Victoria stared at the fireplace. She wasn't that tired actually despite it being the middle of the night. Or is it morning now? It was odd how her schedule worked. She checked her phone. Technically, morning! It was a little after 3 AM. In an hour or so someone would be picking her up to take her to skating practice. She was an early bird to the point of almost being a night owl.

The short blonde fixed her skirt with one hand and lifted her phone to take another picture of the room with the other. She still couldn't get over how pretty the mansion was. Today was her first day back since telling her parents she was a mutant. She just finished her first day...er night...of lessons.

That's why she was here now, of all the times in the world, alone on a living room couch. It'd be scandalous if people found out she was at the mansion. The Figure Skating Association would run her out of the sport. The teen shifted in her seat. She was sitting with her legs crossed in a black circle skirt and white blouse. Maybe it was a little fancy for the occasion, but Victoria liked to dress up. A black flat bobbed up and down with her leg as she scrolled through Instagram. A notification pulled her to Facebook and she quickly put her phone to sleep. Someone shared a link to a news article featuring the winged mutant who attacked her in Central Park. The girl with the demon eyes had struck again, this time at a courthouse. No doubt, Victoria would receive a text from her dad/lawyer in a few minutes about it.

Oh well... Victoria sighed but remained chipper. She set her phone in her lap and stared out the dark window. It was raining again, but in a few hours she'd be ice skating. The thought made her excited. Pulling pink nail polish from the clutch beside her, she started to do her finger nails completely oblivious that she wouldn't be alone much longer.

The ceiling was white and featureless. Austin traced over whatever abnormalities he could find with his eyes through the darkness, somehow unable to find sleep despite the sheer exhaustion he was facing. He had found shelter, food, a bed, and what might shape up to be great help in learning to control his mutation. Still, something kept him awake.

Maybe it was just the absurdity of it all, his disbelief. He was still unable to comprehend that he had left home 6 months ago, traveled by himself to New York, and now lay in bed in an all mutant school with no one he knew save for that Teen Wolf kid who’d brought him here, but he didn’t really count.

Austin sighed, bringing his hands to his face and giving it a quick rub before rising and redressing himself. Slowly, he turned the knob, remembering the way it creaked on his way in. He glanced up and down the hallway once; it was still uninhabited. Cautiously, he stepped out, hyperaware of his surroundings so as not to be seen. Subconsciously, he still did not want to be associated with the word “mutant”, even if all those who resided here were mutants themselves.

Silently, he wandered the halls, not looking for anything in particular. In the past few days he had become an expert at aimlessly wandering. Soon enough, he found himself approaching the living room. He heard the a fire crackling in the fireplace, assuming that it had not yet burned out from earlier in the evening. It didn’t occur to him that it was 3 AM and any fire burning in the prior evening would have become a smoldering pile of ashes hours ago.

Austin rounded the corner of the hall just in time to hear a soft sigh and see the top of a blonde head peaking over the edge of the couch. He froze, but not in time to stop his foot from coming down on a loose piece of floorboard, causing a loud creak to fill the room.

"Ooh," Victoria cooed as she caught her nail polish before it tipped. The lights in the living room flickered bright for a second as her head turned to the door, looking for the source of a mysterious creak in the hall. She was always so jumpy.

Must be the house shifting. They did that all the time when it was cold outside in Minnesota. That seemed like a rational solution to Victoria, except...It's not winter and it's not cold. It was too dark for her to see into the hall from her spot. Maybe it's just the mansion being old? Letting her curiosity get the best of her, the short blonde stood up and took a step towards the door with a puzzled smile. "Hello? Is someone there?"

She kinda hoped so. The place was pretty, but when she thought about it, suddenly it seemed a little creepy when alone at night. Her heart-rate rose ever so slightly as she waited for a response.

Austin stood still, unsure of whether or not he was ready to be social here, with another mutant. He heard the cushions of the couch shift, then a single footstep.

