"Give it back!" I yelled, leaping into the air in an attempt to catch whatever it was that flew over my head. I heard shrill laughter. The girl who caught it laughed, tossing her perfectly styled hair over her shoulder.
"Come on Dyke, why would you want this? It's useless to you." She tossed it to another.
"Just give it to me!" I shouted. It was tossed to a jock.
"I don't get you sick fucks. Not only are you a fucking queer, you're a mutie. Hey that makes you a queer mutie! That's funny!"
I don't know why I was trying so hard to catch whatever it was, but all I knew was I had to get it.
"Just give it to me!" I said to him. He tossed it onward.
"Nah, it's useless." It landed in the garbage. I followed it, horrified. Suddenly someone lifted my legs upward and I plunged into the darkness. I fell.
I heard that ringing laugh again and I could see the formations of the lava flows. But just as the demon was about to step out of the shadows, a hand swept through everything, destroying the dream. My eyes shot up to the owner of the hand. It was the woman again.
"Troubled dreams?" she said, quirking her eyebrow. I just nodded. The world became the white of before. She looked around. "Any chance of something else to look at?" she directed her question to me. At random, I pulled out my bedroom from a memory. It wasn't the tidiest, but I knew it well. I climbed onto the bed.
"I'm Alex." I said, wiping my hand on my pant leg before holding it out to shake.
"Emma Frost." She replied. Her grip was firm.
"What are you doing here again?" I said. Her lips quirked.
"You weren't sleeping well, so I thought I would try to calm your mind. You wouldn't be calmed, so I decided to try to just dispel the dream." Emma said. Her eyes found mine. "Are you alright?"
"No. Everything… is gone. Even my health." I gave her a half smile. "You don't have to be in here anymore, I understand." She gave me a look. "Stop looking at me like that. I get that people, even telepaths, don't like their dreams being invaded. So just… go away."
"I came here of my own free will. I am awake. This is your dream, not mine, and I'm invading your dream, not the other way around." Emma narrowed her eyes at me, like she was trying to read me. Mom had done that sometimes, but she would smile a moment later and just shrug.
"Thank you." I whispered. That drew her attention to me directly.
"For what?" She asked. Her voice was still cool.
I smiled. "Cause you came and you care." And then everything just hazed out into blackness.
I opened my eyes sometime later. I was upright, sitting in a chair, a comfortable chair and in what felt like a plane. I looked around, taking in the odd design and finally my gaze rested on the woman who was at the controls.
I wasn't surprised to see that she knew how to fly this thing. It seemed like this woman could do anything her mind set to doing. I shifted, trying to ease the ache in my ribs. Breathing still hurt, but at least the straps prevented me from shifting too much in my sleep.
I didn't feel the need to alert her to me being awake so I just watched her. She was calm and collected, but there was something in the way she sat that made me wonder what had happened to her in the past. She was much too confident, much too… aloof. It was a feeling I could relate to. It didn't seem like the kind that developed naturally, it seemed like something that had been forced on her.
"Emma." I heard a guy say. I jumped a little, but realized when the woman reached forward to flick a switch that it came from the communication system.
"What Scott?" She sounded irritated.
"How far are you?" He asked. I wanted to laugh at the poor guy. It was obvious that Emma, had she been in the room with him, would've smacked him or something.
"When I say half hour, I mean half hour Scott!" She flicked another switch and a light on the control station died.
"Where are we going?" I asked. She glanced over her shoulder at me. Her irritation had disappeared when she replied.
"We are going to Xavier's School for the Gifted." She gave me a small smile to reassure me.
"They won't care that I'm a mutant?" I couldn't help it, I had to ask. I saw her amusement.
"It's for mutants, though most of the public don't know that." She said. She returned her gaze back to the skies, but I could tell she was listening.
"Are they… not as prejudice as the rest of the world?" I started to choke on the question, but I needed to ask. She gave me a quick glance.
"I like to think so. Some are very open, others are a bit more close minded, but overall, yes, its more open minded."
