(14)
Dixion couldn't stay mad at all of them for long. She got lonely. Not that spending time with Pietro didn't interest her, but she missed talking to Rogue about the latest rock band or complaining to Kurt about how annoying Kitty was. As much as she was shocked, she was kind of missing Evan mooning over her. But she knew neither Pietro nor Evan would be happy when they found out about each other.
Dixion was now sprawled out on the grass on her stomach, watching the guys play basketball. Rogue and Kitty were in an argument not far from her, Jean trying to get them to stop.
Todd shuffled to the edge of the court and collapsed on the grass. Dixion smiled sympathetically at him. "Wiped out Todd?"
He jumped a little hearing her, but turned to look at her. He nodded and collapsed back on his back. "Being against Pietro in a game is no fun, yo."
"Hey, I know what you mean." Dixion moved over to sit beside him. "I bet living with him is no better?"
Todd, comfortable with the cool breeze responded after a moment of thought. "Yeah, but not too bad. I mean, we've had our bad times, but me and the guys get along pretty well."
Dixion couldn't really grasp that. They were all opposites. She was just surprised they had lasted as long as they had. She surveyed the backyard where the teen mutants mixed in strange ways. Opposites found comfort with each other, when ones that had more in common strayed from each other. It was like life. If you were brought up hating someone, it stayed your whole life. But someone had to plant that thought in your head.
"Todd, you mind if I ask you something?"
"Uh, yeah. Go ahead."
"Are you happy where you are? I don't mean just with where you live, but who you live with and where your life is at this moment."
Dixion watched as Todd sat up and looked over the surroundings too. His voice sounded too serious when he answered.
"My life isn't where I pictured it would be, but no ones ever turns out that way. We learn to adapt to our surroundings and the people we are with. We make our own decisions about everything and how our life will turn out." He turned then to look at her. "But I would have to say my life is better then I could have thought."
Dixion gave him a searching look. "I scare you, don't I?"
Todd jumped, startled. "What? What brought that up?"
"Well, it's been bothering me for awhile. I heard what you and the other guys were talking about in your kitchen when I was over. I'm not that dense that I'm going to ignore a conversation about me." She watched as Todd's face fell little by little, as she spoke. "This Mystique person seems bent on getting me on your team, so I was thinking she was the one that started the rift between you guys," she pointed out the Brotherhood, "and the X- men. Oh, and I heard that I freak you out, so I just assumed that's why you don't like talking to me."
Todd looked pale now as he stumbled to his feet, backing away from Dixion and out into the court. He collided with Evan, both sliding painfully across the court.
"Damn Tolansky. What the hell do you think you're doing getting in my way!" growled Evan as he got up.
But Todd ignored him. He was still fearfully looking at Dixion, as she rose and walked away down the path, further away from the court and house.
Evan swung at Todd, but Freddy grabbed his arm, lifting him off the ground. "Back off Daniels, unless you wanna get hurt."
This just started another all out fight with the guys. No one noticed Dixion walking away. But between Rogue, Kitty and Jean, the three of them subdued the rest. Still no one noticed she was gone. ************************************************************************
The Brotherhood sat by the edge of the court, nursing their new wounds. Nothing serious all around, but they had dished out as bad as they got. Todd looked the worst. Only a couple bruises, but he was sickly pale. He was still shaken about the conversation with Dixion. He kept repeating, muffled 'She knows, she knows.' None of the others could figure it out or knock Todd out of it.
"Damn, we would get better treatment in jail then here." Lance sneered, glaring at the other teens, sitting on the far side of the house, away from The Brotherhood.
"No kidding." Pietro spat. "Todd here has probably got brain damage now or something. He won't stop repeating 'she knows'. It's creepy."
They all looked on at their disturbed friend. This was the end. They would leave now. Forget the agreement they made. The street or Mystique was better then this.
