Reflecting Memories
Disclaimer: Don't own X-Men, do own Jayda, yaddayadda! -rolls eyes-
Review! I like this chapter...not as good as the first, me thinks, but hell...
NOTE: This episode and later ones deal with cutting (self infliction of pain). I am not making a mockery of such a serious things, as one of my friends used to do it.
Chapter Two: Painful Mistakes
Over in the next room, a Jayda Killgallen was quietly napping. Her head was buzzing, a constant pounding disrupting the peaceful rest most enjoyed. She opened her eyes, the stunning bluish color drifting towards the window. She could see so much. A red convertible was pulling away out of the gates, and a black van. She could see kids, students, perhaps? Though the windows, or bouncing out of them.
With a sigh, she sat up, rustling the sheets. It had been a long time she'd been with normal kids, or ones who actually went to school. She had been with Magneto for.....she didn't know. Three years? She never really had time to think about her past, and she didn't remember much when she did bother to. Magneto had told her she suffered a head injury, but she didn't believe him. But he was the closest thing to a father she remembered. Even if the other Acolytes were nice to her, it wasn't the same as belonging.
And it wasn't as if she enjoyed being an Acolyte. Though thrilling, someone, even her, always got hurt.
Wrinkling her nose, Reflection rolled over on the white bed, careful not to touch her wound. It hurt a lot. Where was the Advil?
Before she could rummage through the cabinets, she drifted into sleep.
***
Gambit hummed a tune to himself, his feet propped onto a table, one hand expertly shuffling his cards. Demonic black and red eyes shifted slyly from Sabretooth sitting sulkily in the corner of the room, Pyro cursing over one of his lighters being out of fluid, and Colossus simply reading.
The Cajun sighed, irritated at the lack of things to do, touching a bandage on his wrist timidly. Sticking the cards back in his pocket, he stood up, stretching, mumbling, "Where is de chere? Remy nee's to attack someone, oui."
John looked up, a frown on his face, one ankle in a splint (the mission, though a success, did not leave all unmarked), "Maybe trainin', mate. You know her, always goin' at it. The sheila DID get here a'right, didn't she?"
Scratching his head, he shrugged, and called to Victor, "Oh Sabs...'ave you seen Jayda? Remy nee's to do an'thing, before his mind 'plodes, arg, hell, where is Reflect?" He wrinkled his brow, and the wild man looked up, growling.
"How am I supposed to know? I wasn't watching the kid...who was?"
The Russian closed his book, standing, "Maybe Magneto has her. I'll go check." Piotr stood, and strode out of the room.
"Merci!" Gambit yelled after him, and took to shuffling his cards, once more.
Within minutes, Piotr was back, a worried look on his face, "The boss is working on his computer, and the training area is empty. Could she have been left at the compound by mistake?"
John groaned, "Damnit! Did we screw up, lads? I thought he told us to watch the kid!"
Gambit nodded, his eyes narrowing, "Oui. We did."
***
Someone was humming, Jayda noticed, groaning and sitting up, her vision unclear a moment, eventually focusing. Glancing around with a weary eye, she pulled herself up a little straighter, seeing Rogue at one of the cabinets, rearranging the supplies. Studying the girl, who was softly singing a southern tune, she remembered something.
With a mischievous smile, she mocked the speech and accent of a certain Cajun, "You be Remy's belle femme, non? Remy talk bout you all de time."
Rogue spun around, a surprised look on her face. It slowly chided into a soft smile, and she nodded, in her best French, "Absolument. He talks about me?"
Jayda started laughing, her side aching in the process, "Talks! He dances around every time you call him, saying things none of us can translate, no, WANT to translate. I caught him singing about you in the shower."
The normally serious goth giggled, "Well, Ah'd lahke to see that!"
"Him in the shower?"
"Well...!"
The impish Reflection ran her hands through her silky brown hair, and fingered her locket. In a teasing voice, she said, "Ohh, so Remy 'be a secret, non?' Ha! Blackmail..."
Rogue looked at her worried, "You won' tell, now, will yah? If y'all do."
Jayda took on a serious look, "Don't worry. I wouldn't tell anyone, but eventually it's gonna come out. And Gambit is a total hottie. There will only be jealously."
