The darkness was finally taking over. Was this the end? Was she dead?
Another question that is running through her head: Is this how death begins? Is it just an endless vision of darkness with nothing but the color black? No, it must be more than that. She pictured it as seeing a very bright light in the sky. The light is so bright and beautiful that it was too hard to resist. You have the feeling of not wanting to go towards it, but you mostly knew that you have to go. Once you started following the light, there's no turning back. As you travel through the light, every bit of the pain you had just suffered through just leaves your body. Then, it won't be long until you enter the gateway to heaven.
It wasn't her choice to began with. Harley risked her life to protect her friends and the Professor, and she wasn't going to let Apocalypse hurt them.
A memory came to her. It was something she hid for so long that she never told anybody about.
Harley finds herself running through the halls of her old house. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door. She was dressed in black jeans, combat boots, bad her grey David Bowie t-shirt.
As she drops her backpack, the girl felt heat run through her body and she turns to the mirror as her face looses its color. "What the—Oh, my god!" She gasps.
Her eyes were no longer dark brown, but brilliant green with thin pupils. A pair of two grey cat ears were now on top of her head. She gently pulls the sides of her hair to expose the absence of her human ears.
The teenager's eyes water as she begins to fall to the floor. She leans up against the wall and starts to cry.
Unexpectedly, a knock on the door startles her. "Harley, are you okay?" A familiar voice asked her.
"I'm okay, Lucy." She tries to act normal. "I-I am fine."
The maid attempts to open the door, but finds it to be locked. "Sweetie, what are you doing there? You're supposed to be at school."
"Lucy, what's going on?" Harley's mother, Jillian comes out of her office. She was a women of average height with long black hair dressed in dark purple pantsuit.
"Harley is home," the maid explains to her boss. "She came home and ran in here. She won't come out."
Jillian knocks on the door and says, "Harley? Harley, dear, what's going on in there?"
Her situation grew much worse once she heard her mother's voice. "Nothing, Mom. I'm okay."
"Sweetheart, open the door."
"I said go away!" Harley snaps at her, unwilling to reveal her mutation.
Jillian jiggles the knob, trying to open it. "Harley, let me in!" She raises her voice.
Not wanting to hide in the bathroom forever, Harley carefully stands up and walks to the door. Her heart accelerates every second as she steps closer to the door. She shakily unlocks the door, allowing her mom inside.
The first thing her mother did was gasp. "Oh, my god."
Harley stood there frozen in fear. Never before has her mother looked at her like she was a monster. "Mom . . . "
"Your eyes . . . " Her mother breathlessly says. Both of them had the same exact eyes, but now they were green cat eyes. " . . . what are those?" She points to her ears.
"They're my ears." Harley shakily informs her. "My other ears are gone."
She pulls her hair back to show her mother, who was more disturbed than ever. "You're one of them. Those freaks."
One of them, she thought. Harley had heard of mutants before. She knew that they had powers and some were different in looks, but she never expected to be one.
"How am I going to fix this?" Jillian panted to herself, unsure of what to do. "What will everyone say about this? There has to be a cure—"
"Mom, mutations can't be cured." Harley tells her.
"Don't touch me!" Her mom snaps at her.
The teenager's eyes widen in shock. "Mom, it's me, Harley." Her voice cracks. "I'm still Harley."
"No, you're not." Jillian Jeknovorian harshly implies. "You're just like those monsters."
At that moment, Harley makes a mad dash out the bathroom. She ran through the halls and zooms through the front door. She didn't stop until she was across the street of her house and leans against a tree.
Everything that happened seconds ago made her heart drop into her stomach. Harley falls to her knees and lets out a cry of sorrow.
"Is she still there, Charles?" Hank asked his dear friend.
Professor X was dressed in a suit in his wheelchair now with a bald head. He and Hank were in the hospital room of the newly built X-Mansion.
In front of him was Harley Jeknovorian, who was now in coma after her duel with Apocalypse. Charles looks down at the poor child whom he grew to love as his own daughter. Her upper lip was busted, her eye was swollen, she had stitches on her eyebrow, a couple of bruises on her body, a cast on her forearm, and her skin was pale.