This was when Todd finally broke out of his stupor. In a straggled voice, he repeated his message. "She knows. Dixion, she knows...Mystique...the plan...she knows."
None of them moved, just looked at each other with grim faces. ************************************************************************
A cool breeze pulled at Dixion's hair as she walked along the path. It weaved its way through the entire backyard (which is huge). In the far corner of the backyard, Dixion sat with her back against the stonewall, marking the end of the property. The sun filtered through the leaves of the surrounding trees, giving everything a warm glow. But Dixion felt cold.
She had seen what had happened when she walked away from Todd. She heard the yelling, the fighting. She'd seen Rogue, Kitty, and Jean jump up to intervene. But she didn't stop. She didn't care anymore. Let them kill each other...but she did care. Deep down she did. She hated watching her friends fight. They couldn't even stop fighting for her sake.
Silent tears fell down her face. She watched through her blurred vision at the wind playing through the leaves.
"What s'matter Petite? Dis a beautiful day, what there t'be sad about?"
Dixion wiped at her eyes and looked up. Sitting on a branch, over hanging the wall sat a guy. He looked well built. Short dark brown hair framing his chiseled features. A pair of dark sunglasses covering the eyes. He was dressed all in black, including a pair of black gloves. His face held a charming, but smug smile.
"Who are you?"
The guy cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Name' Remy. You?"
"Dixion."
He jumped to the ground, agile as a cat, and sat down beside her. "Now you tell Remy why you cryin'?"
"I'm just frustrated I guess. My friends have been fighting lately, and it doesn't matter what I do, I can't stop them." Dixion was surprised she could talk so easily to this newfound friend.
"Ah, I know the feelin', Cher. My family expects Remy to follow along in de family business, but I want t'see de world first. But they be bent on it." He shrugged carelessly. "So Remy left."
Dixion gasped. "You just left. Like that?"
"Long way t'go too. I'm from way down south. New Orleans."
Dixion smiled. "I think I got that from the accent."
"O'course I don' sound like you. Have our own language down south."
"I think you sound a lot like Rogue."
"Rogue?"
"Yeah, she's a girl here that I live with. We're really good friends."
"So you do have friends. Remy afraid he was your only one. No true friend would make you sad like dis." He reached over a wiped his thumb across Dixion's cheek.
"So why are you here Remy? Looking for a place to stay at Xavier's?"
"Dat what dis place called? I thought it some kind of hotel."
"No, it's my uncle's place." Dixion laughed
Remy looked at her shocked. "Dis your uncle's place. You Petite, would fit in fine down south, with a place like dis."
"Why don't you come with me, up to the house to talk to my uncle? I bet you could stay."
Remy's face became sullen. "I don' think so Petite. Remy would stick out."
"Why?"
"I'm a mutant."
"So. I'm one too. So are my uncle and everyone else living there."
"No kiddin'? Maybe I will." He stood up and helped Dixion to her feet. "But not right now. I be back to see you later Petite, neh?"
"Sure."
Remy smiled that smug grin again, climbed back up the tree, and slipped over the wall.
Dixion watched him go, wondering what it would be like to be so care free again. She leaned against the stonewall and watched until the sun lowered out of sight. Until the sky changed for blue to red. ************************************************************************
"Ok half-pint, calm down."
"But Mr. Logan, I didn't even like start it."
"I don't care who started it, I'm stopping it." Logan pushed Kitty back in her chair.
Another fight -verbal this time- had broken out between the two groups of teens. Logan had come in the middle of it, broke it up, and moved them all in the kitchen. A silence full of death glares, and sneers settled in.
Logan sighed. Kids. "Ok, who wants to tell me what happened."
Everyone started at once, the roar of sound increasing. It stopped when the back door to the kitchen opened.
