disclaimer: All characters are the property of Marvel, except Jenny who is MINE.
Human in a Mutant World
by Dizi
Chapter 9
The meeting with the police started out exactly as Jenny expected. They asked about the phone calls. She authorized them to get phone records and told referred them to Harry about the ones at work because she wasn't sure exactly how many times Phillip Notheis had called there. They asked about the attack, and that was the only thing she lied about. She said he tried to grab her because she couldn't explain why she wasn't in the hospital and didn't have any bruises.
The problem started when Jenny thought they were done. The two police detectives pulled out a folder with copies of photographs given to them by the Bueller School for Girls' board of directors. These were pictures Jenny hadn't seen. She hadn't even known about them. They also had copies of the photos Jenny had received at Harry's. The detectives wanted to know who the men were.
Ororo gripped Jenny's hand tight, offering her strength. She had been appalled at the sight of Jenny's back when she'd changed her clothes but this was much worse. If she hadn't been holding Jenny's hand she would have thought the girl dead from the images she was seeing. It was hard to understand how Jenny had survived such pain and remained sane.
"Ms. Grenislavich, Genevra, we really need to know who these men are, anything you can tell us would be of assistance?" the first detective asked. They hadn't really paid attention to their names, but Ororo thought that it was Mike.
"Please, don't call me that. My name's Jenny now." Jenny whispered, still staring at the pictures on the coffee table.
"Jenny, please-" he tried again.
"I don't know who they are." she interruped. "You have pictures of them, find them, I-I can't help you. I-I'm sorry."
"But you must know something." He insisted. "From what the school tells us, you were with them for two days."
Two days. It made Ororo's mind spin. Jenny had endured that for two days. Jenny made a soft sound and Ororo decided to take the situation in hand. "Officer, I am not a doctor but from what I can see, Jenny would not have been aware of anything at the time those photographs were taken. May I ask if charges are being brought against the school you mentioned?"
"The school?" He was thrown off by the question.
"You have stated Jenny was missing for two days. Did the school report her missing? If they did not, do they not also have responsibility for her injuries? These other pictures were taken afterward. How was it possible for this man to violate her further when she would obviously have been in pain? Were they not required to care for her? How is it you are only now aware of such things occurring?" Ororo was becoming angrier by the moment. Someone had failed her friend and these men were doing nothing about it but demanding answers that anyone could see Jenny would not be able to give.
"According to the school, she had a history of wild behavior and often faked illness to get out of class. They said when she returned to the school she was behaving erratically and had no way of knowing it was any different from previous behavior." Mike attempted to defend them. "You must understand it's a school basically for problem cases and they have to be harsh with them sometimes."
"Your explanation does not make sense." Ororo was outraged. "She would have been bleeding and could not have been conscious. How did Jenny survive the damage done to her if she was not given assistance? Anyone would have been able to see she was in pain."
"Ms. Munroe, I understand what you're saying." The second detective, who she now remembered was named Dylan, spoke for the first time. "Believe me, I do. I asked those same questions and the school will be looked into. But our priority right now is finding these men. This is not the first time they've done this and it likely won't be the last. We need to stop them." He stopped and looked at Jenny and she could see the sympathy in his eyes but it didn't make it easier. "Jenny, I've been doing this a long time. I know it's not easy to see these. It brings it back and makes it new. But we don't want it happening to anyone else. Anything you could tell us may help."
"Dylan-"
"Shut up, Mike, you saw these pictures. She's not a mutant according to her file. So what if she likes them? The school didn't have the right to mistreat her because of who her friends are and you don't have the right to treat her this way because you don't like mutants. I don't care if she's Magneto's daughter after seeing those." He gestured at the pictures. "She's lucky to be alive and she's the first one we've found that has survived. If you can't handle it, leave, and I'll finish by myself."
"She's a mutie lover-" Mike began.
