It is I, Jjah-Jjah! And here you all thought I had died and been devoured
by sea monsters! But really, I'm sorry it's taken so long for this stupid
frikken chapter to get out. It's not even very good! Why do I even try?
WHY?!
Ed: Umm. Because I put bird lice in your sheets whenever you stop writing...
JJ: That was you?! You little--
Ed: Please! There could be children in the audience!
Shut up! Whatever. Anyway... Lets get to the reviews so we can get on to the damn fic.... Lord I need a vacation.....
Taineyah: Sorry for keeping you waiting! Thank you!
Gwarestrin: Oooh! I'm getting recommendations! Thank you and your cat sounds awesome like a possom! (that's a good thing)
roguehobbit: arrgh! Sorry I haven't updated lately! I don't know a hell of a lot about the Avengers either, so we're nearly even. Clint *is* an Avengers character, though in the comics he's not a mutant. He's just a guy with a bow and arrows who fights crime. What can I say?
Twilight: YES! I have decided to put the Vision in this thang! He'll be revamped though, like Clint, so he won't really be a lot like his is in the comics, but hey! He'll still be cool and totally deserving of good ol' red.
Wizardess Gal: Too much sugar. But thank you!
Keeper Of The Apocolypse: I love your new pen name; it rocks! Mental institutions are always fun! I however, just have to go visit my family to see insane people. I'm serious. Do you have any idea how many schizophrenics (paranoid and otherwise) there in my family? A whole lot! Whew! Glad I got that off my chest....
Samster The Hampster: lol. Thank you!
***
Well. Disclaimer TIME!
Disclaimer: I own nothing accept this little parrot marionette I bought at the Dollar Tree, his name is Dickie, but YOU CAN"T HAVE HIM! TAKE THE DAMN X-MEN YOU CAN'T HAVE MY PARROT! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *ahem*
Chapter Two: Whoo! More Scary Stuff!!!!
***************
"I'll have you know that my brain does not work in that manner!!!!!" Jillian bellowed.
So began the day at the BoM residence...
"Arrgh!"
"Gimme!"
"Is there, or is there not any food in this stupid house?!"
"Blob! You have to cook those before you eat them!"
"Help me, please!!!!!"
"Shush, my little Pie! Just hold still..."
"Aahhhhhhhhh!"
"Which one of you idiots dented my Jeep?!"
"Not me!"
"Let go!"
"Leave me alone!!!"
"Shut up!!!!!!"
"Uhhhhh... Where are the pop-tarts?"
"Hey baby, got any plans?"
"Yes! I have a root canal scheduled."
"ORANGE JUICE!!! BOO YEAH!!!"
***
After a healthy and relaxing breakfast, everyone was sprawled around the house in disarray digesting his or her respective meals.
"Nothing... Nothing... Nothing. . . Nothing. . ." Freddy murmured as he flipped through TV channels.
"Ooh! Go back one!" Jillian interjected. "It's Golden Girls!"
"Awww. I wanted to watch Oprah!"
"We are *not* watchin' Oprah, yo."
"What do you want to watch Toad?"
"Anything, but Oprah. . ."
Abruptly the conversation was interrupted by Lance coming in with the mail.
"Mail call!!!" He yelled. Everyone somehow found themselves within close proximity of the living room as Lance began to sort through the paper.
"Alright. . . Blob." He tossed a comic book in the larger boy's direction. Blob immediately grabbed it and forgot all arguments concerning Oprah.
"Pietro. Pietro. Pierto. Bill. Pietro. Pietro. Why do you get so much mail anyway?" Lance asked as he tossed the majority of the pile's bulk towards the speed demon.
"I'm just lucky with the ladies!" Pietro preened and sniffed an especially perfumed letter.
"Whatever. . ." Lance said distractedly as he went through the letters once again. He threw a couple of magazines at Toad, kept one of his own, threw several bills into the trash can, and finally he came to the point when only one odd looking letter was left. He looked at it in disbelief.
"Wanda?"
Wanda perked from where she had been leaning against the wall.
"What?"
"You've got a letter. ." He said and held it out towards her. Wanda frowned and looked it. Everyone stared. Wanda never got any letters.
Wanda turned the letter over in her hands and felt a strange thrill move up her fingertips. The paper looked old. . . There wasn't even an envelope, the paper was simply folded twice and sealed with a red wax seal stamped with a crescent moon insignia. Wanda's name was hand written across the front in flowing elegant calligraphy. Wanda's eyes rose and met with Jillian's briefly. Then she retreated to her room. Once everyone had gone back to what they were doing, Jillian followed.
"What is it?" She asked as she closed the door behind her.
"I don't know. . ." Wanda muttered as she peeled off the wax. Once it was off she unfolded the paper and read the message within. As she read, her eyes widened and a small smile graced her lips. Then a serious expression took its place and Wanda suddenly rose, grabbed her jacket and began to leave.
"What does it say?!" Jillian said, jumping up and down in excitement. Wanda continued out of the house.
"We're going to get Clint." She said in reply.
Jillian huffed in annoyance, but followed.
***
"Beautiful, what is it exactly that you think is so important?" Clint smiled as he sat on a picnic table in the park they were currently in.
"Yeah! What's so important about that thing that can't wait?" Jillian asked as she dangled from a tree branch a few inches over the picnic table.
"You know, you could have told us while we were still at my hotel."
Wanda sighed in annoyance. "Well *excuse* me. It's my own personal belief that it's better paranoid than sorry. . ." She took a deep breath. "It's from Agatha Harkness."
"Who?"
"That's the witch-lady that helped Wanda learn to control her powers when she first got out of the crazy house."
"Ah. What does she want?"
"She wants me to come visit her. . ." Wanda showed them the letter. "She lives in Whisper Hill, New York. All the expenses are paid. There are three train tickets enclosed."
"Ooh! So we get to come too?" Jillian smiled.
"Wait a minute. How did she know there'd be three of us? I only met you guys a few days ago!"
"Because she's a witch-lady! Oh, Wanda this is such an opportunity!"
"For what?"
"Come on, we're talking about a serious witchcraft thing going on here! You're the Scarlet Witch. It could broaden your horizons!"
"Suuure it can. Now, let's get ready ok? The tickets are dated for tomorrow."
"We can buy you a POINTY HAT!"
***
"That is the coolest house I have ever seen in my life."
"Ewewewewewew!!!!"
"Shut up!"
The Victorian style mansion on the outskirts of Whisper Hill was undoubtedly cool.
"Clint! Would you *please* stop making those horror movie noises?!" Wanda snapped.
"Anything for you, beautiful."
A high stone fence covered in gargoyles surrounded the property. Beyond the wailing intricate iron gate was an aging cobblestone courtyard. The front yard was unkempt enough to make the house look positively spooky without leading you to believe that no one lived there. Wind chimes adorned the creaky porch and reflective gazing balls of different colors were scattered here and there. The paint was peeling from the house itself and only a few yellow lights shone from the upper stories.
The three of them climbed up onto the porch walked to the door and rang the bell. Rather than the traditional ding-dong, the tone was actually that of the Big Ben clock in England. They could hear the sound echoing through out the house as if the house's interior was an empty void.
