Into the Darkness ((Lex Darcy))

Quickly the boy ran down the dark London Street, looking back at the group of Police pursuing him. His shoes landed in numerous puddles as his heavy feet hit the ground. The only thought in Ben’s mind now was of getting away from the pursuers. He didn’t really know why they were after him but he had a good idea as to the answer to that question. He turned, zooming into a small alleyway, not looking back once; his breathing was now heavy, and deep. His clothes dirty, his hand twice as unclean, but he couldn’t stop now, or he would be taken away. The alley he had ran into was just as unclean as he was, dark walls, with some stained Graffiti lazily sprawled along it, the rain was beginning to fill up in dirty puddles, taking the dirt from the walls and onto the floor. However, this didn’t stop Ben from running, his arms swung from side to side, his feet taking leaps to run away from the oncoming Police, who must have seen him run into the Alley. He turned another corner of the Alleyway, it seemed to go on for ever, lights flickered on and off, making it hard to see where you were going, the noise of, what Ben believed to be, Rats scurrying along the metal pipes, which lay along the floor, broken here and there.

He turned once more, this time to find a wall, no, not a wall, the side of a building blocking the alley, cursing under his breath Ben prepared for the worst. It seemed like he had outrun the Officers quite a bit, but they were still on his trail wandering down the alley, which they probably new had a dead end. He had to make the decision quickly, and be certain that what he was doing was sensible, the Officers voices could now be heard, but Ben didn’t tune in, he just thought about what he was going to do, his ‘power’ took up almost all of his energy if he used it now, then he would surely pass out, and become unconscious, but on the other hand it might get him out of this situation. A noise, off to his left caught Ben by surprise, and he jumped, quite literally, and landed on the floor, causing a loud noise to emit from the landing spot, he had landed on a pile of cans. The metal dug into Ben’s body, causing him to wail in pain, his arms tensed up and spread out to try and lift himself up but he didn’t have enough strength to lit his own body weight, not after he had just ran a marathon to escape the cops. Then he heard their voices getting closer, a tear fell down his eye, whether it was because of the pain or the fact that soon his life wouldn’t be worth living, Ben couldn’t tell but he new that he was done for.

Now he could see them turning the corner, he had now finally managed to role off the pile and was no longer in as much pain as he was before, he slowly managed to raise his hand and the first flash of energy emerged and formed a protective bubble around him, more burst followed, keeping the bubble up, then he lost it, luckily he didn’t collapse, but he had lost energy alright, then he saw him, a person stood there and Ben didn’t know who they where or why they were here, he just hoped he was here to help, not take him away. His eyes still remained on the Police Officers who had gotten even closer by now, and where making Ben get out of his comfort zone.

((Sorry if I Godmodded a little bit!))

The rains had just stopped, but the sky was still grey and the air was wet. Just after it rains the world always seems so much more vibrant. Your senses can really pick up on things and you can see, hear, or smell things you didn't smell when every thing was dry and crisp. To Alice, rain gave every thing a vigor and vitality that it didn't have before and this manifestation intreuged her. But manifestations could wait because she had a job to do. She had tracked him for a while now, and she had thought she had lost him until he had sped past her, a cop entourage on his tail. Alice growled, but as much as she disliked it she took off after them any way.

In her canine form she ran much faster, she smirked as she imagined the scene, a boy running from cops, chased by dog? But it was comical non the less. Her pale blue eyes watching the boy intently as much as she could, she didn't want to loose him even if evasion was what he was aiming for. She had no idea what he did to elisit the chase but what ever he had done these cops where intent on catching him, and Alice had wanted a day off. She saw that he had ducked around the corner in a last feeble attempt to get away from the pigs but alas, he was trapped, and Alice's heart went out to him for a moment because she knew the feeling only to well. Yet he wasn't through, no he had one last trick before he gave in, and Alice wanted to see what it was. She wasn't dissapointed. Perhaps she just loved seeing the cops' stunned faces as the kid created a force feild, never the less she smiled all the same. Although it soon vanished, it didn't take her but a moments notice to see that he was weakening. It must of taken a lot out of him, and on his face was writen dispair and fear. Alice wasn't a fan of hopelessness, no matter how harsh she could seem. And as his last force feild bubble faded she figured it was time to step in.

