He looks with tired eyes
At all the people hypnotized,
And wonders what can save him
From his self-created hell.
-Devil, Staind
"See, I should have a job like this," John mused as we sat in front of the television. I was sitting on the couch, holding my head with one hand. Rogue and Bobby were sitting next to me, carefully cuddled up without actually touching any skin. John was sitting on the floor, sitting on a bean bag that no one has any idea where it came from. Really, it just showed up and no one really questioned it.
We were watching NABN, a news station that was a little more opinionated than the rest. They did more than just deliver the news, they gossiped about it too. They always spent a few minutes after explaining the situation to argue about who was to blame, how it could have been prevented, and blah, blah, blah. Honestly, they were paid to act like teenagers on national television.
John figured that with his fantastic personality, he could be a newscaster on NABN.
Bobby snorted and lightly kicked John. "Yeah, sure. You'd probably burn anyone who disagreed with you."
"It'd make pretty great TV thought," John pointed out with a grin. "Besides, all you have to do is argue with everyone and let the money roll in. Isn't arguing my best quality?"
"What's your worst quality then?" I asked curiously (and a little sassily if I'm being totally honest here).
"Don't have one, Princess," John laughed and winked. I shuddered and turned back to the TV.
The newscasters, Jackson Hyde, Marissa Lichen, and Steven Masterson, were having a heated discussion about some hostage situation in Louisiana. Apparently some terrorists or something took over an entire school and only a handful of students managed to escape so far.
'The government should have listened to these people when they threatened to take drastic measures,' Masterson said, slamming his hand on the table. 'If they had, the whole situation could have been avoided.'
'It's been drilled into our heads by the government that we shouldn't negotiate with terrorists. Sometimes there are consequences to risks that we just have to deal with,' Lichen pointed out.
'I just want to know what measures are taken to get those students out of danger,' Hyde started and I tuned out. The whole thing was starting to bore me, as terrible as that sounds. I'm not trying to sound like that person who uses others pain as a form of entertainment but in first-world countries, everyone is that kind of person.
I yawned and stretched out on the couch. "Can we watch something else?"
"Yeah, we've been watching this for an hour now," Rogue agreed. "Bobby, switch it."
Bobby didn't say anything else as he picked up the remote and started flipping through channels.
News…
News…
Football…
Some little kids show…
We reached Discovery Channel and it just so happened to be playing a documentary on wolves. Let's just say John saw his opportunity and he took it.
"Hey Violet, it's you!" John yelled, pointing to a dark wolf on the screen. I rolled my eyes, shooting daggers at the mutant. The wolf was ripping into some bloody carcass and devouring the meaty pieces. You couldn't tell what the prey was but it was bloody enough to make Rogue cringed. "Hide your disgust, Rogue. You'll offend Violet."
I laughed slightly. "I'm not going to get offended by someone thinking a dead animal is gross. I even think it's gross and I can turn into that thing." I nodded my head at the TV, which now showed the wolf growling at the screen, blood and snow coating its jaws.
"Well excuse me for trying to spare your feelings," John said dramatically. "I'm trying to improve your quality of life here and you're just shutting me down."
"Since my quality of life is so terrible, hey?" I mean, in Canada it definitely was. But despite everything that's happened in America so far, it was still a step up from the torture I went through up North.
"It's like I always say, at least you're not Kyle Witherson," John pointed out. I paused, trying to think of who Kyle Witherson was. After a few moments, I couldn't place his name and gave up. I was about to ask who he was but Bobby beat me to it.
"Honestly John, you say that all the time; nobody has any idea who Kyle Witherson is. You make no sense," Bobby stressed.
"He's someone you don't want to be," John explained vaguely. Bobby and Rogue just groaned as John sniggered lightly to himself. We turned back to the screen to see a moose was now walking through the snowy forest. "You ever kill a moose before?"
"No John," I responded in a monotone voice. "I've never killed a moose before."
"Caribou?"
"No."
"Elk?"
"No."
"Bear?"
"John, how do you expect me to kill a bear?" Rogue and Bobby both snorted at our bickering but John just shrugged with a smirk on his face. "Honestly, when have you ever seen a bear be taken down by a wolf?"
"It could have been a small bear… like a kola bear," John pointed out. He waved his arms around dramatically. "How would I know, Vi? I'm not here to tell you that you can't kill a bear. You can do anything you set your mind to!"
I snorted, shaking my head as I ran my fingers through my hair. "Thanks for the pep talk. You know, now I feel inspired enough to take on a grizzly," I deadpanned. "You should be a motivational speaker."
