A/N: Sorry about the delay. I have excuses, but I'll leave them now, because I really should have gotten this up sooner. I'm sorry. Anyway, extra, extra long chapter as a peace offering. Hope you enjoy it!
I see you have brought me the scales. Good work, Danielle. I knew I could count on you.
"I would do what you ask, Lord Jaakeni. For the good of the whole." I said, head partially bowed. Two days after my last heist and here I stood, congratulated by Lord Jaakeni from the black water. I could feel the pride hiding smugly in my ribs, berating any feelings of sickness I had before.
I have another request of you now, and a favor to ask, now that you have told me of your account of bravery against the Ghallian soldier.
"Ask anything, Lord Jaakeni." I said.
I wish for you to take these weapons, go and find the pressed flower artifact which occupies a space amongst many artifacts of old cultures. And kill any Ghallian soldiers in your way.
Two objects flowed out of the water. They were gloves, tipped with malicious looking claws on the fingertips.
I stared at the gifts and tried to push down the strange buzzing I kept hearing in my mind. It sounded like something was pushing at the corners of my brain.
--for us. Will you Danielle?
I kicked myself mentally. "Of course Lord Jaakeni. Anything you ask." I picked the gloves up carefully and stepped away from the pedestal. Whatever had been drawing my attention from Lord Jaakeni had succeeded again.
He had asked me to kill. Of course, he would need all the help he could get. I would be glad to give it, to save his people. But kill?
Would I be thinking of this if I heard his last words completely?
I almost stopped, shocked at that thought. How could my own mind be so rebellious?
And how could I be wondering if that were true?
"We should be using Cerebro to find that punk that stole from that store." Wolverine growled down at Professor Xavier. The Professor simply kept on with his work.
"The authorities may very well find him before us. And without any real idea of what his mind is like, I can't lock onto him anyway. Besides, Logan, we must keep looking for new recruits. These young mutants are more of a threat than the robber right now, to themselves and others if their powers get out of control."
Logan snarled and looked away. Xavier had decided that the paperweight the thief had hit Logan with had done nothing to improve the mutant's mood.
"Ah, here we are." Xavier began zeroing on the position of a mutant. "There's a young mutant here…There!" He pointed to a small house out in the Kansas countryside. "Get a team together. We're making a house call."
I pulled a large rattler out from under the roots of an old decrepit willow my mother loved. I carried the still body past our backyard fence and set it down in the grass and shooed it away.
A while ago my smallest brother almost got bit by a rattler. It had come inches away from clamping its teeth onto his little leg. The only thing that stopped it was the hoe I was using to till the ground for Mom.
I killed that snake. It was one of the first and last times I ever had any sort of emotional temper tantrum since I worked for Lord Jaakeni. Since then, any sort of snake and I had viewed each other as cautious enemies. They would allow me to remove them from my yard as long as that removal was not in a sack into the trashcan. I allowed them to live so long as they never made a move on any of my family members. It was an uneasy truce, but it worked.
Today was a week end, a Saturday I had spent most of my time slaving in front of a computer trying to find a pressed silent flower.
The internet is indeed a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, I was afflicted by some of the more lewd sites in my search, but that was to be expected.
Lord Jaakeni's gifts were safely put away in a special panel above my bed. It was a piece of ceiling that got rotted with and moisture and could be removed easily.
After getting rid of the snake, I walked back to my back door and walked into the house. Mom was cooking dinner for the six plus kids wandering about the house. Dad was drinking a cola from the fridge. I cleaned up a mess left behind by Mom dutifully and plucked up on of my two twin sisters who was trying to make an electric socket spark by putting gum wrappers into it.
I put her down and walked past the rows of pictures in the hallway, which had yet two other siblings that had left home, and went back to my room to sit for awhile.
I've been feeling very strange lately, like I was a T.V getting a bad signal. The ability to hear things far off was beginning to fade. I couldn't understand why.
Whop. Whop.
I frowned slightly. A helicopter was outside. I hadn't realized it was approaching.
