Standing By The Bridge
Written By: Kaede Kinkade
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Disclaimer: Yep…I only own Kali…
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Rating: PG-13
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Author's Notes: I hope that you're all enjoying this little piece of Fan-Fiction, I'm working on getting some picture's uploaded on a web page, so you can see Kali and Frank. I'm well aware that it's kind of slow so far, but it's going to get better…I hope.
Please Review.
Notes: / = telepathic conversation /
* = Conversation with the dead *
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Chapter Three: Play Nice With Other's.
Logan, watched as the new girl came into the kitchen behind Jean who seemed to be talking the girl's ear off. Most everybody was in the dinning room by now, and it was almost time to eat. Kali looked as if she wanted to rip Jean's head off, but every time Jean glanced towards Kali, Kali seemed to make sure to smile as much as she possibly could.
Scott was last to enter, and looked as though he were about to faint when he noticed that the only available seat was next to Kali, her other side being taken up by Jean. It was easy to tell the boy didn't like the girl. Even the girl seemed to know that, but it was obvious it didn't bother her.
Diner was served, and Logan bit into his rare stake happily. Always a good meal here…unless Kitty cooked. Scott stayed quiet, Kitty who was on his left was chattering away with Kurt, and Kali seemed to be to interested in her food to talk to Scott or Jean who was currently in a argument about cloth's with Amara.
Logan watched as Kali pushed her food around on her plate, barely putting anything in her mouth. As soon as Scott was finished he excused himself to go finish working on his car, the table emptied out until only Kali, Logan, and The Professor remained. Kali didn't seem to notice this, instead she was still pushing around her food with slight disinterest.
"Kali?" The Professor questioned softly, interrupting her train of thought. She looked up, her mess of shoulder length orange hair fell into her vision as she looked around the table.
"Yes?" She questioned back softly dropping her fork on her plate with a slight clatter.
"Are you okay?…you haven't eaten a thing." He pointed out to her as Logan took another slow bite from his stake, wanting to see how this turned out.
"Yeah…yeah I'm fine…I just don't eat a lot…ya know that whole having death in your head really screws up your appetite."
"Well, tomorrow I wish to work on that with you. I believe there should be a way to help block out the dead.." The Professor explained with a kind smile.
Logan took a gulp of his water, that was just like the Professor, always looking out for other's. Kind of like a father. Kind of like the father Logan always wish he was able to know and remember. With one last bite of the rare and bloody stake Logan excused himself and exited the room.
In the hall towards the front door where he was headed he could hear some type of commotion in the rec room. He detoured his path and instead of going straight towards the front door he inched closer to the rec room's door, to listen in on a conversation…he normally wouldn't do this. Who cared what the kid's were talking about? But his acute hearing picked up words like, Kali, and swords, and practical joke.
Those were three words that made Logan want to listen in on the conversation. He recognized one voice belonging to Kurt.
"It vill be like some kind of velcoming."
"Welcoming? How does a practical joke welcome someone? I really don't think that we should do this." That was Scott's voice…but even he couldn't talk Kurt out of his plan for a practical joke.
Logan shook his head slightly and walked away from the door, his cowboy boot's softly clicking on the school's hard wood flooring. What was he to tell them that they shouldn't do it? He just hoped that Kali wouldn't kill them after they do whatever it is that they have planned.
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Kali stalked away from the dinning room, simply fuming. The Professor wanted her to go to school! An actual high school! She was in a school for god's sake, she didn't need to go to another school! She hadn't been in school since she was ten. Kali could read, write and do simple math…and that was good enough for her. Hell she had the spirits of the dead in her head, she could ask them any question she wanted…mind you she wouldn't always get an answer.
She headed out the front door, stepping out onto the porch with a breath of fresh air. Her throbbing temple had finally stopped…hopefully that wouldn't happen every time Jean talked to her. She let the cold night air hit her, sweep her messy hair back, wrap around her neck like a cold scarf. She let her eyes shut and concentrated on the world around her, listening in on death.
