☼ รץภςє๔ ☾

Ryan pressed into the kiss, and felt them both intertwining. Never did he have a kiss. He felt Jex's heartbeat press on to his chest, and once again the pain came back.
Why now?
Their lips smacked once or twice, and after feeling how much Jex got into it, he tried to reciprocate. More pain was pulling him back, but he stuck through it. He felt Jex's fingers run through his hair, and his spine tingled.
This is right. It has to be.
His eyes became teary. He was so happy this was happening. He went into the kiss deeper and ran his hand down Jex's hair as well. His breath became thin, but by the time he realized this, Jex let go and stared at him with his deep violet eyes. As he was about to lean in again so he can kiss him once more, Jex asked a question.
"Should we... take it slow...?" he said breathlessly. Ryan was also losing breath, gasping for air. Every time he made a deep breath though, his chest compulsed. He had to stop. And then the question hit him like a brick. They should take it slow.
Am I really gay?
He imagined in his mind the stereotype of gay people. High pitched voices, exaggerated mannerisms. His family would not approve at all. People at school would tease. How could they be out in public? People would give looks, especially those who are religious. What about the people in the mansion? What would they think? He was starting to panic, and looked away from Jex's glance as much as he loved seeing his eyes and smile.
"I..."
He frowned.
"I...don't know."
His heart plummeted. He really liked him, maybe even could love him, but how could he endure the world that was against him and Jex? Flinching his teeth from the pain, and wanting to explain to Jex immediately, he quickly turned and hugged Jex once again, holding on to him, not wanting to lose him for saying that. He laid his head on his shoulder again.
"I-I'm worried what...people would think," he said, caressing Jex's hair again. "I'm so confused right now. There's just so much going on."

 

Like a runny nose, nostrils inhaled aggressively. Struggling to lift his left hand, he slowly wiped the blood off his lower face using the jacket's sleeve. His body wasn't physically exhausted, but his mind was just momentarily fried, pleading for rest. Nicole thanked him which made Jean feel really proud of himself. Through determination he managed to save Molly's mother. What's more, it was his way of flipping the bird to the monsters that dared to take away Molly's mother. Inhaling with a bit of a struggling, esophagus accepted pent up saliva. Head was resting against the seats head rest while body merely remained in lack of motion. Eyelids struggled to maintain themselves up as exhaustion embraced Jean's mind. The desire to rest grew stronger by the second, and a part of him was willing to take up the offer.

Cars drove by on both sides of the avenue, and footsteps skidded on the sidewalk. It was already the late afternoon, nearly time for the sun to say goodbye to this side of the world.

Jean, a voice said in warning to the man's mind. I see someone on the roof...

A grunt escaped Jean as he forced energy-less body to rise off the seat. Eyelids were forced to retract in order for eyes to remain awake. Breath was heavy, mind was drowsy. On top of that, he realized that he would have to either step out of the car to take a look or scooch over Nicole to look through Molly's side of the window. In his current condition, it just was not going to happen. Alarmed by the threat however, the scholar remained awake, forcing eyes not to roll back. He was a bit worried, but it was easily being outweighed by the mind's desire to find sleep.

She's going away.

"Oh thank god..." Jean uttered before collapsing back onto the chair. Eyelids slowly lost the fight against the sleep that was conquering him. Everything became blurry, fading away into a pile of smudged colors until blackness.

"Mo...lly... Le's-take a nap.." he blurted out before falling into unconsciousness.

-----------------------------

"Jean?" a muffled voice spoke out. Ears were ringing as head throbbed relentlessly. The sound of crickets was echoing fiercely. Was it night time? Eye's began to open up to blurry vision. The colors were all smudged, out of whack. Yellow loomed over him with a speck of serene blue. He could feel something on his face. Warm and tender with this gentleness about it. The softness was tapping against his face, sending vibrations all around him. Eyes slowly struggled to roll out of the back.

"Jean wake up... We're here." spoke the voice clearly.

"Nicole...?" Jean queried as vision adjusted. The woman loomed over him, her entire lower half outside of the passenger's side. Eyelids fluttered as senses were awakening, but not in full. The tapping soon stopped as Nicole removed her hand away from his face, and retracted her torso out of the car. Blue irises watched Jean get up off the seat. Gentle hands took a hold of the scholar's wrist, aiding the man like some drunkard who couldn't step out of a car. Sneakers stumbled on the sidewalk, unable to maintain proper footing for legs to remain in balance. By placing a hand on top of the car door, Jean helped Nicole help him by lifting himself away from the car. His arm was placed around Nicole's shoulders, while some of his body weight leaned on her. By placing a hand on his hip, she managed to help Jean walk towards the gates that separated the outside world with the academy. Key's jingled on her other hand.

Earthy eyes managed to catch a glimpse of the moon that loomed over the earth.

"Come Molly. We'll be safe here." Nicole reassured her daughter. The little girl squeezed the teddy tight before following the two.

"You have the keys, right? Errol would kill me if I lost them..." words jested somewhat.

The gates opened before them, allowing Nicole to lead the group to the main entrance. The front area of the academy was a vast field of green grass with a road dividing the grass. A few trees with a monument resting close to the entrance impossible to miss. Reaching the glass doors, they didn't bother looking for the Head Master, Danni, or Jex. With guidance from Jean, Nicole was able to lead them up a flight of stairs and to the laboratory where the ring of keys was used to unlock the door. "The lights are right there." Jean mentioned, pointing with his chin. Key jingled as Nicole's hand fumbled for the light switch. After a third attempt, she managed to awaken the lights. "Settle me on my chair behind the desk with all those..." he paused, noticing the plethora of case files. He had forgotten about those. "...those folders..." he said.

Nicole led the man that had saved her to his comfy chair, watching drop onto it. A small groan escaped the shaggy haired Jean.

"You ok?" Nicole asked, hands reaching out to him out of instinct. Molly's doll like eyes stared at the man, teddy bear held close.

Jean's mandible tensed as he lifted a hand out to signal her to stop. "I'm fine. I'm just not in synch with my body at the moment... A good nights rest will do me good. For the time being, you guys can sleep on my couch over there. It's comfortable, and big enough for the two of you. We'll get your bags and find you a room first thing tomorrow. I promise... But in the mean time, please use the couch to rest. You can even take one of the jackets on my coat hanger as a bed sheet. " he explained, letting out a huge painful sigh. The chair leaned back as body weight shifted.

Nicole winced at Jean. Whatever pain he was going through must be pretty bad. Dropping her concerned hands, the woman reached out and placed a firm hand on his knee. "Thank you., Jean." was all she said before she took Molly by the hand and led her to the couch. Nicole went ahead and took Jean up on his offer by grabbing a lab coat that was hanging there. Giving it a good shake, she folded it on her forearm for the moment, walking towards the light switch. Finger was all ready to turn the lights off when Molly spoke up, "Mommy, can you leave the lights on?"

A sympathetic smile revealed itself on the mother. "Of course sweety." she replied.

The two cuddled together on the couch with the lab coat blanketing them. The two said goodnight to one another, and went to sleep. However before Molly shut her eyes, she looked up over to Jean who's eyes were shut. Averting eyes from the resting man, she looked at the floor for a moment.

"Good night, Jean." she reached out to him. However there was no immediate response, leaving the little girl hanging. Not taking it personally, she let eyelids shut while arms kept the teddy close the same way Nicole kept Molly close.

