The sun shone off of the water, causing a bright glare that blinded
her if she looked straight at it. It vaguely reminded her of her powers.
This beach was all she could remember, all she could see. Somehow, that
comforted her more than it worried her. It seemed that she and her
companion had been here forever. The beach was home.
Although Jubilee squinted in order to avoid the light, it had no effect on her friend. He sat on a beach towel, the skin of his feet coated in sand from the miles of beach surrounding them.
"It's getting late," he commented. Those were the first words she could remember him ever saying. They broke through the peaceful silence of the beach.
"What?" The first word she'd ever said on this beach.
"The sun's setting, chica. Darkness is coming. I have to go," he said, rising. "My place is in the darkness now." His voice was monotonous and devoid of emotion.
"Angelo, don't go!" she shouted, struggling to get up. It was as if the sand beneath her feet had turned to quicksand.
"I have to," was his reply. He began walking towards the water.
"NO! Come back!! COME BACK!! Don't leave me here by myself!" He didn't answer. She finally managed to stand up and tried to run after him. But the sand was holding her back, slowing her down.
Skin reached the water and kept walking. The ocean, so calm only moments before, began to churn, and lapped at his legs greedily. He kept going straight ahead, heedless of the angry waves. His extra feet of skin, which he usually made a conscious effort to keep close to his body in an attempt at normalcy, began to loosen and float behind him. The effect was eerie.
Jubilee finally arrived at the water's edge; Angelo's shoulders and head were all that were visible. The sun had almost set and the sky was darkening.
"Please! Come back! Angelo, take me with you! Please! ANGE!" she shouted at the top of her lungs before running into the waves head on. Though it had welcomed Angelo, the water pushed at her and she had to fight her way forward.
"You're place isn't with me, chica. It isn't here, either."
Those were the last words he said before his head disappeared under the water and the sun finally set.
Everything was dark. The sky, the water, everything. Jubilee fell to her knees. The water rushed over her; she couldn't breath.
"Angelo," was her last thought before she succumbed to the dark.
Jubilee awoke with a start, sitting up in her bed and gasping for air. Her cheeks were wet and her lips tasted of salt. Her breathing was irregular and her heart raced inside her chest. She opened her eyes and saw nothing. Panic welled inside her chest, and had she the breath left, she would have screamed. In response to the panic at her sudden blindness, balls of plasma formed in her hands. The light illuminated her surroundings and she finally calmed down, recognizing where she was. It was her room. Her dark room.
Angelo.
She realized the salty taste came from her tears.
Leaning back against her pillow, Jubilee took a deep breath. Not again. She'd had another dream. Nightmare. Whatever. Her heart was still rapidly thumping away and her breaths were shallow and rapid. She felt jittery from her sudden adrenaline rush and sighed, knowing from previous experiences that she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again, no matter how tired she was.
So, she did what she'd done every time she'd found herself in this situation - almost every night since she'd gotten back. She decided she might as well kill time with video games. She was getting really good at Final Fantasy. She'd already passed Bobby, Kurt, and the small handful of students who'd stayed at the mansion over the summer.
Jubilee swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up, albeit shakily. Using her powers to light her way, she walked towards the wall and flipped the light switch. Her pupils contracted at the sudden brightness and she squinted painfully.
A bright pink note stuck to her mini-fridge caught her attention. She walked over and tore it loose.
Jubes,
Put your groceries in the fridge. Your bags are in the closet. Hope
you're okay.
Bobby
She opened the door and saw the food neatly stuffed away. When had he done that, she wondered? Why did he want to know if she was okay? Jubilee groaned inwardly as she remembered the events of the evening. Vaguely. She remembered the ice cream he'd bought for her. There was that encounter with the bullies. Her memory of the ride home was sort of blurry, though she felt that something important had transpired. And then?
Oh crap.
She'd fainted on him. She'd thought she had left that part of her life behind her.
Her one and only other fainting episode had been a couple of years ago. After her escape from Bastion, Jubilee had experienced nightmares that had kept her from sleeping. She never told anyone about them. Shortly before she was to leave and rejoin Generation X, though, she'd fainted during a routine Danger Room workout with Wolvie. Wolvie had panicked and rushed her to Hank, waking the doctor. It took some serious cajoling on her part to convince the two men that she was all right. She damn near had to beg them to keep her episode quiet.
She didn't want to worry them. She didn't want anyone to think she would be a liability. That didn't mean she herself wasn't worried about what had happened. The next day, she had gone to see a doctor in town. She'd paid cash out of pocket, hoping to keep the visit a secret from her friends. She'd altered most of the details about her experiences with Bastion and her nightmares so as not to reveal too much to the doctor. In spite of that, the old man, Dr. Bauer, his name was, had managed to come to a conclusive diagnosis. She was exhausted. Mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. He'd sent her home with a month's supply of a prescription sleep aid with one refill on the medicine.