*Why do you tell us to go away then want us to come back?*
It was a different voice this time, neither her mother or her fathers voice…a new one. She tilted her head to one side listening to this new voice with curiosity.
"Who are you?" She questioned softly in a whisper just in case someone was outside and she didn't notice them.
*I don't think that really matter's now that I'm dead.*
Kali frowned, and opened her eyes slightly as she took a few steps forward to sit on the steps of the porch. Folding her arms across her chest she glanced up towards the starry sky before returning to her conversation with the dead.
"How'd you die?"
She asked the genderless voice as her blue hues closed again while she leaned back on the steps to get into a comfortable position…or as comfortable a position one can be in sitting on cold, snowy hard steps.
*Why don't I show you.*
She didn't even have time to respond, even with her eyes closed she could see vividly a classroom, or rather a collage class room, the kind where the desk's were set like stadium seats. A man was all alone in the room sitting at the main front desk, correcting papers perhaps. His hair was graying all over, his face lined with wrinkles and glasses covered gray oculars.
With a sudden loud clatter the classroom door opened, nearly swinging off of it's hinges, bashing into the white brick wall with enough force that it broke the window in the door. The man sitting at the desk suddenly stood up, dressed in a tweed suit giving him the polished look of a English professor, but he wasn't an English professor. The room was covered with maps of different lands, masks and skulls…this man seemed to be a history professor, or something of the sort.
The desks on the raising platforms were tossed forward, the history professor dodging out of the way into a corner, terrified. Kali could feel his fear.
A deep voice boomed in the room as a man, clad in scarlet and purple floated down towards the history professor.
"It figures you'd cower in fear like the worthless human that you are."
Kali watched as the obvious mutant stepped in front of the older man who was trying to blend in with the white wall, but that didn't seem to be working.
"W…What do you want?" His voice had an accent, one that seemed as if it had been diluted by America's poor English tongue over the years…the old man's voice reminded Kali slightly of the furry blue boy that she had met earlier.
"What do I want?" The man with the metal helmet started, on an obvious tangent, "I want for the human race to no longer exist…I want mutant's to rule the world…that…is what I want, old man. However, that is not what I came here for."
As the man spoke he raised the history professor off the floor, it seemed that he was using the man's belt buckle to lift him. Apparently this mutant had some kind of ability to control magnetic fields.
"Mr. Kale…I simply want your notes on a certain tomb in Egypt. I'm sure you know the one's I'm talking about."
Mr. Kale nodded his head dumbly and pointed towards a file cabinet in the middle of a long line of metal fire proof cabinet's that lined the left wall, The man still held Mr. Kale up as he floated towards the cabinet that he had pointed too, his gloved hands carelessly empting files out of it until coming across one that he seemed to have been looking for.
"Well…thank-you then…good day." He stated while floating back up towards the door, Mr. Kale still held up in the air seemed to let out a sigh of relief until the nearby American flag was flung at him, the pole drilling straight though his head.
Kali opened her mouth to scream, but silenced it. Her hands went up to her head as the vision faded and her eyes opened to see the concerned darker hues of Logan.
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Logan was heading back in from having a quick smoke in the woods, he really should quit…but things were just so hectic lately…The professor didn't approve of smoking in front of the teens, and who could blame him? So Logan took his potentially deadly habit into the woods. Coming back towards the front door, feeling the tension from the day drift away…
Only to have it come back once he seen Kali on the front steps. It looked like she was sleeping, but no one…not even Kurt could sleep in the position she was in on the stairs. The moment he got there Logan tried shaking the girl to wake her, but it didn't work. Man after this he was going to need to smoke five cigar's in a row just to relieve the tension and stress that Kali was giving him alone.
Sure it wasn't like she planned this probably…but still, the kid was more trouble then she was worth. He was about to pick her up and carry her inside to the med lab, but just as he got his hands behind her back, in a position to pick her up she bolted up right, breathing heavy, bringing her hands to her head in pain.
