"Claire Trask! This is the FOURTH time this week you've been sent to the Principal's office!" Trask bellowed at his youngest daughter, who was sitting on the couch, acting indifferent.
"Don't blow a gasket Dad. It's not as bad as you are making it out to be," Claire mumbled to herself.
Trask's tirade was interuppted by his older daughter, Alice, who came walking through the doors, her arms leaden down with heavy books. Trask rushed forward to help his oldest child, his face warming up with a loving smile. "Let me help you Alice dear."
"Thank you Father." giving her sister a contemptous look, she added, "Did the Principal call you? Did he tell you what our little Claire did today?"
Trask scowled again. "Yes. We were just about to discuss that. How on earth did you get the entire student body to believe the school building was on fire and nearly cause a riot?"
"I don't know. I was just imagining the school was on fire during my math test and all of a sudden, i thought I saw a fire outside the window, so I pulled the fire alarm." Claire shrugged her shoulders, feeling that her father and sister had their underwear on to tight. They never seemed to laugh about anything. Even Alice's nickname at school reflected her personality, Miss Cold. There were others that were known around school, but they weren't to polite. At first Claire felt the need to defend her sister, but as her home situation got worse, she stopped. Plus, Alice always just glared at her when she tried to help.
Alice set her large stack of books down on the table and snorted at Claire's assesment of what happened. "More like you created complete pandemonium. You would have been so embarassed Father. Your youngest child screaming the building was on fire, pulling fire alarms and pushing people out the doors. It was revolting. Anyone with a brain could tell the building was NOT on fire."
"I couldn't help it! I saw fire! I didn't want anyone to get hurt!" Claire insisted, rising from the couch, her bookbag falling from her lap onto the floor.
"DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO TALK?" Trask roared at Claire.
"No, Sir." Claire said softly, hanging her head, tears falling from her eyes.
"Go to your room. I'll see you later. After I visit your principal, that is. You better hope you are not expelled."
"Yes Sir." Claire stomped over to her bookbag, grabbed it and slung it onto her back, glaring at Alice and made her way to the stairs leading up to her small attic room. Once she got through the doorway of her small room, she slammed the door shut and threw her bag across the room. It hit the far wall and books, notebooks, pencils and erasers spilled out onto the floor. She then flung herself on the bed and began to sob into her pillow. The sound of her sobs filled the air of the small room. She hated her room, it was drafty in the winter and smoldering in the summer. Why couldn't she have the room next to Alice on the second level? That's right. That was Alice's study. God Forbid Claire could have a decent room.
After about twenty minutes of crying there was a loud pounding on her door. "Claire! Shut up! I can hear you in my study and I have a big Biology test tommorow I have to study for! " The sound of Alice stomping away made Claire's head hurt more and she responded by flicking Alice the bird.
"Stupid bitch. One of these days Alice, you're gonna get what you deserve." Claire let her mind play over her favorite senarios for Alice to feel pain and torment. Her favorite was by far drowning Alice in the bathtub while their father watched.
One day, she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, back downstairs, Trask was on the phone with one of his government connections.
"I don't care Stryker, we have to take action against this threat NOW! I'll be in tommorow to look at the blueprints. You better make sure they are ready."
Trask hung up his phone and saw Alice leaning against the doorway. "Alice, I didn't know you were there."
"What threat Father?"
Trask walked over to his daughter and drew her into his arms. Smoothing down her hair with his hand he said to her, "Nothing for you to worry about little one."
"But if there's something threatening us, I should know about it." she pressed.
Trask looked down at the face of fourteen year old Alice. Sighing he let her go and motioned for her to sit down at the table. Alice slid into the chair across from her father, neither of them knowing Claire had snuck down the stairs and was hiding behind the wall, eavesdropping.
"I'm sure you're well aware of an outbreak of humans that seem to have superhuman powers." Trask began, not sure how to go about telling Alice.
"Yes, of course. One was discovered at the school last week. He was a few years younger than me. Scott Summers has seemed to dissapear off the radar. If I remember correctly, it was said a destructive ray came out of his eyes, blasting a hole in the wall of the lunchroom." Alice said half in a daydream, trying to remember everything correctly.
"Yes, well, these, monstrosities, are popping up more and more. Some have abilities so powerful, they have to be seperated from the rest of society for safety."
Alice nodded at him, and Trask continued, "As far as our scientists know, there's a gene these people have, it's been named the X-Gene. This X-gene causes mutations in the individual's DNA, therefore, creating mutant powers at the moment of conception. There's debate as to how it's handed down. Some say it's by men, other's say it's by women. We don't know yet. I'm digressing, some associates and I are coming up with a plan to protect normal humans like us," he gestured to himself and Alice, "From the growing number of mutants that may one day beging to cause us harm."
"Of course Father. Would I be able to help in this endeavor?"
Shocked, Trask looked into Alice's eyes. "Why would you want to do that Alice?"
Alice didn't say anything, she had long suspected her own sister was a mutant. She'd seen what happened today. Everyone in the school had belived the school was on fire. She'd heard her sister remark at lunch that she'd like to burn the place down. Frowning slightly, she also began to think of all the other times in the near past that Claire had gotten in trouble. It was always due to something she said she saw. Looking back at her father she said, "Why wouldn't I want to? The preservation of our race is at stake. Of course I'd want to help."
Thinking of the underground mutant holding cells and testing facilities, Trask nodded. His daughter was a skillled scientist. They may need someone with a mind like hers later on down the road.
"College first Alice, then we'll discuss it."
Claire crept back up to her room, her mind racing. Mutants! With super powers! She only wished she was one, maybe then she could get even with her father and sister for the numerous creulties and their outright lack of concern for her.
