Chapter One – Fading Memories

Somewhere hidden beneath the earth, eight mutants were waiting for whatever it was coming to kill them, counting the hours and days, whispering prayers for their friends who left the hideout a few days earlier.

Two of them, two young men were yelling at each other, each blaming the other for what had happened.

"How many times should I tell you? It's not my fault that our so called friends didn't want to stay with us. It was their decision, not mine, so stop blaming me" shouted the taller one.

His name was actually Patrick Summers, but everybody called him Rick. He was the younger child of Scott and Jean Summers, and he was the leader, the boss of the team, Yes, they still were a team, but they didn't fight for anything now. They lived together so they could protect each other.

Until just a few days ago, the team consisted of 23 members instead of eight. The reason for being apart was a fight between the dominant ones. Rick wanted to return to the 'great dream' as his former girlfriend, Adeline LeBeau sarcastically called it, and try again what their parents failed to finish. Obviously, along with the girl, a lot of members thought it was way too dangerous. Lewis Howlett, son of Wolverine and Storm who personally was tired of playing hero became the leader of those who were against Rick's idea. They thought it was best to fight the robots and humans, and this way they could win the battles and finally the war. But some of them didn't want to fight at all, neither for a dream, nor to win a war. These ones were Adeline, her sisters and their two best friends. And so with that, the once powerful team was history and only three little groups remained in its place.

Rick had lost many of his friends, even his own sister, Emma, who decided to go with Lewis and the others. He was disappointed and hurt. He needed someone tell him it would be okay, but nobody was there for him. Neither Emma, nor Adeline was there. But there was one person he still trusted, Alexandra Rasputin, Colossus and Shadowcat's daughter. Of course he missed other people he loved and cared about. Right now, he so wanted everyone to be there, even though he would never admit it. He so wanted to call them by those stupid nicknames only he used, just like Linny, Mimmy, Rosemary, Blonde, Sue, Scarlett, Vonna, Nao, Nevermind or Nanna … He just wanted them to be there.

The other man in front of him had Asian features on his face with black hair and dark brown eyes. At first this young man or a boy to be exact, Brian Lee thought it would be best to follow Rick, and one of his two sisters, Laura thought that, too, but the other one, Susan had gone with Lewis, and this hit Brian hard. Watching his sister go, he couldn't help but admire the LeBeau girls. All five girls stayed together, proving the love between them, and still, they were the ones Rick blamed most.

"If not for your great idea, they wouldn't be gone. We would still be together, you asshole" he yelled at Rick.

"So is it my fault that Susie doesn't trust your decision?"

"It wasn't my decision, it was yours."

"Really? You could have said 'no, thanks'. You were willing to try and fix the peace, you let your sister go with that idiot and now you say it's my fault?! I never asked you to believe me, did I?"

"No. But I had to choose between my sister and you guys because of you and Lewis. And you know what? I have no idea why I chose to stay with your team. You are a pathetic fool, Rick. No wonder Lynn left you."

Rick punched Brian in the face without thinking. How could he say that? True, his sweet Adeline – or Lynn as they all called her – used to say he was a fool, but it was just for teasing. He still could remember the evenings in her room in the times they were safe, in the short summer between two wars.

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Flashback

She lay on the bed reading her favorite book again, while Rick played with her long brown hair.

"You're beautiful" he whispered in her ear.

"Ah know" she told him with a playful smile.

"I love you, Linny."

She frowned and closed the book.

"Y' can' love meh" the young woman said dryly "Ah'm a t'ief, r'member? What would y'r sistah say, if she knew dis, sugah? Ah tell y' she won' be happy 'bout it an' she's right. It's jus' wrong. 'Sides, y' don' even know meh. Jus' 'cause we sleep togetha' we ain't no couple."

"I don't care what Emma thinks. And I can get to know you. Give me a chance, Linny."

"Y' 're a fool, ya know dat?"

"Please, Linny. Just one chance. That's all I'm asking for."

"Fahne, but don' tell me Ah didn' warn ya, 'kay?"

"I won't. I'll never regret being with you, Adeline LeBeau."

"Y' fool" she laughed, then kissed him "But don' worry, y're mah favorite fool."

Rick leaned in and kissed her perfect red lips.

"Good, because I love you."

"Je t'aime aussi, mon cher" she whispered hurriedly in French.

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So that was he, her favorite fool. She warned him, told him their relationship was wrong. She told him that an honest man like him can't love a thief. She was right all along. He was a fool.

Now, Rick Summers prepared himself to beat Brian, but someone stopped their fight.

It was Diana Goss or Lady Light as she liked herself being called. She was like a mother for everyone here, though she was only 28. As always, she ended the conflict easily.

"Laser! Lightning! Stop! This stupid fighting won't get us anywhere, so stop it and let's concentrate on our goal."

"She's right, Brian, stop this" said Laura Lee a.k.a. Firework, Brian's sister.

Rick looked at the others. All of them were in the same room.

Mike, Clark, Laura, Alex, Audrey and Diana. All of them watching their 'boss' who didn't act like a boss at all. He failed as a boyfriend, a friend, a brother and now as a leader, as well.

Rick sighed and stormed out of the place, leaving his stunned team behind.

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A few miles away, another group of people were hiding.

"Lewis, please! Think this over."

"I've already done that many times and I still haven't changed my mind, so don't try to make me, 'cause it's no use."

"Please, brother, just let us talk to…"

"No! And that's final."

"Lewis, I…"

"Stop it, Kyra. I won't talk to Summers or any of his little friends."

"You know, you used to me one of these friends, too."

"Stop fooling yourself."

The white haired girl sighed heavily but her blue eyes never left her brothers face.

"So I'm a fool for believing that you trust me and listen to my opinion, right? I'm a fool for believing that you care for me as I care for you, or am I wrong? Is that what you wanted to say?"

