, it went very well, thank you."
The before school bell rang, but the courtyard was so loud that most didn't hear it. Rogue stood up, keeping a finger in her book to keep her place.
"Ah must be goin'. See ya' later, Kitty."
"Bye, Rogue!"
Kitty turned towards her and sighed. "Well, I have to go, too. I have to go see a teacher. I'll talk to you in Trig, okay?"
With that, Kitty ran off, blending in with the crowd. Pixie felt the familiar feeling of being alone in the middle of a crowd. The feeling didn't last however, since she heard a familiar voice at the edge of the courtyard.
It was Todd, and, from the looks of it, he had gotten himself into a brawl with three senior boys. Three! Of all things, this was the most inhuman! Three against one. How barbaric. It was this kind of stuff that brought out the beast within, and it really pissed her off.
She slid her book into her pack and left it next to the tree. She opened her eye and knew immediately that she would get into a fight and be put in detention, but that was for later, not now.
She arrived at the fighting site just when the leader of the three thugs picked Todd off the ground by his collar and threw him against the ground. Pix put on her sweetest face and walked up to him, tapping him on the shoulder lightly.
"WHAT?" he screeched before turning to see her pretty face. "Well, hello there. I forgot how many weirdoes we had at this school. I mean, geez, chick. You must be desperate for attention or something to dye your hair pink." The other two chuckled and resumed marching up to Todd, who was still trying to stand up. "Well, baby, I have business to attend to, so if you want a date, you have to take a number."
He turned around and punched Todd in the face while the other two held him. Pix walked towards him again, and slid around him just in time to collect his next punch in the palm of her hand. He drew it back and stared her hard in the eyes. She walked forward and shoved him backwards to put some space between them.
"You…DO NOT…insult the hair color!" she growled.
She walked up to him and stood barely three inches from his face. "Look, I can understand that you want justice and all for the little guy, but we have a score to settle with him, and I don't want to have to hit a girl."
She grinned. "Try and hit me. You hit me, I'll do your homework for the rest of the year, and I'll help you beat up on anyone you want."
"Look, babe. As considerate as that offer is, I really am not interested in fighting you. It would ruin my reputation."
By this time, his face was a mixture of irritation and gentleness. She cracked her knuckles as she balled her hand into a fist. As fast as lightning, she slammed her hand into his cheek, sending him spiraling off to the side. The sickening crunch attracted the attention of onlookers, and in no time, they had formed a circle around them.
"That'll ruin your reputation." While the football player was gathering himself from the ground, she turned to the other two. "Let him go."
One of them released Todd's arm, but the other one just grabbed it. That one stepped forward. This one was larger than the first guy she had punched, but she knew he wasn't that much smarter. She rolled her eyes.
"Why do you want the hard way out?"
He just grinned. "If I hit you, do I get what he would have got, after you get out of the hospital, that is."
She nodded and bowed. "Of course, and to even the odds, I won't use my hands."
Pix tucked her hands into her coat sleeves and held them behind her back. The big lug lunged at her, and she jumped to the side a mile before he was even close. He turned around, but she jumped into the air and landed on his shoulders before jumping behind him and kicking him squarely in the back. He toppled over, and she kicked him in the side. He stood up again and grabbed at her, but she bounced out of the way, just a few inches beyond his grasp.
"This the best you can do? Looks like my offer isn't yours for the taking."
She really didn't like fighting that much, but it had been a while since she had felt an adrenaline rush, so she was purely enjoying the little scramble between her and the big lug. He had lasted much longer than the first boy, but, eventually, the first boy joined in again. Just for the sake of fun, she let the first boy take a hold of her.
"You little wretch! You'll pay for that."
She laughed. "I thought you didn't want to hit a girl."
He nodded, then an evil grin appeared over his face. "Nope, that's why I'm going to hold you, and he's going to beat you to Hell."
