Laying down on the other cot Akeli let out a huge, emphasized sigh, closing her gray eyes. Her eyelids felt like they were weighed down with giant metal objects and she struggled to stay awake. At the sound of Xavier's voice mentioning a shower and her going first Akeli blinked them open with a small struggle and got up into an awkward half-up half-down position which hurt her side, but she was too tired to care. "Kitty, kitty," she muttered, mouth tired with sleep, and shuffled into the bathroom.

It was slightly better cared for than the actual room and the water was definitely clean, as Xavier had already tested it. Though the decor was tasteless, Akeli let out a sigh and peeled off her clothes. They were clean, but the la
yer of grim on her was going to mess them up rather quickly if she didn't start practicing some hygiene. Stepping into the shower she turned the knob and felt her muscles unknot under the hot, cleansing water. Poking around the interior Akeli came up with a tiny travel sized bottle of shampoo and another of conditioner. Squirting the shampoo onto her hand liberally Akeli spread it through her hair, wincing as her hands came away brown and soapy. "Gross," she muttered, and washed her hair out under the water, scrubbing it once again with shampoo. Once she was done she moved onto the conditioner, but only applied it once, since it wasn't there to clean her hair.

Rooting arounda gain Akeli snatched a slippery bar of soap and began applying it to her body, wincing as the soap on her body turned nearly black with the amount of dirt that was in it. It took at least four scrubbings to get Akeli squeaky clean and feeling like a piece of scraped hide. Flicking off the water Akeli slipped out of the shower and grabbed a threadbare towel, drying herself off in record time (though her naturally high body heat and ability to warm things up came in handy) and put on her clothes again, feeling clean for the first time in a quite a while. Having noticed that the water had begun to turn cold in the shower Akeli stuck her hand to the wall and felt around for the hot water tank, which was easy to find since it exuded so much heat. Letting some warmth trickle from her hand she heated up the water for Xavier's shower, a satisfied smile on her angular face.

"Your turn!" she called out and left the bathroom, flopping onto her bed again. Dragging a hand through her wild ginger hair Akeli let out a frustrated groan as her fingers got stuck, then pa.ssed through with a painful jolt. "Ow," she muttered faintly, working out the rest of the knots in her hair.

Xavier stepped neatly out of the bathroom when Akeli walked in, though he gave her a light wink as he closed the door shut behind her. He could hear her clothes slap down against the floor, the la
yer of grime giving them that unsatisfiable sound. He wondered what he must look and smell like. He glanced down at his clothes and the color of the shirt looked a bit undistinguishable. His hands ran up to his hair and the la
yer of grime surprised even him.

When the steady thrum of the water was interrupted as Akeli cleaned herself off, Xavier sat on his cot and stared blankly at the television, slightly dozing off at sudden times. Something on the news startled him and he turned up the volume on the little box.

"There have been news reports of large dogs wandering through the neighboring forests in the area. Locals say that they walk on two legs and seem to wear human clothes on their legs. We would like to inform everyone that this is a prank being pulled by some neighboring kids; scientists say it's not likely these animals are real. Please attempt to stay away from the forests from fear of these disturbed children."

Xavier snorted and turned the telivision back down. Erasers in the area probably didn't mean a good thing to them, but Xavier was going to save it for tomorrow. There was no way the Erasers could find them now and a good night's rest would do him and Akeli wonders.

"Your turn!" Xavier heard Akeli say from the bathroom. He pushed himself off of the bed and rapped on the door before entering. He heard her say 'ow' as he walked in, his eyes portraying only slight alarm. He saw Akeli's hooked finger a few inches from her head and he grinned, knowing that mustn't feel too good.

He pushed her out of the bathroom and turned on the water. "I'll be out in a minute," he said. Sure enough, he quickly scrubbed his hair and worked at the la
yer of dust and grime that had accumulated on his flesh. Once thoroughly cleaned, his skin itched, but he felt amazing. Even the dirt that had been under his nails had washed down with the water.

Xavier dried himself off with the towel and was reluctant to put the dirty clothing back on. He would have to go out and pick up some clothes tomorrow, but right now, all he wanted to do was sleep. He climbed into his cot and let his head rest against the pillow. His eyes felt leaden and he struggled to keep himself awake.