She hadn't wanted to admit that she needed the drug, but she begrudgingly tried it that night. It was the first clear night's sleep she'd had in weeks. More importantly, she didn't experience another fainting episode.
She took the medication with her when she returned to Massachusetts. Although she'd filled her refill, Jubilee stopped using the medicine after her first month's supply was gone. She kept the additional supply in her room, just in case.
When Everett had died, the nightmares began anew. Scared, she restarted the medication almost immediately, using up the remainder of her supply.
Jubilee hoped that Dr. Bauer was still in business. She resolved to call him later, at a more decent time.
And she owed Bobby an apology for scaring him. More importantly, she needed to convince him to keep quiet about the spell.
She looked down at the pink piece of paper in her hand. Writing on the back of it caught her attention. She flipped it over and read:
Caught on to your little plan. I'll let you get away with it, but
YOU OWE ME!
Oh yeah. Her groceries. Bobby had put them away. It must have been pretty easy to catch on to what she was planning. In the face of her nightmares and fainting spells, the realization that he had uncovered her current scheme seemed insignificant.
When had Bobby had a chance to put all that stuff away, anyway? She must really have been out. Curious, she glanced at the small alarm clock by her bedside. 1:30, it said in glowing red letters. Well, at least she'd gotten more sleep than usual.
With nothing better to do, Jubilee turned on her PS II and loaded her game. She played until about five in the morning, when the rising sun's rays became visible through her window. Bored with her video game, Jubilee decided to put away the clothes she had just purchased and which Bobby had brought up. When she was done, she stood back to survey her work. Her closet still looked empty, but the clothes she had purchased helped make it look like someone used it for more than just storage. Her roller blades were propped against a wall, next to a pair of neon green roller skates she had found in the attic yesterday. They were in a box marked Kitty's Old Costumes. All she could say was wow. And she got crap about wearing a yellow raincoat.
She glanced at her clock. Six o'clock. What else to do, what else to do? She'd written the lesson plans for the class she'd promised the Professor she'd teach a few nights ago. God, that made her sound so old, she shuddered. She'd already explored most of the mansion's ample storage space, finding anything from old costumes to broken weaponry. She'd changed the bandages on her wounds twice, once because she needed to, once out of boredom.
Was there anything good on TV, she wondered?
She watched cartoons until all the TV stations had switched to news programs. The time was 7:30. She supposed that now was as good of a time as any to shower. Granted, there was a team Danger Room session planned for that afternoon and she'd have to shower after that. Jubilee didn't see any harm in showering twice in one day, though. In fact, few things made her feel as good as a nice hot shower. Grabbing her towel and the caddy that contained her toiletries, Jubilee left her room.
Although Jubilee squinted in order to avoid the light, it had no effect on her friend. He sat on a beach towel, the skin of his feet coated in sand from the miles of beach surrounding them.
"It's getting late," he commented. Those were the first words she could remember him ever saying. They broke through the peaceful silence of the beach.
"What?" The first word she'd ever said on this beach.
"The sun's setting, chica. Darkness is coming. I have to go," he said, rising. "My place is in the darkness now." His voice was monotonous and devoid of emotion.
"Angelo, don't go!" she shouted, struggling to get up. It was as if the sand beneath her feet had turned to quicksand.
"I have to," was his reply. He began walking towards the water.
"NO! Come back!! COME BACK!! Don't leave me here by myself!" He didn't answer. She finally managed to stand up and tried to run after him. But the sand was holding her back, slowing her down.
Skin reached the water and kept walking. The ocean, so calm only moments before, began to churn, and lapped at his legs greedily. He kept going straight ahead, heedless of the angry waves. His extra feet of skin, which he usually made a conscious effort to keep close to his body in an attempt at normalcy, began to loosen and float behind him. The effect was eerie.
Jubilee finally arrived at the water's edge; Angelo's shoulders and head were all that were visible. The sun had almost set and the sky was darkening.
"Please! Come back! Angelo, take me with you! Please! ANGE!" she shouted at the top of her lungs before running into the waves head on. Though it had welcomed Angelo, the water pushed at her and she had to fight her way forward.
"You're place isn't with me, chica. It isn't here, either."
Those were the last words he said before his head disappeared under the water and the sun finally set.
Everything was dark. The sky, the water, everything. Jubilee fell to her knees. The water rushed over her; she couldn't breath.
"Angelo," was her last thought before she succumbed to the dark.
Jubilee awoke with a start, sitting up in her bed and gasping for air. Her cheeks were wet and her lips tasted of salt. Her breathing was irregular and her heart raced inside her chest. She opened her eyes and saw nothing. Panic welled inside her chest, and had she the breath left, she would have screamed. In response to the panic at her sudden blindness, balls of plasma formed in her hands. The light illuminated her surroundings and she finally calmed down, recognizing where she was. It was her room. Her dark room.
Angelo.
She realized the salty taste came from her tears.
