Hi peeps! (:
I owe this one to y'all and I hope you enjoy it. Just a fair warning? There are a few cliff hangers. YES. I KNOW. You want some closure.
It's coming! I promise! I just need you to be patient a little bit more!
More action will come, more plot thickening will emerge-
All that jazz.
Disclaimer: I do not own this story, save for my own characters. Yada yada yada...
Have fun and review when you reach the end. =]
Chapter 14: Now It Begins...
"The President of the United States releases no comment at this time—"
"Further investigations are being pursued—"
"There were some allegations and accusations pitted towards the Islamic groups in the upper East Coast—"
"Afraid that terrorists may strike again—"
Linda firmly pointed the remote toward her TV and turned it off. The absence of enthusiastic reporters and blaring headlines pounded weakly into silence. She closed her eyes and tried desperately to wind her emotions down into a safer place.
It was quiet for a long moment.
Then, she hung her head. Memories of the Islamic communities she had interviewed a few years prior while collaborating a story on things not commonly known around September 11, flitted through her mind. Her eyes began to water. Before this job she had worked as a journalist for a local newspaper. Her late boss had given her unimaginable free rein. Unlike much of the news that was fabricated, Linda dared to put stuff in the air that hadn't been through numerous editing sources. Because of this, her pieces weren't circulated that much. If at all…
It was this job that put her into her husband's path. But she wasn't about to dive into those introspections now. Linda slowly opened her eyes. The dark, breathless void of the past banished the present, throwing her into old flashbacks. She blinked as she found herself staring unseeing into the carpet. She refused to actively remember Douglas, but she came to the fact that this was where her life had taken another turn. Her interviews with the Islamic communities unraveled secrets that currently haunted her. Facts that left her unsettled, even this many years hence. Their harrowing tales of abuse, civil rights being stolen, neglect, and injustice after the 9/11 attacks swirled around in her heart. Her own best friend from college had worked inside the twin towers. She'd never made it out alive…
Her eyes blurred for just a moment. Then, pure, iridescent water dripped off of them. The carpet darkened in the spot of its landing.
She knew what it was like to lose a loved one. But she also couldn't applaud the atrocities effected by her country's government against the innocent Muslims. They had ignored the Geneva Conventions Act, confiscating entire families, keeping them locked away in prison, and interrogating them for months. Nine year olds- innocent nine year olds, had guns put to their heads. Some families are even imprisoned against their will, to this day….
Her heart ached for them.
She couldn't ignore the knot in her abdomen any longer.
She sighed into the quiet.
"Oh my baby," she whispered.
Her daughter would, in more ways than one, be tangled in a battle like this one.
Mutants had been segregated in the decade. Social cues and rewards from society had guided almost the entire population of the world to improperly box these scared teenagers into inferior social groups. They had gifts that could potentially lift them up over others. But, in these gifts lay power, political and economic domination. Domination that would reign them king in the world. And those higher up in the hierarchy of the world didn't want that.
The general public learned consciously or unconsciously to despise mutants. Distrust them. This bad rap gained momentum and decimated over the years. It was carefully, craftily constructed.
And now it stuck like glue into the general public's minds and hearts.
Linda began to feel dizzy. She looked up from the carpet, struggling to find a center. Despair had rooted itself into her heart. And she found that it was becoming harder and harder to eradicate.
Her love for her daughter splintered her soul.
She ached to hold her baby in her arms, to stroke her soft hair. To tell her that everything would be alright. Even if the world was screwed up, everything would be alright.
There was no respite from worry. She anxiously waited for Charle's weekly update day after day. Hour after hour. Minute by minute.
Every word he emailed she drank in. She saved these accounts and reviewed them all before sleeping at night. Every single one. If to just reassure herself that her daughter was living. That her daughter was okay.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of a car door slamming.
No.
Several car doors slamming.
Linda raised her head an inch. Then, she jumped as someone pounded on her front door. She whipped her head around to her window. Flashing lights reflected warningly off the glass. Linda stood up slowly, even as the pounding reiterated and grew louder. Mute, she walked over to her window. She pulled her curtains back just a bit. Three cop cars, one a sleek Cadillac in disguise, sat outside her house. Her heart stopped when she saw one of the officers holding two leashes. A pair of eager German shepherds paced in front of him.
A string of horrible, horrible words echoed in her mind...
Now it begins...
XXX
Kim stepped into the clean hospital room. Straight before her was the paper covered bench. Tapering over it like a column of marble was an unusually tall lamp. Gazing into its light was one of her first memories when she regained consciousness. Professor Charles Xavier had sat expressionlessly at her bedside. He'd reached over to take her hand, gently telling her where she was…
Kim came back to reality as Jean made some noise opening and closing cabinets. Somewhere inside one of them was a canister of sticky, gooey oil. This oil was Kim's treatment. Over the past month it had been applied three times daily over her mauled skin and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Thankfully, the application itself didn't sting (she would have been fine even if it did) but Kim swore she felt a bit of tingling beneath the layers of her skin, afterward. It was a feeling like nothing she had ever experienced. And she didn't particularly enjoy it. As the oil seeped into her blisters, it was like the skin tissue underneath was sent into hyper drive. In her mind's eye, she could see new cells multiplying at an exhilarated rate.
Well, that was what it felt like anyway.
Jean stepped away from one of the cupboards with an "Aha!"
"Found it?" Kim offered.
"Yes. Finally. I forgot that I had placed on one of the higher shelves. I didn't want anyone else losing it. Alright! Let's get this done."
