X-Men 1. Chapter 1

Gene X

_"Mutants are a menace. They are dangerous, selfish, unruly creatures that don't belong in normal society with the rest of us," the booming voice on the mega phone called out. Angry protest cries quickly followed from the general public listeners, as the rally continued in front of the town hall. A small band of supposed mutants sat in silence inside the locked down building, wondering what was going to happen to them. Some of them looked like normal human beings, while others had physical mutations, making them look different and fearsome to the normal homo sapien eye. They watched in horror as the licking flames came in through the sealed doors, catching the tapestries and papers on fire, quickly spreading across the walls and the ceiling. Screams could be heard as the heat and smoke started to intensify, and grew louder as the kicking flames approached the trapped group of mutants. David looked up and screamed as the rolling flames kicked up and engulfed him….._

David's scream continued to resound as he sat upright in his bed, eyes wide open, staring straight ahead. The sound of rushed foot steps could be heard as his mother and father burst into the room, responding to the scream.

"David?! David honey, what's the matter?" his mother asked, sitting on the side of the bed and checking her son over. He said nothing and merely stared straight forward, slightly shaking as the expression of shock and fright remained transfixed on his face. He was covered in sweat, as was his pillow, sheets, and blanket. He sat motionless, his chest still heaving slightly as he struggled to catch his breath fully. His father, still standing in the doorway, crossed his arms and frowned.

"He must have had that dream again, you know the one that has been bothering him ever since we saw that news report about what happened to those mutants in that one house."

David's mother turned her head and shot him a look, causing him to stop talking, lest he makes the situation worse. She turned back to David, only to find him lying back down into bed, the fear almost gone from his face. She kissed him on the cheek and pulled the covers back over him, hoping and praying that he would not have the dream for the second time that night.

The sunlight shone through the window as the alarm clock on his bed side table went off, signaling that it was time for him to get up. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, before sliding the dial on the alarm to make the shrill noise cease. He looked at the time, sighed to himself, and with a great effort hoisted himself out of bed. He stood up straight and stretched, extending his arms all the way up, almost touching the ceiling of his room. He trudged across the carpet and opened his closet, half burying himself inside pulling out random articles of clothing, deciding what to put on. He ran his hand along the door and when his hand made contact with the door, he could have sworn he saw a charge if electricity run across his hand. Rubbing his eyes once more, he looked back at his hand and it appeared normal. Shaking his head in an effort not to believe what he thought he just saw, he finished getting dressed and opened the door to his bedroom, making his way downstairs to breakfast.

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, the smell of bacon and eggs was heavy in the air, meaning his mom just finished making them. Taking his IPOD ear pods off so he didn't get in trouble so early, he walked into the dining room and sat at the table, across from his father at their square shaped dinner table. His dad was reading the paper, and he wasn't sure if he was seen.

"So David, how did you sleep?" his father asked, nose buried in the sports section.

"Uh, fine, I guess. I mean, I had some weird dreams, but it was fine," he responded, playing with the eggs on his plate. At this point, his mom came to the table with her own plate of food.

"David, please don't play with your food. Eat, a good breakfast goes a long way," she said frowning.

"I'm really not that hungry, besides I need to go," he said, looking at the clock. The bus was going to be there any moment. Putting his buds back in his ears, he grabbed his backpack and walked out of the house. He had paused his music to eat, but when he got to the curb he turned it back on, "Nobody's Listening" blaring through the speakers.

The bus pulled up to the curb and he gave the driver a quick nod before getting on and finding his seat in the back. For some reason, this particular seat was always open and away from other people, so he just took it. He looked out the window, as the bus continued on it's way to school. The last place he really wanted to be. School was no longer the fun place it used to be. Now that mutants were real, and not just characters in the comic books, they were treated like sick and contagious people. Members of the school board, being bigoted and racist, did their best to find mutants and publicly embarrass them, making the school's enrollment in constant fluctuation, from the school kicking mutants out, and accepting the children of parents who didn't want their children exposed to the "mutant threat".

One of his friends was discovered to carry the gene. The "X" gene they called it. A particular gene on X chromosomes that makes people exhibit these crazy traits. The thing was….he had these funny feelings. He knew he was one too. That electric current in the morning, wasn't the first time it had happened. He was afraid though. Afraid he would get taken away and locked up. Or worse.

