AN~ thanks for the reviews! You guys rock!

DarkRoguePhantom: thanks for the review! Originally Thos wasn't going to be a mutant, but living at the mansion, but him being a mutant sort of tied the chap together.

In a room built for two,

I feel alone.

You're not beside me,

and I not beside you.

I am only half today,

you are missing,

and I cannot seem to see the way I saw yesterday,

you're gone

and I wonder;

"Why live on?

if I am only half as much as I was yesterday"

I am just a shadow of a person,

there is no soul in my eyes.

I lost that with you.

You seemed to be there every time I fell,

but where were you when I hit the ground?

I'm still blank

in a daze

trying to find you in this maze

of lies and hate.

You could be anywhere, but I just don't seem to see

what I saw when you were with me.

~ K. J. B.

Nyx

"And it's record cold for Westchester, New York. Looks like they're in for another blizzard on Friday. And the snow doesn't seem to stop until next Friday. But the good news is, it's definitely going to be a white Christmas." the weatherman reported. I switch off the t.v. I was in the medical wing, in Styxx's room. I looked over at her.

She didn't look frozen anymore but she looked different. The dark red had been washed out of her hair and the gouge in the back of her head had been stitched by Dr. McCoy. She was still paler than usual, and she looked rather pasty. Her hair was limp, and held no volume. And somehow, she looked skinnier. The only way I could tell she was even alive was the faint beeping of the heart monitor.

I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to get it out of my face. I was trying to do my science home work from two days ago (schools were closed due to snow) but just couldn't get it. Styxx was the one that was good a science. I looked around the room, Thos was pacing the back wall, glaring at Ray once in a while. Ray was cowering in the furthest corner, flinching every time Thos looked daggers at him. Outside looked like some one had painted the window with a thick, dark gray paint.

I watched the storm rage on outside, it was actually calming. I envied all the little kids outside having snowball fights, or making snow angles. I remember once me and Styxx went over to a neighbors house and made snow angles, snow men, and had a snowball fight in which the enemy was our four-year-old cat. We had been eight at the time.

Remembering that scene and watching the one outside brought back one more fuzzy memory of Thos, eighteen then, standing at the back door, his heavy coat on his shoulders and a duffel bag in his hand and dad shouting at him to get lost. Then he did. Styxx took over as protector after he left. She'd always get in front of me when ever dad went on a rampage. She'd always stand up to him, and mom. She'd made up dozens of plans for escape when we lay awake in our room. She used to tell them to me, make me run through my part. She kept me alive by snatching food from the fridge when ever we got sent to bed without anything (witch happened 9/10 times). She wouldn't back down to anything or anyone.

Once, we were coming home from school and someone had punched me. Styxx tackled him to the ground and beat the snot out of him. Since we weren't on school property, Styxx didn't get expelled. No one ever bothered either of us again.

Before our powers came out, and before Styxx started singing, she had taken up job after job, trying to get us money. She worked after school and sometimes woke up at around three or four in the morning to get something finished. She mowed lawns, worked as a pizza delivery dude, flipped hamburgers, and one summer she got a truck driving job (she had a fake id). She was always trying to get us out of there. Styxx had been my protector. And now I don't know what to do. I feel vulnerable, even through the old protector is pacing the room.

I had to get up. I had to fill Styxx's place. I needed to be the protector instead of the protectie. Tomorrow school was back on, this was my chance. My ankle was good enough that I could walk on it, not run and jump on it, but I could walk. That's all I needed. I got to my feet, folding up my science work and putting it back in my back pack. I swung my back pack onto my shoulder and walked out of the room. I started up the stairs and then down the hall. I opened the door to my room and threw my backpack onto my bed.

I pulled on my All-Stars, my coat, a scarf, and my hat. I took my iPod and earphones too. Then I walked out of the X-Mansion. I started down the street, putting my earphones in and turning on a selection of Styxx's heavy metal songs. I stuck mostly to back roads to avoid the hate groups and I started to stretch my ankle, getting it used to moving. When it started to hurt I turned around and walked back to the Mansion.

I got back it was nearly lunchtime. The storm had gone down a notch and you could actually believe it wasn't past ten at night. I made my way to the dining room, where almost everyone was gathered. Tonight was Storm's night to cook and I could already smell the home made chili. As I entered heads turned to look at me, I even saw some look a bit confused at first. I was only half a person now. I didn't have my left hip with me.

