A/N: Tee hee. No school today! For my class, at least. No more bubbles! Yeah! *coughs* Well, here's the next chapter. Here's also where I'm thinking I'm going to lose a few of you...especially at the end. Please, I've had this planned for a while. Don't give up on me yet! Remember, I don't own it, don't sue, I love getting reviews with CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, and Loki's dad is a bastard. Read on!
Does anyone besides me know how futile it is trying to be alone is this godforsaken place? I pulled my pillow tighter over my ears, trying to block out the sound of Kitty and Rouge's early morning fighting.
I hadn't slept a wink last night. After the Professor's news, though, how could I? Even if I wanted to.
Sighing heavily, I threw myself somewhere in the vicinity of my clothes, pulled on something to cover all the necessary parts, and stumbled out the door...right into the morning bathroom rush.
Scott and Evan were bickering about seniority while Kurt simply pointed to his face and said, "Fur." I hear ya there, dude. That stuff smells when it's not washed with that frou-frou girly shampoo you love so much. I threaded my way through them all, heading blindly towards the kitchen.
I plopped down in one of the chairs available, eyeing the fruit bowl speculatively. To eat or not to eat...
Kitty stormed in a moment later, carrying her laptop and muttering about space issues. Flipping it open, she started typing away madly. She glanced up at Logan who I just noticed was here and he smirked and said, "Am I readin' to loud for you, half-pint?"
She shook her head. "Nope. Just enjoying the quiet." Damn. Now you jinxed it.
And, true to my prediction, the team came barreling in, shouting and chomping. I groaned quietly and jumped out of the chair, stalking off to anywhere where I could rest. Though, not like I'd want to. Damn nightmares, connected with that bastard screwing with my head.
I stuffed my hands into my pockets and let my feet take me where they would. I was just beginning to doze off a bit when roaring caught my ears.
Kitty heard it too, apparently. "What is that?" I asked tiredly.
Three silver claws poked through the door on our lefts, shredding through it in an instant. Logan opened the door, panting harshly and gripping his head. "You okay?" I asked.
"Just...redecorating," he growled, and staggered off.
That wasn't weird at all. No, I'm so used to this kind of shit happening that I'm pretty sure I didn't even blink.
I shrugged and let him go. Just as his pant leg disappeared from sight, I figured out where I could go to be by myself. Grinning, I hurried off, hoping no one would notice. Not like they would. It was a free day of sorts; a treat for doing so well. On a Saturday, no less. Xavier, you sly dog...
I pressed a button and the loading dock to the Blackbird unhinged with a hiss of air. Smiling tiredly, I climbed up and unhooked one of the portable seats. For when we just don't have enough space, or permission to shove people out the airlocks.
Sabertooth's bloody fangs flashed in silver triplicate behind my eyeballs and I sprung awake, breathing jerkily. "You okay?" Kitty asked nervously. When the hell did she get here?
"I followed you," she admitted. Did I say that last part out loud? Whoops, my bad. "Evan's taken over the living room, outside's off-limits for now, and it's too crowded in the mansion. I wanted some privacy to write home." She proffed her laptop, as if apologizing.
"Mmkay then. Just don't let me fall asleep."
She nodded and resumed typing.
I looked away, trying not to stare. Some girls really hated that. I was trying not to think of the research Xavier was no doubt trying to do with his fancy mind gizmo, trying to figure out who hated my guts so bad they wanted to kill me from lack of sleep.
Kurt 'ported in, scaring the living bejeezus out of Kitty and I. Before he was on the ground I hand my hand out and a blade was slicing past Kurt's crap-for-brains-filled head. "Hey, man, what was that for?" he shouted, holding his hands up.
"You numskull, you can't just 'port around! You startled us!" I retorted angrily. Out of the blue the Blackbird jerked forward and we all fell to the floor. It vibrated with the engines and the whistle of air outside filled the surprised silence.
"Um..." Kitty started, then a growl split the silence. We approached the cockpit in tandem, almost afraid to find out who was behind the wheel.
I opened the door quietly to find none other than Logan at the helm, decked out in please-shoot-me orange and blue spandex. "Mr. Logan, what's wrong?" Kitty asked, clearly concerned. Logan turned, a feral look in his eyes. I grabbed Kitty's arm, fully prepared to throw her back into the waiting room, but thankfully he didn't let loose the evil blades of death.
