Hypnotized By You If I Should Linger
I do not own the X-Men in any way shape or form. The story is cannon based but it does pull here and there. The content may be offensive to some people to which I apologize but there is always the option of not reading should you get uncomfortable. Constructive criticism is always welcome!
Chapter 1
"I hear hearts beating loud as thunder" China Girl - David Bowie
It's amazing how in the end what life really comes down to is a series of choices. Stay or go, steal or starve, be silent or scream, a thousand decisions to make and God knows just as many paths that your life can take and in the end it can all come down to a damn choice. Jubilee wasn't quite sure why she felt so contemplative all of a sudden and yet as stared out of her bedroom window her mind seemed to be working a mile a minute. The fact that in a four-year time span her life went from attending one of the most prestigious schools in Beverly Hills to becoming a prostitute with a niche in New Orleans just wasn't something she could reconcile at the moment. It was odd really considering most of the time her life just wasn't something she allowed herself to think about, usually she just tried to concentrate on existing in the here and now. Honestly, the present time period usually had enough going on to consume her mind to its most extreme capacity but here with five minutes of freedom her mind had nothing else to do but dwell and it immediately went to the parts of her past she tried the most to suppress.
The day her parents died they had pizza for dinner of this Jubilee was absolutely certain she couldn't remember anything before the gunshots that night other than this stupid and trivial fact. She would happily kill someone just to remember what the last conversation with her parents consisted of, even a comment on the weather would be an appreciated memory just something more resounding than a example of a poor culinary choice. The sound of the gunshots echoing off the walls in the house was the thing that woke her that night. Perhaps there had been muffled shouts from her mother or a call of warning from her father but at the time she had been such a sound sleeper that nothing short of the extreme woke her. The debate that followed the shots on whether or not to get out of bed lasted all of a second, as the curiosity of trying to find the source of that sound had been overwhelming. At twelve no tragedy had yet touched her life and the idea that a double homicide was being committed in the next room never occurred to her. Jubilee had simply thought that her father had fallen asleep with the television on again watching some Chinese movie from his heyday. Any minute she was certain her mother would start yelling at her father in mandarin to shut off the television set and go to sleep before he woke their daughter up. She would just sneak into their room and prove her mother right and be there when her father apologized to her mom. Once he saw her she was sure he would say in his gentle voice "I'll take Jubilation back to bed and be back before you know it." Knowing full well her mother would be asleep as soon as they left the room and he would instead take her downstairs to get some hot chocolate or a piece of cake left over from dessert. The fact that she didn't actually hear a T.V. on as she walked down their crème colored hallway never occurred to her and she tiptoed barefoot towards her parents room inching open the door without a second thought. The door creaked and that was what caught one of the gunmen's attentions their faces were concealed with ski masks but they both stared at her clearly startled by her presence.
"Shit nobody ever said they had a kid!" the taller and leaner of the two shouted waving his gun as he spoke as if he was someone who under normal circumstances spoke with his hands.
"Doesn't fucking matter just grab her quick and bring her over here," the shorter, stocker and clearly the leader of the two said in a rough voice that made Jubilees hair stand on end.
She should have ran for it as quick as her little legs could have taken her, she should have screamed as loud as she possibly could all the way to the neighbors house but instead she just stood there. Instead she stared mesmerized at the bloody masses that could only be her parents and tried desperately to make out their faces. The pieces weren't fitting together quite right and it was with a start that she realized that they must have been shot at pretty close range for their faces to resemble a puzzle like that. The lean gunman grabbed her easily and she didn't even bother to put up any resistance and he dumped her on the floor next to the stocker man and waited for his instructions.
"Go around and grab the car," the gruff voice said and without a moments hesitation the leaner man left the room. "So it's just you and me kid how are we gonna fill the time up huh?"
She wasn't quite certain whether she was intended to respond and in a small voice all she could get out was "Please I don't want to die."
Through his ski mask she could tell he was smirking it was something in the set of his eyes that gave it away. He grabbed her arm with a start and began pulling her in the direction of the master bathroom her legs dragged uselessly on the floor underneath her. The stocky man shoved her hard into the room with enough force that she slammed into the bathtub. Her vision blurred instantly and blood started to seep down onto her shirt as she tried in vain to straighten herself into a seated position but quickly gave up and instead tugged down on her violet nightshirt that had begun to rise.
"You wanna live kid you won't put up a fight you hear me… just stay on the floor and cooperate," as he spoke he began to unfasten the buttons to his pants his gun still grasped tightly in his right hand. He was on top of her before she even realized what was happening. The pain was excruciating as he entered her roughly and Jubilee finally started screaming. It was a pitiful yell and she wasn't sure it had enough volume in it to alert the neighbors. He backhanded her with the butt of his gun on the side of her face hard enough that she tasted the blood instantly and she couldn't be certain but she thought she heard him chuckle briefly when she began crying. Her vision that had been blurry from the head wound began getting worse and she was desperately trying to stay conscious fearful that if she were to pass out she would never awaken again.
