And here's the eighth chapter. Hope you enjoy!
Scrambles chapter eight: Washed Up
Gabby awoke with a stiff neck and sore muscles. Her knees hurt and for some reason she felt trapped. There was a weird sound filling her ears, and whatever she was on or in was very bumpy. Feeling the warm heat pressed up against her arm, she opened her eyes and found a red headed woman dozing on her right arm. Her brow raised at this. She looked more thoroughly at her environment. She was on a bus. 'Explains the bumpiness, and possibly the sore muscles. But where on God's green earth am I?' she thought, trying not to disturb the lady beside her.
He arm took a spasm and felt very numb. The woman laying there jumped and began blushing when she realized she had doze asleep on her companion's arm. "I'm so sorry, sweety. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep. I'm Abigail Morris. I'm heading out to see my new grandson. Want to see a picture?"
"Sure," she heard herself say, her voice sounding higher pitched and scratchy. She ignored it and paid attention to the woman so willingly telling, or in this case showing, her life's story. She listened on.
"So, that's why I'm coming out here," the lady, Abigail said. "So, young man, what's your business coming out here? You seem awful young to be traveling aline. Where are your parents?" The tables had turned. This lady was now wanting to know about her. Before she could answer, she felt her mouth already moving.
"Well, I'm coming out her to meet my 'real' mother. I ran away from my foster home, and came out here after I received word that my mom wanted to see me." The lady looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm already eleven, and I've taken care of myself most of the time any way, so..." She didn't know the words were coming out of her mouth, but they were. She couldn't even tell this lady that she wasn't a guy.
"This is your stop, young man. Be careful." she heard the bus driver announce and looked around to see the passenger get off. Before she knew it, she was standing in the aisle being handed what she guessed were her things, though she didn't recall having them, and was being pushed off the bus. "Hope you find your mother!" she heard Abigail yell after her.
Now she found herself standing on a corner bus stop, duffle bag on her shoulder and a sickening feeling in her stomach. She didn't know where she was, where she was going, or why everyone thought she was a boy. Without knowing where to go, her feet took her in an unknown direction.
Several minutes later, she found herself walking into a small diner and sitting down to a table near the front window. She pulled out a piece of paper she didn't even know she had. Opening it, she began to read it silently to herself.
Dear Luke,
I'm sorry for leaving you. For running away.
For not being there for you. I just couldn't handle it.
Not with the life I was living...
'Did I write this and forget to give it to Luke?' she thought then was interrupted in her reading by a short, stocky man in rough clothes who stood near her table. "Luke. Follow me," he barked and walked out. Willingly her body followed and watched as the man entered a car that looked to at once be a taxi for a big city. She joined him in the front seat, tucking the paper back into her back pocket. 'Why am I getting into a strange car with a strange man, going God knows where, and I don't have any kind of weapon to protect myself. And where's the others?' she thought as they drove off.
Ten minutes later, they stopped on an overgrown driveway. She looked around at the world before her filled with trees and shrubbery.
"Here's your stop, lad. Should be here in a minute. Said she'd wanted to meet you out here for some reason. Privacy I guess. Well,...get along," and the man in the old cab drove away, leaving her standing alone in the woods on the old drive. Seeing this might be awhile she sat down on a nearby tree stump and waited.
Not five minutes later, an old blue truck pulled down the drive opposite directions she had come. The truck stopped not three feet away from her. The engine died, the driver's door opened, the driver stepped out. She was in her late twenties, red hair of a medium length with a little wave. Not a beautiful face, but one that would not be forgotten. She wore jeans, old and faded, a jean shirt that was obviously a man's due to its size and a white blouse under that. Her sunglasses were pushed on top of her head and she was standing, leaning against the truck, a small smile on her lips. She just stared at him.
"My how you've grown," she said and stepped closer. "I can't believe it's been eleven years."
"Here I am." Gabby heard herself say.
"I don't know what to say," the lady admitted. "I never should have given you away." Tears started falling. Gabby went and hugged her, but it wasn't her arms embracing the woman.
"Why?" the voice asked, its own tears falling.
"The life I was living then...if they had known that the chance of...of..." The tears were becoming too much.
"Chance of what?" the voice asked.
"Of you being a mutant. I am. The man that conceived you was. If my husband then had found out you or I were mutant, neither of us would be here now. I'm sorry, son, I had to. To save your life." She embraced him tighter. A few moments later, she leaned back and looked at him. "What name have you been going by?"
"Luke. Luke Mathersons. That's the name of my latest foster family. It changes every time. It's changed at least five times now."
"They never told you your last name?" He nodded. "Luke, or Lucas, is your first name. Lawson is your last name. Your permanent last name." She hugged him again, and again leaned back. "I'm sorry. I must leave now. I have to get out of the country. I'm glad I had this opportunity to see you again. I love you, my son. Always remember that. Here." She handed him another envelope. "Open this after I leave," and she kissed his cheek and left for the truck.
"Will I ever see you again?" he asked solemnly.
