[Opposite Plot] Pre-Play

[forhawkeye]

Everywhere I went, people stared; I could feel their eyes trailing me all day long, as though they were paparazzi for the utterly unimportant. Much to my chagrin, changing into an unassuming outfit of a purple plaid shirt and a pair of ratty jeans hadn't convinced a single person to look elsewhere. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and, as the

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[asinglechange]

Well, this is new.

Alice tilts her head, wrinkling her nose in a perfectly ambiable way as she tries to figure out what exactly is different about Kate. It's weird, but it's probably just homesickness. "No biggie. I mean, I half walked into you as well, didn't I?"

[forhawkeye]

Alice was one of the few people I knew to be shorter than me, but that didn't make her any less intimidating. Her black hair was much more lustrous than my own and worn in short, spikey style I never could have managed. Her eyes sparkled like the darkest of sapphires and her voice, oh, her voice! Her voice was like music and wind chimes and light. Compared to her, I was a Neanderthal, lumbering away through life.

"Yes, but I should have been more careful," I said, unwilling to let her take any of the blame when the incident had so clearly been my fault. I quickly looked around us. I hoped no one saw what had happened, though knowing my luck, I wouldn't have been surprised. "God, I'm such a klutz. Are you alright?"

[asinglechange]

Arching an eyebrow, Alice felt the prickling in the back of her mind that something was off, but she has zero idea of what it is. Maybe it's just her imagination running off with the dish and the spoon.

"Totally golden. See?" She holds up her hands, displaying elbows that are in perfect condition and smiles. "In one piece. Are you feeling okay, Kate? It was just a little stumble."

[forhawkeye]

"You think I'm a freak, don't you?" I said, eyes wide with hurt as I realized that must be what she was hinting at. I wasn't surprised, of course, as I'd long thought it myself, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

[faithanbegorrah]

"You're alright, lass, don't worry your pretty little head about it," Terry says, feeling the urge to rub her shoulder or pat her arm to console her. She doesn't want to upset the poor girl, especially since she doesn't know her all that well. "Are ye okay?"

[forhawkeye]

Looking up at Siryn, I couldn't help but feel horribly inadequate. Where my coloring was dull and dark and plain, hers was bright and fiery and breathtaking. She looked like some flaming-haired goddess straight out of a Renaissance painting and her eyes were like the living embodiment of her homeland, Ireland. In the face of so much history, suddenly being a New Yorker didn't seem all that interesting.

"Of course," I said, nodding glumly. I could never be anything more than okay, after all. Being okay was my state of being, my lot in life. I was cursed to be ordinary in every way. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you? I can be such a klutz."

[faithanbegorrah]

"I told ye, I'm fine, lass." Terry brushes some barely there dirt off her skirt. It's a very new find, something completely different from all that awful black and green in her wardrobe. Honestly, who would go about in something like that willingly?

"Would ye like to walk with me?" she asks, hooking an arm in Kate's and giving her no choice either way. "Honestly, I cannae get enough of this place, especially after all that awful city noise in New York."

[forhawkeye]

I made a sound similar to a dying duck, as she hooked her arm through mine. I was shocked beyond belief. Would I like to walk with her? The question that should have been asked was why would she want to walk with me? I nodded mutely in agreement, hoping to delay her inevitable reaction of disgust once she realized just who she was touching.

[waltsnothereman]

"Oof!" Wanda exclaimed, taking a few stumbling steps before regaining her balance and noticing that it was Kate. "Oh, please," she said with a laugh once she'd confirmed that, yup, everything was still where it all should be. "No biggie! Going anywhere interesting?" God, she hoped the answer was yes. The whole stupid island seemed even more boring than usual today, and that was saying something.

[forhawkeye]

Wanda was everything I was not. Her hair was white like the Arctic from which she hailed and her pale skin was as flawless as freshly fallen snow. She was tall and slim and tended to make feel horribly inadequate. Unfortunately, she was far from the only one.

"No, of course not," I replied, shaking my head. Interesting places were bound to be teeming with people and the last thing I wanted to do was subject myself to their judging gazes.

