Disclaimer: Nothing that is not mine is mine.

Previously:

Jim, my mother's boyfriend.

Chapter Four

I heard the jingle of keys as Jim unlocked the front door. I took a deep breath, and went to sit back down on the couch. The front door slammed behind him, and Zack came to sit beside me.

"Done?" He asked me. I nodded. "Cool. Let's see what's on." He leaned forward and grabbed the remote to the TV. As Zack turned the TV on, a muffled curse drifted down the hallway. Over the noise of whatever was on TV, I heard the thumps of his boots hitting the floor. Jim stomped down the hallway and stood in the doorway into the living room, glaring at us.

"What're yew doin'?" His voice was unpleasant, and slightly nasally.

"Watching TV," Zack replied nonchalantly.

"Right," Jim sneered, his eyes narrowing even more.

"Right," Zack agreed simply.

Giving us a final glare, Jim stomped off into the kitchen.

Jim was a big man, easily 6'3." He was thick, and claimed to have played football for his high school. If he did, he was probably kicked off the team. His blond hair seemed to be perpetually greasy and plastered to his skull. He drank a lot, causing his blue eyes to be bloodshot, and his cheeks to be flushed. He was one of those people who was eternally dissatisfied with his lot, and always blamed other people for his problems. He was a big brute of a man with anger management issues and a drinking problem.

Having him in the house made me glad that my bedroom door locked. That man seriously freaked me out.

I let out a long breath and sagged back against the couch. Zak put his arm around me and pulled me closer, turning his face so his mouth was by my ear.

"That guy really pisses me off." He whispered.

"He scares me." I whispered back.

Zack's arm tightened around me.

"He's not gonna hurt you, Lara." He told me firmly. I wasn't so sure. The looks Jim gave me sometimes…they were so…dirty. There's more than one way to hurt someone, after all.

Jim stomped back into the living room, a beer in his hand. I glanced at the clock. It was barely 4:30.

"You," he asked me unwillingly, "where's your mother?"

"She's probably still at work." I told him. Duh. The good thing about my mother is that she worked past 6, making our encounters minimal.

Jim snorted disapprovingly. "Whatever. Give me the remote." He ordered.

Zack tossed him the remote without moving. Jim narrowed his eyes as if deciding whether or not to take that as an insult. Eventually he sat down on the chair directly in front of the TV. He flipped the channel to some sports game. I feigned interest; it was safer than leaving the room. Time passed slowly, dully, monotonously and emotionlessly in a room that seemed suddenly smaller, colorless, and soundless. It was as if I was no longer a part of reality. I had gone to that place in my head where everything was simpler and easier to bear. The place where the most insignificant details are more noticeable – more important, even – than other things. The dust mote spiraling slowly through the lone, solitary ray of sunlight that shone through the window into the living room to fall onto the dark green carpeting was suddenly important. The game and Jim's curses when his team lost the ball or the point became unimportant. So did Jim's many trips to the kitchen for more beer. These facts registered, but were simply unimportant; I'd trained myself to remember them, just in case, but I didn't care about them right now. What was infinitely more interesting was the sudden influx of voices. I hadn't realized earlier, but people have some really random thoughts, like what shade of green that leaf is, exactly, and the precise color of the sky. Though, that might just be how this one guy thinks. What was his name again? I couldn't remember. Names were unimportant here, in this timeless place inside my head.

Zack gave me a little shake. I reentered reality suddenly. It was always a shock to come back down to earth. I sighed wistfully. Why couldn't reality be that nice? I had to concentrate to keep the thoughts of other people out of my head. Thankfully, Jim's were centered on the game, and relatively easy to tune out and ignore. The thoughts from down the street were less interesting and more annoying. The game was still on, but it was almost over. I checked the score quickly. 3-4 in favor of Jim's team. Well, that made my life slightly easier. Jim was easier to deal with when he was happy.

The clock on the TV read about six. My mother ought to be home soon, then; just in time for the news, which we'd all watch, and then Zack would go home. The evening ritual was defined and static – never changing. It was the nice thing about being at home. The only nice thing.

During one bout of angry shouting, my mother suddenly appeared in the doorway to the living room. She was very good at that – showing up silently all of the sudden.

"What are we watching, Jim?" She asked with a slight, frosty smile.

"Just the game, babe." Jim slurred, leering at her. He got up and walked over to her with a slight lurch to his step. That boss of his must have made him really mad. He usually never got this drunk this early in the day. He had slightly more self control than that. It probably didn't help that my mother didn't say anything about his drinking problem. She was skilled at ignoring anything she didn't like.

"Well, alright then, but the news will be on soon. Jim, why don't you put it on?" Her voice, while pleasant seeming, had a subtle undertone. She never made requests, the phrasings she used just made it seem like she was.

"Sure thing, Susan." Jim gave a sort of chuckle, and flipped to the news channel. He sat back down, pulling her with him. She gave a silly little laugh, although I could tell she wasn't amused. She never was.

