Don't ask why I changed the story title. I just didn't think it related to
where I'm going with this.
Chapter Seven: A Flood of Rage
(At the institute)
"School cancelled for a week!" Jean fumed.
"I would bet anything that the Brotherhood had something to do with this." Scott said frowning.
"Cyke, nobody would take that bet because they'd know you'd win." Ray said casually.
All the X-Men were in the living room do to the cancellation of school. It was evening.
"At least we have the week off." Jesse said.
"Still why the heck would they flood the school?" Bobby asked.
"You know how they are. They're capable of anything." Jesse shrugged.
"I bet it was that Aqua chick that did it. I mean she's the one with water powers." Rogue said.
"Or maybe the pipeline could've just burst or something." Kitty suggested. Everyone looked at her weirdly. "Oh right."
"Kitty, whenever something bad happens, it's usually the Brotherhood's fault." Evan said. "I mean come on man, who else do you think would've done that?"
"I'm just saying..." Kitty muttered.
"No Kitty. They've pulled the last straw. Next time they do something, we're going to stop them. I don't care what it takes."
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"Man that was a great day!" Tabitha said.
Lance yawned. "I'm ready to turn in. After spending the day with you morons I can finally get a good night's sleep."
"Come on Lance." Pietro teased. "You know you love us."
"Yeah, I love you like I love one of my migraines."
"Aw it wasn't that bad." Serena said cheerfully. "I don't think those people will even remember us... well, them." She pointed at Tabitha and Pietro.
"Yeah, come on Lance!" Todd said. "You gotta learn to let loose."
"That was my one mistake. Letting you all loose!"
"Well I for one had a good time." Fred said.
"Only because you emptied out the snack bar." They were up the stairs.
Tabitha yawned. "Goodnight guys." She headed to her room.
"Good night." They all said together and did the same. When Serena was outside her bedroom she kissed Todd on the lips.
"Night Todd. I had fun." She shut her door.
Todd stood there with a dazed expression. "Night." He whispered and shuffled to his bedroom. He hopped into bed and laid his head back sighing deeply. 'Nothing could possibly ruin this week.' He thought to himself, and drifted off to sleep.
Todd found he wasn't in the Brotherhood house anymore. He was in a small messy house that didn't look like it was taken care of that often. The wallpaper was peeling and the tile floor was chipped. It was dark. He heard screams of frustration and despair coming from the kitchen. He hesitated on whether he should go or not. In the end, his curiosity got the better of him and he stepped into the dim lit room. He saw two girls wrestling with each other. One had dark hair and the other had dirty blonde hair, but that was all Todd could make out of the two young women. They were shouting at each other.
"Angela, put the knife down!" the dark haired girl screamed. That's when Todd noticed the knife's blade flash. The dark haired girl had a hand on the other girl's wrist trying to get the knife away from her.
"No! Leave me alone! Nobody wants me!" The girl named Angela shrieked. Todd judged by the sound of it, she was crying.
"Don't be ridiculous!" The dark haired girl shouted.
"Let me do it! Just let me kill myself!"
Todd's breath caught in his chest. Why did this girl want to kill herself? Todd started to panic. He wanted to help stop the girl from ending her life. But he couldn't move. His feet were rooted to the spot. He struggled to free himself, but all he could do was watch the horrible scene.
"Nobody cares about me! They don't care what happens to me! I'm just something they can use! I'm the temporary girl!"
"I care! I care what happens to you!" The dark haired girl declared.
"I don't have any friends!" The blonde screamed.
"You're a friend to me!" she said while pinning Angela down.
"Trust me, if you knew me you would not want to be my friend." She struggled to get up.
"Listen! You are a friend to me! You understand me and you help me! That's what friends do!"
The young blonde girl sobbed. "Get off."
She threw the girl off of her and dove for the knives. She had almost managed to grab one but the dark haired girl pulled her back by her shirt. They both toppled backwards crashing into the drain which was holding several dishes. Glass and porcelain smashed onto the floor. The dark haired girl took the blonde girl and shook her.
"Listen to me! I know how you feel. But you can't just end your life like this! You have to keep going. You can't give up now!"
"Watch me!" the blonde said and tried to go for the knives again but the other girl pulled her back.
"Listen. I thought I had a rough life. But now that I've seen yours I know I may never be able to compare. I couldn't even begin to imagine what you're going through, but I will not allow you to throw your life away!" She looked straight into the other girl's eyes. "We are friends, and friends help each other no matter what. Even in the toughest times, we stick together. We guide each other and solve each other's problems. I don't care what happens but I am not giving up on you!"
The blonde girl stared at her for a while, then broke down. She slumped to the floor in the other girl's arms and cried into the girl's shoulder.
