.pub. (OPEN)

[maron]

Maron knew he'd take it as an insult.... Everyone did. No one understood that she didn't look at them for their own protection. That she couldn't tell them the truth with out endangering herself... She hated it. Chasing people away purely for their own sake, no matter how nice they were... And he was nice, most definitely. In personality and looks.

She stared down at the counter for several moment, that is, until she heard what he said. Still, knowing you hurt someone's feelings, and hearing them say it were very different. Before she could even catch herself, she looked at him in shock, because, just once she would have liked it if someone actually understood why she wouldn't look at him. It was a good thing she had those slightly tinted glasses on... Or she might have petrified him. Otherwise, he'd just be paralyzed once again... If he was looking at her that is. Realizing what she was doing she glanced away, horrified with herself. She prayed he'd blame it on the alcohol.

"That... Isn't what I meant. I just.... It isn't right for me to look people in the eye." She paused, sighing, her hands closed into tight fists in her lap. "I don't expect you to understand... Just know I'm not trying to insult you..."

[/justify]

[shanecross]

Sidney saw the impact of his words hit her, affect her, shape her body language. He couldn’t fully read her emotions because her eyes were still looking downwards and shaded by those peculiar tinted glasses of hers. It was clear that what he had said hurt her, though, in some capacity. That was certainly a revelation.

He saw her hands clench into fists, knuckles whitening as wrinkles started to form through the tightness of her grip. As Sidney was noticing this, he saw from his peripherals that Maron had looked up at him suddenly. He raised his eyes up to meet hers, sharing a glance for a fleeting second before she lowered her head again. In that fleeting second, he had a slight spasm that almost made him tumble out of his stool, as his head and upper body were paralyzed for a brief second. Composing himself, and hoping that Maron hadn’t noticed, he turned away from her, rubbing his eyes and trying in vain to figure out why he kept having these moments. Was it something wrong with him? His powers? The drugs and alcohol?

As he heard her explanation, he was still skeptical. What possibly could be the reason why she couldn’t look him in the eye? Maybe…maybe she had some traumatizing experience in her past? Aversion to men? She seemed very sincere about it, though.

In the midst of this, a group of four celebrating men, all in their mid-40s, had noticed the two sitting silently among the throngs of cheering fans in the bar. They definitely weren’t from around here, either: both of them gave off a very American vibe. Maybe Canadian. Whatever.

They stumbled over, the leader of them the thickest and biggest of them all. Shaved bald and wearing an oversized tank, he yelled at his kid to sit down before talking to the two. Sidney noticed that the kid he had yelled at was the kid he had given a cigarette to. This was the child’s father.

“What are two foreigners like yerselves doing not having a good time?”

[/font]

[maron]

Of course Maron had noticed. Even if she hadn't, she'd felt it, just like that first time. It was a strange, before she'd never really known when her power was affecting someone, hell she hadn't even known people still froze when meeting her gaze through sunglasses before someone told her! But in recent years, she'd developed a sixth sense, just an awareness of her power affecting someone. It wasn't that useful, but at least she knew now when to keep her eyes down.

So far... It seemed he hadn't caught on to why he'd frozen twice now. That was good.... And bad at the same time. Good, because he wouldn't be yelling 'Mutant!' at the top of his lungs, but bad because he still wouldn't understand why she wouldn't look at him...

The sudden appearance of the four drunken gentlemen didn't sit well with Maron, but she managed to hide her annoyed reaction. Slowly she looked behind her, at the four, her eyes never raising above those thick necks of theirs. Maybe Sidney would believe her now, when she said she didn't look people in the eye. Sure, she probably shouldn't be worrying about that at the moment, but the girl couldn't help it. He'd looked so hurt by what she said...

After half a moment's pause, the girl smiled a fake smile, just so the men would think she was being a little friendly. They were drunk after all, and drunkards had a tendency to get very mad, very fast... Best not to even remotely try and anger them. "We're just having a nice little chat, is all."

Maybe it was the size of the men, maybe the fact that they couldn't get any drunker, or it could be that there were four of them... Either way Maron had a very bad feeling about this...