"You two bicker like an old married couple," Rogue joked. John and I both turned to look at her in horror. Honestly, the look of disgust on our faces was a riot in itself.
"We're not married!" I said at the same time as John said, "We're not old!"
An awkward silence followed as John and I did everything in our power to avoid eye contact.
Bobby kept changing the channels until we finally just decided to give the remote to someone else and leave. I started heading towards my room when I ran headfirst into the last person I wanted to see.
Nori.
I stumbled backwards but managed to catch myself before falling. "Watch it… oh…" Nori trailed off when she realized it was me. She was looking at me with a cold expression that could cool a volcano.
I stared at her for a long moment but her brown eyes stayed ice cold. Finally, I spoke. "Uh, sorry."
"Yeah…" Nori muttered awkwardly. "Look, I have to go."
"I'm not holding you back," I snapped. She narrowed her eyes at me but I just walked away. Sure, maybe not the best idea to snap at the person I was trying to apologize to but half of me was angry and the other half was hurt. In that moment, the angry side made an appearance.
Nori got discharged from the medical bay yesterday and since then, we were both on a mission to avoid the other. Immature? Very. Did we care? Not at all.
I turned the corner and once again, ran straight into someone. This time, I fell to the ground, landing hard on my butt. I groaned in annoyance. "Seriously?"
"I'm sorry, Violet," Storm said sweetly as she helped me up. "That was my fault."
"Uh, no it's fine. I should have been watching where I was going." Thank God she wasn't a mind reader like the Professor or she'd know how sorry I wasn't.
Storm paused for a moment like she wanted to say something. I knew the chances were that I wouldn't like what she was going to say so I started to walk away. Not fast enough apparently though. "Violet, wait."
I turned around slowly, seeing the hesitant look on Storm's face. "Yes?"
"I heard you and Nori and… I know you're both upset over what happened but acting like you're strangers isn't going to solve anything. You need to work things out," Storm burst and my guard immediately went up.
"I'm not the one holding a grudge," I muttered. I tried to walk away again but the older woman wouldn't let me leave and called me back.
"The Professor also had some clothes made for you." I brightened up at that. I really needed clothes. "They'll transform with your mutation so your clothes won't rip whenever you shape-shift. Scott is also going to take you into the city to get some more clothes that the Professor can make Apex-proof."
That made me even happier.
Not only because I always ended up nearly naked when I turned back into a human but because these clothes I was wearing weren't even mine. They were things that Rogue, Jubilee, and Kitty had grown out of.
"Thanks," I breathed. This time, I didn't let her stop me as I rushed to my room. When I pushed open the door, I saw a pile of clothes lying on my bed. The pile was small and mostly black and gray, but I still could hardly contain my excitement.
Two tank tops, one long-sleeved shirt, two pairs of leggings, and a black dress. I wrinkled my nose at the dress and tossed it to the side. First, I never really wore dresses, and secondly, it looked like something you would wear to a funeral.
I took off the bright pink top I was wearing (blame Jubilee) and switched it for the gray, long-sleeved shirt. I also pulled on the black leggings and looked at myself in the mirror. Sure, the clothes were a little boring but they were mine.
A few minutes after I changed, I heard a knocking on my door. I opened to Scott's smiling face. "I was told that I'm taking you shopping."
"I guess," I shrugged. "Uh, can I bring some friends?" Because let's be honest, I wasn't looking forward to asking Scott if my butt looked big in my jeans.
"Sure," he replied easily. "Bring whoever you want. I'll meet you in the garage."
My first thought was to bring Rogue because out of everyone, I was closest with her. 'Close' meaning I hung out in the same crowd as her. Maybe bringing a few more people to make it less awkward would be nice.
I ran into Rogue in the hall and she agreed to come out with me. Finding others was a little trickier. As we walked, we both realized how few girls we were actually friends with.
"Before you came, I usually just hung out with Bobby and John, to be honest," Rogue said with a short laugh.
"Yeah, I kind of need more friends." I said it like a joke but it was true. I was pretty lonely.
"How about we bring Jubilee?" Rogue offered. "She likes shopping and stuff like that. Kitty might want to come too."
"Yeah sure." To be completely honest, I was just glad she thought of some people to bring. I didn't even know most of the people here.
We found Kitty and Jubilee relatively quickly – they were watching some TV show and complaining about how unrealistic it was. They agreed to go, joking that it was about damn time that I got my own clothes.