"He was the only one who understood me." She sobbed. "I loved him so much. And now he's gone. I've got no one else." She was sniffling a little. The girl with dark hair put a hand on the girl's head, comforting her.
"I'm here." She said gently. "You've taught me something important tonight." She looked as if she was going to cry too. "You've taught me to be brave and strong. Before, I didn't know what the world was really like," she said gravely, "but now, I do." They both sat there in the dark kitchen surrounded by broken dishes. The girl continued to cry into the brunette's shoulder while she just held her close for comfort.
Todd stared at the heartbreaking sight. He was so shocked at what he had just witnessed. He wanted to say something to them to help, but he felt as if someone had put him on mute. The dark haired girl looked up to where the light hit her face, and Todd gasped. Her hair matted, beads of sweat decorating her forehead, and a solemn expression on her face. Her eyes looked hollow and her mouth was rigid. She looked as if she had seen someone die. There was no trace of happiness or laughter in her features. Todd couldn't believe his eyes as he stared into the young face he knew so well. It was Serena.
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Todd's eyes flew wide open. He sat up straight gasping. Sweat was running down his face. His heart was beating rapidly. He breathed trying to get himself to calm down.
"What was that?" he asked himself out loud. He grabbed his head. "Not again. Man, why am I having these dreams?" It was so vivid he remembered every detail about the dream. But he couldn't understand why he was having them. It just didn't make any sense. He heard a noise. It was the sound of the bottom stair creaking. He sat up straight. "Serena."
He threw off his bed covers and went down stairs. Sure enough there was a dim light on. Serena was sitting on the couch with a glass of strawberry milk. She looked up when she heard him come down.
"Oh... hi Todd." He voice sounded a little sad but she smiled none the less. "Hope I didn't wake you."
"Nah." He said casually. "Wasn't you."
"Couldn't sleep?"
"I've just been having a rough night. Lately my head has been kinda off."
"How so?" she asked interested.
"Well," he hesitated. "I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like is any of this for real, or not?" He heard something shatter. He looked at Serena who had dropped the glass she was holding. She stared horrified at him.
"What's wrong?"
"Tell me, have you had any strange dreams lately?" she asked in a quavering voice.
"Well, yeah. Kinda." He said taken aback. "First I had this dream about this girl getting beatin up, and now I had this dream with two girls and one of them was..."
"Trying to kill herself." She finished.
"Yeah, wait- how did--?" He started. She suddenly stood up.
"Todd, there's a lot you don't know about me."
Realization slowly dawned on him. "That girl, in the dreams. The one who was betrayed, the one who stopped the other girl from killing herself. That was you wasn't it?" She nodded solemnly. "Then those dreams I was having..."
"Not dreams Todd. Shadows. Shadows of a haunted past. Memories." Tears trickled down her face. "My memories."
"But why--?"
"Are you having my dreams?"
"How do you keep doing that yo?" he asked. "It's creepy."
"I don't know. Either the question is obvious or I can just feel it. As for the dreams, I'm not quite sure." She started pacing back and forth thinking. She was switching back and forth between her liquid form as she paced. "This didn't start happening until recently." She said nervously. "The dreams I mean. My past has mostly left well enough alone over the years."
"You really had a hard time didn't you?" She shook her head.
"It's in the past Todd. It's just a memory now. And some memories are best lost."
"What do you mean?"
"I thought I had forgotten only my four year old past, but now that I think about it, I can't even remember past when I was seven. I remember the twins being born, but other than that..." She shook her head.
"Must be scary." Todd said. "Not being able to remember anything."
"Not really. Just confusing. But maybe that past is best forgotten." She looked up. "Besides I need to focus on what's going on now. If I don't then..." her body was in her liquid form again. She started breathing heavily as if she was waiting for something bad to happen right then and there. She switched back to her solid form and sat back down.
"Are you alright?" he asked worried.
"I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen or what's coming."
"Serena, what are you sayin?" She looked at him.
"I'm scared Todd. I keep getting this feeling as if something terrible is going to happen. I don't know why, I just can't seem to get rid of this feeling I have." He took her in his arms and held her close.
His voice was unsteady but he said determidly, "I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I don't care about what's coming. But know matter what it is we'll see it through to the end."
"Oh Todd..." she whispered. She laid her head against him sleepily. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm really glad I found you..." She drifted off into a deep sleep. Todd sat there holding her, smiling at her. He rested his chin on top of her head.
"I'm glad you're here too Serena." He said quietly. The two of them sat there together in a peaceful slumber. There was a clicking noise and a few hushed voices coming from the stairs.
Next day the Brotherhood was bored. They were all sitting around the living room doing practically nothing. Pietro spoke up. "Hey guys? I could use some action. You guys want to go get a cash withdrawal." "Okay, why not? Everyone's at work." "Yeah. Nothing better to do." So it was agreed. Todd looked at Serena who still looked a little tired but smiled at him. Life was good. Everything was going his way.
