afterMath II

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I was standing my the coffee table, waiting for my espresso to pour out, but as I do so, I hear Esme and Lorna talk.

"Well, if she's so important, maybe Reeva should be here working with her," The green haired woman points out.

"She's not on vacation," argues the blonde, "She's laying the groundwork for the next step in our plan, and she's depending on us. Do you want to tell Reeva her new weapon is a dud?"

I remained silent, though rolling my eyes at their name toward Rebecca.

"Maybe you should stop calling her a weapon."

The three of us turn our head to see Andy at an archway.

"I mean, she is a person. You could try treating her like one," He comments.

"Excuse me?" Esme narrows her eyes.

"Well, you cover her in wires, talk about her like she's a thing. I mean, what do you expect?"

"Andy," speaks Lorna, "I've seen what happened to people who get locked up in those places, and sometimes there's no coming back."

I saw the fire in Andy's eyes, and it was filled of determination and nerve.

"Couldn't Andy just talk to her?" I asked, having the attention turned to me, "You've tried this your way, let's give Andy a try."

I knew Andy had some sort of connection with Rebecca. Maybe it was spiritual or a intuitive feeling, but it didn't feel right with me... not at all.

"You know what, knock yourself out," finalized Esme, walking away from the teen, then Lorna went to her room for Dawn.

I went back to my coffee, but not until Andy grab my wrist.

"Thanks for that," He shyly spoke.

"What? Did you think I was gonna sit on the sidelines?" I jab, walking away from him.

Even it was only an hour ago and a petty argument, I was still hurt and confused to what Andy said. He said things that are on his mind, yes, but he never gave the time to talk about.

I didn't like talking to him like this, but I also wasn't going to simply forget about it, so freely.

"Look Lux, can we please talk about this?" He walks after me.

"Oh, I'm all ears," I prompt, holding onto my espresso.

"What I said was pretty stupid, I know that. What I said about you not being a fighter a-and you changing, I shouldn't have said those things."

"Yeah, but they are what you feel."

"No, no! Lux, you do fight, you fight by being my and your brother's support, you fight with reasoning and logic toward situations. You may not use your power as often as Lorna or I do, but you do fight."

"And what about the sudden agreement on authority? Do I bore you with not having my rebellious behavior?"

"I-I know you are changing, you are trying to adapt to this, and get yourself comfortable. You know I don't have an easy liking to change, and seeing you being all mature... it scared me a little."

I furrow my brows. "Why would that scare you?"

"Because you are going to leave me behind! When you mature, you think of better things and a future, and I know it'll be a matter of time before I won't be able to catch up with you."

My lips parted from the shock I had. I would've never thought Andy to be insecure of our relationship.
He was always so happy and himself when it's just me and him, it hard to imagine him thinking I would leave him.

"Andy, you know I would never do that to you, right? I wouldn't leave you behind."

"I know, but it's still a thought."

I let himself forgot my coffee and didn't hesitate to kiss him softly, as he held my back as we collided.

"And for the record, you would never bore me," He whispers in my ear.

I chuckle as blush was colored on my face. "Okay, okay! Now, tell me about Rebecca."

He pulls away. "What about her?"

"I know you feel a connection to her. That's why you feel so defensive of her."

The blonde haired boy sighs, "I-I don't know. I relate to her a lot, I guess. People think my power makes me dangerous and some sort of monster, and I know she must be feeling the same. It's just good to know someone is going through the same thing."

My doubts began to shake as Andy spoke his truth.
I knew that I some aspects I could never always understand how he feels or what he is going through, and now I feel better, knowing that he has someone that he can help him relate toward his feelings.

To part our ways, I gave the Strucker a kiss on the cheek and walked away with my espresso, happy to know our relationship isn't going down hill.

❅   ❅   ❅

My espresso was already empty, as I was reading my book.
As I was reading, my door opened to see Andy and the very timid girl next to him.

I smiled at her, sweetly, but she instead hid behind Andy.

"Lux, this is Rebecca. Rebecca, Lux. She's a little shy, so don't let that fool you," Andy tells me.

"Nice to meet you, Rebecca," I greet, holding out my hand, only making her frightened more.

