X: The Beginning

Chapter 14 - Mind Games

Chapter 14

I slowly walk through the alley, the only thing that is left somewhat in tact. Chase lies lifeless a few feet in front of me.

"Chase," I cry. The tears stream down my face and onto his. Wake up. Please wake up. Something smacks my face, and I open my eyes to see that I'm on the ground.

"Pathetic," I hear Snake Eyes sneer. I try to fight back, but my body won't move. "You're weak just like your mother."

I throw my head off the pillow. My heart is racing again. I sigh and try to breathe deeply. As my heart slows down, I feel pain in my right hand. I look over to see the edge of my palm cut, and a piece of my nightstand on the floor. How am I going to control this? ... can I control it?

My bedroom door opens before I can answer my question. "Jess, sweetheart, are you alright?" My dad says as he comes to my side. "I heard a crash and..." He sees my hand and looks over to see the broken nightstand.

Tears well up in my eyes as I try to tell him everything, "I had a nightmare and I woke up and it was broken-"

He hugs me and tries to soothe me, "It's okay, honey. It's alright. Calm down... It will all work out. We'll find a way... we'll find a way..."

"What if there isn't one, dad? What if there's no way to control it?"

"We'll find one, I promise."

I sob into his shoulder until I calm down a bit, "I'll never be normal again... will I..."

I'm caught off guard when he laughs, "Hate to break it to you, Jess, but you've never been normal. You were always doing what everyone else shied away from." He looks into my eyes, "Honey, being different doesn't have to be bad; you just have to decide for yourself whether it is a gift or a curse." He smiles and kisses my cheek, "Try to go back to sleep. I'll fix that table tomorrow."

Eventually, I fall back asleep. I wake up with no other cuts or bruises. Once I'm dressed, I head downstairs to eat something to find Wilbur, Mr. Mason, and my father sitting around the table discussing something.

I clear my throat, and they all stop and look at me, "I hope I'm not interrupting something. I just wanted to get something to eat before class."

"That's what we were discussing, Jessie," Wilbur says as he nudges Mr. Mason.

"We think it's a good idea to give you some time away from things for awhile."

"Things? What things?" I ask.

"Something that could trigger your power. We want to make sure you can control it before you encounter anything that could set it off."

I look over to my father, who is avoiding my gaze, "Dad." He is startled and nearly falls off his chair. "What do you think about this?"

"I... we just want you to be safe," He mumbles, "We have to keep you away from things that could potentially cause you to harm yourself or others."

I slowly nod. There is still something he isn't telling me, but I understand their concern... I don't want anyone getting hurt. "What triggers it? I mean, besides anger."

"We're not entirely sure," Mr. Mason sighs, "We'll have to run some tests to see what exactly is in your system, regardless of what Snake Eyes said."

I nod again as they get up from their chairs and head towards the stairwell. I follow as I try to ignore the nagging feeling in my gut.

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Meanwhile...

Joe Martino paces around his office.

"Are you sure it was Frost?" He snarls.

"Yes, sir, that is what my contact says."

Martino grins, "Well then, we know just how to lure him out. Send her out in town, and when he stops, stab him in the back, like he did to us."

"Yes, sir."

********************************

"Alright, Jessie, I'll work on getting the results of these tests." Mr. Mason smiles.

"Thanks."

My father sits next to me, "Let's go for a walk."

I look in his hand to see some white roses, "Okay."

A few minutes later, we reach the alley. I shudder, thinking about what happened before, but my dad puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. We continue to walk towards my mother's memorial when I see something out of the corner of my eye. I turn to see what it is, but I am brought out of my thoughts when my father clears his throat.

"Uh... Jess, there's something I wanted to tell you."

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing's wrong," He stutters, "it's just a precaution-"

Okay, now, he's scaring me. "Dad, what's going on?"

"It's for your safety, and Doug will probably find a cure within a matter of weeks-"

"Dad, spit it out! You're scaring me."

"You can't go out at night anymore."

"Oh... that's it?"

He sighs, "You cannot see Chase."

My world stops. "What?"

"Until we know the test results, we can't say for sure."

"How long?" My father is silent, "I said, how long?" I look over to see him staring at a woman standing next to my mother's memorial. He looks like he's seen a ghost.

He is silent for a moment, until he finds his words, "Molly?"

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A/N: Muhuhahahaha!! I enjoyed writing this cliffhanger. As always, feel free to comment, vote, fan, whatever. I'll try to update as soon as I can, but until then try to wrap you brain around this chapter or check out some of my other stories.

Jordan :)