Chapter 5: Truth Be Told
Aly...Aly...C'mon, wake up...Come back...Come back to us...
Aly stirred, groaning in pain as her head throbbed, pounding at her temples with the worst headache probably known to mankind. Slowly, carefully, she flexed muscles and moved appendages, trying to regain her bearings as her eyes fluttered open, only to be greeted with blinding light. It flooded her vision and made her wince, squeezing her eyes shut against the bright invasion. Finding her voice, she snarled two concise words in her annoyance, her voice rusty and unused even to her own ears.
"Damn migraine."
Where was she? It was the second thought to race through her mind the second she woke up, the first being 'Ow.' Turning her head to the side slowly so as not to uncover any more tenderness or be blinded again by the overhead lighting, Aly cracked open an eye and surveyed the room. Medical equipment lined the walls, beeping and whirring as they performed their various functions. Aly wasn't even surprised to discover that they were all hooked up to her in one way or another.
A gentle hand on her shoulder made her jump, but as her gaze drifted upward to see whom it was who had startled her, she smiled warmly. Richie stood above her, thankfully blocking the light,his sapphire orbs concerned. Gingerly, she reached up to grip his hand, grinning roguishly. Still half-asleep and delirious from passing out, Aly muttered under her breath to him as she struggled to sit upright. Richie's gentle aid made the task slightly easier.
"I had a dream about you last night...Well, actually, you as Gear..." Blinking in horror at herself, she cast a dismayed gaze at her new friend and crush.
"Please tell me I didn't just say that." She begged, trying to ignore the voice in her mind that was laughing hysterically.
Richie smiled wryly, his blue eyes flashing wittily, "All right, you didn't."
Aly glowered at him. "That's not what I asked."
Yet again, Richie smirked knowingly. "Ah, but technically, you didn't ask—"
A pillow came in contact with the teen's face. Richie laughed brightly with an impish grin as he held up his hands in a sign of surrender. "All right, all right – no more. I promise. I don't want you to pass out again."
Aly sighed moodily, picking up on the hidden message in his words. He knew. Virgil knew. Hell, everyone, by now, probably knew. Rubbing a hand over her eyes, Aly finally worked up the courage to ask the question she dreaded the answer to.
"Are they mad at me?" She asked, hating how small and timid her voice sounded.
To her surprise, Richie snorted, laughing softly. Upon seeing Aly's dark glare, he clarified the source of his amusement.
"Why would they be mad? You practically saved Virgil's life. If anything, they're overjoyed that you're a meta-human. It was a bit of a shock to Sharon and Mr. H, but I think they've gotten over it by now...You were out long enough for the surprise to wear off, anyway."
Raising a brow at this, Aly cocked her head to the side, her mind suddenly flooded with even more questions for him.
"How long was I out? Where is everyone, anyway? ...And why are you the only one here?" She asked, groggily. The voice in her mind replied sarcastically: 'Ooh...nice one.' Inwardly glaring, she waited for a response, chewing her lower lip pensively. Should she not have said that last part?
'You're such an idiot.'
'Shut it. Not now.' Aly's head throbbed in time to her terse response. 'Actually, not ever, preferably.'
'Geeze, don't be so crabby, Cancer.'
'I told you to Shut. Up.'
Richie placed a hand over his heart as if stabbed and took a few steps back, pretending to be wounded. "And here I thought you liked me..." He teased; by the roguish light sparkling in his cobalt eyes, Aly could tell he was just fooling around. Raising another pillow as if to hit him with it, she smiled darkly until Richie ceased joking, obviously not wanting to see if she was about to go through with her little threat. Pushing his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose with one finger, he proceeded to answer her questions in a more serious manner...though not without his usual sarcasm.
"Actually, they sent me in here because they weren't sure how you'd react to having everyone here at once so soon - you were out for at least half a day, you know. Everyone was so worried, I think they would have freaked if they saw you waking up. So...I'm the scapegoat...as always." Smiling wistfully, he sat beside her again, his azure eyes twinkling enigmatically, "Can't say I mind much, though."
