Chapter Twenty-One:
Ekka stared at the wall for days. Sometimes, Xavier would come down to check on her, but Ekka didn't move. She had no reason to, now. Brownie came to her side and moaned softly. Ekka didn't move go scratch his head. Xavier put some kind of collar on Brownie, probably to keep track of where he was going. Ekka didn't try to take it off.
Ekka heard the door open and close again, and she vaguely wondered if it was Xavier. Was he bringing her food? She hadn't heard from him in a few days. Nobody has come, actually.
"Hello?" A voice on the other end of the glass said as they tapped it lightly. Ekka didn't recognize the voice, but she didn't turn either. "Are you awake?" Brownie lifted his head, then he moaned and laid back down. "Hmm... This might wake you up a bit."
A few seconds of silence passed, then Ekka heard a loud impact hit the glass. A minute later, it shattered and fell away. This made Ekka turn around, confused. When she saw what had happened, her heart skipped a beat.
The thick glass barrier between herself and this man was gone. The man had a smoking gun in his hand, and a smile on his face. Around his head, was the headband Mandla's men wore. "Hello, Ekka. I'm glad we could finally meet." Then he disappeared.
Ekka looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Brownie growled angrily, getting up, as she felt something cold press against her head. He was behind her.
Ekka didn't move. She didn't speak, she didn't cry. She just waited for the man to finally shoot her - end her life. However, that didn't seem to be the case. "You're going to come with me. Don't try to make a sound, don't try to run, or I'll shoot you. Is that clear?"
Ekka didn't say a word. She breathed shallowly for a few seconds, then she laid back down on her bed. "Wha-!? I said get up!"
Ekka didn't respond. It was getting harder to see now. Her stomach burned and her eyesight was wobbly. The man was angry.
He yanked her up by the hair, and Ekka let out a cry of pain. Then, he hit her between the shoulders with the gun. He was strong, and the strike hurt. Ekka crumpled with pain. She had no energy anymore, she didn't think she could get up, much less follow this man wherever he wanted her to go.
"Get up!" He hissed, "Now!"
"I..." Ekka took a second to speak. She needed water, her throat was dry and raspy. "I... Ca-Cannot..." The man didn't like this. He hit her again, and again, and Ekka cried out on a few, tears coming to her eyes.
She began to see double and her body trembled. The man tried to yank her out of the bed, but she was just dead weight, she didn't move at all. He was frustrated, and Ekka saw black smoke roll off of him and unto her.
She felt the coldness of it quickly, and her eyes widened. She remembered that feeling, the feeling of nothing, of a void. Ekka began to tremble, and for the first time, actually tried to run away.
She squirmed under his arm, trying to move away where the smoky blackness was. This did nothing, he was gripping her arm so tight. "No," she begged, her breathing suddenly getting fast. She couldn't go back there! She couldn't go back there! "No! Please! No-!" Then, the darkness consumed her face.
Ekka screamed, and fell into a coughing fit immediately. At least, she thought she did. She couldn't see anything. She couldn't hear anything. And it was all so cold. Like ice was poured down her entire body.
Ekka shivered, her heart racing, and tears burning her eyes. She sobbed, her cold hand coming to her cold hair, her cold fingers gripping it.
Ekka was going to die. She was going to die alone. With no one anymore. Nobody knew about her. Nobody cared for her. She was going to die. She was nothing. She was as empty as this void.
Ekka's legs that had been kicking frantically slowed to a stop. Ekka couldn't breath. She clawed at her throat, her arms shaking. She couldn't breath at all. She was going to die.
She was going to be free.
Then, the darkness was gone, and Ekka still couldn't breathe. She was writhing on the bed, her eyes unfocused and closing. She saw someone hold the man against the wall of her cell angrily before her eyes closed.
~.•*•.~
Ekka wasn't asleep for long, she knew. When her eyes opened back up, she was still in her room. However, when she tilted her throbbing head slowly to the side, there was a man there, lying in his own blood. "Hey," a gruff voice said and Ekka jumped. "Are you okay?"
