"Ashleigh! Ashleigh! Open up!"
I pounded on the door. The wind howled down the street and I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. My hair, soaked through and straggly, clung to my face and neck. It continued to rain unrelentingly.
"Ashleigh!"
The door swung open. Ashleigh appeared in the doorway, hands on her hips and glaring. "What is the big idea?"
My only reply was the chattering of my teeth.
"Oh my God!" she yelped, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside. She slammed the door behind me.
I stood shivering on the doormat. It was mid-April, which meant that it was about only forty degrees outside. I could feel the beginnings of a cold setting in and promptly pumped up my Healing Factor.
She dashed out of the room, grabbed me a towel, and ran back, shoving it into my arms. "Tell. Now."
"Hannah was murdered," I said, very quietly.
Ashleigh stared at me, her eyes bugging out of her head. "What?"
"Shauna killed Hannah. I saw it. You heard the scream. I ran to see what had happened and Shauna stood over Hannah with a knife in her chest. When she saw me, she bolted. I was caught in the room. Alone. And they thought I killed her. They kicked me out."
I dried my face on the towel, thankful that it hid my foolish tears.
Funny, I mused. I hadn't cried when I was kicked out of my other home.
"How—could—they—think—you—?" she spluttered. "I was on the phone with you when it happened! You were talking with me! There was no way you could have done it!"
"Which is exactly why I came here," I said, toweling my hair dry.
She led me into the den and shoved me down on the couch. Turning, she ran upstairs and came stomping back down with an armful of clothes.
She shoved them on me, as she had the towel. "Here. You can get changed into these. You'll catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes!" She waved her hand toward the bathroom.
I nodded my thanks and trotted inside, sliding quickly out of my soaked clothes and into the ones she had brought me. They were a couple sizes too big, as she was taller than me. I rolled up the cuffs. Thankfully, the waist size was just right.
When I came back out, she pointed up the stairs. "Go to bed. Now. There's a guestroom. First room on the left. Sleep."
I nodded, ducking my head to hide my grin. Jogging, I trotted up the steps and went into the guestroom. I fell on the bed and was asleep the moment my eyelids met.
"Good afternoon, sunshine!"
My sleeping mind was instantly confused. Where was I? Though my eyes were closed, I could tell this was definitely not my bed. And Ashleigh didn't live at the Institute…
There was a sudden explosion of light behind my closed eyelids. I moaned and rolled over, shielding my face with my hands.
"Oh, come on, Melody," Ashleigh said, shaking me roughly by the shoulder. "It's noon!"
I opened my eyelids a hair and glared at her. She had failed to tell me she was a morning person.
That's when everything that had happened last night came rushing back.
I groaned loudly and pressed my palms against my eyes. "Tell me that I had a nightmare and sleepwalked over here."
"Can't tell a lie," she replied grimly. "It happened. On lighter note, I made lunch. A la grilled cheese."
"Sounds delicious," I croaked. I threw back the covers and yawned. Ashleigh shoved my glasses on me, which I took and placed lightly on the bridge of my nose.
As I got to my feet and stretched,
she said, "And you had a visitor."
I paused in mid-yawn. "Who?"
"That Kurt kid. And I found him in the bushes behind my house. It sounds like he let off a firecracker back there or something."
"What'd he say?"
"Something about believing you. In fact, he's the one who picked up the phone after you left. When I told him we had been talking only seconds before, he said bye and hung up on me."
"It was Kurt on the phone, right? You're sure it was Kurt?"
Ashleigh's eyebrows lifted. "Heavy German accent? Squeaky yet masculine voice? Yeah. It was definitely him."
I rubbed my forehead. Then, "What about those sandwiches?"
I found myself down in the kitchen after taking a quick shower. All was silent in the kitchen but for the ticking of the clock on the wall as we ate. The storm from the night previous had blown itself out, though clouds continued to mask the sky.
Ashleigh examined the newspaper, which lay spread on the table before her. Her jaw worked slowly as she read it and, swallowing, said, "There's nothing here about the murder. They must have hushed it all up."
I nodded. I had expected this…
Someone knocked on the door. I went rigid in my seat. Had Wolverine come to take me away? Was Scott going to try to kill me with his optic blasts?
Ashleigh got out of her chair. The chair screeched loudly against the tiles. She gave me a sideways glance and went to the door.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, listening as the door swung open. "Hello?"
Silence.
The door shut and she came padding back. "Weird. No one was there."
This I didn't believe. I pumped up Hannah's power. My eyes dilated and I quickly took in the room. If Shauna had been in the room—or, indeed, anywhere in the house—I would have been able to see her.
I exhaled and busied myself with my lunch again.
"Have I mentioned that I am eternally grateful to you?" I asked as I threw out my plate and wiped grease from my fingers with a paper towel.
