Benevolent Nightmare
The forest was peaceful at night. More peaceful than Aleusia's life was at the moment. Technically, her whole life was in pieces, if you wanted to be that optimistic. The dark trees shaded her from the moon's harsh and dazzling glow, and Leu let herself go. Someone watching might have described it as if the stars were falling from the skies and coming to rest upon the small figure walking forlornly through the dark forest. Her eyes darkened to a color that matched the sky, and the stars seemed to be nesting in her hair. Her voice was like the wind, and the real thing seemed odd in comparison. She had always been good at impersonations.
She closed her eyes, having faith that her feet would lead her properly. The stairs fell from her hair and landed on the ground with a twinkle. Her slightly curly blonde hair fell with the loss of the wind and fell at mid-back. But her eyes kept their sky blue color. She kept scolding herself, 'I can't pretend to be anyone else, anymore!'. She felt like screaming. Even in an abstract family, she still didn't belong. And she never would. She was a Mutant.
To amuse herself during the walk to the next city, she imitated her family's range of voices, trying not to make herself homesick. There was Ariea's unmistakable piping tune, Aidan's more masculine replica, Aerhiel's gentle voice like wind through the trees, Arelai's reassuring tone, Arawyn's deeper, singsong pitch, and Andrew's deep, comforting voice. Then there was her mother's. It was the most reassuring thing in the world, when all six of her siblings failed. And her dad, who never really understood, but tried. His gruff voice felt out of place among everyone else's. She wondered vaguely if Mutantcy was genetic.
But she had always been different. At thirteen, she had had an identity crisis, being the unusual one in the family. (and that was saying something) She had a wispy cloud tattoo along her right forearm, and stars grazed her left eye. Ash blonde hair fell in curly tendrils down to her mid-back range, and parts of it were streaked blue. She just never really fit in.
Police sirens could be heard dimly from behind her, Aleusia sensed with her super-human ears. It came with a couple years practice after discovering her talent. She was a shapeshifter, and she didn't want to leave it to her family to find out. She had decided she'd leave before they knew they'd housed a Mutant in their home for thirteen years.
But she could see Naomi City's dim, flickering lights in the distance. Even through the trees, she recognized their checkerboard patterns. So much more order in the real world. She almost wished she were normal.
There were times where she'd almost blown it, whether by means of confiding in a sister or by messing up in front of someone else. She was practicing Arawyn's voice in the bathroom when she came and knocked on the door, asking to get in. And once she'd duplicated the sub at school, just for fun, in fifth grade. But then she disappeared with out a trace, and the real teacher walked in, along with a tardy Ms. Nestle.
Leu went to a strict Catholic school, but she was long an athiest. She just couldn't believe that god had created people that way. It didn't seem fair. And if he did exist, she was mad at him. For everything.
She pulled away a curtain of brush to reveal her favorite looking point- The Watcher, overlooking Naomi. She'd named it with her sisters. But someone else was there. And distracted by the noise, they'd turned around.
Before Leu could help it, she was thrown backwards by some invisible force. She screamed, then quickly covered her own mouth. Laying flat on the ground with her hair splayed out behind her, she looked up confusedly at the boy leaning over her. She could tell he was about to bash her head with a rock. With superhuman speed and agility, she kicked his legs out from under him and he crumpled by her side, his chest heaving.
"I did it again…" he mumbled to himself.
"Did what? What was that? Wind?"
He looked up at her bemusedly before hiding his smile.
"Yeah. Wind."
They both scrambled away from each other and rose to their feet. There was a noise from the bushes. Leu grabbed the boy's hand. An officer walked into the clearing.
"Lexington! What are you doing here, you should be back with the crew, and who's this boy?"
Lexington cleared his throat and grunted.
"Sir, I found this boy in the area while I was scouting for the girl. I was just asking him for his name."
The boy was terribly confused. He was no older than fifteen, at most.
"Well?"
He looked in mystified confusion at the man called Lexington grasping his wrist. Lexington squeezed, hoping the other officer wouldn't notice.
"Wellll…?"
"Oh. Umm… Sam. Sam Magill. I live down the street. On Haverford. By the gas station."
Lexington nodded his head.
"Aha. I see. And why are you out here this late, young man?"
He coughed. "Hangover."
The other officer rolled his eyes and smirked at Lexington. "Doesn't look drunk to me. Have fun, Bruce… I'm going to go check with the search squad. I'll tell them where you are."
Bruce Lexington seemed to have a hard time recalling his own name.
"Oh. Yeah. You do that. I've got this under control."
"Sam" was clearly understanding now. When the other officer left the clearing he pulled his arm away from Lexington's hard grip. Lexington sighed, sensing the boy scrutinizing his appearance. He leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. Leu opened them, and hoped she'd morphed properly. She hadn't had much practice before.
"Whoa."
"Yeah."
"Sweet!" He stuck out his hand. "I'm Charlie. You?"
Leu grimaced. "What makes you so welcoming all of a sudden?"
"Well- you're a Mutant, too."
"I figured. The name's Leu. So that was telekinesis back there!"
Charlie shrugged. "I guess. What do you say we get outta here? You for it?"
Leu managed the first genuine smile that night, and replied, "No shit."
