Once again + Standard disclaimer... blah!
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"Hello Diane." Shiva took her accustomed position next to the window on the floor. Professor Xavier smiled politely at her mother while his hand patted Shiva once on the shoulder.
"Shiva, your mother heard about the school we have here and came to ask me to find you."
"Why?" she asked the Prof, ignoring her mother all together.
"I found a program for you!" her mother cried out, obviously distressed at how familiar and comfortable the creature her daughter had become seemed to be in this mutant gathering place. "Its experimental yet, but you could be human again!" hope clearly rang in her voice, and Shiva realized her mother just didn't understand.
She let her head hang limp as she considered her words carefully.
"Mom," her voice was soft in its delivery, careful but firm with intent. She went over to crouch next to her mothers chair, lifted her limp hand and placed her mothers hand on her head for the first touch in nearly six months. "Feel how sssoft I am. Thiss iss who and what I am. I am not assshamed for frightened anymore, thisss isss who I want to be, who I need to be. I need to be mysssself, and I'm ssssorry that I can't be normal for you, like you want me to be. I'm going to forgive you for flipping out on me, and I hope you can forgive me for thisss." The stiff hand on her head began to relax, "I'm going to asssk you to allow me to stay here, with Professssor X." she felt the hand trail down her head, scratching softly at her ear before resting on her shoulder, where the fur was short and downy.
"You don't want to be human?" Diane asked in a tiny voice, thick with tears that still didn't understand.
"Mom! Look at me." Shiva commanded. "Look into my eyes. Forget the shape and who do you see?" The green globes seemed to glow around the split iris, but it was all forgotten as Diane stared into her daughters eyes. They were the same eyes that had looked up at her when Patricia was five and had scrapped her knee. Hurt, and afraid, but with the utter confidence that mommy could make it all better
Shiva knew what she was putting on the line- if her mother rejected her she'd be broken again. She'd pick up the pieces with the help of the X-men, but it would never be the same.
So her heart fairly soared as her mother choked back tears and pulled her daughter into her arms.
"Mom!" Shiva cried into her shoulder. After a few minutes of tears Diane eased back and looked Professor Xavier right in the eye.
"I would like to enroll my daughter in your school."
"I think that could be arranged." He nodded and tossed Shiva a watch.
"Prof?" she set it on her wrist and her eyes narrowed when she recognized the face and buttons. "I don't need this." She went to remove it, but her mother grabbed her wrist for a closer look.
"What is it?"
"Its an image inducer, like Kurts. And yes, Shiva, you will need it. As long as your living here you have to go to school. You need a high school diploma if you're going to do anything in this world besides flipping burgers."
"You mean..."
"Yes, on Monday, you will report to public school, like the rest of them."
"What does an image inducer do?" Diane asked as she fiddled with buttons. She yelped as she touched one on the side and a slight shock caught her unawares. One minute she was sitting next to her fuzzy daughter, the next a young woman with golden hair and tan skin was kneeling on the floor at her feet.
"Professor!" Shiva protested.
"Its necessary, I'm afraid."
"Honey, deal with it." Diane said firmly as Patricia began to mutter to herself. "You've got one year left of school. Live with the fact that you can't always get what you want."
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"Hello Diane." Shiva took her accustomed position next to the window on the floor. Professor Xavier smiled politely at her mother while his hand patted Shiva once on the shoulder.
"Shiva, your mother heard about the school we have here and came to ask me to find you."
"Why?" she asked the Prof, ignoring her mother all together.
"I found a program for you!" her mother cried out, obviously distressed at how familiar and comfortable the creature her daughter had become seemed to be in this mutant gathering place. "Its experimental yet, but you could be human again!" hope clearly rang in her voice, and Shiva realized her mother just didn't understand.
She let her head hang limp as she considered her words carefully.
"Mom," her voice was soft in its delivery, careful but firm with intent. She went over to crouch next to her mothers chair, lifted her limp hand and placed her mothers hand on her head for the first touch in nearly six months. "Feel how sssoft I am. Thiss iss who and what I am. I am not assshamed for frightened anymore, thisss isss who I want to be, who I need to be. I need to be mysssself, and I'm ssssorry that I can't be normal for you, like you want me to be. I'm going to forgive you for flipping out on me, and I hope you can forgive me for thisss." The stiff hand on her head began to relax, "I'm going to asssk you to allow me to stay here, with Professssor X." she felt the hand trail down her head, scratching softly at her ear before resting on her shoulder, where the fur was short and downy.
"You don't want to be human?" Diane asked in a tiny voice, thick with tears that still didn't understand.
"Mom! Look at me." Shiva commanded. "Look into my eyes. Forget the shape and who do you see?" The green globes seemed to glow around the split iris, but it was all forgotten as Diane stared into her daughters eyes. They were the same eyes that had looked up at her when Patricia was five and had scrapped her knee. Hurt, and afraid, but with the utter confidence that mommy could make it all better
Shiva knew what she was putting on the line- if her mother rejected her she'd be broken again. She'd pick up the pieces with the help of the X-men, but it would never be the same.
So her heart fairly soared as her mother choked back tears and pulled her daughter into her arms.
"Mom!" Shiva cried into her shoulder. After a few minutes of tears Diane eased back and looked Professor Xavier right in the eye.
"I would like to enroll my daughter in your school."
"I think that could be arranged." He nodded and tossed Shiva a watch.
"Prof?" she set it on her wrist and her eyes narrowed when she recognized the face and buttons. "I don't need this." She went to remove it, but her mother grabbed her wrist for a closer look.
"What is it?"
"Its an image inducer, like Kurts. And yes, Shiva, you will need it. As long as your living here you have to go to school. You need a high school diploma if you're going to do anything in this world besides flipping burgers."
"You mean..."
"Yes, on Monday, you will report to public school, like the rest of them."
"What does an image inducer do?" Diane asked as she fiddled with buttons. She yelped as she touched one on the side and a slight shock caught her unawares. One minute she was sitting next to her fuzzy daughter, the next a young woman with golden hair and tan skin was kneeling on the floor at her feet.
"Professor!" Shiva protested.
"Its necessary, I'm afraid."
"Honey, deal with it." Diane said firmly as Patricia began to mutter to herself. "You've got one year left of school. Live with the fact that you can't always get what you want."