Guilty Until Proven Innocent

[Nightlocke]

"No," she said, "I don't mind. Traffic sucks around here anyway."

As they walked down the sidewalk making their way to McDonald's, Tony decided to start small talk by asking about her parents. It was a typical way to start a conversation. Asking about one another and things like that. That's the way people got to know about one another. It was considered friendly, so she guessed there was nothing wrong with that except for the fact she didn't remember much about her parents. There were images here and there, but other than that, there was nothing. At least nothing but pain.

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head, "They were really nice. They were loving and caring. But they died in a car accident. It happened a long long time ago. I'm adopted. They're nice, too."

Charlotte hated lying. She wasn't the best liar in the world, but what she had just made up was sort of believable, wasn't it? She had to say something, didn't she? It was better than saying 'I don't remember my parents' or something silly like that, wasn't it? It made her feel bad that she had to lie to a stranger, but along with being a wanted criminal, she was a dangerous mutant. It was better that this guy didn't know the truth about her.

"Yours?"

[Shade]

"Yeah... They were really nice. They were loving and caring."

Phew... Tony had chosen a good conversation choice then... She had good memories of her parents so that was always good. Some mutants had horrible memories of them which caused them to harbor hatred toward humans. This is what usually made rogue mutants or, even worse, they decide to join the Brotherhood. But at least he knew that "Rachel" was in the clear about this matter. He had to congratulate himself on a choice topic.

But they died in a car accident. It happened a long long time ago. I'm adopted. They're nice, too.

Orrrrrr maybe not... Well Shade knew what it was like to have a parent taken from you... But she was young, she probably couldn't remember the accident, even if she had been there. Unlike him. Those memories would haunt him until the day he died. Every single image he had seen was burned into his mind as if branded.

Shade then noticed that he was frowning, no doubt showing his thoughts somewhat. He quickly smiled at the girl to show that it his harsh feelings were not toward her. She then asked him about his own and he gazed up at the sky.

"It's good that you have someone nice to take care of you. As for me I never knew my mother. She passed away when I was really young, sort of like you, except I had my father to take care of me after that. He never explained to me what happened to her and I guess I'll never know...

Anyway, one night, I went out and was gone the whole night. When I came back to my house, he was laying there in the middle of his bedroom bleeding. He told me the name of the person who did it to him before he died... The person who had him killed or killed him themselves... So now I'm trying to find him. I won't rest until I do find him and now I have some friends who can help me."

That was pretty much the whole story. Well... All except him being a mutant and his friends being the X-men. But he thought that saying either would cause the girl to become suspicious or wary of him, so it was better left unsaid. Now for round two of the questionnaire.

"So you're in high school, am I right? You look around 14 or 15."

[Nightlocke]

Charlotte politely listened to his story. This guy had a really dark past, she thought. Was he involved with the mafia or something? His father? Mother goes missing, father gets killed by some guy, son wants to take revenge. At least he was ambitious.... without goals, there was really no going anywhere.

"Sounds like you had a rough life," she said, sympathizing with him.

Tony asked her about school. He guessed her age almost right off the bat. He was really observant, she had to give him that. Charlotte didn't remember much about educated. She did know stuff, which made her somewhat educated... she guessed. The whole amnesia problem kept her from giving any clear answers. She would just have to continue making stuff up.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm fourteen years old. A freshman in High School. You're probably in college, right? You look old enough, at least."

[Shade]

Well she felt sorry for him... He wondered how he should feel about that. Considering she was pretty bad off herself, for her to feel bad for him... It made him feel like he was complaining... After all this girl was all alone in the world and yet she was able to pity him... That was when she asked him if he was in college. Huh... College. He hadn't even thought about going to a university since before his dad passed. Maybe he would try and enroll in one one of these days... But he had some business to take care of first.

"Heh... I wish I was in college. Though you are right that I am around that age, I'm not going to college. Not for lack of wanting to mind you, but well... I sort of let revenge take over a lot of my life... Even my education I guess... But I feel like if I ever did get into one, I would just spend my days and nights focusing on finding the guy who was responsible for killing my dad."

Shade chuckled and smirked at "Rachel", his arms crossing in front of him.

"That doesn't sound very healthy does it? Hahaha..."

That was when he spotted it. The holy messiah that their journey had been up to. The golden arches of McDonalds were standing there triumphantly before them and he walked inside and looked up at th different selections. Hmm... Good but cheap... good but cheap... good but cheap... Ooo! Number 5! A Big N' Tasty! It had everything he needed and all five of the basic food groups. Grease, meat, fat, fruits, and vegetables! Mostly the first three though... After all it was McDonalds. Shade looked over to Nightlocke and nodded up at the selection.

"So what'll it be, Rach? Pick anything you want. Like I said, it's my treat."