Ekka turned to her other side, slowly. She saw a man. He looked as gruff as he sounded. His eyes were angry and Ekka felt a pulse of wildness to him. Ekka didn't have the energy to speak. She only let out small gasps, which hurt to do even that.
"What's wrong? What do you need?" The man was kinder than Ekka suspected. Her eyes trailed to a sink by the side of the room, where she usually got water. The man nodded and went over, grabbing a small paper cup and filling it quickly.
He brought it back to Ekka and helped her drink it. "M... Mo..." He didn't need to be told again. He kept giving her cup after cup of water, and Ekka didn't object.
Finally, after what felt like his twentieth cup, he stopped. "Can you walk?" Ekka shook her head gently. Her eyes were still wobbly. "Okay. Call your bear." He reached over to pick her up, but Ekka seized up, breathing heavily.
"No, no, please, no," she begged automatically, and the man stepped back, hands in the air.
"Okay," he said. "I want to help you. I want to take you out of here. Is that okay?" Ekka was breathing heavily. Her stomach still hurt whenever she moved, and she didn't think she had the energy to get up.
"I..." Ekka tried to calm her rapid breathing. "I... I-I do n-not th-think I ca... Can move," she spoke, and he nodded.
"I'll carry you." He stepped over to her again, and gently picked her up. Ekka called Brownie and he came to her side. He watched the bear cautiously, but decided that Brownie wasn't much of a threat and started to walk.
"W-Wh-Where...?"
"Are we going?" He finished and Ekka nodded. "Away from here. Xavier... He means well, but he wasn't prepared to handle someone as powerful as you. He wanted to help, and he tried to, but he couldn't please everyone and ended up hurting you in the process."
"Where... Is 'away'?" Ekka asked carefully. Was this man the same as the men Mandla brought? Was he going to kill her?
"We're going to see if those men you stayed with will take you in. If not, then I have a safe house in Quebec. The people there speak French and English, so you'll be in good hands, language wise. They're good people, but I think you'd rather stay with that couple, right?"
Ekka nodded, she felt her chest full up with hope - or maybe it was her stomach growling, she didn't know. "Wh... What about Xavier?" She asked, almost scared to say his name, as if it would make him appear beside her.
"He's out of town right now - he had official business, or some shit like that. Probably why Doctor Wilson thought it would be good to get rid of you now, with him away."
The man finally made it to the end of the hall and pushed the fake bookshelf away. The hall was completely empty, which seemed strange to Ekka. "It's Thanksgiving," the man said, sensing her confusion. Ekka nodded, but didn't quite understand. They had the same holiday last year, and most of the students either went home or had no classes.
The man carried her out of the doors leading outside and walked across the lawn. He walked towards a car, but stopped a few feet in front of it, and sniffed.
Then, he called out, "Hank? I know you're there." Ekka gasped, fear spreading through her as Hank McCoy stepped out from the side of the car, making himself known.
He watched them, a frown on his face. He was angry, he was going to put her back. Ekka couldn't go back. She didn't want to go back. She would die if she went back.
"It's okay," the gruff man said calmly, and stepped forward. Ekka was shaking, pressing herself into him. Her heart was racing and she wanted to run - she needed to run. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't stay here.
"Where are you going to put her, Logan?" Hank asked calmly.
"Back to the couple who came all the way here to save her," Logan replied. Hank's eyes trailed to Logan's hands, which were coated in blood. Logan noticed, "Doctor Wilson was the mole. He was the one who let Mandla's men in. He tried to kill her."
Hank nodded, then stepped around the car and opened the door. "If you hurry, you can make it there before sundown." Logan nodded and Ekka stared at him, shocked.
As Logan stepped towards the car, Hank stopped him, and placed a hand on Ekka's arm. She tried not to jump, and looked away. "I'm sorry for everything, Ekka," he told her solemnly. "But, promise me something, will you?" Ekka didn't say anything, but Hank continued anyway. "Live. And, live happy."
