The Long Journey 'Home'(Marie)

[maron]

She hated how things had finally had to end with Phoenix for the day. But, he had curfew, and she had... Well, she had the Runaways to deal with. Oh, she could already imagine how much trouble she was going to be in when she got back. How she hated having to be yelled at, and locking in a room after each escape. But she had no where else to go... So she sort of had to go back. She'd considered going to the X-men, but one thing had stopped her. No way could she bring herself to endanger so many people just because she didn't want to get in trouble with the Runaways.

They didn't understand what it was like anyways. They just saw the threat her power was, not that she was a 16 year old girl, yearning for social contact with the outside world.

The drive wasn't that long, especially when you had Xenthron's motorcycle. He'd messed with the bike so much, it was amazingly fast. Hence why she could make these trips so easily.

It was dark, the headlights of the bike illuminating the darkness, the roaring of the engine slicing through the dead silence like a knife through warm butter. Well, for a time. The engine suddenly sputter, and Maron was forced to turn off to the side of the road.

"What the hell..." She tried to start it again. No response. Great. Ugh! Why did the motorcycle have to have problems now, of all times?! Now, she'd have no choice but to call Xenthron, and ask him how to get it started again....

Maron pulled out her phone, flipping it open and going through her contacts. She suddenly stopped. What was that sound?

[cartertcat2]

Marie had her eyes set on the red headed girl. Art's girlfriend. This was really going to piss him off. When news got out that Maron was dead, he would never forgive himself. Her hair was down now. When she was going to kill someone, that was how she liked it. All of her bangs were straight, surpassing her chin.

"Need some help, Hun?" she said, placing a hand onto the girls shoulder. "I didn't introduce myself, did i?" her lips twitched into an evil smile. She snatched the cell phone out of Maron's hand. Pushing her with enough force to send her skidding across the road.

"My name is Marie... and when your dead, I'll send a picture message to your boyfriend." she said, putting the phone into the back pocket of her black, tight fitting black jeans. She Her torso was dressed in leather, midsection showing. "And whats your name?" Marie asked, she was going to enjoy killing this one. But first they needed to get acquainted.

[maron]

Oh… Shit. Maron lowered her gaze just a touch. This girl, Marie, might be wanting to kill Maron, but Maron wasn’t about to purposely petrify people. Ugh. Great. She didn’t know what this Marie could do. Either way though, there was no chance of defending herself.

“Hey! Give that back!” Marie had already snatched the phone from Maron, one of Marie’s hands resting on Maron’s shoulder. Ugh, great. Why did Maron have to be so dang blasted short?! It probably didn’t take all that much to send Maron stumbling into the middle of the road. But now, she was annoyed.

“Do you even know how to send a picture message?” Maybe she should have taken Phoenix’s advice, provoking Maria might not be the best idea… But that didn’t exactly stop her. “You’re the one with my phone. Do I need to tell you my name now?” Maron almost sighed. How was she going to get herself out of this bind?

[cartertcat2]

"Your a feisty one aren't you?" Marie said, already she was loosing her patience with this girl. She had already opened up the pictures up, ready to snap a shot. "Little girl, you don't know who your messing with." she said, making her hand into a fist and punching Maron across the jaw and lip. That was bound to draw blood.

"Phoenix leave you too, you know. I am just saving you the heart ache," Marie spoke coldly. Taking her commando boot and kicking Maron in the ribs. She didn't mess around. "I suppose you don't need to tell me your name." Marie shrugged.

Marie pressed okay on the phone. Snapping a picture and sending it to Art.

[maron]

“Little girl?” Maron almost twitched. She hated people saying stuff like that, treating her like a kid. But she was annoyed, forced to resorting to the one thing that made most people have second thoughts to messing with Maron. “I don’t think you know who you’re messing with. You’ll have the whole of the Runaways on your tail if you keep this up.” Of course, right then Marie had chosen to swing a punch at her.

Maron leaned back, trying to lessen the blow as much as possible. Still though, God it hurt! The fist had also split her lip, thankfully that seemed to be the only damage done. She stumbled back a little, reaching up to touch the part of her face that had been hit. A moment passed before her hand dropped, glaring at Marie’s boots- Shit!

She instantly saw Marie’s intentions, seeing as she’d been focusing on the method of attack this time. Maron was able to react quicker this time, putting up her arms to block the blow.. but was still knocked clean off her feet.

Then, she heard the sound she had been dreading. The click of the camera on her phone. Shit, her word of the day. “You’re messed up.” Was all she could say as she stumbled back onto her feet.

