X-Men Evolution: Rogue Evolution

Discovery 1.6

The family's old Toyota Corolla only stopped speeding when it came across the odd stop light, and even then, her Mom only slowed down. Not that there was a real need to stop. There wasn't a soul around this far in the middle of nowhere. Now, seeing the world around her in the full daylight with her wits about her, it really struck Anna just how 'in the middle of nowhere' they were. To her left and right there was nothing but pine trees only occasionally broken up with a sign for a rest stop or bridge. She may have seen an animal or two, but it was hard to tell with how fast they were bolting down the largely abandoned highway. Along their trek, Anna would steal a glance or two over the rear seat and out the back window, but there wasn't another car for miles along the relatively straight road behind them. When she felt the prying eyes of her mother sticking in her back through the rear mirror, Anna would sit back down in her seat quietly and trace her thumb along the length of the pen stowed away in her sleeve.

Finally, a sign screaming 'Annie's Diner' splayed across gross-looking yellow plastic housed in a metal frame whizzed up on the right-hand side. Raven took the right into the parking lot and narrowly missed jumping the curb inside. She had barely turned off the car before sliding out of the driver seat, opening the rear door, and holding out her hand. "Let's go, Anna. He's been waiting long enough."

"Will you just-"

Her Mom didn't wait for Anna to reach out and meet her hand, instead, she clutched her hand and half dragged her out of the back seat. By the time she was slid out into the parking lot, her Mah, Irene, had joined them. Her Mom ran her hands over Anna's hair, pulling the individual strands out of her face. "Okay honey, please remember your manners and don't speak unless spoken to. Let me do most of the talking."

Anna blinked. "Am I meeting the damn Pope or something?"

Raven snapped her fingers in Anna's face, something she had never done before. "Anna, please! Please, just listen." She took her by the hand and pulled her away from the car.

They stopped before a pair of big glass doors with shiny diagonal push bars. Her Mom pushed one of the doors in and pushed Anna inside. When she stepped through the threshold the cool air that funneled through a small AC somewhere hit her sweaty brow. She could smell bacon grease and the stench of stale black coffee sitting on a burner for too long. Before her was a long bar with every barstool filled with men and women of varying sizes. To her left and right, along the wall of the diner, were squat red booths with white tables. Like the bar, every single seat was filled with trucker-looking folk with ball caps and flannel shirts. Well, all the tables were filled except for one at the very rear that conveniently escaped the long rays of the sunlight cast from the diner's many windows. A waitress, tall and lean, smiled down at her.

"Welcome to Annie's!" She looked beyond Anna and back down to her. "Are y'all the table of three we were expecting?"

"Yes." Her Mom said crisply, eyes already fixed on the lone empty booth.

"Very well." The woman made to grab some menus but her Mom waved her hand.

"We won't be needing menus."

"Already know whatcha want?" The well-meaning waitress smiled and waved for them to follow her. It was only when they arrived at the booth that Anna finally saw that it wasn't vacant.

"Here are the little stragglers!" The waitress said playfully to, what Anna could now see, was a man. His face and figure was largely awash in shadow aside from the shallow reflection of light off the tabletop.

"Very good to see you all finally join us." His voice had a crackle and roll to it like embers snapping off a fire. She could just see the profile of his well-sculpted face as he looked up at the waitress. "Three coffees, please."