black angel's wing -*waves* hello there! I know it has been forever and a half since I last updated, and I really really sorry for that. If my life had an hour a day set aside solely for writing, this would get updated so much more. And so would all of my other stories... But hey, I finally found some time! So be happy! Yay! Ok. Does this chapter feel rushed to you? I was super excited to be writing again and can't tell if I moved too fast to get to the end.
Disclaimer : I don't own X-Men : Evolution
Chapter 11. Internal Turmoil
Using the same technique that had brought her protector of happiness to life, Calypso focused on her rage, on her fear, and on her sadness. Soon enough, a murky green, black, and grey mist settled over the small group, making the air around them thicken with suspense.
The small fairy flew back in shock as the green cloud began to take shape. A misty foreleg stepped from the haze, followed soon by another. A deep growl echoed through the corners of Calypso's mind, and the girl steeled herself, silently going through escape options should things go badly.
By now, the figure was fully formed. Standing in front of them at about three feet tall was a grisly, snarling wolf. It's matted fur swirled grey and green, never settling on a single color. It's beady eyes gleamed blood red, and Calypso found herself taking a sharp breath at the sight of them.
A stare-down between narrowed blue and burning red ensued, the two beings sized one another up. Her pixie back on her shoulder and Agatha's wrist in her tight grasp, Calypso stalled for time as she tried to formulate a plan.
"Very good Calypso," murmured Agatha with a shaky voice. The animal's ears twitched, and a growl rumbled in it's chest: a warning. Either missing it or choosing to ignore it, the older woman continued.
"The next step is to lock the beast away. Just relax," Calypso shot her an incredulous look at this, "and use your fairy's power to focus your thoughts."
A soft jingle sounded by her sensitive ear, and she knew what she had to do. Tentatively, she projected a question.
'And locking this thing away... This will change me?'
Agatha didn't answer right away. After pondering it for a few tense moments, she spoke slowly. "It is a possibility that your personality could change completely, yes. But then again, it may not. You could also never feel anything again."
Sensing her student's confusion, she explained. "All of your feelings may be trapped if things here go badly. Whether or not you will ever be the same is unclear, but this is choice you have to make for yourself."
Calypso huffed. What choice did she really have? The professor wanted her to go through with this, and to gain his respect she would see things through to the end, no matter the outcome.
Narrowing her eyes, this time in determination, she followed Agatha's instructions and focused on her pixie, who she decided to start calling Puff, pulling its power and adding it to her own.
Puff's pink light began to flicker slightly, and the monster across the room from them roared as the air became heavier with Calypso's attempts at locking it away. It took a few slow, lumbering steps toward the small group, before it snarled and charged.
Calypso saw the beast and her concentration snapped. Fear bubbled in the pit of her stomach, and she took three steps back. She didn't want her teacher to be hurt, and in a last ditch effort to save her, she expelled her from her mind. A loud popping sound came from where Agatha had been standing, and the woman was gone.
Defenseless, teacherless, and now borderline terrified, she stared at the oncoming animal with wide eyes.
A flash of pink shocked her out of her mood, effectively bringing her back to the dire matter at hand. Puff had shot by and tackled the wolf to the ground. The resounding roar made her mindscape shake, the far off memories rattling in their places.
The wolf appeared even larger in comparison, and a silent scream escaped Calypso's lips when it took a swipe at the small being. Puff, however, dissolved into a swirling mass of pink sand and evaded the contact.
Snarling in anger, the wolf dissipated to sand as well, though grey and green in color as opposed to Puff's baby pink. The two masses streaked across the cavern, a sound like thunder echoing very time they clashed. The fighting rattled the delicate orbs in their shelves, and Calypso was forced to tear her worried eyes from the ensuing battle as a single blue orb began to fall from the sky.
Terrified of what might happen if it were to shatter, the frightened girl sprinted across her mindscape to catch the falling memory. Time seemed to slow down as her legs carried her closer and closer, and Calypso held her breath as she dove forward in a wild attempt to save the orb.
The smooth, glassy texture of the precious memory taunted her fingertips as she stretched out her arms. Feeling the sphere hit the palm of her hand, she quickly covered it with her other an brought it close to her chest.
Breathing a long sigh of relief, she finally realized how much her head hurt. The fierce battle taking place was taking its toll on her physical mind. Tiredly, she replaced her memory and took her head in her hands as she tried to think of what to do.
The crashing of her two creations continued to sound around her, coming more and more often. Raising slowly into a crouch, she glanced around nervously. She had to be quick if she was going to think of an escape route. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but leaving her mind in this state could be dangerous, and Calypso didn't want to endanger Puff, nor her precious memories. She had come close to losing one already, and was determined to keep the others safe.
Remembering Angela's instructions for locking the wolf away, Calypso shuddered before taking a deep breath. She knew what had to be done.
Making herself as small as possible in the ground, she shut her eyes and began to concentrate. Angela had made it sound so easy, and all she had to do was imagine the beast in a cage.
Of course it wouldn't be as simple as that.
Her mid was strong, but nowhere near as strong as it needed to be to do something like that. That and the thing wouldn't keep still.
A nearby explosion shook Calypso from her thoughts, and she turned, now even more frustrated, to the source of the sound. What she saw was a wall of pink sand steadily defending her from a continuous stream of grey and green.
Her blue eyes wild with fear, Calypso's body was wracked with a silent sob when she saw the wall, when she saw Puff, begin to falter. The tiniest of holes opened up in the defense, and a single tendril of green sand wound its way around the girl's pale neck.
As it began to squeeze the breath from her lips, Calypso reached out with one hand to touch the rosy wall, and the other tried in vain to keep the evil force from strangling her.
As soon as her fingers brushed the soft sand that was protecting her, Calypso felt a strange energy surge through her. Reenergized and determined, she went back to work on creating the cage.
Seconds, minutes, hours. Time was but a blur as she worked on her task. Her eyes were shut tightly, and sweat was beading on her face. Her lips were turning a darker shade of purple each minute she spent concentrating, and each shaky breath those lips drew in became harder and harder to take.
The world around her began trembling, and the pressure around her neck suddenly disappeared.
Falling onto her hands, Calypso struggled to breathe, but was soon able to draw a few shaky breaths. Still gasping for air, she glanced up.
Hovering in front of her was a large metal cage. Two whirlwinds of sand pounded at the sides, hoping for release, and the girl felt the throbbing in her head intensify with each strike.
But she had done it. Her anger was locked away. But so was Puff. She searched for a way to let the small pixie out, though she knew the attempt was in vain. Choking back a sob, she reached out to touch the smooth metal. As she rubbed her hand along its cool bars, the swirls of pink gathered in front of her. Puff's innocent face looked warn and tired, but a smile was still in place. Nodding at Calypso, she made a shooing motion with her tiny hands, telling her master to leave.
The darker mass of sand pounded even harder on the unrelenting bars of the prison, and Calypso grasped her head in pain. Her vision slowly began to fail her, and she heard a voice.
Calypso.
Someone was calling out her name. Her muddled mind couldn't take the stress of placing a name with the far off voice, and succumbed to darkness.
black angel's wing - so tell me what ya think. Too rushed? Too confusing? What do you think will happen to Calypso's personality now that that thing and Puff are all locked up? Leave a review and share your opinions! Au revoir!