Okay, this is very late in coming, but the batteries had to recharge. The dreaded subconscious strikes again! The mysterious woman returns, but so does Rogue and Remy so you can't kill me. :-P ... :-)
***
Thief of Spirits
***
Back to N'Awlins
***
In a motel in Arkanas, Lizzy curled up on the corduroy sofa. The floor lamp above her head was the only light on in the room, giving her just enough light to read her book and no more. She laughed at certain parts and cried in others within the tiny circle of light. There was always more laughter than tears, especially as she neared the end of the book. As the teenager paged through it, she didn't notice that she read one blank page after another. For a moment, Lizzy stopped reading the wordless book to look out the window. Her little light by the couch didn't create too much glare so she could see the summer night.
She loved the dark, especially the thrill it gave her. At home she took midnight walks all the time. Granted, the paths were on private property and she knew them backwards and forwards, but the faint fear in the back of her mind never ceased to excite her. Lizzy always half expected something to jump out at her, like in the movies.
A voice called her attention away from the night. "Cherie, how does it end? Tell moi." Lizzy smiled at the man sitting on the bed in the deep shadows. He was older, perhaps late thirties, but seemed very handsome and lively. She turned the page of the book. On each piece of paper there was one word. One was LOOK and the other UP.
"Look up?" she asked. The wind picked up and blew her a few pages forward. That time it read YES LIZZY, LOOK UP. Lizzy obeyed. Around her was the night air of home. She sat on her favorite tree stump, reading by the flashlight hung from the trunk of her favorite willow tree. The beam fell on the stump, but spread enough that she could almost see the green walls the tree made with its great drooping canopy. As a girl it had been her secret place, under the ancient willow. In many ways it still was. The wind swished through the wall of hanging leaves whispering, "Come outside, Cherie."
She laughed and stood to untie the flashlight. The wind chided, "You don't need dat. Don' say you scared of de dark." Lizzy scoffed at the idea and strode through the curtain of leaves, leaving the bright little shelter. Outside, the forest was darker than she had ever remembered. It wasn't cowardice if she went back for the flashlight, the girl decided. She wasn't afraid of the dark, just that she could trip on a root and break her ankle.
Lizzy turned and walked back to the willow. She pushed aside the leaves, but she couldn't walk through the opening to the light. There was some sort of invisible barrier. She pounded on it and came away with a bruised wrist. The voice in the wind spoke behind her. "You canna go back into your sanctuary, Bella. You left it for de demon, ma Bella Donna."
"My name isn't Bella Donna," she whispered.
It laughed, "Neither is Lizzy. Don't you 'member a'tall?" A hand grasped her shoulders and spun her around. Two red fires glowed like beacons, lighting up the sharp edges of his face. Those terrible flames were his eyes. She shrank back against the barrier and it collapsed. The girl fell down to the ground underneath the willow. She crawled backwards towards the tree and the flashlight. At the stump, she pulled herself to her feet and yanked the heavy metal flashlight from its resting place in a loop of thick twine.
Dully, all the old survival training her father had forced down her throat over the years came back to her. Lizzy covered the flashlight beam with one hand and waited for the man to come through the wall of leaves. There was a rustling and she saw a pair of glowing eyes. She aimed the flashlight at the red flames and he screamed. While he stumbled about, blinded, the girl ran in the opposite direction. She ran into the leaves and ricocheted back onto the ground. The strange barrier was back, but now she was trapped inside of it. The flashlight had fallen from her grasp and she scrambled to pick it up again. It would make a good weapon if she swung it hard enough. The demon beat her to it.
He went and sat on her stump. "Bella, Bella, Bella," he chided, twirling the long flashlight like some martial artist with a pole. The whirling light caught his face with grotesque shadows as he asked, "Why you do a t'ing like dat? You blinded ole Darien. But I forgive you, Cherie. You just a fille. You canna help bein' stupid."
Something pushed Lizzy from behind and she stumbled to the ground again. The barrier was growing smaller, forcing her towards the demon who called himself Darien. He flicked off the flashlight and she could only see his demon eyes. They grew closer and closer until they were on top of her. He touched her and she screamed.
