A while had passed since the first two meetings between the golem and the spirit.

By now, the woods were golden and fiery, leaves clinging onto branches, fearful of the fall, others dancing gracefully down, in spirals like a ballerina, many more then crunched underfoot, be it by animals or humans, though mostly done by wildlife, their footprints pressed into the soft dirt beneath the crumbled leaves.

The scent was that of old plants, decaying in the growing cold, and of living evergreens, such as pines and firs, standing tall and proud as the other trees lost their coverings.

“Why the heck do you keep bothering me?” That was what Alia had asked Serena's spirit on the sixth day she'd been surprised by the ball of bluish-green light, having been deep in her own thoughts.

The orb hummed slightly before replying. “I like being around you. No one else is as fun.”

The clay girl sighed, leaning back slightly, crossing her arms, wrinkling her vertically striped, pale-blue and white long-sleeved shirt and robin’s egg colored vest. “I'd much rather not be - you're constantly flying into my face, asking stuff or just blabbering on like a motor mouth. I freaking swear that there's no way to shut you up.”

“Oh.” A small, almost inaudible hum came from the orb. “Well... I'm sorry you feel that way.” The ball of light dimmed slightly as it thought. “I just... I get bored easily and you seemed perfect to hang out with...”

Another sigh from Alia, paired with a mumbled, sarcastic, “yay”.

After a few moments of silence, the sentient golem spoke again, leaning forward a bit, crossing her bluish-black covered legs.  “Why have I only seen you like this?” She gestured to the whole of the spherical light.

“Ah... that...” A small nervous chuckle was heard from the orb. “I guess I just don't like being in my body... I never actually thought about it to be honest...”

“I see...” Another sigh from Alia. “I do believe that I'd prefer to see you as a human...”

“Oh. I didn't know.”

“Apparently.” Alia pulled off a finger and began rolling it into the shape of a small sphere, her hand reforming as she became lost in her thoughts.

“Want to meet me for lunch in the cafeteria on monday..?”

The clay girl jumped slightly as she realized that the orb of light was still hovering there, inches from her face. Almost instinctively, she swiped at it, before remembering it was intangible, that she was making a fool of herself. “I was lost in my thoughts...” She grimaced as she registered what it had said. “Uh... no... I don’t go there anymore... because I can’t eat...”

“Ah. Well, at least I know where you won’t be.” The orb let out a slight giggle, trying to make light of the situation, as if she hoped the golem as well would find her wording funny.

“Oh...” Alia groaned a little, rolling her eyes slightly. “Just shut your freaking trap already...”

The light dimmed for a moment. “Why do you have to be so rude..? Can’t you just say ‘that wasn’t funny’ or something like that..?”

Another groan from the girl. “Right now... I’d much rather delve into my own mind then have it picked by a bodiless spirit...”

“But I have one!”

“One you won’t show...” The golem sighed. “Not that it matters... either way, you’re annoying as heck...” A grimace lit on her face as she closed her eyes and leaned back further, back in the crook of two roots, head resting where they met, trying to ignore the blueish-green ball of light.

“Well... where do you want to meet me..?”

“Nowhere,” she mumbled.

“What?”

“You heard me...” It seemed that ignoring the orb was futile. “Nowhere... I don’t want to meet you... even this, here, now, is idiotic... I mean, you won’t even listen and I’m just trying to ignore you. You won’t go away, you won’t stop talking and you just won’t stop freaking bothering me!” Her eyes, as they had done months ago with Georgia, had gone from her typical vivid hazel and green to a dark, dull gray.

Dimming greatly, the orb moved back, as the only other person to witness the change in eye color had all that time ago. “I just... I... you’re lonely... I thought I could... that I would be able to... to help...”

“You can’t. And I’m not.” She leaned back, against a rugged trunk, a pine, a tree that was still clothed majestically.

“That’s not true... I can feel it... remember..?” While not as dim as it just had been, the light was not as bright as  it typically was. “It’s rolling off of you in waves... you just don’t want to admit it...”

Sitting up with a jerk, face less than a foot from the orb, Alia shouted at it, eyes changing colors once more. “Shut up!” Then she fell back down, smacking her head against the rough trunk and sliding down, leaving a trail of gray clay in the grooves.

The sphere didn’t know how to respond and just hovered there, uncertain.

Minutes of silence passed, the girl eventually curling up and succumbing to a seemingly endless series of dry sobs, body quivering uncontrollably as it had done many times.

The ball of light once more dimmed, flying closer to the quivering golem, slowly circling the saddened and anxious girl, unsure of how to help, or if it even could.

Eventually, the orb spoke, lightly, as if not wanting to spook or greatly disturb the other. “Alia..? Do you n-”

“G... go... a... way... p... please...” She could barely speak, voice muffled as her body faded into a slightly more spherical, much grayer, version of what it was. “I... I don’t... need... a... any... thing...” Sadness, anxiety, fear, anger, pummeled her relentlessly, the poor girl unable to speak without a stutter, a slight one but a stutter nonetheless.

The orb tried again, moving towards the other mutant again. “A-”

“No...” She seemed to curl up further, nearly the shape of a rectangular, oval sphere.