"Ooooh! Scary!" Clint grinned.
Wanda shook her fist at his head. "You know, if you keep going on, I'm gonna. . ." The door squeaking open by itself interrupted her threat. Clint raised a golden brow and then looked at Wanda as if to say: 'I rest my case'. Wanda growled and walked in, Jillian, then Clint followed.
The house's interior was not an empty void. There was a deep hued hardwood floor covered with a burgundy Persian rug. An old grandfather clock ticked consistently against the left wall. A few white-eyed paintings stared out of the darkness and a swooping staircase ahead of them led upstairs.
Side by side, Wanda and Jillian took a few steps forward. Under the sound of the squeaking floorboards beneath their feet, they missed the trapdoor that opened up under Clint and the concerned "meep" noise he made as he fell into it and disappeared.
"Welcome to my home." Agatha Harkness' serene voice drifted out of the dark room she emerged from. "I'm glad to see you could make it." She stood there regally in her old fashioned dress and a shawl wrapped around her thin shoulders. Her white hair was in elegant disarray and in her bony arms a black cat was nestled, staring knowingly.
"It's good to see you again." Wanda nodded. "This is my friend Jillian West and this is. . ." She turned around to find Clint gone. "Where's?"
"Maybe something ate him. . ." Jillian deadpanned.
"Er. Yeah, well. Why exactly did you invite me over here?"
"All in good time." Ms. Harkness glided closer. "First however, I would like to talk to your friend here."
"Me?" Jillian looked around for someone else the woman could be referring to.
"Yes. Wanda, you will not mind waiting in the library till we are finished will you?" It wasn't really a question; it was more of a statement.
Wanda shrugged, and all of them walked towards a darkened hall. Agatha opened a door, and indicated a door at the end of the hall with light streaming from beneath it to Wanda. Then she and Jillian entered the other room and disappeared. Wanda sighed and then started moving towards the light. When she reached the door she opened it silently.
It was indeed a library. Three of the room's four walls were covered in books from floor to ceiling. The floor was ebony hardwood with a crimson Persian rug adorning it. When Wanda stepped on its plush she could not help but smile. It looked exactly like a magic carpet. The light came from a fire in the fireplace, which burned merrily, yet gave off no sound and only a very soft heat. Various figurines and trinkets were placed strategically around the room. She stepped over to a shelf to examine the books. They all looked and smelled old. Several of them were in languages she couldn't understand. She pulled a red one off the shelf and opened it randomly. The pages were filled with strange fantastical characters that gave her the impression that they had taken a long time to transcribe. She pulled up a chair and began flipping the pages trying to make sense of it as she waited.
***
Half an hour later Wanda, to her surprise, found she could actually make out the meaning of some of the words in the book. It was like a puzzle. The information was hidden in the pattern, snarled there like tangles. Wanda jumped when a warm hand brushed her shoulder.
Her hostess stood behind her silently. Wanda wasn't quite sure what to do. Perhaps she should not have touched the book. As she attempted to put it back on the shelf, Agatha's voice stopped her.
"You understand that book?"
Wanda hesitated. "Well, yes. . . Some of it."
Agatha took the book gently from Wanda's grasp. "It would take a normal apprentice witch months to translate a single word of this book. . ." She said absently. Wanda had the grace to look confused. "That is why I called you here. Your potential is too great to be ignored." She put the book back on the shelf.
"Potential? For what? You already helped me to control my mutant abilities."
"I am not speaking of your mutant abilities, formidable though they are, I am speaking of your potential in witchcraft. . ."
Wanda blinked, confused. It was then that she noticed someone was conspicuously absent.
"Where's Jillian?"
The old woman narrowed her eyes slightly, like a cat, at the change in subject before answering, "I sent her on an errand."
"Oh." That was why she had pulled Jillian, a stranger, aside into another room to speak with her? Suuure it was. . . There was a pregnant pause till Wanda was roused by something jumping into her lap. The cat Agatha had been holding earlier was blinking its yellow eyes up at her. Wanda smiled slightly and stroked its head softly. The animal leaned its head into the caress and purred.
"What's its name?" Wanda asked.
"His name is Ebony." Agatha answered, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "He is my familiar." With that said, Ebony let out a yowl and hopped from Wanda's lap, to his mistress'. They both sat staring at Wanda for a moment and for that moment they almost looked the same. Then the older woman broke the spell by speaking.
"In all my years I have never met a person with as much talent and ability as yourself, and I have lived for quite some time. . . I have seen your plan. To take revenge upon your father and see him defeated." She paused. "The path you have taken will be a difficult one; it will not be an easy task, but you have learned that. . . You have already chosen strong allies and are likely to find more. . . If this is what you truly desire, I will assist you, so long as you allow me to train you as my apprentice."
Wanda frowned as the analytical part of her brain took over. "What makes you think that I need help?" It was an honest enough question.
"Take your allies where you can find them. You never know what might lie ahead." She leaned back in the chair and the light from the fire ghosted over her features. Then she added absently, "You will need to be stronger than you are now to overcome the obstacles that lie before you."
Wanda leaned back n her chair as well and let out a loud tired sigh. She did not trust many people in the world. She had little reason to, after all. Yet Agatha Harkness was one of those few people she considered trustworthy. She had only known the woman for so long, but in that short time, Agatha had undone more damage than Xavier had with all his years of therapy. Agatha understood. . . And that in itself was a miracle.
"All right... But I don't have time to stay here and learn magic tricks all the time; I have a lot more important things to do."
Agatha smiled. "It will not take long. You will only have to come here every few months or so... The rest of your training will not require me. . ."
"What exactly does this 'training' consist of anyway?"
Agatha stood and walked over to stand in front of the fire.
"Nothing. All I have to do is open a door."
***
"This is about as pathetic as pathetic-ness can get." Jillian muttered to herself. You'd think that after spending over 50% of one's life in an asylum would influence you to keep away from the damn things, but nooooo. The asylum that she and Wanda had been in was most certainly not an extra special and happy place to spend one's childhood; at least it had been well funded and well kept. She couldn't imagine spending her childhood here. This one was a dump. She was surprised that the place hadn't already been shut down for having too many rats per capita. As she practically skipped down the under lighted decrepit hall, Jillian let her mind wander back to the conversation that had gotten her into this mess in the first place.
***
The door to the study that Agatha Harkness had led her into clicked shut behind them.
"So, O Scary Lady, what may this humble schizoid do for you?" Jillian asked.
"I would like to thank you for helping Wanda."
Jillian blinked.
The old woman looked down and walked over to a small shelf along the wall. "I consider her to be close to my heart. If you had not helped her to restore her memories, she would have been lost to me forever."
"Oh, that's ok."
Agatha picked up a dusty object off the shelf and examined it carefully. "There are also some things that you should know."
"Such as?"
"Have you not wondered why you are able to communicate telepathically with Wanda, but no one else?"
"Well. . . Now that you mention it, it doesn't really fit with the other stuff I do. . ."
"I believe that this phenomena stems from the fact that yours and Wanda's powers have a common root."
"Do what?"
