Hey everybody! Sorry it's been a few months again, I've been SUPER busy lately. But I'm out of school for the time being, and my schedule has freed waaaaay the fuck up.
I actually started writing this chapter ages ago and this next part was included in the author's note so here it is:
"Really quick though, there are three people that are important to Danni's past, and I want to clarify the differences, just in case some of you are a little confused.
There is the Girl who's name Danni is terrified to say
There is the Man she briefly remembered
And The girl with the red strings
If you guys have any questions, I'll try to answer unless it gives spoilers."
Also something I forgot to mention in my last Authors Note that will be changing about this story:
-I'm going to try to add scenes between pre-existing characters, and change action and dialogue to make it more realistic and less cheesy than the original, in an attempt to make it more unique and enjoyable.
On the subject of Marcos. I'm going to use google translate for his spanish, and I'm so sorry if it's wrong, I'll leave translations at the bottom.
So yeah, I hope you all enjoy, and hopefully I have this story finished by 2019 lol
C.J.
I took several deep breaths, hands beginning to tremble as I held myself in a backbend. I had been like this for several minutes already, Logan next to me, doing the same thing.
"Breath deep, kid." he said. "Just relax." I closed my eyes and breathed in through my nose, out my mouth. The Professor had given us the option to train at a weekend long camp, or at the Institute with Logan and Ororo. Personally, if I'm going to die doing laps, I'd rather do it here, where there's AC. So far today, Ororo had run me through a level four simulation in the danger room, Logan and I had run an obstacle course, and now yoga. Here's the fun part. It was only 11:00. I was kind of starting to see why everyone else opted for the camp.
It was kind of nice though. Much quieter than usual, and I really felt like I was improving. I'd fucked up on so many missions recently, it was nice to get some one-on-one help. Logan took a deep breath and moved out of position.
"Alright, that'll be all for now." I sighed and sat down, loving the sound of my back cracking into its regular slouch. "We'll run four laps 'round the Institute before bed, but you're free the rest of the day."
I walked slowly back to my room. All I wanted now, was to sit on my bed, and play guitar. I slammed the door behind me, flopped onto my bed and kicked my shoes off. I reached off the edge and pulled Baby onto the bed with me. I sat up and tuned it before beginning to strum. I was trying to remind myself of the chords to Castle on The Hill, quietly humming along. I was finally starting to relax, Baby made it all worth-
SNAP!
I quickly drew my hand back from the guitar, wincing from the stinging in my left hand.
A string had broke.
"Damnit!" I stuck my finger in my mouth and pulled my guitar case onto the bed with me. "Please tell me I have this string… Pleeeeeeease.. FUCK!" I quickly ran to the shower, changed into my cleanest pair of jeans and closest sweater, faded green with lots of holes, It was my mother's, and my father's before that. It would do, I'd found a music store just around the corner the other day. I grabbed my wallet, and put on my shoes. I pulled my hair into a ponytail as I walked.
"Where are you headed, Danni?" the Professor asked as he came into the foyer.
"Hm? Oh, I've got to go buy a new string for my guitar." he nodded to me and continued down the hall. I walked out of the gate, closing it behind me and heading out.
I walked through the door and smiled at the lady at the counter. She was older, almost fifty, but you couldn't tell at first glance. She was always smiling.
"Hello dear." she waved me over to the counter. I walked over, pulling out my wallet. "What can I do for you today?"
"Hello Miss Anette." you couldn't help but smile around her. "I just need to buy a new high E string for acoustic. Mine broke this morning." she nodded and reached under the desk and pulled out the familiar square packet. I handed her $1.50. "Thank you."
"My offer still stands, Deary." she leaned on the counter.
"I just… don't think I'm that good at teaching." I shrugged.
"Just promise me you'll think about it?" I nodded and quickly turned to the door. I couldn't get a job like this, not with the X-Men. I'd probably have to leave on missions so often I'd get fired in a week.
BONK! I reached up and rubbed the now sore spot on my forehead.
"We have to stop meeting like this, Danni." I looked up and saw Marcos smiling at me, also rubbing his forehead.
"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention." I said, unable to hold back the small smile on my face. He shook his head and walked passed me to the counter.
"Don't worry about it." He walked up to the counter, and, for some reason, I caught myself waiting for him. Once I realized what I was doing I quickly stepped outside and walked only a few feet before-
"Hey wait!" I turned and saw him stop next to me. "Would you maybe like to… Hang out with me today?" He seemed nervous. I smiled and nodded.
"Sure, I'd love to." He stood up straighter and a wide smile spread across both our faces.