Leaning back against her pillow, Jubilee took a deep breath. Not again. She'd had another dream. Nightmare. Whatever. Her heart was still rapidly thumping away and her breaths were shallow and rapid. She felt jittery from her sudden adrenaline rush and sighed, knowing from previous experiences that she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again, no matter how tired she was.
So, she did what she'd done every time she'd found herself in this situation - almost every night since she'd gotten back. She decided she might as well kill time with video games. She was getting really good at Final Fantasy. She'd already passed Bobby, Kurt, and the small handful of students who'd stayed at the mansion over the summer.
Jubilee swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up, albeit shakily. Using her powers to light her way, she walked towards the wall and flipped the light switch. Her pupils contracted at the sudden brightness and she squinted painfully.
A bright pink note stuck to her mini-fridge caught her attention. She walked over and tore it loose.
Jubes,
Put your groceries in the fridge. Your bags are in the closet. Hope
you're okay.
Bobby
She opened the door and saw the food neatly stuffed away. When had he done that, she wondered? Why did he want to know if she was okay? Jubilee groaned inwardly as she remembered the events of the evening. Vaguely. She remembered the ice cream he'd bought for her. There was that encounter with the bullies. Her memory of the ride home was sort of blurry, though she felt that something important had transpired. And then?
Oh crap.
She'd fainted on him. She'd thought she had left that part of her life behind her.
Her one and only other fainting episode had been a couple of years ago. After her escape from Bastion, Jubilee had experienced nightmares that had kept her from sleeping. She never told anyone about them. Shortly before she was to leave and rejoin Generation X, though, she'd fainted during a routine Danger Room workout with Wolvie. Wolvie had panicked and rushed her to Hank, waking the doctor. It took some serious cajoling on her part to convince the two men that she was all right. She damn near had to beg them to keep her episode quiet.
She didn't want to worry them. She didn't want anyone to think she would be a liability. That didn't mean she herself wasn't worried about what had happened. The next day, she had gone to see a doctor in town. She'd paid cash out of pocket, hoping to keep the visit a secret from her friends. She'd altered most of the details about her experiences with Bastion and her nightmares so as not to reveal too much to the doctor. In spite of that, the old man, Dr. Bauer, his name was, had managed to come to a conclusive diagnosis. She was exhausted. Mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. He'd sent her home with a month's supply of a prescription sleep aid with one refill on the medicine.
She hadn't wanted to admit that she needed the drug, but she begrudgingly tried it that night. It was the first clear night's sleep she'd had in weeks. More importantly, she didn't experience another fainting episode.
She took the medication with her when she returned to Massachusetts. Although she'd filled her refill, Jubilee stopped using the medicine after her first month's supply was gone. She kept the additional supply in her room, just in case.
When Everett had died, the nightmares began anew. Scared, she restarted the medication almost immediately, using up the remainder of her supply.
Jubilee hoped that Dr. Bauer was still in business. She resolved to call him later, at a more decent time.
And she owed Bobby an apology for scaring him. More importantly, she needed to convince him to keep quiet about the spell.
She looked down at the pink piece of paper in her hand. Writing on the back of it caught her attention. She flipped it over and read:
Caught on to your little plan. I'll let you get away with it, but
YOU OWE ME!
Oh yeah. Her groceries. Bobby had put them away. It must have been pretty easy to catch on to what she was planning. In the face of her nightmares and fainting spells, the realization that he had uncovered her current scheme seemed insignificant.
When had Bobby had a chance to put all that stuff away, anyway? She must really have been out. Curious, she glanced at the small alarm clock by her bedside. 1:30, it said in glowing red letters. Well, at least she'd gotten more sleep than usual.
With nothing better to do, Jubilee turned on her PS II and loaded her game. She played until about five in the morning, when the rising sun's rays became visible through her window. Bored with her video game, Jubilee decided to put away the clothes she had just purchased and which Bobby had brought up. When she was done, she stood back to survey her work. Her closet still looked empty, but the clothes she had purchased helped make it look like someone used it for more than just storage. Her roller blades were propped against a wall, next to a pair of neon green roller skates she had found in the attic yesterday. They were in a box marked Kitty's Old Costumes. All she could say was wow. And she got crap about wearing a yellow raincoat.
She glanced at her clock. Six o'clock. What else to do, what else to do? She'd written the lesson plans for the class she'd promised the Professor she'd teach a few nights ago. God, that made her sound so old, she shuddered. She'd already explored most of the mansion's ample storage space, finding anything from old costumes to broken weaponry. She'd changed the bandages on her wounds twice, once because she needed to, once out of boredom.
Was there anything good on TV, she wondered?
She watched cartoons until all the TV stations had switched to news programs. The time was 7:30. She supposed that now was as good of a time as any to shower. Granted, there was a team Danger Room session planned for that afternoon and she'd have to shower after that. Jubilee didn't see any harm in showering twice in one day, though. In fact, few things made her feel as good as a nice hot shower. Grabbing her towel and the caddy that contained her toiletries, Jubilee left her room.