Disclaimer: I own Almika, Alena belongs to Mariamus Prime and any other character written into this story is Marvels... damn they make good characters!!!
Chapter 9 - Creatures of the Night
At 6am the next morning when her alarm went off, Almika sat cuddled up in her doona, she hadn't slept all night. The drawing sat up the other end of her bed, facing her. Images of her meeting with the person still flashed through her mind. She feared leaving the confines of her bed, as if the small amount of safety she felt there would disappear. Although she had been up all night, she wasn't tired, just scared. Her alarm rang for 5 minutes, pointless considering her deafness, before Alena wandered in, wondering why it was even turned on.
As Alena crouched upon Almika's bed, Almika gasped, shocked by the appearance of another person. Alena was still dressed in her silk bed-slip.
"You left your alarm running." Alena smiled, leaning over to turn it off.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't notice it was even on." Almika apologised.
"Looks like you've been up all night, didn't sleep well?" Alena asked.
"Didn't sleep. Strange happenings last night. I must've been seeing things." Almika said.
"What was it?" Alena asked.
"That drawing." Almika said, pointing to it as it sat before Alena's feet.
"What about it? Hey, he's not bad looking, but Toad's better." Alena smiled warmly.
"I... I... nah, you'll think I'm crazy... " Almika said, trembling.
"No I won't, what's gotten ya all scared Almika?" Alena asked worried.
"I... I saw that guy last night, on the school grounds. He came up to me, as I was walking inside, I ran. I've been here since, hoping he hasn't followed me, or isn't waiting for me to come back out of my room." Almika said, her eyes quickly shifting left to right.
"Hey, you'll be fine. Got any classes today?" Alena asked.
"Nah, but I do want to waste some more time in the Danger Room. I may be able to sleep tonight if I wear myself out." Almika sighed, rubbing her eyes.
"No one can harm you while you're here with us all around you." Alena smiled, "You'd better go shower, the others will start wondering where we are soon."
Almika forced a smile as she slipped from under the doona, picking up her drawing on the way and standing beside her bed as she said, "I'll be down in 1/2hr or so."
"Alright. I'll probably be in the rec room... "Alena replied, walking out and closing the door behind her.
Almika placed the drawing atop her desk, glancing to it one last time before sighing softly and opening her cupboard. She flicked through the many skirts and dresses once before moving to a dark purple, velvet and silk dress, on she hadn't worn in a long time. As she pulled it out and hung it on her bed, she looked around mindlessly before making her bed and going for a shower.
Almika was amazed how well the dress still fit her. The 'off-the-shoulder' sleeves ran tight down her arms, forming triangles on the back of her hands, joined to black elastic which slipped around each middle finger on her hands. Around the top of the dress, which went from just below her shoulders, across her chest and back at the same height, was sewn a small line of lace, folded down upon the dress. The waist of the dress hugged her frame tightly, showing off her hips and pushing up her breasts, almost like a corset. From the waist where her hips sat, to the ground where the hem gently brushed, was simple and flowing, allowing her to move swiftly and gracefully. As Almika stared at the dress in her mirror and smiled, it made her feel better. Upon her feet she slipped a pair of ballet slippers as she hustled herself out the door and flicked her hair, untied of course, behind her.
Her hands gently lifted the front of her dress a little as she entered the kitchen. Rogue, Gambit, Toad and Alena ran around, getting various food items.
"What's all the running for guys?" Almika asked, confused.
"Rogue and Gambit have classes to teach and Alena and I have things that Xavier's asked us to do." Toad smiled to her.
Almika nodded to him, grabbing an apple from the fridge and wandering out. She decided, since everyone else was busy, and she had nothing to do, she'd ask Xavier if he had anything for her to do. She swallowed the piece of apple she'd been chewing for the last 3 minutes and walked in, not watching the going ons.
"Xavier, is there... "Almika started, her eyes finally seeing the whole picture.
"Hello Almika. This' Kurt, he tells me that you two met last night on his way in." Xavier smiled, introducing the man standing nearby him with those blazing yellow eyes fixed on her.
"Um, well... ah... sort of." Almika said, suddenly going pale.
"Sorry I scared you last night." Kurt smiled softly.
"It, it's not that... " Almika said, "This is why you scared me..." Almika put two fingers to her right temple and projected the image of her drawing.
"Wow! That's a good picture!" Kurt exclaimed.
"I drew that in the last few days, before I'd even met or heard of you." Almika explained, "When I saw you, it scared me." She slowly turned to her natural colour again.
"That's understandable." Xavier smiled softly, "How long are you here for Almika?"
"Actually, I came to see if there was anything fro me to do, since everyone else is busy and I have no classes today." Almika smiled.
