Lucky Me

Chapter 006


I should have listened when Dr. Hank said my transformation (mutation) would start coming on stronger. Maybe I could have prevented this.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you what fun thing they decided to put Daisy-Mae and me through the weekend before starting our new school. As if the uniforms weren't bad enough, they wanted to make sure we went speckled like a couple of Dalmatians for kicks. Just to add to this sick adventure, they got us out of bed around five in the morning, Saturday morning. Anything before noon on this day does not exist in my time frame.

I opened the door, looked like half a mummy having a bad hair day and stared at the person on the other side. "Whaa?"

"Come on petite, we goin' to show you a good time." This was the guy from the kitchen about a week and a half or so ago. He smiled and threw something through the door and told me to put it on. Then, in a dramatic flair, turned and strutted (yes, strutted) down the hall.

Lights don't exist on Saturday mornings either. I just guessed at the clothes, which he wanted me to put on and stumbled out the door. I bumped into Daisy on the way to the stairs, what she was wearing was a real eye opener.

A gold and blue spandex uniform!

I burst out laughing, "What are you wearing!" My sides were starting to hurt from laughing so hard. Spandex! And the girl was not thin, she had about twenty extra pounds, but with her personality I doubted anyone noticed.

"The same thing you are."

That shut me up. I looked in a nearby mirror (it's the female wing, we have them all over the place) and would have liked to have passed out. She was right! I was an identical goofy get-up as she was. My jaw dropped and as I was just about to make a break for my room but before I could Miss Rogue grabbed my arm

"This way, sugah." I whined, not only was I stuck in this suit; I was being dragged by someone who actually made it look good! Not fair! But this, dear people, is not the half of it.

I sort of forgot about the suit when my escort dragged the other victim and me to the subbasement areas. You know the part that is for staff only? I had been down here for short trips to have Dr. Hank check up on me, but never more than thirty minutes, and never past the Medical labs.

"Oh cool! Coolcoolcool!" Daisy Mae chirped, adding a little bounce to her already cheery attitude. I don't know how she did it but she was always on a constant high. Who is so happy about being woken up on a Saturday and made to wear such ridiculous clothing? I wasn't but I didn't say anything (on the outside).

"Here they are." Miss Rogue drawled out, depositing me in the front of a little group. Daisy stopped her bouncing long enough to stand beside me. I rubbed my eyes for good measure, and then took another glance at the people in front of me.

Yup. There were those scantily clad and those that weren't but all of them were in spandex. Mr. Cookie Nazi was in spandex. I looked at him and then looked at my own stupid suit and wanted to be sick. They were almost identical. Gross (sorry, but I still haven't forgiven him for what he's done!). Not to mention Bobby-meanie was wearing a blue Speedo's type suit, as was Dr. Hank, this was scarring me.

"Welcome to the Danger Room children," Miss Munroe said politely, pressing a key on a keypad, causing these two massive doors to slide open. We were shooed in and I figured my jaw might as well take permanent residence on the floor for all the time it was spending there.

Wow. This place was huge.

"Wow! It's so big! And shiny!" was Daisy-Mae's reaction. I can't believe she's fifteen. "What's this place called again?"

"The Danger room," Hairy (the short one) man replied, smirking.

"Or in this case, Mansion Population control."

"What?" but it was too late. The doors slammed shut, locking us in and leaving me with a not so good feeling inside. The fact that almost the entire group had smirks on their faces before the doors closed only sprinkled anxiety on my tightening stomach.

"I don't like this."

"Oh come on, it's a big shiny room. What harm can it do?" Daisy, ever the optimistic (and naïve, incredibly naïve—stupidly naïve), questioned me with an amused smile. About point two seconds later that big shiny room had some big shinny guns. And everyone knows what comes out of big shiny guns right?

Bammm!

Daisy and I jumped about three feet in the air and five feet back when a golden laser hit right by our feet. If I wasn't already falling out of my skin, I think I would have jumped out of that as well.

"Are they trying to kill us?" I yelped as another laser struck too close and caused me and my other tortured friend to jump again. This blast landed us right against the heavy doors.

"This, children, is the X-Men's training room also referred to as the Danger Room." The voice of God...okay, not really, but at this point and as high on fear as I was it might've well have been. It was Professor Xavier, and two seconds later, another laser gun appeared from the left, opposite of the one that was already there.

"Ack!" I screeched, running from the doors one way, while Daisy-Mae took off the other direction. I bet she didn't think the 'big shiny room' was so neat now. I didn't. I have said over and over physical activities aren't my forte and proved it by being winded after running for less than a minute at top speed away from the golden shots.

"Why are ya doin' this!" Daisy cried from the other side of the room, having an equally as troublesome time preventing herself from getting burnt to a crisp. I think that's what they'd do, that or I really had to stop watching the Sci-Fi channel.

"This is only the beginning." I knew that voice. Mr. Summers. "We use this room and advanced technology to create real life situations you might find in the field."

Personally, I don't think big shiny guns are such 'advanced technology' but it is good to get an out-of-shape girl on the run.

"We get it already!" I screamed, finally breaking my silence barrier. "Stop it!"

"Please!" Daisy-Mae added, starting to run in my direction. Didn't she notice the grass was not greener over here?

"This is a simple exercise, destroy the cannons."

Oh, yeah, that would be easy. Daisy-Mae was a 'healer' or something and I -what the heck was I supposed to do? Bleed on the stupid things until they rusted? Oh kay, give me about three years and that might work.

