Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High.
Ivy and Gambit sat on the couch together, silently drinking their coffee. Ivy's attention drifted out the window to the lights that lined the street, especially the flickering one at the end of the block. The dark sky was starless, and Ivy's thoughts went to her mother. She missed Louisiana, she missed their little house and the tiny forest behind it. She missed her room and her stuffed animals. She missed waking up to bacon and eggs every morning, and she missed having a home and a family. She knew Maxville was her home now, and she knew her friends were her family. But her mother...
Gambit stared at his playing cards on the coffee table that he laid out, but didn't touch any of them. He reached a hand to flip over a card, but retracted it before it completed the mission. He looked over the face-up cards he had, and his gaze landed on the Queen of Hearts. He took a deep breath and looked at Ivy.
"Is da cher OK?" He took a sip of coffee as Ivy turned to look at him solemnly.
"As OK as she can be, I guess. It was sort of a shock for her, I think." She copied Gambit's example and took a sip of her own coffee. They sat in silence for what could have been hours, neither knowing when they fell asleep, or how Ivy ended up curled on top of Gambit, locked in his arms. Her dreams took her back to the X-Mansion and the last time she fell asleep with Gambit, but that was as far as she got.
A loud, anxious knock pulled them both from their dream-states, and they nervously looked at each other, not realizing how close their heads and faces had been to each other. His hot breath tickled her nose, and she paused for a moment to look into his black and red eyes. She shifted closer to him, lips almost brushing, and the knocking grew louder. Ivy scrambled to get up, instantly straightening herself out, as Gambit did the same.
Ivy opened the door cautiously but it was kicked open the rest of the way by Lash, carrying a bruised and bleeding Magenta.
"Oh my -" Ivy jumped at the couch, throwing the pillows to the ground, spreading a blanket over the cushions. Lash ran into the kitchen stacking towels and filling a bowl with steaming hot water from the faucet, while Gambit grabbed the phone and dialed Layla's number.
"What happened?" Ivy took a towel from Lash.
"Cher, dis Gambit."
"I don't know, I found her across the street from my house like this."
"Magenta was attacked."
"She was an hour late so I went outside and she was just there."
"Bring the others." Gambit put his phone on the counter, before finding another towel in a drawer and aiding Lash and Ivy in cleaning Magenta.
Lash began to panic and sweat, eyes focused solely on Magenta, fighting the scream of anger and anguish that was rising in his throat.
"Can she talk at all?" Ivy wiped blood clear of a large gash on her arm, wrapping the towel around it tightly. "Gambit, help me." Gambit moved closer and was there in an instant, helping to wrap the arm.
"She's been slipping in and out of consciousness, I can't tell what she's saying. It mostly sounds like whimpers." Lash held her hand frantically, squeezing and rubbing the bloodied skin. "Baby, please come back." A tear rolled down his cheek, and he wiped it with a stained sleeve.
They wrapped all the large wounds, wiping the smaller ones and putting dabs of anti-bacterial cream here and there. Another quick knock came at the door, and Gambit opened it, holding a deck of cards in his hand. The entire group rushed inside, Zach leading the way. Ivy moved aside so Zach could be by Magenta, as Warren pulled her into a tight embrace, asking if she was OK, kissing her forehead. Taylor and Speed knelt by Lash, Taylor wrapping her arm around him, Speed simply being there. Layla stood with Trent on the opposite side of the room as Will. Dara was standing stone still by the door. Everyone was silent.
"It was Dylan." They all looked at her. "He came home, and went straight to the bathroom. There was a towel in the hamper. It had blood on it. Her blood." Dara looked sick.
"How do you know? Are you sure?" Taylor stood and went over to the girl, comforting her as she fought the disturbing memory.
Dara looked at Taylor, then at Ivy, growing paler. "The scent." Ivy dropped to her knees by Magenta, letting her head fall into her hands. "This is all my fault." Zach stood up and went towards the black fake Lazy Boy.
"I'm gonna kill him." Everyone looked at Zach, who had never been so serious in the entire time they'd known him. "I'm going to fucking kill him for what he did to her."
A light glow began to emit itself from Zach's center, slowly spreading outward. It engulfed his entire body, and still continued to spread beyond his being. The light barely began to touch the black chair, and pieces of the fabric were lifted from it, beginning to dissolve and fade in the yellow light, turning to nothing; simply vanishing.
"Oh my gosh..." Layla's voice was soft and everyone in the room echoed her statement with their faces. Even Zach looked down to see what they were looking at. He saw his glowing light dissolve more of the chair, and his face widened in shock, the light disappearing immediately.
"I'll call Principal Powers." Warren squeezed Ivy's hand and left the room.
Ivy went to Zach, sadness and grief covering her face, her hair fading to black. "Zach, I am so sorry." She whispered, but even then her voice cracked.
He hugged her, saying nothing. The two wouldn't let go, sharing each others pain and loss, understanding and forgiving. Warren returned a moment later, quietly. "She wants all of us to stay here tonight. She doesn't think we should be alone. A private bus will be here in the morning to take us all to school, including Magenta. She said to go straight to the gym." Warrens voice, too, was quiet and sad, and everyone nodded their comprehension.
Ivy and Gambit pulled every spare blanket and pillow there was in the apartment, while Trent and Layla closed blinds and windows in every room. Lash stayed holding Magenta's hand, and Taylor brewed a fresh pot of coffee and some tea, while the rest helped move some furniture to make room to sleep.
When everyone was settled with sleeping arrangements, Ivy retreated to her room, Warren following silently. He walked into her room for the first time, noting the horrible circumstance under which it happened. They sat at the edge of the bed, not saying a word. Ivy's expression broke, and she began crying silently, Warren immediately wrapping her in his arms.
"C'mon, lay back with me." He pulled her gently onto the bed, and she cried into his chest as he stroked her arm and whispered comforting words.
10 Chapters left...