Chapter 36: Splish, Splish, Splish

It was a good thing the Professor had told her which direction to go, or else Alyce was sure she would've gotten lost. She crouched, up high, in a big evergreen tree. Angrily, she pushed the prickly pines from her face. Every time she pushed the pines from her face, another branch would slap her on the other side of her face. This was making her stake out, on the black car below, significantly irritating. Forming a clawed hand, Alyce dug her fingers into the tree bark and slid down the trunk, landing near the car without a sound.

Staying low to the ground, Alyce peered over the side of the car, looking around for anyone who might be near. The car had stopped where the road had ended, what lay before Alyce was a thick lush forest. It was a marvelous sight, birds chirping and the grass thick and full. Alyce sighed to herself as she got up from where she crouched. She wished she could stop to really enjoy the scenery, but she couldn't. As Alyce pushed past thick bushes, watching her step as brown rabbits ran, she could make out a Mansion. It looked old and abandoned, with some of the windows shattered. Ivy clung to the sides, weaving an intricate pattern around the Mansion's graying brick structure.

What was Emma doing here? The Mansion looked like it hadn't been refurbished in ages, what could she possibly want with it? She had everything she needed to live off of at the Institute, and wherever she had lived before hand. So what was the real reason behind this? Alyce continued walking, no where in sight were the men in black suits. Alyce veered to the left, running her hand along the vine infested wall that surrounded the Mansion. Suddenly, Alyce felt inadequate. What was she going to do once she found Emma? Alyce smiled as she took a step back from the wall and looked up. Maybe she should've listened to John, and stood with him, letting the Professor handle what was going on. Alyce jumped up the side of the wall, a black tentacle guiding her to the other side and setting her down softly.

Alyce walked over a pile of fallen leaves, her boots crunching on a few. The grass on this side of the wall was dark, brown, decaying. Nothing at all like the other side. Centipedes, crawling out from the pile of leaves and scurrying up the wall and going over her boots. She kicked one of the insects off of her boot and continued walking toward the Mansion, a raindrop splashing on her head. She stopped and extended out her arm, opening her palm and watching as more rain splashed down. Alyce looked up to the sky. On the far side of the Mansion gray clouds formed, swollen with rain. They inched forward across the sky, devouring the white defenseless clouds and turning the blue sky, black. A small smile played on her face as her black tentacles picked her up off the ground and pushed her toward the Mansion. She loved the rain, it was always so cool and comforting. It washed away everything old and troublesome and left everything anew. Alyce picked up her speed, pushing forward.

She was going to find Emma Frost.

*

*

Alyce began to second guess herself. Maybe this was the wrong Mansion. Maybe she had found the wrong car, or maybe just went in the wrong direction. There was no one inside. A thick dust covered the floor, Alyce's footsteps; the only ones around. The carpet on the grand staircase was dull and peeling off, bugs and rodents jumping around as if in their own personal playground. The chandelier above Alyce looked ready to fall, the brilliant crystals hanging from it still glittering with life. Old paintings littered the walls, dull and gray. There was no reason to be here, Alyce had decided, and once she turned around to leave she heard a voice.

Voices.

Alyce quickly jumped down into her black mass, reappearing behind the stair case. She sent out one of her tentacles, it quivered and burst out into dust, covering her foot steps. She pressed her back against the back of the stairs, ignoring the tickling feeling from the spider webs around her neck. Out of habit, from feeling nervous, she formed her metallic claws over her arms and waited. The voices grew louder.

"All it needs is some touch ups here and there, but everything else works. The lower level is to be used for Cerebro..."

What? Alyce peered around the corner, watching as Emma walked down the stairs. Her white cape dragged across the floor, picking up the dust and creating a path. Cerebro? Wasn't the Professor the only one who could use it? What was Emma talking about?

"I already have the plans set up. Once I start bringing in more kids to my team, I'll have them move here."

