Lost Innocence
Hello, everyone. Listen, this story could probably get away with a PG-13 rating, but I just want to be safe. I don't even know if I'll stick with this, simply because I'm kind of making it up as I go along, but hey, we'll see. This story does have a lot of violence and stuff, so just be warned, ok? I think one of the most violent parts is probably the prelude (which you're about to read) so you can kind of see what it'll be like from there. Review once you're done, will ya? I really need feedback on this one. Maybe some encouragement if you want me to continue. Just remember, no flames or I'll have to publicly humiliate you. Ok, so go on now; read on.
Disclaimer: I own none of the X-Men or the Brotherhood, and the 'theme song' to this story is called 'Twilight' by Vanessa Carlton. No suing and no bugging me, cuz I did the disclaimer, so there. *smug smile*
Prelude-
I was stained, with a role
In a day not my own
But as you walked into my life
You showed what needed to be shown
I always knew, what was right
I just didn't know that I might
Peel away and choose to see
With such a different sight
And I will never see the sky the same way
And I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday
And I will never cease to fly if held down
And I will always reach too high, cuz I've seen
Cuz I've seen, twilight
The road was glinting wickedly in the dark night, the ice on its surface reflecting the headlights of passing cars and the streetlights above. Snow was being whipped against the vehicles, driving through cracks in the doors and windows and ferociously attacking the passengers inside. Meghan pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders, adjusting her headphones and glancing up at her parents; her mother was clutching her armrest nervously, her lips a thin, white line and her father was squinting at the road, nervously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Meghan allowed her headphones to slide to her neck and whispered, "Mom.?"
Her mother turned quickly, eyes wide; she relaxed instantly and smiled slightly, "What, Hun?"
"Is.is everything ok?"
"We're fine, Meg," her dad replied with forced calm, "The roads are just.just a little slick."
Meghan's eyes flicked to her father's rearview mirror; his pale face and scared-looking eyes greeted her.
He swallowed and grinned, trying vainly to bring back his old, spunky humor, "Hey, Kid. You don't think your old dad's scared, do ya?"
Meghan shook her head, lips turning up at the corners, "No, Dad. Not you."
Her father's familiar, comforting chuckle filled the car then, and her mother reached back to squeeze her hand, "It's ok, Honey. We'll be home soon."
"Ok, Mom."
Meghan gave her mother's hand a squeeze and gave her a courageous grin; her mom returned the gesture and turned back to the windshield. Meghan sighed slightly and slid her headphones back on, leaning her head back sleepily on her seat.
Never cared never wanted
Never sought to see what flaunted
So on purpose so in my face
Couldn't see beyond my own place
It was so easy not to behold what I could hold
But you taught me I could change
Whatever came within these shallow days
And I will never see the sky the same way,
And I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday
And I will never cease to fly if held down,
And I will always reach too high cuz I've seen
Cuz I've seen, twilight
The sound of crunching ice and shrieking tires jolted Meghan from her half- asleep state, and her head snapped up, eyes quickly turning to her parents. They were both leaning back in their seats, faces masks of horror, hands tightly clasping their seats. Slowly, Meghan turned her head to her window, where the scenery before her was spinning wildly in a whirlwind of color, and she felt her stomach drop as the truck she sat in began lurching sideways.
As the sun shines through it pushes away
And pushes ahead
It fills the warmth of blue
And leaves a chill instead and
I didn't know that I could be
So blind to all that is so real
But as illusion dies
I see there is so much to be revealed
And I will never see the sky the same way,
And I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday
And I will never cease to fly if held down,
And I will always reach too high cuz I've seen
Cuz I've seen, twilight
In what seemed to be slow motion, the truck began tilting, tossing all of its occupants against the far windows, groaning in agony as the suitcases piled inside of it began to crash through the windows. Meghan felt a scream well up in her throat, blocking any breaths she desperately needed; her blood turned to ice in her veins as she saw the asphalt suddenly spring up to her window in vicious greeting. The crash that followed was deafening, and Meghan had only limited time to feel the agony of glass shards slicing through her skin and see the sparks that sprung up before her eyes. With a final sickening crunch and an explosion of pain to her head, blackness took her.
