CHAPTER TWO: PHOENIX AND NICO
DANI'S POV
SIX MONTHS PRIOR
Abby raises her index finger to point out the over-plastered and corny Ice Cream Shop, "hurry before the line gets any longer!"
"Okay, hold on!"
Dani thrusts the seat forward as she sprints to the wavering line leading to the ice cream store. The oversized cone almost dips into the gutters as the bold letters stick out among the faded gray walls.
A flash of green catches Dani's attention as she makes a screeching halt at the end of the line. As Dani observed the buildings, Abby began to snap her fingers at her cousin.
"You okay? The line is moving."
It feels like my stomach dropped into a pit.
"Yeah," she says softly, "thought I saw something."
Something is off. Something is wrong here.
"Maybe it's that gecko mutant!" Abby whispered in a ray of giggles, "what's his name? Geek- no."
But in broad daylight?
"Liz- no."
Dani slips into her thoughts as Abby continues to banter endlessly, trying to recall New York's nightmare.
I'm seeing things, Dani considered.
Lately, the news outlets have released countless articles about the incarceration of mutants. Due to the actions of a deranged mutant and his party, millions of mutants were criminalized and wrongfully imprisoned.
Wait a minute. This is New York. Why is it quiet?
Dani looked up from her feet as the restaurant fell silent. The sound of fluttering wings filled her ears as she noticed a small blue swallowtail butterfly drift past her face. A small voice echoes softly in her head as she watches blue wings frantically flap.
They're here.
The tiny creature hovered inches from her face before resting on the 406 W 24th street sign. Then, her eyes land on a tall, dark figure standing at the top of a column.
Hide. Hide.
Beside the cloaked figure was a winged silhouette suspended in the air. The creature's wide wingspan stretched its shadow across the sky, catching the attention of the people below.
Run.
"Abby, we got to go-"
And then- the streets were filled with thunderous cries and sobs that pierced the air like lightning. Dread began to spread like fire throughout Dani as the people flooded the streets from their suspended cars to find shelter. Abby clasped her hands together with an accomplished grin as she looked up at Dani with emerald eyes. "Nico! That's his name-"
Clearly, Abby, read the atmosphere. We're dead.
Gritting her teeth, Dani repeats herself sternly as she pulls the wheelchair away from the rampaging wave of strangers, "we have to go now!"
The neighboring shops by Howards were beginning to fill to their capacity. Citizens and tourists hid behind counters and flipped tables aimed away from the large panned windows. The two girls were engulfed in a body of screaming strangers clustered together as balls of fire were flung at the assortment of buildings and people.
Realization hit when Dani realized she had witnessed Nico and Phoenix in broad daylight before they attacked the town. Dani watched in horror as a man threw himself to the ground rolling in an embodiment of fire. The quintessence of the flame burned in perfect bright hues of orange as the man's corpse became stiff. His cries were drowned out by the trampling feet.
Phoenix.
Blurs of green and yellow orbited as a thin figure leaped from building to building. Dani's heart began to strain against her ribcage as she locked eyes with another mutant. The human flashed a toothy grin at her as it blurred past the girls with a slight wave. The mutant pulled out a whip that oddly looked like a frog's tongue and slashed the ground with it before disappearing.
Leap?