"Excuse me." Charles demanded from the doorway, having come in response to Ororo's distress. His brown eyes were hard with anger at the detective's unsympathetic tone and hearing the words 'mutie-lover', which he hated. "Detective, I must protest your tone and choice of words. We try to keep an open mind here, and I refuse to tolerate such narrow-minded views in my home. If you cannot respect that and change your tone and words appropriately, you will no longer be welcome here. Jenny is my guest and I will not allow you to mistreat her. "
"Look, I have a job to do-"
"But you are not doing it by mistreating my guest. She has been through many traumatic experiences and meeting with the police should not have been another." He was firm.
"Just wait in the car, Mike." Dylan ordered. "I'll finish the interview and meet you outside." He waited until his partner was out the door before turning to them. "I'm sorry, I know it probably doesn't help but he's new to this unit. He'll learn very quickly that normal humans can do more harm to themselves than mutants do."
Charles looked at Jenny, who still staring at the pictures. "Do you want me to leave, Jenny?"
She shook her head slightly. He had been of help and it seemed eveyone else had seen the pictures anyway.
Dylan picked up the pictures and put them back in the folder. "Jenny, if you could try to think back, how did they take you from the school?"
"He sold me to them." she whispered.
"Notheis?" Dylan prompted.
"Everyone knew my parents didn't care about me, but I kept trying to call and I wrote and... He told them about me and they came and said they were sent by my father and... I went." She continued in the same whisper, unable to raise her voice.
"Didn't the school check? They just let you go?"
"One of the other girls told me and I just went. I didn't wait for permission. I just went." The tears was filling her eyes and she didn't want to cry in front of this man, no matter how nice he was.
"You said they paid Notheis. How do you know this? Do you know how much?"
"Th-the pictures. They paid him with the pictures, there might have been money too." She couldn't stop the tears and felt Ororo's hand tighten again. She gripped it, grateful for her presence.
"How do you know that, Jenny?"
She had to force the words. "He told me. When he.. when he..."
"It's alright, you don't have to say anymore." Dylan said gently. "That's enough for us to know what to look for." He stood up and started to leave. "May I ask, Jenny, how did you survive? I know the school didn't help you."
"You can't tell... you can't..." she began and continued at his nod, "the doctor at the school was a mutant. He got me out."
Dylan nodded again, understanding the doctors situation, "By the way, I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you, but my father and I have not been close for a long time." Jenny managed to answer.
He looked surprised. "Uh, I'm sorry, I didn't know about your father. I meant your apartment."
"My apartment?" She didn't know what he was talking about. "What about my apartment?"
"I thought you knew." Dylan looked at Ororo and Charles for help but they looked away. "Notheis trashed it. I don't think anything's left. I'm sorry." With that he left, before he could become the bearer of more bad news.
Jenny slowly released Ororo's hand. It had gone numb from gripping so tight, but Ororo hadn't cared. "Did you know?" Jenny asked quietly.
"I- yes, I was aware. I had assumed Henry or Logan would have already told you." Jenny had spent more time with them and it was logical they would have told her, but Ororo was ashamed she had not made sure she knew.
Jenny nodded. "I-I think I would like to be alone for awhile." She left the room trying to remain calm until she could be private.
Ororo turned to Charles and let him see how much the ordeal had affected her. "They had her two days, Charles. I do not know how she survived. How could the school she was at not assist her when it must have been obvious the pain she was in?"
He took her hand, much the same way Ororo had held Jenny's. "Over the last two days I've looked into the school she went to. The police detective was correct in that it is a school for problem cases. Jenny's emotional situation at the time she arrived and perhaps whatever her father may have told the administrators would have been strong marks against her. I do not like it, but in some ways I can understand how the circumstances would have come about. Jenny would have been very emotional having just lost her family and friend just before arriving and in their minds that may have confirmed their misconceptions about her."
"But she would have been in too much pain for such an explanation." She protested.
"That is another matter entirely." His voice hardened. "I intend to contact some people I know and have an investigation of my own started. But I believe we may be able to leave it to Dylan."
Ororo released his hand and rose to her feet. "I do not believe it is good for Jenny to be alone. I will find her."
"No, don't. She has enough people watching her. Do you really think any of them will let anything happen? She's used to being on her own and has revealed alot to us today. Give her some time. If she needs you or one of the others, she'll either find you herself or Logan, Remy, Bishop, or Hank will let you know." He chuckled. "After this morning, the whole house will watch out for her, I think."
