As I had this idea pretty much set up, I thought I would just but it out there. I wouldn't call this "mature" content as such, but I'll just out a warning anyway as its a touchy subject for some people.
i fell in love with this song after watching a tribute for pyro, it fits him so well it's untrue!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything accept OCs, all the rest belong to the creative mind of marvel.
with that done, on with the chapter...
Cause I'm highly flammable,
A caged up animal,
I will go off on you,
You better take it back,
I'm about to snap,
I will go off on you, oh,
Porcelain and the tramps ~ Gasoline
The skirt was way too tight, the black fabric just covering my bottom, thus having to wear black tights as not to look like a slut. Saying that, the top I wore held pins in particular areas that made me look like a gothic Frankenstein, the sleeves tightly clung to my wrist, and rips in the fabric meant I had to wear a black shirt underneath. Boots that came to my knees finished the outfit, luckily the heels weren't so large that I couldn't walk.
"I don't know about this." I insisted, feeling uncomfortable in the clothes, way past the gothic/slut stage from when I had been an adventurous rebel.
"You look amazing Sam. Just try and have some fun tonight, we both need a break." Johanna replied, not even looking at me as she stared at the building. New York City at night is a beautiful sight, the different vibrant colours lighting up nearly every inch of the city.
Unfortunately, this bar that Johanna's friend had mentioned, wasn't as glorious as we had expected. Hidden in an narrow alleyway, me almost tripping over beer and vodka bottles as we lumbered down it, meant the place clearly didn't want to be noticed. We came to an iron door, orange rust covering certain areas such as around the door handle.
Johanna looked at me as if I had an answer, I shrugged my shoulders, one of the pins scraping against chest, I hoped there wouldn't be a mark. She loudly knocked on the iron, the sound projecting loudly along the alleyway.
The first few minutes nothing happened, then the door opened to reveal a burly doorman. His bald head was tiny compared to the rest of his body, his physique easily compared to a blob form than anything else. He looked us up and down in a suspicious manner, then spoke with a gruff voice.
"Identification."
Johanna and I shared a confused look, the doorman sighing before explaining himself.
"Show me your mutant power." He sounded annoyed, so we quickly thought of a way to show him, Johanna going first as she telepathically said something to him. He grunted, finding whatever she had said offensive. I searched for any type of water, hastily finding a drain attached to the building behind us. I raised a hand, extending my fingers apart and focused on the water that dripped out of it, there was just enough to create a small sphere of water. Slowly I forced it to move in front of me, so the doorman could see.
He was satisfied, so I let the water drop onto the floor of the alleyway with a plop. The iron door opened as the doorman pulled it open with little effort. Me and Johanna slipped inside, making sure we made no eye contact at the doorman.
Instantly we were met with music blaring and disco type lights, shades of orange, red and green were common as they danced among the many different mutants.
When I was at Xavier's school with other mutants, I felt safe and accepted, here, was a different feeling;I felt unwelcome. Johanna noticed by unease, for once concerned for my sake as she knew I hated crowds of people, but she remained strong and hook an arm around mine. She guided me to a table in the corner of the massive bar, away from most people so I didn't feel claustrophobic. Still there was this danger hanging in the air, a sensation that warned me multiple times. I just tried to ignore it, not letting it spoil the night out.
We sat at the table, a red tablecloth with a few smudged stains lay over the wood. Johanna stayed close to me, as reassurance more then anything else. Unlike any normal person, we didn't go up and buy drinks, we (or rather Johanna) waited for an unlucky victim, nearly every single one falling for Johanna's charm.
It didn't take long, maybe about ten minutes we sat in the corner, all the rays of colour passing over us every few seconds. A guy built for soccer walked up to us, quite thin but with muscles that meant he would be good at agility, quiff his style that was a midnight black.
The only imperfect thing about him, was that his eyes bulged like two golf balls on either side of his nose, I personally didn't have anything against him, he wasn't exactly in attractive but I could tell Johanna was looking for a different type.
"Evening ladies, mind if I join you?" He asked smoothly, neither of us able to protest as he quickly zipped into the seat closest to me. It was easy to see his mutant power was moving exceedingly quickly, which meant we had no time to react to his quick movement.
"You can join us, if you're buying." Johanna offered, the guy not evening having second thoughts. I could smell his stale breath from where I sat, all it reminded me off was newly caught fish.
"Any preference?" He asked, still using that sly smoothly tone. Johanna bite her lip seductivly, as if she were trying to think of a reasonable drink.
