Note: Some parts in this chapter come from Tyroth Darkstorm's fic 'Mutant Vigilantes' If you haven't read it already, do so!
Chapter Twelve
Can I talk to you?
Up in the residential area, Sephie had found the room Callum had been allocated and hovered outside.
The door was slightly ajar, and Sephie could see inside that the room was dark, so dark she could barely see within.
She gently tapped the door and waited for an answer, yet she heard nothing.
"Callum?" she asked as she pushed the door open a little more and she soon saw a mess of shredded paper and photos on the floor, along with some shards of glass from the mirror that had been smashed.
"Oh Callum..." she thought as she stepped one foot into the room, trying to avoid the glass, she knew he still was ashamed and repulsed by his mutant form, thus why he smashed the mirror.
Sephie then saw amongst the shredded photos, one of the that had been torn in places, yet was still recognisable.
It showed a family, a happy family together.
Bending down and picking it up, Sephie soon saw that it was the Freeman family in happier times. She wasn't sure of when it was taken, but judging by the looks of Mona, it looked like it was before she disappeared as she looked about seventeen.
Caledon and Gina were in the background and Mona was in the middle between the two parents and with her arms around her brothers, Jake was standing on the right and Callum was on the left.
Studying the photo more, she soon saw that the marks were over Caledon, Jake, Mona and Callum, yet Gina was untouched.
Sephie felt sadened as she looked at it, and she remembered what Mona had spoken of about Gina's death, and how it had broken her heart, and it appeared to have broken Callum a lot, maybe even more so than Jake or the rest of the family, and seeing the marks in the photo, he was furious at his brother, sister and father, yet he still held love for his mother and kept her face clear of damage.
She knew he was mad at Jake and Mona, yet why Caledon? But she was hoping to find out the answers, that was if Callum would let her in?
As Sephie studied the photo the she soon saw what seemed to be a black shape on the bed hunched over with their back to her.
Narrowing her eyes, she saw it was Callum.
"Callum?" she called over quietly "Callum?"
The Raven didn't move yet still kept his back to her.
"Callum?" Sephie stepped inside the room "Are you okay?"
From his position on the bed, Callum heard Sephie come in, yet he didn't move or acknowledge her. Right now, he didn't want to speak to anyone, nor see anyone, and he hoped if he ignored her, she would leave.
Sephie frowned disapproving of Callum's attitude, yet she remembered how Mona had been reluctant to talk to her, well maybe not as reluctant as Callum or dismissive, but she knew she had to be patient if she wanted to get anything out of the Raven.
Walking over to a chair near the bed, Sephie sat down slowly, still being careful to avoid the glass on the floor.
Callum was staring at the wall, he seemed aware that Sephie was in the room, yet he did nothing nor say a word to make her go away or even talk to her.
"Hi." Sephie said quietly "I'm Sephie the Gecko, and I'm sorry to invade your space like this, and I know you have a lot going through your mind right now, especially after everything that transpired over the past 24 hours."
She waited yet Callum still didn't move or speak.
"I hope you liked Mutopia after George showed you around, well, a lot of people call him Gramps, as he is the oldest mutant here, well he discovered the place as I'm sure he told you." Sephie went on "Anyway, I hope you'll soon find your place here, like many of us have done, myself included."
Callum took a breath as he tried to hold in his anger, the way everyone was talking about how he could accept that Mutopia was is new home was killing him inside, especially since he never asked for this.
"I know how hard you're taking this." Sephie said "I was the same, believe it or not, I didn't intend to mutate either, just like you."
As she spoke those words, Callum looked over to her, raising an eyebrow at her.
Sephie smiled triumphantly within as she saw the Raven look towards her.
"I ended up being mutated against my will." Sephie continued "My mate Tyroth and I were brought here after someone tried to kill us, we were on the run from an assassin sent by an evil Crime Lord who was after Tyroth as he had ratted an employer of his out to the police, we fled into the tunnels near here, and we thought we lost him, but sadly, he threw a bomb into the tunnel and the blast caused the walls to collapsed on top of us. Tyroth was seriously injured since he tried to cover me, which in a way saved me from instant death as I only had a few injuries if not nasty ones, and we were found by some of the Mutopians here, and brought to James's medical room for treatment."
Sephie watched Callum as he just sat and listened in silence and Sephie wondered if she was getting through to him.
"Tyroth's wounds were so severe, he was told that unless he mutated, he would die, and I didn't want that to happen, and I consented to him going through the process, and he himself also said he would go through with it, as he didn't want to leave me, even though he knew his humanity would be sacrificed."
Sephie took a breath and rubbed her arms as she remembered the day she mutated, and the shock at seeing her lover mutated.