"Yes, she is." Professor tells him. "I'm keeping her here."
"That's good. How long do you think it'll take until she wakes up?"
Charles shrugs his shoulders. "Possibly a week as long as I keep pulling her back."
Both men gazes at her as they took a deep breath. "She's a survivor, Charles," Hank says. "I knew it the moment I met her."
In a homeless shelter in New York, Harley sits outside taking a bite out of a ham and cheese sandwich they offered her. She had been there for nearly a week and never before has she felt this hungry and lonely.
Suddenly, a man with a beard and a black beanie walks towards her. He then snatches the sandwich out of her hands. "Thanks, kid."
"Hey, give me that!" Harley stands up and attempts to get it back, but the man forcefully pushes her.
The teenager stumbles back and lands on the floor with the man standing over here. "What the hell are you supposed to be, Josie and the Pussycats?"
Before he could do anything, someone grabbed a hold of his arm and yanked it back. "Leave her alone," the man warns him. He was tall and skinny, dressed in regular clothes and glasses.
"Get lost, Glasses!"
To make him more afraid, the man with glasses yanks him closer with his collars and barks, "Did you not hear me? I said leave her alone. She's just a kid and here you are being an asshole. Get out of here now!" He pushes the man away from her, causing him to drop the sandwich.
"Okay, man, sorry." He takes off, startled by him.
Harley lays on the floor, looking up at the hero. "Are you okay?" He asks, extending his hand towards her.
Grateful for him, she shakily grabs his hand, allowing him to help her onto her feet. "I-I think so."
The man picks up the sandwich from the floor. "Here's your sandw—bread. Looks like he ate it all."
"You don't look homeless." Harley mentions to him. "Why are you here?"
"No, I'm not homeless. Are you hungry? I could get you something to eat."
It seemed strange how he immediately offers her food after he helped her. "I don't know you."
"Well I just helped you here and I didn't even tell you my name. My name is Hank." He holds out his hand for her to shake.
She gazes at him for a moment and then accepts it. "I'm Harley."
After their meeting, Hank drives her to a local diner to get something to eat. Hank had a coffee while Harley ordered a burger and fries. She deliberately began to stuff her face as Hank's eyes widen.
"You were starving, weren't you?" He chuckled.
She puts her burger on her plate and says, "Yeah, I was. What are you staring at?"
"Nothing, Harley." Hank nodded
Ever since she ran away her home and entered the city, anybody who saw Harley would lock their eyes on her. Some strangers were polite and ignored her, but others were more obvious about it. "Okay, you're studying me." Harley Jeknovorian points out to him. "I got three possible reasons of why your eyes on me. One, you noticed that I eat my fries with mustard. Two, you're staring at my eyes and my ears. Or three, you're a rapist."
Hank smirks, "Yeah, definitely not number three."
"But number two is the winner?"
"Possibly. Plus, fries and mustard. That's gross."
Harley snorts, "What? They're delicious. You find me weird, uh?"
"No, not at all," Dr. McCoy disagrees.
Something was troubling Harley of why Hank was so helpful and open about her. "Why are helping me, Hank?" She asked.
Hank clears his throat. "I know what you are, Harley. You're a mutant."
"That makes sense," she sarcastically remarks. "For one thing, I thought I was just seeing shit."
"I'm actually a teacher at this school called Xavier's School for the Gifted," he informs her of his job.
"The Gifted?" Harley had never thought of herself as anything special. "I've heard of that school. I thought it was a place for snotty, shitty rich kids who waste their parents' money on useless crap."
"No, it's for kids with incredible gifts like you."
"Really? A school for mutants? That sounds stupid."
For one thing, Harley was a tough cookie, but Hank was determined to convince her. "Call it whatever you want, but I was sent here to find you."
Harley's ears went up once he said that. "Who sent you?"
"A man named Charles Xavier. He runs the school and searches for other mutants who are alone and abandoned because of their mutations. The professor send me to come talk to you and see if you were interested."
It was an rare opportunity for her to accept. A school for people like her actually existed, but Harley wasn't entirely convinced. "Listen, Stretch. I'm not looking for a hand-me down. I get it you feel sorry for me and all this mopey-dopey crap—"
Hank McCoy interrupts her, You ran away from home, Harley. Your mom wasn't happy about you coming out as a mutant."
