Anastasia, I'm sorry about the swearing, but I'm trying to make it
realistic. It's really only Snake who swears, and I'll put the rating up
accordingly.
~
Chapter Three ~ Gotta Get Out of Here
~
"He's coming..."
Head's snapped towards the bed. The girl turned her head to look at Sparks. The various occupants that had run for the room as the commotion started took a step back in fear. The girl's eyes were black, edge to edge black, with a disturbing suggestion of stars in their depths...
"He's coming for you..."
Sparks grabbed the girl's shoulders. "Who? Silence, who's coming?" she asked, her rising hysteria apparent in her voice.
"You know..." she said, with strange harmonics sounding in her voice. "You KNOW..." This seemed to exhaust the tiny child, and she passed out, collapsing from the redhead's grasp.
Sparks stood up. "I've gotta get out of here..."
"What?" Xavier snapped. "You're going nowhere, Edele, until we've sorted this out."
"I've gotta get out of here..." she repeated, like a mantra.
Thunder rolled, a fitting accompaniment to the eerie atmosphere of the room. No-one dared speak, until Sparks broke the tension by striding out of the room and, beginning to run, made her way towards the staircase.
Torn between aiding Silence and stopping Sparks before she did something stupid, he paused. "I need the others," he muttered to himself. Gizmo stared at him, then ripped her glove off. Bright blue, crackling electric flew over her hands. She placed one hand on the alarm clock on the bedside table and sent a shock of current down the wire to the mains. Seconds later, every alarm in the house went off, startling even the soundest sleepers awake.
~
Sparks wrenched the front doors open, immediately becoming drenched by the horrendous storm. She managed just a few steps before being thrown back into the building, hitting the stairs. Dazed, she looked up to see the one person she most and least wanted to see.
Snake.
~
The residents of the mansion reached the top of the staircase to see Sparks drag herself up and, labouring with every step, pull herself up the stairs. A flash of lightning illuminated the young man below her, a man with pale skin, short, spiky blonde hair and an appearance as ragged as the girl he was following. Another flash showed him to have scales in random patches on his face and arms, and a dangerous smile revealed elongated canines. Ice green eyes with no whites and a slit pupil gave a disconcerting yet scarily attractive gaze. It seemed the man lived up to his name.
Snake reached the landing at the same moment as Sparks, and grabbing her by both arms, he pulled her towards him. He tenderly kissed her before throwing her to the floor at his feet. A voice screamed "Stop it!", making him pause and look up. He strode to the speaker, pulling him out of the doorway he had been standing in, away from the other mutants. As the X-men moved forward, he playfully said, "Nuh-uh! None of that! Clara, stop them." When the girl hesitated, his voice lowered, dangerously. "Clara... don't make me angry. You know what will happen if you do..."
Clara closed her eyes, as if to shield herself from what she had to do. The X-men and children alike found themselves unable to move, halted by the girl's telekinetic mutation. She turned her head away from them, simply saying, "I'm sorry. He'll hurt me if I don't..."
"That's right," he sang out. "You'll be punished..."
He looked at the boy still held in his grasp, then back at the assembled mutants. "Are you all such martyrs?" he wondered aloud. A sound behind him made him turn. Sparks had hauled herself to her feet and was leaning against the wall, her breath rasping in her chest. "Leave the boy alone." It was no more than a hoarse whisper, but Snake's eyes narrowed angrily. "Why?" he demanded. "You've never cared before..." His gaze flickered to Pyro and back to Sparks. He smiled, slowly. "I see. New boy." Turning to the dark-haired boy he said, almost conversationally, "You do realise she's a slut, don't you? She's not a whore, but she'll willingly turn you over for the next pretty boy with a bit of cash in his pocket..." He slammed Pyro into the wall and hissed, "Was she worth it?" before grabbing him by the neck, blocking his airway.