Nothing could possibly go wrong. Or so he thought...
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Some of the X-Men were in the kitchen grazing on whatever they could find. Kitty had poured herself a glass of soda. She got out the ice tray from the freezer and took out a few ice cubes to put in her drink.
"Well we have a week off so we might as well make the best of it."
"I'm cool with that." Kurt said.
Jean came into the kitchen with a serious look on her face. "The Brotherhood is at it again."
"It like, never ends." Kitty rolled her eyes.
"This time we take them down. X-Men let's move out!" Scott said.
"But the last time we fought we got blasted away by that Aqua chick." Rogue said.
"Doesn't she have a weakness or something?" Bobby asked. Suddenly the ice tray Kitty left out fell off the table emptying its contents of ice cubes that spilled out onto the floor. Scott looked at the spilled ice curiously. "Hmmm." He suddenly had an idea. "Ice Man, you're coming with us."
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The Brotherhood was at the bank. Pietro walked out with a couple of bags of cash. "This should last us for at least a month." He said cheerfully. Serena had a look of uneasiness on her face.
"Stop right there!" A voice called out. They looked over to see Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, Kitty, Rogue, and Ice Man.
"Hey X-Geeks! What shakin?" Tabitha waved.
"Alright guys. Drop it." Scott said.
""You got it!" Tabitha said cheerfully as she tossed a bomb at them. They ducked out of the way as the bomb exploded.
"That's it! This has gone on far enough!" Cyclops shot a blast at them and pretty soon everybody was fighting.
Rogue was evading the Blob, Kitty was yelling at Lance, Scott was trying to shoot Pietro, Todd and Kurt were getting into another tail and tongue tugging war, and Jean was once again shielding herself from Tabitha's bombs. Bobby and Serena faced each other. Serena shot a water blast at him but froze it. She gasped.
"Things are about to get very cold." He said. He shot a very cold wind at her.
Serena stood and took the blast, her hair ruffled by the icy wind. Serena started acting weird. She was shivering uncontrollably. She tried to rub her arms but she was still freezing.
Todd noticed this and wondered what was wrong. Todd suddenly remembered what she had said to him before. 'My weakness is that I'm extremely sensitive to temperature.' "Cold." She whispered. She fell to her knees still shivering. The ice was surrounding her. Todd started to panic. He kicked Kurt off with his super strong legs that sent Kurt to land sprawled on the grass. "Guys! We've got to get Serena out of here!" "What for?" Lance yelled. Todd didn't answer. He spat out a huge gunk of slime that hit Bobby in the side of the head taking him by surprise. Todd picked up Serena's shivering body. "I'm sorry Todd." She whispered. "Don't be." He ran off with her leaving the others to fight. It didn't last long after Todd and Serena were gone. The rest of the Brotherhood fled being outnumbered. "We'll get you next time!" Lance shouted back. And they disappeared around the corner.
The x-men went back to the institute. "We did it!" Bobby yelled. "So that was her weakness huh?" "Yes Scott." Xavier said wheeling up to them. "Serena has very interesting powers indeed. One of the most intriguing is her ability to become water by psionically raising the water levels in her body thereby becoming a being made of water. But it comes at a great cost however. I have been studying her and I have noticed that because of her powers she has difficulty regulating her body temperature. Extreme cold or heat could cause her to freeze or boil alive, especially if she is in her water form." "Like, wow." Kitty said amazed. "So all we have to do is keep bringing Ice Man." "The problem is Scott that if she had reached freezing point, there is no telling if she could have survived.
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Todd laid Serena on her bed. She was unconscious. "Why did this have to happen?" he asked himself. "Everything was going so well."
"Toad." A voice from the door called. Todd looked over to see the rest of the Brotherhood standing in the doorway with their arms folded. Todd swallowed hard.
"We need to talk." They headed over to Lance's bedroom and shut the door.
"Look guys. What happened back there wasn't Serena's fault."
"Still, we've been thinking and we thought maybe it's time to drop her."
"What!?" Todd yelled. "But why, yo?"
"Lately she has become more of a burden."
"She slips up one time and you guys just want to drop her?"
"Toad, she's slipped up loads of times! We've just had it that's all."
"What the heck are you guys talking about? What are you smoking?"
"Plus she doesn't really fit in."
"She fits in just fine."
"Why are you so quick to defend her?"
"Why are you so quick to judge her? She's treated all of us really nice and this is what you guys show for it?"
"Not to mention you running off like that."
"It won't happen again."
"Look Todd, we all know how you feel about her. But she's just not one of us. You can always see it in her eyes, constant apprehension. She doesn't like the idea of stealing."
