Work Text
So this was it. The boarding school her parents had decided on to get rid of their ‘gifted’ daughter. Cursed, from their point of view. All she’d had to do was throw something across the room. Granted, she’d done it with her mind, but was that really such a big deal? Sasha sighed and hefted her duffel bag higher on her shoulder, pulling up the handle to her suitcase. If she was a proper telekinetic, she could just float them effortlessly, but no , that couldn’t be her actual power. Sure, she had a little, but her actual power, mutation, whatever…. She knew it was there, but had no idea what it actually did. She strolled up the sweeping drive, around the fountain where a few other teens were messing around with water and ice and other nonsense, and dragged her suitcase up the stairs. She walked into the main area and sighed, glaring around at the walls, the floor, the stairs, the other students. In one corner, a girl was messing with fire, which was definitely a safety hazard. Telekinetics were floating around their books, and there were definitely telepaths somewhere, messing with people’s brains. She made her way to the main office and knocked, entering when she was directed, and crossed her arms. A man in a wheelchair turned around, looking at a piece of paper. “Sasha Nedelec, yes? I understand you are not happy to be here, however it is the safest environment for you to learn about and control your abilities. Your file has you listed as a telekinetic?” Sasha snorted. “That’s a stretch, but sure.” “Yes, from what I’m detecting, your telekinetic abilities are very weak, compared to your primary ability. In any case, you are in room 3-18. Your roommate will be Lucida White. Welcome, Sasha, to my school for Gifted Youngsters.”___________ Sasha dropped her duffel bag onto the floor and looked over at the other bed, and the girl- Lucida, apparently- laying on it. She tried not to stare at the random patches of pale covering the girl’s dark skin. “Y’know, roomie, I could get that unpacked for you in like ten seconds. There’s room in the closet.” Sasha sighed and dropped onto the bed. “Fine. Whatever.” Lucida peered at the suitcase and duffel bag. Quickly, the zippers unzipped and the two travel bags opened, clothes, shoes, and supplies shooting out and finding places on shelves, hangers, or the floor. Sasha stumbled up and away as the sheets she’d packed flew up and neatly spread themselves over the mattress, pillows plunking down against the headboard. Finally, slowly, as her bags zipped shut and shot into the back of the closet, the pistol she’d brought floated out. Lucida raised an eyebrow. “Really?” “Better with me than my dad, trust me. Plus, it could come in handy, with all the invasive teleps around.” “Not much good against us telkies and our ilk, though. Not to mention ghosties like Luna.” “Ghosties?” Sasha asked dubiously. “Y’know. Those people who walk through walls and crap. Ghosties.” “Mm. So, how much does this place suck?” “Not awful, at least. Most people are pretty cool. Same with the teachers. So, what are you? I, obviously, am a telkie.” “Not sure. I’ve got a bit of telkie, but it’s not my big thing.” “Ooh, you’ve got a secondary ability? Cool! I mean, y’know, as long as it’s not something weird and boring. We could run some tests, if you like.” “Might as well.” Lucida grinned. “What am I thinking right now?” “I seriously have no idea. I’m not a telep.” “‘Kay. Any weird elemental-ness?” “Nope. Not a pyro, a hydro, or anything like that.” “Shapeshifter?” “Nope. Not a jumper or physically enhanced either.” “Huh. Well, I’m stumped. Can you mess with me being a telkie, maybe? I know that’s a kinda rare thing.” Lucida started hovering her bed a few inches off the floor. Sasha concentrated, and Lucida gasped, the bed shooting up into the ceiling before slamming down as if a rope had been cut. “Girl! You both amped it and completely blocked it!” “Okay, that’s probably worth working on.” “You bet it’s worth working on! Think about it! They’re basically training us to fight other mutants who decided to go all villain for whatever reason. Think about how useful you’d be!” Lucida squealed, making Sasha cringe. A girl stepped through the wall. “Lucy, what are you yelling about? I can hear you from my room, and I am trying to practice!” The girl put her hands on her hips. Lucida winced. “Sorry, Luna. But my new roomie is, like, totally cool! Sasha, can you do that again? To Luna? Luna, walk through the wall!” Sasha rolled her eyes and concentrated, then burst out laughing as Luna walked face-first into the wall and decidedly did not go through it. “...Ow.” Luna looked over at Sasha and bit her lip before her expression changed, and she turned to glare at Lucida. “But seriously, Luce, shut up. I’m not afraid to use you as a target.” “Like you could even hit me. Telkie, remember?” “Did I say you’d know?” “I know now.” “Fine. See you later.” Luna walked back through the wall. Lucida cringed. “Well, that could have gone better.” Sasha sighed. “Whatever. It’s fine.” Somewhere, a bell chimed, and Lucida jumped up. “C’mon. That’s dinner. I’ll introduce you to my friend Lajaria. She’s a pyro. Good one, too.” Sasha rolled her eyes and followed Lucida down to the lunchroom, then sat in the chair she was offered.