Hi guys. God, I'm laid up with the flu and I think I've slipped into the seventh ring of hell! I'm going to take a break from writing till I get better. Hope you like this chap.
The lights were bright, the horn blared. Her every instinct screamed for her to move, to get out of the way, but she wouldn't. Her feet felt glued to the road. She closed her eyes, waiting for impact.
Something grabbed the back of her coat. Something was pulling her back. She felt herself being jerked back, falling down and rolling off the road. She wasn't alone.
Beth opened her eyes and saw, through blades of wet grass, the ten-wheeler swerve and continue driving. The fat trucker leaned out the window and cussed.
"Crazy bitch!" he yelled, as his truck drove out of sight.
She groaned. Her body would be bruised tomorrow. She tried to get up but felt something move behind her.
Looking back, she saw the guy, James, spread out on the grass, like he had just been thrown off an elephant.
"Wha?" she whispered, dazed. He'd saved her?
James groaned and sat up, leaves and twigs stuck in his hair. He rubbed his arm, the one he fell landed on, and looked at her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes wide and worried.
Beth couldn't find her voice, instead she nodded.
He got on his hands and knees and pushed himself off the ground, and brushed of his jeans and work vest. Reaching out his hand he helped Beth get up. He even brushed the hair back from her face.
"That truck almost hit you!" he said, nearly shouting. "What were you doing?!"
She didn't know what to say. What could she say? Instead she shrugged her shoulders and looked out at the empty road.
Her only chance of escape had gone, honking and cussing, into town. What she going to do now? If she tried to run out into the road again, he'd just go after her. She suddenly felt her chest boil with shame. She didn't deserve to die. Oblivion wiped the slates clean. She deserved to live with what she'd done. To feel this guilt for the rest of her life.
"I'm sorry." she said, to no one in particular.
"Don't be." James said, running a hand through his leafy hair. "As long as we're both alright." He looked back at the store. "Is there someone you'd like to call? Does you mom have a cell phone?"
"Um." she said, stalling. Nervously, she put her hands in her jean pockets and rocked.
In the bottom of her back pocket she felt a crumpled piece of paper. Pulling it out, she recognized it. A last resort.
"Um. Yeah, can I use your phone?" she asked, voice soft.
"Yeah." he said, pulling a twig out of his hair. "You can use the payphone in front of the store. Here, I'll take you."
Walking over to her, he grabbed her chubby arm gently and led her to the parking lot. Beth knew he held her so she wouldn't take off, again.
He led her past the parking lot to the front of the store. A few feet from the door was a Sprint payphone.
She searching for her money, but came up empty.
"Here." James said, digging into his own pockets. He handed her two quarters.
"Thank you." she said, feeling her face heat up.
He just nodded and leaned back against the wall.
She smoothed out the paper and set it under the phone, put the quarters in the slot, and dialed the number.
"Please hold." said the cool, female voice of the machine. A few seconds later the phone began to ring. Beth's heart stopped.
What was she doing? What would she say? Would these people even accept her after that fiasco at the hospital? Her worries were cut short.
"Xavier Institute." said a velvety voice.
"Hello?" said Beth, voice still soft.
"Hello?" repeated the woman. "Who's calling?"
"Bethany." she answered, quivery.
"Bethany who?"
"Bethany Bancroft, ma'am." she said, a little louder. "I need to speak to Xavier, please."
"Oh." said the woman. "Hang on one moment. I'll put you through."
"Thank you, ma'am." she said, politely. Mom used to say, if you don't know what to say, stick to good manners.
There was a few moments pause, which she spent glancing at James when he wasn't looking. Once you got past all that greasy hair, he was kind of cute.
"Hello?" said a deep, rich voice.
"Hello." she said, startled. "Professor Xavier?"
"Yes, it's me, Bethany." he said. Her throat tightened and her eyes burned, which made it had to talk.
"Professor." she said, praying she wouldn't break down now. "Can I stay at your institute?"
"What?" he asked softly, slightly surprised. Before she could talk, he added, "Of course you can. Where are you?"
"Um. I'm at a gas station outside of town." she said, looking around. "It's called Puerto. It's on. . ."
She put her hand over the speaking end and turned to James.
"Hey, um, what's this place's address?" she asked.
James looked up, startled at being asked.
"Oh, um. It's 727 west of highway 160." he said, rubbing his eyes. It must be real late.
"Thanks." she said, turning back to the phone.
"Hello?" Xavier asked.
"I'm here." she said. "I'm at 727 west of highway 160."
". . . Alright." he said. She knew for sure he was writing it down.
Her chest got tighter, it was hard to breathe. The pebbles on the ground shook and rattled.
"Please come soon." she said, her voice cracking. "Please."
"We will, Bethany." he said, his voice strong and strangely comforting.
"We'll be there soon."
The pebbles stopped moving.
"When will you get here?" she asked, despising her weepy tone of voice.
"We'll be there in about a half an hour." he said, then paused. "Fifteen minutes."
How could he get here that fast? According to that paper, the institute was all the way in New York.
"Don't worry." he said, suddenly. "We will be there."
