Story at the Bottom of this Bottle
Part 9 of the Untraveled Road Universe
It wasn't a good day for the mutant named Mystique.
The sirens in the background were a good example of that. The fact that the X-men weren't far behind was too.
She was in a park in the middle of the city. Not her most elaborate hiding place, but she was desperate and in a hurry. Besides, she'd be leaving soon.
"Hi."
Whirling around, the mutantess was really to strike…a 7 year old boy. She relaxed, only to tense again when she realized that she was in her natural blue form. Mystique waited for the boy to run away from the "monster," screaming.
She didn't expect him to keep talking. "My name's Harry Wilson. You're really pretty! How'd you get your skin that color? It looks so cool!"
This…was unexpected. Mystique stared at the kid. "You're not afraid?" she asked.
He just shrugged. "You're not that scary. Kinda like one of my snakes." At his words, a small, scaly head poked his head out of the boy's shirt collar. "This is Bea and she's a Black Mamba. They're supposed to be really verminous, which is totally different from poisonous, but she promised not to bite anyone as long as they don't hurt me."
Mystique smiled at the little mutant—what else could control such a dangerous pet?—and shook her head. "I wish everyone thought like you."
"Why?"
"Because normal people think people like me are dangerous, like Bea, and want to lock us away. And if we fight back, or attack before they can hurt us, we're the bad guys."
"But you're not a bad guy!"
"I'm kind of a bad guy." She could admit that. She was old enough to know that some other desperate actions weren't the smartest. "They have a point."
He pouted. "But you're nice!"
"Nice doesn't always mean safe. Bea isn't safe, is she?"
He glanced down at his snake. "No…but she won't hurt me."
Mystique smiled. "And neither will I. I have to go now." The sirens were getting closer and closer. "Be careful."
With that, Mystique morphed into a young man and ran off.