"We made it," he said to Akeli before drifting off to sleep.

"Made it," Akeli echoed, and rolled over with a small contented sigh. From her vantage point she could see Xavier's face subtly illuminated by the cool moonlight, the gratified look on his face bringing a smile to her lips. He was right. They had made it. They were home free for the time being and it couldn't have felt better. Rolling over Akeli closed her eyes close and she felt herself being pulled into the inky darkness of sleep.

-TIMESKIP-

Akeli's dreams were punctuated by horrid screams and the metallic tang of blood filling her nostrils. The images were fractured. White lights highlighting a white room, the shapes lopsided and confusing. There were cages on the walls, and though she could not see anything in them yowls and whines of pain, fear, helplessness, pierced her mind. 

Letting out a gasp Akeli sat up in her bed, flinging back the meagre blanket she'd pulled around herself just before she'd fallen asleep. The sun was bright this morning and with a frown Akeli glanced out the window, when her eyes were distracted by the glowing halo of her red hair. It was clean. Clean, but extremely frizzy and popping up everywhere. Crossing her eyes irritably, dream momentarily forgotten, Akeli got out of her bed and shuffled into the washroom. Sticking out her tongue at her savage appearance and wet one hand, flattening down some particularly wild tufts of hair. Letting out an earsplitting yawn the mutant ran her fingers through her hair one more time and padded into the sleeping area, giving Xavier a sparing glance.

Xavier shuffled around the base of an Oak tree, his heart beating roughly in his chest. He slowed his breath down from a few loud pants to a soft, deep intake of breath. His heart beat slowed, but the adrenaline of the chase still thrumme in his veins, but in this chase, he was not the hunter. A twig cracked in his peripheal vision and he whipped around, catching only the slightest glimpse of light brown, almost sandy blonde fur. He turned back around the tree and a meaty paw pushed itself against his neck, lifting him off the ground.

Xavier's mouth gaped open into an 'O' before he formed one word; "Eraser". The Eraser cackled a malevolent laugh filled with so much hatred, Xavier flinched. The Eraser pushed its snout toward Xavier's face and Xavier could smell the blood from the being's last meal. It snarled in the bird kid's face and Xavier spat on his nose.

"I'll find you, bird boy. When I do, I'll kill you," he rasped before he released Xavier.

Xavier's eyes opened as his hands went to grasp his neck. With his elbows up in the air, the blue-eyed boy closed his eyes and sighed. "It was only a dream," he murmured, but his gut told him otherwise. Somehow, he knew that that Eraser was coming for them and he had an inkling as to where the creature was located. He shook the thoughts away and pushed back a few stray hairs that hand fallen onto his face.

When Akeli silently poked her head around the corner and walked into the living space, Xavier put his arms down and managed a small smile. "Well, good morning, Beautiful," he said as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Last night, after his shower, he had decided he hadn't wanted to slip back into his dirty shirt so he had gone to sleep without it on. Of course, he had kept his pants on; more to not freak out Akeli than actual want.

As Xavier got out of bed Akeli stifled a snort of laughter. "Do you have something against shirts?" she asked cheekily, plopping down next to him. "Because I haven't really seen you with one for more than an hour." Patting his cheek lightly Akeli bounced up again, filled with energy after her long, heavy sleep. The dream had somewhat ruined her night, but she didn't want to alert Xavier. Turning around to glance at the heavy oblong ob
ject on the table, Akeli's mind raced quickly to figure out what the symbols on it were. The white-coats had taught her some of words and numbers, and she figured it out in a short time. "12:06," she murmured, then tilted her head. There were twenty-four hours in a day, and they'd spent most of it sleeping. Excitable Akeli did not like.

Putting her hands on her hips with a small 'humph' of determination she turned to face Xavier. "We're going out now," she said firmly, her stomach's gurgle accentuating her sentence. "And...uh....finding some food. Preferably not garbage." Grinning at him she sat down again, this time on the floor, and proceeded to finger-comb her hair. "Perhaps one of those toothed things," she muttered distractedly, "comb?" 

"Going out, you say?" Xavier asked with a light chuckle. With the exception of the nightmare, Xavier felt well rested and better than ever. He opened up his arms in a delayed stretch and attempted to bl
ink his remaining sleep state away. He ignored her playful banter of his not wearing a shirt, not feeling like explaining that he didn't want to slip back into grime.

