Just as I was catching my breath, Randy burst into the room, with the
McGraths and the Stilianos close behind. "What the heck happened?" asked
Mr. McGrath. I'd had a hard time calling him Dad before, but now I just
couldn't. I tried to answer, but my throat was so dry that no sound came
out. Everyone was looking very nervous at this point.
Mrs. McGrath came over and felt my forehead. "Rina, dear, you have a
terrible fever! Are you alright?"
Randy came over and sat beside me on the bed and put his strong, reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You okay, Squirt?" he asked cautiously. He was the only one who could get away with calling me "Squirt." "You've woken up screaming before, but never like this."
Everyone stared at me, anxiously awaiting an answer. Once I had untied my tongue, I managed to reassure them that it was just a dream and that I'd be okay.
But I wasn't. Now I knew. I knew what I'd thought I wanted to know my whole life. But now that I did, I realized that I didn't want to know after all. I didn't want to know how some psychopathic megamutant had sliced and bludgeoned my mom and dad to death. Not a day has gone by since then without these four horrible words going through my head: "Magneto killed my parents." I hear them whenever I look at the woods. I hear them whenever I'm alone in my room. I hear them whenever someone says the name "Magneto." That's why I don't like it when people say his name.
As soon as all the confusion had died down, everyone went downstairs to eat breakfast. We ate in eerie silence and everyone kept giving me weird looks, particularly Randy and Gwen, since only they knew what'd happened yesterday.
Then there came a knock at the door. Mrs. McGrath went to answer it, and the rest of us watched intently to see who it was. The knock came again after a moment. "Coming," called Mrs. McGrath. She was at the door. We heard the click when she undid the latch. We watched her turn the doorknob and open the door, but we couldn't see who it was.
"Hello. My name is Professor Charles Xavier. Tell me, do Rina McGrath and Gwen Stiliano live here? We'd like to have a word with them. And you, if that's alright." Randy, Gwen, and I exchanged looks of panic. As if on three, we all rose and made a break for the back door.
"Well, yes, they do. Won't you come in? We were just sitting down to breakfast. There's plenty to go a.Sean? Where'd the kids go?"
"Outside, Tara."
The three of us ran as fast and as far as we could, meaning that I made it farther than they did. I ran all the way to the woods. They were the same woods where we had met the professor and his freakazoid students the day before. I sprinted all the way to that very same clearing, and sat on the very same log. I now knew why it seemed so familiar. That was the clearing in my dream. I felt like I had to be there. It was sort of like paying respects to my mom and dad.
Looking around, I spotted some things that I recognized. There was a dead withered vine on the ground, the same one that my father had used to entangle that woman. The fallen log I was sitting on was the one my mom had slammed that man into. I was glad that they had put up a good fight at least. Despite my best efforts, I started crying again. I never used to cry, but now that all this was happening, I was starting to get all wishy- washy, and I didn't like it. I looked behind me. Right there. That had been the spot where they fell. And over there, about thirty feet away was the place where I stood and watched. Why didn't I do anything? How could I have just stood there? I could've at least tried to stop it!
No. I gave myself a mental slap across the cheeks. There was nothing I could've done. I was three years old, and scared half out of my wits! Even if I had been brave (and stupid) enough to interfere, I'd have most likely been killed faster than they were!
I heard my father's last words in my head again. "You can't get rid of us. No matter what you do, we'll still be here to fight you, Magneto." Then I knew what he'd meant. He was talking about me, because I was still alive, and they'd always be beside me, guiding me and protecting me. I was their child, and as long as one has children, he or she cannot die. At least according to the last lines of a sonnet by William Shakespeare, "And nothing 'gainst time's scythe can make defense, save breed to brave him when he takes thee hence." Don't ask me where that revelation came from. It just sort of came to me, like someone had whispered it in my ear.
Slowly, my sobbing eased into silent tears, and I smiled slightly. For the first time in my life, I felt like I wasn't alone. Despite the depressing history of the area, I felt a comforting presence surrounding me. Mom and Dad were here, and I could feel them lending me some of the courage that they had shown on that night thirteen years before.