The untouchable chuckled, "Hey, now, Ah'ma gonna hafta knock y'all out now. Remy is mah man!" They shared a smile, and Reflection broke in with a curious tone, "Could you tell me about this place, about the other's powers, please? I'm really curious about other mutations..."
Rogue sat down on the end of the bed, thinking, "Well, lessee. We got Scott 'Cyclops' Summers, he's the 'leader' yah might say, can shoot lasers or sumthin' from his eyes. Jean Grey, we'll, the perfect gal, telepath an' telekinetic. Kitty 'Shadowkat' Pryde, she phases through stuff, Kurt 'Nightcrawler' Wagner, mah adoptive brother, an' a teleporter..."
She continued down the list, the other girl mesmerized, finally stopping at her own name, "An' me, Ah'm jus' Rogue, the untouchable. Ah can absorb a person's powers, memories, the enchilada." She rolled her eyes, a sad look in them, "Ah could put you in a coma from a hug if mah skin touched yers. Mayhbe kill ya." She looked up awkwardly. "I don't remember touching someone with mah skin an' not hurting them."
Jayda reached out with her two fingers, stopping before she just reached Rogue's cheek, "Rogue." she started, hesitantly, "I think...I can touch you. My powers...Reflecting, you'd only absorb yourself...can I try?" She looked curious.
The goth bit her lip, "Ah don't know, only if your POSITIVE...I don' wan' y'all ta get hurt..." Jayda nodded and brought her fingers to her cheek.
They waited. Nothing happened.
Jayda looked at her, eyes wide, "You can't absorb yourself, Rogue...you can touch me."
With a shriek, Rogue grabbed Jayda in a hug, "Y'all are right! I can touch you, Jayda!" Her eyes shone, "Mah gawd, Ah'm crying", she said, laughing through her tears that smudged her dark makeup. Jayda started laughing as well. It had been long since someone had cried for her powers, something so normal for her, so extraordinary for someone else. It made her feel good. Sure, once Remy hugged her when she was crying after being just found by Magneto, and then there was that fast kid, Pietro, on that one date when she told him about the cuts...
She shivered involuntary and yanked the sleeve of her shirt down a little.
Rogue wiped at her eyes, "Are ya okah?" She nodded, and smiled, with a sudden thought, "Hey, won't it be cool if I could transfer my power to another when I'm touching them?" A grin broke over Rogue's face, "That'd be wondaful, sugah!"
It was then they struck up a fast friendship.
***
Wolverine sighed, shutting his eyes briefly as he sat down in the kitchen, sipping a glass of water, eventually dumping it in the skin. Reflection. Jayda. Jay. Jayda Miranda Killgallen. He could see her and Tessa, sitting on the porch in the twilight, the mother singing softly to her 5 year old daughter, a gentle rocking tune that was settling the dark haired girl into a steady sleep. Jay, she had been to him, Jayda Miranda when she was bad.
They had lived in Maine, the bottom of the state, on a gorgeous little piece of land. Paradise, maybe...there had been a few animals, four horses, a couple goats, pigs, and chickens to amuse the skinny little girl. He paused, wondering when she developed her powers. She had learned gymnastics from her mother, he knew, who had taken it all through high school, and learnt on her own hand-to-hand fighting. With the grace and ease of an athlete and the right hook of a boxer, it was no wonder Magneto allowed her to join. But why had she?
He drummed his fingers on the table. Should be tell her? Nah...maybe he should...With a growl, he stood up and stalked out of the kitchen.
***
"Did you, like, hear about her, Kurt?" Kitty eagerly asked her fuzzy blue friend as she shut her locker. It was a day after Rogue and Jayda had discovered the whole skin-to-skin acceptance thing, and the school was buzzing about it after Rogue had let it slip to Jean, who let it slip to Scott, who let it slip to Kitty, who was now telling Kurt, "That girl Logan brought home can totally be touched by Rogue! Her powers just reflect back at, like, Rogue, so Rogue can't absorb herself! Isn't it totally awesome?"
The blue haired boy, whose inducer was currently on, nodded enthusiastically, "Ja, Kitty. But how, did Logan find her? Who is she?"
