I'm not crazy. I'm sanity challenged.
--Beck2
HoneyBug17: Actually, Arcy won't show up for awhile.
Flamingo1: I guess you'll have to figure out this chapter!
Rogue77: Indeed it does. Hope you like the chapter.
Laureate: It's going to get more confusing before it gets more clear.
*^^*^*^**^^*^*^*^*^*
Doctor Garen rustled through the file supply cabinet. So much to do, so little time. He reached up to grab some bandages and accidentally upended a box above them. The box came crashing down and hit in the head.
It was very heavy.
He felt the world swirl around him and then everything went black.
^**^*^^*^**^**^^*^**^
"D-d-danny!"
I stopped. He clung to me fast. The hospital phantom world was flickering in and out like a bad movie. Andy whimpered and hung on my leg. I watched with wonder as parts of it would fade out into black and suddenly come back.
Suddenly the floor below us disappeared. I jumped, a little startled. We didn't fall. But the world was black below us.
"D-d-danny…" Andy whispered. I looked down at him. He was flickering.
"Andy?!"
I reached down to grab his shoulder. My hand went right through him.
"ANDY!"
"I-it's ok-kay."
I stared at him. He was looking at his fading hands with wonder. "I-I can F-feel myself."
"What?" I asked. It was bewildering.
"My b-body…I-I'm waking u-up!"
His body turned entirely see-through. He looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.
"I'm g-going h-home!"
Then his eyes turned troubled. "You're…y-you're not com-ming."
"I'll be along soon. Don't worry." I lied through my teeth. I was still rooted firmly in this world. "Hey…If you see my friends, tell them I'm still here."
"Where are they?" He cried.
"The Institute. Xavier's Institute."
He tried to hug me, but his arms phased through me. I felt like Kitty was trying to hug me and couldn't control her power. I gave him a reassuring grin.
"Save those for your family. Ciao' kid."
"B-bye…D-danny. THANK YOU!" He yelled as his body totally disappeared. I waved at the place where he was not.
The hospital stopped flickering. Everything became solid again. I felt a feeling of dread.
"He got away. But you won't." He snarled.
I turned around to look at the cloaked Dreamkeeper. "I'm going to get out. You can't stop me." I sounded very determined. Which was odd. Because I was still scared.
"We'll see about that," he hissed. Then he disappeared. Leaving me alone.
All alone.
^**^*^*^*^**^^*^^^^*^**^*^^^*^*^^^*^*^*^**^
"ANDY!" The woman sobbed over her son as he yawned and tried to get the sleep out of his eyes.
"Mommy, how long was I asleep?"
"Andy! You aren't stuttering anymore! You've been asleep for over a week and a half!"
"Where's Danny? Is she back yet?"
His mother looked at him oddly. His father had run out to tell everyone the good news.
"Danny? Honey, who is Danny?"
"Danny! The girl with the bandage around her head. She was older than me. She protected me from the monsters."
"Monsters?!"
"Yeah! There was this man with a club on his hand and a bunch of dead kids. I think there was more but Danny wouldn't let me see them."
His father came back into the room with Doctor Garen, who was holding his head.
"And there was this creepy guy in a cloak!"
"Ah, you've woken up. I'm glad to see that." Doctor Garen put on his best smile.
"Doctor, my son has been going on about strange dreams."
"That's not to be unexpected. People do dream during comas."
"Mom?" They turned to look at the boy.
"Can we go to the Xavier's Institute?"
*^*^^***^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
In such a short time I had forgotten how much being alone frightened me. Now I knew why.
My body started at every little sound, which were mostly caused by myself. My breath grew ragged as I turned down hall after hall, seeing no one. And to top it all off, I was tired beyond belief.
\You need to chill.\
I jerked suddenly to a stop. The inner voice was back.
\What will happen, happens.\
"Yeah, but I'm gonna try to stop it." I informed the voice.
\With as tired as you've been getting? You'll be lucky if you get the first punch\
"Shut-up." I bristled. "Who are you? Another trick?"
\Not…exactly.\
"What?"
\Remember the room of mirrors? Let's go.\
"Over my dead body." A sudden bout of dizziness hit me.
"Are you doing that?!"
\No. And if you don't get to that mirror room you may never figure out who I am. Trust me.\
I don't know why, but the voice sounded so familiar, and I knew that I should trust it. I stumbled down the halls, searching for the door.
\Pick a door Dan. It'll go where we want it too.\
"How do you know?" I panted.
\This world is a dream, of which we have partial control. Especially while he's preoccupied with his latest failure./
I shoved a door open. She was right. It was the mirror room. With several broken mirrors courtesy of the last time I wandered in.
\Go up to a mirror. We need to talk.\
I wearily walked up to the closest mirror. The reflection was of myself. But before I could ask the voice what now, my reflection changed. The hair got darker. The eyes turned greenish and the freckles, so many in number, disappeared. And I looked at a person I had known from so long ago.