"Wanda's power is what I call the hex ability. With this ability she affects the realm of possibilities. In other words, she can make the impossible very possible indeed. I have found that many mutants have some form of the hex ability, if only latent. . . You are such a mutant. You abilities to see through another's eyes as well as the abilities of which you are not yet aware are derivatives of the hex."
"So, what you're saying is that I can talk to Wanda in my head, because we basically have the same power?"
"Yes, but Wanda's power is different from your own in that it is much more concentrated and pure. Wanda is the epitome of what the hex ability is."
"Oh. Well that's peachy keen and all, but why exactly are you telling me this?"
Agatha sighed. "Wanda has set a task for herself that she cannot fulfill alone. She has already taken the first steps; however, by trying to find allies-- unlike her father, who tries to find tools-- and it is my desire to help her in this endeavor. You are Wanda's most loyal ally at this time. That is why I am informing you of what needs to be known to the best of my ability. . . However, more things need to occur before anything can happen. . ."
She said the last sentence absently, as if she had not meant to say it out loud. Then the old woman moved from beside the shelf to stand in front of Jillian. She held out the object she had been toying with earlier in the palm of her wrinkled hand.
"Many more allies have yet to be found. This might lead you to one of them: a mutant in dire need of your help."
Jillian took the object. It was a small sphere, made of cloudy yellow quartz. "What is it?"
"It is a transport spell. Turn it clock-wise and it will take you to where the mutant is. Turn it counter clock-wise and it will bring you back here again. I am sending you because like you and Wanda, this mutant has been kept in an insane asylum because of his differences. I am unsure of his exact location, so you will have you rely on your knowledge of how an asylum works to find him."
Jillian smiled. "Alrighty then! Sounds like fun! I have only one question."
"Yes?"
"Should you be giving a crazy person like me a magical thingy?"
Agatha chuckled. "Magic is often dangerous to those who do not understand that when one uses magic, they cannot use reason. When magic is used, different rules apply to reality. If one tries to use reason along with magic, the result is often catastrophic. However, since you do not seem to use reason anyway, you will be perfectly safe."
"OK! In that case I bid thee adieu."
Jillian grinned haphazardly and then a flash of light engulfed the room. Agatha Harkness stood there in the darkness, suddenly alone. Once her eyes had adjusted, she glided out to attend to her other guest.
***
Jillian had been surprised when she appeared in the asylum's lobby. She had expected to see somebody, but the room was hauntingly empty. A single dusty security camera was the lone sentinel, and its range of vision was so diminutive, she didn't even have to worry about it.
It was at this point that she realized she had no idea where the mutant was.
"Well. Wanda was in maximum security."
So she set off in search of maximum security. As she skipped down the halls, she wondered at the lack of guards. And the silence. Back at the hospital she and Wanda had resided in, night was a time when silence was rarely heard. Someone was always screaming about something... Here however, it was as if no living thing existed. How odd.
Lost in her thoughts, Jillian almost didn't notice the illusive security guards till she was almost on them. Panicked, she ducked into an alcove as two of them passed, mumbling about getting pizza. After she was sure they were gone, she peeped around the corner. There were a few more guards in faded uniform, huddled around an old coffee machine as if it were the last husk of their miserable lives. The only one who actually looked like he was doing something was sitting importantly in front of a door labeled maximum security -- that seemed to lead to the basement...
*They're keeping the poor guy in the basement?!* Thought Jillian incredulously.
"Shoot..." She mumbled aloud as she tried to figure a way around the guard. It wasn't as if she had any super-special powers to distract them or just knock them out of the way. Her ability to influence others had all but disappeared since hr escape... As she nervously glanced around, worried about the other guards returning, Jillian found herself inspired by the god of James Bond movies and noticed the air conditioning vent twisting its way downstairs.
She grinned.
***
"What do you mean 'open a door'?" Wanda asked.
"I do not mean literally... I mean that I must open the door of possibilities that lies within your mind. It would cause many things that would not normally occur to happen around you... Like opening a 'can of worms', if you will..."
"What in the heck does opening this thing in my head have to do with you training me?"
"The things that happen to you will help you develop your powers; as well as lead you to possible allies."
"Really..." Wanda hoped she sounded as unconvinced as she felt. It wasn't as if she enjoyed having random people romp about in her head, but it seemed to be her destiny... Oh, what the hell?
"If it hurts, I'll break your arm..."
Agatha smiled as if she didn't believe that last statement for a moment. She reached over and put her wrinkled hands on the girl's temples.
"Relax. This will not hurt a bit."
Famous last words.
Wanda gasped as she felt a surge of power run through her from where the old woman's hands made contact. Suddenly she was paralyzed; she couldn't even breathe. Her body felt as if it had been immersed in scalding hot water. She tried to cry out, but she still couldn't breathe.
Wanda sensed that she was about to pass out; the diminutive lights in the room blurred and grew. Spots of soft sunset shaded colors swam behind her eyes. Suddenly she was in a vast, endless, infinite space... But it was not empty.
The sunset colors drew together to become distant galaxies and a myriad surrounded her in every direction. She found herself moving towards one of the galaxies at an inexplicable speed. Her whole body tingled and her lungs spasmed, struggling to take a breath as she drew closer to the spiral's center. Just as the starry arms of the galaxy stretched out all around her, it happened...
Her head started to feel very strange. Her forehead tingled, and then began to burn. Then it went numb and she felt as if her entire head was being stretched out like rubber. She became aware of a cosmic wind that seemed to be blowing into her face, blinding her... Then she felt a very distinct push, right in the middle of her forehead. Suddenly everything that had been 'stretched out' snapped back into place; only this time, there seemed to be more of it. It was as if she were trying to force herself back into clothes that were too small.
Still she couldn't breathe...
***
Wanda gasped and drank in mouthfuls of life-giving oxygen. She came back to herself slowly. She was curled up in a velvet-upholstered chair in front of the fireplace. A crocheted blanket was tucked around her and Ebony was warming her lap.
"Here. Drink this." Agatha Harkness offered her hot tea that had not been there before. Once Wanda had taken a few sips the old woman asked, "That was not so bad, now was it?"
Wanda put her cup down on a nearby table and glanced down into Ebony's sleepy gaze before wondering how much force it would take to break a little old lady's arm.
***
"Ick! Ick! Eww!" *smack* "Ow, Damnit!!!" Jillian said as she squirmed down the air-conditioning vent, attempting to be covert.
She wasn't exactly an expert on what the inside of an air- conditioning vent should look like, but she was pretty sure that this wasn't it. There was a good three to six inch layer of dust and crud covering the bottom of it and it was filled with insects and rodent tunnels. In fact, she had uncovered a nest of baby mice a few feet back... They were cute and hairless, but Jillian had to move on... There were more important things at hand...
She was pretty sure she was heading in the right direction. Reasonably sure... At first she had been worried about the guards hearing her, but after smacking her head against the top of the vent a bunch of times and them having no reaction, she figured she was ok. They seemed to be used to large unknown creatures moving through the air vents... That was a lovely thought...