"What the fuck are you doing man?" an appalled voice called out from the direction of the door the lean man must have gotten impatient waiting in the car and came back in the house to see what the dilemma was. "She's a fucking kid man, a fucking kid, get off of her. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Oh shut up we just killed her parents don't grow on conscious on me now. You're going to hell just like I am."
"What are we going to do with her?" was the response still rough with anger but quieter somehow.
"Just leave her here. A kid like that ain't gonna survive to long on her own. She probably hasn't spent a day by herself; the streets will finish her off just as quick as a gun shot would."
The pressure over her began to feel lighter and she could vaguely see the stocky man pulling his pants back on. As she passed out she wondered why he hadn't shot her yet and reconsidered the desire to stay alive, maybe with some luck she would see her parents coming for her. They might be coming to take her wherever you go when you die because it had to be better than what was left at home.
Her bedroom door opened behind her pulling her out of her reverie something that she was grateful for. The peach colored bedroom that she currently resided in was courtesy of the escort agency she "worked for". The agency was definitely not legal and you could not find advertisement space for it in any book but nonetheless it thrived and obtained it's cliental solely by word of mouth. Emma Frost the head and founder of the agency found Jubilee on the streets when she was fourteen living as a petty thief and stealing just enough to survive. Emma was a telepath and was scanning the area for any young women of unfortunate circumstances who happened to be mutants. Jubilee's mutant powers had manifested only that year and were both unpredictable and hard to control. The plasma she could now generate from her fingertips were great for blinding people she needed to run from and could also cause quite a lot of damage to property and person when she so chose. In exchange for a room, a stable food source, and a portion of the money that Jubilee earned she had to meet men in need of companionship who for varying reason might be unable to acquire female company or the regular Joe who was curious about mutants. As Jubilee was in need of money and after the unfortunate night when she was twelve was firmly committed to surviving at any cost she accepted the offer. Everyone who worked at Chance Encounters was a mutant female between the ages of 14-35 every size, shape, race, and a number of differing mutant ability existed here. "Baskin Robbins eat your heart out" Jubilee thought idly.
Having sex with random men was hard at first and it never quite stopped being frightening but she chalked it up to necessity and at the age of sixteen was able to compartmentalize her emotions enough that she didn't outwardly hate herself for the most part except late at night when she was alone.
"Jubilation it is almost time for your appointment there will be a car waiting for you by the front door as usual. Should anything…," her silky voice hesitated for a moment before she continued, "problematic occur please call the front desk and we will do what we can to assist you. His name is Joseph McGuire he has an unfortunate mutation that gives him a bit of a reptilian like appearance, please do your best to make him feel comfortable in your presence. He has paid up until 1:00am I know I don't need to tell you that you are representing the agency and all satisfactory encounters result in repeat costumers and new cliental." Jubilee hardened inside at the mention of problematic situations, things like that did tend to happen now and again. Men tended to believe that because the woman happened to be mutants they were somehow capable of handling more damage than "normal" women. There were also the clients now and than who couldn't help but cause damage. It was for situations like this that one of the people on the agency's payroll was a gentleman with the helpful ability to heal others. As long as the injury, virus, or disease was not life threatening it could be taken care of.
" First off the name is Jubilee please stop calling me Jubilation I don't appreciate it. Secondly I know the score Frosty I've been here for two years you know I know the deal by now but why is it you can never resist telling me the same thing daily?" Jubilee asked turning towards Emma her voice filled with sarcasm. She silently took in Emma's appearance blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, tall and lilthe. The woman was always the walking definition of sex it also helped that she always dressed like a playboy model forced into wearing a business suit. Business suit never quite conservative enough wonder bra at the ready.
"Because it is my job Jubilee and because sometimes I think you need more reminding than most."
"You know it's not my problem some men can't take a joke," Jubilee laughed
"Be that as it may please try to be on your best behavior," Emma turned to leave and then paused for a moment, "Oh, and one more thing I believe the school uniform will suffice for today innocent not a temptress." And with that she walked out of the room shutting the white bedroom door as she left.
"Time to get to business," Jubilee sighed to herself as she made her way across the short distance of her room and opened the closet door. Inside lined up on hangers were varying clothing gathered throughout her duration here each one intended to satiate someone's fetish, dream, or fantasy. She couldn't help but cringe a little as pulled out the school uniform; it never failed when someone wanted the innocent schoolgirl she always felt the need to scrub extra hard in the shower at the end of the night. Pulling on the blouse and skirt she went to the full-length mirror to put the finishing touches. Even though she was sixteen she could easily still pass for twelve especially with the right outfit on she pulled her waist length jet-black hair into two pigtails. Knee high socks, Mary Jane's, and after a short debate a backpack and she was ready to go. In the black car she calmed herself down mindlessly creating and destroying the "fireworks" she created with her hands. "It's already 10:00pm it'll be 10:30 by the time we arrive just 2 ½ hours and it'll be over" she thought to herself, "just 2 ½ hours and you'll be headed back…" she hesitated over the word home which she initially thought of using, "just 2 ½ hours and you'll be back." She thought more firmly sure it might not be home but clearly she could be in worse places and she would know that better than most.