"Thank you." she said, wanting to get off the phone. The faster they hung up, the sooner he'd be here.
"Wait for us." he said.
"I will." she said.
"I'll speak with you soon."
"Bye." she said.
"Goodnight." he said. Then the phone went dead.
She listened to the silence for a while, then hung up before the operators voice came on.
"So. . . What's going on?" asked James, looking at her through his greasy bangs. "Who'd you call?"
"Um. . . That was my uncle. . . Chuck." she lied, still standing by the phone. "He lives outside of town. He's coming to pick me up."
"What about your mom?" he asked, face puzzled.
"She's. . . probably at the bar or something." she said, looking down, hoping he'd buy it.
"Oh." he said, quietly. "Sorry. My mom's like that too sometimes."
Beth's stomach shivered. God, she hated lying to this poor guy.
"I hate it when she does this." she continued. You have to add details to lies to make them believable. "She always dumps me off someplace and goes bar-hopping."
"Is she staying with you?" he asked. He was not making this any easier.
"No. I'm gonna go to Uncle Chuck. I think she'll just stay at a hotel."
"Oh. Well, that's good at least." he said, smiling slightly,
She smiled too, wondering what he would think if he knew the truth. Even that life sounded better than what she was living now.
Beth stuffed her hands inside her coat pockets. She felt the candy and junk she'd stolen against her hands. More guilt rose inside her chest.
James looked back into the store, then pushed off the wall.
"Well, Pops is up." he said, looking at the old man.
Beth peered through the big glass window too. The old man was still on his stool, thumbing through the sports section of James' paper. His eyes were so squinty, she almost couldn't tell if he was awake or not.
"I better get back." James said, looking back at her. She could tell he wasn't sure if he should leave. "Are you gonna be okay out here?"
"Yeah." she said, secretly fidgeting with a Slim Jim. "Uncle should be here real soon."
"Okay." he said, heading back to the door. "I'll be inside if you need anything."
She nodded, watching him. The guy had been so nice to her tonight.
"Wait." she said, digging out her pockets of all her loot. "Here. Would you put these back?"
He walked over to her. She had laid all the stolen junk on the payphone.
Looking at all the candy made her feel embarrassed.
"You stole all this?" he said, picking up the Baby Ruth.
"Yeah." she said, lip shaking. "Are you gonna call the cops?"
He looked at her for a second, frowning. She thought for a minute he would. He would call the cops, they'd come and lock her up, before Xavier could ever get to her. But to her surprise, her shook his head.
"No." he said. "Just don't try it again."
"Thanks." she said, smiling gently.
"Don't mention it." he said, gathering up the stuff.
She helped him, giving back the Slim Jims and candy bars. He took them and put them inside his vest pockets. When they got to the earring, though, he stopped.
"Here." he said, handing them to her. "You can keep these."
Beth looked at him.
"No." she said, pushing his hand back. "It's not right. Take them back."
"No." he said, walking closer to her. "You keep 'em."
Without saying a word, he took the dangling shells out of their package and slipped them onto her empty ears. Her heart jumped. He was so close. When he finished, he backed away, brushing her hair aside.
"They look great on you." he said, throwing the empty package into the parking lot.
"Thanks." she said again, feeling the shells dangle against her neck.
"Who's out there? Who's that, Jimmy?" asked a crusty voice.
The old man stood by the door, looking around at her and James.
"No one, Pops." James said, walking away from her. "Just a girl."
"She's not one of them whores, is she." he said, squinting at Beth with his beady eyes.
"No, she's not a whore." said 'Jimmy', heading back inside.
"Cause if she is, tell her a fatty like her ain't gonna make much-"
"Pops, maybe you should go rest." he said, firmly.
The old man glared at him, then turned his hunched back and wobbled away, mumbling.
"Spoiled brat. . . fought in WWII and this is what I get. . . 'rest' he says, little puke!"
"Love you too, Pops." James said, holding the door open as the old man passed. "You okay?"
"Yeah." Beth said, crossing her arms over her chest and smiling.
"See ya later, then." he said, going back into the store.
"See ya." she said quietly, as he closed the door and went back behind the counter.
Now that James was gone, she leaned against the wall and looked around. The forest next to the store stood dark and menacing against the black night. The only light came from the fluorescent lights over the parking lot.
Occasionally she would look out at the road, forcing back the memory of what she tried to do, and watched for any car Xavier might be in. The sky above was a thick blue-black speckled with tiny blue-white stars.
Beth fell back against the wall until her but hit the ground, staring up at those stars. She could make out the Big Bear and the Little Dipper. Orion and his glittering belt shone just above the treetops. Two bright stars beamed above the forest that didn't belong to any constellation. She stared at them for a while, then realized they were moving. Closer.
Beth watched, eyes furrowed, as the two stars or whatever they were grew bigger. She looked back at the store to see if James could see this. He was busy restocking shelves. Turning back, she saw the stars had vanished.
While she stared along the sky trying to find them, she didn't notice the fog seeping out from the forest, encircling the store.
Beth almost jumped when she saw the hazy mist surrounding the whole street.
