This chapter occurs right after Deidra ran away from Scott and Jean. This
is part two the last chapter because of the time and because of the
reoccurring theme to it. O I am so proud of this chapter. I know that
sounds morbid once you read it. But I think I brought emotion into it.
****************************************************************************
**************
"These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real." My Immortal, Evanescence.
**************************************************************************** **************
Deidra didn't stop running until the school was no longer visible. Stopping to catch her breath, she waited nervously for Toad. The tired mutant was walking a ways back, wheezing, but he finally made caught up with her. Deidra flicked her forked tongue into the air tentatively, tasting to see if anyone was following. This action caused Toad's eyes to pop out more than usual. "Whoa! I didn't know you could do that!" Deidra smiled in spite of herself. "You'll find there are a few things I keep to myself. Don't bother asking either." She said, starting to walk again, with Toad lagging behind. "Ya know." He said leisurely , flicking at a stray fly. "Before you told me your name was Deidra, I always called ya Chameleon. I think we should use that as your counter-name. Whadya think?" Deidra stopped walking. Suddenly she whipped around and smacked Toad across the face. He sat down hard on the concrete, numbly rubbing his cheek.
"Never call me that ever again." Deidra hissed in his face. Toad leaned back from her wrath. With a slight growl she spun around and started walking home again. Toad stood up, a bit hurt from her out burst. "Why shouldn't I call you that yo? And why did you flip out when you saw Shades back there?" Deidra's shoulder's sag, but she continued walking. "He looked like one of them." Was the only answer Toad got. He decided not to push the matter.
When they got home, Mystique was waiting for them. So were Wanda, and three other boys Deidra hadn't met yet. One was a huge. blob, and another was string bean with pale white hair. The third was a brunette and didn't look too out of the ordinary. "Boys, I want you to meet our newest member, Chameleon." Deidra clenched her fist as Mystique said that. Toad nervously went up to the shape-shifter. "Uh, Mystique? She don't like to be called that. Her name is Deidra, so why don't we just leave it at that yo?" Mystique looked a tad taken aback, but after looking at Deidra's expression, she consented. "This is Deidra. Deidra this is Fred, Pietro, and Lance." She said, motioning to first the blob-like human, then the stick, and finally the normal looking kid. Deidra smiled. "Nice to meet you all. Are you all.different?" she said, searching for the right words.
Pietro smirked. A second later he was gone. Deidra heard his voice behind her. "You could say that. Yes. What about you?" A second later he was in front of her again. Deidra blinked. She removed her glasses shakily, then faced the three. "Cool!" was all Pietro said. Fred found it very interesting as well. Lance, on the other hand, didn't seem too impressed. "What, you just have unique eyes, not much of a power if you ask me." Deidra glared at him, then laughed as she watched his expression change when she seemingly disappeared. "Uh, OK, nevermind." Lance said a little sulkily. Toad grinned. "Don't worry. Lance just gets a little sore when he gets proven wrong. Ain't that right Avalanche?" Lance glared at him, and the ground seemed to rumble a bit under their feet. Mystique shot Lance a warning glance and the tremors stopped. "Well at least I know what your power is." Deidra said quietly. "Nice meeting you all. If you will excuse me, I think I'll try doing some of this work I was given at school."
Mystique stopped her before she could go anywhere. "Would you like to work on your powers first?" Deidra looked puzzled, so she continued. "I noticed that when you camouflage, your clothes don't. Would you like to work on changing anything you're wearing to touching as well?" Deidra stared at her, fear in her eyes. Had she been wrong to trust this person? Deidra took a step back. "How would I be able to do that?" she asked shakily, starting to sweat. Mystique was confused by her reaction, as was everyone else. "Why, by exercises of course. Mental and physical exercises." Deidra relaxed visibly, but she was still wary. "I'll try" she said uncertainly. Reluctantly she followed Mystique outside.
