mm4ever2gether: thanks again for the reviews. I just got a job so whenever I'm not working, I'll hopefully be working on this to stay updated.
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Saffire Snake: Sorry about the mix up. Thanks for pointing it out.
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A/N: Sorry for the long wait but I had to go to work. Thanks to all for reviewing. Every review charges me to write more so keep it up! Thanks!
Chapter 5
"And you're on fire
When he's near you
You're on fire when he speaks
You're on fire burning at these mysteries"
-"On Fire" by Switchfoot
They walked into a dimly lit bar with neon signs crowded on all of the walls. The ride was…enjoyable to say the least. She wrapped her arms around Logan's waist and leant into his back to "block" the wind. The mixture of different smells filled her nostrils of leather, sweat, and Logan's cologne. She smiled into his back as he sped away to a local bar. When they arrived at the bar, she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself as she got goose bumps.
"Cold?"
"Just a little chilly. The wind must have gotten to me. Come on, I'm hungry." She started to walk into the bar when she felt a heavy coat cover her shoulders. The smell filled her nose again and pulled the coat closer to her as she smiled up at him. He smiled, nodded and then walked into the bar, without holding the door for her. 'Well so much for being a gentleman!' she thought as she yanked the wooden door open. They both stood at the entrance, adjusting their vision to the darkness while scoping out an empty booth. Finding one in the back, where Logan likes to be alone, was an open booth.
"Logan, got a guest with you tonight, huh?" the bartender walked up to their table carrying with him a pitcher of beer.
"Lost a bet." He simply said. "Don't listen to anything this man tells you. It's probably all lies, okay?" He told Blaze nodding his head in the bartender's direction.
"Name's Mitch. Pleased to meet you."
"Call me Blaze." When Mitch's eyebrows shot up, she explained, "Nickname." He seemed to like that answer, so he continued on with his job.
"The usual?" Logan just nodded. "Two?" He nodded again. "Coming right up." And the bartender walked away.
"Usual? What's the usual?" She asked, discarding the coat.
"You'll see. So," not knowing how to start a conversation.
"You want to know about my parents." He tried to pull of a denial look but failed and finally nodded. "That's a long story, so I won't tell you unless you've got the time and patience." He nodded and she started her story while they waited for their food. "Okay, now where to start." She looked into his eyes, really deciding if she wanted him to know about her past. Should she let him in, or should she continue on with her life without anyone's pity? He had a look of trust and understanding in his eyes, he nodded to assure her that he was all ears. "Okay, well it bean when Flux and I were 12…"
"Hey Hali! What's wrong with the hair drier? It's was working for you this morning! Hali? Where are you?" Edana was walking through the house trying to find her sister which wasn't too difficult to get lost in. A 5,500 square foot house in the middle of South Carolina in the mountains was their home sweet home with a fantastic view of the mountain range from the living room panoramic window that was also set on a cliff. Today, their parents were out having dinner and the twins were both at sleepovers while Edana and Hali were going out to the movies with some friends. "Armageddon" just came out in theaters a few weeks ago. Plus, there was this really cute guy who flirts with her during Algebra. "Hali! Where are you? Answer me please!" Blaze walked by one of the bathrooms, one with a huge Jacuzzi tub with a window facing the mountain range like the living room. "Hali? What's wrong?" Hali was sitting on the side of the tub, just staring at the water faucet. "What's going on?" Edana walked up behind Hali and noticed something odd. The water was frozen in mid-air as it was coming out of the spout. "Oh my gosh! What happened?" Edana was shaking Hali by her shoulders, trying to get her to snap out of the world that she was in.
"Wh-, What? Oh, Edana, I was just going to take a bath before I got ready, but the water seems to have froze." She said in a monotone voice, sounding far away.
"How did it happen?"
"I don't know. I just stuck my hand under the water and it froze."
"Hmmm…that sounds odd, maybe you just need to turn the heat up." Edana tried to adjust the temperature but realized that the water was all the way up. A tear ran down Hali's face. "Hali, what's wrong? Tell me please!" Edana begged Hali, holding her hands. "Your eyes! Their crystal blue!"
"Promise me you won't hate me! You won't turn me away?" Edana shook her head.
"Of course not!"