Ekka turned to him, her eyes wide, and he smiled warmly at her. He released her arm and Logan set her gently in the car, putting the seat belt over her before going to the other side to drive.
Ekka felt tears well up in her eyes as Logan started the car. Hank smiled and waved at her as Logan drove away. "I..." Ekka swallowed a knot in her throat. "I... Am I... Free?"
Logan glanced at her, and gave a small smile. "Yeah, kid. You're free. You won't be in a cage anymore." Ekka let out a sob and covered her mouth with her hands. Logan reached over and patted her head. "It's okay. Let it out." And then, Ekka was sobbing. She wailed loudly, tears mixing with snot as she held her face in her hands.
Logan didn't say anything. He just drove, letting her let out all her emotions, and had a smile on his face.
~.•*•.~
Ekka had stopped crying as they neared Lucas and Adrian's house. She sniffed and looked at Logan, who had been silently driving. "I... I thought Xavier took their memories of me," she said. "How will they know who I am?"
Logan made a face, "We. . . don't know." Ekka froze and turned to look at him, shocked. "When that man came to gym, he recognized you immediately. Xavier wiped his mind a few hours before that, but he still knew you. We. . . we don't know if he could do it again, and it's been a month, so. . . it's a long shot. If they don't then I'll hide you out in a safe house a few hours from here, and from there, we'll go to Quebec."
Ekka didn't know what to say for a few minutes. She gave a small nod, "Okay," She whispered.
They pulled in front of Lucas and Adrian's house. Ekka felt something tight twist in her stomach. She frowned as she stared at their house. She could see a few lights on inside, and shadows moving around behind the curtains. Ekka suddenly didn't want to get out of the car. She wanted to stay there and hide in the car. Were they happy now? Was Ekka putting them in trouble? What if her mutation went off again?
"Hey," Ekka looked over at Logan, who was watching her carefully. "You don't have to go back. We can go to the safehouse, but if we do, we can't come back here. You have to decide now ― here or there?"
Ekka held her breath, looking down at her shaking hands. "What if I hurt them?" She asked softly. Logan didn't say anything for a long minute.
"I can't guarantee that you won't." Ekka looked at him, her eyes wide in fear. "But, I know you can control it. Xavier was never suppressing your mutation ― you were. That cell he put you in, it wasn't blocking your mutation, you just believed it was. You could've left at any time, and you did. You can control it, you can make your mutation yours, if you want to." Ekka swallowed, and looked back at the huge house. "You can do it, if you want to. If you don't, I'll start the car back up, and we can go."
"I. . ." Ekka looked back down. Brownie moaned behind them, and licked Ekka's arm. Ekka smiled and rubbed his head. "I want to go," She said finally and Logan nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," Ekka affirmed. "I-I want to try." Logan stretched in his seat, and Ekka heard several bones pop.
"Okay then," Logan said, and opened his door. Ekka struggled to open hers, so Logan came around to help her. Ekka stepped out on shaking legs.
He helped Ekka to the door, Brownie jumping behind them. He was excited to play with Blanca and it made Ekka giggle.
They got to the door and Logan knocked loudly. "One minute!" Ekka heard Lucas call from inside, and suddenly the twisting, gut-feeling was rushing back again. She tugged the end of her shirt and tried to look anywhere but the door.
If they didn't recognize her, then she would have to go far away. But, it they did, Ekka would finally be happy.
The door opened and Lucas looked out at them, "Yes?" He said, and Ekka hesitantly looked up.
"M... Mister Lucas?" She said, and Lucas stated at her, his eyebrows knit together for a minute.
"Yes? Who are you?" Ekka felt her heart sink to the ground. He didn't recognize her.
Tears welled in her eyes and slide down her cheeks. She moved her hand to wipe at her face and sniffed. She looked at Logan, who nodded, and turned, leading them away. Ekka stopped when she felt Lucas take her hand gently.
She turned around, confused as Lucas stared at her hands, really her missing fingers. He studied them, as if it were a missing puzzle piece.