[waltsnothereman]

She looked at her curiously for a second before letting loose another peal of laughter. "Well, why the heck not, kiddo?" Kate seemed to acting a little freaky, but Wanda didn't really care enough to dwell on it. Instead, she got a mischievous look in her eyes and put an excited hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sure if he put our heads together, we can figure something out! Have some fun, really make some noise, you know?"

[forhawkeye]

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked her, too surprised by her suggestion to remain in awe of her appearance. "People would stare."

[sink_nor_swim]

Had it been up to Mikal, she wouldn't have even left the hut. There was no telling what could have been out there lurking in the jungle, and even if she made it to the Compound in one piece, she'd never been comfortable in that building; it was so cold and so full of people that there was no way for her to trust it

[forhawkeye]

I couldn't understand why Mikal's mysterious, dark brown eyes shone with unshed tears. What could she possibly have to cry about? She was exotic and beautiful, like a rare and elegant flower plucked from the land of the dead, given a second chance at life. If she cried, I was surely doomed. I glanced at her hand in amazement, shocked that she would touch a freak like me.

"No, of course not!" I exclaimed, eager to take all the blame. It was only what I deserved, after all. People like me were made to take the blame. It left the perfect free to worry about other, more important things. "I was worried about you. I practically ran you over."

[sink_nor_swim]

"Only because I wasn't paying attention," Mikal insisted, unable to help looking guilty at Kate's persistence on taking the blame. Someone like Kate -- a bona fide superhero, back home -- shouldn't have had to worry about things like that when she herself was the one wandering around like an idiot. "I mean, really, it was just a stupid -"

There the noise came again, though, a rustling in the bushes, and instinctively, she moved closer to Kate until she could stand behind her, hunched down a little bit. "Did you hear that?" she asked, her voice hushed. She couldn't risk giving away their position, not if whatever it was didn't know they were there. "What is it? Do you think it's something dangerous?"

[forhawkeye]

When Mikal moved to stand behind me, I stuck an arm out to protect her. After all, I wouldn't be able to handle anything happening to her and that alone was enough for me trust trained instinct, even though it came from the kind of life where questionable wardrobe choices were a requirement. Unfortunately, I had left all of my weapons back at the hut. Walking around armed had seemed like an invitation for oglers.

"It can't be a dinosaur," I assured her in a low voice. "But that's not to say it couldn't be something else."

[throw_it_off]

Something was wrong. Nate wasn't sure what, but he was sure about that. Remy was acting high, he was still trying to convince himself that Chuck was pulling his leg, and Serena was acting... well, like Blair which was plenty unnerving. He felt like his head was spinning even though he knew he was still normal.

Normal didn't mean he was watching where he was going though, and he managed to plow right into someone who all but squeaked an apology. "No, no," he said quickly. "It's my... Kate? What's wrong?" She looked so frightened, so not like Kate, that he immediately assumed something was wrong, ignoring the obvious answer.

[forhawkeye]

Nate Archibald was the most beautiful man I had ever met. He was considerably taller than I was, meaning I had to tilt my head backwards just to get even a glimpse of his perfect face. His sapphire eyes glittered in the low light of the gloaming and suddenly he was all I could see. All of my worries simply melted away with one short glance.

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head emphatically. "Not now that you're here."

I couldn't look away from him, so dazzled was I by his presence alone. I lifted my hands as though to hug him, but then thought better of it, chagrined by my own surprising forwardness.

"Is it alright if I...?" I asked, staring at him hopefully.

[throw_it_off]

He almost forgave the odd answer because, if something had been wrong, he was just glad that it was okay now. Only his mere presence had never fixed anything, as far as he knew, and that was the last thing he expected his superhero girlfriend to say since he was pretty sure she could kick his ass with one hand tied behind her back.

And then there was the question.

"..If you what?" he asked, frowning, not following at all. This was all just too weird.

[forhawkeye]

"Forget about it," I said quickly, lowering my hands. I reluctantly tore my eyes away from his unparalleled good looks, his full pouting lips, his cheekbones that could cut the hardest of diamond. "It's stupid. I don't even know why I thought you'd let me."