━━ HER RESURRECTION

LOUD, PATRIOTIC MUSIC RICOCHETS AROUND the open field in front of the White House.

My feet carry me over the lush emerald grass as I am scrunched within a crowd of excited onlookers. The air is light, anticipation thrilling the hearts of all who tread around this place. Smiles are plastered on faces, pride thrumming inside their chests. Everyone expects a show of might and power today, a presentation that will tell them just how powerful America is.

Logan shifts beside me, sunglasses strung over his eyes, sideburns prominent on either side of his face. His arms rest across his chest, and in his head, darkness forms at the corners of his mind. He's worried, just like I am. But why shouldn't we be worried? We're currently trying to stop a mass extinction at a very public space and if we fail, the fate of all mutantkind could be destroyed.

I gulp. No pressure.

Up ahead, Hank pushes Charles through the metal detector, and it obviously begins to blare loudly through the speakers on the side. Charles raises his hands in a nonchalant manner. Soon, it's my turn, and I follow through before Logan. I go up to stand beside Hank. He smiles at me, and I nod back. We both take a deep breath.

My hands are shaking.

"Can I see your invitations, please?" A guard up ahead asks Charles. As they speak, another guard brings a device over Hank's body, then moves on to me. Charles reaches up and places two fingers over his temple.

"Yes, you may." he says, and I can feel the pull inside my own head as Charles reaches out to the guard. "These three are with me." It doesn't take long before the guards posture straightens, his eyes going blank as Charles takes hold of his mind, twisting the man's thoughts.

"Go ahead." the guard says softly.

"Thank you." Charles says, and Hank rolls ahead. I follow after them, nodding to the guard in thanks before catching up with them. A couple seconds later, Logan appears at our side again, his sunglasses back on his head, a slight smirk on his face. I'm not sure what he finds so amusing, but I sure wish I had his bliss instead of the gaping pit of shadows that covers my stomach.

Every step I take, it feels like I'm walking closer and closer to the edge of a cliff, with no signs of stopping. At some point, I'm going to slip. At some point, I'm going to fall. I cross my arms around my waist.

We finally get to a good position in the crowd, able to see where the stage is brightly decorated in red, white and blue. I take a deep breath as we stop, standing side by side, looking out over the sea of people.

Charles raises his hand to his head again, and soon I can feel the pull of his mind reaching out, scanning the many heads that push in around us. The shadows sizzle under my skin, pleading to be released. They've never been this agitated, not since I first came to manor, not since I unleashed my strength in Cuba.

"I haven't found her yet, but she has to be here." Charles calls out, and I look down at him. His eyebrows are scrunched above his glasses, greasy hair hanging down to his shoulders. At that moment, an announcer's voice booms through the crowd.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States!" upbeat fanfare plays as President Nixon is ushered onto stage. My eyes pass over the crowd at the top, but the appearance of Bolivar Trask does not go unnoticed. He's frowning, eyes narrowed, and he seems about the only person in this place unfazed by the incredible circumstances. Hank, Logan, and I all look around, hoping to find a familiar blonde-haired woman.

But, of course, we don't find her. I didn't think we would. She will most likely be in a different form, as it's easier to blend in that way.

"My fellow Americans." The President is beginning his speech. "Today... we face the gravest threat in our history..." I hold my breath as a spike of panic erupts through the crowd. "Mutants."

"Can you feel her?" Hank whispers beside me, peering down as I crease my eyes. I shake my head. The emotions of so many distressed individuals are blocking my heightened senses.

"We have prepared for this threat." Charles is still searching through the minds of the crowd. "In the immortal words of Robert Oppenheimer: 'Behold, the world will never be the same again'." As he speaks the last words, the President gestures to the curtain behind him, and it falls, revealing a line of large robotic androids. Immediately, Logan stiffens. His shoulders are pulled back by an invisible force, and I look up at him worriedly.

Soldiers and veterans rise as the Nation's anthem plays. There is a round of applause around the stadium. None of us clap. I can feel it in every single one of the mutants here, the terror. The shame.

