Chapter Five
Disclaimer: I do not own X-men Evolution, I do own all the characters mentioned in this chapter :P
Note: I've had a few people ask when the characters are going to get to New York, I had planned to have them there by now, but I think that for a few more chapters they'll remain where they are in Australia. Don't worry though, this fic isn't entirely an OC one and I will be introducing the other characters soon, Next chapter a certain Pyromaniac will be making an apperance. Thank you for all the kind reviews, I really appreciate it
Enjoy the chapter:D
"Can you help her?" The five of them were crowded around Mari, who'd been set on one of the beds and was currently being inspected by a worried Nichole.
"I don't know, I don't think it's anything physically wrong with her, and I can't do anything"
Will was getting somewhat frantic "Well, it's emotional then, Ben, go in her mind!"
Ben shook his head "I can't Will, what if she's trapped herself in one of her illusions, if I went in we'd both be trapped."
Glenda put a hand on Will's shoulder "Don't panic, as much as I'm worried for Mari, I'm also worried about the intruders. They know we're mutants. I don't know or care how they know, only that they'll tell others. The children aren't safe"
Nichole grimaced "I hate to say it, but she's right. They aren't safe, hell I couldn't even protect myself and three kids. If you guys hadn't shown up when you did…."
"I'm going to call in a favor with a friend. As soon as possible, I'd like for you all to take some combat lessons. We're in a dangerous world, a world that wants us gone, for the most part. We need to be able to take care of ourselves and the younger ones"
Without waiting for another word on the matter Glenda rose and started tucking the students in for bed. It was late and they were all scared.
They'd seen enough to know something was wrong, and that they should be afraid.
Ivy tried to calm them down by creating a small garden full of exotic plants, but it only worked on the younger children.
She returned to the crowd around Mari to check on the progress.
"There's nothing we can do. She's going to have to get herself out of this" Ben said sadly.
Will got to his feet and stormed out of the room.
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It was cold.
She shivered, wishing she had something to warm herself up with.
Mari had guessed that she'd trapped herself in the room, but instead of having full control over what happened, everything stayed the same as it was. She had no control over anything now, it was completely out of her hands.
It was just a simple white room, nothing in it, no chairs, doors or windows.
In fact, it was a lot like when she'd first been brought here, to the safe house anyway.
She could hear voices on the wind, and now she could recognize a few of them, but had no way to answer them.
She'd given up running at the walls a while ago.
She only hoped that the intruders were gone.
They weren't in the room anymore, but that didn't mean anything.
She sighed and prayed that someone who get her out.
She only hoped Ben would figure out she couldn't change anything and someone bring her mind out of the box.
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Ben followed Will into the yard
"Buddy, are you ok?"
Will growled and shook him away.
"No, I'm not. I can't just sit here. She could be trapped in there forever and we can't get her out. You won't even try!"
Ben had been prepared for that "It's too risky mate"
"So? She saved us and now we're going to let her live in there! Who knows what she created to get rid of them."
Ben sighed, he knew there wasn't going to be any reasoning with him.
"Okay"
Ben sat in front of Mari, his hands on either side of her head.
"I don't know if this is going to work" he said hesitantly.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, casting his own mind into hers.
There was a room, it was white and there were no doors, he couldn't get in, and the room was just seemingly floating in a black field.
"Mari!" He called out, but it just seemed to be lost on the wind.
"Ben?" Came a questioning reply, it sent shivers down his spine, and he wasn't even sure he had heard anything, it sounded like the wind.
"Mari, I can't find you!"
"I can't get out Ben, I'm stuck in here, it won't let me change it"
Ben thought, she couldn't control her own mind. Perhaps someone else could.
He focused on one of the walls, willing a door to appear.
Nothing.
"Mari, are you still there?"
"Yes" came the ghostly reply.
"Look, can you concentrate all of your energy and try to bring the walls down?"
Silence.
"I don't know, I can try"
"Good ok, when I say three, one, two …three"
He focused his own attention on bringing the walls down as well. Slowly but surely the walls un-built themselves.
Before he could celebrate though he watched as Mari disappeared down a black whole.
He lurched forward attempting to reach her but it was too late.
She was gone.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Ben stared at the black hole, fear and horror the only things he could feel.
He was afraid to return to his own head, knowing how hard it would be to tell the others that he'd lost her to her own mind.
Reluctantly he opened his eyes to find Mari smiling in his face.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek in thanks.
Too stunned and shocked to do anything he just stared at her.
"Thank you so much!" She exclaimed "Man that was scary; I thought I was going to be stuck in there forever. Is everyone ok? All the kids?"
Glenda nodded and clapped her hands "You did well Ben"
Sophie, Ivy and Nichole all remained with Mari, each of them talking rapidly.
Will spotted Ben standing alone near one of the walls and approached him.
