Her change purse was nearly empty. Seriously. It wasn’t just that she didn’t have any twenties, but she hardly even had pennies left. Astrid opened the clasp and turned the thing upside down in front of her. A nickel, a penny, and a piece of lint fell out. That wasn’t even enough to buy a soda.

The young mutant sighed and sat back against the wall of the building she was sitting in front of. She didn’t typically sit outside, thinking that it made her look sort of homeless, but she was too tired to walk or fly anywhere. So, she was sitting outside, watching all the people with money pass by.

That was the thing about being an illegal fourteen year old immigrant, there were very few options for work. She had thought about doing a few less-than-legal things, but none of them really seemed like good options. Plus, people didn’t really like her enough to tip very much.

A man dropped a dime in front of her, to which she hissed at. She didn’t need people thinking that she was homeless, even if she was and needed the money. She picked up the dime anyway, though. It wasn’t like she was just going to leave free money alone.

She was done moping, though. It made her look like a loser, and it was hardly making her look evil. In fact, it was kind of hurting her reputation. So, she stood up, brushed herself off, and looked around. Astrid wasn’t going to let exhaustion stop her from achieving anything.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her arm. It was pulling her off the street, to somewhere dark. There was a gag on her mouth, and suddenly the world went dark.

Astrid blinked awake, her vision still blurry from whatever the man had given her to make her pass out. She was in some sort of warehouse, from what she could see. She propped herself up on her elbows and glanced around. She was on the floor. The cold, dirty floor. How nice. There was no one really there, except for a guy sitting on a folding chair beside her.

“Uh-” the man stuttered, nearly knocking over his folding chair as he stood up quickly. “She’s awake, guys!"

Astrid glared at him. If she wasn’t so drowsy, he would be dead meat.

Mmm… Meat…

Two other men appeared beside the first one, both armed with guns. The guns didn’t scare her, but the reason why she had been taken did. There had been a lot of anti-mutant hate crimes lately, and she wasn’t sure just how many of them she would be able to take on. Especially in her current state.

“What you want?” Astrid asked them, rubbing her temples with shaky hands. That would be the low blood sugar kicking in.

“Blood.” One of the men responded. “We need blood donations, and you’re going to help out.”

Blood donations. That was a new one. She had never been kidnapped and asked to give some of her bodily fluids.

“Payment?” Astrid asked them. There was no way she would do it for free.

“You’ll be compensated,” one of the men replied. “Quite well, actually. Especially if this becomes a regular deal.”

Astrid nodded. She really needed the money, and she didn’t really have a problem giving her blood away. Especially not to men with guns who kidnapped people. They might even use it for evil purposes. That would be especially excellent. She almost shivered at the thought.

“Okay,” Astrid nodded in compliance. It wasn’t like she had anything to lose. Well, okay, maybe that wasn’t entirely true if they didn’t clean the needle properly, but she could always bolt if that was the case.

The man nearest to her nudged her up with his gun hastily. "Gonna have to blindfold you," he told her, not waiting for a response as he tied a piece of fabric in front of her eyes. "Just walk forwards."

Astrid did as the man said and walked through the darkness, until she was stopped by one of the men.

There was suddenly a hand out in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. Someone behind her removed the blindfold for her, finally allowing her to see. Astrid once again blinked at her surroundings. She was in a white room, with nothing other than a chair and a bunch of equipment near the middle of the room. 

Someone pushed her forward, and she made a huff noise before taking a seat. There was a lot of equipment next to the chair. She didn't recognize most of it, but she was glad that at least it looked like they sort of knew what they were doing. It all looked fairly professional.

A woman joined the group, with long blonde hair tied up in a bun, and a white lab coat. She looked legitimate. There was no reason for Astrid to run. Especially not with the promise of payment.

The woman sat down next to her and wordlessly began to draw her blood. Astrid sighed and looked up at the ceiling, allowing them to do as they pleased.

A few things ran through her mind. Who were these people? Why did they choose her? How did they even know that her blood type would be right? Actually, Astrid didn't even think she knew her blood type. It had never come up before. 

She rubbed her fingers together and noticed something funny. Her index finger was a little sore. They must have taken a sample or something. That would make sense, since it seemed like it would be a bit of a waste of time to take the wrong blood type.

"Finished," the woman said after a few moments. 

