Emma shot bolt upright. She had been sleeping soundly, heavily for once, when someone shook her awake. She was surprised to see Henry there, his face an expression of worry. The fear flowed off him in the waves.
"Henry?" She said.
"Get up, it's Alex. She won't stop screaming and no one can get into the room. Jean got burned when she tried to open the door." Henry passed her a robe and pulled her out of the room. "She isn't projecting, not at the moment, but Jean kept feeling her fade in and out, and it's getting to the point where she can feel the pain."
Many of the adults were milling around the room, and Emma could hear the screams. What's more, she could feel the intense pain and the fear. She could sense Alex as clear as a bell.
"Emma! You're the only one who can do anything! There is someone else in there!" Emma wanted to throttle Jean for that comment. It wasn't like Alex was trying to kill whoever it was.
"Shut up and let me try! I can barely think with the pain crowding me!" Emma snapped, turning her thoughts toward Alex. The pain spiked suddenly and she had to bite her lip. She tried to contact Alex. Alex let me in! and suddenly, the door was flung open and the door smashed into the wall. The boy stood in the middle of the room, frozen in place, an expression of fear on his face.
Emma passed the boy by to run to the figure who was screaming on the bed. There was something intensely demonic about the voice, in the way it seemed to be far deeper than Alex could create.
Emma didn't know how she knew, but instead of doing what she normally would, she pulled the struggling girl into her embrace and just held her. "It's alright," she murmured into her hair, caressing her back. "You're safe here. I'm here. I understand,"
After a few moments, the noise stopped and she felt Alex bury her head into her shoulder. She felt the sobs wrack the body she held tightly in her arms and she could feel the tears on her bare shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing in here Jason?" Emma snarled at him. The boy seemed to unfreeze, but he just mumbled under his breath.
"Explain yourself." Charles came into the room, an unreadable expression on his face.
"I… I had a dream about her. I thought… I thought she wanted me to come. She was teasing me and she was leading me on." The boy seemed to be in shock.
"What kind of dream?" Charles asked. There was steel in his voice.
"A…" the boy went red. "It was… personal." He stammered.
"Not good enough!" Emma snapped. Alex was shivering.
"I had an erotic dream with her in it. I figured she must want more, and I figured it had to be her, 'cause she's a dreamwalker." The boy said angrily.
"It wasn't her." Logan had come in. There was something odd in his eyes when he spoke to the boy. "She was in my dream for the last few hours, sparring with me."
"But… she came to me… in my dream… she wanted me… I know it…" he was stammering again.
"You never stood a chance with her, she ain't interested in guys." Logan snapped. "She's gay."
That caused the boy to stiffen and become shame faced. "I… didn't know…" he looked at Alex. "I didn't know any of it. I didn't know that she was gay or the other stuff… I'm sorry Professor."
"It's not your fault." A whispered voice said into Emma's chest. Her shivering had lessened and was only a mild shivering. "You just jumped to conclusions. You assume since I am a dreamwalker, that if I appear in your dreams, it must be the real me."
"I didn't mean to hurt you." Jason said. He looked defeated, as though someone had taken a baseball bat to him emotionally.
"I know." Alex couldn't keep the break out of her voice and she gripped Emma harder.
"Get out of here." Emma told the room. Everyone complied, filtering out, one by one. Jean paused, as though she was considering taking over, but Scott hurried her out.
Will she be alright? Charles whispered in her mind as he went out of sight.
Eventually. It's been a long time since then. As long as stunts like this don't happen, Alex won't have to be forcibly reminded. She wanted to glare at the man, but he was already gone.
I want her to be tested in the danger room. Put her through a simulation when you can. Charles replied. Emma only sighed
"Hey kiddo." Logan sat down on the edge of the bed. "You okay?" Alex turned her head to look at him.
"I'll be fine." Her grip on Emma tightened for a moment before easing.
"You still want to take those classes?" He asked. Emma shot him a questioning look.
