Chapter Three: Spectre
I've got my things packed, my favorite pillow, got my sleeping bag, climb out the window
All the pictures and pain, I left behind, all the freedom and fame, I've gotta find
And I wonder, how long it'll take them to notice that I'm gone
And I wonder, how far it'll take me
To run away, It don't make any sense to me
Run away, This life makes no sense to me
Run away, It don't make any sense to me
Run away, It don't make any sense to me
I was just trying to be myself, Have it your way I'll meet you in hell
It's all these secrets that I shouldn't tell I've got to run away, It's hypocritical of you
Do as you say not as you do, I'll never be your perfect girl, I've got to run away
I'm too young to be taken seriously, But I'm too old to believe, All this hypocrisy
And I wonder, how long it'll take them to see my bed is made
And I wonder, If I was a mistake, I might have nowhere left to go
But I know that I cannot go home, These words are strapped inside my head
Tell me to run before I'm dead, Chase the rainbows in my mind
And I will try to stay alive, Maybe the world will know one day, why won't you help me run away
It don't make any sense to me, Run away
This life makes no sense to me, Run away
I could sing for change, On a Paris street, Be a red light dancer, In New Orleans
I could start again, To the family, I could change my name, Come and go as I please
In the dead of night, You'll wonder where I've gone, Wasn't it you, Wasn't it you
Wasn't it you that made me run away, I was just trying to be myself
Have it your way I'll meet you in hell, All these secrets that I shouldn't tell I've got to run away
It's hypocritical of you, Do as you say not as you do, Never be your perfect girl
I've got to run away, It don't make any sense to me
Run away, This life makes no sense to me
Run away, It don't make any sense to me
Run away, It don't make any sense to me
This life makes no sense to me, It don't make no sense to me
It don't make any sense to me, Life don't make any sense to me
"Runaway" – Pink
"Oh I hate camping in tents! I'd rather be camping in a trailer…where there's less bugs!" whined Zoey. She sat at the picnic table, putting on sunscreen. She was wearing a pair of pink shorts that were mid-thigh length and a white strapless top.
"Oh quit complaining sis! We're doing all the work anyway!" cried Danielle, slinging the cord for the close line over her shoulder and tying it to the nearest tree. She was wearing a pair of baggy, low-ride, faded camouflage pants, a sky-blue tank top and her beige cap was sideways on her head. She tied the other end of the clothesline to an opposite tree and walked back to help the guys set up the tents.
Darius and Matthew were setting up the big tent that they and William were going to share. William was placing the lights on various trees around their camping space. Darius wore baggy jean shorts that went down to his knees and a red t-shirt. Matthew wore his usual baggy grey-blue cargo pants but he'd unzipped the part from his knees down to make shorts out of them and a dark orange t-shirt. William was wearing brown surfer shorts and a green t-shirt.
Danielle grabbed the second tent and started to set it up on her own. This was harder that she thought it would be as one person was supposed to stand and hold one side while the other person hit in the pegs everywhere else.
"Need some help Danielle?" laughed Darius and Matthew laughed with him.
"No I think I've got it," she replied in a 'watch-and-learn' manner. She focused and a shadowy, ghost-like figure stood opposite her, holding up the tent and she walked around, levitated each peg, and drove them into the ground. The ghost-like figured let go of the tent and high-fived Danielle as the tent stood straight and perfectly set up.
"That's cheating!" whine Matthew childishly.
"No it's not…I simply created someone to help that would replace my unhelpful sister!" protested Danielle. "As for using my powers to make it go quicker…I've already done all my sister's work so I figured I might as well get this over with so I can take a break!"
The five teens laughed at this and sat down around the campfire that Darius had just ignited by firing a small ball of fire into a pile of sticks and logs William had brought from the forest.
As they sat there and told different campfire stories, Danielle was deeply lost in thought. Suddenly her head snapped up and she looked around the darkness surrounding them.
"What's wrong Danielle?" asked Darius worriedly, having noticed the change in her behaviour.
"I just…I just sensed something…it was really weird but I'm not sure what it is," said Danielle shaking her head. "Never mind…"
"You sure?" questioned Darius.
"Yeah…I think I'm just being a little paranoid…," laugh Danielle. "I just have to get used to the surroundings."
(break)
Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, she felt the presence again and awoke, startled. What in the world is wrong with me? Why can't I just have a normal week off from abnormality and relax while camping? Danielle thought angrily. She sighed and got up, making sure not to wake up Zoey, sleeping soundly beside her in her dark pink sleeping bag.
