I was found in an underground bunker that had been abandoned for over 20 years by a group of blue and yellow spandex wearing misfits.
Sounds crazy, doesn't it? I'll be honest and admit that my initial reaction was that it sounded like some bullshit. Then, I found out I was a mutant, like, in the Marvel universe. You know, like Stan Lee's comics? Uh, The Amazing Spider-Man? X-Men? The Avengers?
Yeah, I was fucked if I didn't win the literal genetic lottery.
...
After having woken me up to start his day, the large, furry blue cat-like mutant had me doing physical tests and asking me questions about who I was. Not getting much of an answer so far.
"You say somethin?" I ask, glancing back at Dr. McCoy.
He asks, smiling wryly as he checks my blood pressure, "Is there anything else you would like to tell me about yourself?"
I shake my head no, fiddling with the hem of my t-shirt.
"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, my door is always open," he says warmly. "This institute is a place where young mutants, such as yourself, can come and understand the use of your gifts and abilities-"
I honestly don't remember the rest of his speech, and, while he means well, I can't be bothered to have to remember all his technobabble about, whatever it was he was talking about.
Afterward, I was given back my belongings that I had arrived with, a paper map of the entire school, and a white metal water bottle with a black 'X' on it. I was then informed that most of the students won't be returning to school until later this week. Therefore, I should have plenty of time to fully explore the campus and get acclimated before classes begin.
After my release from the exam, I was escorted by a girl my age on a full tour of the campus before being dropped off at my dorm-room.
...
A couple of days in, and I have yet to interact with any members of the student body.
I try to avoid people as much as possible. Would they believe me if I told them I was originally nineteen and had been reduced to my now physical age of around sixteen? Or what about the fact that they're really just characters from a comic book? Hell, even the fact that I'm from another universe might sound like me spouting a bunch of nonsense.
Sitting alone in the cafeteria, I was eating my tray of food and reading a small magazine about guns and shit. Not the best use of my limited life, especially when you consider at any point in time during the day we could be abruptly attacked by some goon-squad hellbent on destroying both our school and our DNA as a whole.
Yeah, definitely not using my time wisely.
Lately, the only things I have to occupy my mind during the day are the library, swimming pool, and cafeteria.
I honestly hate it here. Not being able to use my phone. My music playlist.
Kill me now.
...
After the third day of me being here, I got over my fears, did a little bit of this, of that, and then huzzah! I somehow got ahold of an adapter for my phone charger.
I definitely didn't make it out of tapewire, an old iPhone charger, and a plug-in charger for someone's computer. No siree. Definitely didn't steal to get what I want.
And just when I thought things were starting to go my way that was when this twisted universe decided to fuck me over when a guy in black came out of nowhere and started started shooting at everyone. It was then I decided hiding was the best solution. But when he started getting too close for my tastes, I started to go bat-shit crazy thinking about dying a second time.
So, like any sane human being tasked with surviving in stressful situations, I improvised.
Still sitting alone away from any crowds of children and teenagers, I pop a single pill into my mouth and swallow it with the water still left in the bottle I received on my first day here.
What was I talking about? Right, breaking a man's knee with a fire extinguisher. Fun times.
He didn't seem to like that I broke his kneecap with, what I've since fondly called, Big Red, so he started shooting in the the general direction I was in, missing me for the most part.
For the most part.
I was hit in the left shoulder, right chest, and my throat. Causing me to bleed profusely and without any warning whatsoever. Just 'bang bang bang' with a pistol then I was one step away on the porch of Death's front door.
Not fun, let me tell you.
It was then a group of stupid teenagers thought it to be a good idea to jump the poor guy who's kneecap I broke. And being the unlucky son-of-a-bitch I am, I was saved by a golden skinned mutant by the name of Joshua, who had the superpower to heal. The only reason I remember his name was because it's the same as my brother.
Taking a moment from eating my food to sigh, I pop off the top of the pill bottle and drop two more pills into my hand, drinking it down with just my spit.
'Much better.' I think, sighing giddily after a while of letting the pills settle, where ever it is, in my body.
Popping my neck twice on the left, then thrice on the right, I turn my head in the direction of what is a commotion outside invoking two groups of teenagers.
'I'm not dealing with that today.' I think, before speaking to myself, "You're on your own, kids."
I then make my way back to my dorm room, to catch up on listening to the radio/clock that was in my room, flicking the nob to select the classical music station, I jump to lay down on my bed.
Looking at the time shows me it's 2:03pm.
"Sigh. What the fuck am so supposed to do now?" I ask myself, my body still feeling tingly.