"Meaning she doesn't like what we do."
"Why can't you guys just give her another chance?"
"Toad, she is not one of us."
"She's been through more then all of you will ever be!" Todd shouted.
In the other room Serena stirred slowly awake. The last things she remembered were fighting, the cold surrounding her, Todd's face... She sat up and looked around wondering where everyone was. She got off the bed and walked out of her room down the hall. She could hear the boys' voices inside the room. She was going to burst in and tell them how sorry she was, but the sound of her name made her stop. She stood outside the door listening.
"But guys..." Todd started. "Look Toad. We only agreed she could hang out with us because we thought she could be of some use to the group. But now that the X-Geeks have figured out her weakness, they're going to bring that snowball to every fight we have with them."
"She could still be useful."
"Toad, I'm sorry. But she needs to be cut out of the group."
Serena stood outside the door listening to all this. She was overwhelmed. She staggered down the hall into her room and sat down on her bed. She put her face in her hands.
Well, so much for friends. I guess Kurt was right. They only wanted me for my powers. She put her hands down and gazed at the floor. She laughed to herself. I guess I was stupid to think that they wanted to be my friends. Why did I kid myself like that? Tears were forming in her eyes. What's the use? Why do I even try? Why didn't I just give up? Anger slowly rose in inside of her. Because I was a fool. I was a fool to think that anyone would want me as a friend. I'm just some joke for everybody to laugh at. A toy for everyone to play with. Her insides raged with a burning fire. It's just like last time. The pain. She saw the girls kicking her. Laughing at her. The neglect. The girls were leaving her in the dirt. The manipulation. She heard the girl's voice inside her head. 'You're of no use to us anymore.' She stood up her arms shaking. No more. She looked up her eyes flickering. "I'VE HAD IT!" She screamed out loud. The pipelines were bursting through the ceiling. Water was flooding around her. Her hair was flying wildly in an unfelt wind. Her eyes were glowing. She raised her hands up. She broke more pipelines. Water flooded out onto the floor around her. She waved her hands and the water formed into a wave and crashed out her bedroom door.
There was a rumbling sound. "Cut it out man!" Pietro ordered to Lance.
"That ain't me. It sounds more like..." The door was creaking and water was trickling through the crack under the door.
"Oh boy." Todd said. The door broke down and water came flooding into the room. It swept them all off there feet and carried them out the room, through the hall, down the stairs and dumped them onto the living room floor. They looked up to see Serena looking so furious it was frightening. She was glaring down at them her fists clenched and her teeth barred. She still looked kind of cute when she's angry. Todd thought. Scary, but cute.
"So..." she said in voice of deadly calm. "You forgot to mention our relationship was based ON MY POWERS!" her voice suddenly rose. The boys quivered beneath her piercing gaze. Her voice sounded so unlike her own. It wasn't her usually warm, friendly voice, but hard, cold, and full of hatred.
"Tell me how long have you been planning this?" She had lowered her voice. "Ever since you found out I was a mutant like you?" She pointed at Todd.
He raised his hands. "Please buttercup, I..."
"Don't even! You were using me from the beginning! I thought you really cared!"
"But I do care!"
"Don't even try. I heard you guys talking about dumping me."
"Then you must've heard about how I wanted you to stay, didn't 'ya?"
"For what?" She asked with tears of anger in her eyes. "So you could use me some more? Kurt was right! I can't trust any of you!"
"The elf?" Lance asked. "When?"
"After the jewelry store incident he came to see me. He told me I couldn't trust you."
"And you believed him?" Todd asked in disbelief.
"Well he was right wasn't he?"
"Look yo!" Todd said in frustration.
"I care! I don't care what anybody else thinks but I do care about you! I love the way you find adventure. I love the way you swing to your wild side. And I love the way you understand me. How many people do you think can put up with me or the way smell?" he pointed at himself.
"Oh trust me he's got you there." Pietro spoke up.
"Stay out of this!" she shot at him. He immediately backed away.
"Serena, you're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. Ever since I bumped into you in the hallway my life's been bliss. I feel like I can do anything when I'm around you." She shook her head.
"It doesn't matter. I can't stay here anymore." She started rushing out the door.
He called after her. "Serena." She turned to look at him angrily. "Please." He asked sadly.
Seeing how sad he was melted away her anger into regret. She wasn't sure how, but she knew he was telling the truth. But she also knew she could not stay there. She turned away from him.
"Good-bye Todd." She walked away.
Todd crouched there in the doorway watching her with a sorrowful expression. She was going... going... going... gone. He hung his head. The world felt as if it had ended for Todd. Serena was gone, and she was probably never coming back.
How do you think this should change Serena's way of behaving towards other people? Oh and please, if you have any ideas of what could or should happen in the story, please do submit them. I will be more than glad to read them.