______________ Lucida was right. Lajaria was pretty cool. Plus, she had all the gossip. Even if she was a chatterbox. “And the big thing that is super cool is pulling people out of The Den. I have no idea what that is, but the people that come from there are literally super powerful and crazy. Like, kill-everything-they-touch crazy. It’s insane. I guess it’s run by this psycho egyptian lady who’s, like, pretty cool, according to Ivy- You probably haven’t met her yet, she likes the gardens, since she’s all planty and stuff, but she has the best gossip. But then I was like, how cool can she be, she like, kills normal people for no reason, and Ivy was like, no, it’s cool, and her bestie saved my life, she’s basically my mom, I was drugged and kept in a closet, she rescued me- So, what’s your name again?” Sasha snapped back into focus after having largely tuned Lajaria out for the past….. However long the girl had been talking. “Sasha. It’s Sasha. Who was kept in a closet?” “Ivy Fox? The plant lady in the gardens who kinda looks like you a bit, with the hair and the eye color?” “Right, sorry. Why was she in a closet, exactly?” “Her parents are super racist. They found out she was a mutant and decided the best course of action would be to drug her and keep her in a closet.” Sasha winced. Lajaria just kept prattling on, sharing all sorts of gossip. Sasha was only half-listening, slowly noticing wary glances thrown her way. She glanced to Lucida, but her roommate was too busy listening to Lajaria’s story about some kid and a rosebush to see it. She felt that power, that darker side of it, slowly open an eye, felt it throb in her veins, and almost purred. It was almost soothing, that power. Lazily, she flung it towards a pyro who was about to set fire to a potted plant. And then flung it wider. She suddenly realized Lucida had stopped. “....Sasha! What are you doing?” Lucida hissed, leaning in. The book her roommate had been levitating wobbled pathetically above the ground. “Stop it!” Lucida whispered, almost sounding scared. Sasha glanced at her. “Why? It’s not like nobody else uses their powers around here.” “Yeah, but their powers don’t screw with other people’s!” Lucida whispered furiously. Sasha rolled her eyes and pulled back, coiling her ability back where it didn’t want to be. “There.” Eventually, to escape the looks everyone, including what she might consider her friends, were giving her, she wandered out to the gardens. And almost missed it. “Hey, Fox! I heard your boss’s got you on a leash!” Sasha turned towards the sound and paused, spotting a boy younger than her laughing and pointing at a small, red-haired girl busy trying to cocoon herself in leaves and vines. She sighed and started walking over, tiny pebbles wobbling in her wake as she struggled to use the little telekinesis she had. Finally, she managed to throw one at a boy’s face. “Hey! Back off!” The boy whirled on her “Stay out of this. It’s not your business.” Sasha narrowed her eyes. “Back. Off.” He smirked. “Make me.” Ice burst from his hand. Sasha tore away whatever kept her abilities contained, and slammed a lid down over his ability. The ice froze and then melted to nothing. He gaped at her. “You- what- how did you-” She squeezed down harder on his ability with her own. She didn’t know if she could crush it, rip it from him permanently, but she wanted to try. The boy let out a hoarse noise, as if she was choking him. Perhaps she was. But no, she wasn’t strong enough with that part of her abilities to be doing that. Eventually, after far too long of attempting to completely destroy his ability, she let go, coiling that power back into herself and soothing it to sleep. He turned on his heel and bolted. Sasha turned to the girl. “Are you alright? Here, I’ll help you up.” She stretched out a hand, and the girl took it, a sturdy vine crawling from the girl’s wrist over to Sasha’s as she rose. “Thanks. I’m Ivy.” Sasha jolted. “Ivy…. Fox? Lajaria mentioned you.” Ivy nodded. “That’s me. And honestly, I’m surprised you’d bother. Most people don’t like me because I was part of The Den. The Lioness’s Huntress is kind of a mother to me, so….” Sasha fussed with the end of her braid. “What is The Den, exactly? Everyone mentions it, but nobody has any details.”Ivy smiled slightly. “I can show you. You’ll just have to trust me. Unless you want to become a member…. You’ll be blindfolded on the way there.” Sasha thought for while. “...Fine.” Almost immediately, huge leaves wrapped themselves over her eyes. Ivy made a phone call, a hand grabbed her arm, and the ground beneath turned to oblivion.___________ Sasha’s feet finally made contact with solid earth, and she shuddered at the sudden change. The leaves peeled away from her face, fluttering to the ground, and Ivy stood beside her. “Beautiful, isn’t it? Not the place, obviously, it’s literal garbage, but…. This? All of us, free to be what we want, without anyone else telling us we can’t? That’s why I love it here. Nobody judges you or is afraid of you for being unique or powerful. You could have a home here, if you wanted to.” Sasha glanced around the dimly lit… whatever this was. A gutted warehouse, maybe. Dusty brick walls, stained concrete flooring, haphazard metal staircases and walkways, random crates and mismatched furniture. And yet, with all the people going about various tasks, it was almost enough to seem, if not beautiful, at least…. Clean. Harmonious, maybe. She glanced towards the back, and spotted a very purposeful arrangement of crates and cardboard that formed something of a dias, one of those brightly-colored chairs that look like half a teacup with cushions in it balanced almost precariously on top. In that chair lounged a woman, sitting sideways in the seat with her legs over one armrest with a catlike ease. Ivy noticed the direction of her look. “That’s Isis. The Lioness, you might know her as. She’s kind of the boss around here. On the left, with the blue skin, that’s Niabi, aka The Huntress. She’s second-in-command, and also kind of a mother to me. And on the right…. that’s Sabira. She’s kinda scary. The blonde in the back is Lilly.” Sasha nodded, and kept looking around, eventually letting her gaze move back to Isis, and observing the leader more carefully. She looked almost Middle-eastern, maybe African, with long black braids tipped with gold beads, bronze skin, and just her general appearance. A sleek, furred tail hung off the front of the chair, and…. Those were definitely claws, sliding out from her fingertips, glossy black and probably razor sharp. That was the Lioness, alright. Every inch screamed predator, sleek and deadly. Sasha barely registered Ivy practically dragging her closer, more focused on the slowly emerging details as she grew nearer. A heart-shaped face, high cheekbones, a distinctly African nose, and plump lips, painted the same glossy black as those claws. Ivy stopped near the makeshift dias and gave a respectful nod. “I brought a friend, Ms. Halabi. This is Sasha.” Isis prowled- that was the only way to describe her way of moving, slow, deliberate, and dangerous- down and slid to the dirty concrete