Newark International Airport, New Jersey, Tuesday morning
As a reward for doing so well in her training, Emma had decided to let Angelica make a visit home. She hadn't seen her father since Emma had whisked her away to the Academy, so she was eager to make the trip. And maybe, she hoped, if she continued to do well, Emma would let her visit Fandom again some day. She missed the friends she'd made there and the easy acceptance of being a mutant.
But within minutes of landing at Newark, Angelica realized the trip home had been a mistake. Her father had been there to great her and her bodyguard, Randall, but he'd been stiff and awkward when she'd hugged him, and kept his distance from her. Even worse was when they'd reached her home. Angelica had squealed with delight upon seeing her cat, Pumpkin, and picked her up to cuddle her close. Her father had yanked the cat out of her arms. "Are you crazy, girl?" he'd shouted. "Give me that animal before you accidentally...."
The hurt look in her eyes had made him stop, and he quickly tried to apologize. But the damage was done, and Angelica fled to her room. It was clear her father couldn't accept what she was. He was afraid of her, and that wasn't going to change. She'd thrown herself on her bed and cried herself to sleep.
Randall had quickly made arrangements to return to the Academy, and her father hadn't resisted the idea. So early the next morning they returned to the airport. Angelica sat miserably in the gate area as Randall told her father he'd arranged for the school limo to be waiting when they landed. She barely heard Randall paged to go pick up a courtesy phone, though after a few minutes she got up to see if she could find where he'd gone.
She hadn't gotten far when a man in black leather and sporting a white mohawk bumped into her. "Hey!" he said angrily. "Watch where you're going, you stupid bimbo!"
"But you walked into me," Angelica tried to protest.
The punk lost his grip on the boom box he'd been carrying, and it crashed to the ground. "Don't wise-mouth me, kid!" he said. "Look what you made me do!"
The boom box had cracked open when it hit the floor, and now it began to spark and smoke. "What's happening to my music box?" the punk said. "You just stared at it and it burst into flame!"
Angelica took a nervous step back. She hadn't consciously tried to blow up the radio, but she knew her powers sometimes slipped out of her control. She was still trying to figure out what to say when her father came up behind the punk. "Take it easy, fella," he said. "I'll gladly reimburse you for any damage to...."
The punk threw a punch at him before he could finish. "Back off, jack!" he said. "This doesn't concern you!"
"Daddy!" Angelica cried, watching in horror as the punk hit her father again.
"There's something weird about this girl!" the punk said loudly, attracting more attention. "I'll bet she's one of them mutie-freaks I've been reading about!"
More people began to surround them. "Did you hear that? A mutant!" one said. "She ought to be locked up! Kept away from decent folk!" an angry woman said. "Don't let her get away!" another man yelled.
"Leave me alone!" Angelica pleaded, trying to evade the hands grasping for her. "Keep back!"
She looked to her father for help, but he was on the floor now, being kicked by more people. "Lousy mutie-lover!" one shouted. "You're a traitor to the human race!"
"Kick him again!" another encouraged, doing just that.
A bald man reached for Angelica's arm. "Grab her!" he said. "Hold her for the authorities!"
"Are you people all crazy?" Angelica said, still struggling. "My father hasn't done anything wrong! Neither have I!" She didn't have the strength to break free of them, but she did have her powers. She started to glow and radiate heat to try to frighten people away. "Get away from us!" she said. "I'm warning you!"
"Oh my stars!" a woman cried.
"The little freak's starting to glow -- she's getting hot!" a man said.
Angelica concentrated on superheating the air beneath her so she could rise into the air and get away from the people surrounding her. She didn't want to hurt anyone, so she aimed blasts of heat near their feet, trying to scare them.
"Run!" the bald man yelled. "She'll kill us all!"
"Don't make me hurt you," Angelica pleaded. She just wanted to reach her father, find Randall, and get out of this place. It had been such a mistake coming home. She should've known better.
The punk who'd started all this drew a gun from beneath his vest. "Dream on, sweetie!" he said. "We humans ain't as helpless as you think! I always knew I'd eventually come across one of you freaks, so I never leave the house without my trusty friend here. Believe it or not, honey, you've really made my day!"
He fired two shots up at Angelica, but she sent a blast of heat toward them before they could reach her and melted the bullets. She spared a moment thanking Emma for all her training sessions; she owed her teacher her life now.
"That was real tricky, babe," the punk said. "You must be a lot tougher than you look. Maybe my piece is useless against you, but I'm willing to be it'll work just fine on your old man." He turned to point the gun at Angelica's father where he still lay on the ground.
"Please, don't!" Hank begged, weakly holding up a hand.
"No!" Angelica screamed. "Not my dad! Leave him alone!"
The others she'd been trying to scare. This time, however, she aimed the blast right at the punk, and he screamed in agony.
A second later, Randall was running at her. "Come on, Angelica, we have to get out of here," he said. He helped her father to his feet, looking around for the quickest exit and picked an emergency door that led to an employees only area of the airport. "This way, let's go."