[Nightlocke]

Charlotte watched him with genuine interest. This guy was so wrapped up in his father's murder he wasn't even living. He was just going through life as a big raging ball of angry vengeance waiting to blow up. And what would he do if he found his father's killer? Would he kill him...? Thinking about murder wasn't the same as committing it.... would he really let himself fall so low? He would probably end up in prison. Charlotte frowned with concern in her eyes.

"No," she said in response to his question, "It doesn't sound healthy at all. Maybe you should just let it go."

She said it rather bluntly but with care. She was never good with speeches. She had a habit of just getting to the point. What else should she say? She really didn't know what else to say. But letting it go would save him a lot of trouble, that was for sure. It didn't seem so complicated to her. It was a rather simple thing in her eyes.

They arrived at McDonald's faster than she had anticipated. Charlotte stared at the menu. She had never actually seen the menu before. Melissa had gone out and bought her food from McDonald's, but that was different from actually going. She hesitated, and she was a bit embarrassed, but she tried to make her decision as quick as possible.

"I.... I'll have that grilled chicken club thing.... with the fries and the drink. If that's okay...."

[Shade]

"Hahaha. Alright. One Grilled Chicken Sandwich meal comin' up."

Shade ordered their food from a rather disgruntled looking teenager who looked like he had would be anywhere in the world then right there at the moment. He also looked like he smeared bacon grease on his face every night due to all that acne... But Shade snapped out of this line of thought quickly. He had to stay focused on trying to get this girl comfortable so she would spill the beans on herself.

That was when a thought struck him. What if someone in here recognized her and she bolted? She could leave the city and possibly the state to try and escape the Division. Those psychotic scientists were pretty much like the Brotherhood in his mind, just on the other extreme of the spectrum... These groups should just get dumped on some far off planet and be allowed to kill each other off. Sure would be a lot less of a headache for the world... But back to Rachel... As he waited for the order, he watched her and she seemed a bit flustered herself... Maybe she thought the same thing as he did... He walked up to her and smiled.

"You seem a bit frazzled there Rach. Is everything alright?"

[Nightlocke]

"Hahaha. Alright. One Grilled Chicken Sandwich meal comin' up."


Charlotte had been having a nice time talking to tony, she completely forgot where she was; the Public. Charlotte started getting more and more paranoid. A bead of sweat rolled down her cheek. She could care less about the awkward looking teenager with the acne behind the counter. What she was worried about was cameras. Or the fact that someone could recognize her and call her out. If that happened, she would have to run. She would leave Tony wondering what the hell had happened. But then he would find out about her and then he would know. He shouldn't have been hanging around with her. What if he were captured and interrogated? That would be horrible!

"You seem a bit frazzled there Rach. Is everything alright?"

Charlotte looked up into Tony's eyes. Clearly she wasn't okay, the fear in her own eyes was clear. She looked away, blushing and placing her hands around herself tightly.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm okay, I just... don't get out much... I'm socially awkward..."

[Shade]

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just... don't get out much... I'm socially awkward..."

Well Shade couldn't blame her. If he had been wanted by a group as powerful as the Division, he wouldn't exactly be a man on the town. The paranoia alone would be maddening... He placed a reassuring hand on her head. He really hoped she wouldn't see this as an attack and blast it off...

"Don't worry Rachel. I won't let anything happen to you. Scout's honor."

He had never been a boy scout but meh... Details... Maybe is she sat down, it would help her take the load off. Shade's eyes darted around the restaurant, looking for a seat. Elderly couple... Woman with 5 kids, all of whom screaming and yelling, of course... Sexually ambiguous large person sitting alone... AH! There was one right in the back corner. Perfect!

"C'mon. With all these people ahead of us, we have a few good minutes to relax."

Shade sat on the bench and slid across, extending his legs to cover the whole seat. He placed his hands behind his head as he propped his back up against the wall. It wasn't as if he was taking up the seat so she couldn't sit beside him... Well, it was sort of a force of habit. When you live in the Xavier Institute, finding room to stretch out and relax was a rare commodity with all the students running amok.

[Nightlocke]

Charlotte looked up as he patted her head. She was surprised at the touch but she tried to not let that show. Was this guy in the Boy Scouts? He didn't seem the type... ahh, what the hell, she didn't know anything about the Scouts. But it was what he said that sort of bothered her. He wont let anything happen to her? Why would he think anything bad would happen to her...? She let the question go when he suggested they take a seat for a while because of the line.

"Okay."

Charlotte nodded and followed him to the bench at the corner. She completely ignored the fat man and the loud family or whoever else was in the fast food restaurant. She saw that Tony sat spread out on one side. Charlotte sat on the other side, as she clearly had no other choice, not that she minded that fact. For a moment, she just stared at Tony. He was really nice and friendly even though he had a tough past. She wondered how she turned out so doom and gloom when this guy was so seemingly happy. Charlotte held her head up with her hand under her chin and she glanced out the window next to them.