Aly smirked back at him, "Much?"
With a defeated sigh, Richie grinned back, "All right...I don't mind at all."
Aly was feeling that familiar sense of inexplicable embarrassed bliss when the window nearby began to shake with a gentle rumbling noise, like that of thunder. Richie paused, blinking in bewilderment at the panes as Aly slowly rose and walked over, her spirits rising as she slowly began to realize what it was that might be knocking...
Flinging the window open, she squealed with delight as a small fluffy mass plunged into her arms, knocking her backward onto the bed. Giggling with glee, she continued to snuggle the puffy thing until she noted Richie's bewildered gaze. Laughing softly in embarrassment for how foolish she must have looked, Aly sat up and displayed the "creature" in her arms.
It was a snow white cloud floating just slightly in her grasp. A black studded leather collar was around what might have been a neck. It turned what could be perceived as a head towards Richie and made a soft rumble of distrust and curiosity, ignoring the smile Aly gifted this "intruder." Snuggling her pet again, Aly grinned cheerily as she spoke.
"This is Stormy! He's my pet – I've had him since my powers kicked in. My friend Nami dared me to try taming a cloud, and after I did, this little guy liked me so much that he wouldn't go back home. He decided to live with me!" Hugging her pet again, Stormy made a contented sound much like a cat's purr. Glancing up at Richie, she continued. "I left him behind in California because I wasn't sure if he'd be safe here...Guess it's okay if I keep him now, huh?"
Turning her bright gaze on the cloud, she beamed at it like a doting owner on a favored cat or dog. "I can't believe you managed to fly all the way here! You made great time!"
Still stunned, Richie finally managed to regain some sort of control over his body after staring so blankly at the "pet" and "owner." Breathing on his glasses, he rubbed them against his sweatshirt then put them back on, as if to make sure he was really seeing what he thought he saw: Aly cuddling a cloud. Sure enough, she was sitting on the hospital bed, stroking the dog-like thing as if it truly was alive. Shaking his head, he stammered a few sentences, still in a state of shock as he paced around the room, overanalyzing the situation as he did when he was stressed, stunned or scared that he couldn't explain something.
"That's...That's physically impossible! A cloud is made of water vapor, therefore it shouldn't be able to support that collar, and since inanimate objects don't have any intelligence whatsoever, it can't possibly be capable of complex thought...This must be a...a...hallucination! Yes, that's it! I'm just hallucinating! Meaning that this is all some sort of crazy—OW!"
Richie jumped as he was zapped for the second time in two days. This time, a welt appeared in the place where he was scorched by the lightning. Yelping again as an enraged Stormy floated after him (releasing shocks of lightning as he tried to incinerate the human who had offended him) Richie evaded the attacks as best he could, ducking and dodging behind equipment, chairs - whatever he could find. Aly, in the meanwhile, was half-laughing as she tried to reprimand the little cloud. However, in its black storm-cloud form, it was virtually unstoppable.
Finally, she managed to grab hold of the leash that was still attached to the leather collar. Holding on with all her strength, she just barely stopped Stormy from completely electrocuting her crush. Grunting lightly with the effort, she yanked her infuriated pet back and tied the leash to the bedpost. Collapsing from the effort, she breathed a sigh of relief before jumping back up to attend to Richie, trying to ignore the pounding in her head and the voice laughing so hard it was wheezing from lack of air. Rolling her eyes, Aly muttered under her breath.
"Very funny." Her attention back on Richie, she placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him so he was looking at her, rambling out an apology simultaneously. "Omigod, are you all right! I'm so sorry! Usually he's so even-tempered and...Why the hell are you laughing!" Aly cried raising a hand to smack him lightly as Richie fell over onto his side again, shaking with mirth.
A few moments later, he had composed himself, straightening the glasses which had gone askew in his fit of hilarity. Aly raised a brow at the slight embarrassment that flitted across his features. What did he have to be self-conscious about? She was the one who couldn't stop her pet from attacking a perfectly innocent person!
