Chapter 3: Bond, James Bond
Faith remained silent when she entered the kitchen, no one seemed to have noticed and she just wanted to watch first.
Brennen, Shal and Emma were gathered around the table, the girls were chatting about the new shirt Shal had just bought and Brennen didn't even pretend to be interested anymore, 'There's only so much girl talk a guy can take!' He sighed before clearing away his breakfast dishes.
'Oh my god! It really is Brennen! Oh...I don't know what to say, so many questions - how do you start a talk with someone who left you six years ago?' Faith was starting to hyperventilate. She normally never got nervous, she'd always been a public speaker, but something about Brennen made her nerves shake.
Jesse had followed Faith into the kitchen, but remained silent too. He knew this was big deal for both of them - being apart for six years and then being thrown together again. 'Got to be awkward'. But the look in Faith's eyes told him that that wasn't the only reason she was getting so nervous, something else was bothering her, and she didn't want Brennen to know.
"Emma, I think we should go - I can show you that top." Shalimar turned to Emma and whispered "Faith's here, I can smell her. I think we should leave them alone." She nodded and Brennen and Emma agreed. The two rose and left through the other door. Jesse took the hint and slowly backed out of his door too, hoping that this would be a happy family reunion.
Brennen went to put the cereal away, when he heard a noise behind. Figuring it was Shal, trying to sneak up on him, he spun around, "Ha, I cau-" But it wasn't Shal, it was Faith. His Faith, the only good thing about his childhood - about his life, was standing in front of him.
"Hey Sparky..." Faith called Brennen the nickname she's used since she was six. She waited for a reply, unsure of the reaction she would get.
"Faith..." Brennen's face didn't show happiness, but it didn't show anger. In fact, Faith had seen that look too many times. 'He's sorry. Oh, what does he have to be sorry about? God I hate that look.'
"Brennen, What's wrong?" Faith walked up to him and he turned away, he couldn't even look her in the eye.
"Faith, I'm sorry." Brennen couldn't stand the memory of what he'd done. He had just left her - no goodbye, just left. 'Why would you ever forgive me? Why are you even talking to me?'
"Brennen, you have nothing to be sorry about. I'm not mad at you." Faith couldn't understand where this was coming from, but she knew that he must have been holding on to it since the last time they met, he didn't tend to forgive himself.
"Oh...you think I'm mad 'cause I haven't seen you in six years?" Faith knew instantly that that was the wrong thing to say. When Brennen winced, she knew she hit a sore spot.
"Listen Sparky, I don't blame you for leaving - you were going through hell. In fact, I'm surprised you stuck around for as long as you did. But, you didn't get along with Carol or Mark, plus you were going through, you know, mutation thingy." Brennen snapped his neck up.
"You knew? How did you...why didn't you...what!?!" Brennen looked at his kid sister. Wondering how she had known. He had always tried to keep it secret form her, mainly because he didn't know what she would think.
"How did I know? Brennen, who spent more time with you then me? I followed you around until you started disappearing, I knew that you had left for some reason - one of them being Mark. But there was something else. So, when you left one time, I followed you. I hid in the back of your car, and you had to pull over to the side for something. When I looked over, you had electricity coming out of your hands. A little shocked, but I thought it was cool. I mean, how many older brother's can drive and shoot electricity?" Faith smirked at the last part and Brennen couldn't help but smile.
"You were always a sneaky little kid. Should have known you'd figure it out." Brennen could feel the old style coming back. Everything was going to be just like it used to be, and he was okay with that.
"I didn't want to tell you - 'cause I knew if you wanted me to know you would tell me. But, why didn't you?" That question had been bugging Faith for the last seven years.
"Well, I...I didn't know how. I had no idea what was happening to me - let alone how to tell my twelve year old sister." Brennen now saw that Faith would have understood. She probably even would have helped, 'Why didn't I tell her? Would've made things a lot easier." But it didn't matter any more because now she knew.
"I know the feeling." Faith's face filled with excitement as she mentioned her powers. It had only been a few years since she realized she could play with fire - but those had been the most fun in a long time.
"So I've heard - what can you do?" Brennen couldn't believe his sister was a mutant, he never would have left her there if he'd known, probably would've taken her with him.
"Uh...I can control fire. Or manipulate fire. The bigger the flames, the harder it is. But I've been having fun trying new things, watch." Faith turned side ways and started a fire ball in her hands, she flicked her fingers and caused the fire to arch and fly from hand to hand, like a basketball.
"That's pretty good. "Brennen was smiling at the thrilled look on Faith's face, "You always did like fire."
He winked and Faith through her arms around him, "I missed you Sparky." Brennen put both arms around her and picked her up, "I missed you too Faith. God knows I needed you too!" The two siblings stayed like that for a while before Brennen released her, and then it was like the six years had never happened. They both silently agreed to forget about them and never speak of the years again.
"Here, let me show you around the place, k?" Faith smiled and nodded and folowed Brennen to the hallway.
"So, you've got a gym, a lab, a very high tech compter system, bedrooms and all that other stuff in a secret hide out in a mountain. Cool" Faith and Brennen had been touring all the hot spots for the last hour.
"Yeah, It's kind of like a James Bond thing. Well, what do you want to do know?" Brennen had run out of places to go.
"How about I meet the rest of the Bond's?" Faith wanted to know who everyone else was that had managed to keep Brennen here so long.
"Guys? Everyone meet me in the kitchen, Faith wants to see you." Brennen said to the comm link.
"You do realize you were just talking to your ring?" Faith looked a little confused at the situation and was beginning to wonder about her brother.
"Oh, no. It's a comm link device - lets us stay in touch no matter what. James Bond thing."
