Chapter 3:
Regan opened her eyes only to snap them shut again as soon as they had registered how much light was pouring into the bedroom. She slowly opened them again squinted and allowed them to adjust to the brightness. Her head felt heavy and there was a pounding in the back of her skull. She groaned as she pulled herself to a sitting position on the bed. She was still dressed in the outfit she had worn the night before at Aura. When she tried to recall the events of the evening her memory had a few irritating gaps. She clearly remembered dinner, and arriving at Aura. But somewhere after the fourth shot with Betsy her memory failed her altogether. Now here she was fully dressed in bed and with a raging hangover. She knew she couldn't just sit there all day and wait it out. She was on vacation with her friends after all.
Sighing she slid off the bed onto unsteady feet. After getting her balance she strolled over the mirror on the opposite wall. She actually grimaced at the refection staring back at her. Her poker straight blond hair was a wreck. Frizzy and disheveled it stuck out in several directions. Her eyeliner and mascara were smudged, as was her lipstick. And her dress was now wrinkled and clingy from static. She reached for a pair of sunglasses on the night stand and slipped them on giving her tired eyes relief from the Caribbean sun. She exited the bedroom and stumbled into the dinning area of the hotel suite. She had expected to see Betsy in the same state as herself, but to her surprise Betsy wasn't in the suite. None of the girls were except herself and Tabby. Tabby was currently seated at the table eating a bowel of Count Chocula. She nodded to Regan as a gesture of "good morning." Regan found herself grateful that Tabby was a woman of few words.
"How the hell can you see with all this light?" Regan grumbled sarcastically as she took a seat opposite Tabby.
Tabby merely shrugged before continuing to munch on her cereal. She and Regan sat in silence for a moment as Regan tried to focus on anything other than the pounding in her head. Finally, she actually took notice of what Tabby was eating.
"Count Chocula? Seriously?" She asked the goth sitting across from her. "Of all the things you could have ordered from room service, you picked that?"
Tabby was undaunted by Regan's disapproval and simply shrugged again. "I happen to like Count Chocula." She answered between crunches. "Besides, it's full of vitamins." She finished with a smirk.
Regan put both her hands to the sides of her head and massaged her temples. One of these days she was going to teach Tabby some class if it killed her. Then she looked around the empty suite. "So where is everyone else?" She asked.
Tabby set the cereal bowel down. "Ali and Kitty went exploring. And, Jubilee kept annoying all of us with a lot of inane questions about what the hotel has to offer, so Betsy took her for a run on the beach."
Regan was about to express surprise at the notion of Betsy going for a run considering how much they had both had to drink last night; when the door to the room opened and said purple haired girl entered the suite with Jubilee following behind her. They were both glistening from their run along the white sandy beach. Betsy made her way to the fridge and opened it to pull out a bottle of water. She took a swig from it before glancing over at the table where Tabby and Regan were sitting. She started snickering the moment she caught a look at Regan.
"Morning mates." She said brightly. "Who let the trollop into the room?" She pointed at Regan with a shit-eating grin on her face.
Tabby and Jubliee couldn't help but burst into laughter at Betsy's comment. Regan lifted the sunglasses off of her eyes so she could glare evilly at her best friend. "Ha ha fuckety ha." She mumbled and slipped them back over her eyes. It was bad enough to be hung over, but to add insult to injury and have Betsy be cheerful was too much. As her best friend took a seat at the table beside her Regan continued.
"And how the hell is it that you aren't feeling as shitty as me?" She asked. "You drank twice as much as I did."
Betsy shrugged. "Why do you think I went for a run luv?" She responded. "It's great for hangovers. Gets the blood pumping, sweats out the booze, and tada." She took another gulp from her water bottle.
Regan sneered and glanced over at Jubilee. She had been hoping that Jubliee would spend all day retching in the bathroom, but unfortunately for Regan; Jubilee was looking just as bright and beamish as Betsy.
"Yeah." Jubilee chimed in. "That was a great idea Betsy. I'm just gonna freshen up, then we should figure out what we're going to do today." She then exited the dining area and headed into the bedroom she shared with the other girls. Once she was out of sight Regan spoke up again.
"Ok, now that's just not fair." She huffed. "If that bitch gets to drink until she's shit-faced, throw up her guts, and generally annoy everyone why doesn't she have to suffer from a hangover?"
Tabby decided to hazard a guess at that moment. "Maybe it's a secondary mutation." She stated flatly.
"What is?" Betsy asked giving Tabby a confused look.