Chapter Seven: A Flood of Rage
(At the institute)
"School cancelled for a week!" Jean fumed.
"I would bet anything that the Brotherhood had something to do with this." Scott said frowning.
"Cyke, nobody would take that bet because they'd know you'd win." Ray said casually.
All the X-Men were in the living room do to the cancellation of school. It was evening.
"At least we have the week off." Jesse said.
"Still why the heck would they flood the school?" Bobby asked.
"You know how they are. They're capable of anything." Jesse shrugged.
"I bet it was that Aqua chick that did it. I mean she's the one with water powers." Rogue said.
"Or maybe the pipeline could've just burst or something." Kitty suggested. Everyone looked at her weirdly. "Oh right."
"Kitty, whenever something bad happens, it's usually the Brotherhood's fault." Evan said. "I mean come on man, who else do you think would've done that?"
"I'm just saying..." Kitty muttered.
"No Kitty. They've pulled the last straw. Next time they do something, we're going to stop them. I don't care what it takes."
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"Man that was a great day!" Tabitha said.
Lance yawned. "I'm ready to turn in. After spending the day with you morons I can finally get a good night's sleep."
"Come on Lance." Pietro teased. "You know you love us."
"Yeah, I love you like I love one of my migraines."
"Aw it wasn't that bad." Serena said cheerfully. "I don't think those people will even remember us... well, them." She pointed at Tabitha and Pietro.
"Yeah, come on Lance!" Todd said. "You gotta learn to let loose."
"That was my one mistake. Letting you all loose!"
"Well I for one had a good time." Fred said.
"Only because you emptied out the snack bar." They were up the stairs.
Tabitha yawned. "Goodnight guys." She headed to her room.
"Good night." They all said together and did the same. When Serena was outside her bedroom she kissed Todd on the lips.
"Night Todd. I had fun." She shut her door.
Todd stood there with a dazed expression. "Night." He whispered and shuffled to his bedroom. He hopped into bed and laid his head back sighing deeply. 'Nothing could possibly ruin this week.' He thought to himself, and drifted off to sleep.
Todd found he wasn't in the Brotherhood house anymore. He was in a small messy house that didn't look like it was taken care of that often. The wallpaper was peeling and the tile floor was chipped. It was dark. He heard screams of frustration and despair coming from the kitchen. He hesitated on whether he should go or not. In the end, his curiosity got the better of him and he stepped into the dim lit room. He saw two girls wrestling with each other. One had dark hair and the other had dirty blonde hair, but that was all Todd could make out of the two young women. They were shouting at each other.
"Angela, put the knife down!" the dark haired girl screamed. That's when Todd noticed the knife's blade flash. The dark haired girl had a hand on the other girl's wrist trying to get the knife away from her.
"No! Leave me alone! Nobody wants me!" The girl named Angela shrieked. Todd judged by the sound of it, she was crying.
"Don't be ridiculous!" The dark haired girl shouted.
"Let me do it! Just let me kill myself!"
Todd's breath caught in his chest. Why did this girl want to kill herself? Todd started to panic. He wanted to help stop the girl from ending her life. But he couldn't move. His feet were rooted to the spot. He struggled to free himself, but all he could do was watch the horrible scene.
"Nobody cares about me! They don't care what happens to me! I'm just something they can use! I'm the temporary girl!"
"I care! I care what happens to you!" The dark haired girl declared.
"I don't have any friends!" The blonde screamed.
"You're a friend to me!" she said while pinning Angela down.
"Trust me, if you knew me you would not want to be my friend." She struggled to get up.
"Listen! You are a friend to me! You understand me and you help me! That's what friends do!"
The young blonde girl sobbed. "Get off."
She threw the girl off of her and dove for the knives. She had almost managed to grab one but the dark haired girl pulled her back by her shirt. They both toppled backwards crashing into the drain which was holding several dishes. Glass and porcelain smashed onto the floor. The dark haired girl took the blonde girl and shook her.
"Listen to me! I know how you feel. But you can't just end your life like this! You have to keep going. You can't give up now!"
"Watch me!" the blonde said and tried to go for the knives again but the other girl pulled her back.
"Listen. I thought I had a rough life. But now that I've seen yours I know I may never be able to compare. I couldn't even begin to imagine what you're going through, but I will not allow you to throw your life away!" She looked straight into the other girl's eyes. "We are friends, and friends help each other no matter what. Even in the toughest times, we stick together. We guide each other and solve each other's problems. I don't care what happens but I am not giving up on you!"
The blonde girl stared at her for a while, then broke down. She slumped to the floor in the other girl's arms and cried into the girl's shoulder.