Angelica lowered herself to the ground, looking with horror at the man she'd burned. "But...but...."
"There's no time, the cops on on their way," Randall said. "We have to go."
Numbly, Angelica nodded and followed after Randall.
But within minutes of landing at Newark, Angelica realized the trip home had been a mistake. Her father had been there to great her and her bodyguard, Randall, but he'd been stiff and awkward when she'd hugged him, and kept his distance from her. Even worse was when they'd reached her home. Angelica had squealed with delight upon seeing her cat, Pumpkin, and picked her up to cuddle her close. Her father had yanked the cat out of her arms. "Are you crazy, girl?" he'd shouted. "Give me that animal before you accidentally...."
The hurt look in her eyes had made him stop, and he quickly tried to apologize. But the damage was done, and Angelica fled to her room. It was clear her father couldn't accept what she was. He was afraid of her, and that wasn't going to change. She'd thrown herself on her bed and cried herself to sleep.
Randall had quickly made arrangements to return to the Academy, and her father hadn't resisted the idea. So early the next morning they returned to the airport. Angelica sat miserably in the gate area as Randall told her father he'd arranged for the school limo to be waiting when they landed. She barely heard Randall paged to go pick up a courtesy phone, though after a few minutes she got up to see if she could find where he'd gone.
She hadn't gotten far when a man in black leather and sporting a white mohawk bumped into her. "Hey!" he said angrily. "Watch where you're going, you stupid bimbo!"
"But you walked into me," Angelica tried to protest.
The punk lost his grip on the boom box he'd been carrying, and it crashed to the ground. "Don't wise-mouth me, kid!" he said. "Look what you made me do!"
The boom box had cracked open when it hit the floor, and now it began to spark and smoke. "What's happening to my music box?" the punk said. "You just stared at it and it burst into flame!"
Angelica took a nervous step back. She hadn't consciously tried to blow up the radio, but she knew her powers sometimes slipped out of her control. She was still trying to figure out what to say when her father came up behind the punk. "Take it easy, fella," he said. "I'll gladly reimburse you for any damage to...."
The punk threw a punch at him before he could finish. "Back off, jack!" he said. "This doesn't concern you!"
"Daddy!" Angelica cried, watching in horror as the punk hit her father again.
"There's something weird about this girl!" the punk said loudly, attracting more attention. "I'll bet she's one of them mutie-freaks I've been reading about!"
More people began to surround them. "Did you hear that? A mutant!" one said. "She ought to be locked up! Kept away from decent folk!" an angry woman said. "Don't let her get away!" another man yelled.
"Leave me alone!" Angelica pleaded, trying to evade the hands grasping for her. "Keep back!"
She looked to her father for help, but he was on the floor now, being kicked by more people. "Lousy mutie-lover!" one shouted. "You're a traitor to the human race!"
"Kick him again!" another encouraged, doing just that.
A bald man reached for Angelica's arm. "Grab her!" he said. "Hold her for the authorities!"
"Are you people all crazy?" Angelica said, still struggling. "My father hasn't done anything wrong! Neither have I!" She didn't have the strength to break free of them, but she did have her powers. She started to glow and radiate heat to try to frighten people away. "Get away from us!" she said. "I'm warning you!"
"Oh my stars!" a woman cried.
"The little freak's starting to glow -- she's getting hot!" a man said.
Angelica concentrated on superheating the air beneath her so she could rise into the air and get away from the people surrounding her. She didn't want to hurt anyone, so she aimed blasts of heat near their feet, trying to scare them.
"Run!" the bald man yelled. "She'll kill us all!"
"Don't make me hurt you," Angelica pleaded. She just wanted to reach her father, find Randall, and get out of this place. It had been such a mistake coming home. She should've known better.
The punk who'd started all this drew a gun from beneath his vest. "Dream on, sweetie!" he said. "We humans ain't as helpless as you think! I always knew I'd eventually come across one of you freaks, so I never leave the house without my trusty friend here. Believe it or not, honey, you've really made my day!"
He fired two shots up at Angelica, but she sent a blast of heat toward them before they could reach her and melted the bullets. She spared a moment thanking Emma for all her training sessions; she owed her teacher her life now.
"That was real tricky, babe," the punk said. "You must be a lot tougher than you look. Maybe my piece is useless against you, but I'm willing to be it'll work just fine on your old man." He turned to point the gun at Angelica's father where he still lay on the ground.
"Please, don't!" Hank begged, weakly holding up a hand.
"No!" Angelica screamed. "Not my dad! Leave him alone!"
The others she'd been trying to scare. This time, however, she aimed the blast right at the punk, and he screamed in agony.
A second later, Randall was running at her. "Come on, Angelica, we have to get out of here," he said. He helped her father to his feet, looking around for the quickest exit and picked an emergency door that led to an employees only area of the airport. "This way, let's go."
Angelica lowered herself to the ground, looking with horror at the man she'd burned. "But...but...."
"There's no time, the cops on on their way," Randall said. "We have to go."
Numbly, Angelica nodded and followed after Randall.