[/justify]

[shanecross]

Sidney tensed up instinctively when he saw the men draw near. He kept a thick, serrated hunting knife in a calf holster by his leg, but in sticky situations he usually didn't rely on the knife. His eyes darted around, looking for nearby plant life that he could use if things got out of hand. There were a couple of potted trees against the wall, and from the sheen of their leaves one was fake, three were real. The bartender also kept, for some odd reason, a sunflower in a pot near the edge of the bar. The hardwood floor was too strongly built for it to be broken by plants underground.

As he was analyzing this, however, he kept his game-face up. He smiled at the men as they sauntered (or rather, stumbled) up to them. At the man's question, and following Maron's slightly feeble response, Sidney felt the need to defuse the situation. His own way.

The young Exile put a hand on Maron's shoulder, noticing her shoulders recede slightly from his touch, and grinned broadly at the men.

"What the young lady said. She's a pretty one, no?"

In response, the lead man, father of the cigarette lad (who was watching idly from a corner, cigarette dangling out of his hand) and in contention for largest, baldest bar patron of the year, edged forward to Sidney. His dank breath smelled uncomfortably of cigarette smoke and whiskey. The man hadn't shaven in two weeks, whic left an uncomfortablly long scruff edging from his ears down to the bottom of his chin. His wifebeater was stained with beer and sweat.

"Aye, she is. A real catch, at 'hat. What're the odds that two foreigners like yer meet by chance here in this humble village pub?"

As he said this, the drunken fool reached a hand out to Maron, meaning to stroke her hair or forehead or something.

[maron]

Maron's flinch wasn't visible, but Sidney probably felt it as he touch her. She hadn't meant to... But she did. Just like almost every other time someone tried to touch her. Sure, she was getting better, at least she didn't flinch when she saw the person moving to touch her anymore. Oh she hoped Sidney wouldn't be insulted...

She forced herself to relax, as if nothing had happened, that soft, but fake, smile still on her lips. Thankfully Sidney seemed to realize that this could turn ugly, and played along. Thank god. She glanced towards him, avoiding his own gaze, and gave him a real smile.

What happened next caught the poor girl completely off guard. She heard what the Irish man said, but definitely didn't expect him to actually try and touch her. Especially when she wasn't looking at him. Feeling his hand on her hair, the girl's whole body jerked in a violent flinch. It probably wouldn't have been that violent if his hand hadn't been near her glasses. Sadly, her quick jerk actually dislodged the glasses from behind her ears, sending them clattering to the ground.

Instantly the girl's eyes shut tight, refusing to open, head tilted downward just enough that the tall men couldn't see. "Sorry... C-Could one of you grab those? Can't see a thing with out them." Obviously, a lie. The only ones it hopefully wouldn't be obvious to would be the drunks...

[/justify]

[shanecross]

Sidney forced his lips into a very grimaced smile. The men were very drunk, and there were a lot of them. Starting any sort of scuffle, let alone using his powers, would definitely set the whole slobbering crowd into a raucous stampede, one that was already juiced up by ale and an improbable victory. The young mutant tried to maintain a steely exterior, but his right foot was tapping fitfully against his stool, signaling his jumpiness.

“Birds of a flock fly together,” offered Sidney, adding a nervous chuckle after his comment. It went by unnoticed, though - the men were too drunk to really digest what Sidney had just said.

And then Maron’s glasses fell off.

Her whole body visibly flinched as the man stroked her locks as she jerked her neck violently sideways, pitching her shaded glasses askew, and then dangling, and then…clattering to the ground, its rattle dampened slightly in a puddle of beer.

In the back of his mind, he heard Maron’s feeble excuse and her subsequent (slightly panicked) request for her glasses. However, that was all barely noticed. What he was narrowing in on was her tightly shut eyes. Her head was tilted downward so her eyes were hidden from view. Why was she closing her eyes? This was becoming a little suspicious. What reason would she have for hiding her sight without her glasses?

Her face looked remarkably similar to something he had seen in the past…someone’s face…

Instructor Summers.

[glow=gray,2,300][shadow=red,left,200]

Once, during a obstacle course training exercise at the Institute, a robot mannequin had knocked Instructor Summers’ mask off, leading it to fly in the air some 30 feet before landing in a bush. He manually stopped the exercise and asked a student to retrieve his mask, eyes shut and pointed down all the while. Only the polarization of his mask would allow him to have some semblance of control over his powers. The recollection brought back a flood of other memories as well, notably Sidney's failing of the class due to his inability to follow directions and lackadaisical work ethic. He pushed those sordid events aside for the moment.

