Regina: Here it is, another chapter of In the Dreaming for you, the reader. Now be good readers, and after reading this chapter review it. Good readers. Sit, read, review. Now just read this chapter and remember, that although it may seem like fun and a way to solve your problems, do not force-feed people explosives, no matter how annoying they are. And also remember: Hugs, not drugs.
This chapter was brought to you by the letter X.
In The Dreaming
Chapter Five: Fevered Thoughts
Slowly, reluctantly, Tabitha let go of Todd. Although it may have made her feel better for a short time, blowing up Todd was not the answer.
Before Tabitha could change her mind on her decision to let Todd go, Todd slipped out from in front of her, and hid behind Freddy, peering out at Tabitha nervously every few seconds, before retreating behind the large shield that was his friend.
"All right," Tabitha said finally, turning to face Pietro. "Who is this person who can help you?"
Pietro took a step back. "Well," he said, hesitating. "I'm not sure if you're gonna like this person."
Tabitha formed another boomer in her hand. "Can this person help Amara?"
"I guess," replied Pietro nervously.
The boomer grew in size. "You guess?" asked Tabitha, her voice low and dangerous.
Pietro raised his hands defensively. "This guy deals in fire, okay? He's a - friend - of mine."
The boomer disappeared. "All right," Tabitha said finally. "But you had better be right about him."
"Don't worry," Pietro replied, trying to sound confident. He was failing miserably.
"Good. You have two hours," Tabitha warned him. "If he's not here by then, I will hunt you down and. . ."
". . . and what?" asked Pietro, his voice squeaking slightly.
Tabitha smiled coldly. "I'll leave that up to your imagination."
Pietro swallowed, then ran out of the room faster than the eye could see.
X X X
He had a killer of a headache.
Rubbing his temples, he tried to get the images out of his mind. He knew that they had just been hallucinations caused by the fever he had just had, but could not forget them.
One of the images flashed into his mind again. A girl. She was dancing.
Just as quickly it was gone, and for some reason he was sad.
Stupid flu, he thought to himself.
It had put him in bed for the last week, and he had been sleeping hours on end for a while before that.
Lightning pain lanced through his brain, causing him to drop his lighter. He swore as the pain subsided and picked up the lighter.
He had thought he had gotten over the flu.
But these headaches were something else entirely.
It was as if something - or somebody - was in his brain, and was clawing its way out. That was how painful the headaches were. Sometimes images came with the pain. Like the one he had just had. The girl was back, and she was crying.
The pain was getting worse. He fumbled around for where he had put the painkillers. One hand attached to his temple, he searched with the other. Finally, he found them. He swore again. The box was empty.
He had only bought them the week before. He could not have gone through all those little white pills in so short a time.
Could he?
He fell to his knees as the pain returned. He bit his lip as it tore him apart. His eyes squeezed shut, he willed the pain to stop.
But it did not.
He stayed there on the floor for what seemed like an eternity, holding his head as the girl screamed.
X X X
The world stopped flying past him as Pietro came to stop. He was here. At Magneto's base. He hadn't been there too many times, even though Magneto was his father. Perhaps that was the reason.
But he was not here to see his father. There was someone else he was looking for.
"Hey, Pyro," he called, using his friend's mutant name. "You in here?" When he got no reply, he resorted to using his friend's given name. "John? Hello?" As John was the only one of Magneto's new group of mutants his own age, he was the only one that he had formed some kind of friendship with. John was also the only one Pietro did not call by his mutant name (except when Magneto was around. Then it was just Pyro).
The sound of a groan reached Pietro. Following the sound, it led him to John's room. There, on the floor, was John, clutching his head in pain.
In the blink of an eye, Pietro was on the floor next to John. "What's the matter?"
John looked up. "My. . . head," he managed to get out through gritted teeth. "It's killing. . . me. . . won't stop."
Pietro helped him up. "You done anything about it?" he asked, noting the sweat running down John's forehead.
Weakly, John gestured to the box of painkillers on the floor, but he said nothing.
A false smile on his face Pietro helped John to the door, and out of the building. "We're gonna get you some help, okay?"
John nodded, his eyes bright as if with fever. Pietro knew that John had been sick recently, but had thought John had gotten over it. Must've been wrong, he thought to himself.
He was worried about all this was going on, although he did not let John see it as he helped him into one of the cars that Magneto kept around for his minions to use, same with a few motorcycles.
As Pietro started the car's engine, and John seemed to go to sleep, Pietro wondered to himself what the chances were that two mutants, whose powers both were fire - granted, in different forms, but still fire nonetheless - could fall so seriously ill within such a short time, and for it not related.
He kept coming to the same conclusion every time he tried to work it out.
This was no coincidence. The two events were related.