"Not yet," Ashleigh said after a thoughtful pause, "But I'm glad to hear it."
I grinned. At least she hadn't turned on me.
"Would you mind making your bed?" she asked.
My eyebrows lifted. "Why? I mean, it's not as if your parents are around to tell you to…"
"Because I'm a neat freak. Go and make it before I have a spazz attack."
This was news to me. "Really?"
She looked into my eyes and said, "Yes."
I sighed and threw my hands up in defeat. "Fine," I said, turning and jogging up the stairs.
When I got into the guestroom, I closed the door quietly behind me. I closed my eyes and brought my telepathy to the fore of my mind. Now if I could just contact Kurt…
Pain seared across the side of my head. I gasped and reeled, tripping over the bed and landing on it. Fireworks exploded in my eyes. Blinking furiously, I tried to focus.
There was no one in the room.
But then, appearances could be deceiving.
Someone grabbed hold of my leg and dragged me off the bed. I hit the ground hard, with a loud thud. Lashing out with my free leg, I hit something soft and living with my foot.
There was a gasp. My foot was released. I was instantly on my feet.
"Melody?" Ashleigh called up the stairs. "What's going on? It's not that hard to make your bed!"
I hesitated, glancing at the door.
That was enough.
I shrieked and careened into the wall as someone grabbed hold of my hair and pulled. Furious, I turned and held my palms out before me. My brow furrowed in concentration.
Shauna—for no one else had a brain waved pattern that demented—flew backwards and slammed into the wall. The door banged open across the room. I took no notice of it and concentrated harder.
She gasped. The wall suddenly had a Shauna-shaped impression in it. Staggering drunkenly, I made my way over to her and pressed harder.
Gagging, Shauna appeared. She grabbed at her constricting throat.
"What," I said, "Do you want?"
I relieved most of the pressure on her throat, but pinned her arms to the wall. She screamed in frustration, tossing her head from side to side. Her fingers twitched spasmodically, but that was all the movement she could manage.
I was now vaguely aware that Ashleigh stood at the door, gaping. She couldn't move for the shock she was experiencing.
"What do you want?" I repeated.
"You!" shrieked Shauna. "You! You ruined it all! Had you not stopped me, I would have been able to kill off all of Xavier's students!"
"Why do you want to do that?" I asked, my curiosity taking the better of me.
She struggled for a moment. Then, gasping, she spat, "So that I could get rid of all the X-Men!"
"Why?" I repeated.
She said nothing.
I pressed harder.
"I was promised that I could have a place of power in the new regime!"
"What new regime?"
"Ours! Magneto promised me—"
"Who?"
"The most powerful person on the planet! He wants to enslave humanity and give power to people like us!"
I leaned forward, tightening my pressure. "I could kill you now, you know," I said conversationally.
"Then do it."
"But I won't."
She looked extremely surprised. "Why?"
"Because I'm not like you. I may have a temper. I may start fights. But I'm not like you."
I carefully lifted her from the wall and, with one hand, threw the window open.
"Do you know what it's like to fly?"
She looked at me as if I were insane. "Of course I don't!" she shrieked.
"Well, you will now," I said, and promptly threw her out the window.
She screamed as she rocketed through the air.
"AND DON'T COME BACK!" I bellowed.
I sank to my knees, my head in my hands. A nasty migraine throbbed behind my eyes. My white fingers clutched the windowsill. I had used a considerable amount of power by using my telekinesis.
"Melody?" asked Ashleigh softly.
"What?"
"What—what was that?"
I lifted my head and looked at her. Her eyes were wide with horror.
And, sighing, I explained.
All of it.
"Mutants," she repeated when I finished.
I nodded sullenly. Though my headache had lifted somewhat, it was still there.
"I knew something strange was going on around here!" she crowed, laughing maniacally. "I knew it!"
"So you don't…think I'm a freak?"
"Of course I don't! What're friends for?"
"Ashleigh…" I said slowly.
"Yeah?"
"I think I could kiss you."
"Please don't."
I laughed.
"Here," she said, striding towards me. She grabbed my arm and hefted me to my feet. "Up we go. What were you doing to her?"
"Telekinesis," I replied. "I was
throwing her around telekinetically."
"Cool!"
"If you don't mind, I think I'm going to call a friend of mine over here…"
"Go straight ahead."
I beamed at her. Then, closing my eyes, I locked onto Kurt's brain wave patterns. I found him pacing nervously in his room.
Kurt?
He jumped, looked around wildly, and then said aloud, "Melody?"
Kurt, I'm at Ash's house. Shauna… she just attacked me.
I'll be right over.
Wait—!
I quickly jumped back as the air in front of me seemed to implode with a loud BAMF!