After about an hour of different exercises, Deidra walked back inside, both relieved and happy. She had managed to change her shirt and pants that she was wearing. The trench coat still remained visible, but Mystique said she was seeing the corners fade. Deidra really liked Mystique. She didn't hurt her when her mutation didn't work right, and most of all. but Deidra would let herself think about the latter. She trudged upstairs to take a shower and change.
Toad leaned back from his desk and stretched. He had finished his stupid math homework. Peering out the door, he saw a light on in Deidra's room. He hopped over and peered through the door. Embarrassment hit him when he realized she was dressing. Blushing at himself, he turned away, but something caught his eye. A long jagged scar ran across the small of her back. Swallowing his pride, Toad cautiously stepped into the room. "Where's that from?" he asked. She jumped- he had been quiet coming in- and hastily pulled her shirt over her head. "It's nothing." She said quickly. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. On impulse, Toad reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's k, you can tell me yo." Deidra's shoulder's sagged. She seemed to let what ever guard she had held up down, and plopped down on the bed, Toad sitting next to her.
Deidra pulled her shirt back up over her head and turned her back to Toad. He indistinctly gasped. Running up and down her back were scars, some small, some larger, like on he had seen, but all looked like they had been crudely taken care of. "What happened?" he breathed. Deidra took a shuddery breath. "They." She whispered. She turned around and showed Toad her stomach. The same ugly scars ran down her front and up under her bra. "They did this to me." She said in a choked voice. Toad just sat there, numb "They cut me open, tried to find out what I was. They tried to change me, from the inside." Tears began to spill out of her eyes. Toad leaned forward awkwardly, but Deidra wasn't finished. Lifting up the leg of her shorts, she revealed twelve identical round welt- each a different color. "They poured acid on my skin." She went on, each breath more ragged than the last. "They tried to see what would happen. They wanted to change my skin. They wanted to change who I was." Deidra gave a small sad smile. "This kept them interested for a while. They would have gotten bored, but then they found my mouth."
With a finger she lifted her top lip. Toad wasn't all that surprised to see that she had fang-like canines accompanying the tongue. What got him where the scars that ran up and down her gums. "They tried to get my tongue like yours." Deidra whispered. "They stretched it for hours, trying to lengthen it." As he looked harder, Toad saw this evidence, there were rough cuts along her tongue as well. He couldn't speak yet, just listened as Deidra went on, now sobbing, "They cut up my arms and legs too, but they were careful about that. Those wounds healed. They didn't believe I would grow. When I reached puberty, they cut me up then too." She said, pulling down her bra, revealing scars lining her breasts. "They made me believe that I was a freak. They tried to convince me that the only way I could be saved was if they did this to me. I don't remember what happened at night. I think they drugged me then." She sobbed, showing a ugly purplish lump on the back of her neck. "They did this to me all day, for years. They" But she couldn't go on, could just sit there, crying.
Toad pulled her over to him, let her sob into his shoulder, as he slowly rocked back and forth, letting all her release all of her pain from years. "Why did they do this to me?! They were so ignorant- they thought they could change me, they just destroyed me. Look what they have done to me! And they were going to start on my brain next." she cried, almost hysterical now. "They wanted to make me more obedient. They wanted to see if they could enhance my powers by messing with my brain. I ran away then. I had to get away. They've ruined my body so much, I could let them get to my mind as well." Toad just sat with her, rocking her gently, listening to her sobs, letting his own tears spill out. Eventually her cries calmed down. Her body wracking sobs died down to shaky breaths. Then she spoke again. "At least the cuts on my face healed." Toad nearly broke down then. He clutched her closer, rocking harder, his own vision blinded by tears. To think that someone would cut Deidra's beautiful face. To think someone would do that to her. Toad pledged himself to helping her, no matter what the cost. They, whoever they were, would never get to her again. He held her close, letting his tears fall on her, trying to help her heal.
Standing by the door, in the shadows, was Wanda, unnoticed by them both. She hadn't heard Deidra's story, but she saw Toad's tenderness towards her. She also thought she knew why Deidra looked recognizable. She seethed with anger, waiting the chance to get back at the new mutant, what ever the cost, and no matter what Deidra had been through.