[cartertcat2]

Marie snapped a shot of Maron hitting the ground. She disregarded the small threats the Maron was giving to her.

"Messed up? You don't know the half of it," she said, grinning. Her eyes blacked over and black liquid seeped out from them, like thick black tears. At the moment, Maron's eyes were blacking over too, and the same black liquid was coming out of her eyes. Marie's power was peculiar. Living bein close enough would develop severe symptoms of an illness. They would get a burning fever, cough, and in a dew seconds collapse. The victims heartbeat would begin to slow; they would die in less then a minuet.

Because the two of them were so close, Maron was already on the ground, convulsing. Just then though, Maron's phone rang. The black liquid disappeared and the symptoms left as quickly as they came.

"Hold that thought Hun," Marie said, putting the phone on speaker. Marie put her foot onto Maron's wrist. As a threat, that if she tried to move, he wrist would break. On the other line was Art. There was the sound of a motorcycle roaring to life.

"I am going to kill you Marie. Don't hurt her. Please." Came Phoenix's voice.
"I wont hurt her. I'll kill her, slowly," Said Marie.

[maron]

Maron was about to give a snappy response of her own when… Something happened. Something was coming from Marie’s eyes… That same liquid soon escaping from her own. She reached up again, touching the stuff and pulling her hand back so she could stare wide eyed at a smear of black liquid on her fingers. It looked like… ink?

Then, the world seemed to spin out from under her, Maron collapsing to her knees, eyes wide as wave after wave of symptoms washed over her. What was going on?! It felt like… No, she didn’t even know what this felt like.

As sudden as it had come, it was suddenly gone. Gasping, Maron moved to try and get back to her feet when Marie’s foot crushed down on her wrist. Maron yelped. She could hear Phoenix’s voice over the speakers of the phone… And Marie was distracted, or, so Maron hoped.

Not wasting anytime, she knew she had to get away before Marie did whatever it was she’d done. Turning on the ground, she kicked out, trying to make contact with the foot pinning her to the ground, and hopefully knocking Marie straight off her feet.

[cartertcat2]

Marie's foot had moved upwards onto Maron's arm. The girl was struggling now, so she snapped Maron's arm. Soon after that though, her feet came out from under her an Marie's head had banged against the ground. Maron's phone skidded out of Marie's hand and coincidentally into Maron's.

She shrieked with anger, Maron wouldn't have long to get away before Marie would be using her power again. Bleeding from the back of her head, she stood up. She'd had enough experience with motorcycles to know that the bike had probably been stalling. It just needed some time to cool off. The fight had been enough time.

Marie guessed that Maron had had enough time to get at least a mile or two away. How long had she been on the ground? At least ten minuets. Damn it. The engine to the motorcycle roared to life.
"Your not getting away that easily," she said to herself, cursing under her breath. Art was already on his way to be the savior, but she was going to make sure that he would be to late. She'd broken Maron's arm and hurt her badly enough to where she might be coughing up blood. The bike was speeding up the Canadian road already.

What if Phoenix was gaining? Maron had the phone now to tell him where to pick her up. Damn it!

[maron]

Maron half screamed when she felt the bone in her arm crack. Thank God Marie couldn’t do anymore than that, as she had tumbled to the ground. Closing her fingers around the phone, she stumbled to her feet, bolting off as fast as she could, cradling her freshly broken arm with her other, her fingers wrapped tightly around the phone.

Oh God, she was already feeling light headed. What had Marie done to her…? Her footsteps felt sluggish, her head hurt, and- crap. Coughing fit. Marie had called it, when she thought she’d harmed Maron enough to make her cough blood. Maron stumbled, collapsing to her knees. Why did this have to happen right after she met the perfect guy?!

Wait…. Phoenix! She had her phone back! Was the call still going? Oh god, she hoped so! Glancing back down at the phone, she let out a sigh of relief. “Phoenix? Phoenix, are you there?” She shut up, what was that sound? A motorcycle? Shit! Xenthron’s bike! Stumbling back to her feet, she looked for an escape. Marie would see her if she kept on running on the road. Best course of action? Get off the road and into the woods!

On her feet, she bolted off the side of the road, crashing through the trees and brush, tucking herself away from sight, taking the phone off speaker and pressing it to her ear.

[cartertcat]

Art had stolen Logan's bike. Shit, he was dead. That was the least of his worried right now. This bike was possibly even more decked out the Xenthron's motorbike. If not they were even at the least. This was just another midnight affair. He'd had a hell of a time getting the bike. He hadn't even bothered sneaking down to the garage. At this point he didn't really care. So he had a bunch of mutants from the school on his tail before he'd gotten out of the mansion.

