Title: Torn

By: Kim Johnston

Chapter 3: Earth-mover

Lance Alvers the brown haired brown eyed mutant that had the ability to make the ground shake, carefully moved the bottle of Jack Daniels from his fathers' hand; his father was in a drunken slumber. His two friends watched with hidden laughter as Lance ran back over with the bottle. They headed outside to drink in the back yard.

"Dude, this stuff burns." Jack said after taking a swig.

"Well yeah." Lance said rolling his eyes. He took a drink and made a face. "It's nasty." They each had a few more drinks until Lance took it away. "Come'on, we need to make it look like he dropped it." They laid the bottle on its side after spilling some out. lance nudged his father and he woke groggy.

"Hey dad, I'm going to the arcade with Jack and Sam." His father nodded and Lance smiled leaving.

"That was so easy." Sam said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I think I like your house Lance we could get drunk daily."

"Yeah..." Lance laughed but in his mind sighed. It wasn't great having a father who drunk and passed out ever night and who couldn't keep a steady job for more then 2 weeks. It wasn't great his mom had died and they were making it by on her insurance.

"Something wrong?" Jack asked his friend.

"Naw." Lance said as they opened the doors to the arcade and walked over to the far end corner where a few other kids hung around smoking pot and doing other things. He shook his head as the offered it to him and looked around.

The place was crawling with people he didn't know or wanna know. But it was the only place not over run by old people or brats. He watched the girls opposite of him make a fool out of their selves by trying to dance. He rested his head on the rail and watched aimlessly as people entered and exited the place.

Katherine, or Kitty, Pryde, walked in the arcade with Logan and Jean Gray behind her. She looked around and bit her lip trying to remember where Lance hung out. She looked around once again and saw him waving at her. She smiled and waved back at her once friend. The three walked over.

"Hey Kitty!" Lance greeted and she blushed slightly.

"Like Hi Lance." Kitty said and tried to ignore the stares she was getting from the people around her. She knew well enough that they didn't like her.

"So, who's your friends?" Sam asked eyeing Jean with a smile.

"This is Jean and that's like Logan." Kitty said introducing them. "I don't like know all of their names... But I know that's Sam and that's Jack and of course he's like Lance." Kitty smiled and they heard someone copy her accent.

"Hey, bub, knock it off." Logan growled.

"Gonna make me gramps?" The boy asked.

"Matter of fact..." Jean laid a hand gently on Logans shoulder.

"Relax Logan." She whispered. "It's ok. Lance is who we are here to talk to."

"Hey red, why not bring your ass over here?" the guy smiled as she rolled her eyes.

"Look Lance can we like talk to you outside maybe?" Kitty asked feeling uncomfterable.

"Sure." Lance said hoping over the rail. They head out back leaving the door prompt open with a folding chair. "So what's up?"

"Look, we know you're a mutant, so are we. We want you to join us Bub." Logan said in his so nice way.

"Yeah... Not how I'd like put it but.." Kitty smiles.

"And who are you all?" Lance asks.

"The X-Men." Jean says.

"Your a guy?" Lance asks Kitty.

"NO!" Kitty rolls her eyes. "It's just like a name!"

"Look, yea gonna join or not?"

"You expect me to give you a answer in 3 minutes?" Lance asks the gruffy looking man.

"Fine, yea got five."

"Ignore him." Jean says with a smile. "You have as long as you need." She said entering his mind and looking around.

Lance blinked feeling violated and uncomfterable, Jean picked up on this and got out of his head quickly. "I don't like this." He said heading away from them. "I don't think so."

"Lance-" Kitty was cut off by Logan.

"Look bub, your new at this mutant thing and I would place money on the fact that you can't and wont be able to control your powers fully unless you let us help."

"Yeah? I'm fine so far so back off." Lance growled and the earth began to move.

"Logan." Jean says. "Just think about it." She says and the 3 fly up into the air.

-Later-

Lance, Sam, and Jack sat on Lances bed flipping aimlessly through the magazines his room held. lance sighed and laid back against the mattress as he looked up at the ceiling, where a picture of the car he wanted was. "What would you guys say if I was a mutant?"

"One of those freaks?" Sam asked with a laugh. "And what's your power Lance? Make Kitty's fall in love with you?"

"Shut up." Lance said throwing a pillow at his friend. "No, I don't know... Moving the earth?"

"So could you move it so we could see down to China?" Jack joked.

Lance growled feeling a headache coming on. "No. Seriously guys."

"Hey, are you trying to say something?" Sam asked concerned.

"What?" Lance asked looking at him.

"Nothing... I guess it'd be freaky man. I mean, I never met a freak before."

Freak? Was he really a freak? Lance held his head as the headache worsened. the ground shook under them. Both Sam and Jack looked at each other then Lance. His eyes were closed tight and his face full of pain.

"Lance!" Lances father yelled opening the door. He looked at the three boys and walked over, the ground rolled and he fell over. The bed was tossed and Lance landed on his hands and knees, he moaned a little in pain.

"Sam, Jack, go ahead home." Lance's dad said in a commanding voice they nodded and ran off.

"Dad..." Lance muttered in pain.

"I'm going to all an ambulance. You say here." His dad said hurrying to the phone, which was down stairs. Lance felt his headache worsen and screamed. The earth moved harder and the house fell inwards.

Lance watched away from the scene as the firefighters worked on finding the bodies of his two friends and his father. He held his head and looked down. "It's all my fault." He whispered and grew angry.

"Maybe it wasn't." A voice said and he turned a blue lady smiled at him. "The X-Men were here right?"

"...yeah."

"Figures. My names Raven, but you can call my Mystique." She grinned in a evilest manner. "Seems the X-Men have struck again. I bet a red head was with them." Lance nodded. "She messes with peoples minds." Mystique frowned. "You refused to join them?"

"Yeah. I did."

"No wonder this happened then."

"Really?" Lance looked her over. "Who are you?"

"I am a leader of a group that will not sink as low as the X-men due. I am part of the Brotherhood. We believe that human and mutant will not get along..."

"You want me to join?"

"Only if YOU want to join." Lance nods and then shakes Mystques out stretched hand.

A/N: Ok, so there is chapter 3! I'm so happy! Again, read Kikyo Tabithia Yukina's stories and Kitty Pryde 2's. Review as well please! Love Kim.

Author responses:

Gambitgirl2008: Chapter 1; I'm glad your kind of liking it. Lol, I was hoping you'd read and review on it. Chapter 2; I know. Isn't everything I write horrible? God I'm stupid. Don't get why you all read my stuff. You really could be doing better things, like cleaning your 4th grade shoe's that you'll never wear again, or reading the dictionary. :)

StormGoddess: Thanks. I am glad you like it. Thanks!