“Hello? Is someone there?” A small, sweet voice called from the other side of the door. Austin sighed, and, pushing the door open, stepped through the threshold. He lingered in the doorway, leaning lightly against the frame. He put on a warm smile, trying to defuse whatever fear he had accidentally placed in her.

The girl, a short blonde, probably his age, maybe a year or two younger, was dressed in an outfit of somewhat preppy day clothes which was odd for this time of night. This was a detail that was not lost on Austin. She was very attractive, and struck him slightly off-guard immediately. Growing up in an anti-mutant household, he had never really humanized any of them, and was honestly surprised at how…normal she looked, with her fair skin, sky blue eyes, and bright blonde hair falling past her shoulders. She reminded him of the kind of girl he and his friends would chase after at high school back home.

“Hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He said, attempting to read into the situation and what she might be feeling. He really didn’t want to interact at the moment, but was able to put his years of expert lying to good use to cover this. Even after a year, Austin was still coming to grips with his mutation, and being here was concrete evidence that it all wasn’t a bad dream. He wouldn’t be waking up in his bed to his normal life with his mutant-loathing mother. The last thing he wanted to do was solidify his nightmares by getting caught up in the day-to-day normalities of this place and tie himself to anything or anyone here. He was just here to learn how to keep his mutation from ruining his life, then he’d be on his way.

However, Austin vocalized none of this. Not wanting to be rude, he continued the charade with a sweet face. Who knows? Maybe talking with another teenage mutant would help him. After all, he hadn’t truly met another mutant before. Perhaps talking was what he needed.

“Can’t sleep either?” He asked with a sigh. He smiled again and pushed off from the doorframe, extending a hand out to the girl. “I’m Austin-Tyler, but just call me Austin.” He said invitingly, slowly opening up to the idea of interaction. Maybe it’d be worth it, and this girl didn’t seem all that bad. She had this air about her that exuded kindness, fun, optimism. Austin could use some optimism right about now.

Victoria was pleasantly surprised to see an older boy walk through the door. Or at least he looked a little older; she guessed he was pretty close to her in age. He was actually kind of cute, standing there half- asleep, leaning on the door frame with messy brown hair.
“Hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

"No, it's ok! You didn't." She smiled warmly. Maybe he had, but she wasn't just going to tell him that. She didn't want him uncomfortable around her. The blonde stepped back to the couch and gracefully took a seat. She gently patted the cushion right next to her hoping he'd take to it. "Actually, I just finished attending private classes." She giggled. That one might take further explanation if he asked. "Sleep is overrated. I'm Victoria."

"Have you been at the mansion long?" She went back to painting her nails. It wouldn't take her much longer; she just had to be careful not to spill on her blouse. "I'm only here in the early early morning before figure skating. Today was my first day." She didn't like to boast so she casually left out the part of doing it on a nationally competitive level. He probably wouldn't recognize her unless he followed the sport anyways. That was how it usually went. People would recognize the top three but not the top fifteen. Then, they'd get her last name and google her and suddenly she was a celebrity to them. Victoria liked attention, but she didn't need that much. She was happy just being plain Victoria without any of the cameras and paparazzi, especially now that she was a mutant in hiding. Ok, so maybe she still wouldn't mind that either. Victoria wasn't sure what she wanted, other than to be able to hide her power in front of the masses.

Her phone beeped but she couldn't pick it up off her lap with wet finger nails so she ignored it. Probably just her father with an update on demon-eyes. It was, but instead of checking Victoria stared up at Austin. "So, out of curiosity, why couldn't you sleep?" She wasn't either lately, not with her attacker still on the loose and the police being uncooperative. Least her daddy was on her case, taking care of it. Was Austin's on his? She hoped so. As big as her problems were, the mansion was sorta teaching her that there were others with bigger ones.

“Hi. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.” Austin said.

“No, it’s okay! You didn’t.” The girl responded with a warm smile.

“Can’t sleep either?” He asked with a sigh. He smiled again and pushed off from the doorframe, extending a hand out to the girl. “I’m Austin-Tyler, but just call me Austin.” She took it in hers and shook it once lightly, before stepping back to the couch and sitting with a grace that was inhuman for a teenage girl. With one of her petite hands, she gently patted the cushion next to her, motioning for him to join her.

