This is my first published bit of fanfiction. All disclaimers apply. Marvel belongs to Marvel. Don't sue. Please feel free to email me at skyrider72@yahoo.com
Everlasting Light
By
Alex Croley
He sat perched on a ledge that was two feet wide. Rocking back and forth on him behind he lost track of time staring down at the empty alleyway below. No one had missed him that was for sure; no one seemed to care...unless he stuttered. Only it was then that people noticed, then everyone would talk. His parents were embarrassed; children his age would laugh and call him stupid and other grownups looked at him with pity. No one then to talk to...no one to actually listen to what he had to say. 'If I disappear no one would care.' He looked carefully at the ground, wondering if he died would anyone notice. Of course he winced at the though of dying...it to him was scary...but the loneliness was all consuming...always there to torture and torment him. Every laugh was another specter, and every critical eye was another nail that stabbed at his heart. It was then that he decided to go away forever.
* * *
Marrow hated the X-Men sometimes...she really did. If it was not her habits of living in the sewers being criticized; then it was that self-righteous dribble that Storm and the others had tried to force feed into her head and that just sucked sometimes. It seemed that everyone was out to make and mold to her in their own image...except Sam...even to go as far as to say that he was the only person on the team that cared and understood that not everyone was cut from the same cloth. Maybe even Kitty would come around to her way of thinking given the chance. However, this was nothing that proved that point today as once again Storm and that old coot Wolverine tried to force her to train with the other team members. That was what broke her and she'll be damned if she came back until she found a way to work out her frustrations.
Right now, she though, I'll play a little game of 'cat and mouse'. As fate would have it however there were no 'mice' to play with which only served to annoy and frustrate her even more. 'What is this did the flatline scum finally decide to flee into the dark from me. It isn't...' Her thoughts stopped in mid-sentence as she saw, not more than a half a block a way and a good two stories up, a young boy no more than ten stretching his arms out and trembling shut eyes as if he had just been crucified. As Marrow began to rush for the child jumping on a nearby fire exit trying to get a make of what the little rugrat was doing. Watching him carefully, Marrow saw him lean forward...'The moron is going to jump.' she cursed herself inwardly not seeing anywhere to jump to intercept him.
The young boy's momentum lend him more forward until gravity grabbed him and he began to plummet downward toward the concrete ground. Marrow jumped forward hoping to cushion his fall and hopefully in the process not break her neck at the same time. But there was no way to avoid one or the other from getting hurt...then a spilt second though occurred to her. Grabbing the boy by the waist she drew one of her bone daggers with one hand and held him tightly with the other. She slammed it into a brick wall hoping to slow their momentum.
The plan partially worked, she was able to drive her bone dagger into the wall enough to stop the fall, but then physics took over. Marrow felt the tension from both arms: Her wrist was being pulled out of sorts from holding dearly to the bone dagger in the wall and she felt her shoulder being pulled out of joint which overrode her ability to hold on to the boy any longer. Gritting her teeth and shutting her eyes she tucked the boy and landed back first onto the concrete street. After a few moments she felt the pain of all of her pitruding bones shifting in place and even some breaking. She also felt her shoulder coming back in joint...painfully snapping back into place as if it were attached to a rubberband. To her surprise her wrist, although in considerable pain, sustained no injuries. But there was something else she felt the hot wet tears of the boy she had just saved.
With her good hand she grabbed the child by the scruff of his collar hissing, "Are you nuts boy...just what in the hell do you think you are doing." To her surprise the only response she got from him was several nods and his mouth partially opening as if trying to speak but not having the ability to do so. "Well...speak up child...ungrateful stupid..."
"I..i...i know I..I..I ak..ak..am...ththatss wah wah why I wantteddd to do thththis.", the boy nodded again as if to push the words out of his mouth. "Id id it would nottt make k k a differancsse to anyone."
The sincerity of his words was what caught Marrow off guard. She had never seen someone so young want to give up what Sarah herself began to see as the most precious gift of all. Her angry eyes gave way to what was a glimmer of what could only be described as sympathy. Her soften but gruff voice continued, "But why, you are sure a handsome young man, why would you do such a thing to yourself."
The boy shut his eyes as if to concentrate. Then, while rocking a little, said, "Because I..I..stststutter."
She narrowed her eyes a little...still not comprehending what was so terrible about a little stuttering. So she decided to learn more about him. She steadied herself against a nearby wall and force herself to get up...for the sole reason as to not to attract too much attention. "I do not understand, so ya stutter, so what there is no law against it as far as I know...whatcha name boy." she had released the child only putting her 'good hand' on his shoulder.
The child now a little calmer than before said with a little more even voice, "CCassidy Willliams." hesendtly he reached out to touch one of Marrow's bony petrusions.
Marrow, for her part, only flinch a little letting Cassidy touch them, "Don't worry yourself those are normal for me...the name's Sarah...", somehow the introduction was a surprised to her fore she was only wanting to use her code name instead.
"Do iit hurtt mmuch when yo you break themm.", to his credit Cassidy did not show any amount of fear in him. This not only shocked Marrow to the point of speechlessness but also warmed her in a way that could not be described.
"N..naw as a matter a fact I can pull them out anytime I want to...I'm a mutant.", dropping a fake mask of bravo she began to get feeling back into her shoulder. "Ya know, great powers, great responsibly and what not."
Cassidy began to match a crooked smile that Sarah had on her face. "Do yyoouu savve the wo world and stuff."
"Only when I want to...", her thought drifted back to the fall, she shook herself, "But the real question was and still is why did you try to kill yourself back there?" Once again her eyes narrowed and her arms were crossed with a no nonsense look that froze Cassidy in his tracks.
Cassidy explained why he wanted to jump. The loneliness and guilt that he felt swelled back and it began to make it harder for him to concentrate. Sarah looked at him with the same sympathy that Sam had given her...she could feel his pain as if it were her own because in some sense it was her own. After he was finished with his story Cassidy began to cry once again, but as a reflexive move Sarah brought him close to her and hugged him wanting to find someway of taking away his pain.
When his crying had subsided she knelt down to Cassidy saying, "They are all fools, irresponsible fools who do not know what they say or do, I see a very special and kind-hearted child who is strong and growing stronger by the moment. But know this Cassidy.", Sarah brought his eyes to hers. "To stay strong you must be self-reliant, never give up and I mean NEVER give up on yourself...because you are the only person that matters to yourself in the long run and I see you to be a very strong young man. In that you also will save the world as it were." She honestly did not know where this was coming from. But when she looked at the light in the child's eyes she knew that what she said clicked inside of him.
With a deep breath he looked at her and with deep resolve said, "I wwwill Sarah. I promise..."
Sarah had was about to say something else but she hear what could only be his parents calling him home. She heard the calls getting closer. She smiled and kissed Cassidy on his head saying, "I will hold you to your promise" grabbing the ladder and climbing away.
Off in the distance she watched the reunion of a family and only then understood her own answer. She stepped back into the sewer back to the X-Men...and they would respect her and in turn she would return the respect.
FIN