She pulled on a pair of black silk pyjama bottoms over her sky blue cotton shorts and grabbed her sky blue zipper hoodie to wear over her black t-shirt. She zipped up the tent screen and door and pulled up the zipper of her hoodie.
Danielle walked down the little dirt path and down to the lake, where the moon was reflecting beautifully on the water's surface. Everything was so silent and she was so relaxed and comfortable in the moonlight that when a stick cracked behind her she jumped.
"Sorry didn't mean to scare you…um…Danielle…" said Darius as he walked up beside her and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Darius you feeling ok?" she asked, seeing as the tone with which he had said those words was as if he was searching to remember who she was.
"Yeah I'm fine…uh why do you ask?" he said a little less confusedly than before.
"Oh…no reason…" she said slowly.
"Nice night isn't it?"
"Yeah it is…I love the night…I guess it's because of my powers and all…I've never really liked that sun that much. It's funny because I can remember when you and Matthew used to tease me about being a vampire when we were kids. You remember that?" asked Danielle laughing a little.
"Yeah…those were fun times eh? The three of us…being kids with no care and just enjoying life," replied Darius, looking up at the stars. Then, he added, a little more dazedly than before, "…never knowing the real dangers out there and the truth behind many things…"
"Pardon me Darius?" asked Danielle, looking away from the moon and up to Darius. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."
"Uh….nothing…never mind!" said Darius hurriedly. "So I guess you couldn't sleep then?"
"Well I was fine until I felt that weird presence again and it woke me up…it's weird because Professor Delvar has taught me how to search for the center point of things like that but…this time I just…I can't seem to find it."
"Hmm…that is pretty weird…"
"What about you?"
"Couldn't sleep either…I just laid there and tried to get to sleep but I heard a noise earlier so I went to investigate."
"Did you find anything?"
"You," laughed Darius.
"Oh! Sorry then…I mean if I woke you up!" exclaimed Danielle apologetically.
"That's ok…"
"Well…I think I've walked off the insomnia," said Danielle, yawning. "So I'm gonna go back and try to go back to sleep…you coming?"
"Uh…I'm just walk around a bit more but don't worry, I'll go back and try to fall asleep later."
"Ok, goodnight Darius," smiled Danielle.
"Goodnight Danielle," said Darius before she turned and walked back up the dirt path.
She went back inside the tent to find her sister exactly as she had left her, sleeping soundly. She took off the silk pants and sky blue hoodie, and snuggled back into her navy blue sleeping bag. Only one thought crossed her mind before she drifted back to sleep. Darius was not acting himself…well he was but there was something about him that wasn't like him…I just can't figure out what…
(break)
Over the next two days, Darius wasn't the only one not acting like themselves. Matthew, William and Zoey all had their moments in the day, not at the same time, where they weren't themselves and had an out-of-character moment.
She decided that she could not confide this information in any of them because they were the ones acting weird and she knew that it had something to do with that bizarre presence that she kept feeling. However, whenever she tried to reach out and pinpoint it, she couldn't.
Therefore, she sat alone down by the lake, contemplating what was going on and what she was going to do about it. "It has to be a mutant that can control people's minds!" she exclaimed after a long period of time. "But his or her powers don't exactly let me get to them…oh I wish I knew what to do but I don't really think its purposes are harmful."
"How come you're talking to yourself Danielle?" asked Matthew sitting down beside her.
"Oh um it's nothing Matt!" she cried.
"Are you sure about that? I'm worried about you because you've been acting different ever since we got here," said Matthew worriedly, sitting closer to her and placing an arm around her.
"I should be asking you the same thing…," she replied, slipping out of his grasp like a ghost.
"What do you mean Danielle?" questioned Matthew in a calm voice as he slid closer to her again. "You know, I've just realized how pretty you are when you're confused…"
"What? This is so not you…this has to be that mutant that has the ability to control other people's minds!"
"You sound like a crazy person Danielle…" laughed Matthew or whoever was controlling him.
"Oh really?" asked Danielle, knowing that if she was going to find out who this mutant was she was going to have to outsmart it.
"Yes…I've only just realized that I think I've fallen for my childhood friend…after all the years and things we've been through…," smiled Matthew sweetly.