When we entered the garage, I realized that it was the first time I had been in it and all I could do was stare. There was a whole line of sports cars of different shapes and colors. Scott just sniggered at my reaction before opening the door of a blue car to let the four of us in.
If I got cars like that by being a teacher, then I think I just came up with my career.
"Where to, ladies?" Scott asked. I stayed quiet – I'm from Canada, I don't know where all the good shops are – while Jubilee listed off streets and malls that we would go to. To say we had a full day planned was an understatement.
The first place we pulled up to was a huge mall with big windows and colorful mannequins. That's the best I can describe it because that entire two hours we spent there was a blur. Scott gave us this huge wad of cash for us to spend and then sent us on our merry way.
Of course, being four white girls, the first place we went to was Starbucks.
I never really went to Starbucks much growing up; the taste of coffee disgusted me and just ordering something seemed so intimidating. Like everyone was secretly judging what I was ordering.
"Tall non-fat chai tea latte," Jubilee ordered easily. Kitty and Rogue just ordered coffee while I stared at the menu with a blank face. "Violet, you getting anything?"
"I don't know what to get," I admitted. 'And I don't know what half these things are…'
"Coffee, tea, or Frappuccino?" Rogue asked.
"Uh… frappe-"
"Coffee, tea, or something sweet?" Jubilee.
"Didn't you just ask that?" I shot back and Jubilee rolled her eyes.
"Oh Violet, you have so much to learn," the mutant sighed. She turned back to the barista and shot off an order. "Tall vanilla bean frappe, banana, caramel drizzle along the top and sides."
I just blinked at Jubilee. I had no comment. I mean, what was I supposed to say?
When we finally got are drinks, Kitty handed me exactly what you would imagine a bitchy teenager wearing Uggs and faux fur to order. I took a sip and was hit with a wave of sweetness. I coughed, "Jube, this tastes like diabetes!"
"If diabetes was delicious and expensive," Jubilee corrected. Instead of trying to argue with her, I just quietly continued to drink my disease in a cup.
"Where to next?" Rogue asked, sipping on her drink.
"Let's just walk around and if we see anything we like, we'll go in," I answered. "We have time."
"And money," Kitty added quietly.
We started walking down one of the long, crowded halls when we heard a commotion behind us. Turning around, a man with his hood pulled over his head was sprinting towards us with a purse in his hand while a lady screamed bloody murder behind him. "Thief! He took my bag!"
A man lunged at the thief but only managed to hit the ground. Security was chasing behind but there was no way they would catch him in time. Most people just stepped out of the way. Rogue and Jubilee did and Kitty would have just phased through him.
I don't know why I did it – maybe it was some primal instinct – but for some reason, right as he reached me, I lifted my fist. The thief had no time to stop or swerve, all he could do was run directly into my knuckles.
CRUNCH!
The sound of his nose breaking filled the air and not a second later, he was on the ground, clutching his face. "Mother fucker!" he screamed. "Fuck!"
My knuckles were covered in blood and throbbed like hell, but all I could do was stare at the man lying on the ground. I was just as surprised at him at what I had done; I didn't even notice Security arrive and retrieve the woman's purse.
"Who did this?" one of the security guards asked, looking from man to man.
It was almost comical the way the crowd parted to reveal me; a skinny, short girl with wide eyes. The man just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay, who knocked the guy out?"
I slowly raised my hand, showing off the blood coating my right fist and looked to the ground. In that moment, I honestly felt like a little kid confessing for stealing the extra cookie from the jar. "I did."
"It was awesome," some teenager grinned. "She beat that guy to the ground."
The man's mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally said four simple words. "Well good job, kid."
And then he left and the crowd dispersed.
The whole ordeal couldn't have taken more than two minutes and all we could do afterwards was watch in a frozen shock as the thief was taken away. "Violet, that was amazing," Kitty stated numbly. "You literally punched crime in the face."
"Where'd that even come from?" Jubilee asked, looking at me. "Oh my god, your eyes!"
"What?" I lifted my hand to my face. "What's wrong with them?"
Rogue and Kitty were looking now too. "They're yellow."
Only then did I realize the familiar sense flowing through my veins. Apex had shown his colours without me even noticing. I slowly exhaled, letting the power seep out and my eyes die down to their normal green.
"Didn't you even notice you were using your power?" Rogue asked. "I mean, for most of us, we can tell when our power is being used."
I slowly shook my head. "No… not until you told me."
"That's weird," Kitty hummed. "Maybe it means you're getting more control of it?"
