Chapter 3
A figure moved in the thick darkness, and Aileen huddled beneath her sheets, terrified. The air reeked sourly of alcohol and stale sweat and…him.
"Aileen," a gruff voice rumbled, and then there was only silence, punctuated by the rhythmic pounding of her heart. She could feel the cool beads of sweat drip down her face as he spoke.
"You left a mess downstairs, you goddamn bitch." Her father's voice was slurred, and she trembled. The blow that she was expecting came a split second later, his hand violently snapping her heart back. Aileen tasted the coppery blood within her mouth as she cowered against her pillow, petrified.
* *
Aileen awoke with a start, eyes darting about her room as she stared helplessly, shivering.
* *
"What's the child's name?" The hooded man inquired from his shadowy corner.
"Mason. Aileen Mason," Ms. Darkholme replied, setting down a manilla folder , "a quite interesting girl, I must say. She has the telepathic power to make one's worst fears come true, at least in their head."
"Excellent. Fear is a powerful weapon," Magneto said, even as Ms. Darkholme's form melted into that of Mystique. No longer sat the brown-haired principal with wire glasses; now a gold-eyed woman with deep blue skin and lustrous scarlet hair gazed up at him.
"Indeed. We can use her to get what we want," Mystique announced, her small smile wicked.
* *
The whistle blew shrilly, momentarily stopping the basketball game. Mr. Daitel angrily stomped forward, past Kitty and toward Aileen, who remained frozen in place.
" Mason, you're suppose to move! That's the purpose of gym," he shouted, his face a ruddy color with fury. Aileen didn't reply, her dark eyes glassy within her own haggard face. Mr. Daitel rolled his eyes but said no more, instead turning away from the lanky girl.
" Now," the gym teacher said, "let's resume the game."
The whistle sounded again.
Kitty ran toward one of her teammates, a redhead named Jill. The other girl was clutching the ball, looking for someone to pass it to. Kitty, however, was too far away, and the only person left open was Aileen. She didn't have time to react when the basketball was tossed to her, and it bounced against her upper arm.
Jill, her orange-red hair plastered to her head, marched toward Aileen, who was rubbing at her sickly pale arm.
"Hey, what's your problem?" She demanded, eyes narrowed, "you know, you're supposed to catch the ball."
"But I-,"
"God, you're useless," Jill snarled.
"I am not," Aileen argued, her large eyes and wild hair giving her the appearance of an enraged owl.
"Yeah, whatever. Loser."
As Jill walked back to the center of the court, Kitty saw Aileen clench her fists and bit her lower lip, glaring at the red-haired girl with hatred. Mr. Daitel was picking up the ball just as Jill let out a horrified screech, gaping at her hands.
"Oh, my God! Wha-what's on my hands!" Without looking back, she fled to the bathroom. Concerned, Kitty followed, despite the gym teacher's shouting. Jill was by one of the sinks, scrubbing furiously at her hands with soap and hot water.
"Are you okay?" Kitty asked softly, as Jill poured more liquid soap on her hands.
"I-I don't know what's on my hands! I have to get it off!" The redhead held up her dripping hands, which, although bright red, had nothing on them. Kitty tried to convince her of this, but she continued to desperately wash, sobbing. Unsure as what to do in this situation, she sprinted off to find help. When she found Mr. Daitel, she told him about the problem with Jill. He sent several girls back to the bathroom to try to talk sense into Jill. When they got back, several of them gasped.
Soap had apparently not worked on Jill, and now she was literally peeling off the skin, her face frozen in a hideous mask of hysteria. Dark crimson and ragged strips hung to her nails as she shrieked, trying unsuccessfully to pull off something that wasn't there. Some of the girls grabbed onto her and dragged her to the nurse's office, leaving Kitty gaping. Jill had just gone totally nuts.
The bell rang, yanking Kitty out of her stupor. As she passed through the gym door, she noticed Aileen, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat. The look was deranged, and it made the other girl speed up to find the professor.