Again, all that doesn't belong to me belongs to someone else.
Please read and review! I'm dying for some feedback here.
Thanks, and I hope you enjoy!
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A few boys once tried to cut my hair off.
But I am stronger than a pair of scissors, and my hair grew back.
Mutants are the same. You can try to get rid of us, but you won't succeed. We're stronger than you and your technology.
My name is Lorelei Travis.
I'm a mutant.
And I'm stronger than you.
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Backstage, Lorelei kicked herself for running.
Wade Wilson and his disgustingly middle-aged friend couldn't hurt her. If they did, Absolon would make them wish they'd never stepped foot inside her club.
"Something wrong, Lorelei?"
She looked up and smiled at Daniel Kaufman. He owned the club, and even if he was a mobster, he took good care of 'his girls'.
"No, sir."
"Good. Wouldn't want anything to happen to your friends back there, now, would we?" Kaufman winked at her. "I'm off to the Inferno for the night. Mr. Punch is in charge. Have a good 'un."
"You too."
Lorelei watched her boss leave. He was a good guy, for the most part. It was too bad his mutation made him so volatile— it was hardly safe to get a hug from him. Thank God for Mr. Punch— he could get beat up and wouldn't feel a thing, and harbored no ill will towards Kaufman despite the frequent beatings.
It was refreshing, seeing that kind of loyalty. Loyalty like that was rare at the Wildkat Klub.
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// Eight Years Ago //
Lorelei was nineteen when her hair started moving.
She had been a dancer at the Klub even then, although just a backup dancer. She rarely got asked out by customers, except by the occasional anime freak who liked her pink hair.
She was, to be honest, a bit sick of them. But most of them were sweet if she was nice to them, and actually even lavished niceties on her that made some of the other girls jealous. They didn't get handmade presents.
Only a few of the girls stayed longer than a few months. Lorelei had only been there for half a year, and Shaky Kaufman was slightly disappointed in her. She had a full figure and she was tall, and she knew he thought she could do better.
Before the crowds came in one day, she started practicing some new moves Lara the Illusionist had taught her. She was surprised when her hair started moving with her. Lara clapped and laughed.
Within a few months, Lorelei had, with Lara's help, become one of the household names. Lara was surprisingly supportive, unlike most of the old-timers. Lara explained that gifts should be admired, not resented.
Lorelei never forgot Lara's earnest look from that day.
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// Now //
Lorelei was still a household name, even though she was a little past her prime. Twenty-seven seemed a respectable age to stop dancing, but she was reluctant to leave the club that had been her home for so many years.
She had a family there, after all.
There was Shaky Kaufman, Mr. Punch, Lara, and the other girls. There was no more hard feelings between any of them. Recent strife in Mutant Town had made the bonds between them tighter than ever.
And then there was Absolon.
Mr. M was one of the most powerful men she'd ever met, and he was interested in her, Lorelei Travis.
It was more than a little bit flattering, and Lorelei would be a liar if she said she didn't like Absolon back at least as much as he admired her. She was a bit taller than him, and a bigger person in general, but his kindness towards her had made him a friend, and later, a lover.
He'd saved her from human supremacists, he'd saved her from overzealous customers, and he'd saved her from her own bad habits. In return, she'd helped him with his.
It was a good relationship.
Lorelei couldn't think of a man who could make her happier.
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// McCarthy Avenue //
Lorelei got off work at two in the morning, and as soon as she was dressed for the streets she hurried to McCarthy Avenue Tenements, where Absolon lived.
And where Hannah Levy lived.
Wade Wilson had been right— Lorelei barely knew the girl. But she still felt terrible for telling him anything about her. Hell, she might have signed Hannah's death sentence.
And Hannah was one of Absolon's few friends. She couldn't let her die.
So Lorelei hurried to where she was pretty sure Hannah lived. She checked the last names on the buzzers in the lobby and found LEVY. She pushed the button and after a moment heard, "Come on up."
Lorelei raced up the stairs and to the end of the hall, where Hannah Levy's door was open and Hannah Levy was waiting inside the door, a small smile on her face.
"Hi, Lorelei."
"Hannah, Wade Wilson— you need to be careful."
"Wade's in the bathroom at the moment," Hannah said. Lorelei froze just inside the door, shocked. "Come in." Hannah gave her a gentle push so she could close the door and locked it.
"He's... he's..."
"In the bathroom." Hannah's mouth twitched. "He's not going to kill me, I'm not interesting enough to die."
"Oh, but you are. I mean, Absolon is your friend! How could you not be interesting?"
Hannah laughed. Lorelei ran a slightly disapproving eye over her over-sized t-shirt and pajama pants.
"Lorelei, trust me, I'll be fine."
"Hey there, sweet cheeks. If you wanted to see me so bad you coulda just asked."
Lorelei flushed as Wade walked past her, his hand resting for a brief and uncomfortable second on the small of her back. "I came to warn Hannah. About you."
"Well, I'm fine, as you see." Hannah held her arms out as if to put herself on display. "All in one piece."
"For now," Lorelei muttered. She glared at Wade for a moment before turning back to Hannah.
The smile on the girl's face set Lorelei back on her heels. It wasn't patronizing, but Lorelei felt somehow foolish. "I'll be fine," Hannah assured her. "It's probably best if you go home."
Lorelei's eyes prickled. She backed away from Hannah and fled.
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// Back Inside //
Wade Wilson erupted in laughs once Lorelei was gone.
"She— she actually thought she could—"
Hannah tuned him out. She watched out of the window over the sink as Lorelei hurried off. Sending Lorelei away hadn't been because of confidence.
It was fear.
If Lorelei got hurt, Hannah knew Mr. M, if not God, would strike her down. Lorelei had nothing to do with Wade Wilson and Mort, and Hannah had no intention of changing that.
Now, it was just her and Wade Wilson in her apartment, and now that she'd stopped paying attention he was just staring at her.
She grinned at him, but on the inside feared for her life.
Someone help.