A/N: Eyup, another chapter. We're getting closer to the plot of the story, now, so I hope everyone's still reading!
The first thing that Todd was aware of was a dull, almost non-existant thrumming noise. Like someone had a fan on nearby, and it was pointing in his direction, drowning out everything else. For a moment, it was a comforting sound. It meant that he was still alive; that he hadn't offed himself; that he hadn't over-dosed; that he hadn't been murdered in the back of some alley, with his pants down around his ankles.
Then it was frightening, because he recognized that noise.
Had heard it every day of his life for almost three years, now. Whenever business got slow and he couldn't scrounge the money up for his drugs, and the voices hit him full force. From every direction and angle, from every person, building, shape and color.
Todd tried to empty his mind, but the pain had hit him at that point. Burning agony on the left side of his face, and his palms, and something was wrong with his left leg - the broken one, which always seemed to give him trouble this time of year. It was winter, wasn't it? That was usually when it hurt like this.
He let out a groan without thinking, and the action of skin stretching against bone sent pain shooting through him. Todd's right hand twitched. He could hear footsteps. They got closer to him, closer and closer and closer, and then the young mutant was flinging himself off whatever he was laid out on.
Vision blurred for a moment, and it only came back to him in his right eye. Colors merged together and lines were all but nonexistant. Vaguely, Todd could make out a shock of red hair and blue eyes; bright, too bright of a blue.
Everything hurt and he wasn't steady on his legs - which was such a terrifing thought, because those legs were the only real weapon that he had right then. Todd's left leg was trembling, muscles past being spent, flesh and bone a like abused.
Still, he forced his upper lip to draw back in a snarl, bareing his blood and grime smeared teeth. The action hurt, but he didn't let up because that was a sign of weakness and if there was one thing that he knew, it was to not show weakness around strangers. Not let them know that he was backed into a corner with no where to go - and where was he again? Not in the alley. It was too bright for that.
Just the wrong vibes in general; and the steady buzzing in his ear brought up yet another question. But it was one that would have to wait, because drugs could always be obtained and he needed to know things about where he was then.
"Who the fuck are you?" he demanded, and it hurt to make his face move like that but he didn't show it. Was used to hiding the pain.
The woman, with her long red hair and clean white skin, just stared at him and she looked so surprised that it almost hurt.
"Don't you remember me?" she asked - but Todd didn't.