The Wilder Side

Chapter 1

Mutants

Somewhere deep between the trees of Westchester County lied a mansion that could only be described as a magnificent castle, filled with wonders one could only imagine. The acres of the property were riddled with youngsters who roamed around on nice sunny days. The place was a fantasy to those who had the luck to spot it.

To others, it was called home.

Outside of Xavier's Academy for Gifted Youngsters, Jericho Kaur waited for her best friend to bring out the rundown yellow buggy that would drive them to the nearby town. She impatiently checked her watch. It was common for Kitty to always be late to everything, but there had to be some limit to her tardiness. Jericho could already feel sweat gathering on her face and she cursed Kitty for being so irresponsible. And just as Jericho turned to head back to her dorm, a speeding buggy pulled out of the driveway of the mansion. It screeched to a stop and through the dust, Jericho could see Kitty behind the wheel with a sheepish face. Jericho crossed her arms.

"You're late," she snapped.

"I know. It was hard to get the keys from Scott. He wanted to come too," Kitty excused as she pushed her hair back.

"Did you tell him it was a girl's day?"

"Yes, but he didn't believe me when he saw Bobby getting into the car too."

On cue, Bobby stuck his head out the window and grinned.

"I was the exception."

"No, you were the pesky man who froze our feet to the floor until we said you could come," Jericho said as she reached for the passengers' door. She glared at Bobby before the boy jumped out of the chair and into the back, knowing better than to fight Jericho over the front seat. He had lost too many times to her, he didn't want to add another.

And the three took off in a quick matter, Jericho suddenly wishing she had driven instead of reckless Kitty.

It was a supposed quick trip. Kitty only needed a new pair of sneakers while Jericho craved a churro from the local vendor in front of the movie theater. He carried the best churros. Bobby was simply a tag along so Jericho knew they weren't going to take long. She was wrong when Kitty spent over an hour trying to find the best shoes, and then going off track to find more decorations for their dorm. Jericho frowned when Kitty looked at a mini disco ball.

"No."

"But JiJi, we don't have one-"

"And we never will. We will not get a disco ball. John will never want to leave our room."

Kitty pouted and placed the glittery toy down. Her sad demeanor quickly diminished when she saw cute sunglasses and ran over to try them on. Bobby and Jericho trudged behind her. As Kitty showed them a yellow pair of glasses, Jericho's eyes trailed off to a small figurine in the shape of a wolf. The copper wolf was statued in mid-howl. Jericho fell in love with it. She eagerly skimmed through her wallet, only to frown when she realized she didn't have enough money for the figurine. She groaned and put the wolf back with a frown.

Bobby heard Jericho's familiar groan and found her still staring at the wolf. He neared her and nudged her shoulder.

"Get it. I'm sure Kitty will let you have it in your dorm, despite you ruining her dreams of having a disco ball," he said but Jericho shook her head.

"Can't afford it. I want the churro more than I want the wolf," she mumbled. Bobby then snatched it off the shelf.

"I'll get it then."

"No," Jericho immediately said. She hated it when Bobby insisted on buying everything for her. She didn't even realize he was doing it at first but after months of him spending crazy amounts of cash on her and Kitty, she told him to knock it off before she beat him to a pulp. Since then she only allowed him to buy her food when he lost bets.