"Okay," she blew out air, chilled and freezing, "I think that I'm a mutant." She closed her eyes, scared to see Edana's reaction.
"Oh my…" her mouth was frozen in an 'O' shape. "Are you sure?" She nodded and looked down at her hands. Frost was resting on her palms. "Oh, Hali, I'm so sorry! We can't tell anyone though, you understand this right?" Hali nodded.
"Edana, I'm scared!" A tear rolled down Hali's face as Edana wrapped her arms around her sister.
"No, no. Shhhh…" Edana rocked back and forth trying to comfort Hali. "How about I call Tom and Billy and tell them that we aren't coming and we can watch movies all night. How about that?" Hali slowly shook her head.
"Edana? Do you think mom and dad would hate me?"
"No. They are the most caring parents that I know. You've seen our friend's parents, right? Not caring at all, but that's not our parents. We'll just have to find the perfect time to tell them okay?" She looked at Hali closer. Hali was always the closed up one of the two. "Do you want me to tell them?" Edana's head snapped up, her eyes full of hope.
"Would you do that for me?"
"I would only do it if you ask me to." She gave Hali an encouraging smile and left to go call the boys.
"That night, we told our parents that Hali was a mutant and that if they had a problem with it, they would have to deal with me." Blaze laughed as she recalled her childishness toward her parents. Mitch walked up holding two baskets containing two giant burgers and fries over flowing the sides.
"Thanks Mitch." Logan said as Mitch walked away. Logan ate a few fries and then nodded to Blaze to continue her story.
"Okay, so…The next Monday was a very stressful day because literally every hour had a test to be taken, and I hadn't studied…"
"Mrs. Baker! Can I go to the bathroom please?"
"Not while we are taking a test, Edana."
"But I'm finished and it's an emergency!" It really wasn't an emergency; she just wanted to get out of the classroom.
"Okay, but hurry back." Edana nodded and headed to the bathroom. She sat with her head in her hands for a long time before getting up with a clear head. As she was drying her hands, the heat from the machine hit her hands and fire spurted out of her hands. She pulled her hands from the drier and the fire stopped. She looked around, alone in the bathroom. The machine was still running, blowing hot air. She stuck her hands under the machine again, and fire roared out again.
"Oh my gosh!" She ran to the nurse's office as fast as she could and called her mom.
"It took a little while longer to totally get the full abilities but it scared us because no one could understand what we were going through and we could see a doctor because we would just be turned in. We knew that we couldn't hide our powers forever since we were always in people's conversations; people were always trying to tear us apart because we were high society. Well, one day, I finally slipped when I got in a fight with another girl at school…"
"Edana! What kind of stupid name is that? Hey I was talking to you! Get back here!" Lori was stomping after Edana who was walking away from the gym class. Lori stood about 5'7" when Edana stood at 5'2". Lori was also very over weight and mean.
"What did I do to you, Lori?"
"I heard some weird things about your family, Edana."
"Well, what did you hear?"
"That your father had a mistress, for starters. That your mom leads a second life, your dad isn't your little brother and sister's dad, and that you and Hali are mutants." She laughed at the thought and her whole posse joined in. The only person who didn't laugh was Edana. Her eyes were wide, as if she was caught with a bloody wrench in the Library with Colonel Mustard. Lori saw the look on Edana's face, she stopped laughing and pointed her chubby finger at Edana. "So it's true! You are a mutant!"
"Shut up Lori!" Edana exploded. She swung and hit Lori square in the jaw, then she shoved Lori away by pushing her shoulders. Only Lori's shirt caught fire and was melting to her skin at a rapid rate. "Oh my god!" she said over the screams and howls of Lori trying to get her shirt off. Suddenly, a cold breeze swept through the crowd and extinguished the fire on Lori. Edana looked to see where the ice came from and was surprised to see Hali standing there with her hand extended and her eyes ice blue.
"They both are mutants! Get away from them!" the crowd was yelling at them. Finally society had found a flaw in the McHill family.
"Edana! We need to leave now!" Hali said sharply under her breath. Edana nodded and ran all the way home. It was only five miles but it was five miles through the mountains and Hali knew the short cut through the woods to get home fast.