She smiled. "That's what I'm talking about…"
This was going to be funny. She raised her head just in front of his and watched the other boy draw his fist back. One would think that they would learn what she was setting up by television, but they had no clue. At the last possible second, she moved her head down and chuckled as the boy was knocked off his feet.
She looked up at the other boy and smiled. "Genius, wasn't it. Well, do you still want that offer or do you give?"
His face was distorted into that of frustration and anger. She stood there, legs slightly apart and hands still behind her back. Pix bowed and stood again, a calm flowing over her face.
"You bitch!"
There was a pressure point in his shoulder that she could just wedge the tip of her boot against. When he tackled her again, she jumped clearly above his head, and jammed her foot into the small space between his bones. The numbness took over almost immediately, and the boy slumped aside with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his eyes shaking.
The third boy was already gone by time she glanced in his direction, leaving Todd on the ground with a black eye and some bruises on his face. She turned to the crowd.
"You saw nothing. LEAVE!" she hissed.
Immediately, everyone began to resume what they had been doing before the fight happened. She knelt down to Todd and rubbed his head.
"What happened? What happened to your toad powers?" she cooed softly.
He shrugged. "They bounced me. I don't know…ouch…" She helped him up and held him by the waist while he had one arm slung over her shoulder. "I think I broke something…"
"Not surprising," she said, making her presence noticeable, causing the crowd to immediately move aside.
She drug him through the school's double doors and into the school.
"When I get out of the hospital, tell me how you…pulled those moves off…"
She smiled. "No problem. I'll even teach you some."
"Ow. Wish they could have come before this…"
"Me too…"
:) Thanks for the second review, Kitty! You're a Godsend!
By Silver Falcon
Chapter Three
Pix sat under a tree in the courtyard, reading her Biology book. She turned the pages carefully, since the book was new and she didn't want to damage it and have to pay fifty dollars for a book this size. It was about two hours before school started, and she had arrived early to be alone for a while. She had walked to school and left a note for Marcie telling her where she was.
She loved listening to silence, especially when it was near trees. Then, the silence wasn't silence; it was an orchestra of raw emotions and feelings being drummed from tree to tree, flower to flower. The wind sang songs immune to human hearing, songs of remembrance, love, and life. The grass spoke in soft whispers that echoed each time the wind made them ripple in flowing waves of green. The stones spoke tales of times past and distant places far away. The earth that she sat upon sang with all the passion of the human heart and then some. It was the greatest voice that she heard out of them all. The love of God was a very beautiful thing.
Humans had neglected the Earth too much to hear the songs it sang. They had lost the ability when she was young, but she had heard it since she was just a baby. She remembered speaking about the voices to human children, who just pushed her around and left her to cry by herself. Humans had hurt her so much, yet now, she protected them.
Her mind drifted back to the stone angel that lived in paradise. The little boy named Jerry had been her only friend. He had taught her that the humans, although neglectful and cruel, could be kind and loving. He showed her that he had done all in his power to protect those who needed protection, even though they were cruel to him. Because of his mutant power, he felt a larger responsibility for their safety, although they did not always hold one for him. It wasn't revenge or death that he wanted to strive for, it was life and love.
'Life and love,' his words echoed in her mind. 'Protect them for they are the only way for us to truly live life completely.'
He had changed her forever. Since she had met him, the music of Gaia had been louder and clearer. He claimed he heard it too, and she believed him. He was the most honest person that she knew, and he never lied, not even to his enemies. He was a carrot top and a really cute one at that. He had big green eyes that just shouted innocence.
She missed the little bugger. She missed Jerry, but it would be a while before she would visit that particular marsh in Georgia again. There were too many memories there, and that's precisely the reason she had placed him there, but sometimes, visiting wasn't the best idea. She would get too emotional, and then she wasn't on her best watch. Being emotional also made her a very easy target.
