sept

Chapter Seven:

Ekka fell to the ground, her face burning. Father's shadow stood over her. Tears streamed steadily down her face, as she tried to stand again. Father seemed to notice and yanked her to her feet with her hair. Ekka cried out, her throat coarse from screaming as she brought her hands to his, tried desperately to alleviate the pain.

The lions roared behind her, despite being whipped into submission. Blood matted their golden coats, and a few laid on the ground, still, their hearts still-beating.

"Do it, Ekka!" Father growled, his tone fierce. "Do it, now!"

"I cannot!" Ekka sobbed, "Please, Father, I--I cannot, I can---" Father yanked her hand away from her head, shoving a knife in it. Ekka stared at the weapon, feeling Father slither into her mind. She screamed at the sensation, thrashing in his hold, but he was relentless.

He made her hold out her hand, and she began to press it into her hand. Blood began to well up from the knife. The pain was unbearable, Ekka's eyes rolled into her head. For a fleeting second, she was able to enjoy darkness, the peaceful sincerity of it pressing into her, keeping her surroundings quiet. For a moment, Ekka felt no pain.

Then, Father yanked her out of the security of fainting, thrusting her into reality. He used his power to keep her conscious. "Do it," he growled, making her push harder. Ekka was screaming again, unable to focus on anything. God, her hand. There was so much blood. So much blood.

Father hit her again, and Ekka whimpered. "You have one more chance," he hissed into her ear. She could feel even more warm blood trickling out of it. She wanted to throw up, but she didn't allow herself to. If she didn't obey Father, he'd kill her. He'd kill one of her lions. Just as he had killed Fira.

Ekka called her ability, shuddering as she felt the lion's minds. They were angry, aggravated. They wanted to last out against the ones hurting them. Some even laid on the ground, close to death. She took a sharp breath, and commanded them.

"Stop." The lions halted. Like puppets, they simply stopped moving. Ekka stared at them, shocked. Her hand dropped the knife and flew to her mouth.

She felt Father pat her head, as if she were the pet. "Good." Ekka felt sick. She fell to her knees, and vomited. Blood and bile mixed with the yellow grass, her throat burning.

Suddenly, one of the lions collapsed, wheezing on the ground. Ekka looked up sharply. "It's not breathing!!" Someone shouted, coming to the animal's side.

"Stop it, Ekka! Take away the command!" Ekka stared at the fallen lion in shock. Slowly, the others began to follow.

One by one, the lions fell. All because Ekka told them to stop. To stop breathing, to stop living.

"I told you to take back the command!" Father screamed at her. His shoes made contact with her face and she fell, her eyes burning with tears.

"I killed them...!" Ekka sobbed deliriously. "I killed them, I---!" She felt sick again. "I am sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I..." Ekka buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean to, please! I didn't mean to!!"

"Then you'll learn," Father growled, "Next time, do as you are told." Father turned, leaving Ekka to cry into the grass.

~.•*•.~

Ekka woke up, shaking. Charles was in her room, holding her hand. Ekka scrambled back, surprised. "I---"

"You were having a nightmare," Xavier explained calmly. "You woke the entire hall. I came to check on you. Are you alright, Miss Ekka?"

"I..." She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. Flutter tweeted, jumping in her lap. "I apologize, I did not mean---"

"It's alright. It's alright. You didn't know, are you okay, Miss Ekka?" Xavier's face was strangely serious, and Ekka looked back down, unable to look at him. He reminded her of Father, as strange as it was.

"I am okay, I---" the door opened and Hank McCoy walked in.

"They've stopped, is she---?" He stopped talking when he noticed that she was awake. "Oh."

"I've just managed to wake her," Xavier said, rubbing at his forehead.

"Did... I do something wrong...?" Ekka asked, confused.

"No, no, you are not at fault," Charles assured, and for some reason, Hank gave him a hard look. "Go back to sleep, if you can. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Miss Ekka." Xavier wheeled out of the room, Hank briskly following, his shoulders tense.

The door sharply closed, and Ekka jumped a bit from it. Flutter laid still in her lap, already managing to fall fast asleep. Hesitantly, Ekka decided to follow the small bird's example.