'Or maybe it means the exact opposite.'
[X]
After the whole 'accidentally punching a thief in the face' incident, we took twenty minutes to laugh about it and finish our drinks. The conversation had – typically - changed to who had the best eyes; Jubilee voted my yellow eyes, Rogue voted Storm's when she used her power and they turned white, and Kitty voted Bobby's blue ones.
Rogue didn't exactly look happy about Kitty's answer but didn't say anything about it.
I didn't contribute much to the conversation because I was still trying to figure out how Apex became active so easily. And so… subtly.
Before, I almost always had the same symptoms: black hair, yellow eyes, heightened senses. But this time… the only thing that changed was my yellow eyes and my strength. Like I was able to separate certain aspects of my mutation.
The thought was a mix of terrifying and exciting. Finally I was getting somewhere with my mutation!
After buying 10x more clothes than any of us needed, we decided to ditch the mall we were in and head for a strip mall a few blocks away. Kitty and Jubilee were a little bitter about it once they noticed the biting cold but Rogue and I didn't mind.
Rogue was wearing long-sleeves and gloves to begin with and I was Canadian; I was used to this kind of thing. The first stop we made at the strip mall was to an outdoor store to buy mittens and a toque for each of us.
I got a white knit one, Rogue got black, Kitty got brown and Jubilee got bright yellow. It made me feel like we were in a music video and Jubilee was the lead singer and the rest of us were background dancers.
"I think we have about two hundred dollars left. How should we spend it?" Kitty asked, quickly counting the bills.
"I don't know. I can't believe he gave us so much, in cash too," I mused. "Doesn't he own a credit card?"
Rogue laughed. "Yeah, since giving your credit card number to a group of girls is a good idea."
"Can we get some food? I'm starving!" Jubilee changed the conversation back to Kitty's question. "There's this really cute café nearby that I wouldn't mind going to."
"Didn't we just have Starbucks?" I pointed out. I really wasn't in the mood to eat. I was more exhausted from our long day than anything.
"Starbucks food is dry," Jubilee replied, wrinkling her nose. "Let's get some actual food."
"Is there a Tim Hortons nearby?" I asked, temporarily forgetting that I was in America. "It should be Roll-Up-the-Rim right about now."
The three girls stared at me with confused eyes. "What are you talking about?" Kitty asked, blinking at me.
"Uh, never mind," I laughed awkwardly. "It's a Canadian thing. Let's just go to that café you were talking about."
I wasn't really hungry and when we got to the café, I couldn't really do much but awkwardly sit there as the girls ate. They were all chatting about how "cute" and "yummy" the little café was. Finally, I decided to just excuse myself.
"I'm just going for a walk or something. Maybe I'll see some stores or something," I offered. The girls looked a little curious but didn't say much.
"Sure, meet us back here in twenty?" She checked her watch.
"Yeah, that's fine."
I walked out of the café and into the breezy New York street. The street wasn't overly busy but it was still bustling with people and there was a constant street of cars going down the road.
I started to walk down the street, gazing into windows as I passed them. The clothes here were nice at least.
I didn't walk for long before popping into various shops, trying on a sweater or two before coming out again and continuing on my little solo spree. Within twenty minutes, I had bought two sweaters, a pair of leggings and some scented candles.
I came out of the candle shop (because hey, maybe Apex likes candles?) and started back down the street to meet up with my friends again. Even from where I was standing, I could see Rogue's white streak through the café window.
"Violet?"
I turned around to come face to face with a familiar face. Bright blue eyes, slicked back hair, the faintest stubble gracing his chin… Jackson Hyde from NABN? And he knew my name?
"Uh… yes?"
A million thoughts raced through my mind as I stared at the newscaster. The first was 'Holy shit, a celebrity knows my name!' and then being hit with, 'How… does he recognize me from the attacks? Was my face plastered on every news station in North America?' and finally, I couldn't help but feel a spark of recognition that went past just seeing him on TV.
"Violet, it's me…" Jackson breathed. I could only blink at him, unsure of what to say. "God, I've looked everywhere for you. You and Hugh."
Hugh. He knows about Hugh.
The hair along my neck rose and I instantly found myself slipping into defensive mode. How much did this man know? What did he know? How did he know?
"Who are you?" My voice was stone cold; like an impenetrable steel.
His eyes were filling up with tears now and only then did I realize I was backing away. Hell, I was ready to bolt out of there any second now!
"I heard about what happened to your mother… It's not your fault Violet," he went on. I took another step back. He stepped closer, reaching to grab my hand but I ripped it away from him.
