Chapter 9:

Disclaimer: This story involves, or is going to, characters from X-Men. The characters in this story have no relation to the REAL characters and/or the actors that play them in real life, and imply nothing of their sexual orientation, (No matter how much we would like it to) and any similarities are purely coincidental. All X-Men and other related elements are property of Marvel.

We walked over to the food court, which is really a few bistro-style restaurants; some of which have white glove service (if you're in that type of mood). We decided to go with the least formal of the restaurants, Qusine. We walked to the matiore'de,

"Hello and welcome to Qusine. How can I help you?"

"Table for two please," I said.

He grabbed two menus, "follow me please."

He began to walk towards the interior of the restaurant before I stopped him and said, "May we have a table outside?"

He smiled, "Of course."

The outside was really inside; it was just outside of the main restaurant and under a large atrium before the entrance to it.

We sat at a table near a fountain. The running water was soothing and helped block the murmur of the echoing mall. As Liz and I situated ourselves at the table we could hear the TV from the nearby sports bar,

            "Today in North Carolina," the reporter began, "a teenage mutant covered her house in vines causing everyone within the house to remain hostages. Authorities have recently arrived at the scene but cannot come close to the home. It is reported that the vines have a "mind of their own" and will attack anyone that comes too close. Currently, there has been no progress; we will keep you further informed as this story develops. In other news..."

            "Wow, that's pretty crazy, huh?" Liz spoke.

            "Yeah I wonder what cause the girl to do that."

            "Who knows? But I heard that people that have mutant abilities tend to be really freaked out when the abilities manifest and then they end up freaking out more which makes the situation worse and their powers go nuts."

            "Oh like a stressful situation."

"Yeah. Also they say that puberty causes the powers to come out because of the changing body and increased hormones and stuff."

"That sounds really interesting... Question: How do you know so much about mutants? Do you know any?"

"No, none that I know of. But my dad really like the science behind what makes mutants tick and blah, blah, blah," she opened and closed her hands as she said the latter.

I laughed, "That sounds like your dad."

We made small talk until we placed our food and drink orders. We continued to speak about nothing and then the subject became about Devin.

"Do you really think that he's going to be able to pass his Bio class because Lily told me that he does absolutely nothing in that class."

"Like I said Liz, the boy's smart, he's just lazy... when it comes to school work. But he does have a brain in there."

"Are you sure that's not a biased opinion," she retorted with a smile as a group of people sat close to us.

"No really," I chuckled, "He's smart, he just needs to get pushed into doing it."

"I'm sure you will help him in every possible way you can... I'm sure that you will go to great lengths to make sure that Devin is ready for Bio, even include some `stress relieving activities.'" Liz smiled at me.

"Liz I would let Devin do whatever the hell he wants to."

"What the fuck?!" A familiar voiced behind us yelled.

Liz and I turned in the direction of the yell. A huge man is coming towards us and that man just so happens to be Devin.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" he yells as he continues to come closer, "You're telling me that some fag is trying to get with ME," ha said with disdain.

I remained silent and still, I couldn't move any part of my body, I was totally frozen in my seat. That quickly changed because Devin shoved me out of my seat.

I land on the floor and my 130-pound body easily slides on the slippery marble floor about 20 feet from my chair. I might have kept going if the fountain wasn't in the way. I wish I had just kept on going and going.

Damn Fountain...

I came to after the initial hit from the fountain and noticed that Devin was able to get a crowd of on looker, most in shock of what just happened. I returned my attention back to Devin, who was rapidly approaching me.

I got up to begin to run away, I can't take him (!!!). My plan was very short lived because within a matter of a few seconds Devin lifted me and dropped me into the fountain. I was immediately submerged into the once soothing water. I came up from the, thankfully, shallow water only to see Devin about to pummel me back into the water. I threw my hands up, criss-crossing them in front of my face and waited for the inevitable impact.

It never came.

I waited about 5 seconds before I opened my eyes. Surely, he would have hit me by now. I peeked through my arms and saw nothing.

