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Chapter 9: The End --- A New Beginning
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It was twenty minutes later that Alison finally arrived back at the arena, stepping out of the police car with an escort of several officers. There was a crowd gathered around her, most of them paparazzi, some fans, some mutant haters. She did her best to ignore them all, the flashbulbs and shouted questions grating on her nerves. She managed to retreat to the relative safety and quiet of her tour bus, closing the door behind her and sitting, resting her head against the back of the couch.
"I hope you're not planning on staying there," Alison looked up to see Tom standing over her, a cigar hanging from his lips. He looked more than just a little bedraggled, the press had obviously been hounding him for the past half hour.
"Look, Tom, I'm tired... I haven't had an easy day, just leave me alone," she grumbled, leaning her head back on the couch again.
"Get off my tour bus," he said, pulling a sheet of paper out of his pocket. Alison looked up again, hearing the rustling of the paper and looked at him in shock.
"That's my contract! What are you doing?" She cried in terror.
"Turning it into confetti," he rapidly shredded it into dozens of tiny pieces, throwing it in the air and watching it flutter to the ground, "I'm not having a mutie working for me. You're finished! Now get out!" Alison could feel pure rage and hate welling up in the pit of her stomach, she wanted to do nothing more than to knock Tom clean across the bus, but she knew she couldn't. She just stood up and stared him straight in the face.
"Fine, I'll leave," she said, rushing to the back to get her backpack, which contained her most important and personal belongings. She put it over her shoulders and frowned, tears streaming down her cheeks. She headed towards the front of the bus to leave just as Lila came in through the door, glancing from the cigar smoking manager to the tearstained face of her younger friend.
"What's wrong, Alison?" she asked, putting a hand on Alison's shoulder.
"Tom doesn't want a freak working for him... I've been fired," Alison replied.
"Then I guess I quit, too," Lila said, glaring at the manager.
"What?" He looked startled by the announcement, it was clear that he had been relying on Lila as his new star.
"Alison isn't the only one with mutant powers," Lila said, and with that, she and Alison vanished from the van in a brilliant flash of light. Tom's mouth dropped open, his cigar hitting the ground with a dull thud.
"Good riddance," he muttered, quite confident that no one would be hearing the names Lila Cheney or Alison Blaire ever again.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Lila and Alison reappeared a few blocks away, both girls looking very upset by the happenings of the past hour. Alison had been reduced to tears, her dream of being a star had been shattered in just a few moments. This was balanced by her pure rage at the bigot Tom, who was so blinded by his hatred of mutants that he had fired her on the spot.
"I'm sorry," Lila said softly, "this is all my fault... if I hadn't called Remy---"
"Don't blame yourself," Alison sniffled, "you had no idea."
"I guess people change," Lila said, frowning at the thought that Remy had become the type of person who would be friends with a man like the mutant terrorist who had tried to abduct Alison. "Now what do we do?" There was a brief silence between the two of them, until Alison stuck her hand in one of her pockets, finding a small piece of paper. She pulled it out, noticing that it was a business card. She pondered for a few moments and bit her lower lip, then looked back up at Lila.
"I know," she said, a small smile creeping over her face.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"One four oh-seven Graymalkin Lane," Alison said, glancing at the sign on the gate, "the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters."
"Are you sure about this?" Lila asked, "we don't know if these people are any better than Remy's friends."
"They helped me tonight," Alison replied, brushing a lock of her golden hair back behind her ear, "they told me if I ever needed help... to come here. I think I'm in need of help right now," she said with a small smile. She reached out and pressed the button near the gate, and a few moments later, it creaked open. Alison and Lila walked through, looking at the mansion as they moved, very impressed by its size. They walked up the front doorsteps and just as Lila put her hand up to knock, the door opened, revealing a kind-faced baldheaded man in a wheelchair on the other side. "I'm sorry to trouble you, sir, but I'm in need of..."
"Help, yes, that is something I'm sure I can offer," the man smiled, "I am Professor Charles Xavier, please come in," Lila and Alison exchanged a brief glance at each other before entering. They stood in a grand foyer, empty except for the three of them. "I saw what happened on the news... I was glad to see that my X-Men were able to assist you. Are you quite all right?"
"Yes, I'm... we're... fine," Alison said nervously, "I'd just like a place to stay for the night, me and Lila, that is... would that be...?"
"You can stay as long as you like," Xavier smiled at them, "in fact, I hope that you feel at home here, we very much welcome new faces here." The pair of girls nodded slowly. They already felt very much at home in this place. Perhaps they would stay and become part of Xavier's school, but only time would tell.
