Dancing Through Life: Hehe, you sound happy about her father's death. I'm keeping it going.. going.. look at me go! Lol.
Legolasfreak2: Yup, Raven (she's not called Mystique yet!) is certainly showing signs of her abilities to do with fighting! It was a fun chapter to write.
Happosai: Glad you like it! I've gained more confidence in it now.
Sych: Lol, yeah, it does seem odd for Mystique to be in a park. But as I said earlier, she's not Mystique yet. Just plain old blue Raven! Here is your lifeline dear Sych! A fresh chapter for ya!
Sci-Fi-Reader: Jackie Chan? Lol, do you mean the fighting actions? Sorry to hear about hotmail, it played up on me last night actually. Anyway, thanks for reviewing all those chapters! Good of you!
By the way. "Pigs" is slang for "police/cops"
Chapter 12A week had gone by since the events at the park. A week since she had killed her father. Every time she heard police sirens wail by, she would freeze with dread and duck behind the nearest wall. But they were never for her. Surprisingly enough.
Her first week on the streets was growing to a close, the weekend arriving. However, it held no great importance to her. It just meant more people would be around. More people for her to hide from.
It was dawning into the early evening. Raven was walking with her head bowed and arms folded. A usual stance of hers. She still wore her hood over her head, pulling it to enclose her face in shadows. Her trainers scuffed across the concrete paving slabs idly, their soles sinking down into dirty puddles, which responded with an almighty thrash of ripples. Raven could feel the cold rainwater seeping in through the lining of her trainers, slowly soaking through her socks. She clutched her folded arms tighter to her chest, letting out a misted sigh into the bitter air.
She walked faster, her feet beginning to take a light jogging motion. She had been walking the streets for the majority of the day. She had eaten in a small grungy café that was around the back of some large shops, so she wasn't particularly hungry. No. Now she was just tired, and she needed to find somewhere relatively safe for her to rest her weary body.
A short while later, Raven came upon a corner shop, which had been left rather abandoned. Items and furniture still littered inside, but the front of the shop was smashed, and little diamonds of glass nestled on the wooden ledges. The inside of the shop had been ransacked long ago; there would be nothing of any value left in there. But she continued to walk, coming upon the corner itself. Her head turned slightly as she noticed a small and dark alley creep down into deeper shadows behind this destroyed shop. She slowly walked towards it, peering down it to see the open spaced area that was the backyard of the said shop. In this little area there was several piles of rubbish, including old boxes, rotten tables and chairs, and also a long three-seater couch up against the back wall.
Raven picked up her pace and ran down the short damp alley to reach this area of junk. The shop must have been some sort of furniture shop judging by the amounts of household pieces here. Her trainers came to a noisy halt as she slowed her run beside the couch. She looked down at it with a cautious glance before gently prodding it with a finger, as if expecting it to collapse. It didn't, and with a small grin she sat down upon it, relishing the thick although slightly damp softness. It would do. She wasn't going to fuss. At least here she had a freedom, although it was rather limited by certain events, she had more freedom than back in the prison that was her home.
She pulled her bag off her back slowly, letting it drop to the gritty concrete floor. She pulled her legs up upon the worn couch, leaning down slowly and snuggling into it like it was the best bed ever. She swiftly ignored the stench of damp in her nostrils, the uncomfortably wet padding beneath her already cold body. She made a faint shiver, though she kept a stubborn face, determined to settle her tired body to rest and to not fuss over mild things like smell and texture. She pressed her eyes closed, allowing her body to lie out fully. Her cheek rested upon the rough surface of the couch, scratching her skin uncomfortably. But she resolutely kept her eyes shut. The night was quickly drawing in, she wanted to sleep and forget the world she was in, blank everything out for the night.
But only a short while had chance to pass by before a noise suddenly made her luminous eyes snap open into the now shadowy darkness. The buildings around her limited the last few sunset rays. She heard the noise again, a clatter of something metal tumbling across the floor. She sat up slowly, eyes staring around in the darkness. She quickly looked down to see an empty drink can roll across the uneven black surface of the alley. It's crinkled surface clattered upon the bits of broken concrete as it tumbled through the shallow dank puddles of collected water. It came to a halt right in front of the couch, resting weakly on one dented side. Her electric yellow eyes had followed it right to its ending point, where she continued to observe it with a small amount of confusion. Then, she heard a puddle splash. She gasped, her head jerking up to look across into the shadows of the end of the alley where the can had originally travelled.
She could see figures coming towards her, and she had a feeling this was bad news.
The first figure to come into a distinguishable form was a tall male who twirled a cigarette around his lips slowly in a bored manner. She saw him turn his head and his eyes trained upon her. A sinister sort of chuckle came through his throat that sounded like a hoarse and dry cough. Raven stared at the arrival, not sure what would be best to do next.
"Hey guys, look at this!" he barked wickedly, turning his head to where the remaining shadows clumps stalked forth to stand either side of the man. Each person wore an outfit that had obviously seen better days.
"That ain't very smart of her, is it Freddy?"
The man with the cigarette smirked all the more as he was spoken to, "No Kev, it ain't smart at all." The man who was called Freddy stepped closer. Raven could now see that he wore a tired and old denim jacket that was extremely washed out. It covered a black shirt he wore, which was open at the neck to show off a few faded tattoos. Freddy rolled the cigarette around his lips before blowing out a slow stream of smoke. "Little missy, you've wandered on our territory."
Raven continued to stare up at this Freddy, her vivid eyes wide and unmoving.
"Woah, she got some cool contacts," came a rather drawled voice from another of the hidden males. Raven heard a few lumbering steps come forward before Freddy harshly shoved someone back.
"Get behind me," he snarled, "nobody do anythin' till I say so." Freddy turned his grubby and unshaven face back to Raven, "Girl, you didn't answer my question."