The voice of Iceman, touched with a dreamy state, ambled over as with its owner, "She's brilliant...Jayda...Jayda Miranda Killgallen, Reflection..."
Kurt looked at him worried, and Kitty waved a hand over his over, "Bobby, are you alright? You, like, seem a little...disoriented?"
"Yeah...yeah, disoriented..." He mumbled, and knocked into Kurt, "Sorry, Kurt, didn't see you...She's got great eyes...blue and purple all at once..." All of a sudden, Kitty's hand came out of nowhere, and slapped him. Bobby snapped back into reality with a yelp, "Hello! What was I doing?"
Kurt rolled his eyes, "Vell, let's see. You vere rambling about this Jayda girl...I think Bobby has a little crush, Keetty!" They both laughed, and Bobby scowled, "I do not! Well, maybe I do...kinda...she's pretty...STOP PICKING ON ME!" He stomped off. Kurt and Kitty just laughed.
***
"You're making an amazing recovery, Jayda. How does it feel?" It was one week after Logan had discovered his daughter, who remained clueless, and Dr. McCoy was examining his patient's progress. She healed fast. Not Wolverine's speed, but his 4-week assumption for her staying in the infirmary was likely to be cut in half.
Over the time, the students of the Institute had gone from hiding and observing Reflection from afar to introducing themselves. She became friends with everyone: to Scott, she was wise and dedicated and loyal. Jean sought her as a friendly face and a smile you couldn't resist. Kurt declared her an honest, charming girl. Kitty found someone who you could talk about anything to, from fashion to boyfriends. Amara enjoyed her presence, Jamie her faithful love of pranks. Ray, the perfect spectator for his show-off tricks he loved to give. Jubilee discovered a listener who could uphold her constant chatter. Rahne and Sam an impish child. And Rogue and Bobby? Rogue made friends with a girl who could hear you, who knew what to say to the untouchable. And Bobby...we won't start (-coughs- Lover-boy. -coughs-).
The adults as well thrived upon her vast intellectual mind, and adult in half of her characteristics, a child in the other. They had never known someone to go from sad to cheerful in a matter of seconds like her. The world could be awful one moment, then a wonderful place the next. (Wolverine groaned at the aspect of a bipolar daughter, even thought Hank assured him she wasn't.)
"Better. It only hurts when I land on it, or when Kitty cooks something for me to eat." She wrinkled her nose in distaste, "Does everything she touch turn to poison, or just muffins?"
"Everything." He said briskly, then checked his clipboard, "Well, another week or so, then you'll have to take it easy-we don't want you to get hurt again thanks to jumping out more windows." She saluted sharply, and lay back in her bed, picking up a book on the little table she had found while rummaging for more Advil. Opening it to her marker, the violet-eyed girl read on eagerly.
Hank smiled warmly at her, and started out of the infirmary. Shutting the door quietly behind her, he headed straight for the Professor's office. A worried look etched on his face, he knocked quietly, and he heard the familiar voice call, "Come in Hank."
The blue creature strolled inside, noting Logan rising from his chair. Darting a look between the two, he started out, "Your turn to talk with him, bub-"
"No, stay, please. You need to hear what I have to say." He stopped and looked at Xavier, "Charles, I just got back from examining Jayda...I found something rather.disturbing."
***
Jayda sighed, and snapped the book shut. She couldn't concentrate.
Pulling herself up so she was sitting Indian-style on the bed, and examined her wrists and lower parts of her arms. Old scars, newer scars, and everywhere in between. She traced her index finger over the lines in her skin, feeling cold all over.
She had never told anyone about them, just Pietro. They had briefly dated, having met through Magneto. He was charming, cute, and amazingly egotistic, but it didn't work out. But he understood and had kept her secret.
Flashback
"Soooo...having a good time?" Pietro's coy face smiled at me as they left the movie theater, hand in hand. Jayda laughed, and kissed him on the cheek, "Lovely time, Quickie. Even though the heroine was a total ditz who dressed like....that." She pointed at a group of girls hanging on a couple of guys, outfitted in what looked like size 3 clothes.
The speed demon frowned mockingly, "Hey-whats-wrong-with-that, nun girl?" She stuck out her tongue. True, she didn't dress like that, but her clothes weren't like monastery garb, just a pair of cropped jeans, that fitted her slim legs nicely, and a black halter top, her hair done in a bun with hoop earrings.