"He was the only one who understood me." She sobbed. "I loved him so much. And now he's gone. I've got no one else." She was sniffling a little. The girl with dark hair put a hand on the girl's head, comforting her.
"I'm here." She said gently. "You've taught me something important tonight." She looked as if she was going to cry too. "You've taught me to be brave and strong. Before, I didn't know what the world was really like," she said gravely, "but now, I do." They both sat there in the dark kitchen surrounded by broken dishes. The girl continued to cry into the brunette's shoulder while she just held her close for comfort.
Todd stared at the heartbreaking sight. He was so shocked at what he had just witnessed. He wanted to say something to them to help, but he felt as if someone had put him on mute. The dark haired girl looked up to where the light hit her face, and Todd gasped. Her hair matted, beads of sweat decorating her forehead, and a solemn expression on her face. Her eyes looked hollow and her mouth was rigid. She looked as if she had seen someone die. There was no trace of happiness or laughter in her features. Todd couldn't believe his eyes as he stared into the young face he knew so well. It was Serena.
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Todd's eyes flew wide open. He sat up straight gasping. Sweat was running down his face. His heart was beating rapidly. He breathed trying to get himself to calm down.
"What was that?" he asked himself out loud. He grabbed his head. "Not again. Man, why am I having these dreams?" It was so vivid he remembered every detail about the dream. But he couldn't understand why he was having them. It just didn't make any sense. He heard a noise. It was the sound of the bottom stair creaking. He sat up straight. "Serena."
He threw off his bed covers and went down stairs. Sure enough there was a dim light on. Serena was sitting on the couch with a glass of strawberry milk. She looked up when she heard him come down.
"Oh... hi Todd." He voice sounded a little sad but she smiled none the less. "Hope I didn't wake you."
"Nah." He said casually. "Wasn't you."
"Couldn't sleep?"
"I've just been having a rough night. Lately my head has been kinda off."
"How so?" she asked interested.
"Well," he hesitated. "I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like is any of this for real, or not?" He heard something shatter. He looked at Serena who had dropped the glass she was holding. She stared horrified at him.
"What's wrong?"
"Tell me, have you had any strange dreams lately?" she asked in a quavering voice.
"Well, yeah. Kinda." He said taken aback. "First I had this dream about this girl getting beatin up, and now I had this dream with two girls and one of them was..."
"Trying to kill herself." She finished.
"Yeah, wait- how did--?" He started. She suddenly stood up.
"Todd, there's a lot you don't know about me."
Realization slowly dawned on him. "That girl, in the dreams. The one who was betrayed, the one who stopped the other girl from killing herself. That was you wasn't it?" She nodded solemnly. "Then those dreams I was having..."
"Not dreams Todd. Shadows. Shadows of a haunted past. Memories." Tears trickled down her face. "My memories."
"But why--?"
"Are you having my dreams?"
"How do you keep doing that yo?" he asked. "It's creepy."
"I don't know. Either the question is obvious or I can just feel it. As for the dreams, I'm not quite sure." She started pacing back and forth thinking. She was switching back and forth between her liquid form as she paced. "This didn't start happening until recently." She said nervously. "The dreams I mean. My past has mostly left well enough alone over the years."
"You really had a hard time didn't you?" She shook her head.
"It's in the past Todd. It's just a memory now. And some memories are best lost."
"What do you mean?"
"I thought I had forgotten only my four year old past, but now that I think about it, I can't even remember past when I was seven. I remember the twins being born, but other than that..." She shook her head.
"Must be scary." Todd said. "Not being able to remember anything."
"Not really. Just confusing. But maybe that past is best forgotten." She looked up. "Besides I need to focus on what's going on now. If I don't then..." her body was in her liquid form again. She started breathing heavily as if she was waiting for something bad to happen right then and there. She switched back to her solid form and sat back down.
"Are you alright?" he asked worried.
"I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen or what's coming."
"Serena, what are you sayin?" She looked at him.
"I'm scared Todd. I keep getting this feeling as if something terrible is going to happen. I don't know why, I just can't seem to get rid of this feeling I have." He took her in his arms and held her close.
His voice was unsteady but he said determidly, "I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I don't care about what's coming. But know matter what it is we'll see it through to the end."
"Oh Todd..." she whispered. She laid her head against him sleepily. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm really glad I found you..." She drifted off into a deep sleep. Todd sat there holding her, smiling at her. He rested his chin on top of her head.
"I'm glad you're here too Serena." He said quietly. The two of them sat there together in a peaceful slumber. There was a clicking noise and a few hushed voices coming from the stairs.
Next day the Brotherhood was bored. They were all sitting around the living room doing practically nothing. Pietro spoke up. "Hey guys? I could use some action. You guys want to go get a cash withdrawal." "Okay, why not? Everyone's at work." "Yeah. Nothing better to do." So it was agreed. Todd looked at Serena who still looked a little tired but smiled at him. Life was good. Everything was going his way.