"Good night Molly."

Little eyes opened themselves and quickly turned to Jean's sleeping form. Dried up blood was all over Jean's lower part of the his face. He was only in such a mess because he had something to save her mom. It was thanks to this man that they were safe. A sense of security wrapped around Molly while eyes averted once more from Jean's form. Even though he was the way he was at the moment, he was still aware of what was going...like a sentry. THAT, made her feel very secure, and happy. Closing her eyes, Molly went to sleep.

 

​

It felt like a ton of bricks just fell on him.

Jex froze, fighting hard to chase away the frown that was theatening to set it. He was worried about being seen like this? With him? That was a low blow. Jex gently but firmly pulled himself away from Ryan's embrace, trying to not let the darkness that was setting in show itself. His eyes were hidden under his bangs, his dominor changed. The teen stood from the bed, keeping his eyes down as he put his hands in his pocket. "Alright... I'm sorry... Take your medicine and get some rest... Someone will check on you in the morning."

He turned away and began walking to the bedroom door. Jex couldn't stay and chat and work this out like a normal person was suppose to do. He felt hurt, crushed even. This was the first time he had actually kissed someone, and it was then tossed into the trash like it was... inconveniant. Never mind it was with another boy (though Jex never imagined it would paly out like this), never mind that they just met that day, never mind he might be slightly older than him, the older teen took it very personally. He wasn't shown that kind of love before, and now it felt fake.

Without saying a word, Jex exited the room and closed the door behind him. He took off to his own bedroom, using his card mindlessly to open it before slamming it behind. Not even thinking anymore, Jex walked over to his bed and flopped on the fluffy, grey and purple blankets. He burried his head into one, inhaling it deeply. Why was he so stupid? Why did he kiss back? Why did he allow this to happen? Why? Why? WHY?! "This is why you can't have nice things," Jex muttered to himself. "This is why you can't have connections with people... This is why you're too nice..."

Jex felt tears stining at his eyes and cursed under his breath. He wiped them away furiously before sitting up straight, yanking open his bedside table drawer. He pulled out three different kinds of medications and took one pill out of each bottle. Grabbing a bottle of water, he downed the pills and then chased some water down with it to swallow. After that was over, Jex screwed the lid back on before throwing it hard to the dark colored carpet. "Stupid!" He growled at himself. "How could you be so STUPID?!" He scratched his hair in a wild craze before standing up and pacing around a bit, grateful the curtains were tightly drawn shut. Maybe this was why he just didn't have time for love before. Maybe he was suppose to be alone. Maybe he was just... only good for when people needed him the most...

"Stupid..." He sunk down on his bed, curling up in a ball before the medications began to take affect, making him drift off into a fitful sleep.

 

Ryan as he was pulled away from Jex felt incredibly hurt. He thought he could understand how he felt. He thought he knew that he went through so much, and this was all so fast. He shouldn't have said that he would be embarrassed in front of everyone for being gay around him. It was just how he was grown up. Don't do this. Don't do that. Don't be gay. Don't talk to those people. Don't fail.
"Alright... I'm sorry... Take your medicine and get some rest... Someone will check on you in the morning."
The hot flush from earlier just turned into a blizzard. He looked at his eyes going down, and instead of hearing the kind, solemn voice of Jex, he heard instead something cold. Tears ran down Ryan's face.
"Jex! Please! Wait!" Ryan exclaimed, trying to go after him, but the searing pain of his chest had him fall back on to the bed. He screamed in pain and lied back down on the bed, hitting his head on the frame and then the pillow. He began to felt dizzy, and just watched as Jex walked away. He began to sob as he looked up at the ceiling. That smile Jex carried is gone, and he may never see it towards him again. That kiss. It meant nothing anymore. He rested the covers on him, just staring at the whiteness of the walls. He began to be louder with his sobbing, feeling so alone. Jex was the only person out there for him, and now he was by himself. He had to get back to his family, his normal life, his home. He began to get louder and louder as he cried. His face was now steaming from the tears he shed instead of the blushing he made earlier. He then remembered. He could hear his thoughts. Maybe he was still listening. He closed his eyes and focused on his thoughts so he was loud enough for him to listen to Ryan.

"Jex. Please. I just need time. Please, listen to me. I need you....."
He paused in thought. He thought seriously about what he was about to say.
"I love you and I don't care what anyone else thinks. Did everything that happened to us mean nothing? Please, just listen to me. I'm so scared of what is happening. I really need you. Please."

 

​

You tell me, came the groggy reply. You need time. I need time. Get some rest, Ryan.

 

You tell me. You need time. I need time. Get some rest, Ryan.
His heart sank as he heard the non-emotive answer. He was indeed alone now. He took the pills, swoshed them down, and laid back on the pillow.
I'm sorry
Ryan eventually cried himself to sleep, leaving a puddle of water beside his face.
I'm sorry, he thought once more as he went into a slumber.

 

​

As soon as Ken and Becca were done with their tests, Danni closed up shop. Damn it took a long time to get everyone through it. So freaking slow! Maybe there would be a better way to test the dimwits next time. Maybe she would just fight them one on one and see how that would go. Given how many telekinetic students there were, it could be exhausting, but at the same time kind of fun.

Danni stopped by her uncle's office, rapping on the door with clipboard in hand. Realizing the lights were off, Danni frowned and opened it. Uncle Errol wasn't back yet...

Knowing it was a stretch since Errol was probably far away, Danni reached out with her mind. Hey old man, where are you?

We're coming home soon... We need to talk tomorrow... Things had happened.

Danni furrowed her eyebrows, not liking the sound of that. What's going on? You sound like crap...

Patience, child. I'll tell you in the morning. We'll be back soon.

Danni felt her mind disconnect with her uncle and sighed out heavily. She had a feeling that what ever had happened, it wasn't good. She had a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach as she set the test result clipboard in a secure place in Errol's office before she walked off to her room. After she had gotten ready for bed, she curled up in a ball under her covers, and fell into a restless sleep.

​

Benjamin walked through a maze of hallways, passing by countless guards and other beings alike. It was drawing close to midnight, but he did not care. He had became caught up in other matters, and now he finally had a chance to focus on the thing he wanted to. The walls were made out of tough metal, almost giving the atmosphere a monochrome appearance. And there was a strange white nose resonating within the walls, giving it a calmly, eerie feeling. He rounded to a door that was also made out of metal, swiped his ID card and scanned his eyeball before it opened to another door. As soon as the first door closed behind him, the second one opened up to a modest room of sorts. There was a queen size bed with furniture to match, and even a desk with a comfortable office chair and some stationary. The "window" was fake. There was no way out into the outside world. The person within the room wouldn't know whether it was day or night if they opened the blinds. There were no clocks, no radios or stereos, no TVs, just boring old books.

​

Rose Reyer swiveled in her office chair when she heard the door open. Angry eyes fell on the old man and her body stiffened in resentment. "I'm not going to tell you anything," she growled under her breath, watching as the old man merely smiled and took a seat on a small couch.

"Come now, Dear. You've been here for three weeks! Surely you wish to go home and return to your... normal life." Benjamin placed his hands on the knob of the cane, watching the girl steady. She looked down at the desk's surface, glaring. "Really now, we've been more than accommodating for you. You have been given wonderful food, a beautiful room, and any book you wanted if you would only ask."

