Hey, y'all, here's chapter 2, finally! Thank you so much for the reviews! I
will always remember the first review I got, the first review I ever got in
my entire life, was from NoInkInMyPen, and it made my heart pound, my
cheeks turn red, and I grinned broadly without meaning to!!! Now I know
what the warm fuzzy feeling is like! ^_^
So, here are some messages to a few of my previous reviewers.
Chris Bannex: Thanks for the tips ^_^ and I'm really glad you like it! Crono101: Thank you so much for your tips and compliments! You are so cool! Dayspring Daughter: Thank you for the compliment! The only X-Men comics I have read are the big Zero Tolerance book and thirty-four of them from the late 80's that were my dad's. All of the characters I put in to the prologue are my favorites from the ones I've read that I felt didn't get enough attention!
To all you people who were confused about my prologue, the X-Men of that era are never involved that much from hereon in. (I hate to disappoint you, but the main characters in my story were thought up by ME, although their parents belong to Marvel. Well, I invented a bunch of the original X-Men's spouses, too.) And may I also remind everyone that the universe in this story is a bit different than it is in real life, so if I get New York City wrong, keep in mind that it is basically a made-up city that shares its name and its location with a real one. (This is because I like the freedom!)
So, finally, on with the story:
Chapter 2
February 27, 2006
The hard, heavy snow of late winter was falling steadily throughout the city, covering everything in its stiff, white blanket. It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and the dull, gray roads were crowded full of cars, teenagers driving home from school. Not many people were outside, in the biting cold, only a handful of middle-aged men shoveling the icy snow off of the sidewalks. The alleys, however, were empty. Except for one girl, in her mid-teens, who was standing, shivering, next to a trash can. She was tall and slim, and her brightly colored clothes caused her to stand out in the sea of gray that was the streets of New York City. Her oversized purple jacket and tight-fitting blue jeans were soaking wet from the falling snow, and her flame red hair was hanging over her eyes, but she didn't seem to care.
She tossed her hair, as if to get it out of her eyes, and stared impatiently around the corner. She had been waiting a half an hour already, and she was freezing cold. Of course, she thought. He is always late, so I guess it makes sense. She sighed. I still don't like it, though.
Then she heard a voice from the other side of the alley.
"Hey, Nuria! Where are you?"
And there he is now. Nuria stomped out of the snow pile she was standing in, and saw him standing at the opposite alley entrance. His black hooded sweatshirt was soaked through, and his white-blonde hair was so unkempt, it completely covered his right eye. He was a year younger than Nuria, only just turned sixteen, but looked like a senior in high school.
"ALAN!" Nuria called angrily, running over to him. "You're forty minutes late! Where in the hell were you?"
Alan stuck his hands in his sweatshirt pockets and looked away. "Who cares?" He muttered. "I was late, that's all that matters."
Nuria gritted her teeth, and made a huffy noise. She really hated how rude and secretive Alan was, but she had to forgive him for it. He was her stepbrother, after all.
She remembered when she met him for the first time, seven years ago, at Xavier's School for the Gifted. The medics gathered nervously around the front doorway, had told her that Nuria's stepfather, Alan's biological father, had had a heart attack when he was talking to the headmasters. She had felt sorry for Alan, and in ways, she still did. Nuria doubted his personality had changed a bit since then.
"Geez," Nuria glared at Alan, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets, causing her resemblance to her stepbrother to become even stronger. "Mom's going to be furious . ."
"Yeah, I know," Alan said, leading Nuria out of the alley. "I'll tell her that I was late."
Nuria perked up. "You'll tell her the truth?"
Alan grinned. "Yeah," he said. "I'm going easy on you today."
Nuria grinned back. "I can see that."
The two half-siblings laughed, as they walked out of the gray, desolate alley, and into Main Street.
Main Street was like a whole other country, compared to the rest of New York City. While all the other streets were small, dark, and unpleasant to the eye, Main Street was tall, colorful, and startlingly bright. The neon lights flared like suns, and brightly colored advertisements blinked atop skyscrapers, giving the city an aura of cheerfulness to those visiting, when in truth, Main Street was the only part worth seeing, because the rest of the city was gray, grungy and claustrophobic. Nuria loved to look at Main Street, with its bright lights, and she especially loved how it seemed to be warmer than the rest of the city. That was how Nuria was; she loved anything hot and bright. She savored the sight of Main Street every time she passed by. Streets like these were the places that she dreamed of living in when she got out of high school.
"What are we doing here?" Nuria asked. "This isn't the way to our house . . ."
Alan raised an eyebrow. "You said you were cold."
"Yeah, and . . ?"
Alan pointed to a small, dirty, graffiti-ridden building in front of them. "Look over there."
Yeah, that's the bar that my dad works in. Why would Alan want to go in there?
"I see," She said, still sounding confused. "But are you sure we should go in? It's not exactly known for its well-behaved customers. I heard that a guy got killed in there a few years ago . . ."
"Well, I need to talk to John for a little bit," Alan said, grabbing Nuria's arm. Then he grinned, and forced a laugh. "Plus, it's got the best Pi(a Coladas in New York, so isn't that reason enough to go?"
And with that, Alan dragged his sister across the street and through the brightly spray-painted door to the Ace of Spades Bar and Poker House.
