Brier, a x-men fanfic

Hmm so why am I posting after quite literally years away from this site, in a section I never posted in before? Because I think I have stories I want to tell again, and maybe people who used to read me still want to read them. Maybe I found the spark again. This is a very short story, an introduction if you will. I think I will have fun with this boy.

Brier lowered his eyes to the side walk. "just, just send your thoughs somewhere else, just don't think about what she is saying." he repeated in his mind his lips sealed and his face chalky white
"yea, that's prolly why he left you little shit." her voice was bright, full of self satisfaction at this her latest theory.
"The whore prolly told him the truth, that you were the mailman's kid." she laughed then each burst of sound rough and heavy. "oh wait, you are far too stupid to be someone with a job's kid. She prolly just fucked some druggy in the alley of your piece of shit apartment." she paused to indulge another fit of giggles. "oh wait I've got it, she prolly even took him up and fucked him in the poor shmucks bed."
His mind went white as every step felt like an eternity. He was shaking. "you should be used to it. it's just words. it's just words that don't mean anything." but this thought wasn't enough to keep them out of his head
"god. you are such a waste of.. of.. everything really"
He dared to raise his eyes. There was the driveway and she wasn't watching him. he could run for it, could escape what was coming. Then he caught her eyes as she turned to see what effect her words were having. Such a pretty shade of green really. Such a pretty pale face ringed with bright red curls. Her eyes hardened as her face twisted in a snarl. her hand came around like a snake in motion
"crack"
"even your mother wishes you were never born"
His eyes filled as they squinted with the shock.
"tears? god. You're so pathetic."
There was a buzzing in his head now, like a radio channel going in and out of range.
she smiled satisfied with what she saw in his face, then turned and walked briskly into the house, a bounce in her step. For once there were no thoughts, no words as he followed mutely behind.
"I'm home! oh yea the twerp too." her voice echoed through the two story house from the landing. "I think I'm going to shave his dirty head!" she called out brightly. "guess the whore isn't home." she said in a voice that still carried. There were no thoughts as he fingered his tingling cheek.
"I'm done with you for now shitface." She said as she dropped her bag on the landing and kicked off her new shoes. She seemed to have an endless supply of them. "If you come down stairs you know what will happen" she stated simply. It didn't matter that his room was downstairs too. Or if it did, only in that it was one more thing she could take away from him. He didn't nod, didn't blink, there was not even a shrug of his shoulders to show he understood. But for once she didn't seem to notice his lack of acknowledgement, she was already bounding down the stairs, cell phone appearing like magic. The door slam echoed through him and he blinked finally shaking his head and the unshed tears. He blinked again. He wasn't sure how he had gotten in to the house. Still a bit numb he slowly climbed the stairs, knowing what would happen if he left his bag on the landing.
The sun was filtering through the trees leaving patches of bright yellow green among dark emeralds in the grass. He clung to the rope of the swing letting his feet dangle in the dirt. The slow creaking of the rope against the tree branch was as comforting as the coolness of it against his cheek. He knew that it was a childish thing to be doing, sitting on a tree swing. He was fifteen, beyond the age of such things, and it was too late in the afternoon, too cold out for it. But it was something he had never had before. There weren't that many trees in the city, and certainly no one hung swings from them. He was enjoying it. Wasn't that what his mother had told him he should do? Enjoy this new life, this new big house, new school, new clothing, new life? He had so many new things. What was such a small thing like his pain to keep them from it?
She had changed since his dad left. He couldn't really put his finger on the exact chapter and verse of the change, but she wasn't the same. Before she had never put so much stock in, in things. Pointless worthless things. Before dad had left. Had it really been 5 years ago? he could swear it was closer than that. He could still see their smiling faces. He didn't need a picture, not when it was so crisp in his mind. He was glad of that, because his mother had thrown them all away. Again he wasn't sure when. It could have been even before she had met the doctor. He wasn't sure if that would make him feel better.
It just seemed like he had been transported to another world, a world where everything was wrong. Most of all himself. The buzzing in his head hadn't gone away, merely faded.
He had tried to talk to her, tried to tell her what Mackenzie was doing, what she was saying. Tried to show her the bruises.
"You've always been so clumsy Brier."
"That's silly Mackenzie loves you, don't you remember all those gifts she gave you? She's even sharing her house with you, and hasn't complained at all."
"really now brier, I'm getting sick of all these tales you are telling. It wasn't very funny the first time"
"I'm just not in the mood brier"
After a while he just stopped trying. After awhile it was like she was looking straight through him, not seeing him at all. It was like he had stopped existing.
The swing creaked and he swung slowly back and forth.
It might be dinner time. He could risk going through the back door. He wasn't hungry, he never really was anymore. Everything.. everything always tasted a bit like ash in his mouth. He could use the time to get some of his homework done. If he did well enough maybe he could get in to some far away school. He wouldn't even have to come home for holidays. Maybe he could work on his models. It didn't matter that it was his father that had started him on them, he still loved to make them. That was the reason. She didn't usually bother him when he was in his room. Maybe he would be lucky. He got himself off the swing and grabbed his backpack. he made his way toward the door.