"Oh... well Toad and Alena have the list of things that need doing, you could help them with that, or maybe you could take Kurt out to town for the day, it's been awhile since you left the confines of the school." Xavier suggested.
"Mmm... "Almika thought, "It'd be nice to get out of here..."
The door behind her flung open suddenly, Cyclops running in as he said, "Charles, we have 5 sentinels and 3 other mutants coming straight for the school."
"Sound the safety bells, tell the students to go to the Gym and stay there, get the other X-men outside to defend the school, now." Xavier said calmly. Cyclops ran off again, his thoughts a little saner. "Did you get any of that child?" Xavier asked Almika.
"Yeah, I heard his mind the second he ran in. Suppose I'd better be off to the Gym now, huh?" Almika smiled.
"No Almika, I want you to fight with us, if you are willing?" Xavier asked.
"Sure, don't see why not." Almika shrugged, "Hey Kurt, you coming?"
Kurt nodded, walking to the door.
"I'll race ya outside!" Almika cried, running off through the sea of people who had started going to the Gym. As she exited the building, she looked behind her to see Kurt climbing along the walls closely followed by Toad and Alena, "I win!!" she cried happily.
As Almika turned around, she saw what she feared most, 2 of the sentinels made their way across the front of the school, headed straight for her, the other 3 came behind, although there was no sign of the three mutants.
"Alena, you and I have one, Toad and Kurt, take the other!" Almika cried, levitating herself before she started to fly towards the one on her right, her palms black as she fired ball after ball of electricity at the sentinel. It wasn't easy, she had to keep moving so she wasn't hit with it's blast, but she managed, watching as Alena scrambled up to the back of the sentinels neck, dodging and weaving the sentinels hands which tried to grasp her at every turn.
Toad followed Alena in scrambling up the other sentinel and spitting acid to melt away it's outer shell while Kurt teleported himself to its shoulder and reached in where Toad had spat.
In the meantime, Storm, Gambit, Rogue and Cyclops had started to defend the school against the other three sentinels. Without the other students help, it took a little longer for Alena and Almika to fell the sentinel, but when they did, they instantly lunged for the next one, pulling each down one by one. They brought down all the sentinels before anyone even thought of looking for the other mutants that had come up on the security system.
"Where are they?" Kurt asked, looking around confused.
"I don't know, I can't see them..." Almika said.
From a point by the school fence, came three figures, two on the ground and one that seemed to be flying in a bubble of some sort...
‡ Who are these other mutants... and why do they want to attack the school??? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out!!!
Chapter 9 - Creatures of the Night
At 6am the next morning when her alarm went off, Almika sat cuddled up in her doona, she hadn't slept all night. The drawing sat up the other end of her bed, facing her. Images of her meeting with the person still flashed through her mind. She feared leaving the confines of her bed, as if the small amount of safety she felt there would disappear. Although she had been up all night, she wasn't tired, just scared. Her alarm rang for 5 minutes, pointless considering her deafness, before Alena wandered in, wondering why it was even turned on.
As Alena crouched upon Almika's bed, Almika gasped, shocked by the appearance of another person. Alena was still dressed in her silk bed-slip.
"You left your alarm running." Alena smiled, leaning over to turn it off.
"Oh! Sorry, I didn't notice it was even on." Almika apologised.
"Looks like you've been up all night, didn't sleep well?" Alena asked.
"Didn't sleep. Strange happenings last night. I must've been seeing things." Almika said.
"What was it?" Alena asked.
"That drawing." Almika said, pointing to it as it sat before Alena's feet.
"What about it? Hey, he's not bad looking, but Toad's better." Alena smiled warmly.
"I... I... nah, you'll think I'm crazy... " Almika said, trembling.
"No I won't, what's gotten ya all scared Almika?" Alena asked worried.
"I... I saw that guy last night, on the school grounds. He came up to me, as I was walking inside, I ran. I've been here since, hoping he hasn't followed me, or isn't waiting for me to come back out of my room." Almika said, her eyes quickly shifting left to right.
"Hey, you'll be fine. Got any classes today?" Alena asked.
"Nah, but I do want to waste some more time in the Danger Room. I may be able to sleep tonight if I wear myself out." Almika sighed, rubbing her eyes.
"No one can harm you while you're here with us all around you." Alena smiled, "You'd better go shower, the others will start wondering where we are soon."
Almika forced a smile as she slipped from under the doona, picking up her drawing on the way and standing beside her bed as she said, "I'll be down in 1/2hr or so."
"Alright. I'll probably be in the rec room... "Alena replied, walking out and closing the door behind her.
Almika placed the drawing atop her desk, glancing to it one last time before sighing softly and opening her cupboard. She flicked through the many skirts and dresses once before moving to a dark purple, velvet and silk dress, on she hadn't worn in a long time. As she pulled it out and hung it on her bed, she looked around mindlessly before making her bed and going for a shower.
