The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there? — Jack Kornfield
"Where is she?"
"Come on out you little freak!"
"I think she's a witch!"
"Find her!"
"Find the witch!"
"Find the witch! Find the witch! Find the witch!" A chant started up among the children as they ran across the park to the woods beyond.
Ivory McCambridge had run into the woods to get away from the torturous children of her school. Throughout the week they would positively torture her during school. Pulling her black hair behind the teacher's back, tugging the chair out from underneath her when she was going to sit down then telling the teacher that she fell. At first they were torturing her, calling her a freak because of her different coloured eyes, one was forest green the other cerulean blue, 'heterochromia' is what the doctors said it was, but the kids at school didn't care about that. All they cared about was the fact that she was different from them.
Then she made the biggest mistake of her young life, there was a little potted plant on the window sill of their classroom that they were supposed to be taking care of. Something about teaching responsibility to a bunch of seven year olds, but Ivory was the only one that paid attention to it. For reasons she couldn't understand until now. The plant was dying because no one else bothered to take care of it, so Ivory reached out to pet it as if she was saying goodbye when something amazing happened. The withered plant started to glow and grow, lush green leaves taking over the browns and the plant was suddenly standing tall and alive like nothing happened.
Needless to say Ivory was shocked staring down at hands in disbelief when a gasp from the door caught her attention.
"Everyone!" the little girl said running from the classroom, "Ivory's a freak! Guess what she did!"
That led to her entire class rushing into the room to see the plant for themselves, before they started pointed and jeering.
"Freak!"
They chased her out of the classroom with the insulting taunts and into the words just beyond the playground.
"Come on out Ivory." One of the bigger boys sing-songed much to the amusement of his peers.
Ivory was hiding in a natural alcove in one of the trees a hand over her mouth holding her breath hoping that they would pass by her hiding place. Luck wasn't on her side.
"I found her." One of the boys cried a meaty hand wrapping around her arm and pulling her from her hiding place despite her protests.
"Come on Ivory."
"Fight back freak."
Their voices blended into one as the pushed her around.
"Stop." The black haired girl whispered.
They didn't.
One of them pushed her so hard they she fell down to the ground, skinning her hands and knees. No one made a move to help her because of course they wouldn't, instead they pointed and laughed some more.
Ivory breathed deeply through her nose and got to her feet, the kid's laughter slowly began to taper off when the trees in the woods began to rustle. They went silent and took a few steps back when the tress started to shake almost violently.
"Ivory?" One of the kids ask cautiously when she raised both her arms from her sides.
"Let's get out of here!" Someone shouted and though the turned to run away they didn't made it very far when Ivory threw her arms forward and vines suddenly sprang from the trees wrapping around each of the children one by one pulling them off of their feet and into the air. They screamed in terror as the vines tightened around them to the point of pain.
"Ivory!"
"Stop!"
"It hurts!"
"Help!"
"Help us!"
They children tangled up in the vines screamed and cried as the vines tightened to the point of excruciating pain. But she couldn't stop, she was hurting them but she couldn't stop, she didn't know how.
"IVORY!"
The children screamed nearly in unison as several cracks were heard and they suddenly stopped, hanging limply from the vines they were tangled in.
Ivory stood in shock as her arms lowered and the vines slowly slithered back into the trees, taking the children with them, but before they completely disappeared into nature a shrill scream was heard from behind her. She turned to see the teacher standing there with a hand clasped over her mouth and tears in her eyes.
"Ivory? What did you do?" she questioned slowly lowering her hand and taking in the scene, the children now fully apart of the trees which stood tall once more as if nothing happened. "Ivory?" the teacher repeated, but Ivory couldn't answer because she didn't know what to say, she did not know what just happened. So instead she turned and ran, she ran straight through the woods, off the playground and out of the schoolyard. Running straight home.
It usually took the bus about 15 minutes to get from Ivory's house to the school, so for the seven year old on foot it took nearly a half hour especially considering she was utterly exhausted from what had just happened at the school.
"Momma?" Ivory cried bursting through the backdoor tears rolling down her cheeks. "Momma?" she called again being met with silence from the house.
"Ivory?" her mother called from the kitchen and she let out a sigh of relief heading there only to be stopped in the doorway once she took a look at her mother's face.
"Momma?" she questioned withering like a plant under the weight of the fierce glare directed towards her, the likes of which she'd never seen before on her mother.