He clutched his head and growled, "Get...out...my...head...!" He roared, baring his fangs, and popped the silver claws, diving at us. I threw Kitty back and Kurt smacked the door closed. The claws sheared straight through the metal, leaving three slash marks we could look through if we squinted and turned our heads a bit.
"Kurt, can you get us home?" I demanded, rounding on him.
He laughed. "Yeah, sure. Imagine this: bumpety, bumpety, bumpety, splat. Too far up, too fast. Isn't gonna work." Great.
"So now what?" Kitty asked.
"Sit tight and wait to land," I said, and buckled myself in. We rode in tense silence for a while before I started shivering. Could this day get any worse? I'm guessing...yes. It will.
And it did.
We touched down and Kitty phased us through the belly of the beast. There was snow everywhere and I could feel my winds coming out with my breath.
Apparently in the cold, it's the best they can muster. Get off your asses, silver sparkles, and start helping me!
We poked around for a bit. It was really cold and I couldn't take more than a few shuffling steps without shivering so hard I thought I was going to break. Kurt shot me a concerned look but I waved it off. "Can w-we go back in t-the plane now?" I stuttered through chattering teeth. "I-it's all trees and s-snow."
Kurt popped from a treetop to my face and shook his head. "It's not that cold out," he pointed out.
"Yeah, w-well, you don't have l-liquid oxygen for blood, n-now do you?" I snapped. Of course, the one day I forget to put on my new black-'n-silver uniform is the day we go to Canada. Damn Canadian snow and all it's coldness.
"Look! There he is!" Kitty said, pointing. I squinted, craning my head forward. Yep, there he was. He had his mask pulled up and everything. Let me tell you, he made one hell of an imposing figure standing against the mist like that. I waved at him and was about to call when another figure stepped out of the mist.
I blanched and took off, running blindly. No, no, no! There is no way this can be happening. It was like my nightmare all over again, except this time I couldn't breathe. Stupid!
I dropped to my knees, crying my eyes out, when Sabertooth leaped out of the bushes like some cat on a sugar high. 'Cept this kitty came straight from hell.
I screamed and flung my hands out. The silver wind, while significantly weaker than it was normally, slammed into his chest and knocked him back a step. While he was distracted, I took off running, feet pounding the snow into slush.
A weak drizzle fell, masking the noise of my pursuer. The pitter-patter of the drops sounded at every turn like that man running at me, waiting to kill me and eat me alive. No! I shook my head, clearing the images from my mind. Well, I tried.
He tackled me from the side, claws digging into my stomach. I tried to shove him away but he punched me in the abdomen. I dropped into his arms like a sack of potatoes, wheezing and trying desperately to crawl away. He slung me over my shoulder and I started panicking again.
Just like last time, just like last time-!
He threw me down on the ground and I looked up, terrified, into the apathetic face of Logan. "Help," I choked out, still unable to breathe properly.
Logan unsheathed his claws. They gleamed faintly and I saw myself: a pair of scared silver eyes with dilated pupils. He lifted them and swung downwards. I rolled away, soaking my clothes in the mud. I shot to my feet, hearing the comforting sound of Kurt 'porting. Sabertooth vanished and I breathed a jerky sigh of relief.
Something bit into my side and I gasped, grabbing it. I pulled away and saw my blood, eating through my shirt. Logan stared at his claws; though nothing was happening to them, he shook his hand briefly and tiny droplets spattered the ground. The pain hit a moment later. I cried out and fell to one knee, trying to hold back the bile filling my throat.
I looked up in time to see Logan's boot approaching my face at terminal velocity. It connected with a sharp crack and I flew backwards, now completely confused and in no small amount of pain.
I turned my head and spat out a glob of blood, spit, and possibly a tooth. Forcing myself to feet, I stood and tried to look intimidating. Logan had his head bowed and little drips of rain were falling off his chin. So much for that plan.
Before I could move, he turned his head up and howled. It was full of pain and remorse and flashing fangs. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I whirled around, expecting a fight. It turned out to be just Kurt...who I almost decapitated. Again.