"A couple of vodka shots, with lemon." She ordered, batting her eyelashes (she really didn't need the suggestion power, all she needed was to be herself.) Luckily he left without question, hastily disappearing towards the bar with his superhuman speed.
I turned to Johanna, a surprise/impressed look on my face.
"I thought you would have told him to hit the road, why didn't you?" I asked with honesty, Johanna just smirked knowingly.
"The thing about guys like that, they're so desperate they'll do anything for a shag...but he ain't getting any tonight." She answered without a shred of sympathy for the guy she was playing, it was cruel, but from how he had acted he probably deserved it.
As we waited for the drinks, I scanned the room in search of anyone from school. There were a lot of burly guys hulking down strong drinks of red liquid, women in tight revealing skirts cackling amongst themselves. It wasn't a place for me, I couldn't sit still as paranoia slithered in my brain.
"Look I might just go back home, its too crowded." I went to stand up when Johanna gripped my shoulder, eyes full of what I could only describe as being fear. This fear struck me, never expecting to see the emotion in such an outgoing person. We'd known each other since the first day I joined Xavier's school, and honestly, I would be a wreck without her bringing me out of my shell.
"The bus isn't going to be here for another hour, lets just stay for a drink and then we'll go. Don't leave me here alone, please?" She asked, no, she begged. I understood, she didn't like this place at all but she didn't want to seem weak. Quickly I sat down again, smiling reassuringly at my best friend, silently saying:
"I would never leave you alone, you never left me."
We chatted for a bit, Johanna's fear gradually deteriorating the more we gossiped. Mostly Johanna did the gossip, going on about a new kid named Bobby and how is mutant power was super cool (unknown to me that she meant literally) and that he was a hottie. I listened half heartedly, really just wanting the comfort of our dorm around us as we chattered.
The guy came back with our drinks, walking at normal speed as not to spill the drinks. He placed the tray of vodka shots onto the table, there being a lot more than a couple.
"I thought we might have a little drinking game." He explained, obviously meaning Johanna and not me. She thought for a second, wondering whether this was a good idea or not, to me it wasn't, and Johanna seemed to acknowledge my concern.
"If I get too into this, do anything you can to stop me, and I mean anything."
She telepathically sent to me, giving me the responsibility of the mature one. She smiled at the guy, biting her lip again.
"Sure, lets liven up this place a little."
I tried desperately to stop her, but whatever I said she would just take another shot, unaware how much alcohol was going into her system. I had lost count of how many she had had, me way past worry and onto complete fear that she would drink too much. The guy, now named Fredric, kept buying more and more drinks, not in the least as intoxicated as Johanna who had fallen into fits of giggles multiple times.
As she begun to scoff down another shot, I quickly grabbed her wrist, momentary shock forming on her face before it changed into a quirky drunken grin.
"What's wrong Sam? Jealous I can handle my drink?" She quipped in a slurred language, me mentally noting that she became a bitch when she was drunk. I screwed by face into a serious look, hoping it would help to make her realise what she was doing to herself.
"Johanna you need to stop, if you drink anymore you'll collapse." I said forcefully, never dropping the glare. Johanna just snickered, finding my serious face amusing as in her perception, there were two of me.
"Oh look who's getting all worked up. And all because she couldn't save her wittle brother from drowning." She pouted. The words stung, me practically screaming at myself not to cry.
Fredric simply watched the conversation, slyly knowing that no matter how much he drank he couldn't get drunk, perfect for picking up unknowing girls.
Biting the inside of my cheeks, I forced Johanna's wrist to the table, snatching the shot glass out of her hand and dragging her towards the bathroom. She tried to break free from my hold, but I gripped tighter with a determination not to turn around and hit her.
It's not her talking, it's just the alcohol.
I repeated to myself, finding the bathroom and pushing her inside. The tiled walls were covered in black graffiti, from sex lines to love hearts, the grubby place bringing back painful memories of a care home.
I let go of her arm, Johanna stumbling as she tried to regain the balance she didn't have. Again giggles escaped her lips, the makeup now smudged from the shot glasses. Raising and dropping her hands by her side, she looked as if nothing wrong had been said.
"Oh come on Sam, I meant nothin' by it, it sorta slipped out." She sighed, the room spinning through her eyes. I couldn't believe her, so hard I tried to keep my voice at a normal level, really wanting to leave soon.
"Nothing by it? You just told a complete stranger about something personal, something devastating to me. That was meant to be our secret, I thought I could trust you." I sounded as if I was about to cry, tear ducts beginning to fill as I could barely look at my best friend.
