Agnes sighed as she walked down the sidewalk of New York, trying not to draw attention to herself. She had pretty much resigned herself to staying in the mansion at all times, especially since the police were beginning the investigation on what her parents had done to hear. But the runaway knew that she would not be able to stay within the walls of the mansion for too long. She was already beginning to feel a little claustrophobic. Even though she had wonderful people in her life and they made her days significantly brighter, that only marginally helped in keeping her days better.

In the end, she knew that she would never be able to lock herself in her room for the rest of her life. She had to get out.

The other incentive for heading out into the world was the idea of meeting her friend Sveta. The Russian young lady, the one who brought her to the mansion in the first place had finally contacted her. It had been so long since Agnes heard from the woman that she was beginning to worry. Thankfully, she had gotten a call to meet her for ice cream. Agnes jumped at the chance, especially since so much had happened.

But, in the back of her mind, she had hoped that Sveta was okay? Why was she gone for so long without a word? Hopefully the woman would tell her today when they meet.

Her sneakers soundlessly thumping on the concrete as she walked, Agnes stuffed her hands into the pockets of her denim jacket and nervously scratched her fingertips with her thumbs. A gentle, warm breeze ruffled her strands of brunette hair while her crystal blue eyes searched and searched every stranger and alley way. She still had some apprehension about her parents returning to suddenly claim her, but Agnes knew that she shouldn’t have to worry. It was not worth it, after all.

Agnes tilted her head to the side as she rounded a corner and spied the “Ben & Daaz Ice Cream Parlor” situated into a building. On a small patio, surrounded by a black, iron wrought fence, the runaway spied that familiar blonde hair sitting in one of the chairs. A smile immediately came over Agnes face as she quickened her step a tiny bit, dodging around people and no longer fearing the sudden arrival of strangers.

“Sveta!” she called out when she was close enough. Hands on the small, iron fence, she leaned on it a bit as she beamed at her. “Oh my god, how are you?!”

Sveta had to realize that she'd gotten to a point in her life where sitting in an ice cream parlor and enjoying the day felt weirder and more out-of-place than being tied to a chair a threatened by thugs.
It was not a pleasant thought.

>>“Sveta! Oh my god, how are you?!”

But, here she was, meeting with Agnes, one of her few real friends, what could possibly go wrong? Only a few million people had seen them on ViewTube, so, why not? She was way past caring.
Turning in her chair, Sveta pushed the sunglasses onto her forehead, and beamed at Agnes.

"Hi dere" she waved at her "Come, sit vith me. I was just choosing ice cream."

>> "Hi dere…Come, sit vith me. I was just choosing ice cream."

“I’ll be right there!” Agnes beamed as she looked at her friends face.

As she made her way towards the gate’s entrance Agnes could only think back to how her friend looked. She looked almost tired and…awkward. As if she were trying to get back into the normal swing of things. At least that was how Agnes was interpreting it. She could have been completely wrong, though. It was entirely possible that Sveta was fine and dandy, but if so…why didn’t she contact her? Agnes felt that something weird must have happened, but what, she didn’t know. She only hoped that Sveta would tell her to appease her curiosity, but she would not push her.

As soon as the thin runaway slipped inside the gate, the smell of the chocolate, the syrup and the ice cream all assaulted her nose. She was so utterly allured by the scent that she simply could not help herself. Even if she had wanted to back up and leave this place behind, there would be no way. That scent of the ice cream was far too enticing…

…oh and of course she wanted to meet with Sveta. How could she forget that?

With a sigh, the runaway removed her hands from the pockets of her jacket and grinned as she moved over to Sveta’s table as quickly as possible. When she did, she came up behind the blonde Russian and immediately wanted to wrap her arms around her shoulders, giving her a quick and friendly hug from behind. But Agnes stopped herself. She knew what would happen...

No thank you... She thought.

She slipped around her and grabbed one of the empty chairs that was attached to her table.

“Hi! Been awhile,” she said slyly, immediately bringing up the topic of Sveta’s disappearance. But as she promised herself earlier, she wouldn’t pry. “You look good, I missed talking to you.” She sighed slightly as she looked around, ready to dine on ice cream.

>>“Hi! Been awhile. You look good, I missed talking to you.”

Sveta smiled; from the corner of her eye she caught the motion when Agnes moved towards her, and she sighed a bit when the girl stopped mid-hug. It was a sigh of relief; she would have hated to jump up or push her away. But it was also a bit sad; she would never get hugged by her friend, not if they wanted to avoid a second disaster like the one in the museum.

"Hi Agnes" she smiled "I missed you too."

You have no idea, she thought. Being kidnapped tends to make a person think more about her friends than anything else.

