AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hi everyone! My name is Emi and I have not written or even thought about writing fan fiction for almost... 4 years now and I thought, why not? I fell in love with the idea of creating a Quicksilver/OC fan fiction for a while now and after sketching up some ideas visually about a character as well as plot for the story I set out and began writing. I plan for this to be a sort of long-burn type story that will be free form as it develops. I have some of it written thus far and if there is interest I will be able to post more without a long wait. Thankfully, I have my sister to read the drafts before I send this out to check grammar and what not.

Thank you for taking your time to read this story and I hope you find it enjoyable. Without further a do here is Penelope Cobb.

When I was younger I used to play with the shadows. Shadows never run from you, they never get afraid, they never judge; they simply follow without worry.

My first friend was my own shadow whom I lovingly named Frank. Frank and I would go on adventures; some days we were treasure hunters running away from pirates who wanted to steal our gold and on others we would partake in our imaginary tea and finger sandwiches and waltz as best we could to music that played only in my own head. The fact that I didn't really have any other friends didn't bother me Frank was as good as any, he understood me and was always ready to play.

All was normal, we were a happy family until, Dad left when I was 7.

8 Years Ago

"Penny, don't you think you want to play with friends who are real?" my father asked me with my mother standing behind him with an encouraging smile on her face. My eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Two nice kids just moved in next door. How about we go meet them?" Mom was nodding her head happily, her smile growing.

"Frank is real," I stated looking between the both of them. I've told them both this time and time again. Frank was a good friend he never pulled my hair or made fun of me like the other kids at school. Why didn't anyone want to believe me?

"No honey," this time mom was speaking, "Frank is…he is not really there. He comes from your imagination. He is an imaginary friend." She spoke slowly trying to get her point across. My little head shook furiously. They didn't understand, Frank wasn't imaginary.

"Frank is real!" My voice was getting a little louder as I became more frustrated. My blue eyes were starting to get blurry with the tears that started to form as I stared at my shadow that rested against the wall calmly. "He can move things," my voice was small as my eyes went back to my parents only to see them sigh and give a glance to each other. They didn't want to hear it again. They thought I was lying. "Frank can move on his own too, I can show-"

"Penny, that's a shadow," my father pointed a finger at the shadow on the wall in return casting his own. He was beginning to get angry. My mother placed a hand on his shoulder in support and to hopefully calm down some of his nerves. It didn't work.

"He doesn't move like a normal shadow! I can show you, let me show you!" I yelled. "Yours too! Yours can move! Just watch the wall!" I looked my father in the eyes until he let out another sigh and his gaze shifted to the wall where his shadow still pointed at mine. "Watch, I'll prove it to you. Frank is real." I was speaking more to myself at this point. I lifted my arms and pointed my hands at the two shadows against the wall smiling at myself as Frank stayed in his original position. My little fingers twitched as I focused on controlling the two shadows in front of me. "Now Frank," I said with a smile on my face, "please shake daddy's hand!" I giggled as Frank moved as did my father's shadow. They shook hands and then began playing a round of Thumb War.

I turned myself around to look back at my parents still giggling, "I told you!" I smiled up at my parents pleased that I had not only made Frank move but my father's shadow as well. The smile on my face dropped instantly as I took in the looks on my parent's faces. They were no where near happy. My father's face was dark and filled with anger, his hands in tight fists shaking at his sides, my mother's was horror struck and it looked as if she was going to cry right then and there.

"Daddy…," again my voice was small—I was frightened, not understanding why they weren't happy for me. I slowly made my way towards him, reaching out my hand to his own only to have him slap it away and take a large step back a sneer plastered on his face. He looked at me with such animosity and hatred. Quickly, my gaze shifted to my mother, "Mommy, what's wrong? Are you mad that he's real?" I was so confused, why weren't they happy to know Frank wasn't imaginary? I took a step in her direction only to have her take a step back just like my father had. She was shaking her head now tears falling down her cheeks.

"She's a monster," my father seethed. I stumbled backwards, tears were now making their way down my face. He was so angry. "She is one of those genetic monstrosities! What did you give birth to Susan?!" I wasn't able to understand some of his words, they were too big, but they were so angry. My mother was still crying, sobs wracking her whole body. What did I do wrong.

"P-Peggy Marie C-Cobb," she choked out in between sobs taking and another breath to steady herself, "Go outside." I nodded and left to the front porch, Frank following close behind. I sat down on the bottom step of the porch and grabbed one of the many brightly colored bouncy balls that littered the grass holding it tightly in my hands and staring at the house next door attempting to block out the shouts coming from inside the house, flinching every so often when some sort of glass was tossed to the floor.

