As I followed Doctor Redhead up the stairs, I instinctively stuck to the wall, occasionally glancing behind me at Logan. Er- Wolverine. Which would annoy him the most? I guess I'll just have to make up something. Dog Breath fits. Eh, that doesn't seem creative enough.
Our progression went like this: First was Redhead- whom I got the feeling, from the looks Wolverine was giving her, was sorta bitchy- then there was me and Hannah, and behind us was Dog Breath, Storm, and Cyclops. In my thought, I nearly tripped on the last step, and then someone's hand darted out and caught me.
"Hey!" I brushed the hand off of my arm.
"Geez, I just saved you from kissing the floor," said a new, deep, purring voice. With it came a rush of scent. I recoiled, and ran right into Wolverine.
"Jesus fucking Christ, can't I walk?" I hissed, elbowing Logan in the ribcage and looking up at last. The man in front of me was, admittedly, the most attractive person I'd ever seen in my life. I briefly wondered if he was a shapeshifter, and took the form of whatever was most attractive to you. But then another breath told me he was, yet another, feral.
I brushed past him and looped my arm through Hannah's. "Can't you play nice for, like, three seconds, Allie Cat?" She asked, amusement obvious in her tone. I deadpanned her, then turned my attention to not falling. For a cat feral, I sure was accident prone.
"You don't smell the damn feral scent in here. It's fucking horrid." I heard a cackle behind me. I hissed and walked a bit faster. "And everyone here- they're all mutants!"
"I know, I know. I should've warned you, but I was afraid you would run." I snapped my head around to look at her. "Sorry! Just- here. You're about to get your explanation." We turned right, down a beautifully-decorated hallway. The paneling on the walls were a deep wood color, and vases and portraits lined them.
Shock must've shown on my face, because Hannah laughed. I blinked. "Listen, I need to . . . I can't do this, I don't belong here, Hannah, I don't . . ." My breathing quickened, and I felt blood pulse to my face. I'm pretty sure my hair would've been standing on end if I'd been fully Feral at the time. I'd said this rather quietly, but Wolverine had heard me.
"Hey. Calm down, dammit, some of these kids can sense emotions." I recoiled in shock, and bumped into the wall to my left. My eyes dilated, I felt them, and a raging headache was erupting in the back of my skull.
"Kids? Kids?! I'm in a building with children? No, no, I'm going to hurt someone, I know it," I panted, but Hannah kept her cool and just propelled me forward.
I continued to hyperventilate, but she kept up her steady breathing. "Here, you're going to be okay, as long as, you know, you don't Hulk out and kill everyone." If looks could kill she'd be dead.
We turned left and into an office. Behind the desk, there was an older man, with a shiny head and a nice suit on. And he smelled powerful. Mentally, I mean. Like a telepath. I glanced uncomfortably behind me, at the two ferals behind me. Then Hannah was gone and wrapped around the bald guy.
"Charles! Oh, it's been way too long!" She exclaimed. I cocked my head to one side. "Alice, this is Professor Charles Xavier. Relax, we can trust him." I was wary, but figured hey, I'm not dead yet. I crossed the room and shook his hand.
"Wonderful to meet you, Miss Felix." He shook my hand. His skin was oddly cool, compared to my own flushed skin. But then I recognized his voice. "Yes, I warned you earlier," he said, but his mouth never moved. I jumped.
Logan chuckled. "Shut up, Dog Breath," I snapped. The snickering stopped immediately, and another voice chuckled.
"Hannah, Miss Felix, I apologize for the inconvenience I've caused, but I had to get you out of Stryker's reach immediately." I raised an eyebrow as his wheelchair moved out from behind the desk on its own. "I've learned he's set his sights on the two of you, specifically you, Miss Felix."
Hannah looked over at me. "Uh-oh."
"You, Miss Felix," I blinked, Miss Felix was getting old, "are one of the last female ferals in the world, perhaps the last."
"Why should this Stryker guy care?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. This whole thing was getting way too unreal. "I mean, it's not like I'm in very high demand. No one except Hannah even knows I'm alive."
Professor Xavier motioned to the other mutants in the room. "We do, Miss Felix. It's extraordinary that you've been undetected for so long. You see, female ferals emit a very strong hormone that only male ferals can detect. Whenever a male picks up this scent, it activates a reaction that, well-"
"It doesn't end very well for the female," quipped the feral whose name I hadn't learned. I supressed the growl growing in my throat. He looked pretty smug, and even flashed a grin at me. I did the same, showing off my nice, shiny canines. He looked slightly surprised by this, and I flashed back to look at the Professor.
"Thank you for paraphrasing, Sabretooth." I heard a slight grunt. Did everyone here have a codename? Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, and Sabretooth. Bitchy redhead didn't have one, though. The thought amused me. "You, Miss-" I gave him a look. "Excuse me, Alice, are quite possibly the last of your species."
It then hit me.
"Holy fuck. Pardon my language, but . . . that's a lot." Hannah nodded. She was perched on the end of Professor Xavier's desk, and was peering at me with wide, green eyes.
I wobbled on my feet. I. Was. Tired. I immediately straightened my back and planted my feet; I wasn't about to pass out in front of these people. Someone had noticed, however. "Cats generally sleep for fifteen hours a day, and I don't think she's met that in a long time," explained Sabretooth. I waved him off, but he ignored my gesture and wrapped his arm around my waist to support me. I leaped forward, but fatigue kept me from using the entirety of my 98 pounds. He chuckled. I popped my claws halfheartedly- at this point I was so tired I didn't care if I lived or died- and hissed.
"Son of a bitch, put me down, dammit! How dare you! Oh, pardon my French, but mother fuckin'-" I was cut off by him jostling me and I gave up all hope of living the rest of the day, and looked over at Hannah. She was giggling her little blonde ass off. "Hannah, when I was a kid, it was inappropriate to giggle like that. So. Think about that, fy ffrind."
She looked taken aback, but then saw her opportunity. "And when was that, il mio amico?" I deadpanned her.
"Ymddiheuriadau, Hannah, ond rwy'n ofni nad wyf i'n mynd i chi fwynhau gyda'r wybodaeth honno."