Mercy huffed, scoffing at the situation ahead of her. She wasn't sure how much she could handle traveling with a pack of men.
Her feminine levels were already slim, being the only girl, but know that she had seen the brothers, Mercy was sure she'd be dealing with superiority complexes and cockiness.
He grinned. "Aren't you going to ask what my powers are? I figured it might interest you." Terrance gave her a tight-lipped smile.
He was trying to make friendly conversation, but Mercy was not in the mood.
Being out in the open wasn't the safest place to be. Satellites could pick up anything and their group, not to mention the wrecked SUV, would raise suspicion.
It probably already caught someone's eye.
Mercy shrugged. "I'm curious, but right now is not a great time. We've got to keep moving before anyone finds us. Besides, if we wait until we find my companion then it'll save you from making two speeches."
Terrance's arm brushed hers as he stepped in sync with her movements. For every two steps she took, he took one.
"How can you be so sure that you'll find him? It's not like he has any reason to wait around for you. That would have been the perfect opportunity for him to sneak away for good." He smirked.
"Don't get me wrong, you're a pretty girl, but freedom has a stronger ring to it than lust."
Mercy crossed her arms. He was right. Rogue had no honest reason to help her. He should jump at the chance that she'd be holed up somewhere and he could escape, but she didn't want to believe he would do that.
She knew that she could trust him, at least in part. They had dealt with a lot in past few days and Mercy wasn't about to give up on him now. Rogue wouldn't abandon her.
"He's trouble." Terrance grimaced. "From the profiling we've got on him, he isn't the most honest person. He has a few secrets up his sleeve."
Mercy turned and crossed her arms over her chest. This boy was questioning her judgments and she was beginning to get infuriated.
She had trusted Rogue and he had yet to fail her. When someone spoke unkindly of him without knowing how he had helped her, Mercy grew angry.
"Sometimes, we are taken to the light at the end of tunnel. On some occasions that light we see, the little sapling of hope we find, is a person. Rogue pulled me out of the darkness. He was my new hope for escaping."
Mercy shivered. "He helped me on numerous occasions and if we're going to stand here arguing about why he has a reason to do anything, then the same thing applies to the moment he helped me escape." She paused, fuming, trying to get this new superhuman to listen to her rant of reasoning.
"He didn't have to break out with me. He could have made it on his own. And yet here I am in the middle of nowhere."
She glanced up at the sky and lifted up her hands, letting her fingertips glide through the air for the first time.
Mercy basked in the way the outside environment made her feel.
It was still a little difficult to get used to the oxygen-rich air and uneven terrain, but it was a step up from imprisonment.
It was fascinating how the sunset in the distance looked utterly beautiful against the bleak colors of the abundant sky.
"There's no place I'd rather be. Look around, this open field, the feeling of being so small in comparison to how great it is; this is the closest I've gotten to freedom." Mercy sighed heavily and moved her arms back down beside her hips.
Terrance looked at her wearily. "This is nothing compared to true freedom. But if you trust him, then I won't argue with you. Though, next time you should ask him to let you in on his dirty, little secrets."
Mercy shrugged. "I've told myself that from the beginning. He's been hiding something, but like everyone else in this cold world, he has the power to decide if he wants to keep it bottled up or unleash it."
Terrance grinned. "You're wiser than you look, Red."
"Red? Another nickname?" Mercy asked.
"What's with that?" If she was given another absurd nickname from a boy who didn't know her, she'd have a lot of explaining to do after she set them on fire. Mercy wasn't a fan of nicknames.
Such things were familiar; they were created when you were close to someone or had gained a newfound appreciation for them.
The two nicknames she had been given were attempts at jokes in this dreary life. They meant little more than that and Mercy didn't want to accept them.
He shrugged. "Your hair, it's like fire." He reached out to grab a strand but Mercy jerked back at the contact.
Terrance coughed. "Sorry." He muttered. "This Rogue is a lucky guy if he can get you to trust him. I'll have to try extra hard to gain it, won't I?"
Mercy glanced up at the sky, avoiding the subtle question behind his words. The sky had turned a hasty shade of pink and purple and she could feel the humidity of rain as dark clouds formed past the sunset.
"I'll have an easier time trusting you rather than your brother."
Terrance smiled at her reply. "That's the truth." He nudged her shoulder with his. "But don't be fooled by that bad boy appearance. He's a softie when it comes to chick flicks."
Mercy laughed. It was loud and came out as more of a giggle. His statement was normal and a typical saying for lighthearted conversation, but it was the first moment that she could truly laugh at since being taken in by the government.
How long had it been since she let out a joyous, ruckus of a laugh. She smiled against the thought that maybe things would get better. For all of them.
Including the other gifted children that didn't have a shred of happiness in their bones. Mercy would find them, whether she was alone or had her new companions with her, she promised to save them all.
Rain began to drip from the sky and the sun was hidden behind the cloud coverage, letting the darkness consume them. Mercy shivered.
Her ripped jeans and even holier shirt weren't making this journey easy. One thing that sucks about being locked up besides the obvious reasons? Never having enough clothes, especially jackets.
She was still a girl and it was never a bad thing to have too many clothes. Mercy could count on her hands how many outfits she'd been given since containment.