"The whole thing started when Todd backed up into the court," Dixion stated in a monotone voice, "and Evan ran into him." She moved over to the sink, filled a glass with water and downed it in one gulp. She turned and looked over all of them. "None of you will get any sympathy from me. It's this stupid, fucking rivalry that leaves all of you with black eyes and spilt lips." Dixion's voice rose, anger blazing in her eyes. "I really thought you guys could be more mature about all this. Maybe live under the same roof and get along. But there's no hope for any of you. I don't care anymore. Have your stupid fights."
No one dared to look Dixion in the eye. Slowly she calmed down and moved to leave the room. "Logan if Ororo is looking for me, tell her I'm in the danger room." she called back as she left.
The room was silent. A few shuffling feet, shifting of chairs, but that was it. Nobody got up and moved. Logan looked them over before he left. "It gives you something to think about." he supplied, breaking the silence. "That maybe you should learn to get along with each other, or hurt the ones you care for." He walked out in search of peace from all teens.
"Well Summers, you should be happy now," Lance snapped, "Dixion hates us. But don't worry about us, we're leaving soon anyways."
"Running from your problems as always I see." Scott sneered at Lance.
Pietro slammed his fist on the table. "We're not running from anything Summers. This is our solution to the problem. It's starting to look like we're the only true friends Dixion has." He rose, and the rest of the Brotherhood followed. "We would rather leave then keep causing her pain."
"Well forgive us if we don't cry when you leave, Maximoff." Evan mocked.
"Did you guys totally like, go brain dead when Dixion was talking." Kitty yelled. "We're supposed to stop fighting, not start more."
"Forget it then. I'm not getting into another fight. We'll leave tomorrow." Pietro zipped out, followed more slowly by his brothers.
Rogue rose from the table huffing about the whole ordeal, and went off to her room.
Slowly the kitchen emptied except for Scott and Evan, who sat in silent contemplation about their actions. ************************************************************************ The door to the danger room hissed open, followed by a rush of snow. Ororo thought it would be easier to fly then be buried by the onslaught of snow. It covered the whole of the danger room, glistening drifts of it leaning against the walls. Some reached half way up the wall. Embedded into the far wall were giant ice blue icicles. Even though the room was full of snow, it wasn't at all cold. A warm breeze blew through the room.
Ororo scanned the winter wonderland until she spotted Dixion. She sat atop a hill of snow, throwing snowballs at the wall.
"Unusual weather we're having." Ororo landed softly beside Dixion. "I believe you feel better now, and hopefully enough to clean this up."
Dixion threw another snowball. "I guess I do." she sighed defeated. "And I'll clean it up. I guess I went a little overboard."
"Not at all. I'm just glad you did this in here and not in your room." Ororo shook her and laughing. "Imagine the damage."
"Yeah." Dixion stood and made her way down the hill. She slid across the floor to a wall panel and cranked the heat. The snow began to melt rapidly around the room. "You wouldn't happen to have a mop would you Ororo?"
Ororo was interrupted by someone out in the hallway. "WHOA!" SLIP, THUD.
"Oops." Dixion shrugged innocently.
She slid to the door to see Pietro flat on his back, in a puddle of water. "Sorry Pietro." She moved to his side to help him up.
Groaning, he tried to sit up. "Geez, what's with the waterworks?"
"I had to do something to work off the anger, so this is the winter wonderland I made...after you crank the heat."
Pietro shook his head slowly. "I guess." He looked up into her eyes with a look of uncertainty. "Are you ok now?"
"As good could be expected." Dixion reached down and interlaced for fingers with Pietro's. "Hey, you think you can be my hero and help clean up this mess?"
Pietro got to his feet, shakily. "Well I see no way out of it. And we should spend some time together before I leave."
Dixion's head snapped up. "What do you mean? You guys are leaving?"
Pietro ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Yeah, well it looks like the best think to do right now. We being here isn't helping anyone."
"I guess you're right."
"Well, let's not talk about it. I think we better start cleaning this up before Xavier gets on our backs."
"Loved to see that." Dixion muttered.
