Chapter 7
Skyler sat in Professor Xavier's office awaiting her fate. She had walked in the front door only to be confronted by Ororo. A combination of anger and disappointment weaved through her words as she told Skyler to go to the professor's office. It had not been Skyler's intentions to stay out so late. If she had not met up with Emma and Shawn she would have been back before anyone noticed she was gone. Her need for knowledge and her refusal to let anyone help her had gotten her in this situation. Half of Skyler didn't care what these people thought, while the other half of Skyler felt bad for disappointing these people who had gone out of their way to be nice to her.
The professor rolled into his office silently and positioned his wheelchair behind his desk. Interlacing his fingers and placing both hands on the desk the professor gave a stern look to Skyler. "We have rules at this school. When you agreed to attend this school you agreed to follow those rules. I must say that I am very disappointed by your behavior and I'm a little baffled by it. I thought you were a shy young woman that given a little encouragement would open up and fit well in this school. In fact yesterday I was pleased to see you participating in activities with other student and looking generally happy. Why did you then choose to break the rules of this establishment and totally disregard the feelings of those you claim to care about?"
Skyler sat in silence. She could not tell the professor the truth and she respected him too much to lie to him.
"So you wish to say nothing in your defense? Or give me a reason why you left the school ground last night." The professor asked as if he was pleading for Skyler to explain her behavior. But again Skyler said nothing and chose instead to look down towards her feet.
"I can not make you talk, but I can not dismiss this behavior. Choices have consequences and you made a poor decision last night. You are grounded for two weeks. That means you are to remain in your room except for meals and personal hygiene. This weekend is the annual camping trip that we plan for the kids this time of year. Since you will unable to attend this trip you will accompany Dr. Grey to conference she will be going to. I can not watch you because I have to visit a friend. You are not to leave Dr. Grey's sight and I expect a 5 page paper on one of the seminars at the conference on my desk by 5pm the next day."
'Damn' was all that Skyler could think of as she heard her punishment. Skyler's stomach growled and it could be heard very well in the pause of the professor's lecture.
The professor sat back in his wheelchair to signify the lecture was over. "Go get something to eat before you go to your room."
Skyler stood up and walked out of the office and head to the kitchen.
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In the kitchen Skyler made herself a sandwich and sat down at the kitchen table. Every muscle in her body ached and her eyes could barely stay open. All she wanted to do was eat, take a hot shower, and then sleep. As Skyler took a bite from her sandwich the kitchen door opened to reveal April. She looked furious.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" April said angrily to Skyler.
Skyler swallowed and look to April with growing regret for her actions. "I not sure how to answer that question."
"Ok, here is a new one. Why did you leave last night?"
Skyler didn't want to answer that question. "I had some things to take care of. I wasn't planning on leaving for good."
April sat down next to Skyler and looked her straight in the eye. "Don't give me a vague explanation. What were these things you had to take care of?"
Skyler was beginning to feel cornered. "Can't you just trust that I had to take care of something that I can't talk about?"
"No." April said simply. "Trust is given to friends and right now you are not acting like a friend. Friendship is not a one way thing. Bryce and I have told you almost everything about us, yet we know nothing about you. To us you are an enigma wrapped up in a mystery. You didn't even trust me enough to fill me on this little late night mission. I thought you left us! That you left me!" Tears began to fall down April face.
Guilt filled Skyler's soul as she witnessed the pain she caused her friend. April had fears of abandonment and Skyler left without thinking of how it would impact her friends. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you."
April stood up from her chair. "You didn't mean to hurt me, but you still did." April walked out of the kitchen leaving Skyler with impact of her words.
Skyler finished her sandwich and made her way to her room. Before she could make into her room she was stopped by Bryce. His normal jovial mood was gone, replaced by an uncharacteristic serious one.
"You really hurt April." He said.
"I know." Skyler replied, giving up on excusing her actions.
"You know that April has abandonment issues. Why would you leave without a leaving note or something?"
"I wasn't thinking ok! Is that what you want to hear? I was selfish and I hurt both of you." Skyler was becoming more agitated by the moment and the lack of sleep didn't help.
Bryce shook his head. "I was hoping for an apology, but I guess I won't get that will I. You'll just make up some excuse to mitigate your behavior." Bryce walked away and Skyler walked back to her room. She snatched up one of her towels and made her way to the shower. Shedding her clothes she entered the shower. The hot stream of water rolled down Skyler's body relaxing her very tense muscles. In 24 hours she had manage to piss off not only her closest friends but most of the staff at the school. Skyler knew her friends would forgive her, but she needed to be conscious about how her actions affected her friends.
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Four Days Later
Skyler sat on her bed and watched as April packed for the camping trip. The mansion was filled with energy and excitement for the up coming trip. Outside two buses were parked waiting to be filled with students and camping supplies. The students had 30 minutes until the buses would leave. The past couple of days had been filled with tension between April, Bryce, and Skyler. April and Bryce had been giving Skyler the silent treatment, but as of last night they were talking to her. Well, if you count "Please pass the potatoes" as talking to someone. Skyler counted it and she knew that this argument between them would resolve itself soon.