"I remember mom and dad deciding that we needed to move and transfer to a different state. I recommended that we just transfer schools and stay in our home or be home schooled, but our parents wouldn't hear of it." Blaze paused to snack on some fries and to take a bite of her excellent burger. "I remember being upset. So upset that the stove caught on fire." She laughed at her powers of the past, when she noticed that Logan had a smirk on his face. "What?"
"You blew up a stove?"
"Actually, a grand total of 5. I blew up 3 living with parents and 2 on the road." He nodded as if he understood what it was like being on the road. "Anyways, ever since then we were always moving from one house to the next. I think one year we moved 4 times. Never stayed in one place for very long." She stopped talking and started to eat. Logan was thinking over and processing everything that she had just told him.
"But why did you two leave?"
"Actually, dad claimed that one of us had slipped, but I think he was going insane and was remembering something that happened in the past. He came stomping up the stairs and told us that we were moving in with our grandmother that either Flux or I knew. Me, being my rebellious self, decided to live on my own rather than live with a stranger. Flux didn't want to go either, so she joined me and we became a team of our own. As we were walking out the door, my dad said he didn't care what happened to us. He was ready to have a normal life again, but I don't think he realizes that his life will never be the same. I hope I just never have to see the man ever again." And with that, she finished off her fries and burger.
"So you two ran away." She nodded and looked at him over the rim of the glass of beer.
"Always on the run. Never staying in one place for over 2 months." Now that she had said it, it sounded like she was still living with her parents. Old habits die hard right? "Well, not anymore."
Logan smirked and nodded at that point. "Well how about we play some pool for a bit?"
"Yeah sounds good but I have to say that I've never played before."
He laughed, thinking that she was joking but he saw the honesty in her eyes. "You're kidding, right?"
"No."
"Okay. Then it's time you learn." He said getting out of the booth holding his hand out for her hand. She gladly accepted it and they walked over to the table. He grabbed two sticks and handed one to her. He held up a little blue square, "This is chalk. You're supposed to chalk the tip of your stick after every shot that you take or after every turn, okay?" She nodded, absorbing all instructions. "Okay this is a triangle. There are certain ways that you can set the balls up but the only ball that stays the same is the 8 ball, the black one. It's always in the center. Okay?" she nodded, absorbing all of this new information. "Alright, then the cue ball," he held up the cue, "the white ball goes at the other end of the pool. You shoot the cue at the balls, once you remove the triangle." He broke and the balls went in all different directions. None of the balls went in any of the pockets. "Your turn. Get behind the cue ball like this," he pulled her around so she was pointing towards the other balls, "and you hold the stick like this." He lowered his voice, almost whispering in her ear as he came from behind her, his hands over hers, holding the stick getting ready to shot. "Aim, lean into the shot, breathe in, breathe out, and shoot." He was hovering over her, their faces so close together. She leaned into his chest as he showed her how to shoot. She pulled the stick back and fired, sinking in a solid.
"What does that mean?" she asked him. She glanced up at him, smiled and moved away.
"That means from now on in the game, you're trying to get all of the solids in the holes before I get the stripes in."
"Uh-huh." Logan took his stance behind the cue ball and shot. The only available stripe ball was resting by the eight ball. When he pulled back the stick, Blaze walked up behind him and bumped him as he shot, causing him to miss and sink the eight ball instead of the stripe. "So what does that mean?" she asked grinning wide.
"That means that I lost and you won. Because you cheated I might add."
"Me? Cheat? Never!" a gleam caught her eye. "It isn't my fault that you lost your concentration!" she smiled her best smile, she hoped he wouldn't get upset, but he just smiled back and gathered the balls together and put them in the rack.
"Okay, then. Let's try this again, hm?"
"Yeah, sure I guess."
They spent several hours playing pool and once Blaze won without help from Logan. Several empty pitchers of beer gathered on their table as a new pitcher was brought in by Mitch.
"Guys, this is the last round. I'm closing down in an hour." Logan waved him off and nodded.
"We need to be going anyways. Thanks Mitch." Logan walked over to their table, picked up his coat and wrapped an arm around a very drunk Blaze and headed for the door. He helped her get up on the bike and put on his coat around her. "Looks good on you." He said as he took a step back to take it all in.