************************************************************************ Same as before.
Dixion couldn't stay mad at all of them for long. She got lonely. Not that spending time with Pietro didn't interest her, but she missed talking to Rogue about the latest rock band or complaining to Kurt about how annoying Kitty was. As much as she was shocked, she was kind of missing Evan mooning over her. But she knew neither Pietro nor Evan would be happy when they found out about each other.
Dixion was now sprawled out on the grass on her stomach, watching the guys play basketball. Rogue and Kitty were in an argument not far from her, Jean trying to get them to stop.
Todd shuffled to the edge of the court and collapsed on the grass. Dixion smiled sympathetically at him. "Wiped out Todd?"
He jumped a little hearing her, but turned to look at her. He nodded and collapsed back on his back. "Being against Pietro in a game is no fun, yo."
"Hey, I know what you mean." Dixion moved over to sit beside him. "I bet living with him is no better?"
Todd, comfortable with the cool breeze responded after a moment of thought. "Yeah, but not too bad. I mean, we've had our bad times, but me and the guys get along pretty well."
Dixion couldn't really grasp that. They were all opposites. She was just surprised they had lasted as long as they had. She surveyed the backyard where the teen mutants mixed in strange ways. Opposites found comfort with each other, when ones that had more in common strayed from each other. It was like life. If you were brought up hating someone, it stayed your whole life. But someone had to plant that thought in your head.
"Todd, you mind if I ask you something?"
"Uh, yeah. Go ahead."
"Are you happy where you are? I don't mean just with where you live, but who you live with and where your life is at this moment."
Dixion watched as Todd sat up and looked over the surroundings too. His voice sounded too serious when he answered.
"My life isn't where I pictured it would be, but no ones ever turns out that way. We learn to adapt to our surroundings and the people we are with. We make our own decisions about everything and how our life will turn out." He turned then to look at her. "But I would have to say my life is better then I could have thought."
Dixion gave him a searching look. "I scare you, don't I?"
Todd jumped, startled. "What? What brought that up?"
"Well, it's been bothering me for awhile. I heard what you and the other guys were talking about in your kitchen when I was over. I'm not that dense that I'm going to ignore a conversation about me." She watched as Todd's face fell little by little, as she spoke. "This Mystique person seems bent on getting me on your team, so I was thinking she was the one that started the rift between you guys," she pointed out the Brotherhood, "and the X- men. Oh, and I heard that I freak you out, so I just assumed that's why you don't like talking to me."
Todd looked pale now as he stumbled to his feet, backing away from Dixion and out into the court. He collided with Evan, both sliding painfully across the court.
"Damn Tolansky. What the hell do you think you're doing getting in my way!" growled Evan as he got up.
But Todd ignored him. He was still fearfully looking at Dixion, as she rose and walked away down the path, further away from the court and house.
Evan swung at Todd, but Freddy grabbed his arm, lifting him off the ground. "Back off Daniels, unless you wanna get hurt."
This just started another all out fight with the guys. No one noticed Dixion walking away. But between Rogue, Kitty and Jean, the three of them subdued the rest. Still no one noticed she was gone. ************************************************************************
The Brotherhood sat by the edge of the court, nursing their new wounds. Nothing serious all around, but they had dished out as bad as they got. Todd looked the worst. Only a couple bruises, but he was sickly pale. He was still shaken about the conversation with Dixion. He kept repeating, muffled 'She knows, she knows.' None of the others could figure it out or knock Todd out of it.
"Damn, we would get better treatment in jail then here." Lance sneered, glaring at the other teens, sitting on the far side of the house, away from The Brotherhood.
"No kidding." Pietro spat. "Todd here has probably got brain damage now or something. He won't stop repeating 'she knows'. It's creepy."
They all looked on at their disturbed friend. This was the end. They would leave now. Forget the agreement they made. The street or Mystique was better then this.
