Lucky Me

Chapter 085


Tuesday was frigid as Alexis and I brushed past each other in the hall.

We hadn't spoken a word to each other since our fight three weeks ago.

She was chicken and I was arrogant, therefore we were both stubborn as mules and refusing to budge an inch. I was even so high on my horse that I sat with one of the other groups of people at lunch. Adrian's group of people. He was such a prep and currently missing.

Mr. Drake had caught his attention and both were slowly walking back to the table.

"Wow!" Some girl grabbed my necklace and nearly jerked me over the table toward her. "That is so pretty." She fingered the wings and then palmed the jewel. "Where'd you get this?"

"My dad." I jerked back. "My boyfriend gave me the stone, though." I was blushing lightly at the word. I guess that's what he could technically be called. Like I said, we'd been growing closer (although I knew it was probably him who ratted me out with that fake ID placed in the perfect spot for Scott to find).

"Sounds like a great guy." Uh-oh, I knew that sound. The girl was about to get all mushy over guys sound! "If I had a boyfriend like that I'd kill to make sure no one else got him. What a sweetheart! How long were the two of you going out before he gave you that?"

"Uh, a few weeks actually." That's when the duo showed up. Jack gave me a smile. Yes, that knee locking smile.

I laughed nervously and went back to fiddling with my lunch.

Figures. First time I talk about having a boyfriend and he would show up. If I had been declaring undying love for all roaches, he wouldn't have heard but mention him in some odd context and suddenly he's all ears!


Wednesday and my hand was once again slapped away from the starched sweater vest I was being forced to wear by Mr. Warren.

"Stop messing with it. You'll irritate your skin and make it look like I strangled you."

I groaned and rubbed the itchy spot by bringing my head to my shoulder and moving it. Mr. Warren threatened to drop me off at a corner and I could write my report on the career as a prostitute. I stopped fidgeting. The limo ride was long and boring. He dragged me out of bed to be ready by six so he could get to the office by 8:30.

"I know what you're doing and stop it."

At 8:15 promptly I almost went through the top of the car roof when Mr. Warren's cell phone went off. He laughed at me for a split second before answering.

I went to say something to him and he held up a hand to shut me up. I glared at the hand and tried to not do what my sister would always did…lick my hand. It was disgusting because she knew it would make me freak out. I mean spit was bad, but sibling spit? Even worse.

He clicked the phone shut and eyed me oddly.

"What exactly does this report of yours have be written on?"

"A day in the life of a career." I was cleaning my nails/claws and not really paying too much attention to him. "I write a report about the CEO and what he does."

He did this funny groaning thing; he caught my attention with that noise.

"This is not proving to be the cake walk you promised."

"Huh? When did I ever promise you cake?" Again with the groan? We pulled up in front of his office building and got out. I wasn't about to let it go though. "When did I promise you cake?"

In the elevator, we both heard something. A constant beeping something.

"What is that?" I finally asked, annoyed.

"Your image inducer," he said it was like it was nothing special. "Your battery must be running low."

"Nothing weird is going to happen is it?"

"No, they have back up power. Your image won't fade for the next ten hours." He gave me a professional grin. "I have a charger in my office."

One terror down, who knew what else today was going to bring.


10:00 am

They found an extra spiny chair for me to sit in while in Mr. Warren's office which was the size of a basketball court. After getting fussed at for pushing off of one wall to another, I finally settled into spinning the chair like it was a ride at an amusement park.

"Must you do that?" Mr. Warren finally asked, dropping the papers he had been reading.

I stopped moving in order to look at him.

"You know you do it when I'm not here." I twirled again. "I bet you do this all the time and really don't get any work done. You spine and read comics."

"Comics?" I nodded with a smile. "What makes you think I read comics?" I shrugged; he sighed and picked up his papers.

"Great big colored comics with great big colored comic book heroes." I smiled over at him, or more precisely his slightly crumpled paper in front of his face. "With nice tight rear ends."