Almika was amazed how well the dress still fit her. The 'off-the-shoulder' sleeves ran tight down her arms, forming triangles on the back of her hands, joined to black elastic which slipped around each middle finger on her hands. Around the top of the dress, which went from just below her shoulders, across her chest and back at the same height, was sewn a small line of lace, folded down upon the dress. The waist of the dress hugged her frame tightly, showing off her hips and pushing up her breasts, almost like a corset. From the waist where her hips sat, to the ground where the hem gently brushed, was simple and flowing, allowing her to move swiftly and gracefully. As Almika stared at the dress in her mirror and smiled, it made her feel better. Upon her feet she slipped a pair of ballet slippers as she hustled herself out the door and flicked her hair, untied of course, behind her.
Her hands gently lifted the front of her dress a little as she entered the kitchen. Rogue, Gambit, Toad and Alena ran around, getting various food items.
"What's all the running for guys?" Almika asked, confused.
"Rogue and Gambit have classes to teach and Alena and I have things that Xavier's asked us to do." Toad smiled to her.
Almika nodded to him, grabbing an apple from the fridge and wandering out. She decided, since everyone else was busy, and she had nothing to do, she'd ask Xavier if he had anything for her to do. She swallowed the piece of apple she'd been chewing for the last 3 minutes and walked in, not watching the going ons.
"Xavier, is there... "Almika started, her eyes finally seeing the whole picture.
"Hello Almika. This' Kurt, he tells me that you two met last night on his way in." Xavier smiled, introducing the man standing nearby him with those blazing yellow eyes fixed on her.
"Um, well... ah... sort of." Almika said, suddenly going pale.
"Sorry I scared you last night." Kurt smiled softly.
"It, it's not that... " Almika said, "This is why you scared me..." Almika put two fingers to her right temple and projected the image of her drawing.
"Wow! That's a good picture!" Kurt exclaimed.
"I drew that in the last few days, before I'd even met or heard of you." Almika explained, "When I saw you, it scared me." She slowly turned to her natural colour again.
"That's understandable." Xavier smiled softly, "How long are you here for Almika?"
"Actually, I came to see if there was anything fro me to do, since everyone else is busy and I have no classes today." Almika smiled.
"Oh... well Toad and Alena have the list of things that need doing, you could help them with that, or maybe you could take Kurt out to town for the day, it's been awhile since you left the confines of the school." Xavier suggested.
"Mmm... "Almika thought, "It'd be nice to get out of here..."
The door behind her flung open suddenly, Cyclops running in as he said, "Charles, we have 5 sentinels and 3 other mutants coming straight for the school."
"Sound the safety bells, tell the students to go to the Gym and stay there, get the other X-men outside to defend the school, now." Xavier said calmly. Cyclops ran off again, his thoughts a little saner. "Did you get any of that child?" Xavier asked Almika.
"Yeah, I heard his mind the second he ran in. Suppose I'd better be off to the Gym now, huh?" Almika smiled.
"No Almika, I want you to fight with us, if you are willing?" Xavier asked.
"Sure, don't see why not." Almika shrugged, "Hey Kurt, you coming?"
Kurt nodded, walking to the door.
"I'll race ya outside!" Almika cried, running off through the sea of people who had started going to the Gym. As she exited the building, she looked behind her to see Kurt climbing along the walls closely followed by Toad and Alena, "I win!!" she cried happily.
As Almika turned around, she saw what she feared most, 2 of the sentinels made their way across the front of the school, headed straight for her, the other 3 came behind, although there was no sign of the three mutants.
"Alena, you and I have one, Toad and Kurt, take the other!" Almika cried, levitating herself before she started to fly towards the one on her right, her palms black as she fired ball after ball of electricity at the sentinel. It wasn't easy, she had to keep moving so she wasn't hit with it's blast, but she managed, watching as Alena scrambled up to the back of the sentinels neck, dodging and weaving the sentinels hands which tried to grasp her at every turn.
Toad followed Alena in scrambling up the other sentinel and spitting acid to melt away it's outer shell while Kurt teleported himself to its shoulder and reached in where Toad had spat.
In the meantime, Storm, Gambit, Rogue and Cyclops had started to defend the school against the other three sentinels. Without the other students help, it took a little longer for Alena and Almika to fell the sentinel, but when they did, they instantly lunged for the next one, pulling each down one by one. They brought down all the sentinels before anyone even thought of looking for the other mutants that had come up on the security system.
"Where are they?" Kurt asked, looking around confused.
"I don't know, I can't see them..." Almika said.
From a point by the school fence, came three figures, two on the ground and one that seemed to be flying in a bubble of some sort...
‡ Who are these other mutants... and why do they want to attack the school??? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out!!!