Day One: Introductions

[Vergere 1]

"But I love unpredictable trainwrecks!" She smiled reassuringly.

Lance came out, holding two helmets. "Ready, Nat?"

[Rogue 4]

"You bet!" Natalie said, catching the helmet he threw to her. "I might come back later tonight. I heard a rumor somebody booked a live band for some dancing."

***

Mystique followed him, changing forms again. This time she changed into that of Natalie Brook. She knew that form would at least get a rise out of him. "Marcus!" She exclaimed, running after him.

[Vergere 1]

Lance looked around innocently, "What on earth are you talking about...."

[Rogue 4]

"Oh I wonder..." She laughed, grabbing him by the arm. "Come on loverboy. Kelly can't miss you if you don't go away." She teased.

[Vergere 1]

He let her drag him out, "Goodbye, my love! Goodbye! Until we meet again!" He was just overly dramatic all the way out of the Cove, and Kelly just grinned and rolled her eyes the entire time.

Lance led Natalie over to his bike and put on his helmet. "Ready?"

[Rogue 4]

Natalie nodded, trying to contain her laughter as she strapped her helmet on and hopped on the back of his bike. She held onto him to make sure she wouldn't fly off the bike. "All set."

[Vergere 1]

Lance just smiled and revved up the bike, and took Natalie home, letting her enjoy the scenic route as they buzzed down the various roads to her house. He pulled up next to the house and turned off the bike. "Well... here we are. If you want to come back by later, call me or Kelly and one of us will come pick you up. Sound good?"

[Mara 29]

On his way up to grab some food, Joseph had waved to Lance. He made it up to the food counter. "Kell! Fancy making me a nice good ol' hoagie?" He grinned.

* * * * * * * * *

Back at her house, August was in the kitchen, looking for something to eat or drink. She finally decided on just a bottle of water and an apple from the bowl on the counter. She took her prizes upstairs to her room. Setting them on a table near her bed, she gathered all her drawing utensils and paper and folded down on her bed, laying on her stomach with her art stretched in front of her.

[Rogue 4]

Natalie nodded, smiling to him as she took off her helmet and handed it to him. "Thanks Lance. I might just take you up on that."

A blond man in his forties peered out the screen door, looking to the two of them before his eyesbrows knit together. He opened the door, yelling "Natalie, let's go!"

She looked over her shoulder to her father, then back to Lance. "Uh oh, I'm in trouble. I'll see you later Lance. Thank Kelly for me again."

She ran up the stairs to the house, walking in past her father, who took another long moment to glare in Lance's general direction before he closed the door.

[Vergere 1]

Murmured, "Of course." Lance just glared coolly back at the man before raising his hands, somewhat defensively, and got back on the motorcycle and returned to the Cove.

****

Kelly raised an eyebrow. "What's it worth to you?"

[Mara 29]

"Priceless, amiga!" He rubbed his stomach. "You know I love your sandwiches. No one makes 'em better." Joseph's eyes twinkled.

[Vergere 1]

Kelly smiled, "Mmm. You sure know how to win a girl's heart over. Sit down and I'll get it for you." She just grinned and shook her head while she went to make the sandwich.

Brett meandered in and sat at a table away from everyone else. He propped up his feet and closed his eyes, never saying a word.

[Drake 53]

Marcus stopped at the sound of Natalie's voice calling his name. He hadn't seen her in the mall before but it was pretty busy and she could have been in one of the stores. He was still wary about the person who looked like him but he took his chances.

"Natalie?" he said, turning to face her. "What are you doing here?"

[Rogue 4]

"Not Natalie... but it got you're attention." As she approached, her eyes flashed yellow. "She didn't understand when you told her at the beach did she? All that wasted effort saving her for her to betray you? People are cruel like that."

[Drake 53]

Marcus took a step back. "You...she...didn't betray me. She just...didn't understand." He looked at her yellow eyes then down at his own hands. "You were the one following me. The runner in town. The person who looked just like me. Now Natalie. You're like me, aren't you? You can change into other things."

[Rogue 4]

She grinned, allowing herself to shift slowly into her normal form. In her deep voice she responded. "Good, I hate dealing with idiots." She placed a hand on her hip as she looked to him. "We are both mutants. We are also alike in the fashion that we are both Shape-shifters."

[Drake 53]

"So I see," said Marcus, looking down at the other mutant's blue-scaled body. "So what do you want with me? Starting some kind of mutant club?"