“Actually, I just finished attending private classes.” She said with a giggle. Austin arched an eyebrow and followed her to the couch, trying to descend as elegantly as she had. Unfortunately, he found it hard to exhibit her same level of muscle control in his state of exhaustion, plopping down on the couch with a strained grunt.

“Wow, impressive. When do you sleep?” He asked with a chuckle.

She matched his and responded with a playful charm in her voice. “Sleep is overrated. I’m Victoria.”

“Nice to meet you, Victoria.” Austin said, raising his arms to rest them along the back of the couch to stretch.

“Have you been at the mansion long?” She said, picking up the brush of her nail polish and resuming the task of painting her nails. “I’m only here in the early early morning before figure skating. Today was my first day.” She said, not taking her eyes off of her task. Austin laughed quietly. Had he been at the mansion long.

He sighed, moving the arm that rested closer to Victoria to his face to rub his mouth to think as he prepared his response. “No, not that long. I just got in.” He paused, deciding how much he wanted to reveal about himself to this girl he had just met. “A couple of hours ago, actually.” He added with another chuckle, ultimately figuring that it wouldn’t matter. He probably wouldn’t be seeing much of her, and she seemed sweet enough to be trusted and not judge his vulnerable situation.

On the coffee table Victoria’s phone beeped, but she didn’t acknowledge it. On the contrary, with it’s cue Victoria let her shimmering blue eyes rise to stare up at Austin’s. “So, out of curiosity, why couldn’t you sleep?” A moment passed, but an eternity played out within Austin’s mind. This was it. He could see it coming. To her it may have been an innocent question. Most likely she was only looking for a nonchalant answer. I had too much caffeine. He should respond. Or, my roommate snores. But where was the truth in that. Austin had covered up so much in the past year, when did it stop? In that moment, he searched Victoria’s eyes, looking for his answer there. What he saw comforted him.

Though her face advertised otherwise, he could detect a glimmer of fear in her eyes. A glimmer of vulnerability. He knew because in her eyes he saw himself. Austin saw his inability to close his eyes at night for fear of what might find him while he slept. He saw the emptiness that came with feeling unable to defend yourself. He saw the vulnerability that wanted to scream to be heard but was terrified of what the repercussions could mean.

If anyone was worthy of hearing what he had to say, it was Victoria. This preppy, short, blonde haired girl he had met five minutes ago who figure skated and had private lessons in the night. It was this mutant, because he already knew she understood.

After this short eternity within him, Austin finally spoke in a quiet voice, doing his best to maintain his confidence. “To be honest, I don’t really know. I ran away from my mom six months ago because I couldn’t bear to tell her I was a…a mutant. She hates mutants and I’d rather leave voluntarily than be kicked out.” He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. “And…and being here makes it too real. Now it can’t just be a bad dream. This really is my life.” He finished, rubbing his palms together to make sure his admission didn’t take away feeling in his limbs. “Sorry.” He said, normalizing his voice as he turned his eyes back to Victoria and reapplying his self-assured, happy-go-lucky smile. “You didn’t ask for my Great American Tragedy.” He said, passing it off with a laugh. Maybe this was a bad idea. Oh well, too late now. He would just have to wait and see.

Woah... There was an awkward pause after her question. Austin kinda just looked at her for what might of been a couple seconds before laying it all out. As in, everything. The poor guy had run away from home! Victoria didn't know what to say...what she could say. "No, it's ok, I'm sorry I brought it up." That's what her mind settled on.

His life sounded awful, way worse than her own. In fact, it was sorta heartbreaking. She thought about giving the poor soul a hug or something, but wet nails made that a no-no. "Do you need anything? If you need to talk about it, I guess I can listen." That's what good friends did, right? Victoria was one who tried to be a good friend to everyone. A chill ran up her spine as she thought about what her life would be like without parents. Having them separated was hard enough in her mind.