"Ivory Anne, what did you do?" Her mother questioned sounding terrified and disappointed at the same time.
"I didn't mean to." Ivory said nearly trembling as she repeated it.
"You're school called." Her mother said keeping a careful distance between them, "They told me what you did."
"It was an accident momma."
"Don't call me that." Her mother snapped, "No daughter of mine will be one of those things." She hissed the last word.
"Momma?" she was crying again, terrified out of her mind if her mother was saying what she thought she was.
"Get out." She hissed again.
"What?"
"Get out!" she mother snapped throwing a bag at her, Ivory just barely managed to catch it before it hit her full on in her face. "And don't come back."
"But-"
"Get out!" her mother roared and Ivory jumped but slowly backed towards the door, taking one last look at her mother, heterochromia eyes filled with tears before taking off out the back door again and continuing to run.
Ivory ran for days, she stopped, she rested, she cried then she ran some more. She did catch glimpses of the local newspapers and splashed across the front was the name of her school and the words '13 Children Dead, No Bodies Found'. She was sure her name was in there somewhere listed as a fugitive seeing as her teacher did see her, so she keep running.
Until she simply couldn't run anymore, she was seven years old. She needed food, and sleep, neither of which she had gotten much of in the last few days, the bag her mother had thrown to her had clothes in it but that was it. Other than that she was left with the uniform on her back.
Ivory ran to the edge of the city and found herself in front of a large brick building, she could hardly make out the words on the plaque outside the gate before she promptly passed out.
When she woke it was to feeling of a warm wet cloth slowly stroking the side of her face, she slowly opened her eyes to find herself staring up at an unfamiliar brown ceiling. She heard soothing humming to her right at the person cleaning her face seemed quite content.
"You're awake." The voice observed gently and Ivory sat up, regretting it a moment later when her head started to spin, "Be careful dear, you must be exhausted." Ivory whimpered when the cloth was dabbed against her head again, "There, there." The voice cooed, "You're alright, how do you feel?"
"Thirsty." Ivory croaked out and the voice hummed.
"Well, I'm not surprised, let's get you a drink." The cloth left her forehead and Ivory blinked her bleary eyes coming into focus, taking in the sight of a well-worn kitchen and the person that belonged to the voice. It was a women, around her mother's age probably a bit older dressed in a long black rope and matching headpiece that had a white stripe along the front. She was a nun, Ivory realized when she turned back around, a glass of water in her hand and the rosary around her neck confirming Ivory's thoughts. "Here you go dear." She said handing her the glass and Ivory gulped it down.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome dear." The Nun said kindly.
"Where am I?"
"You're at Mother Mary's Home for Youth's, an orphanage dear." She explained.
"How did I get here?"
"We found you outside, you looked positively exhausted. But given your last few days I could understand."
"You know me?" Ivory asked sitting up straighter preparing to run again if need be.
"Yes I do," the nun said smiling sadly, "Unfortunately it's difficult not to know who you are my dear."
"I didn't mean to." Ivory pleaded ready to cry all over again, "It was an accident."
"I know dear, it's alright, you don't have to be afraid here."
"Really?"
"Really. And you can stay here as long as you'd like. You're safe."
"I'm not- I'm not a normal child."
"I know, I get that." The nun said tipping up her chin, "But God doesn't make mistakes my dear, not with you or any of the others like you."
And they Ivory was sopping all over again for a different reason now, collapsing into the nun's arms and sobbing into her shoulder. Finally she could breathe again.
Ivory stayed at the orphanage for the next thirteen years of her life, making her twenty years old now. Since she wasn't technically a ward of the state, she didn't have to leave when she turned eighteen, not that it would matter as she had nowhere to go. The mother that had kicked her out their house died a few years ago and she had no siblings, neither did her mother.
But that was alright, the people at the orphanage became her new family, much more loving and accepting than her old one. The children there, looked up to her, and the nun that found her, Sister Theodosia, became everything she could ever want in a mother, the rest of the nuns had also grown to care for her in different ways. Although Ivory could never see herself joining their fellowship she did respect it, and in turn they respected her decision.
It turns out Ivory couldn't have stumbled upon the orphanage at a better time, they were running low on food and the state was refusing to pay them, in order to provide at least somewhat for the children at the orphanage the nuns had planted a garden, but it was impossible to grow anything. That was until Ivory came along.