"How are you doing? Anything new?" she asked curiously, trying to avoid the question 'and where have you been?' the best she could. She looked at the menu. All the ice creams looked delicious. She couldn't even remember when she last had any.

>> "Hi Agnes, I missed you too…How are you doing? Anything new?"

Agnes beamed brightly as she slid into the seat across from her friend, watching the Russian woman closely. It felt like an eternity since she had last seen the woman and there was so much that had happened in her life that she wanted to tell her but the majority of it was either pretty shocking or just plain depressing. She didn’t want to put a damper on their first day out in a long time. At least that was the way that Agnes saw how things progressed. Sveta was a great friend but she listened to Agnes’ problems far too much since the first time that they met. Even though she was sure that her friend would not all together mind, Agnes still felt a little bad about that.

She shrugged a little as she rested her purse on the ground between her feet and simply shrugged her shoulders a bit as she looked about, as if trying to find the right words.

“Oh…a few things,” she smiled a little and turned to look back at all the patrons.

Try as she might to not burden Sveta with her issues, she knew she had to talk to someone. Liz was still too new at being her friend and Gina…well…she still needed to speak to Gina. She needed to talk to someone who already knew that dark side of her, who knew of her path. Out of everyone in her life, the only person who fit that description at all was the young blonde sitting across from her. Agnes really began to feel bad for her. Would she ever get sick of hearing about Agnes’ tragic life?

“Police…I…finally talk to them, about my parents,” she said a little heavy heartedly. It felt good to say it out loud but that did not make it any less scary. She cautiously eyed nearby strangers, as if they somehow might be associated with her parents, before she turned her attention back onto Sveta. “I…just…I couldn’t take it anymore. I was having bad dreams, over and over again so…I figured it was about time that I did something. The school’s guidance counselor directed me to that really nice cop, that helped us out at the museum. So…I’m waiting to hear what’s going to happen with that.”

There was a sad relief on the runaway’s face as she began to think to herself. She knew that what she had just said was going to be the beginning of a lot of turmoil in her life, but she couldn’t keep the secret anymore. Her parents needed to be held accountable, they simply had to be. She just…hoped that there would be no real retaliation from them for what she did. After all…they have no clue that she is even still alive right now…but they are going to know.

She cleared her throat, brought herself back to reality and smiled at Sveta. “What about you? How’re things?”

>>“Police…I…finally talk to them, about my parents. I…just…I couldn’t take it anymore. I was having bad dreams, over and over again so…I figured it was about time that I did something. The school’s guidance counselor directed me to that really nice cop, that helped us out at the museum. So…I’m waiting to hear what’s going to happen with that.”

"Dat's... good" Sveta watched Agnes' expression cautiously; she looked relieved, knowing the police would take care of everything. She could tell it was still far form perfect, having her own parents arrested... but they deserved it, and no one could know that better than Svetlana.

"Dat's really good" she smiled a friendly smile "Everyting is going to work out. De people at the mutant police... dey really know what dey are doing."

Oh yes they did.

>>“What about you? How’re things?”

"Umm... slow" she shrugged, not really sure she wanted to talk about the kidnapping issue "I was just busy. With stuff."

Yeah. That did not sound suspicious at all.

>> "Dat's... good…Dat's really good…Everyting is going to work out. De people at the mutant police... dey really know what dey are doing."

“Yeah,” Agnes replied with a nod. “It really seems like they care, a lot.”

Agnes was thinking back to the man who was helping her, Detective Jorge Cervantes. He was scary from time to time but underneath his gruff exterior, she knew that she could trust him. It had been a long time since Agnes had ever really allowed herself to trust anyone, but this year was proving to be surprising on a number of fronts. The first and foremost was the fact that she had friends she actually cared about. Living on the streets taught her to not care about anyone and only look out for herself. But things were changing for the runaway.

She had friends she really worried, cared about and trusted. Even this detective, a man whom she had never met before, she was fairly certain she could hold in high esteem. Whether it was the guidance counselor’s influence or not, Agnes didn’t know. She would like to believe that she was able to make some of these trusting decisions on her own…

Enough of that for now. Agnes switched the question around the Sveta, eager to know what had been going on with her blonde friend…

>> "Umm... slow…I was just busy. With stuff."

But apparently she was still guarding her experiences as if it were a secret. Hearing the tone in her voice and watching her face, Agnes immediately grew suspicious. She picked up her menu and pretended to look it over a moment before she turned her gaze onto Sveta once again.

“Sveta…what’s wrong?” Agnes asked as she toyed a bit with the menu in her hands. The runaway was now worried about her friend, whether there was sufficient evidence or not to deem it. “I feel like you’re hiding something. What…happened to you?”