"Nice or not, you kidnapped me," Rose snapped, staring hard at Benjamin. "When the police hears about this-"

Benjamin laughed, shaking his head. "My dear, who are they going to believe? A high school girl with no real foot hold on life? Or an organization that gives back to the poor and helps the public in more ways than what they know..."

Rose bit her bottom lip, staring at the floor. The man was right... For all everyone would know, she made up the story to get out of trouble. But... that wouldn't be true. The only one who believed her would be the one that got her here in the first place... It wasn't his fault though, not entirely.

The banging of a cane slamming into the floor made Rose jump. She looked up to see that Benjamin's smile had faded and was gazing at her coldly. "If you continue to be this stubborn, so help me, I will resort to other ways to get information out of you. And it won't be pretty... Oh no... It would be worst pain you have ever experienced so far... Far worse than what that telepathic did to you." The man stood up, stalking towards Rose. "I will squeeze every last drop of information from you, and you won't be able to hold back."

Rose stood her ground, rising to her feet before the old man approached her. She clentched her fists, watching him carefully. Benjamin stopped walking, standing by the door. Rose spoke, "I'm never, ever going to tell you anything about Jex. Not now, not ever. Do your worst."

Benjamin kept a steady gaze before he sighed out, chuckling tiredly. "I'll give you some time to really consider what you're saying... Maybe being locked up in this room will eventually drive you mad... You can only last so long in solitary confinement after all." With a wave of his hand, Benjamin turned to leave. Rose did nothing to stop him and watched him go. When he finally left, Rose moved to the edge of her bed and sat down, staring out the fake window.

"Please find me..." she whispered. She looked up at the ceiling. She knew her thoughts wouldn't reach even the strongest telepathist. She already tried to call out to Jex several times, only to receive no answer. Rose buried her head in her hands, feeling a deep sense of doom starting to wash over her. What was she going to do...

 

Lucas was sitting in a chair in front of one of the desks at Lyle Strain's lab. The last three weeks had been dragging on forever. He'd captured Colton, had managed to find Lyle's name amongst a heap of files, had convinced Lyle to actually let them keep Colton there, and on top of that had been fulfilling the duties of both a government agent and a scientist to help make up for the lack of any real 'team' to study their lab rat. Lucas wasn't as efficient as the others by a long shot, due to not ever being trained as they had, however he learned quickly and was naturally intelligent, so he could function at least on a basic level. He wasn't particularly entertained simply watching Colton's vitals there on the screen before him though. Sighing and leaning back, he ran his fingers through his hair.

Something he hadn't expected was Lyle's dislike for those with powers. He and Lucas were alike in that fact, but with Lucas having to hide it so as to not give anything away, it really built up quite quickly. He needed to get out, to take a break from things. If he kept working himself as hard as he had been, he would burn out and in a state like that he could slip up, make mistakes, and then everything was ruined. He grabbed his coat and started towards the door as he reached into his pocket. He couldn't remember seeing Kye at all the last 3 weeks. While that wasn't normally a problem, she was the only one he trusted at all, so perhaps venting to her would help. Pulling out his phone, he dialled her phone number. It rung a few times before reaching the answering machine.

"Kye, it's Lucas. The weather isn't particularly nice right now, but I was wondering if you would like to get a coffee" the investigator said simply, before telling her the location he was thinking of and telling her he would be there in about a half hour, for an hour, and then hung up. The fact he was suggesting coffee was a hint that there was something he needed to talk about with her; he rarely ever requested socialization without a purpose. Noticing Isabella's look, he rolled his eyes. "It's not a date" he stated dryly. Without another word, Lucas walked out the door and began his journey to the small cafe he had told Kye about.


Back in the HQ for Raven Sun, Tobias was slightly bored. He couldn't really take any more jobs while he was on his current one, and his current one wasn't particularly entertaining. Then again, nothing had been entertaining for the last few weeks. He had spent the entire time trying to find more information on the silent killer, and so far the most fun thing he'd done was call the number Cynthia had given him, which turned out to not be her number at all. Although that particular man on the other end of that call had been rather fun to watch die. He remembered getting some information from him and then finding out his name, tracking him down and ending him. That'd been fun for like...half an hour, and then back to boredom.

Hopping over to the couch Cynthia was sitting on, he vaulted over it and landed on the cushion next to her. "So, Cynth, when do I get your actual number? That other one was useful and all but it wasn't any fun" the boy stated. As he looked up at Jason, who was standing behind the couch talking to Cynthia, an idea formed in his head that may very well cure his boredom. That or get him killed. Or maybe even both. But hey, what was the fun in living if you didn't risk it all once in a while. Getting up quickly, he stood up to his full height of 5"7 and looked straight at Jason. "Hey Jason....or should I call you daddy now?" he asked, looking completely serious.

"I mean, Cynth did tell you, right?" Tobias said, trying his best to look genuinely worried. He then laughed and slapped Jason on the back playfully as though he had just made the best joke ever. "Don't worry pops, I'll be a great son in law!" the assassin said, almost cracking up entirely as he saw the death glare Cynthia had given him. "I mean, I'm not legally old enough to be married so it's just an engagement for the moment. I haven't asked her for marriage yet, we've just banged, like, a whole bunch of times...but I think she put on a bit of weight these last 2 weeks, so hey guess what? You're a grandfather now! Congratulations sir, Matthias Greipr will be a lovely addition to your family. I promise I'll be a great husband, as long as she knows her place and makes me sandwiches whenever I want, but hey us men gotta keep fed somehow right dad?" he asked. He knew he was stepping over a line, but hey it was all in good fun. Besides, it was hilarious...for him, anyway.


Christie Yoshiro was in the rain, again. She hadn't really spoken to anyone as much over the last three weeks. If people tried to talk to her, she was her usual bright, cheery, happy self, and nothing seemed wrong at all. Personality-wise not much had changed, at least nothing people could see. Inside she had a constant burden, a constant plague of guilt. No matter how happy she was, no matter how much she laughed or smiled, there was always a small part of her that felt horrible and, to an extent, wished that she had either died that day or been taken along with Colton.

But she hadn't allowed herself to be upset by it. Sure, for the first week she was emotionally unstable and not very happy whatsoever, but after that she seemed okay. She'd been using it to push herself, to drive herself to be better. She hadn't been on any jobs at all, instead spending the majority of her time outside of the academy. The girl had been training herself to be physically stronger, doing exercise every day, and had been utilizing her psychic powers to the best of her ability. She'd been lifting weights with her arms, and lifting everything else with her mind.

Even now, in the rain that was pouring down on her, her concentration didn't waver. Christie wouldn't allow herself to fail again if the opportunity presented itself. She was a mentor, a teacher, and she had allowed someone under her protection to be taken, so she couldn't let herself fail once more. The car before her moved almost effortlessly a few metres to the right, moving from one parking space to another. She had repeated this motion day in and day out for the last week and a half, always on a car. Moving it across was easy for her, levitating into the air was a little trickier. Focusing her mind, she gripped the sides and lifted. The car floated just a couple of feet off the ground, before moving over to the side back over its original parking space. Christie then tried to lower it, but she lost focus and it fell to the ground with a loud crash. She hadn't intended to do that, she'd failed her own test once again. Exhausted, Christie wanted to go back, she wanted to quit, but she couldn't.