"Who are you?" I snarled. I was one wrong move away from shredding this guy – Apex style.
"Oh God," he laughed, running a hand through his gelled hair. "Of course you don't remember me. It was so long ago… Violet, my name is Jackson Hyde and I…"
There was a long pause.
"I'm your father…"
Before I could even register what those words meant, the world was spinning. I stumbled back, dropping my bags and grabbing the brick wall for balance. All the air had left my lungs and all I could do was stand there, leaning up against the wall as I gasped for breath.
All the pieces magically fit into place with each breath I took.
Jackson Hyde: Jack from my 'Jack leaving Holly' memory/breakdown.
This was why he was never around.
Why my mom hated NABN.
Stupid little things, things I would've overlooked, all came crashing down at once around me. My father, Jackson-fucking-Hyde, was standing in front of me.
My father who left me when I was a baby.
My father who left me to deal with a freak power by myself.
My father who made Apex a violent hell-hound.
My father who ruined my life.
I started changing before I knew what was happening. My canines grew into sharp knives, black fur sprouting from my knuckles, and my eyes burning into a glorious gold.
"Get away from me," I snarled in between gasps. Jackson tried taking a step towards me but I slammed him backwards. The people around us shrieked and leapt back as I stepped forward, a new power taking control of me.
I stood over him, a sick grin on my face as my claws grew. A low growl was coming from deep in my throat and even though I wasn't in my full wolf-form, I still didn't have control over what I was doing.
Jackson's eyes met mine and for one long moment, all we did was stare back at each other. I broke the moment by taking a step forward, raising my claws in the air and looking down at the pathetic human in disgust.
"This isn't you, Violet," the man said slowly, staring me directly in the eyes. I could see every ounce of fear, shock, and… love?
Suddenly, my anger drained and all I was left with was a hollow shell of power. Every fibre of Apex screamed at me to rip out Jackson's throat but… I couldn't do it. I turned, seeing all these people staring, whispering, crying…
…because of me.
'I have to get out of here,' I thought, backing up into the wall. My breathing increased as I looked for a hole in the crowd of people. Anywhere to get out! I didn't want to hurt anyone else.
My breathing quickened and my heart started beating faster. I needed out!
At first I didn't notice the changing; I was too distracted by the crowd and my racing heart. I didn't feel the feathers sprouting from my skin, or my teeth shrink into my gums. I didn't even realize I had changed at all until my arms shrank.
I looked down to see long black feathers in the place of fingers. Glancing up, I finally saw my opening in the crowd; into the sky.
I barely heard the screams of people as I shot up, soaring into the sky, flying higher and higher. I wasn't Violet anymore, or even a wolf for that matter – I was an eagle. Beautiful, dangerous, free.
Nothing could stop me. Not Hugh, not Jay, not my father.
This feeling, it was like nothing I had experienced yet. Instead of the heavy, anger of turning into the wolf, I felt like I had no limits.
I glanced down, seeing the crowd staring up at me in shock. A few people were snapping pictures, the rest just watching. Jackson was watching in awe, amazement, and another emotion I couldn't detect. But the smile on his face said it all.
I spread my wings as I soared through the sky, cutting through the clouds like a knife. Now that I was away from danger, all I could focus on was the fact that I could fucking fly.
I don't know how long I flew, feeling the wind lift me through the air; but however long it was, it was longer than twenty minutes. It was long enough for my friends to notice my disappearance and call Scott.
And at the end of the day, once I was worn out from my long day, I set out to hunt, not remembering that I was supposed to be eating spaghetti - not mice - sleeping in a bed – not a nest – and that I was a mutant – not an eagle.
But then again, I was always forgetful.
[X]
"Professor, we have a problem."
Those were the first words that left Scott's mouth as he burst into Detention, followed by Rogue, Jubilee, and Kitty. They all had worried and guilty looks plastered on their faces. A look of understanding crossed the Professor's face.
"Violet's missing," he said evenly.
Most of the kids in Detention glanced up, recognizing Violet from either her meltdown, or just as the girl who arrived covered in blood. Either way, she was the girl who tried her hardest not to make a scene but failed devastatingly.
"She just went on a walk while we ate and when we went looking for her, she was gone but her bags were in the middle of the sidewalk!" Jubilee explained, trying to keep her voice down.
"It's like she just vanished," Rogue added.
"Nobody ever vanishes, my dear," the Professor hummed gently. "I'll take a look at Cerebro and see if something happened to her. Girls, I think it's best if you all went to your rooms and kept quiet about this for the time being."