"Eep!" She squeaked as the vent took a sudden dip downwards and she found herself sliding. She made a muffled sound of discomfort as she hit the bottom and found herself nearly buried in the natural habitat of the common house mouse. She pulled herself along a few more feet till she felt the texture difference beneath her fingers that signaled a vent opening.
Jillian pounded at it till it gave way and she found herself in a heap on the concrete basement floor. She leapt to her feet, and listened to see if anyone had heard her. When she was satisfied they hadn't, she went about brushing all the dust out of her hair and clothing. The she had a sneezing fit for five full minutes. Once she finished, she set about exploring.
The basement was like the set of an insane asylum horror movie minus the scary music. The cells were cold and bare and didn't look as if they had been used for a very long time. She started towards the back of the room. No one was here. Maybe this wasn't where the mutant was. She took a step forward and was greeted by a different sound than before.
Set in the floor was a white, square, and aluminum door secured by a silvery padlock.
"In the floor?" Jillian mused aloud.
Unlike the rest of the room, this door was not covered in dust and the padlock looked like new. This had to be it. She squatted down and set about picking the lock, a skill she had learned from an interesting boy named Simon who believed he was Black beard the Pirate. The lock opened with a satisfying click, and Jillian opened the door. It gave a metallic screech.
Jillian looked down into the gloom and shrugged before jumping in. The floor was closer than it looked; unbalanced she landed on her behind. She stood and peered into the inky darkness. She was standing in a square of faint light cast from above and try as she might, she couldn't see anything beyond it. Every time she moved she stirred up a strong mildew smell from the padded floor. The darkness was so thick, she couldn't even tell how big the room was, or if she was alone. Suddenly she wondered if that wasn't the point.
Something caught her attention. She wasn't sure whether it was a movement of a breath, but it was something. She turned her attention towards it.
"Hello? Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you."
There was silence. Just when she was beginning to feel rather stupid, she was answered.
"Who?...." It was a soft, quiet, yet rusty voice.
"My name's Jillian, or Eye-spy, whichever you prefer. I'm a mutant like you. Come with me and I'll get you out of here." She crouched down and extended a hand towards where she thought the voice was coming from.
"Why?..." The voice was in a different location this time, but Jillian kept her hand extended and kept gazing blindly forward.
"Because I know being locked up because you're different isn't particularly enjoyable."
Silence again. Her arm was starting to get a cramp. Momentarily, she questioned the wisdom of this enterprise. Here she was, squatting in the dark, holding out her hand to someone who could leap out of the darkness from any direction and suck out her marrow before she even knew what was happening. Oh joy...
It was then that her straining eyes picked up a tiny amount of movement... Only inches in front of her.
"Come on..." She urged softly.
Then, a pale, long fingered hand with a claw at each fingertip, slowly inched itself into the light and tentatively placed itself in her hand.
***
"Your friend Jillian has returned." Agatha announced out of the blue. "She brought someone with her."
"Who?" Wanda asked. She was too tired from her ordeal to ask how in the hell she knew Jillian was back anyway.
"A mutant." Agatha answered simply, and then slowly stood.
Wanda stroked Ebony soothingly before moving the cat so that she too could stand.
"By the way, I came here with another friend. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"
"You mean the young man who insists on comparing my home to some residence in a B-rated horror movie?"
"That's the one!"
"He's in the dungeon."
"What?!" Wanda yelled at Agatha as she began to leave the room. Wanda followed.
"I mean, he is annoying, but I don't thing he deserves to be put in a dungeon or anything... Why do you have a dungeon?"
"Because." Agatha answered simply. They emerged into a foyer. Agatha reached up and grasped a candlestick holder on the wall and turned it sideways. An invisible seam appeared in the wall and a secret panel opened up. Agatha took a candle from the candlestick, lit it with a gesture, and began descending the spiral staircase within.
Pensively Wanda followed, figuring it was what the old witch expected. Suddenly it occurred to her to check in with her newly arrived friend.
'Jillian?'
*Busy.* Came the short, preoccupied reply.
'Have you seen Clint?'
*Busy!* Jillian said more forcefully, and then shut off the link.
Wanda growled in annoyance, then continued down the cold stone stair. Agatha and Wanda emerged into a labyrinth of criss-crossing hallways. Wanda paused to glance at the intricate stonework, before following Agatha down a seemingly random path through the corridors. They came to a hall lined with doors. All was dark, save for a flickering light coming from beneath one particular door.
Agatha stopped beside it, the candlelight flickering across her features eerily. Wanda stopped and stared at the door.
"Open it." Agatha instructed.
Slowly Wanda complied. The handle squeaked quietly and the door swung open silently. Wanda blinked. Okaaay...
The room resembled of a cozy den, complete with throw rug, sofa, big screen TV, and pictures on the walls. Sitting on the sofa was Clint, thoroughly hypnotized by the DVD that was playing... The Princess Bride...
Wanda grinned evilly and crept up behind the blissfully unaware mutant. She rested her chin lightly on the back of the sofa.
"Is that a chick flick?" She questioned softly.
In response, Clint jumped a foot in the air and shrieked. Once he realized who was watching him and what she had seen him watching, he leapt towards the remote and tried to turn the offending movie off... But only managed to put it on pause... With no other options left, he jumped in front of the TV and tried to block her view of the screen with his body.
"Hi..." He said absently.
"What are you watching Clint?" Wanda questioned, her evil smile deepening.
"Nothing."
"It doesn't look like nothing."
"It is!" Clint began fumbling with the DVD player, trying to turn it off.
"Clint..." Wanda said in a singsong voice. "That was a chick flick."
"No it wasn't! You have obviously been up in the tower too long. Your eyes are definitely deceiving you. It-it's just a movie preview! Damn movie previews! Now why would I ever..." He trailed off as Wanda began slowly inching her way towards the remote...
"No!!!" He yelled. They both went for the remote at the diminutive plastic contraption at the same time.
Immediately, a war for the remote began.
"Give it, Clint!"
"No! It's mine!"
"I just want to turn off the pause button."
"Like hell!"
"Why don't you want me to see what you were watching?!"
"Because!"
"Ack! Let go of it!"
"Give up woman! I'll never let go! Never! Never! Never! Never! Never!"
At some point during this intelligent ongoing conversation Agatha Harkness, who was still standing by the door, was joined by two other figures. One was female, had grayish hair, and was slightly dusty. The other was male, tall, pale yet dark, and had its features obscured by an oversized hooded sweatshirt.
"Ummm. Well, to their credit, they're not usually this weird..." Jillian laughed nervously.
The dark mutant gave no verbal answer. Although she couldn't see his face at the moment, she got the distinct impression of an eyebrow being raised.
"It's good to see them enjoying themselves." Agatha smiled. "How did it go?"
"Oh it was fine!" Jillian smiled, "Shader's pretty glad to be out of that dump!"
"Shader?" Agatha mused softly. The mutant hunched over slightly at his name being mentioned and moved slightly closer to Jillian. She smiled and took his hand in reassurance.
"That's his name."
"One who paints with shadows. Now I see."
The sounds of Wanda and Clint's bickering filled the air and no one heard the witch's familiar's meow echo down the empty halls.