"Maybe it won't be the same…" I whispered, before I closed my eyes. I didn't want to open them and I fell back asleep within a few minutes.
Emma felt her mind slip into slumber. She couldn't help but watch her as she slept. Normally when she brought children to school, they were more worried about being an obvious mutant or about how others would react to their powers. She couldn't remember anyone ever having this particular conversation.
Emma paused to consider the matter. Alex was older than they normally took in. Her mutant DNA seemed to have developed later than normal. It wasn't unheard of, but it happened sometimes. Just not that often. She would be one of the oldest students to come to the school.
But somehow she doubted that was it either. There was something in those eyes, lurking in those grey depths. Emma sighed. She had no way of finding out, because she couldn't just randomly read her. She had tried and there hadn't even been a flicker of awareness that she could detect. If she couldn't see that the girl was alive and breathing, she would have thought she was dead.
Whatever the reason for her questions, they would have to be found out the old fashioned way, by asking her. In the mean time, Emma turned and watched as the school came into view. The basketball court split open and she gently landed the plane. The court closed up above her.
"Emma!" she heard someone roar. She smirked with amusement at the tone in Scott's voice. She opened the hatch a few moments later and stepped downward. She wasn't surprised to see that Jean, Logan and Charles were with Scott as well.
"If you are about to start going on solo missions, warn people that your about to take the blackbird! What if Magneto had attacked? We would have been virtually immobilized." He yelled. He had immediately stepped into Emma's personal space and started yelling. Emma kept her face cool and neutral, feeling her gaze grow cooler by the second.
"Scott! Enough! Emma has my permission in this matter." Charles came forward and looked up at Scott. "I would rather her go on solo missions than to leave young mutants out there, alone, without any help."
Scott took a breath and backed off, glaring at Emma. Didn't look like he was very pleased with the Professor stepping in. She just returned he glare and crossed her arms.
"Holy fuck!" She heard Logan swear. His voice came from within the hatch and she cursed mentally for not paying close attention to what the others were doing. She immediately turned and went back up the ramp.
Alex was awake. In this case, Emma wished that the girl was still asleep, for curled around her were red flames, completely sealing her off from approach by anyone. They flicked towards Logan a few times, warning him away from their charge.
"Logan what did you do!" Emma snapped. He glared her up.
"She was asleep and I figured she would want to go to the med lab, so I woke her up. I would've carried her there, but I wanted to make she sure was alright with me carrying her." Logan replied, backing away from the flames. When he moved past Emma, they seemed to calm a bit.
"She's a dreamwalker and apparently a pyro. You woke her up from the middle of a dream and she's been having nightmares. It wasn't the wisest thing to have done." she sent to him. She stepped closer to the flames and though they flicked a warning in her direction, they didn't actively try to drive her away. Emma reached mentally for the girl and was surprised to sense her. Alex. there was no acknowledgement in her eyes. Alex, it's alright, you're safe here.
She heard a voice in her head, almost as if it was responding to the call. Only, it wasn't Alex. This is your saviour? Hell help me, she won't be able to keep you from me. Soon, you'll be just like me. We are the same, you and I. She can't change that. You will be like me. It's only a matter of time. The voice laughed.
I am NOT like you! Go away! That was Alex's voice. Go back to Hell, where you belong!
I will, but you'll eventually join me. the voice fell silent after that. Emma waited for a few moments before she called again.
Alex? This time, Alex's eyes lost most of the fear in her eyes and focused on her. The flames wavered a moment. Drop the flames, we can't help you with them there.
Alex gave the flames a startled look and they just vanished, like they hadn't been there at all. There were no scorch marks, not even a trace of smoke.
Alex closed her eyes for a moment, but when she looked at Emma, her eyes were a fiery red, which seemed to mist for a moment. But a few heartbeats later, it was gone and she was looking into those grey eyes.
I'm sorry. was all Alex said before her mind faded away and the mental link carefully severed. Emma heard just before she stopped sensing the girl entirely, a few simple words filled with remorse. I'm so sorry.