~.•*•.~

"She's getting stronger," Hank McCoy snapped at Charles Xavier. Charles was leaning against the desk, his head held exhaustingly in his hands. "Don't tell me she hasn't because I can tell. She's wearing on you, her powers are getting stronger --- either that, or you're getting weaker, which isn't true. You can barely be around her while she's having these fits, Charles. We need to do something about her."

"Like what?" Charles said, raising his pounding head to narrow his eyes at his friend. "If you are going to offer locking her away, then stop yourself there because we are not doing that. I refuse to put her away like she's some kind of animal!" Charles wanted to glare, but his temples throbbed from the notion, and he winced instead.

"This is the fifth incident this month, Charles!" Hank snapped angrily. "You can't keep doing this, it's not healthy for her or you! Eventually, she's going to notice that her memory is the equivalent to swiss cheese!"

"What do you want me to do?!" Xavier hissed, "We are low on options, this is the only one we have."

"There has to be some way Lwazi kept her from using it," McCoy muttered.

"Have you been able to find him yet?" Charles asked.

Hank sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. "No, he's been off the radar ever since the Circus closed down."

"Then we will just have to learn with it," Xavier spoke firmly. "There is nothing we can do about it."

"We've been lucky for now, Xavier, but what happens later, hmm?! What happens if she takes control of someone more powerful, like Logan? What are we going to do?!"

"She is a child!" Charles snapped, "She will be treated like one until she grows old enough to take responsibility for her actions!"

"And how long will that be, Charles?!" Hank retorted. "You cannot keep her here forever! She will learn the truth, and it will be bad enough that you can't simply wipe it away! If someone gets seriously hurt because of her---"

"Then well treat them. This school is to keep mutants like Ekka safe, Hank. She doesn't know any better, and I am willing to give her a second chance."

"How many second chances, Charles?" Hank spat, "Because, I feel like you are blurring the lines between a mutant and a monster." Hank and Charles stared at each other for a long moment, letting Hank's words dangle in the air as if it had been hanging from a fishing line.

"Leave, Hank," Charles growled.

Hank did, but wavered at the door for a second, "Are you really willing to threaten the lives of every single student in this school, in exchange for one, Charles? Would you really risk that?"

Xavier pushed a button on his wheelchair, opening the door for Hank. Hank took his cue, letting himself out easily, and closed the door behind him sharply.

~.•*•.~

As the day grew ever longer, and nights ever shorter, the school year was standing on it's last legs. It got very warm and the last few animals came from their hibernations. Several students took full pleasure in this, hanging around the lake, a few of the younger ones chasing butterflies.

Sometimes, Ekka would go out, only to let Flutter fly about, and take advantage of the warm weather. She was flying very well now, and hadn't left Ekka quite yet. Otherwise, she'd stay inside, working on her studies, or sitting alone. All she could think about was what happened with Flutter and Delilah. If Delilah was still going to be mean to her, Ekka didn't want go put anyone else at risk. Flutter was still recovering from having those feathers pulled out of her wings.

Ekka frowned, feeling sick at the thought of it. She felt like a bother, sometimes. She was a terrible student --- according to Mr. George --- she sometimes had nightmares that would make her wake her entire hall, and she would always cause a mess.

Mrs. Justine was upset with her because she wasn't talking much in their meetings anymore. She wanted to talk about her nightmares, and Ekka knew she wanted to help, but whenever she thought of them, she could feel Father looming over her shoulder, as if ready to punish her if she said one bad thing. She didn't want to be punished anymore. She knew she talked to Mr. Xavier about it, but... Ekka still couldn't help it.

So, Ekka began to keep more to herself. She spent more days in her room, and simply opened the window when Flutter wanted to fly. Vera would sometimes visit her, but she also was too caught up in studying. Vera explained that in order for Vera to go to a school in order to get a job, she needed to go to college, and in order to do that, Vera had to write a lot of essays and get a lot of fake money called 'scholarships'.

This confused Ekka a lot, but Vera explained how she really needed it --- she was going to be the first in her entire family to actually go to this college, so she had to. So, because of Vera's college, Ekka and Flutter's afternoons were very boring.

One day, Ekka was sitting beside her window, simply staring outside, when someone knocked on her door. "Come in," Ekka said, believing it was Vera. However, she was pleasantly surprised when Jean walked in instead.

