Ten Years for a Good Life
How's life? Funny question to ask me
My life has been a misery these past ten years, on the odd occasion it picks up
But before you know it, someone or something comes along slams it down again.
Eight years old on a plane to Alaska, my home.
Home, I hadn't been there for two weeks, I was on vacation with my parents and brother.
Life couldn't get much better. It actually got worse.
"Take Alex with you!" They yelled at me.
I screamed in protest "I don't want to go, I want to be with you."
But that didn't stop them; they tied my brother to me as he screamed.
"We love you both very much and we'll miss you."
Tears were streaming down my face, I didn't want to leave.
"I love you," I shouted as the flames started to break through
"Take care of each other." They pushed me out that burning plane.
Alex screamed "Mommy Mommy" I told him to stop and be strong.
I woke up, the beeping of a machine in my ears. Almost darkness all around me.
Just the glow of soft light at a desk where a woman sat.
I could feel things inside me, tubes of some sort. Up my nose, down my throat, through my arm.
I was in a hospital? This couldn't be right.
I heard the beeping getting faster, then the woman walked over.
"Good Morning" she said. "Haven't you had a long sleep"
I tried to speak but the tubes prevented me from that. I was so confused.
Where was Alex, was he here too? How did I get here, the parachute, it caught fire.
"Well young man, there's a lot we need to know about you, no one knows who you are"
Well if you remove the tube from my throat maybe I'll tell.
Which they did. "The doctor will be along in a minute." The nurse said.
That's when all the truth came out, I had been in a coma for three months, they told me Alex died.
After the hours of crying with death of my brother, they had news on my condition.
"I'm afraid you have brain damage." I couldn't believe this, the news was getting worse.
They never figured out what the part of the brain that was damaged did,
So they said nothing to worry about, boy they were wrong.
It happened at the age of 14, I was still in an orphanage; I had been transferred to many orphanages.
No one wanted me. I was brain damaged of course, so the popularity went down there.
So I was in New York. I had never been to New York before
I was really hoping to get adopted by now. But I gave hope up for what happened next.
For the past few months I had been getting really bad headaches.
Doctors said it was the brain damage that caused it so they gave me tablets, never helped though.
I was outside one day playing basketball with my temporary friends.
Then the headache got really sore, I was screaming in pain, I couldn't handle it.
My eyes felt like they were burning up. The pressure in my head. It was going to explode.
Then all I could see was red. Kids started screaming.
One of them shouted, "Scott your eyes are red."
Then before I knew it, I destroyed the basketball with my eyes.
That night I ran away from the orphanage, my chances for having family again were slim.
I was on the streets as a blind boy. My eyes taped tightly shut.
I managed to steal food and sleep where ever I could.
I did meet another homeless boy round my age. His name was Billy. He died in my arms.
I became use to being blind, not once did I take off that tape.
But I still wanted a family; I couldn't spend the rest of my life on the streets.
"Hey Kid." I heard someone say, a man. "You lost?"
"No." I answered.
"Are you homeless?"
"Yes, and don't tell me to go to the homeless facility, they wont take me."
"What age are you?"
"I think I'm 15."
"You know me and my wife are looking for a kid. We're going to the orphanage."
"Good for you."
"Not anymore, I think we found our kid."
He took me to his home. I hadn't felt warmth for almost two years.
"Where's your wife?" I asked.
"I lied." For four months he beat me up, tortured me, raped me.
I couldn't escape. It wasn't just him; I was raped by a lot of guys.
He used me as a prostitute. One day he came into the room where he kept me.
The day of my revenge. I could hear him saying stuff about me to another man.
They opened the door, and for the first time in two years I opened my eyes.
Dead. I killed the both of them.
I ran out of there, not knowing where I was going.
I fell downstairs; I was in so much pain. So much I passed out.
When I woke up I was in a warm bed. I automatically thought of the hospital again.
But there were no noises and I couldn't see.
"Is anybody there?" I asked.
"Hi. How are you feeling?" A voice said. It was sweet and lovely.
"Where am I? Who are you?"
I felt the bed sink down a bit, as if the person I was talking to had sat down beside me.
"My name's Jean Grey." That was the first time I heard her name. The name I would never forget.
"Me and my Professor found you. You obviously fell down a flight of stairs."
The memories came flooding back of all the abuse I went through.
"Are you ok, you're in pain, emotional pain."
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"Like you Scott, I'm a mutant." I'm a mutant, this couldn't be true, or could it?
"A mutant?"
"Yes Scott, a mutant, the next stage of human evolution, my name is Professor Charles Xavier."
"My eyes? Is that's why I'm a mutant?"
"Yes Scott, you're eyes have very powerful concussive beams. And I'm afraid you can't control them."
"Oh, so I'm going to be blind for the rest of my life?"
"No Scott, I came up with a solution for you to control your beams."
"What's the catch?"
"No catch Scott, I just want to help others of my kind."
"You're a mutant too?"
"Yes, I can read minds, that's sort of how I knew about you. Jean would you get the glasses?"
"How do you know my name?"
"My telepathic abilities allow me to know who you are."
"Here you go Professor."
"Thank you Jean, Scott these glasses are made from Ruby Quartz, which holds back your beams."
He put the glasses in my hand. "You will only be able to see things in shades of red. Go ahead."
When I put them on I didn't want to open my eyes. "Its ok Scott, you need to trust the Professor." That voice again, I needed to see this girl. So I opened my eyes.
Everything was a blur at first, then slowly came into focus. "Well Scott?"
"I can see, how could I ever thank you."
"Just stay at my school, that's all I ask, help other mutants like yourself."
That's when I saw her and she smiled.
She was like an angel, I couldn't speak, I didn't want to, all I could do was stare.
I loved this girl, and I knew that would never change.
I stand here now two years later. I'm eighteen years old.
I'm a field commander and leader of a team of mutants called X-Men.
I stare out the window, looking at my best friend and the girl of my dreams, Jean Grey.
Kissing my rival.
The only thing wrong in my new life.
My best friend Jean, I needed to be with her, and I will.
Even if it takes another ten years, my life will be good again.