"I shouldn't have snapped mate, and I just wanted to, ah, to thank you. Don't know what I would've done if she'd…not come back"
Ben just smiled and watched as Will returned to the group.
He was glad that Mari was ok, but had a horrible feeling about the intruders.
None of them were safe anymore.
Glenda must've picked up on his thoughts, surprisingly; he chuckled to himself, because she was staring at the children with worry covering her features.
"They aren't safe" She said with a grim look.
"To be honest, they never were. It was just a matter of time"
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'DIE FUCKN MUTIES' had been scrawled in red paint all over the wall of the warehouse; other such sayings covered the entire left side.
Mari and Nichole had spent the entire morning trying to scrub it off.
"Why can't they just leave us alone?" Nichole questioned, throwing her sponge against the building.
"What the hell did we ever do to them?" She shouted.
Mari growled herself, putting all her effort into ridding the wall of the bright red 'N' "Because they're human Nichole, because it's what humans do"
Nichole stared at her "You can't blame all humans for what they did"
Mari just scrubbed harder "Watch me. Humans have never been able to accept anything that's different to them."
Nichole felt worried for her friend, hating humans was not the best way to handle things, but she didn't feel she was the right person to say so.
"Maybe, maybe you should give them another chance? And after all…hey, wait a minute. You're human too!"
Why hadn't she figured that out before, she mused, but she knew why, because unconsciously she'd separated mutants and humans, the same as humans were doing to them.
"No I'm not. I'm nothing like them!" She spat before dunking the sponge back in the bucket and storming back inside the warehouse.
Nichole sighed and decided it would be best to find Will, he was the only able to talk sense into that girl.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000When Nichole entered the warehouse it was in an uproar. Most of the children were crying and Glenda was panicking.
"What happened?" She asked Ben who had his eyes closed.
"Three of the children are missing" He said with a strange edge to his voice.
Nichole gasped and started running around trying to calm down the children.
They wouldn't be calmed and little Alex started shouting "Humans are going to kill us" at the top of his lungs.
"Mari!" Sophie called, searching for illusionist.
Mari popped her head in the door, a hard expression on her face and asked what she wanted.
"Calm the kids down. We can't figure anything out if they're like this"
Mari stepped fully inside the room and closed her eyes, suddenly the children were all swept up in a fantasy world of make believe.
Ivy spun round to face Mari "Hey, why am I here? I need to help search"
Mari smiled "I need your help. Some of the older ones won't be occupied by this for too long. I need you to help keep them calm and tell them we're sorting it out. I need to focus or else I'll get you all stuck in here"
Ivy nodded and wandered over to a group of kids who were still looking scared.
"Hey guys" She said a soothing voice.
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"When did you last see them?" Glenda frantically questioned Nichole.
Nichole couldn't give her any answers and insisted that they go to the police.
Glenda agreed and Nichole bolted, running straight for the police station, she dodged several cars and ignored the people shouting out insults on the streets.
She walked into the office and asked the lady at the desk if she could help her.
"Why do you think they've been kidnapped? Do you think that perhaps they might of run off or…"
Nichole put her fists down on the table "Because they were small known mutant children and people wanted to hurt them. Can you help me or not"
The woman pursed her lips at this "And I suppose you are a mutant too?"
Nichole bit her lip and nodded, half wanting to strangle the woman.
"Then I am going to have to ask you to leave"
Nichole started to protest but a harsh glare from on the officers sent her packing.
She raced back to the warehouse and reported to Glenda.
They were going to get no justice from the police.
Mari was getting tired, it took a lot of energy to keep up the illusion and she still wasn't strong enough to keep it new and interesting for the exploring children.
She slowly faded away the magical realm and switched into a world full of large soft beds, and soft strains of harp music wafted in and around the children.
Soon most of them were asleep in the dream world and Mari released Ivy from the illusion to put the children each in their own beds.
Once she was sure that they were sleeping she dropped the illusion and sighed, fighting to keep the fatigue from getting to her.
"C'mon, let's go help Glenda"
Will remained behind to watch the children and in his cat form, he perched atop a shelf and watched the entrance.
Ben scanned the area one more time and came up with nothing. The only mutant signatures he was picking up and faintly at that, was Mari and Glenda.
He was ready to give up, but he couldn't. Those kids were counting on him.
Glenda felt so horrible, and kept wishing she'd round the corner and there they were safe and sound, but deep down she knew, that wherever her beloved children were, they were no longer alive.
It was a cruel world and for the other children in her care, and Mari and Will, who were by all means still children themselves, heck even Sophie, Ben and Nichole shouldn't have to go through this.
It wasn't fair on any of them. Nicolas had burnt down his home, accidentally killing his single mother and brother. Alex and Allie were beaten and tossed out by their mother at a very young age.
Nichole had lived a good life, until her powers kicked in and she sped up someone's healing process, causing them to have a heart attack.
