huit

Chapter Eight:

Ekka sat silently, stroking Brownie while he slept on her lap. It was very early, and the birds chirped wildly outside.

Ekka looked to the clock beside her bed, 6:30 AM. She would need to get up if she wanted to be in class on time.

Ekka slowly rose from her bed, her eyes half-lidded as she slowly moved Brownie off her. At a snail's pace, Ekka went to her closet and pulled out her uniform.

Ekka hadn't been able to sleep properly in weeks. She had been having nightmare after nightmare about her Father. Every time she closed her eyes, she'd be forced to see him, and he would torture her. Ekka had gave up, and refused to sleep. She decided it was better that way. Xavier hadn't had to wake her because she woke her entire hall from her nightmares during this time. He also seemed very exhausted whenever he saw her before, but recently he had seemed fine.

Ekka showered and exited her room, Brownie and Flutter had awaken, but did not follow her to class.

Ekka did not go to breakfast because she had homework to finish from the night before that was due that morning. By the time she finished, class had started. Ekka watched aimlessly as Mr. George drones on about the water cycle. Ekka forced herself to stay awake. Last time Ekka fell asleep in her class, she was forced to stand and finish the lesson they were learning. This didn't work well —obviously — because Ekka couldn't read and the lesson plan that he gave her just looked like scribbles.

"Miss Ekka?" Mr. George said, "So you mind telling us what comes after condensation?"

Ekka blinked, realizing that she had zoned out again. "Uh..."

"Maybe you cannot because you were not paying attention?" He accused and Ekka sank in her seat. "I thought so. I'll see you after dinner for detention." Ekka gave a shaky nod, and sighed. She managed not to fall asleep, or zone out until her next class, which happened to be Ability Control and Conduct.

Lately, they have been going over the major abilities that people frequently have. For example, thiriokinesis is very common for kids who live or had lived in rural areas or around wild animals for a long time.

Ms. Nighthall explained that a mutation isn't really a mutation, but sometimes an adaptation. People who have the ability to mutate do it in environment that would help them survive.

Ekka didn't hear much else after that because she fell asleep, but immediately regretted it because she dreamed if Father whipping her.

Ekka sat straight up, shaking in her seat. She moved so fast that her chair tilted and she fell headfirst on the floor.

Ekka let out a groan, rubbing her tender head from the impact. The class however, laughed at her, and Ms. Nighthall frowned. "That is what happens when you don't keep the feet of your chair on the ground, Ekka. Would you like to stand instead?"

"N–N–No tha–thank you," Ekka stammered, getting back up quickly.

"You weirdo, Ekka," Delilah hissed behind her. "You're so clumsy."

"So–Sorry..." Ekka murmured, sitting back in her chair, trying to listen to the lesson.

~.•*•.~

"Today is my last day before I go to college," Vera told her. They were both sitting at her window, watching the kids play outside.

"I do not want you to leave..." Ekka murmured, and Vera smiled softly. She wrapped an arm around Ekka and drew her close. Ekka's initial reaction was to get away. Her instincts told her that whenever Father brought her close like this, was when he was extremely angry. He was going to beat her for not performing well.

But, then Ekka shook the thoughts away. This was Vera and Vera was nice. Vera liked her and she liked Vera. Vera wouldn't hurt her. Vera wouldn't hurt her. She was safe with Vera.

"I'm gonna miss you, kid," she murmured. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay?"

"Ye–Yes, Vera. I will not..."

"And make sure you eat your vegetables, and go outside at least a few times a week. If you don't, you'll end up pale, and white. Which is considerably impressive because you're the blackest person I have seen. Anyways, go outside, you hermit."

Ekka laughed at Vera's strange commands, "Okay, Vera." Then, the bell rang, signalling the end of Ekka's free period.

Vera gave Ekka a strong hug, "Man, I'm really gonna miss you, kiddo," she murmured.

"Me too..." Ekka sniffed, feeling the urge to cry.

"Oh! I have a present for you!" Vera remembered. "I'll give it to you after dinner. Go to class, or else you'll be late." Ekka nodded and Vera smiled, ruffling her hair. "I love you, Ekka."

