Big thank you to my reviewers! (both of ya lol) Heres another chapter...please r/r.
I was sure that I had to escape. Magneto had been talking about a war with humanity. My parents, friends, and family were humans. I couldn't help him. No, I had to escape, and quickly. I needed to find my family and let them know what had happened to me. They must be worried, I thought.
It took thirty minutes for me to work myself up enough to spread the bars of my cell window open. It seemed that super human strength was also a part of my mutation, but it only worked in moments of great stress or great determination.
I lowered myself down onto the rocky wall below my window and begun to slowly and methodically climb down to the bottom.
I reached a tunnel that led down through Magneto's base. The walls were damp and the air was cold. As I walked further down I begun to think that I was now somewhere beneath the ocean itself. If I had been my old self I would have panicked, but instead I just walked faster hoping to find some means of escaping the island.
My mind was so preoccupied with the thoughts of escaping that I didn't hear or see the man crouched in the shadows in front of me until it was too late. He leap forward and blocked my path.
"Going somewhere, love?" he asked in a heavy British accent. I moved to the right, he leapt over and again blocked my path…the same thing when I moved to the left. My eyes scanned the tunnel for something to defend myself with, but the only thing I could find was a medium sized rock.
I somersaulted backwards and grabbed the rock and made to throw it but before I could I felt something wet and warm wrap tightly around my wrist. It cut off the circulation to my hand and forced me to drop the rock, which landed on the ground with a clanging sound.
I realized that it was his tongue that held my wrist. A tongue that was at least twice the length of his body. When the rock hit the ground, he released my, now purple, wrist. Within a blink of an eye his tongue was back in his mouth. I sunk down and began nursing my wrist.
"Who are you?" I asked as he approached.
"Toad." he said as he chunked the rock far out of my reach.
"Fitting." I said, taking in his appearance.
He had blotchy green skin that was dotted with warts of various sizes. His teeth were undersized but his mouth made up for it with an over abundance of gums. His eyes were deep-set and were a dark incandescent green. I found him slightly hideous and yet very handsome at the same time.
"And your name?" he asked as he hunched down. I got the impression that he was as comfortable in that position as he was standing up.
"Aries." I answered.
"Fitting." he laughed and pointed at my red eyes. I had to smile. "Come on." he said lifting me up. "Got to get you back upstairs."
"No," I stammered, "Let me go, please. I have to see my parents. They must be so worried."
"You have to see Magneto, love." he said.
"Please…Toad…Is there something else I can call you?" I asked not liking calling someone a toad.
"Mortimer." he said, although it sounded like 'Mort-mer'.
"I'm Racheal." I smiled. I was trying to stall him long enough to get away. "How long have you known Magneto?"
"Quite awhile." he said turning to look at me. His eyes were larger than I had originally thought. "Magneto took me in when no one else wanted me. He is a great man."
"No one wanted you?" I asked, suddenly feeling very sorry for him.
"Is that so surprising?" Toad's eyes were now so intense that I lost my breath.
I stammered for a response but then decided no answer was better than a trite one.
We walked a little ways before reaching a staircase. As we walked I noticed that Toad was carrying a knife in the side pocket of his jacket. I thought it best to start conversation again and distract him before I snatched the knife.
"I think who ever gave you up was nuts." I said out-of-the-blue, hoping to distract him.
"That would be my parents." he continued walking. "I guess a green baby didn't look right in their family photos." he mused.
"That's really lame…" I said and then inwardly cursed my 18 yr old vocabulary. "What I mean to say is…I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well, we're all orphans now." he said and then turned his head to look in the opposite direction. Here was my chance. The knife just sitting there in his pocket waiting for me to snatch it. So, why wasn't I? It was the fact I didn't want to use a knife on him. I wasn't sure why, but I was developing feelings for him. Feelings that I couldn't yet explain or even comprehend. My thoughts were not enough in the end and I grabbed the knife anyway. In a flash, I had the knife at his throat.
"I will slice you, Mort." I said, somehow intuitively knowing where his jugular vein was. "Tell me how to get off this island, and don't even think about using that tongue of yours or I'll slice it off." I said it as kindly as possible, since it *was* a threat.
"There's a boat," he stammered. "on the south side of the island. You can take it to the mainland."
"Thanks Mort." I said, withdrawing the knife and kissing him quickly on the cheek.
I still don't know why he didn't attack me as I ran away. Instead he only yelled after me. "They wont want you anymore!" I didn't pay any attention. I just kept running. Of course my parents would want me. At least I thought so at the time.
I got to the beach without much trouble, and I found the boat in a few moments time. I could see the main land from the island so finding my way home wasn't much trouble. I hitched rides and walked to my hometown. It was two days later when I finally showed up on my parents front porch.
"Racheal! Oh Keith, It's Racheal!" My mom yelled as she opened the door. "Oh we were so worri…" but her voice soon broke off when she caught sight of my eyes. "Racheal, what happened to you?" her tone more cold and untrusting than it had been at first. That's when my dad showed from behind her.
