Chapter 15 : Harder To Breathe
Date : August 25, 2003
A/N: I'm back! And wit' a new chapter of 'Nowhere Kid'! I would like to thank all those who have reviewed so far. I know I haven't been gettin' much nowadays. But dat's okay. I just write dis story for my, and the few readers', enjoyment. Anyway, I hope you like this 'un. THERE WILL BE REVIVAL!! Haha. Okay, the air is cleared in this chapter. I finally figured out the reason behind Avari's act of abandonment to Kalli (if that made any sense at all). I made this up as I went. I think it came to me finally, and I'm able to get it out and not worry about it. Haha. I got school to worry about, now. I already have, like, 3 zeros in some of my classes for not turning in projects. 'Cause I was "busy" with this story! So, I may or may not have much time for the story, 'cause I'm now tryin' to concentrate on my school-crap. Just bare wit' me as I gradually get this story finished. ^_^ (Haven't y'all noticed that I tend to ramble? I can't help it...It's a habit that I can't break. I don't think I will break it, 'cause it's something that I like doin'. Soo...yah! =p)
DISCLAIMER: Marvel owns all his characters- Storm, Wolverine, Jean, Cyclops, Rogue, Gambit (I'm sad to say), and the rest of the X-Men. I own MY characters- Avari, Emmet, Hanna, Idget, and Kalli.
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Kalli skidded to a halt in the foyer, her eyes wide. She noticed a woman in her thirties. Her long raven black hair framed her face, a smile reaching her gloomy grey eyes. Kalli couldn't believe who she was staring at. Her mother.
"Hey, kid," said a gruff voice. Kalli noticed Logan standing behind the woman. Kalli nodded in his direction, but kept her gaze on the woman. "I reckon you already know who this is...."
"Mother?" Kalli whispered. The woman nodded.
"Kalli. I've been waiting for this moment," said the woman. Kalli didn't know why, but she started to grow angry. She clenched her fists in a tight ball, her fingernails cutting into her palms.
"Really? Why didn't you just get off your sorry ass and see me earlier if you were waiting SEVENTEEN YEARS?!"
Avari stepped back in surprise, accidentally treading on Logan's foot.
They heard a BAMF! and Kurt appeared behind Kalli. A slight shuffling came and Kitty and Rogue came out through the wall.
"Like, wow, Kalli. Is that your mom?" asked Kitty.
Kalli paid no attention. She was furious. Kurt raised his hand and rested it on her shoulder. But a spark from her fists startled him into removing it.
"Why are you so angry with me?" Avari asked, slowly. She noted the sparks flying from her daughter's fists.
Kalli scowled. "You know damn well why I'm angry. You abandon me, leave me with my, so-called, father, whom I've lived with putting up with almost 10 years' worth of the beatings, spitting, and being kicked around," Avari bit her lip.
"Listen, kid, what makes you think she DOESN'T feel guilty about what she did?" growled Logan. Kalli turned to glare at him.
"How the hell would I know? It seems you know her better than I do! Why don't you just keep outta this, WOLVERINE!?" Everyone stared at her, quiet as not to disrupt the raging teen.
"What is all 'de yelling fo', beb? Can't 'dis place 'ave some civil ground ta walk?" came a French accent, that Kalli recognized as Remy. The Cajun noticed the grown woman and stopped in his tracks. A small smile on his face. "Ah, chere. It's bin a while," Avari smiled at him, but dropped it when her daughter's glare turned back to her. Remy shook his head in disappointment. "Mon cher, why ar' vous so hostile?" He stridded over to Kalli and took her arm and spun her around to face him.
"Remy, if you don't remove your hand, I will have no choice but to set your sleeve on fire for the SECOND time," Kalli said through clenched teeth.
Remy shook his head. "Haught, vous shouldn't spake to vous mudder like 'dat. She risked her ass ta come see ya. Vous should be lucky ta even see her at all...wit' 'de way Metal-Head is ragin' 'bout," Kalli calmed down a little. But only just.
"I'm warnin' ya, Cajun," Kalli threatened. "If ya dun't take yer paws off a me, yer arm's gonna be one cabob for a cannibal,"
Remy raised his hands in a defensive gesture, and Kalli pushed herself past him and Kurt. She trudged down the hall to the kitchen. As she passed a mirror, she smashed it with her fist.
Remy sighed, and rubbed his temple with his index and thumb. "Merde..." He grumbled.
Avari stared at him. "Remy..." He looked up at her. "What did she mean by 'set your sleeve on fire for the second time'?"
Kalli's hand was still bleeding from her action of infuriation. That was one of the myriad things she had done to let her anger out. She swore to herself as flashbacks of the causes came to mind. Most of them happened when she was back home. She punched and kicked a hole in her bedroom walls when Emmet had hit her. Kalli scowled as sipped from her coffee cup.
