Hey, sorry for the long wait, this chapter was almost the death of me. Enjoy!
Laurien felt as if she were about to take a final exam in school as she stood with her feet solidly planted on the carpet, watching Charles slowly pace the length of one of the many rooms in the mansion. Training had intensified over the past week, as recent news from the television had told them that the conflict between the Americans and the Soviets had intensified. Charles had only just informed her that morning that they were to start trying harder things for her to control with her telekinesis, proceeding further away from their usual complex exercises.
Laurien quite enjoyed practicing the manipulation of multiple small objects; such as several rows of coins or marbles all rolling in perfect clockwise and counterclockwise circles on a desktop. There was something about the meticulous repetition of the movements that seemed to calm her mind; she started to do it every night before bed, as it seemed to lull her into a deep sleep, free from the harsher nightmares.
She found herself doing it unconsciously at the dinner table the other evening, while the others were discussing Sean's recent attempt at flying that had unfortunately failed. She'd received a small nudge against her foot from Raven, who gestured at her plate, where her peas were moving at intervals about half an inch apart with every second.
Just like clockwork, she had thought, smiling to herself before stopping the vegetables in their tracks.
"All right, Laurien, can you lift that table for us?" Charles suggested as he ceased his pacing across the hardwood floor, stationing himself to her far right.
Laurien nodded, the tightness in her chest increasing with every passing moment. She slowly raised her arm, shaky fingers outstretched towards the beautifully carved table situated a few feet away by the opposing wall. Almost immediately, the smooth pulse of her power slithered coolly down the veins in her arm, gathering in her hands as she felt the presence of the table through her fingertips.
Taking a deep breath, she gave a small nervous twitch of her wrist and gently lifted her hand higher and higher as the table legs detached themselves from the cushion of soft maroon carpeting below. The table remained steady as it rose, despite the strengthening shake of her hand that threatened to dislodge her concentration. The tabletop soon brushed the high arching ceiling above, making her neck ache as she kept her eyes fixed on it, afraid that if she looked away it might collapse to the ground and break into a pile of rubble.
"Excellent." Charles laughed, gazing fondly up at the hovering piece of fine furniture as he joined her by her side. "No problem at all, eh, Laurien? How about we try a car next?"
"Uh, I don't have the greatest track record with cars." She admitted as she carefully lowered the table back down with a daringly quick side-glance at Charles, wincing at the reminder of the colossal disaster she'd caused when they'd first met. "As you may remember."
Charles just waved it off as he headed towards the door. "That was under completely different circumstances, considering this time there won't be anyone in mortal danger of being hit by a car, and, I may also add, your powers have greatly improved since then. This way." He said, beckoning her to walk with him as he led her out of the room.
They quickly made their way to the front of the mansion, the bright morning light momentarily blinding Laurien as they opened the solid oak doors to be met by the chilly late September air. The leaves on the surrounding trees had morphed into a collage of breathtaking shades of yellow, red and orange, planting a strangely fascinating sense of imminent death in Laurien's mind as she passed one such tree.
It wasn't exactly the fact of an unavoidable demise that caught her eye, death was a part of life after all and it didn't bother her. What enthralled her was the way the leaves seemed to metaphorically go out with a bang. Changing in such a way and giving off such vibrant beauty before inevitably dying and falling to the ground where they would be soon covered in a blanket of white snow and forgotten entirely.
Her Oma had told her of such things when she was much younger, about the poetic significance of trees and their leaves, instilling a deep seated sense of fierce nostalgia in her heart as Laurien remembered when they would ride their bicycles on the path to the countryside for a day out of the city. The bicycle path had passed through the soft forest by her Oma's old house, the dying leaves all warm paint blots of color, blurring in a glorious spectrum as they rode by.
Some days they would ride through the city, the streets bustling with people, as the cheese markets were always on Fridays in Alkmaar. Laurien always had to be careful to not crash into anyone as she raced through the crowd, her Oma never too far behind. They would get some stroopwafles to bring home to her parents, as her mother had been having serious cravings for sweets since the fourth month of her pregnancy, her belly swelling enormously as the twins grew bigger with each day.
Laurien smiled sadly as she continued following Charles around the mansion to the garage, she wondered what they would be doing at that moment, Roosje and Bastijn, all the way across the world, and if they would still be mad at her after all these years.
"Here we are." Charles said, pushing the garage door up to reveal a gorgeous blue 1945 Chevy truck parked between two 1946 Nash's, the names and years of which she surprisingly knew because of Bastijn's obsession with toy cars that had involuntarily engraved all the models in her memory.
"You want me to lift one of these?" She asked incredulously, her fingers tugging nervously at the sleeves of her navy blue sweater that matched the pigmentation of her eyes as they flitted between Charles and the cars.