"Don't blow a gasket Dad. It's not as bad as you are making it out to be," Claire mumbled to herself.
Trask's tirade was interuppted by his older daughter, Alice, who came walking through the doors, her arms leaden down with heavy books. Trask rushed forward to help his oldest child, his face warming up with a loving smile. "Let me help you Alice dear."
"Thank you Father." giving her sister a contemptous look, she added, "Did the Principal call you? Did he tell you what our little Claire did today?"
Trask scowled again. "Yes. We were just about to discuss that. How on earth did you get the entire student body to believe the school building was on fire and nearly cause a riot?"
"I don't know. I was just imagining the school was on fire during my math test and all of a sudden, i thought I saw a fire outside the window, so I pulled the fire alarm." Claire shrugged her shoulders, feeling that her father and sister had their underwear on to tight. They never seemed to laugh about anything. Even Alice's nickname at school reflected her personality, Miss Cold. There were others that were known around school, but they weren't to polite. At first Claire felt the need to defend her sister, but as her home situation got worse, she stopped. Plus, Alice always just glared at her when she tried to help.
Alice set her large stack of books down on the table and snorted at Claire's assesment of what happened. "More like you created complete pandemonium. You would have been so embarassed Father. Your youngest child screaming the building was on fire, pulling fire alarms and pushing people out the doors. It was revolting. Anyone with a brain could tell the building was NOT on fire."
"I couldn't help it! I saw fire! I didn't want anyone to get hurt!" Claire insisted, rising from the couch, her bookbag falling from her lap onto the floor.
"DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO TALK?" Trask roared at Claire.
"No, Sir." Claire said softly, hanging her head, tears falling from her eyes.
"Go to your room. I'll see you later. After I visit your principal, that is. You better hope you are not expelled."
"Yes Sir." Claire stomped over to her bookbag, grabbed it and slung it onto her back, glaring at Alice and made her way to the stairs leading up to her small attic room. Once she got through the doorway of her small room, she slammed the door shut and threw her bag across the room. It hit the far wall and books, notebooks, pencils and erasers spilled out onto the floor. She then flung herself on the bed and began to sob into her pillow. The sound of her sobs filled the air of the small room. She hated her room, it was drafty in the winter and smoldering in the summer. Why couldn't she have the room next to Alice on the second level? That's right. That was Alice's study. God Forbid Claire could have a decent room.
After about twenty minutes of crying there was a loud pounding on her door. "Claire! Shut up! I can hear you in my study and I have a big Biology test tommorow I have to study for! " The sound of Alice stomping away made Claire's head hurt more and she responded by flicking Alice the bird.
"Stupid bitch. One of these days Alice, you're gonna get what you deserve." Claire let her mind play over her favorite senarios for Alice to feel pain and torment. Her favorite was by far drowning Alice in the bathtub while their father watched.
One day, she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, back downstairs, Trask was on the phone with one of his government connections.
"I don't care Stryker, we have to take action against this threat NOW! I'll be in tommorow to look at the blueprints. You better make sure they are ready."
Trask hung up his phone and saw Alice leaning against the doorway. "Alice, I didn't know you were there."
"What threat Father?"
Trask walked over to his daughter and drew her into his arms. Smoothing down her hair with his hand he said to her, "Nothing for you to worry about little one."
"But if there's something threatening us, I should know about it." she pressed.
Trask looked down at the face of fourteen year old Alice. Sighing he let her go and motioned for her to sit down at the table. Alice slid into the chair across from her father, neither of them knowing Claire had snuck down the stairs and was hiding behind the wall, eavesdropping.
"I'm sure you're well aware of an outbreak of humans that seem to have superhuman powers." Trask began, not sure how to go about telling Alice.
"Yes, of course. One was discovered at the school last week. He was a few years younger than me. Scott Summers has seemed to dissapear off the radar. If I remember correctly, it was said a destructive ray came out of his eyes, blasting a hole in the wall of the lunchroom." Alice said half in a daydream, trying to remember everything correctly.
"Yes, well, these, monstrosities, are popping up more and more. Some have abilities so powerful, they have to be seperated from the rest of society for safety."
Alice nodded at him, and Trask continued, "As far as our scientists know, there's a gene these people have, it's been named the X-Gene. This X-gene causes mutations in the individual's DNA, therefore, creating mutant powers at the moment of conception. There's debate as to how it's handed down. Some say it's by men, other's say it's by women. We don't know yet. I'm digressing, some associates and I are coming up with a plan to protect normal humans like us," he gestured to himself and Alice, "From the growing number of mutants that may one day beging to cause us harm."
"Of course Father. Would I be able to help in this endeavor?"
Shocked, Trask looked into Alice's eyes. "Why would you want to do that Alice?"
Alice didn't say anything, she had long suspected her own sister was a mutant. She'd seen what happened today. Everyone in the school had belived the school was on fire. She'd heard her sister remark at lunch that she'd like to burn the place down. Frowning slightly, she also began to think of all the other times in the near past that Claire had gotten in trouble. It was always due to something she said she saw. Looking back at her father she said, "Why wouldn't I want to? The preservation of our race is at stake. Of course I'd want to help."
Thinking of the underground mutant holding cells and testing facilities, Trask nodded. His daughter was a skillled scientist. They may need someone with a mind like hers later on down the road.
"College first Alice, then we'll discuss it."
Claire crept back up to her room, her mind racing. Mutants! With super powers! She only wished she was one, maybe then she could get even with her father and sister for the numerous creulties and their outright lack of concern for her.