It was often difficult to focus on individual thoughts, but this one rang out loud and clear above all the other murmuring voices as if it was aimed for her. She frowned and clenched her jaw tightly. Belle was not usually one to pick fights, but then again, she hadnât been herself since sheâd left home.Â
She didnât know if the boy she was looking at was the one who had responded mentally, but she soon figured it out due to his attitude. Her nostrils flared at his attempt to insult her. Ignoring his question entirely, she said, âGood for you, your mutation comes with perks rather than ruins your life.â Her tone was cool and pointed. âDo you want a medal for that? Or are you simply content knowing youâre giving me another headache?â
â Is both an option? â So, youâre playing the pity card, huh? Nice move. Maybe itâd work on someone who cared enough to listen. â His smirk remained in spite of her obvious aggravation (really. Some people just made it far too easy ). Given that, he couldâve laughed at her assumption-making ; he settled with fixing her with the customary eye-rollâŠhonestly. If only he had a dime for every time somebody had told him something like that. â ââYeah. Sure, lifeâs a breeze, with my mutation, â he deadpanned. Maintaining direct eye-contact, he held up fingers to count as he spoke, â Being left to rot in some âmutant-friendlyâ psych ward by your own motherâŠhaving an angry mob threaten to burn you and your sister alive⊠And just having your life slowed to a permanent crawl, because nothing on the face of the earth can keep up with you ââ ? Yeah. OBVIOUSLY, thatâs not half as bad as getting a migraine. â Silence, for a beat - and through it all, he maintained that ever-present smirk and arched brow ; practically daring her to bite back, â Didnât you get the memo? Itâs not enough for you to be looked down upon by others. Youâre required to hate yourself, too. All youâre doing right now, is fulfilling the criteria. â At this point, heâd seen it all ( or rather, he liked to think that he had). It took a hell of a lot more than a headache to earn little more from him, than a consistent stream of sarcastic retorts.



















