Chapter 25

The Brotherhood House

Ellie stood with her back against the kitchen counter as she stared at her backpack full of belongings on the chair across the room. Pietro's words were swimming in her head, making it hard for her to form a clear thought. She pushed her bangs away from her face before making her way across the room. She threw her backpack over one shoulder and headed toward the front door.

"Hey!" Toad yelled, inserting his body between Ellie and the door. "You know it's the weekend, right?"

"Yes," Ellie replied, gripping the strap of her backpack tightly.

"Then why do you have your backpack?"

"Toad, can I please just get out of this house?"

"Get out? Why would you wanna do that? I mean, I'm in here, and that's the most gorgeous thing you'll see all day."

"If that's true then I have no hope for the human race."

"Ouch! You and Pietro have been spending too much time together yo."

"Yeah, I know."

Ellie shifted her eyes to the door behind Toad, trying to figure out how she was going to get around him. She could just push him out of the way. Everyone else was always pushing him around so she doubted that he would mind.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Toad asked, his voice a bit more serious now.

"Yeah," Ellie answered quietly.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted. Having you around I mean. I'll miss the food and I'm sure Blob will miss ya a bit. Lance probably won't care."

Ellie didn't want to hear anymore from Toad. She hadn't felt guilty about abandoning the group of boys that helped her out in the street and then let her into their home until now. Ellie made her way past Toad and opened the door.

"Pietro will miss you too, ya know," Toad informed her. Ellie squeezed the doorknob but left the house anyway.

There was a dampness to the air that sent a chill down Ellie's spine as she walked down the street. Gray clouds hung in the sky and followed her on her trip to nowhere. She had considered going to the X Mansion, but decided not too. That was Eli's sanctuary, not hers. Going back there would be like admitting defeat, and she didn't want that.

A small rumble of thunder made her look over her shoulder, reminding her that she wasn't exactly safe at the moment. She recalled her encounter with the white haired man at the grocery store and narrowed her eyes. As she climbed to the top of the pavement road she had been following she stopped and examined the town that was ahead of her.

Tall gray buildings seemed colder as they loomed over the streets below. She could see the people passing by one another with complete disregard. Ellie was going to turn around and go back to her aunt's home when an explosion within the city stopped her. The sound alone hurt her ears even with the distance between her and the town.

With her heart pounding in her chest and her curiosity peaked, Ellie pulled her inhaler from her backpack before placing it beneath a tree on the side of the road. She tucked the inhaler into her jeans pocket and sprinted down the road, heading into the city.

The X-Mansion

"I'm so bored," Evan groaned as he placed his head on the dinning room table. Kurt teleported himself in a sitting position on the table in front of him.

"Tell me about it," he said. "It's so dull outside too."

Eli sat on the window seat with his forehead against the window. The thunder would shake the glass every few minutes, reminding him to stop brooding. He always hated it when his sister would act this way, and he didn't want to bring his new friends down.

"Hey guys, look!" Evan yelled as he got out of his seat. Eli pulled away from the window and looked to the mounted television. Evan turned up the volume as the three boys watched footage of a bus burst into flames in Bayville. A reporter appeared on the screen.

"This is Katie Clemens with Channel 3 News and behind me is the scene of what appears to be an automotive accident," she explained as people screamed and ran around behind her. "It looks like a bus that has slammed head first into the building behind me has somehow exploded. Many adults and children are claimed to be inside the bus that is pinned against the building by two cars."

"What do we do?" Eli asked, getting to his feet. "We can help them right?"

"We've gotta tell everyone and get down there," Evan said.

"Wait, stop!" the reporter yelled, grabbing the boys' attention once more. "Young lady you can't go over there! It's dangerous!"

They watched as Ellie ran past the reporter and climb over one of the cars behind the bus. Eli felt his heart sink in his chest as his sister ran into an accident scene and out of sight.

"Go get everyone, I'll meet you down there!" Eli yelled as he ran out of the room.

The Brotherhood House

Pietro walked into the living room where Fred was sitting on the couch and flipping through television channels. He folded his arms over his chest and watched the picture on the screen change every few seconds.

"Nothing good on, huh?" he asked.

"Same old stuff," Fred replied. Toad entered the room and ran his shoulder into Pietro's as he passed him.

"Have you lost your mind?" Pietro angrily asked. "What was that for?"

"Just for pushin' a cute girl who can cook outta the house," Toad replied.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ellie left."

"She left?" Fred asked, stopping on channel 6.

"Yeah and it's all Pietro's fault."

"My fault?" Pietro yelled. "What did I do?"

"I don't know but it's your fault. You always ruin everything."

"Oh man, check that out," Lance said as he entered the room and saw the television screen. The boys turned their attention to the news reporter that appeared.

"I'm Barry Meadows with Channel 6 News and the footage you are seeing is from a bus accident that occurred just moments ago. A bus full of civilians, some of which are children, is pinned against this building and has caught fire," the reporter explained.

"Oh wow," Lance said quietly. "Little kids and everything."

"Yeah well that will teach them to take public transportation," Pietro said, brushing the whole thing off. "Now how is it my fault that Ellie left?"

"Hey look!" Toad screamed. "There she is!"

"Miss, please get back!" the reporter yelled as Ellie jumped onto the hood of a car. "You'll get hurt! Come back!" Ellie disappeared into the black smoke behind the bus.

"We gotta help her," Fred said, standing up.

"We don't gotta do anything," Pietro added. "If she wants to go play the hero then let her."

"She could get hurt, man," Lance pointed out. "You really aren't gonna help her make it outta there safe?"

"She left us, right? Why should we stick our necks out for her?"

"We did it before. What makes this time any different?"

"Enough talk, let's go!" Fred yelled. He and Toad left the house.

"Go if you want but I'm staying here," Pietro told Lance.

"I will go," Lance replied. "Because I'd feel pretty bad about myself is something happened to that girl and I did nothing to prevent it. She was one of us after all."

Lance left the house, leaving Pietro alone. He scowled to himself and looked back to the television. The bus was still in flames and Ellie was still nowhere to be seen. Pietro rolled his eyes.

"Stupid girl," he said to himself. "She never belonged here."