To anyone watching, they would probably see the fierce determination she showed, and if they knew what had happened that day then they would probably have an indication of just how much she was hurting inside. It wasn't all that unlikely someone had followed her; when you followed the same routine every day for a few weeks, it made you very predictable. Christie wasn't sure whether she wanted to talk to someone or not. While she didn't mind the conversation, would she trust she could keep them safe if the government decided they wanted that newcomer, too? Shaking off the thought as best she could, Christie gripped the car once more and began to lift again.​

 

​

"I never do anything about the weather, cause the weather's never done a thing for me~" Kytheria sung over the phone, smirking where she was at. "Stop at the shop for buzzes? Coolio." The girl made a gagging sound when he mentioned that this wasn't a date, and stuck out her tongue like she had tasted something gross. "Bleh! Don't jest like that! Truce is all I like." She shuddered and then recovered, stepping away from her window. "Greet ya at the usual Bucks of Star? Half an hour." Kye let Lucas be the one to hang up the phone before she looked over the vast world. The thunder was rumbling and the rain was pelting down hard. Ooo it was a dreary day. That didn't slow down Kytheria though. She put her phone away after Lucas had hung up, grabbing a guitar case and slipped it over her shoulder. Inside it held her katana, but it was less threatening appearing like she carried a musical instrument. Though there was an actual stringed instrument inside. Oh yes, this would be a pleasant break from all the fuss around Raven Sun lately. She had never shown up because of other matters that had popped up. After that, she had been so caught up with other missions from Raven Sun that she never really had a chance to catch up with her friend. She did hear rumors, but whispers through the vines could become clatters of confusion after all...

​

"You're going to catch your death," Jex called out to Christie. He was standing, not too far away with an umbrella in hand and a cup holder with two coffee cups that were steaming and a towel under one arm. "I brought you some hot chocolate... You need to warm up." The purple eyed teen had decided to follow the girl, sensing a great sadness and distress from her. Colton's kidnapping had given everyone a low blow, but he knew that Christie took it especially hard. He knew his uncle would be there to help console the girl if he could, but he was busy trying to find leads of where Colton was. Jex was the designated "psychologist" of the academy, although he hated to be called that. He just knew how to listen to people and read their emotions, even if he didn't use his powers. There was only one person he shut out for now, and that was Ryan. He knew he would have to face the teen again some time, but he didn't want to face it today. The heartache was still real from the words that were said to him, and he was confused himself how things happened. He secretly wish he could take that first kiss back... But now he was here, trying to help a fellow student work through their pain and grief. His feelings could wait.

​

Errol was walking towards Jean's lab, package under arm, wrecking of alcohol, hair messy, and his fuzz on his chin unkempt. The man had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept good in a long while, and it was true. So many things had happened in one day, it just seemed like it all transpired yesterday. He had stayed up late hours in the night, figuring out what he needed to know, trying to see who had taken Colton and where. If Nicole hadn't been around to help, he wouldn't know what to do. Nicole was great at organizing data, and even finding more clues within the evidence that Errol had gathered over the last few weeks. Then there was Ryan and Jex. Something weird had happened between the two teens, and frankly, Errol didn't want to know. He just knew that Jex seemed more mopey than usual and Ryan was keeping quiet. He didn't have time to focus on love affairs or weird relationships right now. Jex was a big boy, he would be able to handle it. Nicole and Molly seemed fine after Nicole's near death experience, and that was a mystery all on it's own.

"Damn we have one basket case after another," Errol muttered under his breath, running his hand through his messy hair frustratingly. He found Jean's lab and heard noises on the other side of the door as if multiple people were running around. Sighing out heavily, Errol opened the door to the lab, bracing himself for the scene he was about to witness.

​

Jean's clones were running around the lab, doing whatever Jean had told them to do. Molly was sitting happily on the couch, swinging her dangling legs as she read what appeared to be a Super Man comic. Errol watched the little girl read the words and look at the pictures with excitement and smiled gently. This was a welcoming sight through the chaos of the last couple of weeks. He knew Jean wasn't actually here though, just his clones. "Hey, I have a package for you guys," he addressed the group of researchers, holding the package above his head for them to see. "Trying to convert Molly into a comic book fan? You start them young."

​

Lyle gave a grunt of slight disapproval as Isabella fetched her subject to study. Of all the things that annoyed him, it was this. It wasn't his fault these people didn't think about containing someone with powers properly. He had them in steel prisons where they couldn't use telepathy, and didn't allow certain things in the cells so that the telekinetic wouldn't get any funny ideas. He had his robotic guards keeping everything in order and be his eyes, but it was still annoying. His research was found out, just as he got a break through. He hoped his colleges wouldn't get any ideas and try to steal his work. Although they were doing a horrible job keeping their subject in top health. The subject was going to die very soon, Lyle could sense it. But it wasn't his business, and he didn't care. He needed to "test" something, get this pent up rage out. As soon as Isabella left with the sickly subject, he went to the cell that Isabella's subject shared with his own subject and opened the prison doors.

​

Mai Kendrick looked up from resting her eyes on her knees, seeing the scientist standing there with a look of anger or annoyance in his eyes. She stood up to attention, wobbling just a bit. She knew it was time for testing, it's what happened. "Before we start today... I want to make an offer."

The scientist was clearly cut off guard. Never had his subject spoken so boldly before. He almost wanted to go up to her and slap her with his robotic hand, but he restrained. This was an usual turn of events. "An offer? You have nothing to give me."

Mai stood her ground, eyes fierce with determination. "I'll do what ever tests you want, how many of them want, and I won't cry, fuss, or fight unless you want me to. I will do anything you want me to do."

Lyle raised his eyebrows. Never had she been so willingly to submit herself in these kinds of conditions. Some days there were fights, other days she just went to the tests mindlessly, but not today. "Why the sudden willingness? Spit it out."

"If I do whatever you want me to do for now on, push me beyond my limits, I want Colton to get better care." She clenched her fists, seeing that Lyle was giving a look of resentment. "Please. You can use my food rations for him, use the extra blankets, but... Please. He's sick. I know he's not yours, and all I can offer is using me freely for whatever you want to do... But please." Mai fought back the tears that stung her eyes. She had been in the same prison cell as Colton and did her best to take care of him, but it wasn't enough. This was the least she could do for him.

"... You're right, he's not mine to deal with. But... I never seen you so willingly to submit yourself... If you can keep up with what I have to do, maybe I'll take into consideration. You have to prove yourself to me first though."

That wasn't the answer Mai was looking for, but it would have to do. "I'll do it," she said boldly, keeping her eyes on Lyle.

"Let's go then."

​

Danni walked down the hallway of the training rooms, seeing that a red light was on in one of the rooms. She took one guess of who it was, and thought better to open the door and walk in. She wanted to talk to someone, but she guessed she could manage herself. She just needed to go punch something.

Danni walked into the sparing room, seeing a dummy ready to be punched. Wrapping bandages around her knuckles, Danni wasted no time to get into position and began to punch the living daylights out of this thing. She was angry that she couldn't do anything to help, angry that Colton was captured, angry that kids with similar powers were being kidnapped and god knows what was happening to them. She didn't understand pain, she didn't understand sadness, she grew up fine despite the death of her family and the lack of control over her abilities, but it was all crashing in on her now.

The ginger let out a cry of frustration, punching the dummy hard, knocking the heavy thing to the ground. The teen walked around like a caged up tiger, slapping her sides frustratingly and even hitting her head a few times with her hands. She growled, throwing a fifteen pound dumb bell hard to the ground before she snapped out of it and realized what she was doing. She was being so stupid.