Raven suddenly found her voice, "You didn't ask me a question," she said coolly, tilting her head expectantly. She quickly regretted it when she saw Freddy's eyes harden.
"You mockin' me?"
"She sure is mockin' you," came a female voice. A girl came and stood beside Freddy, her red nailed fingers sitting either side of her leather miniskirt. Long pale legs stretched from the skirts inner, ripped fishnet tights covering her down to mud-splashed boots. The girl slapped her jaw noisily as she chewed on some sort of gum.
"I'm not mocking anybody," said Raven quickly, shaking her head.
"I think you're right, Dixie," concluded Freddy gravely, now crouching to Raven's height and clasping his fingerless-gloved hands together as if he was about to deliver some bad news. Happen he was, "I think we need a little payment for your trespassin', and for your shootin' mouth."
Raven's fists clenched the couch either side of her, "But I haven't got anything to give you!" she cried, pressing back on the material, "You're really mugging the wrong person!"
"Now she's calling us thieves!" cried Dixie, tossing her head angrily, her vividly purple and black hair swiped past flaring blue eyes.
Freddy smiled knowingly, "Little missy," he said in a gentle voice. Raven knew it was only a twisted cover up, "we don't mug people." He straightened slowly, now sharply pulling a penknife from his coat pocket, it flipped and the blade shot out in a striking flash of metal, "It doesn't consent to mugging when the owner is dead."
A shrill gasp wheezed out of Raven's throat as she backed along the couch, finding her bag with her foot and dragging it with her. The entire group followed her slowly with growing menacing smirks. Raven shuffled over the arm of the couch, landing unsteadily to her feet. She grabbed her bag off the floor, still backing away, "Please, I'm just a kid!" she cried in a frightened voice.
"Well, just a kid shouldn't be out on the streets alone," said Dixie coldly as she walked slowly beside Freddy. The group was forcing her into a very tight corner against the cold wall.
Raven felt her back press up to the wet brick, drenching herself in a sudden shiver. She gasped again, eyes still staring through the blackness at the faint outline of on comers. Then, for some mad reason she suddenly blurted out, "I killed somebody last week!" Maybe she thought it'd frighten them off..
Freddy's face brightened to an amused little grin, "Well that's really sweet, you certainly lessened my conscience. Now I know I'm doing the pigs a favour by slicin' your little neck!"
That didn't work too well. Raven suddenly threw the bag at them, "There, take it!" she cried. Oh why didn't she feel compelled to fight like she did with the police? She had felt so desperate then, it seemed to have churned skills inside of her. Why weren't they kicking in now? She felt this was a pretty desperate situation.
Dixie snatched the bag out of the air before carelessly tossing it to the remainder of the gang behind them. Their closure upon Raven continued without any halt, even after the good were handed over. "At least the coppers won't be shedding any tears over this one," said Dixie calmly as she outstretched her own knife sharply towards Raven.
Raven ducked under the strike, gasping loudly as she felt the rush of the blade stream over the top of her shoulder. However, she felt a rough hand grab her clothes and yank her right back up again. Her blazing eyes stared right into the muddy pools of Freddy's who had pulled her up close to him. However, his fierce glare softened as his eyes drank in the sight before him. At such a close distance the shine of her blue-scaled skin was all too obvious. With a sickened cry he let go of her, "Oh my God! It's a god damn mutant!"
Raven felt the force of his removal send her back heavily upon the cold brick corner. She felt a dazed blackness sweep over her for a moment as she hit her head to the wall. However, her focus returned and she sharpened her eyes on Freddy, "Damn right!" she snarled. Suddenly, she felt that overwhelming rush of adrenaline as she burst forth off the wall, head butting Freddy heavily in the gut. The pair collapsed upon the floor in a noisy tackle. They smacked to the floor, puddles erupting in violent splashes as a mad tussle began on the floor.
Vicious swearing exploded from the other humans who join in the fray to get the wretched mutant off their leader. Raven cried out as she felt abundant hands grab her body in an attempt to hurl her furiously writhing form off Freddy. She felt a hit strike her across the face, and she responded with an explosive kick to some poor male's nether region. One human fell away in pain. However, it hardly made a dent on the strength of her opposition. She was being pressed back down to the floor by numerous strikes all hitting her. Slaps and kicks came from all directions, dozens of limbs all out to hurt her. She was forced into a tight ball beneath the circular crowd, each one screaming insults and lashing out with weapons and bodily strikes. She tried to cry out for help, but no sound would escape her lips. What would be the point anyway? Why would anyone come and rescue a mutant? Raven found herself becoming oblivious to the beatings and lay in the blood-spattered puddles. The taste of her tears lined her dry mouth, mixed with the taste of blood, hers, and her enemies. Laughter roared in her head, mocking her in her failure. The insults of her attackers mixed in with those in her head. Raven's eyes closed tightly as she sobbed, wounded hands hurrying to her ears to try and block out the thunderous noises.
But then, all of a sudden, she realised that the beatings had stopped. Her hands fell away to see the gang around her unmoving. Not standing still, but their actions psychically frozen. She could see fists still aimed for her, knifes still on their way to slash. But they had stopped in midair. Nothing was moving. Nothing apart from her.
She gasped quietly, coughing as she sat up. Her trembling hands wiped the blood and tears from her face as she choked out, "What have I done?"
"You haven't done this.." came a soft voice. Raven turned her eyes slowly to see a woman step in through the still frozen crowd. A dark brown palm extended to her. As Raven's eyes fastened upon the woman's face, a flash of lightening broke through the swirling clouds of the sky above her. The last thing she saw was the oddity of glowing white eyes before she felt her weak body suddenly slump into a state of unconsciousness.
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