He laughed with her and they headed into the cool night air, as it started raining. Jayda groaned, "And I was hoping to stay dry! Damn..." She wrinkled her nose, and quickly looked down at her arms, holding them flat on her sides. Pietro felt her tense up, and glanced at her rigid position- then noticing a skin colored drip coming of her arms, "Jay, what's that?"
She shook slightly, and said, quickly as him, "Nothing, I'm fine." He gave her a 'look', and gently pulled her arm from her side, examining the lower portions. His eyes opened wide, and he looked at her, "R-reflection? Did you..." His voice dropped, "...do this?"
Her body trembled, and she nodded slowly, a tear sliding down her cheek, murmuring, "I hide them with makeup.I don't want anyone to see....." More tears fell down her beautiful face. The next thing she knew, her sobbing face was against Pietro's brown sweater, as he held her gently, slowing down his usually now-or-never pace, "It's okay Jay...but why? How long?"
She choked out the words, "Since my powers developed...this way I can stop feeling so immune to touch...you'll laugh, b-but I miss the pain.I hate being so protected from everything Pietro!"
He nodded, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, "I can get hurt, as hard as it may seem...so I can't imagine how you feel, Jayda Miranda Reflection Killgallen. But you'll find a way other then this..." She nodded and they walked home together in the cold, wet night...
***
Wolverine stopped immediately, and growled, "What's going on Hank? Is it her side? Is it worse then we thought?" Dr. McCoy rolled his eyes, "You sounded like an overprotective father there a second, Logan. No, the problem isn't the injuries she received at the compound. They're mostly scars, but a few fresher ones, like from two weeks ago or so.before the accident."
"Cuts?" Charles said with a frown, "Hank, she doesn't...does she?"
He nodded, "Looks like it. It isn't hard to find how. And she said only self infliction, her own fault works...and all you needs is a bit of glass, a razor, knife."
Wolverine narrowed his dark eyes, "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Beast paused, "Logan...your daughter...brace yourself for this...Jayda. She cuts herself."
Disclaimer: Don't own X-Men, do own Jayda, yaddayadda! -rolls eyes-
Review! I like this chapter...not as good as the first, me thinks, but hell...
NOTE: This episode and later ones deal with cutting (self infliction of pain). I am not making a mockery of such a serious things, as one of my friends used to do it.
Chapter Two: Painful Mistakes
Over in the next room, a Jayda Killgallen was quietly napping. Her head was buzzing, a constant pounding disrupting the peaceful rest most enjoyed. She opened her eyes, the stunning bluish color drifting towards the window. She could see so much. A red convertible was pulling away out of the gates, and a black van. She could see kids, students, perhaps? Though the windows, or bouncing out of them.
With a sigh, she sat up, rustling the sheets. It had been a long time she'd been with normal kids, or ones who actually went to school. She had been with Magneto for.....she didn't know. Three years? She never really had time to think about her past, and she didn't remember much when she did bother to. Magneto had told her she suffered a head injury, but she didn't believe him. But he was the closest thing to a father she remembered. Even if the other Acolytes were nice to her, it wasn't the same as belonging.
And it wasn't as if she enjoyed being an Acolyte. Though thrilling, someone, even her, always got hurt.
Wrinkling her nose, Reflection rolled over on the white bed, careful not to touch her wound. It hurt a lot. Where was the Advil?
Before she could rummage through the cabinets, she drifted into sleep.
***
Gambit hummed a tune to himself, his feet propped onto a table, one hand expertly shuffling his cards. Demonic black and red eyes shifted slyly from Sabretooth sitting sulkily in the corner of the room, Pyro cursing over one of his lighters being out of fluid, and Colossus simply reading.
The Cajun sighed, irritated at the lack of things to do, touching a bandage on his wrist timidly. Sticking the cards back in his pocket, he stood up, stretching, mumbling, "Where is de chere? Remy nee's to attack someone, oui."
John looked up, a frown on his face, one ankle in a splint (the mission, though a success, did not leave all unmarked), "Maybe trainin', mate. You know her, always goin' at it. The sheila DID get here a'right, didn't she?"