"I told Tyroth whatever happened, I would always love him, and I watched as he took his first sip of the water from the Well, and mutated into the Dragon he is now, as he mutated, I was accidentally knocked into the well, and I swallowed some of the water, thus I mutated too and became a gecko."
Sephie stopped for a second to see if Callum had any questions, but again the Raven remained quiet.
"I remember feeling the same torturous pain, the worst pain I could imagine, especially in my spine as I felt my tail growing."
So saying she waved her tail a little.
"And I saw what I looked like, and it broke me, as I'm sure it broke you when you felt the same plight?"
Callum looked into Sephie's eyes seeing the sadness within them.
"I know how much it affected you." Sephie said looking into Callum's eyes "And it affected me pretty much the same when I first mutated, I hid in a dark room and cried like there was no tomorrow, I had so much running though my head, I had to accept I was no longer human, and that I couldn't go home, I couldn't even tell my family what happened to me, and to this day they still don't know what's become of me!"
Callum looked down at his taloned hands and narrowed his eyes.
"I was heartbroken I was no longer Human." Sephie went on, "But After a while I got used to it, as I realised I had gotten many benefits! I have a tail I can use as an extra limb and a weapon in battle, and being a gecko, I can climb the walls and even walk on the ceiling! And Tyroth, being a dragon, he can breathe fire, he can fly and he is stronger and more powerful than any mutant alive."
Callum still said nothing yet he glanced at his wings and his taloned hands again.
"Anyway, I wasn't that much different from your sister when I allowed Tyroth to be mutated!" Sephie said "I didn't want him to die, and Mona didn't want you to die."
"I would rather be dead." Callum spoke finally almost making Sephie jump as he did "I would rather be dead, than a mutant! At least your lover consented! I did not! I wish I had died by Shredder's hand! Or by the overdose on Meth the Purple Dragons injected me with!"
Sephie winced slightly, and she soon realised why Jake and Mona were so hurt by those words, she couldn't believe Callum would have rather died than be a given a new life.
"But Callum!" She said, keeping her voice calm and soft "What would that have meant? Jake and Mona would be heartbroken to loose you, no matter what has happened! No matter what you've done! They love you!"
She almost cursed as she said those last words as she wasn't sure if she was supposed to let him know what Mona had told her, about Callum going off the rails and basically ruining his life because of his heartbreak and anger.
Callum placed his hand on his face and he felt his beak as he did so.
"Love?" he asked "Love me?"
"They do Callum!" Sephie insisted "Despite everything! They love you so much! The words you spoke to them, it broke their hearts!"
Callum glared at Sephie and the Gecko decided to hold back on the lecturing worried she might loose Callum that way.
"Listen." she said, her voice softening, "I know right now you feel angry, and I understand you're mad at Mona and Jake, but they love you so much, so much so they decided to let you be mutated, if you had died, it would have broken them more."
"And me mutating was for their benefit?" asked Callum "It's not like the rest of the family will know what has become of me?"
Sephie bit her lip.
"They will never know what has become of me," Callum growled "Not that they would care of course! They gave up on me! Just like mum did!"
"Callum..." Sephie tried to interrupt.
"They decided I was a lost cause! I heard nothing but negative stuff from them! And I was hurting already from Mona's disappearance and I later find out she is a mutant like you! And playing superhero!"
Sephie took the chance to speak before Callum could go on.
"Do you want to talk about your family?" she asked.
Callum narrowed his eyes.
"Why?" he asked in a defensive tone "Why do you want to know?"
"I can see a lot of darkness in you Callum." Sephie said again wincing at Callum's defensiveness "And I can feel it, it's so strong within you, and sometimes, holding so much negativity, it can come out in worse ways, you need to speak about it, and I promise, I will not utter a word of what has transpired, you have my word!"
Callum was silent for a moment, he stared at the floor, then up at Sephie again. He wasn't sure whether to fully trust the gecko, but she had a point, and she seemed to be different from Jake and Mona, she didn't seem judgemental and she was more softly spoken than them.
Maybe it was a good idea to speak of what darkness was within him, and not because of the anger at Jake and Mona for his mutation.
"Very well." he said "As long as you promise not to speak of this to anyone else?"
"You have my word!" Sephie said, starting to feel triumphant that she might have gotten through to Callum "Cross my heart!"
"Fine!" Callum said and he looked at the wall before taking a breath to speak...
So Sephie has gone to see Callum, and she has seen just how heartbroken and devestated he is due to the smashed mirror and the torn photos.
Has she managed to gain some trust from him? Will he open up to her? Well keep checking back to find out!