"Hey, she's good. Lux is really nice," assures the boy, before turning to me, "Me and Rebecca are gonna go out on the town for a bit, and she was wondering if she can borrow your clothes, until the workers get her something better."

I was hesitate to say no, because she had just got out of a mental asylum, and it would be overwhelming to now suddenly see the world. Then again, this could give us a chance to have her on board for our big mission.

"Yeah, that's not a problem. Come on, you can choose whatever."

The brunette girl looked up to Andy, in puppy-like eyes, as she slowly made her way to me.

As soon as Andy left, I closed the door, ushering her to my closet.
"Now, pick whatever you want, everything's free to you, but don't mess it up when you return it."

The girl's eyes went straight toward a nice flow white dress and a maroon tight one.

"Awe, Andy loves that dress," I comment, point to the white one.

"He does?"
"Yeah, he kept on complimenting it on our date."

"Date?"
"Mm-hm, Andy is my boyfriend."

"For how long?"

"A year," I answer.

At first I didn't think she would say less then three words, but I was wrong. Most of her talking was questions about Andy.

The way her face contorted to a more annoyed state when I told her sent me to confusion, thought it was then forgotten since that white one was the dress she chose.

Afterword, she was borrowed my hoodie and flats for the finishing outfit; using her hair tie, she put her hair to a ponytail.

When the two of us walked to Andy, he waited for us by the lobby.

"You look good," Andy compliments the girl.

Rebecca replies, "Yeah, I feel a little boogie, but I guess——"

"No, it's nice. Wait by the elevator for me," tells Andy, sending the girl for their hang out.

"Seems that someone might have a crush on you," I say.

"Rebecca? Nah, she's just happy to see the world for the first time in a while."

"Whatever you say, just don't go making player moves and please don't get into trouble."

The boy kissed me goodbye, saying, "I love you" underneath his breath.

"And I love you more."

When we are going our ways, I heard Lorna come up to the teens, making me want to listen in.

"Going somewhere?" The mother asked.

"Yeah, we were just gonna go get something to eat," answers the Strucker.

"The chef can make whatever you want." A new voice, my brother, came in.

"Well, she hasn't been outside in, like-like how long?"

"I don't know. Over a year?" says the teen.

It was then that the two adults brought Andy for a private chat.

"Look, I think it's great that you got her out of her shell, but, uh, taking her outside?"

"She needs this," defends the boy.

"Andy, I was in one of those places. When you leave, it takes time to adjust. Okay? You can't just——"

"Hey, you want her to fight for our freedom, right? But what about her freedom? Is she allowed to have it?"

As Lorna seemed to let them go, Jack spoke, "And Lux is fine with this?"

"Yeah, of course she is. I asked her... Why would she not?"

"Andy, you're not stupid. Look at it in her eyes, her boyfriend and some random fact dressed girl going to eat somewhere, without her being there."

"But I'm——"

"Not you! It's her. For some friendly lunch out, wearing a nice dress doesn't seem weird?"

"Rebecca is cool, okay. It's impossible to just like someone after knowing them for, what, two hours?"

It was then that Andy and Rebecca left, leaving everyone on their toes if any trouble would happen.

As I walked back to my room, Jack calls me, "Lux."

He didn't even give me time for me to reply, it was only him seemingly every annoyed.

"What the hell happed with you and Andy?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Did you seriously let him go out with Rebecca, some random mentally unstable teen?"

"Andy will be fine, he can take care of himself," I state.

"Lux, you are not listening to me! Andy——"

"Andy is going to be fine. I trust him, okay, and maybe you should be too."

Jack only rolled his eyes and walking away, knowing my stubbornness got the best in the argument.

❅   ❅   ❅

I was in training, it wasn't mandatory, but I felt like I needed the work.
Especially since Reeva added fire toward my training, which I haven't gotten around to.

I hear the mechanical works of cylinder shapes, aiming straight toward me, in all directions.

Sage was saying how this would work well with my instincts and the strength of my ice.

I tried to calm myself and listen to what my intuition.
So, when I took my deep breath, I heard the low whirring of a machine.

I immediately dodged what fire it had shooting toward me, the fire of other blasters came off and on, as I had to dodge and strike everyone one of them.

I shot one with a sharp icicle i made, as I jump from the flame, the other came close, as I stomped the ground to freeze it over.

