Author's Note:
WARNING!: this chapter is dark. Well, a lot of them after this one will be. I told you in the summary that Wisteria was broken, and now you get to find out how that all started. It contains a lot a violence and heartache, so you were forewarned.
Okay, now that that's out of the way, there's some more OCs added to the list in this chapter. Two new ones: Bain Talor (Tah-lor) and Rowan Conners. Bain is a mutant with healing abilities (others, not himself) and Rowan is human, except in my RPG, which I still have to get on again. In the RPG he's a fire elemental, but I decided to stay completely in Stan Lee's world in this fic, not just in my own. So he's completely human. He and Bain also don't stay at the Mansion, but in an apartment in Bayville. Also, just so you know, Dani (Wisteria's best friend) has water powers.
StarStar16: Yeah, except I'm not making Jamie "die" like she did in the RPG. It's always seemed too much like a rip off of the movie to me. I'll make a remake of how she "dies" later. And I'm going to review your fic as soon as I get done posting this.
Silvia Ammons: Thanks for reviewing again! I had always thought of doing something like that, but I'm going to wait a while before it happens. She's extremely sad...she has a lot of mental problems due to some stuff that happened to her, but she really doesn't recognize that. You'll find out a lot of what makes her the way she is in this chapter.
It took her a while to break the lock. Beast had reinforced it with even more codes, and she was sure the Danger Room would be a harder obstacle to break into, but the room where they hid her weapons? She could break into that.
The door finally swung inward, admitting her, and Wisteria selected her archery equipment quietly, moving to a staircase across the hall leading to the roof. The walls were close and cramped, light absent once she had closed the door, causing her to feel her way to the exit. Once emerging in sunlight, Wisteria blink owlishly, still unused to the breeze on her face and the sun on her arms, even after eight months of freedom, and three months of living at the Institute.
She nocked her bow and pulled the string taut, muscles straining satisfyingly. Wisteria aimed for a sand bag at the opposite end of the roof and let the arrow fly, going straight through the middle of the bag and snapping when it hit concrete on the other side. Piles of sand would be the only indication she was here.
More arrows hit their mark as she went into a blissfully blank state of mind. It was a lazy summer afternoon; most were indoors, but unrest sent her here.
Most fifteen year old girls couldn't hit their mark this accurately, especially when pulling back nearly seventy-five pounds. Fifteen…what did time mean to her? She wasn't learning to drive, but catching up on lost education; she couldn't be bothered with sleep, food, or friends, but training and her own brand of research was her obsession. And time mattered not at all…it just got in the way.
That numbing chill that came when she fought was welcoming, making her no longer recognize the motion of her body as arrows flew. All the warmth and compassion that flowed readily from the walls of Xavier Institute confused her…she didn't recognize its purpose, so she attempted to run from it. After all, what was happiness but false security? What was pity but recognizing someone weaker?
The corner of her eye caught for a moment the shadow of a man, tall with a shock of blond hair falling between to cold eyes, arms crossed and expression smug. Wisteria's motions stopped, turning her gaze to the intruder's direction, but no one occupied the roof. No one but herself.
Going back to her target, Wisteria murmured aloud, the wind seeming to be her only audience.
"Still watching me, are you?"
Waking up was a torrent of pain: old, new, and current. Her body was tense, knotted and sore; her ankle still throbbed like a bizarre form of a heartbeat. Arianne's mind was so quick to register the pain, and yet her thoughts were coming slowly, only one repeating over and over.
What the hell happened?
She opened her eyes groggily, trying to focus on something, trying to understand why it felt as if she were lying on cold stone.
Blue eyes were staring back at her, smirk filling her vision and causing her to draw back despite the pain. Whatever man stood over her now laughed softly.
"Good morning, mutant. Welcome to your new home."
The sentiment was so sarcastic, his voice so cold that she tried to draw back further, but a searing shock rang throughout her spine suddenly, a cry coming from her. At the scream the man's smirk widened considerably.
