Chapter 2:
Warren stood and started for the door. "I should uh…" Warren opened the door.
Dannie-Lynn closed her laptop and got off her bed standing behind Warren ushering him out of her room as she followed. "Yeah dinner and all." She said.
"Can I ask you something?" Warren asked randomly as they started for the stairs.
"Sure."
"Why do you three live here?" He asked.
Dannie-Lynn gave a small meek smile. "It's safer. Here things are set for our needs. Uncle Reed had this level remodeled and designed just for us kids. Like my room everything has been specially manufactured to withstand flame-ups. Mostly cause I have a temper. There are no smoke or fire detectors in my room either."
Warren nodded casually. "What about the others?"
"I dunno much about their rooms. I know TJ's is set at a decent particular temperature you would keep rubber at. I usually mock him and say that if it was to get too hot in his room he'd go limp." She giggled. "And I've been half tempted several times to prove my theory."
Warren smirked to himself as they reached the dining area. "Dannie-Lynn must you tell everyone that?" A young boy about sixteen asked. He had light brown hair and soft brown eyes, tall for his age and looked similar to Reed, but there were subtle hints of Sue in him as well. Like his smile, which seemed to be a frown at the moment.
"Yes I must." Dannie-Lynn said taking her seat and gesturing across the table to Warren's. On one side of the table it was Warren, Johnny, Will, Layla, Magenta, and TJ. And on the other was Sue, Zach, Ethan, Sydney, and Dannie-Lynn. And at one end sat Reed and the other sat Ben.
Dannie-Lynn had the lucky pleasure of sitting at the far end close to Ben, which did not seem to amuse 'The Thing.' "So we've heard a lot about you kids from your principle." Sue said kindly with a smile. "Why don't you each tell us something about yourselves."
"And while we're at it, TJ, Syd, Dannie-Lynn why don't you each say something so these guys can get to know you better." Reed offered. Sydney and TJ both shrugged but Dannie-Lynn groaned.
"Do I have to?" She whined.
"Yeah let's start with you." Reed said nicely with a smile firmly in place.
"Sometimes I think you people should live on the moon." Dannie-Lynn grumbled picking at her plate of meatloaf and fixings. "Ok I'm a pyrokenetic of sorts and I can fly. That's all you need to know."
"Danielle…" Sue drawled.
Dannie-Lynn mumbled something under breath and looked up from her plate. "What do you want me to tell them?" She asked.
"Favorite music maybe, or something they can relate to so you're not so intimidating." Sue said looking at her fiercely around the other kids.
Dannie-Lynn saluted sardonically. "My favorite band is Buckcherry, and I am not intimidating. There satisfied?" She muttered.
Sue and Reed both sighed and moved on. "Warren right?" Sue asked kindly at the boy sitting right across from Dannie-Lynn. He nodded. "Why don't you tell us something about you?"
"I'm a pyrokenetic too." Warren said in a low growl.
Layla smiled at Sue. "Warren's not really the talkative type, so try not to push or he might set something ablaze."
"Thank you hippie." Warren muttered sarcastically.
Layla just rolled her eyes ignoring him. "I'm Layla, not hippie and I can manipulate plants. I love honeysuckle and random things that catch my eye. And my favorite color is green."
"Thank you Layla that was the best yet." Sue said brightly. Dannie-Lynn and Warren both groaned in annoyance.
"I'm Will I have super strength and sonic flight. I'm pretty easy going most of the time and laidback." This went on and on until everyone besides the fantastic four had said something about themselves.
"Wonderful thank you." Sue said again too chipper. Dannie-Lynn had long since finished her food and was periodically checking her watch for the time.
"If you don't mind I think I'm going to go to my room and finish up my last minute homework before my three days of vacation." Dannie-Lynn said sarcastically and left the table before anyone could oppose and headed up straight to her room.
Once inside Dannie-Lynn locked her door and started to gather a bag. Lucky for her it was flame-resistant special made for her by uncle and aunt. It had become obvious when she started using her powers that not everything she owned was flame resistant and for that purpose they made her, her own suit and backpack to carry spare clothes in a pinch.
After gathering her desired clothes she stripped out of her halter and jeans revealing what was left of the suit they had made her. She had chopped it up. The top was a long sleeved and cropped a few inches under her breasts and the bottoms were short shorts that hugged her perfectly covering all necessities.
She grabbed her bag and opened her window. Silently she slipped her legs over the edge of the window seal and pushed away like a child would do to get into a pool without use of the stairs. As she fell she watched the ground come closer and closer and then she felt it. The adrenaline rush. "Flame on!" She hollered and her entire body burst into flames and she pulled out of the dive and flew up towards the sky.