"Sorry, guess that was a result of shock and stress – first Virgil, then you, now this...Stormy. I'm beginning to think my luck's worn out!" He said, trying to make light of the situation. After a pause, however, he glanced back up at Aly as he stood and sat beside her on the bed, anxiety still visible in his eyes. "Everyone was really worried about you, Aly. We were beginning to think you weren't going to wake up."
Blinking as she was thrown into her own state of shock, Aly realized just how much healing had taken out of her. In her fear for Virgil's life, she had poured not only her power into him...but her life-force, as well. If she had continued for too long that way...she didn't even want to think about it. Feeling a shiver run down her spine, she smiled gratefully up at Richie as he settled a light blanket around her shoulders.
"Thanks, Richie."
"No problem."
Despite the fact that she wasn't cold, the sweet gesture was still appreciated. Tugging the coverlet snugly around her shoulders like a shawl as he pulled her closer against his side, she smirked up at him, enjoying the reddish tint that flared across his visage. He was really cute when he did that.
She had just laid her head upon his shoulder when a loud knock on the closed door of the hospital room made them both jump. Moving apart swiftly mere seconds before the Hawkins family rushed into the room, Aly found herself being swept up into one of Sharon's patented bear hugs.
"Oh, Aly, we're so glad you're okay! We thought you might never wake up again!"
"Yeah," Aly murmured, glancing sidelong at Richie, all the usual cheer gone from her tones, "so did I."
A few moments later (after a long discussion about Stormy and the "responsibilities of having a pet...cloud?"), her four visitors were clustered around Aly's bed, listening as she tried to explain her past and how she got her powers. It was something Aly had wanted to tell them for quite some time, and something she knew needed to be out in the open. Somehow knowing that they would want to hear and understand. As she spoke, it was as though she was putting together a puzzle in their minds, explaining how each piece connected with another to form the Allyson Neal they knew before them.
"...My mom died when I was about 11," Aly began, her gaze far-off and distant, as if seeing the time and place where everything occurred, "She was beautiful and smart and seemed to understand me and my brother better than we did, ourselves...But she had this disease that I never really understood or even thought much of, because it didn't matter to her, either. It never even bothered her that much...until it became too much for her to handle. It overpowered her, started to make her deteriorate bit by bit until it took her life."
Across the room, Virgil stiffened, his dark eyes shining as his own memories were being replayed in his mind. Having observed naught, Aly continued.
"...Dad was a cold, distant person even when we were little. I don't really remember him being around all that much before mom died because he traveled a lot for work. He didn't smile much, but he would always do small things like surprising us with a treat from one of the exotic places he traveled to show affection. I never took that for granted. When dad did things like that, it was as if you were being given sacred treasure, not just some trinket from another country. But I think I always wanted him to really care about my older brother and me."
Sharon frowned sympathetically, as if seeming to realize how lucky and blessed she really was in comparison.
"...We lived together – Dad, Cole and I – in an apartment for a while, but then Dad started having...problems. He would drink to forget the memory of mom's death, and in return, he sometimes got so angry he'd yell at us. I remember him threatening us. I remember him getting so angry we thought he'd explode. But it was never enough to hurt us - never enough to hit. Not until the day he lost his control. Everything changed that day..."
Richie's eyes gained a haunted look as he stared at the ground, beginning to tremble so slightly that it wasn't even noticeable at first glance. When he looked back up, his gaze was riveted on Aly.
"...He was really mad when he got home. He blamed me and Cole for everything – Mom's death,where we had to live– everything! I got angry and started yelling back at him, telling him it wasn't true. I knew it wasn't my fault mom died. Dad was even more furious, and he slapped me. Cole tried to protect me, and wound up getting hurt worse than I was. I remembered calling the police...And after that things become a big blur."
Though Aly's voice was steady, silent tearshad beenrolling unnoticed down her cheeks. As if just now seeming to realize their shameful existence, she wiped them fiercely away. Gamely, she continued, trying to remember exactly what happened.