"Now, now, mutant. I'm not done talking to you."
Some piece of indignity flooded her. Mutant? The way he spat the word told her that no respect was felt for her, that she was below him in some way. She had no recall of powers that would signify anything close to mutant abilities…except for…at the gym…
"Arianne."
Those cold blue eyes narrowed within the skull of the man crouching on the floor. "Excuse me?"
Though fire was burning her muscles she struggled to her feet, finally stand and glaring at him heatedly. She took in her surroundings: a small stone room with a flickering light and two guards carrying tasers. Her wrists sported two unchained manacles, and something metallic choked her neck. Why was she here…
"My name…is Arianne Devon…and…what the hell am I doing here?" Her hissed words were spaced due to short breath, but her flare remained the same all the while. The man with blue eyes stood. The back of his hand against Arianne's cheek caused her to fall, her balance already unstable without the blow due to her ankle. She saw the shine of his black shoes as he stood over her, that cold voice sinking in again.
"You have no name. You have no identity. You are a mutant, a freak of society, a danger to all. You are worthless, filth, nothing. Your life is meaningless."
As if reinforcing his words, the collar on her neck buzzed in harmony with his moods and excruciating pain filled her again. The ache in her body was so horrible she couldn't move as he leaned down to her, brushing locks of hair out of Arianne's eyes.
"But we're going to change that, mutant. You belong to us now, and like it or not, we're going to make you useful. We're going to help you reach your full potential."
The man drew away and a guard stepped forward, grinning maliciously. In his hand a piece of metal twisted into a form was held, red hot, just having come from some flame. Two men held her down as he administered the metal to her arm, the smell of seared flesh reaching her as he dug it in. When he took away the burning rod the pain remained, stinging at her left arm, but she didn't have to read was imprinted in her. Her head captor read it to her, smirking in pleasure.
"MP0013. Mutant Prisoner 0013. That is the only identification you have."
Arianne's pride kept the tears from pouring down unchecked…but only just. Cold stone against her naked limbs caused chills to torture her skin, but she couldn't make herself move to what was left of her torn clothing. That man, the one they called White, had only sat and watched as the guards used her body like it was a piece of meat, injuring her and forcing lust on her multiple times. He didn't partake, just watched with those cold eyes.
Something told her that now…when she was alone…she should find a weak point, get away, but she couldn't move. She couldn't even find how to call on those strange powers that had landed her here.
Mutant…that's what they called her…mutant. She was a mutant…she was MP…
No. A forceful voice in her mind, different from the fatigue she felt shoved its way in. No. You are Arianne. You are Arianne Devon. You are not Mutant Prisoner 0013. You have to fight this.
"I am Arianne Devon." She whispered quietly, her seared and blistered arm reaching for her torn clothing. Some sort of cover assumed, she wanted to drift into sleep, but the voice wouldn't let her.
Arianne. You are Arianne.
Why was she here? She couldn't be Arianne. Arianne would be at home with her parents, discussing the game. Not here.
You are Arianne.
The bruises protested as her hand grasped a rock, sharp, and she turned her injured body toward the stone wall. Hours seemed to pass as she scratched endlessly at the wall, some chunks of stone moving as her fingernails broke and her palm grew bloody. Finally strength left her, and she examined the shallow message before drifting into an uneasy sleep:
I am Arianne Devon.
Her first indication of a new day was the flickering light coming to life and the door opening suddenly. Her muscles still sore, but growing accustomed to the pain, Arianne stood when White entered. A shock from the collar forced on her was his initial greeting, as hers was holding back her cry and glaring heatedly.
"How are we today, mutant?" The minute he drew close enough to her, she spat in his face, causing him to only wipe away the saliva and knock her to the floor again.
"Still left with some spirit, I see." He smirked at her, shaking his head in mock pity. "I've broken far stronger mutants than you. Your nothing more than a child…only now thirteen, am I correct?"