"Pathetic," she whispered, picking up the dumb bell and placing it back where it was. She then picked up the dummy and stared at it for a moment. If she could do anything to get Colton back, she would. Even though she showed her distaste of him many times in person, deep down, she cared. She punched the dummy once with half effort, and then leaned her head on it, letting the droplets of sweat fall to the ground from her forehead as she panted heavily.

 

Ryan did very little over the last three weeks, and regretted everything he said to Jex. He was mulling it over, trying to think of a way to make it up for him. They didn’t speak much since that night, but his feelings for Jex were still there, and he had a feeling Jex felt the same. He didn’t see him that much either, and it crushed his heart. Every day, he tried to communicate with Jex about something like his favorite sport or band, or whatever, but there was no response. He was incredibly bored and lonely at this point, but he was told it was that this was the first day he could get out of the room. He longed for this day so much as he barely got any conversation, and he still hasn’t met anyone in the academy. He sighed as he was watching the morning news. There was nothing on, and there were only a few channels on the TV so he simply turned to the table beside him which had the remote control and switched it off. As he put the remote back down on the table, he saw the remote which controlled the shades. He remembered how happy Jex was when he moved in. Now, it seemed like nothing more than a dream. He sighed once more with a tear streaming down his cheek. He didn’t get over it, and constantly he thought about that night. That wonderful kiss, the way Jex stroked his hand over his hair, and his violet eyes looking lovingly towards him as he was out of breath. He was the only person who cared for him that much, and he blew it. Ryan wanted to see him again. He just wanted to speak with him, and let him know how he felt. He’s had enough time, and realized he truly was gay. He was so awkward around the ladies because it didn’t feel right. Jex felt right. His smile echoed in his mind.

“Jex…I’m so sorry,” he spoke.

Ryan picked up the remote for the blinders, and opened them. He was welcomed to the rain, and while many people weren’t a fan of it, he enjoyed the pitter patter of the raindrops dancing across the rooftops and the solid ground. It cooled him down, and it didn’t occur often in hot and dry Nevada landscape. For the first time in three weeks, Ryan got up to his feet and gave a small smile. It was so nice to walk again. He strolled over to the windows on the other side of the room, and just looked out at the horizon. He opened up the windows, and felt a cool breeze sweep through his face. He loved it. It kinda reminded him of Jex. Soft to the touch, but quick to fade away. He frowned.

Jex…can I talk to you? I can walk now, and I’ve had enough time to think. That wasn’t me back there 3 weeks ago. Please talk to me if you want a walk in the rain. I miss you.

He sighed, thinking that it would be unlikely for him to respond. Ryan flicked his long hair back so it wouldn't be in his vision, and walked back to his bed. He made it, and then tried to smile. It was great he could walk again, but he had no one to be with at this time of celebration. He sat down back again on the bed and looked at the spot where Jex was sitting when they kissed.

“Why did I have to open my dumb mouth? It wasn’t even true. I was just nervous,” he said to himself. He tapped his fingers on his legs, hoping for a reply from Jex.

 

The red light was lit where the students had taken their exams 3 weeks ago. The big metal doors were locked shut, allowing no one to enter the room. This was good because if anyone were to ever walk in when the red light was on at this time, they would be crushed, severely injuring themselves. The person behind the said door wouldn't be the one doing the crushing, though. It would the act of a natural force that quantum physicists have yet to understand properly. Gravitons. Yes, it would be the doing of these elementary particles; although they were more like strings, unseen by any and all forms of eyes including microscopes. To see these, you'd have to have the eyes of the cosmos. In other words, no one could see gravity for it is a natural force that to this day still leaves questions. Behind the thick metal doors, the training room was undergoing extreme changes in gravity. Despite Quantum Physicists still bewildered by the mystery of such a force, one man could see it for what it truly was. By bending the force of these strings, this man is able to change the entire state of gravity within the area.

Two days after Colton's Kidnapping had the training rooms red light started turning on every morning. The person inside would go about the routine: Jogging around the large rooms perimeter; only sprinting when he needed heart rate to accelerate a bit, stretches, yoga for overall muscular activity, lower body, and upper body routine.

A groan was uttered from a brown shaggy haired man as he forced pectorals to lift his new body weight up, the abnormal gravity being utilizing for more than obvious push up routine. Beads of sweat were clear as day, surrounding themselves all over Jean's face, and naked torso. For a man like him, he was in really good shape. Well defined muscles glistened with sweat in the lit room. Moisture slid down the man's obliques, finding themselves in in the grooves between lower abdomen and obliques. Muscle and bone burned as he bent his elbows once more to stretch pectorals, slowly pushing up to contract said muscle. Toughened under the effects of this heavier gravity, they were becoming denser than normal; muscle and bones. Muscle fiber and the bones trabecula were thickening, surpassing human limitations. A normal person would have been in serious pain from the broken bones caused by the intense change in muscle. Bones would have shattered from the intense gravity. However, Jean had stopped being normal five years ago. The mind you see, was a powerful tool that could be used to unlock the body's true potential. With mind over body, he had been telekinetically enhancing his body in order to better sustain himself under this new gravity. It was like a bicycle with training wheels. During the three weeks, the gravity would always change each day, becoming heavier. Each time he would apply enough enhancement in his body to aid him in the harsh training. However, like each bicyclist there would come a time when those training wheels would come off, and he could ride on his own.

That and because after each workout Jean would take a moment to focus on the protein molecules in his muscles to help recovery as well increase muscle tissue density. Muscle fibers or myocytes would develop in a process called Myogensis. This process would accelerate incredibly fast thanks to his ability to manipulate his own molecules. With the protein complexes being guided, his muscles were recovering faster, and allowing them to become thicker, denser than that normally found in humans. Calcium structures would break, and reform themselves thanks to a process known as Bone remodeling. These interconnected pillars of calcium would strengthen by adding more calcium, thickening these microscopic pillars, which would overall increase density. That process would be happening to every bone in his body. The cool part about it was that he could feel it every time he stepped out of the room. Feeling a little lighter each day.

Earthy Eyes stared ahead, at the wall. Brows furrowed, and a fire blazed within him. It was three weeks since he last saw Colton. Three weeks since he found out how Errol failed to save the boy, how JEAN failed to help.

Mandible tensed and teeth bared themselves at this imaginary evil that plagued his people. Muscles began to stretch and contract a little faster as Jean started to push faster. It was the last ten reps before he was at his limit. In other words, at least five more after limit had been reached. The tension in muscles was becoming prominent as each push brought lactic acid to the surface of muscle fibers.

"1...." he whispered in strain. Muscle response was slowing down from exhaustion as he started to pass his limit. "Ttt...t-wo..."

A bead of sweat trailed down Jean's nose, collecting itself with the myriad of other moisture that was trailing down his lower face, dripping off of his chin and onto the floor. "Ttthhr-eeeee...."

A grunt emitted off of Jean's clenched teeth, a sure sign he was feeling that horrid lactic acid. Tendons, and ligaments on neck exposed themselves under the intense stress as the face became red. Muscles stretched and contracted once more. The mind was willing through a natural reaction. He could tell he was about to give in as now shoulders were burning, a sure sign he was losing form. Back began to bend, abs started to loosen up, and gluts were losing the tightness needed to maintain a straight back in the push up exercise. Muscles were burning so much now. He began to let loose short layered breaths at the final stretch. "Come-.nnnGGHHH... ON!!!" he shouted during the contraction phase.