"Hey, April! When on the trip do you think Logan and Scott will get into a fight?" John said as he walked into Skyler's and April's room.
"I don't know. Hopefully never." April said as she zipped up her bag.
"Don't be so goody-goody. I'm starting a pool. The people who guess right will get the loot." John pulled out a little note pad and looked at April expectantly.
April thought for a moment. "Well, we will be gone for about three days…So I'll say on the second day around 4pm."
John marked down April's guess. "How about you Skyler? I know you won't be on the trip, but you can get in on the bet if you want."
"What do consider a fight?" Skyler asked to clarify the situation.
"It won't be a physical fight. They would never do that…in front of the kids anyway. I'm talking about an argument were they totally forget that they are around teenagers and start revealing personal stuff." John said with a smile.
Skyler pondered for a bit. "Since Dr. Grey isn't going there is no buffer…but at the same time she is the reason for the pissing match so it may get better. Hmmm…I'll say on the way back from the trip."
"Nice. Okay, that will be a buck each." John held out his hand and Skyler and April each gave him a dollar. "Pleasure doing business with you ladies." John exited their room with a smile on his face.
"John's delinquent behavior amuses me." Skyler said laughing.
"Yeah, I'm surprised he is going on the trip. He almost got caught mid-prank." April replied civilly. April picked up her belongings and walked to the door. Before she left she put down her things and hugged Skyler. "I'm still pissed at you, but I love ya and I won't see you for a couple of days. Stay out of trouble." April again picked up her things and walked out to the buses.
Skyler was going to miss her friends, but with the mansion empty she could work on cracking the encryption code on Jack's memory stick.
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The following day Skyler had to get up early to accompany Jean to the conference titled: Mutants and the Medical Field. Skyler practically fell asleep just reading the title and she knew she could look forward to a very boring day. Jean and Skyler had been on the road for 45 minutes and they still had at least an hour to go if not more. Most of the ride had been quiet, listening to various CD's. Skyler knew this peace wouldn't last for long and eventually Jean would start a conversation.
"It seems like you, Bryce, and April have patched things up." Jean said as turned down the music.
"Well, they are not as pissed as they were on Sunday. So I guess we are doing a little better." Skyler replied not really in the mood for conversation.
"April and Bryce were really worried about you, but I know they are glad you came back. Everyone is."
"I wasn't planning on leaving. I just had some things to take care of." Skyler said slightly irritated.
Jean could feel Skyler's irritation and treaded lightly. "No matter what you have been involved in, that's all in the past. We won't judge you for it. We can help you over come your personal demons. That's what this school was started for."
Skyler listen to Jean's words and for one moment she wanted to spill everything about herself and what had happen five days ago. Jean and the rest of the X-men had probably dealt with bigger crisis than Skyler's problems. They were older and wiser and could help her solve the mystery murder. Skyler chose to ignore this impulse and in response to Jean's statement she turned up the music.
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Skyler walked through a heavily wooded forest in the darkness of the night. She could hear the rustling of the leaves in the wind and the songs of crickets. From behind a tree a man appeared and walked towards Skyler. As he walked closer, Skyler recognized the individual.
"Jack!" Skyler practically screamed in excitement. Skyler ran over to Jack and hugged him.
"Skyler." Jack replied somberly.
"Wait. You're dead." Skyler said with bewilderment. She knew she must be dreaming.
Jack looked as if he would cry. "I can't help you." Jack said cryptically.
"What do you mean you can't help me? I couldn't help you Jack." Skyler looked past Jack to see Mara crouched on the ground crying. "Who killed you Jack?"
Jack shook his head. "I'm not here to talk about me. I'm here to talk about you. You made some serious mistakes…and now you will have to pay the price.
Skyler looked confused by Jack's message. "Mistakes? What mistakes?"
"Pride. You believe that you alone can solve my murder, but what you fail to realize is that you are a kid. You lack experience and wisdom. I too made this mistake and it cost me my life."
Skyler attention was drawn from Jack by Mara's loud crying. "What's up with Mara?"
"She knows we can't help you." Jack eyes were sad as he pointed to Skyler's stomach.
Skyler looked down at the white tank top she was wearing. On her stomach a blood red stain appeared and spread rapidly. Panic filled Skyler as she placed her hand on her stomach only to feel warmness of the blood.
Skyler was awoken by Jean shaking her. "Get up Skyler. We're back at the mansion."
Skyler had fallen asleep on the ride back from the conference. They had spent the entire day at the conference listening to boring lectures on the challenges of treating mutants in hospitals. The only good thing about the outing was when Jean took Skyler out to dinner. It was a nice restaurant and great food.
"Jean, can I ask for a favor?" Skyler said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
"Sure." Jean replied.