"These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real." My Immortal, Evanescence.
**************************************************************************** **************
Deidra didn't stop running until the school was no longer visible. Stopping to catch her breath, she waited nervously for Toad. The tired mutant was walking a ways back, wheezing, but he finally made caught up with her. Deidra flicked her forked tongue into the air tentatively, tasting to see if anyone was following. This action caused Toad's eyes to pop out more than usual. "Whoa! I didn't know you could do that!" Deidra smiled in spite of herself. "You'll find there are a few things I keep to myself. Don't bother asking either." She said, starting to walk again, with Toad lagging behind. "Ya know." He said leisurely , flicking at a stray fly. "Before you told me your name was Deidra, I always called ya Chameleon. I think we should use that as your counter-name. Whadya think?" Deidra stopped walking. Suddenly she whipped around and smacked Toad across the face. He sat down hard on the concrete, numbly rubbing his cheek.
"Never call me that ever again." Deidra hissed in his face. Toad leaned back from her wrath. With a slight growl she spun around and started walking home again. Toad stood up, a bit hurt from her out burst. "Why shouldn't I call you that yo? And why did you flip out when you saw Shades back there?" Deidra's shoulder's sag, but she continued walking. "He looked like one of them." Was the only answer Toad got. He decided not to push the matter.
When they got home, Mystique was waiting for them. So were Wanda, and three other boys Deidra hadn't met yet. One was a huge. blob, and another was string bean with pale white hair. The third was a brunette and didn't look too out of the ordinary. "Boys, I want you to meet our newest member, Chameleon." Deidra clenched her fist as Mystique said that. Toad nervously went up to the shape-shifter. "Uh, Mystique? She don't like to be called that. Her name is Deidra, so why don't we just leave it at that yo?" Mystique looked a tad taken aback, but after looking at Deidra's expression, she consented. "This is Deidra. Deidra this is Fred, Pietro, and Lance." She said, motioning to first the blob-like human, then the stick, and finally the normal looking kid. Deidra smiled. "Nice to meet you all. Are you all.different?" she said, searching for the right words.
Pietro smirked. A second later he was gone. Deidra heard his voice behind her. "You could say that. Yes. What about you?" A second later he was in front of her again. Deidra blinked. She removed her glasses shakily, then faced the three. "Cool!" was all Pietro said. Fred found it very interesting as well. Lance, on the other hand, didn't seem too impressed. "What, you just have unique eyes, not much of a power if you ask me." Deidra glared at him, then laughed as she watched his expression change when she seemingly disappeared. "Uh, OK, nevermind." Lance said a little sulkily. Toad grinned. "Don't worry. Lance just gets a little sore when he gets proven wrong. Ain't that right Avalanche?" Lance glared at him, and the ground seemed to rumble a bit under their feet. Mystique shot Lance a warning glance and the tremors stopped. "Well at least I know what your power is." Deidra said quietly. "Nice meeting you all. If you will excuse me, I think I'll try doing some of this work I was given at school."
Mystique stopped her before she could go anywhere. "Would you like to work on your powers first?" Deidra looked puzzled, so she continued. "I noticed that when you camouflage, your clothes don't. Would you like to work on changing anything you're wearing to touching as well?" Deidra stared at her, fear in her eyes. Had she been wrong to trust this person? Deidra took a step back. "How would I be able to do that?" she asked shakily, starting to sweat. Mystique was confused by her reaction, as was everyone else. "Why, by exercises of course. Mental and physical exercises." Deidra relaxed visibly, but she was still wary. "I'll try" she said uncertainly. Reluctantly she followed Mystique outside.
After about an hour of different exercises, Deidra walked back inside, both relieved and happy. She had managed to change her shirt and pants that she was wearing. The trench coat still remained visible, but Mystique said she was seeing the corners fade. Deidra really liked Mystique. She didn't hurt her when her mutation didn't work right, and most of all. but Deidra would let herself think about the latter. She trudged upstairs to take a shower and change.