Elbows were almost erect as arms began to shake. With a final heave of breath, arms erected themselves to complete the extra five. Arms gave in as body just fell to the floor with a very loud thud. He laid there, feeling the exhaustion that circulated throughout his entire being while sweat just lingered all over him. Hair felt harder than usual thanks to the collective sweat all over his scalp. A huge sigh was let out from Jean, feeling lungs lust for the air that was filtered through the air vents.

"24.79 m/s^2..." he barely uttered in a wheeze. The gravity was still intense while he was going off about the current gravitational acceleration in the room. Eyes nearly rolled behind eye-sockets as he almost lost consciousness; again. Reaching out to natural force, he felt the graviton string particles, and changed it back to the way it was supposed to be. The room itself nearly lost a huge load, and Jean could feel everything return to normal; well what used to be normal to him. His body could once more feel it. The lightness of earth's normal gravity. Lungs were breathing a lot easier now, and he could feel his organs relaxed for sure. Another sigh escaped the man, this time it being of relief as eyelids fluttered in order for eyes to adjust themselves. Hands found themselves skidding against the metallic floor until they reached his sides. With a simple push, his body found itself flying four feet into the air with feet flailing in a missed attempt at finding its footing. "WHOA!" Jean shouted in astonishment. Body quickly readjusted itself in mid air within seconds unfathomable to the human reflexes as brain released electrical impulses throughout neural fibers within his entire body. Feet slammed the metal floor with a heavy thud, denting the small area beneath his feet while a quick vibration circulated Jean's entire body; and it hurt.

Jean winced from pain. His body still needed to heal because he had yet to self activate the bone remodeling and myogenesis process. "I keep forgetting about that..." he mumbled. Slowly, he moved himself towards the doors with small nasal grunts. Hands stretched out to the doors, and found pressing a big red button next to them. Outside, the red light bulb would turn green, and the mechanisms within he metal doors would shift as it unlocked. With a simple push of hands, the thick door swung itself open. Jean took his first step outside the chambers, hurting all over.

"nnnghh.. Shoot..." he uttered as he gave a painful expression. Eyes shut themselves as he gritted teeth. A hand placed itself on face as he wiped sweat off his lower face, peering down to see blood mixed with sweat. No surprise there. It was one of the side effects Jean had to endure off extreme inhuman training. He trailed the blood back to his nose where he found himself letting out a huge annoyed sigh. Hea dturned to look inside the room. Surely enough, the spot where he was doing push ups had a small stain of blood where his head had been.

"I need help. One of you can come." he called out to the hive; clones.

---------------------------------------------------

All of the clones turned towards the door to see the Head Master. "Errol!" they all said in unison, showing glee in their tone. When they looked to the package in hand, their eyes merely widened. It was a fairly sized package, about 2.5 feet in length, and a foot in width. One of the Jeans walked up to Errol and retrieved the package from him, thanking him before placing it on the desk. "This is going to be so exciting!" one of them said, getting back to his work.

Another Jean looked over to Molly snickering at Errol's mention of the comic. " Hey, that's when their brain is most easily accepting of information." he jested with fact. While this was going on, another Jean dropped what he was doing and started to walk really fast towards the doors behind Errol. "I'll beeee right back! Need to run a quick errand." he said as hand reached onto the handle and turned it. Door swung wide open and the clone ran off. It may or may not look suspicious.

The clone ran down several hall and towards the stairs. It took at most ten minutes for the clones to reach Jean outside the training room.

"I'm here." the clones voice echoed through the hallway that lead to the chambers. The exhausted Jean looked up.

"Good, grab my shirt inside and help me to my dorm." he spoke weakly. "Let's be quick about this, I don't want anyone finding out. Last thing I need is a worry wort. "

The Jean in the lab coat nodded and went to work. Making haste, he took Jeans arm and put it around his shoulder, suddenly feeling it to be a bit heavy than what it was the other day. "You started the mygenesis and bone restructuring process, didn't you?"

The tired Jean only looked forward, feeling as if eyes were sinking into eyes sockets. "I like having a good start..."

"You should have waited until after breakfast. You need to stock up more than the usual amount your body provides for this kind of thing. You know what can happen if yo-"

"Dude...seriously. What did I JUST say?" he asked rhetorically. It was lunacy for him to be talking to one of his clones. It was literally just Jean talking to himself.

The clone kept quiet for the remainder of the walk towards the dormitory, stopping only to a near by restroom for him to wipe his face clean before proceeding.

 

Alex woke up to the thoughts of Ryan's. He was so loud next door with how much he was thinking all the time. It was so easy to hear his mind spilling all the love and regret he had for Jex.
"This guy needs to get a filter," he muttered to himself. After 3 weeks, he had enough of it, and while usually keeping out of situations to avoid attachment, Alex decided to help Ryan out and try to get Jex back or at least improve his attitude. He figured he had it rough so he wanted to help anyway. Being cut off from his family without friends or anyone to look out for him while being in pain from his chest. Ryan reminded him of himself when he ran away from his family. He quickly got changed, agitated by how much this boy was thinking. The noise...He was more sensitive than other telepaths when it comes to thoughts, and this as well as those who were worried about Colton became a huge head ache.
"Why do people get so attached? What's the point?" he said, putting on his black leather jacket. He had jeans, long black hair, and a sword sheathed behind him, just in case someone attacked. You never know. Colton may have let slip where they were. He always seemed edgy to the guy. He walked down the hallway, and knocked on Ryan's door.

Ryan's heart suddenly jumped as someone knocked on the door.
Is that Jex?
"No, it isn't," he said coldly, annoyed at how much he was thinking of the guy. "It's Alex from next door. I want to talk to you."
Ryan may have seen Alex once or twice, but never really talked to him before. He seemed like the person who would beat you up in a moment's notice for no reason. Ryan slowly walked up to the door and opened it.
Alex looked down at his small height, and laughed. "Errol thinks you can fight. Man, you're a shrimp."
Ryan, not feeling good about himself, simply looked down. "Yeah. I know." He walked over to a plastic chair next to the bed and looked up at him. "What do you want?" he asked with a quiet sad tone.
Alex began to walk around the bare room, and looked at the 50' television.
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that I can hear your loud thoughts, and to be honest, they're driving me nuts. Jex this, Jex that. He's all you ever think about. Do you actually love him?"
Ryan looked up seriously into Alex's eyes. "Yes, but I have no idea how to get him to talk to me again."
Alex walked up to the kid, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Well, how about taking him to a mall, say sorry, and then kiss him in front of everyone."
Alex turned away.
"Jex is pissed off with you, but he thinks about you too. He's still hurt. I don't know why all of you bother. It's not worth it.""
"IT IS TO ME!" Ryan exclaimed, not being able to show how he felt to anyone for the last three weeks. It was all bottled up and he was starting to get angry at Alex.
Alex nodded. "I know, but you have to show that to him," he spoke. "I'm trying to help you."
Alex walked to the door and turned his head towards him slightly.
"Please try to be quieter...Jex might be able to keep your thoughts away, but it's not that easy for me." he muttered to Ryan, giving a glare before walking away. Alex then walked back towards the room.
"Jex is outside by the way. I can read his sultry thoughts from here," he said before leaving the room.