Kim smiled listlessly before an image jumped before her eyes. The X-Kids were piling into the school vans, chattering loudly. Scott stood off to the side and seemed expressively stern. The ruby colored shades he wore only exaggerated his inscrutability. Beast, one of the senior mutants, kept on eye on things. Kitty dragged her feet as she boarded the makeshift bus. Logan came into view right after her and stopped at Beast's side. He wasn't too cheerful, but he took his job seriously. He'd give his service in any way that the Professor needed. Kim observed on the braver guys go right up to Scott and ask him a question. Scott shook his head at once and pointed toward the van. The guy looked dejected, staring at Scott's motor bike. He was hoping for a ride and had learned the hard way that Scott didn't give them. Except to Jean. As both she and Jean passed by the window down in the corridor, Kim had sucked in her breath. With a shock, she realized that she was insanely jealous. She wanted desperately to be a part of them, to go with them.
Acclimating into another high school wasn't on the top of her to do list, though. Finding out what group she actually belonged in, not to mention how the separate cliques worked, had taken over a year at her old school. Brianna, incredibly, had found her in her Junior Year. Both girls were as inseparable as pb and j. Brianna had been the one she could count on. She hadn't the need for other friends...
With care, Jean swabbed a good amount of the oil onto a soft cloth. Then she looked pointedly at Kim.
"Oh, sorry," Kim murmured, distracted.
She took a seat on the bench, silently thinking.
No. She didn't want to jump into high school right away. But having Jean as her only companion was starting to get old. The girl wasn't the problem.
Okay. Perhaps she was 35% of it.
But everyone else was incredibly busy. Xavier gave her permission to wander the grounds if she chose. Which, she'd refrained from. The weather hadn't been that agreeable.
Kim knew she grew bored easily, and she also knew that this solitude was beginning to chafe at her bones.
With a frustrated sigh, she started fiddling with her shoulder straps. The straps were difficult to unlock with only one hand. She tugged harshly when one of them stuck fast. Then, she felt Jean's fingers alongside hers.
"Here," the other girl said with a smile. "Let me help you."
With a sigh of relief, the heavy contraption gave way. Kim held up her wrist in the same position as Jean pulled the rest of the cast off. Strangely, she felt almost naked without the sling. She shivered as the cool air made contact with her previously covered side. Jean put the strap aside and walked away to adjust the room temperature.
"Not used to the cold, huh? Here. Let me turn up the heat."
As the room grew warmer, Jean steadily peeled away the old wrappings. They stunk of bile and sweat, but the older girl didn't seem to mind. Kim had grown accustomed to the scent ages ago and no longer noticed. She grit her teeth when some of the wrapping clung exceedingly more than it should to parts of her wrist. Finally, it was off.
Both of them looked down.
Interestingly enough, there was no green puss oozing out of Kim's skin.
"Oh. Good. Really, really good," Jean said in a pleased tone. With fingers as soft as snow, she ran her fingertips lightly over Kismet's shrunken blisters. "You must be starting to really heal, then. That's a great sign."
"You think so?" Kim asked.
"Oh yeah. Definitely. I'm still going to apply the Arcron Oil because that will help it heal even faster, but you might be able to be in school in less than a week."
Kim sat still as the oil slid over her skin. The familiar tingling began buzzing underneath her blisters, and she bit her tongue. In that moment she knew she was going to explore the grounds more, rain or snow. She had to step outside the mansion.
She needed to think.
XXXX
Toad bit into his sandwich with relish. It wasn't even lunch time. He didn't care to keep his mouth shut as he chewed, swallowing hastily when Avalanche's eyes zipped in his direction.
"Can it, Toad. I don't want to see what's in your pie hole," the restless teen murmured.
Toad bristled but knew better than to protest.
"A guy can't even enjoy his food. Some free country this is," he said to no one in particular.
Avalanche ignored him and shoved his gloved hands into his pockets. All sorts of teenagers milled around his mangled looking group, giving them a safe distance, as they stood outide the entrance. School was about to start, but everyone took advantage of the morning prelude. Nobody wanted to rush into the classrooms save for the straight A students or the nerds. He leaned his back against the cold, brick wall as he scanned the crowd. Where were they? The X kids were never late if they could help it. Probably a value that their old man pounded into all of them.
Quicksilver yawned dramatically.
"You know that Mystique included Kitty in her off limits list, right pal?" He said slowly, watching for Avalanche's reaction. He wasn't rewarded. The guy continued his unyielding surveillance as if Quicksilver didn't exist. There would be no shaking of the guy's determination this time. Quicksilver rolled his eyes.
"Your funeral," he muttered.
From way up the road came three midnight black vans. As they slowed to stop at the turn-around curb, Avalanche clenched his fists. Their enemies began to jump out of the vans, some more enthusiastically than the others. He saw Kurt. The teenager had a sour expression on his face and almost tripped as he walked away with his backpack in one hand. He wasn't shouldering it. Plus? Every movement he made was a bit stiff. Avalanche raised his eyebrows in curiosity. What happened there?
Then, a face he'd memorized almost as much as his own, appeared.
Avalanche's heart skipped up into high gear. It gored at his ribcage. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she stepped lightly onto the walk. Kitty pulled her warm parka closer to herself. This simple gesture tore at Avalanche's gut.
"I'm going inside," Toad remarked in a disgusted voice. He hopped away before Avalanche could issue another threat against him. Quicksilver eyes glittered in dark humor when he spotted Kitty. The edges of his newfound smile were not friendly. Suddenly, Avalanche found his team-mate's arm around his shoulders. Quicksilver leaned over to speak into his ear.
"Remember the plan, lover boy. Don't let this bout of weakness slay you…"
"Get off of me," Avalanche growled.
Quicksilver was already up the steps and opening the front doors. Avalanche glared daggers after him but the teen simply held his gaze with belittling eyes.
"Remember," he mouthed. Then he disappeared.
The bells above began to ring…