A/N: Wow, It sure has been awhile. God, do you understand how busy I have been the last half of the year? What with Finals, Senior Privileges, and Graduation, I just now got finished with the new Chapter! You know everything by now, I don't own anything dealing with the X-Men, except my own characters. So... R&R, enjoy, and Peace out!
The Unseen Enemies
Immediately, Kela tried to scream. The boy just clamped his hand harder over her mouth. He had to grab her arm, to prevent her from struggling out of his grip, and running.
"Will you shut up!" the boy whispered. "I'm one of you, a Shifter. If I remove my hand and show you, will you promise not to scream?" Kela nodded, fully intending to scream. Before she could do so, he let go of her mouth and changed into a crane. Kela's scream died in her throat. It was very unlikely for Shifters to be this close to the city, much less this place. The Company was everywhere. He shifted back, and put on his pants; he wasn't wearing a shirt.
"How did you find me? And how did you get here? I thought this whole country was flagged." Kela demanded. She was back in her element, her natural authority over her own kind asserting herself.
This is very different; I have never seen you like this. The voice said, matter-of-factly. Kela shook her head, sinking the voice to the back of her mind. He stood up, ignoring her question, and held out his hand.
"Name's Gerr, now let's go, you need to meet Liam." Kela sat up, and began to climb out the window. Gerr whistled a bird-song and a girl, much younger than Kela, jumped into the window. She was the same height and had the same hair color. She climbed into bed, and pretended to sleep. Kela hoped the guise would be enough, that Kitty or one of the others wouldn't try to check up on her.
Kela lightly jumped to the ground, followed closely by Gerr. He took off his pants and handed them to a dog-Shifter. He quickly changed into a mutt and nudged Kela to do the same. She complied and they took off into the night.
They reached the city a few hours later, following the bright lights the entire way there. New York was a bustling metropolis, the night just beginning for most of the city's residents. Kela understood why it was called the "city that never sleeps". The Gerr-dog nudged the Kela-dog to continue, keeping them in the shadows. They turned down a blind alleyway, and reached a grate, leading to the underground. Gerr yipped twice, and the grating slid open to reveal a girl, about nine, who ushered them further into the sewer. Kela's ears laid back, conscious of the fact that hundreds of Shifters where hiding in the shadows, staring at the new visitor that infiltrated the Shifter camp. They turned right and came to a large section of the sewer, with some tents set up around the center. The dog-Shifter took Kela's clothes and placed them in one of the empty tents. She walked in and shifted back to her original form and put back on her clothes.
Gingerly, she stepped out of the tent and came face-to-face with about fifty different Shifters, all Shifters staring at the newcomer. A voice sounded very close, yet also very far away. "Let her be. She is welcome." About twenty yards away stood a very imposing figure, the "Liam" Gerr told her about. He was a large, tall creature, with deeply golden skin and almond eyes. The name did not match the figure; one might expect Liam to be a skinny man with glasses and messy hair. This Liam way extremely muscular, as if he had been working out since he was twelve.
Smiling, Liam walked up to the small girl, and extended out his hand. "Welcome to the Shifter camp. I trust that your escort took the time to fill you in on our little base of operation. Gerr can talk entirely too much, but he gets the point across." Liam spoke to her in a good-mannered sort of way, but Kela felt he was treating her like a child. The scent of alpha rolled off him in waves that made Kela hunch over in submission. Liam knew, and his smile stretched wide, but still failed to reach his eyes. "Well, I don't want to deter you much longer, but I was wondering, how long have you been hiding? I heard about the raid in North Carolina a year and a half ago, and was wondering how you escaped." Liam looked expectantly at Kela. She swallowed back the pain and kept it as brief as possible.
"I didn't escape. Well, in a way I did, but not in the way you would think. I'd rather not talk about it; I lost a lot of friends that day, and would rather not talk about it. Can I ask you a question?" Liam nodded.
"How have you stayed hidden for so long? Why is it that you didn't try to find me? Do you understand I have nearly died a million times over, and yet you have lived here for however long? Why couldn't you find me?" the entire thing came out in one breath, and she fell to her knees, palms on her head trying to settle the Primeval that raged against her skull. Liam sunk down beside her, and took her hand. He placed pressure on different points on the palm. The Primeval retreated. Many of the camp gasped. The alpha never sunk down to the level of anyone, much less an outsider that hasn't been in the country for over eight months.