"Processing alcohol." Tabby clarified.
"Figures." Regan retorted.
The three girls still left at the table heard the door to the suite open again, this time it was Ali and Kitty that had made their return. Kitty caught a look at Regan and decided against making a joke at the blond's expense. Regan when she was in a good mood could be snippy; but a hung over Regan was something Kitty didn't want to tangle with. Not to mention, Regan's powers could really mess with your head if she chose to direct them at some one she was angry with. Kitty simply smiled politely at her and took a seat at the dining table. Ali, looking as cute and sophisticated as usual, followed Kitty's example. She deposited several pamphlets and brochures highlighting the resorts amenities onto the glass surface of the table. A moment of uncomfortable silence passed between the girls at the table. Mostly because no one was in a hurry to provoke Regan's temper.
"So..." Kitty began. "What do you guys want to do?"
Regan sighed heavily and crossed her arms. "The only thing I plan to do is lay on the beach and bake out this hangover." She said.
Betsy nodded her head in agreement with Regan. "Wouldn't mind some fun in the sun myself." She added.
Ali pushed one of the pamphlets she had gathered in Kitty's direction. "You wanna check out this Ruins Lagoon?" She asked. "It says we can snorkel through it."
Kitty's face lit up at the colorful pictures she saw on the pamphlet. "This looks awesome!" she exclaimed. "What about you Tabby?" She asked looking in the goth girl's direction.
Tabby shrugged and stopped munching on her cereal for a moment. "I'll just hang with Bets and Regan on the beach." She answered in usual monotone. "But we should check out that water park later if you're game."
Kitty smiled and nodded already mentally scheduling how the rest of the day would play out. Regan found herself silently praying that Kitty and Ali would convince Jubilee to join them in the lagoon. If she had to endure the annoying mall-rat with a hangover all day she was liable to end up drowning her.
"So that's Me, Betsy and Tabby at the beach..." Regan started, as she intended to get them all on the same page about a time to meet up again; when Jubilee dashed back into the room excited as a puppy with a chew toy.
"The beach!" She exclaimed eagerly. "I heard the beaches here are incredible. I'm in with that group." She turned on her heel and headed back into the bedroom to get her bathing suit on before any of the girls had a chance to say anything.
Regan slumped forward in her chair and let her forehead come down onto the glass of the table. That was just like Jubilee. Now it appeared she would have no choice to put up with her. Betsy couldn't suppress her amusement. She burst into a fit of giggling knowing full well that Jubilee was the last person Regan wanted to accompany her to the beach. Regan kept her forehead against the table but lashed out a pointed finger in Betsy's direction.
"That's enough out of you!" Regan growled. "Unless you want to walk back to New York."
Betsy managed to stifle her giggling but kept the wide grin on her face. She straightened up in her chair the way she had when she was in boarding school. "No miss, sorry miss." She said in a militant tone. So far the vacation wasn't turning out the way Regan had planned. She hadn't intended to get so drunk that should feel horrible on their first day, but she knew it was her own damn fault for challenging Betsy to a drinking match. She groaned and sat up before getting up from the chair and heading into the bedroom she shared with Betsy. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be good to go." She called over her shoulder.
A few minutes turned into more than half an hour by the time Regan was feeling fresh and sober enough to make her way to one of the beaches surrounding the resort. They had chosen a spot that was furthest away from the rest of the tourists. Now stretched out on a beach chair, with her Gucci two-piece and Prada sunglasses, Regan looked like she'd stepped off the cover of Vogue. She was already starting to feel her hangover dispersing as the gleaming sunlight shown down upon her creamy unblemished skin. Soaking up the sun would get her feeling like her usual self in no time. She turned on her side and propped her head up with her elbow to glance out onto the crystal clear blue waves of the sea.
Betsy; who had rented a boogie-board from the resort, was currently out on those waves riding them as gracefully as she did everything else. Her purple tresses were whipped about by the sea breeze as she guided the board in and out of the surf. Regan had always been slightly jealous of Betsy's athletic prowess. Regan had never been the sporty type, and generally shied away from activities that worked up a sweat. Except of course for combat training and sex, she was more than happy to work up a sweat in either arena. The wind carried Betsy's ecstatic cries of exaltation to where Regan lay on the shore.
"Tally-ho!" Betsy exclaimed as she sent the board sliding down the crest of a medium sized wave headed for shore. The sea spray from the waves crash into the sand caught the sunlight creating a temporary halo around the mutant woman. Betsy whooped and turned the board back into more oncoming waves thoroughly enjoying adrenaline rush. Regan smiled to herself. She'd also been somewhat jealous of Betsy's daredevil attitude. It was as if nothing scared her purple haired best friend.
