"One minute you're on top
Next you're not
Watch it drop
Making your heart stop
Just before you hit the floor."
-Linkin Park, "Hit The Floor"
I was walking to the kitchen. I didn't really care what for. Ice cream, maybe? Yes, ice cream. I knew of a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer that was calling my name. I amused myself for a minute imagining I could hear a small, muffled cry of Artemiis...Aartemiiiis... hee. I giggled, almost to the kitchen. I opened and shut the door as quietly as possible. The nature of my mutation was such that I was incredibly good at creeping quietly through a hall or a room or anything I pleased, so I didn't have to worry about anyone waking up. My baggy black t-shirt and baggy black silk pajama pants didn't even rustle. I looked up to see a dark shadow moving about the kitchen, making a bowl of cereal. I could faintly hear loud guitar riffs through a pair of headphones and vaguely wished I had thought to bring my CD player. I didn't bother the person now drumming the spoon on the countertop, not wanting to scare them (which could be fatal around here, as Rogue had proved when Logan woke up and skewered her), and just went to the freezer, opening it up and rooting around for the ice cream. After making sure it wasn't Rogue or Croc (the two people who could hurt you if you touched them), I tapped the person on the shoulder and mentally told them to move. They were standing in front of the silverware drawer and I needed a spoon. The person opened the drawer and fished out a spoon for me. I took it and sat at the table. The person took off their headphones and joined me.
"Artemis."
"Wolverine."
"Do you not ever sleep?"
"I sleep for about an hour at sunrise."
Wolverine nodded. Anywhere else, implausible, but here, entirely possible.
I woke up screaming. Even that harmless snippet of that night was terrifying. Kacela, my best friend and roommate, looked over, alarmed. She caught a glimpse of my eyes, swirls of blue and green and purple, of black and silver and gold and white. Something that happened when I was scared or sad or worried or angry or any strong negative emotion, really. Immediately she knew.
"The dream?"
"The dream."
Of course, Kacela knew about what had happened. She could heal people and she had healed me that night. It would have been very hard to explain away the scratches, cuts, frostbites, burns, and bruises all over my body. I flashed back briefly.
Iceman was breathing on my neck. He paused for a moment.
"Let's give the cold one a frostbite. You do like the cold, don't you?" He shoved me harder against the wall, making me cry out, the pressure crushing me, knocking the wind out of me and preventing me from getting it back. "Don't you?" he asked again, more forcefully this time. "Say it. Say yes, bitch."
"Yes," I whimpered. Aradia, Kali, Juno, Tisiphone, Megara, Alecto, Maia, Morgan, my protectresses, please don't let them hurt me any more, I prayed, crying out to every single goddess I could possibly think of who might help me in this situation, praying for someone to come along and save me.
But salvation was out of reach. Iceman was breathing on the spot again. He did so until the spot turned white. Pyro put a hand on my hip, and used his power to burn that till it was shiny and red. Saying similiar things to Iceman's diatribe, if that was what you'd call it. Wolverine and Nightcrawler were holding me against the wall, waiting for their turn with me. I had sent them all the worst headaches I could muster, and tried to persuade them to leave me alone, but I couldn't overpower all of them on my own. I sent out a cry of help to Jean and the professor, but to no avail. I cried out to everyone I could think of, but either no one heard or no one cared.
Kacela touched my shoulder, bringing me out of the horrible memory. I looked down at my hands. They were shaking, badly, and tears were pouring down my cheeks. Kacela sat in front of me on the bed and placed her warm hands over my cold ones.
"You really need to tell someone other than me. Tell someone who can do something about it. Tell Jean, tell Ororo, tell the professor, just tell someone!"
I looked at her.
"I can't."
Next you're not
Watch it drop
Making your heart stop
Just before you hit the floor."
-Linkin Park, "Hit The Floor"
I was walking to the kitchen. I didn't really care what for. Ice cream, maybe? Yes, ice cream. I knew of a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer that was calling my name. I amused myself for a minute imagining I could hear a small, muffled cry of Artemiis...Aartemiiiis... hee. I giggled, almost to the kitchen. I opened and shut the door as quietly as possible. The nature of my mutation was such that I was incredibly good at creeping quietly through a hall or a room or anything I pleased, so I didn't have to worry about anyone waking up. My baggy black t-shirt and baggy black silk pajama pants didn't even rustle. I looked up to see a dark shadow moving about the kitchen, making a bowl of cereal. I could faintly hear loud guitar riffs through a pair of headphones and vaguely wished I had thought to bring my CD player. I didn't bother the person now drumming the spoon on the countertop, not wanting to scare them (which could be fatal around here, as Rogue had proved when Logan woke up and skewered her), and just went to the freezer, opening it up and rooting around for the ice cream. After making sure it wasn't Rogue or Croc (the two people who could hurt you if you touched them), I tapped the person on the shoulder and mentally told them to move. They were standing in front of the silverware drawer and I needed a spoon. The person opened the drawer and fished out a spoon for me. I took it and sat at the table. The person took off their headphones and joined me.
"Artemis."
"Wolverine."
"Do you not ever sleep?"
"I sleep for about an hour at sunrise."
Wolverine nodded. Anywhere else, implausible, but here, entirely possible.
I woke up screaming. Even that harmless snippet of that night was terrifying. Kacela, my best friend and roommate, looked over, alarmed. She caught a glimpse of my eyes, swirls of blue and green and purple, of black and silver and gold and white. Something that happened when I was scared or sad or worried or angry or any strong negative emotion, really. Immediately she knew.
"The dream?"
"The dream."
Of course, Kacela knew about what had happened. She could heal people and she had healed me that night. It would have been very hard to explain away the scratches, cuts, frostbites, burns, and bruises all over my body. I flashed back briefly.
Iceman was breathing on my neck. He paused for a moment.
"Let's give the cold one a frostbite. You do like the cold, don't you?" He shoved me harder against the wall, making me cry out, the pressure crushing me, knocking the wind out of me and preventing me from getting it back. "Don't you?" he asked again, more forcefully this time. "Say it. Say yes, bitch."
"Yes," I whimpered. Aradia, Kali, Juno, Tisiphone, Megara, Alecto, Maia, Morgan, my protectresses, please don't let them hurt me any more, I prayed, crying out to every single goddess I could possibly think of who might help me in this situation, praying for someone to come along and save me.
But salvation was out of reach. Iceman was breathing on the spot again. He did so until the spot turned white. Pyro put a hand on my hip, and used his power to burn that till it was shiny and red. Saying similiar things to Iceman's diatribe, if that was what you'd call it. Wolverine and Nightcrawler were holding me against the wall, waiting for their turn with me. I had sent them all the worst headaches I could muster, and tried to persuade them to leave me alone, but I couldn't overpower all of them on my own. I sent out a cry of help to Jean and the professor, but to no avail. I cried out to everyone I could think of, but either no one heard or no one cared.
Kacela touched my shoulder, bringing me out of the horrible memory. I looked down at my hands. They were shaking, badly, and tears were pouring down my cheeks. Kacela sat in front of me on the bed and placed her warm hands over my cold ones.
"You really need to tell someone other than me. Tell someone who can do something about it. Tell Jean, tell Ororo, tell the professor, just tell someone!"
I looked at her.
"I can't."