Deciding to boot up my phone from another universe, I decided to look through my old text messages with my brother.
Me: where did my money go?
Brother: vbucks
...
Later during that night, I was just minding my business, listening to classical music while I study some book for Computer Science.
I'm so royally fucked when school officially starts.
While I was in my musings, I felt the need to take a shit.
Lowering the classics music, I hide my other universe phone in my backpack, not bothering to take it into the bathroom.
Don't wanna accidentally dropping it. That would suck.
Right after I had washed my hands after the beautiful dump I just took, I walked in to see a brown-haired girl was in my room.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked in an accusatory manner, coming out of the bathroom with the flushing of a toilet behind me, wearing nothing but my underwear and a light blue no-sleeve shirt.
She briefly looks down to my underwear with a look, seemingly surprised I was even here, still leaning against the dorm room door, cupping her ears against the door to better hear... whatever it is she's trying to hear.
"I'm trying not to get caught by Wolverine!" She whispers a hiss in a barely noticeable Venezuelan accent.
"So? Why are you specifically in my room?" I ask, walking to my twin bed and sitting down atop the grey coloured comforter.
"Because it's the closest one to Julian's!" She practically yells the first part, before calming her voice immediately, finishing the last part practically in a embarrassed whisper.
"So, what, you're a stalker?" I raise my right eyebrow, still confused as to why she's out here so fucking goddamn late, in the boys dorm building no less.
"Ugh!" She groans, before perking up at what I assume was a sound from outside the door.
Next thing I know, she pretty much runs into the bathroom, gags at the smell, then closes the door behind her.
The front door of my dorm opens, revealing a short, hairy, manlet.
That's honestly the best explanation I have for the wolverine Faunus.
Oh shit, wrong franchise.
"You seen Sofia around?" He gruffly asks, like the creepy stalker he probably is. Jesus, there is a lot of stalkers going around today, should I be worried?
"Who the fuck is Sofia?" I ask in honest-to-god confusion, still sitting on my bed. I really don't even know who the hell he's talking about.
"Sofia? Sofia Mantega? Whatever. See you around, kid." He asks, before eventually realising he doesn't get paid enough for this shit, saying farewell, then leaving, closing the door on his way out.
The bathroom door swings open, revealing the brown-haired girl holding her breath, looking like she'll pass out any minute.
She walks out of the bathroom a few feet away from the door, starting to finally breath for what seems like a little while.
"Whew, that was close." She says, closing her eyes and sighing right after, before looking me dead in the eyes and glares.
"What?" I snappingly ask her, itching under my chin for a second.
I miss my chin beard.
"Why was your bathroom smelling like someone died?" She asks, trying to be threatening with her glare.
"I took a shit in there just a little bit ago, obviously." I point out, crossing my arms, "It's your fault really for going in there in the first place."
Her gaze softens. Sighing, she goes to thinking.
"Whatever."
There's an awkward pause; I try looking directly at her in her eyes but she instead looks around the room in some minor interest.
"What's that?" She asks, pointing to my two-headed bear version of the California Republic flag I had hanging on the wall over my bed.
Silence was her answer as I deadpanned at the girl.
She sighs, "Alright, I'll leave."
As she's about to open the door, she looks back at me.
"And thanks for not telling the teacher about me."
And with that, she leaves.
"Who the fuck was that again?"
...
I make my way to the Computer Science room, it being my first period.
Today, I decided I'd go a little earlier than I would usually.
If I were at my old high school, I wouldn't even show up. The teachers here are lucky I'm trying not to get caught slacking.
Don't want any more suspicion on my ass.
Anyway, as I reached a couple of feet past a group of people, a familiar voice called out to me.
"Hey, you!" The brown-haired girl came running, leaving her friends' group circle mid-talk.
"Oh, hey you..." I trail off, forgetting her name.
"Who are you again?"
She looks completely off her game at that question, before smiling and saying,
"From last night! Don't you remember?"
Thinking back I remember her, I'm just gonna see how long it takes for her to realise I'm fucking with her.
"Huh?" I ask in faux confusion.
"Y-you don't remember me?" She asks, her voice going quiet.
I almost feel bad.
Almost.
"No, I don't think I've met you before. Name's Gabriel." I offer her my hand to shake.
She reluctantly takes it, then shakes it with both hands since my hands are bigger than her's times two.
"Nice to meet you, Gabriel" She says, before continuing, "My name is Sofia, Sofia Mantego."
"Nice to meet you, Sofia." I say, still having not smiled, my seemingly cold face boring into her skull whilst my tired voice seemingly more not-so friendly.