I looked around me; I was still in the fountain, soaked. I looked further and saw that the attention of the people had been directed elsewhere. Really, I'm not an attention whore or anything like that, but really, what could have been so distracting that it took away from what was happening to me.

I searched for Devin, he was no where around me. While looking Around, I noticed that there was a crowd gathered around what looked like to be knocked down patio furniture, probably from one of the restaurants.

I started walking, cautiously because Devin was still on the loose somewhere, towards the crowd. As I was walking towards the incident, I noticed that people were looking at me oddly, most likely from my new wet look. I walked about 150 feet from the fountain, which put me in the center of the atrium.

I knew that I was getting closer to the epicenter of the scene because the crowd began to get more tightly packed, I let my guard down because there is no way that Devin would come at me without me noticing a few people being knocked down, but I still kept my eyes peeled. Let me tell you, if it weren't for the fact that I wasn't still dripping water I would not have gotten through. I continued to zero in on the center, when I was able to see what was going on, I was shocked.

Two men, college football player types, were helping someone get up from the ground. There was broken glass, umbrellas on the ground, chairs turned upside down, it was a mess. I wondered how this could've happened. I wanted to get a closer look; the people in front of me happily complied once they saw that I was soaked.

Just as I got to the front, the two guys were talking to the other guy, someone that looked no less intimidating. As I stared at was happening before me, there was a strange familiarity with the fallen man. As I began to put the pieces together, Devin looked straight at me. He was the hunter and I was his pray now.

I was, yet again, paralyzed and just stared at him as he nodded to the two guys that helped him up and looked at me again. He calmly began to come towards me, flanked by his football player friends.

Where the HELL was security when you actually needed one!? I slowly saw the large come, closer and closer, I was still frozen contemplating my fate, Devin and I made eye contact. He must have seen the fear in my eyes and I saw the pure anger in his. All of the sudden my contact was disturbed,

            "J, let's go! He's going to murder you!" Liz said as she tugged my arm.

I followed absent-mindedly and began to run wherever she was going.

            I decided to come to, "Liz, Where are we going?!"

            "Somewhere where there are security personnel. Who can help us Goliath off our... your back!"

            "He's a fucking football player! He can out run us any day!" Let alone, Liz in 5-inch heels, but I kept that to myself.

            "We don't have to out run him, we just have to get far away enough to.." Liz trips, taking me with her.

            As I landed to the ground I tell her, "Damn Pumps..."

The second Liz and me hit the ground I look in the direction we were running away from. Low and behold here comes Devin and his thugs jogging towards us.

            I hear Liz near me, "Me ankle..." in pain.

            I reply "my life..." in the same tone back to Liz.

I knew that if I got up and began to run again it would only make him angrier because I know for a fact that he would not have stopped for anything.

He stopped about 15 feet short of me, so I did the only thing that I know how to do besides run, get in the fetal position and protect my vital organs. Hopefully, I will only need to replace one lung and kidney instead of two. I clenched my eyes shut, tightened my abs, and waited for the impact.

Waited...

And waited...

After about 10 seconds of waiting I decided to look up. It appeared as if Devin was being held back by this invisible bubble. He continued to yell at me and the only thing that I could hear were muffled sounds. He continued to kick, punch, head butt at me with no success. Soon his two friends came, and I had re-brace myself for another impact. I could only stare at these three large men, who were pummeling the "bubble" with as much force as two cars colliding.

I turned over to Liz, who was watching this whole thing happening five feet away from her. My glance towards Liz must have thrown Devin and goons off. I saw them stop and begin to make their way towards Liz. I saw her begin to squirm away from them because she may have sprung her ankle when she fell. She began to scream, but again, the only thing that I could hear were muffled sounds.

            I began to panic and stretched out my hand and yelled, "NO!"

They all looked at me and the next thing I know, Devin is on the floor, hurling back towards the fountain. His friends look at me and then, like Devin, begin to hurl towards the fountain. I look at Liz and run towards her.

            "Are you okay?!"

            "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. So, when were you planning on telling me that you were a mutant?" She said as I helped her up.