That got the paper to come crashing down on the desk again.

"What?"

Big eyes from me. He picked up the papers again and swiveled his back to me.

"Not to mention they look better in their spandex uniforms."

"Excuse. Me?" Before he could finish his thought, the phone rang. I love well placed timing. He mouthed a 'we'll finish this later' before picking up the phone.


12:30 pm

"This is because your obsessed with your behind, isn't it?" I cried. Mr. Warren rolled his eyes before letting them land on me. "Isn't it?"

"No. This has nothing to do with your comments earlier." He'd been in this mood since I mentioned comic book hero's rear ends in spandex. He even went so far as to ask his long time secretary if she thought he had a baggy behind. When the words 'harassment' came into the conversation, he made a hasty retreat to the elevators.

"Then why did you decide to bring her along?" I was majorly pouting about this.

"Because Donovan St. Loy rarely sees anyone. Emma heard about my meeting and jumped on the opportunity since she has business with his company as well." He tried to keep it out of his voice, but I think Mr. Warren wasn't pleased about his meeting getting invaded either.

"Then why are you bringing me along? I thought you said I couldn't come."

"When I let it slip that I had a student with me who was writing a piece on being a business man." Mr. Warren shifted uncomfortably preparing for the Queen of Ice's arrival. "His secretary insisted that the student be brought along."

A few minutes after my answer of 'oh' went by, I turned to him again.

"Do you think that secretary is going to end up fired?"

"Yup."

When Miss Frost got to the scene, the friendly atmosphere in the limo changed to a tiger-cage-on-fancy-wheels. I mean as soon as she got in and said her 'hi' to Mr. Warren, she jumped on me like the last piece of chocolate at a PMS party for starving women.

The pressure on my brain made me flinch. She was trying to get into my head? Didn't telepaths knock first?

"Always delightful to see you, Kookie." Emma smiled faintly. "And so well protected. Tell me, how is your little boyfriend doing?"

Mr. Warren shot his eyes over to me. I froze in place.

"Stitch?"


Besides the fact that I was not a prostitute, I felt just like Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman" when she's in the fancy restaurant without a clue and with a rich guy. Except I also had a rich woman but what did she matter?

As we walked off the elevator and right into the lap of lunch luxury, I found the young and beautiful there. Fancy restaurants were only meant for people like me to prank, not to sit in and pretend to have more than one buck on them.

"Wow."

"Try not to drool on the carpet. This isn't the McDonald's you're used to, Summers." No, there the company was usually more agreeable and certain body parts weren't surgically enhanced as a sweet sixteen gift.

After being seated, Mr. Warren checked his watch.

"St. Loy is always prompt. He has ten minutes."

"Perhaps we will be the first to witness the great family of St. Loy fall. They are so flawless." There was nothing but pure sarcasm forming those words. If she wasn't such a mean old bit, I might actually get along with her.

"What?" It was an innocent question!

"Shall we entertain the child with the tid bits we do know about our missing gentleman?"

"Or we could let the gossip stay in other people's mouths." Mr. Warren said with a sweet smile.

She leaned on her fist and smiled at him like a hungry cat.

"Oh, but gossip is so much fun." Mr. Warren sighed and Emma got my full attention. "Donovan St. Loy is the tenth generation of his family to run Day Saint Inc. That's not anything strange, but his family is very secretive and reclusive."

"Why?" I was being dragged into her web of evil, but I just couldn't help myself. I was such a willing little fly.

"He keeps himself and his family out of the media, unbelievably well." This was boring. I thought she was going to tell me that the guy was a cross dresser or something else as exotic and scary. "And can't be telepathically read." He was a mutant? "He is either a telepath himself or has a neural disruptor."

Mr. Warren, ever the saggy bottom hero (like I stare!), chirped in.

"I don't think putting mutant rumors out in the business world is really going to help your image, Emma."