Darien picked up Lizzy and threw her. She landed on the bed in her Motel room. No, it was his room. She had to get out. The girl ran to the door but it wouldn't budge. Desperate, she darted into the bathroom and locked the door. She turned on the light; she didn't like the dark anymore. There was a click as the lock popped open. Lizzy tried to hold the door shut but one of Darien's barriers forced her away and herded her into the tub. The demon strode through the door and smiled at her.
"Dere's no getting out Bella. Don't you 'member?" He dragged her from the bathtub and she screamed again. Darien laughed, "Scream all you want, ma Bella. When we get to N'Awlins, you won't scream no more."
"Why," she spat at him, trying to mask her fear at that statement.
He looked at her, faintly amused. "Don't you 'member...ah, how could you?"
"What the Hell are you talking about!"
Darien dragged his captive out the door to the couch where she had read earlier. He thrust her onto it and sat back down on the bed. His eyes glowed in the shadows. Lizzy trembled under the lamp's dim light. He asked, "How does it end, Cherie? Pick up de book an' tell me."
On the coffee table there was a book. The words on pages it was opened to were YES BELLA, LOOK UP. With a shaky hand, Lizzy picked it up and turned to the last page. There were no words, but a picture of sorts. From a black abyss, twin crimson flames glared up at her. She shut the book quickly. The title frightened her more than the last page.
MY LIFE.
"How does it end?" Darien asked softly.
She whispered, "You."
He laughed, "That's right, Bella. Your life ended when you met me. I ended it."
The light went out and the room went pitch black. Twin red flames glared at her and a barrier pushed her towards him...
The woman woke up screaming. The sheets were wet with sweat and tears. Demon eyes from so long ago stared at her in the dark. Again she ran to turn on every light in the motel room. Again she waited for day screaming because no one could hear her. After a while, her voice grew hoarse and she couldn't shout anymore. Quietly, she whispered over and over, "I'll get over this. I'll get over this."
In the back of her mind, the angel laughed. She would never get over it. For once, though, it didn't try to goad her into its demand. The woman had given in. She was heading back to New Orleans.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Remy, is it just me, or are there twice as many people as yesterday?"
"It just you, ma Petite. Dere's three times de people from last time."
Rogue rolled her eyes. "Oh, that makes me feel so much better."
"Not de social butterfly, are you?"
"Does tha word Goth mean anythin' ta you?"
Remy grinned at her. "Yes, Notre Dame Cathedral."
"Not tha architecture, tha type of person!" she cried, exasperated.
"Well Remy t'ink you fit de architecture definition de best. All dose lovely arches, de sense of awe when you see it, de dark beauty... dat's you ma Petite."
"I'm just inta quiet Remy. Yes, I know we're in New Orleans, but do we hafta jump inta tha loudest group of people in tha world?" Rogue eyed the large gathering of mutants in the café with dismay. It looked like a sea of people waiting to swallow her up and drown her. She looked at the thief leaning an arm on her shoulder, comically taking in the sight. Remy shielded his eyes from an invisible sun with his free hand and peered into the crowd as if he were trying to find someone. They stood like that for a full minute while the enormous group watched in amusement.
Suddenly, Remy stood on his tiptoes and cupped his hands around his mouth. In a laughable Old English accent, he cried, "Halloo! Doth mine eyes spot the fair Princess Caleigh? Make way good people and allow Sir Remy and his lovely Lady Rogue to congratulate her Royal Highness on this most joyous occasion!"
The gathering laughed and Remy pulled Rogue through the pathway made for them to a certain little girl. Caleigh and her mother sat in the middle of the long table against the wall. There were a few empty seats to either side of them for some reason. The Cajun deposited his fille in a chair next to Caleigh's mother and took a seat by Caleigh herself. He smiled at Hannah Laura sympathetically before turning all of his charm on the little British girl. "Happy Birthday, Caleigh! Non, non, non. No frowns today. Smile for Remy!" Remy began doing card tricks and other sleights of hand, trying to make the little girl smile.
Caleigh didn't buy it. She watched the flying cards that occasionally exploded but pouted. Her hair was a mousy brown color that was as lifeless as her expression. Rogue asked the girl's mother in confusion, "Hannah Laura, what happened ta tha rainbow child? Shouldn' she be happy if it's her Birthday?"