She really needed to go to the library, since she was beginning to tire of her Biology book. Pix wondered what kind of book she wanted to get. Most likely, she would pick a good fiction book about dragons or unicorns. She loved what humans didn't believe. It was so interesting to read something that analyzed the things she knew perfectly.
She glanced up as she saw a bird chirp and land a few feet away from where she was sitting. Being very quiet, she turned the page slowly and pretended not to notice it.
'Hey!' it said. 'What are you doing?'
She looked up at the blue jay and smiled. Birds weren't timid creatures at all, but they were easily angered and very proper. Most of the time when they tried to talk to humans, the humans, of course, wouldn't answer them and this would upset them, so they would fly off. They didn't enjoy being chased by people either. It was highly annoying.
"Reading, kind sir," she answered, smiling and nodding her head politely.
'Reading?' it said, tilting its head to the side and hopping a few inches closer. 'What are you reading?'
Pix straightened her legs and put the book at the end of her feet about an inch away from the bird. "It's what the humans think about the world. I'll flip to the section about birds if you want me to, little master."
'Yes, please do!' the little bird chirped happily. 'And tell me what they say!'
She drew the book back into her lap and flipped through the places. She found the section on animals, and flipped to the subsection on birds. She turned it to the opening page and found the familiar picture of an owl staring curiously at her.
"Come here and look, sir," she said, offering her hand to it.
It hopped on her head, and she put it on the left page of her book, right under the owl picture.
'My, my, he looks silly, doesn't he?' it said, laughing.
"Yes, he does, kind sir. May I ask what you are called?"
The little bird looked up at her. 'Luspid,' he said. 'What are you called?'
"Pixie, little master."
The bird nodded and turned around to look at the picture again. 'What does it say about birds?'
"Birds, the colorful stars that fly in the sky by day and sleep at night, come in many different colors and sizes, but most of them have the same qualities. All birds have hollow bones and feathers…," she said, reading a part of the passage.
The bird began to laugh. 'Hollow bones? How intriguing! We do not have hollow bones! Our bones are just filled with flight air.'
From past experiences with birds, she knew that flight air was helium, and when the bird died, the helium would dissipate from its bones, exiting through any orifice it could get to.
"It is intriguing, little master." She nodded and held her hand down for the little bird; he hopped into it and watched as she turned the page. "Lots of birds have a diet consisting of berries and seeds, while others eat insects and sometimes even other birds."
At this, Luspid cringed. 'Hawks,' he said immediately. 'Just the other day, there was this horribly rude hawk after my nest mate. It was terrible. Thank goodness that she escaped him. Our nestlings are due sometime next month.'
"Congratulations, little Luspid. I hope you and your nest mate are very happy with your nestlings. How many are you expecting?"
The blue jay opened his wings. 'Four, Pixie. Four beautiful nestlings.'
"Four. Sounds like you and your nest mate will have your wings full for a while, correct, little Luspid?"
He shook his head. 'No, this is our second nest. We know how to handle them, yes.'
"Are ya' talking t' a bird?" a bored voice asked from across the courtyard.
Pixie's head snapped up, and she spied a girl sitting across from her with a book in hand. The girl had a southern accent but a gentle voice.
"Yes," Pix replied, shielding the tiny creature with her hand. "Don't worry, I won't squish you."
The girl stood up and walked over to her, curiously looking at the bird she had under her hand. "Mah God. It's a real bird," she said, kneeling down in the grass.
'Hello, human,' Luspid said, spreading his wings.
"He said hello to you," Pix said, removing her hand.
The girl looked down at it. "Well, uh, tell it Ah said hi t' it, too."
Pix nodded and looked down at the blue jay. "Did you hear her?"
He looked at her and chirped, "Yes, ask her what her name is."
Pix looked up at the girl. "He wants to know what your name is."
"Call meh tha' Rogue."
He squeaked. 'That is her name? Odd name for a human…'
"May I tell her your name, little master?" Pix said, stroking his back with her fingers.