floor. “Sasha, hmm? What can you do?” Sasha snapped her gaze away from those feline golden eyes and stared at her shoes. “I…. I can do things to people’s abilities, ma’am. Make them stronger, or block them. A tiny bit of telekinesis.” Isis lifted Sasha’s chin with a finger. “They’re scared of you, aren’t they. The others. They don’t like how much stronger you are. How easily you can overpower them with just a thought.” Sasha nodded slowly. “Some of them. Not all. My… My friends aren’t. I don’t think.” “I understand, Sasha. Humans fear strength, and mutants like us scare them with how strong we are. And mutants…. When there is another like them, stronger than them, they share that fear. They know what it is like, to be a human. To be weaker than something that looks like what you are, but isn’t. That could end you with a thought. So many of the feared find sanctuary here. You could too, if you wished. You could give them something to fear, if that’s what you wanted.” Sasha bit her lip. Isis’s offer was tempting, but…. “I don’t want them to be afraid of me. Especially not Lucida. Or Lajaria.” Isis stroked her hair gently. “If they are your friends, they won’t be. In fact, they may decide to join you here.” Sasha pulled back and glanced at Ivy. “No. Thank you, but…. I’m not ready to be here. I want to try. To… make them accept me.” Isis sighed. “If that’s what you want, then go. Jackson will take you back to your school. My offer still stands. They will always fear you, Sasha. I’m here when you’re ready to accept that and join me. Join us , and fight it.” Sasha nodded, and allowed the teleporter to take her arm. She didn’t even notice when Ivy didn’t join her.__________ They landed practically inside the fountain, the teleporter promptly making another jump, presumably back to The Den. The few students still out this late jumped and gave her startled, possibly fearful, looks. She forced herself to block them out, and walked back up the stairs and down the hall to her room. When she opened the door, a pen smacked her in the face. She yelped and rubbed at the black streak across her chin. “Lucida!” Lucida leaned back and crossed her arms, combat boots chucked haphazardly on the floor by her bed. “Care to tell me where you were?” Sasha swallowed. “I was hanging out with Ivy. Fox. Y’know. The girl Lajaria was telling me about.” It was the truth. Maybe not the whole truth, but the non-traitorish version of it. The one that wouldn’t get her thrown out or burned at the stake by the other students. Hopefully. Lucida narrowed her eyes and scanned Sasha for a tense minute. “Fine. At least you came back before curfew.” Sasha nodded absently and crawled into her bed. “At least there’s that.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sasha skipped her first class the next morning to practice with her gun. She coiled her typical braid up into a tight bun and pulled on the headphones, breathing steadily. She fired once. The bullet landed in the target’s chest. They’re scared of you, aren’t they. The next shot hit the wall a few inches to the left of the target’s head. They’ll never accept you. Sasha tried to steady herself, her breathing, and fired again. You could give them something to fear, if that’s what you wanted. Her breathing quickened with the next shot. They will always fear you, Sasha. She barely noticed the quiet click telling her the gun was empty. Fight it. It tumbled out of her hands and clattered against the concrete. She curled up in the corner, shaking. They hate you. They’re afraid of you. They’ll never accept you. Fight it. Join us. Make them fear you. No. You want to. You’re not safe. Sasha barely heard herself start screaming, trapped in her own mind. She didn’t want this. She never asked for any of this. Never asked for this mutation. For them to fear her. A hand touched her shoulder, then recoiled when Sasha looked up, meeting the girl’s eyes. Sasha saw the girl and realized she was one of the telepaths. That the thoughts slashing her into ribbons couldn’t possibly belong to her. “Stop it! Get out of my head!” Sasha screamed, and lashed out with her power, its phantom claws ripping at the telepath’s abilities. The girl stumbled back and tripped over the discarded gun, sending it skidding over to Sasha. Sasha picked it up and pointed it at the girl, her hands shaking violently. The girl sobbed and scrambled back. “Please!” The metal in Sasha’s hands turned to ice, grooves and edges biting fiercely into her palms. Sasha pulled back on the trigger. When the gun clicked and yet no bullet fired, the telepath bolted. Sasha let the weapon fall and curled back into a ball, shaking, her breaths barely gasps ripping their way out of her chest. Soft leaves wrapped around her, and she looked up to stare at her mirror. “Sasha… Shh. It’s okay. She’s fine. You’re fine.” Ivy tucked back a loose coil of Sasha’s hair and gently rubbed her hands down Sasha’s arms. “Come back. You’re okay.” She gently helped Sasha to her feet and tucked the forgotten pistol into her waistband. Sasha allowed Ivy to lead her to her room, not questioning how the girl knew where it was, and stepped inside, pausing to stare at the plain Amazon box sitting on the bed, tape intact. “It’s from Isis. She had one of ours make it for you.” Sasha ripped open the box and lifted out a stretchy, remarkably durable outfit, sliding her hands over the fabric. It was soft and flexible where needed, and armored where it counted. She set it aside and lifted out a pair of tall boots, then noticed a button on the suit’s hip and pressed it. She nearly dropped the boots, dodging the wicked blades that showed themselves She checked out the blades, running her hand along the underside, touching the glowing orange streaks across them. “They’re kind of… rollerblade-ish. And gravitationally modified, so you can go on walls or whatever if you go fast enough.” Ivy supplied. Sasha nodded and set them down, then lifted out a strange sort of helmet. The top had been cut off, and a band across the brow was almost like a crown. There was also a choker made out of thick metal chain link of some kind backed with black ribbon, with a topaz dangling from the center. Sasha touched the