𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐓 (X-Men ~ Peter Maximoff)

Join the bad guys, they said. It'll be fun, they said.

In spite of Jennifer's efforts to change him, Erik's place of heart hadn't budged since Cuba. His need to bring mutants to power had only grown, and Jennifer's hopes of peace were starting to disappear from sight.

It had been a month since the 'Brotherhood of mutants' had formed. At the moment there were seven of them – Angel, Raven, Azazael, tornado dude (or Riptide as he preferred to be called), Emma Frost (who had joined a week prior after a breakout), Jennifer and Erik. Although they had been on opposite sides before, the group now had a common cause and therefore had each other's back. (Even though the people around her were terrorists, Jennifer believed they could change their ways, so she too, kept them safe.)

Over the course of the month, the Brotherhood of Mutants had started to set their plan into action. However, Jennifer had never been allowed to go with them on missions. She was just as capable bodied as the rest of the team – as she had shown in Cuba. She had pleaded to go with them, help them, only to be turned down again and again.

Until today.

Emma had noticed the fire in the sixteen-year-olds heart, and realised that they were holding back what could be a valuable weapon. Erik, sticking with his initial statement, refused. With a little persuasion though, the matter was reconsidered.

Jennifer stepped into the poorly drawn square in the centre of the empty warehouse, feeling the gaze of the rest of the group on her as she faced Azazael. This was the compromise Erik and Emma had decided on – making sure Jennifer stood a chance of surviving in the world before letting her join them. The rest of the group was unaware to this fact, simply believing it to be training.

The rules were simple – 1)Don't step out of the marked area, 2)Don't use your mutation, 3)Don't hold anything back.

When the third rule had been announced, everyone's eyes had shifted to Jennifer. They were all older than her – some of them double her age – meaning they were stronger and more experienced, some of them could probably punch a hole through her if they wanted. These facts didn't change the rules. If Jennifer was always paired with someone her own size in training, out in the world she would have no clue how to fight their enemies.

So here she was, trying to control her increased breathing as she focused on Azazael. The dim lighting barely showed the cold air escaping from her mouth.

Both were unaware of the fact that this was all to help Jennifer, they two came up with a reasonable justification for events that were about to occur. And to everyone in the group except Jennifer, the explanation they had was true.

It wasn't a fight for practise, it was a fight to prove who was willing to do what it took to win.

Jennifer didn't want to win, but had a gut feeling that if she didn't try her best she would be sent home – whether it be because she couldn't defend herself or because someone noticed she wasn't there to fight her way to power. Either way, it would do nobody any good.

On the other side of the grid was Azazael, and although he didn't particularly want to hurt the girl that reminded him of his sister, he felt the need to show his worth and loyalty.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Jennifer raised her hands and slowly moved towards Azazael who had opted for a completely different approach. He didn't bother taking small, cautious steps, and instead bounded forward and met Jennifer with a swing to the jaw. Stumbling back, Jennifer lost her guard and raised one of her hands to her face in shock.

There was a small, idiotic part of her that didn't think she would actually get hit. Well that thought was gone now.

In the time it took for this thought to fly through Jennifer's head, Azazael was preparing another punch. Quickly recovering from the first blow, Jennifer ducked as her opponent's fist went through the air where her head was moments ago. From her crouched position, Jennifer spun on one leg and ended up behind Azazael, who had moved forward by the force of his swing. In the few short moments it took for Azazael to realise what had happened Jennifer had kicked his knees out from behind him, making him fall to the floor. Only Azazael was older, and he knew how to fight. His knees never hit the floor. He turned much in the way Jennifer had done before but managed to kick her feet out from under her. The surprise, combined with the extra weight of her wings (still tucked into her back), pulled her down to the ground. Landing with a thud, Jennifer groaned in pain as Azazael moved beside her and delivered another swift blow to her face.