When she finally landed a bit away from her destination she quickly dressed in the black pleated mini skirt she had brought, the inside pleats a deep shade of blue, and a faded plain black tee over her 'top'. She put on her converse and then headed out of the alley she was in her backpack slung over her shoulder, fixing her hair before putting her big ass shades on. It was dark out, but they were her 'stunner' shades and made her look hot in her minds eye.
"There you are." Dannie-Lynn gave a smirk to the young man before her. He was about nineteen probably a frat boy in college and he was looking to get some. This was part of her father's personality that Dannie-Lynn had. She loved the opposite sex far too much and at this age it probably wasn't the best for her to go from guy to guy every couple of months, but hey she didn't like getting attached.
"Here I am." Dannie-Lynn smirked walking over and tossing her backpack in the back seat of his car. He grinned and leaned down to her 5'6 height, him being at least 6'0, and kissed her hard. Dannie-Lynn let out an involuntary moan and broke away.
This will be a fun night. Dannie-Lynn grinned at him and then took his hand pulling him towards the party they would be attending at one of the local college frat houses.
Next Morning:
Warren got up and headed out of his room and down to the kitchen to get some water. He was pretty certain that he was the only one up. It was probably about seven in the morning. As he entered the kitchen he glanced over and saw the front door opening quietly, but not discreetly.
Dannie-Lynn stepped in oblivious to Warren's presence and turned to shut the door. "Do you always sneak in?"
She couldn't help it she jumped and turned around dropping her backpack on the floor grabbing at her chest. "Holy shit!" She hissed softly at him glaring intensely. "You arrogant asshole." She whispered angrily.
Warren smirked pleased with himself for scaring her. "Morning to you to." He said softly. "You should be thankful I'm not an adult."
Dannie-Lynn couldn't disagree with that logic so strolling over in the clothes from the night before she grabbed a couple glasses from the cupboard in the kitchen and handed him one. "I guess."
"You smell like…" Warren trailed off he couldn't quite place it, but it was familiar.
"Boos and sex." Dannie-Lynn deadpanned. "I had both last night." She smirked seeing the look of astonishment cross Warren's face for merely a moment and then it was gone.
"Where'd you go?" Warren asked.
"That's privileged information and I don't know you well enough to know you wont run off and tell my father, yet, so I think I'll keep the details to myself." She grinned and poured her self a glass of juice from the container she had retrieved from the refrigerator.
Warren smirked at her back and then frowned at not being worthy of her trust. "Oh come on don't be like that." Warren said in a slightly playful nature egging her on.
"No. Now I'm off to wash away the dirty stench of naughtiness before everyone wakes up. Tootles." She said cheekily and then went upstairs to the bathroom and proceeded to wash herself of the acts she had committed the night before and during the wee hours of the midnight light.
After getting dressed in her room Dannie-Lynn headed downstairs to find only the sky-high kids in the living room. TJ, Syd and Herself had classes for just a bit longer. "Morning." She chirped.
Layla sat up from leaning on will and smiled over the couch at her. "Morning." She said perkily.
The other's weren't exactly certain whether they should speak. She was slightly hostile last night. "It's ok I'm in a much better mood than I was yesterday." Dannie-Lynn told them. "I'll even tell you my favorite color and if you wanna know my life goals I'll share those to."
"Is she bipolar?" Will asked out loud earning a smack in the arm from Layla. "What?" He exclaimed.
Dannie-Lynn laughed softly and plopped down in a reclining chair next to the other that Warren was sitting in. The room was colored in natural tones and there was no TV. Just furniture and a coffee table and windows to look out of. "I'm not bipolar I just didn't have the best day yesterday. Made myself a bit of a crab. Sorry bout that." She said. "I'm really not the wicked witch I swear."
"So what are your life goals?" Magenta asked randomly.
Dannie-Lynn grinned. "I plan to do a cover of playboy magazine and live in the playboy mansion." She said. Zach and Warren both cough choking on their food and the other's started laughing like she wasn't serious and Layla had a slight scowl on her face.
"Why on earth would you want to do that? That's slightly degrading to the female race?" She asked.
Dannie-Lynn made a serious face and Ethan, Magenta and Will stopped laughing to listen in along with Warren and Zach. "Actually that's not true. If you're hot enough to make the pages of playboy, you're good, but if you're hot enough to make the cover, you're fucking fantastic and I would rather be fantastic than plain old good. And living in the mansion would just be a plus." She said seriously.
Everyone sort of just gazed at her and she started laughing and hard at that. "I'm kidding. You are all so gullible. My goal is to be a writer."
"Yeah that's wild." Warren muttered.