Could it be…? This 18-year old innocent blonde...one of us?

[/shadow][/glow]
As Sidney was lost in this train of thought, the biggest man made a move as if to start towards Maron, for God knows what reason. His natural lack of coordination severely compounded by his inebriation, the drunken man stumbled and lurched forward, landing flat on his stomach in front of Maron’s stool.

An audible snap. was heard, and to be sure, someone’s heart was soon to sink.

[maron]

Maron dare not open her eyes, even to squint. She had no idea what anyone was doing, or where anyone was, just that the chance of harming someone had gone from unlikely to most definitely. If acting strange and making them all think she was crazy was the cost to protect their lives.. So be it.

The Drunkards didn't seem to notice the way she was acting, from what she could tell at least, eyes closed and all. At least none of them said anything about it...

But, obviously, no one was moving to retrieve her glasses for her either. Instead, all she heard was the sound of something heavy crashing down on the floor.... and a snap. With out even realizing it happened, her eyes flew open.

Maron was beyond shocked, she was absolutely horrified, and she couldn't even hide the fact, the emotions written all over her face. Sure, someone would be upset about their glasses accidentally being crushed, but should they really look like the world was coming to an end?

Of course, Maron hadn't realized her eyes were open until she saw the man almost under her feet. Instantly, they shut once more. At the same time, she grabbed her purse, and jumped off the stool, barely managing to avoid tripping on the guy. "I... I have to go." Her eyes were open, but only to a squint so she could somewhat see what was around her.

[/justify]

[shanecross]

Instantly, Sidney broke out of his reverie and made to move towards Maron, pushing himself off the stoll and putting his arm around her shoulder firmly. He did this instinctively and primarily out of protection; but at the same time, he wanted to make sure that he had a hand on her in case things somehow went awry. If, by some infinitesimal chance, she was a mutant, he had to find out more about her. And if she was dangerous, he had to subdue her.

The second thickest and largest out of them now stumbled forward, slightly confused how his leader had passed out but too lost in his drunken stupor to really analyze anything. ”Lookie here, the American chap thinks he has a play!” With surprising strength, this man shoved himself in between Sidney and Maron, actually sending Sidney stumbling backwards a few steps, steadying himself on the bar. The third and fourth men closed on her, trapping her against the wall from all sides.

And as all of this was happening, the celebration was still raging on, in that no one paid any attention to this minor incident occurring in the side of the bar area.

Angrily, Sidney stepped forward and in one fluid motion, decked the second drunk man in the side of the head, sending the surprised man reeling into Maron’s direction (accidentally). Simultaneously, the third out of the bunch, the youngest at thirty-something, and single (yet equally fat and sloppy) put his hand on Maron’s side.

“Looking fer somewhere to be tonigh’, love?”

[maron]

Unlike before, she didn't withdraw from his touch. It was actually comforting, that Sidney seemed determined to 'protect' her from these Drunken men. Of course, if he knew what she was... He'd probably be the first to scream mutant...

"S-stop!" Maron was getting a little frantic, not just because of the chance she could hurt someone, but because of these mens actions. "Don't hurt him!" Well, it looked like Sidney was okay, just thrown around a bit... Her eyes were almost all the way open again, gaze downward once more. She stumbled backwards as they blocked any escape route, effectively trapping the poor girl.

What happened after that... Things went from bad to worse.

She was having a hard time distinguishing who was who out of these men, but all she knew was one was touching her. Instinctively she slapped his hand away, glaring(even though they probably wouldn't see it with her gaze downward. "Don't touch me!" Not only was she frantic, she was angry! Strange combination... Of course, she was reduced to just frantic once more as one of the men stumbled right into her. The poor girl actually fell.... But that wasn't what anyone would really care about. What really mattered was her eyes had gone upward accidentally.... And caught that second man's gaze.

She felt the change a split second before the man would, confusion in his eyes.... And complete horror in her own. And then... All the color in his skin started to drain, turning ashen, his clothes starting the same process after only a few seconds. He hadn't moved since locking eyes with her, and now.... He'd never move, the man completely petrified...

All the while, Maron just sat on the ground, fighting back tears, frozen in terror as she waited for the screams...