***
Isn't this a barrelful of peaches? Whooptie do! Review this thing so I can do stuff... May all of you be blessed with bountiful crops and a lack of fungus on your elm trees!
Farewell!!!
Ed: Umm. Because I put bird lice in your sheets whenever you stop writing...
JJ: That was you?! You little--
Ed: Please! There could be children in the audience!
Shut up! Whatever. Anyway... Lets get to the reviews so we can get on to the damn fic.... Lord I need a vacation.....
Taineyah: Sorry for keeping you waiting! Thank you!
Gwarestrin: Oooh! I'm getting recommendations! Thank you and your cat sounds awesome like a possom! (that's a good thing)
roguehobbit: arrgh! Sorry I haven't updated lately! I don't know a hell of a lot about the Avengers either, so we're nearly even. Clint *is* an Avengers character, though in the comics he's not a mutant. He's just a guy with a bow and arrows who fights crime. What can I say?
Twilight: YES! I have decided to put the Vision in this thang! He'll be revamped though, like Clint, so he won't really be a lot like his is in the comics, but hey! He'll still be cool and totally deserving of good ol' red.
Wizardess Gal: Too much sugar. But thank you!
Keeper Of The Apocolypse: I love your new pen name; it rocks! Mental institutions are always fun! I however, just have to go visit my family to see insane people. I'm serious. Do you have any idea how many schizophrenics (paranoid and otherwise) there in my family? A whole lot! Whew! Glad I got that off my chest....
Samster The Hampster: lol. Thank you!
***
Well. Disclaimer TIME!
Disclaimer: I own nothing accept this little parrot marionette I bought at the Dollar Tree, his name is Dickie, but YOU CAN"T HAVE HIM! TAKE THE DAMN X-MEN YOU CAN'T HAVE MY PARROT! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *ahem*
Chapter Two: Whoo! More Scary Stuff!!!!
***************
"I'll have you know that my brain does not work in that manner!!!!!" Jillian bellowed.
So began the day at the BoM residence...
"Arrgh!"
"Gimme!"
"Is there, or is there not any food in this stupid house?!"
"Blob! You have to cook those before you eat them!"
"Help me, please!!!!!"
"Shush, my little Pie! Just hold still..."
"Aahhhhhhhhh!"
"Which one of you idiots dented my Jeep?!"
"Not me!"
"Let go!"
"Leave me alone!!!"
"Shut up!!!!!!"
"Uhhhhh... Where are the pop-tarts?"
"Hey baby, got any plans?"
"Yes! I have a root canal scheduled."
"ORANGE JUICE!!! BOO YEAH!!!"
***
After a healthy and relaxing breakfast, everyone was sprawled around the house in disarray digesting his or her respective meals.
"Nothing... Nothing... Nothing. . . Nothing. . ." Freddy murmured as he flipped through TV channels.
"Ooh! Go back one!" Jillian interjected. "It's Golden Girls!"
"Awww. I wanted to watch Oprah!"
"We are *not* watchin' Oprah, yo."
"What do you want to watch Toad?"
"Anything, but Oprah. . ."
Abruptly the conversation was interrupted by Lance coming in with the mail.
"Mail call!!!" He yelled. Everyone somehow found themselves within close proximity of the living room as Lance began to sort through the paper.
"Alright. . . Blob." He tossed a comic book in the larger boy's direction. Blob immediately grabbed it and forgot all arguments concerning Oprah.
"Pietro. Pietro. Pierto. Bill. Pietro. Pietro. Why do you get so much mail anyway?" Lance asked as he tossed the majority of the pile's bulk towards the speed demon.
"I'm just lucky with the ladies!" Pietro preened and sniffed an especially perfumed letter.
"Whatever. . ." Lance said distractedly as he went through the letters once again. He threw a couple of magazines at Toad, kept one of his own, threw several bills into the trash can, and finally he came to the point when only one odd looking letter was left. He looked at it in disbelief.
"Wanda?"
Wanda perked from where she had been leaning against the wall.
"What?"
"You've got a letter. ." He said and held it out towards her. Wanda frowned and looked it. Everyone stared. Wanda never got any letters.
Wanda turned the letter over in her hands and felt a strange thrill move up her fingertips. The paper looked old. . . There wasn't even an envelope, the paper was simply folded twice and sealed with a red wax seal stamped with a crescent moon insignia. Wanda's name was hand written across the front in flowing elegant calligraphy. Wanda's eyes rose and met with Jillian's briefly. Then she retreated to her room. Once everyone had gone back to what they were doing, Jillian followed.
"What is it?" She asked as she closed the door behind her.
"I don't know. . ." Wanda muttered as she peeled off the wax. Once it was off she unfolded the paper and read the message within. As she read, her eyes widened and a small smile graced her lips. Then a serious expression took its place and Wanda suddenly rose, grabbed her jacket and began to leave.
"What does it say?!" Jillian said, jumping up and down in excitement. Wanda continued out of the house.
"We're going to get Clint." She said in reply.
Jillian huffed in annoyance, but followed.
***
"Beautiful, what is it exactly that you think is so important?" Clint smiled as he sat on a picnic table in the park they were currently in.
"Yeah! What's so important about that thing that can't wait?" Jillian asked as she dangled from a tree branch a few inches over the picnic table.
"You know, you could have told us while we were still at my hotel."
Wanda sighed in annoyance. "Well *excuse* me. It's my own personal belief that it's better paranoid than sorry. . ." She took a deep breath. "It's from Agatha Harkness."
"Who?"
"That's the witch-lady that helped Wanda learn to control her powers when she first got out of the crazy house."
"Ah. What does she want?"
"She wants me to come visit her. . ." Wanda showed them the letter. "She lives in Whisper Hill, New York. All the expenses are paid. There are three train tickets enclosed."
"Ooh! So we get to come too?" Jillian smiled.
"Wait a minute. How did she know there'd be three of us? I only met you guys a few days ago!"
"Because she's a witch-lady! Oh, Wanda this is such an opportunity!"
"For what?"
"Come on, we're talking about a serious witchcraft thing going on here! You're the Scarlet Witch. It could broaden your horizons!"
"Suuure it can. Now, let's get ready ok? The tickets are dated for tomorrow."
"We can buy you a POINTY HAT!"
***
"That is the coolest house I have ever seen in my life."
"Ewewewewewew!!!!"
"Shut up!"
The Victorian style mansion on the outskirts of Whisper Hill was undoubtedly cool.
"Clint! Would you *please* stop making those horror movie noises?!" Wanda snapped.
"Anything for you, beautiful."
A high stone fence covered in gargoyles surrounded the property. Beyond the wailing intricate iron gate was an aging cobblestone courtyard. The front yard was unkempt enough to make the house look positively spooky without leading you to believe that no one lived there. Wind chimes adorned the creaky porch and reflective gazing balls of different colors were scattered here and there. The paint was peeling from the house itself and only a few yellow lights shone from the upper stories.
The three of them climbed up onto the porch walked to the door and rang the bell. Rather than the traditional ding-dong, the tone was actually that of the Big Ben clock in England. They could hear the sound echoing through out the house as if the house's interior was an empty void.
"Ooooh! Scary!" Clint grinned.
