"Hey Shell. You awake?" Michael yell-whispered. He'd tiptoed upstairs to
Michelle's room.
"Yeah," came a hushed reply. "Come on in." Mike slipped silently into Michelle's room and sat on her bed.
"You still use a night-light?"
"I turn it on when I know I'm not going to fall asleep right away, or if I want to think. Why're you up so late? I'ts 12:37."
"I couldn't sleep," answered the boy.
Michael looked at her sadly. Michelle sat up and patted part of the bed beside her.
"Sit here and take some of the blanket. It's a bit cold. What're you thinking about?" she asked.
Michael took his time getting comfortable, finally lying down on his side by Michelle with the blanket around him up to his neck.
"Can't help but worry about whether my life's gonna repeat itself or not. That I don't blow it again. My parents put me here for a chance to start over, but I don't know if I'll make it."
"Did you mean for it to happen before?"
"Not really. Just wanted to be one of the popular kids. And somehow the largest crowd seemed to become the people that...did everything wrong."
Michelle laughed softly, then sighed.
"You've always been like this," she said, adjusting the blanket around her shoulders.
"Like what?"
"Giving up and losing hope before anything started."
"What?!" he exclaimed.
"Sh!!!"
Both held their breaths for a moment, listening carefully. Silence. Mike let out a sigh of relief, and Michelle said, "Quiet down."
"Ok, ok. What do you mean I've always been like this?"
"Remember that video we saw from about seven years ago? At Beng's house?"
"Yeah. The video that James kept complaining about since it was his birthday."
"Heh...yeah. Remember the pinata part?"
"I remember because I didn't hit the thing."
"Neither did I."
"So? You're a girl, and you're younger than me. Anyway, what's your point?"
"You gave up early even then. And that affected how you acted later. I remember that it took your parents, my parents, Cherry, and my efforts to get you to try the game. While we were near the end of the line, you kept saying over and over that you-"
"-couldn't hit the pinata, and after I said that I was sorry that I couldn't get you any candy. Until that other guy broke the pinata, then I got some for you since your parents mad you give your brother all of yours since he was crying."
"You did...oh yeah...I remember James and his friends teased me later for having a boyfriend after that. How can you remember that?"
"I remember a lot more things that would probably embarrass you."
"Aww.you're so sweet...I didn't say that."
Michelle felt her ears turning bright red, and quickly she buried herself entirely in her blanket.
"And of course you, even though you keep hiding it, are still the shy one. Now get out of there."
The blanket suddenly went slightly more limp, and Michael sat up and carefully tried to unfold the sheets, and found a cute little grey kitten in Michelle's place.
"Lucky you. You can morph anything."
The kitten got up and purred, rubbing against Michael's chest.
{You're naturally cute. I have to turn into something.}
"Oh, come on. That's not true."
The kitten immediatly stopped, daintily stepped away from Mike, and purposefully turned its back to him.
{Yes it is.} Michelle argued, shaking her tail at him.
"Come back."
{No.}
Michael grabbed the kitten and rubbed his face into its fur gently.
"Too bad. Your fur is so soft..."
The kitten eventually managed to wriggle free after a moment, and curled up in Mike's lap, purring softly as he stroked her.
{I really wish life were as simple as this. I don't care how ready my mom says I am. I don't want to go to high school.}
"You'll have to. You know it."
Michelle sighed.
{Yes, I know,} she paused, {You know about the fact that they might register mutants now, right?}
"Yeah. Get off, for a bit?"
Michelle jumped off, and Mike became a grey kitten as well, and curled up beside her in a little 'cave' of blanket.
{Senator Kelly from the USA is leading it all, it seems,} Mike added.
{If that law is passed here in Canada, then we all would need to register. Then authorities may come, take us away, maybe all of the group might be separated...we'd almost never be allowed to see our family...be treated like dirt...both feared and hated for nothing that we ever did...}
Michelle trembled a bit, and Mike twined his tail with hers, and she moved a little closer to him.
{Hey, it's ok. Canada's a good place, the law may not be made. Besides, both of our parents are opposed, remember?}
{Yeah, but I asked the group, and Melissa's parents, Adam's parents AND his dad's girlfriend, and Phil's family all agree with mutant registration.}
{Since when did Adam's dad have a girlfriend?}
{I don't know. Adam doesn't like to talk about it. All I know is that his parents are separated and that's all he says about it.}
{Must be tough.}
{Yeah,} she sighed, {Like I said, I wish life were always simple.}
Eventually, both became tired of talking and fell asleep right where they were.