Back at Xavier's, Betsy had gotten herself into more than one sticky situation because of her brazen disposition. Luckily, Regan and Betsy's twin brother Brian, had always been there to help her out, even if it meant pissing the professor off in the process. Regan laid her head back down on the flat surface of the beach chair and continued taking in the vibrant rays of sunlight until a shadow fell across her face.
She pulled an annoyed face and slipped her sunglasses down to see an insipid looking Jubliee staring down at her. The Asian teen's smile was from ear to ear. "Regan the water is perfect!" She exclaimed. "Are you sure you don't want to join me and Betsy?" She asked and turned her head to wave at Betsy who was still surfing the incoming tide. Regan glared up at the young woman whom was clad, to Regan's frustration, in a neon yellow two-piece.
"Jubes you're blocking my light." She answered curtly.
Jubilee realized what the blond was talking about and backed up a few paces to let the sunlight fall onto Regan again. "Oh sorry." She said still beaming and undaunted by Regan's tone. "It's just, I feel bad leaving you here on the beach by yourself." She continued.
Regan forced herself to smile at the other girl and slipped her sunglasses back onto the bridge of her nose. "I promise Jubilee I'm fine right here." She said. "Besides I'm not alone, Tabby is right over there." Regan pointed where Tabby was sitting several paces away. The goth girl had put a beach towel directly onto the white sand, and was lounging on it underneath a large black umbrella. Her own bikini had the image of Jack Skellington splashed across it. Typical Tabby. The one member of the girl group in need of some color, and Tabby was actively trying to avoid the sunlight.
Jubilee looked in the direction Regan was pointing. She had almost forgotten that Tabby had elected to join them at the beach. "Oh right." Jubilee said before turning to face the crystal blue sea again. "Well I'm going back in, catch ya later." She called over her shoulder as she jogged back toward the waves. Regan rolled her eyes and turned her face toward the sun. She let her thoughts wander as she lay there basking in paradise. She wasn't looking forward to the next few months. Sure she was happy to be graduating but also intimidated. She wished she had a firmer grasp on her future like some of her companions.
Betsy, Kitty, and Jubilee had already decided that after graduation they would stay on at Xavier's and join the ranks of the X-Men. Ali wanted to pursue a career as a singer. And Tabby, well Tabby, hadn't settled on anything yet. But her mutant powers, combined with a keen intellect made Regan sure that Tabby would find her place in the world. As far as Regan herself? There were several options open to her. She was certain her father would insist on college, as well as grooming to take part in the family business.
She couldn't see herself becoming a member of the X-Men, and she was pretty sure the professor wouldn't offer it to her. Once she was done with college she could always try to live life as a private citizen, but she doubted her father would allow her such a privilege. There was one offer on the table Regan wasn't sure could or wanted to commit to.
Her father Jason Wyngarde, was not only a formidable business tycoon, he was also a member of an elite mutant organization; the Hellfire Club. Years ago the Hellfire Club had caused a lot of trouble for Professor Xavier and the X-Men. But, in recent years they had called a cease fire and one of the terms of the armistice was allowing Regan to attend Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. She knew that her father was expecting her to join him as a member of the Inner Circle. But, a life with the Hellfire Club meant turning her back on friendships and alliances she'd made while attending Xavier's and that left a bad taste in her mouth.
She sighed and turned over onto her stomach to even out her tan. There was still time to figure out what to do with herself. She was not about to let herself be turned into an enemy of the people she'd come to know and love in the last couple of years just to appease her father. However, if she refused his offer, she knew he'd make her pay for it. She decided to put all thoughts of the future out of her head. She was going to relax and enjoy this holiday as long as she could.
Sometime around 2 PM the entire group met up at the water park. Regan's hangover was finally baked out of her and she was feeling in a much better mood. Together they explored the numerous water slides, and pools the resort had to offer. For the next couple of hours they packed in as much fun as they could stand. Tabby even managed a real smile a few times. By the time the sun was beginning to set they had made their way back to the suite. Salt and Chlorine water dripped off of the them as they walked into the air-conditioned space. A day of swimming and exposure to the sun had made them all a little drowsy so they opted as a group to order room service rather than dine in one of the restaurants.