'Yes,' he said before purring, 'Feels good…'
Pix smiled at the girl. "His name is Luspid, and my name is Pixie. Please to meet you, Rogue," she said, offering her hand.
Rogue shook her hand hesitantly. "Can…can Ah hold 'im?"
Luspid flapped his wings and landed on Rogue's shoulder. She rubbed his chest, and he chirped some more.
"He says he likes that."
"Ya' really can talk t' animals?"
Pix nodded and closed her Biology book. "Hey, uh, do you have an extra book with you that you could loan to me? I haven't been to a library, and I'm already set acing Biology anyways."
Rogue smiled. "Ah course Ah do," she said, reaching into her bag. She took out another book and handed it to Pix. "Lost Essence," Rogue said, quoting the title. "One o' mah favorites."
Pix turned it over and read the back. "It sounds like a really awesome book. Thanks!"
Rogue sat down next to her, making sure the bird on her shoulder wasn't about to fall off. She watched Pix put her Biology book in her bag.
"Ah got Biology. What class ya' have?"
"First," she answered. "What class do you have?"
"Third. Uh, why do ya' read y'r Bio book?"
Pixie laughed. "Definitely not for the action. I just have nothing else to read, and I love books."
'I must take my leave, ladies. I do wish we shall meet again,' Luspid said, flapping up to a tree branch.
"Luspid says bye," Pix translated. "Bye, Luspid. I hope you, your nest mate, and nestlings have a nice day."
"Bye!" Rogue said, not really believing that she was talking to a bird. "That was cool. Ah neva' had a bird land on mah shoulder before."
"They are very proper creatures. Humans can't talk to them, and they talk to everything that moves. It insults them when humans don't speak back."
"Are ya' a mutant?" Rogue asked. "Ya' talk lak ya' are."
Pixie nodded her head. "Yes, foresight and a little extras to the side."
Rogue smiled. "Good friend o' mine has that. I lak ya' hair."
"Thanks. I think yours is very nice too."
"Ah neva heard a' someone dying their hair pink. Ya must be very…uh…very…"
"Different," Pix said. "Yeah, not many people has the guts to have pink hair. It's worse than being blonde," she said, laughing.
Rogue nodded. "Well, back t' readin'."
Pix opened the book that Rogue had loaned to her, and both of them began to read. It was quiet, except for the flowing song that the wind tossed around her ears. She listened contently to it, sometimes even closing her eyes and bobbing her head to the sound.
"Yah have ears like someone Ah know," Rogue said after a few minutes. "His name's Kurt. Maybe Ah could introduce ya' t' him."
Pix looked up from her book and nodded. "That would be good. Is he nice?"
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Nice, yah, but sometimes, he gets a lil' too mischievous fo' his own good."
Pix laughed. "Yeah, sometimes God deals us wildcards. I met one, but he wasn't mischievous. He was more like a saint."
Rogue sighed. "Better a saint than Kurt. Wha' was he lak?"
"He was a mutant, as well, but he was cursed, as he put it, with eternal life from that age of ten."
Rogue rolled the idea around in her mind. "What's so bad 'bout that? Besides bein' ten."
"He was ninety-six when he met me. He had seen so much, but then, a month before his one hundred second birthday, he had been killed in the middle of a shootout. He was a Godsend, a real angel."
Rogue saw that a cloak of sadness fell across her face. "He was y'r friend? A good one?"
Pix nodded. "He was an angel. That's all I can say. You're probably like him if he was still alive. He was such a gentleman and always knew what to say."
"Sounds lak a keeper."
"You have anyone like that?"
"Well, no. Ah have friends, but not intimate."
Pix smiled. "You have a boyfriend?"
Rogue seemed confused and puzzled by her question. "Ya' and no."
"Both?"
"Ah have this guy…but he isn't really mah type."
Pix grinned. "Opposites attract."
Rogue shook her head. "It's not…that Ah don't lak him, it's just that Ah can't."