Dangerous.
The helicopter sounds stopped. I stood in my room looking at nothing. No good. I had removed the eyes I would have used to look at the newcomers.
The doorbell rang. My eyes cut to the sound, but I didn't move. I heard Dad open the door, and start talking to someone else. Someone distinguished.
Mom was allergic to all types of animals. This had, more than once, turned out to be a drawback for me. Without animals, I had little eyes protecting me from any unexpected encounters. Even wild animals had begun to stay away.
Mom and Dad's voices got worried. I couldn't hear what they were saying, so I padded back down the hallway.
Two men , one short and stocky, the other tall with glasses, were coming through the doorway, followed by another man in a wheelchair. The wheelchair was being pushed by a girl with red hair. I pulled back in time not to be seen by the man with shades, and crept back a little into the hall. My brother and sisters were crowded on the couch, looking at the odd assortment in wonder.
The distinguished voice began speaking again.
"Has anything odd been happening? Strange occurrences that appear to have no true reason."
"Nothing." Dad said back. He sounded confused. "What is this about?"
"I have reason to believe that a child in your household is a mutant. Now, this does not make them a monster. I have a special school that will help them control their powers, if you'll agree to send them there."
"Who…Which one could it be?" Mom was scared. Mutant racism had been popping up in the news.
"Do you have any children that have reached puberty? Or close to it?"
"Only Danny, she's back in her room. The others are only as old as nine…"Mom's voice got a little distracted. Probably thinking about the time I went missing and a few other things. "Danny…"
"Danielle! Come out here!" Dad yelled. I waited a few seconds and the walked out, rubbing my eyes.
"Yeah?" I asked, feigning a yawn.
"Sorry to wake you honey, but this man here…he wants to talk to you." Mom gestured helplessly at the man in the wheelchair.
He was bald, in a gray suit and a relaxed look that seemed to crackle with just a hint of energy. He looked at me with the most penetrating eyes I had ever seen, with a kind look in them, suggesting that everything would be fine.
I glanced at the others. Right off the bat I recognized the shorter man. I hadn't caught a good look at him before. He was the man I fought with when I was stealing the scales. The other man was a tall boy a bit older than myself. His red sunglasses disturbed me for some reason, but I kept myself emotionless.
"Danny, have you noticed anything different… about yourself?"
Not since I was four, no. "No sir."
"I see. You haven't made things happen without meaning to?"
Of course not. "No sir."
He looked at me closely, then I felt a strange sort of buzzing in my head. I felt the buzz push, and then I heard birds. They all seemed to be screaming at once.
The bald man jerked back in surprise. I held my ground and felt the buzz stop abruptly. The birds calmed and the screams went down to malignant chirps.
"Amazing. I've...I can safely say, I have never encountered that before."
My heart was hammering. It felt like it wouldn't stop. It wasn't him. It was the birds. I hadn't felt them coming. It was as if they had been there the entire time, and I had just forgotten.
"You okay, Professor?" The younger man asked.
"Yes, fine Scott." He didn't sound fine. He sounded…hesitant.
I was still trying to control my heart. I had already begun to discover what happened. He was some sort of telepath, like some mutants I'd heard on the news. He would have realized what I had been doing, then I would have had to run from them, back Lord Jaakeni. But the birds stopped him somehow. They were outside now. Hundreds, sitting in the trees. Mostly small, with a couple of large ones watching from the tree tops. But when they started screaming, I swore there were a billion times more.
I looked at them all from their own eyes. I felt like I should thank them, but something seemed to stop me. Why should I thank them? Only Lord Jaakeni should be thanked for what he does for me.
But that doesn't make any sense!
"Danny?" The man in the wheelchair looked at me carefully. "Is there something wrong?"
Yes. Yes there is.
"No sir." I said carefully. "What was it you were doing, Sir?"
"I was checking your mind for any instances of mutant activity. I believe I found it."
Mom gasped. Her daughter was a mutant. I almost felt bad for her. But…here was an opportunity.