I slowly rose and walked over to the place where they had fallen. I kissed my hand and then touched the ground there, blessing it in my own way. Then one last tear rolled down my cheek, but it wasn't water. It was a tiny little flame. I was a bit startled, but I wasn't afraid. It was a flame of hope.
Randy came over and sat beside me on the bed and put his strong, reassuring hand on my shoulder. "You okay, Squirt?" he asked cautiously. He was the only one who could get away with calling me "Squirt." "You've woken up screaming before, but never like this."
Everyone stared at me, anxiously awaiting an answer. Once I had untied my tongue, I managed to reassure them that it was just a dream and that I'd be okay.
But I wasn't. Now I knew. I knew what I'd thought I wanted to know my whole life. But now that I did, I realized that I didn't want to know after all. I didn't want to know how some psychopathic megamutant had sliced and bludgeoned my mom and dad to death. Not a day has gone by since then without these four horrible words going through my head: "Magneto killed my parents." I hear them whenever I look at the woods. I hear them whenever I'm alone in my room. I hear them whenever someone says the name "Magneto." That's why I don't like it when people say his name.
As soon as all the confusion had died down, everyone went downstairs to eat breakfast. We ate in eerie silence and everyone kept giving me weird looks, particularly Randy and Gwen, since only they knew what'd happened yesterday.
Then there came a knock at the door. Mrs. McGrath went to answer it, and the rest of us watched intently to see who it was. The knock came again after a moment. "Coming," called Mrs. McGrath. She was at the door. We heard the click when she undid the latch. We watched her turn the doorknob and open the door, but we couldn't see who it was.
"Hello. My name is Professor Charles Xavier. Tell me, do Rina McGrath and Gwen Stiliano live here? We'd like to have a word with them. And you, if that's alright." Randy, Gwen, and I exchanged looks of panic. As if on three, we all rose and made a break for the back door.
"Well, yes, they do. Won't you come in? We were just sitting down to breakfast. There's plenty to go a.Sean? Where'd the kids go?"
"Outside, Tara."
The three of us ran as fast and as far as we could, meaning that I made it farther than they did. I ran all the way to the woods. They were the same woods where we had met the professor and his freakazoid students the day before. I sprinted all the way to that very same clearing, and sat on the very same log. I now knew why it seemed so familiar. That was the clearing in my dream. I felt like I had to be there. It was sort of like paying respects to my mom and dad.
Looking around, I spotted some things that I recognized. There was a dead withered vine on the ground, the same one that my father had used to entangle that woman. The fallen log I was sitting on was the one my mom had slammed that man into. I was glad that they had put up a good fight at least. Despite my best efforts, I started crying again. I never used to cry, but now that all this was happening, I was starting to get all wishy- washy, and I didn't like it. I looked behind me. Right there. That had been the spot where they fell. And over there, about thirty feet away was the place where I stood and watched. Why didn't I do anything? How could I have just stood there? I could've at least tried to stop it!
No. I gave myself a mental slap across the cheeks. There was nothing I could've done. I was three years old, and scared half out of my wits! Even if I had been brave (and stupid) enough to interfere, I'd have most likely been killed faster than they were!
I heard my father's last words in my head again. "You can't get rid of us. No matter what you do, we'll still be here to fight you, Magneto." Then I knew what he'd meant. He was talking about me, because I was still alive, and they'd always be beside me, guiding me and protecting me. I was their child, and as long as one has children, he or she cannot die. At least according to the last lines of a sonnet by William Shakespeare, "And nothing 'gainst time's scythe can make defense, save breed to brave him when he takes thee hence." Don't ask me where that revelation came from. It just sort of came to me, like someone had whispered it in my ear.
Slowly, my sobbing eased into silent tears, and I smiled slightly. For the first time in my life, I felt like I wasn't alone. Despite the depressing history of the area, I felt a comforting presence surrounding me. Mom and Dad were here, and I could feel them lending me some of the courage that they had shown on that night thirteen years before.
I slowly rose and walked over to the place where they had fallen. I kissed my hand and then touched the ground there, blessing it in my own way. Then one last tear rolled down my cheek, but it wasn't water. It was a tiny little flame. I was a bit startled, but I wasn't afraid. It was a flame of hope.