As The World Turns Cold

Trifles & Terrors

Rogue's eyes were cold and menacing and Mercy couldn't' help but look away. She wasn't getting through to him, but one day she hoped she would be able to.

For now, seeing him so twisted with darkness was enough to keep her from speaking another word on the subject.

A silence overtook them. The awkwardness filled the car and no one was willing to break it. Mercy heard the whirl of the tires as they scraped against asphalt and the wind raged all around them. The situation was becoming unsettling.

Lily, being the daredevil she was, spoke up with eagerness in light of the recent conversation. "Anyone else pumped and ready to overthrow the government yet?"

Rogue shifted in his seat and nodded with Mercy's sister's efforts. His eyes softened a little at the subject change. "It certainly helps make what we're fighting for more worthwhile."

"Well, now that we've cast a unanimous vote to ambush the government, don't you all think we need a catchy team name?" Terrance's head popped up between her and Rogue.

"Team name? You can't be serious." Rogue yawned as he spoke.

He had now returned to the snarky and somewhat obnoxious boy she knew him to be. It was a far greater state than one of anger and coldness.

"I think we have all grown out of that stage."

"Why not? It would make things more interesting." Lily replied. "Say we can, Mer." She whispered to her sister. She grinned wide, letting her pearly whites show. She scrunched up her eyes and hoped the absurd facial expression would work on Mercy. Now she was fully awake.

Mercy shifted in her seat. With the way they acted, no one would expect them to be preparing to head off for a war of conspiracies and the impossible.

She shrugged. "If you want a team name, go for it. Make your suggestions, but I'm not wearing a costume."

"You say that now, but down the road you might want to look the part. You'd look pretty great in a cape." Rogue winked.

Mercy blushed. "No capes." She scowled. "And I'm not saying I agree with the idea. We might not be alive long enough to put it to use anyway."

"Live in the moment! How about a bodysuit, Red?" Terrance grinned wickedly.

Mercy pushed his arm. "I could have sworn you were supposed to be coming up with a name, not uniforms. And this is completely unimportant. What we need is to come up with a strategy."

He shrugged. "I can multitask."

"We may not live to see the chance of getting costumes. If we survive this, then we'll talk." Mercy huffed.

"Optimism, Red. You're supposed to set the examples around here."

Mercy scoffed at the words he spoke. "You're referring to someone who's lived the past eight years in a cage of nightmares. All the ghouls and night terrors I've had took away my optimism long ago."

Terrance shrugged and tapped her cheek in a playful manner. "The way I see it, you've learned to trust and hope more since I met you. Now be a good girl and show us some team spirit. Be a role model."

"Maybe I will one day, but right now we need to get to our destination. I want all of this to be over with."

"Alright, then forget the cheesy names and one-liners for the moment. Whatever's bothering you spit it out, Red. We're a team; a family in a sense of the word. We are here for each other and we have to trust one another. You can start off the trust exercise with spilling your guts." Terrance murmured as he tried to get Mercy to share her burdens.