He leaned over and picked up a small brochure from the side table and unfolded it as he went back to his sitting position. "There's a shopping center a few blocks away," he said, aleady making a list of what he was going to buy. First on the list was a backpack so he coul stuff all of their belongings in it and the necessary stuff would come next. They had enough money that could sustain them for quite a while.

Distracted by the brochure, Xavier only half-listened to Akeli's mutterings to herself. "Yeah, it's a comb," he said. His mind strayed to the news report from yesterday which led him back to his dream. "Also, when we're done shopping, I think we should put some more distance between us and the school and I want to go to Florida," he said, deciding rather quickly on the decision.

"Shopping center?" Akeli echoed curiously, the words familiar and strange at the same time. Shops were places that sold things for money, something she didn't think she'd ever get the hang of. So a shopping center...a large area with stores? Shrugging her shoulders indifferently, as Akeli counted on Xavier to lead her around until she understood things better, Akeli gave up trying to brush her hair and scooted over to Xavier with a frown appearing on her face. "Your ankle looks bad," she commented in a soft voice, lifting his foot with exaggerated care. The skin just above his foot was red and blistered with some patches beginning to peel off. From what she could see underneath the injured flesh was pale pink new skin, though it looked far too delicate to be of any use yet. "But," she said thoughtfully, leaning in to sniff it, "doesn't smell of decay. I think you're good for infection so far."

Spinning around and leaning against the bed Akeli wrapped her fingers together, a thoughtful ex
pression coming over her face. "Florida? That's another one of those states, right?" Snorting lightly Akeli made a note to try and count how many states they traveled through. There seemed to be a boundless amount of them all over the place. What she couldn't figure out was why they needed so many different names. Just stick to calling the entire landma.ss America and let it be done with.

Xavier let Akeli examine his wound. Until she had brought attention to it, he had been able to ignore the pain. Now, it pierced his mind like a dagger and he winced slightly when she gripped his foot to inspect the wound. "I know it looks bad. It feels bad," he murmured. He knew she would find nothing wrong with the wound so when she finished 'inspecting' it, he gingerly let his foot rest against the floor. He listened as she talked of Florida, but he was distracted by that News report and his dreams.

"Uh-huh, Florida," he replied through a yawn. "I don't know why they need fifty states, but they do. Florida's in the south and it's always warm and there are a bunch of beaches and ocean water," he said, closing his eyes as he let his thoughts run on.

"Anyway, let's go," he said, itching to get outside.

"It'll get better soon," Akeli promised, though the two of them knew it was an empty lie. Akeli couldn't really be certain if she was right about the fact it was healing up. For all she knew Xavier would have to lose his foot, and the thought made her shiver. Shaking her head to dispel the horrid thoughts Akeli stood and stretched, a pained look coming across her face as she pulled on the healing skin of her side. "I think my cuts better, though," she commented, hoping Xavier didn't try to check up on her as well. It wasn't doing to good, but there was no need to send him into a panic. "We'll pick up some bandages for our wounds first thing," she said, letting out a small yawn. "And then those necessities. And clothing." Tilting her head and hearing her neck crack Akeli walked over to the door and opened it, sticking her neck out into the hallway cautiously. "No erasers," she called back, a grin on her face. "Guess we're clear for the time being. Not that we should stick around."

Slipping out of the door Akeli mussed her hair and headed for the rickety stairs, eyes roving constantly as she watched out for any potential enemies. The good thing about erasers was that they were model perfect. They'd stand out in most places unless she and Xavier happened to crash in a photoshoot or something. 

Ooc; Skype? Also, you can make your account for Shadow and start posting on Valyth. c: 

"Huh?" Xavier said as Akeli mentioned Erasers. He jumped to his feet and slipped through the door into the hallway. He blinked when he saw nothing and realized Akeli had said there weren't any Erasers. "Nevermind," Xavier muttered to himself, but his eyes scanned the narrow hallways, tracking every stair case and fire escape route. He shook out his black hair and forced the worry from his eyes.

He slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans and walked side-by-side with Akeli. They passed the concierge [sp?] at the front and walked out the door. After walking for some time, the two emerged at the shopping center. Busy tourists walked lazily and without purpose throughout the area, sticking mostly to the side attractions. Xavier pushed through the tourist part of the area, the press of bodies making him uncomfortalbe, and finally, they emerged at a more discreet part of the center.

Clothing stores, pharmacies, and everything the pair needed for supplies were all in the near vicinity. Xavier smiled and nodded to himself. "Where do you want to hit first?" Xavier asked Akeli.

---

Shay's chocolate brown eyes looked down at his trembling hands. The liquid gold flecks in his eyes were illuminated in the soft shade of the tree he was hiding behind. The bustle and squabbling of the many people nearest the shopping area were beginning to hurt his over-sensitive ears. He let out a dog-like whine and hunched over, seeming to snap at something invisible in the air.

He shook out his head and growled softly to himself. "You can do this, Shay. They told you to capture the two escapees and then you'd be free," he said, but a small voice in the back of his head knew they would never let him be free. He was a mutant, like the bird kids. He grimaced at the horrid thoughts and forced himself to walk out into the plaza.

"Let's get some clothes and maybe we can wash them over there," she said in a thoughtful voice, pointing at the laundromat. She wasn't sure what laundromat meant, but "WE WASH YOUR CLOTHES" was perfectly clear enough. "It might take some time to wash and stuff so we can go to the pharmacy and stuff then." Shrugging Akeli wanted to flip her hood up again as people moved around them fluidly, testifying to the large size of this city. "But I'm not quite sure, you know? All this stuff is confusing enough." Feeling a bit miserable at her inability to understand half of what was going on, Akeli raised her head slightly and looked over the crowd, her raptor-sharp eyes picking out tiny details. Grinning like a kid Akeli bounced slightly. "Let's get breakfast first, actually!" she told Xavier with an impish smile on her face. "Aren't you hungry? And there's a pizza shop right across the....p-plaza? Yeah, whatever it is." 

She didn't know if Xavier could see it, let alone smell the pizza, which Akeli couldn't either, but the sign was just barely visible over the heads of the people rushing about their business. Wincing as a gaudily dressed man covered in silver jewelry pas.sed them, a cloud of smoke following him and filling her nostrils with its acrid scent, Akeli shrunk back closer to Xavier, feeling much more nervous. "Everyone's so...different," she muttered anxiously. "I don't understand it at all..." 

Xavier was about to lead Akeli into the nearest clothing when she told him about the pizza joint across the street. He blinked and looked down at her with soft blue eyes. He was about to reply when Akeli shrunk closer to him. He instinctively put his arms around her when she muttered under her breath. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head softly. "We'll be fine, Aki. Let's go get us some of that pizza you wanted," he murmured into her ear. His head was beginning to hurt from all the commotion.

---

Shay walked out into the bustling streets of the plaza. He shoved his hands into his black jeans, his shaggy blonde hair hanging in his eyes as he walked. He whipped his head to the right and let the hair get out of his brown eyes. He stared intensely at the two bird-kids. They stood out among the others, their awkward movements clear in the midst of the people. He could scent their anxiety and fear and he heard one of them mutter something about pizza. His head snapped up and he spotted the pizza place. Hastily, he headed toward it to wait.

Xavier let Akeli grab his hand and weave him through the road. His fluid movements seemed to stick out and he flicked his eyes around, scouting the perimeter and making sure there were escape routes if need be. The smell of the pizza cooking made his stomach growl and he then led Akeli through the doors of the pizza joint. As they walked through the doors, Xavier's blue eyes began to lighten. When the waitress at the front looked them over, she pulled out two menus and led them wordlessly over to a table secluded in the corner of the restaurant. Immediately, a perky blonde-haired waitress walked over.

She flipped open her pad and whipped out a pen. "Welcome to Antonio's Pizza. I'm Betty and I'll be your server," she said as she spoke to them, but her eyes were on Xavier only. "Can I get you started with a couple drinks?" she asked, blinking at Xavier. The blue-eyed boy glanced up at her only for a moment before returning his gaze back to Akeli.

