Chapter Seven
"What a crazy freak earthquake that was," Raven said with an absolute lack of conviction, her eyes as wide as she could possibly make them, as they quickly trotted out to Moira's car.
Xavier shot her an unimpressed glance but Hailey found the corners of her mouth quirking upwards.
"Absolutely," Moira said, and, to her credit, she sounded more convincing than Raven. "We must've brought one with us from the States, huh Hailey?"
"Oh. Yeah," said Hailey bluntly, silently fuming. She hated that Xavier and Raven weren't telling Moira what they knew. It made Moira look like a fool, going along with this story that Hailey was her sister, and being the only one not in on the fact that Xavier – and probably Raven – were mutants too.
She climbed into the backseat, furiously avoiding any thoughts of Shaw. Her family –
But why didn't she remember any of this happening? The newspaper article had said – at least, she thought it had said – that the – her stomach twisted – bodies had been dead since New Year's Eve. Hailey couldn't remember anything of the sort, could clearly remember her…
She swallowed, ignoring the small talk Xavier and Moira were making. She could only clearly remember Shaw inviting her to holiday with him, leaving in a Rolls Royce with him, him looking at her like she was the brightest star in the sky – the other memories, such as her mother and sisters saying goodbye to her, were vague, almost off-putting. And then she'd been out of it for a few days, slipping in and out of reality…
A new thought occurred to her, one that made her heart stop. Maybe the reason they're so vague is because they never happened.
Could a telepath plant new memories in one's head, and while simultaneously wiping others away?
Hailey swiped her hand roughly over her eyes. Raven, also in the backseat, either didn't see her silent tears or didn't say anything.
In her dream, she's just walked out of the Hellfire Club with Moira, is just reaching the car where she'll slip in the backseat, only moments away from having an awful panic attack that will blow out the glass on five cars. She knows this because it's happened before. But this time, just as her fingers reach out to grip the car door handle, she hears it.
"Hailey?"
As she turns around, her stomach dropping faster than a wheelbarrow full of lead, she sees Sebastian standing right behind her. He's smiling with his lips, but not with his eyes. "Where are you going?" Sebastian asks, starting to grin, as if he knows he's got her cornered.
Hailey tries to open the car door, but it sticks. She looks around and sees that no one else is moving. Moira's frozen mid-stride, eyes trained on the car. The people around them look elsewhere. No one can help her.
Hailey looks helplessly up at Shaw, unsure of what to do. "Sebastian," she begins tentatively, but his hand reaches out, lightning-fast, clamps around her throat and holds her against the car.
"You're not leaving me, are you, Hailey?" Sebastian asks, his voice still casual even as he practically crushes her windpipe. She gasps, desperate for air, hates herself for wishing he didn't look so disappointed –
She jerks her head, trying to shake it. "I would – never –" she chokes out, terrified.
"Tell me why you'd never leave me, Hailey," Sebastian says. It's eerily similar to her lessons with him, where he'd instruct her to do some activity. He loosens his grip just enough so she can manage the next few words.
"Because I love you, Sebastian," Hailey gasps, on the verge of tears. But she won't cry, not in front of him. Hailey tells herself that it's because she's brave, but it's really because if she starts crying, he'll want to know what she's upset about, and in this state she won't be able to lie about it –
"Good girl," Sebastian says soothingly, finally releasing the crushing pressure on her throat and holding her against him, running his fingers softly through her hair. Hailey desperately tries to breathe in as much as possible, never wants to breathe out again in case it means losing air all over again.
"Now show me that you mean it," she hears him whisper, and the hand that's in her hair travels to the base of her skull and grabs, roughlytugging her head back so she's face to face with him. She wastes no time, holding his face in her hands and kissing him desperately, even though her lungs scream for more air. He responds just as vigorously, roughly, letting his hands travel over her body as he presses her up against the car, slipping his thigh between her legs and letting her rub herself against him. With something like horror, she realizes just how aroused she is.
"Love you," she says hastily between kisses, and her voice breaks.
"Good," he replies, and she falls onto his bed, back at his house in Florida, her dress gone, ready for him. She closes her eyes, a wonderful ache in the pit of her stomach, wanting to feel him against her. She hears the click of a pistol, and her eyes snap open.