"Oh. A forbidden passion. Well, I won't ask anymore, but I wish you and him the best of luck."
Pix lifted the book again. "And thanks for the book."
"Not a problem."
They commenced reading, but Rogue seemed to fidget too much. At first, Pix didn't notice it, and then she did notice it and pretended not to. Finally, Rogue slammed her book shut.
"Ah feel lak Ah've seen ya' somewhere before," she said, awaiting the answer. "Ah just can't seem t' shake it."
Pic closed her eyes and, for a moment, was completely silent. She searched through her memories, the long chain the seemed to be never-ending. She had seen and known many children, almost too many to count, and sometimes it was hard to find the memory of a single one.
"You have, Marie," she whispered.
Rogue's eyes opened wide. "How…how do ya' know mah name?"
Pix rubbed her head. "I have seen you before, when you were little. I remember you, as well."
Rogue shook her head. "But…Ah'm seventeen. How can ya' remember something so long ago?"
Pixie closed her eyes. "Seventeen years isn't a long time, Rogue. It may seem like it, but it really isn't. You'd be surprised how time flies."
"Well, at least Ah got that off mah senses. Nice t' see ya' again, Pix."
Nice to see you again. How was she supposed to say that she had known Marie since she was a baby? She hadn't realized that Rogue remembered her from the deepest part of her infant mind. It was very rare when someone could remember without seeing her as she truly was. It wasn't as if she showed her human form to babies, so a moment like this was spectacular.
"You too."
She was something else. Pix already knew that. It was too rare for her to let something like this slide.
After a few minutes, students began to arrive. Some would go inside, while others would sit outside and do homework that they neglected the previous night. The song of God faded as the students came and created noise. It wasn't sound, song, or beauty; it was noise, plain and simple. Pixie didn't like it at all, but she wasn't one to complain.
She saw Kitty, the sunglasses dude, and Jean arrive in a shiny car. They piled out, and Kitty walked over to Rogue.
"Hey, I see you two met!" she said.
"Yah, just helpin' a fellow bookworm," Rogue groaned, her nose still buried in her book.
Pixie closed her book and offered her hand to Kitty. Kitty shook it happily.
"It's nice to see you again. Did your first day go okay?" she asked, clutching her books to her chest.
Pixie nodded. "Yes, it went very well, thank you."
The before school bell rang, but the courtyard was so loud that most didn't hear it. Rogue stood up, keeping a finger in her book to keep her place.
"Ah must be goin'. See ya' later, Kitty."
"Bye, Rogue!"
Kitty turned towards her and sighed. "Well, I have to go, too. I have to go see a teacher. I'll talk to you in Trig, okay?"
With that, Kitty ran off, blending in with the crowd. Pixie felt the familiar feeling of being alone in the middle of a crowd. The feeling didn't last however, since she heard a familiar voice at the edge of the courtyard.
It was Todd, and, from the looks of it, he had gotten himself into a brawl with three senior boys. Three! Of all things, this was the most inhuman! Three against one. How barbaric. It was this kind of stuff that brought out the beast within, and it really pissed her off.
She slid her book into her pack and left it next to the tree. She opened her eye and knew immediately that she would get into a fight and be put in detention, but that was for later, not now.
She arrived at the fighting site just when the leader of the three thugs picked Todd off the ground by his collar and threw him against the ground. Pix put on her sweetest face and walked up to him, tapping him on the shoulder lightly.
"WHAT?" he screeched before turning to see her pretty face. "Well, hello there. I forgot how many weirdoes we had at this school. I mean, geez, chick. You must be desperate for attention or something to dye your hair pink." The other two chuckled and resumed marching up to Todd, who was still trying to stand up. "Well, baby, I have business to attend to, so if you want a date, you have to take a number."
He turned around and punched Todd in the face while the other two held him. Pix walked towards him again, and slid around him just in time to collect his next punch in the palm of her hand. He drew it back and stared her hard in the eyes. She walked forward and shoved him backwards to put some space between them.