Dannie-Lynn looked over at him and smiled. "If you ever read what I write you'd really think so."
"Any time." He replied back smugly.
Dannie-Lynn nodded. "Fine. Don't blame me if you blush and start getting aroused."
"You write those kinds of things." Layla asked slightly scandalized.
Dannie-Lynn shrugged and nodded with a bright smirk on her face. "Sure. Why not? They said write about what you know and I know about sex so…what's the big deal."
"Forward aren't you?" Magenta said grinning.
"No bullshit kind of girl."
Magenta nodded approvingly. "Cool."
The front door opened and Sue and Johnny walked in, they were wearing their uniforms with the spiffy 4 patches over their hearts. "Dannie-Lynn let's go." Johnny said.
"Where?" Dannie-Lynn asked getting up.
"You and I are going to train." Johnny said.
Dannie-Lynn nodded. This was a regular thing for her. "Warren you'll be joining Dannie-Lynn and Johnny today." Sue informed him. Warren rolled his eyes and got up from the recliner and walked towards them. "Will, Layla you're with me. Zach, Magenta, and Ethan you guys will be working with Reed in the lab today. Tomorrow you'll do something with Ben and then we'll rotate."
Johnny, Dannie-Lynn and Warren were already on their way out of the apartment and in the elevator. "Dad he can't do the same stuff we can." Dannie-Lynn said careful not to upset Warren but point out the obvious.
"Maybe not, but he can still train."
"You think he's ready for our kind of training?" Dannie-Lynn asked.
"He is standing right here and he is pretty sure he can handle whatever you throw at him." Warren quipped.
Dannie-Lynn looked over at him smirking and shaking her head. "Alright hothead. No need to get testy on me."
"I'm not testy." Warren retorted.
"Well if this is you not testy I can't wait to see you in PMS mode." Dannie-Lynn laughed softly.
Johnny snorted in amusement and looked between his daughter and Warren. Warren seemed to not have a comeback and Dannie-Lynn was all too proud of herself for this. "Dannie-Lynn you'll be up against Warren." Johnny said.
"Ok, but I have to warn you hothead I've been taking defense classes since I was five." Dannie-Lynn said.
"We're supposed to take defense classes?" Warren mocked her. "I think I can handle anything you dish out. I've been tossed through walls." The elevator doors opened to reveal the stairs leading to the roof. They took them and went out into the bright sunlight. "Uh what if someone sees?"
"Oh no worries. The dorks have this weird wave emitter thing that…oh hell I don't know how to explain it." Johnny gave up. "Just trust me your identity is safe."
Dannie-Lynn started to take off her black tee and faded jeans. "What are you doing?" Warren asked quickly looking from Dannie-Lynn to Johnny who didn't seem phased.
"These are my favorite pants I'm not going to destroy them. Besides I have my suit on." Dannie-Lynn gestured to her two pieces of scrape fabric.
"You call that a suit?" Warren grinned.
Dannie-Lynn snarled at him. "Yeah and you'd do well to not ogle my assets solider or I might throw you from the roof."
"Alright, alright break it up. Nothing strenuous just a light battle. I just want to see what Warren's got." He said looking intently at Dannie-Lynn. She nodded and got into a fighting stance.
"This will be fun." Warren thought out loud smirking at his battle buddy. Dannie-Lynn started by throwing a succession of fireballs towards Warren he dodged them and threw a few back of his own, but none hit Dannie-Lynn because she used her gymnastic skills to flip away from the hits.
"That all you got hothead a few fireballs?" Dannie-Lynn mocked him with a smirk.
Warren snarled. He did not like being shown up by a girl or mocked, but she hadn't done anymore than he had. "What are you talking about I could do this in my sleep?" He threw back.
Johnny watched amused from where he leaned on the closed door leading back into the building. He remember throwing verbal quips at several people, it was part of his hothead reputation.
Dannie-Lynn glared at him. "Flame on!" She yelled and threw another succession of fireballs of higher intensity at her opponent. Warren retaliated by manipulating the balls to turn on her. Her father couldn't even do that. Sure he could absorb the balls, but he'd never returned them.
Warren watched as a shocked look crossed the flaming face in front of him. Apparently manipulating the fire wasn't part of her ability. "Ha, ha something new." Warren grinned cockily.
Dannie-Lynn felt something inside of her snap and she thrust her palms out and a steady stream of flames flew from her hands, hitting Warren dead in the torso pushing him back. Unfortunately he had been to far back and too close to the ledge. His legs hit the lip of the ledge and he stumbled backwards and over before Johnny could get to him.
