Disclaimer: Don't own most things. But don't touch the things I do own. I think you know the drill by now.
Hey. I know I said I wouldn't but I did. Update, people!
Go have a look on my page for a link to my deviantArt gallery, where I've published some pictures relating to this p.o.c.
No guarantees for the next chapter. Can't say when exactly, but I can promise I'll try to get it out as soon as possible.
In the two days that had passed, everything had been quiet at the Brotherhood headquarters. However, two days earlier there had been a terrible disturbance in the usual silence when Mystique had decided she'd had quite enough of Red's presence.
Dimitria had been wandering the hallways when she heard raised voices coming from Magneto's room. Curious, she'd stopped to listen. Mystique was screaming, presumably at Red, who responded in her usual icy voice. Moments later, Mystique had stormed out of the room, screaming, "It's ME or HER, Erik!"
Magneto made no reply and Mystique, furious, stormed out of the building. Remy and Anya had joined in to watch as well and looked shocked over the whole scene. Dimitria did the smart thing then and walked away before Magneto or Red decided to be angry.
Now, she was sitting in the kitchen doing nothing. She'd just managed to avoid Black Widow, a woman in her mid thirties who had murdered several husbands. Her skin contained a poison she could emit from her lips or hands at will. That woman had it in for Dimitria, or at least profusely enjoyed trying to frighten her.
Pyro entered the room. Gambit was discussing Mystique's leave with Shadow.
"I don't know really," Shadow said in his soft voice. "I guess we'll just have to make do without her. It sets back our plan for November, but Magneto said I could solve that."
Pyro sneered. "I'm glad she's gone," he said. "She was nothing but a nuisance anyway."
Dimitria couldn't help but laugh. "Wow, that's a big word for a lap dog. Where'd you learn that, a word-of-the-day calendar?" Gambit snickered, not so much at the joke as the distraught look on Pyro's face. Even Shadow's lips twitched in the corners. None of them were very fond of the over-confident little brat.
Unable to come up with a comeback, Pyro settled for leaving the room, stomping his feet to the floor. Dimitria chuckled. "Teenagers."
"Hear dat," Gambit said and grinned. "So, Shadow, speakin' a November, how are de plans goin'? It ain't long left now."
Sean smiled meekly. "It's going. As I said, a minor setback now that Mystique ran off. But, she said she would take care of that part of the plan." Gambit winked. "Maybe she be takin' a likin to ya, Shadow."
Dimitria felt like laughing at the mere thought of her having feelings. The day Red felt something, it would be snowing in Hell.
Liandra knocked carefully on the door. She wasn't really sure about doing this, but a part of her felt she should.
"Come on in," said the voice from inside. She opened the door and entered the study. Professor Xavier was sitting behind the desk, smiling kindly at her, his hands palm together. "Have a seat."
Liandra sat down and remembered that it was the same chair she had sat down in only five days earlier. So much had happened since then, and so much had changed. Her entire world had been turned upside down and all her thoughts were changing. It was strange, how easily she had accepted all these changes. Had she misjudged herself before? It was a possibility.
"I assume you know why you're here," Xavier said, interrupting her thoughts. She nodded. "You want to talk about training my powers."
Xavier cleared his throat. "Not so much your powers as the power of your mind. I wish to train your strength, and I believe that with your permission and cooperation, you have incredible potential. What you need first, is control." Xavier frowned slightly. "The lack of control when your emotions got the better of you is frightening. I can understand why you have repressed your abilities if that is what has happened."
True, Liandra thought. Her lack of control over her telekinetic waves had cost her dearly. She closed her eyes for a moment, chasing away those thoughts. Such memories were not meant for a time like this.
"Will you accept my offer?" Xavier asked, and Liandra noted a tinge of worry in his voice and more so in his eyes. She bit her lower lip and wondered, as so many times these past days, what was the right decision. Would she really be able to return to her life as normal if she went through with things like this, practice and training and danger rooms?
She hadn't had to make so many decisions these past three years of near solitude as these past five days. Suddenly it hit her how scary it really was.
But still she felt herself nod and say, "Yes, I accept." Something bigger than her was making her fate now.
What she didn't know was that that something was deciding the fate of everything.
"No," she whispered. "Go away. I don't want to take this right now."
Liandra breathed heavily, haunted by memories. Cassy, Sam and Aymee were in class, so she was alone in the bedroom. Her head was pounding from the strain professor Xavier had put her mind through, and he had, if by accident or not, opened a lot of gates she thought had been securely locked.