stone and bit down on a yelp. Ivy leaned over her shoulder. “Wow, lucky. Those things are nuts. An amplifier we employed made them before a couple teachers from here killed her. Isis doesn’t give those out to just anyone. Basically they’re like amplifiers, but better, and in gem form.” Sasha barely heard her, still touching the stone and feeling the abilities of every mutant nearby. Some were silent, some roiling, others pulsing softly. She noticed a note laying on the bottom of the box. She picked it up and started to read the delicate script. Sasha, I want you to have this. Every warrior needs armor, after all, and every queen deserves a crown. I know you have potential. Allow that pretty little stone to help you use it. As long as it’s touching you, you’ll feel its effects. Consider this a gift. -The Lioness Sasha tucked the note back into the box, neatly piled everything but the choker on top of it, and shoved the box deep under her bed. Sasha sat down on the mattress. “So… these gem amplifier thingies. Explain?” Ivy sat on the nightstand, balanced precariously between the lamp, the clock, and the edge of the small surface. “Well, we had an amplifier a while back. Similar to your powers, but she couldn’t block or anything like that. She figured out how to put her ability into crystals and such that could hold it and affect a person who touched it, as long as they had mutant abilities. So of course, Isis convinced her to come make them for her, for a hefty paycheck. They work on any mutant, but do best with elementals, telekinetics, telepaths, and other abilities that affect others or the natural world. Internal abilities still get amplified, but it’s not as useful.” Ivy sighed and flicked some invisible crumb onto the floor. “And then the adults here figured out why everyone in The Den was suddenly so powerful. They sent in their shifter. I think she calls herself… Mystique? Anyway, she killed our amplifier, and that was that. She’s at the top of Isis’s hit list, so if you ever want to get in good with her, you know who to target. We still have a supply of amplifier crystals, but Isis has to be more stingy with them. You’re lucky she decided you were important enough to have one.” Sasha bit her lip. “Who at the den has one? If you can tell me?” Ivy started to list them off. “About half the lesser-ranking people who are considered trustworthy, Sabira, Lilly, Niabi, obviously Isis herself, and…. Me. It’s an emerald, on a black choker. Seems innocent enough, but…. It makes me more than I would be naturally. I’m actually wearing it now.” She tilted her chin back and touched the gem settled against the hollow of her throat. Sasha nodded. “Could I make them?” Ivy shrugged. “I don’t know, honestly. I’d think you would, since you have amplifier abilities, but it’s also possible that was just Abby. Her power wasn’t split towards three things like yours is.” “I didn’t notice a gem on anyone up on those crates.” “They’re inside them. Isis had the first four Abby made implanted into her and her Inner Circle’s sternums. Like, into the actual bone. There’s no way those are ever going anywhere.” A bell chimed, and Ivy hopped off the nightstand. “Grab your choker. I checked your schedule. We have abilities training right now.” She practically shoved the choker into Sasha’s hands and bolted. Almost reverently, in respect for its now-dead maker, Sasha wrapped the choker around her neck, feeling the gem give a little jump as it settled into the hollow of her throat, giving off a soothing pulse. She ran after Ivy, quickly catching up due to her advantage of longer legs, not to mention that people immediately tripped over themselves to get away from her when they saw her coming. She slowed into a walk, doing her best to block out the swarm of abilities slamming against the bars of the cage she kept her own ability in, begging to be noticed, to be toyed with. Ivy led her down a staircase and into a long, panelled room, a blue-skinned, red-haired woman standing at the front, students watching her expectantly. Ivy and Sasha claimed chairs in the back, any sitting around them immediately vacating their seats. Ivy leaned over. “That would be Mystique.” Sasha nodded absently as class began, the woman folding her hands over a podium. “Well. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Raven Darkholme, otherwise known as Mystique. I’ll be teaching you how to control your abilities. For example,” Raven’s skin seemed to fold over on itself, blue skin turning pale, short, dark red hair- the same shade as Sasha’s own- lengthening and fading to blonde. Most of the class applauded. Raven waited for the class to quiet before she changed back and spoke. “When I call your name, say present and state your ability.” When Sasha heard her name called, she felt Ivy squeeze her wrist reassuringly. She raised her chin. “Present. Amplification, draining, and minor telekinesis.” Raven nodded. “Ivy Fox?” “Present. Nonconscious Organics.” Sasha gave Ivy a weird look, and Ivy shrugged, leaning in to whisper. “I’m sure there’s a better technical name for it, but seriously. ‘Nonconscious Organics’ sounds better than ‘Plant stuff,’ right?” Raven finished calling roll, and stepped away from the podium. “Today, we’ll be learning how to defend against other abilities, as well as learning control. There’s a fairly good chance you’ll end up fighting against other mutants with backwards ideas, and you’ll need to know how to defend yourselves. And remember, we’re trying not to kill each other.” Raven scanned the class. “Edda, you can be first. Telekinesis is the most common ability you’ll face, and also one of the more difficult to defend against. Come up to the front. Everyone else, line up across from her. Edda, you can use these beanbags as your weapons in this scenario.” Sasha filed into line, glanced at Ivy with a small smile, and coaxed her power awake, allowing it to strengthen Edda’s. One by one, the class matched against the telekinetic. Some succeeded in defending themselves, others were hit with the beanbag. Sasha paused when she realized Luna would be the next one facing Edda, and then simultaneously, as Edda began flinging beanbags, shattered any limit Edda had while