I ride down the street, wanting to just, drive. I get a few looks, probably because of my choice of vehicle. But I love my scooter, she's beautiful. I remember when I got her. I didn't have much money when I moved here, so it took me a while to get settled. Finding a free home really helped, because then I didn't have to worry about paying rent every month. When I was sixteen, I had a little more than three thousand dollars saved up, and I knew I wasn't going to college or high school, so I decided I desperately needed a ride. No, I don't have a license, but no cop has ever asked me and I'm willing to bet they never will. So I went to this guy that I met in an alleyway, and he got me in this great deal with another guy, and I bought the beauty from him for a fairly cheap price. I find my skooter very useful, I ride it everywhere. Maybe some day I'll get a car, but that day is not anytime soon. I drive past the ugly tower that has a huge A on it. I sort of remember it used to be the Stark tower. But now it's the Avengers Tower. Huge, ugly, whopping thing smack dab in the middle of Manhatten. I put my helmet on tighter around my head, zooming through traffic and taking shortcuts, just enjoying the wind whipping back my hair. I love my helmet too, it's white with the Union Jack on the side, reminding me that wherever I go, I'll always be from Scotland. When I get enough money, I want to go back to Scotland, to see Alli and my home. But I just...I don't know if I should, ya know? I feel like, after three years, everyone has moved on. I wouldn't want to go there just to get ignored, but I wouldn't want to return just to get smothered. I would only go back there for Allison, so I don't know if it's worth it. She's worth it, but what if she doesn't want me back? What if she's moved on without me and forgotten all our good times? I don't want to barge in on her new life, a life without me.
I remember when I met Alli, that was one of the best days of my life.
~FLASHBACK~
Today is my twelth birthday, which means I survived one more year on this cruel planet. Great, just splendid. I know all the shortcuts of this place, because I have to take detours to avoid them. This is my life. Running from everyone because they know I'm different, because I'm a freak. I hate going to school, I have no friends, my mom is never home, she never got me the dog I wanted either, which sucks. Basically, my life is crappy, I stopped thinking about starving kids and focused on not starving myself.
I considered, you know, suicide, but I decided I'm not letting some bastards take over my senses. I want to live, just not...like I am now. I know I'll get through this, I just have to learn to control my powers. No bully has ever seen me actually teleport since a couple of months ago. I moved schools after that and everyone knows me here as the 'glowing girl' or simply 'the freak'. Don't pity for me though, you really get used to it after a while. I react to those names even more than my own, Hazel. Yes, yes, it's all so very sad. My life is good as far as financially and food...ially. Whatever.
I'm currently walking down a narrow alley in the evening light. Doing a great job at avoiding all the jerks, if I do say so myself. I kick empty cans as I walk with my hands in my pocket, letting my mind wander to nothingness. I only realize that I was being followed when a rough hand on my shoulder turns me around. My eyes widen when they see Jack Robinson, the school jerkhead. He has his usual two lackeys behind him, plus a new girl who has a nostril piercing. Which I'm assuming is fake since she looks around my age, but who knows. He smirks at me looking me up and down. Subconciously, I cross my arms over my chest, looking up at him defiantly.
"Hey Glow Girl." He snickers and so do his numpties.
"Hey, Jack." I raise an eyebrow, trying to hold my own. I nod to his cronies, "Numpties."
They scowl at me and Jack shoves me slightly, sending my small body stumbling.
"You wanna repeat that, Anderson?"
I open my mouth to answer, but snap it shut and begin sprinting in the other direction, keeping myself calm so I don't glitch. I hear their footsteps as I jump over trash cans and through different alleyways. Suddenly, after turning a corner I run into the girl with the piercing. She stays put but I go crashing to the ground, scraping my elbows. I feel hands pick me up and I turn to see Jack there, an evil glint in his eye. I try to run again, but one big guy grabs my arm and holds me still. I scowl and kick the guys shins, causing him to let go of me, I turn and run, but, just my luck, trip on a crack in the pavement. I go face planting into the ground and groan. Jack and his friends burst out into loud and voice cracked laughter, then I feel a kick in my gut and I let out a scream. Then I'm held by the hair and put on my feet roughly. Shoved against a wall, I bite my lip and hold in a shout. I kick at my attackers, but they hold down my legs. The tallest guy comes up and spits out his toothpick, grinning at me so I can see one of his lost teeth. I close my eyes and brace for the impact, but it doesn't come, instead I hear a voice.