"Raven." Charles calls out, and all of us look at him sharply. He raises a hand, and I can sense there's a strain inside of him. "I have her." The words rush over me like a tidal wave. He points over to the side near the front stage, to a security guard frozen in a lunging position. "There. You see? Secret Service man. Left of the stage. Go."

Logan, Hank, and I start to head over, but then another presence pops into my mind. I freeze where I am, Hank and Logan going ahead. My feet are locked in place. It's like my heart is being crushed to dust inside my chest. I stiffen, the emotions so potent and sharp that I let out a gasp. The anger is so strong I want to fall to my knees. It worms through me, an avalanche that knocks me off balance.

And I know, at this moment, that they undoubtedly belong to him. Erik.

I whirl around, my eyes scanning the crowd. He's here, I can feel it. He's angry, very angry, and flashes of darkness curl up my arms as I turn and run, away from Logan and Hank, away from Charles, towards where I can feel Erik. I push past the crowds, tripping over feet, my legs clumsy, body rattled.

The shadows grow stronger, like a fire growing in the back of my mind. He's close. My eyes frantically scan every face I pass. My hair flies about my face, and the world careens under my feet. I reach the outcropping of the roped off area, stopping in the empty grass just outside the presentation arena. I twirl around, my breath growing stronger, blood roaring in my ear.

Where is he? Where is he? Where is—

Deafening gunshots ring out inside the area. I jolt backwards, tripping and falling onto my back as screams erupt in the space. I look over, and the sentinels fly in the air, casting bullets over the crowd. Fear spikes inside my chest, so putrid it hurts to breathe. The darkness pools around me, and I try to reel them back in.

People run past me, crying and shrieking as there are more gunshots. Fire erupts inside the place, and I struggle to get up, the panic so heavy it drags through my limbs. But in the fear, there is still the anger. His anger.

That's when realization courses through me. Erik is doing this. Erik is the one controlling the Sentinels.

I get up, find my footing, and take a deep breath. Erik is still firing upon the ground.

Without a second thought, I run towards the area. Inside, a car flips over right by me, and I jump to get out of the way. People push past me, almost knocking me over as I search the ground. Over by another flaming car lies Hank and Logan, but I can't see Charles.

I run over to them, getting to my knees and taking hold of Logan's arm. I try to pull him up, but he's too heavy.

"Come on, come on." I grit my teeth. "Logan! Hank!"

There is another explosion. I'm flown backwards, hitting the ground with a hard thump, rolling in the grass and landing face down. Bells ring inside my ears as I let out a breath, my ribs screaming inside my chest. I whimper at the agony, but manage to prop myself up on my elbow.

I look up, and determination settles along my bones.

"Come on, kid." a gruff voice calls to me, and suddenly I'm being hoisted up. I push against Logan, showing him I can walk on my own. Hank, Logan and I surround each other, wincing at the crash that surrounds us. We duck behind the car, and I flinch as my chest twinges. Logan peers over the car, his eyes wide.

Then the shadow comes.

At first, I think it might be my powers, the dark energy finally breaking free from my unsteady control. But after a split second, I know it's not, because I feel nothing. The shadows still simmer beneath my skin.

We all look up in unison, and my throat goes dry at the sight.

A large stadium, I don't know for football or some other sport, flies above us. Parts break off, destroying whatever is beneath us. It flies over our heads, and that's when I see him. That's when the world truly falls into chaos.

Erik soars above us, Shaw's helmet over his head. He's clad in new dark maroon armour, but it does nothing to mask the fury that flashes in his eyes. Even from down below, I can see it. The anger, the hatred, towards anything that isn't like him. I stand, not caring for the destruction around me, and crane my neck up to the sky, my breath leaving me softly.

"No." I whisper. "Erik!" I yell, and somehow, he hears me. Erik looks down to us, just as the floating arena fully encircles us and the White House. Our eyes clash, my green against his cobalt blue. We hold each other's gaze, and his face twists when he sees me. I don't know exactly what he's feeling, because his rage overpowers all, but I know I've done something.

"Erik!" I yell again, hoping my voice is not lost on the wind. There's another explosion as debris lands right by us, and Logan grabs onto my arm, trying to pull me away, but I stand firm, looking up at the man above me.