"...I remember they took us to a hospital – the police. They made sure my brother and I were okay before they told us we would be going to a safe place until they were certain our father couldn't hurt us anymore. Cole was old enough to take care of us by then, so they let us go. He rented an apartment for us and worked extra hard so we could keep it. I took a few jobs around the neighborhood to help out, but in the end he thought it was better for me to find a foster home."
Aly smirked, as if the whole notion was ludicrous, her probable reaction when her sibling had explained that she would have to find another strange family to take her in.
"The first home I was in had a boy a year older than me. He teased me and locked me in the closet when I made him mad. I was still scared of the dark then, at 12...Never really gotover it until I turned 13. I always thought he would be able tofind us easier in the dark - he became added to the long list of monsters that were out to get mein my dreams.
"Anyway, once, whenmy foster brotherlocked me in the closet fortoo long, I got so scared I started to panic. I thought they'd forgotten me in there. I think that's when my powers must have kicked in; because I started to scream so loud the house shook. I remembered banging on the door...And then it just shattered. There was a burst of blue light, and then it just shattered like glass. Stupid Tim was standing just outside and a splinter of the wood went into his leg."
"After I was kicked out of that home for 'mortally wounding' my foster sibling, every place I went, something bad always happened. I accidentally electrocuted the family pet, or I was left alone in the dark again, or someone teased me so much that I got too mad to hold it in any more. When my powers lashed out or somebody found out what I was, I'd have to be sent to another home. It was this endless cycle...until I met all of you."
Glancing up for the first time since she'd began her story, Aly smiled sadly. Sharon reached out and squeezed her hand, and the others merely smiled warmly at her. Frowning slightly as she looked down, Aly seemed to be thinking about something as she spoke again.
"Sometimes...I'm not sure if it's right or not...But I think my parents must have been meta-humans, too. Dad traveled a lot, and I never really knew what he did, and Mom – when the disease gave her headaches, the house would shake. The same thing happened when she got nightmares. She always seemed to know where we were and what we were doing, too. Like when I tried to sneak a cookie from the jar, or when Cole and I weren't asleep on Christmas Eve. She must have been psychic, or something. We would tease her about it, but she always put it off as her kids having 'overactive imaginations.'" Aly made finger quotes in the air with her hands before her brow furrowed again in thought.
"And then when dad hit me...the blow was so strong it broke my nose." Aly's eyes were severe as she looked back up, "A normal person couldn't have done that. I'm positive my parents weren't normal people."
"But what about your brother? Wouldn't he have contracted some sort of meta-human powers, too?" Mr. Hawkins asked.
Shrugging, Aly shook her head. "I don't know. He never did weird things like they did...like I did. As far as I know, he was perfectly normal, just like...well, almost all of you."
Virgil and Richie smirked at this, and a slight smile even appeared over Sharon and Mr. Hawkins' features. After a moment, Aly's foster father stood and took her hand, smiling comfortingly down at her.
"We'll let you rest. The doctors want to observe you for one more night to make sure you're really okay, and then they'll let you come home. Sound good?"
Aly nodded vigorously. "Great!"
Laughing softly at her ecstatic response, Mr. Hawkins and Sharon left the room with a wave, leaving Virgil and Richie alone with her. Virgil was the first to approach her, standing awkwardly beside the bed as he thanked Aly.
"Um...Thanks Aly, for y'know, before...Saving me and all. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Aly waved her hand in dismissal but she hugged Virgil tightly anyway. She replied with an innocent smile and a nonchalant shrug that seemed to say thather statementwas merely common sense. That it had been no trouble at all to save him - her sibling.
"We're family, now. That's what sisters are for."
Virgilsmirked in comprehension and returned the embrace, releasing his sister to frown guiltily. "I don't know how to repay you..."
Aly winked conspiratorially. "I'm sure you'll think of something."
With a nod and another smirk, Virgil waved as he left, joining Sharon and Mr. Hawkins just outside in the hallway. Richie strode over in absence of his friend, whirling a chair around backwards to sit on as he reached her side.
