Dear reviewers, I love all of you dearly! You are encouraging and I couldn't wait to get this chapter out. Well, you guessed it. It is Ansleigh's chapter. I am so pumped to write this because we….I won't spoil it. Read and enjoy! O.O For my first X-Men fanfic, I have such a bounty of blessings (over a 100 reviews!)Thank thank you thank you. ^^ I am so happy.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own X-Men Evolution. OCs, however are owned by their respective creators.
X-Men: Restoration
Chapter Eight: Ansleigh Shoukat
Ansleigh opened her cat eyes to be blinded by a light. She quickly covered them with her hands as she felt the pain awaken in her, her head was throbbing and her back ached. She was suddenly aware that she was in a bed. She jolted up and squinted at the room she was in. It was extremely cold and she had a pile of blankets on her. She wrapped a blanket around herself to keep warm. It was like a long term winter in the room. She vaguely remembered how the Brotherhood stole the Blackbird but after Levi practically squeezed her to death, she had no recollection whatsoever.
The room was small with a dresser and a desk in it. It had white wash walls which made the glare from the light that much brighter. She gripped the sheets as she closed her eyes once again and squinted again. Her heart rose in the number of beats as she quietly got out of the bed and looked around for her glasses. She saw them on the dresser. She crept over to it as she analyzed her surroundings. Suddenly, a boy walked in with a tray of food. She sent an explosion off as the window cracked. The boy jumped and the soup tray went onto the floor. The small bedroom was filled with a clacking noise as the glass scattered across the floor. The crash of the tray echoed and there was a long pause of silence between them. Ansleigh analyzed the boy. He was actually about her age and looked friendly. He had bushy brown hair and gentle green eyes. He silently picked up the pieces of the soup bowl. She was still scared despite how harmless the guy looked.
"How did I get here? What do you want with me?" She mumbled in her heavy Indonesian accent. She cleared her throat and repeated the phrase again as she backed toward the broken window. She was shaking from fear. To try to stop she held her arm against her sides.
"Well, I just brought you here because you were pretty banged up out there in that alley. Your guardian is coming for you." He said as he took the tray out of the room. She glanced out the broken. She sighed in disappointment as she saw she was clearly too high up to make a getaway. She cautiously walked into the doorway. It was an okay apartment with the same bland whitewash walls. He looked up and smiled at her.
"It's alright to come out. I am not going to hurt you." The boy said as he ladled some more soup. "Do you like chicken broth? It soothes the pain." he said as Ansleigh. She bit her lip as she smelled the aroma but she didn't know him. He could poison her. "I'm Richard." She nodded as she saw the bruises on the side of her arms. She blushed when she looked down at her uniform. It must be awkward seeing a girl in an odd uniform.
"Guardian, you said?" She asked. He nodded saying that he didn't know much about it but that a Charles Xavier called and said he would send someone to pick her up. Ansleigh pondered her thoughts; he wasn't even a bit curious about how the Prof got his number.
Richard came out with a first aid kit and a bowl of soup. He gave them to her on a tray. "It's not poisoned." He laughed as he walked away and scooped some for himself. She sat down on his couch and opened the medical kit. Richard sat down at his table and ate his soup. He didn't ask questions or anything even though she was strange from the uniform to the explosion she had set off.
She applied ointment and bandages to her scratched up arms. She kept glancing up at the Richard as if he would try and hurt her but he kept eating his soup. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door but before Rex could answer it, Wolverine busted down the door. Her wide cat eyes were alarmed at the chaos that had just happened a few moments ago.
"Ansleigh!" Logan growled and Ansleigh ran up to him. She looked up into his usual cold eyes but she felt warmth from them. She hesitated but she embraced him as Logan hugged her back. "I'm happy you're safe." He said quietly. Richard stood there perplexed as he saw the broken door but he didn't look impressed or shocked by Wolverine and his razor sharp claws. He stood there with blank eyes, staring at the door that was now on the floor.
"There goes my paycheck." He mumbled as he scratched his head. Logan saw her and examined her scratches. Logan went up to Richard and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"What did you do to her?" He roared in his face as Richard became straight faced as he looked at Logan calmly. Ansleigh swiftly pulled Logan back from Richard.
"He didn't do this. Levi did. He's taken care of me." Ansleigh said. Logan turned away and walked out the door. She knew it was time to go. Richard waved. "I'm sorry; the Professor will pay for this. Thank you for your hospitality. Sorry, I thought you were a criminal." Ansleigh said showing a cheery smile. Rex gave her a tiny grin as he gazed at the disaster that Logan had left.