Ryan hurriedly got cleaned and dressed, and ran outside the hallway. He swiftly moved to the elevator with his key card, and after waiting for the tram to go down and then carry him up, he rushed to the doors. He was now outside with a blue rain coat, and jeans. He hadn't been outside and the breeze embracing Ryan's face felt calm. He ran towards the pathways that were traced along the outside of the hallway, and began looking for Jex, desperately wanting to tell him what he's been thinking over the last 3 weeks; the thoughts that were driving Alex nuts.
"Jex! Jex!?"

 

​

Nicole was walking down the hallway with a tray with a glass of milk on it and a buttered bagel. It was the least she could do for the one that saved her, and it became almost a routine for her in the last couple of weeks of being here. She had a thick folder underneath one of her arms. Through much effort, she was able to gather more information of what happened that night not only for her son's sake, but also for the academy and their lost student who was also kidnapped that night her and Molly left home. It still wasn't much, but it was a start. As she rounded the corner, she jumped when she realized someone else was there and gasped when she recognized the man. "Jean!" One look and Nicole could see the state of being the young man was in. She put two and two together, realizing that he was there with one of his training sessions again. It pained her to see him like this. Even though they really didn't have a chance to get to know each other, he saved her life. Sighing out softly, Nicole looked at the two Jeans, and focused on the one that was the most tired. She wasn't here to lecture. "I was just coming to find you... I think I found more information on Colton's kidnappers..."

 

Alex, after talking to Ryan, decided to go see the next person who was driving his mind crazy, Danni. He began to walk through the training room hallways, hearing her voice echoing in his head in such clarity.
"Pathetic" she muttered as he walked into the room.
Alex grinned as he walked in. He saw her lean her head on a dummy, sweating and panting heavily.
"Yeah you're pathetic. Getting so attached to such an ass."
He grinned, and readied his blade with a tennis ball launcher. It wasn't the most conventional way of training, but it helped with his instincts. He sliced one tennis ball in half as it came towards him with precision.
"You have to have a cool mind to fight. If you don't, you will be reckless."
He then looked over to her quickly.
"Also, you're being way too loud. It's driving my mind crazy. I need to relax, and because all of you are so attached, it's hard for me to focus," he growled. He looked back and slashed a tennis ball. In an attempt to console her, he walked up to Danni and held her shoulder. "Look, he'll be fine. He's a stubborn a hole," he said before returning to his position and slashing another tennis ball.
"Oh and by the way. I blame your cousin for this kid next door. He's driving me nuts with his thoughts. Jex, this. Jex, that. He's the pathetic one. He really cares for that guy, and he's probably the loudest I've ever heard when it comes to his thoughts. I can't go to sleep until very late at night because of him," he moaned. Alex glared at her. "Can you please talk to him? It's not just for me either. The kid's had it pretty rough," he asked. The tennis ball then bonked him on the face, and Alex frowned.
"That's not funny."

 

​

"Well maybe you should train your useless brain to block me out? Ever thought of that?!" Danni snapped, finally turning to face Alex. "Or go someplace else! No one is holding you back." She wasn't in the mood to talking with others, even though she went seeking to find someone to console her. This wasn't the person she wanted to deal with right now. She clenched her fists, turning around and starting to punch the dummy again as if it was the most hated person on her list she was facing. The kidnappers, the annoying people, the fear, the pain, the madness, just everything was flashing to her. She ignored the sounds of the tennis ball machine, focusing hard on her punches. Hearing Alex talk smack about her family made something scream up inside of her. Only she had that right, no one else did.

Not even thinking anymore, she used psionic strength, shattering the dummy into little, itty, bitty pieces. Danni huffed and puffed, shaking out her hand after she had oblivated her target and then turned to face Alex. "If you have a problem with Jex, tell him in person. I'm not his nanny or baby-sitter. I don't care what's going on with him right now. He can handle himself." She then pointed to her head, pressing her finger hard into it. "Learn to turn it off, dimwit."

With that, Danni excused herself form the training room by storming off, not in the mood to talk. She didn't care if she hurt feelings, she didn't care if she caused tension, or even left a mess. She was mad, and she had the right to be so. She didn't need anyone to tell her to keep her thoughts quiet or to keep her emotions down. It would only make things worse.

 

Jean looked up at the figure that turned the corner. It was Nicole with a glass of milk and a bagel. That was very thoughtful of her. The clone let go of Jean in order to retrieve the glass of milk while Nicole spoke about having more information about Colton. When the clone passed it to Jean, hands without thought placed i on lips and throat went to work at chugging the entire glass. The glass was already empty within 2 seconds as the echoing sound of Jean's lips sucked on the glass. When he was done, he let out a nice, "AAAH!!!" as to say he was satisfies. A hand motioned for the clone to pass over the bagel in which it did. Chompers smacked against each, chewing the bagel as if he had not eaten food in days. Upon swallowing the remaining pieces of bagel, he gave his stomach a nice pat. Eyes flared to life, now feeling a lot better. As if on cue, Jean's lower torso became very blurry as the molecules that made up the area began to vibrate astonishingly fast. Digestive track took care of the precious cargo within seconds, and the body itself went to work at making calories for the sake of energy which the body desired. The source was metabolized in seconds.

"Oh man... Now that was needed. Thanks Nicole. You're a god send." he thanked, giving her one of his precious smiles. "So you were saying?" he queried again, allowing his clone to help carry him. The two began to move towards the elevator nearby, Nicole following close by. "How did you manage to find the information? Do you know who took him? Where they're located?"

The clone reached for the button that had the symbol for up, activating the elevator that would pick them up.

-----------------------------------------
June 05th, 2015

Lightning clapped violently over the city as the skies were black with negative and positively charged cumulonimbus. Rain poured all around like no tomorrow. It was like it was the end of the world was upon them, setting a dark ambient mood. Perhaps it was for some. Las Vegas, a city with the phrase, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." A city rotting in its own filth. The cops could only do so much to help protect this city, and even then some were dirty. So when you think about it, the city really is rotting in its own filth. Rape, murder, theft, assault, corrupt law enforcement. It was a city that had some dark corners where evil lurked, waiting to prey on those that dropped its guard. She could testify to that. It's all she's been seeing ever since that one day a long time ago.

There I was, sitting on a hospital bed in a small room wearing these patient scrubs. My clothes were neatly folded on the side of my bed, unattended. There was a window outside where one could easily see the rain smacking against the window side. usually thunderstorms made me nervous, but today was different. Sitting on the bedside, my arms were erect as they held on to the side while my legs dangled lifeless. My head was down, my eyes widened with mind lost in deep contemplation. I had just been diagnosed with stage 1B Bone cancer.

"I'm sorry... Katherine..." spoke the nurse holding Katherine's health record. "We're looking into this right now. The doctor is on his way to give you a talk through of how this is going to be handled... Do you want me to bring you water or something while you wait?" the nurse asked, doing her best to be comforting. The truth was, she sucked. I could hear her sincerity, but I just couldn't find it possible for anything to comfort me at this moment. So I couldn't level with her. My mouth remained shut, and I just lost myself in thought. The nurse eventually left when she realized I was ignoring her, but then again I was kind of in shock. You see, I was diagnosed with 1A bone cancer a long time ago, but the doctors told me it was most likely nothing. A quick x-ray told them that it was so the case. I was scared out of my mined despite them telling me not to worry about. I mean, how could I not? My spine had something growing on it! They assured me it would be ok, that all I needed was a small surgery that would remove the growth. This had all take place before the Martial Arts tournament held in Reno, Nevada. I remember it well because the school had chosen me to represent them in the Semi-Finals. I won of course. It was all a matter of just being very aggressive, keeping the opponent on the defensive. If you hit hard enough, and their morale was weak, you could instill the fear of not wanting to get hit in them.

