Us Mutants Prefer the Term "Special"

x13x

Minutes later, we were landed on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Everyone was readying their bags to leave the plane, while Zaine and Jane were assuring that all the controls were off. Cheshire and Warren were slouching in their seats.

"Come on, let's go," Anthony ushered.

"Hell no," Cheshire cussed. "I ran and ran from the people that took us to that damn island and I am not going back there."

"And you don't think I didn't?" Warren asked. "I didn't want to be there so badly that I lived out on my own...in the woods."

"Pity for you," Cariba groaned. Warren glared at her.

"Let's just get this over with so we can all go back to normal," Warren sighed.

"Whatever that is," Cariba scoffed. Cheshire stood up and looked between all of us.

"Some of us have no 'normal' to go back to."

With that, he exited the plane and I looked back to Jane, who had given me a look as she left Zaine sitting in the seat, sighing. The others exited the plane, but I was focused on Zaine. I leaned over and picked up all of the heavy files. When I stood up, he was also standing, taking them from me. I frowned, slightly, before he spun me around to put all of them in my light backpack. I turned back around to face me.

"Keep those," he spoke. I nodded and started to leave, but he grabbed my hand from behind. The heavy backpack threw off my balance and I almost collided into him, but then he slid the bag off of my shoulder and onto his to add to his own.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"No problem," I grumbled and then started to walk away from him, but his grip on my fingers tightened.

"Can you do me a favor?" he asked me. I bit the inside of my lip. "Just stay with me."

"Well it's just us so-" I was interrupted when he pressed his lips against my cheek like before. I shuddered at the memories of Tyler and stepped away from him completely, even though I didn't want to. But even though I didn't want to step away, I did and when I met Zaine's eyes, he seemed more heartbroken than before.

"Zaine, I'm-"

"I understand," he stammered a lie. No he didn't.

"No. I just..." I tried to find the right words. "You and everyone else here have lost something or someone of yours and I'm still not over mine."

He searched my face with a stern expression and I hoped he would say he'd help me get over it, like he got over whatever he loss, but apparently he couldn't because he started to turn his shoulders and immediately I slumped, only to realize that with my lowered gaze, he was holding his hand out to me.

=XXX=

"Way to go, Capt'n," Cheshire hissed. We were all sitting in jail-like cells, now. The five of us girls in one and the six of the boys in the other with bars between us.

We had exited the plane and of course the Force was on their guard about eleven teens with supernatural powers that knew how to steer a jet. However, the general wasn't there, which probably disappointed Zaine for some reason, judging by the tenseness in his hand the entire time since the Lieutenant started speaking.

"At least we get food," Andres commented as he was further back in the cell, yet still by the bars separating us because he was laying down, eating spaghetti and talking to Skye.

They did get us whatever we wanted though. They locked us up but not as if we were felons. Zaine and Jane explained the circumstances and nearly every militia leader was shocked at the invasion, but yet we still ended up here. It wasn't so bad, but if you don't like confinement (even an a hundred square foot cell), it was hell. Especially since it somewhat neutralized all of our powers...well at least the obvious ones.

"Shut up," Cheshire and Anthony responded, frustrated. I looked over to Zaine, who was standing and on the complete opposite end of the cell by himself with Warren idling behind him at about eight feet away.

"I wish I had my cards," Cheshire expressed since all of our bags were just out of reach outside of the giant cage. They didn't even check through them. They just...put them away. Everyone grumbled a 'yeah' and Cariba, who was originally talking to me, stood up. I thought I even saw the messy hair of Warren moving to acknowledge her movement.

"What will you give me?" she suddenly asked. Cheshire raised an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"Your cards," she answered. Everyone scoffed.

"Yeah right, Benjamin," Cheshire scoffed. She only rolled her eyes and walked over to the front of the cell to reach her arm out. It turned into a stream of water, floating through the air, reaching into Cheshire's indigo bag and grabbing his cards even though she-probably on purpose-drenched other parts of his bag. She pulled her arm back and materialized it with a new set of cards. She smiled and Cheshire met the bars separating us.

"How'd you do that? Our powers don't work here," he commented.

"Her powers include her own body and the necessities in the environment," Jane expressed, sitting across from Wib and Isaac. "If water is literally everywhere in the world and in her body, nothing can exclude her."

Cariba tilted her head and smiled sarcastically at Cheshire who was now glaring. She even held out the cards for him, but when he reached for it, she pulled it back out of his reach.

"What will you give me for them?" she repeated from earlier.

"Give me a card and it'll be a twenty dollar bill," he promised.

"What use for money do I have here?" she jeered. He rolled his eyes and stepped closer towards the bars.

"Remember what we talked about in the forest?" he whispered to her. Her position stiffened and she crossed her arms. What happened in the forest? "That's what I can do for you."

"Yeah right," she dared with a roll of her eyes.

"Or I could not do it. Either way, I think you lose, sweetheart," he snickered with a wink. I wanted to know what they were talking about.

"Oh please, Cheshire. You wouldn't-"

"Will you both just shut up and make out already?" Andres complained. Even though Warren was playing with Indica's fingers through the bars, he looked over to them.

"Yeah sweetheart, I was thinking the same thing earlier...when are you going to pronounce your ever dying love for-" Cheshire was lucky there were bars separating him from her, because she threw the deck of cards at him in anger and plus, the door opened.

"Zaine Union, the colonel would like to speak with you," suddenly, a guard told us, walking into the room. Zaine eased up from the wall without a look to anyone while the guard unlocked the door.

"Can I bring someone with me?" he asked.

"Assuming it to be Jane Rawlinson, yes," the guard replied and Jane looked up at them. Zaine shook his head.

"Aspen, actually...but Jane as well," he said and now everyone was looking at me. Jane had already stood and Zaine was out of the cell. The guard opened our door and Jane was waiting for me to exit with her just like everyone else. I reluctantly did so, not feeling just one emotion on the subject.

This was the misunderstood boy and I had seen him prove that. He was so willing to be there for me and act as if he was fighting some force pulling us together, but in return, he'd deny it and shut down. He had as big of a wall up as me; only, I showed mine well after realizing he was breaking it down.

"Don't forget your bag," he muttered, avoiding eye contact, but still managing to brush his hand against mine. And that, inner hand was the one I used to search for my bag on the row of counters where everyone else's were, however, I couldn't find it. Apparently, he was talking to Jane as well because she picked up her smaller bag full of journals and notes and survival sh!t that we barely used. I grabbed a random one.

I saw Zaine reach over to grab his own bag-for what reason we would need food and shelter, I have no clue-and he acted as if it was heavier than reality. I looked back to see Indica now standing as Warren was whispering something to her, but she looked out of it. I gave my look to Wib, lastly, and then tore my eyes away to follow Jane, Zaine, and the soldier.