Chapter 4: Night-time Adventures

A/N: Hey everyone. ;) There will be a detailed explanation of my disappearance, but rest assured. It was nothing major. Also! This chapter is pretty short and it's a bit of a cliffy, so I apologize ahead of time. I'm writing this too late at night, so my brain can't come up with anything else. But I hope you'll forgive the length and continue to be patient as I continue this fanfiction. Sorry for the delay! Now! On with the show!

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Twelve hours later

The hum slowly died away...

Kim wasn't laying on her bed.

She wasn't even sitting on it.

Folded up like a frozen flower, Kim sat braced against the locked door.

She gazed at nothing.

Mrs. Reid had left on the 11:30 flight hours ago. Now there existed a deep void in Kim; it left her reeling and nauseated.

She thought about her mom's departure and another tear broke away from her stinging eyes.

"Agh. Stop it. Why do you have to cry?"

She wiped away the tear and winced. Her hand brushed against her forehead, hitting the tender spot she acquired after knocking her temple on the ground.

Kim's throat ached as she retracted herself from her heavy reflective thinking. Wearily she stared at her bandaged hand. Whatever Toad had done to it created a severe allergic reaction. It itched horribly and blisters emerged stubbornly through the skin to burst one after the other. Everything pain related had manifested beyond their normal, painful measures, when her mother had to leave. It finally hit home that her decision to remain behind was final. The love she felt for her mom was strong. The pain Kim knew after she left, mirrored that.

Then, thinking about her mother's beautiful face, Kim couldn't help it.

She began to sob all over again.

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Minutes later, the tears dried on her face. She didn't want to cry anymore that night because it was draining her resolve. Kim lifted her head to gaze out her window. She saw that clouds hid the night stars from view that night. The cold front had swept in quickly, and judging from the frost on the window (her room heater regulated the temperature) it was chilly outside.

"I'm a mutant," she whispered out loud.

I'm a mutant, within a school of mutants.

You're a freak and you know it.

"No," she replied without thinking. "I'm just different, I'll get used to this. I'll make new friends, I'll be okay. I'll—"

Fail? Most likely.

No! Stop it!

Why are you trying to kid yourself? You don't know what these people are like. Your mom was insane to leave you here—

She mentally took her thoughts, wrapped them up until they couldn't move and threw them out a window. It was an odd way of shutting down negative vibes, but she'd practiced the technique since she was old enough to think.

There, she held her head in her hands.

Breathe Kim, breathe.

Even after ten minutes, she was still too anxious to stay still, so Kim hauled herself up and made a daring move. She grabbed a large black hoodie, slipped it over her head, and crept out of her room.

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Oddly, she felt like an intruder. Stepping smoothly, with every step poised and soft with the ease of practiced balance, she passed every closed door with apprehension. What if somebody appeared out in the hall for a much needed bathroom break? She doubted that her sneaky presence would go over well.

She remembered glimpses of the grounds when her mother and she had ventured around, talking more deeply about nothing, about everything, than they had ever endeavored to in their lives. Some of the things her mom had told her were a lot to think about.

At the moment, she didn't dare lose her concentration. Kim spotted squeaky spots on the carpeted hall and thrice avoided loud detection. She didn't know why she was out here. At once, a sharp feeling of regret and worry settled over her and she wanted to retrace her steps, back into the safety of her room. But she didn't.

Kim sighed a breath of relief when she reached the mansion's foyer. A grand staircase channeled all human - excuse me, mutant - traffic down before the front doors, left toward the kitchens, or right toward the training rooms, outdoor pool, and playing courts. She felt every sense in her body completely sensitive to sound, alert for any other persons. She was totally on edge and she wanted to move to eliminate the nervous energy.

She was about to take a step down the stair case when something stopped her. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and she didn't even try to think. As fast as her feet could carry her, she darted behind a floor to ceiling column and hugged herself into the shadows.

Precious seconds passed. Kim held her breath. Had she been wrong?

No.