Scratching his head, he shrugged, and called to Victor, "Oh Sabs...'ave you seen Jayda? Remy nee's to do an'thing, before his mind 'plodes, arg, hell, where is Reflect?" He wrinkled his brow, and the wild man looked up, growling.
"How am I supposed to know? I wasn't watching the kid...who was?"
The Russian closed his book, standing, "Maybe Magneto has her. I'll go check." Piotr stood, and strode out of the room.
"Merci!" Gambit yelled after him, and took to shuffling his cards, once more.
Within minutes, Piotr was back, a worried look on his face, "The boss is working on his computer, and the training area is empty. Could she have been left at the compound by mistake?"
John groaned, "Damnit! Did we screw up, lads? I thought he told us to watch the kid!"
Gambit nodded, his eyes narrowing, "Oui. We did."
***
Someone was humming, Jayda noticed, groaning and sitting up, her vision unclear a moment, eventually focusing. Glancing around with a weary eye, she pulled herself up a little straighter, seeing Rogue at one of the cabinets, rearranging the supplies. Studying the girl, who was softly singing a southern tune, she remembered something.
With a mischievous smile, she mocked the speech and accent of a certain Cajun, "You be Remy's belle femme, non? Remy talk bout you all de time."
Rogue spun around, a surprised look on her face. It slowly chided into a soft smile, and she nodded, in her best French, "Absolument. He talks about me?"
Jayda started laughing, her side aching in the process, "Talks! He dances around every time you call him, saying things none of us can translate, no, WANT to translate. I caught him singing about you in the shower."
The normally serious goth giggled, "Well, Ah'd lahke to see that!"
"Him in the shower?"
"Well...!"
The impish Reflection ran her hands through her silky brown hair, and fingered her locket. In a teasing voice, she said, "Ohh, so Remy 'be a secret, non?' Ha! Blackmail..."
Rogue looked at her worried, "You won' tell, now, will yah? If y'all do."
Jayda took on a serious look, "Don't worry. I wouldn't tell anyone, but eventually it's gonna come out. And Gambit is a total hottie. There will only be jealously."
The untouchable chuckled, "Hey, now, Ah'ma gonna hafta knock y'all out now. Remy is mah man!" They shared a smile, and Reflection broke in with a curious tone, "Could you tell me about this place, about the other's powers, please? I'm really curious about other mutations..."
Rogue sat down on the end of the bed, thinking, "Well, lessee. We got Scott 'Cyclops' Summers, he's the 'leader' yah might say, can shoot lasers or sumthin' from his eyes. Jean Grey, we'll, the perfect gal, telepath an' telekinetic. Kitty 'Shadowkat' Pryde, she phases through stuff, Kurt 'Nightcrawler' Wagner, mah adoptive brother, an' a teleporter..."
She continued down the list, the other girl mesmerized, finally stopping at her own name, "An' me, Ah'm jus' Rogue, the untouchable. Ah can absorb a person's powers, memories, the enchilada." She rolled her eyes, a sad look in them, "Ah could put you in a coma from a hug if mah skin touched yers. Mayhbe kill ya." She looked up awkwardly. "I don't remember touching someone with mah skin an' not hurting them."
Jayda reached out with her two fingers, stopping before she just reached Rogue's cheek, "Rogue." she started, hesitantly, "I think...I can touch you. My powers...Reflecting, you'd only absorb yourself...can I try?" She looked curious.
The goth bit her lip, "Ah don't know, only if your POSITIVE...I don' wan' y'all ta get hurt..." Jayda nodded and brought her fingers to her cheek.
They waited. Nothing happened.
Jayda looked at her, eyes wide, "You can't absorb yourself, Rogue...you can touch me."
With a shriek, Rogue grabbed Jayda in a hug, "Y'all are right! I can touch you, Jayda!" Her eyes shone, "Mah gawd, Ah'm crying", she said, laughing through her tears that smudged her dark makeup. Jayda started laughing as well. It had been long since someone had cried for her powers, something so normal for her, so extraordinary for someone else. It made her feel good. Sure, once Remy hugged her when she was crying after being just found by Magneto, and then there was that fast kid, Pietro, on that one date when she told him about the cuts...