After a generous meal, five of the six girls were sitting on the tiled floor of the master bathroom reminiscing and talking about future plans. Regan was swathed in a plush terrycloth robe from the hotel her back resting against the jacuzzi tub. Ali and Kitty were in pajama pants and loose comfortable t-shirt tops. Tabby wore a satin night gown, in black of course. And Betsy was in a tank top and boyshorts, her purple mane pulled away from her face in a loose ponytail. She was sprawled out on her back on the bathroom floor resting her head on her hands. Jubilee was the only girl that had opted to go to bed. Apparently the days activities had made her too exhausted to stay up late.
Betsy sat up and looked at the group of girls around her. "Anyone fancy having a spliff?" she asked a devilish glint in her eye. The rest of the girls looked confused. They had grown accustomed to some of Betsy's slang but the current word she had used was one they were all unfamiliar with. Taking the baffled silence as a cue, Betsy reached into the hair she had gathered behind her in the ponytail and pulled out something wrapped in white paper.
"Is that?" Kitty started, her expression one of shock. "A joint?"
Betsy winked at her and produced a lighter from her boyshorts. Regan perked up and shot her best friend a look of surprise and excitement. "How the hell did you get that through customs?" She asked taking the joint from her friend along with the lighter. Betsy smirked and held a finger beside her nose.
"Trade secret." She answered.
"What about the smoke alarm?" Kitty asked, her tone was not one of trepidation, but more of concern for getting caught.
Regan stood up for moment to turn on the fan overhead before returning to her seat on the floor. "Just don't blow the smoke near it and we should be fine. She said. She was a little intrigued that neither Kitty nor Ali tried to protest smoking marijuana. Neither of the straitlaced girls had seemed like the type to take part in recreational drugs. Regan lit the joint and took a few puffs before holding the smoke in her lungs, she passed the joint in Ali's direction, and was even more surprised to see Ali follow suit. Ali then passed it to Kitty as Regan exhaled the smoke from her lungs. The joint made the pass around from Kitty to Tabby and then back to Betsy. They continued passing around as they continued their conversation.
"So Ali..." Kitty began. "You really want to purse singing after Xavier's?" she asked.
Ali nodded and exhaled the smoke from her lungs. "I'm gonna try." She answered. "I mean, I love singing. And I don't know if I'm really cut out to be an X-Man, I mean my powers aren't the most useful." She pulled a half smile. Ali liked her mutant abilities she just wasn't sure how much she could contribute to a fight.
"You know Ali." Regan said between drags form the joint. "Daddy knows a lot of people in almost every business. I'm sure he could get someone in the industry to give you a shot."
"Thanks Regan." Ali said. "But I think I should try to make it work on my own." It wasn't that Ali didn't appreciate Regan wanting to help her. She just wanted to see if she could make it without any help. She would earn her dream on her talents alone.
Regan nodded, not at all offended by Ali's statement. "Well if you ever change your mind just let me know." She said.
"You'll be just fine luv." Betsy chimed in. "You've got a lovely set of pipes."
"And with powers like yours you won't need a light technician." Kitty added. "You can put on an awesome show."
Ali looked at Kitty and then at Betsy. "You guys still dead set on becoming X-Men?" She asked.
Kitty nodded emphatically. "Yep, I wanna be a part of the team. I wanna make a real difference in the world." She answered.
Betsy shrugged. "I've got sod-all else to do after graduation." She said. "Not exactly collegiate material here."
"Oh don't give me that crap." Regan said as she passed the joint back to Ali. "You're one of the smartest people I know, you could easily get into any college you want. And it's not like your destitute or anything." Regan and Betsy were the two trust fund brats of the group. Which was why it always baffled Regan that Betsy acted like she was working class in spite of the large fortune left to her by her deceased parents.
"Not that old song and dance again." Betsy started as the joint was passed around to her again. "Don't start with that you are so much posher that you act nonsense." It was true Betsy was not from an area of England that was cockney, but that didn't stop her from emulating it in her dress and speech. "I'm a cockney girl no matter what anyone says."
Regan smirked and decided to drop it. The momentary lapse in conversation prompted Ali to speak up.
"Tabby what about you?" She asked. "You haven't said anything about what you wanna do after graduation."
Tabby tilted her head to the side as if pondering the question deeply. "I was thinking about moving to Soho and trying my hand at being a starving artist." She said whimsically.
Her answer got a snicker from Regan and Betsy. "Is there any part of you that isn't a cliche?" Regan asked playfully.
Tabby shook her head and smiled a dopey smile. "No." She answered simply. "Whatever I end up doing I want to enjoy it." She continued. "Like when they eventually carve something on my tombstone I want it to say. She did what she loved."
