There in her mind was a memory, a memory of her that would be an imprint forever. She whistled and a tree bent over so she could touch the leaves, she sang and an oncoming wave at the sea froze in time and reversed for a moment. Finally she screamed and the sky darkened, the horizon rumbling with suppressed hatred. Yet all this was not the Ruby you could see now but the young Ruby of barely more then ten.
Charles shuddered, this mind was little more then a confused and tattered mess of hurt memories and scars done to her by others. From what he could judge she had not stayed in a house for two months. Living from place to place. A renegade. But when she was younger she was found, but she ran away repeatedly once people found out what she was.
The memories he saw, where when she was alone and running only to be tracked down from social services. Then for the first time, he looked down at the young woman who lay unconscious from food deprivation in front of him. A nasal feed led to oxygen supply, an IVF drip from her wrist trailed up to a bag full of clear liquid. Her auburn curls lay in a crimson halo around her pale and drawn face. She appeared as the wood nymphs did in the faerie tail books he read as a child all those years ago.
It seemed futile, what he aimed for if people could hurt a small creature like this.
Shaking out of his reverie Charles gave Ruby a second glance; she seemed to pull him in. Giving him a sort of pain as if it hurt to look at her. It seemed her mutant powers were manifesting in strange ways.
"Hank" He said quietly, knowing the great blue mutant would answer his call in a matter of seconds.
"Yes Professor"
"I do believe that our young Siren here will recover in a matter of hours, you can take off the oxygen feed but leave the IVF"
"Alright Professor. You know best" Beast said dubiously and removed the life giving apparatus and looked at Ruby.
"She seems of improved greatly since Ray, Logan and Kitty brought her back. She's got a lot more pallor to her cheeks" Beast smiled indulgently and went off to potter around with medical equipment. The Professor gave Ruby a startled glance and wheeled off to attempt to reason with their 'visitor' once more.
That's of course when Ruby decided to wake up. She looked around frantically and blinked. "Where the heck am I?" She said and moved as if to itch her wrist. Seeing the drip she gave a whimper. "I don't like these things" She murmured and whistled sharply, the drip flew off and she winced.
"That's better, now lets see. Do I stay or do I run away screaming?" She considered, sitting up fully. It appeared she was wearing a hospital gown.
"Hmm Let's see" She thought quickly and looked around furtively before springing out of bed, only to look at her wobbly knees.
"I think I'll go for option number 3" She said and looked around as if something troubled her. "I'll find some clothes then I'll get out- wait!" She paused and looked around once more frantically. "WHERE IN BLOODY HELL WITH BATS IS MY PANPIPES" She yelled and rubbed her face. "Okay Rubes calm down, you can find them later. Let's get you decent first" She murmured and snuck out the hospital room. With a conspirital glance left and right she chose left before sneaking upstairs.
There was a girl's room; well it was a girl's room she hoped. Sneaking over to the closet she drew out a pink t-shirt and jeans. "Eugh not my thing but it'll have to do" She murmured and put them on. "Now panpipes then run away" She snuck back down to the hospital room.
"Lets start from here, they're not going to take my stuff far. Maybe they've stashed in a locker" She whispered and rolled her eyes. "And Maybe I'm talking to myself." She walked right now, going lower. She passed lockers and other storage facilities but after a quick opening of the locks none of her stuff was revealed. Mostly it was weird uniforms like those super heroes she'd seen on TV. Then it suddenly went cold.
It was as if someone had short-circuited the heating or there was no heating in this part of the building. Ruby looked around but something caught her eye, moving closer she touched the wall. It was made of a glassy substance but when she tried to rake it with a nail it didn't scratch. "Diamond? Who can afford diamond to cover walls?" She muttered and walked up to the door where a large panel of the gem covered it. She touched it only to receive an electric shock. "That's not very nice" She said and looked determined at the door.
With a sharp C Minus whistle the door popped open a few centimetres. Inside, behind an electrical force field and behind a glass panel surrounded by diamond was a girl. She was beautiful, bright silver eyes and silver hair but lank with exhaustion. Her wrists and ankles were charred from pulling against the metal chains that bound her. Sprigs of diamond sprung up all around her and a sad bald man in a wheel chair faced her.
"Listen Daphine-"
"Ah don' wanna listen. Yo' take moi back. Ah don' deserve dis an ah wanna go back t'Remy. Yo' a bunch a assassin takin' moi" She yelled and struggled.
"I'd hoped you'd changed your mind Daphine. I'm afraid until you solve your anger we cannot return you to your cousin. I'll be back tomorrow"
"Like ah care" The bedraggled and ragged girl turned and faced the glittering wall sullenly but Ruby could trace anger in her pose and a desperate sadness.
The man turned to her but Ruby was already running down the corridor. "Stupid, I let my conscience take over. Next time I won't be so lucky" She mumbled furiously and ran straight into a boy.
Ray Crisp looked down with surprise at the girl he had rescued hurtle straight into him wearing Kitty's clothes. "Erm, Professor" He called mildly as the girl tried to run around him.
"Let me GO" She commanded but he seized her wrist. From days without food and being in a minor coma had left the red head dazed and weak. She crumpled and began to cry.
"I-just-want-my-pan-pipes" She sobbed as Ray looked on helpless.
"Ah Ray, If you would be so kind as to show Miss Ruby up to the guest room next to Rogue and Kitty" The professor said with a smirk as Ray glared.
"Yes…sir" He said obediently but his eyes flared. Leading Ruby by the hand he led her up the stairs and threw a last annoyed glance at the chuckling professor.
A/N: That make up for it Skysong? Enough action for you to handle? And to all Diamond fans that was a little reminder that she's still alive.