This Is Not A Game (Ashton)

It was a sunny, somewhat warm day. Life at the mansion was also getting tiresome when staying there day in, day out. After a while it just becomes a routine to just stay in. He had done nothing much while being there. Attending a few classes, learning something new, though he should have applied to a college, he felt that there were things that he needed to grasp before he allowed himself to do any of the sorts. Though, he surprised himself by not going. It was not like he would have trouble getting into a couple of colleges of his choice; it was only that the situation had become very different from when he first thought about which colleges to attend.

He was sitting on a bus, just thinking. Something told him he just had to get a small break from the mansion. Nothing much had changed from his first day there. Alexander wasn't used to such a life even after some time. It took him a while to adjust. He had come there for a purpose, to get the right control over his powers, and he hadn't even tried yet. He let out a sigh, feeling as though he had let himself down. There was no meaning for him anymore; he didn't know what he wanted to do. If he stayed at the mansion he could be asked to join the X-men in the future, but what would that do to him? They probably wouldn't even have a need for him; all he was able to do was change the weather, nothing fancy at all.

The bus stopped, letting an elderly lady on, while a couple of teenagers were getting off. A few years ago that would have been him, only he wouldn't have taken the bus. The young mutant hated to admit that despise everything he missed his parents, but for his own good he chose not to visit them, or contact them other than the occasional phone call from his mother asking if he was all right.

After a while the bus stopped again. Instead of going all the way he got off at the stop. He looked around, knowing that he was supposed to turn right, getting to a subway station. Walking down the stairs old memories turned to him as the distinct smell of the place hit him in the face. After sorting everything with tickets he took the subway to Upper West Side Manhattan, where his parents still resided, and where he had once lived. Once up on the surface he breathed in the air, though he regret it moments later once the smell of burnt hot dog meat tortured he insides of his nose.

Walking a couple of blocks he tilted his head at the sight of a café, knowing the place well. It had once been a frequent hang out spot for him and his friends. Hesitating a little, he shrugged and walked in. He looked around, no one he knew, or at least no one he recognized. After waiting in line for a minute or two it was his turn to order something. "I'll have a medium latte" he said with a loud insecure voice. Just a moment after he received the cup and he took it quickly and paid the barista.

Looking around, he decided that on such a nice day he would sit outside one of the few tables free of people. Walking out the door, he took a seat by the table furthest away from the door. Out of a habit he took out his mobile to check his texts. Unsurprisingly there was none, lately there hadn't been any, and it was merely a tool used to tell him the time and wake him up in the morning. He took small sips from the cup, he wanted to sit there a while, but didn’t feel like spending a lot of money on many cups of coffee. He didn’t even mind that it was turning colder by the seconds. After about fifteen minutes he spotted two familiar faces. Two former friends, perhaps they were still, but he hadn’t exactly kept in touch with anyone after he went to the mansion.

Alexander looked around him. There wasn’t much going on, there was five people sitting outside the café none of them interesting enough to remember. On the other side of the narrow street there was a woman jogging by reminding him that he needed desperately to get into shape. A few metres away a man was taking a sip of water from a bottle, and a man walking a dog was just rounding the corner, never to be seen by Alexander again.

After what felt as hundreds of a second, he heard screams from a woman close by. Great what he needed excitement after the last time when he almost robbed and killed for being a mutant. He swiftly looked around the café but nothing indicating any abnormalities as they too looked confused. Shifting his attention to street view he saw a man that was getting rambled up in his own, what seemed as arms. At first he couldn't believe his eyes, but he of all people knew these things happened. It wasn't until after the man got loose of his own grip that his body parts were starting to expand all over the place, most likely due to some panic, but this seemed different though. It wasn't the man that had screamed, he had heard a woman scream, and the man did seem a bit old to suddenly manifest mutant abilities. Did the man actually know about this?

The young mutant had barely enough time to react when a foot suddenly hurled its way towards the café. Alexander quickly ducked under the table, spilling the remains of his latte all over. With his mobile in his hand he decided it was for the best to call the authorities. A moment after telling them there was a certain situation, and with a window smashing he told them the location, only to be told they would be there soon. How fast was soon? The man didn't seem intent to stop until he had killed someone. "Hurry please" he said to his phone not even caring if they had hung up or not.