[Rogue 4]

"Starting? No, it was started long before you were born." Mystique raised an eyebrow at him. "By a mutant far powerful than you will ever be. We are living in a harsh world. People fear what they don't understand, and lash out at that which they fear. The human race is evolving. We are it's future."

[Drake 53]

"Yeah, I saw all that stuff on the news last year," said Marcus. "So what's in it for me?"

[Rogue 4]

"The Brotherhood holds more power than you know. It is good to have people on your side that you can trust in." Mystique walked a slow circle around him. "Who better to play the part of a trusting friend than someone who's in the same situation that you are? The Brotherhood looks out for it's own." She handed him a card, with an address to a boarding house downtown. "You're either with us, or you are against us, Marcus Connor. That choice is your own."

[Drake 53]

Marcus took the card, reading it. Brotherhood of Mutants - Homo sapiens superior -, it said.

He thought about Natalie. Perhaps he could help her to understand him if he had the help of others like him. Maybe, if he was right about her being a mutant, she would join this Brotherhood too. "I suppose I can think about it." He paused. "Thought about it. I'm in."

Edited May 6, 2008 by Drake

[Rogue 4]

"I knew you'd make the right choice." Mystique replied. "Live at home or move in there. The choice is yours."

And without another word, she turned, shape shifting once more before heading for the door.

***

Natalie's father turned to her as she walked into the living room. "So now you're driving around with biker gangs?"

She looked up from the bag she'd placed on the couch to meet his gaze in confusion. "Who, Lance? Are you kidding me? Lance is the farthest thing from a gangster I've ever seen. He just happens to drive a motorcycle."

"He's too old for you."

Natalie sighed. "First off, he's Kelly's boyfriend. Second, I'm not interested in him that way. Third, he's only James' age."

"Whatever." He settled down into his chair, grabbing the paper. "How was cheerleading practice?"

She blinked. "Dad, I'm not on the squad."

He folded the paper, setting it down, his patience wearing thin. "I thought we both agreed that you were going to quit that surfing nonsense and rejoin the squad this year."

She stared at him incredulously. "No, you decided that! And I'm not interested! I love surfing. I'm good at it." She sighed, grabbing her back and walking to the stairs. "I'm not doing this right now."

"You're not doing anything right now. You're grounded."

She spun on her heels. "For what?!"

"Not listening to me!"

Natalie fumed, turning and stomping her way up the stairs. She got to her room and slammed the door. This would have never happened to James. He was always the golden child. And dad was just plain irrational without mom. Among other things...

Edited May 6, 2008 by Rogue

[Ayingel 24]

"Yeah. My mom kinda...well, she freaked out a bit when we found out about my...uniqueness?" Lila finally set down her bag. "She told me that I wasn't welcome and made sure that I knew that I wasn't allowed back home. My dad, though...he was a bit more understanding. He buys my groceries and makes sure that I take care of myself. He's been paying for a hotel room for me for a couple of years now. I've stayed at a couple of different ones...I usually leave the city for the summer too; I've gone to San Diego, Oakland..." She shrugged.

[DeltaRanger333 0]

"That has to be a horrible feeling, having your mom turn on you like that. Im glad to hear that at least one person in your family still cares about you though." Scott said looking to Lila "Though your not alone. I lost my family at a young age too." He thought back to that horrible day back in Alaska when he and his family went for a family trip in their Mosquito biplane. They were just out for a simple flight, then everything went horribly wrong. "But don't worry," he said snapping back to reality "we're here for you now."

[Mara 29]

Joseph perched on a stool by the counter. "Que Dios te bendiga."

He spun around and surveyed the other tables inside, glancing at the patrons while waiting.

* * * * * * * * *

August was just about to reach for her bottle of water, when a knot on the back of her neck tightened up. Thinking it would be an earthquake, since no one else was home, she ducked her head back down over her drawing and drew her arms around her head quickly.

She waited a few moments, then a few minutes. When nothing happened, she lifted her head. Nothing looked changed. With a shrug, August grabbed for the water and took a sip.

She was in the middle of replacing it on the table when she started coughing, water gone down the wrong way. Choking on water or her own saliva, August thought was almost a waste of the effort. She managed to get the bottle set down, but one last cough before she settled down was more than a cough.

August grimaced as a loud sound peeled through her room, shattering her water bottle to bits and knocking girlhood figurines off shelves. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she stared wide-eyed at the broken glass. How did her cough do that? And why was it so loud?

Edited May 6, 2008 by Mara