Logan? Emma sent him.
If she can think of being able to defend herself, maybe her memories won't scare her so much. Just let her digest it for a moment. Logan replied.
"I don't know… I don't think I could handle many classes right now." She reburied her face in Emma's shoulder. "Too many people."
"It would be one on one at for awhile."
"I don't know… if I can…"
"Well, just think about it kiddo. Try not to make a nightly habit of waking me up okay?" That got a small smile out of Alex.
"'Kay." She replied. He left and closed the door behind him. The silence in the room was tense, but comfortable. Slowly, Alex seemed to relax. She nuzzled Emma's neck affectionately before withdrawing. "Thank you Emma." Her eyes glowed for a moment. "Thank you for being here as a friend." Emma couldn't help but be startled by that. "I'm better now, you should go get some sleep you have a class to teach in the morning.
Emma hesitantly got to her feet. Something caressed the inside of her barrier, but it vanished as soon as she sensed it. "You'll be fine on your own?"
"Of course. I've dealt with nightmares before. They don't return after I have them." Alex got up. "Go. I'll be fine and you'll need rest. God knows you'll have a hell of a time keeping my mind focused in class. So go, get sleep so you can keep me awake tomorrow." Emma nodded and headed to the door. She paused.
"Goodnight Alex." She turned slightly. "Try to get a good sleep." Alex nodded.
"You too." Emma nodded as well and left. Alex sunk down in her chair, head in her hands. She shuddered a few times more, before she took out her English book and began to read.
Emma. Jean's mental voice caused Emma to internally sigh. I'm worried about Alex. It doesn't look like she's been sleeping. Emma watched as her class filtered in. I believe she is in your class now.
I will look into it. Emma commented. She felt Jean's mental ascent and her mental touch disappear.
She surveyed the room, noting everyone but Alex was here already. Just as the bell rang, the dreamwalker slipped in, as had become her custom, sitting towards the back, her face hidden in shadow.
Emma frowned. She had noticed yesterday that the girl had seemed tired, but the light had played across her face too much, so she assumed that it had been her imagination. But she indirectly observed Alex as she began the lesson, taking care not to allow Alex to feel her scrutiny.
There were definite signs of absolute exhaustion. Her eyes were unfocused, there were dark circles beneath them, and she seemed to lack energy, barely able to hold her head high.
"If a telepath wanted to disrupt someone's dreams, what would they do…" she let her eyes wander the room, before resting on Alex. She didn't want to have to snap Alex back to reality, but is seemed necessary. "…Alex."
"They can do several things. If they are more empathically inclined, they can change a dream to a nightmare by inspiring fear or paranoia. If they are more along the lines of thought sensors, they can manipulate the thoughts of the subconscious to achieve the same goal. Or, in a more straight forward approach, they could simply prevent the dreams from occurring, which, after a time, will cause the person to become irritable, moody, and irrational." Alex replied promptly. Her eyes focused on Emma's. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been spacing out.
You're getting better at communicating telepathically. Just try to look attentive. You may actually be attentive but you don't look like it. Emma replied, sending the thought back as privately as it had been received.
Emma's attention was drawn to the discussion at hand and though she kept an eye on Alex, she didn't call on her again, despite the way the girl looked as if she wasn't entirely here.
The class ended with Emma assigning an essay. Only Alex didn't groan, quite the contrary, her eyes lit up slightly. Alex got up to leave with the rest of the class.
Stay a moment Alex. She sent. Alex turned and placed her books back down on the table and leaned her hip against the wall. She closed her eyes, simply waiting. When the last student left the room, Emma carefully examined Alex.
Jean was right. Alex looked like she was about to drop.
"Alex, are you alright?" Emma said softly, perching on the edge of the desk. Alex opened her eyes and smiled.
"I'm alright." She looked around the classroom. "Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
"Alex, you look exhausted. Have you been sleeping?" Emma replied.