"Thanks, I think." Blaze slurred her words a bit as she tried to compose herself on the back of his bike. "Do you have to look at me like that? It's eery, very scary." She started to nod her head and close her eyes.
"I only look at you like that because I wonder how in the world you ever survived to today. It's of concern kid." He swung his leg over the bike, reached behind him and grabbed Blaze's arms and wrapped them around his waist,
"I don't need help…" but she passed out and collapsed, resting her head on his back.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, darling." He said as he started the bike and headed back to the school. When they passed through the gates, Logan cut the engine and coasted into the garage as to not wake anyone up, since it was 2 o'clock in the morning. Blaze slept the whole 30 minute ride home but lazily woke up to see Logan get off the bike and look at her, and then all went black. Logan watched her slowly open her eyes and then pass out. 'She's going to have one bad hangover in the morning.' He shook his head as he once again scooped her up into his arms and started for her room. Stealthily Logan walked up the stairs, moving around the parts that squeaked when too much weight was put on it. 'Why does this always happen?' He didn't really care, he enjoyed it. He hoped it happened often enough, just to hold her in his arms; no one can touch her or harm her but him. He gently laid her down on the bed, her head hitting target on her pillow. He quietly slipped her shoes off her feet and slid her under the covers, smiling as he let the thought of her reaction of finding him in her bed too slip through, but quickly dismissed it. He stood, stooped over her gazing at her sleeping. The light snores that escaped her nose and the little line of drool falling from her mouth. He smirked and laughed. He wouldn't change a thing of her; she was perfect in every way. He slowly bent down and placed his lips on her forehead and stood up and left, for the third time this week.
The sunlight shone brightly through the curtains in her room, landing directly in her eyes. Moaning, she rolled over and checked the clock. '7:30! I have 15 minutes for class!' She jumped up and grabbed her clothes and ran into the bathroom for a quick shower and to get dressed. She finished in record time and ran downstairs to grab a piece of toast just to run back upstairs to prepare for art. "Whoa! Where are you going in a hurry?" Storm looked at Blaze weird.
"Class starts in a little bit! I have to hurry! Excuse me." She said as she passed into the kitchen.
"Blaze, honey, it's the weekend. We don't have school today. The kids are still sleeping right now." Blaze felt her eyes droop and her jaw drop.
"What?"
"Yeah. It's Saturday. No School. Hey you look like you could pass out again any second, so how about you go back upstairs and rest for another hour and a half or so and then come back down when everyone else is awake." Blaze nodded tiredly and started to head back upstairs. Her eyes closed once she hit the pillow, again.
'Blaze. Blaze, it's time to wake up. Blaze, it's time.'
"Uhnnn…" Blaze opened her eyes and looked around, no one in the room. Hmmm…
'That's it Blaze. Wake up. Please come into my office now. It's important.'
Professor. 'I'll be right down. Just give me a minute.' She moaned and rolled out of bed. Within minutes she was sitting with the rest of the team, facing the professor. Blaze shook her head, not believing everything that she was hearing. She knew that she was now part of the team and she would go out on missions to save and rescue mutants but she didn't know that it would be this soon.
"We leave in 1 hour to go to Colorado to pick up a boy named Dewey. He also goes by the name of D.J. He is anamorphous, he can change into any animal that he wants whenever he wants. I felt a lot of stress coming from him, almost like a strain to continue living. We must reach him quickly and securely. Marie, Bobby and Colossus will be in charge until we get back. Plan on returning tomorrow. You're all dismissed. Be in uniform and at the jet in one hour!" the professor said as everyone was leaving.
"Um… Professor? We don't have uniforms." Flux was still sitting in her chair and Blaze was leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed across her chest.
"You do now. I will have Storm drop them off for you to your rooms."
"Thanks Professor. In an hour." Blaze said as she opened the door for her and Flux. He nodded and went back to the paperwork that he was working on before and getting ready for the trip. "I'm going back to sleep. Come get me in 30 minutes."
"Okay. I'm going to go get something to eat. See you in a bit."
"Okay." Blaze headed up the stairs once again and was ready to fall back asleep, but she felt a presence near her. She formed a fireball in her hand and slowly walked into her room.
