My backpack is full of things that I need like food and clothing but I know that they won't last me very long. I have to ration my supplies carefully.
He says his name is Pyro. He won't tell me his real name. He won't tell me a lot of things. I don't see why he should, actually. We're both alone in this world. We don't need anyone. I don't need anyone.
I told him my name was Red.
"You're not a red-head".
"It's nothing to do with my hair colour". Well, not yet, anyway.
Red means anger. It means radical change. It means a lot. But mostly it means blood. Kaila and I are blood-sisters. I want for it to be remembered. Red.
I feel drawn to him for some reason. He's always flicking that lighter of his. It's getting annoying.
"Stop that".
He looks at me, cocks an eyebrow and resumes flicking. My fingers itch to swat it out of his hand but I don't know what he'd do to me if I did that. I don't want to find out.
So instead, I sigh.
I tap my feet in boredom until it becomes a rhythm, like a drum beat. I try to tap in time with Pyro's flicking. Flick, flick, tap. Flick, flick, tap.
"We will, we will rock you," I sing.
He stops flicking. Finally. I almost grin.
"What do you want?" he asks. Me?
"Nothing".
He scrutinizes my face for a moment. "You know, I don't get you. You've seen what I can do and you're not the least bit nervous about it?"
"Nope".
"What about what they've been saying about us, how dangerous we are. Haven't you seen what we can do?"
"Of course". He seems to consider this for a moment. He nods, as if to himself.
"Let me show you something". He flicks his lighter open and lights a flame. As I watch, he pulls it towards his palm and shapes it into a fiery ball. I don't dare to blink in case I miss anything. He holds his palm with the fireball suspended over it out to me.
"Touch it," he says. I raise my eyebrows in alarm.
"No really, it won't hurt. I control it".
I look at the ball of vermillion in his hand. Its depth and beauty captivates me. Slowly, I raise my hand to touch it gingerly before pulling my fingers back. But there's no pain at all. There are no burn marks on my fingers. I look at Pyro with awe. Feeling bolder, I let the fire engulf my entire hand, turning it this way and that. The energy of the flames runs through my veins, fluid-like and swift. For once, I feel powerful.
Pyro slowly lets the flames die down. I'm still mesmerised.
"Wow," I breathe.
Pyro smiles. I think it's the first time I've seen him smile. I smile back.
Pyro's real name is St John Allerdyce. I call him John now. He's running away from the X-Men and someone else called Magneto. I'm surprised. I'd thought he'd be running away from humans. I guess we're stuck in the same boat- we're both running away from our own kind.
I tell him about Kaila and Dad and how I'd tried to set up a committee.
"Something like the human equivalent of the X-Men?"
"Yeah, something like that".
I ask him why he'd left the X-Men in the first place.
"I don't understand why we have to protect the very people who want to destroy us". I consider this.
"I don't want to destroy you," I reply.
He almost seems surprised by this new perspective. Maybe he'd never realised that there are people in this world who like me, don't hate mutants. Or maybe it's just easier to generalise the enemy. Less complicated that way.
I wake up and realise something is different. The train has stopped moving. We've made it to California.
In alarm, I realise I hear voices right outside the baggage cart. But before I can do anything, the cart door flies wide open. Light pours in.
"What the-? You! What are you kids doing in here?" the train inspector shouts.
John is already awake beside me.
Before I know what is happening, he blasts the inspector away with a fireball.
"Come on, let's go!"
In a flurry, I grab my backpack and we run out of the baggage cart and away as fast as our legs can carry us. Where do we go now? I hear voices behind us.
"They're chasing us!" I yell to John.
Sending out another fireball, he manages to deviate them. We run out of the station and penetrate the crowd.
I pant in relief and exhilaration. We've lost them. I grin at John and he starts laughing.
Is this where we part?
John clears his throat. "So where are you going?"
I grin sheepishly this time. "I don't know...I didn't think I'd make it this far".
So that's when we decide to stick together for the time being.