Her stomach twists in a knot. "No, she was furious. She hates me."
As she pick at her food, Hank tells her, "She doesn't. It was just hard for her to accept and people make bad choices when they're mad, scared, or stressed."
"I don't wanna go back." She admits to him. "It's best that I'm not there for awhile."
"I'm gonna give you a choice here. I leave and you can continue living the rest of your life fighting over a can of tuna on the streets or . . . you can come with me. We can give you food, shelter, and guide you. Here's the card." He stands up and hands her the school card. "Just give me a call if you change your mind."
Once he gives her the card, Hank McCoy heads out the door, leaving the teenager in the booth.
Harley thought for a second. She had nowhere to go and no one to care for. It was hard to accept herself at this time, but someone actually wants her to stay with them.
Finally, the cat-eared mutant makes a mad dash out the door and stops at Hank's car. He quickly rolls down the window and innocently asks, "May I help you, ma'am?"
She smiles. "I was just thinking . . . do you mind giving me a little tour of the place?"
"Hop in."
Charles chuckles at the memory. "You think the food convinced her?"
"It made a difference." Hank implied as he checks her pulse. "Mustard and fries don't belong together, but no one's perfect."
The doors of the room opened. Raven in her natural blue form, dressed in sweats, coming into the room. "How is she doing?" The blue lady asks them.
"Staying strong for the most of it," Hank answers her. "How are you, Raven?"
Raven looks down at the girl, stroking a piece of her hair. "Worried about her. So are the kids, but mostly Kurt."
"There's nothing for them to worry about," Charles Xavier assures her. "Harley is in good hands."
"She's a tough kid. She's got a big mouth but still tough."
"Which was why she gets detention every two weeks," Hank quickly added. The three of them laugh for a few seconds, but stopped.
"I just didn't think she would fight him."
Charles sighs, "I shouldn't have stopped him."
Both Raven and Hank look at him, surprised by his words. "Charles . . . " Hank attempts to calm him.
"She would be safe if I hadn't stopped him." He mentally beats himself up. During the battle, he knew most of them could handle it, but his worst fear came true. Seeing Harley like this made his heart break every second.
"Charles, if you gave in, then none of us would be alive right now," his adoptive sister tells him. "She made the choice to help, even if she knew she was no match against him. She chose us over her own life. She chose to protect you."
"Thanks, Raven." Professor rolls his wheelchair in front of the hospital bed and places his palms against her temple. "Harley, dear, thank you so much for everything you've done. I want you to know that you're not alone. It's okay. I'm here."
In the school of the Gifted, Harley follows Hank down the hall towards Professor Xavier's classroom. The entire school was beautiful, populated by teenagers, pre-teens, and kids.
Most of them did what everybody has done: stare at Harley. She gives them dirty looks, but Hank simply told the kids, "Get to class, guys."
They obeyed him, but they walked away with their eyes glued on the new kid. "Don't worry, Harley. They're not staring at you like that. You're new here."
"Well who can miss me, right," Harley commented.
Both of them stopped in front of Charles's classroom and Hank tells her, "Just wait here,
Harley nods her head. "Okay, no problem."
As Hank goes into the classroom, the teenager leans up against the wall and crosses her arms. She gazes at anyone who passed by her. The students were neatly dressed in pale or bright colors with books in their hands. Most of them stare at her once more, but others simply ignored her.
The one thing that caught her off guard was a little girl of the age of ten or nine. She had pale blonde hair and faded freckles on her face. The girl had on a cute striped red dress along with a scarf tied around her neck.
She stares at Harley, creeping her out. Finally, Harley awkwardly says, "Uh . . . hi there."
"Hi," she responds to her. "Your eyes are big. They're really green like a cat. You have cat eyes."
"Thanks." She frowns.
"I'm Natalie." The little girl walks closer to her.
"I'm Harley."
Natalie was enchanted by the mysterious girl. "Are those your ears?"
The teenage mutant slowly begins to smile. "Yeah, they are."
"Wow, that's cool." She compliments her.
For the first time, someone actually liked the way she looks and Harley couldn't help but smile. "Thanks. I like your scarf."