Hannah Laura sighed and took a deep drink of beer. She looked as depressed as her daughter. "Matthew, my ex-husband, is coming to visit today. The bastard really knows how to spoil a special occasion. He only does it to ruins our lives more than he has already." Another swig of beer. The woman stood a good chance of becoming dead drunk by the end of lunch.
A young boy with bright blue eyes several seats over told her, "This is definitely not the time for you to be drinking, Hannah Laura."
She glared at the boy. "Shut up, Jimmie." The mother jabbed a finger at an older man, cutting off his words before they could begin. Rogue vaguely remembered him as the man who didn't want anyone to cuss in front baby Mary. Hannah Laura growled at him, "Don't even start, Kenneth. I want to be drunk. The less I remember about today, the better." She emptied the beer and raised her hand to order another bottle.
Rogue could only watch as the two happiest people she had ever met turned into wretches. Remy kept on trying to cheer up Caleigh with no success. Hannah Laura chugged another beer. The teenager stood up and walked over to Allan, the only other person in the group she sort of knew. The group shifted for her and she sat down.
"What's goin' on, Allan?" Rogue asked the man quietly. He looked at her sadly, idly patting his little daughter's head. Baby Mary was having a ball whirling knives and forks around her at velocities that could puncture steel. Rogue marveled at how Allan was brave enough to stick his hand through the tornado of cutlery. She also decided she would never baby-sit the telekinetic infant. Not for anything.
"A little over a year ago HL used to live in England with Caleigh and Matthew," he murmured. "They were this perfect happy family. Then they came here for vacation. Caleigh, the little angel, started changing hair colors and the idiot Matthew lost it. He abandoned them with no money, no clothing, no lodging, nothing. By sheer luck, they came into this café. HL couldn't see anything -she's normal- but Caleigh insisted on coming over here. I can still remember the look on HL's face when the illusion stopped working and she saw this bunch."
A startled voice from the café gasped, "What in the world?" Rogue looked up and saw a young woman staring wide eyed at the group. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief. Judging by the group's reaction, she was a stranger who had just stumbled onto them. Allan gestured for her to take a seat. He smirked at Rogue. "It looked a lot like the look on that lady's face there."
"Don't worry, Miss. We won't bite," he called to the young woman, who looked ready to faint. "Sit down and let me explain. I'll even pay for your lunch," The people shifted yet again to let the newcomer drop into a seat. "Wha...who?" she stuttered. She looked to her left at the levitating objects around baby Mary and then to the right to watch Remy's card fireworks.
Allan laughed and snapped his fingers. A cup of hot coffee appeared in front of her and she gasped again. Her eyes seemed almost to pop from her head. Rogue looked on, amused. Had she looked like that yesterday morning?
Rogue stood up and extended her hand towards the bewildered young woman over the table. "Hi. Don' worry, I'm not gonna move stuff with mah mind or blow you up. Just wanna shake hands. I'm Rogue an' this crowd scares tha shit outta me too."
The woman shook her hand. "I'm Cara," she said. "What is all this?"
Rogue laughed. "I really have no clue. I'm just stuck with 'em. As far as I can tell, it's a collection of special people, mostly. I'm nothin' special, just trapped with Monsieur Card Player over there." Rogue jerked her head towards Remy. She looked around, trying to find people she could introduce. "This is Allan an' his baby girl Mary. Tha guy in tha trenchcoat is Remy. That little girl next ta him is Caleigh. She an' her mom -tha woman with tha beer- are havin' a bad day. The old geezer there is Kenneth -don't swear when you sit next ta him. Emmy isn't here right now. I think tha little boy with red hair and blue eyes in tha corner is Jimmie an' that's all I know."
She smiled helplessly. "My advice is ta learn a few real well an' get tha rest later."
Cara still looked shell shocked. "But how...I mean, I thought that I was..."
"...was the only one like you?" Allan finished for her. "So did most of us until we came here. You're not the first mutant, that's what we are Miss Cara, or even one of the few. If you feel confused, don't worry. You're the second newcomer in a week, the first being Rogue here. We're just a group of friends and acquaintances who understand each other and our unique problems."