"Exactly." Charles said as he put a gentle hand on her shoulder, sensing her apprehension. "I have complete and utter faith in you, Laurien. I have no doubt that you can do this, all right?"
She gave a small nod, the tightness returning to her chest again as he backed away to the side, pointing at the Chevy. "Try that one first."
She took a deep breath, the morning air stinging her lungs as she lifted her arms, hands mentally grasping at the metal frame of the truck before she pulled it towards her. The crackling sound of tires rolling over gravel met her ears as the truck moved out of the garage, careful not to scratch the neighboring cars as it went.
Once it cleared the garage door, Laurien guided it to the middle of the rocky driveway, fingers twitching as she encouraged it along. She stopped it just in front of her, feeling it staring her down like they were in a shoot out from one those western films with John Wayne.
She glanced quickly to Charles who nodded reassuringly at her before she turned back to the truck, mentally apologizing to the vehicle in case she accidentally dropped it. Flipping up her palms to face the sky, she latched onto the Chevy, biting her lip as she raised her hands slowly. She heard the groan before anything else, the metal letting out its discontent at being picked up as the frame lifted, the tires detaching from the gravelly ground.
She almost cried out in incredulity as it flew into the air, though she didn't let herself celebrate too much as she could feel the weight pulling at her consciousness as it stretched her powers. She'd never moved something that heavy before, and she felt the strain digging sharply into her veins before she decided that a height of ten feet was high enough for today.
Laurien slowly lowered the truck, the vehicle teetering as the weight seemed to multiply on the way down. Setting it down as gently as she could, she still grimaced when she heard the crunch of the tires impacting against the ground, but Charles just chuckled as he clapped his hands together.
"Simply splendid, Laurien!" He exclaimed as he practically skipped gleefully over to her. "Tomorrow we can try for even higher, how about that? Or maybe even two cars, or three?"
"Whoa, hold your horses there, Charles." She laughed, finally allowing herself to feel the relief of her training session not ending in disaster. "One thing at a time, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but thanks anyways."
"And what's going on here?" A smooth voice emanated from behind them, and as they turned, they saw it was the metal bender just arriving from his run around the mansion grounds.
Laurien blushed involuntarily, though almost simultaneously felt her stomach drop. Since the event in the kitchen last week, she had felt completely conflicted on the whole subject of her suddenly changed relationship with Erik. Granted, she had enjoyed the kiss, very much in fact, and reveled in the way his hands had felt against her skin, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel that this new development was strange.
But even with her conflicting feelings, Laurien couldn't help but notice the way his shirt clung tightly to his solid body and the small beads of sweat on his brow just above his alluringly bright blue eyes as he neared. A sparking heat seemed to rise up her skin as her vision flashed violet, betraying her once again. She sighed inwardly, cursing at herself furiously as she tried to hide her traitorous eyes.
"Laurien has just expanded her telekinetic abilities by lifting one of the cars from the garage." Charles declared happily, nudging her with his elbow. "And we'll see about something a little more difficult for tomorrow. Yeah?"
"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it." She replied, giving him a quick forced smile.
Charles looked at her strangely for a moment, his eyes searching hers before seeming to understand her predicament. To Laurien's dismay, a small mischievous grin appeared on his face. "Erik," He announced, turning to the other man. "If you would be so kind to give Laurien a few tips in the art of object manipulation? Considering your experience, I believe it would be of great help to you both."
Oh, you sly little fucking weasel, she cursed at him mentally, giving Charles a dirty side glance before turning to see Erik nod, his eyes more infuriatingly enticing than ever. "Of course, it would be my pleasure."
"I'll leave you to it." Charles smirked, winking quickly at Laurien before walking in the direction of the front of the mansion.
She glared after him as he retreated, an uncomfortable wave of apprehension sparking up her neck as they were left alone. She flinched as something touched her arm, only to find that Erik had been reaching for her with his hand, his eyes soft but suddenly hesitant from her reaction. Feeling her anxiety melt away, she tentatively lifted her hand in turn, fingertips softly brushing his own as she tested the waters, soon feeling his fingers curl around her hand as he held it tenderly.
"Look," He started, as they walked towards the field, his low voice wavering so softly, that she almost missed the slight fluctuation. "About the night in the kitchen, I'm sorry if I was too forward, or-"
"No, it was fine. You were very sweet." She reassured, before then teasing, "But do you usually bring up a girl's traumatic memories before you kiss her?"