The fog was so thick, the light shining down from the street lamps cut through it like a knife. She stood, about to go back into the store, when something caught her attention.
Two figures could be seen coming out of the forest. On tall and one short, the fog blurring their appearance.
Slowly, Beth backed against the door, fingers grasping the handle, the figures almost to the parking lot.
"Don't be frightened, Beth." said a voice in her head. 'It's me, Xavier.'
The figures became clearer, the fog sliding away. Xavier sat, rolling in his wheelchair, dressed in the same olive green suit and black sweater she'd seen him in. The other figure was of the tall, black woman with the long white hair. She stared as they came up to her.
"Good evening, Bethany." said Xavier, out loud. "How are you?"
"Good." she lied, eyes darting from him to the black woman. He must have noticed.
"This is Ms. Munroe." he said. "You've met her before, at the hospital."
"I know. Um. . ." she said, reaching out her hand to the woman. "Hi."
"Hello." said the Ms. Munroe, gently shaking her hand. The voice sounded just like the one on the phone.
"Are you ready to go?" Xavier asked, looking around. "Do you have any bags?"
"No." she said, nervously. "I didn't bring any."
"Does your grandmother know about your decision?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
Beth looked down at the cracked cement. "Um. . . No." she said. "Is that a problem?"
"No, but I do suggest you call her when we get back."
Her head shot up.
"So, I still get to go?" she asked, trying to sound hopeful.
Xavier looked at her, taking in her greasy hair and dirty clothes.
"Yes, you can still go." he said, hands folded in his lap. "I know you need assistance."
"Yeah." she said, rubbing the back of her neck, earrings dancing. The image of the pebbles came back, sending a cold shiver down her spine.
"Don't worry." Xavier said, reading her thoughts. "We're here to help with your new powers, so incidents like that won't happen."
"Thank you." she said, kicking at a rock on the ground. "How'd ya'll get here so fast?"
"We flew." said Xavier, smiling slightly.
Beth looked around. The streets and fields were all empty.
"Where's the plane?" she asked.
"Back in the forest." he said, gesturing. "Now come. It's time to go."
"You mean, I have to fly?" she asked, fear rolling down her stomach.
Xavier stared at her, calculating. All the memories of the crash came roaring back into her mind. What if she freaked out again and this plane crashed? Her breath came out in short gasps. Nausea churned in the back of her throat.
"You'll be fine." said Ms. Munroe, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. "The ride only takes fifteen minutes."
"Okay." said Beth, still scared. A lot could happen in fifteen minutes.
Xavier smiled again "Let's go." he said, wheeling around and rolling toward the forest. Beth and Ms. Munroe followed. When she got to the edge of the forest, she looked back.
Squinting, she could barely see James in the store. He was behind the counter now, still picking twigs out of his hair. Reaching up, she twirled a cowrie shell between her fingers.
"Thanks." she whispered, knowing he couldn't hear her.
"What?" asked Ms. Munroe, a few feet away from her.
"I said 'Thanks'." she said, smiling. "For helping me with this."
Munroe smiled, her white teeth matching her snowy hair. "You're very welcome, dear." she said, then looking back at the forest.
Beth smiled as she walked, but felt it slide away. What was happening? What was the 'institute' like? Would they lock her away? Could she even survive the plane ride?
Trying to cast these fears aside, she followed the others into the forest.
Ta-da! Beth is finally with the X-Men! I thought it would never happen. As before, I'm going to take a break. Please, leave me alone with the one nostril I can breathe out of. Reviews are always welcome. Talk to ya'll later. Lo.
Review Response:
To Haretrigger: Thanks for the nice review. Glad you like Beth as a fat-ass. I got tired of the Playboy OC's too. No, Beth will not go out with any of the regulars. I ran across that in so many OC fics that I have completely lost interest in something like that happening. And everyone won't fall head-other-heels when they meet her. Hope you keep reading. Luv, Lo.
To Strawbpig: Lol. I didn't mean to give anyone any ideas. There is one big flaw in shoplifting that I didn't mention in the fic, security cameras. I'm so happy everyone likes that Beth is big. And she will get more independent as the story goes. Can't wait to hear from you. Lo. PS You writing a DBZ fic? Cool!
To Mattb3671: (Who is possibly the coolest beta-reader in the known world)Glad to have you on the payroll. Hope you do a good job beta-reading this because I'm posting it after you check it. Oh, I wanted to ask you, what do you do to give yourself a back injury? ;) Well, hope you feel better. Email me sometime, beyatch! Lo.
To Neko: Sorry to put you through that. I'm afraid I have an attraction to cliff-hangers. It's nice to meet a fellow 'unbalanced' person. Keep reviewing! Lo.
To DreamerLady: Wassup, beyatch! I take back the 'neglecting muse' thing, (I've had friends in crises too). Tell me what ya think of my new beta's checking. Did ya like my email? Talk to ya soon. Lo.
To Absolute Omega: Yay! The song didn't ruin it! Are you glad Beth's going to the institute? Oh, and what did you think of James in this chap? Email ya later. Lo.