It was trashed. Everything, all his books, his shelves, his models, trashed. his bed turned over, fallen to the floor, pieces of his paintings crumpled and torn on the ground and walls. His hanging planes and planets crashed together in to a pile. His aquarium shattered, the fish crushed among the shards of glass, reduced to bits of brightly colored goo. There were shreds of his papers once collected so neatly in folders thrown like confetti. He fell to his knees, the buzzing in his head getting louder and louder. His eyes darted around the room his fingers reaching but not touching, unable to grasp at any of the small tragedies. Why.. why had she done this?? what.. what had he ever done to her? to any of them? The buzzing was a swarm, a storm, a hurricane in his head now. his fingers grabbed his hair pulling, wanting, the pain rising. His eyes rested on a blank spot on the wall. Everything froze. even the buzzing. it was gone.
He was in the hallway leading to the kitchen, the sound of laughter in the air. His mothers soft full of mirth, the doctors low and throaty. And her laughter, like the sound of bells. Like the sound of an angel.
"and then what did he do?"
"well then he- Brier? What's the matter son." The doctor's voice, already full of reproach. What did you do now? what's wrong with you now? what am I going to have to spend money on now?
"where.." he managed fists clenched.
"he looks like he's going to pop." Mackenzie's self satisfaction shining through a veneer of feigned ignorance.
"brier?" his mother.
"where is it." Each word fought against his closed throat.
"where is what? Spit it out boy." The doctor, impatient already.
"Where is it Mackenzie." He could see the anger in her eyes that he had dared to actually use her name.
"I don't know what you are talking about" her voice full of contempt.
"where is the boat?"
"what boat, what is the boy talking about" The doctor already bored.
"brier?"His mother's confusion turned to focus. It was like she was finally seeing him, but too late.
"oh don't you remember brier? You gave it to me, he gave it to me. He must have forgotten." the buzzing in his head rose with each condescending syllable spilling from her mouth. his face was like a sheet of white, his jaws clenched so hard.
His mothers eyes grew wide, as if realization was finally dawning, as if something was reaching her through the fog. For once it was brier who didn't see, who couldn't see. There was only white
"I'm afraid I accidentally burned it. I was trying to recreate a famous battle for my history class." Her voice so innocent. "It's ashes now. I'm so sorry, I really should have been more careful. What does it matter, it was just a boat. Not even that good of a model even. I have it on tape if you want to watch" her smile grew as her eyes narrowed waiting for his reaction.
"Careful now brier, we have to be careful" his father's voice as he sat in his lap holding the delicate tools maneuvering them through the narrow opening. How safe he had been in that lap, how many hours holding those tools. The first thing they had built together. The first thing his father had allowed him to help with. Even if he had been clumsy, even if it hadn't been very good. It was the only thing he had saved from his mother's purge of their old life. It was all he had left that his father's hands had held. now there was nothing but cinders.
"careful now Brier... careful"
The buzzing became a wine as a bolt of pain shot through his head. blood began to drip from his nose, as he fell in to a crouch cradling his head.
There was the sound of a chair pulling away from the table, but it was distant, an echo that couldn't get through the whine. His eyes, a grey blue on a sunny day, went white. The smell of ash and smoke was in the air. A wind ever so gently toyed with his pale gold hair. He looked up and the wall paper of the kitchen was peeling away, flecking in to ash. Mackenzie's hair so bright, so red, was drifting away in curls of smoke. he looked down and the tiles were darkening around his shoes. He looked up again the doctor's glasses were crumbling away, revealing wide brown eyes filled with fear. Brier stood, the air around him distorting. He reached out with one hand towards Mackenzie's disintegrating face, tracing it's blurring edges with his fingers. His head tilted to the side. " what a strange dream, what a strange wonderful dream." He thought, the pain and his thoughts distant. It was like someone else was thinking, someone else was in pain. someone was screaming but he couldn't hear it clearly. He wondered if it was Mackenzie.
"Wouldn't that just be fair?" he thought "wouldn't that just be justice?" He turned and there stood his mother. Her dress flowing around her, so intensely red. He blinked confused. What was she doing? her arms reached for him, her face a mask of pain. The skin of her fingers was blackening, then dissolving in to nothing, revealing bright red tissue for the briefest of moments then that too was gone. Her golden tresses were flowing upwards and tarnishing, vanishing. He tried to speak but found no words. Where was she going? Was she leaving him too? He reached for her, his hand going through where hers were but moments ago. His lips turned down in confusion. Someone was calling his name. She was dissolving faster now, skin, then muscle, then bone. The edges first then turning inwards. Her tears fell but didn't reach the ground, and then there were no eyes to cry at all.
He blinked and she was gone.
He shook his head denying his senses. It wasn't real. None of this was real. The pain twisted in his head like snakes, and again there were no thoughts. He lunged forward fingers curling around the smoke and then that too was gone. Everything around him was black now, Mackenzie and the doctor nowhere to be found. Everything was ash. the lights were gone, and the walls falling away. Then the floor. He fell forward and then there was nothing at all.

Brier by ~DkarD

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