He continues to stare at me, his face hardening into straight lines.

There is a brief pause. It's so small and insignificant I wonder if it even happens at all, but Erik stops. There's a lapse in his anger, a point where his eyes grow lighter as he stares at my face.

"Stop this, Erik!" I yell again. Logan pulls harder on my arm, trying to get me behind the broken car.

Then, another voice enters the scene. "ERIK!" Finally, I look away to see Charles sitting, watching the man. I look back up to Erik.

He's snapped out of whatever daze had him tethered to one place, and his face goes blank once again. Logan pulls me behind the car, and I trip, grasping onto Hank's arm to keep myself steady. We all watch in horror as the stadium begins to fall.

Sirens wail in the distance, but they'll be useless once they get here. I turn to Charles, back in the center of the field. He's also peering up, and that's when I see the piece of lighting falling down towards the ground. All the breath leaves my body.

"CHARLES!!" Both Logan and I scream at the same time, and suddenly we're no longer behind the car, but running up the field to try and reach Charles. I gather up the shadows by my side, letting the flash of fire run up my arms, and hurl them towards the debris about to fall on top of Charles. The shadows completely cover my vision. My veins turn black as I cry out, trying to push the dark energy enough to stop them.

But it's too late.

Charles has just enough time to hurl himself out of his wheelchair before everything falls on top of him. I can hear myself screaming, my voice going hoarse as more and more rubble falls around us. Logan, Hank, and I hold onto each other, flinging each other around like slingshots to keep from being killed by falling cement blocks.

Blood roars in my ears, the darkness screaming as it retreats back into my veins. My back burns as all of the energy culminates under my shirt, the same place my shadow wings sprouted ten years ago in Cuba. Is that what it's doing now? As the stadium collides with the ground and we are all thrown off course, should I really just fly away? It would save me, I know it would. I could fly up and out, soaring into the sky like I always wanted to do when I was trapped with Shaw. I have that ability now, and at this moment, I've never wanted to retreat more.

A stone pillar lands behind me, clipping the back of my heels, and my hands leave Logan's. He calls my name as I cry, flung forward. I soar through the air, twisting and turning, lungs burning. I watch the ground rise up to meet me. I can see flashes of white and red and blue as I fall.

The dark energy erupts. It's as hot as lava, burning my back as it sprouts from my vertebrae. I grow wings, and they coil around me tightly as I reach the ground.

Then the world turns dark.

✶

When I open my eyes, I'm lying on soft grass. My head rings, and shadows lay about me, slithering on the ground as if they have a mind of their own. I groan softly, turning onto my back. There is hot liquid pouring down the side of my face, staining my neck. My arms are like lead, and I can see my veins are a rich ebony.

I turn onto my back, straining, and that's when I realize there is a block of cement clamped down on my foot. The numbness wears off, and suddenly white fire is running up my leg. My foot is being crushed, the bones turning to dust inside my flesh.

I shriek, gasping out, my lungs collapsing inward. I try to reach down, try to push it away, but it's too heavy, and I'm too weak. My dark wings have drained everything out of me. I cry out again as the concrete shifts, lodging deeper into my ankle. All the blood rushes to my head as my nerves implode in on themselves.

When I know I won't be able to get the rock off me, I grunt and sit up. My back aches, as if each and every disk in my spine has moved out of order. I grit my teeth and rub the tears from my eyes, then look up. My heart stops.

Above me, a man is hanging in the air. Blood drips down his body, from his forehead, and for a second, I wonder if there is a small slit in the center of his head, right where a coin has just pushed through his flesh.

But as I look at the man more closely, taking in his face, it's only when his eyes meet mine that I realize who it is.

"Logan." I breathe, facing the gruff man with metal wires protruding out of his body. He splutters, eyes wide as he watches me. Something passes across his face, something I can't understand. I turn back to the cement block, kicking it with my other foot, trying to get it off. As the block stays put after every attempt, my breaths turn more ragged, until I'm panting, crying out as nothing moves. I'm helpless, utterly, completely helpless.

