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Pricilla shivered, hugging closer to the cold stone wall to avoid another blast of fridgid New York air. 'Of all the places in the world', she thought, 'Why did I have to pick New York City?'
She snorted in disgust at herself ,' Yeah, like I had much choice of where I went. When three guys come after you with big guns, you teleport to the first place that comes up!'
She closed her eyes in agony and silently berated herself. 'Don't think about that! It will only remind you of mom...and dad...Oh god!' She jammed her fists into her eyes to stop the flood of tears from falling, but she couldn't stop the whimpering.
The sound of cloth against stone caught her notice and she silently slipped deeper into dark alley behind her. Her red-rimmed eyes scanned the street in front, while her dark hair and clothes helped her blend in with the shadows until she was invisible. "Invisibility. Now theres a good power to have. Unlike the one I got.'
A whole gang of boys appeared before her suddenly, speaking Spanish and carrying wicked looking knives and lead pipes. They passed a whiskey bottle back and forth as they stood under the streetlight. Pricilla mentally blessed the empathy that allowed her to understand them, even though she'd never learned Spanish.
"Angelo, the Cobras, they must be cowards, they are not here yet!" said one boy.
"Ahahhahah, Miguel! Good one, hombre!" another person said, slapping hands with Miguel.
"cool it, you two." said a third. He was obviously the leader. With his dark black hair and angel-like face, it was hard for Pricilla to imagine him as a killer. But his next words were so cold that she shivered again, pulling the black leather jacket she'd stolen tighter over her ragged sweater. "The Cobras will be here. If they aren't, we'll go looking for them."
"Well, then, Senor Angelo, I guess it's a good thing that we're here then, isn't it?" a cruel voice asked from nearby. Pricilla jumped in surprise, for she hadn't heard the second gang arrive. She deemed it prudent to stay low, she slid further into the darkness of the alley, taking care to make no sound. 'As if they would hear me', she thought wryly as she saw the two gangs square off.
Angelo pulled out a knife and advanced on the leader of the other gang. "Pedro" He said in a cold, deadly voice "the Cobras owe Poison, and we intend to collect!" He flicked the knife point out as the two began to circle each other.
Pricilla was so involved in the the drama unfolding that she didn't notice what was happening at first. By the time that she realized it, Poison and the Cobras stood as if in a trance . They stared straight ahead at nothing, their bodies slack, their eyes unblinking.
:Well: said a voice in Pricillas mind :You have been very naughty boys. Do your mothers know where you are this late at night?
Pricilla searched the darkness beyond the streetlight for the speaker, and was rewarded when she saw the woman step out into the light.
She was quite literally speechless at what she saw. Tall, with pure blond hair, this woman would be noticed where ever she went. But her clothes added the final, crowning touch. She was dressed in a white leather corset with a short jacket covering it, and knee high boots. 'Who-or what-is she?" thought Pricilla in shock.
: Normally, boys, I would leave you here to finish each other off. But not tonight, Oh no, my first vacation from the school in quite awhile and you will not ruin it.: The woman stopped and said crisply :Go home children. Play times over.:
All of the boys turned and left in different directions, so quickly that if she hadn't seen it herself, Pricilla would never have believed it. She stared at the woman in awe, wondering yet again what she was.
:I'm a mutant child: The woman said speaking directly to her :As, I suspect, you are as well.:
Pricilla jumped to her feet in fear and turned to flee down the alley.
:Wait: though the command was given softly, Pricilla found that she was moving torwards the woman.
:What is your name, child?:
"P-Pricilla", she managed to stutter out.
:My name is Emma Frost. You may call me Emma: the woman said as she reached out and grasped Pricilla by the chin, "Hmm....you look as if you haven't eaten in a few days. Come with me."
Once again, Pricilla found herself doing something against her will. She followed Emma to where a long white limo was parked. A huge green chauffer got out of the front seat and opened the door. "Evening Ms. Frost, ma'am," he said nodding at Pricilla. 'He acts' she thought scathingly 'As if Emma Frost kidnapping a person was a common occurance!'
:Oh, I have been known to be eccentric.: Emma said in her head :and my people are notoriously hard to surprise.:
"I wish you wouldn't do that," Pricilla said, rubbing her head. Then she asked quietly "What do you intend to do with me?"
"Take you back to my school,"Emma said, touching up her face from a compact.
"Your going to send me to a camp, arn't you? Give me to the Friends of Humanity? Kill me?" asked Pricilla dully, staring out the window. It had started to rain, drops splattering on the surface creating a pattern even through the chaos. 'I wonder what it would be like to be a raindrop.'
Emma closed the compact with a snap and looked over at Pricilla in shock. "Camps? F.O.H? Kill you? Where did you grow up, girl?"
"Genosha" Pricilla said, conveying everything with that curt statement.
"Ah," said Emma, thinking quietly for a few minutes, "That would explain...But, see here. Haven't you ever heard of Charles Xavier?"
"Xavier?" asked Pricilla indifferently "Sure, what I hear about him on the news. He's the one thats got some school out in Massachusets, right?"
"Right. Only Only its not just any school. Its a school for mutants."
"for Mutants?!" asked Pricilla, swinging around to face Emma in astonishment.
"Yes, to help them. To train them. The protect them. It's...just Xaviers." Emma said quietly. "
"Why?" asked Pricilla suspiciously.
"Because Xavier has a dream, child. A dream of humans and mutants living together in peace one day." Emma said.
"Peace." Pricilla said, turning back to the window, "Is there ever any peace for our kind?"
"Perhaps one day." Emma leaned forward and put her hand on Pricilla's knee."What happened to you?"
Pricilla stared at Emmas hand. "To understand, I have to start at the begining. You know I'm from Genosha. Well, I spent some time in a...camp. A death camp." She swallowed hard,"I was rescued by freedom fighters." She smile a grim little smile at Emma's look of surprise, "Yes there were freedom fighters. Not many, but enough to keep a few of us alive."
She was silent for a minute before continuing. "They helped me and my parents escape to America. We started a new life, we began to feel....safe." She glanced quickly at Emma, expecting condemation, and kept going when she saw none. "And then THEY came.
"Who are they?" asked Emma.
Pricilla looked over at her, her eyes again filled with tears, and said in an anguished whisper, "Assasains. Genoshan terrorists. They killed my parents, and now they're looking for me."
For a long time, there was only silence.