"I can't take it off," Natalie warns her.
Harley shakes her head in confusion. "Why not?"
"My neck is ugly."
Those words made her heart dropped into her stomach. How could a child talk about herself like that? How can anybody talk about themselves like that? "Couldn't be any worse than my ears." Harley smirks. Natalie gazes at her as she carefully removes her scarf. On both sides of her neck appeared to be scars that slowly moved up and down. "Are those gills? They're pretty cool."
Her compliment made the younger girl giggle. "Thanks."
At that moment, Hank McCoy walks out the door. "Okay, Harley, you are—Oh, hi, Natalie."
"Dr. McCoy, Harley likes my gills." Natalie excitedly tells the man.
"The most adorable gills I ever seen," Harley added.
"I have to go. Bye, Harley. Bye, Dr. McCoy."
While the child walks away, Hank crosses his arms and murmurs, "That's amazing."
"What?" She asked.
"Natalie never talks to anybody. She's shy because of her gills. This is the first time I've seen her talk to anyone besides the Professor since she came here."
Harley's ears went up in reaction, surprising Hank. "Really?"
"That and she never takes off her scarf. She seems to like you a lot. Come on, Harley."
The man escorts Harley into Xavier's office. "So is this like more a interview or cheerleading tryouts?" Harley asked.
"Definitely interview," Hank McCoy chuckles.
In the office was the famous Charles Xavier that Harley had heard of. He was a man in thirties with brown hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a suit and rolled in his wheelchair. There was something in his boyish smile and kind eyes that made Harley feel welcome in his school.
"Hi there," she nervously said.
"Hello, I'm Charles Xavier." He extends his hand for her to shake and she accepts. "You must be Harley."
Fascinated by his genuine personality and British accent, Harley shakes his hand and introduces herself, "Harley Jeknovorian."
"Jekna–ror-ian?" Charles tries to pronounce her last name.
"Jek-nuh-vor-reeun. My last name is a mouthful. It's better than my mom's maiden name. It's Pappayiorgas. She's Greek."
The professor laughs for a moment. "Welcome to my school, Harley. Have a seat."
She does what he says and sits down in front of his desk. "This place is huge. I've heard it before. I just didn't think it would be this great."
"I created it so the kids could feel at home," he informs her.
At first, Harley was deeply amazed by the entire school, but she just wanted to get to the point. "So you know why I'm here. It because of my . . . being a mutant."
"That's why everyone is here."
"Are you a mutant too?" Harley asks him.
"Yes, I am."
"What is your gift? If you don't wanna tell me, it's cool."
Professor Xavier purses his lips. "I can read people's minds."
Once he said that, Harley bursts out laughing. Then again, if she had cat ears, anything is possible at this point. "Okay, that sounds ridiculous. Prove it. What am I thinking of?"
"It doesn't work like that. But I know you're from Washington, D.C., and your full name is Harley Nicole Jeknovorian. Your parents are Robert and Jillian, you are Greek and Armenian with a little bit Indonesian from your grandma Philomena, and you're allergic to mushrooms. Also, your best friend's name was Diana Ripley, you write with both hands but you prefer your right more, and you used to be on the volleyball team at your other school."
His entire monologue made her heart stop for a second. Everything he just said was true and Harley just sat there stunned. "Either you are a telepath or a total stalker," she replied.
"So you do believe me?"
"Okay, let's just say I believe you for a moment. So, Professor, how does this work? Do I have to pay?"
"It depends. I know you ran away from home, Harley, which is alright. We provide things to our runa—transfer students. If you choose to stay here, I can help you understand your abilities and adjust to your mutation."
"You can't make me normal again?"
Charles looks at her with concerned written on his face. "My dear, I'm not here to fix any of you because none of us are broken. I'm not gonna force you to stay here, but how we start off with a little trail. You can stay here for a week. We provide you with clothes, a room, and a schedule for classes. If you like it, we let you stay. If not, you can leave."
This was a chance of a lifetime. Harley liked how professor didn't force her to stay or go away. He actually gave her a choice to allow her to think of her future. It was something no one had ever allowed her to do.
"I guess I can give this place a try."