Ekka stopped moving, turning to Vera. "You do?"

"Course I do," Vera smiled. "You're like a little sister to me."

Ekka felt her lip quiver and she tried to hold back the tears. No one ever loved her before. She didn't know what to do. "I... I lo–love you too, V--Vera," she stammered.

Vera laughed getting up. "I should get to class too." Ekka nodded, remembering she had her own classes to go to, and scurried out of the room.

~.•*•.~

Ekka silently washed the dishes as Mr. George stood behind her. She left Flutter and Brownie upstairs, she didn't need them making a mess after she cleaned. Besides, Mr. George would just complain. He did not like Brownie.

"Hurry up," he snapped behind her. "I don't want to be here all night."

"Y... Yes, Mr. George," she nurmured, holding back a yawn and tried to finish her last few dishes faster. Ten minutes later, she had finally done. Her arms were tired and her fingers prunes from the water. She dried her hands and turned to go upstairs, but Mr. George caught her shoulser.

"I expect you not to be sleeping in my classes anymore, Miss Ekka," Mr. George said sternly. Ekka shied away, trying to move get shoulder, but his grip only tightened. "I don't like troublemakers in my class and you have been a nuisance all year. This, Ekka, is the last straw. I'm speaking to the Professor tomorrow morning and I am getting you sent back home. If you don't know how to act properly, then you shouldn't be here."

Ekka frowned, he couldn't send her back home. She didn't have a home to go to. Unless... Did he know about the Circus? Mr. George was going to send her back to Father?!

"You cannot send me home!" Ekka cried. "I cannot go back home! Please!" Tears sprung in her eyes at the thought of having to go back to her father and the punishment he'd surely give her for being away for so long. "Please, I will be good! You cannot send me back!"

"I have already decided," he frowned at her, eyebrow twitching. "Now go to bed. Pack your things, you will be gone tomorrow."

"No!" Ekka sobbed. "I cannot go back to him! He will surely kill me! Please, Mr. George, you cannot send me away!!"

"I said go to bed!" He snapped, agitated. "Now move!"

"No!" Ekka yanked on his arm, "No, please!! Please let me stay! I will be good!!"

"Get off of me!" Mr. George snapped and struck her across the face. Ekka fell to the floor, holding her cheek and crying. He growled, "I said go to bed! Go!!" He let out an animalistic growl, eyes full of anger.

"Do not send me away! Let me stay, please!!" Ekka blubbered. "Please, let me stay, I–I will be good, I—"

"Ekka?" A familiar voice called at the other end of the lunchroom. "There you are. I was looking all over for you! We need to go upstairs!"

"Please do not send me away," Ekka sobbed, "Please, I am sorry! Please do not let him get me!!"

"Ekka? It's me, Vera. Why are you crying, are you okay?" Vera asked, coming to Ekka. Then, she turned to Mr. George. "What did you do to her?" Mr. George didn't respond, he simply growled, glaring at Vera. She glared back, grabbing Ekka's arm. "We're leaving, come on."

When Vera touched her arm, Ekka let out a strangled scream, scrambling away, "I do not want to leave! Please! Let me stay here! Please! Do make me go!! Leave me! Go away!!"

"Ekka, get up," Vera said. "What are you talking about? I'm not—" then, Vera screamed. Mr. George had jumped on her, fangs and claws outstretched. Vera thrashed, trying to get Me. George off her, but he slashed his claws at her face, his teeth going for her neck. With a swift movement, Mr. George tore out a chunk of Vera's flesh and she went completely limp.

The scent of blood quickly infested the air. Mr. George was growling, tearing at Vera's body. Eating out her still-beating heart. Ekka stared at Vera, or what was left of her. Blood pooled around her, staining Vera's clothing. Vera's eyes were staring at the ceiling, the terror still expressed in them.

"V... Ve–Vera...?" Ekka said slowly, coming to her. Mr. George glared at Ekka when she came close, "Stop, please. Vera?!" Mr. George halted over Vera's body and a minute later, he tilted over, just as still as Vera was.