The orb didn’t know what to do. Had she been within her body and not just hovering there uselessly, she would’ve placed a hand on what was presumed to be the shoulder of the shaking golem. But, as stated, she was useless as a light. Serena couldn’t help Alia, couldn’t comfort her. She could only feel the emotions that lay siege to the other. Williams was an empath with, at the moment, no way to do anything but watch, wait and listen, and hope something would change.

Minutes passed, the orb not leaving, as if hoping that her soft, sea-green light was comforting, even though she knew it most likely was not.

Eventually, the dry sobs began to soften, becoming quieter, bit by bit, if just, many more minutes going by as the orb continued to wait watch, wait and listen.

Finally, Alia spoke, a head-like shape rising from the mildly featureless gathering of clay. “Shouldn’t you... be... gone..?”

The orb hummed slightly. “Trying to comfort a friend... is more important to me...”

The girl sighed. “No one’s my friend... I can never have friends... I’m a mutant... we’re supposed to be hated, loathed, and ground underfoot...”

The light dimmed a little. “You seem to be forgetting I’m one too...”

“What does it matter..?” She sighed again. “I bet even mutants loathe each other... humanity... and it’s branched out evolutions... are twisted... fraught with lies and prejudice and so much other freaking garbage... so why does it even matter..? This world is trashed... morals have been sent to h*ll... no one stays friendly with those who have changed too much for them... be it in the way they act... or their DNA... be they human... or mutant... no one has a true friend... no one can be a true friend... that’s been bred out of us through eons of hate... even religion is corrupted... people hiding behind their so-called ‘gods’ as a way to produce prejudice, death and much more...” She curled up again. “You want to know something..?” Alia didn’t wait for a reply. “I... I don’t even know if I can die... at least... normally... though I might not even be able to die abnormally... for all I know... I’m stuck like this for eternity until some higher being decides I’ve suffered enough... and I’m certain that’ll never be decided... it’s like fate or something wants to punish me... just for having been born a human... like I... like I was meant to be a... a mutant... all along...” Her sobbing slowly began anew, the poor girl quivering once again.

“Don’t think like that... don’t predict what you don’t know...” The ball of light dimmed a little as she slowly began circling the other mutant. “Try and stay positive... it’s hard... but you can do it...”

“No... that’s... your job...”

“Alia... anyone can be an optimist... but few... when they’ve gone through something as bad as we have... can actually power through the darkness... few can reach the light... and I... I’m no different... my optimistic outlook... is more of a facade than anything else... my soul color represents my personality... as does yours... do you actually think that it’d be so far from white if I truly was an optimist..?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m not... I try... but I’ve failed... but you don’t have to fail... not like me... you can change the world... I’m too shy to try... sure... I seem to be an extrovert but... that’s part of the facade... I smile... I laugh... but that’s only the outside... you though... you’re brave enough to actually put your true self out there...”

“No... not my true self...”

“Your... our... mutations don’t define us... Alia... they’re a part of us... but... they’re not us...”

“Go ahead... say that... but you know as well as I do that they do...”

“No... you’re wrong... they’re just a part of us... if someone lost their arm, would they lose a piece of their personality..? No... they might become a bit more introverted, if only at first, if just slightly, but they don’t lose their personality...” The orb flew closer to the girl, dimming slightly. “It’s the event... not the action... that changes personalities... cause and effect... The Kidnapping... what we went through... not what we became...”

“I became a mutant, a monster in many eyes were people to know. Thanks to that, I try to avoid as many people as I possibly can. I can’t trust anymore!” Her eyes once more were dull and dark.

“That’s because of what you-”

“Just give it a freaking rest already! It’s like you’re intent on beating a dead horse or something!” In anger and annoyance, she punched the nearest tree, turning slightly to hit the one behind her, her hand falling off her wrist, sticking to the trunk, but soon sliding down to land on her head. “So. Just. Freaking. Shut. Up!” She curled up once more, trying to ignore anything else but her dreary thoughts.

“A-”

“No.”

This time, with a sad dimming, the orb slowly disappeared, going back to her body, leaving the poor girl there, emotions endlessly pummeling the golem once again.

The man grabbed Alia’s arm with a nasty smile on his face, digging his nails into her elbow. “Amazingly resistant... to most stuff...” He pulled a knife from what seemed to be nowhere and thrust it into her shoulder. “And without pain receptors...” His smile became a smirk. “Those who dropped my research,” to fund the idiotic idea of cryogenic chambers, “will certainly be amazed if I find a way to duplicate your ability in others... especially if they think of how it could be useful in a war...” He let go. “Come. Or else.”

Alia knew what the ‘or else’ meant - water. While needing some, clay was impossible to hold together when too wet. And, though she’d yet to get any further than becoming mud, the golem was certain that, with enough liquid, she’d die or, at the very least, wind up scattered to heck and gone.

The man’s hand seemed to disappear for a moment, causing the girl to quickly stand. “Good.” As his hand reappeared, he began walking, glancing back to make sure Alia didn’t try to run or anything.

The tests, though painless in terms of feeling, were agonizing to the golem, who wished she never had to go through the numerous electrical shocks, stabbings, rips and anything else the man could come up with.

Alia slowly raised her head to see that the sphere of light was gone, that she had left, and began to wonder if she shouldn’t have shood it away. I hate my life... but... the only way out... would be death... and I... I can't seem to die... I already know that... from everything that he's done... She continued her dry sobbing, though it wasn't as bad as before, quivering a bit, curled up.