Finally, Lucas gasped, taking his hand away and moving it to cover his mouth. Tears came to his blue eyes and he took a step back in surprise. Ekka stared at him, her eyes just as wide as his. "Mister Lucas?"
"What... What's your name?" He asked, his voice shaky.
"I... My name is Ekka." Lucas watched her for a minute. Then, he let out a small laugh.
He stepped over and knelt down, wrapping his arms around her. "Ekka... Oh, Ekka. Oh, my god. How...?"
"Lucas?" Adrian called from the other room. "What's going on?" He stepped into the hallway and frowned. "Lucas?" Lucas pulled away and Ekka looked up at Adrian.
Adrian stared at her, confused as to why his husband was hugging some child. Then, he saw the three parallel marks on her cheeks and her hands around Lucas' neck. The missing fingers is what made his mind click, as he finally realized who this little girl - their little girl - was.
"Ekka!?" Adrian ran up to her, scooping her up and taking her in his arms. Ekka squealed and laughed through tears as he held her tight to his chest. Lucas stood and showered Ekka with kisses on her head and face and shoulders and neck.
For a few moments, they seemed like the three happiest, luckiest people on the earth.
Logan stood in the doorway, smiling, almost not wanting to disturb the moment. But, he didn't have much time to be here. "Ahem," they stopped their celebrating and looked at him. "We need to talk."
~.•*•.~
Ekka stayed outside with Brownie and Blanca as Logan carefully explained the situation with the two men. "Do we need to move?" Lucas asked. He wouldn't mind, if it meant keeping Ekka safe. He'd move all the way to China, if he had to.
"No," Logan said. "You can stay where you are. We'll keep an eye on you, if you don't mind. The main issue is to keep Xavier away. He won't try to come for her - mainly because he has no way of doing so."
"What if she... Goes off?" Lucas asked, frowning. "What do we do if that happens?"
"Stay calm and rational," Logan said simply. "Hank has been studying her behaviour, nobody has been able to keep her stable, except for you two. As long as she's safe here, and she feels safe, she should be find. That is, if you're willing to keep her."
"Of course we are," Adrian said firmly. "And, we'll keep her safe."
Logan nodded. Out of all the men in the world, Ekka found the two perfect ones. He honestly didn't know how she could've done it, but he wasn't going to question it. "Good," he said, believing the man's words. "I need to get back to the school." He stood and walked away, about to turn down the hall to the door where he came.
"Wait!" Lucas called from the couch, moving to stand. "Thank you."
Logan stopped and looked at him, "Keep her happy." Then, he left.
~.•*•.~
Ekka laughed softly as Blanca licked her face affectionately. She had obviously missed her.
Brownie moaned and leaned against Ekka, slobbering all over her face too. She giggled, hugging him around the neck. "Are you jealous?" She laughed and he moaned.
She heard the back door open and turned. Lucas and Adrian stepped out and sat on the ground beside her. Lucas leaned over and grabbed a ball. Blanca saw it and ran to him, waiting patiently. Lucas threw it across the backyard and both animals bounded after it, tumbling into one another.
Adrian draped an arm around Ekka and let her lean on his chest. Lucas kissed her forehead and Ekka smiled. "I missed you," she whispered softly. "I missed you so much."
"We did too," Adrian said.
"Do I really get to stay here?" Ekka asked carefully. She was almost afraid to, even though part of her already knew the answer.
"Yes, you do," Lucas promised. "Forever."
Ekka couldn't stop the tears. Adrian wiped at them gently. "I love you." The words were foreign to her as they left her lips. For once, they finally made sense.
Ekka never had someone who loved her stay with her. Fira left, Vera left, Isaac left, Flutter left, even Jean left, eventually. But now... Now she could love someone, and they would stay here - with her.
Ekka never knew that she had wanted that for so long.
Adrian smiled and kissed her forehead. "I love you, too," He vowed.
"I do too," Lucas swore as well. "And we will never stop loving you."
[THE END]