"And I don't think being locked in an office all day with a minor is going to help yours, Warren."

"You know the kind of people we run with, I might go up in their estimate." I felt like finding a metal bowl, putting it on my head and diving under a table while shouting 'fire in the hole'.

After a staring contest that should have caught something on fire (besides their tempers) Emma turned to me again. "Like I said, St. Loys are flawless."

"I would not say we are flawless, Miss Frost, just exceedingly cautious with the details of our business and personal lives." And there was the gorgeous guy, right on time after Mr. Warren pointed it out. "Mr. Worthington." Donovan's voice was clipped and cool. Both Emma and Warren shot out of their chairs. The guys shook hands and Emma stood there like a proud rooster.

Mr. Warren then gestured for me to stand up, which I did awkwardly. Then Donovan turned to me. The geeky little prep school girl stuck in a sweater vest and plaid.

"Miss Summers." I think I put my hand out, somehow he got it and I became lightheaded. "Always a pleasure."

"Yeah." Even after the plane ride my brain scampered to Alaska to die happy with a frozen smile.

Then his eyes shifted to Emma. She seemed ripped because I got the handsome, rich guy to be nice to me first. I was so going to pay for that later.

"Miss Frost." Yikes, could his voice be any more ominous? "I do not remember asking or being asked for a meeting with you or your company." Okay. He was definitely not happy.

Then just from nowhere, (must be another trait of the St. Loy family), this girl walked up. Ever have instant jealousy? Yeah, well I did. I was the only person without blonde hair at the table. What, you thought I was jealous of the girl?

She had short (military almost) blonde hair and looked about my height. Humph. Guess Mr. Warren wasn't the only one running around with minors.

"I would like to introduce my sister." Oh thank you! "Diana."

After the polite talk was shuffled around the girl got stuck next to me. After ordering, they cut to the chase and me and the other hostage started to count the flowers in the center piece.

There were only three.

No matter how many times you counted them, there was still only three.


3:30 pm

Three flowers. Spoons didn't stick to the tip of your nose easily. And my wings were visible in the glass.

"Does lunch usually take hours?" I whispered to Mr. Warren, who shushed me. I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes. I bit my lip in nervousness.

"Why don't the two of you children check out the dessert table? Put some extra meat on your bones?" Emma asked sweetly. I think she just wanted to cuss while the 'innocent children' weren't at the table.

Diana, like a bloodhound, found the table in no time. She looked about my age as well, if not younger.

"I'm here for a school report." I picked an extremely large piece of chocolate cake before turning to her, "What's your crime?"

"My brother was informed of a student being in attendance and hoped I could act as a diversion." She stole the whip cream off of one of the pudding displays before picking up some funky green and yellow cake. "I don't have to dress up like a cow and sing 'Baby Got Baby-Back Ribs'!"

"Huh?"

She waved her hand as if making the question disappear.

"Is only purple rain."

"Huh?"

Instead of answering she grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the jail table.


Finally, finally on the way back to the mansion (after charging up my battery of my image inducer) when I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I hope you got all your questions answered."

I yawned.

"My report is going to be 'How Not to Die of Boredom at a High Profile CEO Lunch.'"

"I'm sorry you weren't entertained, Kookie." Mr. Warren said with a smile in his voice. "Maybe you can ask Gambit if you can go on a 'job' with him."

I crossed my arms. "

Mm-hmm."

My nightmare for school was over! No more Kookie the secretary in training! Whoo-hoo!


10:00pm

"Go away." I muttered into my pillow. I was dead tired.

The person came in anyway. If it was anyone but Jack, I think I would have hurt them.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Did I speak in a foreign language?

"What?"

"Why is Warren asking everyone to rate his butt?"

I groaned.

"Don't ask."

"Anyway, you're needed downstairs in the War Room. They are going to talk about the bases."

Life was so cruel. It took two minutes to get down there, figuring that the sooner I got in, the sooner I could leave. Taking a seat, I wanted to cry because I knew this would be so boring.