Ansleigh opened the door to the house expecting to hear silence. No one was up at 7am on a Saturday morning…she thought.
She pranced in the French doors ignoring her aches and pains. She beamed radiance as she was finally home at the mansion; Kurt bamfed in front of her holding a bag of potato chips, greeting her with his mouth full of potato chips. Sakura had worked up a pretty colored waterworks show. She swiftly made shapes out of the different colored water and spelled out 'welcome!' She heaved a huge sigh after it was over. Camlin and Coralie gave her big hugs. Grace came out in tears and gave her a daisy in a pot and embraced her as if she had died. Eric waved a hello as he went to the library to read. Mark stumbled and fell flat on the marble floor as his books went flying across the room.
"Are you okay?" Mark said in a low voice as a celebration went on.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She said. She nodded. Mark shrugged his shoulders and tried to pick up the mess he had created. She was home. She felt the happiness and the warmth she had been blessed with since she was very young. Her parents were supportive of her education in Bayville despite being many miles away from her. She often felt a longing to go back home to Indonesia but she had to gain control of her powers, first. She didn't want to harm anyone. Her explosions could often be dangerous like the one time she set the turkey on fire at Thanksgiving by making the oven explode, not the best X-Men Thanksgiving. Her mother and sister, Wamika often visited her on trips back to the states while her father worked with her older brothers. Wamika was always impressed with the mansion and all of her friends. Wamika wanted to get a visa to the US to study and do research but the Indonesian government had not approved her yet. Ansleigh had a gift of a life and she wanted to give her joy and happiness to others.
Marina gave her a questioning glance as Ansleigh went upstairs to her room. She wanted to sleep. Sakura, her roommate came in and crashed on her bed.
"You, good…right? I am happy, you…are back." Sakura said as she took off her famous 'rodeo' coat as she called it. Sakura did lie down and let out all her frustrations, if she had any, in one breath. Ansleigh was always impressed by how relaxed she was.
"Where's Storm?" Ansleigh asked as she hadn't heard the tempest goddess making her daily showers to water the garden. Sakura got up with a start and opened the window.
"Recruitment. Others went. Want to see cool thing?" She asked in her broken English. Ansleigh, groggily lifted herself off the bed. Sakura always could put on a good show. Sakura brought water out of the hose and spread the water artfully in the air as she dropped it on the designated plants but she lost control of her power over the hose and it began to spray everywhere. They laughed as Sakura did her signature shoulder lift. "Oh, well. I think grass needs it."
They didn't hear the Professor chuckling. Ansleigh and Sakura turned around. Ansleigh was in so high spirits that she exploded a lamp.
"Oops, I'll fix that." Ansleigh giggled and brought her attention to the man who gave her this opportunity in life. They were all her second family. She was incredibly lucky to have two loving families that supported her.
"Ms. Shoukat, may I speak to you a moment. Thank you for watering the garden, Sakura." He said as Ansleigh followed him. "I know you have been involved in a very traumatic case but I need you to verify something." Ansleigh pursed her lips and nodded. She was scarred by the Brotherhood. They left her to die in an alley. The Prof however showed her a picture. She looked wide eyed at the photograph.
"What is this?" Ansleigh asked. She picked up the picture and analyzed it. Her brows went up in question as Professor Xavier nodded.
"Cerebro detected him. I just want to know if he was acting odd when you met him. " The Professor replied. Ansleigh took off her glasses, still didn't know what Xavier was talking about. She was scrutinizing a photograph when she noticed something. It irked her from the inside. She had seen it before then she realized.
"Is this Richard?" Ansleigh gasped as she looked closer. It was a photograph of a dinosaur with those gentle green eyes. He was a mutant. No wonder he wasn't surprised when he saw her or Logan. He became the most terrifying thing, who knows how often? Richard King was in danger. The boy who saved her life was in danger. Her heart dropped.
Yeah, I know. The suspense never stops. I want to write happy chapters but it is kind of hard when you have Ansleigh hanging on a thread and then the whole consipracy of the Brotherhood. Cullenflower, it will get much more dark. MUCH.
Also: Now you have Richard. YAY! New character that is super nice. What do you think about him? Mysterious, right?
What character do you think I should write about next? X-Men, Brotherhood, Morlocks?
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT (and reviews!) Love,