"Hey, what are you boys doing?" It's a female voice, and has an American accent. "Leave her alone, don't you have better things to do?"
No not American, something similar though.
The boys turn on her, "Oh yeah, what's a little Canadian like you gonna do about it, eh?" They all laugh at his joke while I just stare at her. Was she...standing up for me? That's never happened before.
"I have cops on the way and I will keep all four of you contained until they get here if you hurt her," The girl looks defiantly up into Jack's eyes, "So if any of you have half a brain cell, you'll leave now while you still can. And don't you ever come near her again, or you will be sorry."
They all look slightly scared but hold there own, meanwhile I'm still pressed against a wall, wanting to teleport, but wanting more to know who this girl is.
"How do we know you're not bluffing?" Jack asks. "Are there really cops coming?"
The blonde crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow, "Are you willing to take that chance?"
They look at eachother and then Jack raises his arm to the girl. He swings a punch but she just steps to the side and grabs his arm, flipping him. They all come at her and she kicks Jack on the ground, knocking him out before turning to the rest.
The tall guy who had the toothpick tries to grab her, but she ducks to the ground and swings her feet, knocking him over too. I watch in awe as she knocks him out and then punches the girl, causing a bloody nose. Piercing girl looks dizzy as the blonde is grabbed by the last conscious guy, who holds her arms behind her back and keeps her still. As the girl wih the piercing regains her vision, she looks at the blonde and scowls. Wiping blood from her nose, she walks up to her and gets in her face.
"That was a mistake, sweetheart." My eyes widen as Piercing Girl raises her fist.
I'm too far away to help, so I close my eyes and concentrate hard, risking a chance of people knowing my power. It's the least I can do for this girl anyways. And if I get turned into the government for experiments, so be it.
I feel the familiar tingling sensation seep through my body, and I open my eyes as I disappear and reappear next to the blonde girl. I shove her out of the way just as Piercing Girl releases her punch, hitting me square in the face and sending me tumbling to the ground. I hear a female shout and then a bunch of grunt and thumps. My vision is hazy, but I can make out a figure kicking two others on the ground. I slowly regain my focus and see a tall blonde figure holding out a hand, I realize it's the girl and take it. She pulls me up and stares at my face curiously. I stare at hers too, she has a small cut under her eye and a bruise on her eyebrow. She smiles at me and I cock my head.
"Why did you come?" I ask the Canadian.
"I wasn't just gonna let you get beat up by a bunch of doofs." She puts an arm around me. I push it off and look at her confused.
"Why not?" I ask.
She laughs, "You're a person too. You're not any different than everyone else. Well, except the glowing thing."
I smile, "You don't think I'm a freak?"
"Of couse not!" She shakes her head, "Those people are all jerks. Don't you listen to a word they say."
"But it's true, I'm different, I'm not normal."
"No one's normal."
"You know what I mean, I can teleport. I'm a freak." I point out as we begin walking down the alleyway.
"Dude," Her Canadian accent is very prominent, "You can teleport. You can fricking disappear, and then like, reappear somewhere else. That's dope."
I smile, I guess that is pretty cool.
"So, where did you learn all that, ya know," I wave my hands through the air stupidly, "Fighty stuff?"
She laughs again, "I do judo and karate, since I was six."
I nod, then out of the blue, get an idea, "Can you teach me?'
She looks at me for a second, then slowly nods, shrugging. "Why not?"
I smile at her, "Thank you...for everything."
She smiles and puts her hand out, "I'm Allison."