This only left with two; one on each of my sides, and I heard both of them turn on.

The two fires roared at my face, as I had to double my power, by trying to stand down the flames.

I felt my eyes glow and power surging to fight of what was in my way. The ice in my hands turned dark, as if grey color was dyed toward my ice.

It was as if it wasn't even my own.
The power I felt inside of me, felt like someone was giving it to me freely. Whatever unlocked ability I held inside me, it was dark, dark enough to show it in my abilities.

As I push them back away, the fire then boosted to the next level, because it was then growing stronger than ever.

I wince was the flames were seemingly overtaking my own power, the power I held was then lost. The grey was fainting with my typical blue-white, this along would've gone with my power.

As the red-orange colors start to over rise up, something in my heart, in my myself, snapped into place, because once a lick of flame came near my skin, my entire body turned to crystallized.

The change in my skin then expanded my ice to wave the flame away, overtaken with frost and ice that covered it.

The entire training room was consumed with flakes of ice and frost, leaving me, a crystalline ice being, to be in the center of it.

I look at my hands, shaking at the sudden change of my own dna.
My body has never felt more comfortable in this way than ever, in this form, it had happened once, and I was never able to get it back... now, I have.

I realized that the frost covered the window, where Sage's silhouette was trying to wave me down.

I wanted to push myself, to try and absorb every inch and sparkle of frost and ice in the room.

I had to calm my heartbeat, and slowly meditate, as the ice came floating to my body.

I jerked and move to the many coming bits of power in myself.
It's quite painful to try and gain back what ability is surfaced.
It was as if a person were to cut a piece of my skin and trying to fix the skin like a puzzle piece.

I didn't want to look of how much that needs to be taken in, it would only do worse than good.

The pain was insufferable, to the point that my tears had to ice up before it only hits the floor.

I roar, to try and silence what suffer I had, which only made the ice to collide with my body faster and impacting.
A scream came from my mouth, from pain as ice had to force itself inside me and force my body to accept it as energy and power.

Suddenly, the pain had stopped and everything around me felt normal.
I opened my eyes to see everyone amazed toward me, and my smile had grown when seeing Andy had finally came back.

I look to Rebecca, who had a straight face, eyeing down my now ice skin. Her demeanor seemed loathing and disgusted.

Though that didn't matter to me, i was confused but there was no point to question it too much. If she does have a problem with me, then she should at least tell me straight forward.

After I change out of my training outfit, I quickly hug Andy, but was met with him wincing, but not pulling away from me.

"Geez, you are so cold," says Andy.

"Oh, crap! I'm sorry," I speak, looking toward my skin, to see it was still crystal.

"I'll be going up next. Wish me luck," smiles Rebecca, completely ignoring me in the process.

As she walked away, I turn to see her go to the locker room, as my skin changes back to normal.

"What's your problem?"

"What do you mean?" asked Andy.

I knew he is oblivious on people's actions and feelings, but it seemed quite obvious that Rebecca didn't put me on her nice list.

"Nothing, nevermind. Let's see what she can do."
"Oh, trust me, it's pretty freaking awesome."

When coming to the watch Rebecca, we see the same vault in the center and the girl right in front of it.

She then clawed her hands, straining them in a weird way.
My eyes widen to see the vault was covered in shifting matter.

She screams and opens her arms, the vault was then exposed to be opened and broken to show the inner walls of the vault toward the outside.

Rebecca can turn objects inside out.

"Holy..."

"I know, she's crazy."

The triplets seem to be happy in seeing Rebecca finally using her power, Lorna looked... unsure of her, while the Strucker just wore the biggest grin.

The girl simply turned to my boyfriend winking to him.

I snap my neck to Andy, furrowing my eyebrows to him.
He simply looked to me, not saying a single word, only expressing speechlessness.

I didn't want to give Rebecca the reaction she wanted, I just couldn't.

I didn't know what I did to make her start to flirt with Andy or treat me like some sort of high school mean girl.

I only stare toward her, giving a straight face with attitude, which made her uncomfortable, not expecting me to stay my ground.

I began to think how Jack could be right about me worrying about Rebecca, and maybe I should be, but I only know is that I wanted answers.

I wanted answers here and now.

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