Yuck! I know this isn't Matthew now…sure Matt was straightforward with his thoughts but…if he did like me then he'd never say it like that! thought Danielle. Time for me to outsmart the smartass hiding inside my friend's mind…now to tell Darius to get over here… she thought as she used her telepathy to tell Darius to get over here quickly…
"Maybe you're right…the again you've always been right about anything throughout our childhood…," Danielle paused and looked up at Matthew. "Like a year ago when Darius and I we're planning to steal my brother's car before his date with that stupid girly Meredith. Then you were like, 'no you guys, your older brother Lee likes this girl and even if we don't, we should respect him and who he chooses to date.' So we went with what you said and now he's happily married to her! Remember that?"
"Yeah…I guess I'm just the voice of reason…" laughed Matthew.
"What are you talking about Danielle? Your brother is only nineteen …he's dating the girl which you totally like named Allison and I wasn't even here last year!" cried Darius walking out from behind the trees to complain.
Danielle smiled at Matthew and got up, walking over to stand beside Darius. The look of horror and shock on Matthew's face made Danielle laugh and Darius stared at her, confused.
"Danielle what's going on? Why did you tell that fake story to Matt…wait a minute, Matt why did you say you remembered it?" cried Darius, becoming more confused by the minute.
"Remember that presence I told you about on the first day we got here?" asked Danielle, gaze unwavering from Matthew even though her questioned was directed at Darius.
"Yeah…what about it?"
"It's a mutant that has the ability to control people's minds…I think…and he or she had been controlling all of you guys for the past few days since we got here, only at different times of the day. When Matthew started talking to me a few minutes ago…I knew it wasn't really him…so I thought I'd catch the mutant in the act by getting telling him a story Matthew would know as either true or false and have someone else who knew the same, like you, to be here to catch his mistake," beamed Danielle proudly.
Darius smiled at her and turned back to the impersonated Matthew. "Ok…it's over for you mind-controller…now let our friend go and show yourself!"
Matthew smiled and suddenly his eyes rolled upwards and he flopped onto the ground as a ghostly figure floated up from him and landed beside him. The boy looked their age and had radiant golden-brown eyes. He wore a pair of blue jeans, a long, white t-shirt with a yellow line down each sleeve and two at the bottom and had a tiny, silver piercing in each ear. His hair was short, black and his bangs were a bit spiked at the front. He had on black skater shoes with a gold lining and a white wristband with a gold-coloured skull on his right wrist.
"Hi…I'm the mutant that's been taking over your friends' minds lately. I apologize for having caused you any trouble," he said apologetically to Danielle. "I just get kind of lonely out here when people actually come around here, which is rare, I don't know why I do that but…I feel less lonely."
Danielle sighed and smiled at the boy sweetly. "My name is Danielle Matthews, this is my friend Darius Hunter and the guy whose mind you were just in is Matthew Bolton, our childhood friend. The others are my sister Zoey Matthews and our friend William Corvin…but you already knew all our names right?" she asked, still smiling. When he nodded, she continued, "We're mutants like you but…well we're the X-Men, I don't know if you've heard of them."
"I have…" said the boy nodding again. "My name's Troy Carmichael…or Spectre, whichever you like…"
Darius laughed a little and held out his hand to the boy. "Nice to meet you Troy."
"You too," replied Troy amicably.
Do you think we should invite him to come with us…you know, back to the Academy? Danielle's voice rang clear in Darius' mind. He nodded and looked at Troy. "You know…we live in this big mansion thing and there's loads more mutants like us…you don't have to be part of the X-Men team to stay there but…if you're saying you're all alone out here then, why don't you come back with us?"
"Really?" questioned Troy, his eyes lighting up. When Darius and Danielle nodded he smiled, "Thanks…oh and sorry again for all the trouble I've caused!"
"That's ok…" said Danielle returning the smile.
"Ohhh…man my head hurts…" Matthew pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around. "What am I doing here and who is he?" Matthew asked confused.
"It's a long story Matt but I'll explain everything when we get back to camp and to the others…c'mon," said Danielle, holding back a laugh.
Darius helped Matthew up and the four kids walked back to camp where they sat down around a campfire and listen intently to Danielle's story.
After their week of camping was over, the five X-Men kids plus Troy traveled back to the Academy and after a few Danger Sessions, Troy was made an official member of the X-Men team and kept the codename Spectre.
Author's Notes
Hmmm…what
can I even begin to say about this one? Well, for one thing, it was
another short chapter. BTW to anyone who wonders because I know a
friend of mine did, nothing happens between Danielle & Troy, he
doesn't like her or anything he was kind of just playing around.
That's
all I can say about this chapter for now, bye!