crushing Luna’s ability beneath the weight of her own. The beanbag slammed into Luna’s face, knocking her down. Ivy gave Sasha a knowing look, watching Luna fling the beanbag away and storm off, passing straight through the wall as Sasha released her hold on both girls’ abilities. Raven sighed. “Edda, switch out with….” she scanned the rest of the class, “Sasha. Everyone else, you’ll have to either stop her from blocking you in the first place, or try to remove it. While her ability is very rare, it is one of the most dangerous you might face. If you can’t escape a block, you’re probably done.” Sasha walked up to where Edda had been standing, and turned to face the next person in line. She stared him down, head slightly tilted, and brushed against his ability, quietly prodding into the heat that stretched out to meet her. Fire, then. She was starting to learn that everything had its own signature. Quietly, she thought of water, of dirt and cold, smothering that fire until all she felt was ashes, the slightest warmth pushing back, but soon even that turned cold. The boy gasped and jerked away. Sasha smiled and then turned her attention to her nails, keeping that fire cool. The boy stomped off with a huff, and she pulled back, letting his ability spring back to life. The next one who approached, she did the same, testing the girl’s power. That core was icy cold, surrounded by a solid wall. She scraped phantom claws over the icy shell, and found a crack. A chasm hidden under snow. She wormed her way into it and shattered that wall with a burst of power, melting away ice into lukewarm water, silencing it. The girl kept trying to break the hold, spikes of frost slamming into flame. Eventually, she gave up, and Sasha let go. This went on all the way down the line. Some had stronger defenses than others, some didn’t stand a chance, but eventually she blocked them all. When it was Ivy’s turn, she started the same, investigating a mental shield of elm and thick vines. It was sturdier than she’d expected. If it’d been anyone else, she’d just have blocked, but Ivy…. She decided to let her newfound friend have a win. She pressed down, yes, but didn’t fully go to block her. She let Ivy have a little wiggle room, and then squeaked as the plants stabbed through the floor and pulled her down, feeling her ability slingshot almost painfully back into its hidey hole. A few kids gave awkward applause. The rest just stared.At that moment, a feminine voice came over the intercom. “Sasha Nedelec, please report to Professor Xavier’s office at your earliest convenience.” Sasha repressed a wince as her last name was viciously butchered. A few seconds later, the bell chimed, and she grabbed her bags, making her way to the office. She pushed through the thick wooden doors- mahogany, maybe- and claimed a spot against the doorframe. “You wanted to see me?” Professor Xavier nodded. “Yes, I did. Please take a seat.” Sasha flopped gracelessly into a chair in front of the desk. The professor sighed. “Multiple students have come to me with…. Concerns…. About you. That you aren’t adjusting well, that you’re scaring people, that your power may be consuming you.” Sasha bit her lip. “Really?” “Really. Are they right?” Sasha brushed against her power, her eyes lining with silver. “I think they might be. I don’t want to scare them, but…. I need my abilities like I need air. I can’t just not use them.” “If it’s alright, I may have a solution. In the past, I had a pupil with very strong powers that began to consume her. I managed to contain the majority of those powers in her subconcious. I may be able to do the same with you.” Sasha considered it. “Try.” She leaned back in the chair. Wheels rolled across the carpet, and fingers pressed themselves to her temples. “Try to relax.” She let out a breath and zoned out._____________
She woke up on the floor, her head feeling too full and the topaz burning against her skin.
She looked around, and locked onto the professor’s face.
“Where did you get that?” He asked slowly, gesturing to the gem.
He would take it. She couldn’t let him.
“It’s just a cheap necklace from Claire’s. Why?” She replied.
“The topaz didn’t come from a tiny store in the mall. Where did you get it?”
“I found it,” she said evasively.
“Someone gave that to you. I need to know who. It’s dangerous.”
Slowly, Sasha rose, closing her hand around the gem, which turned icy cold. She flinched at the sudden change in temperature and backed away.
“Sasha….” he said warningly.
“It’s mine, Professor. You can’t have it. It belongs to
me
, not you.” She was mildly shocked by the venom in her words, the gem’s facets biting into her palm.
“You shouldn’t have one of those. Too much power will drive you mad.”
“It came from one of mine. At least, before you killed her like you’re going to kill me. That’s right, isn’t it? You killed her for having my power. Now I’ve come to replace her, and you can’t let that happen.”
Professor Xavier sighed. “Sasha, nobody is going to kill you. We had no choice with Abby-”
“Don’t you
dare
say her name. Don’t you
dare
say you had no choice. We both know you’re lying. I’m a
danger,
you say. I’m
going mad
, you say.
My power will consume me
, you say. Well, I don’t want to hear any more
lies!
” She was practically screaming now, her power roiling, the pressure building, the beast scratching at its cage.
The door swung open, admitting Lucida and Lajaria, who grabbed her arms. “Sasha! Sasha, calm down, it’s okay!” Lucida said desperately.
She let them pull her out of the room and close the doors, Lucida grabbing her by the shoulders. “Sasha, what’s happening? We heard you yelling.”
Sasha inhaled slowly. “He’s going to kill me. Or have one of the teachers do it, maybe.”
Lajaria and Lucida both started talking over each other, their outrage evident.
Sasha held her hands out. “It’s okay. I’ll leave before they can. I won’t let what happened to Abby happen to me.”
Lajaria raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Abby?”
“Another amplifier Ivy knew. She was making gems to amplify other people’s powers, and they killed her for it.”
Lucida gasped. “That is seriously messed up.”
Sasha nodded. “I might need to leave soon. Find somewhere safe.”