Would sharing her story help him any? Probably not. She figured. It almost felt spoiled and perfect in comparison to his. Her parents were understanding and loved her. She was rich. Victoria lightly bit her lip. Austin was obviously sad even if he could still laugh. Who wouldn't be? He seemed too good at hiding it.

"Hungry at all?" Her hands were almost done so she was able to put her nail polish away and give Austin a little more focus. She was the type of person who had to try and cheer up any sadness around her. Maybe offering food was a weak attempt, but it was a start. "There's a box of crackers in my sports bag."

Ping! Her phone beeped in her lap again. "Just ignore it!" She mused before he could say anything. It'd keep doing that until she checked the message, but that wasn't going to happen for a while. Victoria was staring at the fireplace again as the logs slowly burned. It was still sorta cold in here. She had goosebumps running up and down both her arms and legs as she caught herself looking into his eyes again. They just looked so sad now. Would it be weird if she started crying for him?



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As Austin finished his story he watched Victoria’s face drop. “Sorry.” He said. “You didn’t ask for my Great American Tragedy.”

“No, it’s okay, I’m sorry I brought it up.” She said quickly. Austin saw her discomfort in deciding how to follow up, as if fidgeting uncomfortably underneath her skin. “Do you need anything? If you need to talk about it, I guess I can listen.” She offered, but she didn’t sound quite sure of herself. She was trying. She was really trying. In a way that was what Austin was afraid of. She looked so stricken by his story, and now he was this poor thing that needed to be consoled. Nothing changed physically, but nonetheless Austin felt as if he were shrinking down to nothing before her sorry stare.

“Nah, there’s nothing to talk about. I mean, it’s my life. It is what it is.” He took a breath. “I didn’t mean to bring the mood down so much.” He said, reclining back again into the couch. He hadn’t made use of it since he arrived here hours before, but he definitely took note of how incredibly comfortable it was. He would without a doubt be returning. He tried to focus on things like this. The comfort provided by the couch, the warm fire. Focus on the trivial, normal things to get him back into the normal space. This was a normal thing. This was a normal girl. Can we not have a normal conversation?

“Hungry at all?” She said suddenly, putting her nail polish back in her back and turning her body to face him more fully. She looked hopeful at the suggestion. “There’s a box of crackers in my sports bag.”

Austin smiled at the thought. Earlier that day he would’ve jumped at the opportunity, but the first thing that he was given when he arrived at the mansion was a meal. A big one. “I’m fine, thank you. You might need those for your figure skating practice later.” He said with a small laugh.

Ping! Just as he finished, Victoria’s phone beeped in her lap once again. “Just ignore it.” She mused. They both took a moment to listen to the fire speak. Austin glanced back at Victoria, who’s eyes didn’t stray from the charring wood. Despite the warmth Austin felt filling the room, she shivered once up and down as if still cold, with goosebumps making their way across her limbs. He watched her as she turned her eyes back to his once more. She only seemed to realize the return of her gaze to his after the fact. Her face appeared to fall once more. Did she still see him as something to pity? Or could she, despite his best efforts, still see his hurt?

Desperate to change the feel of the room, Austin shifted forward, leaning his arms on his knees. “So,” he started with a renewed jovial composure, “I don’t know how long I have you for before you leave for practice, but tell me about yourself.” He waited for her to respond. “How about this? Let’s play twenty questions with each other. You get to ask me twenty questions about myself, and I get to ask you twenty about you. We’ll go until you have to leave.” He said, hoping that this new approach would help take the pity out of this party and at least just land him with a friend.

Victoria laughed when Austin turned down her crackers. "It's a whole box, I'd get fat if I ate them all after practice." She grinned. That probably wasn't the case but she wasn't a fitness coach, she just did as hers instructed. Victoria pulled the box out and placed it on the table anyways, just in case.