"Flame on!" Johnny yelled. He hadn't done this before, but the kid was a Pyro hopefully it wouldn't hurt him to be touched. Johnny snagged the collar of his shirt, which remarkably didn't catch fire. What the hell? Johnny thought silently as he flew back up towards the roof.
Warren wasn't able to make anything of his emotions as he felt the plugging stop and he was flown back up towards the roof. His emotions about being knocked off a roof were to jumbled he didn't know what to think. The next thing he new he was dropped on the rough cement top of the Baxter Building roof.
Johnny powered down and looked to Dannie-Lynn who had done the same and was staring at her hands. "Danielle Lynn Storm what were you thinking?" Johnny asked angrily. "What if I hadn't…" He stopped yelling when he saw her look up at him and her deep green eyes were sullen and pooling with tears.
"I-I…" She trailed off and looked down at Warren who had slightly recovered and was looking up at her. "I-I…" She stopped and turned towards the edge of the building. Dannie-Lynn didn't even glance back as she took a running leap over and flamed up.
Johnny sighed seeing her zoom away through the bright sky. "Dannie!" He hollered to no avail. He turned and helped Warren up pushing the question about his wardrobe back in his mind. "She's never done that. I think it freaked her out more than you or me."
"I dunno I was pretty freaked." Warren muttered sardonically.
"She didn't mean it." Johnny said defending her. "I know she didn't. There are just things her and the other's have to deal with that us four don't. Being born with these genes instead of mutated."
Warren nodded absently watching the spot where she had flown away. "Don't you want to go after her?" Warren asked.
Johnny shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to find her anyways. I'm getting a little slower as I get older." He said half-heartedly joking with Warren.
"Where would she go?" Warren asked trying not to sound to concerned but something about her drew him in.
Johnny shrugged. "I've never figured that out. Ever since the first time I brought a date home she's just gone off like that."
"Date?" Warren asked.
"I tried dating a few years after her mother's death, but no one will ever be Julie." Johnny said softly. "Dannie-Lynn never liked the girls I brought home and she made sure they new of her disliking. She burned one girls food to a crisp and then angrily stormed to her room."
"Have you guys always lived here?"
Johnny shook his head. "No after I married Julie we lived in a normal apartment in the city. After Julie passed and Dannie started showing signs of her powers I had to move here I couldn't afford her accidentally setting something on fire at the other place. Here her room is built for her needs."
"You make it sound like a disease." Warren said.
Johnny quickly looked to the kid and shook his head. "No it's not. I mean your powers have to make things hard for you, right?"
"Well yeah I learned quickly my powers are linked with my emotions, if I'm mildly angry my hands smoke and if I'm royally pissed of they flame up, so I try to steer clear of normal furniture. I sleep with flame retardant blankets and sheets that were specially made."
"And your clothes? I touched them and they didn't catch fire." Johnny asked. They were now just staring out on the New York skyline.
"There's a company back home that specializes in clothing wear for heroes like me with powers like mine."
"Wish I had heard of them a long time ago. I could've saved some awesome clothes from being torched." Johnny kidded.
Warren chuckled and scratched at the back of his head. "You think she'll come back?" Just as he spoke a ball of flame whizzed passed the building and spiraled up around it and then came down landing on one knee on the roof. As she stood the flames all over her body began to dissipate.
"I've never done that before I'm sorry." Dannie-Lynn said softly looking at Warren.
"Where were you?" Johnny asked. Dannie-Lynn averted her attention from Warren's deep brown eyes to her father and gave a small smile.
"Where I always go when I don't know what's going on." She answered. "Can we talk about it later? I'm not feeling so well."
"You want me to have Reed look you over?" Johnny asked.
Dannie-Lynn shook her head. "No, Dad I'm fine." She looked over at Warren. "Are you alright?" She asked.
"I never took you serious about tossing me off the building. But I should learn to heed your warnings." Warren said teasingly.
Dannie-Lynn frowned. "I didn't mean…"
"I know." Warren said. That was all that needed to be said and Dannie-Lynn gathered her clothes and left the roof leaving Warren and her father alone. "She always that way?" Warren asked.
"She takes after her mother. She has mood swings a bit but for the most part after she warms up to people she's really upbeat." Johnny said. "I guess trainings up for the day. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Why don't you go back to the apartment and I'll go tell Sue so that I don't get scolded later for not telling her."
Warren nodded. "Alright. You know any good book stores around here?"
"Do I look like I read?" Johnny asked grinning at Warren. "Ask Dannie-Lynn. If she's skipping school you can usually find her perusing a local book store."