[Shade]

Shade's eyes drifted up to the ceiling fan that lay in stasis above them. It looked like it hadn't moved for quite a while. He wondered how the girl would react to him outing himself as a mutant to her. Since he came out directly and said it, the should show that he trusted her enough to tell her right? Well... Honestly, he saw nothing wrong with being a mutant and if any humans had a problem with it, he would be more than happy to solve it with them, even without using his powers.

"Order 4!"

He'd give'em the ol' right hook, a left upper cut, maybe throw in some kicks. Heck, maybe even a roundhouse if he was feeling bored.

"Order 4!!"

Then he'd bring out the shadow tendril whiplash. He wouldn't want to cause and serious damage but those singing slaps and screeches of pain would make him grin in delight!

"HEY! ORDER 4!!!"

Shade quickly jumped up and ran up to the pimply teenager, an apologetic expression on his face. But the pimply and pocked prepubescent didn't seem to want any of it, since his glare held even when he asked for his payment. After paying for the meal, Shade brought the tray of food back to the table.

"Alrighty. Here is your meal, mademoiselle."

[Nightlocke]

Charlotte turned her head towards the pimply teenager who was calling out their number. She looked at Tony and saw that he was really intent on looking at something. She followed his gaze to the fan. What was so interesting about a fan? She looked at him once again and cocked an eyebrow. The boy called their number again and she frowned, unsure of what to do. She thought about going to get it herself but she became really bashful just thinking about it.

She brought up her hand and was about to get Tony's attention when he suddenly snapped out of it and jumped up to get their food. Charlotte sighed then relaxed as she waited for his return. When he placed the food on the table, she became really shy again and didn't want to touch her food before him. It would be polite to wait for him to eat first. She became self-conscious and she didn't want to touch her food. Her pale cheeks turned a light pink color as she blushed. The food smelled really good though. She scratched her cheek and glanced at Tony uncertainly. Boy did she feel awkward...

[Shade]

Shade's eyes watched Rachel diligently as she seemed to be caught between hunger, deliciousness, and... embarrassment? Ah... Women sure were fickle creatures weren't they? They would want something so badly but then reject it due to some strange mental block. He decided to help her out in this matter, being the gentleman he was. He took off her chicken sandwich and fries, putting them before her and smiling.

"No need to be bashful around me. Like I said before, we're friends now. Eat up. As for me, I'm starving. I'm gonna enjoy this meal."

He unwrapped his hamburger and took a healthy bite out of it. Wow, how long had it been since he had gone to McDonalds... Quite a few months. And though he knew the food was horrible for him, he couldn't help but enjoy the delectable taste as it danced across his palette. Who would have thought a slab of grease slapped inside of a bun would be so tasty? He grabbed his soft drink and took a sip before looking up at Rachel.

"So tell me, what do you do for fun? You must have another hobby other than being so beautiful. Sports? School club?"

[Nightlocke]

Charlotte smiled gratefully as he encouraged her not to be shy. She watched him take a bite and looked down at her own food. A chicken sandwich and fries. It smelled pretty good. Charlotte carefully took hold of the sandwich with her slim fingers and brought it up to her face. She took a small bite out of it and chewed slowly, savoring the flavors. It was really... good. She blushed and her eyes widened just slightly before going back to normal. Now she was more comfortable to eat normally.

Tony started asking her some questions after taking a sip from his drink. Charlotte chewed her food until she swallowed. She thought about him calling her beautiful again. He would never stop calling her that would he? It was still kind of annoying yet flattering at the same time. Tony was a good looking charmer, and I guess that sort of approach worked for him most of the time, but it wouldn't work on Charlotte.

"I don't do anything, really. I stay at home most of the time. Sometimes I go on solitary walks at the park. Umm... I'm home-schooled... what about you...?"

[Shade]

"Sounds.... fun... Well at least the walks in the park do."

Geeze, this girl needed more hobbies. Walking in the park is good and all, but there must be something you can do for fun while on the lam. There was... Cloud gazing... And... Huh. Being on the lam sucked balls. All of the good times to be had were either in public or had to be done in one place. He wondered if any of what "Rachel" said had been true about her life... Did she ever know what it was like to be a normal kid? To have no worries and be able to relax?

"As for me, it's usually hanging out with my friends. Most of them are a bit younger than me but I enjoy seeing the world through their eyes. Everything is so new and wondrous. To overuse an old quote, the world is their oyster and being around them reminds me of how I was."

Shade chuckles to himself as he takes another bite of the burger.

"Hehehe... I sound like a jaded old man, don't I? Hey you should join us some time. I could introduce you and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to let you join our little group."

[Nightlocke]

Charlotte frowned. As much as Tony might have meant well, she wasn't interesting in joining any kind of group for fear of being found out. What if one of them recognized her? Even worse, turned her in? All kind of things could go wrong in a group. Charlotte smiled apologetically.

"No thanks," she said, "I'm not really a group kind of person..."

She stuffed her mouth with burger so that he might not make her answer anything else. Hopefully he would just leave it at that and wont bother her with any more questions.