"That boy just doesn't know how to get a hint," Marie complained. "He's still actin' like we're dating. Such a bother."
I let out a "Hm?" as I tuned out my friend's tirade to think about her last statement. So Marie and Bobby used to date? Interesting.
"Even so, he acts jealous, I don't know why..." she continued.
Ah, one of Marie's famous rant moments. Smile and nod, Chris.
She talked on for what seemed like forever. It wasn't like I didn't like my friend but she talked -and often complained- so much.Too much in my opinion.
"And then there's you," she said, pointing a finger at me.
"What about me?" I asked her, thrown off guard.
"You ain't off the hook either, mister. You ignored what I said all day and you deliberately egged on Bobby. You're just as guilty," she accused me. I felt a headache coming up.
"True. I did-" I began.
"I want to know why," she stated, her expression changing from angry to pleading. "Why didn't listen to me?"
"Your advice didn't make any sense Marie," I told her bluntly.
"What, you think getting into a fight makes sense?" She scoffed.
"In this case it did."
"What were you thinking? You broke the water pipe and freezed over half of the cafeteria! And now Professor Xavier's pissed at you and Bobby's out for your blood-" she lectured, waving her hands around as her voice rose in volume.
Now, as you know, I'm a very patient person. But you must take into account that everyone has their breaking point. At that particular moment I did not want to hear my friend criticizing my decision. Everyone at the school seemed to want to do that already. Every student I had bumped into had told me how my choices, my opinions were wrong. It was aggravating and I was just angry and tired by it all.
"Marie, you're my friend, but I won't let you yell at me like that. I have things to do, things far more important than this nonsense you're screaming at me about. We'll talk again when you've calmed down." I interrupted her. Her eyes widened at my response, mouth falling open.
"Wha- But?" she stammered as I walked away to the living room. I restrained myself from yelling at my friend, even if everything was her fault.
I was just so damn drained by it all.
I was -predictably- sent back to Xavier's as soon as someone found me.
"I didn't even start the brawl." I told the professor, shrugging.
"But could you have handled it without violence?" he asked calmly.
Is he trying to educate us? Rebellion snickered.
"Sure, but in the end it made more sense to attack." I told him. He frowned.
"What are you-"
"Look, I'm the new kid here and since everyone thinks I'm a murderer... they don't really treat me well. That's fine by me though, if I use someone as an example they won't mess with me anymore. And then someone came to me alone, looking for trouble. How convenient!" I said with a laugh. "Why not take the advantage?"
"I could easily imagine Magneto saying these things..." Xavier finally said after a long pause.
"Well he'd be right. It's better to be feared and treated with decency then to be deemed harmless and oppressed." I stated.
He stared at me for a long time, speechless.
"You're wrong. You-" He gestured for a while, looking lost. "Your whole view on mankind is just plain wrong!" I felt my anger rise at that. Who was he to tell me that? And why did everyone want to tell me that!?
"It's my opinion, Xavier. You can't change that," I said with a smirk. I was struggling not to let the anger show on my face. "What will you do, brainwash me? Oh right! You can't."
"I'd never do that anyway," he said weakly. I raised an eyebrow.
"Really, Xavier? You've never abused your powers? Not even once?" I asked.
He said nothing.
"Thought so." I felt smug as I saw the annoyance on his face. He sighed and massaged his temples.
"Regardless," he began, trying to compose himself. "During your fight with Bobby downstairs, you destroyed a water pipe and a large part of the cafeteria."
"What are you going to do, send me to bed without supper?" I taunted, crossing my arms.
"You don't look like you can afford to miss even one." Xavier said bitterly. I laughed at this.
"So, it turns out that the great Professor Charles Xavier isn't the above a few cheap shots. Isn't this the type of argument where the first person to get angry loses? Well, guess who that is?" My grin widened as I saw his displeasure.
In the end, I was sent to my room, escorted by Wolverine. I was to remain in the room all day. Luckily, I soon discovered that room had a television. I turned it on for background noise and plopped on my bed. Finally, some time to relax and think over everything that had happened.
No wonder the kids at Xavier's did whatever they wanted. If I said even half of those things to Magneto…
A good while later, Marie managed to slip into my room. She stood in the door opening, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt nervously. I looked up at her.
"Hey," she began softly. "I-I'm kind of sorry 'bout blowing up on you." She looking like a kicked puppy. That hour or so we'd been separated must have felt like an eternity to her, I realized suddenly.
