Time dragged on: minutes turned to hours, hours to days, days to weeks, but he had no idea how long he was in there, only that he was still there. He was hardly a favored subject, just an interesting one. He was poked and jabbed at any time Sinister felt that it was of utmost importance, though he suspected he simply did it for fun—his twisted idea of it, at least.1
In his tank, still bound to the bottom, he was beginning to crouch in a most animalistic way, his knees bending more forward, his heels leaving the ground, his arms becoming more like those of a big cat’s. Thick black fur was just beginning to cover his entire body, the occasional slightly lighter stripe streaking it here and there. The patterns began on his skin and stayed in the fur, like a tiger’s.2
Someone he knew once adored tigers…3
----4
...she also adored him…5
…she was the one person who could see through any disguise, especially his. She knew him like she knew the back of her tiny, pallid hands. Try as he might to avoid her after last night, it was impossible. He did miss school that day, and he never got to put his plan into effect. She simply showed up at the door, carrying her books on her back and his in her arms, shifting from foot to foot to adjust the weight of the things before even thinking of ringing the doorbell, which she had to do, almost impossibly, with a pen.6
He hesitated to open the door, but eventually did, and peered down much further than he was used to.7
“Well, hello, tiger!” she giggled up at him, before immediately beginning to test him. “Tra—”8
“—no, he’s n—”9
“—then why are you here?”10
“I’m…uh…watching the place for him.” True, his voice was considerably deeper, but he could hardly hide the nervousness that slipped into it every time he attempted to lie to her.11
“Oh, let me in, Travis,” she practically whined and he took the books from her before she somehow managed to tumble forward.12
He stood aside and stared at her, mystified. She knew him well, but this was ridiculous. He thought to ask her how she knew but soon found himself being dragged away from a closed door by the girl. A couple years younger than he, but twenty wiser, he always thought. She could pinpoint familiarity in the most drastic of changes, apparently. This was no more than a painted-on mask to her eyes…her mind’s eyes. She wore masks…several of them: From her short black hair and dark eyes, surrounded in dark make-up, to the studded collar and the concert shirts—that was her mask. That was her nature to hide, to protect her softer side from all but him, as well as what her mind’s eye thought. He suspected her as some sort of mutant and she happily agreed when this was voiced, both knowing how true this may well be. Now it was revealed that he was a mutant as well.13
“Sarah, I—” he was cut off the second she put her things down and freed up her hands. She had leaned up to cover his mouth and affectively silence him.14
She gave a kindly smile before moving to curl up in front of the TV, her usual way of saying “Let’s talk.”15
And they did talk, for hours, about what made them different. He told her about the night before, when change had taken him, and she told him about when her ‘wonderful judge of character’ first came into play. She also told him of strange dreams she believed went back to some of the strange scars that had begun appearing, and the minute pains when they did so, of how she suspected these dreams were either memories or forebodings.16
He watched her fidget and flinch as she told him the details of some of the dreams, like a small, frightened animal. He took her gently in his arms and held her, feeling her tremble against him as she fought to hold back tears…17
…liquid diamonds…18
…tiny treasures…19
----20
…he had forgotten how to cry…21
The pain he suffered daily made him want to, but he had forgotten how. He had begun to forget how to feel. This was exactly what Sinister wanted. He wanted him to be emotionless. He though back to those days and whispered into his mask.22
“Sarah…”23
But he was beginning to forget. He was beginning to forget how he felt for her, how he felt when she disappeared from a concert one night, and how he had been ripped from all he knew…24
…he had never even gotten to say ‘good-bye.’25
Author notes
So his name is, was Travis and he has strange, unintentional ties to Biomech...hmm...
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