"Yes." Alex met her eyes when she said that. There was nothing to say that she was lying…
… But for some reason, Emma knew it was just that. A lie meant to keep her out. Emma narrowed her eyes and let the air cool.
"I don't appreciate being lied to." She said calmly, coldly.
"What would you like me to say then?" Alex wouldn't be baited, her reply was even calmer, and for a moment, Emma could have sworn a touch more coldly.
"I would like the truth." Emma growled. Alex's eyes became blank. There was nothing in her expression, just cool, collected calm.
"The truth is nothing you would want to hear." There was nothing in that voice, except maybe a hint of condensation, which caused Emma not to really think through what she said.
"Don't presume to know me enough to know my wants. I know I want to know the truth." Emma saw hurt flash into Alex's grey eyes before they were quickly covered, but she could feel it, and she regretted her harsh words.
"Don't worry, Ms Frost." Alex carefully placed that between them. "I will never make that presumption again." Alex grabbed her books. "I have to get to my next class."
"Alex, talk to me." Emma said. Alex stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder.
"The truth? I haven't slept in days. I don't even want to try to fall asleep because I know what lies waiting for me there." And Alex slipped out of the room. I'll be fine. It usually passes in a week or so. and Alex was gone, giving the truth, a truth Emma had hoped she wouldn't hear.
"Hey Kiddo. You're late." Logan growled. I smiled, in spite of the words, because I knew he wouldn't mind.
"Ms Frost wanted to talk to me." I didn't see anyone else. "Where is everyone?"
"On their run. You, however, need to be tested." Logan gestured for me to follow. He headed toward the teacher's dorm.
"On?" He smacked me playfully.
"Not that kind of test. You're going to be put in the danger room. We want to see how much control you have over your powers and what they can do. We will put you into scenarios in which you have to escape or retrieve something." He patted my shoulder. "I think you'll do fine." We went into the elevator at the end of the hallway. He placed his hand on the genetic sampler and we descended.
"I don't get an option in this do I?" I asked, sighing. I would have preferred to just not know.
"Sorry Kiddo, all the students are tested here." He grinned and the doors opened. He led me down a metal corridor and gestured to a door. It was a change room. "In there you'll find a body suit. It has equipment built into it to keep track of your pulse, adrenaline flow, a bunch of medical mumbo jumbo that I don't really care about. At the other end of the change room is another door. Just go through that and you'll be in the danger room." Logan pushed me gently through the door.
"Great, I get to get myself hurt, wonderful." I rubbed my eyes. Of course, this couldn't come after I had a decent night's sleep." I saw the body suit. It was a solid black. At least it wasn't pink or something. I slipped my clothes off and struggled to get the form fitting suit on. I grabbed the boots under the bench and tied them snugly around my feet.
Taking a moment to gather myself, I took a deep breath. Finally, I slipped into the massive room.
If I hadn't known about it from my mother, I would daresay I would have been awed. The danger room was a masterful piece of technology. The silver walls glinted in the artificial light. I looked up at the surveillance room.
"You brought me here, so tell me what you want me to do." I called up. I saw vague movement.
"We will be placing you in a structure, from which we expect you to escape. Make it to the outside of the structure." I heard Scott say. I sighed as the structure appeared around me. I was in a cell. I look around and nearly smiled when I saw not only an air vent, but a heating vent. The air vents would be guarded, but the heat vents wouldn't be, not at this time of the year.
I look carefully out the window of my cell, trying to see in if anyone was coming. I didn't see anyone, so I turned to the grate. My left spike unsheathed and I shoved it roughly between the grate and the wall, wrenching it out quickly, careful not to let it clang as I put it on the floor. With another quick glance out the window I slipped into the narrow confines and slipped forward.
When a few minutes later, a steel wall lowered from the ceiling of the vent, I wanted to murder Scott. I know that wouldn't have been there before.
"Jackass." I muttered under my breath. I drew back my fist as far as I could, and punched it as hard as I could. A moment later, my spike unsheathed again, and punctured the wall. Soon, it was just a square piece of metal and I carefully slipped through the hole I made.