[/justify]

[shanecross]

Sidney had hit the man pretty hard, leaving his knuckles red from the man’s rather hard, bald cranium. He watched the man tumble forward into Maron as one of the other men began to extend his arm creepily towards Maron’s waist, who let out a scream as she slapped his hand away. Sidney began to move forward, reaching for the knife on his leg. He saw her head look up in the direction of the falling man, the very same man he had punched. The rest happened in slow motion.

The man and all of his doughy features greyed and began to harden. The texture of his skin turned crumbly and rough as his fat flabby arms became statuesque. The man’s face was contorted permanently in an almost humorously confused grimace. His clothes followed the same pattern, his wifebeater and pants solidifying into granite. The man became stone, and fell to the wooden ground with a sickening thud. The fallen statue missed the distressed Maron by less than a foot, rolling slightly towards her as the man’s neverending scream turned up towards the sky.

As he took all of this in, Sidney felt his forehead and hands become clammy and wet. He clenched his fists tightly, out of nervousness and surprise. That dull feeling of looming dread hit him in his lower stomach. He had to put his hand against the wall to steel himself.

My god….she’s one of us.

He just couldn’t believe it. What were the odds that on his week vacation from the Exiles team, a cute American girl that he had chatted up at a pub happened to be a mutant with one of the most dangerous powers he had ever seen? Now he understood why she covered her eyes with tinted glasses and continually stared at her shoes solemnly. She was afraid of her powers. He understood now, why she wouldn’t look at him. Why she was so insistent on avoiding his gaze. And why he had been frozen in those brief milliseconds when their gaze had met.

Unfortunately for both of the mutants, at this point, the entire bar was watching. Most of the patrons had ceased their celebrating and had begun yelling and protesting as Sidney had punched one of their own in the face, a few of the rowdier ones stepping forward to join in. But when their compatriot had turned into stone and crashed to the ground with the life drained straight out of him, the entire crowd, which had just a second ago been rowdy with drunkenness and joy, turned completely silent. As if they’d seen a ghost.

The still drunk Sidney stepped back from Maron, still looking at her in complete and utter shock. A normal Sidney probably would have started taking action immediately, but this Sidney was frozen in disbelief. The other two men that had just been trying to get lucky with Maron were hiding pathetically behind each other, cowering from the pretty young girl.

The subdued crowd suddenly snapped out of it and began to turn unruly. Patrons, varying from the forty-year old football hooligans to their fat, unkempt wives to the bartender, reached for weapons as they started yelling derogatory insults at the curled-up Maron.

“Mutant bitch!”

“Dirty, filthy murdering animal!”

“We’ll have your head, you foul mutant scum!”

The crowd advanced on the defenseless Maron, closing in the poor girl. Sidney was forgotten, off to the side. The drunken mob didn’t care. It smelled blood, mutant blood. The rural villagers here were less forgiving and tolerant than their American urban counterparts. They would service as their own judge and jury. And Maron had just been issued a death sentence.

Sidney “Eden” Cross wasn’t just standing there, though. He had activated his powers. If one of the mob were sober or perceptive enough to look at Sidney, they would have noticed that his eyes were glowing a shining jade, his pupil disappeared and his expression blank. He lifted his arms up slighty, and the frail star magnolia tree that sat bleakly in a lonely pot behind Sidney suddenly thickened and grew upwards, sprouting leaves rapidly like one of those fast-forward videos of a flower growing petals. Its branches gained definition, heft and length as they curled around Sidney to the two cowering men, now cowering not just from the girl but from the living tree. Its thick, sharp, leafy branches wrapped around both of the men, curling tight around their bellies like an anaconda and lifting them several feet above the air. The two grown men were left kicking and dithering like children, screaming at the top of their lungs.

The crowd stopped short, some letting their jagged broken bottles or plates dangle and fall from their hands. It was truly a sight to behold. A thick, strong tree, its trunk twice the size of even the thickest man in the pub, stood where that weak deciduous tree had been wilting, the clay shards of the too-small pot lying scattered around it. It stretched upwards to ten feet, its top branches bent over as to not break the wooden roof. In a branch to its left and right it held the two remaining men from the original group of four, one of which had fainted in shock and the other was sniffling softly, having seemingly peed his pants. A dark stain formed in the crotch of his grey sweatpants.