I was stained, with a role
In a day not my own
But as you walked into my life
You showed what needed to be shown
I always knew, what was right
I just didn't know that I might\
Peel away and choose to see
With such a different sight
Meghan didn't witness her car slide across the wet pavement into the next few cars. She never heard the shrieking grinding of metal against metal as the vehicle was slammed into a sign. She was still unconscious as the truck spun once more, flipped onto its side and came to a halt. However, almost immediately afterwards, her eyes fluttered open and she weakly looked to her parents, who were both miraculously alive and awake.
"Meghan! Oh God, Honey.are you alright?"
Dimly, she heard her mother's echoing voice.
She looked at her, the metallic tang of blood thick in her mouth and her skin oddly sticky and wet.
She nodded painfully, wincing as a fiery pain erupted at the side of her head.
"Don't move, Sweetie.just hold still."
Her dad's voice sounded so deep and far away.
"Just hold still.they're coming now.the police are coming to help.here they come."
Meghan dimly heard the car's door being torn open.
"What.where's the police?"
She'd never heard her dad so uncertain before.
In that instant, her senses became inhumanly sharp, and her pain diminished as she turned to see who her dad was speaking to.
And I will never see the sky the same way.
The one thing that really caught Meghan's eyes was the gun. The gun being held against her mother's temple. Meghan sat up more, heart starting to beat a littler faster, mouth going dry as her blood turned to ice in her veins.
"Who are you?" her father repeated.
There was a sound like a muffled scream, and Meghan turned sharply to her father's side. Her eyes grew wide in horror and she screamed loudly, uncontrollably, backing away from her dad's seat, and then falling forward, grabbing the hands that had plunged the knife so deeply into her dad's chest.
From her mouth came a jumble of words that flowed out so quickly Meghan had no time even to think them. All she knew was that her daddy was hurt, and that his blood was on her hands as she fought to help him. She was pushed back roughly, and as she tumbled into her mother's lap, there was a ear-shattering blast. Meghan screamed and covered her head, breathing heavily as the sharp, sour stench of gun smoke filled the air.
She could feel something warm dripping on her arm, and she slowly looked up at her mother; her body began convulsing with sobs and uncontrollable shaking instantly. She hardly noticed as someone grabbed her arms and jerked her up, wrapping one arm around her waist and using the free hand to hold a gun to her head. Tears were streaming down her cheeks in rivers, her blood-drenched hands scrabbling desperately at the arm holding her away from her parents.
"Let go!" she shrieked, "No I have to save them please let go please don't do this let go please PLEASE!"
She heard dark laughter behind her and could do nothing but sob as she watched the velvet sky erupt with bloody fireworks.
And I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday.
After a while, Meghan's body couldn't take the lack of oxygen and the sudden shock. She fell limply against her captor, still trembling, tears still trickling down her face. After a while, the bloody show stopped and she watched her parents' limp forms be dragged out of the cars; she never saw them again.
And I will never cease to fly if held down.
The person holding her turned out to be a woman.a mutant woman. "What's your name?" she asked softly after Meghan had calmed down somewhat.
Meghan found herself unable to speak, so all she did was close her eyes, biting her lower lip as she fought to forget what she had just witnessed.
"It's Meghan.isn't it?"
She felt cool fingers brush across her cheek as they pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, and she felt chills run through her.
"How old are you, Meghan? Sixteen?"
Meghan slowly nodded, feeling nausea creep into her mouth; she swallowed hard. Then there was another voice, a jeering and loud one: "She sure doesn't look it, eh Mystique? She looks ten. Short thing."
There was loud laughter, and then the gun left her head for a moment as a jarring thump sounded nearby. Someone cursed and gasped, and then the woman spoke again, angry, "Toad, you'd do well to keep your mouth shut."
Meghan felt her body begin to tremble again, and she closed her eyes, feeling sick as she saw her parents limp forms in her head again.