Apartment:
Dannie-Lynn was sitting on her bed in gray Bermuda cut sweat shorts and deep blue tee over her 'suit.' She was online chatting with her friend over her myspace page. Ok I'm a myspace whore. Dannie-Lynn thought amusedly to herself as she changed the layout of her page from one fire background to another.
A knock came at her door and she typed into the message box. 'BRB.' And got up setting her laptop aside and answering her door. "I come of my own free will." Warren said jokingly.
"I might almost kill you again are you sure that's wise?" Dannie-Lynn said deflated as she left her door open and went back to her bed. She set her laptop back on her lap and starting chatting with her friends.
"Really I'm fine."
"Yeah that's all well and good but I'm not." Dannie-Lynn bit out. "I mean I've never done anything like that before. I could've KILLED you." She emphasized.
Warren sat on her couch again like he had done the night before. "It was an accident and I'm fine, not splattered Warren pancake on the sidewalk."
"Ok if your just here to crack jokes to try and make me feel a little easier about the situation you can leave cause it's not going to work. And I don't know you enough to share the inner workings of my brains, so what are you here for?" She asked.
Warren shrugged and stood and stepped over to her bed and perched on the edge of it facing her. "Came to find a good book store. I finished my book I brought last night and I need something to read." Warren said.
Dannie-Lynn bit her lip and looked up a him. "Dee's Books about a block away. Leaving the building take a right and at the corner take another and it should be just down from the coffee shop."
"You're going to send me out into the New York streets alone?" Warren asked jokingly.
Dannie-Lynn looked up at him a bit frustrated. "You're a big boy you can handle it." She said. And looked back down at her screen.
"What is so interesting on that laptop?" He asked.
"Nothing." Dannie-Lynn shrugged. Warren reached for and snatched her laptop turning it to face him and he saw the myspace page. "Hey!" She protested and reached for it. But Warren held out his hand stopping her as he used his other to scroll through the page. "That's private stuff hothead."
"It's on a public web page. There." He said and handed her the laptop back. Dannie-Lynn looked over her page and didn't see any difference but she had noticed him typing something.
"What did you do?" She asked him.
"Added myself to your friends." Warren said. "Layla made me a page, and threatened bodily harm if I didn't use it." He said.
"I bet." Dannie-Lynn smirked. "Why would you want to add me anyway?"
"So I can look at your page. It's set to private and only friends can view it."
"And you know this how?" She asked smirking at him.
Warren shrugged. "I brought my laptop with me and I was bored last night."
Dannie-Lynn actually smiled at that. "I'm sure. I bet you just want to see if I have any raunchy pictures."
Warren grinned at her and shook his head. "Nah."
"So is your page private?"
"No. Who wants to look at it? I don't even want to look at it." Warren said.
Dannie-Lynn went to her pending friend's requests to view his page. (AN: I am a true myspace whore…says my friends). "Nice picture." She said looking at the first thing that caught her attention on his less than interesting page.
"Layla took it when I wasn't looking. " Warren said snappishly.
"Are you the picture type?" She asked.
Warren shook his head. "No."
"Then she had reason." Dannie-Lynn said matter-o-factly. "Who's the blonde?" She asked looking at his pictures.
"What?" Warren asked. He leaned around the screen and saw the picture she had brought up. It was one Layla had taken at homecoming of him and Sandra Frost. "Oh Layla is in for a world of roasting." Warren snarled.
"I take it pretty, pretty princess broke your heart?" Dannie-Lynn asked quite forwardly.
Warren growled in response.
"Her nose is much to big for her face, her eyes well they could be a little further apart, her ears are well let's not venture there at the moment that could take some time and she's a bean pole." Dannie-Lynn said. Warren looked at her like she was insane.
"What are you rambling on about?"
Dannie-Lynn smiled. "If it were me with all the bitterness you have, I'd come up with things that were wrong with the other person. That's what I'm doing for you."
Warren let a half smile grace his face and then shook it away. "She was just…"
"Everything you were looking for but nothing you actually wanted when it all came down to it?" Dannie-Lynn pondered.
Warren groaned. "I thought we were ok together. I mean it wasn't horrible. But after a while she just couldn't keep seeing passed my father's reputation. It's no secret I have a temper and like everyone else she thinks I'm gonna turn out just like him." He said angrily.
Dannie-Lynn hadn't ever really dated so she couldn't relate. She kept guys around for a few weeks tops and then broke it off. She wasn't a slut, she'd only begun this routine recently and had made it through about four guys. It was already getting boring and she didn't know how her father had done it back in his younger years. "Come on let's get to the book store." Dannie-Lynn said.
Warren nodded brushing the hair back from his face behind his ears. It didn't help much small loose strands just fell forward again. "Yeah." He said and then left her room so she could change.