"Maron?! I'll be there in five. Don't hang up." he said, sounding as pissed as he possibly could be. It was as if everything was in slow motion. Couldn't this damned bike go any faster?! Before he knew it though, Art was right behind Marie. She swerved of the woods. Opposite of the direction that Maron was in. The only reason he knew this was because there was a trail of blood.

Phoenix parked the bike as quickly as possible. Bolting into the woods.
"Maron?! Maron!" he called our repeatedly. Running noisily through the woods. It wasn't about style anymore. He was dressed completely in black, with giant boots on his feet. Along with more then a few guns and a bleeding arm.
"Damn it... Maron... where are you?"

[maron]

“I won’t….” Ugh, Maron felt horrible. Whatever Marie had done, the bulk of it had vanished when Phoenix had called, even the small amount that was left was excruciating. She just wanted to curl up and forget everything. Well, maybe not everything, but definitely her broken arm and the torture her body was putting her through.

Minutes passed, and Maron had curled up at the base of a tree, hidden from sigh unless you were specifically looking for her. Her eyes were closed, phone on the ground where she’d dropped it unintentionally. Forget the pain, forget it, forget it. No matter how many times she repeated it, it didn’t help at all.

What was that…? She could hear crashing through the brush, frantic running, followed by a familiar voice calling her name. Her eyes slowly reopened. Phoenix? She opened her mouth, to get his attention, get him to run in the direction she was in. All the happened though was another wave of coughing. Her still good hand raised to cover the coughing. God… This really was hell. Her hand was completely drench in the blood she kept coughing up, but Maron didn’t care. “Over…. Here!” Her yell was split by more coughing. Hopefully, he’d hear it…

[cartertcat]

As soon as Art heard the raspy voice he knew who it was. He'd already ran over to her, dropping down on his knees. Oh God oh God Oh god! his mind kept repeating. Gingerly, he picked her up. She was hurt, really bad. He kissed her forhead, walking back toward the bike, slowly.

"What did she do... oh God..." Phoenix kept repeating in a hushed voice. Maron looked exhausted. He set her down onto the bike, wrapping her in a blanket. He sat behind her, in case she started to fall. He placed a helmet over her head. Luckily Logan's bike had a GPS device in it. Finding the runaways hideout couldn't be to hard.

Revving the bike to life, Art sent the both of them speeding down the road. He followed the coordinates exactly, being extremely careful on the turns. There was no way that he could leave her now. Phoenix would just have to join the runaways. For now he could tell them that he picked her up on the side of the road. The professor could find him and read his mind. The professor was an understanding person.

Phoenix pulled into the Runaways hideout, skidding across the ground to a halt.

"Anyone here?! I have an injured redheaded girl! She said she was a mutant!" Art called out frantically. She'd said that they were all pretty much nocturnal hadn't she? somebody had to be there!

[sarashadow]

Crux, who'd been out for a walk and was just coming back, heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the direction of the hideout. Once he got closer, he could make out what he said. Someone was hurt? Who? It didn't matter anyway, there was nothing he could do about it. His power only killed.

Crux stepped out of the shadows and looked at the boy curiously, but managed not to make eye contact. "Who is she?" he asked. He'd seen too many redheads around here that could be mutants. One a few he knew personally.

[zoltin]

Zoltin was lying on the couch reading a new book that he had just recently bought. He was by himself, the others headed out to do whatever they did, and he was appreciating the piece and quiet in the base that happened all too infrequently.

He was about halfway through his book when he heard the door to the hideout door open and someone walk in. Assuming it was one of the others returning he didn’t pay it to much attention until he heard someone screaming? Deciding that he should probably go and see what the commotion he placed a bookmark in his book and walked out of his room in time to hear Art yell I have an injured redheaded girl! She said she was a mutant!

Knowing only two redheads it could be, and one of them was halfway across the world, Zoltin came rushing into the room. He spotted Art holding Maron and she was hurt very badly. “What happened?” He immediately started questioning Art. “Follow me and explain.”

Zoltin lead Art down a hallway that served as the Runaways infirmary. He motioned to a bed. “Put her there. Crux.” Zoltin turned to the other runaway that was there. “Can you go get some bandages?”

[sarashadow]

Crux followed them inside and waited by the door of the infirmary. He didn't know Maron that well, but she always seemed really nice. Really caring and careful. She didn't deserve to go through something like this. Whatever had happened to her reminded him of his own powers, and it made him shudder. So there was someone else out there with powers as dangerous as his own, but this someone wasn't afraid to use them...

"Who did this to her?" he finally managed to say something.