She shivered involuntary and yanked the sleeve of her shirt down a little.
Rogue wiped at her eyes, "Are ya okah?" She nodded, and smiled, with a sudden thought, "Hey, won't it be cool if I could transfer my power to another when I'm touching them?" A grin broke over Rogue's face, "That'd be wondaful, sugah!"
It was then they struck up a fast friendship.
***
Wolverine sighed, shutting his eyes briefly as he sat down in the kitchen, sipping a glass of water, eventually dumping it in the skin. Reflection. Jayda. Jay. Jayda Miranda Killgallen. He could see her and Tessa, sitting on the porch in the twilight, the mother singing softly to her 5 year old daughter, a gentle rocking tune that was settling the dark haired girl into a steady sleep. Jay, she had been to him, Jayda Miranda when she was bad.
They had lived in Maine, the bottom of the state, on a gorgeous little piece of land. Paradise, maybe...there had been a few animals, four horses, a couple goats, pigs, and chickens to amuse the skinny little girl. He paused, wondering when she developed her powers. She had learned gymnastics from her mother, he knew, who had taken it all through high school, and learnt on her own hand-to-hand fighting. With the grace and ease of an athlete and the right hook of a boxer, it was no wonder Magneto allowed her to join. But why had she?
He drummed his fingers on the table. Should be tell her? Nah...maybe he should...With a growl, he stood up and stalked out of the kitchen.
***
"Did you, like, hear about her, Kurt?" Kitty eagerly asked her fuzzy blue friend as she shut her locker. It was a day after Rogue and Jayda had discovered the whole skin-to-skin acceptance thing, and the school was buzzing about it after Rogue had let it slip to Jean, who let it slip to Scott, who let it slip to Kitty, who was now telling Kurt, "That girl Logan brought home can totally be touched by Rogue! Her powers just reflect back at, like, Rogue, so Rogue can't absorb herself! Isn't it totally awesome?"
The blue haired boy, whose inducer was currently on, nodded enthusiastically, "Ja, Kitty. But how, did Logan find her? Who is she?"
The voice of Iceman, touched with a dreamy state, ambled over as with its owner, "She's brilliant...Jayda...Jayda Miranda Killgallen, Reflection..."
Kurt looked at him worried, and Kitty waved a hand over his over, "Bobby, are you alright? You, like, seem a little...disoriented?"
"Yeah...yeah, disoriented..." He mumbled, and knocked into Kurt, "Sorry, Kurt, didn't see you...She's got great eyes...blue and purple all at once..." All of a sudden, Kitty's hand came out of nowhere, and slapped him. Bobby snapped back into reality with a yelp, "Hello! What was I doing?"
Kurt rolled his eyes, "Vell, let's see. You vere rambling about this Jayda girl...I think Bobby has a little crush, Keetty!" They both laughed, and Bobby scowled, "I do not! Well, maybe I do...kinda...she's pretty...STOP PICKING ON ME!" He stomped off. Kurt and Kitty just laughed.
***
"You're making an amazing recovery, Jayda. How does it feel?" It was one week after Logan had discovered his daughter, who remained clueless, and Dr. McCoy was examining his patient's progress. She healed fast. Not Wolverine's speed, but his 4-week assumption for her staying in the infirmary was likely to be cut in half.
Over the time, the students of the Institute had gone from hiding and observing Reflection from afar to introducing themselves. She became friends with everyone: to Scott, she was wise and dedicated and loyal. Jean sought her as a friendly face and a smile you couldn't resist. Kurt declared her an honest, charming girl. Kitty found someone who you could talk about anything to, from fashion to boyfriends. Amara enjoyed her presence, Jamie her faithful love of pranks. Ray, the perfect spectator for his show-off tricks he loved to give. Jubilee discovered a listener who could uphold her constant chatter. Rahne and Sam an impish child. And Rogue and Bobby? Rogue made friends with a girl who could hear you, who knew what to say to the untouchable. And Bobby...we won't start (-coughs- Lover-boy. -coughs-).
The adults as well thrived upon her vast intellectual mind, and adult in half of her characteristics, a child in the other. They had never known someone to go from sad to cheerful in a matter of seconds like her. The world could be awful one moment, then a wonderful place the next. (Wolverine groaned at the aspect of a bipolar daughter, even thought Hank assured him she wasn't.)