Astrid stayed still for a few moments, not quite sure what to do next. What did one usually do after giving blood? She had never really had experience with the matter.

The woman stood up and removed the latex gloves she had been wearing, and left the room. She had said all of one word during the entire thing, and made minimal eye contact. It seemed like she didn't really want to be there. Or maybe she just really hated mutants. That sometimes happened, especially with mutations as obvious as Astrid's.

One of the men stepped forwards. It was strange, it seemed that they had been watching the entire time, something with Astrid hadn't even noticed. The man walked up to her and nudged her out of the chair.

Astrid stood up, swayed a little, and then looked at the man. The world was spinning. And the man had... Three eyes? Did he have three eyes before? She didn't remember him being a mutant.

Before she could do anything, she was blindfolded again and being led outside. It was getting increasingly difficult to walk, and she kept tripping over her shoes. Maybe the next day she would try flats instead of stilettos. They really weren't good for situations such as the one she was in.

Astrid felt something be put in her hand before she was pushed through what she thought must have been a doorway. She put her hands out in front of her as she tumbled down the set of stairs she couldn't see. She landed on the pavement, her arms under her torso and her face against the pavement. 

She pushed herself up onto her knees and elbows, and wobbly stood up on her feet. She took two steps forwards before she fell straight down. She really should have eaten something before the procedure. Or after. 

She woke up a while later, her face still planted on the pavement. Astrid had no idea how long she had been asleep, or where exactly she was. The area was dirty, to say the least, and there were a few trash cans around her. She judged it to be a dark alleyway of some kind. Where the alleyway was, she had no idea, but she hoped desperately that it was still in New York.

Astrid tried to stand up, but found herself to still be quite woozy. She stumbled her way out onto the street and looked around. It looked like she was in a city, so she was probably still in New York, which was good. She hadn't ever traveled to that area, though. 

She glanced at the money in her hand, going through what the men had given her. It was a good amount, almost four hundred dollars. That would last her a few weeks at least. She wouldn't even mind making that a regular thing. The people had been nice enough after all. She just would have preferred to have some warning so she could eat something first.

Astrid made her way down the street slowly, leaning on the buildings for support. The entire world was spinning, and she was sweating buckets. She felt rather elated, though. It was a very strange feeling.

Unfortunately, she was in a warehouse district, and there didn't really seem to be anywhere to eat around. Nowhere in sight, at least.

She could walk somewhere, but she doubted she would get very far. As it was, she had only traveled a few feet. She could fly, but that wouldn't be any better. With her vision, she would probably fly straight into a building.

The money she had been given was still crunched up in her hand. She sighed at it, not wanting to let any of it go. It seemed, though, that she didn't have many other options. She didn't know how long it would be before she passed out again.

Astrid walked closer to the side of the pavement and stuck out her arm, flagging down a taxi.

Eventually, a taxi stopped for her. Several passed, making it clear that they didn't want to drive a young, possibly drunk mutant girl. When a taxi did stop for her, she made a point of clambering inside as quickly as possible so that he would be forced to drive her and not change his mind.

"Where to?"

"Close place eat," Astrid said lazily, her head rolling slightly on her neck. It felt strangely heavy, and she had to rest it against the door of the car. 

The driver nodded and pulled away, obviously having somewhere specific in mind. They didn't drive far to get where he was going though, it was really only about a block.

Astrid's brow furrowed in anger. She had just wasted some of her hard earned money on one block. She shoved the door open with a newfound force and tumbled out onto the street. She handed the driver a bill with an angry glare and left quickly. 

The young girl found herself in front of what looked to be a rather shady burger joint. It would likely be greasy, filling and cheap. Perfect. She made her way inside quickly, knowing that she would probably pass out again if she didn't eat soon.

The line inside was long, and she didn't feel like waiting. Astrid pushed her way through the crowds, ignoring the protests of the other patrons, and stood at the till. Her wings spread out behind her like a shield, stopping anyone that tried to pass.

The girl at the cash didn't look much older than Astrid. She was much smaller, though, and looked like she had seen a ghost. Or, rather, a mutant angel that had pushed through the crowds.

"W-what can I get for you?" The girl asked in a shaky voice, refusing to make eye contact. Her hand shook violently, and she had to rest it against the counter in order to get it to stop.