"You should relax, Meghan," whispered Mystique softly, "So much stress could really wear you out."
"Whaddya gonna do with her?" asked Toad sulkily but curiously.
There was a short silence, and then Meghan felt herself being whipped around, and she gasped as something rammed her in the stomach, causing her to collapse.
Mystique caught her, allowing her to fall to her knees and then tilting her chin up with her hand, "I think I just might put her out of her misery."
There was scattered cheering surrounding Meghan, but she couldn't look away from Mystique's cold eyes; she sat frozen, gasping for breath, blinking back tears.
Then, Mystique's lips parted, revealing white teeth, "But then.that wouldn't be any fun at all, would it, Boys?"
Meghan dropped her gaze, unable to look into those loathing, scintillating eyes any longer.
Mystique let the gun drop to the ground as she reached out and took Meghan's face in both of her hands, "Maybe I'll take her home with me."
Meghan felt an engulfing fire of horror erupt inn her, and she shook her head quickly, eyes wide, fists clenched.
Mystique cocked her head to the side, acting hurt, "No? You wouldn't like to come home with me? You wouldn't like to say with the boys and me?"
Meghan shook her head again.
"Oh.too bad.she doesn't want to stay with us, Boys."
Her 'audience' laughed slightly and then shouted out a chorus of disappointed 'awww's'.
Mystique chuckled darkly, leaning forward until her face was inches from Meghan's, "Too bad I don't care about what she wants."
And I will always reach too high.
Meghan hardly sensed anything that happened within the next hour. She could see herself being tied with wire and she could feel the dirty cloth in her mouth as Toad gagged her.
She smelled soiled seats of the car she was carelessly tossed into and tasted the metallic tang of blood that ran freely from her nose.
She heard the engine start with a roar and knew she was being kidnapped and possibly taken to her death.
But it all seemed like an unbelievable dream; she wished the next few weeks could have been like that.
Cuz I've seen.
The screams and wails coming from the old mansion were nothing new to the neighboring residents, so they never tried to investigate or call the cops. Instead they turned their TVs up higher and hummed along to their favorite songs as, up the street, a young girl was tortured mercilessly.
Cuz I've seen.
Ororo Monroe first heard Meghan's name as she sat with her fellow teammates in the living room, listening to Charles Xavier speak. Ororo was one of the many renowned mutant heroes known as the X-Men, and Xavier was currently speaking of their arch rival's latest 'joy ride'. The Brotherhood had murdered countless people and taken Meghan from her car several weeks before, bringing her with them to do who-knew-what. Now, after endless hours of searching and worrying, the child had been found in an dirty alleyway, half-alive and staring blankly at the sky above her. She was currently being held at the local hospital, and latest reports told of permanent physical, mental, and emotional scars. Meghan was not alright. She refused to speak and sat in her bed with her eyes wide open, lips closed to any drink or food. She screamed if anyone came near her and began sobbing uncontrollably when touched. Sometimes she would burst into inconsolable tears and simply lie limply on the bed, wailing. The strangest things could set Meghan into a fit of terror, in which she would shriek endlessly, tearing out her IV and leaping out of the bed, scrabbling madly at the windows or closed doors and babbling insanely. Nobody knew what had happened and even the dozens of psychiatrists and specialists were stumped. The Brotherhood had disappeared long ago, and although many police officers and civilians were still on the lookout for them, most of the focus was on Meghan and her strange insanity. Xavier seemed strangely attached to the child, as if his very life depended on her safety, and already he was planning to send someone up to see her. Ororo didn't know why, but she, too, felt something towards the child. Never before had she even see the girl face-to-face, but something tugged at her heart every time she heard of Meghan, and when Xavier started to send Jean Grey to see the child, Ororo interrupted firmly, "I'll go."
Everyone turned and stared at her; Ororo was not usually one to volunteer for things like this.
Injured and hurting children were things Ororo tended to stay away from; Jean, on the other hand, was a registered doctor and was used to such things.
However, Ororo firmly stuck to her decision, and Xavier allowed her to go; that decision would change everyone's lives forever.