Wanda shook her fist at his head. "You know, if you keep going on, I'm gonna. . ." The door squeaking open by itself interrupted her threat. Clint raised a golden brow and then looked at Wanda as if to say: 'I rest my case'. Wanda growled and walked in, Jillian, then Clint followed.
The house's interior was not an empty void. There was a deep hued hardwood floor covered with a burgundy Persian rug. An old grandfather clock ticked consistently against the left wall. A few white-eyed paintings stared out of the darkness and a swooping staircase ahead of them led upstairs.
Side by side, Wanda and Jillian took a few steps forward. Under the sound of the squeaking floorboards beneath their feet, they missed the trapdoor that opened up under Clint and the concerned "meep" noise he made as he fell into it and disappeared.
"Welcome to my home." Agatha Harkness' serene voice drifted out of the dark room she emerged from. "I'm glad to see you could make it." She stood there regally in her old fashioned dress and a shawl wrapped around her thin shoulders. Her white hair was in elegant disarray and in her bony arms a black cat was nestled, staring knowingly.
"It's good to see you again." Wanda nodded. "This is my friend Jillian West and this is. . ." She turned around to find Clint gone. "Where's?"
"Maybe something ate him. . ." Jillian deadpanned.
"Er. Yeah, well. Why exactly did you invite me over here?"
"All in good time." Ms. Harkness glided closer. "First however, I would like to talk to your friend here."
"Me?" Jillian looked around for someone else the woman could be referring to.
"Yes. Wanda, you will not mind waiting in the library till we are finished will you?" It wasn't really a question; it was more of a statement.
Wanda shrugged, and all of them walked towards a darkened hall. Agatha opened a door, and indicated a door at the end of the hall with light streaming from beneath it to Wanda. Then she and Jillian entered the other room and disappeared. Wanda sighed and then started moving towards the light. When she reached the door she opened it silently.
It was indeed a library. Three of the room's four walls were covered in books from floor to ceiling. The floor was ebony hardwood with a crimson Persian rug adorning it. When Wanda stepped on its plush she could not help but smile. It looked exactly like a magic carpet. The light came from a fire in the fireplace, which burned merrily, yet gave off no sound and only a very soft heat. Various figurines and trinkets were placed strategically around the room. She stepped over to a shelf to examine the books. They all looked and smelled old. Several of them were in languages she couldn't understand. She pulled a red one off the shelf and opened it randomly. The pages were filled with strange fantastical characters that gave her the impression that they had taken a long time to transcribe. She pulled up a chair and began flipping the pages trying to make sense of it as she waited.
***
Half an hour later Wanda, to her surprise, found she could actually make out the meaning of some of the words in the book. It was like a puzzle. The information was hidden in the pattern, snarled there like tangles. Wanda jumped when a warm hand brushed her shoulder.
Her hostess stood behind her silently. Wanda wasn't quite sure what to do. Perhaps she should not have touched the book. As she attempted to put it back on the shelf, Agatha's voice stopped her.
"You understand that book?"
Wanda hesitated. "Well, yes. . . Some of it."
Agatha took the book gently from Wanda's grasp. "It would take a normal apprentice witch months to translate a single word of this book. . ." She said absently. Wanda had the grace to look confused. "That is why I called you here. Your potential is too great to be ignored." She put the book back on the shelf.
"Potential? For what? You already helped me to control my mutant abilities."
"I am not speaking of your mutant abilities, formidable though they are, I am speaking of your potential in witchcraft. . ."
Wanda blinked, confused. It was then that she noticed someone was conspicuously absent.
"Where's Jillian?"
The old woman narrowed her eyes slightly, like a cat, at the change in subject before answering, "I sent her on an errand."
"Oh." That was why she had pulled Jillian, a stranger, aside into another room to speak with her? Suuure it was. . . There was a pregnant pause till Wanda was roused by something jumping into her lap. The cat Agatha had been holding earlier was blinking its yellow eyes up at her. Wanda smiled slightly and stroked its head softly. The animal leaned its head into the caress and purred.
"What's its name?" Wanda asked.
"His name is Ebony." Agatha answered, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "He is my familiar." With that said, Ebony let out a yowl and hopped from Wanda's lap, to his mistress'. They both sat staring at Wanda for a moment and for that moment they almost looked the same. Then the older woman broke the spell by speaking.
"In all my years I have never met a person with as much talent and ability as yourself, and I have lived for quite some time. . . I have seen your plan. To take revenge upon your father and see him defeated." She paused. "The path you have taken will be a difficult one; it will not be an easy task, but you have learned that. . . You have already chosen strong allies and are likely to find more. . . If this is what you truly desire, I will assist you, so long as you allow me to train you as my apprentice."
Wanda frowned as the analytical part of her brain took over. "What makes you think that I need help?" It was an honest enough question.
"Take your allies where you can find them. You never know what might lie ahead." She leaned back in the chair and the light from the fire ghosted over her features. Then she added absently, "You will need to be stronger than you are now to overcome the obstacles that lie before you."
Wanda leaned back n her chair as well and let out a loud tired sigh. She did not trust many people in the world. She had little reason to, after all. Yet Agatha Harkness was one of those few people she considered trustworthy. She had only known the woman for so long, but in that short time, Agatha had undone more damage than Xavier had with all his years of therapy. Agatha understood. . . And that in itself was a miracle.
"All right... But I don't have time to stay here and learn magic tricks all the time; I have a lot more important things to do."
Agatha smiled. "It will not take long. You will only have to come here every few months or so... The rest of your training will not require me. . ."
"What exactly does this 'training' consist of anyway?"
Agatha stood and walked over to stand in front of the fire.
"Nothing. All I have to do is open a door."
***
"This is about as pathetic as pathetic-ness can get." Jillian muttered to herself. You'd think that after spending over 50% of one's life in an asylum would influence you to keep away from the damn things, but nooooo. The asylum that she and Wanda had been in was most certainly not an extra special and happy place to spend one's childhood; at least it had been well funded and well kept. She couldn't imagine spending her childhood here. This one was a dump. She was surprised that the place hadn't already been shut down for having too many rats per capita. As she practically skipped down the under lighted decrepit hall, Jillian let her mind wander back to the conversation that had gotten her into this mess in the first place.
***
The door to the study that Agatha Harkness had led her into clicked shut behind them.
"So, O Scary Lady, what may this humble schizoid do for you?" Jillian asked.
"I would like to thank you for helping Wanda."
Jillian blinked.
The old woman looked down and walked over to a small shelf along the wall. "I consider her to be close to my heart. If you had not helped her to restore her memories, she would have been lost to me forever."
"Oh, that's ok."
Agatha picked up a dusty object off the shelf and examined it carefully. "There are also some things that you should know."
"Such as?"
"Have you not wondered why you are able to communicate telepathically with Wanda, but no one else?"
"Well. . . Now that you mention it, it doesn't really fit with the other stuff I do. . ."
"I believe that this phenomena stems from the fact that yours and Wanda's powers have a common root."
"Do what?"