Pietro just didn't know how.
X X X
For two hours Tabitha had waited restlessly, pacing around the living room of the Brotherhood's house. As the minutes had ticked by, she had become more and more nervous that Pietro would not be able to find his friend, who would in turn be able to help Amara. The Brotherhood were no help, either. Todd was too frightened of her to do anything constructive, and Freddy, well, Freddy still wouldn't have been much of a help, except if she wanted something to eat. Lance might have been helpful, but he was unsure of what to say or do, and he did not want a repeat of the attack on Todd happening to him, and Wanda, well, she had only come out of her room once, and that was just after Tabitha had let go of Todd and Pietro had left. When Wanda had discovered that Tabitha had come close to causing Todd some serious damage, but had not, she demanded why Tabitha had not finished the job, and then left to return to her room where she had remained for the following two hours, leaving Todd to sigh after the woman he loved. And the Brotherhood once again had to convince Todd that when a woman says to a man, "I despise you and I want to see you die a painful death" was not a declaration of love. Todd still did not get the message, even though Tabitha had joined in this time.
Tabitha's mood picked up at the sound of a car pulling up in the Brotherhood's driveway. She and the Brotherhood members, including Wanda, who had emerged from her room at the sound of the car, ran out to find Pietro sitting in the car, and unconscious teen in the passenger's seat.
Wanda was the first to speak. "What is he doing here?"
"You know him?" Tabitha asked.
"He's one of Magneto's crew," said Lance, his voice annoyed.
Tabitha rounded on Pietro. "You brought one of Magneto's mutants to help one of Professor Xavier's students? Is there something wrong with you?"
"Look," said Pietro, getting out of the car. "You wanted someone who could help, and I brought someone. That was the deal."
"He's unconscious," Freddy said suddenly.
"That was the problem," Pietro said. "I got there, and he was sick. He fell asleep in the car on the way here."
"Wait," said Todd, confused. "Both Amara and - and -" here Todd realised he didn't know the guy's name - "this guy are sick? And their powers are fire? That's more than a coincidence, yo."
"Well, I guess we're just going to have to take him to the Institute," Tabitha said finally, after a few moments of silence. "Who is this guy, anyway?" she asked, as she and Pietro got into the car.
"Pyro, meet Tabitha Smith, also known as Boom Boom." Pietro started the engine. "Tabby, this is John Allerdyce, better known as Pyro."
"Nice to meet you," Tabitha said warily, as she and Pietro drove off. To Pietro she said, "This had better work."
"You don't know how much I want this to work."
This chapter was brought to you by the letter X.
In The Dreaming
Chapter Five: Fevered Thoughts
Slowly, reluctantly, Tabitha let go of Todd. Although it may have made her feel better for a short time, blowing up Todd was not the answer.
Before Tabitha could change her mind on her decision to let Todd go, Todd slipped out from in front of her, and hid behind Freddy, peering out at Tabitha nervously every few seconds, before retreating behind the large shield that was his friend.
"All right," Tabitha said finally, turning to face Pietro. "Who is this person who can help you?"
Pietro took a step back. "Well," he said, hesitating. "I'm not sure if you're gonna like this person."
Tabitha formed another boomer in her hand. "Can this person help Amara?"
"I guess," replied Pietro nervously.
The boomer grew in size. "You guess?" asked Tabitha, her voice low and dangerous.
Pietro raised his hands defensively. "This guy deals in fire, okay? He's a - friend - of mine."
The boomer disappeared. "All right," Tabitha said finally. "But you had better be right about him."
"Don't worry," Pietro replied, trying to sound confident. He was failing miserably.
"Good. You have two hours," Tabitha warned him. "If he's not here by then, I will hunt you down and. . ."
". . . and what?" asked Pietro, his voice squeaking slightly.
Tabitha smiled coldly. "I'll leave that up to your imagination."
Pietro swallowed, then ran out of the room faster than the eye could see.
X X X
He had a killer of a headache.
Rubbing his temples, he tried to get the images out of his mind. He knew that they had just been hallucinations caused by the fever he had just had, but could not forget them.
One of the images flashed into his mind again. A girl. She was dancing.
Just as quickly it was gone, and for some reason he was sad.
Stupid flu, he thought to himself.
It had put him in bed for the last week, and he had been sleeping hours on end for a while before that.
Lightning pain lanced through his brain, causing him to drop his lighter. He swore as the pain subsided and picked up the lighter.
He had thought he had gotten over the flu.
But these headaches were something else entirely.
It was as if something - or somebody - was in his brain, and was clawing its way out. That was how painful the headaches were. Sometimes images came with the pain. Like the one he had just had. The girl was back, and she was crying.