"It's fine. Let me tell you why I did it," I told her calmly. I gestured for her to sit down next down next to me. She did, after closing the door. I turned down the TV's volume.
She was silent as she listened to my explanation.
"But Chris... Isn't this wrong?" she asked after I told her about my motives.
"And why's that? Do you really expect me to just take abuse like that?" She thought about it for a second before replying.
"No. Of course not," she decided. "No one deserves that."
"So I must take a stand." I smiled. Finally, she would get it!
"But can't you take a stand and be peaceful at the same time?" she asked. I frowned.
"Not when you're dealing with high schoolers you can't. Besides, I am not willing to wait 300 years for mutant liberation."
"What?" she asked, confused.
"That's the amount the time it took for African-Americans to get legal rights in the United States. And they are even human. We're an entirely different species."
"Wow. I didn't know it took that long, that's horrible!" Marie stuttered, eyes wide.
"Plus they didn't have power like we do. We, however, do. We have the power to stop anyone that tries to hurt us. So why not use it?" I said. She was silent again and I could practically see the wheels in her head turning.
"But we're just talking about Bobby," she said suddenly. "What's this got to do with that?" I sighed. Did she still not get it?
"It's all connected, Marie," I began, trying to sound as patient as possible. "I will not let anyone be oppressed if I can do something about it. Not me, not anyone else."
"Well when you say like that, I guess it's reasonable," she decided. I let out a breath of relief. Finally.
"It's the only practical option" I stated, feeling smug. The fact that Marie thought so highly of my intelligence certainly boosted my ego.
I laid on the bed, hands behind my head.
"Still, I'm in a very bad spot, Marie," I said as stretched, yawning. I looked at the TV. A newscast was going on, showing ruined buildings and in the middle... A floating figure.
"Wow," she said looking at it too. "Magneto is going crazy."
"Well, his son went missing. Of course he is." I rolled my eyes. A warm feeling bloomed in my chest and I couldn't help but let a small smile show on my face.
Marie studied her nails before leaning down to change the channel. My smile vanished.
"One question, why the gloves?" she asked quickly, pointing at my yellow insulated gloves.
"Oh, these? They're to make sure that I don't fry any electronics. I'm so stressed that I don't want to take chances." I explained, pulling off one of the gloves to show her.
"Oh. Can I help?" She offered, sounding apologetic. I didn't really care about that of course. Feelings wouldn't get me home.
That girl really needs to learn to mind her own business. Anger said.
Let's try if she can talk to Xavier or something. It's worth a try at least. Logic proposed.
"Maybe. I need to go back. I need to continue my training." I said, looking up at her.
"Why can't you do that here?" she asked.
You know what? Just forget about what I said. Logic moaned, facepalming.
"Because my powers are dangerous and uncontrollable. I need someone like me to teach me." I told her. I was getting really tired of having to explain everything to her.
"Yeah, well Magneto..." she began.
"What about him?" I snapped. "You agree with his philosophies, right? So what's wrong?"
I glared at her for a moment when all of a sudden, she began to cry and left the room.
I tried to follow her but was once again stopped and sent back by Wolverine. I was so close to saying screw it and throwing him around like a ragdoll.
When I did get out of my room the next day, it seemed my absence had increased my notoriety. The students actually left me alone now.
I just rounded a corner looking for Marie as I saw Xavier and a furry blue mutant examining a broken clock. I gasped and hid myself on instinct, praying they hadn't heard me.
"It really is strange Charles," an unfamiliar voice said. Must be the blue mutant. "It just... Stopped. The batteries are fine."
"Maybe there's something wrong with the mechanism?" That was Xavier, for sure.
"Well-" the blue man began.
"Wait a second." Xavier interrupted him. "You can come out now, Chris. I may not be able to read you, but I can still detect you."
Darn. Optimism muttered, disappointed. I felt like James Bond for a second there.
I walked over to the two, trying to look as though they didn't just catch me trying to hide behind a large Yucca.
I decided to try to save what little pride I had left and walked away hurriedly. I felt their gazes burn on my back the rest of the day.
Looking back, I do remember that Xavier was looking at me a bit more closely than before.
Probably should've given that more thought at the time.
When I finally caught up my friend, I found that I couldn't get any information out of her. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. She just refused tell me and kept acting as if everything were fine. Still, I knew something was up. And it had to do with my father.
While walking with her, I noticed that several kids were staring at me. They'd point at me and whisper with each other, glancing at me. Normally, I would've just shrugged it off, but I had been losing sleep from both physical and mental stress. I knew that I wouldn't be able to take big hits anymore, and the feeling of vulnerability drained me of my energy. I fought hard not to turn into a weak mess and destroy the reputation I'd created. I had enough issues, I didn't need bullies too.