Nothing could possibly go wrong. Or so he thought...
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Some of the X-Men were in the kitchen grazing on whatever they could find. Kitty had poured herself a glass of soda. She got out the ice tray from the freezer and took out a few ice cubes to put in her drink.
"Well we have a week off so we might as well make the best of it."
"I'm cool with that." Kurt said.
Jean came into the kitchen with a serious look on her face. "The Brotherhood is at it again."
"It like, never ends." Kitty rolled her eyes.
"This time we take them down. X-Men let's move out!" Scott said.
"But the last time we fought we got blasted away by that Aqua chick." Rogue said.
"Doesn't she have a weakness or something?" Bobby asked. Suddenly the ice tray Kitty left out fell off the table emptying its contents of ice cubes that spilled out onto the floor. Scott looked at the spilled ice curiously. "Hmmm." He suddenly had an idea. "Ice Man, you're coming with us."
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The Brotherhood was at the bank. Pietro walked out with a couple of bags of cash. "This should last us for at least a month." He said cheerfully. Serena had a look of uneasiness on her face.
"Stop right there!" A voice called out. They looked over to see Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, Kitty, Rogue, and Ice Man.
"Hey X-Geeks! What shakin?" Tabitha waved.
"Alright guys. Drop it." Scott said.
""You got it!" Tabitha said cheerfully as she tossed a bomb at them. They ducked out of the way as the bomb exploded.
"That's it! This has gone on far enough!" Cyclops shot a blast at them and pretty soon everybody was fighting.
Rogue was evading the Blob, Kitty was yelling at Lance, Scott was trying to shoot Pietro, Todd and Kurt were getting into another tail and tongue tugging war, and Jean was once again shielding herself from Tabitha's bombs. Bobby and Serena faced each other. Serena shot a water blast at him but froze it. She gasped.
"Things are about to get very cold." He said. He shot a very cold wind at her.
Serena stood and took the blast, her hair ruffled by the icy wind. Serena started acting weird. She was shivering uncontrollably. She tried to rub her arms but she was still freezing.
Todd noticed this and wondered what was wrong. Todd suddenly remembered what she had said to him before. 'My weakness is that I'm extremely sensitive to temperature.' "Cold." She whispered. She fell to her knees still shivering. The ice was surrounding her. Todd started to panic. He kicked Kurt off with his super strong legs that sent Kurt to land sprawled on the grass. "Guys! We've got to get Serena out of here!" "What for?" Lance yelled. Todd didn't answer. He spat out a huge gunk of slime that hit Bobby in the side of the head taking him by surprise. Todd picked up Serena's shivering body. "I'm sorry Todd." She whispered. "Don't be." He ran off with her leaving the others to fight. It didn't last long after Todd and Serena were gone. The rest of the Brotherhood fled being outnumbered. "We'll get you next time!" Lance shouted back. And they disappeared around the corner.
The x-men went back to the institute. "We did it!" Bobby yelled. "So that was her weakness huh?" "Yes Scott." Xavier said wheeling up to them. "Serena has very interesting powers indeed. One of the most intriguing is her ability to become water by psionically raising the water levels in her body thereby becoming a being made of water. But it comes at a great cost however. I have been studying her and I have noticed that because of her powers she has difficulty regulating her body temperature. Extreme cold or heat could cause her to freeze or boil alive, especially if she is in her water form." "Like, wow." Kitty said amazed. "So all we have to do is keep bringing Ice Man." "The problem is Scott that if she had reached freezing point, there is no telling if she could have survived.
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Todd laid Serena on her bed. She was unconscious. "Why did this have to happen?" he asked himself. "Everything was going so well."
"Toad." A voice from the door called. Todd looked over to see the rest of the Brotherhood standing in the doorway with their arms folded. Todd swallowed hard.
"We need to talk." They headed over to Lance's bedroom and shut the door.
"Look guys. What happened back there wasn't Serena's fault."
"Still, we've been thinking and we thought maybe it's time to drop her."
"What!?" Todd yelled. "But why, yo?"
"Lately she has become more of a burden."
"She slips up one time and you guys just want to drop her?"
"Toad, she's slipped up loads of times! We've just had it that's all."
"What the heck are you guys talking about? What are you smoking?"
"Plus she doesn't really fit in."
"She fits in just fine."
"Why are you so quick to defend her?"
"Why are you so quick to judge her? She's treated all of us really nice and this is what you guys show for it?"
"Not to mention you running off like that."
"It won't happen again."
"Look Todd, we all know how you feel about her. But she's just not one of us. You can always see it in her eyes, constant apprehension. She doesn't like the idea of stealing."
"Meaning she doesn't like what we do."