"I just have to stop at home to drop this off." He gestured to the small case in his hand. It looked like my guitar case but much much smaller.
"You play violin?" I asked, following him as he began to walk. He nodded.
"It is kind of a family tradition." we walked in silence for a few minutes.
"So how are you liking school?" I asked suddenly. Really, Danni? You wanna talk about school? Really? He glanced at me and smiled.
"It's nice," he said, turning a corner. "I've met some very nice people." finally we reached what must have been Marcos' home. It was a small house on the side of the road, thin with two stories, a dark green with cute square windows and a rocking chair on the porch. He ran up the front steps and stopped at the door.
"You can come inside if you like." I smiled and followed him up the steps. As soon as I stepped inside a dog started barking. I would have been scared if a small dachshund hadn't immediately come running around the corner with its tail wagging behind it. "That's Winnie." Marcos explained as the dog waddled up to me. "She's a sweetheart." Winnie stood up and put her front paws on my knee. I knelt down and scratched the top of her head.
"Well hey girl," I giggled when she rolled over, asking me to rub her belly. "Aw aren't you just the sweetest." her tail was thumping against the ground and she let out what must have been a howl but sounded more like a squeaky toy calling for help. "Oh I bet you'd like my dog, Carlos. He's a big guy but he loves to play." I laughed and looked up at Marcos. He had set his violin case on the table next to the door, but his hand was still reaching towards it. He looked frozen. I looked up and our eyes met. We sat there for a moment, the silence only broken by Winnie's paws on the floor.
"Marcos?" A voice called from down the hall. We both turned our heads to see a woman turn the corner. She had greying blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "Oh! You've brought a friend." she quickly straightened her clothes and walked towards me with her hand extended. "Hi, I'm Marcos' aunt, but you can call me Kassity." I stood and shook her hand.
"Hi, I'm Danni," I smiled. "Nice to meet you."
"Can I get you something to drink?" She asked with a big smile. I opened my mouth to say she didn't have to but it snapped shut when Marcos' hand grazed my elbow.
"That's ok, Aunt Kas," he said. "We were going to walk up to the park or something."
"Oh are you sure?" she asked. "I could make some snacks?"
"Nope, we're ok, bye!" He practically dragged me out the door and ran to the sidewalk. He seemed nervous. "I didn't think you'd want to hear her talk about my baby stories all night." I chuckled and glanced back at the house, and I swore I saw his aunt smiling at us from behind a curtain. It was already almost 3 O'Clock.
"Do you want to maybe get some lunch?" I suggested, realizing he didn't want to talk his family just yet. "I could show you around town a bit." He perked up and nodded his head.
"I'd like that." he smiled. I quickly took a look around and tried to figure out what was near us.
"Oh, there's a neat little cafe about a block away." I pointed towards the end of the street. "They have the best BLT's I've ever had." he chuckled and seemed to step a bit closer to me than was necessary.
"Lead the way." I started to walk in the direction of the cafe, a big smile on my face. We walked all the way in a comfortable silence. We finally made it to the Cafe and walked inside. A bell chimed above us.
It was small and warm, contrasting wonderfully with the cold wind of outside. It was mostly light brown in color, with a few dark orange accents on the table cloths and counters. I walked over to my favorite spot, the booth in the corner by the large front window. The seat made a loud sound like a fat fish hitting the water as I threw myself onto it. Marcos chuckled and sat down next to me like a normal person. I sat up straight when our waitress came over. She handed us two small menus.
"Good morning!" she smiled. "My name is Lucy, I'm your server today. Can I get you two anything to drink?"
"I'll take a cup of Earl Grey with two sugars please." I smiled. She nodded and wrote it down.
"And for you sir?"
"Uh…" Marcos' eyes quickly scanned the menu for the drink section and after another moment he responded. "I'll have a lemonade, please." The woman nodded.
"Alright, I'll be right back for your order."
"What are you going to get?" Marcos asked, glancing between me and the menu.
"I think I'm just going to get a bagel, I'm not too hungry. Though I'd still recommend that BLT." I looked over his shoulder at the open menu. He seemed to stiffen so I backed off a bit. "Oh, their soups are really good too though, I forgot they had that one." he nodded and set the menu down as the waitress came back with our drinks.
"Alright, what can I get you guys?" she asked, pulling out her notepad again. We gave her our orders and she walked back to the kitchen.
"Can I ask you something?" Marcos asked.
"Sure." I pulled my leg to my chest. "What's up?"
"What's the deal with you and all those other kids living together?"