Ekka pushed the hair out of Vera's face, lip quiver, "Vera?! Please!! I am sorry!" She sobbed. "I am so sorry, please!" Ekka began to scream and sob. The echoing of her screams filled the manor, filling the minds of over half the students in the school.

~.•*•.~

Xavier flew down the halls in his wheelchair, Hank right behind him. As he went, he forcefully sent the students who tried to attack him unconscious. "What happened?!" Xavier asked furiously, working as fast as he could.

"It must be her," Hank replied, bringing a student down with a swift pressure point. "She's the only one powerful enough—"

"I know that!!" Xavier snapped. "I want to know what caused it!"

"Calm down," Hank scolded, "It's her influence. If you get too agitated, you'll become just as bad as them."

"I know," Xavier said with a sigh. "We need to secure her. I feel the most influence coming from the lunchroom, she must be in there."

"How do you plan on calming her down?" Hank asked.

"I'm too weak to," Xavier admitted. "I've been having Jean looking over her these past few months, hopefully she will be able to withstand her power."

"And if she can't?" Hank asked grimly.

Xavier was silent for a moment, "I don't know. We'll get there later. I'm signalling Jean, don't go anywhere."

"Got it." Hank replied, putting down another student.

'Jean!' Xavier spoke mentally, 'Jean can you hear me?'

"Loud and clear," Jean replied from her room. Her voice was shaky and quiet. "Did... Did I cause this?"

'No, no, this wasn't you,' Xavier assured. 'Where are you?'

"My room," Xavier thought for a moment. Her room was three halls and a staircase away from the lunchroom. She was closer than them to Ekka. "What's going on? Are we under attack?!"

'We're not under attack. There was an incident with one of the students. I need you to go to the lunchroom,' Xavier instructed.

"The lunchroom?" She repeated, a bit confused.

'Yes. Do you know how to set someone unconscious without harming them?'

"Uhm... No? Why would I need that?" Jean sounded nervous and she wrapped her arms around her body. "Are–Are you sure we aren't under attack?"

'I swear we aren't,' Xavier said seriously. 'Setting someone unconscious is like turning a light switch in between off and on, then leaving it there. That's what I need you to do. The students are going to attack you, and if they do. I need you to set them unconcious. Not conscious, but definitely not dead. Do you think you can manage that?'

"Yeah... I think so..." Jean frowned, slipping a pair of slippers on.

'If anyone tries to attack you, that is what you need to do, okay Jean?'

"Yeah," Jean gulped. "Okay, I got this. Not conscious, but not dead. Not conscious, but not dead." Jean opened her door.

~.•*•.~

Jean felt awfully bad for every student she forced into unconsciousness. However, she learned to get past it when they lashed at her, unnaturally long teeth and claws bared and shining. Although she had a few scuffles with a few animalistic students, Jean managed to look past it, and make her way to the lunchroom.

The first thing Jean noticed was the smell. The lunchroom was soaked in the metallic scent of blood. The fact that it smelt that bad meant there had to be a lot of it, and unfortunately, Jean was right.

The second thing Jean noticed was the sobs. They were uneven and hiccupped frequently. They sound like it belonged to a child and when Jean moved into the lunchroom door, she was right.

Ekka was on the floor, sobbing messily over a body, a girl, by the length of her hair. Beside her was the still form of one of the teachers, Mr. George. Blood was pooled around the dead girl, coming from her neck, chest, and mauled face. It took Jean a second to identify the body, but then she recognized the red highlights in the hair.

Vera was laying on the ground, and Ekka was crying over the body. Her hands flew to her mouth, covering a gasp. "Ekka?" The girl snapped her head up when she heard her name. She was covered in blood, which hadn't been her own. Her cheek that was scarred from her ear to her lip was bruised and swollen. Her eyes were red, and puffy from tears, and she somehow looked exaushted because of it.

Ekka looked absolutely terrified, and began to cry again, speaking French in a gibberish language.

'Calm her down,' Xavier spoke into her mind. 'Then, everything will go back to normal.' Jean nodded, understanding his orders.

"Ekka. It's me, Jean, remember?" Jean took a step forward, but Ekka scrambled back.

