Heavenly Lights

Beany and Erutan Xiku

Disclaimer: We do not own any of the characters or the cartoon X-Men: Evolution.

Prologue: Part One

Dark, cottony clouds moved lazily across an even darker, velvety sky; their trace of movement barely visible in the late evening. Twinkling stars peeked through at various points; some clustered together, some spread over a wide distance. All in all, the night sky was a beautiful sight, accompanied by a cool, light breeze that washed its way in, caressing the figure of a tall, teenaged boy who stood just inside the entrance of a balcony. He had come to a stop in his pacing, pausing to gaze up at the heavens, as he was prohibited from leaving the grounds of his large real-estate home.

The building stood tall and proud, reflecting the prosperity and status of the Worthington family. The smooth, whitewashed mansion stood within its own estate. A white-gravel path lead the way to the entrance; forming from the security gate then splitting and wrapping about a rose garden, the shrubs of which circled about a statue of an angel. Twin Doric columns carved out of white marble rose up to support a canopy with a triangular-shaped, Greek-patterned roof, which stood above the entrance to the mansion. The rest of the residence had more of a contemporary look, though an evident European influence was discernible.

Windows dotted the high-class building and balconies decorated the first and second floors an indicator of private rooms. Apart from the ground floor, a single lit room stood out against the darkness, located on the farthest room of the left-hand second floor. This was where the young male figure was standing, gazing up at the night sky with a look of longing.

A soft knocking at his door caught his attention, and he turned his head slightly, voicing permission for the person to enter. His tone of voice was one of indifference, a defence mechanism he had developed to cope against the person he least wanted to see because of his condition. The door creaked open slowly, and he tensed a little, as he turned his attention back to the sky above. Soft footsteps could be heard, followed by the gentle click as the door was closed. He relaxed, feeling the familiar presence of his mother, who fully accepted who he was.

"Warren" the woman's soft voice began, "are you alright, dear?" she asked, stepping up beside him. He turned to face his mother, a smile upon his features.

"Yes, I'm fine mother," he assured, his expression soft and sincere. Kathryn Worthington gazed at her son a moment, then cast a look over his room somewhat awkwardly.

It was a large space; furnished sparsely but lavishly. His bed was on one side, framed by ornate bedside cabinets, with shelves lining the wall to the right, laden with all sorts belongings, from books to souvenirs and random trinkets. Below the lowest shelf was a desk, bearing neat piles of study books and completed assignments on one side, and a personal computer, with its peripherals, occupying the rest of the space.

The opposite wall had a fixed three-door wardrobe, the centre door bearing a full-length mirror. A chest of drawers sat beside it, topped with various cologne bottles to suit every mood, occasion and motivethough most were hardly used. A wide-screen television set occupied the wall opposite the bed, perched atop a matching three-tier, silver entertainment unit. On either side of the television stood twin display cases, filled with neatly aligned videos, DVD's and games.

"I'll be alright" he assured, his tone soft. His mother looked back at him, her eyes searching his. Seeing that she was about to say something, he continued, "I have more than enough to occupy my time with, motherpleasedon't worry,"

"Warren, I'm your mother," she said, a soft smile touching her features, "I'll always worry"

"And lately you've had to do that for two" he countered, fixing her with a meaningful gaze, "MomI can't let you do this to yourself" He stepped back from his mother, spreading his mutation out for her to see, "This is what I ama mutant. I'll always face people like father, it's unavoidableI can't have you worrying about me all my life, all your life-"

"But dear-"

"Kathryn?" a male voice called, breaking their conversation. They both turned their attention towards the door, knowing that the owner of the voice was impatient. "Kathryn!" he repeated, his tone sterner this time. She turned towards her son, an apologetic look in her eyes.

"Warren," she said, placing a hand on his forearm, "I have to go, do take care of yourself in the meantime," The young man nodded, in reply.

"Enjoy the nightI'll be fine," he reassured her once more. Kathryn took in her son's features, a small smile touching her expression for his sake. Knowing time was running short, she turned and left the room, making her way down to her husband. Warren watched her leave and heard the snappish tone of his father.

"You were with the boy, weren't you?" there was a pause, but if she had answered then he hadn't caught it, for his father continued to berate, "how many times must I stress this, he's not our sonnot since thosethosehis mutation appeared, he's a freak and no Worthington child of this house," he heard the front door slam and stepped towards the balcony, watching his parents enter the car and drive away.

His heart ached at what his mother was going through; despite his father's evident disownment, his mother had accepted himhe was still her flesh and blood, regardless of appearance. Whenever he had felt disheartened, sad or troubledhis mother had always been there for him, she was a source of strength, the pillar that kept him standing. Since he was young, he could recall her fondness of him, just how much she loved him. It was a blessing for him, one that he didn't deserve, when she had accepted him after his mutation was revealed. He recalled her words, words that she often repeated to banish his negative thoughts, "You are my angelyou have and always will be, my pure-hearted angel,"

He watched as the car drove towards the gates and out of the estate grounds, making its way to the high-class party his parents had been invited to. The invitation had extended to him as well, but his father had adamantly expressed the fact, in his world, that he had no son and the invitation only extended to him and his wife. Obviously, the host of the party had been misinformed on the members of the Worthington family.

He waited, watching the car until it was no longer in view, and waited a while longer. It was a secret that only he and his mother shared, something they had agreed upon to sate his desire to be freeto wander the earth and get some fresh air. He turned from the balcony and made his way to his chest of drawers, where he extracted a mask that he pulled over the upper half of his face. He returned to the balcony, placing a foot atop the railing as he spread out a pair of magnificent white wings his mutation. He flexed them a bit, leaned forward and clutched the railing. He swallowed, waiting a moment then pushed off, sending himself into the night sky, the cool air washing over him.

He beat his wings to keep himself above the ground, staying where he was a moment, before beating them again to climb higher into the sky. He savoured the sensation of the wind created by his movement; he savoured his freedom as he soared through the sky, flying at his leisure. He circled the estate grounds for a bit, and then followed the road towards the city, intent on making the most of his moment of liberty.