The young man in front of her seemed to be confused at her speech. But when he saw the unshed tears in his little sister's eyes, he immediately took a step forward and caressed her cheek gently. Kyra Howlett gave her brother a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, Kyra. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"I know" she said smiling through her tears.

"I'll talk to Laser or Nightingale soon, just let me think for a few days, okay? I know our situation is anything but good, I know we can't go on like this and it was a mistake to go against the others, but I just couldn't pretend to believe Xavier's dream."

"I don't blame you I just never thought something like this would tear our family apart. I'm sad, I miss them, but I'll never leave you alone, Lewis. You are my brother and I trust you more than anybody else."

Other times Lewis would have made a comment on her getting sappy, but now he didn't feel like it.

Before he could have said something nice, the sound of footsteps woke him from the conversation. Footsteps made by ten feet.

"Something wrong?" Lewis asked, letting go of Kyra and turning to the five people standing by the door.

The five exchanged insecure looks.

"Sí e no, signore" (Yes and no, sir) spoke one of them, a twenty-one year old Italian boy.

"What do you mean, Giulio?"

"We are worried about Emma-san" explained the Japanese boy standing beside Giulio.

"Yeah, she looked kinda upset last time we saw her" said an older Afro-American woman in agreement, turning to the blonde woman behind her who she whispered something to.

The youngest of them, Susan Lee finally gathered her thoughts to speak, too.

"I think we should go talk to her" she breathed shyly.

"You're right Susie" the blonde said, then looked at Lewis "I'm telling you, man, we must do something."

The Japanese boy smiled at her widely.

"I agree with you, Hannah-san. What do you think Naomi-san? Susie-chan?"

"I don't know, Kaoru" said the Afro-American Naomi sincerely "I mean, what if she wants to be alone? She just left her brother."

"Oh, come on, Naomi, that was la settimana scorsa (last week), she shouldn't take it like that" Giulio exclaimed.

"What do you think, Lewis-san?"

Lewis didn't really felt like comforting Emma, so he came up a plan that saved him from doing so.

"Alright, guys, I'll tell you what we do. Kaoru, Hannah and I are going to talk and try to find a way out of this shit we're in, while the others go and do their best trying to make Emma feel better. Any questions?"

There was none.

Meanwhile, in her tiny bedroom, Emma Summers a.k.a. Spirit was praying silently.

"Oh, God, please don't let any of us get hurt. Don't let us stay separated forever. Please, my Lord, be merciful to us fools and lead us through the dark, let us hope again so that we can live. I don't ask you to make miracles, to make the utopia come true, but please, please help us find the right thing to do in times like this."

As she finished her prayer, tears began to fall from her brown eyes, though nobody could have seen them, because her messy red hair covered her face completely, hiding her sorrow from all eyes.

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In a small apartment in the middle of New York, the mutant named Darkness, or Adeline Eugénie Larissa LeBeau to exact was drinking her morning coffee while chatting with her four younger sisters: Rebecca, Roselle, Charlotte and Sophie, their adopted sister Violet Wilson and Rebecca's boyfriend Chris Davidson.

Unlike their former team mates, they were trying to stay out of trouble. Thankfully except for Sophie they all were normal-looking, so they could hide from the soldiers pretty well. Hiding the youngest LeBeau girl wasn't too hard either. Her unique features were her light blue eyes which didn't have any pupils, so they only needed a pair of sunglasses to keep her safe.

Sitting by the kitchen table all seven people tried to wake up, that was part of the reason they were talking to each other. When they finished up their coffees, Chris took the three younger girls with him to go shopping.

Because of the wars in the last few years everything was expensive, but that wasn't really a problem for a bunch of thieves. For all those jobs Lynn and Rebecca did, they earned pretty much money.

Speaking of them, the two stayed in the apartment, talking about last night's job. Each night they went out working, but never together. Last night had been Rebecca's turn, so she was still very tired.

"Ella called last night when you were out" Adeline said suddenly, changing the former subject.

Ella the second eldest of their many foster siblings and just like the most of them she lived in New Orleans where it was much safer to be than the North. She was a mutant, too, but she gave up the fight long ago, when her beloved foster father, Remy LeBeau died. Now she lived in a house with her brothers and sisters, looking after them.

Rebecca looked up from her coffee – second one this morning – and stared at her elder sister questioningly.

"Did somet'in' happen?"

"Non, everyt'ing's jus' fahne in N'awlins. De problem's right 'ere."

"Ya sayin' dat every single day since ya broke up wit' y'r boyfriend."

"Dis has not'ing to do wit' Rick."

The younger girl chuckled lightly and put her cup down on the table.

"Y' sure 'bout dat, sis? Ah don' t'ink so. But... oh, forget it. So what did Ellie say?"

Lynn ran her fingers through her long brown hair.

"She wanted t' make sure we're okay. Ah told 'er not to worry, den she asked meh 'bout de others, so Ah told 'er… an' den…"

She paused.

"An' den? What did she say, huh?"

"Well, she wasn't too happy."

"Figured as much."

"She said we should go back t' dem."

Rebecca looked at Lynn with a bittersweet smile.

"Oh, our sweetest sis" she put her hand to her heart dramatically "Ellie's always been a livin' statue of peace an' love, an ange of mercy and kindness…"

"Stop dat pathetic soap opera" Lynn told her laughing at her sister's fake touched face.

Rebecca burst out laughing, too.

A few minutes later, Rebecca touched her sisters shoulder.

"Whatever ya did, y' did it t' protect y'r famille. An' dat somet'in' ya can be proud of."

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So, that was chapter 1 with lots of OC-s. I really hope it was okay. Please know if I may continue.

Bye,

Lilly