Chapter Three: An Actor's Life for Me
The next day, after breakfast, which Jimmy found out was a meal people had in the day to keep them going until the afternoon, Jimmy and his parents stepped outside as Jimmy starred in awe at the children and ran around as Kayla tried to put his jacket on.
"Oh, look at all of them Mom and Dad!" Jimmy said excitedly.
"Wait a minute, sweetie." Kayla said. "I have to get your jacket on, so you won't get cold."
"Who are those little people?" Jimmy asked.
"They're children off to school." Logan said. "Girls and boys."
"Oh boy!" Jimmy called out as Kayla finally managed to put his jacket on, and he was about to run off.
"Whoa, hold on for a second there, Jimmy." Logan said with a laugh as he picked Jimmy up and gave him an apple. "This is for you to give your teacher. You know, start things off on the right foot."
"Why?" Jimmy asked.
"So that you two can get along right away." Kayla explained. "And here are your books."
"Now turn around and let us look at you." Logan said, and Jimmy turned around from the neck down, and the two smiled at him. "Now run along now."
Howler then rushed off to follow Jimmy before Logan and Kayla stopped him.
"Hold on boy." Logan said with a chuckle as he held Howler's collar. "School's not for you."
Howler whimpered a little before he rushed up stairs to lick Rogue, who they let sleep late for a little, awake.
"Bye Mom!" Jimmy called out as he left. "Bye Dad!"
"Bye son!" Logan said. "See you tonight!"
"Stay safe, Jimmy!" Kayla called out. "Hurry back after school's over."
They then went inside.
()()()()()
Coming down the road was a man with platinum hair. He was accompanied by a pale, hunched over man with brown hair and dressed in brown pants with a murky green shirt. The man wore a purple shirt. This man's name was Pietro Maximoff, and his companion was Todd Tolansky.
"Ah, Todd, listen." Pietro said. "The laughter of children on their way to school. Thirsty minds on their way to the fountain of knowledge."
"Those poor morons." Todd said with a smile.
"Now, now." Pietro said with a smirk as he picked up a stray cigar. "School's a noble institution. After all, what would this stupid country be without-?"
Pietro suddenly stopped and looked at a picture that said, "The Great Mesmero's Marionette Show"
"Well, well, well." Pietro said. "Mesmero. So the old rascals back in town." Pietro then laughed. "Remember Todd, the time I tied strings on you, and we tried to pass you off as a puppet? We nearly put one over on the nerd that time."
"Yeah." Todd said with a smile.
As they continued down the street, they passed a boy on his way to school, a wooden boy with blonde hair.
"Huh." Pietro said. "A wooden boy." After a few seconds, the shock of what he just saw hit him. "A WOODEN BOY?!"
"Holy cow!" Todd exclaimed. "Just look at him!"
"I know, Todd." Pietro said. "A puppet that moves along without strings and apparently of his own free will. That'll be worth a fortune to someone, now who…" Pietro then smirked as he thought of the poster. "Of course! Mermero! That phony would pay a fortune for something like this!"
"Sweet!" Todd called out.
"Listen, we play our cards right, we'll be on easy street, or my name isn't Honest Pietro Maximoff." Pietro said. "We better hurry before he gets to school."
They rushed to a corner just in front of the wooden boy, and Pietro smirked.
"Now here's the plan." Pietro said when he turned to Todd and saw he was carrying a ridiculously large mallet.
"Not that way stupid." Pietro said as he pulled the mallet from his hands. "Let's not be crude. I'll handle this."
Pietro then stood by the corner and extended a cane he'd grabbed out as he appeared to be talking to Todd.
"As I was saying to our associate just the other day, Todd-" Pietro began when just as he planned, the wooden boy tripped on the cane and fell over. "Oh my poor boy, I'm so sorry. I do hope you're alright."
"I'm fine." The boy said as Pietro surreptitiously slapped Todd's hand away from the boy's pocket.
"Well, well." Pietro said as he picked up the book the boy was carrying. It was an alphabet book for kindergarteners. "A man of letter's I see. It's not often we meet a scholar is it, Todd?"
"Nope." Todd said.
"Here's your book." Pietro said as Todd pocketed the apple as the boy wasn't looking.
"I'm going to school!" The boy said.
"Ah, school." Pietro said as he put an arm around the boy. "I guess you haven't heard of the easy way to success."