>>“Sveta…what’s wrong? I feel like you’re hiding something. What…happened to you?”

Sveta smirked. Of course she could not keep it a secret. Weird, she was a good liar, sometimes even excellent, but she could not keep a secret from a friend. She did not have many friends. They needed a whole different kind of training, she realized.

"Just de usual" she shrugged with a small smile "kidnapped again. The police found me and rescued me, de bad guy is in jail. Life is good."

That was all to it. The waiter returned, and Sveta ordered a banan split, hoping for a lot of chocolate.

"I decided I am not going to b rescued every time. So, now I am learning to defend myself" she confided in Agnes "You know, without punching someone and making him stronger."

>> "Just de usual…kidnapped again. The police found me and rescued me, de bad guy is in jail. Life is good."

“Oh…my god! Sveta!” Agnes looked at her concerned.

Ever since Agnes had met Sveta, she had been almost an idol towards her, a friend she had always wanted, who changed her life for the better on that day so long ago. She was so happy to be around the money, especially so since she managed to save her life on several occasions. But this…this was shocking. Her best friend, the person she looked up to had been kidnapped and she didn’t know a thing about it? That was insane! That was absolutely and positively not right! How could she allow such a thing to happen to her friend and not even realize it until much later?

She sighed as she shook her head and wanted to leap over the table and give her a hug. But, again, Agnes knew better than that. The last time she did, she gained control and entered the minds of millions of bugs, she only barely managed to pull herself back. Still though, she wished she could have done something to help.

But even before she said anything, Sveta seemed to jump in with her next plans…

>> "I decided I am not going to be rescued every time. So, now I am learning to defend myself…You know, without punching someone and making him stronger."

Agnes smirked a little but she was still worried. Sveta had a point. Her touch could boost the abilities of people. Even sitting across her from, Agnes felt much more awake and energized, as if she could take on the world. Some people could definitely find something like that to be addicting. She could not even imagine how hard a life Sveta had to have bearing that kind of cross.

But at least she identified something she could do.

“That’s a good plan,” Agnes said with a nod. “Maybe you should start carrying a crowbar or enchanted hammer or something?” Agnes smiled small. “I know what you mean though. We can’t always wait around for our rescuer to show up. Sometimes we need to do it ourselves…”

>>“That’s a good plan. Maybe you should start carrying a crowbar or enchanted hammer or something? I know what you mean though. We can’t always wait around for our rescuer to show up. Sometimes we need to do it ourselves…”

"Just so" the Russian girl smiled "How do dey say that? Girl power?" she chuckled, leaning on her elbows on the table. For now, life was good, and she did not want to talk about the kidnapping more than she had to.

"Dere are always people wanting to rescue me" she smirked "It must be my looks. But I just don't like being babysitted. And I do not like kung fo either. So, I am sticking to firerarms."

She was trying to, at least. Well, she would get better with time...

"I hope your life is not as interesting as mine" she grinned at Agnes.

>> "Just so…How do dey say that? Girl power? Dere are always people wanting to rescue me…It must be my looks. But I just don't like being babysitted. And I do not like kung fo either. So, I am sticking to firerarms."

Agnes smirked and nodded her head. “Go girl power.”

She could only imagine the type of life that Sveta had. From the tone of her voice, she made it sound like this was something that happened on a pretty regular basis. Like at least once a week the young Russian was carted off somewhere else against her will. Such a life had to be hard for her and Agnes really had no way to sympathize. Yes, her own life was tough, but Sveta, her mutation caused people to want to take her away. It simply was not fair because it just wasn’t her fault.

Still, Agnes could understand her want to protect herself now. There are only so many times you can try to depend on other people before you have to start depending on yourself. Agnes knew that lesson surprisingly well…

“Just make sure you are trained well in those,” Agnes said referring to the firearms. “I’ve read about too many people who are not careful and who get hurt because of it.”

She really did hope that Sveta would stay safe this time though…

>> "I hope your life is not as interesting as mine.”

Agnes chuckled and shook her head. “No. No kidnappings at the moment, that god.” She sighed a big contentedly as she toyed with the edges of her menu. “I…guess though…I do have some news. I…did start seeing someone…”

The second she said it, her cheeks turned a bright, crimson red. If there was anyone she wanted to talk to about this, it was Sveta but it was still just so weird. Telling people she actually cared about that she was dating another girl? That she was beginning to accept the fact that she was a lesbian? It was something she had never once considered before when she was still living at home. But…right now…it did feel right. And though she did not know how Sveta felt about an issue such as this, she hoped that her friend would be okay with it.

>>“Just make sure you are trained well in those. I’ve read about too many people who are not careful and who get hurt because of it.”

