𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐓 (X-Men ~ Peter Maximoff)

Bruises

If Jennifer was asked to describe how she felt in a single word this book would have to be censored. Pain ran through her muscles and there was a tingling on the surface of her skin, like a thousand needles had been pushed into her side. It certainly wasn't a pleasant sensation, but as she sat outside with her back rested against the exterior of the warehouse and legs stretched out infront of her, it didn't seem quite so bad, especially not when the sun was beaming down on her.

Open on her lap was an old book that she had picked up from a second hand store, its age evident in the way the spine was slowly coming apart. It was about ... something – Jennifer had long since lost interest in the printed words and was now softly tapping her fingers on the page to a non-existent tune.

How long Jennifer had been outside she couldn't measure in minutes or hours, time passing differently as her mind travelled through various different thoughts – from how she was unable to transfer her injures to the plants infront of her, to what she was going to do with the mandatory holiday days she had taken this week.

Jennifer hadn't really wanted to take a week's holiday but considering that she hadn't gotten home from the fair until way after midnight and as a result had slept until two-ish, it had probably been a good idea, especially when it had taken her ages to fall asleep. It may have just been the sugar from the candy floss, but Jennifer's mind had refused to rest, replaying every detail from the eventful night.

Every time she thought about the bright lights and the starry sky Jennifer couldn't fight the smile that crept up her features. That one night put every single other night to shame. Nothing could compare to the atmosphere of thousands of laughing people, or the way the live music constantly played in the background. But perhaps the best part of the night was her unique experience with Peter.

He hadn't wasted a second to grab her hand and drag her and Maisie along to their next ride, nor had he hesitated to laugh at Jennifer when she went head first into a pane of glass in the house of mirrors, and despite the prices, neither teen had backed down from the challenge of trying, and failing, to win a prize from the stalls. They had been carefree and young, and it hadn't had a single consequence other than the slightly embarrassing photos from the booth.

Smiling in recollection, Jennifer pulled to strips of photos from the pocket of her jacket which she sat upon. She didn't know how many images had been taken, but Peter had given her a total of twelve over three strips. Most of them contained all three members of the party, but one strip was composed entirely of the two teenagers laughing their heads off and although the photos didn't show it, Jennifer clearly remembered herself accidently hitting his head as a result of him tickling her.

It had been like they were different people, no, not different, just discovering who they were, and as it seemed, who they were revolved around each other. Unfortunately, that fact brought on more negative feelings than positive ones.

She was never supposed to stay in Maryland for such a long period of time. The plan had been to earn enough money to afford a cab up to Westchester County and ask Charles for a flight home. It wasn't difficult to do, and yet if it wasn't for all the money she had wasted on making the warehouse more comfortable she could be home by home. If she hadn't wasted her time on going to school she could be hugging her mother right now.

But even now, with enough money to get her to the doorstep of the manor, a part of her refused to think about leaving. She had formed too many attachments – to her friends, to her job, to her education – and they were now holding her back.

A smaller part of her was apprehensive about going home. She didn't want to want to go home to find everything different, to find everyone ten years older. Hell, her friends probably had kids and families of their own by now. She would be forced to start from scratch again, with a new identity, new friends, new environment. Would she even be allowed back into the UK without an ID? Maybe Charles still had ties with the CIA that would help her out, or maybe he was blamed for the start of the Brotherhood of Mutants. (Was that still a thing? Jennifer hadn't heard anything about it on the news, which was probably for the best.)