“We won’t let that happen, Sash. Promise,” Lajaria said soothingly.
Ivy wandered up. “You can train with me, if you want. I know a place.”
Sasha nodded and hugged Lucida and Lajaria. “I think I’ll skip class the rest of the day. You guys go, I’ll be okay here.”
Lucida turned to go. “You sure you’re good here?”
Sasha nodded. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
Lajaria and Lucida walked off.
Ivy was still waiting. “C’mon. I’ll call Jason to come get us.”
Sasha smiled weakly. “Okay.”
A few minutes later, Jason poofed into being, grabbed them, and teleported them to The Den.
Ivy dug into her bag and pulled out Sasha’s boots. “Put these on. The better you are at fighting with them, the better you’ll be without them.”
Sasha nodded and kicked off her converse, sliding the boots up over her jeans. She sat down on a crate and checked out the bottoms. “You got a remote or something?”
Ivy nodded and pressed a button. “There.”
Sasha stroked the blades, then stood up, balancing easily.
Ivy frowned slightly. “I was expecting more wobbling and faceplanting.”
Sasha shrugged. “I was in roller derby for a while. These aren’t too different from what I’m used to wearing. A little better, actually.”
She took a few experimental strokes, gliding over the concrete, then took off, at one point actually skating briefly over the brick wall before sliding to a stop. “These are amazing, Ivy. Thank Isis for me, will you?”
Ivy nodded. “Alright. Now kick that crate, blades first.”
Sasha did so, her grin growing as the blades sliced deep gashes in the wood. “I like it.”
“Extra defense. Now…. Let me get an idea of your skills. Strength, flexibility, whatever. I already know you’re ridiculously fast in those boots.”
Sasha jumped up and grabbed a bar hanging from the ceiling, pulled herself up, and sat on it. “I can pretty easily lift up about 130 pounds. Pretty flexible and agile from roller derby.”
Ivy nodded. “Alright. We can do something with that. Honestly, Isis should probably be training you. I’ll talk to her about it. But for now, I’ll teach you the basics.”
______________
Sasha left the makeshift gym feeling pleasantly sore in a way she hadn’t for a while.
She debated asking Jason or Ivy to take her back to school, but decided to stay the night. It was too early for her to go back yet. Not without a plan to stay alive. She couldn’t forget what they’d done to Abby.
Abby. A woman she’d never met, but somehow felt a kinship with. Someone who had shared a rare ability with her. Even the gem around her neck seemed to know it too, purring like a cat whenever she touched it, as if it recognized her.
She might think it was fate, if she didn’t know better. But she wasn’t a seer. She didn’t know the future. If it did exist, they would know. If it didn’t, they could prove it.
It was a shame that true seers were so rare, if they existed at all. Sure, there were some that could see certain things. The immediate future, the way someone would die, what the weather might be that day. But she’d never heard of one who could truly see the whole future, see every possible outcome of an action.
She decided to try and find a place to sleep. Maybe Ivy could help her find a guest room.
Sasha wandered through the old warehouse, glancing around. A few people were still up, playing cards, chatting, or messing with their abilities, but it looked like the majority had gone to sleep.
A dandelion popping up from a crack in the concrete wrapped around her ankle. “Come on. You can sleep with us,” Ivy called, perched on an overhang of wood where it looked like a portion of the upper floor had fallen away.
Sasha nodded and looked for a way up.
“Here, I’ll come down and show you the way up. It’s a bit tricky.”
Ivy sat down on an iron rail- the remains of what probably used to be a staircase- and slid to the ground, taking a few steps to regain her balance. “Okay, come over here. Climb up on the crate, put your foot in this hole here, hold onto the rail, step on this board- as close to the wall as you can, it’s kind of rickety- use these next couple of bricks as steps, and then climb up that rope ladder.”
Sasha nodded and used a nearby chair, plastic and probably from some school somewhere, to climb onto the crate, grabbed the rail, and followed Ivy’s instructions, finally rolling up onto the second floor.
Ivy came up after her, but Sasha’s attention went to Isis, sprawled out on the floor and blinking lazily. “Brought a friend, Ivy?”
Ivy nodded. “It’s a bit risky for her to sleep in her dorm tonight.”
Isis stretched, those black claws sliding out from her fingernails and digging into the floor for a moment. “Then come join the group, Sasha. We tried individual beds, but eventually decided it was cheaper and easier to just make certain areas into…. I suppose a good word for them would be nests. Blankets and pillows are much easier to get ahold of than dozens of individual beds for everyone living here full-time.”
Sasha then noticed the rest of Isis’s inner circle, curled up in a pile. “...Oh.”
Ivy walked past her and claimed a spot near Isis’s legs. “C’mon, Sash. It’s actually pretty comfortable, for sleeping on the floor.”
Sasha slowly pulled off her shoes and stepped into the nest, finding a spot on the edge. Ivy was right, it was pretty comfortable. She found a pillow the right size for her head and laid down, burrowing in.