"Yes it happens" she nodded with a smirk "I'll be careful."

She would not get hurt. People on the other side of the gun would. Not like she wanted to hurt people. Just in case. Cases were very likely to happen.

>>"No kidnappings at the moment, that god. I…guess though…I do have some news. I…did start seeing someone…”

"Oh" Sveta smiled. Now that was a much more cheerful topic. Not to mention interesting. Leaning forward, for a moment she felt like a girl who does not even know what 'kidnapping' stands for, and only has seen firearms in movies. "Tell me everything."

>> "Oh…Tell me everything."

Agnes blushed a little. She knew that she really should not have brought up the subject but she could not help it. It was a huge discovery for her and if she were going to tell anyone, it had to be Sveta. But still, even now, even after she already told her that she was seeing someone, she waivered on the idea of whether or not she wanted to go through with it. She loved Sveta but there were some things she did not know about the woman. Maybe she would have a problem with it. But…if she did…it would have to be something she learned to accept.

A nervous sigh and the runaway fumbled about with the menu on the table a little more. She was trying to not be hesitant but how does one go about revealing something like this?

In the end, Agnes decided that the best course of action she could take was to simply close her eyes, take a breath and dive in. However this turned out, was hot it would turn out. She was not going to keep any more secrets from her friends.

“Ugh,” she mumbled. “Well…the truth, Sveta, is that, this person I’m seeing is very sweet, very caring, and…a she.”

She let the word sit there in the air, letting Sveta turn it over and make sure that she did not mishear her. She did say that she was seeing another woman. Whether or not that revelation would be big news to Sveta, Agnes didn’t know, but she would still take it slow and tread carefully. She believed that the blonde Russian was her friend with that would hopefully come with the understanding that no matter what, she could trust her.

Clearing her throat and feeling the heat rising in her cheeks from her blushing, Agnes sighed and went on. “She’s a musician. I…met her a while back at some place she was playing. She just had a beautiful talent that…drew me in. I stuck around, she played for me some more and...we talked. Then she gave me a ride home and...we...we kissed." She felt the heat on her face and Agnes had to force herself to pull out from thinking too much about that night, or the next night that they had spent together. She sighed and turned her attention onSveta with smile. "But…I really like her…”

She really could not stop the smile hat spread over her lips.

>>“Ugh, Well…the truth, Sveta, is that, this person I’m seeing is very sweet, very caring, and…a she.”

The words sunk in.

"Oh" Sveta nodded slowly, trying to make sure it was not her English that was making it sound weird. "Oh..."

>>“She’s a musician. I…met her a while back at some place she was playing. She just had a beautiful talent that…drew me in. I stuck around, she played for me some more and...we talked. Then she gave me a ride home and...we...we kissed. But…I really like her…”

"Oh." Sveta said again, with a small smile "Dat's good. I didn't know you like girls... I'm sorry" she chuckled. She was really bad at seeing things like that. It came with being untouchable. "Dat sounds really nice though. So, is she... is she a mutant too?"

She did not want to ask th obvious question - does she know about the bugs in your lungs? - but it was definitely there somewhere.

>> "Oh…Oh..."

Agnes remained quiet as she let her friend sink those words in. She loved Sveta very much but she was not going to push it any. However the young Russian felt about the situation, Agnes was not going to judge. She was a sweet girl and not everyone can take news like that easily. Some people find it harder to accept than others. But, Agnes believed that hopefully Sveta would be able to understand and still respect her as a fellow person as well. After all, being mutant meant that they were already part of the minority. There was no need to broaden that gap any further, was there?

>> "Oh…Dat's good. I didn't know you like girls... I'm sorry…Dat sounds really nice though. So, is she... is she a mutant too?"

“Trust me,” Agnes muttered with the smallest of smiles. “I didn’t know that about myself either.”

It was the truth. Agnes had no idea that she liked other girls. It was never even a thought that had ever crossed her mind because her parents had stomped the notion into oblivion. Because of their opinionated parenting style, Agnes had grown up with certain ideas of people already in the back of her mind. She never acted on them, though. She never utter a racial slur or anything of that matter referring to anyone! But there was always that fear in the back of her mind that one day she would. That she would fall under their spell, finally, and never be able to get herself out.

But Agnes was quickly losing all fear of that. Everything she felt Rhythm’s kiss, everything she felt her arms wrap around her, she knew that whatever teachings her parents had were evaporating.

She sighed a little contentedly and nodded at Sveta.

“Yeah, she’s a mutant too, and, she knows that I’m one.” she said, anticipated Sveta’s question. After all, how many people want to kiss someone who could summon bugs from their mouth? But she was lucky in that Rhythm did not seem to mind that knowledge at all.