Changing Tides [JohnProudstar]

26

"What's wrong, Zing?" I exit mine and John's room, to find Caitlin on the couch petting a whining Zingo.

"I think she's missing Clarice." Cait answers, standing up from her spot. Whenever she wasn't with John and I, the Australian shepherd spent most of her time with Clarice.

"Yeah well, she chose to leave." I slightly roll my eyes at the mention of the purple haired girl. Just thinking about the whole situation, makes me angry. You don't just abandon your friends...especially in times of crisis. Cait and I walk over to the kitchen, where everyone else has gathered for a quick meeting.

"Listen, I've been calling around, and besides Evangeline, we lost the leaders of the West, the Midwest and the South. They're all dead. We need to decide what we're gonna do." Reed begins, shifting his weight onto the refrigerator.

"I think it's obvious." John shrugs. "Gather together what's left, and we make a plan to strike back."

"But, John, after what happened, why would anyone sign up?" Reed questions, placing his hands onto the circular kitchen table.

"What other choice do we have? We gonna give up? Hide?" John looks to the older man. I can tell this whole thing is frustrating him.

"You think we're in a position to start an army? The Inner Circle is after Lauren." Cait places a comforting hand onto her daughters shoulder.

"I can handle it." Lauren says, her voice dripping with exhaustion.

"But you can't keep waking yourself up every 20 minutes, not allowing yourself to dream." Reed says, shaking his head.

"And there's another thing. My brother said that Reeva Payge has infiltrated the government." Caitlin presents us with new information.

"And Benedict Ryan is leading the Purifiers in a nationwide crusade." Marcos adds. "And the two of them working together..."

"This is exactly why we need to fight." John says. "The Inner Circle, the Purifiers, they want the same thing: humans and mutants living apart. They're gonna try to drive a wedge between us, forever. If we do not act on this now..."

"John is right." Marcos nods in agreement. "Lorna's risking her life to find out about this attack they're planning. If she gets something, anything, we need to be ready."

—
"Come on, you guys, we are the last of the Mutant Underground." Marcos says, as he, John, and I attempt reasoning with the few remaining members of the Underground who are currently standing in our living room.