Toad leaned back from his desk and stretched. He had finished his stupid math homework. Peering out the door, he saw a light on in Deidra's room. He hopped over and peered through the door. Embarrassment hit him when he realized she was dressing. Blushing at himself, he turned away, but something caught his eye. A long jagged scar ran across the small of her back. Swallowing his pride, Toad cautiously stepped into the room. "Where's that from?" he asked. She jumped- he had been quiet coming in- and hastily pulled her shirt over her head. "It's nothing." She said quickly. There was a hint of sadness in her voice. On impulse, Toad reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's k, you can tell me yo." Deidra's shoulder's sagged. She seemed to let what ever guard she had held up down, and plopped down on the bed, Toad sitting next to her.
Deidra pulled her shirt back up over her head and turned her back to Toad. He indistinctly gasped. Running up and down her back were scars, some small, some larger, like on he had seen, but all looked like they had been crudely taken care of. "What happened?" he breathed. Deidra took a shuddery breath. "They." She whispered. She turned around and showed Toad her stomach. The same ugly scars ran down her front and up under her bra. "They did this to me." She said in a choked voice. Toad just sat there, numb "They cut me open, tried to find out what I was. They tried to change me, from the inside." Tears began to spill out of her eyes. Toad leaned forward awkwardly, but Deidra wasn't finished. Lifting up the leg of her shorts, she revealed twelve identical round welt- each a different color. "They poured acid on my skin." She went on, each breath more ragged than the last. "They tried to see what would happen. They wanted to change my skin. They wanted to change who I was." Deidra gave a small sad smile. "This kept them interested for a while. They would have gotten bored, but then they found my mouth."
With a finger she lifted her top lip. Toad wasn't all that surprised to see that she had fang-like canines accompanying the tongue. What got him where the scars that ran up and down her gums. "They tried to get my tongue like yours." Deidra whispered. "They stretched it for hours, trying to lengthen it." As he looked harder, Toad saw this evidence, there were rough cuts along her tongue as well. He couldn't speak yet, just listened as Deidra went on, now sobbing, "They cut up my arms and legs too, but they were careful about that. Those wounds healed. They didn't believe I would grow. When I reached puberty, they cut me up then too." She said, pulling down her bra, revealing scars lining her breasts. "They made me believe that I was a freak. They tried to convince me that the only way I could be saved was if they did this to me. I don't remember what happened at night. I think they drugged me then." She sobbed, showing a ugly purplish lump on the back of her neck. "They did this to me all day, for years. They" But she couldn't go on, could just sit there, crying.
Toad pulled her over to him, let her sob into his shoulder, as he slowly rocked back and forth, letting all her release all of her pain from years. "Why did they do this to me?! They were so ignorant- they thought they could change me, they just destroyed me. Look what they have done to me! And they were going to start on my brain next." she cried, almost hysterical now. "They wanted to make me more obedient. They wanted to see if they could enhance my powers by messing with my brain. I ran away then. I had to get away. They've ruined my body so much, I could let them get to my mind as well." Toad just sat with her, rocking her gently, listening to her sobs, letting his own tears spill out. Eventually her cries calmed down. Her body wracking sobs died down to shaky breaths. Then she spoke again. "At least the cuts on my face healed." Toad nearly broke down then. He clutched her closer, rocking harder, his own vision blinded by tears. To think that someone would cut Deidra's beautiful face. To think someone would do that to her. Toad pledged himself to helping her, no matter what the cost. They, whoever they were, would never get to her again. He held her close, letting his tears fall on her, trying to help her heal.
Standing by the door, in the shadows, was Wanda, unnoticed by them both. She hadn't heard Deidra's story, but she saw Toad's tenderness towards her. She also thought she knew why Deidra looked recognizable. She seethed with anger, waiting the chance to get back at the new mutant, what ever the cost, and no matter what Deidra had been through.