The bus shuddered to a stop, which snapped him back to reality. He followed the line of students as they got off the bus, and all he could wonder about as he made his way to the front door, was if he would have some kind of accident, or something crazy would happen, and he would get discovered.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dammit, why won't you stay on my finger?!" the girl yelled, watching as her contact lens landed on the counter top, glistening with solution. She sighed, having already been at this for five minutes now. She absolutely hated mornings, the fact that she needed to catch a bus made it that much more annoying.

Picking the lens up and balancing it on her finger, she used the other hand to widen her eyelids and put the small see through item on her eye, allowing it to stick before removing her hands. She blinked twice, letting the lens shift slightly and adjust. Looking back into the mirror, she sighed, realizing now she had to fight with her other eye. It was worth it though, all of it. The contact lenses, the clothes she wore, the rest of her makeup, all of it. She has standards for how she needs to look, and that is what is important. Sure, school is important to learn stuff, but the social aspect is way more important.

Finishing with her eyes, she went to her closet and pulled out the clothes she wanted, scratching her back before getting changed. Her back had been really itchy lately, becoming red and irritated after a few seconds of scratching. She and her mother chalked it up to winter itch, considering the layered clothing she had been wearing due to the temperature. It was an unusually cold winter where they lived, and it was taking a toll on her tan, skin, and hair. Not to mention she hated cold weather. Giving her back one more good scratch, she took the hooded sweatshirt off the hanger and slipped it on over her head, pulling her long red hair out of material and letting it hang down.

Bringing herself back to her mirror, she fluffed her hair out and tied it into a long ponytail, letting it trail down her back. She finished applying her makeup, using blush, mascara, lipstick and various shades of eyeliner and eye shadow. She didn't over do it, lest her father call her a hooker or a prostitute, and headed down stairs.

Her thick snow boots thudded as he stepped down the wooden stair case, holding on to the banister as she made her way down. Yawning widely, she walked through the family room and past her father's den before reaching the kitchen. Both of her parents had taken off for work already, so today, like every other day, she sat in silence and had a bowl of cereal. She glanced at the fashion section of the morning newspaper while she ate. Finished, and dissatisfied with the newspaper, she drained the milk from the bowl and placed the bowl in the dishwasher, still full with the dishes and utensils from the night before, meaning her mother didn't get around to running the machine.

Noticing the time, she picked her bag up from by the foot of the stairs and tried to scratch her back through the sweatshirt, before getting her coat, gloves, and earmuffs. She walked out of the house with her coat half on, locked the front door, and ran to the sidewalk of her property just as the bus rolled up to her house and stopped, the door sliding open. She smiled and waved to the driver as she climbed up the stairs, looking into an empty bus. She just happened to be the first stop on this route.

Walking down the aisle, she found her favorite seat in the middle of the bus and took her phone out, checking her texts and updating her facebook status. It took a few minutes, but her friends slowly started to board the bus as their stops came up in the route. Her back was still bothering her, but she tried not to make it seem so.

Once they reached high school and she made some changes, she became popular and very well liked. It also helped that she was a cheerleader, starting point guard for the girls team, and a state entry track runner. On top of it, was the academics. Even though she cared not for learning, she always did well in her classes because they were so easy.

Sitting against the window, she took a pen out and lightly tried to rub the spots on her back. It felt like her skin was kinda splitting, but not in a painful way. It felt strange and awkward, and she had no idea how to react to it. She could feel the muscles under her back tighten and stretch. Now she was starting to get worried, because she had a game that night. She could have worn her jersey, but she was too classy for that, and just wished the bus would arrive at school already.

The bus finally pulled into the drop zone and all the students went to get up. She grabbed her bag and was about to get off when she heard her name.

"Hey Gabbie, wait up!" a voice rang out over the clamor. Gabbie sighed, and stood right outside the bus when she got off, waiting for the caller. She finally figured out who called her. Steven Kalzin, one of the jocks of the school. This guy in particular had been hitting on her for weeks, clearly not seeing that she wasn't interested. When she saw who it was that called her, she started walking away, her back really starting to bother her.  
"Gabbie! Hold on. What's the rush? Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to go out after the game tonight. Considering you gals will destroy them, it will be a victory outing," he said smiling.

"Listen Steve, I don't know. Anyway, I'm feeling funny, and need the bathroom. So, goodbye," she said, rushing off. She hurried her way to the locker room, where she would have bigger mirrors and more room to move. She took her sweatshirt and undershirt off, standing there in her bra and turned to the side to look in the mirror, and gasped in horror. Her entire back looked scaly and dry, like the skin of the crocodiles at the zoo in town. She looked with horror and tapped the scales with her fingernail, feeling the hardness of them. What was happening to her….


End file.