"Who is it, Geegee?" his pet name for my mom.
"Our daughter…" she replied but somehow it sounded more like a question than a statement.
"Rach?" dad said looking me over. I was drenched and cold.
"Can I please come in?" I said, "I'll tell you everything just let me in." Neither of them moved. They just stood there looking at me as though I was a dog.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" Mom asked after a pregnant pause.
"I was in a car accident." I explained but they didn't look worried.
"Yes, we knew that." My dad said after a moment. "They told us they found your car abandoned. You couldn't call and let us know you were ok?"
"I was being held hostage by a mutant organization." even saying it sounded stupid.
"I see." My mom said and she disappeared back into the house. My dad and I stood there looking at each other in silence. She returned a moment later and handed me a check. It was made out to me for the sum of $600.00. I looked at her, confused. "Take that." she said, noticing my confusion. "That's all the money in our checking account. You take that and leave us alone." With that she shut the door in my face.
Needless to say, I was floored. Toad had been right. Humans did hate mutants, even if they were their own offspring.
So, cash the check I did. I went back to my own apartment. I knew it was stupid, but I had no where else to go. I showered and put on some clean clothes then crashed on my bed. I had been asleep some time when I realized my phone was ringing. I went to my phone but the line was dead. I realized that they must've shut me off for not paying the bill but there was still a ringing coming from somewhere. I searched until I found a cell phone in my dirty pants pocket.
"Hello?" I asked, knowing full well that someone had planted the phone in my pocket.
"Ah Miss Welty, I was beginning to worry about you. You left in such a hurry." It was Magneto's voice.
"Don't you mean to say I escaped." I said bitterly.
"Mmm…" Magneto mused. "The word escape seems to imply that someone stopped you from leaving and from what I've heard that didn't happen."
"You're talking about Toad?" I asked.
"Yes, That's right." he answered. "How did your visit with your parents go?" his voice holding a touch of amused sarcasm.
The realization that my parents had disowned me started to sink in. I couldn't control my tears anymore. I couldn't answer.
"Come back to us Racheal." he said sounding kinder than he had before. "You are no longer one of them. They have nothing to offer you now. You are superior to them, and they hate you for it."
My weakness and sadness overwhelmed me and I accepted his offer.
"Alright, Magneto." I said. "Come get me." I dropped the phone and waited.
any creative ideas are welcome! The only thing written in stone is that she's gonna fall for Toad (suprised right? lol)
I was sure that I had to escape. Magneto had been talking about a war with humanity. My parents, friends, and family were humans. I couldn't help him. No, I had to escape, and quickly. I needed to find my family and let them know what had happened to me. They must be worried, I thought.
It took thirty minutes for me to work myself up enough to spread the bars of my cell window open. It seemed that super human strength was also a part of my mutation, but it only worked in moments of great stress or great determination.
I lowered myself down onto the rocky wall below my window and begun to slowly and methodically climb down to the bottom.
I reached a tunnel that led down through Magneto's base. The walls were damp and the air was cold. As I walked further down I begun to think that I was now somewhere beneath the ocean itself. If I had been my old self I would have panicked, but instead I just walked faster hoping to find some means of escaping the island.
My mind was so preoccupied with the thoughts of escaping that I didn't hear or see the man crouched in the shadows in front of me until it was too late. He leap forward and blocked my path.
"Going somewhere, love?" he asked in a heavy British accent. I moved to the right, he leapt over and again blocked my path…the same thing when I moved to the left. My eyes scanned the tunnel for something to defend myself with, but the only thing I could find was a medium sized rock.
I somersaulted backwards and grabbed the rock and made to throw it but before I could I felt something wet and warm wrap tightly around my wrist. It cut off the circulation to my hand and forced me to drop the rock, which landed on the ground with a clanging sound.
I realized that it was his tongue that held my wrist. A tongue that was at least twice the length of his body. When the rock hit the ground, he released my, now purple, wrist. Within a blink of an eye his tongue was back in his mouth. I sunk down and began nursing my wrist.
"Who are you?" I asked as he approached.
"Toad." he said as he chunked the rock far out of my reach.
"Fitting." I said, taking in his appearance.
He had blotchy green skin that was dotted with warts of various sizes. His teeth were undersized but his mouth made up for it with an over abundance of gums. His eyes were deep-set and were a dark incandescent green. I found him slightly hideous and yet very handsome at the same time.
"And your name?" he asked as he hunched down. I got the impression that he was as comfortable in that position as he was standing up.
"Aries." I answered.
"Fitting." he laughed and pointed at my red eyes. I had to smile. "Come on." he said lifting me up. "Got to get you back upstairs."
"No," I stammered, "Let me go, please. I have to see my parents. They must be so worried."
"You have to see Magneto, love." he said.
"Please…Toad…Is there something else I can call you?" I asked not liking calling someone a toad.