"Um…" I scratched my head and swallowed nervously. "I guess it's kind of like a year round summer camp? Like… A special school."
"How so?" he turned to face me, taking a drink of his lemonade. The waitress dropped our food off than scurried over to another table.
"Well… Ok, for example, uh… Scott is a straight A student since elementary school, Jean is an amazing soccer player, Evan does basketball, that kind of stuff." I took a sip of my tea and smiled at the warm feeling it sent through me.
"And you?" I cocked my eyebrow at him.
"What do you mean?"
"What is your gift?" he asked. That made me pause. I couldn't tell him about my powers necessarily, but I couldn't exactly say it was guitar either. He played violin, he might ask more questions.
"Boxing?" It came out more like a question than a statement. "Self-Defense. Not necessarily martial arts, but still self-defense." Oh my god stop rambling. He looked taken back.
"Really?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" I pulled a face and tried to hide my giggle by taking a bite of my bagel. He became very flustered.
"N-Nothing! I didn't mean… I'm sure you can take care of yourself I just meant that… I wouldn't have thought that looking at you I mean you're just really pretty, not that pretty people can't defend themselves I just meant- Dios mío, necesito dejar de hablar(1)." I froze. I could see the tremble in my hands cause my tea to ripple, so I set it back on the table. I glanced at Marcos to see him shoveling his BLT into his mouth with his face bright red. It was like that for the remainder of time we were at the Cafe with only a few attempts to break the silence that were quickly given up on. When we got up to leave I paid for both of us, making sure to leave a tip. It was almost 5 now and the sun was going down. We made it to Marcos' street and stopped. I couldn't bring myself to look at him.
"I meant it." he said. I looked up at him. He was staring at the sidewalk.
"Meant what?" he just stood there. "Marcos, you meant wh-" suddenly his lips pressed against my cheek and my whole brain just seemed to stop. I felt my face heat up as he turned and sped walked all the way back to his house. I stood at the end of his street for several minutes after he had walked inside, holding my hand to my cheek, fingers barely grazing where he had…
BANG!
I shook my head and looked down the street towards the manor. I saw the blackbird take off and smoke coming from the side of the building.
"Danni, hurry!" the Professor's voice rang in my head. "Ororo has gone to get the others, the manor is under attack." I took off towards the manor, houses speeding past my eyes in a blur. I halted once I was inside the front door and listened. I ran through the halls, stopping occasionally only to locate which direction the sounds of fighting were coming from. After a minute I could hear Logan groan. I turned a corner to find him in uniform, on the floor next to the wall, which now had a massive dent in it.
"Logan!" I ran and tried to help him up but he was dead weight in my arms. I set him down and reached to feel his pulse. I let out a sigh of relief. Still breathing. I turned to the jagged hole in the wall, only to find a trail through several other rooms to the danger room.
"Charles." I heard an unfamiliar voice say. "Aren't you going to welcome me home." "You ungrateful thug!" Mystique exclaimed. What was she doing here?
"Cain, this doesn't have to end badly." the professor said. "This house, it's about new beginnings." I started to run through the holes in the walls, jumping over rubble like hurdles and ignoring the new holes that the jagged bits of metal were tearing in my sweater.
"You're right, Charles." the man named Cain said. I rounded the corner and was finally able to see what was happening. "This is the beginning. For me. And the end for both of you!" I could feel my hands clenched into fists watching this man corner the Professor.
"You've learned nothing." the Professor said. "You never will. Activate: Logan's run X-13." I watched as the danger room activated and focused all its energy on the hulking man stomping closer. The man never so much as flinched as he was hit with spinning blades and swinging spikes.
I finally pulled myself from the wall and leapt onto his back. I knew I couldn't take a man this strong on my own, but I hoped I'd be able to hold him off until Ororo got back with everyone else. Luckily, the dome shape of his helmet made it very difficult to grab me, and I was able to hit it with a few solid punches, denting the metal, and probably bruising my hand to my surprise. Finally he managed to grab the back of my shirt and flung me against the back wall with the Professor and Mystique. I shakily pulled myself to my feet as he started stomping towards us again.
"Take a break guys." I heard Scott say.
"We'll take it from here." Avalanche? Well… their leader was in trouble as well, I shouldn't really be surprised that they'd show up as well.
"Well now," Mystique said, out of breath. "This is a surprise." Cain was about to reach for the Professor when suddenly he was lifted up by Jean. She seemed to be struggling though. Something was making it difficult. I glared at the now floating and flailing man, a sight that would have otherwise made me laugh hysterically. I pushed myself off the ground, landing a kick in the middle of his chest and sending him flying across the room as Jean slumped to her side. I ran to her and helped pull her to her feet before Cain was able to move.
