kinetic

the taking

Zoya watched Elizabeth pull their luggage off the converter belt. Zoya sat on the benches close by, her eyes closed as she waited for the suppressants to wear off and her mutation to return. Right now, she felt heavy.

"Come on, Zo. I think I have everything."

Zoya opened her heavy lids to see Elizabeth's out stretched hand. She took it and pulled herself to her feet. Elizabeth's had was so warm in the cold airport. Zoya almost wanted to hold both over her exposed ears. She was always the best like that.

"We need to stop at a service desk. We need a map and to call-"

"I foonts cwalrs," Zoya mumbled.

Elizabeth laughed, "This is worse than when you got your wisdom teeth removed!"

Linking arms, Elizabeth led them to one of the service desks. There was a short line, four or five people ahead. Zoya let her eyes fall closed. Her head fell against her friend's shoulder, content to just be for a moment. In front of the two young girls was a couple, by the sound of it, from Russia. Probably tourists. They were looking around, confused.

"Excuse us. Can you help us?" One of them, the woman asked in stilted English.

"I can try," Elizabeth smiled, "We just got here, too. I don't know a thing about New York, and barely anything about this airport."

"We just want to know if there is a map. Or, ah, directory?" The man inquire, accent thick.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you," Elizabeth replied. "But this is the line for the desk!" She added helpfully.

The couple shared a quick conversation in their native tongue, speaking quickly and harshly. Zoya's head rolled against Elizabeth's shoulder. The Russian ladies shoes were red like her jacket. Kind of bloody. The pill was wearing off. In the background of her mind, Zoya could hear indistinguishable murmurs.

"Alright, thank for you help anyways," the woman finally replied, her voice tense with false pleasantries.

Elizabeth smiled in response, but made no vocal retort.

"We're here to visit Adam's relative," the woman grinned, placing a tender hand on her partner's chest.

Her brown eyes looked up at the man adoringly. In return, he pulled a strand of loose hair behind her hair. The love between the two was sickly. Elizabeth grinned and told them we were visiting a boarding school.

"Oh," the woman asked, "you must be gifted yes? Smart? I also went to gifted school in home country."

Stupid cunt.

Zoya's eyes flew open. She raised her head and quickly looked around. That was the clearest voice she had heard since leaving from the airport in Kansas. It left her head feeling much too full. It echoed in her ears.

"Yes," that same smooth voice spoke, only now, it was tense and chopped, "my nephew, Abram is mutant. We are here to surprise him at school! Do you go to that school?"

Zoya stared at the man. Adam. He wore dark peacoat and red beanie. His hands were in his pants pocket. His skin was pale and he had a tattoo sneaking up his neck behind his ear.

"That's nice. I'm sure he'll be excited to see you again," Elizabeth smiled, stepping forward as the next person took up the service desk. Zoya could feel her shoulder tense as she shifted to dig in her bag for their ride vouchers so a car could take them from the airport.