"Wanda's power is what I call the hex ability. With this ability she affects the realm of possibilities. In other words, she can make the impossible very possible indeed. I have found that many mutants have some form of the hex ability, if only latent. . . You are such a mutant. You abilities to see through another's eyes as well as the abilities of which you are not yet aware are derivatives of the hex."
"So, what you're saying is that I can talk to Wanda in my head, because we basically have the same power?"
"Yes, but Wanda's power is different from your own in that it is much more concentrated and pure. Wanda is the epitome of what the hex ability is."
"Oh. Well that's peachy keen and all, but why exactly are you telling me this?"
Agatha sighed. "Wanda has set a task for herself that she cannot fulfill alone. She has already taken the first steps; however, by trying to find allies-- unlike her father, who tries to find tools-- and it is my desire to help her in this endeavor. You are Wanda's most loyal ally at this time. That is why I am informing you of what needs to be known to the best of my ability. . . However, more things need to occur before anything can happen. . ."
She said the last sentence absently, as if she had not meant to say it out loud. Then the old woman moved from beside the shelf to stand in front of Jillian. She held out the object she had been toying with earlier in the palm of her wrinkled hand.
"Many more allies have yet to be found. This might lead you to one of them: a mutant in dire need of your help."
Jillian took the object. It was a small sphere, made of cloudy yellow quartz. "What is it?"
"It is a transport spell. Turn it clock-wise and it will take you to where the mutant is. Turn it counter clock-wise and it will bring you back here again. I am sending you because like you and Wanda, this mutant has been kept in an insane asylum because of his differences. I am unsure of his exact location, so you will have you rely on your knowledge of how an asylum works to find him."
Jillian smiled. "Alrighty then! Sounds like fun! I have only one question."
"Yes?"
"Should you be giving a crazy person like me a magical thingy?"
Agatha chuckled. "Magic is often dangerous to those who do not understand that when one uses magic, they cannot use reason. When magic is used, different rules apply to reality. If one tries to use reason along with magic, the result is often catastrophic. However, since you do not seem to use reason anyway, you will be perfectly safe."
"OK! In that case I bid thee adieu."
Jillian grinned haphazardly and then a flash of light engulfed the room. Agatha Harkness stood there in the darkness, suddenly alone. Once her eyes had adjusted, she glided out to attend to her other guest.
***
Jillian had been surprised when she appeared in the asylum's lobby. She had expected to see somebody, but the room was hauntingly empty. A single dusty security camera was the lone sentinel, and its range of vision was so diminutive, she didn't even have to worry about it.
It was at this point that she realized she had no idea where the mutant was.
"Well. Wanda was in maximum security."
So she set off in search of maximum security. As she skipped down the halls, she wondered at the lack of guards. And the silence. Back at the hospital she and Wanda had resided in, night was a time when silence was rarely heard. Someone was always screaming about something... Here however, it was as if no living thing existed. How odd.
Lost in her thoughts, Jillian almost didn't notice the illusive security guards till she was almost on them. Panicked, she ducked into an alcove as two of them passed, mumbling about getting pizza. After she was sure they were gone, she peeped around the corner. There were a few more guards in faded uniform, huddled around an old coffee machine as if it were the last husk of their miserable lives. The only one who actually looked like he was doing something was sitting importantly in front of a door labeled maximum security -- that seemed to lead to the basement...
*They're keeping the poor guy in the basement?!* Thought Jillian incredulously.
"Shoot..." She mumbled aloud as she tried to figure a way around the guard. It wasn't as if she had any super-special powers to distract them or just knock them out of the way. Her ability to influence others had all but disappeared since hr escape... As she nervously glanced around, worried about the other guards returning, Jillian found herself inspired by the god of James Bond movies and noticed the air conditioning vent twisting its way downstairs.
She grinned.
***
"What do you mean 'open a door'?" Wanda asked.
"I do not mean literally... I mean that I must open the door of possibilities that lies within your mind. It would cause many things that would not normally occur to happen around you... Like opening a 'can of worms', if you will..."
"What in the heck does opening this thing in my head have to do with you training me?"
"The things that happen to you will help you develop your powers; as well as lead you to possible allies."
"Really..." Wanda hoped she sounded as unconvinced as she felt. It wasn't as if she enjoyed having random people romp about in her head, but it seemed to be her destiny... Oh, what the hell?
"If it hurts, I'll break your arm..."
Agatha smiled as if she didn't believe that last statement for a moment. She reached over and put her wrinkled hands on the girl's temples.
"Relax. This will not hurt a bit."
Famous last words.
Wanda gasped as she felt a surge of power run through her from where the old woman's hands made contact. Suddenly she was paralyzed; she couldn't even breathe. Her body felt as if it had been immersed in scalding hot water. She tried to cry out, but she still couldn't breathe.
Wanda sensed that she was about to pass out; the diminutive lights in the room blurred and grew. Spots of soft sunset shaded colors swam behind her eyes. Suddenly she was in a vast, endless, infinite space... But it was not empty.
The sunset colors drew together to become distant galaxies and a myriad surrounded her in every direction. She found herself moving towards one of the galaxies at an inexplicable speed. Her whole body tingled and her lungs spasmed, struggling to take a breath as she drew closer to the spiral's center. Just as the starry arms of the galaxy stretched out all around her, it happened...
Her head started to feel very strange. Her forehead tingled, and then began to burn. Then it went numb and she felt as if her entire head was being stretched out like rubber. She became aware of a cosmic wind that seemed to be blowing into her face, blinding her... Then she felt a very distinct push, right in the middle of her forehead. Suddenly everything that had been 'stretched out' snapped back into place; only this time, there seemed to be more of it. It was as if she were trying to force herself back into clothes that were too small.
Still she couldn't breathe...
***
Wanda gasped and drank in mouthfuls of life-giving oxygen. She came back to herself slowly. She was curled up in a velvet-upholstered chair in front of the fireplace. A crocheted blanket was tucked around her and Ebony was warming her lap.
"Here. Drink this." Agatha Harkness offered her hot tea that had not been there before. Once Wanda had taken a few sips the old woman asked, "That was not so bad, now was it?"
Wanda put her cup down on a nearby table and glanced down into Ebony's sleepy gaze before wondering how much force it would take to break a little old lady's arm.
***
"Ick! Ick! Eww!" *smack* "Ow, Damnit!!!" Jillian said as she squirmed down the air-conditioning vent, attempting to be covert.
She wasn't exactly an expert on what the inside of an air- conditioning vent should look like, but she was pretty sure that this wasn't it. There was a good three to six inch layer of dust and crud covering the bottom of it and it was filled with insects and rodent tunnels. In fact, she had uncovered a nest of baby mice a few feet back... They were cute and hairless, but Jillian had to move on... There were more important things at hand...
She was pretty sure she was heading in the right direction. Reasonably sure... At first she had been worried about the guards hearing her, but after smacking her head against the top of the vent a bunch of times and them having no reaction, she figured she was ok. They seemed to be used to large unknown creatures moving through the air vents... That was a lovely thought...
"Eep!" She squeaked as the vent took a sudden dip downwards and she found herself sliding. She made a muffled sound of discomfort as she hit the bottom and found herself nearly buried in the natural habitat of the common house mouse. She pulled herself along a few more feet till she felt the texture difference beneath her fingers that signaled a vent opening.