(Author's note: Sorry this is so short! I was really busy and had no time! By the way, all of the children's names have hidden meanings. Alan means "Handsome" and Nuria means "God's Fire", and I'll tell you the rest later. I'm sorry the original X-Men aren't involved more!)
Chris Bannex: Thanks for the tips ^_^ and I'm really glad you like it! Crono101: Thank you so much for your tips and compliments! You are so cool! Dayspring Daughter: Thank you for the compliment! The only X-Men comics I have read are the big Zero Tolerance book and thirty-four of them from the late 80's that were my dad's. All of the characters I put in to the prologue are my favorites from the ones I've read that I felt didn't get enough attention!
To all you people who were confused about my prologue, the X-Men of that era are never involved that much from hereon in. (I hate to disappoint you, but the main characters in my story were thought up by ME, although their parents belong to Marvel. Well, I invented a bunch of the original X-Men's spouses, too.) And may I also remind everyone that the universe in this story is a bit different than it is in real life, so if I get New York City wrong, keep in mind that it is basically a made-up city that shares its name and its location with a real one. (This is because I like the freedom!)
So, finally, on with the story:
Chapter 2
February 27, 2006
The hard, heavy snow of late winter was falling steadily throughout the city, covering everything in its stiff, white blanket. It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and the dull, gray roads were crowded full of cars, teenagers driving home from school. Not many people were outside, in the biting cold, only a handful of middle-aged men shoveling the icy snow off of the sidewalks. The alleys, however, were empty. Except for one girl, in her mid-teens, who was standing, shivering, next to a trash can. She was tall and slim, and her brightly colored clothes caused her to stand out in the sea of gray that was the streets of New York City. Her oversized purple jacket and tight-fitting blue jeans were soaking wet from the falling snow, and her flame red hair was hanging over her eyes, but she didn't seem to care.
She tossed her hair, as if to get it out of her eyes, and stared impatiently around the corner. She had been waiting a half an hour already, and she was freezing cold. Of course, she thought. He is always late, so I guess it makes sense. She sighed. I still don't like it, though.
Then she heard a voice from the other side of the alley.
"Hey, Nuria! Where are you?"
And there he is now. Nuria stomped out of the snow pile she was standing in, and saw him standing at the opposite alley entrance. His black hooded sweatshirt was soaked through, and his white-blonde hair was so unkempt, it completely covered his right eye. He was a year younger than Nuria, only just turned sixteen, but looked like a senior in high school.
"ALAN!" Nuria called angrily, running over to him. "You're forty minutes late! Where in the hell were you?"
Alan stuck his hands in his sweatshirt pockets and looked away. "Who cares?" He muttered. "I was late, that's all that matters."
Nuria gritted her teeth, and made a huffy noise. She really hated how rude and secretive Alan was, but she had to forgive him for it. He was her stepbrother, after all.
She remembered when she met him for the first time, seven years ago, at Xavier's School for the Gifted. The medics gathered nervously around the front doorway, had told her that Nuria's stepfather, Alan's biological father, had had a heart attack when he was talking to the headmasters. She had felt sorry for Alan, and in ways, she still did. Nuria doubted his personality had changed a bit since then.
"Geez," Nuria glared at Alan, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets, causing her resemblance to her stepbrother to become even stronger. "Mom's going to be furious . ."
"Yeah, I know," Alan said, leading Nuria out of the alley. "I'll tell her that I was late."
Nuria perked up. "You'll tell her the truth?"
Alan grinned. "Yeah," he said. "I'm going easy on you today."
Nuria grinned back. "I can see that."
The two half-siblings laughed, as they walked out of the gray, desolate alley, and into Main Street.
Main Street was like a whole other country, compared to the rest of New York City. While all the other streets were small, dark, and unpleasant to the eye, Main Street was tall, colorful, and startlingly bright. The neon lights flared like suns, and brightly colored advertisements blinked atop skyscrapers, giving the city an aura of cheerfulness to those visiting, when in truth, Main Street was the only part worth seeing, because the rest of the city was gray, grungy and claustrophobic. Nuria loved to look at Main Street, with its bright lights, and she especially loved how it seemed to be warmer than the rest of the city. That was how Nuria was; she loved anything hot and bright. She savored the sight of Main Street every time she passed by. Streets like these were the places that she dreamed of living in when she got out of high school.
"What are we doing here?" Nuria asked. "This isn't the way to our house . . ."
Alan raised an eyebrow. "You said you were cold."
"Yeah, and . . ?"
Alan pointed to a small, dirty, graffiti-ridden building in front of them. "Look over there."
Yeah, that's the bar that my dad works in. Why would Alan want to go in there?
"I see," She said, still sounding confused. "But are you sure we should go in? It's not exactly known for its well-behaved customers. I heard that a guy got killed in there a few years ago . . ."
"Well, I need to talk to John for a little bit," Alan said, grabbing Nuria's arm. Then he grinned, and forced a laugh. "Plus, it's got the best Pi(a Coladas in New York, so isn't that reason enough to go?"
And with that, Alan dragged his sister across the street and through the brightly spray-painted door to the Ace of Spades Bar and Poker House.
(Author's note: Sorry this is so short! I was really busy and had no time! By the way, all of the children's names have hidden meanings. Alan means "Handsome" and Nuria means "God's Fire", and I'll tell you the rest later. I'm sorry the original X-Men aren't involved more!)