Unseen by Snake, Sparks had moved behind the tall blond boy and grabbed his arm, pulling it back so hard it must have been close to snapping. When Pyro hesitated, she picked him up by the front of his shirt and threw him to where the other mutants were standing, helpless. In doing this, her grip on Snake weakened, and using his free arm, he threw her to the floor and pinned her there. As if simply reprimanding her on clumsiness, he said, "Really, Eddy, I thought I'd taught you better than that... don't you even know how to break someone's arm?" he grabbed her arm, and dragged her upper body off the floor.
His fist tightened around her arm.
He closed his fist.
"I do."
Her scream of pain echoed through the silent building. Snake kissed her again, roughly this time, before releasing her, and she fell to the floor, cradling her arm against her body. A burst of ice across his face levered him halfway up – Clara could not hold their powers, only their bodies. During this slight respite, Sparks managed to curl one leg up to her chest, kicking out savagely at the man above her, who jumped backwards, moaning in pain.
She clambered unsteadily to her feet, blood running from a cut above her eyebrow, flowing down the side of her face. With her undamaged right arm, she deflected Snake's misguided punch and kicked out again, a kick that left him flailing at the tall flight of stairs. As he fell, his arms reached out, and he grabbed the weakened girl and they fell together.
By the time Clara had released them and they had flown down the stairs, he was gone.
Sparks pushed herself up on one elbow. She looked around at them all before whispering, "I'm sorry," before falling limply to the ground.
~
Pyro walked into the infirmary, accompanied by Gizmo, Clara and a reluctant Silence. The eight year old Silence burst into noisy tears at the sight of her beloved 'Eddy' beaten and unconscious on the bed before them. A spreading bruise occupied a large part of her face and her arm was too big and heavy in the ugly cast. Refusing all attempts at comfort, the distraught girl flew from the room, stumbling with every step. Clara hurried after, and Gizmo stroked a strand of flame hair before following the rest of her 'family'. Pyro looked to Jean, the question plain in his eyes.
A wearied sigh escaped Jean's lips. "I've done all I can, John. I can't promise you she'll be all right. I can't promise you anything..."
~~
What do you think? It jumps about a lot I'm afraid, I keep thinking of it as a film, and its difficult to write as a story. I can see the pictures of what's happening in my head, but I can't manage to convey it to words...
~
Chapter Three ~ Gotta Get Out of Here
~
"He's coming..."
Head's snapped towards the bed. The girl turned her head to look at Sparks. The various occupants that had run for the room as the commotion started took a step back in fear. The girl's eyes were black, edge to edge black, with a disturbing suggestion of stars in their depths...
"He's coming for you..."
Sparks grabbed the girl's shoulders. "Who? Silence, who's coming?" she asked, her rising hysteria apparent in her voice.
"You know..." she said, with strange harmonics sounding in her voice. "You KNOW..." This seemed to exhaust the tiny child, and she passed out, collapsing from the redhead's grasp.
Sparks stood up. "I've gotta get out of here..."
"What?" Xavier snapped. "You're going nowhere, Edele, until we've sorted this out."
"I've gotta get out of here..." she repeated, like a mantra.
Thunder rolled, a fitting accompaniment to the eerie atmosphere of the room. No-one dared speak, until Sparks broke the tension by striding out of the room and, beginning to run, made her way towards the staircase.
Torn between aiding Silence and stopping Sparks before she did something stupid, he paused. "I need the others," he muttered to himself. Gizmo stared at him, then ripped her glove off. Bright blue, crackling electric flew over her hands. She placed one hand on the alarm clock on the bedside table and sent a shock of current down the wire to the mains. Seconds later, every alarm in the house went off, startling even the soundest sleepers awake.
~
Sparks wrenched the front doors open, immediately becoming drenched by the horrendous storm. She managed just a few steps before being thrown back into the building, hitting the stairs. Dazed, she looked up to see the one person she most and least wanted to see.
Snake.
~
The residents of the mansion reached the top of the staircase to see Sparks drag herself up and, labouring with every step, pull herself up the stairs. A flash of lightning illuminated the young man below her, a man with pale skin, short, spiky blonde hair and an appearance as ragged as the girl he was following. Another flash showed him to have scales in random patches on his face and arms, and a dangerous smile revealed elongated canines. Ice green eyes with no whites and a slit pupil gave a disconcerting yet scarily attractive gaze. It seemed the man lived up to his name.