"So much for being a survivor." his voice pours over me like a glass of ice cold water. I twist my neck, straining against the weight of the cement, and see him, arm raised, pointed directly at Logan.

I try to call out his name, but shadows are thick on my throat, choking me, rendering my voice useless. My own powers are working against me. I turn back to Logan, gasping, eyes widening as he strains, screaming. No, please, stop! My mind screams, and I hold out a hand to Erik, hoping I can subdue his anger, but it's too late. Erik pushes his hand forward, and I'm just able to scream Logan's name, eyes never leaving his, as he's thrown back, flying out of the arena.

The shadows clear. "NO!" I shriek, pushing and punching the stone, gasping and grasping at the stone. "ERIK!" The man freezes, but he doesn't look at me. "Erik, what have you done?"

There's a beat of silence, and then his voice. "I'm saving us, Leena."

"Erik," I say, wincing at the numbness growing up my foot into my leg. "Whatever you think you're doing, it is not going to save us." He slowly starts to turn, and I don't speak until his wide eyes meet my gaze. "It is going to destroy us." He frowns.

"This isn't Cuba, Leena." Erik says. "This isn't a fight against Shaw." I begin to shake my head. "Can't you see? Can't you see what this has brought, what it's shown us?" he points towards the White House, and the windows begin to shake. "They are the enemy. They have always been the enemy!"

"Why are you like this, Erik?" I shriek. "Why are we always fighting?" he pauses. "Can't you see that..." I take a deep breath. "That we could be together again." tears form in my eyes. "We could all be together again." That's all I want, I wish to say, but hold my tongue.

"All?" Erik says. "What about Sean, Leena?" My stomach drops. "Banshee? Where is he."

"Don't." I warn.

"You want us to be together again?" Erik asks, his tone growing forceful. "Then they shouldn't have killed him!" He looks to the white building. "They shouldn't have killed our brothers and sisters!"

I shake my head, a tear slipping down my cheek. "Why couldn't we be a family, Erik?" he stops, breathing heavily. "Why couldn't we just be a family?" Erik pauses, looking at me as if I'm some foreign alien from space. Like he's never seen me properly until now.

I take a deep breath, eyes not leaving his face.

Instead of answering, however, Erik simply turns towards the White House, his face contorting with an emotion I know well: guilt. But instead of asking for mercy, Erik raises both hands, and the entire building begins to shake. First the windows, then the front door, until the entire building is shuddering.

There is a loud crash, and the entire front of the White House explodes.

A large metal box soars out of the building, dragging along the grass until it lands heavily on the ground in front of us. I twist my body until I'm laying on my elbows, watching as Erik rips open the front of the box, revealing a slew of military officials and men in black suits. All of the guns inside the space rise up and turn on their owners, hanging around Erik.

Everyone inside the box stares at Erik, their eyes widening, and then down to me, caught on the ground, unable to move. In the back of the space, I see Bolivar Trask watching me with wide eyes.

Erik turns back, his eyes flicking over my face, and raises his hands towards the many video cameras stationed around the space. Slowly, they all turn to face us. I know they've turned on, and now record our every movement, broadcasting to the entire country.

Erik faces the men standing in the safe house. "You built these weapons to destroy us." he gestures to the guns. "Why?" his tone hardens. "Because you are afraid of our gifts. Because we are different. Humanity has always feared that which is different." I strain again, trying to bring the pulsing energy into my hands, hoping to lift the stone. At first, some shadows appear, but they peeter out almost immediately. I cry out and turn back to Erik, hoping to catch his attention again, hoping to calm him again. A part of me knows it's not going to work. He's so blinded in his quest to redemption that he doesn't even realize he's hurting those he's trying to save.

"Humanity has always feared that which is different." Erik whirls back to the cameras. "Well I'm here to tell you... to tell the world..." I suck in a breath as he looks down at me, face softening. "You're right to fear us." I grit my teeth as a spike of fear dampens my other senses. It's as if the whole world has held its breath. All the blood rushes to my head, and my ears ring. "We are the future. We are the ones who will inherit this earth. And anyone who stands in our way will suffer the same fate as these men you see before you."