"First off, this will be quick because it is late and three of you have school in the morning." Scott eyed those in mention. "And because some of us cannot or will not pay attention that long."

Why did everyone always pick on me! Of course when he started to talk, I zoned out. When I came back to earth, he was done with the recap and moving on to new information.

"Cable has been able to compile enough information about the project."

"The data I've collected from certain—sources," meaning he did something illegal. "The project name was 'Kismet'. We're not sure why, but we do know they have concentrated all their efforts on one type of mutant."

I shivered. Yeah, like that nasty little albino she vamp.

"The only one left living from this project, escaped. Despite our best efforts."

I let my eyes fall to my lap. Yeah, like my freaking out and Iceman having to save my feathery hide effort.

"There were no files stating any of the mutants' names or past which we might be able to use. Those running the program kept transferring the mutants from one base to another. The first base was slaughtered. The second a decoy, but the third also met with death."

We got that already, I was still having nightmares about it.

"But there was no indication that anyone related would be interested in human blood." Stomach growing weak…"The mutant we encountered seemed to only have an interest strictly in mutant blood. The limited information related that she is able to consuming blood, and track that mutant across great distances. Right now, we have to assume that this mutant is able to trace Flex, Blyt, and Iceman."

"And I have the scar to prove it." Bobby-Jerk muttered. Thanks to some fancy hi-tech thingie in the basement, they were able to heal his hand but he had a long scar on his palm.

"Though we believe that the mutant wasn't responsible for the kills at the bases. There were several minutes of footage left from the security cameras. They are grainy and lack sound but they are all we have. It is possible we are facing yet another league of mutant rogues."

Jean flipped a switch on another computer monitor and this black and white movie came to life.

Wait, it was the video footage. There were several people all charging toward the camera and then big bright flash, complete white, and when it cleared…there was nothing but piles of ash. In the furthest corner, moving out of the frame was a leg and then it was gone.

"We had that hall," Scott sounded disturbed.

The screen flickered and a new image came up. This one showed a sleek looking man. He was expressionless as he slipped through the gaurds, barely touching them, but they collapsed after his touch.

This was freaky. No blood, no reason the soldiers just dropped.

Another scene and a blurry figure was leaning over a scientist—ripping the man's throat out. When the blood started to splatter and act like a fountain coming out of the throat, I shot out of my chair and ran from the room. I couldn't stomach it!

The doors whooshed closed behind me, leaving me trembling alone in the hall.

I could veg out to horror movies with the best of them but knowing that this was real.

Watching as someone severed a handful of guys' heads from their necks in a single flick—

The blood—

The spurting—

I was going to puke.

I covered my mouth and made a mad dash for the locker rooms. It was the nearest place with a toilet (unless Dr. Hank wanted something disgusting to put under the microscope).

The guys' locker room was five steps closer than the females', so I sprinted in there but it wasn't empty. I found my head in a toilet, regardless, and soon enough was throwing up all that fancy food I had at lunch.

"Wha' de hell-?"

The door slammed open again.

"Kookie!" Jack came to the rescue, finding me shacking and pale on the floor (I think).

"What's wit de sudden appearances? You creatin' a breeze."

One of Jack's hands rubbed up and down my back, trying to calm me.

"How can people do that?" My throat was raw and burning. How could people do that to others?

"It's okay, Ker." Jack's voice was soft as he turned me around. I was crying as well. I dug my face into his shirt.

X-Men did this kinda bloody, gut spilling crap on a daily basis?

Who were they? Population control? Wes Craven's live action crew?

I wanted to leave this place but there was nowhere for me to go.

"I'm here, Kerry." If I didn't feel so hollow, I would have kissed him but I just threw up two seconds ago. He was here. I was here. Oh, weren't we so fortunate.

The images of that blood splattering everywhere-

I lost my lunch again, this time, on Jack.