"Je ne voulais pas(I did not mean to)! Je ne voulais pas! Je ne voulais pas!!" Ekka repeated over and over again.

"Ekka, I need you to calm down, please," Jean spoke softly, trying to mentally send calming telepathic waves to her. It did not work, Ekka's mind was in chaos.

"Ne me renvoie pas à Père! Je suis désolé! Ne m'envoyez pas à lui (Do not send me back to Father! I am sorry! Do not send me to him)!" Ekka sobbed.

"Ekka, I don't—I can't understand you right now," Jean sighed.

"Tue-moi! Tue moi s'il te plait (Kill me! Kill me, please)!!"

Jean heard Xavier grunt in her mind, 'You're making it worse. I need you to talk to her, get her mind off of them.'

"Okay, uhm, Ekka, can you look at me?" Jean asked, simultaneously sending subliminal messages in her mind for Ekka to look at her.

Ekka turned, still crying, and looking at Jean as if she were going to strike her at any second. Slowly, Jean moved, and sat on the ground, out of sight from both bodies. "How's Brownie doing? Is he getting along with Flutter?" Ekka stared at her, confused, and terrified. "I think it would look great it we out an outfit on him! He'd look so cute, wouldn't he?"

'It's working. She's calming down,' Charles informed.

"I am absolutely positive that they would both look adorable if we put Flutter and Brownie in matching outfits," Jean continued. Slowly, she used her telekinesis to edge herself forward on the floor. "Oh! What if Flutter wore a bridal dress and Brownie wore a tux! Or, it could be something silly, like if we turned their clothes into a jar of peanut butter and jelly and then made a fort so it would be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!"

Ekka looked at her confused, then at the bodies on the floor. Her lip started to quiver again. "Hey, hey, hey, have you played the game Pictionary?" Jean blurted, and Ekka slowly drew her eyes back at her. "Yeah Pictionary. Uh, basically there are two teams and you both draw picture and whoever guesses correctly wins!" Jean laughed, hoping for a reaction from Ekka.

"You know, Isaac is a great artist?" Jean continued. "He uses to draw all the time. I think he even showed me a picture of when he drew you."

"He..." Ekka rasped, her voice sore from screaming and sobbing. "He dr–drew me...?"

"Yeah. He loved drawing you!" Jean grinned. "I'll ask him if he had any pictures of you, okay?" Ekka gave a slight nod, and Jean smiled. "Hey, when's your birthday? I bet you he'll draw you a huge one for your birthday.

"I do–do not have a bi–birthday..." Ekka murmured, with near silence.

"You don't have a birthday?" Ekka sank back, holding back embarrassed tears. "That's okay! That's perfectly fine! We'll make you one! It'll be a huge party. Everyone will come, and Isaac will make you a huge picture, you'll love it!"

Ekka smiled, it was small, and almost unnoticeable, but it was there. "Re–Really?"

"Yes, really. And, I bet, your cake will be huge too! And you can choose the decorations on it!"

"Wh–What if Fl–Flutter and B–B–Brownie were on it?" Ekka asked, "Can... Can we have that?"

"We can have whatever you want, Ekka," Jean smiled. "It's your birthday."

"Who else will come?" Ekka asked curiously. "Can you only have two people at a birthday?"

"No, no, you can have anyone at your birthday," Jean grinned. "Everyone can come!" Jean was almost in arms length of Ekka.

"Everyone?" Jean nodded, "Wi–Will there be enough food?"

"Plenty," Jean promised. She spread her arms out, inviting a hug, and Ekka slowly came to her.

"I–I think I am g–going to like m–my birthday," Ekka sniffed, coming to Jean.

"I will make sure you do." Then, Ekka fell into her, hugging and crying. Jean rubbed her back comfortingly, and trying to make sure Ekka didn't look at the bodies.

Jean felt Xavier and Hank in the hall. Xavier focused on Ekka and suddenly, Ekka fainted in her arms.

Both men visibly relaxed, and Xavier came close to her. "Thank you, Jean," Charles said. "We couldn't have done this without you."

