A/N: Against the Odds is an X-Men story written by my friend Jeanne ( ) and myself. It started off as a way to pass the time while at work, but then we worked on it for the past year and it's still on going. So we hope you enjoy our original characters Rhyan and Zane and their story as the fight against all odds to survive.

Chapter One: Secrets

Life is boring. You wake up… Go to work… Come home… Sleep… Then do it all again the next day. Most strive to break out, to find something new. Humans crave something that sets them apart from the norm.

Rhyanna, however, lives by her routine, a set pattern in which she does things each day. It's 'normal'. She craves to blend in, disappearing into the crowd, forgotten by those who pass. Maybe that is what sets her apart…

Her days begin at 3pm. Pulling herself from her warm bed, she made her way to the bath room, shuffling her feet as she walked. Glancing in the mirror as she passed by, she hesitates before continuing. Then with a sharp flick of her hand, she pushed her bright purple hair from her eyes in disgust. Yawning, she reached for her nylon wig cap, and with a practiced hand, pulled it over her head. Followed after was a brown wig, the style mimicking her real hair, if she'd let it grow out. Once secured in place, Rhyan ties it into a low ponytail.

Yawn, again, she pulled a contact case from her medicine cabinet. Inside were dark brown cosmetic lenses. With deft fingers, she placed one over her eye, concealing the blood red of her iris. Once finished she leaned back and looked at herself. Brown eyes, and brown hair, tones that now complimented her caramel skin tone. Average.

Glancing down at her hands, she slowly raised one to look the palm. It began to heat slightly and soon small flame formed. Turning her hand this way and that, the flame danced between her fingers at her command. Rhyan snapped her hand closed extinguishing the fire. If only there was something to cover that up too…

Sighing, she shuffled out of the bathroom to finish dressing for work.

A pounding in his head, the dark red-haired music idol exhaled the last drag of his second cigarette in ten minutes. No doubt the paparazzi would love the scandal of a smoking singer, but other rumors plagued the media about Zane Cooper. Originally, he only really started smoking to ease his nerves. The cause was nothing like the gossip magazines knew any truth about.

He heard footsteps, among the hundred of backstage workers, security, and dancers, heading toward his dressing room. The shredded leather and fishnet clothed rock star crushed the last of the cigarette before the footsteps turned to knocking on the door. Fortunately, the mass of flowers and perfume-scented love letters from fans hid the smoke's aroma well enough.

Sighing at the premature entrance, a woman on her cell phone entered as Zane perched his dark shades over his empty eyes. They weren't always that way. At one point they were a rich mahogany.

"Could you close the door? It's loud…"

Zane got a bit of humor out of this since no amount of obstacles could make the crowds any quieter. Not unless they were over two miles away. He moved some strands of hair out of his eyes a few times. Not that it mattered… he couldn't see his reflection. Reflective surfaces were no more than walls to his way of seeing the world.

Rhyanna lifted a bottle of vodka and turned back to where the glassware sat, twirling it in her fingers as she walked. Setting the glass before her, she poured a long shot, letting a stream of liquid flow as she raised her hand and then lowered it again, making the drink a double. Over that poured ginger ale, then squeezed two limes into the mixture. Dropping the limp fruit into the drink, she reached down into the open cooler and pulled out a bottle of beer, smacking the cap off on the counter.

"Artic Circle, and a Heineken sixteen." She shouted over the pulsing beat of the nightclub. The man threw down a wad of crumpled money and walked away from the bar, wrapping his arm around a blonde haired, fake tanned girl, he whispered in her ear as he walked away. The girl laughed loudly, then hiccupped as she stumbled with him.

Rhyanna picked up the cash, and began to straighten the money. Counting it quickly, she eyes flicked up to the man and girl as they disappeared into the crowd of people.

"Thanks for the tip, jackass…" She muttered as she turned to the register placing exactly sixteen dollars into the drawer. Over to her right, a rowdy bunch of men cheered loudly, one of them turning suddenly and knocking an empty Budweiser bottle off the bar. Reflexes kicking in, Rhyanna's hand shot out catching the bottle before it shattered on the tile floor.

Sighing, she stood upright, tossing the bottle into the recycle bin. Glancing in front of her, three of the had turned to her, their eyes wide with surprise. Her eyes darted to the recycling, then back to the group as she realized that she had been much too far away to 'notice' that the bottle was going to fall. Panic started low in her belly and began to creep up her body.

Suddenly the men cheered again, clapping and pointing at her, "Did you see those reflexes, holy fuck!" One shouted.

Exhaling, Rhyanna smiled nervously as she turned, and quickly busied herself with another customer.

Hit after hit, there was no sign of the crowds calming down as Zane met the showmanship expected of his concerts. A mix of heavy metal, angry beats, and fierce lyrics, accompanied by a light show, pounded in his head. Little did anyone know, the microphone he threw to the ground at the end of the show was all a ruse.

With "skill" like his, it was a useless prop. His voice would be heard for miles if he enhanced it any further. The beat in his head was causing yet another migraine. Could Zane go one day without a skull-shattering headache?

The grimace on Zane's face and sweat he wiped from his brow said it all and his agent cleared the way to his limo. The red-haired rocker raised his hand a bit to his head as they strode through the waiting fans. The flashing cameras didn't bother him… It was all the damn screaming.

Once inside the limo, there was no relief. Whatever Zane's agent was saying, he just waved her off with a 'yes' and the limo headed to the to the after part at one of Boston's famous bars. It was another 'all for show' event. Anyone whose anyone would be there.

A/N: Comments are always welcome. More to come soon :3. Please visit Jeanne's Deviantart Page and send her some love since she doesn't have an account on here ( )

~Whispering Ember