"Sorry," I said. My face felt swollen and tender when I touched it and Kurt nodded.
"Kitty," he gasped, and I whirled around to see what was wrong. Kitty slid fully out of the ground and was talking to that psycho, holding his trembling hands away from her head. Logan slumped onto her, back heaving with sobs. I rolled my eyes and turned to leave when the two ran off.
"Guess we follow them, then?" Kurt asked and I shrugged.
"Why not?" Because, as so often happens with these types of adventures, I end up injured and you all can laugh and say 'Wasn't that fun? Let's go again!' like it was some kind of carnival ride.
Kurt put a hand on my shoulder, focusing on the dots that was Kitty and Logan. We popped and landed next to them, Logan with his claws out expecting a fight and Kitty ready to...I dunno, scratch us to death or something. I held my hands up in a surrendering gesture and looked where we landed.
We were standing in front of a big metal door. "You guys go on ahead," I whispered, pulling my hand away from the gashes on my sides. They were bleeding still...probably ripped open by Kurt's 'porting. "I'll stand watch or something."
I sat down on a rock, somewhat hidden behind a copse of trees. Logan looked hesitant, but I shooed him forward. Bet he's wondering about the cuts. Well, I'll blackmail him or something.
I don't really know how much time passed, just that a lot of fighting noises came from inside. I tied my shirt around my middle in an effort to stop the bleeding, but all that accomplished was destroying it and making me even colder.
Sometime later the object of my nightmares arrived, tearing down the door. He sniffed once, his eyes flicking from side to side, and whispered, "I know you're here, boy. And once your friends are dead, I will kill you as well."
Okay, so now he hates me. What did I ever do to him? Don't answer that. Maybe he just needs anger management classes. I flicked him the bird and watched as he strode menacingly into the depths of the mountain.
The ground started to shake almost immediately after that. I cocked my head, letting a sloppy grin cross my face. Seconds later Logan bolted from the entrance, scooped me up, and took off at a dead sprint towards the jet. Kurt and Kitty were right behind him, running as if their asses were on fire.
The top of the mountain blew off in a thunderous explosion, raining flaming debris all over the forest. Logan ducked and weaved around it, and I turned my head and lost last night's dinner to the trees.
We pounded into the Blackbird just in time for a second, smaller explosion to rip through the air. I flopped around weakly in the med bunk as Kitty tried to wrap my stomach. The bandages kept disintegrating, however, and she finally threw them down and told me to not move, or else.
Well, to make a long story short, we got back to the mansion, I finally put one of my blankets down on the bed that seemed to occupy me more than was strictly necessary, Logan got his head operated on, and Kitty got her alone time.
I sighed, resisting the urge to scratch at my triple-layered dressing. Stupid blood, stupid life, stupid quiet when no one's around at three in the morning. I was just about to call it quits and sleep, nightmares be damned, when Xavier rolled in, looking very apprehensive.
"Is Logan okay?" Hey, I'm allowed to be concerned. He doesn't have much of a brain to begin with, methinks, and that surgery might've screwed up what little was left.
The Professor nodded. "He will be fine." He hesitated, and pulled a letter out of his breast pocket. Scrawled on the outside, in my father's handwriting, was my name. My full name. But with my mother's surname. Well, her surname before she got married again. Loki James Orehha.
I took it with shaking hands and unfolded it. A mental nudge from the Professor urged me to read it out loud.
"You bastard boy. I don't know what you did to me with your mutant powers that day you came back, but now I, too, have lost my humanity. After much experimentation, mostly on you, I have transferred all my energy into making what you fear, what you dream. If you have noticed lately your nightmares seem gory and won't leave, that is my doing. I hope you enjoy your last gift.
"I have given that man custody of you, the way I'm sure he has custody of all the other mutants that live at that house. To me, boy, you are dead. However, that doesn't matter anymore. You have also been given your whore of a mother's last name. I don't want my family name to be sullied by you when I have already tarnished it beyond repair.
"Boy, if you are reading this, it means I have done what I had been planning to do since I discovered your true nature. I refuse to let you haunt me. By now, I am already dead. See you in hell. Patrick Hydimen."
I felt nothing. I was completely empty.
When will my life stop sucking so completely?