"I know you are correct, but... I just feel the need to know she is alright after seeing those photographs." She knew she would never forget them and all that Jenny had lived through.
"Why don't you go to the security room? That's what Bishop, Logan and Hank do. I understand they almost had a party in there last night." He chucked again and patted her hand before leaving to make some calls.
Jenny didn't want to go to the med-lab, afraid Hank would be there. The rec-room was out because anyone could be there. She didn't know the mansion well enough to know of a private place. So she went the only place she did know. She went outside.
As she passed through the kitchen, she saw Remy's cigarettes and, giving in to temptation, she grabbed them on her way out. He probably wouldn't mind and she needed something. She intended to quit but now was not the time. She would wait until her life went back to normal. These were extreme circumstances and she knew it. At least, she wanted to believe that her life would be normal again. It was something she needed to believe.
Jenny found a place where other's had obviously smoked before since there were chairs and a can for the butts. She closed her eyes and let her past play before her.
"Musta been bad."
Jenny jumped at Logan's voice. She'd thought she was alone, thought she wanted to be. "Yeah, you could say that." she murmured, finally answering.
He lit a cigar, waited a moment, and sighed, "Cain't believe I'm gonna say this, but do ya wanna talk about it?"
She didn't answer immediately, "Am I a good person?"
"What kinda question's that?" he demanded.
"Please, just answer. Am I a good person?" Jenny finished the cigarette and put it in the can.
"This better not be one a those 'why do bad things happen ta me' questions." he muttered. "Yer one a the best people I know, and like it or not I know a lotta people."
"I just lied to the police. By implication, but I still lied. I've been lying to everyone." She lit another cigarette, thinking she'd buy Remy more. "There was a second set of pictures wasn't there?"
He took a long draw on the cigar before answering, "Yeah, there was."
"The police had copies of all of them. I didn't know about the second set."
"Darlin', I don't know how ta say how sorry I am." He started to put a hand on her shoulder and she jerked away.
Without looking at him, she said, "Please, don't touch me. I-I'm sorry, but I just don't want to be touched right now."
He nodded.
"Ororo was great. She understood a lot." She took a deep breath. "Does Jubilee like the school she's at?"
"She'd rather be here, but she knows we still care 'bout her. She's got friends her own age an' she can be a little girl again fer awhile. It ain't like it was with you. She's there 'cause it's best fer her not 'cause we don't want her. She knows that, jus' took her awhile." He pause a beat. "Took me awhile."
"That's good. And the people in charge?" she asked pointedly.
He understood right away. "They're couple of us."
"Okay. I was worried about her. She could handle it better than I did, she can take care of herself, but... I still worried."
They were both quiet. When he finished his cigar, Logan stood up. "I'll leave ya be." and he turned to walk back inside.
"They didn't listen to me." He stopped and sat back down. Whatever Jenny needed to say he could take it. "I begged them and they didn't listen. I hurt so much, Logan, and they put me in a little room and left me there. Because a mutant had been my friend they took every opportunity to punish me."
She lit another cigarette. "And then he came to me. He said if I let him do whatever he wanted he'd get me out. He'd get me to a doctor." Jenny met his eyes. "So I did. Everytime he did something... if I cried or screamed, whimpered, anything, he'dstop and asked me if I wanted him to stop and leave. And I said no... I said no, and I let him do whatever he wanted. Because I wanted out, I wanted to get help. I wanted it to stop hurting."
He held her gaze and didn't let what he felt show. Logan once again wished Phillip Notheis to be alive so he could kill him. Slowly, with great care to make sure he suffered. "Ya did what ya had to. No one could blame ya fer that."
"I blamed me. Allthis time I did." She finally looked away. "Until I saw those pictures this afternoon, I told myself I let it happen, that it was my own fault. Somewhere inside I think I didn't let myself be happy all this time because I didn't think I deserved it. But when I saw them, saw myself and what he did to me... I just knew. I knew he was the one to blame. No matter how bad it's been, I'm glad this happened, because now I think I can really get on with my life where before I was just pretending to. Do you understand?"