            "A mutant?! I'm not a..." The pieces began to fit together. The bubble, Devin being mysteriously hurled, that fact that he has yet to hit me.

Before I had a chance to think things through, Liz yelled,

"J, watch out!"

I knew what was coming already, I quickly turned around and Devin and his friends were practically stampeding towards Liz and I. In a final cry for peace I yelled out,

            "STOP!"

And stop they did, right in the middle of running. But it wasn't like the normal stop it was as if they were captured in mid-air. Devin had one leg in the air. His friend was stopped at an obscene angle that by now he should have definitely fallen by now and the other one had BOTH his legs in the air.

            Liz came close to me, "J, you actually stopped them," awed at what was before her, "well, freeze is more like it."

            "I, I, I don't know how..."

            "Let's not wait around to figure this out right now. Let's get our stuff and leave this place while we can."

Everyone was mesmerized at the sight of the now statues of my chasers, that Liz and I were able to make a slick get away.

Once in the car, she was driving this time, I had too much on my mind.

            "So, When were you planning on telling me, huh?" Liz said, breaking me from my thoughts.

            "Hey, don't blame this on me! I found out when you did!"

            "You mean that you never knew that you had abilities?"

            "No."

            "Really?"

            "Really," I said beginning to get lost in thought again.

            "It was Devin!" Liz exclaimed as some sort of epiphany after a few minuets of silence.

            "What? What does that dickhead have to do with anything?"

            "Everything, actually."

            "Huh?"

            "Remember from before how we were talking about mutants and the girl that was on the news and stuff?"

            "Yeah, but..."

            "Our conversation," she paused, "In this case Devin was the,"

            "Stressful situation." I said finishing her thought.

            "Yeah, you freaked out about what was about to happen to you and I guess your body reacted. Well, scratch that, activated."

            "No kidding. But I wasn't doing any of those things intentionally. I didn't make Devin and his friends freeze."

            "You probably thought it and then it happened. You did yell `stop' after all. Oh! I think that you have that power... um... teleki-something."

"Nesis."

"What?"

"Your thinking of telekinesis."

"Yeah that's it! I mean J, all things aside... That's pretty fucking awesome!"

I chuckled, "I guess it is."

"What do you mean you `guess' it is. What the fuck is wrong with you? You can move shit with you mind!"

            "Yeah, it's pretty cool now that you mention it... Ugh! There is so much to think about! Oh! I cannot go to school on Monday or ever again really, fuck!"

            "Um... I think that school should be one of your lesser worries. What about your parents?"

            "Shit! I forgot about them!"

            In a soft voice Liz mumbled, "And don't forget about the damages at Bal Halbour."

            I sighed, exasperated, "keeps getting better."

            "Okay. Let's handle this one thing at a time."

            "Uh-huh." I said losing myself in thought.

            "Well, I really think that you should tell your parents because I'm sure that they're going to find out from somewhere so, it would be better if it was you."

            "Shit! It's probably going to be all over the news!"

            "Breathe. Once you tell them what happened they'll know what to do. For school... well, your parents are going to know about Devin. But as far as being with him in the same school is just going to have to be something that you will have to deal with. But say something to the administration, don't want to risk anything, or better idea: let your parents call them and they can talk about what to do about making sure you graduate in one piece."

            "Thank you," I said quietly while looking down.

            "Huh?"

            "Thank you," I said a little louder.

            "Of course J! You're practically my brother; I know that you would do the same for me. That's what best friends are for, stupid." She snickered at the end.

            "Hey! Emotionally stressed out gay mutant teenager here!" I said pointing to myself, "There will be no name calling."

            "Is that a mouthful, you might be in worse shape than a woman going through intense PMS."

After we chuckled at that, we stayed silent for the rest of the car ride back. Now, how am I going to tell my parents that I'm not only a mutant but I destroyed part of a mall, by accident...

I'm BACK!!! Sorry about that. But don't worry I will strive to churn out as many possible chapters before I restart school in January. Email about anything at imartistic90@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading :)!!!