Snake reached the landing at the same moment as Sparks, and grabbing her by both arms, he pulled her towards him. He tenderly kissed her before throwing her to the floor at his feet. A voice screamed "Stop it!", making him pause and look up. He strode to the speaker, pulling him out of the doorway he had been standing in, away from the other mutants. As the X-men moved forward, he playfully said, "Nuh-uh! None of that! Clara, stop them." When the girl hesitated, his voice lowered, dangerously. "Clara... don't make me angry. You know what will happen if you do..."
Clara closed her eyes, as if to shield herself from what she had to do. The X-men and children alike found themselves unable to move, halted by the girl's telekinetic mutation. She turned her head away from them, simply saying, "I'm sorry. He'll hurt me if I don't..."
"That's right," he sang out. "You'll be punished..."
He looked at the boy still held in his grasp, then back at the assembled mutants. "Are you all such martyrs?" he wondered aloud. A sound behind him made him turn. Sparks had hauled herself to her feet and was leaning against the wall, her breath rasping in her chest. "Leave the boy alone." It was no more than a hoarse whisper, but Snake's eyes narrowed angrily. "Why?" he demanded. "You've never cared before..." His gaze flickered to Pyro and back to Sparks. He smiled, slowly. "I see. New boy." Turning to the dark-haired boy he said, almost conversationally, "You do realise she's a slut, don't you? She's not a whore, but she'll willingly turn you over for the next pretty boy with a bit of cash in his pocket..." He slammed Pyro into the wall and hissed, "Was she worth it?" before grabbing him by the neck, blocking his airway.
Unseen by Snake, Sparks had moved behind the tall blond boy and grabbed his arm, pulling it back so hard it must have been close to snapping. When Pyro hesitated, she picked him up by the front of his shirt and threw him to where the other mutants were standing, helpless. In doing this, her grip on Snake weakened, and using his free arm, he threw her to the floor and pinned her there. As if simply reprimanding her on clumsiness, he said, "Really, Eddy, I thought I'd taught you better than that... don't you even know how to break someone's arm?" he grabbed her arm, and dragged her upper body off the floor.
His fist tightened around her arm.
He closed his fist.
"I do."
Her scream of pain echoed through the silent building. Snake kissed her again, roughly this time, before releasing her, and she fell to the floor, cradling her arm against her body. A burst of ice across his face levered him halfway up – Clara could not hold their powers, only their bodies. During this slight respite, Sparks managed to curl one leg up to her chest, kicking out savagely at the man above her, who jumped backwards, moaning in pain.
She clambered unsteadily to her feet, blood running from a cut above her eyebrow, flowing down the side of her face. With her undamaged right arm, she deflected Snake's misguided punch and kicked out again, a kick that left him flailing at the tall flight of stairs. As he fell, his arms reached out, and he grabbed the weakened girl and they fell together.
By the time Clara had released them and they had flown down the stairs, he was gone.
Sparks pushed herself up on one elbow. She looked around at them all before whispering, "I'm sorry," before falling limply to the ground.
~
Pyro walked into the infirmary, accompanied by Gizmo, Clara and a reluctant Silence. The eight year old Silence burst into noisy tears at the sight of her beloved 'Eddy' beaten and unconscious on the bed before them. A spreading bruise occupied a large part of her face and her arm was too big and heavy in the ugly cast. Refusing all attempts at comfort, the distraught girl flew from the room, stumbling with every step. Clara hurried after, and Gizmo stroked a strand of flame hair before following the rest of her 'family'. Pyro looked to Jean, the question plain in his eyes.
A wearied sigh escaped Jean's lips. "I've done all I can, John. I can't promise you she'll be all right. I can't promise you anything..."
~~
What do you think? It jumps about a lot I'm afraid, I keep thinking of it as a film, and its difficult to write as a story. I can see the pictures of what's happening in my head, but I can't manage to convey it to words...