She fell asleep almost immediately.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When she woke up the next morning, dust motes were dancing in the light pouring through the dirty, cracked windows. Ivy, Lilly, and Sabira were gone. Niabi was over in the corner doing something, and Isis was still asleep. At least, that was what Sasha thought until the woman rolled over and blinked at her. “Sleep well, Sasha?” Sasha nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” Isis stretched gracefully. “Please, call me Isis. Or if you can’t do that, Ms. Halabi is fine. Not ma’am, if you don’t mind. It makes me feel old.” Sasha nodded. “How old are you, Ms. Halabi?” Isis chuckled. “It’s not polite to ask a woman’s age. But if you must know, I’m twenty-nine.” Younger than Sasha had thought. Isis studied those claws, picking at some invisible imperfection. “Be a dear and hand me that file, would you, Sasha?” Sasha nodded and located the nail file, passing it to Isis, who began to use it to smooth and sharpen her claws, blowing away the dust. “Perfect. Thank you, Sasha.” Sasha nodded. “Thank you for the suit you sent me.” Isis nodded. “It was my pleasure. I have them made for everyone here who wants to fight for our rights.” Sasha tilted her head slightly. Why anyone might need a suit to get equal rights concerned her, but she brushed it off. Isis probably had a good reason. Isis shot to her feet, her pupils contracting to thin black lines and her tail whipping. A teleporter appeared in a puff of smoke, Isis turning. “What is it, Luke?” “Another raid, Ms. Halabi.” Isis turned back to Sasha. “If you have to fight, do it from up here. Luke, bring Ivy up here as well and then get the other teleporters together to gather up anyone who didn’t stay here last night. Niabi, make sure everyone is awake and ready.” Luke teleported away, Niabi clambered down from the second floor, and Isis turned to narrow her eyes at Sasha. “No matter what happens, you stay here. If they see you, they’ll take you back and lock you up. Keep Ivy here too, when she arrives. Ivy was teleported in right as Isis jumped from the edge of what remained of the second floor to the first floor. Sasha dragged Ivy back into the farthest corner, trying not to sneeze as dust flew up her nose. The beginning of a commotion started at the warehouse door, metal groaning as it was forced out of shape and off its track. Sasha got down on her belly and wiggled over to the edge, peeking over to watch. Isis stood at the door with her Inner Circle flanking her, her arms crossed and tail whipping. Her voice was clear despite the distance, her tone firm. “You’re trespassing in my home. I suggest you give me a good reason to let you leave without injury.” Even from a distance, Sasha could see Isis’s claws slide out, gleaming and, as she knew, freshly sharpened just a few minutes earlier. The enemy mutants responded by summoning their own powers, their words inaudible. Isis’s next words chilled her to the bone, the predator beneath shining through at last. “If you wish to fight, then you’ll get one. Of course, you’ll be on the losing end, if you survive at all.” Quietly, Sasha reached out with her ability and snuffed out those of the invaders, as easily as blowing out a candle. Fire and light winked out. Ice melted. Wind stopped. Floating metal and debris were reclaimed by gravity. The moment the enemy’s shocked faces arrived, Isis struck, a blur of motion that stopped as quickly as it began, one of the invaders slumping to the ground as Isis stepped back, her claws slick and red. “Anyone else?” The invading force struck, a few ripping free of her ability and lashing out with their own. The chaos forced Sasha away from the hole and back to Ivy’s corner. Instead, she reached out with her amplifier ability, finding any ally not touched by one of Abby’s gems and giving their power a boost. Eventually, the fighting died, and Sasha stilled, sensing telekinesis being used nearby. She couldn’t tell what for, or who was using it. A black boot landed on the concrete, and then another. Sasha willed herself and Ivy not to be noticed. The girl turned and crouched. “It’s okay, girls. The fight’s over. We’re here to take you somewhere safe.” The girl stretched out a hand, and then jerked it back, a hiss cleaving the air as Isis’s claws had just ripped through the skin. “They don’t belong to you, Tessa.” Tessa flung out a hand, and Isis went flying, grabbing onto an iron girder and landing on her feet. Pale blue smoke filled Sasha’s vision, and then she was being dragged away by a teleporter she didn’t know.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sasha spilled out of whatever fold teleporters used and landed hard on sterile white flooring.
She caught herself and scuttled to her feet, eyes narrowed. “Take me back.”
“We freed you. You don’t have to go back to that place. It’s not too late to be rehabilitated,” the man said with some sort of slight accent. Russian, maybe.
“I don’t need to be
rehabilitated
!” Sasha spat. “The only reason I was there in the first place was because I
ran
from here so you and yours wouldn’t kill me for what I am!”
The man- more of a boy, really, probably about her age- stumbled back, and then vanished, leaving her alone.
Strong hands pushed her into another room, and a clear door slid shut. She slid for a moment before stopping herself, flinging her hair back to glare furiously at the person who’d just caged her. He just walked off, leaving her with her rage.
She lashed out viciously with her power….
And slammed into a wall of nothing.
Something in the walls, then. Blocking her from going any further than the cage they’d put her in.
She stood up slowly and began to pace.
A small sink on one side.
A toilet, that was hidden in a wall alcove at the push of a button.
A small metal bed, topped with a thin white mattress and white sheets.
That was it. One wall was mostly clear, the others made of smooth white brick.
The only blot of color in the room was her.
She hissed through her teeth and pulled the tie out of her braid, letting it unravel and sliding the band around her wrist, just to give herself something to do.
Her hair uncoiled slowly, falling down to her waist in a sheet of blood-red waves.
Caged. They’d put her in a
cage
. Like some sort of feral animal. Like if they offered her some treats and kindness she’d start dancing for them like a dog in the circus.
She let out a furious scream and flipped the bed over, flinging the pillow into the opposite wall and slamming her hands against the cold metal until it stung.
When she couldn’t handle the pain from that, she started ripping apart the sheets, and then slammed her fist into the clear plastic cutting her off from the world, leaving a smear of red across the surface. At some point, she’d broken the skin, either from hitting the bed or cutting herself on something.
She kept slamming her hands against the plastic until that too grew boring.
She returned to pacing, her only real option other than destroying everything she could reach.
They could have at least given her a magazine or a book.
