Street Livin’ - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Courtney
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 6

Remy's sleep did not last long, unfortunately. He woke up in seemingly no time later. His aching hands startled him out of what would most likely be the only sleep he'd get that night. He sat up, practically knocking Rogue off of him since she had fallen asleep as well. She awoke instantly and stared at him wide-eyed. "What's wrong?"

"Dey hurt," he said, motioning to his hands.

"All raht." She reached for the produce bag and pulled out a handful of strawberries. "Here," she handed them to him and stood up to open the window. Remy noted how surprisingly calm she was acting. But then he concentrated on the pain and flowed it to the fruit in his hand. Once it was gone, he threw the strawberries out the window. They had exploded even before they hit the ground.

Rogue sat down beside him. "You okay?" He nodded, fighting back a sob. The pain was like nothing he had ever felt before and it was just getting worse. He wished he could fly to wherever this Xavier's place was, just to get the help right away. But he knew reality and it was going to take them awhile. Hopefully less than a week as Rogue had asked.

"Y' gon' be able t' fall back 'sleep?"

She shrugged. "Depends. Are you?"

"Doubt it," he responded sadly.

"Then Ah won't either," she smiled. "Let's talk about how we're gettin' outta here instead."

"Okay." He stood up and walked over to the corner. Rogue watched curiously as he lifted up a panel of wood and reached inside the hole. He pulled out a dusty backpack and a jar, which looked like a cleaned out pickle jar. Only it was filled with cash. Rogue stared wide-eyed as he sat back down. He opened the jar, dumping out the contents.

"How much money is in there?"

"Least a t'ousand. Stopped countin' after awhile." He emptied his duster pocket that had another twenty-dollar bill and some change.

"Wait… how much?" Rogue asked excitedly. "We can get plane tickets up then! We'll be there in no time!"

"P'tite… I don' t'ink I'm too 'closed-area' friendly right now…" He lifted his hands slightly.

"Oh… raht." She realized. "Okay, so we take the long way. Do ya think you'll be okay in buses an' stuff?"

He only shrugged with a sigh.

"Maybe we can get somethin' foh ya ta explode that isn't so… messy." She glanced to the window, imagining the strawberry bits that had splattered on the cars below. Someone was gonna wake up to a treat in the morning.

"I jus' wan' be able t' get dis under control. I don' t'ink I'd be able t' handle it if y' got hurt 'cuz o' me since I said I'd take care of y'."

She smiled and then mistakenly let a yawn escape. "Ah’m not tired. Honest."

Remy rolled his eyes, his eyes fully black for that split second. "Y’ need y’ sleep."

"You do too," she insisted teasingly. She almost stuck out her tongue because she knew she was right.

"But it’s my turn t’ stay alert. C’mon," he reached over and pulled her over in his lap. She didn’t struggle at all, trusting him to keep her safe like he said he would. And she liked the closeness. He rubbed her back in a soothing motion and soon sleep had claimed her. Remy rested his chin on her hair, the texture still somewhat soft from the buildup of her natural oils, but she was still as skuzzy as him.

Some time later…

Remy opened his eyes and sat up from his hunched over position. He didn’t fall asleep, but his eyes were just too heavy to keep open. He was afraid that he would lose control or have another nightmare like the night before.

Rogue was still curled up in his lap, clutching at his shirt for the sake of holding onto something. He was moved by the gesture, but figured for her safety that this couldn’t happen every night.

He looked down to her and a smile came to his face. A sad smile, but a smile. He couldn’t wait to find this Xavier guy. This girl needed stability and she’d be back with her brother. It made him sad that he wouldn’t be the only person in her life anymore though. He knew it was a selfish thought, but he would miss the way they were now and he knew they could only grow closer in their traveling time. At the thought, he hugged her for a second and relaxed again. He sighed into the darkness, though it wasn’t dark for him. He always thought he had a good eye for the darkness, but now if he had kept his eyes open, things would have been the same clearness as if in the bright sunlight for anyone else.

He also heard things. Not technically hearing… but feeling. He could feel Rogue’s heart thump steadily through her sleep. It almost matched his own. His neighbor in the room next to his turned in her sleep and knocked over something. Everything vibrated against his ears and his nerves. He really hadn’t noticed these things until the world went completely still in the quietness of night. Another reason to add to the mental list he was keeping on why he couldn’t sleep.

Just as his eyes drooped down again, he felt a creak, on the steps. Whoever it was, they were big. Remy glanced out his window. It had to be at least three in the morning. And Remy knew all his neighbors were in bed or passed out in some alley from the brandy they swiped from wherever, but that’s not the point.