My mother looked similar enough to me that people knew we were related. We both had straight brown hair, but mine was a few shades lighter than her dark brown – almost black – hair. We had the same nose, small and thin, and high cheekbones. Our eyes were shaped the same, although my eyes were green and hers were brown as mud. She was a mere 5'4" at 40, and I had that height at 16; I had inherited my height from my father. We were both slender, and I maintained that a lot easier than she did.

The news came on, something about how Senator Kelly had suddenly changed his tune from fanatically supporting to adamantly opposing the Mutant Registration Act. I'd never understood how that bill was even considered – it was so Nazi-like, it wasn't funny, but I'd found that politicians tend to over react, especially when it was election time. It had been amusing, but now, knowing I was a mutant, it was a bit scary. I didn't want people to know that I was a mutant, and this bill would make me admit it. The things some people come up with never cease to amuse me.

The news spokesperson went on to announce how there'd been a fire in an office building downtown that had been put out with the sudden bursting of the water pipes in the building – mutant involvement was suspected. I agreed with them – a mutant working in the building had probably caused the pipes to burst, not caused it, like most people seemed to believe.

"Yesterday, the police found the body of a 13 year old boy, who seems to have been ritually killed. He is believed to be the seventh of these murders. The police have not released any of the victim's names, but say that the only thing these seven people have in common is that they are all mutants." At this, I started paying attention, and I felt Zack stiffen beside me. Seven mutants killed? I was shocked. What kind of people would do that? It had to be some kind of cult. What if they came here? What if they came after me or Zack? I was getting myself so worked up that the voices were becoming clear again. My mother was slightly disturbed, but it was more due to the fact that it was probably a cult killing than the fact that seven people had been killed, one of them a young boy. I gave myself a shake. The chances of these cult guys knowing that Zack and I were mutants, and then showing up to kill us was minimal. Even knowing that, I was still worried. Seven people were dead. Seven. It was like we were back in the days of vigilantes and witch hunting; only with so much more technology available to these guys it'd be a lot easier to tell whether or not someone was a mutant. They could hack into a hospitals records and look at a person's medical history and look at their past blood tests and see if they're a mutant. I was trying to contain my panic when it occurred to me that no one knew I was a mutant, except Zack, and he wouldn't tell anyone, and that Zack could protect himself if someone came after him. At least, I hoped he could. I'd have to ask him later.

"When asked for a statement on the case, the police declined to comment." The spokesperson went on to the next story, but no one was listening any more.

"Serves them right, the damn mutants!" Jim said explosively. I'd known that Jim didn't like mutants, but not that he hated them. His thoughts were all about how they shouldn't have their powers, as if everyone had some super awesome power to blow things up.

"The Mutant Registration Act should get passed. It's dangerous to have them around. No one's safe if there's a mutant in the area. They shouldn't be allowed to work with the honest people, like us!" I had to suppress a snort. Jim honest? If such a thing had ever happened, I'd yet to see it. "They're taking jobs from hard-working real people, and not even doing them properly! That Senator Kelly guy, he had the right idea, until the damn mutants got to him. They're probably him so he'll stop supporting the Act. Best damn bill this country's seen in a long time, and what do they do? They try to stop it! Well, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna go get those damn mutants, and I'm gonna show them what's what. I won't do it alone, either. I know some right thinking guys who'll help me. We'll show them who's boss." Jim went on for some time. It was sick, and I knew that he'd find a way to follow through with his thoughts. It was one thing that made him so dangerous. I truly, honestly, sincerely don't know why my mother keeps such an idiot around. He wouldn't last a day if it was me he was dating. I suppose that's just another difference between my mother and myself.

My mother gave another of her little fake laughs, and put on what I suppose was meant to be a kind smile as she looked at Zack and I.

"I'd better put on dinner. Spaghetti, I think. Zack, will you be eating with us?"

"No thanks, Ms. Huntley. I'm expected at home." Zack replied.

'Good. I don't know why Lara likes that boy. He's far too familiar with her. It's not proper for a girl to have such a commitment to a boy. I'll have to do something about him.' I quickly controlled my facial expression. Do something indeed. Well, she can try to make me stop having Zack as a friend. That's all we were, as far as I knew. We weren't dating, not really. We were just friends. I'd like to be more, of course, but I don't want to ruin our friendship. I suppressed a sigh. Maybe I should just listen to his thoughts. I concentrated on that inside ear that I was discovering. The one that let me hear people's thoughts. I listened with that trying to hear Zack, not the conversation he and my mother were having on how Zack was always welcome for dinner. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hear him. Strange. Why can't I hear him?

My mother got up and went into the kitchen and Zack shot me an amused look.

"That's not going to work." He said with a smirk.

"What's not going to work?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"You're not going to be able to hear me." Zack told me smugly.