It was after we had lost the finals that I readied myself for the surgery. Mom was there for me, reassuring me that everything was going to be ok. My dad was also there, but he just didn't say anything. All he could do was be teary eyed to which didn't help me at all when I was laying on the hospital bed, awaiting the nurses to escort my bed into the surgery room. For a tall big guy, my dad was pretty much a softy with one heck of a temper. That's probably where I got that from.

I sat there, in my thoughts undisturbed when I heard the door open up to see the same doctor who had diagnosed me with 1A Bone cancer a long time ago. A quick look in his eyes and I could tell how ashamed he was. It was not shame for what happened to me, but for his incompetence. HAH! He was feeling bad for himself!? That just took me over the edge.

"Katherine... I'm so sorry, I-"

"Sorry? You're the one that told me I was going to be ok! You're the one who told me that the cancer you took out of me was it, and that any possible remains would go into remission!! For god-sake!!! We PAYED for that lousy operation!! And now that it's back, let me guess... I Have to pay for this one to, right?!" I screamed at him, venting out my frustration on him.

The nurse was looking at me with disgust, like I was the bad guy or something. That's when I snapped at her next. "What are you looking at? How would YOU feel if this was happening to YOU? Huh? You pay for a surgery that you can't afford, and then for this bullshit to happen to YOU? How would you feel knowing that you're still paying the medical bills for the previous surgery, and then finding out that it was all for nothing? This is my life we're talking about!!" I screamed, most likely being heard from the other side of the door. My eyes were wet, and I could feel myself gasping for breath uncontrollably as I started to bawl in despair.

I was a straight A student, as of this final semester, putting me in the top 15% of my class thanks to the curriculum's I've been taking. I promised my family that I would do great in school so that I could go to college with scholarship, that way my parents wouldn't have to worry about the expenses. Aspirations of getting a professional career where I could move my family out of this hell hole of a city, and somewhere safe were all that I had.

Now those dreams were forming cracks that I had no idea how to fix. What if it progressed? There's no coming back from that. I could fight it, but at what cost?

My hands went about to hiding my face from the two as I continued to cry. I started feeling remorse for the harsh things I said, which was something I hated. If I was going to mean something, then I should stick to it. Not start feeling guilty about it. Besides, they deserved it. Yet, for some reason I felt bad.

"I'm sorry... it's just this is... so much... My whole life is ahead of me, and... my family is dealing with money problems... I wanted to go to college, and-"

"You still can! Don't give up just yet!" the nurse spoke up, feeling sympathetic. The woman cam e up to me, and gently led me to an embrace. I buried my face in her chest, letting it all out. The doctor was watching me, pensive on what he could do.

For now, I just cried, only paying attention to the rain that smacked the window. Somehow, the sound of rain was my comfort that day. The thunder and its power that let itself be known whenever lightning flashed became my comfort. I forgot the fear of thunderstorms, because... that was the day I started fearing for my life.

 

​

Errol watched as the clone left the room, figuring that the real Jean was out on his own. He had things to work on right now and couldn't stay and chat unless Nicole or Jean had questions for him. As soon as he could tie up these loose strings, he figured he could focus on other things. Tensions were high right now, and although Errol was Head Master of this place, he didn't have time to be involved with everyone else at the moment. Perhaps I should take time to myself, he thought in his own private space. He did needed to check on the well-being of his other students. Maybe he would get around to that today. After checking on Molly to see that she was fine where she was and the Jean clones didn't seem to mind her presence, the older man waved to the clones before silently exiting the room and headed down to his study. He needed time to think...

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Anything unusual Nicole had seen these days were no surprise to the young mother anymore as she watched the man scarf down what meager food she brought. Maybe she should have brought more next time. She smiled back to Jean before she let the clone of Jean help the man into the elevator and waited for the door to be close. She wondered how this young individual could take so much on his shoulders all at once. And on top of that, make clones to speed his work even more. The thought of it nearly overwhelmed her. She moved the folder to the now empty tray, letting it rest there as she held the handle with both hands. "Errol helped me retrieve some security footage, following the car that he was taken in. It was an unmarked vehicle, either by thugs or by someone working undercover..."

Saying it out loud was more disturbing than writing it down and committing it to memory. If her own new country had turned against those of powers... She pushed the thoughts down of failing Molly and Carter as she cleared her throat. "They ended up at the Reno Stead airport... From there, it gets hard... We found footage of the car driving to a small, private airplane. Errol uncovered the private flight routes, two of them being close around the time Colton was kidnapped. We singled out one of them out through studies of security footage... It was heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, the North Las Vegas Airport. It's not quite at the heart of the city, but there's still a crowd around that area." Nicole paused, taking in a deep breath as they elevator opened and she stepped out. "We don't know what to look for from there. They were lost on security footage... But I'm still trying to pick things out as we speak. Errol also wanted me to show you something... A blacklist."

She looked at him, very serious. "He told me the other students are not to get their hands on this, at all. From Molly's therapy sessions with Errol and his nephew, we found someone who fit the description of Carter's kidnapper from the blacklist." Nicole spoke with steadiness. The disappearance of her son still stung her heart, but she had to be strong for her little boy. "Call it a mother's instinct... But having two people with powers kidnapped in the same city at the same place in a short amount of time is suspicious enough... They might be connected."

 

Jean basically just let Nicole talk while the elevator escorted the group to the third floor. Body was still recovering, and it required more sustenance if he wanted to get the results he wanted. Two things Nicole mentioned had caught Jean's attention while the clone remained silent the entire time. "Two private jets? Two flight routes happening around the same time." he reiterated. Ears perked at the sound of, "....A Blacklist." Extending a hand out, he took the list from Nicole's hands to have a better see. However he stopped as he had more questions about the flights. "Did you find out who the owner is of those privates Jets? And what of the second Jet? What business did that one have with Reno, Nevada?" he queried out of sheer curiosity. The Elevator stopped at the third floor, opening up for the three to walk through. The Clone helped Jean to his room, swiping the card on a small device planted on the side of the door in order for it to unlock the room. They didn't bother closing the door, letting Nicole handle that part. They entered a large room, the size of a three bed room apartment. One could immediately tell how tidy everything once just by making a quick look see of his room. The clone led Jean to a couch where he laid the man there, placing the Blacklist on the coffee table adjacent to it. A painful grunt emitted from him accidentally as he settled on the couch, closing his eyes in a wince. The clone quickly walked past Nicole, and took out a gallon of milk in order to pour it in a glass. The milk was handed to Jean where he quickly swallowed it in seconds, asking for more. It was quite the sight really, he way he lusted after the calcium. Naturally, he could have just bought one of those pill bottles with calcium tablets. However, Jean was one to enjoy pills. He preferred to savor the taste of sustenance.

After having his fill with the glasses of milk, he lay there breathing with his diaphragm. Pain filled him entirely as he focused on the bone remodeling process, but he would not let himself scream or release even the slightest moan since Nicole was here. The clone stood by and watched silently. With mandible tensed, Jean looked up to his clone and tried putting on a not so constipated face. "Mind making us some breakfast...? Heh..." he uttered, forcing a smile.