I was only half.

I woke up to my alarm clock, it was still stormy outside and it was dark. I hit the snooze button and hauled myself out of bed. I glanced at the clock; it was six in the morning. I rubbed sleep out of my eyes and walked into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth then clambered into the shower. I turned on the hot water, not bothering to turn on the light. I turned the cold water down , turning the hot water up until it was lukewarm. I washed my hair, let the water hit my shoulders and then fall down.

By the time I got out, it was seven. I got dressed slowly, then went down to the dining room. I picked up a bowl, a spoon, and a box of cereal. I prepared myself a bowl. When I got finished students were starting to come down, sleepily mumbling to each other. I went back up to my room and got my coat, my hat, and a scarf. I picked up my backpack and slung it over my left shoulder. Then I walked out of the Mansion. I walked past Bayville High, I walked until I had to turn around for school.

I headed into my first class with only two minutes to spare. I handed in my unfinished science homework, the teacher turned around a threw it into the recycling with out even looking at it. Styxx would have gone into the recycling and given it back to the teacher, tell him to grade it or she'd kick his ass.

Like salt in the wound a little voice in my head said "but you're not Styxx. Shes not even here." I simply went back to my seat in the back right corner. I looked to my left, at Styxx's empty desk. Students kept looking back at me, and even some of the mutant haters gave me a pitying glance.

Because they knew as well as I: I was only half.

The day went past in a blur, the only thing really standing out was the class before lunch. Usually, since the teacher quit and they haven't been able to find a sub, the kids try and punch me, kick me, anything to push me until I fight back. But now the just stared at me. No one came close, but no one backed away.

I was only half.

By the time school was over, I had talked a total of once, when Sam asked if he could borrow a pencil during locker change. I left school and I didn't go to the Mansion.

I started walking in the opposite direction, toward Bayville College. I waiter there, easily finding Thos's big red Ford F150 in the parking lot. I took out my key to it, unlocked the door and got in.

I turned on the radio, turning up the station that Thos had it set to (songs mostly consisting of the Oldies) and turned it almost all the way up. I got out my home work (Algebra 2) and started on it.

Tap, tap, tap, BANG! I looked up from my home work. There was a group of boys outside the drivers door. The were holding pebbles of various sizes and throwing them at Thos's truck. This was it. I'm not taking anymore crap today.

I opened the passenger side door and crouched low, going around the bed of the truck. I kept low and then crept like a cat behind the boys.

"HEY!" I yelled, an inch away from the tallest one's head. He jumped a foot in the air. Him and his gaggle of weirdos turned to face me. I know I'm tall for my weight and age, but these guys were, like, Ray on steroids. They were about at tall as Thos and most likely had about the same muscle mass of Scott. Crap.

"And who are you?" one asked, he had dark brown hair that fell into his eyes and he kept brushing it aside, giving himself a Justin Bieber-ish look.

"The sister to the owner of this car, and I know when he sees this, he'll be pissed." I snapped at him. Justin Bieber-ish tilted his head and smirked.

"Oh, so older brother? Whats his name?"

"Why would I tell you of all people?" I snapped again, crossing my arms over my chest.

"So I'd have a legit reason the be scared."

"That reason is behind you." I heard Thos's deep voice say behind Bieber-ish and his gaggle of weirdos. "Hi," Thos said, extending a hand and painting on a fake smile. "Owner to the car. Get away while you still can, Troy." Thos said, gripping Bieber-ish (now Troy)'s hand a lot harder than necessary.

"Got it, Tom. Leaving. Backing away." Troy took his hand back and held both his hand in front of him in an 'I surrender' way as he and the rest of them backed away. Thos didn't stop glaring until they turned tail and ran.

"You Okay?" he asked me.

"I'm fine." I looked up to his face, even Thos was looking at me like he expected Styxx to pop out from behind me and yell "Boo!"

"She's not here." I heard my voice crack with threatening tears. I ran to Thos and buried my face in his chest. "She's not beside me." I started to cry. Thos stroked my hair, like I was five and I had scraped my knee.

I was only half.

AN~ sad, yes I know; but how would you feel if your twin was in a coma-ish state?