Lucky Me
Chapter 075
There were some days that seemed so boring you wish you just stayed in bed. Then there were days that dragged out so long it felt like years (this often occurred when I got caught by several speeches about things I just couldn't focus on because breathing seemed more interesting). The last of the abnormal days were the ones that had you suckered punch, lying on the floor and gasping for breath.
This was one of those days.
It started out innocent enough, but then around three in the afternoon my world was bashed, smashed, and other wise destroyed by the ringing of the doorbell and my answering it.
I'd been bumming around the dining room (avoiding Scott like always because, come on, who went into the dining room to relax?) when the door bell chimed. Personally, I didn't like answering the door because this place was wacky enough to have Spiderman show up at the door and from what I heard about him from Mr. Logan, the man was annoying. Well, not so much annoying as just didn't know when to web his mouth shut.
After the third time, I exasperatingly went to the front door (where I swear I saw a pink rabbit hopping around the entrance), opened it, and went into complete shock.
My heart clenched, went pale with freight and disbelief as my jaw took a trip to China, and my brain threw its hands up in disgust and said it was going to retire to Florida.
"Hello, Kerry," and a smile that so familiar…
At the sound of those two little words, I did the most imaginable thing possible when faced with what I was experiencing.
I passed out.
"Kookie!" I heard a voice in the distance. My brain stubbornly refused to acknowledge it as anything or anyone important. Then they decided to shake me, my brain couldn't ignore that. "Kookie! Wake up or I'll use you as a biology project!"
I cracked my eyes open to see Bugs Bunny staring back at me. Shaking my head, I closed my eyes and then reopened them. No 'rascally rabbit' just Adam looking at me with pure concern. He helped me sit up on the couch, and all I could do to say thanks was groan and hold my head in my hands.
"What happened?"
"You're the one who fainted, you tell us," Chris quipped out.
No matter how weirded out or how many times I passed out, there would always be a glare waiting for him.
"I had a-well, I guess a dream."
That got a strangled laugh.
"Right. So you didn't faint. You took a nap in front of the opened doorway. That's smart." It was better than believing what I saw.
"There was a nice breeze," I muttered with a shrug.
"Next time can you just crash on the couch like the rest of the lazy people," at this point Adam was looking over at Chris, "or else you'll give Chris another panic attack."
Chris' face went beat red.
"Don't make it sound like that!" He was visibly trying to get control his budding temper. "Anyway, you have a visitor."
"Kookie, you look sick. Why are you so pale?" Adam was gently shaking my shoulders again, trying to get me out of the stupor I had fallen back into.
I felt faint, but not half as much when I heard a voice. The same voice I heard before I passed out. It was the voice and the Professor's which brought me to the brink of bolting to the nearest window or making out with the floor again.
Professor came floating in (sort of like Yoda but in a yellow Volkswagen Beetle convertible with no wheels) along with an emotionless looking Cyclops (out of uniform, so Scott, but he was wearing the Cyclops face) and…
Dad.
I didn't keep pictures of him plain sight so it couldn't be some sick joke with an image inducer. There's no way they could ever fake…
"Hey, Kitten."
…his voice
I was utterly freaked out. And when one was freaked out, one should not open her mouth because, as the cause of the current loss on reality started to walk closer, I screamed.
"Stay away!" I shouted, backed up, tripped over the coffee table, and just kept scooting back until my wings hit the couch.
"Kerry, calm down." It was a male voice, but don't ask me whose it was. I focused on keeping my short screaming bursts under control.
"H-he's dead!" I pointed toward the man who looked, sounded, and seemed to be my Dad. My voice reached an octave I was pretty sure only Mr. Logan and dogs could hear.
Then I saw the shock and hurt(?) on Dad's face. Then I saw a shoulder and someone gripping my elbows to help stand me up.
"Kerry?" Dad or the guy who was creepingly like my Dad, questioned.
I couldn't bare it anymore. I turned, trying to run into any mouse hole with its front door open. But a steel rod of an arm was blocking my exit. Scott. I clung to his arm; he made no moves to get me off of him so I tightened my grip. My back was to the Dad-creature as Scott was facing him.
Clutching onto his upper arm, shaking, crying, and sort of sucking in breaths in short spasms there was no way I was going to be talking any time soon.
"Perhaps you should give her a few moments."
I started to nod with what Scott suggested and cried even harder. At least I finally stopped screaming my head off.
"Okay," he (dad?) agreed reluctantly.