He laughed, shaking his head. "Not at all, and I promise I won't make a habit of it. It's just-" He paused, his smile slowly disappearing. Laurien could feel his demeanor change as something shifted within him. "I lost my parents around the same age as you did, and I know how difficult and lonely it can be to try and handle it on your own. So, I thought that it might be helpful to know that you can talk to someone if you feel up to it."
A glow of warmth spread through her at his words. "Thank you, Erik. That really does mean a lot." She said, giving him a small smile as she squeezed his hand gently.
He nodded, a smile of his own reappearing as his mood lightened. "So what are you up to for the rest of the day?"
"Oh! Well, I was under the impression that you were going to be teaching me in the art of object manipulation." Laurien exclaimed, putting on her best air of innocence, but despite her best efforts, a sly grin kept slipping through her façade. "That is, after all, what we're supposed to be doing."
Erik chuckled. "Well, I was just wondering if- uh." He stumbled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as she looked up at him.
She smiled, amused at his uncharacteristic awkwardness. Suddenly losing all previous apprehension, she leaned in, tilting her head up as she felt his breath across her lips; she gave him a small peck before drawing back as she looked in his eyes for a sign. The blue pigmentation sparkled as he advanced in his own turn. Long and slow, Erik kissed her lips as his hand ran down her spine, soon resting at the small of her back as he gently pulled her closer until their bodies were drawn tight against one another. They then slipped behind a nearby tree, away from any possible prying eyes.
Erik placed a firm hand on her waist as she felt her back press against the coarse bark. He kissed her hard and passionately, causing Laurien to respond in kind, gripping his shoulders to bring him closer. Her vision flashed in a hue of violet as he pressed his lips to her jaw and trailed kisses down her neck. "You all right?" He asked quietly, stroking the caramel strands of hair that cascaded over her shoulders.
"I'm great, actually." She murmured before giving a small gasp as his mouth found the special spot on her collarbone, making Erik smirk as he felt her body tense beneath him.
"There it is." He purred, the vibrations of his voice sending shivers throughout her body.
Laurien clasped the nape of his neck, as she pulled his lips back up to her own. As cold as the morning air still was against their flesh, sweat glistened on Erik's brow as he kissed her. He suddenly froze, his thumb poised against her lips. "The others are coming." He murmured urgently, moving to disentangle himself from her, before thinking better of it and giving her one last intense kiss, sending stars flying behind her eyes.
"The others? How do you know?" She asked, alarm in her voice. As her body groaned inwardly at the loss of his warmth, she slowly detached herself from the tree before Erik grasped her arm and pulled her into his embrace.
He kissed the top of her head lightly before cupping her face between his hands. "Charles just told me." He said, chuckling. "He, Hank and Sean are going to try out the new suit from the top of the satellite."
Laurien raised an eyebrow as she looked off towards the dwarfing structure to their right. "Is that safe?"
"Uh, no. Not strictly speaking."
But yet, there they soon were, standing several hundred feet above the ground on the enormous satellite that stood a kilometer or two away from the mansion, with a nervous Sean wavering by the edge.
"Look, I trust you," Sean explained to Charles, hurriedly.
"I'm touched."
"But not him." He finished, pointing at Hank.
"Say nothing." Charles mumbled to the scientist as the man opened his mouth to protest.
Laurien stifled a small chuckle that was immediately sobered as she looked worriedly over the side of the satellite. "Are you quite sure about this Charles? At this height, he'd be a pannenkoek if he hit the ground."
Erik looked up at her, a hint of amusement in his eyes as Sean panicked even more. "Pannenkoek? What's a pannenkoek? Oh, God, I'm gonna die."
"Look, you don't have to do this if you're not–" Charles started, but Erik mumbled something inaudible before unexpectedly shoving Sean from the satellite.
Charles and Laurien both cried out in alarm as they rushed towards where Sean had disappeared over the edge. Laurien whipped her hands out of her pockets to reach for him with her powers and catch him, but Erik quickly snatched up her wrists and trapped them against his chest. "Wait a moment." He said, grinning at her wide eyes, seeming all too jolly for someone who'd just pushed a man to his death.
Suddenly, a quick blur sprang up from the edge as Sean flew high into the air. Laurien watched in amazement as he reached the summit of his climb and fell back down again with a scream as the sound waves carried him along the surface of the satellite. She looked up at Erik in disbelief, his grin growing wider at her awed expression.
She punched his arm in hard annoyance as he laughed, feeling the corners of her mouth twitch as she tried to busy herself with watching Sean fly around the mansion. God damn it, Erik, she thought, you've done it again.
I got mad respect for all you writers out there, cause damn this is difficult.
Halloween is coming up, gonna dress up as Maverick from Top Gun and go to the movies, maybe see a movie in theatres or something. Kinda miss the trick or treat days... Thanks for reading!