"Mortimer." he said, although it sounded like 'Mort-mer'.
"I'm Racheal." I smiled. I was trying to stall him long enough to get away. "How long have you known Magneto?"
"Quite awhile." he said turning to look at me. His eyes were larger than I had originally thought. "Magneto took me in when no one else wanted me. He is a great man."
"No one wanted you?" I asked, suddenly feeling very sorry for him.
"Is that so surprising?" Toad's eyes were now so intense that I lost my breath.
I stammered for a response but then decided no answer was better than a trite one.
We walked a little ways before reaching a staircase. As we walked I noticed that Toad was carrying a knife in the side pocket of his jacket. I thought it best to start conversation again and distract him before I snatched the knife.
"I think who ever gave you up was nuts." I said out-of-the-blue, hoping to distract him.
"That would be my parents." he continued walking. "I guess a green baby didn't look right in their family photos." he mused.
"That's really lame…" I said and then inwardly cursed my 18 yr old vocabulary. "What I mean to say is…I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well, we're all orphans now." he said and then turned his head to look in the opposite direction. Here was my chance. The knife just sitting there in his pocket waiting for me to snatch it. So, why wasn't I? It was the fact I didn't want to use a knife on him. I wasn't sure why, but I was developing feelings for him. Feelings that I couldn't yet explain or even comprehend. My thoughts were not enough in the end and I grabbed the knife anyway. In a flash, I had the knife at his throat.
"I will slice you, Mort." I said, somehow intuitively knowing where his jugular vein was. "Tell me how to get off this island, and don't even think about using that tongue of yours or I'll slice it off." I said it as kindly as possible, since it *was* a threat.
"There's a boat," he stammered. "on the south side of the island. You can take it to the mainland."
"Thanks Mort." I said, withdrawing the knife and kissing him quickly on the cheek.
I still don't know why he didn't attack me as I ran away. Instead he only yelled after me. "They wont want you anymore!" I didn't pay any attention. I just kept running. Of course my parents would want me. At least I thought so at the time.
I got to the beach without much trouble, and I found the boat in a few moments time. I could see the main land from the island so finding my way home wasn't much trouble. I hitched rides and walked to my hometown. It was two days later when I finally showed up on my parents front porch.
"Racheal! Oh Keith, It's Racheal!" My mom yelled as she opened the door. "Oh we were so worri…" but her voice soon broke off when she caught sight of my eyes. "Racheal, what happened to you?" her tone more cold and untrusting than it had been at first. That's when my dad showed from behind her.
"Who is it, Geegee?" his pet name for my mom.
"Our daughter…" she replied but somehow it sounded more like a question than a statement.
"Rach?" dad said looking me over. I was drenched and cold.
"Can I please come in?" I said, "I'll tell you everything just let me in." Neither of them moved. They just stood there looking at me as though I was a dog.
"What's wrong with your eyes?" Mom asked after a pregnant pause.
"I was in a car accident." I explained but they didn't look worried.
"Yes, we knew that." My dad said after a moment. "They told us they found your car abandoned. You couldn't call and let us know you were ok?"
"I was being held hostage by a mutant organization." even saying it sounded stupid.
"I see." My mom said and she disappeared back into the house. My dad and I stood there looking at each other in silence. She returned a moment later and handed me a check. It was made out to me for the sum of $600.00. I looked at her, confused. "Take that." she said, noticing my confusion. "That's all the money in our checking account. You take that and leave us alone." With that she shut the door in my face.
Needless to say, I was floored. Toad had been right. Humans did hate mutants, even if they were their own offspring.
So, cash the check I did. I went back to my own apartment. I knew it was stupid, but I had no where else to go. I showered and put on some clean clothes then crashed on my bed. I had been asleep some time when I realized my phone was ringing. I went to my phone but the line was dead. I realized that they must've shut me off for not paying the bill but there was still a ringing coming from somewhere. I searched until I found a cell phone in my dirty pants pocket.
"Hello?" I asked, knowing full well that someone had planted the phone in my pocket.
"Ah Miss Welty, I was beginning to worry about you. You left in such a hurry." It was Magneto's voice.
"Don't you mean to say I escaped." I said bitterly.
"Mmm…" Magneto mused. "The word escape seems to imply that someone stopped you from leaving and from what I've heard that didn't happen."
"You're talking about Toad?" I asked.
"Yes, That's right." he answered. "How did your visit with your parents go?" his voice holding a touch of amused sarcasm.
The realization that my parents had disowned me started to sink in. I couldn't control my tears anymore. I couldn't answer.
"Come back to us Racheal." he said sounding kinder than he had before. "You are no longer one of them. They have nothing to offer you now. You are superior to them, and they hate you for it."
My weakness and sadness overwhelmed me and I accepted his offer.
"Alright, Magneto." I said. "Come get me." I dropped the phone and waited.
any creative ideas are welcome! The only thing written in stone is that she's gonna fall for Toad (suprised right? lol)