After a few minutes of odd silence I turned to Scott. It was like I just realized I was holding him and jumped away from him. "Sorry," I muttered.
"Chris, stay with her," Scott instructed. "I'm going to talk to-" He looked down at me with an eyebrow arched over one of his lenses.
"Zach," I whispered hoarsely.
Scott nodded and left, dragging a dazed looking Adam behind him.
"Who was that?" Chris asked at length. He wasn't the only one swimming in the ocean of the severely lost.
"I-my Dad, I think," I replied softly.
"Your dad? I don't think I ever remember seeing him."
I sat down on the couch because my legs felt as if they were going to give out at any time.
"That's because he's supposed to be dead."
"Oh." He was evidently swimming further out into the dark and lost part of the ocean. "Then-he's the best looking dead guy I've ever seen."
I snapped to attention, my stare becoming hard.
"I saw him die! He's been dead for two years!"
Chris held up his hands, palms out, and quickly spat, "Whoa! No need to shout at me!"
"B-but he's dead! How can he be here and dead at the same time?" I was confused, lost, hurt, relieved, mad, and just too many other things to focus on them all. I put my head in my hands, attempting to get my breathing under control.
A few minutes later, I felt hands cover my own and when I looked up it was him. It took two seconds for me to go from the couch into his arms.
Looking over his shoulder as I held him in a death grip (considering my current problem, maybe I should have used a different way of saying that), I saw Chris with an almost heartbroken expression in his eyes. I buried my face in the curve of Jack's neck as Chris turned to leave.
My Dad was back.
My Dad who died in my arms, whose funeral I never cried at because I had to be the strong one, was back.
What was I going to do?
After I felt that I wasn't going to have a heart attack or pass out, the Professor loaned us his office. It was a large office, with nice large windows for a Blyt to jump out of should her spine turn to jelly.
Zach D'mon, my biological father, sat idly on the couch eying me. My stomach was officially in the ICU part of my anatomy.
I was shaking. Jean said I didn't have to do this but my doubts about an imposter were put to rest. There was a telepathic examination as well as a DNA test given and all the results pointed to the same thing, this man was Zechariah Foxx D'mon.
"I know this must be difficult for you."
Oh no Dad! You just let your whole family think you were dead. Let me believe that I watched you die. No, this wasn't difficult at all! This was easy! I was an X-Men trainee, this was so easy I should laugh-if I wasn't so sure I'd end up crying.
"I don't know what to say." I looked at him (I was standing up, leaning on the Professor's desk). My soaring heart also broke, like a metal cloud in my blue skies. "I'm sure you have at least a few questions."
My anger lashed out before my iced over brain could raise a hand in protest.
"Yeah, like where the hell have you been all this time?"
He narrowed his eyes (the same color as mine) and sternly instructed, "Watch your mouth, young lady."
"Oh, ex-cuse me if my language doesn't meet to your approval," I growled. I was livid and hurt, amazing how those two emotions worked together. "Maybe if you had been around more, you could have improved it!"
Dad gave a faint smile, "Still the little spitfire."
Sighing, I knew yelling at him wouldn't get me any answers. It might alleviate some of the anger, yes, but not answer the questions.
"Where have you been?" I prodded in a careful controlled tone, just like Scott taught me.
There was a troubled sigh before a hesitant, "I don't really remember."
Liar. Wait! I should give him half an ear.
"What do you mean? What do you remember?"
Dad got up, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and started to pace. His dark colored hair falling in front of his face as he walked to the balcony doors.
"It's hard to explain. I -remember what happened. I remember why, but the past few years have been a blur."
The why, perfect. He remembered I was dumb and selfish and he died trying to protect me.
"But where have you been?"
Turning to me, Dad gave the best apologetic smile.
"I have no idea. I feel like I've been everywhere and nowhere." That certainly cleared everything up. How 'bout lunch? "I think it was like—Wisconsin. A place that exists but you just want to block it out."
"I see," I snidely remarked.
I know many people probably thought I should have thrown my arms around him and cried with joy, but they weren't standing in my shoes. My mom ditched me, Dad wasn't there. My mutation came out, Dad wasn't there. Broken heart, busted lips, blasts, and gun shots and Dad wasn't there for me. I only had the X-Men and Scott to save and help me when my world imploded on itself.
Scott…
"I know you want to hate me," Dad started in a low voice. "I can understand. I've heard about what happened between you and your mother; I don't know why she acted so irrationally."