"Let's see if we can get an even two minutes," Sebastian says, standing at the foot of his bed and raising the gun –
Hailey snapped awake as Moira pulled up to a long building with a number of windows. She squinted. The day outside the car was grey and drizzly, and yet strangely overbright.
You can't think of him like that anymore, Hailey. Even in your nightmares. Her hands curled into fists. He'd had her family killed, and she hated him for that, but she couldn't quite forget how blasé she'd been about the thought of leaving them behind forever.
You didn't know that meant death, she thought sourly.
"You okay?" Moira said.
Hailey nodded, closing her eyes and letting them adjust to the light. "How're you feeling?"
"Like I'm about to throw up," Moira said cheerfully. "I somehow have to convince my superiors that mutants are real, and dangerous."
"Want me to make a few things explode?" Hailey asked, unable to stop herself from smiling.
"If we need it," Moira said seriously. "But let's hope it doesn't come to that. Thanks for asking though, Hailey."
"So," Hailey muttered. "That went well."
The meeting had been somewhat of a disaster. First of all, not one member of the board had believed Charles once he'd finished his presentation on the possibility of mutant life. Hailey hadn't quite been able to look Moira in the eye once Charles admitted his mutation, but she saw the way that Moira's jaw had dropped in her peripherals. Charles, as an example of his telepathy, had brought up the apparently classified information of where a number of American missiles were being placed, and had managed to convince every important person in the room that he was a spy.
Attempting to rectify the situation, both Raven and Hailey had acted at the same time; Raven had stood up and changed her shape into that of a man Charles had called Stryker, while Hailey had easily lifted the water out of the clear glasses and jugs that adorned the table, letting it hover a good three feet above their heads.
And now, because they were apparently threats, they were being escorted to approximately God knew where. This place seemed to be endless white corridors.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Charles will get us out of it. He always does."
"Oh yeah. He seems to really know how to make the situation better."
"Don't doubt my brother," Raven said, flashing Hailey a quick glare.
Hailey quietened, realizing she'd crossed a line. After a moment, she said the other thing that had been on her mind. "I didn't know you could change like that. It's totally awesome."
Raven glanced at her again, this time looking a little gratified rather than irritated.
"Have you ever fucked with anyone, doing that?" Hailey asked, interested.
Raven smirked, but didn't elaborate.
Charles and the man in the black suit led them out to a car park, still chatting enthusiastically. They're probably best friends now, Hailey thought sourly. Although the man in the black suit didn't seem particularly threatening.
Yeah? Neither did Shaw.
That's quite enough of that, Hailey, said another voice in her head and she jumped. It's not going to be an easy road for you if you can't trust anyone.
Hailey looked over at Charles, but he was still talking animatedly to the man in the black suit.
So, you're well acquainted with this Sebastian Shaw character, I assume?
Can't you just skim my brain and see? Hailey thought wryly.
Well, I could, but that's not really a polite thing to do, is it? Charles' voice, almost surprised, echoed through her thoughts.
"You're gonna love my facility," she heard the man in the black suit say, and her skin crawled. What would he do to them there? Experiment on them?
"That's going to have to wait," Charles said firmly, and Raven shot Hailey a look as if to say I told you so.
"Why?" the man in the black suit asked, still strolling along with them.
"Because Agent MacTaggert has a lead on Sebastian Shaw," Charles said conversationally, "and apparently, if we don't leave now, we're going to lose him."
Hailey's jaw dropped open, although no one else noticed. How did Moira have a lead on Shaw? When had this happened? Why hadn't she mentioned it to Hailey?
A black car screeched to a halt in front of them. Moira was in the driver's seat, looking expectantly at the four of them.
The man in the black suit looked stunned. "What?"
Hailey glanced at Raven, but she didn't even look surprised. "Not only can he read minds," the blonde supplied, opening the back door and shuffling inside, "he can communicate with them as well."
"Moira and I have just had a lovely conversation," Charles said pleasantly.
"Yes, we did," Moira said evenly, as Hailey followed suit and climbed into the backseat with Raven, silently fuming. How could Moira keep information like this from her? Then again, she recalled guiltily, she could have let Moira know that Charles and Raven were mutants…
No, she thought irritably, this is a lot bigger than that. Moira knows where Shaw is and –
Her heart skipped a beat.