This was when Todd finally broke out of his stupor. In a straggled voice, he repeated his message. "She knows. Dixion, she knows...Mystique...the plan...she knows."
None of them moved, just looked at each other with grim faces. ************************************************************************
A cool breeze pulled at Dixion's hair as she walked along the path. It weaved its way through the entire backyard (which is huge). In the far corner of the backyard, Dixion sat with her back against the stonewall, marking the end of the property. The sun filtered through the leaves of the surrounding trees, giving everything a warm glow. But Dixion felt cold.
She had seen what had happened when she walked away from Todd. She heard the yelling, the fighting. She'd seen Rogue, Kitty, and Jean jump up to intervene. But she didn't stop. She didn't care anymore. Let them kill each other...but she did care. Deep down she did. She hated watching her friends fight. They couldn't even stop fighting for her sake.
Silent tears fell down her face. She watched through her blurred vision at the wind playing through the leaves.
"What s'matter Petite? Dis a beautiful day, what there t'be sad about?"
Dixion wiped at her eyes and looked up. Sitting on a branch, over hanging the wall sat a guy. He looked well built. Short dark brown hair framing his chiseled features. A pair of dark sunglasses covering the eyes. He was dressed all in black, including a pair of black gloves. His face held a charming, but smug smile.
"Who are you?"
The guy cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Name' Remy. You?"
"Dixion."
He jumped to the ground, agile as a cat, and sat down beside her. "Now you tell Remy why you cryin'?"
"I'm just frustrated I guess. My friends have been fighting lately, and it doesn't matter what I do, I can't stop them." Dixion was surprised she could talk so easily to this newfound friend.
"Ah, I know the feelin', Cher. My family expects Remy to follow along in de family business, but I want t'see de world first. But they be bent on it." He shrugged carelessly. "So Remy left."
Dixion gasped. "You just left. Like that?"
"Long way t'go too. I'm from way down south. New Orleans."
Dixion smiled. "I think I got that from the accent."
"O'course I don' sound like you. Have our own language down south."
"I think you sound a lot like Rogue."
"Rogue?"
"Yeah, she's a girl here that I live with. We're really good friends."
"So you do have friends. Remy afraid he was your only one. No true friend would make you sad like dis." He reached over a wiped his thumb across Dixion's cheek.
"So why are you here Remy? Looking for a place to stay at Xavier's?"
"Dat what dis place called? I thought it some kind of hotel."
"No, it's my uncle's place." Dixion laughed
Remy looked at her shocked. "Dis your uncle's place. You Petite, would fit in fine down south, with a place like dis."
"Why don't you come with me, up to the house to talk to my uncle? I bet you could stay."
Remy's face became sullen. "I don' think so Petite. Remy would stick out."
"Why?"
"I'm a mutant."
"So. I'm one too. So are my uncle and everyone else living there."
"No kiddin'? Maybe I will." He stood up and helped Dixion to her feet. "But not right now. I be back to see you later Petite, neh?"
"Sure."
Remy smiled that smug grin again, climbed back up the tree, and slipped over the wall.
Dixion watched him go, wondering what it would be like to be so care free again. She leaned against the stonewall and watched until the sun lowered out of sight. Until the sky changed for blue to red. ************************************************************************
"Ok half-pint, calm down."
"But Mr. Logan, I didn't even like start it."
"I don't care who started it, I'm stopping it." Logan pushed Kitty back in her chair.
Another fight -verbal this time- had broken out between the two groups of teens. Logan had come in the middle of it, broke it up, and moved them all in the kitchen. A silence full of death glares, and sneers settled in.
Logan sighed. Kids. "Ok, who wants to tell me what happened."
Everyone started at once, the roar of sound increasing. It stopped when the back door to the kitchen opened.