"Erik." I say again, and I find it's the only word I know at this moment. The only word that matters. A name. A name which has meant so much to me. A name that saved me, that protected me. But also a name that broke me. He hears me, I know he does, but Erik doesn't look at me again.

"Today was meant to be a display of your power." Magneto continues. "Instead, I give you a glimpse of the devastation my race can unleash upon yours." My foot has gone numb, and my body deflates at Erik's words. Across the way, I can see Charles' near motionless body underneath the broken debris. Logan is gone. I don't even know if he's still alive, or if Erik has killed him too.

"Let this be a warning to the world." Erik says softly. "And to my mutant brothers and sisters out there, I say this:" now, his eyes flicker down to mine, and his voice grows delicate, as light as a feather. "No more hiding. No more suffering. You have lived in the shadows and shame and fear for too long." my body goes still at his words. "Come out. Join me. Fight together in a brotherhood of our kind." He stands before me, looking down, one hand outstretched.

"A new tomorrow," Erik finishes. "That starts today." I can hear his voice crack at the end, and his hands shake as he walks over to me, peering down at my face. I take a deep breath, trying to keep the pain out of my face.

Erik seems to notice the block on my foot, and his eyes darken. With one swipe of his hand, release pulses through me, and I gasp as my foot, bloodied and probably broken, is no longer burdened by the brick. I pull up my tingling leg, resting my hands on the swollen flesh. Just the light touch of my finger sends fire running up my calf.

"Join me, Leena." Erik says, his voice nearly a whisper, and I glance up at him, my face scrunching at the glint of sun from his helmet. I gaze at his outstretched hand, trembling as if he is cold. "Please."

I pause, my eyes never leaving his face, because something's worms it's way into my heart, something I never expected to feel. Longing. A part of me wants to take his hand. I let out a breath, my eyes going down to my lap. My hands shake, quivering, my veins blackened and bruised.

My lungs expand and retract. My head is splitting down the middle, the seams unfurling just at the sight of Erik reaching for me. If I take his hand now, if I agree to join him, I'll be agreeing to destruction, to a colossal amount of fear and ruin.

But just as Erik said, I would no longer be in the shadows. I know for a fact that if I went with him, my world wouldn't be so broken anymore. My biggest regrets, my worst nightmares, they would be healed, at least a little bit. I could be free of my own mind, have at least a fragment of the family I wanted.

Maybe Erik is right. Maybe this is our time. The things I've seen, the lengths I've witnessed humans will go to keep us out, it's more than I'm able to bear. It's forced us to hide, forced us into our own cages, our minds trapped under lock and key. I know what it's like to be captive, and I also know that the most I've ever felt free was with my own kind, at the manor ten years ago. There, at least for a short while, I felt like nothing could hurt me.

But what about the others? I pause. What about the innocent? The children, the men and women that don't see us as a threat, but rather an ally? What about the millions of lives we might destroy if the mutant race tries to destroy the humans that are enemies. There are bound to be those caught in the crossfire, and then we will be no better than those trying to destroy us. We will be no better than the Sentinels that are annihilating our race in the future, in Logan's time.

At that thought, my chest caves in. The breath leaves my body, and my eyes widen as I realize what I have to do.

It breaks my heart.

"I can't, Erik." I say softly. "You know I can't, not if you keep down this path." his hand curls into a fist. "Not if this is how you'll continue to see the world." His arm goes down to his side, and I can see the fire returning to his eyes. "But it doesn't mean you're entirely wrong." I quickly say, and he whips his head back to me. "You're just... you're trying to save the world by destroying a part of it. And I can't follow that. I'm sorry."

Before Erik can reply, there's a scuffle at the safe house, and as I try to stand, we both look to see the President pushing past his guards, shoving them away to stand before us. I get to my feet, but am unable to apply any pressure on my foot. I snake my arms around my waist, and look over to where Charles lies in the lighting.

"You want to make a statement?" the President shouts. "Kill me. Fine. But spare everyone else." My limbs are like lead weights, but as Erik walks towards the President, I inch myself away from the group, slowly trying to make my way over to Charles.