"Happy to help," Jean replied, trying not to show her discomfort at the two bodies. "What are you going to do with her?"

"Keep her away," Hank replied and.Xavier scowled. "Charles, look at what she's done! This has gone too far!"

"We're not locking her up!" Charles snapped, "She's a child!"

"What else is there?!" Hank demanded. "Mutant or not, this has gone on too far."

Xavier sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Professor?" Jean spoke, and the man turned to her. "You could keep her away, but just bring the school to her. Like, give her a tutor, that way she still learns. And, we could still see her, and talk. She could keep Brownie and Flutter too."

Xavier frowned, "I don't want to cage her away as if she were nothing more than an unwanted animal," He explained. "I don't want her to see me as her Father."

"Charles," Hank sighed, "I understand that. But, at this point, we need to act. There is two people dead, and who knows how many injured. We need to stop this, before it gets worse. What if she took over the entire school, and not half? What if Logan was under her influence? This could have been a slaughter, Charles."

"I know, I know," Xavier sighed, looking at Ekka resting unpeacefully in Jean's arms. "Fine. We'll do it."

~.•*•.~

Ekka hadn't slept in weeks. She simply stared at the wall, sitting on her bed. Brownie and Flutter sat beside her, Flutter occasionally poking her cheek, and Brownie sucking her fingers.

"Miss Ekka?" Xavier's voice filtered through her cage. Ekka flinched, but did not move. "Miss Ekka, please eat. You will get sick if you don't." Ekka still hadn't said anything. "Well, your teacher is absent again today, so I will help you in Maths. Will you get your workbook? We will be going over fractions."

"Please, Mister Xavier," Ekka murmured for the first time in weeks. Xavier sat straighter. "Let me die, Mister Xavier. Please, just let me die."

"I... I am sorry, Ekka," Xavier sighed, "But I can't do that." Ekka began to cry, softly sobbing to herself, but Xavier did not reply. "... Going... Back to fractions..."

~.•*•.~

Flutter died. Ekka stared at her cold body in her hands, her lip quivering. Tears slipped down her cheeks, landing on the bird, but she did not magically wake up.

"Good morning, Miss Ekka," Xavier said, coming down the hall in his wheelchair to her cell. "How are you?"

"Flutter is dead," Ekka murmured. Brownie moaned, clinging to her arm. "She died. I killed her. She's—"

"You didn't kill her," Xavier assured. "She died naturally."

"I killed her," Ekka insisted. "I killed Flutter! I killed Vera! I killed Mr. George! I killed Fira! I killed them! I am a monster!!" Ekka began to sob, setting Flutter's body away from her.

"You are not a monster, Ekka," Xavier said softly. "Your powers are too hard for you to control. We will help you, Miss Ekka, don't worry."

"If I am not a monster," Ekka sniffed, "Then why do you lock me up like one?"

"I wish I did not have to," Charles admitted. "I wish I could let you go right now. But, it is too dangerous, Miss Ekka. We need to find a way to help you control your powers. Then, you can go."

"If you want me to control my powers," Ekka spoke softly. "Then, you should kill me."

Xavier was silent, then he rubbed his face, and sighed. "Ekka... You are not a monster."

"Please, Mister Xavier!" Ekka begged. "Why do you make me suffer here!? Was I bad? I did not mean to do anything wrong! I apologize! I am sorry, Mister Xavier. I am!"

"Miss Ekka, you did no wrong. It is not your fault. It is your ability. I... I am trying to find a way to help you. You don't have to die, Miss Ekka. Just, trust me, alright?"

"I..." Ekka looked down at Flutter's body. "I... I just..."

"Nobody else will die, Miss Ekka. I will not allow it," Charles promised.

"Okay... Mister Xavier..." Ekka sniffed. Brownie sniffed Flutter and let out a moan. She did not believe Xavier. Ekka had her fair share of liars, and knew Xavier was lying to her.

But, if he thought that she was doing better, then he would let her go. And once she was able to leave, she would never come back to this school.

So, Ekka sat straighter, and wiped her tears. "Yes, Mister Xavier," Ekka lied. "... I trust you."