"Why not?" I inquired.

"I know how to put up a shield so I can keep my mind to myself."

"Not fair! You definitely need to tell me how to do that!" I said in a heated whisper, glancing at the doorway into the kitchen and at Jim nervously. My mother shared many of Jim's views on mutant rights. It would be very bad if they guessed I was one.

"Sure, sure. It's not going to help you get into my head, though." He replied just as quietly, it was still just as aggravating as it would've been had he spoken at normal volume. I made a face at him, and he laughed at my expression.

Shaking his head, Zack got up with a sigh.

"I'd better go." He informs me quietly.

"All right." I got up and walked him to the door. "You do know that you're feeding me to the dogs, right?" I was only partly teasing him.

"I know, and I'm sorry about it." He responded seriously. "It's unavoidable. If I stay too long, they'll turn out the police and every person in the community. I'd like to avoid being known as the boy with over-reacting parents." His face was serious, but I could tell he was teasing me.

"Too late." I teased right back. "Everyone remembers what they did on the parent-teacher conference. I really think your step-mom is over doing the whole protective mother thing."

"Tell me about it. It's suffocating, and when she's not being overprotective, she's being a control freak. I'm starting to think she's bi-polar or something." We both chuckled a bit. It was a tense laugh, though. I'd met his step-mom, and she really was like that. One personality for the outside world, and one for the house. It was freaky.

"Be careful, okay?" I beseeched as Zack turned toward the door. He turned back toward me with a confused look that turned into a knowing smile as he took in my expression.

"Don't worry, Lara." He said soothingly. "I can take care of myself."

I grabbed him in an instinctual hug and squeezed him tightly.

"Promise?" I asked. I felt like a child asking for reassurance from its parent after a nightmare, but I didn't care. I couldn't stand even the thought of losing Zack; it'd be unbearable, even if this was the only time I'd let on to that fact. Zack's arms went around me and he hugged me just as tightly as I was hugging him, reassuring me silently.

"I promise." He guaranteed me. I felt a little better. Zack wouldn't lie to me, not about this, not about something that was clearly worrying me. Even with his reassurance, though, I was still worried. Those guys were still out there, and someone was going to get hurt. I didn't understand why those guys wanted to hurt people. People were people, after all; it didn't matter if you were a mutant or not, you still had the same rights as everyone else. It didn't make sense to me why people take it so personally that there are different people out there. Normally I chalked it up to the fact that people in general are stupid and self centered. Now, though, with it so personal, it was a great deal more troubling.

"Don't worry so much, Lara." Zack told me with a slight chuckle. "What're the chances of those guys coming here for us? It's not like we're attracting any attention from anyone important. How would they know? And, more importantly, why would they care?"

"Because, Zack, we're mutants!" I hissed at him. "They make it their business to care! They don't need any other reason except for the fact that we are, in fact, mutants to do anything. For goodness sake, Zack, they killed a 13 year old! Don't tell me not to worry! And don't say 'what could happen?' you'll jinx us! Don't make light of this, Zack, it's dangerous." I buried my face in Zack's shoulder, shaking.

"I wasn't making light of this, Lara." He murmured gently. "I know it's serious stuff, but it doesn't help to freak out at everything – you'll be a nervous wreck before the week's out, and that wouldn't help you if they do decide to come after us, even if the chances of that happening are slim to none."

"I know that, Zack, but still, it's better to be on our guard." My arms tightened around him. "Better safe than sorry." I was shaking harder than ever, and Zack held me close enough that I could feel his heart beat in my chest. It was a very soothing feeling, and that, more than the soft crooning in my ear, was what calmed me down. I was glad that Zack hadn't said that it'll be alright. Not only was that just asking for trouble, but he also couldn't know that, and I hated it when people told me things they had no way of knowing about. I took a deep breath and leaned back a little so I could see his face. Zack gave me a slight smile. I managed a small smile in reply. His smile got a little bigger, and he leaned his head down so his forehead rested on mine. I closed my eyes and let myself relax for now. If Zack was so sure, then it couldn't hurt to stop worrying for a bit, right? I really wanted to believe him. I really did, but I wasn't sure it was a good idea to relax right now. Maybe in a few days, I'd feel a little more at ease. Now though, it was probably a good idea to stay on our guard.

"I really do have to go now." He told me quietly.

"Yeah." With a sigh I stepped back from him. "See you tomorrow."

Zack walked out the door with a small wave. I gave a raised my hand in reply as I watched him pull out and drive off. I closed the door with a sigh. Time to face my mother's interference and Jim's close minded views on everything.

A/N: Sorry for the wait. This chapter felt like I was digging it out of my head with a pair of tweezers - a bit at a time. You should be getting chapters more regularly now, though. Hopefully. FYI, reviews make me want to continue. They inspire me. *Hint Hint* Just to let you know...*trails off suggestively* well, you know how to do so! Get at it!