Flashes of painstakingly clear memories were zooming through her mind. The stepfather who beat them; the brother and sister who took care; the mother who cried at night when she thought they were asleep.
Once, Liandra had two siblings. They were twins, Dana and Dorian, and two years older than their younger sister. Once, a long time ago, the three children had a young, smiling mother with flowers in her hair and song in her voice. The memories of them all hurt so badly, because she knew, she knew what she had done. And that was irreversible.
Death is always irreversible.
Breathing hard, she got out of the bed. She had to lean against the wall, but she got out on the small balcony to get some air. There was something heavy pushing against her chest, forbidding her to breathe deep.
The fresh air and afternoon sun helped. Liandra managed to calm down enough to stand without gripping the railing. She looked out around and noticed someone else, watching as she. He was sitting, crouched on the railing a floor above, humming gently to himself. Crouching was really the best way to describe it, but it wasn't quite accurate. He was sort of perched on the railing, knees up and putting his weight on his feet.
He noticed her, and first looked away. Then he looked back, smiling widely. And somewhere, Liandra found the strength to smile back at him.
The door opened behind her, inside the room, and whatever moment of warmth he had given her disappeared as she turned around to see who came in. As usual, the room suddenly came alive with the bustling sound of Aymee teasing Sam, and Cassy trailing after, unsure of whose side to be on. Only this time, Sam sounded really angry.
"You ruined it, Aymee! That's unforgivable!"
Aymee growled. "It ain't ruined, just broke the glass is all!" she held a picture frame in her hand, and waved it in front of Sam's face. "The picture is still fine, Sam, don't get your knickers in a twist!"
"No, Aymee! I'm sick of your lack of respect for me and my stuff! I'm sick of it! Either you get over yourself and stop being a bloody kid, or… or…" Sam took a pause to consider what she was about to say, and also to breathe. "Or I just can't be your friend any more." She finished, much calmer.
Cassy looked horrified as Sam stormed out of the room. Aymee growled and crossed her arms. "You- you- FINE!" she exclaimed, threw the picture on Liandra's bed and stomped out of the room. Cassy, who hadn't noticed Liandra's presence, slowly laid down on the bed and buried her face in a pillow and her shoulders began shaking.
Liandra bit her lip and soundlessly made her way back in the room. This was more difficult than she had ever imagined, but she gathered up strength she didn't know she had, sat down on the edge of Cassy's bed and began gently rubbing the younger girl's shoulders. Dana had done it to her when she was younger, and it had been a comfort back then.
Cassy stiffened up at the touch, but slowly relaxed and after a little while she stopped crying. She sat up, drying her eyes and mumbling "Sorry." Liandra smiled in what she hoped was a comforting way. "It's nothing really," she mumbled back. Cassy smiled and her cheeks were a bit red.
"I'm just gonna- um, you know," she was feeling awkward about the situation she had put Liandra in, "Well, I'll go to Mark," she finished and Liandra nodded.
As Cassy left, Liandra looked over to her own bed were the photograph was lying. It pictured a young man with a charming, sexy smile and sunglasses. She recognized him and within moments it struck her. This was the man from the Brotherhood who had come to her apartment when Kurt had taken her there to get her things, Remy LeBeau.
"That's mine, thank you very much," Sam said in a very grouchy voice, coming back into the room and snatching the portrait out of Liandra's hands. She frowned a little. "Do you know him?" Liandra asked.
Sam looked very surprised, because Liandra hadn't asked questions around Sam before. Then she pursed her lips. "None of your beeswax," and she turned on her heel and walked back to the door.
Liandra continued. "It's just that I saw him the other day. At my apartment." Sam froze up and slowly turned around, a dark yet hopeful look on her face. "What?" she whispered, unsure of what else to ask, of what to say. "Do you- do you know where he is?"
She shook her head. "I'm… sorry. I don't." Now Liandra knew something was wrong, too. She'd never apologized like this before.
Sam sighed. "It's ok. Never mind, I mean, he's with the enemy now anyway. See ya, Annie." The fake cheeriness in Sam's voice didn't quite reach her face, full of disappointment and somewhere a hint of loneliness.
Liandra sat down on her bed as Sam walked out the door. She looked out the window, up at the sky. And she felt a lonely tear trickling down her cheek.