"We'll take two Coke's," he said, his blue eyes twinkling. He knew Akeli would have no idea what the drink was and he hoped she would like it. "Also, we'll take a large pepperoni pizza," Xavier said. The waitress gave a slight huff, snapped her little notepad shut, and walked away.

---

Shay watched the two mutants enter the pizza place the pizza place and he began to head toward it. His grace was unlike the flitting movements of the bird-kids. He was agile and wove through the people aggresively. When he walked into the restaurant, he waved the waitress off and took a seat at a table nearest to the two bird-kids. He sat down where it wouldn't be suspicious, but close enough so that he could hear them.

Smiling at Xavier tentatively Akeli's eyes flitted around the restaurant nervously. She didn't much like the attitude of their icy waitress and when her eyes lingered on Xav she instinctively shrunk against him, her own blue eyes going hard. Not for you, she thought, a flinty light of warning entering her eyes. At the mention of Coca-cola Akeli's head swiveled and she stared at Xavier as the waitress stalked off with a small huff. "Say what?" she asked with a bemused ex
pression, her eyes softening. "Co...ca?" Shaking her head when she stumbled over repeating what he'd said she settled back into her chair and waited for their food to come, the wonderful scents making her stomach rumble.

"I can't wait to eat," she said in a dreamy voice, closing her eyes and leaning back against the hard chair.  A movement nearby activated her sense and Akeli blinked slowly, watching a tow-headed boy walk past them to a close table. There was something about him that piqued her interest and Akeli kept her eyes on him as he sat nearby.

Xavier toyed with Akeli's hair for a moment when she shrank closer to him, but when she pulled back and attempted to pronounce the drink, he laughed. "Coca Cola, Kitten. You'll probably like it," he said as he gently ruffled her hair. While waiting for their order to come out, Xavier examined the restaurant. His blue eyes rested on a sandy blonde-haired kid that was just seating himself at another table. Something about his crude movements made the hair on Xavier's neck stand on end, but he convinced himself that he was just being paranoid. For distraction, he let his hand slide to Akeli's back and wrap around her waist. He gave her a playful smile, his black hair hanging in his eyes as he did so.

---

Shay glanced up from his menu and blinked when he saw the bird girl staring at him. His chocolate brown eyes kept her gaze for a moment before he slid them away. Something about her curious stare made him feel uncomfortable, but he did not know why. When he glanced back again out of the corner of his eye, he saw the bird boy wrapping his arms around the girl. He frowned and then blinked and frowned again. What's wrong with me? he asked himself.

Akeli grinned and hit Xavier playfully when he cuddled up to her, turning away from the stragne boy  when his eyes turned on hers, watching her fixedly. Flushing with confusing she glanced at Xavier. "Someone's feisty today," she commented, raising her voice as the waitress returned with a tray full of food. Giving her a nasty look the waitress put it down with a sharp clatter and walked off, head held high and walking like she was having trouble balancing. "Looks like a rather foolish way to traipse around," Akeli commented in a smug voice as she looked down at their food. The pizza steamed lightly and looked absolutely delicious, the pepperoni giving off a tantalizing aroma. The coke was a different matter, however. "What is that?" she asked incredulously, poking the glass with a cautious finger. The brown liquid bubbled and fizzed strangely and Akeli was immediately transported back to the School where they'd injected her with such liquids. "You sure it's safe?" she hissed, pushing the glass away with a light touch, fear and disgust mixing on her face. 

Xavier returned her grin and leaned his head down to her ear, his chin lightly brushing her shoulder. "Well, Akeli, you're pretty damn sexy when you're cleaned up," he whispered softly. He chuckled softly and pulled back, but kept his hand on the small of her back. He pulled off a slice of the pizza and slapped it on his plate, the cheese bubbling off to the side slightly. Xavier's mouth watered, but before he took a bit of the pizza, he sipped his drink. "It's great, Kitten. If you're too scared to drink it, I can get you some milk," he teased.

---

Shay blinked when the bird girl shifted her gaze away from him. He saw her face flush and he felt his shoulders sag slightly. The waitress brought out his personal pizza and he set to ripping the plain cheese pizza apart and angrily pushing it into his mouth. He grimaced and pushed the plate away, having lost his sense of appetite. He glanced back at the two and blew out a sharp huff of air from his nose. He would get them when they were out and there wouldn't be as many people watching.