"Very heroic, Mr. President." Erik is saying. "But you had no intention of sparing any of us." My throat is closed up as I limp over to the broken body of the telepath. "The future of our species begins now." I'm almost at the lighting, but that's when I hear the weapons cocking, and I freeze.

I slowly turn around just in time to see it happen. Erik's head is turned to the side, his arms reaching out towards one of the sentinels, and the President is pulling out a gun. It's as if the world has been submerged under water, and I watch as a bullet releases from the handgun, shooting straight through the side of Erik's neck.

I stumble back, hand over my mouth as the man kneels to the ground, crying out, and the blue form of Raven emerges from under the President's skin. My feet cave under me, and I fall backwards, my back hitting the debris that has covered Charles. Instantly, a hand reaches out and grips onto my arm. I turn, meeting eyes with Charles, who is, thankfully, still breathing. He's covered in grime and has a nasty gash on his head, similar to my own, but his face is determined, settled and unforgiving.

"Careful," he whispers. "Careful, Leena." It's then that the weight of my injury settles along my bones. My face falls as my lungs burn, and my head swims. I rest my head against one of the bars, holding onto Charles' hand through the grate. He's nodding his head, and I nod along with him as my body sags and I rest against the debris. All movements seem to be too difficult to perform. The only thing I feel is my foot, crushed and shattered and agonizing.

"I..." My voice is weak, hoarse and rough. "I... can't go back, Charles." He pauses, hand still gripping my own. "I can't keep living like this... I can't." Charles' eyes glaze over my face, and his eyebrows scrunch. I almost pull back, wondering if he's searching through my mind, but I don't feel anything pushing against the walls around my head. He's just looking at me. Just thinking. I take a deep, shuddering breath that fills my lungs like a rustling baby bird.

"Everything that's happened these past few years, Charles." I continue on, my voice growing shaky with every breath, as if I'm using up air too fast to speak properly. "It's... it's broken me. It's broken all of us, and I can't..." I take another breath. "I need to leave... I need to... I can't stay." Now my words come out a jumbled mess as I try to explain the ache in my heart, the cracks in my armour like pottery shattering when it touches the ground.

I can't stay. I can't stay with him, I can't go with Erik. I need to leave, to explore the world on my own, to find a way to heal the damages that have been done to me. My place is no longer as an X-Men, no longer as a caregiver. All that's happened, all I've done, it's not what I've needed, it's been what's handed to me.

I'm done fighting. I'm done.

"I understand, Leena." Charles' voice is so soft I can barely hear him. When I look back at him, I can see a lump welled in his throat. "You don't need to say anything else. I understand." His voice is so calm, so sincere, that it allows me to relax. My shoulders un-stiffen, and I lean against the railing, holding onto Charles' hand.

"Thank you." I whisper through the air. Charles smiles, a small, pained smile.

"But we're not out of this yet." he says, and raises his other hand, pointing to behind me. I turn my head slowly, brows furrowed in confusion, but they unfurl when I see what Charles is pointing to. Raven has knocked Erik to the ground, and quickly turns, gun pointed directly into the steel box.

I turn back to Charles, but his eyes are closed, hand on his temple, and I whip around again, seeing all the men in the safe house freeze, their limbs stiff and un-moving.

"Get out of my head, Charles!" I hear Raven yell, and it tells me that Charles has projected himself over there, in front of Raven. I pull my hand back, and push them together, scrunching my eyes in concentration, willing the dark energy towards my palms. Hopefully I can gather enough to help Charles get free, but the pain in my foot clouds my thoughts, and the shadows which do emerge are weak and flicker in and out of focus.

"Raven..." Charles speaks out, eyes still closed. "Please, do not make us the enemy today."

"Look around you—" Raven calls out. "We already are."

"Not all of us." Charles replies. "All you've done so far is save the lives of these men." I hear a shuffling by my side, and turn to see Hank, back in his normal form, jump down next to me.

"I can't get him out." I say quietly. "My powers... they're drained." Hank nods and plants his hands underneath the railing, beginning to pull up with all his might. I try to get to my knees and do the same.