"Come on, kids. It isn't hard." That was Dr. Hank. "Even Bobby got this right the first time."

"Hey!" was the sharp protest I heard before the intercom was turned off again.

"Can you do something about it?" Daisy, who was now right beside me, pleaded.

"Not unless you think I can gross those things out," I panted, and then fell back as a shot got too close. "Ow!"

"Are you okay?" D-M asked, kneeling by my side it was a caring, but a really stupid thing to do. Both cannons turned on us. We seemed to notice this at the same time, grabbed each other, and screamed. While she might have been doing this as a friendly gesture I was, quite frankly, used her as a shield against the cannons.

Then they fired.


"Ow," I muttered again, having woken up with a throbbing headache. It took a second but my memories came back to me. Why wasn't I a crispy Kerry? If I remembered correctly, I should have been singing with the angels, instead I was lying in the Med. Lab with a killer headache.

"You've come back." Dr. Hank, he was in on the frying. Why did he sound so thankful I was okay, weren't they trying to kill us? I guess he guessed what I was thinking through the questioning glare I was giving him. "Oh, don't give me that look. It wasn't that bad."

I crossed my arms, yelped, uncrossed them and looked down at my exposed skin. Well, it turns out I was a crispy Kerry.

"What happened?"

"You got caught in the cross beams of the cannons, and although by themselves they are just heated to around 70 degrees, together..."

140 degrees! I would be ashes by now! Or should be!

"Thankfully, we got them turned off in time before they collided fully. And thanks to Daisy's power, we were able to get you two out almost unscathed."

I know this man wore glasses but was he to blind to notice that my skin was roasted red?

Well, all that you could see-all that was left-well, awe heck you get the picture. Some time passed and Dr. Hank went into his ritual check up, taking my bandages off and cleaning the dead skin away-but I don't want to go into the gruesome details.

He let out an "Hmm," which in doctor terms never meant anything good.

"What? What 'hmm'?" I asked, starting to feel the pains of my back coming on. I'd never had an attack in front of anyone but let me say, it hurt to the point of passing out.

"It seems as if several of the swelling marks have moved to your shoulder blades, and are collecting in a pattern."

"So?" I grunted, trying to keep my voice normal as possible. "What's that mean?"

"It means whatever your mutation is going to be, it's going to appear soon."

Oh friggin' great. "Didja talk to that person, about the wings I mean?"

He touched my sore back with gentleness that still caused me to tense up. Tensing is the last thing one should do to a muscle that hurts enough as it is.

"Yes and no." Got to love those precise answers. "I have yet to discuss the matter of your mutation with him, I'll bring it up next time he comes to visit-which should be in about three days from now."

"Great." I clamped my eyes tightly. Letting hot white pain flash before my eyes, drawing tears to them. Man, how I wished I could just pass out or start drinking Morphine or something to make the pain go away. Dr. Hank apparently caught on to my brave front.

"Kerry, does it hurt?"

I nodded, making headache come on stronger.

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

Who cares! Just give me the drugs! "Didn't want-t-t-to be a b-b-b-bother."

Then came the drugs, okay, and then came a lecture while he was giving me the drugs, but the bliss of blackness shortly followed.


I shouldn't have gone to school that week. I really should have never had left my room Monday morning. But I did, after all I had an image inducer right? So anything freaky about my appearance would be hidden behind smoke and mirrors right? Right...up to a point.

I was up early on Monday morning, getting ready for my first day of my new school. And yes, I had that ugly uniform on. I figured it was the price to pay for sweets-which Mr. Sniffs-Cookies-Out-Summers couldn't take away from me and at that moment in time I was waging a war.

I was fighting the battle of the una-brow. It was a painful fight and after ten minutes, it seemed as though I would win and my eyebrows would be divided. Yes! This battle was taking place in the large bathroom across the hall from my room; it was empty as everyone else was sleeping in. I really didn't like them at this point. But anyway, back to the brow.

Plucking one eyebrow after another, I seemed to be doing okay, until you get that one stubborn one. The one that seems attached to your skin with superglue or something. The one that is always the longest, blackest of all the eyebrows that are trying to bridge a gap over your nose.

Everything was going fine, until that eyebrow hair—but I got it off, along with the skin it was stuck too. Disgusting right? Well, it was to me. I stared at it with wide eyes as if I had just pulled gold off my face and was holding it with my tweezers.

"Oh man," I whimpered, then looked up at my reflection, sure enough there was a piece of milky gray skin showing through. I felt my nonexistent breakfast lurch up my throat.

Dropping the tweezers into the sink, I carefully and with morbid curiosity, I tugged at the edges of the skin that was left. The skin came off like it was only sunburned. Tears began to fill my eyes as the flakes fluttered and chunks plopped down into the sink.

"Ennh," I cried, dropped to my knees as my hands grasped the sides of the sink. I had to concentrate on breathing at that point. I couldn't think about my face, with the grayish patches showing through or how I was going to explain this at the new school or anything like that. Isn't it funny when I tried not think about something was the time I can only think of those things?

I don't know how long I stayed in the bathroom, shaking and breathing shallowly but at some point Miss Rogue staggered in complaining about something or another. Then she spotted me and about wet her pants.

"Sugah, what's wrong?" My face was turned with two gloved hands on either side of my face. I could smell the blood from where the skin was removed. I couldn't feel it; I was doped up pretty badly on the pain killers Dr. Hank had been giving me. She didn't need me to answer as I touched my face with my own hands and tears promptly started to fall harder.

Needless to say, I got out of going to school that day but this wouldn't even be the half of it.