245: Hot - X-Men - Paige - Hot Bed
Jun. 27th, 2022 08:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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anythingdrabbleTitle: Hot Bed
Fandom: X-Men
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Paige
Rating: G/K
Summary: Citizens in a small town are trapped.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Anything Drabble 245: Hot
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
She couldn't remember another Summer being so hot, but then her Summers were never normal. She never got to rest like the other kids in school. There might not be much to do in their area, but at least they could go to the creek, go biking, or sleep under the apple trees in old man Mason's orchard. The old guy had been a lot more understanding ever since his kid had been killed in another of the mining accidents. She hated those mines, hated that they took so many of the lives of the people in her town. Paige had watched so many people, not just her beloved poppa, slave away their lives in those mines. They were the same excruciating, toiling deaths that awaited herself and her brothers.
Or at least they had been. Sam had gotten out, thank God, and she was going to too. She set down her basket of corn and wiped sweat from her brow. They had escaped. So many people viewed their mutations as curses, but the Guthries knew they were blessings. Paige had begged God to give her powers when she'd seen that they had helped her brother to escape the fates that awaited them in this small, grueling town. Now that she had her powers, though, she couldn't help wishing just as fervently that her little brothers and sisters, all those for whom she toiled away not just in the Summertime when she could help their ma more but throughout the whole year, would also receive powers themselves. After all, fighting for a world that hated and feared you because you were different was a far cry better than just fighting to be able to survive.
It seemed like as fast as she could wipe sweat away, more beads fell in its place. She wished she could just go swimming too -- she'd like to be able not just to cool off in the water but also to actually play with her siblings --, but being able to help her ma more meant that her mother could go earn some money during these few months while Paige was out of school. She'd thought often of just going ahead and quitting school, but her mother was determined that she get an education, as though any degree could pry her free of this darn place.
She felt layers of flesh coming off at the touch of her sticky fingers and brought the skin down to look at it. She saw tidbits that looked like armadillo, snake, and diamonds, but as they sparkled in the scorching sunlight, she found herself praying again. Lord, please help us all escape. Not just me. Not just Sammy. All of us. Set us free please!! She hefted her load back up and continued her trek, never knowing, dreaming, or fearing she'd be repeating the same journey thirty years in the future, when she had to yet again come back to the Guthrie farm when her cherished momma passed.
The End
Fandom: X-Men
Author: Apache Firecat
Characters: Paige
Rating: G/K
Summary: Citizens in a small town are trapped.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Anything Drabble 245: Hot
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: All characters within belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
She couldn't remember another Summer being so hot, but then her Summers were never normal. She never got to rest like the other kids in school. There might not be much to do in their area, but at least they could go to the creek, go biking, or sleep under the apple trees in old man Mason's orchard. The old guy had been a lot more understanding ever since his kid had been killed in another of the mining accidents. She hated those mines, hated that they took so many of the lives of the people in her town. Paige had watched so many people, not just her beloved poppa, slave away their lives in those mines. They were the same excruciating, toiling deaths that awaited herself and her brothers.
Or at least they had been. Sam had gotten out, thank God, and she was going to too. She set down her basket of corn and wiped sweat from her brow. They had escaped. So many people viewed their mutations as curses, but the Guthries knew they were blessings. Paige had begged God to give her powers when she'd seen that they had helped her brother to escape the fates that awaited them in this small, grueling town. Now that she had her powers, though, she couldn't help wishing just as fervently that her little brothers and sisters, all those for whom she toiled away not just in the Summertime when she could help their ma more but throughout the whole year, would also receive powers themselves. After all, fighting for a world that hated and feared you because you were different was a far cry better than just fighting to be able to survive.
It seemed like as fast as she could wipe sweat away, more beads fell in its place. She wished she could just go swimming too -- she'd like to be able not just to cool off in the water but also to actually play with her siblings --, but being able to help her ma more meant that her mother could go earn some money during these few months while Paige was out of school. She'd thought often of just going ahead and quitting school, but her mother was determined that she get an education, as though any degree could pry her free of this darn place.
She felt layers of flesh coming off at the touch of her sticky fingers and brought the skin down to look at it. She saw tidbits that looked like armadillo, snake, and diamonds, but as they sparkled in the scorching sunlight, she found herself praying again. Lord, please help us all escape. Not just me. Not just Sammy. All of us. Set us free please!! She hefted her load back up and continued her trek, never knowing, dreaming, or fearing she'd be repeating the same journey thirty years in the future, when she had to yet again come back to the Guthrie farm when her cherished momma passed.
The End