"Yeah," came a hushed reply. "Come on in." Mike slipped silently into Michelle's room and sat on her bed.
"You still use a night-light?"
"I turn it on when I know I'm not going to fall asleep right away, or if I want to think. Why're you up so late? I'ts 12:37."
"I couldn't sleep," answered the boy.
Michael looked at her sadly. Michelle sat up and patted part of the bed beside her.
"Sit here and take some of the blanket. It's a bit cold. What're you thinking about?" she asked.
Michael took his time getting comfortable, finally lying down on his side by Michelle with the blanket around him up to his neck.
"Can't help but worry about whether my life's gonna repeat itself or not. That I don't blow it again. My parents put me here for a chance to start over, but I don't know if I'll make it."
"Did you mean for it to happen before?"
"Not really. Just wanted to be one of the popular kids. And somehow the largest crowd seemed to become the people that...did everything wrong."
Michelle laughed softly, then sighed.
"You've always been like this," she said, adjusting the blanket around her shoulders.
"Like what?"
"Giving up and losing hope before anything started."
"What?!" he exclaimed.
"Sh!!!"
Both held their breaths for a moment, listening carefully. Silence. Mike let out a sigh of relief, and Michelle said, "Quiet down."
"Ok, ok. What do you mean I've always been like this?"
"Remember that video we saw from about seven years ago? At Beng's house?"
"Yeah. The video that James kept complaining about since it was his birthday."
"Heh...yeah. Remember the pinata part?"
"I remember because I didn't hit the thing."
"Neither did I."
"So? You're a girl, and you're younger than me. Anyway, what's your point?"
"You gave up early even then. And that affected how you acted later. I remember that it took your parents, my parents, Cherry, and my efforts to get you to try the game. While we were near the end of the line, you kept saying over and over that you-"
"-couldn't hit the pinata, and after I said that I was sorry that I couldn't get you any candy. Until that other guy broke the pinata, then I got some for you since your parents mad you give your brother all of yours since he was crying."
"You did...oh yeah...I remember James and his friends teased me later for having a boyfriend after that. How can you remember that?"
"I remember a lot more things that would probably embarrass you."
"Aww.you're so sweet...I didn't say that."
Michelle felt her ears turning bright red, and quickly she buried herself entirely in her blanket.
"And of course you, even though you keep hiding it, are still the shy one. Now get out of there."
The blanket suddenly went slightly more limp, and Michael sat up and carefully tried to unfold the sheets, and found a cute little grey kitten in Michelle's place.
"Lucky you. You can morph anything."
The kitten got up and purred, rubbing against Michael's chest.
{You're naturally cute. I have to turn into something.}
"Oh, come on. That's not true."
The kitten immediatly stopped, daintily stepped away from Mike, and purposefully turned its back to him.
{Yes it is.} Michelle argued, shaking her tail at him.
"Come back."
{No.}
Michael grabbed the kitten and rubbed his face into its fur gently.
"Too bad. Your fur is so soft..."
The kitten eventually managed to wriggle free after a moment, and curled up in Mike's lap, purring softly as he stroked her.
{I really wish life were as simple as this. I don't care how ready my mom says I am. I don't want to go to high school.}
"You'll have to. You know it."
Michelle sighed.
{Yes, I know,} she paused, {You know about the fact that they might register mutants now, right?}
"Yeah. Get off, for a bit?"
Michelle jumped off, and Mike became a grey kitten as well, and curled up beside her in a little 'cave' of blanket.
{Senator Kelly from the USA is leading it all, it seems,} Mike added.
{If that law is passed here in Canada, then we all would need to register. Then authorities may come, take us away, maybe all of the group might be separated...we'd almost never be allowed to see our family...be treated like dirt...both feared and hated for nothing that we ever did...}
Michelle trembled a bit, and Mike twined his tail with hers, and she moved a little closer to him.
{Hey, it's ok. Canada's a good place, the law may not be made. Besides, both of our parents are opposed, remember?}
{Yeah, but I asked the group, and Melissa's parents, Adam's parents AND his dad's girlfriend, and Phil's family all agree with mutant registration.}
{Since when did Adam's dad have a girlfriend?}
{I don't know. Adam doesn't like to talk about it. All I know is that his parents are separated and that's all he says about it.}
{Must be tough.}
{Yeah,} she sighed, {Like I said, I wish life were always simple.}
Eventually, both became tired of talking and fell asleep right where they were.