Roughly about an hour after she first took flight Tori finally landed on the ground again. She was slightly fatigued but had finally found an abandoned house. At least it looked abandoned on the outside, and quite the unattractive building. The paint was fading, someone had spray painted some very vulgar graffiti on the side of the house, and a few of the windows were either broken completely or cracked. It was the perfect hiding spot for a runaway like her. She just hoped there was no one else in it.
She didn't really have a full length plan for what she was going to do. Tori hoped she could stay as long as she needed to, but she wasn't sure what else she could do. She couldn't go back home that was to obvious. Her father would try to stick the cure in her and there's no way she could let that happen.
The Latina opened the door of the house and quickly stepped inside, quietly shutting the door behind her. It was a one story building with the front door leading into the hallway with two doors leading to different rooms, thankfully the light from the street lights could come in from the windows. The end of the hallway seemed to lead to the kitchen.
Tori peeked around the corner of the right door and saw no one in the room. It was a living room, but it was in horrible shape. The T.V. screen had a hole in it and the couch had matching holes on each seat. The lone chair in the room (and only other furniture in the room) oddly was void of holes, but it was very dusty.
Tori turned around to check the other room and found herself face to face with a set of blue-green eyes. She let out a shriek of surprise and fell back against the wall.
"Who are you?" The girl asked. "What do you want?"
"I-I just wanted place to hide." Tori said. "I don't have anywhere else to go."
"What do you mean? I swear to God if you lead that mob here I'll-"
"What? What mob? I had to get away from my parents! They wanted to give me a mutant cure!"
The green eyes went wide and she took a step back. "Wait...you're a mutant?"
"Yes."
"Prove it."
Tori raised an eyebrow at her but held out her hand and created a ball of fire in her palm. The extra light let her see the girl better. She was a very attractive girl with black hair and stray strand of blue. The area around her eyes were red and slightly puffy, making Tori wonder if she had been crying. She was dressed in black shirt and jeans. Tori also noted she had two necklaces on: a dog tag and wolf pendant.
"My power is...kind of complicated really." She closed her fist and extinguished the flame. "What about you? Are you a mutant?"
"Yes. But this I don't think this place is big enough for us both."
"What? That's a bunch of crap. I don't feel like doing this right now. You can sleep where ever the bedroom is and I'll just take the couch."
"Fine."
"I'm Tori Vega."
"I said you could stay here not that we'd be friends."
Tori sighed and shook her head, giving up and walking to the couch. As she laid on the couch trying to sleep she heard the girl say, "You can call me Jade." Retreating footsteps told her the girl was gone.
The next day Tori woke up with a crick in her back and neck and well everywhere. She sat up just as Jade walked into the room. The Goth dropped a McDonalds bag onto her lap before sitting in the chair and sipping from her large cup. Tori looked at the bag then Jade, then peered into the bag finding a breakfast burrito.
She looked up at the girl, "What's this?"
"A peace offering."
"Thanks." Tori said, immediately pulling the burrito out and starting to eat.
Jade watched her for a moment before she looked down at her dog tag. "Where'd you get those?" Her eyes went to the brown eyed Latina who questioned her. She didn't really want to talk about it, but something told her that Tori wasn't the type of person to just give up on something she wanted to hear about.
"My family."
"Your parents?"
"My...um...mom gave me the dog tag."
Tori nodded, "And your Dad gave you the wolf?"
"I don't have a Dad." Jade snapped. When Tori flinched she sighed, "My cousin gave it to me for my birthday yesterday."
"It was your birthday yesterday?"
"It wasn't a very good one."
Tori swallowed the food before speaking, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. What's the point? It won't help anything."
"Might make you feel better."
Jade scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Talking won't help."
"So…" Tori started slowly, not wanting to upset the girl more. "what's your mutant power?"
"You explain yours I'll explain mine."
"Well the way I see it I can copy mutant powers just by seeing them in action. But it seems to be selective and I have no control over it."
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
"How do you get that?"
"Well my powers activated three years ago. My friend Serafina discovered she was a mutant who could fly. She was showing off to my little group of friends and the next thing I know I'm in the air with her. At the time I just thought I could fly too, but about a year after that I encountered a set of twins: Mikayla and Michael. They could control ice and fire, respectively. I watched them for awhile and then my hand lights on fire. We put together that I can copy powers."
"Whatever happened to them? Serafina and the twins?"
Tori frowned, "I think Serafina got sent of to a mutant school. The twins, well...they died. A bunch of anti mutant groups attacked their house. I don't know if explosions have fire or not but if they did Michael either couldn't control it or he was to slow."
"Wait, explosions?"
Tori nodded. "Someone knew how to get grenades."
"Maybe their the same group that I encountered last night." Jade muttered to herself, though Tori still heard her.
However the Latina decided not to press the subject, "What about you? What can you do?"
"A few things actually. I have heightened senses, you know sight, hearing, reflexes, etcetera. My main power however are these." With her fists balled up Jade let her bone claws out. Tori gasped and stared at the claws.
Jade got an idea in her mind, "Or...maybe this should be considered my main power." With that she drove the left set of claws straight through her right arm.
Tori shrieked, "Holy crap! Jade, what the hell are you doing!?"
Jade started laughing as she pulled the claws out, leaving three horrible wounds behind.
Tori stood up and moved to Jade to look at the injury, "This isn't funny, Jade! This is serious! We should get you to the hospit-" Before she could finish her sentence the wound slowly closed up, leaving no trace that it even happened. "I-What the hell?"
"Healing factor. Man that was funny. You should've seen your face."
Tori slapped her shoulder, "That wasn't funny! I thought you were seriously injured!"
Jade grinned, "It was funny to me."
Tori glared at her and retook her seat on the couch, balling up the empty burrito wrapping and throwing it in the bag. "So, wait. You're like Wolverine and X-23."
"Who the hell is X-23?"
"I'm not sure exactly, but when I saw her on the news she was with the X-Men and had two claws in her fists and a third in her feet. There's rumors that she's Wolverine's daughter on the internet."
"Wait...X-23." Experiment 23? Jade though to herself. With something to ponder she shook her head. "Yes, I'm like Wolverine. However, unlike Wolverine my fingernails grow awfully fast. And they're always so sharp. It's weird."
"Maybe that says something about you."
"Bite me, Vega."
"Bet you'd like that."
Jade rolled her eyes and retracted her claws. "More like you'd like it."
Tori smirked and decided to throw a curve ball, "Indeed I would. Just tell me where you want it."
Jade just stared at the girl for a moment before getting her train back on track, "My ass."
"Kinky."
"Your sick."
Tori laughed and laid back on the couch.
Jade shook her head, "Last night you said something about your parents trying to give you a cure...are you not going back?"
"No. My parents are mutant haters. I'm a runaway now. Just for another year until I'm legal anyway...you a runaway?"
Jade thought for a moment, "I guess technically I am."
"I've got a proposition for you. There's a lot of mutant haters around here. Not to mention we'll get the cops on us sooner or later. If you watch your back I'll watch yours. Deal?"
"I suppose that could work…"
"I'm glad you agree. So, now what?"
"I think I just want to relax...I had a rough day yesterday."
"Okay. If you want to talk about it.."
"Don't get your hopes up on that." Jade said, standing up and walking out of the room.
Tori watched her go with a sigh.