My lips were trembling again, still unsure of what was happening, unsure of the reasons for the fighting. They had to do with me and Frank—the fighting was because of me. I made my way off the porch and further into the front yard getting away from the loud argument, sniffing back tears that threatened to fall. I moved my fingers again thinking about Frank and the shadow moved across the ground. Plopping myself in the grass I tossed the ball into the lawn smiling lightly as I made the shadow push it back again. This went on for a while, Frank momentarily made me forget what was going on inside behind the closed front door.

"Hey," a voice came from the front yard of the house next door. My eyes widened and my hand formed into a fist calling Frank back to my side. "How'd you do that?" The voice belonged to a boy with strange silver hair and dark eyes. His words were weird, lightly mixed with an accent I'd never heard before.

"Why's your hair that color?" The boy smirked at me as I approached him, eyes wide and curious.

"I asked first," my eyes shifted away from his own to my shadow on the ground and my eyebrows furrowed before my gaze met his again. What was going on inside my house came back to mind, would he react the same way? Would he get angry or scared? "You in there?" He questioned again this time poking at my forehead.

Liking my lips nervously, my fingers started to move at my side as I willed my shadow to move across the ground catching the attention of the silver haired boy in front of me. The smirk on his lips grew into a a toothy grin which caused the breath I didn't even know I was holding release. "This," I says again moving my fingers instructing the shadow to push the ball I had been playing with perviously towards the boy, "is Frank my shadow." A small smile was now on tugged at the corner of my lips and the silver haired boy raised an eyebrow.

"Seems more like an… Elroy to me," he says with a smile which caused me to laugh. "Frank is a weird name for a shadow." He spoke like there was nothing at all wrong with what was going on around him. He picked up the ball at his feet and handed it to me, "I'm Peter by the way."

I reached for the ball in his hands only to drop it when the front door of my house flew open, my father with suitcases in hand heading towards his car, my mother yelling his name after him, tears streaming down her face. I watched him with wide eyes as he threw everything in the car, started the engine and, left without a second glance. My gaze shifted to the ground once more, my shadow pulling close to my body until it was right underneath me.

"Who was that?" Peter asks, I look up at him to see his face scrunched up like he had ate a lemon.

I chewed at my thumb, a habit I've been told to stop numerous times, with a frown on my face. "My dad," I say as I look over to my mother who has her hands cupped to her face, wiping away tears that still spilled. She took a few shaky breaths attempting to break her sobbing.

"Penny, it's…it's time to come in-inside," she walked back inside after beckoning for me. I turn to Peter again giving him a nod and a small smile before heading back inside my house, weary of what I was going to find.

"Talk to you later Penny!" the boy shouts from his lawn causing a smile to tug at my lips again. Before closing the door behind me I will my shadow onto the house making it wave at Peter, hearing his laugh as I shut the door and take on the damage done by my father.

Present Day

We found a sort of normalcy again after dad left. I had learned that what 'Frank' was, was not a friend rather, my mutation, I had the ability to manipulate shade and shadow so as a grew up, my shadow had lost its name and became a part of myself.

Mom, while accepting of who I was, what I was, was still weary at times but it helped that the silver haired boy and I, as well as his sister Wanda which I learned he had after our first encounter, had become the best of friends. Did I forget to mention the little detail of them being mutants as well? Whenever mom has doubts she goes to Magda, the twins mother, for reassurance and advice about all things mutant, she had become a support for my mother after Peter and Wanda came into their powers.

"Whatcha writin'," I was startled out of my own world and dropped the pencil I had previously been writing with to see Peter smirking at me mischievously.

"Nothing your little brain could understand," I retorted about to put my notebook away only to find it no longer in my hand. "PETER!" I yelled snapping my head up to where he was previously, now with my notebook in his hand, his eyes scanning the writing quickly laughing to himself. "C'mon give it back!" I rush to his side and attempt to snatch the book only for him to raise it out of my grasp.

Peter looks down at me with a smirk that makes me narrow my eyes. "You really should've named your shadow Elroy," he laughs pushing me down onto the beanbag I had previously occupied, throwing my notebook into my book bag.

"Asshole," I mumble as I zip up my bag only to receive a flick on the forehead and Peter zipping away, returning with an opened box of Twinkies. Peter continues to shove one in his mouth and throws one my way. "We're gonna be late and you can't afford another tardy," I say tossing my book bag over my shoulder.

As if on cue Wanda shouts from the top of the stairs, "Let's go! The car is leaving NOW!" Peter rolls his eyes as we run upstairs and head out to school.