"I'm afraid not, son. I can never come back. And it's best you don't follow." She climbed back into the truck and drove off towards town. Again Gabby found herself alone in the woods.
Several hours later, when it was completely dark, Gabby found herself walking back to town. She eventually reached the diner. There, with the money she had, she ordered a small meal. While waiting for it to be prepared, she fumbled the envelope the woman had given her. The trip back to town had been filled with many mysteries.
This is what she understood so far. She was not herself, she was someone else. That was obvious. Apparently, she was in Luke's body. 'How did this happen?' she questioned her memory. "That flash." she whispered. "It must have done something to us." The sandwich and bowl of soup were placed before her. She went to eating and thinking. She thought about her day's venture. She had awoken on a bus, walked to a diner, gotten into a car with a stranger, driven to an abandoned driveway, talked to someone claiming to be Luke's mother, and now was sitting in the same diner with a letter addressed to Luke. 'Wouldn't hurt.' she thought and opened the seal. She pulled the letter out and read it.
Dear Luke
If you have received this we will never see each other again.
You are in line to receive a very large inheritance that can
only be collected when you are married. I wish you the best in
life.
Love, Raya
Back to silence, and back to the mysteries. She obviously didn't know much about her current boyfriend. She got up and headed towards the restrooms. Thankfully it was a unisex one. She stood looking in the mirror. The reflection showed Luke's face instead of hers. He had seemed somewhat distracted since meeting the pixie chick in the woods. She tried using water to wash away her thoughts. It didn't work, and when she looked in the mirror again, the child-like twenty-year old stared back.
"Irona? How did you get here? What's going on? Did it have something to do with that light?" "Too many questions. Hold on," Pixie picked up an unopened bar of soap. "This will all be over soon. There it is."
"What?"
"I finally wrote it down."
"Wrote what down?"
"Something I'm suppose to tell you." Gabby/Luke gave an 'and' look. "This will all be over soon."
"You said that already."
"I did? Alright. Bye, bye." She was gone, and she hadn't answered any questions.
"You wanna what?!" They heard Gambit scream.
"I need to send you back to your past then try to bring you back using this homing becon."
"But what if we get stuck in our past?" Kurt asked.
"Well, I guess you'll have to remain there and we'll get you when we get the others."
"But why three of us, sug?" Rogue asked, also wondering why she had volunteered.
"Because the Pack is made up of several different body types. This," he held up the wrist band, "might work for one and not another."
"That's my image inducer." Kurt pointed out.
"Yes, and when this is over, I'll make you new one. So,...who's first?"
End chapter eight. Nine coming. Poor Gambit.
Scrambles chapter eight: Washed Up
Gabby awoke with a stiff neck and sore muscles. Her knees hurt and for some reason she felt trapped. There was a weird sound filling her ears, and whatever she was on or in was very bumpy. Feeling the warm heat pressed up against her arm, she opened her eyes and found a red headed woman dozing on her right arm. Her brow raised at this. She looked more thoroughly at her environment. She was on a bus. 'Explains the bumpiness, and possibly the sore muscles. But where on God's green earth am I?' she thought, trying not to disturb the lady beside her.
He arm took a spasm and felt very numb. The woman laying there jumped and began blushing when she realized she had doze asleep on her companion's arm. "I'm so sorry, sweety. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep. I'm Abigail Morris. I'm heading out to see my new grandson. Want to see a picture?"
"Sure," she heard herself say, her voice sounding higher pitched and scratchy. She ignored it and paid attention to the woman so willingly telling, or in this case showing, her life's story. She listened on.
"So, that's why I'm coming out here," the lady, Abigail said. "So, young man, what's your business coming out here? You seem awful young to be traveling aline. Where are your parents?" The tables had turned. This lady was now wanting to know about her. Before she could answer, she felt her mouth already moving.
"Well, I'm coming out her to meet my 'real' mother. I ran away from my foster home, and came out here after I received word that my mom wanted to see me." The lady looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm already eleven, and I've taken care of myself most of the time any way, so..." She didn't know the words were coming out of her mouth, but they were. She couldn't even tell this lady that she wasn't a guy.
"This is your stop, young man. Be careful." she heard the bus driver announce and looked around to see the passenger get off. Before she knew it, she was standing in the aisle being handed what she guessed were her things, though she didn't recall having them, and was being pushed off the bus. "Hope you find your mother!" she heard Abigail yell after her.
Now she found herself standing on a corner bus stop, duffle bag on her shoulder and a sickening feeling in her stomach. She didn't know where she was, where she was going, or why everyone thought she was a boy. Without knowing where to go, her feet took her in an unknown direction.
Several minutes later, she found herself walking into a small diner and sitting down to a table near the front window. She pulled out a piece of paper she didn't even know she had. Opening it, she began to read it silently to herself.
Dear Luke,
I'm sorry for leaving you. For running away.
For not being there for you. I just couldn't handle it.
Not with the life I was living...