On the plus side, the rain would be a welcome occurrence if it could wash away the evidence of the burning car behind them. That would give the group an extra few minutes to get away from the scene of the crime.
Terrance touched her shoulder. "We need to find somewhere for shelter. You'll probably be a lot weaker around rain. And we need to check on our wounds."
He glanced at the blood that had already started to wash away from her arms, only to be replaced by more pools of blood as the flow didn't stop.
Mercy scowled. "I can handle the rain. It's not like I'm going to lose all of my life energy and die."
Terrance grinned. "Okay, Red, no need for sass. I don't want any of us getting infections or looking like murderers in a horror film if we happen to find civilization in the next few hours." He squinted out past the horizon.
"See anything for shelter?" Terrance's father called from behind them.
Terrance fell to the ground, gripping blades of grass in his hands. His head jerked up and Mercy saw his eyes roll to the back of his head. His body shook for a moment before the movement passed. The earth began to crumble under their feet.
"What is he doing?" Mercy screamed.
"We'll be killed." The ground rumbled heavily at their feet and Mercy fell against the quake of it.
The older brother smirked. "Relax, freak. He's scanning the area." He pushed his hands against the ground for support.
Seconds later, the shaking recoiled and Terrance snapped to attention. His eyes rolled forward and he hauled Mercy from the ground. "There's an abandoned gas station not far from here. We can stop there and pray that Red's friend gets here soon."
Mercy scowled. What was it with men and nicknames? Tiger, Freak, Red. Would she every catch a break? "Mercy." She chided.
Terrance grinned. "God be with you."
She huffed. "Shut up. My name is Mercy and I'd rather you call me that than your ridiculous nicknames."
He chuckled. "Right, Mercy's friend."
The group trudged through the field. The rain began to pour, turning the dirt and grass mixture beneath them into muddy trenches. Mercy frowned as her combat books sunk low into an unexpected mass of mud. "That is disgusting."
Terrance shrugged. "It's kind of relaxing for me."
The other brother pushed past the two of them and clomped through the mud. "I personally hate it. Let's get out of it and get on with whatever the hell we're doing."
"You've got a while before that happens, brother."
He frowned. "Excuse me, Earth Master, for not mentioning that earlier. I'll keep that in mind as I trudge through globs of mud, reminding myself all the while that I still have 'a while' before I get out of this mess." The older brother frowned and picked up his pace. He cursed and muttered under his breath with every step.
"And you called me sassy? I believe I have just found my queen." Mercy shook her head at the older boy in front of her.
Terrance laughed hysterically beside her. He gripped his head to keep from doubling over. "I've never heard that one before. I like the sound of it." His eyes gleamed with new found fondness. "Not bad, Mercy, not bad at all."
After what appeared to be hours, the group came to a halt in front of the abandoned gas station.
The building was crumbling on all the surfaces that were still intact. The back wall had eroded long before and the roof had been torn away.
Luckily, feet away, was a small bus stop compartment, complete with roof and three walls. They'd be somewhat protected from the rain there.
Not like it mattered much now that they'd already endured the heaviest part of the storm.
Mercy glanced down at her attire. Her dark denim jeans were now pitch black and soaked through with water.
They weighed heavily down on her and stuck to her thighs. The feeling of the wet fabric against her skin wasn't pleasant.
Her shirt wasn't any better. Of course, the only top she was given in a government facility had to be a white one. Water clung to it far more than the jeans. Mercy scowled.
She'd been walking for miles and it never occurred to her that she was wearing a white shirt. No wonder Terrance kept up with her.
Thankfully, she was given undergarments at the facility. No amount of clothes in the world could make you forget that embarrassment.
Pair her soaked clothes with her muddy boots and it made a combination of messy and ridiculous. She was dingy. She prayed that they would find some clothes to change into before long.
Terrance glanced in her direction. "I probably should have given you my jacket." He blushed, trying to hide his wolfish grin.
The older brother coughed loudly. "So lame."
Terrance scowled, turning to face his brother. "Shut up."
He shrugged out of his jacket and handed it to Mercy. "Here, it's a little wet on the outside, but the water mainly rolls off the leather. It'll keep you warm and covered, at least."
Mercy gripped the leather between her fingers. His hands lingered on the material a beat too long. "Thank you." She said, before pulling it on.
She turned to face the others who were now seated on the bus stop bench. They were all staring at her and Mercy wanted to shy away from the attention. "I have no way of contacting Rogue. He doesn't have a phone handy."
"We're just going to wait here, then. Soaking wet and reeking of smoke and gasoline." Terrance's brother chided.
"Excuse you, but there's really not a lot we can do. I didn't plan on it raining. At least you're alive. You should be happy you've got that going for you."
He shrugged. "It defeats the purpose, knowing that you are as well."
Mercy growled. "You are royally becoming a pain in my-"
A car horn honked as it rushed past them, stopping only a few feet in front of them. Mercy stopped talking and threw out a hand to ward the others back.
The driver's side door opened and a familiar combat-booted leg swung out. Mercy could feel the smile as it tugged at her lips.
When he was fully out of the car, he turned toward them and stood, hands tucked in to the back pockets of his jeans.
"Little dragon told me to run ahead, but when you find something one-of-a-kind like that you can't leave.
"Did you miss me, fire breather?"