Astrid smirked. If her stomach wasn't so entirely empty, she would have taken the time to really and truly scare the girl to a degree that no horror movie could. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and her bodily needs had to come first. Damn biology.

"Numéro quatre," Astrid pointed to the fourth combo, too tired to speak in English. Besides, it shouldn't have been too difficult for her to decipher. 

The girl at the till nodded and disappeared into the back. She looked as though she had been about to ask further questions, but the look on Astrid's face had warned her not to. The mutant girl was far too hungry and tired to bother with questions of drink type or mustard.

She walked over and waited at the designated counter, tapping her fingers in a slow, repeated motion on the sticky counter. The employees watched her warily, and made it very clear that they were going much faster than usual, and had bumped her order.

Eventually, Astrid was handed her food, which she begrudgingly paid for. She was too tired to fly somewhere quiet to eat, so she was faced with the only option of eating in the loud, cramped restaurant. 

Astrid tucked her wings in against her back and glared at the other patrons as she pushed her way toward a booth. There were only tables available, but that hardly deterred her from her goal of a quiet booth with a cushy seat. There was a couple seated at the last booth by the window, who were trying their best to ignore her as she approached with an expression of utter hatred and irritation.

"Move," she growled at the pair and stared the woman straight in the eyes. There was an unyielding tone in Astrid's voice, and she would have been more proud if she didn't feel that terrible.

"Or what?" The man asked, trying to make his voice sound sure and steady. He was entirely unsuccessful, and instead just sounded scared.

Astrid rolled her eyes, though it was difficult to see the action, and looked at the man. There was a slight quiver in his bottom lip, and his eyes shifted uncomfortably under Astrid's unwavering gaze. She let a little sound escape her tightly shut lips as she stared at him. The young girl put her hands on the table and arched her back slightly as her wings shifted to crystal form. Her lithe, malnourished form buckled slightly under the new weight, but she used the table to steady herself.

A pale hand reached around to her wing and plucked a crystal from one of the rows, holding it up to the man's face. "Much sharp, yes?" Astrid smirked at him.

The couple stared at the crystal for a brief second before standing up in a rush from the table. The woman knocked the fake granite table with her leg as she moved against the cheap vinyl cushions to avoid touching the young mutant.

With her table finally free of other customers, Astrid was free to sit down. She tucked her freshly feathered wings against her back and flopped down against the padded booth. Her body thanked her as she felt her eyes begin to close again. She forced them back open as she unwrapped her food, getting a sudden new rush of energy as the aroma of her food reached her.

The first bite was incredible. She took a moment just to chew and savor the taste, letting it settle in her stomach before she took another. It felt as though she was filling a pit inside of her that had been empty for far too long.  

In the rush and excitement of her food and place to sit, Astrid had lost track of what her hands were doing with her hard earned new cash. The little bundle rested next to her on the table where she sat, engrossed in her meal with her eyes tightly shut. There was nothing hiding the fact that it was cash, either. It was just there, unattended and tempting. 

Astrid's eyes remained closed for the remainder of the time she spent eating. They were so tightly closed that not even a sliver of light broke through the barrier of flesh. When she finished her food, her eyes blinked open, slowly adjusting to the harsh, fake light of the fast food restaurant.

Her hand felt wearily across the table until it landed on her drink, picking it up shakily. She held it to her mouth and took a long sip, the sugary liquid giving her a much needed pick-me-up. Astrid sighed and sat back to rest for a few moments.

Her eyes rested blearily on the table, feeling the call of sleep stronger than ever. There was an empty burger wrapper, her drink, and an empty box of fries. All things that she could afford thanks to her new cash.

HER CASH!

Astrid felt around desperately for the little bundle of cash that she had left on the table. Maybe she had put it in her dress without thinking? No. Maybe it was beside her? No. Her literal blood money was nowhere to be found.

There was a young girl, even younger than she, that was glancing at her while sprinting out the door. Bingo.

Astrid stood up quickly and suddenly from her spot at the booth. She was suddenly accosted by an overwhelming feeling of dizziness that accompanied standing up too quickly. She took a moment to hold onto the sticky plastic siding of the booth to regain her composure.

Once her vision had cleared and she no longer felt as though she would fall over, she was free to go back to the task at hand: finding her stolen cash.