"You…DO NOT…insult the hair color!" she growled.
She walked up to him and stood barely three inches from his face. "Look, I can understand that you want justice and all for the little guy, but we have a score to settle with him, and I don't want to have to hit a girl."
She grinned. "Try and hit me. You hit me, I'll do your homework for the rest of the year, and I'll help you beat up on anyone you want."
"Look, babe. As considerate as that offer is, I really am not interested in fighting you. It would ruin my reputation."
By this time, his face was a mixture of irritation and gentleness. She cracked her knuckles as she balled her hand into a fist. As fast as lightning, she slammed her hand into his cheek, sending him spiraling off to the side. The sickening crunch attracted the attention of onlookers, and in no time, they had formed a circle around them.
"That'll ruin your reputation." While the football player was gathering himself from the ground, she turned to the other two. "Let him go."
One of them released Todd's arm, but the other one just grabbed it. That one stepped forward. This one was larger than the first guy she had punched, but she knew he wasn't that much smarter. She rolled her eyes.
"Why do you want the hard way out?"
He just grinned. "If I hit you, do I get what he would have got, after you get out of the hospital, that is."
She nodded and bowed. "Of course, and to even the odds, I won't use my hands."
Pix tucked her hands into her coat sleeves and held them behind her back. The big lug lunged at her, and she jumped to the side a mile before he was even close. He turned around, but she jumped into the air and landed on his shoulders before jumping behind him and kicking him squarely in the back. He toppled over, and she kicked him in the side. He stood up again and grabbed at her, but she bounced out of the way, just a few inches beyond his grasp.
"This the best you can do? Looks like my offer isn't yours for the taking."
She really didn't like fighting that much, but it had been a while since she had felt an adrenaline rush, so she was purely enjoying the little scramble between her and the big lug. He had lasted much longer than the first boy, but, eventually, the first boy joined in again. Just for the sake of fun, she let the first boy take a hold of her.
"You little wretch! You'll pay for that."
She laughed. "I thought you didn't want to hit a girl."
He nodded, then an evil grin appeared over his face. "Nope, that's why I'm going to hold you, and he's going to beat you to Hell."
She smiled. "That's what I'm talking about…"
This was going to be funny. She raised her head just in front of his and watched the other boy draw his fist back. One would think that they would learn what she was setting up by television, but they had no clue. At the last possible second, she moved her head down and chuckled as the boy was knocked off his feet.
She looked up at the other boy and smiled. "Genius, wasn't it. Well, do you still want that offer or do you give?"
His face was distorted into that of frustration and anger. She stood there, legs slightly apart and hands still behind her back. Pix bowed and stood again, a calm flowing over her face.
"You bitch!"
There was a pressure point in his shoulder that she could just wedge the tip of her boot against. When he tackled her again, she jumped clearly above his head, and jammed her foot into the small space between his bones. The numbness took over almost immediately, and the boy slumped aside with his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his eyes shaking.
The third boy was already gone by time she glanced in his direction, leaving Todd on the ground with a black eye and some bruises on his face. She turned to the crowd.
"You saw nothing. LEAVE!" she hissed.
Immediately, everyone began to resume what they had been doing before the fight happened. She knelt down to Todd and rubbed his head.
"What happened? What happened to your toad powers?" she cooed softly.
He shrugged. "They bounced me. I don't know…ouch…" She helped him up and held him by the waist while he had one arm slung over her shoulder. "I think I broke something…"
"Not surprising," she said, making her presence noticeable, causing the crowd to immediately move aside.
She drug him through the school's double doors and into the school.
"When I get out of the hospital, tell me how you…pulled those moves off…"
She smiled. "No problem. I'll even teach you some."
"Ow. Wish they could have come before this…"
"Me too…"
:) Thanks for the second review, Kitty! You're a Godsend!
