Present Day- January
Night fell…
And Darkness took her…
"Ow!" Therese scowled and sucked her thumb.
"What's wrong?" Rogue asked.
"Stupid garland with its stupid pins…" she muttered in reply.
"Stop being a baby and put a plaster on it." Bobby said, struggling to carry the tree decorations up the stairs. Therese jumped from her chair and raised her hand, palm facing him.
"Whoa… Therese, I was only messing." Bobby shielded himself.
"Do you think I'd waste energy on you?" Therese focused on the box and lifted it into the air, "Go help Rogue." She walked up the stairs, the box floating in front.
She was walking towards the attic stairs when 'BAMF!!', "AAGGHH!"
"AAGGHH!!" Kurt sprung into the air.
"Kurt!" Therese set the box the right way up and started to put the decorations back in, "You scared the… never mind. Just… please stop doing that."
"I beg your pardon Fraulein…" he bent down to help her, "Anozer Weihnachten over."
"Yeah…" she replied, absentmindedly.
"Fraulein?" Kurt looked at her, "Du bist a little distracted…"
"Hmmm? Oh I'm sorry, Kurt."
"Somezing bozzers you, nein?"
"Ja Kurt… Ja."
"Tell me?"
"It's just…" Therese sat on the floor, "At this time of year it really gets to me. The fact that Jean's…"
"That Jean is gone, nein?"
"But she's not. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like she's still here with us. And it's weird because I can't see or touch her."
"Ah, but she vill always be in your heart."
"Yeah… yeah, your right." Therese stood and lifted the box, "I guess I'd better get this up into the attic. Thanks Kurt."
"Ah, auf Deutsch bitte…"
"Danke schon, Herr Wagner."
Kurt stood and watched her walk slowly up the attic stairs, muttering to himself.
"There is somezing that you're hiding from everyone. But I vill find it out." He pulled back & changed into his real form; Mystique, "You are just a pawn, child. You are just a pawn."
* * *
Night fell…
And Darkness took her…
Further than she could know…
Their minds moved as one…
Therese woke with a start and paused. Fright took her… She froze; she'd felt like this only once before. She jumped out of bed and ran to the window. The grounds were clear.
She pulled the door open and ran into the hallway. She ran to the stained glass window. Again, the grounds were clear.
"Therese, what's goin' on?" Rogue stood in their bedroom doorway, running her hands through her hair.
"I… I… I don't know." Therese looked around at the now opening doors. Students looked out at her, alone in the hall.
"Therese, are you okay?" Ororo walked out to her.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she looked around herself, "I just… I think I need to go back to bed."
"Okay…" Ororo led her into her bedroom and set her on her bed, "You'll talk to me if anything bothers you?"
Therese stared at the ground.
"Watch her and tell me if anything more happens tonight, okay?" Ororo murmured to Rogue.
"Yeah…" Rogue replied, "Do you think anythin's gonna' happen?"
"I don't know… all I know is that the Professor is worried about her. See you in the morning." Ororo closed the door behind her.
* * *
Night fell…
And Darkness took her…
Further than she could know…
Their minds moved as one…
Entering her…
Revealing the truth…
"She was standing there like she was in shock." Ororo told the group gathered in Professor Xavier's office, "Charles, her dreams are getting worse. She may not know about them yet, but soon she will and if they're as bad as you say they are then there's no telling how she'll react."
"Storm's right," Scott sat in front of the desk, "I think she needs to know."
"Oh that's a good idea!" Logan stood up, "Look Chuck, you tell her, it'll freak her out. You know what's in these dreams… it could be too much."
"For vonce I zink Logan is richt. Perhaps it is bezzer if she does not know." Kurt flicked his tail, "Alzough, ve vill have to keep an eye on her."
Scott jumped up, "C'mon! The child has a right to know!"
"But she is just that; a child!" Logan replied, hot-headedly.
