On a beach down in Brooklyn we currently see a young boy, about four feet tall, tanned skin and Amber colored eyes. But the most outstanding feature about him was the fact his hair was dark green and rather shiny and reflective. And besides that his eyes resembled those of a snake or falcon, in addition he had small patches of armored scales on his body of the same color and sharp talons on his feet and fingers that were of a darker shade.

And sticking out from behind him was a long dark green tail, who is this you may ask. That's me, Darrel Baxter, most people can tell on the spot that I'm not a normal person. But that's only if you're focusing skin deep, yes I'm a mutant but hey I am just the same as you all.

Anyway this is the day that changed my life big time, a few things happened on this day, the first. I met these two knuckleheads Charlie Carbone and Louis Booker, "I'm gonna guess but, you've got about 75 cents in your back pocket" I heard Louis ask Charlie. "You're wrong dude, it's a captain amazing compass" he said bringing out the trinket.

After getting excited about it Louis's metal detector shifted next to me and it beeped wildly "woah, with that reading you should be made of gold" he said. "Sorta; that's probably a tooth I swallowed" I said before spitting out one of my teeth which happen to be sharp and they both saw how it suddenly turned to gold.

"Woah that's awesome!! How much do you want for it?!" Both asked me "Sorry no trade, I always put this in the donation box at the library, animal rescue and zoo" I said. "Huh, well that's nice of you, but if you'll excuse me my uncle only rented me this metal detector for the day and I need to work on my car payment" the red caped kid said.

"YouTube got a car?" I asked sarcastically while Charlie chuckled "no but I will" he said before moving on. The next thing that happened to me was meeting another fellow mutant, I accidentally bumped into her. And she was purely beautiful, the her eyes were an iridescent Amber color like mine. Her hair was a plethora of warm colors such as orange yellow and red. Oh and what made her stand out so much, the hair was made out of feathers like mine were like scales, and she had bird like wings on her arms and she had talons like me.

Except her feet were more like a bird's while mine were like a T-Rex's, "oops sorry!" I yelped blushing. "No it's my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going, the name's Finch, what about you?" She asked.

"Uh Darrel" I answered, Finch giggled "nice scales" she complimented poking my armor, "thanks... you've got nice feathers" I replied. But that's when the third thing happened, I heard a commotion, looking to the ocean I saw Charlie out there... and he was drowning!!!

"Hold on help's on the way!!!" I yelled dashing over the crowd and into the ocean, "wait you'll need help!" Finch said flying over to the lifeguard station grabbing a life preserver. Then tossed it to me, "hold on kid" I heard Louis as he picked Charlie up. "Incoming!" I yelled tossing the preserver to Louis and he put it on Charlie, then I helped him get the kid to shore.

And from that day on me, Charlie and Louis have been pals on account that me and the black dude had saved him from trouble. But now it's the opposite as Louis now gets us both into trouble, never saw Finch after that day though but we've always kept in touch with phone calls. And as of right now, after twenty years, I took a break from my shift at the animal rescue unit to visit Charlie at his beauty salon. Turns out his step dad was Sal Maggio, a feared and respected member of the community.

"Hey Charles" I greeted entering the store "oh hey Darrel, what's up?" Charlie asked me, "can't a friend pop in and visit?" I joked. "Fine, but please don't... molt anywhere again" he asked "I still haven't gotten the smell out from last time" he added. I rolled my eyes, then saw one of Sal's goons come in to collect eighty percent of the profit.

Going to admit it not a big fan of the guy, 'jerk' I thought as I saw our favorite crazy job jumper enter the store. Louis!!! He thinks Charlie can do better than this, and personally so do I, but I haven't forgotten that the dude said he looks like Denzel Washington. Year right, "look guys I need a favor, I Just got this job delivering TVs but my partner got sick from one of those microwavable chimichanga things and..." Charlie then cut him off. "Louis why do all of your stories start off like this?" He asked "I'm too curious" I added. "So I need your help if I don't get the TV thought the truck I don't get paid" he said.

"This sounds illegal" I said in a sing song fashion and jumped onto the ceiling, "took the words right out of my mouth" Charlie laughed. " oh no no Charlie, Darrel this is totally legit man I know the guy" he replied. "Oh like how you knew the guy who wanted us to drive his dogs down to Florida?" Charlie asked.