"Danny, I am here to give you an opportunity to come to a school, where there will be others with gifts, like you. We will teach you how to use your gift to benefit mankind. We will teach you how to protect yourself against those that would hurt you and help those that need it."
I stayed quiet, forming a plan piece by piece in my head.
"You don't have to answer right away. I know it's hard to leave behind family and friends, so please, think about it."
"Do I have a choice?" I asked calmly.
"Yes. But if you decide to stay, we need to be in contact with you every once in awhile. To make sure you're alright."
"I'd like a day or two to think about it."
"Of course. We will wait for your answer in town. Here's where we'll be staying." He handed me a piece of paper with the only hotel within thirty miles written on it.
"Okay."
They stayed for a couple of minutes and then left. The stocky one passed by me and I barely looked at him. There was a more difficult task at hand now.
"Honey?" Mom put a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her. She had my same hair, but beautiful, vibrant green eyes set in a slightly haggard face. "Are you okay? You know this is your decision, right? We'll stand by whatever you say."
I felt a pang of guilt. She trusted me a lot, for all the times I seemed to do everything wrong for her. I wanted to say she shouldn't trust me like that, but a deeper sense of duty had me pulled in another direction. I wanted to kill it. It was taking me away from people I loved far too much to hurt.
"I will mom. I'll decided tonight. I'm going to sleep now."
"Honey, it's only—"
"Let her go." Dad hugged her as I padded back down the hall.
Things needed to be done. So many things.
I packed my bag with the changes of clothes I needed. In the bottom of the bag was my mask and stealth outfit, along with Lord Jaakeni's gifts. Also the orb I used to get to the meetings, stashed away, wrapped in old cloth rags.
I had to pack light. I was going to do a lot of traveling. It would take some changes to my clothing.
I packed away a few pocket knives, an old water bottle, a few rolls of money I had been…collecting over the years, and some other necessities. I pulled the zippers closed and balanced the bag on my shoulders. It was light. Perfect.
I didn't pack any food. It would be setting off too many signals. Mom would wonder why I need so much food for such a short trip.
The sun was beginning to rise, and I left my room. I was going to say goodbye to my parents this morning.
I stopped by the sisters' rooms I went by every bed, stood by it for a minute, looking at my younger siblings as they slept.
They looked very innocent right now, but they were troublemakers to the core. I walked out of the room, careful not to wake them up.
I walked over to Jared's little playroom across from mom's and Dad's room. He was sleeping in his little bed, snoring quietly.
"Watch out for snakes." I murmured. Then I left.
Mom and Dad were sitting at the table. They looked at me and the bag on my shoulders and knew.
"I have their hotel. I'm just going to meet them. I don't want them waking up the kids." I said.
"Honey…"Mom started, then stopped. She was afraid to say anything. Nothing like this had ever happened, and thwy were both frightened with what having a mutant in the family could do with the relationships of people outside the family, and I guess for me as well.
"I'll be fine." I side with a smile on my face. "Don't worry…I'll call you once a week. I won't forget."
"I'll give you a ride." Dad got up. I waved him back down.
"I can make it. You won't, in those pajamas. Don't worry, I'll call you when I'm settled in. It's easier this way."
"For who?" Mom griped, then looked chagrined.
"For me. Trust me, the girls and Jared would rather have you here."
A half hour later I was out the door and into a taxi-Mom and Dad refused to let me walk alone. A little less then ten minutes later I stopped the driver six blocks from the Blackrock hotel.
It was still early, so I walked into an alley unnoticed. I hid my backpack behind an old dumpster and threw some trash over it. I wiped off my hands on my pants and quickly walked the six blocks.
When I got to the hotel, I sucked in a deep breath. Better to seem slightly off balance than far too calm.
I pushed open the doors to the lobby and saw the man I had fought before. He stood with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. He raised his eyes to watch me walk in.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to talk with the Professor." My voice was meek. He looked at me for a minute. I stood as normally as I could, but I could feel an edge in his gaze.