"Hey kid, you okay?" He questioned after she seemed to calm down…maybe she was just sleeping and had a nightmare or something. She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes and stood to look down towards him.
"Yeah…dandy."
"Most people don't fall asleep on porch steps and wake up freaking out like you were."
"I'm not most people."
"I've noticed."
"Go to hell Logan."
"That's not how ya talk to yer elders."
"Yer not my elder."
"I'm not?"
"Not in IQ anyway…" She stated, getting in the last word before stepping away and inside the school, leaving Logan to laugh to himself slightly.
That kid sure did have a nasty bite.
Kind of like him…
He sat down on the porch steps and lit up a cigar, not caring to go into the woods.
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Kali went upstairs to her room, avoiding bumping into Rogue and getting phased through by Kitty. Apparently Kali wasn't paying much attention to where she was going to. 'Why did Logan have to be such an ass?' She thought to herself as she rubbed at the middle of her forehead, damn it still hurt like a mother…
At least it wasn't that much of a painful death for Mr. Kale. He disappeared back inside her head somewhere…into limbo, maybe he moved on without wanting revenge? Doubtful. Maybe he just wanted to warn her…those papers that the metal controlling mutant took seemed to be awfully important if he killed a man over them…or maybe Mr. Kale just wanted to let her know that he died, and would want revenge soon.
Whatever the reason, he gave her a freaking headache…worse then what Jean had given her earlier. Kali walked into her room to find Jean doing her homework on the bed, thankfully Jean didn't say much other then,
"If I don't get this done, my grade is going to go farther down in French if I don't at least get an A on this paper." Jean explained to Kali who simply nodded and opened her desk drawer to get out a bottle of pain killers and a book at the same time so that Jean wouldn't see the pill bottle. With a kind polite smile to Jean, Kali walked back out of their room shutting the door behind her. The hallway was empty…quickly she made her way towards the girl's bathroom, she looked around, this was the first time she had really been in it.
The bathroom was clean, except for the few towels that littered the floor, shower stall's were against the far back wall's and the toilet stall's were across the room from the sinks and mirrors. Kali looked under each stall, making sure that no one was in there. Kali set the book she grabbed on one of the sinks. She tilted her head and grinned sadly,
Dante's Inferno…Frank's book. He had always been begging her to read it in her free time. Maybe she would read it now, while she was at the school. Slowly and carefully she popped the top of the pill bottle, it was more then halfway empty.
Vicodin…a very strong pain killer, that a person her body size probably shouldn't even be taking two of. She had been taking them ever since she first felt a person die a really horrible death, aspirin wasn't helping the pain she felt so she moved on to the prescription aspirin, before moving up finally to Vicodin, which actually took the pain away…making her feel…numb.
Numb…she liked the feeling. She popped two of the white pills in her mouth before dipping her head under the streaming water of the sink.
*So are you going to help me?*
Mr. Kale's voice popped back up inside of her head, a sigh escaped her pale lips before she recapped the pill bottle and pocketed them, sitting on the bathroom floor with her book. At least she was alone here…well alone as she would ever be.
"I don't know…I'm going to try though."
*Try?! Try?! I lost my life for god sakes…and all you can say is that you'll try to help?!*
"It's complicated…that man was powerful…he could manipulate metal…I fight with sword's…heck even a gun wouldn't work against this guy."
*Please…I just want to rest in peace…I want to move on, I don't like it here…it's dark…cold…gray…smell's like death…*
Kali massaged the bridge of her nose before nodding to herself.
"Fine…I'll work on getting you out of there…"
The voice retreated into the darkness of limbo, only whispers were heard now in Kali's head. She flipped open the book on her lap and tried to concentrate on the musty pages.
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Kurt smiled a fangy grin as he knocked on Jean's door, Scott standing behind him with a frown on his face…why did he have to be such a party pooper? The red head appeared in front of the two boy's, clad already in her pink and blue pajamas, blinking slightly at the site of them.