The forest was peaceful at night. More peaceful than Aleusia's life was at the moment. Technically, her whole life was in pieces, if you wanted to be that optimistic. The dark trees shaded her from the moon's harsh and dazzling glow, and Leu let herself go. Someone watching might have described it as if the stars were falling from the skies and coming to rest upon the small figure walking forlornly through the dark forest. Her eyes darkened to a color that matched the sky, and the stars seemed to be nesting in her hair. Her voice was like the wind, and the real thing seemed odd in comparison. She had always been good at impersonations.
She closed her eyes, having faith that her feet would lead her properly. The stairs fell from her hair and landed on the ground with a twinkle. Her slightly curly blonde hair fell with the loss of the wind and fell at mid-back. But her eyes kept their sky blue color. She kept scolding herself, 'I can't pretend to be anyone else, anymore!'. She felt like screaming. Even in an abstract family, she still didn't belong. And she never would. She was a Mutant.
To amuse herself during the walk to the next city, she imitated her family's range of voices, trying not to make herself homesick. There was Ariea's unmistakable piping tune, Aidan's more masculine replica, Aerhiel's gentle voice like wind through the trees, Arelai's reassuring tone, Arawyn's deeper, singsong pitch, and Andrew's deep, comforting voice. Then there was her mother's. It was the most reassuring thing in the world, when all six of her siblings failed. And her dad, who never really understood, but tried. His gruff voice felt out of place among everyone else's. She wondered vaguely if Mutantcy was genetic.
But she had always been different. At thirteen, she had had an identity crisis, being the unusual one in the family. (and that was saying something) She had a wispy cloud tattoo along her right forearm, and stars grazed her left eye. Ash blonde hair fell in curly tendrils down to her mid-back range, and parts of it were streaked blue. She just never really fit in.
Police sirens could be heard dimly from behind her, Aleusia sensed with her super-human ears. It came with a couple years practice after discovering her talent. She was a shapeshifter, and she didn't want to leave it to her family to find out. She had decided she'd leave before they knew they'd housed a Mutant in their home for thirteen years.
But she could see Naomi City's dim, flickering lights in the distance. Even through the trees, she recognized their checkerboard patterns. So much more order in the real world. She almost wished she were normal.
There were times where she'd almost blown it, whether by means of confiding in a sister or by messing up in front of someone else. She was practicing Arawyn's voice in the bathroom when she came and knocked on the door, asking to get in. And once she'd duplicated the sub at school, just for fun, in fifth grade. But then she disappeared with out a trace, and the real teacher walked in, along with a tardy Ms. Nestle.
Leu went to a strict Catholic school, but she was long an athiest. She just couldn't believe that god had created people that way. It didn't seem fair. And if he did exist, she was mad at him. For everything.
She pulled away a curtain of brush to reveal her favorite looking point- The Watcher, overlooking Naomi. She'd named it with her sisters. But someone else was there. And distracted by the noise, they'd turned around.
Before Leu could help it, she was thrown backwards by some invisible force. She screamed, then quickly covered her own mouth. Laying flat on the ground with her hair splayed out behind her, she looked up confusedly at the boy leaning over her. She could tell he was about to bash her head with a rock. With superhuman speed and agility, she kicked his legs out from under him and he crumpled by her side, his chest heaving.
"I did it again…" he mumbled to himself.
"Did what? What was that? Wind?"
He looked up at her bemusedly before hiding his smile.
"Yeah. Wind."
They both scrambled away from each other and rose to their feet. There was a noise from the bushes. Leu grabbed the boy's hand. An officer walked into the clearing.
"Lexington! What are you doing here, you should be back with the crew, and who's this boy?"
Lexington cleared his throat and grunted.
"Sir, I found this boy in the area while I was scouting for the girl. I was just asking him for his name."
The boy was terribly confused. He was no older than fifteen, at most.
"Well?"
He looked in mystified confusion at the man called Lexington grasping his wrist. Lexington squeezed, hoping the other officer wouldn't notice.
"Wellll…?"
"Oh. Umm… Sam. Sam Magill. I live down the street. On Haverford. By the gas station."
Lexington nodded his head.
"Aha. I see. And why are you out here this late, young man?"
He coughed. "Hangover."
The other officer rolled his eyes and smirked at Lexington. "Doesn't look drunk to me. Have fun, Bruce… I'm going to go check with the search squad. I'll tell them where you are."
Bruce Lexington seemed to have a hard time recalling his own name.
"Oh. Yeah. You do that. I've got this under control."
"Sam" was clearly understanding now. When the other officer left the clearing he pulled his arm away from Lexington's hard grip. Lexington sighed, sensing the boy scrutinizing his appearance. He leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. Leu opened them, and hoped she'd morphed properly. She hadn't had much practice before.
"Whoa."
"Yeah."
"Sweet!" He stuck out his hand. "I'm Charlie. You?"
Leu grimaced. "What makes you so welcoming all of a sudden?"
"Well- you're a Mutant, too."
"I figured. The name's Leu. So that was telekinesis back there!"
Charlie shrugged. "I guess. What do you say we get outta here? You for it?"
Leu managed the first genuine smile that night, and replied, "No shit."