Chapter 9- Those aren’t fireworks!

Nora and Alex skulked down the docks of the pier in utter silence. After breaking off from the rest of the group they hadn't spoken a single word to each other and had just focused on getting to the dock office. The layout of the pier had the dock office at the very beginning of the docks, near the entrance where people would enter and register their boats and pay for their docks. This led them to have quite the walk from their exit that led to the Training Grounds, which was located in one of the newer sections of the pier that was more modern and had better infrastructure for the exit.

"So you just moved here right?" Alex asked Nora, finally breaking the silence the two girls were bathing in. Nora glimpsed back at the skinny girl who seemed to afraid of everything, especially social interaction. Her gaze returned in front of her as she chuckled softly. "Yeah. We used to live in Oklahoma, me and my family that is. It wasn't too shabby until people started getting suspicious of my dad." She looked down at the oak boards of the dock that her feet treaded across before continuing.

"He was a paramedic there. He loved helping people and saving lives and whatnot. The nature of Nine-Tails I guess. He was always rushing to the most gruesome scenes, areas that needed the most attention, just so he could do what he could for the humans." Nora's fist clenched into a ball by her side as her brows furrowed, eyes shooting daggers in front of her as she continued walking. "He was caught one day healing a man that would've died without his help. Apparently lots of his patients mysteriously healed either on their way to the hospital or in the ER. The people knew what that meant and the government sent people after us. Mutants aren't welcome in the world of Humans after all."

Nora went quite after finishing her story and came to a stop for a moment. Her fist was clenched so tightly that the veins on the top of her hand popped out visibly. After a moment though her hand relaxed and she released the tension she was holding in. "Anyways, after that I was on my own for awhile. I heard about this place after a few months roughing it on the road and decided to give it a shot. Didn't seem like such a bad idea...." Silence overtook the two girls once more and Nora started walking again, Alex following closely behind regretting the decision to speak up.

"Well, at least you're here now with us. I know he doesn't seem like it but our little group is like a family. Wolf is like that caring big bro type once you get underneath all that anger and cockiness. Not to mention Hawk! He's so cool, being so calm and collected all the time." Alex sighed softly as she described what Hawk was like to her new friend. "Then Angely is like the older sister type that protects the rest of us from doing stupid stuff. Mostly protecting Wolf though heheh," Alex mentioned giggling softly. Her bright smile faded into a small grin as she looked over at Nora. "You're part of that family now. Even if we may seem a little weird."

Nora glanced back at Alex and considered her words for a few moments before looking forward again. "We're almost at the office. Time to be quiet now." The office was only a football field away now, close enough for them to stop and contemplate on a plan to break in while observing wether anyone was inside or not. Alex moved in front of Nora and squatted down with a house key to begin carving her idea of a plan out for Nora. "The front door won't be an option in case someone's inside, so we'll have to take the rear entrance. It'll help keep us hidden from the front desk while giving us the option to look around a bit first before moving for the records."

Alex' plan was sound. Going through the front door would only cause them to be at a disadvantage. Whereas if they entered through the back then no one would be the wiser until they revealed themselves. Nora looked up at Alex and nodded her head quickly before standing up. "Alright then. Lead the way Snow Girl." Alex laughed half heartedly at the joke before standing next to Nora and nodding.

The two girls rushed the remaining distance from their hiding place to the office and plastered themselves against the side of the building, making sure to keep low to remain hidden. Slowly, they moved down the side of the building towards the rear entrance and Alex carefully gripped the handle, turning it carefully in order to not make noise. The door opened on well oiled hinges without a sound and the duo hurried inside to find the info.

The inside of the office was like any other office building behind the front desk. The back area was littered with paperwork and filing cabinets overflowing while the front looked was covered in boating magazines and posters. "I'll take the front desk. You check the back," Nora told Alex as she moved off and began searching through files. Without much of a choice, Alex moved to the back rooms and started bringing out files of boats that were big enough to classify as a yacht. Slowly, the two girls shuffled through endless amounts of paperwork, checking docking logs and dock rentals. Eventually Alex pulled something out of a folder that caught her attention.

"Hey, Nora come look at this." Nora swiftly came over to her side and looked over her shoulder. "What? I don't see anything," Nora said as she stared at a bunch of docking logs. Alex' finger pointed at an outline detailing who was at the dock and when. "The boat we are looking for has appeared four times in the past couple months. I think they've been scouting us or something."

Nora pumped her fist in victory as she grinned at Alex. "Grab it and put it in your backpack. Then let's go!" Alex excitedly did as she was asked and the two rushed for the exit.

"Where are you going?" A voice from behind them asked the girls. When they turned around they spotted the dock foreman who was watching them. "Uhmmm nothing mister-" Nora started to say innocently before an extremely loud explosion occurred, making them cover their ears until they recovered. Nora rushed to the window and looked outside, watching as a fireball spewed into the sky from the direction Wolf and the others were in.

"Those aren't fireworks!"