Astrid's hands clenched into fists as she thought about the young girl running off with her hard earned money. There was no way that she was going to get away with it, not as long as the winged mutant was still breathing. 

She grabbed her soda off of the table and took off, abandoning her trash for some grossly underpaid food-service worker to have to deal with. She sped out the door and looked desperately for her target, shielding her eyes from the sudden bright sun.

Not far off, the young girl was running down the street, pushing away anyone that got in her way. Astrid grinned, knowing that there was no way that she could run fast enough.

With a few beats of her feathered wings, Astrid's feet lifted off the ground. She soared quickly through the air, low enough to the ground that if she let her hands hang down, she would touch the heads of the people walking below her.

It only took a minute or two before Astrid had surpassed the little girl. She halted suddenly and dropped to the ground, landing just in front of the tiny twerp. 

The their stopped in her tracks as she watched Astrid make a wobbly landing in front of her. She really, really needed to start rethinking her footwear. As much as insanely high heels looked cool and rather badass, the amount of times she had fallen took away greatly from that fact.

She glared at the twerp and put her hands on her hips as she said, "give back money." She used her most menacing looks and voice on the little girl, hoping that it would inspire her to do what she said.

No such luck, apparently.

The little thief stuck out her stupid little tongue and ran off in the opposite direction at a pace that Astrid knew she couldn't match. 

The winged mutant half groaned, half growled, and took off again. This time, though, she had no intention to land and give the little girl another chance to run away. Instead, she flew overhead and grabbed her under both arms, soaring through the sky with the little girl and her money in tow.

The little girl scrambled as Astrid flew through the air. It was actually rather difficult for her to keep her grip on the little thing. She wasn't particularly heavy, and her armpits made for great places for Astrid to hold on, but the flailing limbs were not helpful. At all.

Three times Astrid nearly dropped her into the street below. After the third, though, the girl seemed to get the idea that if she kept moving like that, she was probably going to die. So, she stopped, and Astrid could fly in moderate peace.

After a few minutes, Astrid spotted a good place to land. It was a tall building with a flat roof that looked quiet. A good place to shake down a little thief. 

She flew over to the area and dropped the girl down first, smirking as she hit the cement with a hard, slightly off-putting noise. It sounded like it was a fall that would hurt in the morning.

Astrid touched down easily, having gotten fairly good at landing in heels. She watched as the girl scrambled to her feet and glared at her, clearly looking around for some kind of exit. Astrid folded her arms and puffed out her chest, trying to make herself seem intimidating and sure of herself.

"Give. Money. Back," she commanded.

Despite the fact that the odds were very clearly not in her favour, the little girl was having none of Astrid's commands. She narrowed her eyes at the older girl and then stepped forward.

Astrid blinked. What was she doing? Had her routine not been enough to scare her? What was the big idea?

The big idea was that the little girl was also not human. Far from it, actually. She was a mutant, just like the avian teen. Just Astrid's luck, as usual.

The little girl strode forward and then lit herself on fire. Lit herself on fire. Literally, not figuratively. Astrid's eyes bulged and she stepped backward, feeling the edge of the building as her heel slid off the side. There was a flaming little girl with her money coming at her, and she didn't know what to do.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it. Her money. Just sitting there, unattended. The girl must've put it down before becoming a mass of flames.

...which meant that Astrid had just as much chance of grabbing it as the little girl.

Tentatively feeling the edge of the building with the back of her shoe, Astrid allowed the little girl to step toward her. She could feel the heat on her skin, which was worrying, since the girl was still a few feet away. How hot was she?

As soon as the girl was just a few steps away, Astrid let herself fall off the building. It was a truly terrifying experience, letting herself just drop like that, but she was confident that she would be able to fly back up and stop herself from hitting the ground. Falling like that had been one of the ways that she'd initially taught herself to fly.

She only let herself fall a few feet before she spread her wings and swooped back up to the top of the building where the fire girl and her money were. 

She flew past the fire girl, who had apparently been watching her fall, and swooped over to where her money was. Stupid girl, leaving it unattended.

As she drew close enough to grab it off of the ground, the little girl turned off her flames and then sprinted forward, also trying to grab the bundle. Both of them were putting in a great deal of effort for just a few hundred dollars, but it was a lot of money in the hands of two homeless young girls. 

The two girls moved as quickly as they possibly could towards it, trying to get there before the other did.