Allan looked to his right and frowned. He snapped his finger and Hannah Laura's fourth beer appeared in his hands. She glared at him and he looked back unfazed. Smiling gently, he told her, "Don't worry HL; you and Caleigh can stay with us until Matthew goes home again. I won't let him bother you, I promise."
The man stood and dropped a twenty in front of Cara and another two on his empty plate. He picked up Mary and went to the drunken mother. Taking her hand, Allan led Hannah Laura towards the exit. Caleigh took her mother's other hand and they all walked away. For a moment, with their backs turned, they looked like one happy family.
Rogue looked to Cara. "Hey, I know its confusin', but these people are all right. I can promise you'll never get bored or have a quiet moment with 'em. Please come back..." she paused and shouted over to Remy. "Yo Homme! When are you draggin' me here next?"
"Three o'clock tomorrow!" he called back.
"Please come back tomorrow at three. I need tha reinforcements." Cara agreed and they both smiled. Neither noticed Jimmie frowning at Cara from the corner.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lizzy looked out at New Orleans from her hotel window. It didn't really seem dark, which surprised her. All her memories said the city was dark and hellish. It almost seemed...nice. She frowned and closed the shutters. She was in New Orleans for a reason. Silly things like city lights, Cajun food, and friendly people were only distractions from the task at hand. Lying on the floor with a notepad and pen, she began her list.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kitty panted on the floor of the train car. A shadow fell on her and she stared up into merciless yellow eyes. "I can't!" she cried. "How many times must I try and fail for you to understand that!" She was hauled to her feet. Mystique looked at the girl in disgust. Katherine was coated in enough sweat to drown her. Her body shook with the effort it took to stand. The woman grabbed her student and threw her at a panel of steel two meters wide and a foot thick.
Katherine phased through the impromptu wall unharmed. Her landing was less than desirable, but Mystique didn't care. She marched to the other side of the steel wall and leaned on it. She looked at her pupil sprawled over the floor. "Don't bother to stand. You are too exhausted physically but you can pass through objects well enough to do what I want. Truly, you are being childish about this. Place your left hand on the floor and ghost your right hand through it."
She obeyed, but the hand did not pass through the other. After four more tries, Kitty grunted, "I can't. Tell me to do anything but this and I will. I just can't phase one part of my body through another. It's an all or nothing deal."
Mystique sighed, "I really had hoped to avoid this, Katherine. Do not ghost away from me." She took Katherine's left arm and turned the hand clockwise so the palm and the elbow faced up, effectively locking the elbow. Holding the right hand in a viselike grip, she raised it high. Kitty grew alarmed but held stock still. "What are you doing?" she whispered.
The blue woman replied, "Showing you why self-preservation is such a good teacher or breaking your arm. You decide." She drove Katherine's hand into her locked elbow joint. Katherine screamed.
"Open your eyes, girl."
Katherine did as she was told and she saw her right arm passing through the other. "Impossible."
Mystique pulled the arms apart before something unfortunate happened. "So says your brain, but your instincts beg to differ. Now do it again without the threat of excruciating pain to help you."
Carefully, Katherine phased her left index finger through the opposite hand and out again. That done, she fainted.
The blue woman saw to it that Kurt put himself to bed and then covered the girl with a light sheet and propped a pillow under her head. She yawned and proceeded to her own bed. It had been a good day's work. Katherine's real training could begin in the morning.
***
Who is the creepy Cajun? If not Remy...then who? Who is Lizzy? She's not the Bella Donna of the Assassins' Guild because that Bella met with an…unfortunate accident just before I wrote this fic. Thank you for the favor, Mystique.
*No problem, EV.*
And who is Cara? Where did she come from? What's her power? Why the hell did I stick her in?
Okay, I promise this is NOT a buddy-buddy thing between Rogue and this Cara mutant person. It's actually sort of tragic. Just you wait; it will turn all sad and cruel in a little while. And note the fact that Jimmie doesn't like her.
Sorry, no review responses this time but I just want to thank ALL readers who have held on this long. I know I get sketchy and things get confusing, but I'm trying not to give the plot away.
Just hold on to the madly spinning exercise wheel, little guinea pigs. Good luck.