Ekka sat up, "Miss Jean?" Ekka asked, believing she was in trouble, "Did I do something wrong?"

"Ha, no," Jean laughed, "I just thought I'd swing by. I heard you've been having a lot of nightmares lately... Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I, uh..." Ekka looked down, not wanting to be rude.

"It's okay if you don't," Jean added, noticing Ekka's hesitancy. Jean moved, bringing Ekka's desk chair to her window, since Ekka had already been occupying the window sitting space. "How have you been?" Jean asked, coolly, looking outside longingly.

"Well," Ekka replied softly. "Where is Mr. Isaac? I have not seen him in a long time..."

"He had to end school early and go home," Jean explained. "He only does school for a certain amount of time, then he has to go home and work for his family. He's a good guy..." Ekka nodded, and they both fell into a comfortable silence.

Soon, the time had come and Ekka's free period had ended. She said good bye to Jean and headed out to class.

The next day, Jean came back, greeting Ekka and sitting in her room, looking out her window. Jean did this again and again, until it had became routine. Usually they were silent, but sometimes they talked. Jean would tell her stories, or help her with a part of her homework or classwork that she didn't understand.

One day, Ekka decided to go outside. It was looking nice, albeit a bit on the chilly a side, but good enough for Ekka.

She went to the forest and sat down there, allowing herself to breathe in the spring air, smiling. This was good --- this was fun! Ekka didn't know why she had stopped, now that she thought about it. She loved it here!

Ekka heard a loud growl and turned sharply, but found nothing. Confused, she followed the noise as it howled again, and came across three male students all older than herself. In their hands was a small brown bundle and it was whining, Ekka felt it's sorrow, calling for it's mother.

A few yards away was the mother, a big, brown bear. She was entangled by tree limbs, holding her far away from the baby. The mother was angry --- furious, even. She raged, swiping a clawed paw at the tree, trying to get to her child.

"Hurry up, Damien," One of them muttered. His hands were outstretched, as if holding the thicket of tree branches are taking a physical toll on him.

"Almost got it!" The one holding the baby bear, Damien, said. He was trying to shove him in his backpack, but the bear was struggling against the boy.

"Wha--What are you doing?" Ekka asked, cautiously stepping out of the trees. All three students jumped, surprised by the sound of Ekka's voice, but relaxed immediately.

"Go inside," the third boy ordered, his gaze harsh. "This doesn't involve you."

"The baby, you are going to hurt him," Ekka said. "Please, le--let him go."

The boy rolled his eyes, "Get out of here. Now."

"Please, I---" the boy thrust his hand towards Ekka, and instantly a blast of what felt like wind hit her straight in the chest. Ekka let out a short gasp before falling on the ground. Her head collided with the root of a tree, and instantly, she began to see stars.

"Hey, Kyle! You didn't have to be that hard, she's a little kid," Ekka groaned, listening to the boy holding the trees, but the boy who pushed her, Kyle, didn't respond. Ekka tried to stand, taking sharp breathes.

"Get her back down," Kyle ordered, and the boy holding the tree moved his hand, wrapping a tight piece of root around her. Ekka struggled, but couldn't get out of it.

"Got him!" Damien announced, and the bear roared, as the baby disappeared in the boy's backpack. With an angry swipe, the mother broke free of the branches and charged them. Ekka froze, trying to reach out to the bear, but anger and concern was flooding it's mind.

The boy who controlled the trees tried to pull the bear back again, but she swatted at it, keeping it away from her. Kyle shot the bear with another blast of air, but the bear stood its ground. It roared, getting so close that Ekka could smell the scent of long-past dead animals its breath.

It rose on it's hind legs, it's teeth bared. The Damien turned to run, but the other two were rooted in fear. Ekka reacted, sending out a single command before she had the chance to even think about it. "Stop!" She screamed, just as the bear was mere inches from hitting one of the boys. It froze, and suddenly began to tilt back, unable to support it's own weight. Ekka stared in horror, tears welling her eyes.

Ekka tried to reach out to her, but she couldn't. There was nothing for her to reach out to. The mother hear was gone because Ekka had killed her.