"That's a bit morbid." Kitty giggled, the high was beginning to set in to the group.
"Have you ever known her to not be morbid?" Ali quipped. Her answer solicited more laughter from the group. Even Tabby was laughing.
"While we're on the subject." Kitty started. "What do you want yours to say Ali?"
Ali pushed a few stray locks away from her face. "Oh you know me." She replied. "Just something simple and..." She didn't get a chance to finish her statement before Betsy interjected.
"...Boring?" Betsy mused.
Ali laughed, not at all offended by Betsy's subtle jibe. It was true that Ali was the least adventurous member of the group. "Yeah probably." She agreed with Betsy. "Like uh...She was a nice lady and she made her parents proud, or some crap like that." Ali handed the joint back over to Kitty. "And what about yours?" She asked the brunette.
Kitty took a puff and held if for a moment before exhaling. "It should say. She made a difference." She stated. "Concise and to the point." She handed the joint over to Betsy. "Your turn Bets."
Betsy held the joint in her fingers for a moment while she contemplated. Then she made a gesture into the air above her as if she were spelling it out on the stone tablet that would one day adorn her grave. "She was hot and she kicked arse." She answered before taking a drag. Then another epithet popped into her head. "No wait, how about...still shagable?" She burst into a laugh the smoke quickly evacuating her lungs.
The group followed suit laughing louder and deeper than they had been in moments previous. The high was definitely kicking in. Tabby pointed over to Regan.
"That just leave you Regan, what's yours going to say?" Tabby asked.
Before Regan could say a word, Betsy erupted into another fit of laughter, between giggles she blurted out. "She were a tight arse, but she was still fun." She said, answering the question for Regan.
Regan playfully reached out to slap Betsy on the arm. "Boo, you whore." She quipped. Though she and the other girls were laughing hard at Betsy's statement.
Regan tried to suppress her laughter. "No it's gonna say...She was a Bitch on heels but she was damn good at it."
The girls around her nodded in agreement. "Yeah that sounds about right." Kitty said. She'd pulled a towel from the rack beside her and was making a pillow for her head as she stretched out on the bathroom floor. "Wait we forgot Jubilee." She stated.
Betsy went into another fit of hysterics. She attempted to catch her breath and say the thing that had sprung to her mind. "Wait, wait, for Jubilee." She was having trouble keeping herself from laughing long enough to say what she intended. "It should say...she was a right munter!" She managed to get it out before dissolving into laughter again.
The other girls burst out in a fit of hysterical laughter as well. None of them but Betsy knew what a "munter" was but they got the hint. They continued laughing for a moment longer before a loud pounding on the front door of the suite caused all of them to stop and turn their attention towards it light deer caught in the headlights. They kept their giggle suppressed for another second wondering if they had mistaken about someone being on the other side of the door. Then the pounding resumed. A muffled male voice came from the other side.
"Hotel Security, open up please." The male voice said.
"Fuck!" Regan cursed before snatching the joint which was currently in Betsy's fingers and bounding up to toss it directly into the toilet. She pulled the flush and watched as the joint disappeared into the hotel pluming. While Regan was disposing of the evidence, Betsy had quickly grabbed a bottle of Regan's perfume and was spritzing it into the air all around the bathroom. When Regan registered what she was doing she snatched the bottle out of Betsy's hand.
"That's expensive you know!" She said tersely as she put the bottle back down on the sink counter. She straightened herself out and grabbed a hold of Betsy's hand. She dragged Betsy to the front door while Ali, Kitty, and Tabby all hung back in the door way of the bathroom looking a little nervous. Betsy had maintained some composure, but the minute she was in front of the door she started giggling again.
"Betsy pull your shit together!" Regan grumbled while lightly smacking her best friend upside the head. "Use your powers to see who's out there."
"Right oh." Betsy retorted a wide grin still on her face. She squinted her eyes and tried to concentrate. She attempted to sense who was beyond the door but the buzz from the marijuana was making it too difficulty to focus. She stared intently at the door, and after another few seconds pause she said. "No good luv. I'm caned."
Regan sighed exasperatedly. "Fine then just stand there and shut up." She instructed. Regan took a deep breath to compose herself and turned the handle on the door to open it. She plastered a fake smile on herself as the door swung open.
"What seems to the be the trouble..." She trailed off when she saw exactly who was on the other side of the door. Her fake smile faded instantly to be replaced by an annoyed look. "You gotta be fucking kidding me." She said.