Disclaimer: All character are property of Marvel.
Part Fifteen
Xavier's files said that the Phalanx were an offshoot of race of techno- organic beings from deep space bent on galactic conquest. Blink cringed in her seat in front of Monet's laptop. She had been in this rather peaceful reality for two weeks now and the depth of the situation she was in was just now starting to come to her.
Blink had come to terms with the strangeness of there being a different universe with the same people she has come to know and love. In fact she has even began to accept that Beast and Cyclops were the good guys and that a kind person like her mentor, Mr. Creed, is a crazed lunatic. But as she sat there reading Xavier's files on the phalanx she couldn't believe that she gave her own life to save this group of people and was now dead.
She must have read the document a hundred times. The screen glew in the reflection of her milk white eyes as she read over it again. It's not that she was dead that bothered her, certainly not, she had dealt with death time and time again. What bothered her was her own biography. It said that the Phalanx had abducted her from home.
As in her Home. Her parents.
There it was right there in front of her. Westerly, Rhode Island. Her parents still reside in Rhode Island. She forced herself to remember that these weren't 'really' her parents and kept trying to force the knot in her throat down to her stomach. Her parents had died in Apocalypse's camp, no mistake about it. However reading the words on the screen in front of her made it seem almost painful. She could hardly remember her father's face and had completely forgotten anything about her mother. She remembered her father leaving and then the explosion and then Creed. Everything else was blank. She never cried over it as far as she could remember. Mr. Creed had taken such good care of her and no one ever mentioned her parents. Thought she still often woke up in the middle of the night from time to time.
But this... This is different. They were real. Really here. "Michael and Ronda Ferguson," she said aloud her parents name as she put her fingers to the screen as if to touch them. She fought back the tears starting to form in her eyes as she pulled her hand away from the screen quickly. "These are not my parents," She said between gritted teeth, "These are hers."
She turned off the computer and teleported herself out of her dorm and onto the front lawn for some fresh air. The grass was wet she noticed as she dropped to her knees. Most of the heavy rain had stopped but the sky was still a little cloudy, though Clarice noticed none of that as she pounded her fist into the grass repeatedly in an effort to maintain composure and fight the inevitable breakdown.
Muddy water stained her knuckles and the knees of her sweat pants as she pulled herself into a standing position and took a deep breath. She wiped the unspilt tears from her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
"Chica!"
She jumped as she heard Angelo's voice behind her some distance. She turned around to see him coming over to her from the guy's dorm. She felt like hiding but X-Men don't hide.
"You okay Chica, I saw you from my window. You were bangin' your hands on the ground." He came to a stop in front of her and brought his hand up to brush the hair out her face.
She wanted to pull back but X-Men don't back down. "I'm fine," she said pushing Angelo's hand away. "I just came outside for some fresh air and to be alone." She tried not to meet his eyes but she felt the concern coming off him.
"You sure you wan to be alone?" He caught her hand as she tried to push him away.
She felt like crying all over again but X-Men don't cry. She buried her face in her hands as she fought another wave of sobs. She felt Angelo's arms rap around her body and wanted to push herself away. She didn't want to give in to her grief, she didn't want to give up. X-Men don't give up.
She gave up.
She gave in to the tears and through her arms around him and cried. For the first time in years, she cried.
"What's wrong, chica?" Angelo asked as he patted her head.
"I... I found my parents." She said feeling guilty for claiming them as her parents. "I found my home."
"Your familia?" He looked puzzled. "How..." he caught his tongue when he realized what she meant. "Clarice you know they don't know you." He said, careful not to make her cry harder.
"I know... but I figure if they just saw me... and understand... I am their daughter." She stopped crying and pulled her face from Angelo's chest and looked up at him. "I'm not there daughter, am I?"
"No," He whispered. "You're not." He watched as one last tear came down her cheek.
"But I still have to try." She smiled slyly. "You ever been to Westerly, Ange?"