Ekka could hear the baby whining from,the bag, probably afraid, probably terrified. The boys were staring at Ekka, who had,gone completely silent. "L... Let's get out of here..." One of them muttered. They dropped the bag with the baby bear and began to run. Ekka didn't chase them. She did, however, move to the bag, and opened it. She let the baby bear out, and tossed the empty backpack away.

The baby crawled out, cooing quietly. Ekka could sense his confusion and fear. Ekka closed her eyes, sniffing. He wanted his mother, and it was Ekka's fault. "I am sorry," Ekka sobbed, allowing the baby to cry over his mother. "I am so sorry."

~.•*•.~

"Miss Ekka, you can't keep it," Xavier said calmly. "It's a wild animal, it has to go back." Ekka didn't look at him. She kept her attention on Brownie, the baby bear, who was exploring the edges of her bedroom.

"He has nowhere else to go," Ekka murmured. "I cannot put him back, Mister Xavier, I ki..." Ekka couldn't finish the sentence. She simply rubbed Flutter, who was sleeping in her hands.

"I understand what happened, but Miss Ekka, there are other students you have to think about. It's still a baby, you won't know what to do. It's best to give him to animal control and allow them to deal with this."

"He is my fault," Ekka explained, "I did this, so he is my responsibility now."

"You didn't do anything, Miss Ekka. Those boys you were talking about, they are the ones who tried to steal a baby bear. You were trying to stop them."

"And I killed his mother," Ekka replied. "If I hadn't then she would be alive, Mister Xavier. It is my fault she is dead. So, I will watch after Brownie." Ekka stood, resting Flutter on her pillow as she picked up the baby bear, taking him away from the closet. "I will watch him," she repeated, softly.

Xavier was silent for a moment, before sighing. "If anything happens, go to Mr. McCoy. If you are going to take care of him, then you may, until he is of age to live on his own. Then, he must go back. And, if I see --- or hear --- that the bear is disrupting your studies, then he must go back. Period."

Ekka nodded, feeling a sense of relief, "Thank you, Mister Xavier! I promise I will do good!"

Xavier smiled, chuckling, "Let's hope so..."

~.•*•.~

"You let her keep a brown bear?!" Hank snapped in Xavier's office. "An actual brown bear? Are you... Really, Charles!?"

"She's thiriokinetic. She'll keep it in check," Xavier replied easily. "Besides, it would give her responsibility, and a sense of trust. And, I believe the connect to an animal like the bear will rehabilitate her."

"A bear, Charles. You let her have a bear."

"I've already established the rules for the bear. She knows the responsibility that comes with it."

"Okay, okay, fine," Hank relinquished, rubbing the bridge between his nose. "Fine, whatever. As long as you take it to get shots."

"It's already been done." Xavier replied. "She didn't like it, necessarily, but she agreed. Have you found Lwazi yet?" Hank visibly cringed at the news, looking away. "Hank?"

"About that..." Hank muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Charles steeled his self for bad news. "I've received news that he was recently spotted in... Southern Georgia."

"Southern Georgia?" Xavier repeated, and Hank nodded.

"He's coming for her, Charles. He know where we are. It's only a matter of time."

"He won't. If he knows that I'm here he'll know that he's too weak-minded to go against me."

Hank gave Xavier a small nod, "If you believe that, I suppose I do too..."

~.•*•.~

Ekka stared out the window. Brownie was sleeping soundly on her bed, and Flutter was beside him. The two had gotten along finely, which surprised Ekka a bit. He had teased Flutter at first, and did occasionally, but after a sharp poking in several sensitive places he learned to respect her.

Ekka heard a knocking at the door, and turned, "Come in," she called. Jean stepped through, noticing how she was staring out the window, and gave a small sigh.

"Ekka, don't you want to play with the other kids?" Jean asked as she entered the room.

"No thank you," she said softly, not taking her eyes away from the children who had been taking advantage of the sunny day, and was playing loudly.

"Why not? It's a nice day outside."

"... They do not like them.."

"Don't like who?"

Ekka glanced at Brownie and Flutter, remembering how the other students reacted after seeing them. How Delilah had tried to use Flutter against her, and the other students screamed when they saw Brownie. It made her sad, and she didn't want them to hurt either of them. "My friends. They are... Scared of them."