"Yeah, I do." And he really did understand. Others would understand too, but he'd been here and if she'd waited Logan knew she might not have told anyone.He knew sometimes you just had to tell someone, even if you really don't want to. "Do you want the pictures now?"
Jenny smiled. "No, keep them for now. I want to think of something special for them."
"I'm sorry we didn't tell you about yer apartment. We jist wanted to give ya some time."
"I got that really quick. You're good people, Logan, I know you wouldn't keep it from me to hurt me. But like I told Hank, talk to me. Don't just protect me. I need to know what's going on. I like that you guys want to keep me safe but I'm a big girl and can handle most things. Best of all, I know who to go to when I can't handle them, but I still need to know. And again, like I told Hank, all's forgiven if you don't do it again." She glared at him.
"Hey, it was a group effort. Yer not gonna bop me on the head are ya?" Logan teased.
Jenny rolled her eyes and said dryly. "I don't think I could pick up the chair, it looks like it's bolted down. But I think I'm going to have to insist you guys help clean my apartment."
Because she was looking at Logan she saw Remy come around the corner. "Uh-oh, another member of your little group." She looked guiltily down at the empty cigarette pack. "Um, I think you're out of cigs, Remy." She offered him the rest of the last one with a grin.
"Chere, don' you know man's smokes 're sacred?" Remy took it from her, happy to see Jenny smile. "Looks like Remy goin' to de store."
"Goin' in, see ya later, Jenny. Cajun." Logan walked away, knowing he was leaving Jenny in good hands.
Remy sat in the chair Logan vacated. "Want anyt'ing at de store?"
"Maybe some cigarettes of my own?" She suggested and Remy smiled wryly at her. "Just for emergencies. And some moonpies, I'm out."
"'Oui, chere. Anyt'ing you want." Standing, Remy charged the cigarette butt and let it explode, raining ashes over the lawn.
Jenny's mouth dropped open for a moment before a light entered her eyes. "How much can you do that? Can you do lots of small things, like back to back?"
He winked at her. "Remy got no limit, chere."
"I'll see you later." Jenny got up and ran to the house shouting for Logan, Remy chasing after her.
That evening everyone was enormously entertained watching Remy blow up the photographs. He did it dramatically, one at a time, to give Jenny the greatest effect.
Jenny clapped, cheered, and danced around periodically shouting "Yeehaw!" and "Yippee!" while watching the images of her past explode and turn to ash.
to be continued.
note:
Elizabeth Robbins- I don't think it was so much trust but the closeness this time. And they did look pretty close there didn't they? Those two go up and down so much, who could blame her for lack of trust though?
Jinxeh- You'll catch 'em if you keep trying. I have faith in you.
S- Just teasing. It's cool, but I am thinking 12 will be it for this one. Then back to short-stories and secondary character for Jenny. Maybe.
Silver-Kalan- Thanks! I heart angst too, just for the happy ending afterward. :)
B Oots- Thanks, I can always count on you. More coming soon!
GothikStrawberry- More Rogue to come. (She lives there afterall.) And Jenny's getting closure now and moving forward.
Beany- Thanks as always!
Something I wanted to clarify but didn't want to go into details in the story. Jinxeh mentioned the buring at the stake thing. This description is what happened but not exactly. I picture in my mind that somehow they tied her to a tree (she was young and didn't use her telepathy on others because she'd been taught by her parent's not to and was too young to make the distinction that it was okay when you're about to die.) Anyway they had torches (of course, what mob wouldn't have torches?) and were swinging them around, trying to scare her, and the tree caught fire. They freaked and someone called the fire department but it was too late and she died. That's how I picture Sally's death. Remembering Jenny didn't witness it and was emotional, she put her own spin to it. Which was still essentially true but they didn't deliberately burn her at the stake, just turned out that way. Of course, they didn't regret it either, she was just a mutie after all.
Next chapter's kinda fun and has Jubilee!
Thanks for reading and the support,
Dizi
