X-Men Origins: The Twin

Chapter 8

"What?" Charles blurted out in surprise. "You want me to do what?"
"I want you to erase my memories" Tamsin looked at him with wide anticipating eyes.
 She was not going to leave before they made this possible.

This was the solution she needed - the solution to end the sleepless nights, to make the horrendous pictures engraved in her mind disappear, to end this nightmare called life.

"I don't think I can do that" he signed her to sit down on one of the two armchairs that stood in the corner of the room - right next to his never ending bookshelf.
"Why? I thought you were a psychic?" She let herself fall into the soft cushion and followed the movements of the professor with her eyes. 

He pulled the fabric of his dress-trousers up a bit before sitting down. Sighing heavily he leaned back, rested his head leisurely on his palm and eyed up the woman sitting in front of him. 

"Tamsin, putting your mind-blocking abilities aside" - right, she forgot that mutation in her excited manner - "I believe that whatever you are trying to forget, erasing it completely isn't the right way" he reasoned folding his hands on his lap. 

Tamsin frowned. This was not what she had expected. She thought the well-mannered Professor would be eager to assist her - not trying to stop her. 
Charles noticed the change of her mood. She seemed helpless, desperate - if not completely hopeless. 
"But I can help you dealing with it the right way", he offered. Tamsin raised her gaze to meet his. "The right way? How are you so sure what is right?" she didn't want to react so irritated. It just blurts out every time someone tries to touch this topic with her. 
"I have experience with painful memories. I am confident I can help you", he leaned forward putting his elbows on his thighs. But he was confronted with a still doubtful Tamsin - she wasn't convinced at all that not forgetting this horror was the right way to live. 
"If in some later time you still share the same opinion as now I promise to abide by your wish. But before that we would have to have it my way" he offered raising one eyebrow. 

The first time he had seen her she didn't seem like a broken soul. It made him sad to think what she must be hiding underneath that big emotional wall of hers to make that kind of a request.
Memories are what makes the person - what forms the personality. Giving that up would mean giving up oneself. 

Tamsin had no other choice but to trust him. She already had numerous therapy sittings, took medicine to calm her mind - but nothing had stopped the nightmares, the fear of waking up again in an abandoned house northern of the 38th parallel back in Korea. 

"Deal!"




After Charles had showed Tamsin the way to her room - one of the many vacant guest rooms this mansion had to offer - he left her alone to familiarize herself with the surroundings.  She had a nice view on a lake in the distance and the huge width of the garden right in front of her. 
Maybe it wasn't all that bad staying here in the end. It was peaceful with the birds chirping in the trees and the wind blowing softly through her hair. 
Tamsin closed the window again and made her way out of the room exploring the rest of the huge house. She didn't get to catch the house-tour Raven had offered the last time she was here - and now she wished she had stayed a little longer back then, then she wouldn't have to search her way through the endless corridors. 
"Huh? Tamsin, what are you doing here?" a male voice resonated from the doorframe to her left. She jumped in surprise as she saw the tall young man leaning casually against the wall. He smirked and loosened his crossed arms. She placed her hand on her chest catching her breath again. 
"Ha-voc... isn't it?" Tamsin tried to recall his name. He nodded chuckling. "Yeah, but Alex does it as well". He ran a hand through his blond short hair. "So... uhm... you decided to stick around?"

Tamsin crossed her arms again and shrugged. "Temporary... I guess".
Alex nodded and pushed himself from the wall to take a few steps towards her. "Are you going down?"
He didn't wait for her answer and just accompanied her through the corridors. 

"I didn't get the chance to properly say thank you yet - so... thank you". 
Tamsin looked at him with a questioning look, "For what?"
"That time Darwin... " he paused for a moment. He knew what to say but those words wouldn't go past his lips.
"When Darwin... you know - disappeared... You saved my life." 
Tamsin averted her gaze a little taken aback and nodded shortly. 
"How did you even do that?" his eyes sparkled a little amazed - probably curious as to what fancy mutation Tamsin was hiding up her sleeve. 
"It's nothing cool. So don't get your hopes up" They had reached the stairs and loud chatter came from downstairs. 
Alex signed her to continue nonetheless. 
"It seems like my skin is unbreakable or something like that."
"What do you mean?"
"Not even once in my life did I have an injury; not even a bruise." 
Alex crossed his arms in front of his chest and whistled surprised yet appreciating.
"Not what I expected but still kind of cool" he leaned against the wall, "So how did you get to know - that you are different?"

Tamsin avoided his eyes and followed the hand rail down to the first floor with her eyes. 
When did she know she was different? There wasn't an exact moment she could pin point at.
She hadn't really have time to think about that - it just became a fact she just came to accept. 
But she wouldn't tell Alex about the war. She wouldn't tell anyone about that - she didn't even want to think about it. 

"I... just fell down the stairs"
She nudged her head down the stairs and walked down.
"And you?"
"I..." he slowly followed her "... just burned my clothes one day" he offered her an awkward smile. 

"Tammy~ you really did come back" Moira came to a halt at the foot of the staircase and looked at her little sister with a genuine smile. 
"I can't let you stay here without your private chauffeur now, can I?" she snickered and embraced Moira with the usual hug. 

"I thought you couldn't come because of your job", Moira linked arms with Tamsin and walked with her into the living room - or one of the many that might be hidden in this huge mansion.

Another young man sat there, cool bag on his head and a few bruises along his cheek. He was familiar to Tamsin - he was also one of the young mutants back at the headquarters. But she only remembered his mutant-name Banshee. 
"What happened to you?" she asked him.
 "Just jumped out of the window" he turned his head so that his spiteful comment even reached the last corner where the scientist Hank McCoy sat reading his book. He rolled his eyes and flipped a page.

"Why would you do that?" Tamsin looked from Hank back to Banshee, who just shrugged and let Moira explain: "They tried to use his sonic wave ability to make him fly".

Alex sat down in front of her and laughed: "Quite a sight seeing his graceful butt flying in such a wide body swerve".
The two girls stifled a laugh and banshee crossed his arms huffyly.

"Are you going to stay for good?" Moira's eyes twinkled exited knowing that her sister's abilities would be a great help - even though she  might not be that powerful against those strong mutants. 

"I'll have to see. For now Charles offered me to stay here - for as long my..." Tamsin hesitated and offered a slight smile; "...vacation lasts".
"It indeed is a nice resort here" Raven's strong voice resonated from the door and she approached Tamsin pulling her into a short embrace. "It's good having you back" she showed her teeth through her smile.
She was a little taken aback how everyone seemed to welcome her so heartily. She expected to give a lot of explanations to why she was going back and forth between staying and going. 
But maybe that was the invisible bond they all shared - the bond of being a mutant...