Twilight
Hello, everyone. Listen, this story could probably get away with a PG-13 rating, but I just want to be safe. I don't even know if I'll stick with this, simply because I'm kind of making it up as I go along, but hey, we'll see. This story does have a lot of violence and stuff, so just be warned, ok? I think one of the most violent parts is probably the prelude (which you're about to read) so you can kind of see what it'll be like from there. Review once you're done, will ya? I really need feedback on this one. Maybe some encouragement if you want me to continue. Just remember, no flames or I'll have to publicly humiliate you. Ok, so go on now; read on.
Disclaimer: I own none of the X-Men or the Brotherhood, and the 'theme song' to this story is called 'Twilight' by Vanessa Carlton. No suing and no bugging me, cuz I did the disclaimer, so there. *smug smile*
Prelude-
I was stained, with a role
In a day not my own
But as you walked into my life
You showed what needed to be shown
I always knew, what was right
I just didn't know that I might
Peel away and choose to see
With such a different sight
And I will never see the sky the same way
And I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday
And I will never cease to fly if held down
And I will always reach too high, cuz I've seen
Cuz I've seen, twilight
The road was glinting wickedly in the dark night, the ice on its surface reflecting the headlights of passing cars and the streetlights above. Snow was being whipped against the vehicles, driving through cracks in the doors and windows and ferociously attacking the passengers inside. Meghan pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders, adjusting her headphones and glancing up at her parents; her mother was clutching her armrest nervously, her lips a thin, white line and her father was squinting at the road, nervously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Meghan allowed her headphones to slide to her neck and whispered, "Mom.?"
Her mother turned quickly, eyes wide; she relaxed instantly and smiled slightly, "What, Hun?"
"Is.is everything ok?"
"We're fine, Meg," her dad replied with forced calm, "The roads are just.just a little slick."
Meghan's eyes flicked to her father's rearview mirror; his pale face and scared-looking eyes greeted her.
He swallowed and grinned, trying vainly to bring back his old, spunky humor, "Hey, Kid. You don't think your old dad's scared, do ya?"
Meghan shook her head, lips turning up at the corners, "No, Dad. Not you."
Her father's familiar, comforting chuckle filled the car then, and her mother reached back to squeeze her hand, "It's ok, Honey. We'll be home soon."
"Ok, Mom."
Meghan gave her mother's hand a squeeze and gave her a courageous grin; her mom returned the gesture and turned back to the windshield. Meghan sighed slightly and slid her headphones back on, leaning her head back sleepily on her seat.
Never cared never wanted
Never sought to see what flaunted
So on purpose so in my face
Couldn't see beyond my own place
It was so easy not to behold what I could hold
But you taught me I could change
Whatever came within these shallow days
And I will never see the sky the same way,
And I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday
And I will never cease to fly if held down,
And I will always reach too high cuz I've seen
Cuz I've seen, twilight
The sound of crunching ice and shrieking tires jolted Meghan from her half- asleep state, and her head snapped up, eyes quickly turning to her parents. They were both leaning back in their seats, faces masks of horror, hands tightly clasping their seats. Slowly, Meghan turned her head to her window, where the scenery before her was spinning wildly in a whirlwind of color, and she felt her stomach drop as the truck she sat in began lurching sideways.
As the sun shines through it pushes away
And pushes ahead
It fills the warmth of blue
And leaves a chill instead and
I didn't know that I could be
So blind to all that is so real
But as illusion dies
I see there is so much to be revealed
And I will never see the sky the same way,
And I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday
And I will never cease to fly if held down,
And I will always reach too high cuz I've seen
Cuz I've seen, twilight
In what seemed to be slow motion, the truck began tilting, tossing all of its occupants against the far windows, groaning in agony as the suitcases piled inside of it began to crash through the windows. Meghan felt a scream well up in her throat, blocking any breaths she desperately needed; her blood turned to ice in her veins as she saw the asphalt suddenly spring up to her window in vicious greeting. The crash that followed was deafening, and Meghan had only limited time to feel the agony of glass shards slicing through her skin and see the sparks that sprung up before her eyes. With a final sickening crunch and an explosion of pain to her head, blackness took her.