Quickly she changed, regaining her human form, and as silent as the night she stepped between the police and the boy. Her pale eyes looked at his face for just a moment before turning to the police in from of her and giving them an icey glare.

"You had best not be interfearing with our buisness, and it may be best if you leave." the cops gave her a look, she wasn't all that intimidating she could gather but she held her ground defiant.

"And if we don't? they asked her dareing her to do what she was longing to do. They only had time to catch her lopsided smirk before she quickly melted into her canine form and gave them a visious growl, fur bristling and body coiled ready to leap.

Her icey eyes watched them as they backed off and called of the pursuit. Yah she could have told them she was their for secret service buisness and flashed them the temporary badge she had been given, but where was the fun in that? As quickly as she had transformed earlier she changed back into herself again. She rubbed the back of her neck and winced, transforming to fast gave her sore joints. With a sigh she turned to face the kid behind her. She eyed him again, but since she no longer had to be protective she was alittle weary, and her eyes searched his face before she asked

"What did you do?"

Jumping slightly Ben watched on as a...girl? Came in and started talking to the cops, an obvious sign of hatred in her voice, Ben simply just gazed on clueless, as she then confronted the Police Officers, turning into a dog and growling, this was what tipped Ben’s understanding, was she like him? It wasn’t possible, no way could there be other people like him, but the fact did make him feel much more comfortable with the whole situation, and that was when she turned to face him.

“What did you do?”

Ben Looked at her and fought back a tear, though sniffling slightly he broke the news to her, “I accidently....killed my brother.” Now the tears fell down his face and he didn’t even bother trying to hold him back, he was too weak, and his body felt lifeless, he could fell his breath starting waver and his hands drooping to his sides, he really needed to learn how to use his Force Fields more effectively, when he was 13 he had been out for 3 days straight, and his father had been murdered the very same day, only bad came from using the Force Fields in the long term, and Ben wasn’t really a supernatural believer.

“And before you ask, yes it was a complete...accid..ent.” Ben’s breath was starting to wear thin, he could feel his heart rate lowering, he knew he wasn’t going to die, but his health was going to deteriorate dramatically if he didn’t stop using his energy straight away. Ben looked towards the other girl and spoke, “I’ll probably pass out soon, just a heads up.”

Ben looked around the Cops were all gone and he couldn’t hear much apart from the odd car whizzing down the road or a bird calling to its family, this scene just reminded him of the day he had killed James, believing he was the same murderer that had killed his father, of course it was pitch black nearly and when James touched Ben’s skin Ben reacted creating a huge force and James fell dad there and then, Ben had grieved for hours before leaving him as the sound of an Ambulance came, Ben had searched for someone who had called the number, 999, of course he was never able to find anyone, but he hated that person, for he stopped Ben from being able to grieve the loss of his brother.

“Are you...like me? Different?” Ben was just managing to keep his words fluent, he had wiped the Force out for now, but that energy would return soon, he wasn’t 13 anymore, he was able to handle it more effectively now, but he didn’t know when the power would return, he just hoped that he didn’t pass out on the girl who had probably just saved his skin, not life, Ben was wanted for killing someone else so he would have been thrown into jail, and he really wasn’t ready for that, so he was going to take this girl’s help.

“Are you...like me? Different?” Alice bit her lip. She wasn't sure how to comfort him when he had told her he had killed his brother, when she had asked the question she thought the answer was going to be more along the lines of theft or vandalism or some other teenage offence, murder didn't really cross her mind, and she scolded herself for bringing it up.

Are you...like me? Different? the question rang in her head again, she guessed she was different, but she hadn't ever really assosiated it with another person. She was like him in her differentness and she had never thought of that before, she always had the disposition of being alone in her differentness. She sighed, she would have to think about this later.

Tentitively she took a seat next to the kid and looked him in the eyes with her cool blue ones and said

"Yah, I'm different like you. And if it makes you feel less alone, I never knew my father, and my mother is dead." She swallowed hard and moved her gaze to the wall. She wasn't really sure why she told him this, to make him feel better she guessed, but she wanted to add but I still don't trust you and she would have, but she was in charge of taking him home to school and she couldn't let the kid down.

"I am supposed to take you with me to New York, there is a school there for us, mutants. I understand if your weary of it, I sure was, but it....it's a good place with good people, it's safe and..." she was going to say and it's like a family but thought better of it.