Faith remained silent when she entered the kitchen, no one seemed to have noticed and she just wanted to watch first.
Brennen, Shal and Emma were gathered around the table, the girls were chatting about the new shirt Shal had just bought and Brennen didn't even pretend to be interested anymore, 'There's only so much girl talk a guy can take!' He sighed before clearing away his breakfast dishes.
'Oh my god! It really is Brennen! Oh...I don't know what to say, so many questions - how do you start a talk with someone who left you six years ago?' Faith was starting to hyperventilate. She normally never got nervous, she'd always been a public speaker, but something about Brennen made her nerves shake.
Jesse had followed Faith into the kitchen, but remained silent too. He knew this was big deal for both of them - being apart for six years and then being thrown together again. 'Got to be awkward'. But the look in Faith's eyes told him that that wasn't the only reason she was getting so nervous, something else was bothering her, and she didn't want Brennen to know.
"Emma, I think we should go - I can show you that top." Shalimar turned to Emma and whispered "Faith's here, I can smell her. I think we should leave them alone." She nodded and Brennen and Emma agreed. The two rose and left through the other door. Jesse took the hint and slowly backed out of his door too, hoping that this would be a happy family reunion.
Brennen went to put the cereal away, when he heard a noise behind. Figuring it was Shal, trying to sneak up on him, he spun around, "Ha, I cau-" But it wasn't Shal, it was Faith. His Faith, the only good thing about his childhood - about his life, was standing in front of him.
"Hey Sparky..." Faith called Brennen the nickname she's used since she was six. She waited for a reply, unsure of the reaction she would get.
"Faith..." Brennen's face didn't show happiness, but it didn't show anger. In fact, Faith had seen that look too many times. 'He's sorry. Oh, what does he have to be sorry about? God I hate that look.'
"Brennen, What's wrong?" Faith walked up to him and he turned away, he couldn't even look her in the eye.
"Faith, I'm sorry." Brennen couldn't stand the memory of what he'd done. He had just left her - no goodbye, just left. 'Why would you ever forgive me? Why are you even talking to me?'
"Brennen, you have nothing to be sorry about. I'm not mad at you." Faith couldn't understand where this was coming from, but she knew that he must have been holding on to it since the last time they met, he didn't tend to forgive himself.
"Oh...you think I'm mad 'cause I haven't seen you in six years?" Faith knew instantly that that was the wrong thing to say. When Brennen winced, she knew she hit a sore spot.
"Listen Sparky, I don't blame you for leaving - you were going through hell. In fact, I'm surprised you stuck around for as long as you did. But, you didn't get along with Carol or Mark, plus you were going through, you know, mutation thingy." Brennen snapped his neck up.
"You knew? How did you...why didn't you...what!?!" Brennen looked at his kid sister. Wondering how she had known. He had always tried to keep it secret form her, mainly because he didn't know what she would think.
"How did I know? Brennen, who spent more time with you then me? I followed you around until you started disappearing, I knew that you had left for some reason - one of them being Mark. But there was something else. So, when you left one time, I followed you. I hid in the back of your car, and you had to pull over to the side for something. When I looked over, you had electricity coming out of your hands. A little shocked, but I thought it was cool. I mean, how many older brother's can drive and shoot electricity?" Faith smirked at the last part and Brennen couldn't help but smile.
"You were always a sneaky little kid. Should have known you'd figure it out." Brennen could feel the old style coming back. Everything was going to be just like it used to be, and he was okay with that.
"I didn't want to tell you - 'cause I knew if you wanted me to know you would tell me. But, why didn't you?" That question had been bugging Faith for the last seven years.
"Well, I...I didn't know how. I had no idea what was happening to me - let alone how to tell my twelve year old sister." Brennen now saw that Faith would have understood. She probably even would have helped, 'Why didn't I tell her? Would've made things a lot easier." But it didn't matter any more because now she knew.
"I know the feeling." Faith's face filled with excitement as she mentioned her powers. It had only been a few years since she realized she could play with fire - but those had been the most fun in a long time.
"So I've heard - what can you do?" Brennen couldn't believe his sister was a mutant, he never would have left her there if he'd known, probably would've taken her with him.
"Uh...I can control fire. Or manipulate fire. The bigger the flames, the harder it is. But I've been having fun trying new things, watch." Faith turned side ways and started a fire ball in her hands, she flicked her fingers and caused the fire to arch and fly from hand to hand, like a basketball.
"That's pretty good. "Brennen was smiling at the thrilled look on Faith's face, "You always did like fire."
He winked and Faith through her arms around him, "I missed you Sparky." Brennen put both arms around her and picked her up, "I missed you too Faith. God knows I needed you too!" The two siblings stayed like that for a while before Brennen released her, and then it was like the six years had never happened. They both silently agreed to forget about them and never speak of the years again.
"Here, let me show you around the place, k?" Faith smiled and nodded and folowed Brennen to the hallway.
"So, you've got a gym, a lab, a very high tech compter system, bedrooms and all that other stuff in a secret hide out in a mountain. Cool" Faith and Brennen had been touring all the hot spots for the last hour.
"Yeah, It's kind of like a James Bond thing. Well, what do you want to do know?" Brennen had run out of places to go.
"How about I meet the rest of the Bond's?" Faith wanted to know who everyone else was that had managed to keep Brennen here so long.
"Guys? Everyone meet me in the kitchen, Faith wants to see you." Brennen said to the comm link.
"You do realize you were just talking to your ring?" Faith looked a little confused at the situation and was beginning to wonder about her brother.
"Oh, no. It's a comm link device - lets us stay in touch no matter what. James Bond thing."