I was stained, with a role
In a day not my own
But as you walked into my life
You showed what needed to be shown
I always knew, what was right
I just didn't know that I might\
Peel away and choose to see
With such a different sight
Meghan didn't witness her car slide across the wet pavement into the next few cars. She never heard the shrieking grinding of metal against metal as the vehicle was slammed into a sign. She was still unconscious as the truck spun once more, flipped onto its side and came to a halt. However, almost immediately afterwards, her eyes fluttered open and she weakly looked to her parents, who were both miraculously alive and awake.
"Meghan! Oh God, Honey.are you alright?"
Dimly, she heard her mother's echoing voice.
She looked at her, the metallic tang of blood thick in her mouth and her skin oddly sticky and wet.
She nodded painfully, wincing as a fiery pain erupted at the side of her head.
"Don't move, Sweetie.just hold still."
Her dad's voice sounded so deep and far away.
"Just hold still.they're coming now.the police are coming to help.here they come."
Meghan dimly heard the car's door being torn open.
"What.where's the police?"
She'd never heard her dad so uncertain before.
In that instant, her senses became inhumanly sharp, and her pain diminished as she turned to see who her dad was speaking to.
And I will never see the sky the same way.
The one thing that really caught Meghan's eyes was the gun. The gun being held against her mother's temple. Meghan sat up more, heart starting to beat a littler faster, mouth going dry as her blood turned to ice in her veins.
"Who are you?" her father repeated.
There was a sound like a muffled scream, and Meghan turned sharply to her father's side. Her eyes grew wide in horror and she screamed loudly, uncontrollably, backing away from her dad's seat, and then falling forward, grabbing the hands that had plunged the knife so deeply into her dad's chest.
From her mouth came a jumble of words that flowed out so quickly Meghan had no time even to think them. All she knew was that her daddy was hurt, and that his blood was on her hands as she fought to help him. She was pushed back roughly, and as she tumbled into her mother's lap, there was a ear-shattering blast. Meghan screamed and covered her head, breathing heavily as the sharp, sour stench of gun smoke filled the air.
She could feel something warm dripping on her arm, and she slowly looked up at her mother; her body began convulsing with sobs and uncontrollable shaking instantly. She hardly noticed as someone grabbed her arms and jerked her up, wrapping one arm around her waist and using the free hand to hold a gun to her head. Tears were streaming down her cheeks in rivers, her blood-drenched hands scrabbling desperately at the arm holding her away from her parents.
"Let go!" she shrieked, "No I have to save them please let go please don't do this let go please PLEASE!"
She heard dark laughter behind her and could do nothing but sob as she watched the velvet sky erupt with bloody fireworks.
And I will learn to say goodbye to yesterday.
After a while, Meghan's body couldn't take the lack of oxygen and the sudden shock. She fell limply against her captor, still trembling, tears still trickling down her face. After a while, the bloody show stopped and she watched her parents' limp forms be dragged out of the cars; she never saw them again.
And I will never cease to fly if held down.
The person holding her turned out to be a woman.a mutant woman. "What's your name?" she asked softly after Meghan had calmed down somewhat.
Meghan found herself unable to speak, so all she did was close her eyes, biting her lower lip as she fought to forget what she had just witnessed.
"It's Meghan.isn't it?"
She felt cool fingers brush across her cheek as they pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, and she felt chills run through her.
"How old are you, Meghan? Sixteen?"
Meghan slowly nodded, feeling nausea creep into her mouth; she swallowed hard. Then there was another voice, a jeering and loud one: "She sure doesn't look it, eh Mystique? She looks ten. Short thing."
There was loud laughter, and then the gun left her head for a moment as a jarring thump sounded nearby. Someone cursed and gasped, and then the woman spoke again, angry, "Toad, you'd do well to keep your mouth shut."
Meghan felt her body begin to tremble again, and she closed her eyes, feeling sick as she saw her parents limp forms in her head again.
