The lights are off when I get home. Strange. There's always a light on. I open the front door slow and cautious, listening for any sounds. The umbrella sitting against the wall makes for a good weapon. I go for it, but suddenly I'm pushed on my back onto the floor!
I'm about to struggle when I hear, "Where have you been?"
Oh, it's just Dad. I go limp under him, but he still keeps my arms pinned. "Where else would I be besides the X-mansion?"
"Your mom didn't like you being gone that long without calling. She melted some of the silverware before she stormed out to go get you. I could slime you right now for making your mom angry."
"Ew!" I kick Dad off with my knee and jump up. No way I'm gonna let him slime me! It takes days to get that stuff out of my hair.
Just then, the door knob starts to rattle. Dad's eyes get even wider. "You're in trouble now, girlfriend." The door swings open (leaving a hole in the wall, I bet), and there's Mom, eyes dark and ominous. I look around to see that Dad has fled, probably going to hide in another room. He knows better than to stick around when Mom is angry, but I'm dumb with defiance.
"You leave without asking then you don't call to say where you are." She steps forward as I hold my ground, her fist clinched so tight they're paper white. I know Mom would never use her powers on me. It was a fear she had before I was born that she'd lose her control and hurt me. Somehow she's kept herself in check all these years.
"You know where I go! Why do I even have to ask?"
"Because I say so!" I flinch as the front door slams shut, cracking the glass window in it. "I am your mother, Tonda." She used my first name. Not good. "You need to tell me or your father where you're going so we'll know." She grabs my cheeks with her hands, bringing me inches from her face. "Do you understand?"
I stare her straight in the eye. Some of the anger has faded, but there's a bit of sadness in her eyes now. "I understand."
Mom stares at me for a moment longer then let's go. "You will not be going back to the X-Mansion until I say you can."
"What?" I yell, stunned "Just because of a little stupidly?"
"You heard me, Les." She points up the stairs, indicating that I should go to my room. I stomp up the stairs then slam my bedroom door in the normal teenage fashion. Not being able to go to the X-Mansion is no fair! That's the only place I like to be. I have a feeling I'll be spending far too much time with Dad the next few weeks most likely stair sledding.
I shrug off my jacket rather angrily and fling it on the bed. Whenever I get mad like this, I get the urge to take ordinary objects and convert them into something different. I look under my bed only to find some old soda cans. Oh well, better then nothing. I go straight to work cutting them apart and twisting them together, being careful not to cut myself in the process. The result a few minutes later is what I think to be some kind of bird. Yeah, let's just say it's a duck.
I toss the fowl contraption on my dresser with my many other creations. I head out my bedroom to the bathroom to take a shower, but hear voices downstairs and know its Dad trying to calm Mom down. It's not right to eavesdrop, but when have I ever done anything right?
"I haven't seen ya like this in a long time," Dad says. "What's got you so uptight?"
A beat of silence then Mom answers, "I've started having nightmares again."
"About the asylum?"
"No, not the asylum. The ones about Lesley."
"You haven't had those since Les was little. You thought something was gonna happen to her then, but remember? Nothing did."
"I know." Mom sounds dejected and scared. I peek around the corner of the stairs. Dad is rubbing Mom's arm. "These dreams feel so real. I've tried to keep them to myself, but the worrying is starting to get to me. I just don't want anything to happen to Les."
A tear drops from the corner of her eye. Seeing Mom cry is a rare thing. She lays her head on Dad's shoulder, and he wraps his arms around her. I feel like I'm violating their privacy now, like video taping a tender moment between two people then broadcasting it around the world.
But it's good to see Mom letting Dad hold her. She never lets him do that in public or even in front of me. Dad goes in for a kiss and I shrink back around the corner. The holding is heartwarming, but seeing them kiss on the lips is just plain gross. Who wants to see their parents trading spit? Not me!
I make for the bathroom curious about these nightmares my mom is having.