"Come on, let's get you to the med lab." Emma said, unbuckling the straps and lifting Alex into her arms. Alex simply leaned her head against Emma's shoulder and was content just to allow her to do so.
"Here, I'll take her for you." Logan volunteered. He reached over to take Alex from Emma when a red mist suddenly enveloped the two of them. He jerked his hand back, shaking it quickly. "Shit that burns!"
Emma looked down on Alex's face and saw almost sheer terror in her eyes. She tightened her grip, trying to reassure the girl.
"Alex, he's not about to harm you. He isn't one of them." She said softly. Alex shook her head.
"I know. I… don't know him. I can't… it hurts!" Alex was suddenly tense and she threw back her head, gritting her teeth.
"Alex, it's alright, you're safe here. I'll protect you." Emma soothed. She had seen this kind of thing happen with empaths before, but it didn't seem like Alex was an empath. "Just let it go and slip into the dreams." She whispered. Alex closed her eyes and soon the tension left her body. The mist, however, remained. It lost most of it's colour but it remained, tinting the air red.
Emma went down the ramp carefully, mindful of the person curled in her arms. The others were still waiting for them.
"How is she?" Charles said softly. Emma shook her head.
"Hurting." Emma said shortly. She headed towards the exit of the hanger.
"Here, I'll take her." Scott commanded, quickly reaching out to take Alex from her arms.
"No, Scott don't!" she snapped sharply, but his arm touched Alex.
Her eyes shot open and the red mist turned into an inferno. Flames licked the air around Alex, shielding her from Scott. When the flames fully covered Alex, they turned to Scott, roaring at him. He jumped back, startled. One flame slapped against his shirt and he darted farther away, a line of black where it had touched.
Emma remained unharmed by the flames. Not only did they surround Alex, but apparently by extension, they surrounded her, touching her, but allowing her to remain unharmed. The flames danced around them for a few moments more before fading back to the mist.
I am not you. Emma heard Alex whisper before she closed her eyes. This time, she went limp, exhaustion in every line of her form. Emma hefted the girl slightly higher and continued to the exit.
"I just don't understand Professor. Why won't she let anyone else carry her?" Emma heard Scott ask.
"She's a dreamwalker Scott. She won't trust you until she meets you there. And right now, the only thing that keeps her powers in check is her trust in Emma." Emma moved out of hearing range.
She pushed the door to the med lab open, glad to see that Henry was already there, giving a student what looked like a physical. He looked up when Emma came in. He made no move to approach. He learned from her habit of bringing in telepaths and empaths not to approach until she gave him the okay.
He quickly wrapped up the exam and sent the student on his way. Bobby met him on the elevator and took him back up to the public section of the school. He turned his attention to her. "Emma, I recall telling you not to exhaust the students in their classes." Emma shook her head at him.
"Found her up north. We aren't sure what happened, but she's hurting." She eased Alex onto the bed. "I'm going to have to telepathically link you to her dream. Her power flares whenever she is touched by anyone but me. The Professor mentioned it's because of her dreamwalker abilities."
Henry nodded and Emma quietly lowered her barrier and slipped into Alex's dream with Henry in tow.
"You seem to like coming into my dreams Emma." Henry smiled. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard someone talk to Emma that familiarly. "And now you're bringing friends. You planning for me to hold a party or something?"
Emma smiled, and shook her head.
"Alex, this is Henry McCoy. He's our resident doctor. Henry, this is Alex." Henry extended a hand to shake.
"Pleased to meet you." Alex seemed to examine him intently. After a few moments, she smiled and shook his hand.
"As long as you don't make a habit of visiting my dreams, I think I can like you." There was humour in her voice. "I really don't feel like dreaming about DNA structures."
"You seem to be doing better." Emma commented. Alex turned her gaze to her. The surroundings shifted from a messy bedroom to a living room. She relaxed into a couch.
"Daydreams do that. They're fun. I get to be the hero." She yawned. "I know, I'm technically asleep, but still, feels more like a daydream."
"Alex, would you mind if Henry treated you?" Henry glanced back and forth between the two. Alex didn't seem concerned about anything at all.