Jillian pounded at it till it gave way and she found herself in a heap on the concrete basement floor. She leapt to her feet, and listened to see if anyone had heard her. When she was satisfied they hadn't, she went about brushing all the dust out of her hair and clothing. The she had a sneezing fit for five full minutes. Once she finished, she set about exploring.
The basement was like the set of an insane asylum horror movie minus the scary music. The cells were cold and bare and didn't look as if they had been used for a very long time. She started towards the back of the room. No one was here. Maybe this wasn't where the mutant was. She took a step forward and was greeted by a different sound than before.
Set in the floor was a white, square, and aluminum door secured by a silvery padlock.
"In the floor?" Jillian mused aloud.
Unlike the rest of the room, this door was not covered in dust and the padlock looked like new. This had to be it. She squatted down and set about picking the lock, a skill she had learned from an interesting boy named Simon who believed he was Black beard the Pirate. The lock opened with a satisfying click, and Jillian opened the door. It gave a metallic screech.
Jillian looked down into the gloom and shrugged before jumping in. The floor was closer than it looked; unbalanced she landed on her behind. She stood and peered into the inky darkness. She was standing in a square of faint light cast from above and try as she might, she couldn't see anything beyond it. Every time she moved she stirred up a strong mildew smell from the padded floor. The darkness was so thick, she couldn't even tell how big the room was, or if she was alone. Suddenly she wondered if that wasn't the point.
Something caught her attention. She wasn't sure whether it was a movement of a breath, but it was something. She turned her attention towards it.
"Hello? Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you."
There was silence. Just when she was beginning to feel rather stupid, she was answered.
"Who?...." It was a soft, quiet, yet rusty voice.
"My name's Jillian, or Eye-spy, whichever you prefer. I'm a mutant like you. Come with me and I'll get you out of here." She crouched down and extended a hand towards where she thought the voice was coming from.
"Why?..." The voice was in a different location this time, but Jillian kept her hand extended and kept gazing blindly forward.
"Because I know being locked up because you're different isn't particularly enjoyable."
Silence again. Her arm was starting to get a cramp. Momentarily, she questioned the wisdom of this enterprise. Here she was, squatting in the dark, holding out her hand to someone who could leap out of the darkness from any direction and suck out her marrow before she even knew what was happening. Oh joy...
It was then that her straining eyes picked up a tiny amount of movement... Only inches in front of her.
"Come on..." She urged softly.
Then, a pale, long fingered hand with a claw at each fingertip, slowly inched itself into the light and tentatively placed itself in her hand.
***
"Your friend Jillian has returned." Agatha announced out of the blue. "She brought someone with her."
"Who?" Wanda asked. She was too tired from her ordeal to ask how in the hell she knew Jillian was back anyway.
"A mutant." Agatha answered simply, and then slowly stood.
Wanda stroked Ebony soothingly before moving the cat so that she too could stand.
"By the way, I came here with another friend. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"
"You mean the young man who insists on comparing my home to some residence in a B-rated horror movie?"
"That's the one!"
"He's in the dungeon."
"What?!" Wanda yelled at Agatha as she began to leave the room. Wanda followed.
"I mean, he is annoying, but I don't thing he deserves to be put in a dungeon or anything... Why do you have a dungeon?"
"Because." Agatha answered simply. They emerged into a foyer. Agatha reached up and grasped a candlestick holder on the wall and turned it sideways. An invisible seam appeared in the wall and a secret panel opened up. Agatha took a candle from the candlestick, lit it with a gesture, and began descending the spiral staircase within.
Pensively Wanda followed, figuring it was what the old witch expected. Suddenly it occurred to her to check in with her newly arrived friend.
'Jillian?'
*Busy.* Came the short, preoccupied reply.
'Have you seen Clint?'
*Busy!* Jillian said more forcefully, and then shut off the link.
Wanda growled in annoyance, then continued down the cold stone stair. Agatha and Wanda emerged into a labyrinth of criss-crossing hallways. Wanda paused to glance at the intricate stonework, before following Agatha down a seemingly random path through the corridors. They came to a hall lined with doors. All was dark, save for a flickering light coming from beneath one particular door.
Agatha stopped beside it, the candlelight flickering across her features eerily. Wanda stopped and stared at the door.
"Open it." Agatha instructed.
Slowly Wanda complied. The handle squeaked quietly and the door swung open silently. Wanda blinked. Okaaay...
The room resembled of a cozy den, complete with throw rug, sofa, big screen TV, and pictures on the walls. Sitting on the sofa was Clint, thoroughly hypnotized by the DVD that was playing... The Princess Bride...
Wanda grinned evilly and crept up behind the blissfully unaware mutant. She rested her chin lightly on the back of the sofa.
"Is that a chick flick?" She questioned softly.
In response, Clint jumped a foot in the air and shrieked. Once he realized who was watching him and what she had seen him watching, he leapt towards the remote and tried to turn the offending movie off... But only managed to put it on pause... With no other options left, he jumped in front of the TV and tried to block her view of the screen with his body.
"Hi..." He said absently.
"What are you watching Clint?" Wanda questioned, her evil smile deepening.
"Nothing."
"It doesn't look like nothing."
"It is!" Clint began fumbling with the DVD player, trying to turn it off.
"Clint..." Wanda said in a singsong voice. "That was a chick flick."
"No it wasn't! You have obviously been up in the tower too long. Your eyes are definitely deceiving you. It-it's just a movie preview! Damn movie previews! Now why would I ever..." He trailed off as Wanda began slowly inching her way towards the remote...
"No!!!" He yelled. They both went for the remote at the diminutive plastic contraption at the same time.
Immediately, a war for the remote began.
"Give it, Clint!"
"No! It's mine!"
"I just want to turn off the pause button."
"Like hell!"
"Why don't you want me to see what you were watching?!"
"Because!"
"Ack! Let go of it!"
"Give up woman! I'll never let go! Never! Never! Never! Never! Never!"
At some point during this intelligent ongoing conversation Agatha Harkness, who was still standing by the door, was joined by two other figures. One was female, had grayish hair, and was slightly dusty. The other was male, tall, pale yet dark, and had its features obscured by an oversized hooded sweatshirt.
"Ummm. Well, to their credit, they're not usually this weird..." Jillian laughed nervously.
The dark mutant gave no verbal answer. Although she couldn't see his face at the moment, she got the distinct impression of an eyebrow being raised.
"It's good to see them enjoying themselves." Agatha smiled. "How did it go?"
"Oh it was fine!" Jillian smiled, "Shader's pretty glad to be out of that dump!"
"Shader?" Agatha mused softly. The mutant hunched over slightly at his name being mentioned and moved slightly closer to Jillian. She smiled and took his hand in reassurance.
"That's his name."
"One who paints with shadows. Now I see."
The sounds of Wanda and Clint's bickering filled the air and no one heard the witch's familiar's meow echo down the empty halls.
***
Isn't this a barrelful of peaches? Whooptie do! Review this thing so I can do stuff... May all of you be blessed with bountiful crops and a lack of fungus on your elm trees!
Farewell!!!