Two big black wings on my back, that's the reason.
He must have noticed I deflated and I couldn't take his staring at me anymore.
"They're real," I said in a flat, dark tone. "Stop staring. They won't fall off by wishing, trust me."
Dad's eyes snapped open wide.
"I wasn't-I didn't-I-" he sighed, and cautiously started to come closer to me. "It's just that I didn't imagine they'd-you'd-"
"Be a genetic freak of nature?" I asked without humor. "The same type of freak you and your 'boys' were 'picking off' back home?"
He flinched, stopping in his path.
"That's not what I meant, Kitten. Look at me." I refused, but I pretended to. I looked over his shoulder. "You know me. Would I ever intentionally hurt anyone?"
"I knew you," I stated, rather coldly. "A lifetime ago." I was putting Bobby-Jerk to shame with the amount of ice I was slinging around. "You did hurt us."
Dad was apparently tired of this.
"I got shot. You got away," he spoke firmly, "I can't take back the past, but I'm here for you now, aren't I?"
My eyes wanted to roll, they begged to do it. "But for how long?"
"I-I don't know." Honest answers weren't always what I wanted to hear.
"Figures," I scoffed, before I turned and left the room completely. Dad— Zach—tried to get me to come back but I ignored him.
Why not? He'd ignored me for two whole years.
Two days, two stinking days I'd been dodging Dad. My brain was snapping and mending with thoughts and emotions so fast I felt like a construction crew was going to go on strike in my brain.
If it was between Scott and Dad facing off with me, I'd choose Scott. Surprisingly, he seemed to be even more elusive than me. Jean had given smiles and excuses when I finally asked about him and said that Cerebro had picked up a new mutant signature in the area and he was investigating it.
I think he was celebrating. He was rid of me if Dad was back.
Shaking my head, I tried to think of something else besides that man. There was no one I felt comfortable enough to talk to, not even Jack. I doubted he'd ever been through something as life stuttering as this.
Then again, didn't that bad guy Magento have a way of dying and popping back up? And let me not get on the case of Jean! Clones, Aliens, universe-eating big birds of fire— so one dead-back-to-life Dad probably didn't faze anyone here but me.
This wasn't helping. This was slowly disintegrating my sanity.
"Kerry?" The voice made my heart jump, scream in horror until I looked over at the one who had called me. Then my common sense took out a huge mallet and beat my heart back into a thumping submission.
I paused before I said his name. "Scott."
Old 'one eye' as Mr. Logan liked to call him, sat down next to me. There wasn't an easy way for either or us to start this conversation. I didn't even know the topic (okay, so I was going to burn for a million years because I lied).
"Is he really your father?" Scott asked after an eternity. "Are you sure he is?"
"His blood and brain seems to think so," I replied, controlling my tone. I didn't want to end up angry or crying at this point. Of course, I was just numb from the chest up with hard feelings and hollow thoughts.
Was that a dancing fish on the lake?
A fat blue one with a top hat and cane?
"That doesn't mean anything." Scott injected my thoughts with his words.
"What do you mean?" I felt something in my heart, and I squashed it a millisecond later.
He gave me a smile I hadn't seen in quite a while, the almost carefree boyish grin.
"I've seen a lot of people mysteriously wander into the mansion after being 'dead.'" He frowned slightly. "There are ways to fake almost anything. You can fake blood, memories, and even personality traits. But-" there was always a but, "you just know if it's them."
"How?"
Scott gave a ghost of a shrug. "You know them and that's how you know it's them."
I shrugged and without thinking that perhaps I should not say anything out loud to Scott, I mean after all it was only half a month ago or more I was (verbally) ripping the man's head off, but instead I spoke.
"But what if you want to believe its them so badly that you-I dunno, fake yourself into believing it is them."
"Them you marry them."
Brain stopped.
Couldn't think.
Could speak. "What?"
That same relaxed smile. "Sorry, bad joke."
Great, my heart stopped. Scott made a joke?
"Talk to him, Kookie," were his final words of advice, well, semi-final. "You have a rare second chance; don't throw it away because you're angry. Hate him once he's gone, not while he's here." For some reason, I had the strongest feeling that Scott wasn't talking about me anymore, but for himself.
And I couldn't help but have sympathy for him and, eventually, myself.
Another two days and I was staring out over the Xavier estate from the cool perch on top of the roof. It was like a gazebo thingie bolted to the roof so one could look all around and feel intimidated by Mr. Filthy-Stinking-Rich-Bald-Yoda-Ah! Xavier!