"Uh-uh." The boy said.
"No?" Pietro said in surprise. "I'm speaking, my boy, of the theater!" Pietro might have made a good actor himself with all the dramatic cons he pulled. He then tugged the apple away from Todd before he could eat it and handed it back to Jimmy. "Here's your apple. Anyway, the theater. Bright lights, applause, fame!"
"Fame?" The boy asked.
"Yes!" Pietro said. "And with that personality, that profile, that physique! Why he's a natural born actor, eh, Todd?"
"Oh, he'll make all the kindergartner girls melt." Todd said. "Everyone will wanna be friends with… Um… What's your name?"
"Jimmy Howlett." The boy said.
"Jimmy Howlett!" Todd called out. "I can see it on big letters over the box office! J-I-M-M-Y H… Well, it'll be up there!"
"You're funny." Jimmy said with a laugh.
Pietro then put his hand on Jimmy's shoulder. "On to the theater!"
Hi-Diddiley-Dee
An actor's life for me!
A high silk hat
And a silver cane.
A watch of gold
With a diamond chain.
Hi-Diddiley-Day
An actor's life is gay!
It's great to be a celebrity.
An actor's life for me!
Hi-Diddiley-Dun!
An actor's life is fun!
They walked off in the direction of where Mesmero's carriage.
()()()()()
Rogue was sleeping in the bed as she was being shaken.
"Rogue, wake up." A voice said. It didn't sound like the mean lady who ran the orphanage. She opened her eyes and saw a lady with blue eyes and black hair, and it all fell back in place.
"Oh shoot!" Rogue called out.
She rushed out of bed, tossed off the night-gown Mrs. Howlett had given her and tossed on a green shirt and black jeans as she rushed down.
"See you tonight Mr. and Mrs. Howlett!" Rogue shouted as she ran out of the door.
"A fine conscience I am." She said to herself. "I over slept on the first day! Oh well, how much trouble can he get in between home and school?"
Eventually, she arrived at an arch and heard someone humming.
"Ooh, a parade." Rogue said with a smile as she watched for it to pass, and she saw Jimmy in the ground.
"WHAT?!" Rogue asked in alarm. "Jimmy?! Where is he going?"
Rogue ran up and grabbed the man's shirt to get him to stop.
"Huh?!" The man called out.
"Oh hi, Rogue!" Jimmy said.
"Get off of me, kid!" The man said. "Could ya help me, Pietro?"
"Oh, it's just a little-" the other man, Pietro, said before the first man shoved her off, and she landed on Pietro, winding him.
"Uh-oh." The man said as she looked down and saw Rogue there. "I am in trouble."
"Help me up, you idiot!" Pietro gasped.
"Don't worry Pietro, I've got ya!" The man lifted Pietro up as he continued to groan.
Pietro rubbed his hands through his platinum hair and glared at the man.
While this happened, Rogue took Jimmy aside.
"Hey Rogue!" Jimmy said excitedly. "I'm gonna be an actor!"
"Oh yeah?" Rogue asked. "Remember about temptations, about how the wrong thing may seem right at the time?"
"Yeah." Jimmy said.
"Well that's basically what this is." Rogue said. "That guy and his friend are temptations."
"No they aren't." Jimmy said in a perfectly friendly way. "That's Mr. Honest Pietro and his friend Todd."
"Oh… Boy." Rogue mumbled. "Look Jimmy, you should go to school to get an education and an actual career. Just go over there and tell them that you can't go to the theater, say thank you just the same to be polite and that you're sorry, but you have to go to school."
"Okay." Jimmy said.
"So Jimmy, ready to continue?" That Pietro guy asked as he walked up and turned Jimmy away from Rogue. "On to the theater, eh?"
"Bye Rogue!" Jimmy called out as he walked on.
"Good-bye?!" Rogue exclaimed as they walked off. "Jimmy, we've gotta- You can't-"
Rogue watched them walk off.
"What am I supposed to do?" Rogue asked herself. "Wait, I can just go tell Mr. and Mrs. Parker! No, wait, I'm supposed to do good things since I'm a conscience, and if I told them that'd be snitching, and that's bad. I'll just go get Jimmy myself."
Rogue then ran off after Jimmy.
Oh yeah, that was a real smart choice. A five-year-old goes off to try and take a wooden boy away from a guy like Mesmero!
Rogue: Two days!
Marie (sleepily): Yay…