ArchivedLogs:Vignette - Found

Vignette - Found
Dramatis Personae Paige and Ryan, her brother	2016-12-22 "Tell them I'm dead! Tell our parents I fucking died, Ryan!"
Location New York City
As Paige is leaving a popular coffee chain, a taxi pulls up nearby and a young man steps out of the backseat. The blonde girl blinks and her ears flick beneath her hood as she eyes the figure, trying to get another glimpse. When she does, her eyes go wide and she bolts towards him, somehow stumbling only once. Her brother barely has a moment to turn around after paying the driver as she grabs him, wraps her arms around him tightly, and buries her head in his chest. "Ryan!" comes her excited statement of recognition. Ryan blinks in surprise. "Kid!" he exclaims, a surprised chuckle escaping his mouth. He returns the hug warmly, bringing his arms around his sister. "I finally found you. Where the hell have you been? You really need to come home. You sh--“An odd pressure against his collarbone catches his attention and he glances down at Paige before pushing down her hood and her out and away from his embrace. "What is this?" he hisses in inquiry, anger and disgust creeping into his voice and expression. "What the fuck is -this-, Paige? What the fuck did you do?" Paige makes a noise as she's shoved away by her family member. Her ears twitch involuntarily at the change in her brother's tone and her face pales. "N-nothing!" Paige asserts as she stumbles in trying to regain her balance. "I didn't do -anything-! It just..." Here she trails off, face reddening, and her next words are riddled with shame. "It just happened." Instead of responding, her brother grabs her by the wrist and pulls her back into the store. Paige trips a number of times as she's dragged into a single-occupancy restroom. Once he closes and locks the door behind them, Ryan addresses his sister again. "This doesn't just -happen-, Paige!" His rage has become evident and his expression has hardened considerably. "What the fuck is this? Who the -fuck- did you sleep with?!" Her brother's accusation seems to strike a nerve with Paige. The horned woman clenches her fists and stares her brother in the eye, her own countenance showing signs of anger. "No one! I didn't sleep with anyone, you fucking moron! It just fucking happened!" Ryan seems unwilling to listen to his sister's claims. "What the fuck were you thinking? No, fuck that, you weren't -even- thinking, were you? You've been missing for -months-, Paige! Did you think someone wouldn't notice? Did you think -we- wouldn't notice? We've been worried -sick- about you! We thought you were fucking -kidnapped-! Do you have any idea what you've put our parents through? And now, THIS?! What the fuck, Paige?! Do you even -know- what you're doing to our family with this? We’re Friends, Paige! Friends! What the fuck?!" "Why the fuck do you think I didn't go home, Ryan? Why the hell do you think I'm out here?! You've all made it very clear how you feel about mutants, -haven't- you? Well, guess what? I'm a fucking mutant, Ryan, and there's nothing I can do about it!" Paige gestures with a broad sweep of her arm, her breathing labored as she argues with her sibling. "Your sister's a fucking mutant, Ryan, and there's nothing you can do about it! Don't you think I've fucking tired?!" Ryan closes his eyes and brings his hand up to cover his face, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "I asked around at your school, Paige. That's what families do. Did you think you could just fucking up and disappear? Your friends care about you too, you know, though I can't fucking imagine why." Paige's brother looks particularly annoyed when he sees the look of confusion on her face. "You're not as clever as you fucking think -- your roommate noticed you were looking at New York City on the Internet. I came here and asked around. Like it or not, Paige, you've been seen. Do you remember some sort of incident at clinic a few weeks ago?" His voice drips with aggravation and condescension. "You were caught on someone's phone camera. The local authorities didn't let me see it, but I couldn't believe their description. I thought it was just some kind of sick joke. I gave them your picture and asked if they could keep an eye out for you. They called me earlier. That's what family does." Ryan's tongue works in his mouth as he chews his words before continuing. "But what do I fucking find? You're a sick freak, Paige." Although she had planned not to let them, her brother's words sting Paige. "Why don't you just leave me the fuck alone then? To think that I was even fucking -happy- to see you." Despite the harshness and vitriol of her voice, undertones of pain can still be heard. "I'm sorry to have disappointed you for coming all this way! Have a great fucking life, Ryan." "You know, I thought it would be some Christmas miracle if I somehow brought you home," her brother replies. "I really did. I thought it would some fucking miracle and we could be together as a family for the holiday." He takes another deep breath. "-Now- I don't even know -what- to tell Mom and Dad. And don't you even -think- about coming home after all this. Don't you even dare. You fucking got that? I will throw you out my fucking self." Ryan growls as he opens the bathroom door and steps out. "Fuck you, Ryan. Why would I ever want to go home -- are you a fucking idiot?! Tell them I'm dead! Tell our parents I fucking died, Ryan! And why don't -you- start believing it, too?! It'd be better for everyone if you all just pretended I died. Now get the fuck out of my life and don't you ever fucking bother me again!" Paige slams the door in Ryan's face, setting her back against it as she listens to her brother walk off. Soon the adrenaline fades and gives way to sorrow and she slides down, falling to the floor with a bump. With her legs splayed in front of her, she presses her hands to the sides of her skull, her face completely red. "You fucking asshole," she whispers as tears well up in her eyes. "You absolute fucking asshole. You absolute fucking asshole fucker."