"You should relax, Meghan," whispered Mystique softly, "So much stress could really wear you out."
"Whaddya gonna do with her?" asked Toad sulkily but curiously.
There was a short silence, and then Meghan felt herself being whipped around, and she gasped as something rammed her in the stomach, causing her to collapse.
Mystique caught her, allowing her to fall to her knees and then tilting her chin up with her hand, "I think I just might put her out of her misery."
There was scattered cheering surrounding Meghan, but she couldn't look away from Mystique's cold eyes; she sat frozen, gasping for breath, blinking back tears.
Then, Mystique's lips parted, revealing white teeth, "But then.that wouldn't be any fun at all, would it, Boys?"
Meghan dropped her gaze, unable to look into those loathing, scintillating eyes any longer.
Mystique let the gun drop to the ground as she reached out and took Meghan's face in both of her hands, "Maybe I'll take her home with me."
Meghan felt an engulfing fire of horror erupt inn her, and she shook her head quickly, eyes wide, fists clenched.
Mystique cocked her head to the side, acting hurt, "No? You wouldn't like to come home with me? You wouldn't like to say with the boys and me?"
Meghan shook her head again.
"Oh.too bad.she doesn't want to stay with us, Boys."
Her 'audience' laughed slightly and then shouted out a chorus of disappointed 'awww's'.
Mystique chuckled darkly, leaning forward until her face was inches from Meghan's, "Too bad I don't care about what she wants."
And I will always reach too high.
Meghan hardly sensed anything that happened within the next hour. She could see herself being tied with wire and she could feel the dirty cloth in her mouth as Toad gagged her.
She smelled soiled seats of the car she was carelessly tossed into and tasted the metallic tang of blood that ran freely from her nose.
She heard the engine start with a roar and knew she was being kidnapped and possibly taken to her death.
But it all seemed like an unbelievable dream; she wished the next few weeks could have been like that.
Cuz I've seen.
The screams and wails coming from the old mansion were nothing new to the neighboring residents, so they never tried to investigate or call the cops. Instead they turned their TVs up higher and hummed along to their favorite songs as, up the street, a young girl was tortured mercilessly.
Cuz I've seen.
Ororo Monroe first heard Meghan's name as she sat with her fellow teammates in the living room, listening to Charles Xavier speak. Ororo was one of the many renowned mutant heroes known as the X-Men, and Xavier was currently speaking of their arch rival's latest 'joy ride'. The Brotherhood had murdered countless people and taken Meghan from her car several weeks before, bringing her with them to do who-knew-what. Now, after endless hours of searching and worrying, the child had been found in an dirty alleyway, half-alive and staring blankly at the sky above her. She was currently being held at the local hospital, and latest reports told of permanent physical, mental, and emotional scars. Meghan was not alright. She refused to speak and sat in her bed with her eyes wide open, lips closed to any drink or food. She screamed if anyone came near her and began sobbing uncontrollably when touched. Sometimes she would burst into inconsolable tears and simply lie limply on the bed, wailing. The strangest things could set Meghan into a fit of terror, in which she would shriek endlessly, tearing out her IV and leaping out of the bed, scrabbling madly at the windows or closed doors and babbling insanely. Nobody knew what had happened and even the dozens of psychiatrists and specialists were stumped. The Brotherhood had disappeared long ago, and although many police officers and civilians were still on the lookout for them, most of the focus was on Meghan and her strange insanity. Xavier seemed strangely attached to the child, as if his very life depended on her safety, and already he was planning to send someone up to see her. Ororo didn't know why, but she, too, felt something towards the child. Never before had she even see the girl face-to-face, but something tugged at her heart every time she heard of Meghan, and when Xavier started to send Jean Grey to see the child, Ororo interrupted firmly, "I'll go."
Everyone turned and stared at her; Ororo was not usually one to volunteer for things like this.
Injured and hurting children were things Ororo tended to stay away from; Jean, on the other hand, was a registered doctor and was used to such things.
However, Ororo firmly stuck to her decision, and Xavier allowed her to go; that decision would change everyone's lives forever.
Twilight