And we're going straight to him.
"Do you want to see another magic trick?" Charles asked the man in the black suit.
"Sure –"
"Get in the car," Charles ordered.
"Good idea!" the man in the black suit said easily, slipping in next to Hailey, who was still very much concerned about Sebastian Shaw.
But that was good. Because they'd find him and then – and then what? Hailey frowned. What if they tried to arrest him? They wouldn't stand a chance. And they couldn't exactly shoot him, or even knock him out for God's sake – his mutation wouldn't allow it. But surely Moira knew that –
Hailey bit her lip. Had she told Moira that Shaw was a mutant? Probably not.
Oh my God, this is not going to work.
A small crack, thin and spindly, appeared in the backseat window next to Raven, who muttered, "What the hell?"
"We can't do this," Hailey said suddenly, even though Moira hadn't even driven out of the parking lot yet.
"What?" Moira asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror. "Why?"
Hailey didn't look at Moira, wishing the CIA agent had given her a little heads up on Shaw's whereabouts.
Hailey, what's wrong? Charles voice sounded so alien inside her own head.
I'm fine, Hailey thought harshly, trying to ignore how fast her heart was beating – Christ, even when she hated Shaw, he still made her heart rate pick up –
You're not, Charles replied. You're panicking.
So calm me down!
"Hailey," Moira said worriedly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Hailey lied. "It's just – I don't think we're prepared for this –"
"We'll be fine," Moira said as soothingly as she could. "We won't just go in by ourselves, we'll –"
"It doesn't matter how many people you bring," Hailey said wildly and the crack in Raven's window grew bigger. "You can't kill him, Moira!"
"I thought you wanted him dead," Moira responded bemusedly, still intent on driving. Why wasn't she understanding –?
A flash of a memory crossed her mind – Shaw making her move the book, Shaw kissing her in the study, Shaw holding the gun to her head –
Charles winced in the front seat. "That's not what she meant," he murmured, before turning to Moira. "Stop the car."
Hailey, suddenly convinced that Charles thought she was weak, focused hard on the brake pedal.
"I – I can't," Moira said, a note of panic creeping into her voice. "It won't move –"
"You don't have to," Hailey said forcefully. "I'm fine, you're –"
"Hailey, you're a powerful mutant and if you panic, you could really hurt someone," Charles said hastily.
"I can't brake!" Moira said.
"Charles," Raven said warily, and Hailey knew that the shape-shifter was wondering how her brother would get out of this one.
"I'm not panicking!" Hailey said firmly, very aware that she was panicking. Something furious was sparking inside her. "I'm fine, I'm not going to do anything! But you're not listening to me –"
She saw Charles put two fingers to his temple. "Go to sleep, Hailey."
When she woke, she could hear the ocean. She sat up, suddenly convinced that she was back on the Caspartina –
Moira was there, crouched next to the booth that Hailey had been sleeping in. She put her hand on Hailey's knee. "How are you feeling?"
Hailey pulled away, standing up and walking to the doorway. "Where's Shaw?" she asked gruffly, poking her head into an empty corridor.
Moira shook her head, standing as well. "We got here too late. Coast Guard," she added, but Hailey still didn't really understand. "Did you know about the telepath?"
Hailey stared at her in confusion. Of course she knew about Charles! He'd only forced her into unconsciousness while –
It clicked.
Hailey nodded. "Emma. I'm sorry. Did he hurt anyone?"
"Shaw?" Moira asked. "No, no – we never made contact." She cleared her throat. "Charles said… that he saw some things, in your head. About Shaw. And his methods of teaching you how to use your powers."
Hailey didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I had a lead on Shaw," Moira said quietly. "I thought that if I told you about it, you'd run off without us."
Hailey shrugged, feeling positively useless. "I never knew exact addresses – we'd always just teleport –"
"I'm not saying –"
"I'm sorry," Hailey said quickly, trying to ignore the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry that I freaked out. I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything. I – everything's just –" She put her head in her hands. "You've done so much for me but I can't seem to – he did the same thing, you see, and I –"
"It's okay," Moira said, putting her hand tentatively on Hailey's shoulder, as if she expected Hailey to move it away. Hailey didn't. And so they stood, completely silent, but not uncomfortably so.