"Kurt…Scott…what brings you two here?" She questioned watching as they both walked in, Scott glancing over to Kali's side of the room for a moment as Kurt bounced around with excitement.
"Kurt wants to play a practical joke on Kali." Scott explained, looking almost as uncomfortable as if he were in a room full of large burly naked women. Jean started shaking her head.
"I don't think that's a good idea…"
"Awww come on Jean…it's a terrific idea. I mean, ve have done it to every new kid…Kali shouldn't be excluded." Kurt explained, his golden eyes locked on her Kali's broadsword.
"What's your plan then?" Jean asked, she like Scott knew that Kurt wouldn't be talked out of his idea…
"Hide her swords."
"Why?"
"Because it vill be funny."
"Until she kill's you…" Jean muttered under her breath watching Kurt take a hold of the broadsword in his furry blue three fingered hand.
The moment he picked it up he was in trouble, he toppled over under the weight of the sword, nearly slicing his tail in half as the sword fell next to him. Damn, he was stronger then Kali…at least he looked it…how come he couldn't pick up her sword.
Jean and Scott started laughing, at the site but they both silenced themselves once Kali came back into the room, book in hand.
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Kali blinked slightly at the odd site, Jean and Scott sitting on her bed…her French homework obviously forgotten, and the blue boy…Kurt laying next to her bed, her sword on top of him. She frowned…why did her peer group like to get into other peoples things. She dropped her book down on to her bed before going over and crouching next to Kurt.
"What are you doing?" She questioned tilting her head to the side
"Gasping…for…air…" Apparently he thought the sword that pinned him down was heavy.
"What…were…you doing?"
"Trying to play…a pratical joke."
"With my swords."
"Mmm…hmm…"
Kali easily lifted the sword off of him and placed it over one of her shoulders while helping him up. He gladly excepted her offered hand and pulled himself to a standing position while quickly breathing in fresh air.
"My swords are dangerous…you shouldn't touch them…even with me around…your bound to….get hurt."
"Yes ma'am."
Not only was Kali surprised that he called her ma'am, but Jean and Scott seemed to be too. Quickly he said that he was sorry and teleported out of the room leaving the smell of sulfur and brimstone…not one of the best smells.
"How can you lift that? I mean, no offence but you are a lot smaller then Kurt." Scott stated getting up from Jean's bed and watching Kali as she put the sword back in it's rightful place next to her bed.
"Swords aren't exactly what you think they are…they are extensions of yourself. The Tibetan Monks of the mountains say that one in theory will not be able to pick up and wield a sword if one is not worthy of it." Kali explained while sitting at her bed and tugging her worn boots off her feet.
"Where'd you learn that?" Jean questioned with curiosity.
"I lived with a group on Tibetan Monks for about three months, a few years ago…taught me a lot." She explained raising her brows as Scott made a slight Humph noise and walked out of the bedroom.
"What's his problem?"
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Scott stalked the hall's back to his own room, taking look foot strides to get there sooner. He even slammed his door while complaining loudly to himself causing him to get a very odd look from Mr. McCoy. Who did Kali think she was?
She was a killer…she was dating a guy in his thirties…she had a mass amount of weapons on her side of the room, and she talked like she was a fifty year old or something. In Scott's eyes, she was taking over…soon she would be leader of the team and leave him out in the cold. It was obvious. The Professor brought her in because she would make a better team leader in these rough times…it all made sense.
Scott flipped onto his bed, sure he was jealous. He had a right to be jealous!
"Tibetan Monks?" Scott questioned himself with a groan.
Well if she wanted to take over…she'd have to fight for the position of leader.
Chapter Three Complete: January, 31st
I hope you liked this chapter, I know I know…the whole Scott thing…but it makes sense…he would be jealous…even if there is NOTHING to be jealous about.
Next Chapter: Blood Tests, School, and a Mutant who can kill everyone on earth if he is released from his tomb in Egypt…Oh My!
Thank you all who have reviewed, I luv ya!