"Quiet?" Kitty repeated, looking confused.
"We don't want to worry the other students when it could be a simple mistake," Scott explained. "If we can have Violet back in the mansion in a few hours, then there's no point in causing any worry. With all of the tension between humans and mutants lately, some of the other students might jump to conclusions."
"That makes sense," Jubilee sniffled. The three girls walked down the halls to their rooms while Scott and the Professor walked – well, rolled for one of them – down the opposite way. They made their way to the basement and to the door at the end of the hall with an X crossing it.
A blue laser shot out from the centre of the X, scanning the Professor's eyes. After a moment, an electronic voice sounded in the hall. "Welcome Professor."
Scott started to wait outside but the Professor looked back with a small smile on his face. "You can watch if you'd like."
Scott's face split into a grin as he followed the Professor onto the walkway. Secretly, Scott always wondered why the one room made solely for the Professor was the one that was most wheelchair dangerous.
The Professor carefully placed the helmet on his head, closing his eyes as he focused his mind.
He had used Cerebro a countless amount of times, yet it never ceased to amaze him when the space around him filled with red and white dots.
Scott watched at the Professor focused on a relatively small area of red dots – New York City. Mutants rushed past him, cut-off sentences buzzing through his ears as the Professor sorted through hundreds of them.
Finally, the Professor's focus came on a single mutant, moving fast and erratically. Scott's eyes narrowed. "Where's she going?"
"I don't know," the Professor answered after a moment. "She's running from something…"
"What is it?"
There was a long pause. "Professor?" Scott asked after a moment.
"It's difficult to read someone's mind through Cerebro as it is, let alone when she's a bird," the Professor mused. The red dots surrounding them instantly shrunk and the Professor took off the helmet.
"Bird?" Scott repeated. "But I thought she could only change into a-"
"Wolf?" the Professor filled in the blanks. "Her powers have grown. My guess is that she saw something unpleasant – something scared Violet. It seems like her mutation only makes an appearance under heightened stress."
"So where is she then? Should I take the team out to go get her?" Scott asked and the Professor instantly shook his head, wheeling out of the circular room.
"We can't risk scaring her anymore; who knows what else she can do… or what Apex can do…" A distant look appeared in the Professor's eyes and Scott looked down at him in confusion. There was an unmistakable trace of worry on the Professor's face.
"Are you okay?"
The Professor shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Yes, fine. Violet's a bright girl and she'll have to stop running eventually. I'll keep an eye on her and when she finally settles down, I'll let you take a team out."
Scott didn't immediately reply; he still looked a little worried. "Professor… are you scared of Violet?"
"No!" the Professor answered instantly. "Violet is a sweet girl and just like any new mutant, is learning to deal with her powers."
"Then what are you worried about?" Scott pressed.
The Professor sighed. "Out of all the mutants I've come across, I've found that shape-shifters are always the ones who have the biggest need for belonging. Maybe it's because after wearing so many faces, they forget who they are anymore or maybe it's because they never knew to begin with."
"And you're worried that's going to happen to Violet?" Scott guessed.
"I'm worried that she's going to latch on to the first identity she forms and hold on to it. She needs stability, she needs belonging, but wherever Violet's gone, she hasn't quite fit in," he explained. "She was rejected by her brother, by her classmates, and has been having trouble fitting in here, as well. Because of her shapeshifting and unwillingness to accept her mutation, Violet has formed minor multiple-personalities."
"Her power – Apex - and her," Scott said out loud. "So I've heard."
"Apex is hostile, aggressive… destructive. I'm worried about what Violet could do if she clings onto Apex to feel a sense of wholeness. I've seen into the mind of Apex and it's not a pretty sight."
"Why is this all coming out now, Professor?" the younger mutant asked.
"She just discovered a new piece of her mutation. So far, Violet can change into a wolf and an eagle. Both are dangerous, but manageable. Now imagine what would happen if, say, a tiger with Apex's personality was let loose in a busy New York Street."
Scott's eyes widened as an image of a body-littered street popped into his mind. At the end of the street was Violet, with two gleaming yellow eyes. Violet, she would break down after realizing what she had done; Apex… not so much.
Violet was a dangerous, aggressive mutant with identity problems and the ability to easily kill a mass amount of people… and they just lost her.
A/N: The last scene was added mainly because I thought the chapter was a tad short but then it turned into an important discussion between the Professor and Scott. Whoops! Anyway, read and review!
I love you all!