He lay Rogue down and tiptoed to the door. Rogue stirred and murmured his name. He put his finger to his lips, but knowing she couldn’t see him, he let a small ‘shh’ escape. He saw her nod and she gathered her blanket against herself. "It’s him… Ah knew he'd find us…" she whispered almost inaudibly, fear creeping into her voice.

"Pack, p’tite. Get our clothes an’ money in de knapsack an’ be ready t’ move," he said quickly in a hushed tone, but she understood everything. Quietly as she could, she got their things together and placed them in the backpack, money first.

Remy pushed himself against the wall by the door. "Rogue, apple."

In a second, she had crawled by the produce bag and tossed him the fruit. Even if his power didn’t kick in, he would be prepared to launch the apple as he had in the alley.

He pulled the doorknob towards him slightly and peeked out before the door could creak. His eyes widened as he recognized Victor with no problem. He turned to Rogue, who had the backpack already on. "Ah knew it…" she murmured.

Without shutting the door so it would not click, he hurried over to her. Without words, he grabbed her hand and led to the window. Peering outside, Rogue saw a rusty fire escape. "Go, p’tite," she barely heard him say. She climbed out the window warily, her feet dangling above the platform before falling down with a clang. She glanced up to the window and didn’t see Remy following her. She heard the door bang, as if swinging open. Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to call out his name to see if he was okay.

In the room, Remy simultaneously heard the clang outside his window and jumped as Victor came into the room; more like pounced in. Remy recoiled against the wall, not expecting his speed. The guy moved like a cat. He hoped Rogue had taken the initiative to get down the fire escape.

Victor growled at him. "I’m gonna get ya, ya li’l runt." He glanced down to Remy’s hand where he saw the apple. "Ya think yer gonna pull that on me again?" He took a step closer and Remy pressed himself more against the wall. Oh yeah, he was scared. He was hoping for the moment his powers would kick in like they had done oh-so-conveniently the rest of the day. He almost whispered an encouraging "c’mon" to his hand, but he didn’t feel a thing.

Victor wiped his tongue over his feral grin, as if he was planning to have Remy on a platter, Cajun rotisserie style. Suddenly, Remy cried out a strangled scream as his shoulders racked with burning pain. Internally, he sighed with relief, thinking finally. He clutched the apple, expecting it to explode between Victor’s eyes again.

When the pain was gone, he did throw the apple, but it bounced off the blonde man’s head instead of exploding on contact. He watched as anger rose in Victor’s deep brown eyes but it quickly turned to a mix between astonishment and fear. And he wasn't even looking at Remy, but beyond him. Following his eyes, Remy glanced over his shoulder to the wall he was backed up against. Fire red. Glowing red. Spreading around the room. Remy turned fully around and backed away from the wall. He almost bumped into Victor and realized his options. He either left by the window, where Rogue should be waiting by the base of the building, and hope that he made it down before the room blew up. Or, he could leave through the front, most likely not making it out of the building in time. Deciding rather quickly, he jumped for the window. He heard Victor roar, "You will not get out this easy!"

Remy dived out the window, landing on the platform. "Watch me," he whispered ominously. He started sliding down the rickety fire escape, hoping to make enough noise to wake his neighbors.

He was a little over halfway down when the rails shook with the explosion. He gulped internally at the thought of his direct neighbors, namely the people to the right and left and above and below him. He slid down expertly, whispering "sorry" in the direction of the flaming hole that was once his home.

He reached the bottom, where Rogue stood, her eyes glued to her what was her home for one day. She wondered if Victor got ht with the blast full force. She wished he did. That the hair on his head was singed to the root and his skin turned black from the burns. It was unlikely he would stay down forever though. Her mind flashed back about two years, to a sticky summer evening. Rogue had been playing with the neighbor’s kid, Cody, by the river. They had been collecting tadpoles and made quite a mess of themselves. Rogue had mud past her knees and when she made it back to her house for dinner, she had neglected to rinse herself off.

She realized the mess she was treading in the house and quickly ran to the bathroom, holding her bowl of tadpoles close to her in hopes it wouldn’t spill. Once in the bathroom, she locked the door and put the bowl on the back of the toilet. Then she slid out of her shorts and jumped in the bathtub. Just as she turned on the water, she heard footsteps coming up the steps.

"Bethany," her mother’s voice shouted through the door and over the running water. "Were you down by the river again?"