She scrambled to her feet again, not answering except to give another glare. He continued on, cruel eyes laughing at her.
"However, why don't you try and defend yourself? Why don't you use those demon powers of yours?"
Her anger built inside her, a stronger rage than that of before, but as she felt that strange sensation come to a boiling point, Arianne's manacles emitted a shocking pain, both audible and felt, seeming as if it would break her body in two. That ripping force continued until her anger subsided, leaving her to find herself curled up on the floor, panting from the pain.
White paid her no attention. His cold eyes were examining that proclamation she had carved into the wall, a look of disgust written on his face. He crossed the floor and stood over her. She watched on through green eyes, wondering what would come of this.
"Who are you?"
"Arianne De—" More pain racked through her as she heard him speak again, calmly.
"It seems I'm going to have to teach you earlier than I thought." He muttered to himself before turning his gaze back to her. Arianne watched him pull out a needle filled with some clear liquid. Twisting her wrist to hold her still, he found a vein and injected the liquid while he spoke quietly.
"This is a drug that will paralyze your limbs but enhance your senses and clear your thoughts. The better you listen, the better you learn."
Mere moments after it had hit her blood stream, she felt her limbs grow heaver, her ability to think slowed, her heart-rate increase. She felt him carry her—drag her almost—out of the room and into another nearby, one cramped and small. Her fogged eyes could see there was barely enough room for a person to sit…
He laid her inside, closing the door behind him. Arianne's heart rate pounded as the darkness seemed to press her, a rasping voice coming from somewhere and telling her of her place.
Because she was a mutant, and she was evil.
She was nothing, lower than dirt.
She was God's abomination.
She should be dead, but they allowed her life.
Wisteria replaced the loose floorboard where she kept all things she never wanted the X-men to find. As of now it contained half a dozen lighters, a bloody switchblade, and her archery equipment, as well as a manila folder crammed with odd drawings and that black notebook filled with the twisted story she had created.
Padding downstairs from her dorm room, she paused for a moment at the kitchen to steal a bottle of beer from Logan's stash. If ever she needed to get drunk, this was the night.
The TV was blaring in the living room, three people gathered on the couch. The girl stopped in the doorway of the living room, opening the bottle and scowling at the room's occupants.
"What the hell is he doing here?"
All three persons turned and she examined their expressions: Dani, who dared her with her eyes to start an argument; Bain seemed to be both confused and apprehensive; the boy on the end of the couch just looked confused. He ran a pale, spidery hand through his dark hair and frowned.
"Who? Bain, or me? Because Bain's here to hang out with Dani. I'm here for the pizza."
She rolled her eyes and looked at Dani, whose eyes were glued to the bottle in her hands. Bain had noticed it too; before Wisteria had a chance to stop them, they set in.
"You're going to get drunk again." Bain stated quietly.
"No…how did you know?"
"You're on restriction. You can't have that."
"I can't even have it when I'm not on restriction."
Dani created a water bal in her palm. "If you're going to be stupid, at least let me water it down."
"No," She stated it simply flopping down in an armchair and chugging a third of the bottle just out of spite.
Bain sighed and turned to the boy with black hair. "Rowan, do we have anything but pizza with M&Ms?"
"Nope." He took a huge bite of an M&M covered pizza, sauce dribbling down his chin.
"Great."
Rowan shrugged. "It's note my fault mutants don't have good taste in food."
Dani sighed. "Don't call us that. It's degrading."
Wisteria shot a dark look at Rowan, one full of more hatred than anyone should hold. "No, being called human would be degrading."
A sigh was emitted from Dani, Rowan looking mildly offended and confused, grease streaking his cheek.
"Wist, please don't start anything. He didn't do anything to you."
"Yet."
"Why do you hate humans so much anyways?" Dani's blue eyes bored into her set face. Her answer came in as emotionless a voice as ever she could make it.
"Because they hate us."