The tunnel ended in the boiler room. I dropped from the grate in the ceiling wincing at the sound it made when it hit the floor. I heard a door open and knew I had only moments before being discovered. I spotted a small window and ran towards it.
"Hey you!" I swore. "Stop!" I didn't oblige him and heard him draw his gun. I spared a glance back as I opened the window and saw he was aiming. I began to heave myself through the window and he began firing. I felt a burning sensation on my ribs, feeling like there was a large burn there. I pulled myself the rest of the way out and ended the mission. I made no effort to stem the blood trickling from my side. I just stared upwards, trying not to let the pain distract me.
"How she doing?" Emma's class had just ended and she had come up to stand beside Logan.
"Kid's got talent. This is the fifth scenario we've put her through. Scott decided to jump a few levels up, to see if she could handle it. Her mission is to get herself out of this conscious by any means necessary." He jerked his head to where they both could see Alex dodging various objects that a mutant was throwing.
A car clipped Alex's shoulder and Emma felt a sharp pain in her side. She frowned. Alex's red mist finally appeared, surrounding her. The mutant continued to throw everything he could reach at her.
Alex caught the baseball he threw and it blew up in her hands. Emma felt another sympathetic pain in her own hands.
"Piss off!" Alex roared, running at the mutant, her horns lowered. The projection knew it was in danger and ran, but not quickly enough to avoid being impaled on Alex's small horns. It was just enough to cause it to stop. Her spikes suddenly appeared through the mutant's chest. When she dropped him, there was fake blood running down her face and her spikes were red. They were gone within a few seconds. Another mutant came up from behind Alex, one far more powerful.
"Hello child." Emma's eyebrows rose. Magneto was hovering in the air, his battle costume carefully in place. He was about twenty feet from Alex.
"What do you want?" Alex snapped.
"You are a powerful mutant. It is your obligation to mutant kind to help us to take our rightful place." Logan punched Scott in the shoulder.
"You said a few levels, not seven." Logan growled. Scott just ignored him.
"Fuck off. I don't have to do anything." A sign was ripped from the ground and belted towards Alex. She barely managed to get aside.
"Imagine yourself in a place where you needn't fear walking down the street. You could help achieve that dream." Magneto was smiling. Two more signs began to lift into the air.
"Piss off, bastard. I won't be able to do that, because of what I am. I would rather live to at least see the sun rise a few more times." Alex snapped in reply. The two signs acted as javelins, and she managed again to dodge them, but not the car that Magneto threw at her. She fell and didn't get up for a while.
"She did pretty good." Scott said, leaning back. None of the other students ever lasted to this point.
"Scott, she's still conscious." Henry murmured as Alex got back up. Emma felt an ache spread throughout her body and she had to sit down.
"What!" he shot back to the controls.
There was a large amount of bleeping at Henry's station. His hands flitted across the panel. "Scott we have to stop, now!"
"You know the rules, not until she is unconscious."
"No, Scott, we have to stop. Something's wrong." Henry looked worried.
"Just a bit longer." He murmured. Henry was about to say more when Alex said something.
"Fine." Just a simple word, but it was filled with so much. Alex burst into flames. She tilted her head back and roared. Her spikes and horns became a vivid red and there were streaks across her skin, thin lines that ran on her face and arms. Emma imagined that should they be able to see any other of Alex's skin, it would be the same.
Alex picked up a car and threw it at Magneto. Magneto deflected it carelessly to the side. "I can't be stopped. Just give up."
"Just leave me alone!" Alex's short hair lifted, waving in the air. She crossed her arms. "All I want is to be left alone!" when Alex flung her arms out to her sides, twin crescents of red energy shot out. Both hit Magneto and caused him to fall from the air, torn apart.
A mob of people spilled from the buildings and ran at her.
"Scott, turn it off! Now!" Henry shouted.