"Better. It only hurts when I land on it, or when Kitty cooks something for me to eat." She wrinkled her nose in distaste, "Does everything she touch turn to poison, or just muffins?"
"Everything." He said briskly, then checked his clipboard, "Well, another week or so, then you'll have to take it easy-we don't want you to get hurt again thanks to jumping out more windows." She saluted sharply, and lay back in her bed, picking up a book on the little table she had found while rummaging for more Advil. Opening it to her marker, the violet-eyed girl read on eagerly.
Hank smiled warmly at her, and started out of the infirmary. Shutting the door quietly behind her, he headed straight for the Professor's office. A worried look etched on his face, he knocked quietly, and he heard the familiar voice call, "Come in Hank."
The blue creature strolled inside, noting Logan rising from his chair. Darting a look between the two, he started out, "Your turn to talk with him, bub-"
"No, stay, please. You need to hear what I have to say." He stopped and looked at Xavier, "Charles, I just got back from examining Jayda...I found something rather.disturbing."
***
Jayda sighed, and snapped the book shut. She couldn't concentrate.
Pulling herself up so she was sitting Indian-style on the bed, and examined her wrists and lower parts of her arms. Old scars, newer scars, and everywhere in between. She traced her index finger over the lines in her skin, feeling cold all over.
She had never told anyone about them, just Pietro. They had briefly dated, having met through Magneto. He was charming, cute, and amazingly egotistic, but it didn't work out. But he understood and had kept her secret.
Flashback
"Soooo...having a good time?" Pietro's coy face smiled at me as they left the movie theater, hand in hand. Jayda laughed, and kissed him on the cheek, "Lovely time, Quickie. Even though the heroine was a total ditz who dressed like....that." She pointed at a group of girls hanging on a couple of guys, outfitted in what looked like size 3 clothes.
The speed demon frowned mockingly, "Hey-whats-wrong-with-that, nun girl?" She stuck out her tongue. True, she didn't dress like that, but her clothes weren't like monastery garb, just a pair of cropped jeans, that fitted her slim legs nicely, and a black halter top, her hair done in a bun with hoop earrings.
He laughed with her and they headed into the cool night air, as it started raining. Jayda groaned, "And I was hoping to stay dry! Damn..." She wrinkled her nose, and quickly looked down at her arms, holding them flat on her sides. Pietro felt her tense up, and glanced at her rigid position- then noticing a skin colored drip coming of her arms, "Jay, what's that?"
She shook slightly, and said, quickly as him, "Nothing, I'm fine." He gave her a 'look', and gently pulled her arm from her side, examining the lower portions. His eyes opened wide, and he looked at her, "R-reflection? Did you..." His voice dropped, "...do this?"
Her body trembled, and she nodded slowly, a tear sliding down her cheek, murmuring, "I hide them with makeup.I don't want anyone to see....." More tears fell down her beautiful face. The next thing she knew, her sobbing face was against Pietro's brown sweater, as he held her gently, slowing down his usually now-or-never pace, "It's okay Jay...but why? How long?"
She choked out the words, "Since my powers developed...this way I can stop feeling so immune to touch...you'll laugh, b-but I miss the pain.I hate being so protected from everything Pietro!"
He nodded, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, "I can get hurt, as hard as it may seem...so I can't imagine how you feel, Jayda Miranda Reflection Killgallen. But you'll find a way other then this..." She nodded and they walked home together in the cold, wet night...
***
Wolverine stopped immediately, and growled, "What's going on Hank? Is it her side? Is it worse then we thought?" Dr. McCoy rolled his eyes, "You sounded like an overprotective father there a second, Logan. No, the problem isn't the injuries she received at the compound. They're mostly scars, but a few fresher ones, like from two weeks ago or so.before the accident."
"Cuts?" Charles said with a frown, "Hank, she doesn't...does she?"
He nodded, "Looks like it. It isn't hard to find how. And she said only self infliction, her own fault works...and all you needs is a bit of glass, a razor, knife."
Wolverine narrowed his dark eyes, "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Beast paused, "Logan...your daughter...brace yourself for this...Jayda. She cuts herself."