mirror mirror on the wall?

Loika wandered through a store called Hot topic. She didn't really want to come to the mall with the other kids, but she was somehow talked into it. Her long black hair hung loosely down her back. She wore a lace up leather vest that showed off her midriff, and low rider jeans. She walked through the aisles of the hot topic store looking at the various items. She had a little money that had been given to her for some new clothes, but she had no idea what to get. She continued to walk through the aisles and play with an ice coin on a necklace, barely paying attention to what was going on around her.

Seeming as though there wasn't many stores with her type of clothes in it, Skylar stuck with her favorite: Hot Topic. She walked around, looking down the aisles and making her way towards the clearance section. Just as she passed one set of shelves she came to a mirror, or what she thought was one. Something was off about the way the hair fit the face, the shape of the eyes, and most importantly the clothes. Tilting her head, she narrowed her eyes at the person on the other side. "You're not me."

Loika jumped and a very wolfish/startled growl. She quickly recovered and looked down. " Thats kind of rude dont you think? Y-you do kind of look like me though. Sorry about that. You startled me. Im Loika." She nervously played with the coin around her neck.

"Geese, sorry. I'm Skylar." did the girl just growl at her? She wasn't too sure, so she just shook it off. "So, uh, pretty crazy how much we look alike, right? I thought I was going kinda crazy." Skylar chuckled. Although she wasn't much for talking, she felt she owed the girl a bit of conversation since she had been so rude, even if it was unintenional.

"Its ok...sorry i snapped. I just.."She looked around and calmed only very slightly when she realized not alot of people were around. " I didnt want to really come here in the first place. I dont like crowds or even alot of people at all. I guess this is supposed to help be get over it. That and i need clothes. I have nooo idea what im looking for."She nervously fidgetted more. This had to have been one of the longest conversations she ever had.

Smiling slightly, Skylar jerked her head towards the Clearance rack. "I just moved here so I've gotta fill my closet too, so I'll help." She walked around the aisle so that she was on the same side as Loika. "Don't worry, I'm not one to hang around people either." Skylar lead the way to the racks and began looking through them. "What size are you?" She asked, pulling out a pair of jeans in two different sizes.

Loika blushed a little and finaly looked up with her bright blue eyes. "I dont know. I only own a couple of things that fit in my backpack.I stole a couple things here and there so i never really stopped to size anything."She looked through clearance rack. She stopped at a teen wolf vintage t-shirt and giggled. "Irony much?"She giggled as she pulled the shirt off of the rack and kept looking." I hate to ask for help... but i might need it."

Skylar smiled sincerely, and layed both pairs over her arm. "Well, just guess at a couple sizes and you can try them on once we've found enough." She felt kind of odd helping the Loika out, largely because she didn't know her, but also because she wasn't a big people person. Or at least she hadn't been since the accident. Looking down quickly, she sighed with relief when she saw that her tips were glowing. In fact, since she had come to the school, she didn't even feel the warmth. Maybe being around everyone would keep her body calm and under her control.

Pulling out a few more tops, and a mixture of jeans and shorts, she looked up at Loika. "Ready to try stuff on?"

Loika looked up at her in slight surprise. She had been in her own little world thinking about things when the girl talked to her. She nodded. "Yea lets go."She started to head for the dressing room when she stopped and turned back to the girl. " Thank you for helping me...only a couple people have ever helped me before. Im still getting used to it. Maybe humanity had hope after all."
She took the clothes with her and went into the dressing room to try things on. A couple of the things were too big. Sometimes she felt like she had the shapeless body of a boy. She had lean muscle and not alot in the chest region. "ugh the second pair doesnt fit either. I have no butt." She grumbled.

"I'll go find you a smaller pair." Laughing slightly to herself, Skylar picked up the clothes that were laying over the door and walked back to the clearance rack. She was surprised at how much Loika was so grateful, and all she had done was help her pick out clothes. Maybe, if she didn't have a place to stay, she could talk at least Volt into giving her a room at the academy. If she'd even take it. Oh yeah, I'll just ask her if she wants to come room in a school full of Mutants, that would be just swell. Shaking her head to clear it, Skylar decided it was at least worth a shot.

After hanging the tried clothes up randomly, she did a quick search through the rack again. Finding a smaller size of the one pair of jeans and another two pairs in the same size, she started back to Loika. On her way, she passed a black shirt with lace sleeves that ended in gloves that looked like paws and had a black wolf with bright blue eyes on the front. Skylar smiled and put the shirt under the jeans. It wasn't on clearance, but if Loika liked it she wouldn't mind using some of money to buy it. "Hey Loika, found some more stuff," Skylar said as she handed the clothes over the door."[/color]

Loika had been sitting on the floor of the dressing room in her underwear. She was thinking about everything that was going on. She couldnt help thinking to herself, Why is this girl helping me? Is she one of them? One of those men that tested and experimented on me? She couldnt be....could she?The boy who had given her food, took the bullet out of her shoulder, and gave her the necklace...he hadnt hurt me.She was still alone in her thoughts tracing the very small scar on her shoulder when the girl returned with more clothes. She pulled the jeans over the door and put them on. She was getting ready to put the shirt on when she saw it. Thats when she started to cry.

