9

Hydro

Morning began to peer gently over the top of the windowsill, the early light falling onto Mark's face. He slowly began to stir, realising he was not alone. He opened his eyes to see a young blond handsome teenager sleeping peacefully in the bed with him.

Mark had not gone back to his room last night, not only because he wanted to spend the night with Alex, but because he wouldn't be able to face Kurt, not yet. Although he had gotten into bed with the surfer, he had done nothing other than kiss him. He felt his relationship with Alex purely supportive at the moment, it was far to soon to become involved with anyone else, even if he had only been with Kurt for a few weeks before he had seen him kissing someone else.

Gently, Mark crept out of the bed, not wanting to wake the sleeping form that he was wrapped around. A small groan and signs of movement showed that he had failed his task.

"Hey" mumbled Alex.

"Hey" replied Mark, smiling.

Mark stopped trying to escape, letting Alex hold him. Even if he didn't want a relationship yet, he knew he would want one in the not too distant future, Alex had some way of making him feel happy, and content.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks, I was just about to get up, but…"

"But what?"

"I like it here…" Mark said, placing a small kiss on Alex's lips.

Together they lay there for a while, holding each other, not wanting to move. When they did, they left the room at different times so as not to draw attention to each other, and then went down to breakfast separately.

The kitchen was practically empty, hardly anyone got up at the same time, unless they were going to school that day, which on a Saturday, none of them were.

Kurt wasn't at breakfast which Mark was half pleased about, and half saddened. He was calming down about last night and he would have liked to have had the opportunity to talk to the boy. This opportunity however was not given to him.

The morning was quiet and Mark spent most of it doodling in his book he had been given by his best friend Jenny. He had been thinking about her a lot lately, wondering what she was doing, and wondering if she was thinking about him too. He hadn't been given a chance to say goodbye to her. He hadn't even said goodbye to his Mother, or his sister.

All of this extra thought on the people he loved made him make a choice, and so Mark began to write a letter to his family, to tell them where he was and that he was fine.

Dear Mum and Dad, and Sarah.

I'm sorryI haven't been writing, but I've been up to a lot. I don't know how to say this, but I've kind of eloped, on my own, to America. Its all been a rush really. Dad, I hope you're not too angry things haven't gone to your likings, but I'm my own person and I can go anywhere I want. Mum, I've missed you so much and I hope your ok. Sarah, I do hope you're managing to cope without me. Could you ring Jenny and send her my friendly love and such. Miss you, goodbye…

Mark finished the letter and took an envelope from the drawer. He knew he couldn't say about what his dad had done to him, it would tear the family apart which he didn't want to be held responsible for. He sealed the letter away, and headed out to the shops to buy a stamp to post it.

Everything in the mansion seemed so calm since last nights drama, and the outside world was exactly the same. The streets were almost deserted, and it gave Mark time alone to think about what he was going to do next.

The shopkeeper was miserable as usual and looked at Mark with disdain when he asked him for postal stamps. Once they were bought, the boy headed down to the post box at the end of the road and slid the letter into the container.

The roads leading back to the Mansion seemed slightly less deserted on the return trip, and Mark soon realised there was a gathering force outside the gates. Media news vans from all over town had homed in on the building and were now recording a commotion within the grounds.

There were familiar colours moving about on the front lawn. Distinctive reds and blues that signalled the Friends of Humanity. It was almost as though they were trying to hunt him down, purposefully ruin Mark's life. At first he wanted to run and hide, until he saw a face he did not expect to see. In the fray there was a girl, a blonde girl that Mark knew.

It was his best friend Jenny, she was here! However, something was wrong, she was not just there; she was fighting. Not only was she fighting; she was fighting the X-MEN.

Jenny had been Mark's friend since year 7 at school back home and in those 6 years of knowing her, she had never displayed the fact that she had powers, even when Mark showed her his. However here she was, using powers that were not… usual.

Mark ran closer, through the crowd, and when he was near enough he saw what she was doing. She was fighting with water, just like he did! She fought the mutants that Mark now lived with, she fought alongside the Friends of Humanity which was even more peculiar.

"Jenny?" Mark called.

She didn't look at first, so Mark kept calling her, over and over again until she looked in his direction. There was something the matter with her eyes. Usually they were an icy blue, but now they were even lighter, they seemed almost white. Mark realised she was definitely not herself when she sent a torrent of water in his direction, knocking him off his feet.

"Jenny! What are you doing?" Called Mark, dodging her attacks but refusing to strike back. She continued to relentlessly assault the boy who would not hit his friend.

"My name is not Jenny!" She shouted in return. "I am Hydro!"

Mark began to stop the water Jenny was using and throw it at the surrounding soldiers. Eventually they were loosing the battle, struggling to fight the Mutants that were defending their home.

Boom-Boom threw one of her bombs at the attacking girl, but Mark tossed it aside with a jet of water. Soon after that Havoc sent a blast of energy in the female's direction and Mark felt obliged to lift her out of the way of the oncoming strike.

"What are you doing?" He called to Mark.

"I can't let you hurt her! She's my best friend!" He replied.

With the diminishing amounts of soldiers at the Friends of Humanities expense, they soon called a withdraw, allowing Mark to stop protecting his friend, and start to take abuse from the rest of the team.