So, when I started this story, I had no idea what I was doing or where it was going. I have spent time with this story and have decided that it needed an OVERHAUL. Please enjoy the new and (hopefully) improved PLM. Also, this will be cross-posted on AO3 if you want to see the visuals that accompany this story, same name and username. Thanks for reading and if you are so inclined, please leave a review.
Gray-blue eyes stared out the window at passing swatches of green, 'Tree, tree, tree, OH a cow!' thoughts flowing through her head with no real purpose except to keep them off the reason she was watching the world outside blur by her window. A small cry brought her attention back to the world inside her family's VW bus, "Hey now, what's the fuss?" Her tone was soft and low as she leant over to check on the littlest passengers, tucked into their car seats, they looked over it. "We'll be there soon and you'll get to stretch those legs." She got giggles in response as she tickled said legs behind their knees.
Sitting back in her seat, she met her ma's eyes in the rearview mirror, a small smile on both their faces. As her eyes caught sight of the white butterfly bandages around her ma's brow, that smile fell from her lips and the young woman sighed, remembering the reason they were all packed into the car to begin with and how she's to blame.
*Flashback*
"What're y'all doing?" she asked as she walked into the living room, taking a quick mental count of who was there. 'Nothing' was the general consensus with a couple of happy "Blah"s from Aislin and Conor, the babies of the bunch at two-and-a-half, who were excited to show off their blocks. Making silly faces and clapping at the toddlers and their fantastic, if not abstract, buildings, she crossed further into the room.
"Where's Callie and Autumn?" She asked when her mental tally only came to eight instead of the usual 10.
"I'mRightHere." Came a rushed reply as a streak of dark blonde hair flew by, "Been right here too." The fast speech from the girl, Autumn–she realized, should have been a warning, but her brain was apparently processing at half speed, because it clocked the rate and tone right before a blast of freezing cold water crashed over her.
"CALLIOPE RHEA!" She bellowed, spinning on her heel, water droplets flying off as she went, "What the hell?!"
"Oops," the girl in question looked remorseful enough, "Sorry Fi, I was aiming for Autumn. She messed up my stuff and I... I'm so sorry." She apologized again.
Fi let out a sigh, "It's alright Callie, accidents happen. Just try not to use your powers in the house ok? I'm pretty sure flood insurance only counts if it's an act of nature and makes a mess. Speaking of," she turned back around, "Autumn, apologize for messing up her stuff."
"No," came a stubborn reply, "she took my book and wouldn't give it back and I need it, so I had to look through her stuff and I didn't mess it up, it was already messy."
"I did not take your book, it was mine to start with and you were the one who wouldn't give it back."
"It was not your book!"
"Was too!"
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Was –"
"ENOUGH!" Fi hollered, a headache forming behind her eyes, "I don't care who took what or who it originally belonged to, just apologize and LET. IT. GO!" The pain and pressure behind her eyes just kept building and her frustration started to bubble over.
The lights started to flicker, static formed in the air and the sky outside darkened; she clenched her eyes shut and tried to push it all away, she could hear the babies whining and whimpering and she knew she needed to reign it in, but she couldn't, it just hurt too much.
"Fianna Gaelle, you stop that right now, it's supposed to be a nice day out," her ma's lilting Irish accent came from behind her. Fi whipped around to face her and without trying or even meaning to, a gust of wind ripped through the room, shattering windows and glass in its wake; her ma was flung across the room and into the built-in shelves along the back wall; and as suddenly and intensely as it had come, all the anger, pain and pressure was gone.
The horrifying realization of what just happened set in as the air calmed, the lights (that hadn't been broken) stopped flickering and the sun made its reappearance in the sky. Fianna fell to the ground, uncaring about the mess and glass, in shock and disbelief at what she had done. 'I hurt my ma, Oh-GODS I hurt her. I could have killed her.' she thought in a panic, her breathing short and heavy, "Did I kill her?" she whispered to herself, raising her head towards where her ma lay, unmoving, surrounded by wood, paper and glass.
The others ran over, but Fi felt like everything was moving in slow-motion; Willow and Briar had picked up the crying twins, who were blessedly unhurt, as the other parents rushed in from wherever they had been, to see what was going on. As they tended to her ma, she could see the fear in their eyes, fear she had caused.
It wasn't until she saw her dad slowly making his way towards her, hands raised up and out like he was approaching a spooked animal, 'I guess he kinda is,' her brain supplied, that the world caught back up to speed.
Unable to stand the thought that her family was that terrified of her, she didn't let him get much closer; she pushed herself off the ground, not even noticing the cuts from the glass and debris, and bolted out of the house.
Running as fast as her bare feet would take her, she made a beeline for the one place she could always find peace, the stables. Heaving open the heavy wood door, she wasted no time booking down the center aisle until she stood in front of the last stall on the left. This particular stall was home to her best friend and baby, an appaloosa mare named Shera; meaning a very bright light, the beautiful and sweet tempered, if not a little sassy, girl lived up to her name, being a light for her human, on even the darkest of days.
Fianna clambered over the stall door and landed with a soft 'oof' on the other side. She threw her arms around Shera's neck and nuzzled into her soft coat, the horse, sensing her companion's distress, curled her head around the young woman as if to hug her back. The two stood in their embrace until Fi's shoulders started to ache, withdrawing from her friend, she tucked herself into the corner of the stall, picking at bits of hay and sobbing quietly.
She didn't know how much time had passed as she sat there, watching Shera graze lazily on the feed in her stall, when a gentle voice floated in from the outside of the stall, "Fi, come back inside. It was an accident, please love?"
Fi looked up from the floor to see Amelia leaning on the stall door and sighed, "Is she ok?" she rasped out, her voice rough from crying.
"She's fine. A little banged up, but fine. She's worried about you though."
"About me? Why?" Fi choked out with a scoff, "I'm not the one that nearly went through a wall."
"You're her daughter and she loves you. NO. MATTER. WHAT."
"I could have killed her!" the distraught girl shouted, jumping to her feet. "I almost killed her." the last bit tapered off into a whisper.
"But you didn't and it wasn't like you did it on purpose." Amelia looked her dead in the eyes, "She's your ma and she will always love and worry about you. Now come on inside and we'll figure everything out, as a family."
Fianna opened her mouth to argue, but Shera nudged her in the back with her head, causing the redhead to stumble forward, towards the gate. The mare let out a nicker, as if to say "shut it and stop stalling."
"Ok, ok, I'm going." she gave the horse one last round of pats and pets, "You're awfully bossy, ya know that?" The proud horse shook out her mane and let out a whinny, almost like she was laughing at her human. A small smile appeared on the girl's face as she let herself out of the stall, "Thanks again love, you always make it better." Fianna closed the stall door and grabbed a couple carrot pieces from the basket hanging on the wall and fed them to her four-legged friend.
"Ya know," Fi turned and faced the older woman, "I heard about a place, a school I think, technically, for people like me, like us. And I know that the others don't have nearly as much trouble as I do, but maybe I could go, maybe they can help me." She shrugged and scuffed her foot against the floor.
Amelia smiled softly and held out her hand, "We'll see love, for now let's just take it one step at a time." Fi nodded and took the offered hand, both women had a small smile on their faces as they made their way back up to the house in companionable silence.
*End Flashback*
As the VW slowed to a stop, Fianna's gray-blue eyes came back into focus on the imposing edifice that was The Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, with a deep breath, she steadied herself and whispered "One step at a time."