Skylar was looking at the earrings when Loika started crying. "Uh, are you ok?" She couldn't help but feel like she was almost responsible her, and now more than every she hoped that the professors would allow Loika to stay with them. I mean, why not? She doesn't seem to be of harm to anyone, so what's the biggest thing that could happen? "Loika?" she asked, knocking slightly on the door.

The door swung open slowly on its own. Loika was sitting on the floor of the dressing room in her bra and jeans. Her exposed torso had many small surgical scars from her colar bone to where her jeans started on her hips. Her bare feet on the floor. She had her head against her knees as she cried. She still clutched the shirt in one hand. She jumped when she realized the girl was in the doorway of the dressing room. " I'm s-so sorry you have to see me cry."She said trying to make it stop. "H-how did you know? Are you going to turn me in?Did he send you?"Her shoulders trembled as she tried despirately to stop crying.

"What are you talking about? I don't work for anybody, and I definitely don't hunt people down." Skylar said, hoping but doubting it would soothe the sobbing girl. She was surprised at Loika's condition but she was able to conceal it. She couldn't contain the confusion she felt about her obvious fear, and she allowed it to show in her words and tone. Something deep in Skylar's gut told her that Loika was one those books that had a lot more to her than the cover suggested.

Loika wiped her face. Somehow deep down she could tell the girl wasnt lying. She just got this feeling from the girl and decided to go with it. She was already taking alot of risks lately, so this was almost becoming a habit for her. She looked behind the girl before taking a big breath." Tell anyone about this, and i'll kill you. Dont think i cant."She took another big breath and stood still. Her ears grew into wolf ears, her skin was giving way to long black fur, her mouth formed into a muzzle, and her back arched as she went down into all fours. In less that a minute she was a black wolf standing before the girl. She looked at her without moving or blinking."I'm a mutant. As of lately im a stupid mutant. I keep finding myself trusting strangers lately. I generally dont make a habit of this. I escaped from a lab and the scientist testing on me isnt happy. He kind of wants me back...i thought you were one of them."

It took a few seconds, but slowly Skylar's blank face turned up into a smile. "Don't worry, you're not the only Mutant who could end up killing someone." Skylar took a deep breath, and began to let a little bit the warmth seep back into her tips. "OK, just don't freak out if this goes wrong." Closing her eyes, she pictured a small dagger forming in her palm. When she opened them, a small arrowhead floated inches abover her hand, glowing a bright blue. "Not exactly what I was going for, but that's the basics. I'm actually surprised it's not blowing up-" Skylar barely finished her sentence before it shot out of her hand and into the corner of the dressing room. Luckily it's explosion only made a popping noise, and hardly any damage was done. Chuckling slightly, she turned back to the wolf. "If you want, I could bring you to a place where people like us are excepted, and rather encouraged by others."

loika shifted back into her human form quickly. Her cheeks were flushed pink from the surprise of the small exploding arow. Unfortunately human clothes were not made for dogs, so when she shifted back she was naked. She was used to the lab techies seeing her all of her life so she had no sense of real modesty. She picked up her clothes and started putting them back on as if it were nothing, unaware if it made Skylar uncomfortable. She put back on her leather vest and laced it up. " Nice powers there... must be nice not looking like a freak. You get to look normal. So...you say this place is safe? I guess i can try it out. Worse comes to worse i can always go back to roaming Canada. Maybe join a pack. Alright....ill come with you."

"Oh yeah, because being afraid of setting off an atomic bomb everytime you make a movement is so much better!" Skylar snarled, turning around as Loika started to get dressed. "I'll go pay for the clothes, then we can go and meet up with everyone at the food court." She took the clothes that she knew Loika had decided to get, picked up her pile of clothes, and walked to the front of the room. It took a few minutes for the transaction to complete and Skylar was at the door in barely five minutes. Taking deep breaths, she tried to control the warmth that had been quickly building in her limbs. After all, it wasn't like Loika knew her past, all she knew was her tramatizing past. Maybe coming to the academy would help her deal with it.

Loika followed quickly behind her. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, not wanting to look at Skylar. She had mad the girl mad at her and she didnt understand how. Usually when she made someone mad she was either hit, refused food, or worse. What would Skyler do to her? She certainly had the power to blow her up.
Loika put the clothes in her backpack quietly. She didnt like carrying anything more than she had to. Her backpack was all she needed. She followed the girl... trying to decide if it was worth it or if she should run. Her muscled were tense to run. How far would she get though? From the sounds of it the girl had more like them with her.

Skylar smiled at Loika as she came up to join her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. It's just that, well, I lost my family because of what I can do, and I'm just afraid I'll end up doing it again." She turned and started walking towards the food court, looking back to see if Loika was following.

Loika followed. "I dont remember my family. They sold me to a research lab where i was tested on mercilessly for almost 5 years. I dont remember anything before the labs." Her internal shutters were back up again. She was clamming back up so as not to let anyone else into her world. She watched the ground as she followed after Skyler. She felt like a lost puppy dog that skyler was bringing home, asking the parents if she could keep her.