"That was some story..." He said, the cheer of his voice betrayed by the grave look in his eyes.
Aly smirked wryly but responded in a lighthearted fashion as well,drawing an 'X' over her chest with a finger. "It's all true, cross my heart and hope to—"
Richie touched his fingers lightly against her mouth to stop her. "Don't even go there." Aly's eyes smiled as she nodded in understanding. As Richie's hand fell, she hugged him briefly about the shoulders, planting a quick, sly kiss on his cheek as she withdrew. She grinned widely at the crimson hue of Richie's face, and the sort of lopsided smile on his facade.
'Awww...Ain't that sweet?'
'Do you mind!'
'No, of course, not.'
'I thought as much...'
A sudden shout from the hallway startled them both. Jumping apart once more, Richie almost fell off his chair as Virgil called out to him.
"Rich! You coming?"
Richie stammered a response, most likely still reeling from Aly's "surprise" just a few moments ago.
"Uh, yeah, bro – I'm coming!"
He called back, untangling himself from the chair and loping easily to the door. Turning back as he reached it, he poked his head back around the corner to look at Aly. "You...you sure you'll be okay?"
Aly smirked. "I'm not going anywhere, Richie. In fact, I think I'm going to take a nap..." She folded her arms behind her head and leaned back into the pillows waggling her fingers at him in a wave. Cracking open an eye, she murmured a response to his unspoken question, "I'll be fine...I'll see you tomorrow."
With a relieved smile, Richie nodded and departed from the room, leaving Aly alone with Stormy. Sitting there with the puffy little creature in her lap, she stroked him lovingly, listening to his comforting purr. A light smile was on her features as she reached over to press the "lights off" button on her little remote. With the room bathed in serene shade, she leaned back against the pillows and drifted off into sleep.
In the darkest shadow of the room, Ebon had been listening. He had followed the ambulances here, followed Static and Gear to this very hospital room. So: Static had a little sister did he? ...Perfect.An elastic tendril of darkness, Ebon'sleft arm,slithered out to coil around the girl's arms and legs, pinning them to her sides and making her virtually helpless. As Aly began to awake, he cursed and threw a his right armaround her mouth to block the ear-splitting scream that issued from her – a scream that shook the walls with its force. Dragging the struggling, writhinggirl into the pool of darkness surrounding him, Ebonchuckled evilly as his swirling portal of darkness swallowed him and the girl whole. This was almost too easy...
Author's Notes: Dun, dun, DUN! Cliffhanger! n.n
bows low- Gomen nassai! I'm so so sorry! I was having issues getting the chapter to turn out the way I'd planned, thus it took so long to update. Even then, it's still a little slow-paced and a bit dry, really. I couldn't help it as this is mainly a background and history chapter. It'll get better in the chapters to come, I promise! n.n Anywho, on to the reviews!
Youko-chan: -snicker- Crab jokes. XD Lol, at least Aly doesn't like them, even if they don't bug me. Thanks for your review! -glompsnugs- I'll tape some episodes if you want, but I can't promise how in order they'll be (darn Cartoon Network, lol). I'll see if I can find a DVD set or something out there...-drools- That would be heavenly... -is slipping into Fangirl mode- 3
Dirty Little Cat In Your Head: Wow, that was a long name to type, lol. -bows- Here be the newest chapter, so please, enjoy and review! n.n
mcmeghan92: Heh, I love that movie. n.n I really think my favorite chapters of this fic are Vertigo and First Test. And since Aly's inner-mind-voice was so fun to write, I decided to have it make another appearance. 3 And as for Stormy...let's just say that my friend really did influence me to create a tamed cloud, lol. Dear little Stormy is the result. I have a little comic panel of Stormy and Backpack that I'll put up a link to once I figure out how to upload it... -mutters angrily at scanner-
Anyway, thanks for all your reviews! I look forward to seeing some more - they make my inbox less lonely. See you next chapter! Sayonara, minna-san! 3
Anaia