"The whole thing started when Todd backed up into the court," Dixion stated in a monotone voice, "and Evan ran into him." She moved over to the sink, filled a glass with water and downed it in one gulp. She turned and looked over all of them. "None of you will get any sympathy from me. It's this stupid, fucking rivalry that leaves all of you with black eyes and spilt lips." Dixion's voice rose, anger blazing in her eyes. "I really thought you guys could be more mature about all this. Maybe live under the same roof and get along. But there's no hope for any of you. I don't care anymore. Have your stupid fights."
No one dared to look Dixion in the eye. Slowly she calmed down and moved to leave the room. "Logan if Ororo is looking for me, tell her I'm in the danger room." she called back as she left.
The room was silent. A few shuffling feet, shifting of chairs, but that was it. Nobody got up and moved. Logan looked them over before he left. "It gives you something to think about." he supplied, breaking the silence. "That maybe you should learn to get along with each other, or hurt the ones you care for." He walked out in search of peace from all teens.
"Well Summers, you should be happy now," Lance snapped, "Dixion hates us. But don't worry about us, we're leaving soon anyways."
"Running from your problems as always I see." Scott sneered at Lance.
Pietro slammed his fist on the table. "We're not running from anything Summers. This is our solution to the problem. It's starting to look like we're the only true friends Dixion has." He rose, and the rest of the Brotherhood followed. "We would rather leave then keep causing her pain."
"Well forgive us if we don't cry when you leave, Maximoff." Evan mocked.
"Did you guys totally like, go brain dead when Dixion was talking." Kitty yelled. "We're supposed to stop fighting, not start more."
"Forget it then. I'm not getting into another fight. We'll leave tomorrow." Pietro zipped out, followed more slowly by his brothers.
Rogue rose from the table huffing about the whole ordeal, and went off to her room.
Slowly the kitchen emptied except for Scott and Evan, who sat in silent contemplation about their actions. ************************************************************************ The door to the danger room hissed open, followed by a rush of snow. Ororo thought it would be easier to fly then be buried by the onslaught of snow. It covered the whole of the danger room, glistening drifts of it leaning against the walls. Some reached half way up the wall. Embedded into the far wall were giant ice blue icicles. Even though the room was full of snow, it wasn't at all cold. A warm breeze blew through the room.
Ororo scanned the winter wonderland until she spotted Dixion. She sat atop a hill of snow, throwing snowballs at the wall.
"Unusual weather we're having." Ororo landed softly beside Dixion. "I believe you feel better now, and hopefully enough to clean this up."
Dixion threw another snowball. "I guess I do." she sighed defeated. "And I'll clean it up. I guess I went a little overboard."
"Not at all. I'm just glad you did this in here and not in your room." Ororo shook her and laughing. "Imagine the damage."
"Yeah." Dixion stood and made her way down the hill. She slid across the floor to a wall panel and cranked the heat. The snow began to melt rapidly around the room. "You wouldn't happen to have a mop would you Ororo?"
Ororo was interrupted by someone out in the hallway. "WHOA!" SLIP, THUD.
"Oops." Dixion shrugged innocently.
She slid to the door to see Pietro flat on his back, in a puddle of water. "Sorry Pietro." She moved to his side to help him up.
Groaning, he tried to sit up. "Geez, what's with the waterworks?"
"I had to do something to work off the anger, so this is the winter wonderland I made...after you crank the heat."
Pietro shook his head slowly. "I guess." He looked up into her eyes with a look of uncertainty. "Are you ok now?"
"As good could be expected." Dixion reached down and interlaced for fingers with Pietro's. "Hey, you think you can be my hero and help clean up this mess?"
Pietro got to his feet, shakily. "Well I see no way out of it. And we should spend some time together before I leave."
Dixion's head snapped up. "What do you mean? You guys are leaving?"
Pietro ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Yeah, well it looks like the best think to do right now. We being here isn't helping anyone."
"I guess you're right."
"Well, let's not talk about it. I think we better start cleaning this up before Xavier gets on our backs."
"Loved to see that." Dixion muttered.
************************************************************************ Same as before.
