xp_logs | Log Johnny and Molly: A Song of Snow and Flames. (Backdated to 8th February)

Johnny and Molly meet. Confusion and dreams

Johnny sat outside on the woodpile. The sun was playing a game of "catch the cloud", giving the ground a soft speckled look. Rather than the majesty of nature, Johnny's eyes were glued in front of him. He had his headphones on blaring his new favourite band and a half drunk soda lay next to him. He had a lighter in his left hand and his other hand was ablaze. He clicked on the gas of the lighter and waved his hand past, watching as the lighter suddenly lit up.

"Whoa," a voice echoed in front of him as a girl wearing a knit cap made to look like a viking helmet approached, then took off to a run. Molly had been out exploring the grounds, even if she already knew pretty much every inch by now. There wasn't much else to do except read or watch TV or do homework and she was bored. She didn't really hang out with the other kids a lot except for when they were on adventures. She didn't know why.

"Dude you're on fire! Um...um...um....." she said, picking up a handful of snow to toss it at the kid's hand, since he didn't seem to notice.

A devious smile came over Johnny's face and he began flapping his arm wildly. "Ahhh. I'm on fire!" he yelled at the girl. He began to run around in circles yelling as the fire crept up his body. He stopped and began patting his right arm with his left, vainly trying to beat out the flames. His left hand suddenly caught fire, and Johnny now began to running around flapping his arms like a bird. "The fire," he yelled, "it burns. Oh, it burns the flesh."

Molly didn't get that he was kidding because he was on FIRE and he was yelling and running around so she immediately jumped into save-the-person mode. "Holy crap! Oh cheese!" she said, running around behind him.

"Hold still! Wait! Wait! Come back! You're supposed to stop and then...do other stuff! Um....drop roll!"

Reaching down, she picked up more snow to throw at him.

"This is not helpful!"

"Ahhhh," Johnny continued as he fell to his knees. "I'm melting. I'm mellltingggg." Johnny gazed at Molly. "I see it," he said as the flames engulfed his body, "it's like a thousand tiny fireflies." He reached out his hand grasping at the air. "You were always my favorite," he whispered. His head slumped to his chest and he collapsed into a pile.

His eye opened a crack to see his audience's reaction. "And scene," he said, extinguishing all the flames. He cheekily looked up at Molly. "So, what do you think? Oscar or not?"

Stopping in her tracks, Molly narrowed her eyes and folded her arms, making a "harumph" noise that resulted in a few strands of hair being blown away from her face.

"I totally thought you were dying! And then I'd had to call the teachers and we'd be in so much trouble if you WEREN'T dying."

She tilted her head, glancing behind him at the woodpile, which was now in flames, even if he wasn't anymore, dangerously close to the boathouse.

"Uh oh...." she said. Sprinting past him, her eyes suddenly glowed violet and she elbowed the side of the boathouse, causing it to tremble violently. The thick mass of snow that had collected on the roof slid off, falling on top of the fire---and Johnny himself.

Johnny spat out some snow, and calmly brushed himself off as he clambered out of the pile of snow that covered both the log pile and where he had been standing. He looked approvingly at Molly. "Nice save. This wouldn't have been the first boat house I burned down, and I doubt it'll be the last...though with you around to save me, who knows?" He smiled fiendishly. "That's some arm you got there... My name's Johnny. Johnny Storm. It's a pleasure to meet you...?"

Molly arched a brow. He was flirting with her. Boys didn't flirt with her, at least the ones here at school because she was too young. So she didn't quite know what to do.

"I'm Molly. Molly Hayes," she said. She glanced around awkwardly. "Um....please don't burn down anything else at the school, okay? I like this place and it gets destroyed enough."

Johnny smiled and looked at his feet. "Sure," he said, "I'll definitely try." He glanced up at the school, resting his hands on his head. "It's pretty great, isn't it?" he said quietly. "A little slice of..." He cocked his head to the side staring off into the distance.

He suddenly snapped to the present and looked at Molly. "You know what, Molly? You're pretty cool." He smiled and looked up at her hat, which he hadn't really noticed up until now. "Cool hat." He looked down at himself and dusted his clothes.

By now, Molly continued to look at him curiously. "Thanks," she said proudly, patting herself on the head. "Wademan got it for me."

She tilted her head again. "Are you okay? You got less loud."

Johnny looked at her and broke into a big smile. He laughed. "Someone told me dynamics was important," he shrugged. "If I yell all the time people seem to get annoyed." He smiled again, crunching the snow behind him into a ball and then melting it in his hand. He suddenly looked at Molly quizzically. "You seem pretty strong. How much could you lift?" His eyes flashed as an idea formed in his mind. "And how far could you throw it?"

Molly thought about it. "I lifted a truck once. And I punched a car," she said. And then a building fell on her but that wasn't real and she didn't really lift it.

She quirked a brow. "Why?"

Johnny smiled deviously. "How far could you throw...a person...for example? You know just for curiosity..."

"Uh...." Molly said, fidgeting a bit. "Well, I threw Mr. Marius from the quarry into the lake. That's far away." She squinted.

"Why?"

Johnny looked off into the distance, his eyes glazing over as he lived some victory. "I have a dream," he started, "I have a dream..." he looked at Molly his eyes flickering with excitement, "I dream of flight." He suddenly rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Silly isn't it? But I'll get there. I'll do it."

"I..." Molly blinked at him. She'd been doing that a lot. "I think I'd probably hurt you if I threw you. Unless you're unsquishable like me?"

Johnny paused. "Unsquishable?" He cocked his head to the side. "Like, completely? Like trains bouncing of you, unsquishable?" His eyes widened. "That's....so COOL!" He poked himself disappointedly. He looked out to the lake. "You know," he continued, "water's pretty soft..."

"But bones go crunch if they get smashed," Molly said, still making a face. "I never tried a train but a building fell on me once." She thought about it.

"But it wasn't real so I dunno if that counts."

Johnny blinked slowly. "A building?" he asked. "Wow. You're sounding more an more impressive by the minute Miss Hayes. Very nice." He smiled.

Tilting her head, Molly smiled. "Thanks! I think." He seemed like he'd be trouble. But she was used to that living with the X-People.

"Maybe we could like...make some soft stuff you could land on and try it that way?"

"Where there's a will there's a way. And though I don't have a will in my name, I tend to always find a way." Johnny stopped and looked confused for a second. "So basically," he continued slowly, "there's no reason for a will if you've already got a way..." Johnny grinned. "I guess I'm saying that sounds like a plan."

By then Molly was just blinking at him again, looking horribly lost. When he finally explained what he meant she nodded. "Oh," she said, then tilted her head, suddenly wondering if she should buy a lot of pillows and bubble wrap with her allowance so he didn't get a concussion. Maybe if she watched him he wouldn't.

"You wanna go get some food?"

"Molly, are you sure you aren't a psychic? Cos you've just read my mind."