"Why can't you guys just give her another chance?"
"Toad, she is not one of us."
"She's been through more then all of you will ever be!" Todd shouted.
In the other room Serena stirred slowly awake. The last things she remembered were fighting, the cold surrounding her, Todd's face... She sat up and looked around wondering where everyone was. She got off the bed and walked out of her room down the hall. She could hear the boys' voices inside the room. She was going to burst in and tell them how sorry she was, but the sound of her name made her stop. She stood outside the door listening.
"But guys..." Todd started. "Look Toad. We only agreed she could hang out with us because we thought she could be of some use to the group. But now that the X-Geeks have figured out her weakness, they're going to bring that snowball to every fight we have with them."
"She could still be useful."
"Toad, I'm sorry. But she needs to be cut out of the group."
Serena stood outside the door listening to all this. She was overwhelmed. She staggered down the hall into her room and sat down on her bed. She put her face in her hands.
Well, so much for friends. I guess Kurt was right. They only wanted me for my powers. She put her hands down and gazed at the floor. She laughed to herself. I guess I was stupid to think that they wanted to be my friends. Why did I kid myself like that? Tears were forming in her eyes. What's the use? Why do I even try? Why didn't I just give up? Anger slowly rose in inside of her. Because I was a fool. I was a fool to think that anyone would want me as a friend. I'm just some joke for everybody to laugh at. A toy for everyone to play with. Her insides raged with a burning fire. It's just like last time. The pain. She saw the girls kicking her. Laughing at her. The neglect. The girls were leaving her in the dirt. The manipulation. She heard the girl's voice inside her head. 'You're of no use to us anymore.' She stood up her arms shaking. No more. She looked up her eyes flickering. "I'VE HAD IT!" She screamed out loud. The pipelines were bursting through the ceiling. Water was flooding around her. Her hair was flying wildly in an unfelt wind. Her eyes were glowing. She raised her hands up. She broke more pipelines. Water flooded out onto the floor around her. She waved her hands and the water formed into a wave and crashed out her bedroom door.
There was a rumbling sound. "Cut it out man!" Pietro ordered to Lance.
"That ain't me. It sounds more like..." The door was creaking and water was trickling through the crack under the door.
"Oh boy." Todd said. The door broke down and water came flooding into the room. It swept them all off there feet and carried them out the room, through the hall, down the stairs and dumped them onto the living room floor. They looked up to see Serena looking so furious it was frightening. She was glaring down at them her fists clenched and her teeth barred. She still looked kind of cute when she's angry. Todd thought. Scary, but cute.
"So..." she said in voice of deadly calm. "You forgot to mention our relationship was based ON MY POWERS!" her voice suddenly rose. The boys quivered beneath her piercing gaze. Her voice sounded so unlike her own. It wasn't her usually warm, friendly voice, but hard, cold, and full of hatred.
"Tell me how long have you been planning this?" She had lowered her voice. "Ever since you found out I was a mutant like you?" She pointed at Todd.
He raised his hands. "Please buttercup, I..."
"Don't even! You were using me from the beginning! I thought you really cared!"
"But I do care!"
"Don't even try. I heard you guys talking about dumping me."
"Then you must've heard about how I wanted you to stay, didn't 'ya?"
"For what?" She asked with tears of anger in her eyes. "So you could use me some more? Kurt was right! I can't trust any of you!"
"The elf?" Lance asked. "When?"
"After the jewelry store incident he came to see me. He told me I couldn't trust you."
"And you believed him?" Todd asked in disbelief.
"Well he was right wasn't he?"
"Look yo!" Todd said in frustration.
"I care! I don't care what anybody else thinks but I do care about you! I love the way you find adventure. I love the way you swing to your wild side. And I love the way you understand me. How many people do you think can put up with me or the way smell?" he pointed at himself.
"Oh trust me he's got you there." Pietro spoke up.
"Stay out of this!" she shot at him. He immediately backed away.
"Serena, you're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. Ever since I bumped into you in the hallway my life's been bliss. I feel like I can do anything when I'm around you." She shook her head.
"It doesn't matter. I can't stay here anymore." She started rushing out the door.
He called after her. "Serena." She turned to look at him angrily. "Please." He asked sadly.
Seeing how sad he was melted away her anger into regret. She wasn't sure how, but she knew he was telling the truth. But she also knew she could not stay there. She turned away from him.
"Good-bye Todd." She walked away.
Todd crouched there in the doorway watching her with a sorrowful expression. She was going... going... going... gone. He hung his head. The world felt as if it had ended for Todd. Serena was gone, and she was probably never coming back.
How do you think this should change Serena's way of behaving towards other people? Oh and please, if you have any ideas of what could or should happen in the story, please do submit them. I will be more than glad to read them.