Before long, I found that I simply couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't handle living in Xavier's house any longer. The knowledge that my father was somewhere out there, searching for me desperately was both reassuring and burdening. I quickly thought of a plan and didn't hesitate to execute it.
I 'borrowed' some smoke machines I had discovered. Now I just had to have some patience. I was ready.
At 11 PM, far past the lights out for the students, the smoke detectors screeched their warning. I slipped out while the students were being lined up for a headcount outside the mansion. The next part was easy, I just had to get home. The problem was that Xavier lived quite far from Manhattan. It already took an hour to get to his mansion by car. Plus, they'd obviously be looking for me.
I took all the necessary precautions but of course I knew that nothing was completely certain. Regardless, I flew away as fast as I could to gain as much ground as possible. I just had to get home and I'd be safe. Hopefully.
Once the areas that I flew over became more and more populated, I decided to find a bus stop. While I waited for the bus to arrive, I noticed a Morlock from the subway station lurking in the shadows. It was the blue woman. I decided that she was irrelevant and got on the bus.
My heart leapt with joy as I got off. I was only a few blocks from home.
That was when odd things started happening. Suddenly, the streetlights had stopped working, engulfing me in shadows. The normally well lit streets were plunged into darkness. The weird thing was that I could clearly see that the streets that I wasn't on had perfectly functional lights. Besides, the lights inside the houses and shops were on too. Only the streetlights were turned off. It certainly wasn't a power outage.
Shit. Cynicism grunted.
We're being targeted. Logic said. Stay sharp.
We're doomed! Optimism cried. Head for the escape pods!
Cynicism and Logic exchanged a look, but were harshly interrupted.
A trashcan flew at me. Snapping back to reality, I quickly caught it with my powers.
Whoever they are, they don't take prisoners.Cynicism chuckled, the only indication of his nervousness his eyes flitting in every direction.
I threw the trashcan back with a huff, but there was no sound of it hitting anything but the road.
I tried to get my breathing under control as I felt my heart beating in my throat.
We're in no shape to fight! Logic worried.
It was quiet. Or at least, it seemed quiet. Every now and again, there was the sound of a branch snapping or leaves crinkling. They had surrounded me, I just didn't know who 'they' were.
I took action by grabbing a car and sending it at my stalkers. As soon as I let go, I ran away as fast as I could. Nobody behind me screamed, so I knew they had dodged my assault.
My breath came in short gasps now and there was a thin layer of cold sweat on my back. Using my powers, I felt my way through the darkness. I frantically searched for obstacles I could recognize to pinpoint my location, such as a metal bench or a familiar fence.
As I sprinted, I hurriedly formed barriers behind me by smashing cars together into a line. Breathless, I hoped with all my heart that my father would sense the fighting and come to my aid.
Just as I felt safer, several projectiles fell from the sky. I only managed not to get hit by the first one through sheer luck.
Holy shit! Cynicism swore. Logic flinched as the piece of debris missed me by a hair.
I quickly created a floating metal shield to protect myself, hoping it'd be enough.
I kept running in the dark. A relieved smile broke out on my face when I reached the first working streetlight. I ran over to it, planning a new way to get rid of my enemies and get home. That's when I finally noticed a figure sitting underneath the light. I recognized him quickly.
Professor Charles Xavier... Sitting in a plastic wheelchair, of all things. I stood still a few yards away from him. My mind was still going a hundred miles per hour. He had clearly been expecting me.
Damnit! Damn it all! Cynicism yelled.
"We just wanted to talk," Xavier claimed. "This doesn't need to be a confrontation."
"We both know that's what you want it to be, Xavier!" I fumed.
What do we do? Logic panicked.
"Just come with us, Chris. We can help you." A redhead appeared from behind him.
Several others came out of the darkness and surrounded me. All of the adults in the mansion except Wolverine, it seemed.
"How did you find me?" I demanded. Cyclops shrugged.
"A little birdy told us about your location," he said with a smirk. Anger washed over me as I suddenly realized who told them.
That damn Morlock!
I'd made a very terrible mistake. Of course the Morlocks had connections to the X-Men. That must've been why they knew to go find the Morlocks after the attack in the first place. I should've done something to prevent her from talking. But I discounted her. I underestimated her. I would make her regret talking.