Her face changed, eyes bulged as she rushed into a toilet cubicle. The sounds of her wrenching made my stomach flip, but I forced myself not to throw up as well.
Before I could go and pull her hair out of the way, two bony hands laced around my shoulders. The shock of the touch jolted my body, making goosebumps appear over my pale skin. Hurriedly I was turned around to face Fredric, a fearful feeling ran through me as there was lust in his eyes.
"You're friend is one hell of a girl, but, I prefer the more innocent type." He whispered into my ear, the fish smell making me jerk away in disgust. He shook me, never faltering his grip on my shoulders.
"Ah, ah, ah...you better play nice, or it will just be worse for you." He threatened with menace, before yanking me into a horrible kiss. He forced his tongue against my teeth, trying to find an opening, I kept them shut as I failed to push him away from me. He quickly removed one hand off my shoulder and yanked at my hair, the pain enough for me to yelp so he could force his tongue down my throat.
It felt unclean as his evil tongue wormed around my mouth, me so tempted to bite down on it with my teeth. Because off his grip on my hair, I knew that would be a bad call, instead I frantically searched for the sinks. When I found them, I willed the water to burst through the pipes, I could feel it spitting up through the pumps, making squeaking noises along the way.
Just as he was about to rip at my top, the water blew a tap clean off and hit him on the forehead. He barked in shock, his grip lessened enough for me to pull away. I stumbled backwards just able to keep my balance as I scurried out of his reach, finding the safety of the wall opposite.
I breathed heavily, still having the twisted taste of his stale breath in my mouth. Fredric had a large bump form on his forehead, his face revealing anger as his eyes glared at me with loathing.
"You're gonna pay for that sweetie." He snarled, but he never got the chance. We were interrupted by a familiar sound of a clicking lighter.
In the doorway, dressed in the same clothes he had worn earlier, was pyromaniac Allerdyce. He leaned against the door, clicking and unclicking the lighter as he looked at Fredric.
You have no idea how happy I am to see you.
I thought as I clung to the wall, the cold tiles bringing a small relief that no-one could sneak up on me.
"I was just minding my own business, and then I saw you, following two girls into the bathroom...good thing I was suspicious." Even though he used the same arrogant tone, it was easy to tell it was a threat for Fredric to back down, I swore I even heard him gulp at Allerdyce's words.
"Now, I'll let you go without a fuss. But if you do try anything funny, well, I'll just have to burn your ass." He said, clicking the lighter open and letting the flame burn, Fredric stared at it, scrunched his hand into a fist, and then thought better of it. He turned to me, eyes aflame in anger.
"This isn't over sweetie, your boyfriend won't be around to protect you forever." He promised, sneering before pushing past Allerdyce.
When he was out of sight, I breathed a sigh of relief, my legs giving way as I slid downwards to the floor. My whole body shook, feeling dirty from the monster's groping. Allerdyce stormed straight towards me, putting his lighter in his pocket as kneeled to my level.
"You okay?" He asked in a normal tone, seeming to actually care how I felt. I closed my eyes, blocking out Fredric's bug-like eyes.
I simply shook my head as tears streamed down my face, chokes escaping my throat.
Allerdyce sat beside me against the wall, making sure not a single part of him touched me, but his presence was enough to know he was there. He never left my side as the minutes passed, Johanna still barfing up all the alcohol. Luckily he didn't call the police or school, he just waited until I was brave enough to leave the horrible place, helping me drag Johanna's drunken form towards the bus that would take us back to school.
Even then, he didn't leave my side, not saying a single word as he stared out the window. My eyes were red with painful tears, knowing that nightmares of Fredric's roaming hands and Isaac's death would plague me more than usual.
"John." I faintly heard Allerdyce speak, making me turn my head in his direction, confusion sketched onto my features.
"pardon?"
"That's my name, John." He answered slowly, me not totally registering what he was saying.
"I'm Sam." I replied, not really sure what to say. He nodded his head, still never taking his eyes off the fast moving landscape.
"Nice to meet you Sam." He mumbled, never speaking another word.
We remained in silence the whole way, only Johanna's snoring breaking the awkwardness as she slept with her mouth wide open. I knew I wouldn't have the luxury of sleep, not for a few months as Isaac's drowned corpse flashed in front of my eyes.
"Sammy, why don't we ever see dad?"
"Because he's off fighting bad people."
"What, like a superhero?"
"Yeah, that's what dad is, he's a superhero."
If only it were true...
Another chapter done, and a little heroic John thrown in to save Sam...I hope that wasn't too cliche XD. Anyway, please review, and see you soon!
~Gothgirlstrikesagain