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FIN
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
And for those of you not satisfied with that ending... there may be a sequel in the works, if there's enough demand for it. ;)
Chapter 9: The End --- A New Beginning
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
It was twenty minutes later that Alison finally arrived back at the arena, stepping out of the police car with an escort of several officers. There was a crowd gathered around her, most of them paparazzi, some fans, some mutant haters. She did her best to ignore them all, the flashbulbs and shouted questions grating on her nerves. She managed to retreat to the relative safety and quiet of her tour bus, closing the door behind her and sitting, resting her head against the back of the couch.
"I hope you're not planning on staying there," Alison looked up to see Tom standing over her, a cigar hanging from his lips. He looked more than just a little bedraggled, the press had obviously been hounding him for the past half hour.
"Look, Tom, I'm tired... I haven't had an easy day, just leave me alone," she grumbled, leaning her head back on the couch again.
"Get off my tour bus," he said, pulling a sheet of paper out of his pocket. Alison looked up again, hearing the rustling of the paper and looked at him in shock.
"That's my contract! What are you doing?" She cried in terror.
"Turning it into confetti," he rapidly shredded it into dozens of tiny pieces, throwing it in the air and watching it flutter to the ground, "I'm not having a mutie working for me. You're finished! Now get out!" Alison could feel pure rage and hate welling up in the pit of her stomach, she wanted to do nothing more than to knock Tom clean across the bus, but she knew she couldn't. She just stood up and stared him straight in the face.
"Fine, I'll leave," she said, rushing to the back to get her backpack, which contained her most important and personal belongings. She put it over her shoulders and frowned, tears streaming down her cheeks. She headed towards the front of the bus to leave just as Lila came in through the door, glancing from the cigar smoking manager to the tearstained face of her younger friend.
"What's wrong, Alison?" she asked, putting a hand on Alison's shoulder.
"Tom doesn't want a freak working for him... I've been fired," Alison replied.
"Then I guess I quit, too," Lila said, glaring at the manager.
"What?" He looked startled by the announcement, it was clear that he had been relying on Lila as his new star.
"Alison isn't the only one with mutant powers," Lila said, and with that, she and Alison vanished from the van in a brilliant flash of light. Tom's mouth dropped open, his cigar hitting the ground with a dull thud.
"Good riddance," he muttered, quite confident that no one would be hearing the names Lila Cheney or Alison Blaire ever again.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Lila and Alison reappeared a few blocks away, both girls looking very upset by the happenings of the past hour. Alison had been reduced to tears, her dream of being a star had been shattered in just a few moments. This was balanced by her pure rage at the bigot Tom, who was so blinded by his hatred of mutants that he had fired her on the spot.
"I'm sorry," Lila said softly, "this is all my fault... if I hadn't called Remy---"
"Don't blame yourself," Alison sniffled, "you had no idea."
"I guess people change," Lila said, frowning at the thought that Remy had become the type of person who would be friends with a man like the mutant terrorist who had tried to abduct Alison. "Now what do we do?" There was a brief silence between the two of them, until Alison stuck her hand in one of her pockets, finding a small piece of paper. She pulled it out, noticing that it was a business card. She pondered for a few moments and bit her lower lip, then looked back up at Lila.
"I know," she said, a small smile creeping over her face.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"One four oh-seven Graymalkin Lane," Alison said, glancing at the sign on the gate, "the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters."
"Are you sure about this?" Lila asked, "we don't know if these people are any better than Remy's friends."
"They helped me tonight," Alison replied, brushing a lock of her golden hair back behind her ear, "they told me if I ever needed help... to come here. I think I'm in need of help right now," she said with a small smile. She reached out and pressed the button near the gate, and a few moments later, it creaked open. Alison and Lila walked through, looking at the mansion as they moved, very impressed by its size. They walked up the front doorsteps and just as Lila put her hand up to knock, the door opened, revealing a kind-faced baldheaded man in a wheelchair on the other side. "I'm sorry to trouble you, sir, but I'm in need of..."
"Help, yes, that is something I'm sure I can offer," the man smiled, "I am Professor Charles Xavier, please come in," Lila and Alison exchanged a brief glance at each other before entering. They stood in a grand foyer, empty except for the three of them. "I saw what happened on the news... I was glad to see that my X-Men were able to assist you. Are you quite all right?"
"Yes, I'm... we're... fine," Alison said nervously, "I'd just like a place to stay for the night, me and Lila, that is... would that be...?"
"You can stay as long as you like," Xavier smiled at them, "in fact, I hope that you feel at home here, we very much welcome new faces here." The pair of girls nodded slowly. They already felt very much at home in this place. Perhaps they would stay and become part of Xavier's school, but only time would tell.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
FIN
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
And for those of you not satisfied with that ending... there may be a sequel in the works, if there's enough demand for it. ;)