The flames kept them at bay, but they several were mutants and used their powers on her. Finally, they all exploded into flames, one by one, and Emma felt very faint.
"Scott, turn it off! She is in pain, a lot of pain!" Logan grabbed Emma as she began to fall over.
"I'm trying!" He snapped. Finally, Jean moved him aside and turned the main power off, leaving only the lights in the danger room on.
There was a surprising amount of blood on the floor. Since it didn't disappear when the people did, they could assume it was real.
"Oh shit." Scott swore. Jean glared at her husband.
"Listen to Henry Scott, he's here for a reason!"
"That was fun." The voice startled them. The flames were gone, but the alterations to Alex were still there. Her eyes were a violent red. "I wanna play some more. I don't get much chance to play."
"Shit." Henry mumbled.
"What?'
"It seems that was too much for her." He murmured. "She's stuck."
"What do you mean by stuck?" Logan snarled.
"It's like some secondary forms. You can get stuck in them if you don't know how to use them." Alex grinned at them. "Come on, if you're gonna talk all day, can you at least turn on the simulation so I can play some more?"
"Enhanced hearing, just what we need." Henry muttered.
"Henry." Jean murmured.
"Her primary mutation is that." He gestured to Alex, who was still looking up at them patiently. "All her mutations are in full effect now."
"What do you mean all?"
"As in everything that was mutated because of her primary mutation, is full blown right now. Super strength, enhanced senses, her energy boost, the flames. I doubt that Logan would be able to overpower her right now."
"He's right. Wanna come down and try anyway Wolvy?" There was a mocking tone to Alex's voice.
"Apparently it lowers her inhibitions too." Henry said.
"I think that's just because she's exhausted." Jean stated.
"Fine, pretend I'm not part of the conversation." Emma felt those eyes search her out. "I still don't get it though. Why you? I mean, I could have waited, but why you? It's not like you care. Oh wait, that's presuming too much, I'm sorry." Alex was obviously faking the apologetic stance.
"How do we get this form to shift back to her normal form?" Scott asked.
"I don't know. Usually a feeling of safety causes the untrained to release their form." Henry stated.
"As if I could feel safe here." Alex's voice lost its sarcastic edge. It was quietly said.
"Alex?" Henry said. She simply turned and sat down on the ground, leaning back on her hands.
You know, Fate is such a bitch. Emma could tell no one else heard the telepathic voice. I always seem to chase after things I can't have. Acceptance and love. Who'd have thought that, here, in a mutant school, I couldn't be accepted? Emma heard the mental sigh. I should just leave. It was then Emma realised that Alex wasn't speaking to her.
Alex? I'm here for you. Emma whispered.
Get out of my head Ms Frost. It's not polite to eavesdrop. Emma felt a throb of pain in those words and saw Alex rub her side. Blood dripped onto the floor. Shit this hurts.
Alex, talk to me. Emma asked.
Did you know dreamwalkers bond to two people in their lifetime? Telepathically I mean. One is a parent and the other is to their… well, I guess in my case it would be appropriate to say mate. Do you know what it feels like to know that your bond will never love you, that you will never be able to kiss her? Do you know what that does to me? I can't sleep, cause I know I will dream about what I want to happen and then I know I wouldn't wake, cause I would prefer that reality to this one.
You're bonded? Emma couldn't help but ask. She heard a bitter mental laugh.
It's not something I can control. The person I bonded to doesn't even know it exists, let alone what it means. I just know… I'll be alone forever now. She whispered.
Why not just move onto someone else?
Because of my powers. If I had been just a dreamwalker, I could just ignore it and become involved with other people. But because of my demon powers, that's not an option. Demons are surprisingly loyal to their mates. That's why you rarely hear of them being in love or attached to someone. Alex screamed mentally and physically when she pulled her hand away from her side.
Alex, I'll always protect you. You don't have to be strong. Emma murmured. And suddenly, Alex was gone, collapsed on the floor down below, normal once again.