I hadn't seen any light sabers around here (yet).
Although with my strange Dad situation, I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up losing an arm.
Dancing pigs.
Huh?
I shook my head and glanced at my Dad.
Dad stared back at me, smiling slightly. "You've grown so much."
I blushed, my Dad was always nice. So nice. So different from Scott in so many ways that the number took half a life time to write down. Then a nasty little guilt bug bit my conscience. I couldn't look at Dad any longer so I turned away. I-could never replace Dad, I knew that. But-it had been two years—more than that really.
"Is something wrong?" He gave a pathetic laugh. "Besides the obvious that is."
I shrugged. "Nothing important."
"I haven't heard about your life for years and so many months and that's all you have to say to me?"
Yeah, I already had confided everything important in…ketchup bottles drowning in a sea of mustard…not even evil mustard….wait, what?
"Can I ask you something then?" I swear if he was going to ask for a quick test flight I was going to fall through the roof in shock. But, thankfully, he didn't. Although I couldn't say that his real question was any better than my theorized one. "Why do they call you Kookie Summers?"
My stomach went down through the roof, mansion, sub-basements, and was now enjoying Chinese food on the other side of the planet. I didn't want to answer that! The thing I had felt pretty lousy about was laid out there.
When caught between a rock and a hard place, play completely and totally dumb. "What do you mean?"
One look that clearly screamed he wasn't buying it and he crossed his arms. Great, he was going into full father mode.
"They call you Kookie, which could be a pet name like kitten, but then I heard them also call you Summers. Just like the Scott guy." Oh darn, now the hard place and the rock were squashing me like the cream center of an Oreo.
"It's-my name. My new one." Before he could say anything, I started to ramble. "When Heather got rid of me I decided to get rid of my old name, too. Sorta to make a new start kinda thing. Scott and Jean are the ones who adopted me to make sure I didn't end up in some backwater orphanage or anything and Kookie was already a nick-name since I tackled the Nazi to the ground…and, and I took his last name since it was their last name and and-"
Then I shut up. I answered his question (with confusion, rambling, and utter chaos).
"That's good."
Oh great, the rest of me just went to China as well. "Huh?"
"I'm glad you moved on after my-apparent death." I had no comment or smart aleck thought to that. "I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't-sting but I know why you did it."
Petty revenge on Heather? (Guess the sarcasm got over the shock).
"It would feel worse knowing you didn't have anyone to look up to in that special fatherly way." Dad's voice was soft; almost as if I wasn't supposed to hear him.
"It's not like you think it is. Scott is always berating me and harping on the things I do." I muttered. "He's happy you're here because you relieve him of this 'fatherly' duty."
"I don't believe that," Dad defended. "He refused to let me near you, gave me the third degree, asked personal questions about you just to make sure I was who I said I was." He gave me a smile. "He really does love you, Kerry-or is it Kookie?"
"Guess that depends on whether you stick around or not." Yikes! That wasn't supposed to come out like that! "That is-uh-"
Dad laughed. "I'll stay around for a while longer. I'm glad to know you're in good hands and protective hearts. Names don't really matter to me. They never did. Guess I got that from your Grandmother." I felt nervous at the mention of Grandma Arty's name. "Are you happy here with them? With your new role model?"
I opened my mouth to answer when an explosion from behind me caught our attention.
"That was the boathouse!" I exclaimed. Before I really thought about it, I jumped over the ledge of the gazebo and took off toward the smoke and flames. Two seconds later, I stopped in mid flight to look back at my Dad.
He just smiled and waved me off as if to say go.
I had a duty to perform. I did a mid-air flip and turned toward the lake. Fear gripped my heart as I neared the destroyed place. It was close to ten at night, and Scott and Jean usually went to bed pretty early on the weekdays when there was nothing going on (like mutant terrorists or a Three Stooges Marathon).
"Scott!" I stripped to my black skin without thought and dove into the flames. "Jean!" After a few seconds of frantic looking, I saw red hair. I landed haphazardly next to the hair and began to pull debris off of her. She groaned. Doing a quick inspection I noted the black smudges on her skin, torn clothes, and I think she singed her hair but she was alive.
I grabbed her and hefted the motionless woman to a clearing outside the smoking cinders that used to be her home.
"Jean! Jean! Where's Scott? Was he here? Jean!" No response.