"Dahk."
^**^^**^^**^^**^^**^^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*
Jared looked up at the Beast solemnly. The Beast returned the gaze. Slowly he moved one paw and moved something on the table. Jared did the same and the Beast let out an exasperated sigh.
"That is the second time you've beaten me at children's monopoly! You're going to be a card shark when you get older young man."
Jared grinned at Beast. He raised up his tiny arms and Hank McCoy scooped him up and walked over to the kitchen.
Chrissy and Donnie were there when he walked in. They gave him a look of disgust and Chrissy swiftly relieved him of Jared.
"We don't need anymore like Danny. Keep your paws off of him, you brute."
"Bwute." Jared reached his arms to Hank, trying to free himself from Chrissy. Chrissy turned and walked out of the kitchen fast, before her brother could free himself and jump back into Hank's arms.
Hank sighed and shook his head. Some people would never understand.
*^^*^*^**^^*^*^**^^*^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^^*^*^
Sam and Rogue herded the younger Nesmond sisters to the pool, where they sat on floating disks and had a fun time.
Professor Xavier wheeled out to one of the balconies to watch the children play. The parents had left with Robert Nesmond to go visit their daughter. It had been a week and two days since Danny had fallen into her coma. She was not doing well. Her body was wasting away, and when he had tried to do a telepathic scan to bring her back, it had not worked. Her mind had been buried too deeply.
He sighed inwardly. He did not like how this could go. He had never lost a student before.
"Charles."
Professor Xavier looked up at Ororo. She was holding a phone.
"There's been a call from the hospital. A little boy woke up and wants to talk to you. I think you should speak with him."
Professor Xavier took the phone. "Yes?"
'Hello? Is this the place Danny lives?'
He sat up in his chair. "Yes. Why?"
'I saw her. She said to tell you something.'
"Is this some kind of joke?"
'No. See, me and Danny were in this creepy place when I was in a coma, and she stayed with me. Then I woke up but she didn't, but she asked me to tell you guys something.'
"What?"
'She's still here.'
*^*^^*^**^*^**^^*^**^^*^**^*^^*^*^*
"Dahk."
"Yup. That's me! I'm surprised you remembered me."
Dahk. An imaginary friend. I hadn't seen her for years.
"Why did you come back now?"
"You're sick Danny."
"What are you talking about?"
"They injected us with something."
"What?"
"Don't know. But those voices? Part of it."
She stared into my eyes.
Dahk was many things I couldn't be. For one, she was brave beyond belief. Another was that she was mean. When the occasion called for it. And aggressive. I have never been a very aggressive person.
"What happened to them?" I asked.
"I…absorbed them. They're part of me now. At least until the injection stops."
"I thought you looked a little different."
"I'm probably going to act different soon too. But let's get back on subject."
"And that is?"
"If we don't do something, we're gonna die."
"We?"
"I'm you Danny. You can't deny that. I was created by you to protect you. When you were young I protected you from the loneliness. As you got older there wasn't a need for me and I fell asleep. But I also protected you from yourself."
"Why?" I wondered.
"Did you realize that you're only tapping into a fraction of your power? The Power? You remember it…Like molasses."
"What are you doing to me?" I asked quietly.
"I'm keeping the power you're not ready for. Or I was. Now I can't. What they injected us with was potent. It changed the Power."
"And what is the Power?" I asked a little sarcastically.
"The "Power" is the power that you felt. You know what it is." She returned in the same tone. "And because of the injection, your mind, our mind, isn't taking it too well. You're too tired. We will be left open."
"And what do you suggest we do?" I asked her. I was at the end of my rope. I was too tired to argue. In any case, I knew she was right. Even though I had not thought anything of it, she had always been there, back in my mind, even if I had not realized it. It was there where the surges of anger and power came from.
"I'll take over until your mind gets it's energy back. I'll get tired, then you'll take over. If we can do it long enough, we can pull ourselves into the clear."
"Then what?"
"We'll figure it out when we get there."
I nodded. She reached up her hands and I fell into them, the weariness finally too much. The world swirled into darkness.
^**^^*^**^*^*^**^*^^**^^*^**^^**^*^
My name is Dahk.
I have lived inside of myself, hiding power that was uncontrollable at the time from myself. I have sat in the back of my own mind, carrying with me every negative emotion, hate, rage, possessiveness, and rash thoughts. I shared positive emotions, such as happiness, intuition, and humor. But in turn I left compassion, love, gentleness, and helpfulness behind.
They belong to Danny. But I am Dahk. I care about no one. No one but myself and the ones I hold dearest. My pets. I don't care about hurting others. I care about those who hurt me. And Danny.
Danny is mine. No one will take her away from me.
We're practically sisters.
*^*^*^*^*^^*^**^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^**^^*^**
Hmm….Looks like things are going to take a turn for the insane.
Tune in next time:
Dahk is back!
Doggy is taking reviews again!