Was Emma making her own school? With the kids she was "stealing" from the Institute? Cerebro? Alyce leaned back up against the wall and closed her eyes. She needed to link to the Professor, or just try. How did one even go about that? Alyce decided that just saying her thoughts and thinking of the Professor should work.

"Professor...do you hear me?" She waited a few minutes, hearing no answer. She felt stupid even trying, but no harm in it. "Professor!" Alyce shouted in her head.

"Stop yelling, Alyce. I'm here."

Alyce smiled. It worked. She closed her eyes again and took in a deep breath, which she didn't really need to. It wasn't like she was actually talking. "I think Emma is trying to open up her own school. She's also making Ce-" Her words cut off, a hand grabbing onto her arm and pulling her out into the open. Alyce was getting ready to retaliate when she was pushed to the floor, the cold metal barrel of a gun pushed against her temple.

"Well, it seems we have a snoop." Emma chuckled, her heels clicking hard on the floor as she made her way towards Alyce. "What are you doing here, little Alyce?"

"Don't call me that." Alyce spat. The only one who ever did call her Little Alyce was Wanda, the only one who could get away with it. Alyce tried to get up, her fists clenched in anger, but another set of hands pushed her down and another gun met her other temple. She was in a tight spot. Her mind began to wonder, how fast could she phased through the floor before their guns went off? Would she even dare try?

"You should be called Little Alyce. Coming into Wonderland all over again, you should know better than to mess with the White Queen."

Alyce let out a laugh, despite having two guns pushed to her head. "You're so stupid. The White Queen aids Alice in the books...don't feel so high and mighty."

Emma scowled, sending her gloved hand right across Alyce's face. "I think it's you feeling high and mighty....having more than two guns aimed at you, from what you can tell, and you're still running your mouth." Emma motioned for the two men to let ago of Alyce.

"You think you're so tough...." Emma laughed, she spun around, her cape wiping Alyce in the face. Her white boots walked up the grand staircase. She stood behind a mass array of soldiers, each with a machine gun in their hands. "I'd like to see how fast you can run---" She picked up her hand and they picked up their guns, the red laser lights hovering over Alyce's body as she got up. Alyce looked around and locked gazes with Emma.

"---I wonder, how fast you can run. If you can outrun a bullet." Emma swished her hand down, the soldiers aiming once last time, their fingers pushing down on the trigger.

*

*

Jean pulled on her gloves and zipped them up. She pulled back her hair and made her way to the front of the X-Jet, plopping her self down in the captains seat. She began clicking buttons, flipping switches and tightening her seat belt, as the rest of the team boarded the jet. The Professor boarded, taking his seat in the back of the jet and trying his best to concentrate. He hadn't told them much, only where to go and where to land, but Jean trusted him. They all did.

Jean took a look back from her seat, watching as the Professor closed his eyes and began doing...whatever it was he was doing. She nodded over to Storm, who took the co-pilot seat. Scott Summers came up behind her and placed a kiss on her forehead, and she smiled, hearing Logan huff his disapproval.

"You sure it's ok to leave the kids there?" Logan asked, breaking up the little love fest between Jean and Scott.

Scott turned around and placed his arms over his chest, looking at Logan with a disapproval. "Hank is still there, along with Kurt. They're not kids anymore Logan."

"They still act like it, I wonder who they get it from..." Smirking, Logan looked at Scott, who rolled his eyes behind his ruby red visor. Not that he could tell, that he was rolling his eyes, Logan was only guessing. He guessed a lot of things when it came to Scott, only because he didn't know him so well. Really because he didn't want to know him so well. Logan finished zippering up his suit and sat down in his seat, buckling in. He cursed to himself as the buckle slipped out of his hands and shot back into the seat. He pulled it out angrily and tried once again to buckle himself in. Scott let out a chuckle and sat down, Logan looking as he strapped himself in with ease.

"Having trouble, kid?" Scott asked with a smirk on his face. He let out a laugh as Logan shot him the finger and continued to struggle with his buckle.