"Cain's helmet," I heard Logan call from across the room. He seemed groggy but he was awake. "Remove it!" Cain started to run at Jean and I when Fred suddenly ran up and, yes this really happened, belly bumped him into the wall. Again, a sight that would have otherwise made me laugh hysterically.
"Unstoppable?" he said. "Meet the unmovable." Kurt ported onto Cains back, managing to unhook one of four latches before he was thrown across the room. I set Jean down as quickly and gently as I could before running over to where Kurt was headed, managing to run up the wall somehow, and propell off of it before he could hit it. I set him down as well and launched myself towards Cain. I tried to wrap myself around both of his legs to trip him up, or confuse him enough for someone else to get to the next latch. At the same time Scott shot him in the chest with a laser beam, effectively making him forget about me for a moment. He tore a piece of the danger room from the floor and threw it at Scott. I saw Lance about to use his power and quickly moved from Cain's legs to his back.
He fell to his knees and Pietro ran over to unlatch the second latch on his back, and I reached around to grab one at the front of his helmet. Cain quickly stood and threw the two of us off, and Ororo walked up to him, creating a miniature tornado in the room. He was spun around and confused long enough for Kitty to phase her and Rough through the nearest wall to get the final latch. Cain stood and roared as Tod wrapped his long tongue around the helmet and lifted it off Cain's head.
The large man immediately began screaming and holding his head as the Professor started his own attack. Despite the assault on his mind, Cain still managed to take a few steps forward and grab the Professors wheelchair before collapsing to the ground. A few moments after he fell everyone began cheering and I let out a long sigh. Not how I thought this day would end. Mystique lead her team out of the Institute and the rest of us were left to deal with the damage.
Jean, Scott, and Logan had accompanied the Professor to the jail where his brother was being put back in his cell. Kitty, Rogue, Kurt, Evan and I were left with the fun job of moving all the rubble into piles for Jean and the Professor to move later. We had quite a good system going. I had been scared to do it at first, but I had let Rogue tap my finger, like she had with Kitty, and let her sap some of my strength. She and I would lift the big rocks, and Kurt would teleport us in turns to the big pile to save time. Kitty and Evan were taking care of smaller rubble, and Kurt would do the same for them, as well as moving his own when he had the chance.
After about three hours we had finally done everything we could without Jean and the Professor, and I had offered to make dinner for the five of us before bed. They told me stories of their weekend adt the training camp and how Scott had been almost unnaturally obsessed with competing.
"They really got to him this time, didn't they?" I pushed open the kitchen door and moved to the fridge to see what we had while the rest of them stood around the counter and sat in the bar stools.
"Yeah. Something about being out in the woods makes you feel all, like, primal and stuff." Kitty said, leaning on her hand.
"What about you, Dan. What did Drill Sergeant Logan have you do?" Evan asked.
"Well, yesterday was a lot more grueling, non-stop simulations and courses, but today was a lot nicer actually. Ororo had me run a level four solo sim, I did an obstical course with Logan, and then we did yoga for… I want to say two hours, and then I had the day off." I pulled some things out of the fridge. "Alright, I guess we haven't gone grocery shopping yet, so how does scrambled eggs sound?"
"Better than the slop they were feedin' us at that camp." Rogue said, pulling a face at the memory of the food. They all shared a chuckle. I pulled out a bowl and cracked some eggs into it.
"So what did you do on your day off?" Kitty asked. Suddenly the events of the day came flooding back to me.
"Uh.. I ran into Marcos at the music store." I didn't need to look to see Kitty grin.
"Aaaaaand?"
"Aaaaand we hung out?" I looked at her and she was practically bouncing in her chair.
"Oh come on, Dan. Like, what did you guys do?" Even looked mildly interested and Kurt was intently staring at the table so I doubt he was paying attention. I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell her. I started whisking the eggs.
"I showed him that Cafe, the one you and I found like your third week here?"
"Did you have fun?" Even asked with a small smirk.
"Yeah." I said with a smile. I could feel my cheeks redden a bit. "It was a nice date out." I heard Even choke and Kitty snorted. I nearly spilled egg on myself with the tremor going through my body.
"Day! It was a nice DAY out! I said DAY!"
(1) Dios mío, necesito dejar de hablar: Oh my god, I need to stop talking.
Well, there it is c: I hope you all enjoy, please tell me your thoughts in the comment section, I actually had a lot of fun writing this.
Love you guys!
C.J.