Liquid Metal: An X-men & QuickSilver Novel

Chapter Twenty Five: What I Did Wrong Part 1

We all looked up at the sound of someone knocking at my door. The familiar face of Mrs. Downing poked through. I had forgotten that dorm checks were a thing.

"Curfew!" She reminded us in a singsong voice.

Sage let out a melodramatic sigh "but it's not even ten yet" she groaned. This reaction genuinely surprised me. It was so unlike her short-tempered, eye rolling personality.

I knew Sage used to be in the espionage business before joining us here, therefore she must put on different masks for a lot of people if Mrs Downing didn't look or as fazed by Sage's reaction.

"If I see you tired tomorrow, I'm checking your room first for a week" the elderly woman said. "And the same goes for the rest of you" she added pointing a finger at Warren and me.

Sage grinned at her, "thank you!" She chirped.

"Since when are you two best buds?" I asked after the door was shut.

Sage shrugged, picking at her nail "must be a hidden talent of mine."

Warren perked up at her words "speaking of which, Josie, what the hell even is your mutation exactly? I don't think you've ever told anybody here."

Shit. That's not true is it? How on earth have I gotten this far not telling the few friends I had managed to make about what my stupid and underwhelming powers were.

"I've told people" I defended, even though I wasn't exactly sure if it was true.

"Jean doesn't count Josephine. The only reason I know, is because of what I can do" Sage added.

She was right, Jean did know. Even then the whole process of telling her was extremely awkward. The whole: "hey so I totally know everything about you including your past thoughts, actions, fears, and mistakes dating from the day you were born" isn't exactly a friend keeping conversation. People tend get weirded out or they don't trust that I keep things private.

Better late than never I suppose. "Well Warren buddy, I know everything there is to know about everyone in the world just by looking at them. Sometimes I even feel how they felt during certain memories and other times I can watch what happened like I was just a bystander. Oh and some times I'm empathic if I focus hard enough."

Warren sat there in silence, nodding his head as he tried to comprehend it, "so... you know everything about me then?"

"Well that's the basic idea" I shrugged.

"Okay then... what's my middle name?"

"Kenneth."

"Where was I born?"

"Centerport."

"What triggered my mutation?"

"Nothing, sometimes they just manifest with no outside cause" I said with a shrug.

"Okay, tell me something nobody else would know."

I raised my eyebrows, "you sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

"Candace Southern" was all I said, but it was enough to shut him up. "Hey man, you asked for it" I said in defense after he said nothing for a concerning pause.

"Well, on a different but earlier subject" Sage said quickly, "I think you need to go back and talk to that girl, Tammy-"

"It's Tori, but yeah, I think you're right" I said rubbing my face, a little stressed out, but glad we were back to the original subject.

Sage only smirked at me, "I know I am."

*******

Peter chuckled beside me as we walked down the sidewalk.