Or at least until Emma had asked that. Alex openly winced at the question.
"I don't want to think about it." Her eyes stared at Henry. "Try not to press my ribs too much, it transfers to here rather easily."
Emma felt both her and Henry being pushed out of her mind. Emma turned to Henry and nodded. "You can treat her now."
"Why the formality?" He asked, quickly washing his hands.
"The mist that hangs around her has been turning to flame whenever someone tries to touch her." Emma stated. She watched as he removed the destroyed shirt and proceeded to gently probe the ribs. Emma felt a flood of cold rage at the sight of the discoloured torso. It was obvious that those were inflicted bruises. Alex let out a sharp gasp of pain when he probed a bit too hard. Emma felt someone brush her shields and she dropped them. Mentally, she felt Alex come to her, clinging to her mentally as Henry probed her ribs. Her grip on Emma's mind increased a few times. When Henry finished the examination, Alex released her mind and calmed again.
"I think she has one broken, three fractured, and one bruised rib. I'll have to bind it tight so that they'll knit properly. The intense bruising will go away with time and a lot of peace and quiet. It seems like they haven't healed at all." Henry checked both eyes then carefully examined her skull. He quickly took her temperature and then took her heart rate. Something on her arm caused him to pause and take a closer look.
"Damn it." He swore softly. Henry wasn't one to swear and the admission now made Emma's shields instinctively rise.
"What?" he gestured her over to his side. On her arm were two small circular burn marks.
"See these? Taser burns. And from the intensity of the burns, I'm pretty sure it wasn't just a light tap. Someone wanted to hurt her, not subdue her. I'm surprised she was able to get up after."
Emma clenched her fist at her side. Her rage felt like it would blast apart even the strongest shields. "Emma, relax. You can't help her if you can't think properly." She sighed and did her best to unclench her fist.
"Support her for a moment while I bind her chest." He said as he carefully and precisely spread a salve over her breasts and abdomen. Emma held the unconscious girl while he efficiently wound the bandage around her chest. He tied it firmly into place.
"It should be able to come off in a few weeks, if she doesn't do anything stressful. She'll need to change it later and tomorrow." He grabbed one of the uniform grey shirts he kept for when clothing removed wasn't in the best condition and handed it to Emma. Something again caught his eye on Alex's arm. He held it up to get a better look and probed what looked like the base of a bump. He dropped her arm in shock when a long sharp spike shot out. It reached about two inches past Alex's fingertips and was about an inch and a half thick at the base and narrowed to an unbelievably thin point.
"Oh my god." He whispered. He lifted the arm again to examine the spike. Thin lines of red went through the light ivory of the spike and all gathered to the tip. He traced the outside edge carefully. "Incredible. A natural version of Logan's claws. I didn't think I'd ever get to see ones like these." He was examining the tip when it sheathed itself within her skin.
"She seems to have a lot o f mutated DNA. I doubt that we know everything yet." He took a sample of her blood before helping Emma to pull the sweater over her head. Alex only let out one small groan of pain.
"She'll need lots of sleep, so get her assigned to a room as soon as possible Emma. I don't want to keep her here, I doubt she would take it well if she woke up here." Henry said. "Need help carrying her?"
"No, I should be fine." Alex's eyes fluttered open.
"I can walk you know." Alex said softly to the room. Henry gave her a soft smile.
"It would be better for your ribs if you don't walk. Let Emma or me carry you so you don't put strain on them." Henry said.
"I don't want to bother Emma." Alex gave him an apologetic look. "Nothing against you personally."
"No worries. I honestly don't mind." He smiled. "Go on, shoo, I have other things I need to do." Emma carefully picked up the girl and headed to the elevator. "Let me know what room she stays in alright?" He shouted. Emma only nodded.
"Sorry about all this." Alex whispered. "I don't mean to be a hassle."
"Stop. I want to do this. You don't eat enough, you're pretty light." Emma replied as the elevator went up.
"Thanks." Alex rested her head on Emma's shoulder. Her eyes slowly closed once again and she smiled in her sleep.