The pain was getting worse. He fumbled around for where he had put the painkillers. One hand attached to his temple, he searched with the other. Finally, he found them. He swore again. The box was empty.
He had only bought them the week before. He could not have gone through all those little white pills in so short a time.
Could he?
He fell to his knees as the pain returned. He bit his lip as it tore him apart. His eyes squeezed shut, he willed the pain to stop.
But it did not.
He stayed there on the floor for what seemed like an eternity, holding his head as the girl screamed.
X X X
The world stopped flying past him as Pietro came to stop. He was here. At Magneto's base. He hadn't been there too many times, even though Magneto was his father. Perhaps that was the reason.
But he was not here to see his father. There was someone else he was looking for.
"Hey, Pyro," he called, using his friend's mutant name. "You in here?" When he got no reply, he resorted to using his friend's given name. "John? Hello?" As John was the only one of Magneto's new group of mutants his own age, he was the only one that he had formed some kind of friendship with. John was also the only one Pietro did not call by his mutant name (except when Magneto was around. Then it was just Pyro).
The sound of a groan reached Pietro. Following the sound, it led him to John's room. There, on the floor, was John, clutching his head in pain.
In the blink of an eye, Pietro was on the floor next to John. "What's the matter?"
John looked up. "My. . . head," he managed to get out through gritted teeth. "It's killing. . . me. . . won't stop."
Pietro helped him up. "You done anything about it?" he asked, noting the sweat running down John's forehead.
Weakly, John gestured to the box of painkillers on the floor, but he said nothing.
A false smile on his face Pietro helped John to the door, and out of the building. "We're gonna get you some help, okay?"
John nodded, his eyes bright as if with fever. Pietro knew that John had been sick recently, but had thought John had gotten over it. Must've been wrong, he thought to himself.
He was worried about all this was going on, although he did not let John see it as he helped him into one of the cars that Magneto kept around for his minions to use, same with a few motorcycles.
As Pietro started the car's engine, and John seemed to go to sleep, Pietro wondered to himself what the chances were that two mutants, whose powers both were fire - granted, in different forms, but still fire nonetheless - could fall so seriously ill within such a short time, and for it not related.
He kept coming to the same conclusion every time he tried to work it out.
This was no coincidence. The two events were related.
Pietro just didn't know how.
X X X
For two hours Tabitha had waited restlessly, pacing around the living room of the Brotherhood's house. As the minutes had ticked by, she had become more and more nervous that Pietro would not be able to find his friend, who would in turn be able to help Amara. The Brotherhood were no help, either. Todd was too frightened of her to do anything constructive, and Freddy, well, Freddy still wouldn't have been much of a help, except if she wanted something to eat. Lance might have been helpful, but he was unsure of what to say or do, and he did not want a repeat of the attack on Todd happening to him, and Wanda, well, she had only come out of her room once, and that was just after Tabitha had let go of Todd and Pietro had left. When Wanda had discovered that Tabitha had come close to causing Todd some serious damage, but had not, she demanded why Tabitha had not finished the job, and then left to return to her room where she had remained for the following two hours, leaving Todd to sigh after the woman he loved. And the Brotherhood once again had to convince Todd that when a woman says to a man, "I despise you and I want to see you die a painful death" was not a declaration of love. Todd still did not get the message, even though Tabitha had joined in this time.
Tabitha's mood picked up at the sound of a car pulling up in the Brotherhood's driveway. She and the Brotherhood members, including Wanda, who had emerged from her room at the sound of the car, ran out to find Pietro sitting in the car, and unconscious teen in the passenger's seat.
Wanda was the first to speak. "What is he doing here?"
"You know him?" Tabitha asked.
"He's one of Magneto's crew," said Lance, his voice annoyed.
Tabitha rounded on Pietro. "You brought one of Magneto's mutants to help one of Professor Xavier's students? Is there something wrong with you?"
"Look," said Pietro, getting out of the car. "You wanted someone who could help, and I brought someone. That was the deal."
"He's unconscious," Freddy said suddenly.
"That was the problem," Pietro said. "I got there, and he was sick. He fell asleep in the car on the way here."
"Wait," said Todd, confused. "Both Amara and - and -" here Todd realised he didn't know the guy's name - "this guy are sick? And their powers are fire? That's more than a coincidence, yo."
"Well, I guess we're just going to have to take him to the Institute," Tabitha said finally, after a few moments of silence. "Who is this guy, anyway?" she asked, as she and Pietro got into the car.
"Pyro, meet Tabitha Smith, also known as Boom Boom." Pietro started the engine. "Tabby, this is John Allerdyce, better known as Pyro."
"Nice to meet you," Tabitha said warily, as she and Pietro drove off. To Pietro she said, "This had better work."
"You don't know how much I want this to work."