"Alright," Victoria matched Austin's smile. "I ask first?" His suggestion sure beat the awkwardness of a few moments before. The idea seemed like a ton of fun and Austin no longer looked so sad. She'd never played with a stranger before. Victoria wanted to get to know him, how he came from such a poor story and yet remained so confident, but she wasn't sure where to start. Victoria brushed a loose strand of her blonde hair back into place as she waited for confirmation.

It was weird. She made a lot of friends wherever she went, being pretty and rich kinda gave her an unfair advantage in that regard, but this was her first time having a semi-regular conversation with a mutant, a fellow mutant. Was she nervous? No, that word couldn't quite describe the feeling. Excited, maybe?

Victoria pondered for a few seconds, gently bobbing her foot while she looked up at him,before she finally found her question. It wasn't so hard, Victoria realized, she had nineteen more times to think of even better ones. "What are your goals in life?" She smiled, it was a habit of the bubbly girl. One could tell a lot by a person's wants and likes she figured. She purposefully left the question vague so he could fill in the details.

The blonde listened intently as he answered, only moving to run her hands over her cold arms and legs. She was still chilly and the fire was slowly dying. "Could you fix that?" She asked innocently, pointing to the ambers. It'd buy her warmth and more time to think of an answer to his question. She was busy fixing her hair again.

Victoria laughed at Austin’s cracker comment. “It’s a whole box, I’d get fat if I ate them all after practice.” She said, grinning as she pulled the crackers out anyway. Austin laughed at this. It didn’t seem like he’d be getting out of here without eating a cracker or two. He appreciated the jovial atmosphere that Victoria provided. He was enjoying laughing and smiling with her. It had been a while since he experienced what a sincere smile or laugh felt like.

When Austin suggested the game Victoria seemed to hop on board, returning to him the same smile he sent her way. “Alright,” she said, “I ask first?” She brushed a loose strand of her blonde hair back into place as she waited for confirmation.

He nodded, raising his hands as if to say go ahead. “The floor is yours.” He responded. She hummed lightly and exhaled through her nose, looking at Austin as she thought through what to ask. Her feet bobbed lightly as she did so.

“What are your goals in life?” She said with a smile. Austin tilted his back and exhaled after hearing her question.

“Woah. Starting off with the deep stuff, huh?” He joked. He shifted on the couch and leaned forward, folding his hands across his knees. “Ok, let’s see.” He said, more as filler to buy himself time to think. “I want to…write something.” He stopped there to think for a moment, glancing at Victoria to make sure she wasn’t laughing. “I read a lot, so I’d like to give the world something to read and think about. Maybe something that could help fix things between mutants and humans, you know? Get rid of some false beliefs.” He paused there. “And I…I want to be a dad.” He said, smiling at the ground. “Mine was never around, so I’d like to be there for someone.” He said, looking back to Victoria with a sheepish grin. “Don’t laugh.” He said with a slight chuckle.

He exhaled and leaned back on the couch again. “Ok, now. What question do I want to torture you with?” He mumbled jokingly. He looked at her once more, then looked up as he seemingly grabbed the words out of the air as they floated past. “I always played ice hockey and I’ve never understood figure skating that much so…tell me…what it it that you love about figure skating? Why do you do it?” He asked, finishing with his eyes on hers again.

She moved her hands over her arms and legs as she thought. Her response was off topic, however. “Could you fix that?” She asked innocently, pointing towards the fire. Austin looked, he hadn’t noticed that the flames had died down to mere embers, and that its heat had left the room. He was used to the cold by now. As a figure skater, he would’ve thought she would have been too.

“Sure.” Austin said, standing. However, he waited before making his way to the fireplace. Reaching down slowly, he grabbed a cracker from its box and popped it into his mouth, turning back to throw a wink and a smile at Victoria before crossing the room to the smoldering logs. “So? Do I get an answer?” He called behind him as he occupied his hands with arranging new logs on the irons. He waited to hear her response as he ripped strips of the old newspapers standing by for kindling and held them above the embers. He waited until they caught aflame and tossed them in between the cracks in the logs, holding his hands in front of the fire momentarily before turning back to face Victoria as she answered, placing his newly warmed hands on his thighs as he knelt back.