"No, she is not…" Professor Xavier spoke for the first time since the meeting was called, "She is an adult. So much so that she will be joining you all on the next mission. As will Rogue, Bobby and J-" He caught himself, "She will decide for herself whether she wants to know or not."
A knock on the door interrupted him, "Enter!"
"Professor…" Rogue poked her head around the corner, "You wanted to see us?"
"Of course, come in."
"Professor, do you really think they are ready to join us?" Scott leaned over the desk. Storm stopped & looked back.
"Yes… In the coming year these young people will face more than you can possibly imagine. They will come to the fore, face their fears..."
"And…?" Storm asked.
Xavier looked at them, the honesty in his eyes laced with fear, "I don't know. Only they can decide their fate."
"Professor?" Therese stood in the doorway.
"I'll talk to you later…" he nodded his head to the four, dismissing them.
Rogue, Bobby and Therese sat in front of him and waited. He turned his chair and looked out the windows, "You three are all eighteen years of age now and, being the oldest students in the school, you will be graduating soon. With this comes privileges. These privileges must be respected and treated responsibly." He turned and surveyed them, "With that being said, I have decided that you are old enough, and mature enough, to take part in your first mission."
"Are you being serious?!" Bobby asked, excitedly.
"Yes, but you must remember that these missions can be dangerous," his eyes rested on Therese fleetingly, "We have been known to… lose members before." Therese cast her eyes down to her hands, as Bobby and Rogue sat in silence. Xavier continued, "Therefore I must ask you to take the utmost care during this mission, and do exactly as your commanding officer tells you."
"Of course Professor," Rogue said, "You know you can count on us."
Xavier nodded, "The mission will take place in February. There will be a briefing closer to the time."
Rogue nodded and the three stood to leave.
'Therese, do you want to talk to me about anything?'
Therese glanced back at him, 'No Professor…'
'Okay… call me when dinner is ready.'
'Yes Professor.'
* * *
Night fell…
And Darkness took her…
Further than she could know…
Their minds moved as one…
Entering her…
Revealing the truth…
Showing the light…
And it was blood-red…
Two weeks later Therese walked into her room and set her toothbrush down. She pulled on her silky chemise and jumped into bed.
"Light's out, kids!" She and Rogue heard Logan's voice booming through the halls and smiled at each other, knowing that it wouldn't matter if Kurt checked; every light would be out just because Logan said so.
"Night, Marie." Therese called as she snuggled deep into her covers.
"Night, Therese…" Rogue called back, "Therese?"
"Hmm?"
"You need a name."
"I have a name; it's Therese."
"No, I mean a codename. Like I have Rogue, Bobby has Iceman, like…"
"Like John has Pyro." Therese finished her sentence for her.
"Yeah…" Rogue said quietly.
"I'll work on it. I've got a couple of weeks. Night." Therese rolled over and switched off her light, letting the darkness take her.
"I know you're here. I can feel you."
"Why are you here? You do not belong."
"Neither do you."
"This is my world. I am the guardian."
"Okay, so you belong here. But your vessel doesn't."
"She chose her path."
"NO! Fate chose her path! She risked everything… for others."
"I saved her from death."
"You were already within her, taking control!"
"She knew she had to do it… it was her purpose."
"She…"
"You know the truth."
"NO! You don't understand! You have to let her go!"
"You want her for your own gains!"
"And what do you think your using her for?!"
"It was her destiny!"
"GIVE… HER… BACK!"
The darkness crushed her and then came an explosion of bright light. A dark shadow stood before, surrounded in blood-red flames.
"SHE IS MINE!"
A/N: I know that I ended this chapter really weird and in general the story's screwed up, but I'm trying to work it so that there will be 11 more chapters, i.e. the 12 months of the year. I want to end it back at Christmas again.
Try to follow me pretty please.
Another thing- 'anything like this is telepathy' i.e. one quote mark.
"this" & "this", i.e. 2 quote marks, is most likely a dream sequence.
& finally this, i.e. without any quotation marks, is a piece of obscurity, poetry or song lyrics.