Something in the back of my mind had….Xavier hopping around in a purple frog costume singing 'Ooops, I did it again'….had thought that she was probably knocked out pretty soundly from having a house dropped on her head. I wondered briefly if Scott had been on the first floor and if I should look for ruby slippers and curled up feet (Wizard of Oz-ish type deal).
Scott! I had to find him!
"Cyclops isn't here." Came a gravelly voice that could smash your courage and make you wet your pants. I whirled around to come face to face with a guy who was wrapped up like a mummy and had a cape. He had to be a bad guy. Only bad guys looked stupid in capes. "He's with me."
I glared at him, my wings spreading slowly.
"Don't try anything stupid or I'll kill him."
I growled.
"Why don't you come to the graveyard and have a little chat with me and my new buddy?" He coaxed
"Why don't I just rip your spinal cord out with my teeth?" I asked darkly. Sometimes an imagination helped with colorful, eyebrow raising threats.
He laughed. His laugh was about the only thing more disturbing that his voice.
"I'll see you there. Come alone."
And then he sort of sunk into the ground.
After checking Jean once more to make sure she wasn't in any harm, I sighed heavily and took to the air. I knew the graveyard he was referring to (whoever he was, and no, I didn't mean the Jack he I meant the bad guy he). It was the only one on the grounds and where they buried the dead X people (kinda stupid to bury the living X people—but that was besides the point).
Too many headstones, Mr. Logan said once and then promptly left.
I touched ground close to the center near the large angel statue. How come bad guys had the knack of picking the creepiest places on earth to conduct evil? Not to mention the most obvious? If there was a bad guy in the middle of a day care then I would be surprised and give him an award for creativity…then again, those little devil spawns known as children might make it understandable after they'd had too much sugar.
"Now you are wondering why I made you come here, non?" I tried to figure out where he was, but his voice seemed to come from everywhere. "I have a gift for you." I heard the bushes rustle behind me, since I didn't have any face to attach to the voice and stare at, I looked behind me.
"No…" I breathed out.
Hollowed, glowing orange eyes looked back at me.
"What's the matter, Kitten?"
I-it was Dad with that mummy, cape-wearing freak's voice!
"Dad!"
"More like a puppet." The voice was coming from two places now. "You see, it was the easiest thing to do. If I used someone from an X-Men's past, they'd have been suspicious, but not of one of their new recruits."
I watched as Dad's hand wrapped around the handle of a gun.
"S-stop this!" I screamed, stumbling backwards. I gripped my head, my eyes burning, my brain swelling with confusion. "H-how is this even possible?"
"I'm a mutant," the voices, though the same voice, mocked. "My name is GraveWorm. I have the most interesting power to be able to revive the dead, no matter what their state of decay was when I found them."
Dad was really dead. I looked up, only to be stared back at with the one eye barrel of the gun. This couldn't be happening! Then I heard the click of the safety being released off the weapon. I couldn't move it felt like my legs weighed a million pounds.
"But why?" I screamed again, hopefully distracting the controller from shooting and killing me. Man, this was messing with my head, I almost wished they would pull the trigger, at least it would make things simpler.
"To get information, of course." Oh yeah duh (please don't do this to me Dad!). "If you're dead, I can manipulate you into getting me everything I want within their files."
Then, just as the trigger was gently getting pulled, a bright red beam came from the blackness of the woods. The gun went flying, I screamed, and Dad fell to the ground.
GraveWorm cursed, but this time, it was only from one source. Trembling, my knees buckled and sent me to the ground; as my breath hitched in my throat.
"Blyt! Are you all right?" Scott asked, shaking my shoulders lightly. Did he have rabbit ears? "Answer me!"
"I-I'm fine! I-I thought he captured you!"
"No, I came back to the boathouse a few moments ago and AHHHH!"
The scream registered before I realized there had been a shot fired.
"DAD!" I yelled, not really sure who I was addressing with this title anymore.
Zach stood behind us; Scott was slumped forward into my arms.
"What's wrong, Kitten?" He asked, but it wasn't him. My Dad-Zombie staggered forward, I held my breath and let out a pained scream as the gun went off again.
My shoulder was most likely broken from the bullet tearing through it.
"W-what are you doing?" I cried. "Daddy, please, stop."
I was sure I was going to die and then GraveWorm would get what he wanted: me dead.
"Kerry!" I felt hands on me, and then saw them on Scott, gently turning him over. The man was still breathing and Dad (zombie dad) seemed to be off of the control trip the other guy had him on. He looked like he was the one who was shot. "What did I do?"