Mari had erased her parent's memories of her, and had to deal with knowing that they would still love her and she would still have a home if it wasn't for that fact.
Her own daughter had suffered through nearly strangling herself when her powers kicked in.
Ben had been signed clinically schizophrenic when he was thirteen, due to the 'voices' he heard in his head.
She shook her head, and that wasn't the end of problems for them and she only wished she could protect them.
They searched non stop for a week. Alternate routines, missing posters that were drawn by hand, anything and everything to help find them.
The other children were worried, all of them jumpy and afraid they'd be taken too.
It was taking a lot of energy but Mari forced herself to wake up early before the children and create a safe haven for them.
Sometimes she took Ivy with her, sometimes Sophie, so that the children weren't afraid.
It was strengthening her powers, and it kept them out from under the adult's feet. There was just too much worrying being done in the real world.
Eventually Glenda called of the search; it was a sad day for everyone at the mutant safe house.
Graffiti was showing up on the warehouse walls constantly, giving Nichole, Sophie and Mari plenty of work to do.
None of them could understand how people could treat other people like this.
It was lunch time and all of them were starving, but they knew they couldn't all travel out in a group to the restaurant to ask for food, it would be too stupid, too dangerous.
Will ignored his growling stomach he made his way outside where the three girls were busy scrubbing.
Mari had her hair tied back and her jeans rolled up to the knee.
It was a hot day and he knew that she was tired.
"Mari, take a break" She looked to the other girls and they all nodded, telling her to go sit down for a while.
"Hey Will, long time no talk"
Will smiled and led her over to the shade; her voice was strained, as was everyone else's. Loosing three of the kids had been very hard on all of them and none of them wanted to imagine the fate they'd suffered.
Mari stared at him intently for a second and he could tell she was working some things through.
Suddenly her shoulders hunched forward and tears spilled from her eyes.
"I'm not supposed to be here Will. I should be at home, blissfully unaware. Happy, I should be happy with my family" She sobbed onto his shoulder.
He cupped her chin in his hand and made her look at him.
"Mari, you are supposed to be here. Don't you ever, say that. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You have to be strong Mari, the kids need you, and Glenda and the others need you. I need you."
Mari looked a little stung and knew he was a bit harsh but she needed it. They had all gone through the same things, and she wasn't alone.
"Your parents are safe and happy. Be thankful for that. Be thankful that they don't have to worry about your safety every day and drive themselves mad with it. Be thankful that we were found by the safe house"
Mari nodded "I know Will, I know. I just, it's just, I- It's hard. By all means I should be at school, worrying about homework. I'm just a kid Will, I'm not old enough for all of this"
Will shook his head and frowned at her "No you aren't. Because if you were old enough to handle this you would be more concerned about the children being safe, instead of feeling sorry for yourself."
Will rose to his feet and left her to think.
She stared after him, mouth open him.
Ben appeared from the shadows.
"Do you believe that?" She asked, incredulous.
Ben stared hard at her "Yeah I do. He's right. Grow up"
Mari just sat there, completely shocked.
She had half a mind to lock them in a mental room until they apologized but she stayed put and really thought about what they had said instead.
Deep down she knew they were right. She had to grow up.
So sighing, she set back to work on the wall, making a promise to her self to be the best she could for the kids.
Later that evening Glenda made another announcement.
"All of you, children above ten included, will be partaking in some form of self defense. I have a brother who teaches this, and tomorrow night after supper, most of you will be attending such classes"
No one said anything so she continued "The younger ones, if you would be so kind Mari, will be joining us, because I cannot leave anyone home alone, you understand. There is not many of them so it shouldn't be too hard to keep them occupied?"
Mari nodded, she had confidence that she could, if for a short while, leave them alone in the world, and perhaps Glenda would join them.
Her self and Nichole were sent to pick up the food, and after supper Mari snuck of from the group.
She had to find Will somewhere, she hated feeling like a child and she knew she'd been behaving like one.
She found him right where she thought he'd be, perched up on the shelf in his cat form.
Instead of stopping she went outside, knowing that he'd follow her.
He didn't morph back which surprised her, so instead she just motioned for him to come and sit on her lap.
As she stroked his fur she apologized "I'm sorry Will, I shouldn't have said that stuff. I was stupid and childish and you were right ok"
The cat just purred.
"You really are a Will-Kitten aren't you" She laughed.
The cat seemed to dislike being called such and morphed back into himself.
"I resent that" he said pouting.
Mari poked her tongue out at him and pushed him away.
"Well fine then 'Morph" she giggled.
His own laughter joined hers; he moved his elbows and rested his head on her knees.
They stayed like that for a while, just talking like they had on the streets.
Sophie watched them from the door, a smile on her face.
"Sophie, Sophie Alex stole my cards!" Sophie sighed and reluctantly stopped spying on her two friends and turned to Allie who was bouncing up and down.