"How long?" he asked her, referring to the Primeval that been slinking in the shadows of her mind, waiting for the right moment to strike.
"Can you help me? Please?" Kela pleaded. Liam smiled. He had finally found his hold.
"I will try. But first, you need to do something for me. Not anything now, rest assured, but in the coming months, yes. Now," he added, "you need to get back, I'm sure that Lemma is tired of masquerading as you." With a pat on the hand, Liam rose and walked off down one of the corridors and out of sight. The other camp members went on their business, as if the meeting never took place.
Gerr accompanied Kela back to the school, and helped her back into the room. He took out a kit, and re-bandaged her arm and side. The ointment he used was similar to the one Hank had given Kela, but it smelled sweeter. Gerr nudged Lemma and jumped back out the window. Lemma got up and smiled at Kela, before jumping out the window and joining Gerr and another Shifter. Kela stared out the window until the Shifters were out of sight.
I don't like him. There is something about this Liam that tells me he might want to use you. Do not try to contact him; this can only bring danger on you, Kela.
Please, he has done more for me than you would ever do. He nearly helped me get rid of the Primeval! He can do anything and I would follow. Kela felt the voice frown, and she settled down to the bed, just as the sun peeked over the sky, turning the night into a soft pink color, like the inside of a shell. Kela still couldn't sleep; she felt too comfortable on the bed, where she was used to the ground instead of a plush mattress. She tossed and turned, but didn't fall asleep. So she rose and tried to walk around the school.
It was very expansive, and she seemed at a loss as to what to do next. She began to open doors, looking for something to do. There was a set of double doors that led to a small balcony on what seemed like the third floor. There was a cool breeze that filtered through the air, and Kela closed her eyes, letting the air caress her skin. She felt like she was running on an open field; where there was nothing chasing her, nothing for her to worry about.
"Can't sleep, huh?" Kela was startled out of her waking dream and turned to see Logan slouched against the doorframe, smoking a cigar. She nodded, and turned back to the rising sun. She heard Logan come up next to her, standing by her side, watching it with her. There was a moment of silence where they simply stood at the edge, watching the sky slowly turn shades of pink, red, and orange. The breeze picked up, and the smell of tobacco made Kela miss some of the older Shifters who often smoked the stuff. To her, the sunrise was singularly the most peaceful thing she had ever seen, and it was slowly becoming the most beautiful sunrise she would ever see.
"You can't sleep, as well?" Kela asked. He turned to her and shook his head, "I don't sleep. Not well, anyway. What brings you out here?"
"I like watching the sun rise, it seems so calming, like there is nothing else in the universe that matters, only the colors. I haven't seen one in a long time." Kela kept looking at the peaceful scene, allowing her mind to process what had happened during the night. She heard the sound of fabric hitting the concrete balcony floor. She turned to see Logan tamping out the cigar on the ground.
"Storm found you some new clothes. Come on, some of us are going hiking. Hank thinks you need to come with us, get used to the place. Let's get a move on, kid, we don't have all morning." He turned around and started walking back inside. Kela picked up the clothes and shoes and ran after him. As Kela walked on, she heard the other residents start their day at the Xavier School, the sounds of the younger kids racing each other to the bathroom to get bathed first, to others who made their way to the kitchen to get the best food first.
"By the way, you left this on the jet, thought you might want it." Logan handed her the dirt-covered bag that held the flowers.
That's where they are! I though I left them in Costa Rica, Thought Kela.
Those flowers could have some pest on them; you need to get rid of them. The voice said, with a touch of concern.
No! Besides, nothing ever touches the flowers; I've been taking care of them since I ran down there. It's like they have a natural…smell that keeps bugs away. Kela reasoned. She grasped the bag, and walked to where Logan told her to change. The clothes were of a light fabric, and the pants reached down just past her ankles. The shirt was of a similar fashion, the sleeves not going past her elbows. It moved very gracefully around her, and she seemed to feel at ease. She walked back out, and met some of the other hikers, led by Hank McCoy. Kela nodded, and they walked out into the brand new day.