"Yes, Momma. Ah’m real sorry an’ Ah’ll clean everythin’ up, soon as Ah’m clean." Rogue scrubbed her leg to prove her point, even if she couldn’t be seen or heard through the door.

She heard a scuffle outside the door and she knew Victor was going to start his hollering. Something hit the floor, and Rogue couldn’t have been surer of what happened. "Bethie!" He roared. "We just got these fuckin’ rugs replaced on account a’ you, now get out here an’ clean it up!"

"All raht!" She screamed back. She turned the water off and started to dry herself off, but the door slammed open. Rogue stared up into the eyes of her stepfather and he was to the point of growling with each breath he breathed out.

"Don’t you ever raise yer voice ta me," he said slowly, annunciating every syllable. His voice was drenched with anger.

"Ah… Ah didn’t mean ta…" She stammered as she backed up into the tub, tears coming to her eyes. Behind Victor she saw her mother on the floor, head dazed and not focusing on a single point. She wanted to scream to her mother that she was stronger than that. In a moment her mother could be a juggernaut and knock Victor three ways into next week. But her voice dare not leave her throat.

"Oh, ya didn’t mean ta?" He stepped closer.

"Please," she whimpered. She knew what was going to happen now. Her face involuntarily readied itself for the oncoming of his hand. He stepped even closer.

"No…"

Victor whipped his head around and his eyes fell on his wife, who had somehow found her voice. Rogue was astonished. Did she actually just try ta stop him?

"What was that, woman?"

"Don’t… Don’t do this, Vic. Please. She’s only a child…" Raven tried pushing herself to a sitting up position, but Victor wanted none of that. He stomped back over to her and slammed her back down. Her head connected with the wall and she was out.

"No! Momma!" Rogue shrieked from the bathtub. For the last three years she had despised her mother for allowing everything that had happened, but for those few seconds, her love for her grew.

He twisted around again, this time with a snarl. He started taking quicker steps towards her. In a surge of adrenaline, Rogue reached out to the bowl in lightening speed and threw it at him. Not expecting it at all, he flinched at the splash of water. Once he recovered, he glared through the black spots that were tadpoles clinging to his face. In a flash, his anger had taken over and he lunged at Rogue. Fortunately for Rogue, he didn’t have proper footing thanks to the puddle of water and tadpoles on the floor. He slipped as quickly as he jumped and fell, knocking his head against the porcelain tub. Rogue watched with almost a small grin as his head made a sickening crack as he slumped to the tiled floor, blood seeping down in a pool around him.

She jumped out of the tub, grabbing her shorts, and ran to her mother. "C’mon, Momma… wake up," she cried, pulling on her arm. "We’re free, we’re so free." She averted her eyes back and forth between her blue mother and the man lying lifeless on the bathroom floor. Raven wasn’t moving though. "C’mon!" She yelled at her. She actually feared that Victor would wake up. Glancing back into the bathroom, she swore she saw him move. No, you’re just seein’ things. He’d dead. No one could survive a hit like that. They don’t in movies. She had actually convinced herself until she heard a moan.

She checked her mother, but it didn’t come from her. Slowly, she turned her head to the bathroom one more time. To her horror, Victor was gathering up the strength to get to on all fours. She backed away from her mother, who still hadn’t come to. "No…" she muttered disbelievingly. "You’re not alive. Ya cain’t be."

He turned his head to her, and before her eyes, the gaping wound on the side of his head closed up slowly with a sucking sound. His eyes flared death to her, and she knew she should be running for her life. She backed up crab style into the wall, dangerously close to the stairs. They never broke eye contact: her wide emeralds against his scowling bottomless brown ones. With one swift movement, he was on his feet, fists balled at his sides. Rogue gulped as he wiped the blood from the side of his face, still not moving his eyes from hers. Rogue shook her head violently, not believing every step he was taking towards her. Before she could react, he was towering over her, anger huffing through his nose.

As his hand came down on her to strike, she shook herself out of the memory and was still staring at the flaming building. A sob abruptly left her throat and she broke down into tears. Remy whipped his head around to the sound of her crying and asked, "What's wrong, Rogue? It's just a room, we were leavin' anyway." Not understanding her completely, he found her hand and started to lead her away from the building, as other occupants had done. Soon they began running and the building turned into a main attraction with others still watching and sirens wailing down the street.

"We're never gonna be free," Rogue whispered as they ran. Remy heard her and was a bit confused, but kept running.

Their feet slammed against the pavement, echoing in the early morning. The backpack bobbed up and down with each step Rogue took and it slowed her down slightly. Remy held her hand tightly though to keep her moving.