Inside, I steamed with anger. I slowly took off my yellow gloves. Little sparks lit up the air around me. Not even the thought of how Marie would feel about the others getting hurt would stop me. The streetlights groaned and bend slightly under the pressure of the energy leaking out of me.
The X-Men took defensive poses as they watched the immense amount of power flowing out of me, denting the street somewhat. I could see Cyclops being forced by the energy into taking a step back. He glanced at the red-head, whose eyebrows were scrunched up in a frown.
I summoned all the power I could find inside of me and let it go into a single blast of lightning that engulfed everyone in its path. I made sure it hit everyone, but instead of killing them, I held back and only rendered them unconscious.
Xavier is lucky that he's my father's friend, I thought to myself.
I sighed and smiled at myself, glad it was all over.
Did we win? Optimism croaked as I tried to blink away the flash of my attack.
That was the last thing I could remember.
What seemed like a second later, I opened my eyes, but was forced into a squint immediately by the harsh fluorescent lighting. Putting a hand above them, I got up from a bed and noticed that I was in a room. Everything was clear. The bed was clear, save the white sheets. The chairs were clear and even the floor was clear. It was quite creepy because of the fact that there was a black abyss below. It looked as if I was walking on nothing.
I took a few steps forward and soon hit my head on glass.
Dread hit me. I'd been caught. By who and why? I couldn't see farther than the confines of my small room. Everything else was enshrouded in darkness.
Wait, it must be-
"Xavier! Explain yourself!" I yelled.
The lights turned on and I saw the old man.
"You're in the cell be-"
"Xavier, you can't possibly have an excuse for this! You- You kidnapped me!" I exclaimed, my voice rising. "For real this time!" I shrieked as the realization hit me.
"You're dangerous and unpredictable," Xavier said, regarding me calmly. I tried to compose myself.
"Aren't we all?" I countered, then shook my head. "I tried to do it nicely, you know. But you wouldn't let me leave. So then I took the only logical action. I escaped. Fair enough, right? But you hunted me like an animal, even going so far as to lock me up. So much for freedom, Charles."
"You electrocuted us. I don't think you are in a position to make accusations."
"You drove me into a corner!" I said. "I electrocuted you guys because I was being attacked by you!"
So much for nonviolence.
"What's to happen to me then? Are you going to give me weak tea or something?" I scoffed.
Xavier didn't look amused. "We need to conduct a full psychological evaluation. Once you're stable you will be released."
He's going to brainwash me after all.
"I don't need a psych eval. I need to go home!"
"You said you hear voices in your head, yet you are likely not a telepath due to your powers of magnetism." he said, calm as can be. I froze.
He knows. Logic observed.
No shit, Sherlock. Cynicism grumbled. How, though?
Crap, everything's falling apart again! Optimism screeched.
"How-?" I stammered before composing myself. "What's your point?"
"You're a mentally unstable minor who's killed several men without blinking an eye," he said. "You're a danger to everyone around you like this."
"I am mentally stable!" I yelled, getting worked up.
"And the voices?" He asked.
"I know what's real and what isn't. That's all that matters." I said.
Who are you telling that? Insecurity asked.
Wait, how did he get there? Cynicism growled. I'll kill that little- Come here!
"Do they have names?" Xavier asked, studying the chess board he held as if he didn't keep his eyes on me the whole time. "Separate identities personalities even?"
Cynicism stopped chasing Insecurity for a moment. Every voice froze in their movements.
That bastard! Cynicism hissed.
That's worrying. Logic commented.
My mouth became dry.
"Ah!" Xavier said, pointing up with a smile on his face. "It went silent all of a sudden there, didn't it?" I grit my teeth in frustration. What cards did I have left?
"You know," Xavier began, looking around. "The cell was originally mean for Magneto. With your similar powers, it will accommodate you fine, though. Still, considering the rareness of your mutation.." He quirked an eyebrow.
I knew what he was trying to say.
"Magneto's my father." I said with pride.
Magneto was my father and he'd get me out.
"I see," he nodded. "Of course."
He seemed frustrated at his inability to tell.
"He'll come get me, you know." I sneered.
"Of that I have no doubt," he replied. I frowned.
"Then why are you still trying to keep me here?"
"It is my hope that Erik will see the damage he's done by putting you through all of this violence. I hope he will let you live a life normal for a child of your age."
"Well, what'll you do?" I asked him. "Ask nicely when he brings an army to your doorstep?" He looked at me, a sad expression on his face.
"I suppose I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."
And with that, he rolled away leaving, me alone.