A person strode past her hiding place. He was so close, she could have reached out and tugged his sleeve. Except it wasn't a he. Bushy pigtails stuck out at the sides of her head. She walked carelessly, making a little effort by looking around and keeping herself alert. Yet, her movements were way too loud to Kim's trained ears and eyes. Ironically, no-one woke up and came out. It almost seemed foolish to her now, all of that effort to be quiet when, apparently, mutants slept like rocks.

The girl paused before one door, checking on the name tag plate. A lot of the doors didn't have them, because people didn't bother to put them up. Still, she found what she was looking for and she quietly opened the door. Kim was surprised that it was unlocked. The girl disappeared inside.

Kim didn't move.

Visions of her tackling the trespasser and possibly getting on the mutant's favorable side, happened to go through her mind. However, in the grand scheme of things, a low profile was more appealing. She stayed where she was, watching silently.

If that girl discovered her, she might just pick up a fight. If not, she would leave her be. There weren't any bad vibes coming off of her anyhow and Kim had a feeling that she meant little to no harm.

Hopefully.

Sounds filled the stillness and the girl reappeared. Only, she wasn't alone. Kim hunkered down further in the shadows and listened intently.

"—is up. They're all sleeping. Relax Amara. We aren't going to do anything stupid."

"I don't know about this Tabitha. What if Mr. Logan wakes up?"

"He won't you big baby. C'mon."

It bothered her to observe the two of them sneaking out. She knew there was no way she could convince them to stop their little games. They didn't even know each other. On the other hand, it was extremely easy to get trapped in trouble in things like this. Kim shook her head.

You're sneaking out. Why are you thinking about them?

Maybe because they remind you of yourself and Brianna.

Kim recoiled at the notion, immediately wishing she hadn't snuck out of her room. Wishing she hadn't witnessed two other mutants slip out of the mansion. Desperately wishing she didn't feel the guilt trip that was customary to her upbringing. But also from a taste of experience.

She had snuck out from her house with Brianna, before. Way back. When they were still in their pre-teens. Both of them were careful, and they only went as far as the park. Yet, when they were returning, a cop on patrol caught them past curfew. Her mom was called and so was Brianna's.

They got off easy enough.

But it still burned in Kim's mind, the embarrassment she felt.

I'm doing this for you Brianna. I hate myself, but I am.

Extracting herself from the pillar, Kim skipped down the steps and swiftly walked through the French doors. She ran out onto the front lawn.

Mmmm. It's 11:33pm right now. Way too late. My eyes are killing me, but anyway!

Hey all my faithful readers. =] I'm sorry I took so long to update. There was Christmas, New Years, School. You get the picture. I've also been going through a lot of writers block, and this chapter was especially hard to put down. I think I revised it at least 10 or 12 times. It's had numerous amounts of different beginnings, but this one suits me. It's simple, but interesting enough to read. At least, that's MY opinion. I hope you have the same. (:

Tabitha and Amara are easily two of my favorite characters in this show. They weren't even in my original plot line for this chapter, but somehow, they snuck their way in. I actually had a lot of fun doing their little dialogue and I'm excited to do the next chapter. Which, I promise, will be more detailed and actiony!

I don't think I've mentioned this, but it's important to know that I jump from the movie to the show and vice versa. I don't just stick with one. I use both. So, I've gotten questions before in my reviews, such as "This person wasn't in the movie," and I wanted to clear that up. =]

Again, writer's block. It was killing me. I think I learned a lot from it though. I mean, I'm a pretty emotional writer, as a fact. I tend to get extremely into my characters and what they are feeling, thinking, doing in the moment. So, when I got done with the first three chapters of this story, I was literally spent. I had no idea where to go next because so much energy went into those first chapters. I'm telling you this, I guess, as a heads up if I don't update in a while. I work on my stories, but sometimes the "feel" disappears, and I become a little lost.

Thanks again for reading and PLEASE review. Let me know what you think of her attitude of the mansion. And anything else you want to tell me. Criticism is much appreciated. ;)

-Merlin

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