No-Fly Girl

Posted on Wed May 31st, 2023 @ 8:56pm by McKenna Lockhart

1,490 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: 1. Year One
Timeline: September 11, 1992 - 1130am

The early morning sunlight draped over the blonde head of McKenna Lockhart which barely peaked over the covers. She had woken up several times and failed to get out of bed, a habit she had successfully resisted all her life until now. Eventually, the relentless rays of the sun prompted her to wake and to give way to embracing reality. Her cool blue eyes opened with more of a heavy wave than the flutter it would have years before, but she didn’t move yet.

The past few days had been tough, and she was now in hiding for the first time in her life. Unlike so many other mutants who had never had the ability to hide themselves because they had the kinds of mutations that the world could see, she had been able to blend in and only show who she really was when she wanted to. She wasn’t hiding from some secret force that worked against her but against the pursuit of a man she had once hoped would become her husband. There had been no tangible sign that he was following her, but she knew for sure that he would. And the messed up thing was that part of her wanted him to look for her forever; a sign of love. She loved it when they were drawn to her. It made her feel..worthy.

A night on the town had definitely not been in the cards for her, and no sooner had she gotten to her room than she popped on the television, stripped down to her underclothes, and climbed into the cushy bed. There she had watched and thought and watched and thought, trying to let life pass her by for a while. The space beside her was particularly empty, and she couldn’t think of anyone to call who wasn’t either estranged by time and distance or furious with her..

After a few moments, she pulled herself into a standing position and shuffled slowly toward the bathroom to prepare for her first day at Ridgehaven. As she flipped the switch, she saw her morning face staring back at her and she winced. Sure, by anyone else’s standard, she would be considered notably attractive, but all she saw were the flaws she convinced herself were there when she was 11 years old. The weight was gone, as was her awkward gofer-face phase, but she still saw it all.

Her golden hair was messy, and fell down to her shoulders. From there, her defined collar bones were a sign post on the journey down her body, past her ample chest, tight abs, wide hips, plump bottom, toned legs, and delicate feet. It was ironic that she felt so bad on the inside and no one ever noticed, because they were too busy looking at her figure or staring into her eyes. It was ironic that she could literally control the pull of gravity, but she couldn’t stop the pull she felt in her own heart.

Sighing, she got a whiff of her morning breath. She frowned and grabbed her yellow toothbrush from the counter. She brushed slowly, carefully, meticulously, trying to clean herself again. She was obsessed with clean; she was obsessed with pretty. She couldn’t stop herself, even if she tried.

When that was done, she dropped her panties and stepped into the shower. Turning the water up too hot, McKenna rested under the fountains for the next twenty minutes before she actually started washing, punishing herself with the searing heat and drowning out her racing thoughts. Images of the White Wolves she’s left behind taunted her mind like wicked tempters. Do they hate her now because they don’t understand why she left so suddenly? Do they understand and hate her anyway? Should she even care?

Russia was half a world away, but she still felt the pull of that life from the shower of her New Orleans hotel like gravity. There, she had a purpose, authority, a hand in shaping a team of mutants, a chance to perfect her abilities, and a man that loved her. Well, a man that had a use for her, at the very least. And she had left it all behind because he just happened to be a homicidal maniac. Picky, picky, McKenna.

She washed her hair and dried herself off thoroughly before stepping back into the hotel proper, picking out a pair of lacey blue underwear and a bra, and returning to the mirror to apply her makeup. She put it on with careful and practiced hands, finishing off with a dark red lip gloss that accentuated her timeless features and made her look mature. She went back to her bag and rubbed a vanilla bean lotion on her smooth skin, sighing as she thought of what the day might hold.

Now she had thought of everything except how she was going to get to Ridgehaven in the first place. Her plan had been to walk, but the heels that she brought were her only shoes besides the red boots of her costume. She thought of Derrick and his insistence she call him instead of walking around on her own. It was sweet really, and as much as it pissed her off that he had been so bossy, it really triggered her instinct to be submissive too. The poor man thought she needed protecting; he had no idea. She wanted to see him again; craved his attention and his eyes on her, but deep down, she knew she shouldn’t..

Never mind the fact she could literally fly; the girl wanted a ride. So she went to the side table next to her hotel bed and picked up the phone, quickly dialing the number Derrick had hastily scribbled on a scrap of paper. Only a few rings got out before he answered.

“Derrick.” He said in greeting, his voice low and masculine. She smiled despite herself; ever the people pleaser. She could practically smell his spicy cologne through the phone.

“Hi, Derrick. This is McKenna Lockhart from last night. You..dropped me off at my hotel.” She said, her WestTexas accent enduring even after having lived in California, New York, and Siberia. Her tone was sweet and inviting.

“Oh, hey, McKenna. What’s up?” He said, his tone lightening up significantly upon hearing it was her.

“Oh, I’m just gettin’ ready for my day. I’m hopin’ to leave here soon and…you told me to call you if I needed a ride.”

“Yeah, I did say that.” He said, seeming to suddenly remember that fact. “I’m off work today, so I don’t have my cab. But I can swing around and get you in my car.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do all that, honey. You should enjoy your day off.” She said, her high feminine voice calm and mothering. “I can call another cab, it’s no big deal.”

“Careful, another cab driver might want you to pay him.” He said, a smile in his voice.

McKenna furrowed her brow. What was he talking about? Then yesterday came to her, and she remembered saying she didn’t have much money and then getting out of the car very quickly.

“Oh my goodness, Derrick! You must think I’m some kind of thief, walking out on my bill like that. I forgot! I’m so sorry! I’ll get your money for you, I promise.” She said with tons of energy, frowning as she paid back in her bed, her exposed stomach framed gracefully by the blue of her underclothes. “I don’t know how I could do somethin’ like that. Where is my head?”

“McKenna, calm down. You already said you were broke. You don’t have any damn money. So you walked out on a bill because you thought you could get away with it. That’s not so bad.” He said with a chuckle.

“No NO!” She said, raising her voice, her big eyes growing wider. “I didn’t steal that ride. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Relax, baby doll. I’m just messin’ with you.” He said, a laugh still in his tone. “I’ll be over in about twenty minutes. Just be ready.”

She hesitated for a moment, a smile forming on her lips at the sound of this stranger’s deep and satisfying voice. He was laughing at her, and she was a bit worried she had offended him, despite his calm response. Nevertheless, she would have the next few minutes to worry about that. Her hand moved up to play with her hair again.

“Okay.” She said gently; girlishly. “See ya soon.”

She sat up and hung up the phone before he had time to say goodbye as well. What the hell was wrong with her? If she had been smart, she never would have called him back.

TBC

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