As her initial rage cooled, she slowed and turned to give the other side of the clear paneling another look.
Maybe she could overpower someone bringing food. She had had training in the past, and Ivy had given her a refresher course. In here, she should be able to block them.
Of course, they probably weren’t stupid enough to do that. And who’s to say they’d even feed her in the first place? Safer to just let her starve.
She leaned hard against the clear wall, then smacked at the edges of the door, and where it joined the wall, kicking at the bottom.
Her gaze turned to the bed. It looked sturdy enough, and with the amplifier gem….
Why they hadn’t taken it, she didn’t know, but it worked in her favor.
She focused on her telekinesis. Slowly, sweat beading on her brow, she forced the bed to rise, and then slammed the metal frame into the plastic as hard as she could.
Red lights began flashing, an alarm screeching in her ears as the plastic dented badly and started to crack.
People ran down, and someone hit a button.
Gas flooded the chamber, and she passed out.
____________
When she woke up, she was in a different cell. No bed frame this time, just a mattress on the floor.
Nothing she could do with that.
She spent what she thought was days in that cell before she began to form a plan.
It wouldn’t hurt for Isis to get another spy in the school. She’d taken a few drama classes as a kid, she could act well enough. And if she built a barricade of her blocking ability around her mind….. No telepaths would be able to see her.
She bottled her rage up inside and forced herself to appear calm and rehabilitated. She did nothing threatening, made herself seem harmless.
Slowly, they began to let her out. But not without cost.
A collar, locked around her neck, to block her powers.
She came to the realization that much of this could have been stopped if she’d gone to class so the teachers and students recognized her.
Of course, the other possibility would be what had happened anyway, only much sooner.
She brushed her power gently against that collar.
Shh. I’m like you. We were made for the same purpose.
She doubted it could understand her thoughts, but it never hurt. And besides, her blocking abilities seemed to soothe those of the collar, its internal workings slowly letting go.
It kept her telekinesis and amplification blocked, but that was alright. It allowed her to keep her strongest ability, just because it recognized what she was. That collar, but made flesh.
She started attending classes, Lajaria, Lucida, and Ivy around her like bodyguards everywhere she went.
They didn’t try to remove the collar, of course. She doubted they could if they wanted to.
And at night, she was placed back into her cell. For her safety, they claimed.
But she knew the only people they were concerned about were themselves.
A few weeks later, a new face greeted her as she headed for her cell. The woman turned to look at her and giggled as she noticed the collar. “How good of a pet you must be, to be allowed your freedom. Is there a leash to match?”
Sasha narrowed her eyes. “And who are you?”
The woman smirked. “I am everywhere and nowhere. I am death and life and healing. Who are you?”
Sasha quickly realized this woman was probably not quite sane.
The woman leaned forward conspiratorially. “Come closer, pet of killers. Come, sweet little liar. Precious spy. Come see.”
Against her better judgment, Sasha obeyed, coming up to the clear plastic separating them.
“They think if they keep me here, feed me on dust and ashes, I will break. They think this cell can contain me, when my very blood has turned to poison. But there is no cure for death. Did you know that, you of the bleeding soul? I can see it. One drink…. Bring me just one drink, one bite of strength, and I will tell you their secrets. The lies they hide in the dark corners.”
Sasha snorted. “You’re insane.”
The woman nodded. “Yes, I suppose so. Some might say strength has poisoned my mind, that my blood flows green and burns like acid. Perhaps they are right. But it has done so much more. I am not a frog, little liar. I do not become safe when deprived of my prey. One taste, heart-cursed. And I will bleed for you in return.”
Sasha sighed. “Fine. What do you want.”
The woman laughed. “I want strength, dearest destroyer. I want death, gleaming purple, gleaming black. Sweet dark pearls to end one’s
life, hanging heavy from the bush. I want my eyes to turn black, my lips stained purple. Can you do that?”
Sasha leaned away. “I am not killing you.”
“Oh, you won’t. Not like this. What I desire can harm all but me. The beautiful lady of death, the shadowed night.”
Sasha rolled around the woman’s description in her head. Bushes, black and purple, death, beautiful lady, shadowed night…..
“Deadly Nightshade. You seriously expect me to bring you deadly berries?”
The woman nodded. “Only to you. Not me.”
Sasha sighed. “Fine.”
___________
She came back the next day with a plastic bag full of nightshade berries Ivy had grown for her and slipped it through the flap in the door for food trays. “Here.”
The woman picked up the bag and pulled it open, popping a handful of berries in her mouth and letting the juice run down her chin. When she had finished off the bag, with no apparent problems from how much poison she’d just eaten, she sat on the floor near Sasha. “What would you send to our golden-eyed queen, traitor? The words they whisper when the light disappears? A bottle of death wrung from my veins? Speak, sweet betrayer.”
Sasha rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Just give what you promised.”
The woman cocked her head, like a bird that senses danger. “They don’t know what my blood truly does. They cannot heal me of it, or any who claim it for themselves. There is one here who works for no one. Bones cut through flesh, souls whisper in his ears. An ally to the great queen of cats, once, but no longer. A seller of secrets. Give me that glass tube.”
Sasha nervously took the syringe indicated off the table and passed it through.
Delicately, Amber wrapped a strip of cloth tightly around her upper arm and slid the needle into a vein, pulling back the plunger until the tube was full of her blood.
She removed the needle and licked away the blood from her inner arm, untying the makeshift tourniquet. “Careful with that, sycophant. Take it and show Isaac Baines, show the ones who would cage you, tame you, that a captive beast may still bite.”
Sasha carefully tucked the needle into her pocket and walked away.