The twenty year old herself blossomed like a flower in spring, her curves rounding out once she hit puberty giving her an hourglass figure that was a bit heavier on top, she was about average height at five feet six inches, her thick hair jet black and reaching down to her waist, her heterochromia eyes still the most striking part about her.
Now she was in her room, the one at the very back of her building so she could overlook her garden, kneeling in front of her window and running her fingers over her plants that lined her window sill. When there was a knock at the door.
"Ivory," Sister Theodosia said poking her head into the room, "You have visitors."
Visitors? Ivory wondered, she was twenty years old, far too old to be adopted, but still stood up from when Sister Theodosia opened the door to allow her visitors to enter.
"Hello Ivory," The shorter man with the blue eyes said with a soft smile, "I'm Charles Xavier."
Charles stepped forward with an outstretched hand the same soft smile on his face while his companion closed the door behind him. Ivory was curious but not fearful of these men.
"Ivory McCambridge." She said shaking his hand.
"It's lovely to finally meet you." Charles said releasing her hand and Ivory furrowed her brow, what did her mean by finally? Ivory wondered and to her great surprise Charles smiled again, "All in good time." He said brightly and Ivory was only more confused. "Why don't we have a seat?" Charles offered and Ivory nodded taking a seat at her desk while, Charles sat on the edge of her twin bed and looking back at the other man by the door, "Erik, why don't you join us?"
The taller man came over to join them casually taking a seat next to Charles, "Erik Lehnsherr." He said politely inclining his head towards her.
"Ivory." She said nodding in response to the taller man, "So what brings you gentlemen to Mother Mary's? If you're looking to adopt there's a sweet little girl a few doors down who just turned four."
"And I'm sure someone will come along to offer her a lovely home, but that is not what we're here for. We're here for you Ivory."
"You're doctors?" She summarized for herself, that was the only other explanation she could think of, "Some wants to have me looked at?"
"No." Erik spat.
"Ivory, were working with a special division of the CIA." Charles finished.
"You're here to arrest me?" Ivory guessed again without a hint of fear, surprising them both, "Well, you took your time."
"We're not here to arrest you." Erik spoke and she looked at him, "We're here to recruit you, into a battle for our kind."
"Our?" Ivory repeated confused. Erik's lip twitched in what was almost a smile before he took his hand out from where it was resting in his pocket and lifted it, to her shock Ivory's metal chair she was sitting in began levitating a few inches off the ground. Erik gently lowered her back down looking quite pleased at the shock on her face.
"Heterochromia." Charles said once she was back on the floor, "Your eyes, one green, one blue very rare in most living things, you know what that is don't you. It's a mutation."
Ivory took a deep breath, "You move metal," she said nodding to Erik, "You were in my head," she said looking back to Charles, "I thought I was the only one."
Charles looked at her in sympathy, "I can assure you Ivory, you're not nearly as alone as you think you are." He placed a hand on her knee, "With our help, you can be doing so much more than tending to gardens."
"I've hurt people before."
"We've all done something." Erik said nonchalantly and she looked at him, "What matters is how you move on from it."
That seemed to be the last of their speech as they both stood Ivory following suit, "When you come to a decision I will know," Charles said tapping his temple, "We'll be by in the morning to pick you up."
"How do I know I can trust you?" Ivory said without looking back at them.
"Maybe you can't, but you won't know unless you join us." Erik answered then the door to her room opened and then closed signaling that they'd left her alone to ponder.
And the next up in a long lone of plot bunnies that ran wild in my head until I write them is this lovely little X-Men story.
Partially written for one of my all time loyals Ivana Bocanegra, I say partially because I had this sort of idea in my head a while ago but my massive Steve/Aphrodite story has been taking up so much of my time, that I didn't have time to fully flesh out what I wanted. But since that story's on hold for now I had a lot of time to tackle those ideas that have taken up for to much time just being in my head. She gave me an awesome outline that I tweaked a few things here and there, but now here we are.
Hope you all enjoy.
As always let me know what you think and what you'd like to see in the future.
Just FYI, I don't plan to make a habit of accepting requests of this nature to write a full blow story for one of my readers, but it just so happens that Ivana knocked on the right door to reignite my interest in writing this story which I had tossed around in my head a while ago (Also she was relentlessly annoying in the best of ways). So I'm not saying it could happen, but throw some suggestions my way, we'll see what lands.