Damn the paranoid.
"Wait here." He growled. I nodded, making sure our gazes never met. He went to the elevators and got in, shooting me another suspicious glare before the doors closed.
I held down a frown. I took a quick glance around the lobby. Nobody was here at seven in the morning. No necessarily strange. It was a small town, and not exactly a hub of publicity.
The elevator beeped. It couldn't be that man again. Too soon.
The doors slid open and the girl with red hair and the boy with shades walked out, yawning.
"Oh!" The boy noticed me. "It's you. What are you doing up so early, here, at this time?"
"I came to talk with the Professor." I said, looking him up and down. What was his name again?
"I'm Jean." The girl introduced herself. I had to look up to see her face. Shortness has some disadvantages. "And this is Scott. Danielle, right?"
"Yes." I nodded.
We stood in awkward silence.
"Would you like to have breakfast with us?" Scott blurted out. Jean took up his lead immediately.
"That's a great idea! We can get to know each other better, and we can tell you all about the institute."
"I've already eaten breakfast." I lied.
"Well…we can just talk—"
The elevators beeped again and out came the Professor and the other man.
"Miss Nesmond. You certainly are an early riser. I barely got up an hour ago. May I ask why you're here? You could have just called."
"I wanted to give you my answer in person."
"Alright." His wheelchair stopped a few feet away. Scott and Jean respectfully moved away.
"My answer is no. I'm sorry." I said with a strain of sadness in my voice.
His eyebrow raised. The other three had varying looks of surprise.
"Can you tell me why?"
"I could never leave my family. I love them too much, and there's so much they need help with. My sisters will be home full time summer vacation, and the holidays will really tax us. And no one knows about me except my family. If I go with you, It'll be too hard on my family and me. I can't leave them behind."
"You know that you will have to leave home sometime." The Professor said carefully.
"I know. But it won't be now. I'm sorry." I hung my head.
"I understand. We can't force you to come. I only wish you would reconsider. But, if your heart is set, I only ask for you to keep in touch."
"Of course. Mom and Dad are getting a cell phone. If you give me your number, I'll call you."
"Just a check up every now and then."
"Of course. I'll call you once I get it." I said with my best smile. Jean gave him one of the hotel pads and he wrote something down on it. He gave it to me and I silently read the number to myself. "Thank you Professor. I'll keep in touch."
"Are you staying in town for very long?" Jean asked.
"I'm afraid not. I have to get home. Thank you for your kindness."
"We can give you a ride."
"I'll take a taxi. I have enough money. Thanks anyway. I'd better leave before my siblings get up. They get anxious if I'm not there."
An hour later, I managed to make my escape. I flagged down a cabbie and had him drive me back down the road until I was out of sight of the hotel. I paid the perplexed cabbie, snuck back through the back ways and got back to the dumpster, retrieving my bag. Then I weaved back through the streets, careful to keep away from the hotel.
Another half hour later, I was buying a ticket out of town. I hadn't gotten carded, but in any case, they sold tickets to sixteen year olds and above. This bus station had the definite feel of 'don't ask, don't tell'.
I sat down. I had fifteen minutes till the bus came. I glanced down at my watch.
Funny. It had only taken a little more than three hours to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. If I didn't call in a week, no one would know where I was. If I died, I'd be a Jane Doe. No one would know.
Except Lord Jaakeni.
But even still, that rebellious thought quaked up, as hard as I tried to push it aside.
Even if he knew I died or disappeared, would he care?
"Shut-up." I hissed silently.
The bus rolled up, and I hastily got up. I couldn't afford to stay any longer. I got on the bus and sat in the middle, across the aisle from a teen that was drooling in his sleep.
When the bus started rolling again, I heaved a sigh of relief. There was nothing holding me back.
And now, there was no looking back, either.
PrincessofWildfire: Sorry about the lag. And I don't mind the rambling, and I know this may have confused you more, but hopefully it will begin clearing up with upcoming chapters.