Remy Lebeau was having a long night. He had performed a heist on a wealthy house in the area earlier having managed to get his hands around some priceless paintings and jewelry that were sure to amount to more than a few hundred thousand. After that he had been more than ready to call it a night but as fate would have it relaxation was not in the cards for him just yet and if anyone knew about what was in the cards it was Remy. A fellow guild member had approached him with a request from Jean-Luc to meet with a gentlemen who apparently had information on a house not to far from his target tonight with more than it's share of worthwhile artifacts to choose from. If the message had been from anyone other than his own father he would not have gone and it was for him and him alone that he sat in the pallor of Mr. McGuire's home listening to him ramble on endlessly about everything but what he needed to hear.
"So I says to the guy listen, you may need me but I sure as hell done need you. Ya know what I mean. I mean the nerve of some people trying to take you out of house and home without so much as a by your leave," Joseph prattled on and for his life Remy had no idea what he was talking about. If he could he would have duct taped the mans mouth right now but for the sake of his father and the guild he smiled his award winning smile and nodded in all the right places. Suddenly one of Mr. McGuire's men made his way into the room silently standing by his bosses chair clearly used to the endless amounts of talking. Remy surveyed the man and his helper, Joseph reminded him of a lizard in appearance looking out of place in his high backed chair. The clothes he wore were designer and could only be accomplished by a personal tailor, it was just a guess but most designer suits don't come with holes for tails. His helper who as of the moment due to lack of introduction remained nameless was serious and well built; his demeanor screamed ex-military. The way the man stood he seemed like he could wait forever silently standing guard. Joseph finally seemed to notice he was standing there and leaned in to hear what was going on. Whatever it was Remy noticed it made him smile and as he turned to face back at him the look on his face finally said business.
"Seems I lost track of time and here it is 10:30 I uh, have a uh, appointment I need to keep so lets get down to business. You wanted to know what artifacts the house I told your friend about has right?" he fiddled with his tie as if eager to have the conversation over with.
"Dat I do. Remy hears you're the man to go to for information. Right, no?" he had to admit he was happy for the change in demeanor, whatever was happening he silently thanked. Freedom was so close he could taste it.
"Yeah so the house has all sort of artifacts from Egyptian excavations apparently the guy who owns the house was a pretty good archeologist in his day and managed to collect quite a fair share of goodies. He's been living off of what he found for years now and a man inside tells me he kept some of the more worthwhile things for himself and donated some of the less impressive stuff to museums. I had this guy who told me, he's works as a security guard there, let in one of my personal appraisers while the mister was out and I was told your looking in the millions."
"Ahh, well now Remy is very thankful for all your help I only got one last question monsieur and that's if you can't point Remy in the right direction once he's in the house."
"Oh that's easy enough sub-basement vault; standard enough security measures cameras, codes, infra-red and the like nothing out of your resume."
"Merci Mr. McGuire now about your payment."
"Right well…" and that he stopped short and Remy could see the reason why approaching from the right was the man who had stopped in moments earlier only this time he wasn't alone. Standing next to him was a young girl in a school uniform carefully looking around her as if making mental notes of the nearest exists. At first glance she looked about eleven maybe twelve but with a more careful inspection Remy would place her more towards fifteen to seventeen. She was a beauty Asian features, slight build, pale skin, jet black hair, short maybe just 5'1, and what caught Remy's attention most was the color of her eyes a pale blue shining out among her dark bangs and pigtails. She eyed Mr. McGuire with a calculating stare and you could only see her gauging what Joseph wanted if you knew what you were looking for. Joseph was eyeing her like a hungry vulture perusing her body and touching her with feather light touches. She giggled right on cue.
"Hi Mr. McGuire it's a pleasure to meet you," she said in a sweet voice shifting her weight back and forth all but bouncing in place.
"Call me Joseph and your name is?"
"Jubilee…Joseph" she all but fluttered with excitement as she said his name. Joseph seemed to realize Remy was still in the room and standing possessively around the girl he eyed him critically. Remy knew he was a ladies man and he knew he was too good looking for his own good, not his words but his fathers. He used his charm many a time on unsuspecting ladies and for the endless chatter Joseph put him through he was almost tempted to charm the young lady in front of him right out of McGuire's grasp. Yet even though he knew she was older than she appeared at first glance the outfit made her look so young Remy felt sick even kidding about the idea… maybe if she was dressed her age. He was twenty-eight and it creeped him out, how McGuire got off on it at forty was beyond him.
"Right well the payments two hundred and fifty and we call it a night," Joseph's tone was curt his green eyes darting back and forth towards Jubilee.
"Bon," Remy counted the bills quickly and handed it to Joseph. In that moment the girl at his side looked up and him. His red on black eyes stared into those pale blue ones and there was something off about them. He felt the sudden urge to grab her and run. Instead he turned to walk out and while he walked past them he took one last look in her eyes, he was sure the dead expression he saw staring back at him would haunt him for the rest of his life.