Then there was a blinding white light, hot and sticky that hit me and Dad square in the chest. I went flying backwards and slammed into at least three stone gravestones on my way. I landed with an 'umph' and couldn't focus enough to make out more than three GraveWorms. Great, now a worm's gave me brain damage.
"Such a waste of time," the guy sneered, picking up the gun where my Dad must have dropped it. The throbbing in my shoulder and the oncoming migraine were whacking me around viciously. "This is taking too much time, if anyone is wise enough to come here then I'll have to start my plans all over again. I'm not a patient man."
I found Scott and Dad. They were laying about ten feet away from each other, and about thirty feet away from me.
Then I heard the chilling sound of the bullet being loaded into the chamber.
"Which one do you want to have dead? It doesn't matter to me. If you chose your father though, precious, he'll be dead again. I can't revive an over-killed person. And yet," he pointed the barrel at the stirring Cyclops, "If I kill him, I'll have full access to all the X-Men, but then I'll have to kill you as well." He gave a sickening, cruel laugh. "I'll kill you regardless, wouldn't want you telling on me after all."
I paled. "You can't!"
"Which one, precious? The mutant or the human?" GraveWorm gestured between the two men in front of me, both down on the ground groaning from the hits they'd received. "One shot, and you have one minute."
B-before Scott and Jean I hadn't had anyone because my mom hated me.
"Kerry?" Dad asked weakly.
Tears started to fall freely; I never remembered another time when my heart had been ripped out so ruthlessly. Dad, Zach D'mon, lay on one side and Scott on the other, and then there was the self-proclaimed GraveWorm. All I wanted was lying there staring back at me.
Then the bad guy started to glow.
"I'd choose quickly."
"Kerry, Kitten…" he sounded so desperate. Dad was gone; he was nothing more than a puppet. B-but he was still my dad!
My eyes flickered to Scott.
"D-do what you have to, Kerry."
My world slowed down to a snail's pace.
Then the shot ripped through the air…
"Kerry! Kerry!" My world was shaken once again. I was cold and hot all at the same time. I was staring at Jack's face. It was marred with worry and I felt my head throb with the suddenness of being woken up.
"W-what happened?"
"You were screaming everyone else is out." his voice was heavy with concern, "I guess you were having that nightmare again."
I looked around frantically. "Where's dad? What happened to GraveWorm?" I was desperate to find them both.
"Scott? He's with the Professor down stairs." I shook my head and told him my real dad. "Kerry, your dad isn't here."
"B-but he was! I s-saw him-"
It was a nightmare. It was a dream. It never happened.
Just like that the truth slammed into me like a supersonic glacier, a hard and cold truth. I felt tears start to come again.
"It seemed so real." It was just a dream, just a dream.
I didn't have to move or ask, Jack was there, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me close. He used one of his hands to softly stroke my hair.
"It's okay."
He kept trying to calm me down, but I couldn't stop crying. I had lost Dad all over again. I hated this nightmare. It was almost always something to do with my family, but I never remembered it being so vivid or having Dad in it.
It must be from all the stuff happening with Scott. All the things I never heard from my Dad. All my worries, all my secrets, all my guilt over 'replacing' Dad had piled up in my mind and I'd been so busy pushing it out of my thoughts, it decided to make up that horrible subconscious scenario. The dreams were getting worse. Was this going to be the first of many I could remember so clearly-could see my Dad's green eyes, the same color as mine, in the sunlight? To see his smile and hear his laugh—I lost him again. I was going to go crazy if I didn't do something.
Jack didn't say anything as I pushed away from him, swung my shaking legs over the side of the bed, stood, and started toward the door.
It was late at night, but I didn't care. I couldn't put off this feeling any longer. I couldn't put off the nightmares. I wasn't even sure if I had come completely back to my senses as my hand hovered above my doorknob. I shook my head as if to clear it and turned toward my window instead. The professor's balcony was right below my window, so I jumped down using my wings to land without breaking anything.
Turning, I walked through the opened French doors and right into the conference they were holding. I didn't ask permission or anything, just walked in to whatever it was they were doing.
"Kookie? What on earth-?"
"I want to go back," I stated, my voice giving away my tiredness.
"Back? Back where?" Professor asked. For once he was confused.
"To Washington. To Acola. I want to go back." Understanding suddenly began to shine in their minds, but before anyone could breathe a word my mouth made a demand I hadn't planned on. "And I want Scott to come with me."