Kurt suddenly stood before me in all of his blue furred glory. He took a step forward and grabbed my shoulders, looking intently into my eyes. "Are you okay?" he demanded, his accent heavier than usually.
"Hands off," I said, gently prying his fingers from my shoulders. "Yeah. I'm fine."
He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "I told you to be careful around her. She's never going to let this go."
That's when he noticed Ashleigh, who stood gaping at my side.
He leapt back and hit the wall, tail twitching. His yellow eyes went wide. "Er…"
"It's okay. I told her," I said, and after seeing his scandalized look, continued, "She saw me fighting Shauna. I had to tell her."
"Damn right," Ashleigh said fervently. She squinted at him. "Do I know you? I mean, I know I haven't met you before. But I feel like I know you somehow."
He gave a small shrug. "You might know me better like this," he mumbled, turning on his inducer. His visage flickered.
"Whoa," she said, a grin stretching across her face. "That's cool!"
"To you."
"It's not easy, being blue," I cackled.
He glared at me. "Witty."
"So… you're saying you believe Melody?" asked Ashleigh.
Kurt nodded. "Of course. I've seen her start a couple of fights, but she'd never actually kill someone."
"Good," I said, "Because Shauna confessed to me. You heard her, Ash."
She nodded in confirmation.
I began to pace. "Kurt, does anyone else in the Institute believe me?"
"No," he said, shaking his head sadly. "Well. There is someone. Kitty does. She's convinced you didn't do it. Says the scar on your hand is proof."
I unconsciously rubbed my palm, tracing the long scar across its breadth. Ashleigh immediately grabbed my hand and forced it open wide. "So what really happened with this?" she demanded.
"Shauna dropped a knife at Kitty's chest. I was the first one to get there and caught it before it got her. Unfortunately, I grabbed the blade by accident."
"Oh."
I paused, something occurring to me. "'Crawler… did anyone notice when you 'ported here this morning?"
"I think so," he replied.
"Did they know what you were doing?"
"No."
"Did they suspect you of coming to find me?"
"Er… I think they might have."
"Then won't you be missed if you're found gone again?"
Realization dawned. "Oh, man," he said. He quickly shut his inducer off. "I gotta go. Be careful, Melody. I doubt that's the last you'll see of Shauna. I'm working on sorting things out back at the Institute. The Professor is still gone and so we have no proof Shauna is lying. When he gets back, though…"
I nodded. He reached forward and squeezed my shoulder. "If you ever need any help, don't hesitate to call."
He stepped back and closed his eyes.
BAMF!
I turned to Ashleigh, who had a gigantic grin on her face.
"What?" I asked irritably, as I could see no humor in the situation.
"He likes you."
I shrugged. "He's my friend. Of course he likes me."
"No. You don't get it. He likes you."
"Oh." I said as realization dawned on me. However, I waved it away. "Yeah, right. He's just my friend. I doubt he could ever like me like… that."
She giggled.
"Besides," I added, glaring, "I like Scott."
"Scott? He's all stiff and responsible and all that. I mean, yeah, he's cute, but I can't see why else you'd crush on him. And that besides, Jean and Taryn are all over him. Kurt has more of a personality. Stick with him. You must admit, though, that blue fur just turns you on."
I scowled.
"Kurt's just my friend, alright?"
"Whatever you say…"
I pinched the bridge of my nose to calm my headache, which had begun to rear its ugly head.
"You must have a headache," Ashleigh said, "C'mon, let's go get something for it…"
Together, we walked down the stairs. What a turnaround, I mused. I had no friends when I lived with my mother, and now I'm finding them left and right.
And, through all the pain and misery and feeling of betrayal, I felt happier than I ever had in my life.
I stuffed my hands deep inside the pockets of the gray hooded sweatshirt I had borrowed from Ashleigh. I kept my head bent as I strolled the streets of Bayville, watching the wet pavement glitter in the streetlights. Despondently, I kicked a rock around with my foot.
Two days had gone by since Shauna's attack. Ashleigh and I had been getting along great, but I needed some time alone. That, and the fact I had to contemplate what I would do after her parents came home. That date was fast approaching, and she said I had to get out by then (for which she apologized heartily, but who would want to be caught with a fugitive in their home?).
Voices drifted down one of the alleyways. It sounded like someone was being beaten up… both voices were male. I sped up, trying to ignore it.
Like I could do anything.
The voices got louder. I twitched my hood down to cover my face. It sounded as if more people had joined the melee and, if the fight spilled out into the street, I didn't want to be a part of it.
I sighed and kicked the rock as hard as I could. It soared through the air and bounced off a brick wall, clattering to the ground. I hunched my shoulders and stared at it.
Footsteps rang out behind me. I stiffened. This was a very remote part of town, where most of its crimes occurred. If someone was following me, it wasn't to ask for donations to the Jimmy fund.