All of a sudden she shivers for a second, then puts on a strong front, continuing to smile.
"If you want to, you can hang out with us later at lunch?" She suggests to me, offering a place with her group.
Unfortunately, I'm not looking to make any friends while I'm here in this school.
'Just two more years, Gabe. Just two more years.' I repeat the mantra I made once I found out I was de-aged into a sixteen year old me.
"No, I'm good. I'm thinking of studying later tonight." A short pause, "By myself." I clarify, making my choice that much clearer.
She winced slightly, but it's barely noticeable because she went back to being jolly-n-shit.
"No worries! Maybe tomorrow?"
"I'll think about it; For now, I gotta go talk to the teacher first."
The bell rings because the stupid bitch distracted me from my first objective of the day.
"Or not." I comment after, my voice seemingly losing the will to live.
...
After my class had finished, I had about five minutes left to get to my next class, which was, guess what? Combat.
Fuck me, it's too early for this shit.
I walked into the wrestling room and saw a group of at least twenty teenagers waiting for the teacher to arrive for class.
And arrive for class he did.
Wearing a toga without shoes or socks, he sure as hell showed the world something. But it certainly wasn't how manly or how well he took care of his feet. Shit was absolutely foul.
"Alright, get into the locker rooms and dress down into your clothes in your lockers." Was what I think he said, in that gruff way of speaking of his.
When I got into the locker rooms, I saw there weren't any locks in place, meaning anyone can steal stuff all Willy-nilly. I suppose it's because most people don't even attempt to steal anything under the threat of getting caught and caring about the consequences.
A real shame they haven't met me yet.
I went to some random person's locker and found a black inhaler-like thing with a red 'X' on it.
'Huh.' I think, yoinking it and placing it somewhere in my backpack that was now in my locker.
"This is mine now."
After, I look in my own, I find a white toga neatly folded in my overhead where I put my backpack.
After taking my black sweatpants off, I then place some red short on, afterward putting the toga over my clothes. I then made my way back to the flock of my classmates into the wrestling room.
...
My third period was Art.
Not much to say about it, it was art. It's not that sophisticated or hard to do. Just draw shit and paint. That's it.
Fourth was American History. Was a fun class. Mostly because I was high as a kite, and was seated in the back not doing anything bad.
Fifth was Ethics. The teacher was unnaturally hot. Like, plastic surgery kind of hot.
And for my sixth, I had a free period, to which I spent in reading comic books in the Library.
The irony. Trust me, I know.
...
"Fuck. Blrrghh."
I quip in my head, 'Don't take drugs, kids,' as I breathe heavily and hunch over a sink in my dorm room.
"Fuck, what did I take?" I whimpered and whined, hating every second of this sickness I had after huffing the shit out of that inhaler.
"My head's gonna fucking explode!" I wince at the sudden headache that hit me faster than any other drug I've taken before in my life.
"I-I'm just gonna take a nap."
Getting into bed and taking a rest, I immediately fall asleep.
My alarm clock started to ring loudly at 7:30, prompting me to wake up to the new day.
My headache has improved, although it's not completely gone.
"I wish I had some Advil," I muttered as I walked into the bathroom.
Next thing I knew, I had a bottle of Advil in my hand.
"What the fuck!" I threw it against the bathroom wall. The pills in the bottle smacked against the inside as it hit the tile floor.
"Fuck." It was then I remembered everything the past few days, completely sobering up with my mental faculties being fixed as if I just used Flex Tape to plug up a broken pipe.
...
"Jesus."
That's the only thing I've said since I sobered up.
"What the hell have I been doing!"
"I mean, popping pills, are you kidding me!?"
I groan in annoyance at my past actions.
"And huffing Kick? That shit would kill me now that I have the x-gene!"
...
After my hour of ranting to myself, I was found in my first period class listening to Ms. Pryde lecturing one of the students about keeping the computers clean and not to eat food while on the desks.
I continued to listen to Ms. Pryde as I fully start to notice how technologically superior this universe is compared to back home just by looking at the computers desktop. This goes without even the year being put into question.
2003. Jesus, is this what my life has come to? A time-traveling, Inter-dimensional being from another universe where there aren't any super-powered people?
Fuck me sideways.
After class, I had gone to my dorm room to finish a book I got the other day from the Library, putting the radio on with some jazz music.
Actually, what is my second period again?
Combat.
That's what it was.
Huh, I guess I'll just say I'm sick.
It was then I heard loud banging coming from the outside of my door.
"You better open this door, kid!"
"Well, shit."