"I know I'm technically on restriction, but can I go for a walk on the grounds to clear my mind." Skyler loved taking night strolls. They had a calming effect on her.
Jean sat for awhile and considered her reply. "It's getting kind of late, but if you make it fast I don't see why not. How's 10 minutes?"
"That's great. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Skyler exited the car and walked over to her favorite place on the school grounds. She picked up a few rocks and threw them randomly around her surroundings. The sound of footsteps stopped Skyler from throwing rocks as she tried to find the source of the footsteps.
"Good evening Skyler." A man voice came from behind Skyler.
Skyler turned around. "Who are you?"
"My name is Gabriel." He said as he walked closer to Skyler. Gabriel appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He had a light brown hair that had a messy look to it.
Skyler knew no one named Gabriel and slowly began to back away from Gabriel.
Gabriel put his hands up and stepped back to give Skyler her space. "I know you don't know me, but I know you. Skyler ID number DA10516. You escape almost three years ago from a military complex located in the Cascade Mountains."
Skyler stopped. "How do you know all these things? Are you working with the Military?"
Gabriel laughed. "No. I have long left military service. As for how do I know all these things…I was in the program."
"You are lying. I have never seen you before. Plus you don't have the physical characteristics of those who were the program and you are too old."
Gabriel nodded and began to step forward. "No, I don't have long canines or a particular eye color to indicate my generation. But I was in the program and the reason I'm older than the first generation is because I am the prototype."
Skyler's mind was racing. She had never heard of a prototype for a genetically modified fighter. She had always thought that the first generation and been the first to be created. "Can you prove it?"
"I can. That's if you let me get close to you to show you my proof."
"Ok, show me." Skyler prepared her herself just incase he decided to attack her.
Gabriel walked over to Skyler and showed her a sequence of numbers behind his left ear. Skyler still wasn't a 100 sure if he was telling the truth, but he knew enough for Skyler to stay and get some information from him.
Gabriel stepped back and smiled at Skyler. "Hmmm. Why do you choose to hide your true eye color?"
"It reminds me of a past I wish to forget." Skyler said with distain in her voice.
Gabriel laughed as he shook his head. "I don't understand you guys. Like me, you were given an extraordinary edge in athletic ability and then were trained by people that were at the top in their field and yet…you bitch because you didn't have a 'Normal Childhood'. It's very EMO. You should join a band."
"They indoctrinated us to be killers. We had no choice in the matter." Skyler said ignoring Gabriel's last comment.
"They gave you everything. They treated you like their own kids and yes they indoctrinated you into their lifestyle, but so does every parent. So quit the angsty teen thing and get over it. You were given what many long for excellent fighting, survival, and military skills. Well, maybe not excellent…you did miss a lot of your training by running away, but I'm sure you can hold your own."
Skyler crossed her arms. "You know I've been lectured all week so unless you have something to say to me this conversation is over."
"Okay, no more lectures. But I do have some information about your friend Jack."
Skyler approached Gabriel at the sound of Jack's name. "Do you know who killed him?"
Gabriel nodded. "I do."
"I got this memory stick from him and whatever is on that memory stick will lead me to his killer."
"I wouldn't bother with the memory stick. On it he will tell you that the military is trying to kill him because he stole a bunch of their information about the program Dante1321. The information he gives you will only lead you in the wrong direction."
Suddenly Skyler felt an overwhelming sense of dread. How did he know what was on the memory stick? As Skyler looked up at Gabriel she noticed a sinister smile crossing his face. To Skyler's surprise, she and Gabriel were not alone. From behind various trees 10 individuals appeared. Each individual was from the Dante1321 program. Before she knew it the group attacked her throwing multiple punches. Skyler did her best to block them, but it was no use. There were just too many of them. After they subdued her, two individual held her up to face Gabriel.
"Poor Jack. He never saw what was coming. I had convinced him that the people from the program had sent out assassins to kill him because he stole their top secret information. The truth is the military has long given up on trying capturing you guys. So, once I got the information that I wanted he was easy to kill off. But to my surprise when I went to dismantle his little bunker I see you and two other people there. I'm sure you would have believed Jack when he said the military killed him, but I don't like to leave loose ends. They tend to get in the way. And I have big plans that must not be stopped by anyone." Gabriel walked over to Skyler and placed a loving hand on her head. "I'm sorry. Truly I am." And with that final statement Skyler felt an intense pain coming from her abdomen. She looked down to see Gabriel pull out a knife from her stomach. Gabriel attempted to stab Skyler again, but before he could Skyler screamed and sent out a telepathic shockwave. This telepathic shockwave caused the people holding her to release her. Skyler made a run for the mansion, but she only made it to the basketball court before she collapsed.
That's the end of Chapter 7. Please review! I want to know what you think it and if I should continue. I'll continue if people are reading my story, but if no one's reading it I might as well stop. In later Chapters, if I continue, the X-men will face off against Gabriel.