"You can show them a better path." Charles continues. There's a pause, and I look back, my sweat-clicked hair falling into my eyes. Raven stands, slightly shaking, gun still pointed at Trask and Charles' projection.

I can see her fingers trembling against the trigger.

"Hank stops pulling, also seeing Raven, and with a heavy voice, he says. "Shut her down, Charles." At this, surprisingly, Charles smiles. My jaw locks in place.

"I've been trying to control you ever since the day we met," he speaks up. "And look where that's got us." his eyes find my own. Blood pours out from the gash on my head, and my fingers feel as light as the air. I swoon on the spot. Hank puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Everything that happens now," Charles tells Raven. "Is in your hands." Raven doesn't move. "I have faith in you, Raven." For some reason, when Charles releases his grip on the men in the safehouse and his hands fall to his lap, I don't think he's just talking to Raven. My head hangs down, partly from exhaustion, and partly for the two men in front of me not to see the tears falling against my pale cheeks.

For what feels like an eternity, we sit, the world hanging by a thin strand, the future walking a tightrope with no safety. And yet, it all feels so miniscule. So inconsequential.

My decision, my choice, hangs heavy against my thundering heart. And my whole body shakes, quivering at the thought.

But then, Charles lets out a deep, relieved sigh. I look up, a question plain in my eyes. Without a second beat, Charles nods. I let out a breath and turn.

Raven stands before the safe house, the gun fallen to the floor. She slowly turns and walks towards Erik's motionless body, and rips the metal helmet from his head, then disappears out of the space. Charles looks over at me, then places his hand back on his temple.

Eriks shoots up, his eyes blank, and as Charles raises his hand, Erik does the same. In one fluid motion, the lighting flies off of Charles and away from us. Hank goes and pulls Charles up, while I grab onto a concrete block and hoist myself up, my foot throbbing as if it has its own heartbeat.

Erik turns around slowly, his eyes wandering the chaos-ridden field, then finds us.

"If you let them have me, I'm as good as dead." He calls out. "You know that."

"I know." Charles replies slowly.

Erik nods softly, then his gaze moves over to me. "Leena," he doesn't hold out a hand, but I know he wants to. "What will you do now?" he asks instead.

I suck in a breath, and can feel everyone's eyes on me, burning the side and front of my head. I bite the inside of my cheek, but look up, determinedly setting my shoulders.

"I'll make my own way." My voice is sure and strong, even if my heart is not fully convinced. "At least for now." Erik nods again, and I can see the hurt plain on his face.

"Goodbye, old friends." he tells us calmly, and after a final glance in my direction, Erik raises his hands out to the side and slowly floats up. He disappears into the cloudy sky, and soon I can no longer see his form.

My hands find my waist, and the scars that lace my skin burn. I turn to Charles and Hank.

"I have to go." I say softly. While Hank's brows furrow, Charles gives an understanding nod.

"I hope to see you again, one day, Leena." Charles says softly. "You mean so much... to all of us." I smile, a small laugh erupting from my lips.

"Thank you, Charles." I say. "For everything. And you, Hank..." the scientist gives a bashful grin. "You've done so much for me, truly."

Hank grins, but his eyes are sad. "See you around, Leena." I nod once more, and my hands curl into fists.

A part of me doesn't want to turn around. A part of me doesn't want to leave them. A part of me wants to stay in the monotonous routine my life has been since Cuba. But I know I can't stay. Not with everything that's happened. Not with everything I've lost.

I need this. I need to heal all the broken pieces that have found a home inside me. How I'll do that is still a mystery, but I know that it means I have to be on my own. I have to discover the life I've never gotten to live.

So, with one final look at the people that have kept me afloat, I turn, and slowly walk away.

Back in the arena, Hank looks to Charles.

"You sure you should let them go?" he asks.

"Yes." Charles nods. "I have hope for them." He smiles. "There's going to be a time, Hank. When we are all together."

Charles watches after Leena Talley, her dark hair bouncing, her scarred hands gripping her waist. His smile grows wider. "When we will all be together... again." 

AUTHOR'S NOTE...

screams