In front of the tree, and partly surrounded by the crowd who had now given him a wide berth, was Sidney. Eyes glossed over in jade and chest thrust out at the crowd defiantly, daring them to step forward. Without looking at her, he grabbed Maron by the arm and roughly pulled her up to her feet.


“One wrong move, and they die.”

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[/color]

[maron]

Maron was frozen where she’d fallen, still horrified with herself. She didn’t seem to really notice anyone else in these moments, her terrified gaze still on the now petrified man, never leaving him… Ingraining the image in her head, too remind herself of how stupid she was to have thought she could come to this place and actually be ‘normal’ for once in her life.

When she looked away, it was only to shut her eyes tightly, to keep the tears from coming. She’d seen Sidney steadying himself against the wall out of the corner of her eyes, obviously out of disgust. Why wouldn’t he be disgusted? She was a monster. At least most mutants could do some good with their power…. Maron wasn’t one of them though. All her power did was hurt everyone around her.

The silence was agonizing, but the insults that came were worse. Even with her eyes closed she knew what was coming. Revenge. She didn’t try to run though, or even defend herself. They didn’t care if it was an accident, that she’d been trying to avoid this exact situation… She shouldn’t even waste her breath…

Something happened though. Something… She hadn’t expected. Those two men were… Screaming? She hadn’t done anything though! The insults stopped, the mob eerie silent once more(except for the screamers, of course). After one a few seconds though, both had fallen silent. What the hell was going on? Dare she open her eyes to find out? Or would it push the mob over the edge, make them think she was going to use her power on more of them?

The decision was taken from her, as she was yanked to her feet by… Sidney? She wasn’t sure…. She was only guessing. That guess was confirmed when she heard him speak. Her eyes flew open in surprise(though her gaze remained downward) at what she heard. What… the… hell?! “What are you doing?!” She half hissed the question, so quiet that he should be the only one that would hear her.

[/justify]

[shanecross]

His blank, commanding stare, still wrapped up in those emerald jade pupils, softened slightly as he let out a soft chuckle. Not very fitting for the situation, which carried much gravitas, but he just had to let it out. Sidney and Maron were openly combating humans.


“Cleaning up your mess. Oh, by the way, I’m a mutant too. Funny how things work out, right?”


As he said this, though, he never left eye contact with the crowd of patrons surrounding him, faces showing signs of both fury and apprehensiveness. None of them had seen an actual mutant in person before, much less holding two of their own as veritable hostages by course of a giant, living tree. The soft whimpers of the conscious man being dangled above the ground were barely audible, even in the context of the cold silence.

Sidney thought for a moment. Word leaking out to the press that two mutants had come in was inevitable. There were too many eyewitnesses. Then again…they were all drunk. And as long as he removed the evidence…maybe the man who turned into a statue could have taken a dangerous little spill off of the roof in his altered consciousness.

He made up his mind.


“You will move away from the door and make room for me and this girl to walk past. Anyone tries anything, they die before they hit the ground.”


As Sidney said this, he waved his arm, and the sunflower that had been sitting calmly in its terracotta pot just a second ago had grown into a flower with a veiny, thick vine, wrapping itself around the bartender’s shotgun (which was hiding behind his back) over and over again until the barrel was bent and the trigger snapped. The vascular channels in the flower were pulsing with juice.

The young mutant took Maron by the hand, roughly, and pulled her along as the crowd parted in front of him like so many droplets in the Red Sea. As the two walked to the door, Sidney looked around defiantly at the people, almost daring them to try something. He had no intentions of mollifying the crowd, to be sure. Many of the patrons were thin-lipped, but with hatred in their eyes. The festive mood of the pub had been sapped completely dry. Only the bare, powdered bones of fear remained.

[maron]

Maron was shocked. Was this really the time to laugh? Better yet.. Why was he laughing? The whole thing unnerved Maron. "Yeah, I sort of figured. What, with your death threats and all..." If he was human, the mob wouldn't have gone deathly silent. No, whatever his power was, it was keeping them at bay... For now. "This wasn't supposed to happen..." Even she had a hard time hearing that last comment she added, her mood plummeting from 'Oh my god, I just killed someone!' to 'And this is why I should give up on all social contact'. It'd take quite a bit of work to get her out of her depressed stupor.