"Leave off," I said loudly, not turning around. "I'm not here for trouble."
The footsteps retreated. I sighed again, shoulders sagging. So maybe I wouldn't have to use my powers to ward off some mugger.
I continued on my way. Whistling, I strolled down a street where all the streetlights had gone out. This street was almost pitch dark.
As I walked, something tugged my hood back off my face. I whirled around, falling into a defensive position. Scanning the street, I found no one there.
My heart began to thunder in my ears. Was Shauna back for another attack?
Someone shoved me from behind. "Look what we've got here!"
I turned sharply to find myself face-to-face with Shauna. I hurriedly backed up and ran into someone else. Startled, I jumped and careened into a brick wall.
The other person I had run into was Amara. She was not dressed in any way I had seen before. Her hair was clipped back out of her face and dark glasses covered her eyes. She was garbed in—and I was extremely surprised to see this—black leather.
I glanced back at Shauna. She was dressed in the same way.
Four other people came into my view, three of whom I recognized instantly: Jean, Rogue, and Kitty. The other I had seen once before, but that time she had been with the Brotherhood.
"Here's a criminal we can set to justice," said Rogue.
The girl I didn't know laughed eagerly, approaching with what looked like a miniature sun in her hands.
"Guys, c'mon, she wasn't, like, doing anything," Kitty pleaded with the others.
"Yeah, but she's done something already," snapped Jean.
Shauna grinned maliciously at me from behind the others back. Her voice dripped with fake sorrow as she said, "You killed my sister."
My face turned a series of different colors before settling on red. "I didn't," I said quietly. Then, raising my voice, added, "Not that you'd believe me."
"You're right," the unknown girl said, "We don't."
Jean must have plucked the thought from my mind, for then she said, "This is Tabitha."
"That's Boom Boom to you," Tabitha replied.
My eyebrows lifted.
"She wasn't, like, doing anything," Kitty persisted. "Let's just let bygones, like, be bygones—"
"Bygones?" snapped Jean, "She murdered someone!"
"I didn't!" I nearly shrieked.
Tabitha cupped her hands and something that glowed brilliantly flashed into existence between them.
"Leave me alone!" I yelled, pumping up my phasing ability. If worse came to worse, I'd back through the wall. Kitty wouldn't follow me… she was on my side.
Shauna started forward. Kitty grabbed her arm. "If it's worth, like, two cents, I don't think she, like, did it! She would never have, like, hurt herself if she had! And I felt as if there had been, like, someone else in the room before she came to the rescue!"
I glanced at Shauna. She paled slightly, but only someone who had been looking for this would have noticed.
I certainly had.
Amara followed my gaze. "You think Shauna did it? It was her sister!" she asked, incredulous.
I didn't give an answer, but glared defiantly.
"You do, don't you?" Rogue asked slowly.
"She would murder her sister if it meant a place of power in Magneto's regime," I said, very quietly.
All four X-Men stared at me. Tabitha seemed oblivious; Shauna, livid.
"What?" Jean demanded. "How do you know about Magneto? No one ever mentioned him while you were around."
I jerked my head at Shauna. "I got it from her. She spilled it all to me, when she attacked me in—in—in the place I'm staying."
Rogue and Amara both looked like they believed me for a moment. I caught Kitty's eye. She nodded grimly. I held my breath.
"You know what? I—I think we should leave her be…" Jean said. "Go find someone else…"
Kitty nodded. "That's, like, what I was saying the whole time. The Bayville Sirens don't, like, attack innocent people."
Slowly, they all left but for Shauna. Kitty gave me a small smile before she disappeared around the corner.
"I'll get you, CopyCat," she sneered, spitting my name as if it were a swearword. "You can be sure of that."
My eyebrows lifted. "Oh. I am. It's just that I'll probably be the first to get you."
She scowled and grabbed the collar of my jacket, ramming me against the wall. "You can't stop me," she hissed.
I shrugged and phased through her grip. She jerked her hand back as if struck.
"I can always try," I said quietly.
She glared at me one last time and darted into the shadows, becoming invisible.
I watched her go, a fiery hatred curling around my stomach. It wouldn't be much longer, I decided. All I had to do was corner her where she couldn't get away.
And there was only one place that would be able to hold her.
The Institute.
A/N: Why… hello there. I am SO extremely sorry that this took so long. It's been… what? Months? ::sigh:: I'm terribly sorry. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take so long. The story is nearing its end, and the chances of a sequel are looking pretty good.
I just want to remind you all: Even if it seems like I've forgotten this story, I HAVE NOT. I will ALWAYS work on this story because there are so many reviewers. I will NEVER FORGET this story. REMEMBER THIS!!! It may take me a couple of months, but another chapter is coming.
And speak of the devil… stick around for "Chapter 9: Infiltration"