"It's called Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning." she finished and rose to help him up.

It was the sheer fact that she had transformed into a wolf, it confused Ben, he had never seen something like that before, though he somewhat understood her, after all his Force Fields weren’t really something you could call normal, so Ben didn’t see the need to question her about it. Ben didn’t really want to know about girl’s past it just made him feel slightly more reluctant to talk to her, not that he had much energy to actually talk to her anyway the Force Field production had left him weak and he was starting with the first stage of collapsing, his eyesight started to go blurry though he could still see, when the optician had opted to give Ben glasses he really found the idea ridiculous, they didn’t help at all, as his mother repeatedly told the optician, of course back then no one really realised Ben’s true powers.

“O...okay.” He gasped for breathe, a little bit over dramatically, though he wasn’t acting...at all, he had always been a terrible actor throughout his life, one of his least favourite subjects ever, though one he had to do, he was so glad when he finally got the chance to drop it. “Uhm...I don’t really know if..I’ll make it to New York.” He said taking deep Breathes once again and quickly moving his hand to hold himself up on the wall. “What’s your name then?” He said panting, though he wasn’t really too worried now, he just had to takes things incredibly slowly, so he wouldn’t collapse. His eyes were burning, though it was a feeling Ben was somewhat used to, and his body was sweaty from exhaustion.

Ben paused for a moment looking behind the girl, no one was there, they must have taken her warning, but this was England, they would be back, it was something Ben had learned the hard way, Police almost never gave up a chance, though Ben felt safe with this girl, after all she had probably just saved his skin though he wasn’t sure whether she was tricking him, it was hard for Ben to trust someone though saving his life kind of bumped her up in his books, though he hoped that she would understand, after all the two had only just met, even though the whole wolf thing proved her point, Ben didn’t want to believe her about this Xavier Institute...it was a pretty weird name after all, though in a way Ben had to accept it, whether he liked it or not.

“So about this Xavier...institute. It’s safe...but lots of...us...would that really be...” He gulped and refrained from saying the word safe. He just sighed and closed his eyes and turned away from the older girl and just looked at the ground, obviously showing his saddened mood, he hated his life at the moment, death followed him everywhere, and he didn’t like it, he wanted to go to this safe place, but was it really safe? Or was it just an enticing offer that the girl thought Ben wouldn’t be able to refuse?

Alice watched as the poor boy struggled to stand and she sighed, her power was invigorating, and although often left her hungry for lamb….raw lamb, she wasn’t about to complain. Not only had he been scared, to generate energy like that took an enormous strain on ones energy levels and not to mention easily burned precious calories that are needed to feed the brain. Alice was a secret science nerd, but she’d be damned before she let any punk kid off the streets get privy to that knowledge.
With a light hand she gently yet firmly took hold of his fore-arm and held him steady as she was sure his head spun, God, as long as he didn’t vomit.

] “Uhm...I don’t really know if..I’ll make it to New York.” he confessed to her. Alice made and amused sound and gave him a look.
“I’m sure you will make it to New York, do not insult my skills as a chauffeur.” She tried to soften her gaze to let him know she meant well, but her personality hadn’t always been viewed as “warm”. Meh, C’est la Vie, Alice didn’t really care.

Slowly she took tentative steps forward to lead him out of the ally, she was sure they could sit down and rest somewhere, but she knew that it was probably fairly important to make themselves scarce for a bit. She was hoping after he was deemed well enough to walk on his own she could trot alongside him in her canine form, mainly to stave off awkward conversation, but at the moment she wasn’t entirely sure when that was going to happen.

“So about this Xavier...institute. It’s safe...but lots of...us...would that really be...”
“Safe?” she finished his thought. To be honest she had thought the same thing but when the superiors also have superpowers it stays pretty much under control.
“Let’s just say, there is a balance of power that a student wouldn’t dare interrupt on purpose, and besides, the campus is big and there is a lot of forgiveness going around.” As she spoke her sharp eyes watched carefully and her ears tried to find unwanted signs of cops or meddling pedestrians or some such non-sense, but thankfully non were to be found just yet so she let her body relax a little.

"Oh." she added as an after thought "I'm Alice, Alice O'Connor, canine transfiguration is my specialty, as you probably noticed, you?"