"Kid,"
"What do ya want, Wolvie?" Kalli asked curtly, not looking up.
Logan growled. "Don't call me that, got it?"
"Fine. Don't call me 'kid',"
"Look, I'm not here to lecture you 'bout not treatin' your mom like you did. From what Avari told me, she regrets everything she did. Mostly about leaving you behind," Logan said, leaning down on the bar to face her. His face was serious. "Most of what Cajun said was true. She risked her ass to meet you,"
Kalli exhaled deeply. She rolled her eyes away to think. "She doesn't know what it was like. Like being treated with zero respect, beaten, taken for granted, stripped of everything that you had.."
"That's where you are wrong, darling," said a female voice. Kalli looked up and saw her mother standing in the doorway. She stridded over and stood next to Logan. "I know exactly what it's like,"
Kalli stared at her in disbelief. "But you only stayed with him...how long? A year?"
Avari shook her head. "About three years. I dated him for a year, then was married to him for about two years. Took off a year after you were born."
Kalli's mother pushed button she didn't realize she had pushed. "GREAT!! We're back WHERE WE STARTED!" She threw her hands up, and scooted back away from the bar. Logan and Avari exchanged looks. Kalli took a deep breath, and calmed herself. "Which brings me to ask you to tell me why you left me with Emmet," Kalli narrowed her eyes, confused, at first, about what she just said, then nodded when she realized it kinda made sense. "And don't give me the Sunday School version, please,"
Avari sighed, running her hand through her hair absent-mindedly as she thought about what to say. "First thing, you should call him your father. He's your biological father, and you'll still refer to him as Dad," Kalli rolled her eyes. "even though he is an asshole...but that's beside the point.
"I was going through a stressful time. I was still with your father, and you know how stressful he can be, still working at some minimum wage grocery store, and still couldn't control my powers. This was when you were eleven months old. I left you with my sister to take care of you while Emmet and I were at work. Well, one day, this tall man with grayish hair and eyes that were cold as ice walked through the door of Save-A-Lot. He told me he could help me with my dilemmas, and he gave me his 'card'. After work that day, I stopped by and picked you up and went to the address on the man's card. This, of course, lead me to his office. He told me about his, so-called, organization to help control a mutant's powers, and offered me his, ahem, services. I told him I'd sleep on it and let him know once I thought it through. So, naturally, a month later, after you turned one year old, I accepted his offer by signing a contract saying that I'd stay loyal to the Brotherhood and not disobey any of the laws he had set. Simple, I thought. After my first day at the 'Hood, Magnet-Head told me that you were not allowed. It was in the contract, he said. If I ever left, because I couldn't keep you, he'd track me down and kill the both of us, as it stated in the contract. But he made a deal, that if I did, in fact, leave, he'd spare your life. I would rather have you live and me die,"
Kalli stared, shocked, at her mother. Metal-Head had blackmailed Avari. If she left, she was as good as dead. But, she faked her death in some freak-lab accident. Kalli ran her hand through her hair. "How'd you get out? Magneto said that you died from medical poisoning and internal bleeding?"
Avari scoffed, and laughed half-heartedly. "Rioght...He was tryin' to make your life livin' hell...more or less pulling your leg in some sick and twisted way. Nope, that's not what happened. I created a huge fire in the lab he had set me up in to test his 'More Fuel to the Fire' chemical project he created. He was in an observing room, and couldn't see a thing except the flames. Luckily, he couldn't see me. So, I pulled a Disappearing Act, and bamfed outta the joint. He thinks I died in the fire,"
"What I think is that he now thinks your alive. Why else would he kidnap me? I think he thought I was in contact with you somehow, so he caught me and tried to use me to bait you back to 'save' me," Kalli suggested.
Avari sighed. "Yeesh, and when I thought I had problems with the 'I think he thought' thing," She chuckled softly. She nodded. "I don't think we should worry about Mr. Metal Fetish right now. We have 16 years to catch up on,"
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A/N: Welp, what do ya guys t'ink? Not Remy/Kalli action. *sighs* But I'd say I'm pleased with this chapter. Pretty damn proud. But one thing: Does Avari's explanation make sense? I sure hope so. If it doesn't, then I wasted 10-15 minutes typing it out, revising, and retyping it. And I think I figured out that I might hook Kurt up with Hanna. After all, I think Hanna-Banna is a little jealous with Kalli's relationship with Remy (but then again. who wouldn't? I know I would!). And plus, Kurt and Hanna seem to have kinda matching personalities. They'd be perfect for each other! OH! And once I get this story finished, I might do a prequel. But only revolving around Avari, so you'd understand her past more. I.e.: What it was like putting up with Emmet, the mixed emotions when given the opportunity to be free from her hubby, the heartbreak of leaving Kalli, and etc. In the meantime, REVIEW!! REVIEW!! REVIEW THIS CHAPTER!!