"Oh I was supposed to know who let a couple greyhounds are being used to smuggle diamonds?" Louis shot back. The hairstylist rolled his eyes "look man I need to get these TVs off the truck two hours tops" louis replied said. "Louis you have a job" he said, "oh you call working in my uncle's meat market a job Charlie?! I sweep up cow guts and pig snouts man. I need a job where I am treated like a man. Where I get some respect Ain't that what Aretha said? R E S P E C T?" He said referencing the song.

Charlie then tried to back out of it like always and after Louis pulled that guilt trip gag which works every time and he goes along with it. And so do I knowing it could be fun, and right now we're in the truck Louis was talking about driving around. "Hey there waffles, you got a kiss for your uncle Charlie and uncle Darrel?" Louis asked his pet dog who he brought along. "Hey Waffles" I greeted petting her head, "hey man what's wrong?" Louis asked, "it's just frustrating, you have no idea how difficult it is When Sal Maggio's your stepfather" Charlie.

"Can't understand but I can get how it can be difficult getting anywhere in life" I said before crawling to the back. "Now lets see what illegal thing Louis has roped us into this time?" I joked looking around, "these are a lot of TVs" I said before hearing a police siren. "Pull over to the curb!" The officer inside said, "oh no" I said before running to the front.

"Louis who's truck is this?" I asked, "that I can not be certain of it came with the TVs" he answered "this is a stolen vehicle, pull over to the curb!" The police said again. We all looked at each other nervously "apparently this is a stolen vehicle!" He yelled before flooring it "AAAHH?!?!" I screamed strings flung into the back. Then noticed the latch on the door was faulty and tried to close it, but decided to camouflage myself to keep from being seen.

"Louis just pull the truck over, tell the truth pull the truck over" Charlie said, "Charlie I can't pull the truck over I'm still on probation for that gray hound thing man!" Louis said driving faster. "We are breaking so many laws right now!" Charlie said out of fear "oh when we go to jail I'm telling everybody you a hair dresser!" Louis said even more scared.

After running a red light and having a car crash into the back of the truck the door swung open letting a few of the TVs fly out. "Not today!" I yelled climbing to the front, "that wasn't my fault!" I heard Louis yell, then saw him bump into a car and made a chain reaction bumping into other cars. "That was my fault" he admitted before we all screamed from the immense chaos we had brought upon the streets.

After more turns we met a road block of police cruisers, which had been totaled by an incoming delivery truck full of fish. At first I didn't think we were gonna make it at his speed but then Louis managed to pull to off, miraculously. "Are we dead?" I asked, "oh yeah my man!" I exclaimed giving my black friend a high five. "I think the dog just peed on me" Charlie said holding Waffles on his lap, "nope I think I peed on him" he said putting the dog down.

Using my mutant sense of smell I realize he was right, "eww" I groaned pinching my nose.

Later on we arrived at a warehouse "pull the truck over, I am getting out" the white hairdresser said. " or you can bill on me now I need to stash these TVs until the heat cools down" Louis replied. "Come on we only have six TVs le..." he was cut off when a tv fell out of the back with me alongside it... "make that five..." I groaned as they both pulled me up.

While they grabbed one I got two and we carried them in when a man came up to us "Charlie?" "Tommy?!". Apparently this was one of Sal Maggio's warehouses... "i didn't know!" Louis defended. "You didn't know?!" "I didn't know!" They argued then looked at me, "Hey don't look at me I didn't know either!" I said before the police showed up again. "You brought he Heat here Charlie are you crazy?!" Tony yelled "I didn't know Tommy I swear I didn't know!"

"Shoes on the other foot now! RUN!!!" I yelled jumping onto a nearby metal girder and began to climb it. "Come on come on hurry" I yelled, Louis picked up Waffles and we ran, "quick up here" I called as they followed me. After the two passed me on the stairs I grabbed two barrels and hurled them down to keep the cops off our tail.

After a while we reached a dead end "dead end Louis, dead end!" Charlie muttered thinking it was the end. "Don't hunks so Charlie Look!" Louis said pointing to a nearby chute, "we don't even know where that goes" Charlie remarked. "Don't care, any please is better than this and jail! JERONIMO!!!!" I yelled jumpin down, only to land in the ocean.

"Well... I did say any place is better" I said floating on the surface. Right when Louis came down, and now Charlie,