'Did I write this and forget to give it to Luke?' she thought then was interrupted in her reading by a short, stocky man in rough clothes who stood near her table. "Luke. Follow me," he barked and walked out. Willingly her body followed and watched as the man entered a car that looked to at once be a taxi for a big city. She joined him in the front seat, tucking the paper back into her back pocket. 'Why am I getting into a strange car with a strange man, going God knows where, and I don't have any kind of weapon to protect myself. And where's the others?' she thought as they drove off.
Ten minutes later, they stopped on an overgrown driveway. She looked around at the world before her filled with trees and shrubbery.
"Here's your stop, lad. Should be here in a minute. Said she'd wanted to meet you out here for some reason. Privacy I guess. Well,...get along," and the man in the old cab drove away, leaving her standing alone in the woods on the old drive. Seeing this might be awhile she sat down on a nearby tree stump and waited.
Not five minutes later, an old blue truck pulled down the drive opposite directions she had come. The truck stopped not three feet away from her. The engine died, the driver's door opened, the driver stepped out. She was in her late twenties, red hair of a medium length with a little wave. Not a beautiful face, but one that would not be forgotten. She wore jeans, old and faded, a jean shirt that was obviously a man's due to its size and a white blouse under that. Her sunglasses were pushed on top of her head and she was standing, leaning against the truck, a small smile on her lips. She just stared at him.
"My how you've grown," she said and stepped closer. "I can't believe it's been eleven years."
"Here I am." Gabby heard herself say.
"I don't know what to say," the lady admitted. "I never should have given you away." Tears started falling. Gabby went and hugged her, but it wasn't her arms embracing the woman.
"Why?" the voice asked, its own tears falling.
"The life I was living then...if they had known that the chance of...of..." The tears were becoming too much.
"Chance of what?" the voice asked.
"Of you being a mutant. I am. The man that conceived you was. If my husband then had found out you or I were mutant, neither of us would be here now. I'm sorry, son, I had to. To save your life." She embraced him tighter. A few moments later, she leaned back and looked at him. "What name have you been going by?"
"Luke. Luke Mathersons. That's the name of my latest foster family. It changes every time. It's changed at least five times now."
"They never told you your last name?" He nodded. "Luke, or Lucas, is your first name. Lawson is your last name. Your permanent last name." She hugged him again, and again leaned back. "I'm sorry. I must leave now. I have to get out of the country. I'm glad I had this opportunity to see you again. I love you, my son. Always remember that. Here." She handed him another envelope. "Open this after I leave," and she kissed his cheek and left for the truck.
"Will I ever see you again?" he asked solemnly.
"I'm afraid not, son. I can never come back. And it's best you don't follow." She climbed back into the truck and drove off towards town. Again Gabby found herself alone in the woods.
Several hours later, when it was completely dark, Gabby found herself walking back to town. She eventually reached the diner. There, with the money she had, she ordered a small meal. While waiting for it to be prepared, she fumbled the envelope the woman had given her. The trip back to town had been filled with many mysteries.
This is what she understood so far. She was not herself, she was someone else. That was obvious. Apparently, she was in Luke's body. 'How did this happen?' she questioned her memory. "That flash." she whispered. "It must have done something to us." The sandwich and bowl of soup were placed before her. She went to eating and thinking. She thought about her day's venture. She had awoken on a bus, walked to a diner, gotten into a car with a stranger, driven to an abandoned driveway, talked to someone claiming to be Luke's mother, and now was sitting in the same diner with a letter addressed to Luke. 'Wouldn't hurt.' she thought and opened the seal. She pulled the letter out and read it.
Dear Luke
If you have received this we will never see each other again.
You are in line to receive a very large inheritance that can
only be collected when you are married. I wish you the best in
life.
Love, Raya
Back to silence, and back to the mysteries. She obviously didn't know much about her current boyfriend. She got up and headed towards the restrooms. Thankfully it was a unisex one. She stood looking in the mirror. The reflection showed Luke's face instead of hers. He had seemed somewhat distracted since meeting the pixie chick in the woods. She tried using water to wash away her thoughts. It didn't work, and when she looked in the mirror again, the child-like twenty-year old stared back.
"Irona? How did you get here? What's going on? Did it have something to do with that light?" "Too many questions. Hold on," Pixie picked up an unopened bar of soap. "This will all be over soon. There it is."
"What?"
"I finally wrote it down."
"Wrote what down?"
"Something I'm suppose to tell you." Gabby/Luke gave an 'and' look. "This will all be over soon."
"You said that already."
"I did? Alright. Bye, bye." She was gone, and she hadn't answered any questions.
"You wanna what?!" They heard Gambit scream.
"I need to send you back to your past then try to bring you back using this homing becon."
"But what if we get stuck in our past?" Kurt asked.
"Well, I guess you'll have to remain there and we'll get you when we get the others."
"But why three of us, sug?" Rogue asked, also wondering why she had volunteered.
"Because the Pack is made up of several different body types. This," he held up the wrist band, "might work for one and not another."
"That's my image inducer." Kurt pointed out.
"Yes, and when this is over, I'll make you new one. So,...who's first?"
End chapter eight. Nine coming. Poor Gambit.