"It's not as weird as you think," Kurt shouted over the compressed synth music and stock punch sounds blasting from the tinny speakers of the fat CRT TV sat on the floor in front of him and Evan. From the moth-eaten couch, the only 'real' furniture they had in their secret attic hideaway, Anna watched as the boys navigated a side-scrolling 'beat-em-up' video game featuring some brightly color-coated ninja turtles with matching weapons. "Kitty always goes nuts in the Danger Room. You've only trained with us - what - twice? She's done crazier stuff."
"Dude! The hell, man?" Evan squared his shoulders. "I needed that pizza! I got two boxes of life left!"
"Oh, my bad, dude. Next one."
"That's what you said about the last one!"
"Oh. Then the next one for sure."
Anna could hear the sweat on Evan's forehead sizzle all the way across the giant spool they used as a table. As fascinating as it was to watch the boys play a game that was old enough to be their dad, she decided to take the extra time before dinner to peruse Evan's well-organized shelf of books. Naturally with the shelf living the the 'Whispering Woods' AKA the gang's secret Dungeons and Dragons hideaway, most of the surprising shiny tomes were D&D related. Still, she managed to find a handful of tucked-away novels. 'Kings of the Wild' by Nicholas Eames - a sort of dad-themed 'getting the band back together' romp across the horrific badlands of a fantasy world, made sense to find on Evan's bookshelf. However 'Red, White, and Royal Blue' by Casey McQuiston - A romance that follows the complicated relationship between America's First Son and the Prince of England, and how they turned from bitter rivals to lovers - took her for a loop to find. Maybe there was more to the angry little nerd than she thought. She flipped open the front flap and found a chicken-scratch inscription:
'Can't figure out which one of us is the First Son and which one of us is the Prince in the story. Either way, made me think of you last time I read it.
Happy 2-week anniversary!
Love, K'
Anna felt her cheeks and neck go hot, and she shoved the book back into place with enough force to rock the shelf.
Kurt looked over his shoulder at her and scratched his nose. "You okay? You want a water from the chest or something? You look like you're about to melt over there."
"Fine!" Anna pulled a book randomly from the shelf and dropped back on the couch.
"Just - finding something to flip through."
Kurt smiled, his white teeth catching the rays of the afternoon sun through the open window, then rejoined Evan who seemingly had every muscle flexed while staring into the TV's flashing screen.
Anna let out a lungful of hot air and flipped her book open to a random page. "But you've seen Kitty in an actual fight." Anna started, glancing through the page labeled 'Basilisk.' "She's basically useless."
"That's a little harsh..."
"Is she wrong?" Evan was turning his tiny gray controller like a steering wheel while pivoting his torso. "No-no-no-no... damn. There's another life." He reached for a labelless bottle filled with blue liquid and took a sip. "Seriously, man. Where was she that whole time back at the gas station?"
"She was getting people out of the store and the parking lot," Kurt rolled up his sleeves, "right?"
"Man, I was down there next to that store and I didn't see a soul in there."
Anna looked at Evan. "Wait, really?"
"Yeah. I was hiding behind this parked car, and I could see through the windows from where I sat. The place was empty."
Anna rested her hand against the Basilisk page. "I was with Xavier the whole time watching y'alls cams. I saw Kitty and Scott pull a lady out of a car."
YOU ARE READING
Rogue Evolution
Hayran KurguA secret world exists within our own that only a few, a reluctant few, know about. The world of Mutants. They walk amongst us, talk like us, and many even look like us. However, within each of them they carry great powers beyond our understanding...