She didn't know why Sidney was helping her, other then the obvious 'Mutant brotherhood bond' crap so many mutants preached, but she was grateful. Sure, his... escape plan wasn't exactly peaceful, he actually didn't have to harm any of them unless they moved to attack the two, unlike most mutants Maron knew who would gladly destroy everyone in the room. She needed to thank him, but that'd have to wait until they were long gone.

She could see the change to the Sunflower, and was shocked to say the least. The dainty thing had gone from pretty but harmless to something you'd expect to see in a horror film. So... He controlled plant life? Or something to that degree? Then one of his plants probably had the two men, hence why the crowd was being so cooperative.

Even for being in this kind of situation, Maron wondered if he had to be so rough, first with yanking her to her feet, and now half dragging her along behind him. She stumbled to keep up, her feet refusing to walk quick enough to walk semi-normally for a few moments. Finally though, it seemed her feet caught up with her mind, finally capable of catching themselves. All the while, her gaze stayed downward, watching Sidney's feet, just to 'keep an eye on him' in a sense.

[/justify]

[shanecross]

Sidney stared directly forward, ignoring the glowering looks from the crowd around him. They had stepped back to give him and Maron a rather large berth. This physical concession derived not out of any respect or awe of the mutants, but rather a stomach-pit fear of getting torn to shreds by a living tree. This fear, however, was barely superseded by their complete hatred for mutantkind. Several of the crowd would love nothing better than to smash their empty bottle into either Sidney or Maron’s face, relishing the jagged edges pierce their equally vulnerable skin. Only fear of death kept them at bay. Sidney’s tight lips, white with nervous strain, revealed that he was thinking the same thing. His eyes were rapidly darting left and right until he had left the pub into the fresh dusk of evening, still with his hand firmly around Maron’s wrist. The strength of his grip had left red marks on the girl’s skin.

He continued pulling her along for a few streets until they turned into an empty alley. It was sparse with brick walls, populated only by a few tin trash bins and a bird or two. He released his death grip on Maron’s wrist, choosing next to grab her by the shoulders and shove her forcibly against the brick wall, pinning her there with one hand. With the other, he forced her head downwards by the base of the neck, making sure she was looking down and couldn’t look up at Sidney even if she tried. He wouldn’t expect her to, this shy, pretty girl that he had just a second ago been attracted to. But looks can be deceiving. Most especially in the case of mutants.

“Who are you?” breathed Sidney into her ear quietly, as to not attract any sort of unwanted attention. God knows the two had done quite enough of that tonight.

“What group are you with? Think about your answer carefully. Lying would be an enormous mistake.”

He understood that she might think his actions a bit excessive, given the banter they had exchanged the bar and the ferocity by which Sidney met those men at the pub with. Mutants, however, are extremely dangerous. Especially with the Exiles, Sidney had seen cornered mutants wreak havoc on surroundings and innocent passerby with barely a lift of their finger. Maron’s power was especially dangerous, as a single glance could literally kill someone. Sidney liked the cute girl he had joked with at the bar, but he was scared of the mutant that had turned a husband and a father into solid granite. He wasn’t going to take any risks.

[maron]

Maron remained silent, the tension in the pub so heavy she felt like she was suffocating. Even when they were outside she didn’t say a word, even to complain about his still dragging her along behind him, or the stinging in her wrist from his bone crushing grip. As he lead her off to who knows where, she kept her eyes down, still trying to keep back tears, a few still escaped though, staining her cheeks.

Once he’d released her, Maron had one thought. Run, and keep running. Before she could even act on the idea though, the unexpected happened, Sidney shoving the girl into the wall and pinning her there as if she weighed nothing. Strangely, she didn’t fight, just flinched, her eyes shutting instantly, even if he’d already taken the precaution of keeping her eyes downward. Accidents happened after all, best to just keep them closed… Her whole reaction to being cornered, yet again, wasn’t exactly what you’d expect. She didn’t fight, try to escape, or even reason with him. It was almost like she didn’t care what he might do, because she’d been through worse.

His question was met with only silence. She’d already given him, her name after all. What else did he want to know? What did he expect her to say? Did he think she’d given him some false identity? She couldn’t blame him… Most mutants were pretty dangerous to begin with, but when you had a ‘gift’ that ended another person’s life just by looking at them? Yeah, no wonder even other mutants treated her like she was vermin…

“R-Runaways… I-In Canada.”

[/justify]