When they had ran for five minutes, Rogue stopped in her tracks, unable to go on. Remy welcomed the break. "Now," he started as soon as he caught his breath. "What did y' mean 'we're nev'r gon' be free'?"

"Victor," she answered between pants. "-Can do this thing… Ah remember this time… where he had this huge cut on his head." She held her fingers apart about three inches. "An' it healed raht befoh mah eyes."

"It healed," he repeated plainly. Rogue only nodded. "How?"

"It started ta seal up… the ends came tagether first." The picture came back to her, this time in slow motion. "An' it made this nasty slurpin' sound… an' soon all that was left of it was the blood that had already come out."

"Whoa… okay. So he's like me an' y' maman?"

"Yah."

"'Cept he c'n heal real fast?"

Another nod.

"So… dere's a pretty good chance he survived dat back dere?" He hooked his thumb in the direction of where they had just fled. She nodded again, sadly. Remy let out a breath, trying to think. "Okay. C'mon." He grabbed her hand again and walked with her in a quickened pace.

Rogue glanced over her shoulder, scared that Victor was looming behind her in the shadows. "Where are we goin'?"

"T' de train station. We gotta hope dat dere's a train headin' out dis time o' night. Anyt'in' dat'll get us outta de state'll work."

She nodded, and tried to keep her pace up with his. She watched the street lights overhead hazily and let Remy guide her to wherever the station was.

Remy, on the other hand, all but dragged Rogue in the direction of the station. He knew where it was by spending some time just sitting there, watching it, hoping some day for his way out. Tonight would be it. He couldn't wait to get out of the city, no much how much he loved it. It had been his home since birth, and he was sorry to leave it. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and not only did he have uncontrollable powers that not only had the power to explode fruit, but destroy sections of buildings, he had a crazed stepfather on him now.

He glanced down to her and watched as she paid no attention to anything except the lights passing her by. He wondered what went through her mind all the time, and what particularly set her off back at the office building.

"'Round de corner waits our future, chere," he said, stopping for a moment. He grinned at her, and she gave a small smile in response.

"Ah'm ready." She swung her arm in his and they started walking again.

The ticket woman looked pretty bored and was surprised to see two children at this time of night, morning, whatever. "Can I help y'?"

Remy peered over the counter. His nose just reached it. "What d'ya have goin' north?"

The clerk checked her records. "Train 20's comin' in at 4:30 an' y'll be dere at no later den 4:50." She paused for a moment. "Y' have 'bout forty-five minutes f' dat dough."

Remy looked down to Rogue and then back to the clerk. "I'll take two for it." Rogue pulled some money out of bag and handed it to him.

The clerk accepted it from him and smiled as she rang them up. She slid the tickets back to Remy. "Enjoy y' trip," she said, strangely cheerful for the time it was. They started to walk away and she caught a glimpse of Rogue with him. She smiled at the clerk and hurried up to Remy.

"What do ya wanna do foh forty five minutes?" She glanced around and saw a newspaper stand that was still open. She ran over and Remy followed. She looked among the things to buy and picked up a deck of cards. She held them up and told Remy "They'll keep us busy." Remy nodded with a smile and Rogue paid for them.

They walked over to a bench and Rogue set down the heavy backpack. She opened the cards and started to shuffle, fumbling with them slightly. "Do y' know any games?" Remy asked.

Rogue smiled up at him. "Go Fish and War. Take yoah pick."

"I'm up for Go Fish. You deal."

Rogue dealt out seven cards for him and then another seven for herself. "You can go first."

"Kay." He looked at his cards. "Any t'rees?"

She shook her head. "Go fish," she giggled.

He picked up a card, not noticing a twinge of pain in the tip of his finger. "Y' turn."

"Umm… Any Kings?"

Remy scowled and plucked it out of his hand. "Here." He started to hand it over and it glowed the ever familiar red. Both Rogue and Remy recoiled off the bench and he dropped the card. It suddenly exploded, but with only a poof, instead of a boom like the fruit had been giving off.

Remy's eyes were wide with astonishment while Rogue had a grin tugging at her lips. "Ah think we figured out somethin' safe foh ya." He realized it to and smiled, despite the anxiety he had been feeling. "Ya know, Rem. This messes up the game now."

"Why?"

"We don't have a King of Hearts," she mock pouted.

Remy picked up the rest of the deck and fanned it in his hands. "Let's see what I c'n do wit' dese t'ings."