Part Fifteen
Xavier's files said that the Phalanx were an offshoot of race of techno- organic beings from deep space bent on galactic conquest. Blink cringed in her seat in front of Monet's laptop. She had been in this rather peaceful reality for two weeks now and the depth of the situation she was in was just now starting to come to her.
Blink had come to terms with the strangeness of there being a different universe with the same people she has come to know and love. In fact she has even began to accept that Beast and Cyclops were the good guys and that a kind person like her mentor, Mr. Creed, is a crazed lunatic. But as she sat there reading Xavier's files on the phalanx she couldn't believe that she gave her own life to save this group of people and was now dead.
She must have read the document a hundred times. The screen glew in the reflection of her milk white eyes as she read over it again. It's not that she was dead that bothered her, certainly not, she had dealt with death time and time again. What bothered her was her own biography. It said that the Phalanx had abducted her from home.
As in her Home. Her parents.
There it was right there in front of her. Westerly, Rhode Island. Her parents still reside in Rhode Island. She forced herself to remember that these weren't 'really' her parents and kept trying to force the knot in her throat down to her stomach. Her parents had died in Apocalypse's camp, no mistake about it. However reading the words on the screen in front of her made it seem almost painful. She could hardly remember her father's face and had completely forgotten anything about her mother. She remembered her father leaving and then the explosion and then Creed. Everything else was blank. She never cried over it as far as she could remember. Mr. Creed had taken such good care of her and no one ever mentioned her parents. Thought she still often woke up in the middle of the night from time to time.
But this... This is different. They were real. Really here. "Michael and Ronda Ferguson," she said aloud her parents name as she put her fingers to the screen as if to touch them. She fought back the tears starting to form in her eyes as she pulled her hand away from the screen quickly. "These are not my parents," She said between gritted teeth, "These are hers."
She turned off the computer and teleported herself out of her dorm and onto the front lawn for some fresh air. The grass was wet she noticed as she dropped to her knees. Most of the heavy rain had stopped but the sky was still a little cloudy, though Clarice noticed none of that as she pounded her fist into the grass repeatedly in an effort to maintain composure and fight the inevitable breakdown.
Muddy water stained her knuckles and the knees of her sweat pants as she pulled herself into a standing position and took a deep breath. She wiped the unspilt tears from her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
"Chica!"
She jumped as she heard Angelo's voice behind her some distance. She turned around to see him coming over to her from the guy's dorm. She felt like hiding but X-Men don't hide.
"You okay Chica, I saw you from my window. You were bangin' your hands on the ground." He came to a stop in front of her and brought his hand up to brush the hair out her face.
She wanted to pull back but X-Men don't back down. "I'm fine," she said pushing Angelo's hand away. "I just came outside for some fresh air and to be alone." She tried not to meet his eyes but she felt the concern coming off him.
"You sure you wan to be alone?" He caught her hand as she tried to push him away.
She felt like crying all over again but X-Men don't cry. She buried her face in her hands as she fought another wave of sobs. She felt Angelo's arms rap around her body and wanted to push herself away. She didn't want to give in to her grief, she didn't want to give up. X-Men don't give up.
She gave up.
She gave in to the tears and through her arms around him and cried. For the first time in years, she cried.
"What's wrong, chica?" Angelo asked as he patted her head.
"I... I found my parents." She said feeling guilty for claiming them as her parents. "I found my home."
"Your familia?" He looked puzzled. "How..." he caught his tongue when he realized what she meant. "Clarice you know they don't know you." He said, careful not to make her cry harder.
"I know... but I figure if they just saw me... and understand... I am their daughter." She stopped crying and pulled her face from Angelo's chest and looked up at him. "I'm not there daughter, am I?"
"No," He whispered. "You're not." He watched as one last tear came down her cheek.
"But I still have to try." She smiled slyly. "You ever been to Westerly, Ange?"