I grab it and shake, "Hazel."
~END OF FLASHBACK~
As I ride down to the bank, I think of how she taught me how to defend myself. She taught me to fight for myself and against those bullies. She taught me judo and karate moves that I would never have learned if not for her. I slowly got out of the bullying faze after I learned how to stand up to myself. They left me alone because they knew I had Alli, and that I could kick their asses. It was really a great turn to my life, and I never moved schools again, I never had to take detours to avoid people. I lived a relatively normal life, learned how to control my powers better, I only ever glitched now if I was very unstable or in a lot of pain. Alli saved me, she made me who I am now. No longer scared of people, yes, she gave me my smart mouth, and that gets me in trouble sometimes, but, it was a true miracle that we found eachother. Until I went to New York on a trip and never came back. Never to see Alli again. My best friend, gone. I wonder what she did when I never came back. Did she move on? Or does she still think about me? I miss her, I miss her so much. She was such a great friend. And damn, was she smart, and funny, and kind.
I sigh as I try to keep my tears in, pulling into the parking lot of the bank. I can't think about Alli without crying. So I avoid the topic. As I enter the bank I walk to the machine, keeping my eyes peeled as always. Taking in my surroundings, I see a small lady at the machine next to me, pushing a lot of buttons and frowning. I see a man sitting in a chair waiting to talk to the desk as he taps his foot impatiently. I see a little girl in a red jacket drawing a dog on the bank note pads as she waits for her dad at the desk. Also in the room are to people at the other desk, talking to a blonde lady. One of them has fiery red hair, and the other has brown hair and blue eyes.
As I deposit my cash and finish up I turn to walk out of the bank, when suddenly six men walk in and it feels like the whole place just got colder.
They're bad guys. A voice in my head tells me.
I don't know what it is, but my gut is telling me to get the hell outta here. I act quickly and grab my wallet just as the men start reaching into their pockets, probably to pull out weapons. I rush out the door quickly and then onto the streets. I look back and see the men shouting as they point guns at people. I see the small woman duck to the ground and cover her head as the men direct the civilians over to a corner. Everyone looks terrified, I see the dad go to reach his little girl, but he's pushed down and a gun is pointed at his head as his daughter screams and cries. I look back in as the red head and the other man look at eachother and then take action. They run at the men and start fighting. The woman takes down one and so does the man, I hear gunshots and see the two held at gunpoint. I see the girl quivering in the corner, and make a decision that I know I'll regret later. Teleporting, I reappear right next to the guys with the guns. I grab one and throw it to the red head, knocking the guy out with my elbow. I hear guns lock on me and I glance back to see two guys pointing them at me. I disappear and arrive behind one guy, grabbing him from behind and flipping him forward, then I disappear again before the other guy shoots me and appear next to his arm. I grab his gun and throw it to the brown haired guy as the ginger fights the last guy. Knocking out the man, I then focus on getting the panicking citizens out of here. First I grab the little girl and transfer her outside, then her dad. Then the man who was tapping his foot. There are many more considering all the staff of the place, so I do my best to finish before I look back and see one of the knocked out guys awakening. Ginger and her friend are done knocking all the men out, and are now disarming them and calling the police. I stare at the man who is slowly raising his pistol at the red head. I quickly teleport as he shoots the bullet and reappear in front of the woman, the bang ringing through the air as I feel a piercing pain in my right shoulder. The Ginger turned around just as I fall to the ground, clutching my shoulder. Her eyes widen as the man rushes over yelling words into the phone. I see her knock out the guy who shot me as my vision goes wonky. Words that I cannot hear anymore fill my ears as I feel my shoulder ooze with blood. My vision gets blurry and my hearing muffled as I slowly drift off. I can catch a few words as the woman shakes me.
"Stay with me.........name? Hey............Clint when..........Stay with me........"
I close my eyes and drift off into the lovely welcoming darkness.
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Hey guys!
Long chapter, very eventful.
Your comments and votes are welcomed. Please, tell me what you think.
-ME